Unit 4 Holidays and Special days Teaching aims: In this unit students are required to 1)get to know some useful information concerning the topic of the reading passages in this unit and to know more about english culture 2)do some preparation activities such as discussion, group work, etc to practice their spoken skill and communicative skills 3)grasp some new words and try to use these words which help them to enrich their vocabulary 4 read the in-class reading passage in a limited time and grasp some expressions and grammatical points in the in-class reading passage to improve their read ing comprehension, 5)do some post-read ing exercises and some after-class reading to practice what they have got to know in class to improve their English comprehensive skills 6)translate some typical sentences into Chinese or English by using some expressions learned in the read ing passages to acquire some translating skills and better their translating abilities L. Useful Information Holiday are special times of respite(暂停,小歇) from work and other routines(常 #EEJ). In some cases, they are legal holidays when stores, businesses and government offices are officially closed. In other cases, they are celebrated (itti) without taking time off from work. Holidays are often times for celebration, revelry (EX), eating, drinking, travel, and family gatherings, but they may also be times of rest and reflection (K1). The current trend is away from rest and reflection. Even Mardi gras(大斋首日的前一天,直译为“油腻的星期二”), the day before the trad itionally reflective period of Lent (X i), has turned into an entire week of parties, parades (游行) and merry- making for those who make the annual pilgrimage(每年的朝圣)to New Orleans. for In most cultures the scheduling (Bfia) of holidays originally was related to the seasons, the lunar cycle(太阳周期), and religion. Christmas( December25) celebrates the birth of Jesus, but it is not actually known whether Jesus was born in the wintertime. The first Roman emperor to espouse(Ht)Christianity decided to have Christmas when the days are shortest to bring a spirit of optimism to the long winter months. It also helped bring Christianity to the pagans(非基督徒), who were accustomed to having festivals at the winter solstice (2), encouraging warmth and sunshine to return. Over the years Christmas has come to symbolize(iE goodwill and generosity for both Christians and non-Christians through the personification(frl A) of Santa Claus, originally a Christian saint, known as St. Nicholas. Nowadays
Unit 4 Holidays and Special Days Teaching Aims: In this unit students are required to : 1) get to know some useful information concerning the topic of the reading passages in this unit and to know more about English culture; 2) do some preparation activities such as discussion, group work, etc. to practice their spoken skill and communicative skills; 3) grasp some new words and try to use these words which help them to enrich their vocabulary; 4)read the in-class reading passage in a limited time and grasp some expressions and grammatical points in the in-class reading passage to improve their reading comprehension; 5) do some post-reading exercises and some after-class reading to practice what they have got to know in class to improve their English comprehensive skills.; 6) translate some typical sentences into Chinese or English by using some expressions learned in the reading passages to acquire some translating skills and better their translating abilities. I. Useful Information Holiday are special times of respite（暂停，小歇）from work and other routines（常 规活动）. In some cases, they are legal holidays when stores, businesses and government offices are officially closed. In other cases, they are celebrated（过节） without taking time off from work. Holidays are often times for celebration, revelry （狂欢）, eating, drinking, travel, and family gatherings, but they may also be times of rest and reflection（反省）. The current trend is away from rest and reflection. Even Mardi Gras(大斋首日的前一天，直译为 “油腻的星期二”), the day before the traditionally reflective period of Lent（大斋期）, has turned into an entire week of parties, parades （游行）and merry-making for those who make the annual pilgrimage（每年的朝圣）to New Orleans, for example. In most cultures the scheduling（时间）of holidays originally was related to the seasons, the lunar cycle（太阳周期）, and religion. Christmas (December 25) celebrates the birth of Jesus, but it is not actually known whether Jesus was born in the wintertime. The first Roman emperor to espouse（拥护）Christianity decided to have Christmas when the days are shortest to bring a spirit of optimism to the long winter months. It also helped bring Christianity to the pagans（非基督徒）, who were accustomed to having festivals at the winter solstice(冬至), encouraging warmth and sunshine to return. Over the years Christmas has come to symbolize（象征）goodwill and generosity for both Christians and non-Christians through the personification（拟 人）of Santa Claus, originally a Christian saint, known as St. Nicholas. Nowadays
Rudolph the red- nosed reindeer is almost as important a global (EIAJ) symbol of Christmas as Jesus or Santa and the commerc ialization rv I ) of Christmas threatens to replace generosity with greed (3t). Many people forget that the original Christmas gifts were given by the Three Wise Men, all pagans, to Jesus, a Jewish child born in a manger(H). All they think of are the gifts they will give or receive, and all the money they have spent One reason for the increasing popularity of Christmas is its proximity (air)to New Year's Day, encouraging a long holiday to evolve(A F ) out of both In the U. S the holiday has turned into an extended holiday season, lasting from Thanksgiving Day(B t) in late November until New Year's Day, with a seemingly endless array (FB)of parties, dinners, concerts, parades, and vacation trips. The schools and colleges are closed from mid-December through early January while many people eat too much, drink too much, and watch too much American football on TV. Many gifts, cards, and annual newsletters are exchanged and the various festivities are not always very restful. Then the same people make New Year's Resolutions to eat less, drink sS, spend less, and work harder in the coming year Christmas is by far the most important holiday in English-speaking countries Other important holidays in add ition to Thanksgiving and New Years Day are Valentine's Day(情人节),St. Patrick's Day(守护圣徒节), April Fools'Day(愚人节) and Easter(2N). On Valentine's Day, celebrated on February 14, people give cards, chocolates, flowers, and kisses to their spouses( AC fA )and sweethearts On St. Patricks Day, March 17, people wear green to celebrate the luck of the Irish, and eat corned beef and cabbage washed down with green beer. During Easter Week in late March or early April, Christians remember the death and resurrection of Jesus while Jews celebrate Passover, in memory of the escape of the Jews from ancient Egypt, where they had been slaves. Although it is not actually a holiday and has no religious connotation (EX), April Fools Day, celebrated on April 1, is a day when people play embarrassing tricks on their friends and colleagues and even on their teachers Another holiday with some similarity to April Fools Day is Halloween(万圣节前夕) on October31, when children wear funny or scary(吓人的) costumes(服装) and ask their neighbors for "tricks or treats”. The name halloween means" hallowed(神圣的 evening, the night before All Saints Day (XH) when Christian saints are honored (if). On the following day, All Souls'Day, services and prayers are said for the dead. In many countries, it is a day when families visit cemeteries(A4) and place flowers on the tombs of their relatives. In Europe, Labor Day is celebrated on May 1 whereas in Canada and the United States, labor and laborers are honored by a legal holiday on the first monday in September I. In-Class Reading Activities A Merry christmas 1. to sip away to sip drink very small quantities away: continuously(表示动作一直持续下去)
Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer is almost as important a global（全球的）symbol of Christmas as Jesus or Santa and the commercialization（商业化）of Christmas threatens to replace generosity with greed （吝啬）. Many people forget that the original Christmas gifts were given by the Three Wise Men, all pagans, to Jesus, a Jewish child born in a manger（马槽）. All they think of are the gifts they will give or receive, and all the money they have spent. One reason for the increasing popularity of Christmas is its proximity（临近）to New Year’s Day, encouraging a long holiday to evolve（发展）out of both. In the U. S.， the holiday has turned into an extended holiday season, lasting from Thanksgiving Day（感恩节）in late November until New Year’s Day, with a seemingly endless array （排列）of parties, dinners, concerts, parades, and vacation trips. The schools and colleges are closed from mid-December through early January while many people eat too much, drink too much, and watch too much American football on TV. Many gifts, cards, and annual newsletters are exchanged, and the various festivities are not always very restful. Then the same people make New Year’s Resolutions to eat less, drink less, spend less, and work harder in the coming year. Christmas is by far the most important holiday in English-speaking countries. Other important holidays in addition to Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day are Valentine’s Day（情人节）, St. Patrick’s Day（守护圣徒节）, April Fools’ Day（愚人节）, and Easter（复活节）. On Valentine’s Day, celebrated on February 14, people give cards, chocolates, flowers, and kisses to their spouses（配偶）and sweethearts. On St. Patrick’s Day, March 17, people wear green to celebrate the luck of the Irish, and eat corned beef and cabbage washed down with green beer. During Easter Week in late March or early April, Christians remember the death and resurrection of Jesus while Jews celebrate Passover, in memory of the escape of the Jews from ancient Egypt, where they had been slaves. Although it is not actually a holiday and has no religious connotation（涵义）, April Fools’ Day, celebrated on April 1, is a day when people play embarrassing tricks on their friends and colleagues and even on their teachers. Another holiday with some similarity to April Fools’ Day is Halloween（万圣节前夕） on October 31, when children wear funny or scary（吓人的）costumes（服装）and ask their neighbors for “tricks or treats”. The name Halloween means “hallowed（神圣的） evening”, the night before All Saints’ Day（万圣节）when Christian saints are honored （受封）. On the following day, All Souls’ Day, services and prayers are said for the dead. In many countries, it is a day when families visit cemeteries（公墓）and place flowers on the tombs of their relatives. In Europe, Labor Day is celebrated on May 1, whereas in Canada and the United States, labor and laborers are honored by a legal holiday on the first Monday in September. II. In-Class Reading Activities A Merry Christmas 1. to sip away to sip: drink very small quantities away: continuously (表示动作一直持续下去)
She was typing away in the little room He was laughing away all afternoon Sipping at her drink just to be polite 2. to go/get/slip/run into debt: to owe money It's easier to get into debt than to get out of it again We must cut down expenses or we'll be getting into debt 3 to come to do: begin to do(come和不定式构成谓语)经过一个过程发生某情况 I hope we shall be friends and come to understand one another. You may come to be ashamed of what you have done today 4. to be supposed to do: should do, ought to do Who is supposed to look after the child? He is supposed to be washing the car She is supposed to be reading What is he supposed to be doing now? to be not supposed to do: to be not allowed to do You are not supposed to talk to strangers It is a secret still, I am not supposed to say ■ Supposing that假使(状语从句) Supposing that she doesnt come, what shall we do? Supposing that he asks you, will you go? 5.... a time when(when: at which time)(attributive clause)(after nouns: time, day year, childhood.) i have always longed for the time when i should be able to be independent At the time when I saw him, he was well There are moments when i forget all about it
◼ She was typing away in the little room. ◼ He was laughing away all afternoon. ◼ Sipping at her drink just to be polite. 2. to go/get/slip/run into debt: to owe money ◼ It’s easier to get into debt than to get out of it again. ◼ We must cut down expenses or we’ll be getting into debt. 3.to come to do :begin to do (come 和不定式构成谓语) 经过一个过程发生某情况 ◼ I hope we shall be friends and come to understand one another. ◼ You may come to be ashamed of what you have done today. 4. to be supposed to do: should do; ought to do ◼ Who is supposed to look after the child? ◼ He is supposed to be washing the car. ◼ She is supposed to be reading. ◼ What is he supposed to be doing now? to be not supposed to do: to be not allowed to do ◼ You are not supposed to talk to strangers. ◼ It is a secret still, I am not supposed to say. ◼ Supposing that 假使（状语从句） ◼ Supposing that she doesn’t come, what shall we do? ◼ Supposing that he asks you, will you go? 5. …a time when (when: at which time) (attributive clause) (after nouns: time, day year, childhood…) ◼ I have always longed for the time when I should be able to be independent. ◼ At the time when I saw him, he was well. ◼ There are moments when I forget all about it
to be associated with to be connected with to be related to Cigarette smoking has been associated with breast as well as lung cancer He wished to forget everything associated with his former life/wife Political news was often related to economic and social problems 6. to carry out: fulfill; complete sth We intend to carry out our full policy I was chosen to carry out the experiment He didn' t carry out his promise 7. In one's name; in the name of: by the right or power of I arrest you in the name of the law Let me thank you in the name of us all The Prime Minister spoke in the name of the king 8. to save up: keep(money) for future use; keep and not spend/use as for a special to save for aving for a new car / for a new house We are saving to get married 9 to sit up: not go to bed (until late) I sat up until midnight, writing letters and reading They sat up all night playing cards We dont allow the children to sit up late 10. first of all: before everything else; in the first place First of all, you must be frank. I shall try first of all to make them alter their 1. to put up:raise Put up your hand if you think you know the answer. Drop your weapons and put up your hands
to be associated with: to be connected with; to be related to ◼ Cigarette smoking has been associated with breast as well as lung cancer. ◼ He wished to forget everything associated with his former life/wife. ◼ Political news was often related to economic and social problems. 6. to carry out: fulfill; complete sth ◼ We intend to carry out our full policy. ◼ I was chosen to carry out the experiment. ◼ He didn’t carry out his promise. 7. In one’s name; in the name of : by the right or power of ◼ I arrest you in the name of the law. ◼ Let me thank you in the name of us all. ◼ The Prime Minister spoke in the name of the king. 8. to save up: keep (money) for future use; keep and not spend/use as for a special purpose to save for ◼ We are saving for a new car./ for a new house. ◼ We are saving to get married. 9. to sit up: not go to bed(until late) ◼ I sat up until midnight, writing letters and reading. ◼ They sat up all night playing cards. ◼ We don’t allow the children to sit up late. 10. first of all: before everything else; in the first place ◼ First of all, you must be frank. I shall try first of all to make them alter their ideas. 11. to put up: raise ◼ Put up your hand if you think you know the answer. ◼ Drop your weapons and put up your hands
to put up: build They are putting up several new houses on our street. These houses were put p: provide lodging and food for I hope you will be able to put me up for a few days I am afraid I cannot put you up, you will have to go to a hotel to put up张贴,挂上 to put in a public place It's time we put up Christmas decorations in the living room. To put up a notice 12. in advance. before in time. beforehand, ahead of time to pay rent in advance There is no reason why you shouldn' t tell them in ad vance that you are going Send your luggage in advance in advance of in front of She walked two yards in ad vance of her husband 13. whatever: no matter what(adverbial of clause) Don't lose heart. whatever you do Whatever happens, you must be calm and quiet Whatever(introduce adverbial clauses of subject and object. Whatever I have now will be yours in the future ■ I'll do whatever you wish One should stick to whatever one has begun II. Post-Reading activities Questions for Group Discussion 1. What do the wo subtitles mean? The subtitle"More Stuffing "is a play on words. The verb to stuff has several meanings but there are two that come to mind at christmas time. first. "to stuff means to overeat( to eat too much; second, to stuff a chicken or a turkey" means to put stuffing( a mixture of bread and seasonings)inside before it is cooked. So in this
to put up: build ◼ They are putting up several new houses on our street. These houses were put up in 1924. to put up: provide lodging and food for ◼ I hope you will be able to put me up for a few days. ◼ I am afraid I cannot put you up; you will have to go to a hotel. to put up 张贴，挂上 to put in a public place ◼ It’s time we put up Christmas decorations in the living room. To put up a notice 12. in advance: before in time; beforehand; ahead of time to pay rent in advance ◼ There is no reason why you shouldn’t tell them in advance that you are going. ◼ Send your luggage in advance. in advance of : in front of ◼ She walked two yards in advance of her husband. 13. whatever: no matter what(adverbial of clause) ◼ Don’t lose heart, whatever you do. ◼ Whatever happens, you must be calm and quiet. ◼ Whatever (introduce adverbial clauses of subject and object.) ◼ Whatever I have now will be yours in the future. ◼ I’ll do whatever you wish. ◼ One should stick to whatever one has begun. III. Post-Reading Activities Questions for Group Discussion 1．What do the two subtitles mean? The subtitle “More Stuffing” is a play on words. The verb “to stuff” has several meanings, but there are two that come to mind at Christmas time. First, “to stuff” means to overeat( to eat too much); second, “to stuff a chicken or a turkey” means to put stuffing ( a mixture of bread and seasonings) inside before it is cooked. So in this