Unit 5 Overcoming Obstacles
Text A True Height
Warm-up Exercises
1.Watch the video clip about NickVujicic to see how he overcame his obstacles.
2.Group Discussion
1) Discuss in groups the obstacles that you have been faced with in your life.
2) Discuss in groups the ways in which you overcame such difficulties.
3) Discuss in groups the problems that you still have in overcoming these obstacles.
Background Information
ⅰ. Olympics
Organized and governed bytheInternational Olympic Committee (IOC), the Olympic Games are the most important international sports event in the world heldevery four years.
1.Olympic symbol: five interlocking red, blue, yellow, black, and green circles on a
whitefield—represents the continents of the world joined in
friendship
2.Olympic motto: swifter, Higher, Stronger.
3.Olympic Offices: Lausanne, Switzerland.
4.Main events in Olympic history:
--776 B.C.~
--1896~now Modern Games began.
--1912 Women are allowed to compete in the Games.
--1924 Winter sports has been added to the Games.
--2008 Beijing held the 29th Olympic Games.
ⅱ. Pole Vault
The pole vault (PV) is an event in track and field where athletes compete to clear the highest possible crossbar(横木)by using a vaulting pole. The basic concept is to convert horizontal energy (the run) into vertical energy (thus clearing a higher bar).
Global Reading
1. Scanning
Scan the whole text to find out all the words and phrases that are related to sports or
stadium. And think about their Chinese equivalents.
National Junior Olympics 全国少年奥林匹克运动会
personal best 个人最高记录
stand(s) 看台
final race 赛跑决赛
pole vault event 撑竿跳高项目
track and field competition 田径比赛
gymnast 体操运动员
body builder 健美运动员
weightlifting 举重
bar 横杆
inflated landing mat 充气垫
vaulter 撑竿跳高运动员
finger-tipped push-up 俯卧撑
runway 跑道
National record 全国记录
pole 撑竿
take-off 起跳
set a new world record 刷新一项世界纪录
2. Part Division ofthe Text
Parts | Paras. | Main Ideas |
| 1 | 1~2 | Michael faced the most challenging competition in his pole-vaulting career. |
| 2 | 3~5 | Michael’s childhood was marked with dreams and tough training. |
| 3 | 6~12 | Michael topped his personal best, won the championship and set a new world record. |
| 4 | 13 | What was most unusual about Michael’s victory was that he was blind. |
3. FurtherUnderstanding
For Part 1: Description
1. Use your own words to draw a picture of the stadium on that day, including the weather, Michael’s appearance and inner feeling, the audience’s response, etc.
2. Use your own words to describe what kind of event the pole vault is.
For Part 2: Questions andAnswers
1. From the description of Michael’ parents, what can you learn about his parents?(=Michael’s mother is romantic and passionate, while his father is a hard-corerealist.)
2．Brainstorm the variousobstacles Michael might face during the hard training.
3. What personality traits are attributed to Michael’s success?
(=He is diligent, perseverant, optimistic,ambitious, etc.)
For Part 3: Chart Completion
Find out all the bar heights that Michael has jumped over.
For Part 4: Discussion
1. Why does the author keep the secret about Michael’s blindness until the last sentence?
2. Who would you admire better, a Michael Stone with a sound body or a blind Michael Stone?
4. Writing Skills
As the text consists of the main story and a flashback, the narration has to switch from the ongoing competition to earlier events and then return to the ongoing competition. How does the author manage to make these parts in the text flow smoothly?
1) One way is to repeat a key word in thelast sentence of a paragraph in the first sentence of the next paragraph, e.g.
It also has the element of flying, and the thought of flying as high as atwo-story building is a mere fantasy to anyone watching such an event.
As long as Michael could remember he had always dreamed of flying.
2) Another way is to pick up a key idea from a previous paragraph and repeat it in the sentence introducing the next paragraph, e.g.
All of Michael’s vaults today seemed to be thereward for his hard work.
After Reading
Writing: How to Write a Personal Description
1. An example
Directions:Write a paragraph of 80~100 words about two or three aspects of a person you know. Cite example to illustrate his/her personality traits.
He ‘s the sort of chap who loves to make entrances and exits. He’ll arrive ten minutes before everybody else and he’ll leave ten minutes before everybody else. He’ll come dashing in with a bunch of flowers, screaming hellos. He’s a well-informed chap and keeps up to date with all the current affaire. He likes to talk and give his view on life. He’s very successful. When he sets himself a goal, he works hard to attain that and to achieve it. He knows what he wants and he’ll set out to get it. As a result, he’s successful.
2.Some useful expression in the description of an individual
A.Hair:dark (grey, greying, blond, brown, carrot-red, red) hair
curly (wavy, straight) hair
thick (thin) hair
long (short, shoulder-length) hair
have a large bald patch
wear one’s hair braided (辫成麻花状的) in long pigtails
tie one’s hair back in a pony tail
wear one’s hair in a tight bun (发髻)
hair hangs loose
B.Build:skinny
be of average build
well-bulit
plump (肥胖的), heavy, obese (肥胖的)
dwarfish (比较矮小的)
be of average height
have hunched shoulders (驼背)
straight back
C.Appearance:a high (narrow) forehead
bushy eyebrows
round (narrow, small, beady) eyes
double-fold eyelid
a flat (pointed) nose
thick (thin) lips
rosy cheeks
square jaw
a fair (dark) complexion
wear heavy (light) make-up
freckles (a mole, a scar) on the face
grow a beard (a moustache, sideburns)
3. Homework
Select a person, either whom you know or don't know, whom you greatly admire. Brainstorm what you know about them, which may include qualities that you find admirable in this person, along with specific stories, examples and facts about the person. Brainstorm the most important five to eight questions that you feel you should ask in order to learn more about him/her.
