第5次课

Real Communication: Listening & Speaking

Unit 1 College culture 大学文化

Teaching objectives:  

Students will be able to:

1. master the key words and phrases used in the listening materials;

2. catch the detail information while listening;

3. practice using useful expressions to give a talk.

Teaching focus & Difficult points: 

1. how to catch the detail information while listening;

2. how to prepare an informal talk in English.

Teaching procedures

Listening in

视听说训练需要注意的词汇（语言与文化信息点）：

1. grading system: (大学) 评分制度（方式），等级制
2. a grade point average: 成绩点数与学分的加权平均值
3. OUDS： the Oxford University Dramatic Society 牛津大学戏剧社
4. Mr Bean 憨豆先生
5. the Boat Race: 牛津剑桥划船比赛
6. The Oxford Union: (The Oxford Union Society) 牛津大学辩论社
7. Footlights： 这个单词原意是脚灯，这里是一种喜剧俱乐部（comedy club），也就是剑桥大学戏剧社

· News report: The news report is about Stanford University's financial aid policy for students from low-income families.

Listen to a news report and choose the best answer to the questions you hear.

·Passage 1: P1 is a university radio report of students' views of university life. Speakers in this passage have different accents.

 1. Work in pairs and answer the questions.

1) Write your answers to the following two questions on a piece of paper. (Do not reveal your personal information!)

·What kind of problems do you have in your first six months at university?

·What do you most enjoy about university?

2) Fold your answer sheet and hand it in.

3) Volunteers will come and draw out a piece of paper and read out what has been written on it. The class guess who he/she is being described. Example answers:

·Not many, really. I suppose everyone needs a short time to settle in, but once I have made friends it is easy.

·What I most enjoy is having good friends and sharing social activities, but we have also to study a bit, sometimes.

2. Language and culture

   British universities use a grading system to classify undergraduate degrees. Most degrees are with honors (荣誉学位):

•  first-class honors (“a first” , written 1st)  (一等学位)

•  upper second-class honors (written 2-1 or II i and pronounced “two-one”) (二 等学位甲等)

•  lower second-class honors (written 2-2 or II ii and pronounced “two-two”) (二等学位乙等)

•  third-class honors (“a third”, written 3rd or III)  (三等学位)

        Most students receive an upper or lower second-class degree. There is also an ordinary degree (or a pass degree without honors).

A master's degree is usually not classified, but some universities award a master's with distinction for exceptional work. There are currently discussions about changing this traditional classification system, and some universities may use a grade point average (GPA) system similar to that used in the US or China, or they may give a grade profile from different courses rather than a single overall result.

GPA (grade point average 平均绩点): the grading system in the US. Your grade point average may range from 0.0 to a 4.0. If you want to be admitted into an undergraduate program, the minimum requirement is 2.0 GPA and most graduate schools have required a 3.0

GPA.

   3. Listen to Passage 1 and check (✓) the correct answers in the table.

      

   4. Listen to Passage 1 again and answer the questions on page 9. Answers:

             1) It's a university radio station.

             2) How are you finding uni?

             3) She is writing for the university newspaper.

             4) He went home at Christmas for a month.

             5) She didn't do enough work.

             6) Because he has joined a couple of clubs.

             7) She has taken a part-time job as a waitress.

             8) Work is the part that matters most.

5. Developing critical thinking: Work in pairs and discuss the questions on page 9.

Example answers:

1) — We learn a wide range of subjects at school, so at university we should just focus on our chosen subject. It's what we need for the workplace.

— I think that learning other skills at university is vital for producing knowledgeable, well-rounded graduates. It's bad for education to promote a narrow view of the world.

2) — I would say they are very important. Most degrees are tailored to a certain career path, so if you study law, you'll probably become a lawyer.

— Well, to some degree what you study affects what job you get, but many people have careers that are unrelated to their studies. My brother studies computer science but he's now a salesman.

3) The advantages are that you can earn extra money, be more independent and get some work experience. The downside is that it takes up a lot of time that could be spent studying or socializing.

·Passage 2: P2 is a monologue describing key information a bout Oxbridge, and the main  features of the two universities.

1. Language and culture

OUDS stands for Oxford University Dramatic Society. It's an amateur dramatics club for everyone who likes to act in plays or musicals. Many students who are members of OUDS go on to become well-known actors, such as Rowan Atkinson (Mr Bean) and Hugh Grant (Four Weddings and a Funeral).

  2. Listen to Passage 2 and answer the questions on page 10. Answers:

         1) Because they are similar.

2) Because they both regularly come top in any ranking of the world's best universities.

         3) They are old and very beautiful buildings.

4) Oxford and Cambridge have produced great writers, world leaders and politicians. Cambridge has produced many great scientists.

5) The Oxford Union, Footlights (Cambridge's comedy club), and The Oxford University Dramatic Society.

3. Listen to Passage 2 again and match the universities with the information.

 

  4. Listen to Passage 2 again and choose the best answer for each question.

² 5 pairs of you will tell the class your answers.

² Student A reads the completed sentence with your choice and Student B confirms or disagrees with the answer.

² Try to vary the way you confirm or agree. (That's right, That's true, Yes, that's correct, or Actually, I think that's not right … it should be …)

Answers: 1 (b)  2 (d)  3 (d)  4 (b)  5 (a)

5. Developing critical thinking: Work in pairs and discuss the questions on page 11. 

Example answers:

       1) They are much older, they consist of a lot more separate colleges, they have old and beautiful architecture and they are visited by many tourists.

2) You have the opportunity to go to lectures by famous scientists and scholars and to mix with the best students. You can, perhaps, walk in the footsteps of many famous people who studied at these universities, recently or hundreds of years ago. They are very prestigious universities, so if you have a degree from one of them it is likely to be helpful in your later career.

Presentation skills: Giving a talk

Giving a talk:

This section focuses on the skills used in giving an informal talk. It offers Ss a framework to prepare an informal talk in English. This framework helps Ss to involve the audience, express opinions and include their personal stories.

T asks Ss to practice the useful expressions in talking about My first term at college. Ask Ss to do activities on page 12.

In preparation, take the following aspects into account.

• Use informal language

• Tell little stories (experiences)

• Involve the audience

• Mention one or two people in the audience

Relax and be yourself

Pronunciation

This section shows three features of pronunciation in order to help Ss to notice silent sounds in some words and speak fluently with linking Sounds, and to express meanings through sense groups.

T asks Ss to do activities on page13.

Assignments

1. review the listening and speaking tasks of Unit 1;

2. prepare for listening and speaking Unit 2.