Pronunciation and listening skills 

Pre-class task 1

Collect some English expressions of expressing opinions .

Listen to the following sentences and decide whether they are facts (F) or opinions (O).

1.(F)/(O)  2.(F)/(O) 3.(F)/(O) 4.(F)/(O) 5.(F)/(O)6.(F)/(O)

Tips

事实是指已经发生或存在的一种客观状况，通常包括姓名、地点、日期、数据、事件、规律等。 观点则通常包括个人的看法、信念、情感、态度等。一般情况下，in my opinion，in my mind，I am sure，I believe 这样的表达后面跟随的是观点。

Conversation 1- Expressing sympathy

Pre-class task 2 

Preview new words and listen to to the conversation in this part.

fall over (被）绊倒    scratch  n. 划痕；划伤

Listen to a conversation and check (✔) what happened to John.

1 He fell over a big stone.

2 He fell into a hole.

3 He broke his phone.

4 He broke his glasses.

5 His pants were torn.

6 His shirt was torn.

Listen again and decide whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F).

Ann didn’t go to school yesterday. 

John was not seriously hurt. 

Ann thought badly of John at the end of the conversation. 

Pre-class task 3

Read the converssation and find out the sentences expressing sympathy .

Ann：John, you didn't come to class yesterday.

John：What happened? Oh, I fell over a big stone on my way to school.

Ann：That's too bad. How did that happen?

John：I was talking on the phone while walking, and didn't notice the stone on the road.

Ann：Poor you! Were you hurt?

John：Not serious, just a little scratch. But my favorite shirt was torn.

Ann：Oh dear, that sounds terrible.

John：It was! But the worst thing was that I broke my phone.

Ann：I feel bad for you.

John：Thanks for sharing my feelings, Ann.

Conversation 2 - Expressing sympathy

Pre-task 4：Preview new words and listen to the conversation in this part.

in a mess  处于困境     overcome v. 克服   financial adj. 财政的

Listen to a conversation and decide whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F).

1.Tim’s father is seriously ill. 

2.Tim’s family is in a mess because his father’s business has failed. 

3.Tim needs Mary to help him deal with financial difficulties. 

Listen again and choose the best answer to each of the following questions.

1.How is Tim?

   A He is tired and sleepy.   B He is upset and worried.

   C He is upset and tired.

2.Has Tim’s family experienced such difficulty before?

   A Yes, it has.   B No, it hasn’t.   C Not mentioned.

3.Why did Tim find a part-time job?

   A To have more experience.

   B To help his family go through financial difficulties.

   C To help his father in business.  

Pre-class task 5

Read the converssation and find out the sentences expressing  sympathy.

Mary:What's the matter, Tim?

Tim:You look so upset and tired.My father's business has failed,and my family seems to be in a mess.

Mary:That's really terrible!

Tim:Yes. Maybe it's the most difficult time my family has ever experienced.

Mary:I'm very sad to hear that.But don't let it get you down.Things will be better soon.

Tim:I hope so.

Mary:Is there anything I can do for you?

Tim:Thank you, Mary.

But I have found a part-time job to help us overcome our financial difficulties.

Mary:Oh, that's so great!Still, if you need me, I'll always be there.

Tim:That's very nice of you.

Passage

Listen to a passage and check (✔) what we can do to be happy.

1 Try to understand that life is not easy. 

2 Long for what we don’t have.

3 Be satisfied with what we own now.

4 Realize that we can dicide if we are happy or not.

5 Realize that happiness is decided by fate.      

Listen again and decide whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F).

1.Whether we are happy or not is mostly decided by our attitude to life. 

2.It’s helpful to complain when we come across difficulties and pressure in life. 

3.We should value our health and freedom. 

After class Task 6

Read the passage and recite the passage.

Whether a person is happy or not is mostly decided by his or her attitude to life. But what can we do to be happy? I think there are three things that might help: Firstly, we should try to understand that life is not easy. We may meet with pressure or difficulty of one kind or another, which is part of life. It doesn’t help to complain about it or become pessimistic. Secondly, we need to be satisfied with what we have. This attitude is important for us ever to feel happy. We should value the things that we normally take for granted like our health and our freedom. Thirdly, we must realize happiness is also a choice. In many circumstances, we can decide for ourselves if we are happy or not.