1. To have a discussion that elicits expressions used to state disagreement;

2. To increase the familiarity and use of such expressions;

3. To translate the visual information from the video clip into the appropriate language; 

4. To use the audio information in the corresponding exercises;

5. To reinforce productively the language that has been learned.

●  Think of the following questions and try to answer them.

1) On what topics do people tend to state their disagreement? And why?

2) Do you know appropriate ways to state your disagreement in English?

3) What is important about mastering the ability to state your disagreement?

* Suggested answers:

1) On social issues, and political, economic and moral ones, etc. This is because people tend to voice strongly their opinions or attitudes towards matters that have importance in their lives.

2) I know some. For example, I can say, “I don’t think so.” I can also say, “That’s not true.”

3) In this real world, which is so complex, it seems that nobody is permitted to trust anybody anymore. Everybody is critical of the things going on around him or her. If you don’t know how to state your disagreement, how can you possibly present your critical perceptions?

●  Below are different ways to state disagreement. Each of them will be spoken twice. Listen and fill in the blanks with the missing ones.

    Stating Simple Disagreement

1) No.

2) Nope.

3) Uh-uh.

4) You’re off.

5) Not so.

6) I don’t think so.

   Stating Strong Disagreement

1) That’s not true/right.

2) You’ve got that/it wrong.

3) You’ve got it all wrong.

4) Wrong!

5) You couldn’t be more off-base.

6) No way. 

7) Not a chance.

    Stating Categorical(绝对的) Disagreement

1) I completely disagree. 

2) I couldn’t disagree (with you) more.

3) Lies! 

4) That’s a lie.

5) That’s a big, fat lie. (informal)

6) Horse feathers!(胡说八道!)

7) That’s a lot of baloney(胡扯). (slang)

8) You’re dead wrong.

● Cultural Tips

表示不同意见的方式在一定程度上受到文化的制约。含蓄的民族在表示不同意见时表现得较婉转；而开朗的民族在这方面表现得直截了当。此外，对同一件事表示不同意见在不同文化中具有不同程度的表现。同时，不同场合也决定了其程度的差异。英语文化中表示不同意见的程度可分为：直率(simple)，强力(strong)，绝对(categorical)。例如，直率的有：“No.” “I don’t think so.”强力的有：“That’s not true.” “Not a chance.”绝对的有：“I couldn’t disagree with you more.” “That’s a lie.”

● Useful Language from the Video Episode

●  Go through the following list of items before you watch the video clip, and then check those you observe while watching.

a dining-room (√)

a cup of coffee ( )

a coffee break ( )

air-conditioned (√)

working ( )

anxious (√)

a celebration ( )

frightened ( )

sitting face to face (√)

staring wide-eyed (√)

chopsticks (√)

a bottle of vitamin pills (√)

trays (√) 

a T-shirt (√)

● A. Watch the video and then decide whether each of the following statements is true (T) or false (F).

1) It’s time for lunch, but Michael feels like having nothing but a cup of coffee. (T)

2) Shelley wants to have a good lunch just to relax. (F)

3) According to Shelley, coffee can make things even worse for Michael. (T)

4) Michael disagrees with Shelley on her taking vitamin pills with her meals. (T)

5) Shelley and Michael come to realize the importance of having a nice and balanced diet. (T)

● B. Now watch the video again and then complete the following conversation.

Michael: I’d rather have a cup of coffee instead of a meal. 

Shelley: Uh-uh. You really want to skip lunch? Are you crazy? Your body needs protein and other nutrients.

Michael: I know. But, well, I have an important deadline to meet, and I’m under a lot of pressure. I’ve just got to keep going.

Shelley: Take it easy. Your house isn’t on fire. Can’t you relax a bit? 

Michael: Not a chance. 

Shelley: Hmm, too bad. Still, you do need a good meal. Plus, they say coffee actually reduces your tolerance for stress. 

Michael: That’s not true. You’re way off-base there. 

Shelley: You’ve got to be kidding. Believe me, you’re the one who’s got it wrong. 

Michael: Oh yeah? Well… Hey, what’s that you’re taking?

Shelley: Vitamin pills. I take them with my meals. They say vitamin pills can make up for deficiencies in the diet. 

Michael: I doubt that’s the case. 

Shelley: They say one bottle of vitamin pills is worth tons of vegetables. I’m not pulling your leg.

Michael: That’s a lot of baloney. I don’t buy that story at all.

Shelley: What did you say? 

Michael: I said that what you’ve heard is a big, fat lie. 

Shelley: Oh really? 

Michael: Trust me. It’s been proven an overdose of vitamins can indeed be harmful.

Shelley: Oh, well, I certainly didn’t know. But you do agree, don’t you, that it’s wise for us to have a well-balanced diet? 

Michael: Absolutely — As for that, I couldn’t agree with you more!

● C. After watching the video a third time, complete the following third-person account of the conversation.

      It’s time for lunch. Michael is very anxious(焦虑的) to have lunch, but just wants to drink a cup of coffee because he has been under a lot of pressure. Shelley disagrees with Michael about his choice, which she believes will do him harm. But Michael says that Shelley is the one who is wrong. In the meantime, Shelley starts taking her vitamin pills with her meal, for she believes that they can make up for deficiencies in her diet. Michael, however, disagrees with her about this, saying that an overdose of vitamins can be harmful. In the end, they agree with each other on the importance of having a well-balanced diet.

1) Watch the video again, with a female student doing Shelley’s voice.

2) Watch the video once more, with a male student doing Michael’s voice.

3) Watch the video one last time, with a male student and a female student doing both of the voices for the whole conversation.

● 1. Make a list of the expressions you have learned and use them to state your disagreement.

1) You’re dead wrong.

2) That’s a lot of baloney. 

3) I don’t buy that story.

4) I really think you’ve got that wrong.

5) That’s a lie.

* Suggested dialogue:

A: I’ll never pass those exams. I’m just not smart enough. But why is being smart everything, anyway? Isn’t being happy more important than passing tests? 

B: You’re dead wrong. Those exams are so important to your career! The only way they judge the applicants’ intelligence, without knowing them, is by their academic accomplishments, right? 

A: That’s a lot of baloney. I don’t buy that story. I think even if they say academic records are so important, in the end they base their final employment decisions on other factors, such as manners, personality and appearance. 

B: I really think you’ve got that wrong.

● 2. Discuss the following topic in groups and try to use the expressions of agreement you just picked up in the previous unit as well as those of disagreement in the present one.

Do college students have a right to get married?

* Suggested answers:

I don’t think they do. They are young. They are far from establishing their careers. Do you think they will be fully able to take care of themselves if they get married as students? At present, their responsibility is to learn, to get academically prepared for their futures, to focus on improving themselves, not on forming a family. Being single is necessary for this focus.

Or:

Yes, they do. They are old enough to get married by law. So why can’t they get married? If you deprive them of this right, you violate the law. Plus, a private relationship between students is none of your business, or the university administration’s, for that matter.

● A. You will continue to watch a video clip. Below are the suggested steps for the learning activity:

  ▪ Watch the video clip without reading the text for the first time;

  ▪ Read the text while listening;

  ▪ Watch it again without reading the text;

  ▪ Complete the statements according to the information from the video.

Host: And it is time now for myth(谎言) or fact. You know, every Sunday Dr. Rosenfeld tells us the truth of what we’ve heard. A lot of people, millions, are taking multi-vitamins(多种维生素). The question is that they think they will help them prevent from cancer and heart disease. So what’s the truth, Doc.?

Dr. Rosenfeld: Well, the truth is they won’t harm you. You can take multivitamins, and you feel well. It will not prevent cancer or heart disease. I don’t know if… In my opinion, anybody who eats a balanced diet has enough protein and carbohydrate(碳水化合物), and whatever, a mount of fat they can tolerate(接受), does not need a mount of vitamin.

Host: Really?

Dr. Rosenfeld: Yeah.

Host: Alright. 

Dr. Rosenfeld: It will not reduce the risk of cancer or heart disease or anything else.

Host: But it might make me feel better.

Dr. Rosenfeld: Well, psychologically.

Host: Doc., you do recommend certain things like Coenzyme Q10(辅酶). They are certain supplements(添加剂).

Dr. Rosenfeld: They’re multi-vitamins.

Host: Right. So I just want to distinguish(区别) that. 

Dr. Rosenfeld: You know, I mean the point by multi-vitamins, I mean the pills with a lot of little, you know, other, medications(药物) in sight, calcium(钙), potassium(钾), and what... But if you have a defined deficiency, let’s say your doctor find you’re low in calcium, low in magnesium(镁), he or she will prescribe a supplement specially for that deficiency. That’s fine. But taking multivitamins, if you have a normal diet and you feel alright, won’t do anything for you.

Host: Alright, Doc.

● B. Complete the following statements orally according to the information you have learned from the video.

1) When you say that…, you’re dead wrong. 

2) We’ve heard that… I completely disagree, because… 

3) Did you say that…? …

4) The truth is that… So, …

5) I just can’t believe that… It must be a myth.

* Suggested answers:

1) When you say that multi-vitamins can help prevent cancer and heart disease, you’re dead wrong. 

2) We’ve heard that multi-vitamins can help reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease. I completely disagree, because they won’t do anything for you. 

3) Did you say that multi-vitamins can help reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease? Not a chance. 

4) The truth is that multi-vitamins can do nothing to prevent cancer or heart disease. So, I couldn’t disagree with Dr. Rosenfeld more. 

5) I just can’t believe that multi-vitamins can help prevent cancer and heart disease. It must be a myth.