Unit 9
•MAIN TEACHING POINTS
•LANGUAGE STRUCTURES
•DIALOGUE I IF I HAD THE CHANCE TO TRAVEL IN SPACE
•DIALOGUE II FUTURE PLANS AND INTENTIONS, PART 1
•READING I HOW FAR IS THE SUN FROM THE EARTH?
•READING II WHY EARLY BIRD
•GUIDED WRITING
•BACKGROUND INFORMATION
MAIN TEACHING POINTS
1. Sentences of unreal conditions.
2. Sentences of unreal conditions related to the
present with be in the conditional clause.
3. Sentences of unreal conditions related to the
present with have in the conditional clause.
4. Sentences of unreal conditions related to the present
with action verbs in the conditional clause.
LANGUAGE STRUCTURES(1课时)
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1. If it rains …, we will …
2. If I were …, I would ...
3. If you had …, I could ...
4. …would do ... if he worked …
DIALOGUE I IF I HAD THE CHANCE TO TRAVEL IN SPACE(1课时)
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1. Introduction
2. Broad Questions
•
what are the names of the different planets of the
solar system?
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Do Martians really exist? Are they the being that have
dug the canals on Mars?
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If you were to take a trip through space, where would
you prefer to touch down?
3. Outline
A and B talk about imaginary trips through space:
----------- the moon
------------Venus
------------Jupiter
------------Saturn
------------Uranus, Neptune, Pluto
------------Mars
------------Mercury
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4. Language Points
1) my long-cherished dream: a dream that has been long kept in my mind
Compound adj., more examples: long-standing 长期存在的, long-lived 长寿的；
长久的,长期的； well-advised 稳妥的,谨慎的 well-balanced （指人）情绪稳定的，
神志清醒的, well-built （指人）身强力壮的，结实的, well-done （食物）熟透的,
well-informed 有见识的，消息灵通的, well-fed 吃的好的，营养充足的
2) Although I could not leave my “name” there, I would certainly leave my
footprints on the moon.
---- Although I could not be famous for my visit to the moon for could not be
the first person landing on the moon, I would certainly leave my foot-print
there at least.
3)But I will definitely spare Uranus, Neptune and Pluto in my schedule.
------But I will certainly not include visits to Uranus, Neptune and Pluto in my
schedule.
Here “spare” means “give up as not strictly needed”.
4)Supposing you had a lot of money, where would you like to go to for a
holiday?
“Supposing” or “supposing that” can introduce an adverbial clause of condition,
which means “if we assume the fact or the possibility that”. Besides,
“provided” or “providing” can also introduce the adverbial clause of condition,
which mean “on the condition or under the surroundings that”.
DIALOGUE II
FUTURE PLANS AND INTENTIONS,
PART 1(1课时)
Work in pairs and take it in turns to ask and give answers
about future plans or intentions:
what to do after class
what to do at weekend
where to go during the Spring Festival
when to go to Suzhou with your classmates
READING I
HOW FAR IS THE SUN FROM THE EARTH? (1课时)
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Introduction
Sample questions
• How far is the sun from the earth?
• How did people get the accurate answer?
• How fast does the airliner travel an hour?
• Do you think you can reach the sun by plane? Why not?
• Is the electric train faster that the airliner?
• How long would it take the aircraft carrier to get to the sun?
• Why is George Washington mentioned in the reading text?
Why are New York and Philadelphia mentioned?
READING II WHY EARLY BIRD (1课时)
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Introduction
Sample Questions
• What do microwaves transmit?
• How do microwaves travel?
• What would happen if we tried to send television signals
directly from Europe to America?
• What is the use of a TV relay station?
• What can we do if we want to send TV signals across the
Atlantic?
• How does a communications satellite function?
• Can you describe Early Bird briefly?
• Can you name some other kinds of man-made satellite in use?
GUIDED WRITING (1课时)
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A note of congratulations
In writing a note of congratulation, one usually relates how he/she hears
of the good news, what the good news is, how he/she is happy for the
addressee…, and then extends his/her congratulations.
Some reference versions for congratulations:
Wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy new Year!
Heartfelt congratulations on your graduation from the Oxford University!
Please accept my heartfelt congratulations on…
Let me offer my warmest congratulations on the happy occasion.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
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The Solar System
The solar system consists of the Sun, the nine planets,
sixty-three (63) satellites of the planets, a large number of
small bodies (the comets and asteroids), and the
interplanetary medium. The orbits of the planets are all
more or less in the same plane (called the ecliptic and
defined by the plane of the Earth's orbit). The ecliptic is
inclined only 7 degrees from the plane of the Sun's
equator.
Mercury
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Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun and is less than half the size of
Earth. It has no moons, no atmosphere, and since it is so close to the Sun
it is an extremely hot planet. The typical midday temperature on Mercury
is over 750 degrees. Mercury is only visible briefly after sunset or before
sunrise depending on the time of year. Mercury can be seen to go through
phases similar to Venus but even with the largest telescope available, no
surface detail can be revealed.
Venus----The Morning and The Evening Star
Venus is the brightest object in the sky after the Sun and our
Moon. Due to the fact that its orbit is inside the Earth's, we can see Venus
only when we are looking in the general direction of the Sun. It is visible
only during the first few hours after sunset, when we call it the "evening
star" or before sunrise when we refer to it as "the morning star." Venus is
covered with thick layers of clouds that we are unable to see through. In
1982 a Soviet Lander took photos of the surface of Venus and revealed flat
rocks and soil.
Mars----The Red Planet
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Mars, also known as the red planet is a very interesting
planet, mainly because of its rapid motion through the sky
and because of it's reddish color. Mars has polar caps that
are believed to contain water ice. Our recent visit to the red
planet revealed a great amount of information that leads us
to believe that Mars once had some life forms on the
surface. Mars has 2 "moons" named Phobos and Deimos,
which are actually only small orbiting chunks of rock.
Jupiter----The Jovian Giant
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Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system. It is 11 times the
diameter of the Earth. It is also 3 times brighter than the brightest star
visible to us, which is Sirius. With a small telescope, you can see light and
dark colored bands across the planet. With a good scope you may also see
a large reddish region on the planet known as the Great Red Spot (GRS),
which is about 18,000 miles in size. It is a giant storm within Jupiter's
cloud system. Jupiter also has four bright moons sometimes referred to as
satellites. If you observe Jupiter and its moons nightly you will see that
they change positions.
Saturn----The Ringed Planet
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A Jovian planet, Saturn is 9.4 times the diameter of the Earth, almost
the size of Jupiter. Saturn has an extensive ring system that extends
outwards from the planet about 81,000 miles from its center. With a small
telescope Saturn's rings are visible. The rings are made up of divisions
called the Cassini Divisions. These rings are made up of tiny ringlets that
consist of chunks of rocks ranging in size from small pebbles to huge
boulders. Saturn has a total of 18 known moons.
Uranus
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Uranus is a giant planet, about 4 times the diameter of Earth.
Through a telescope it looks like a tiny greenish or bluish disk.
This is because it has methane in its atmosphere that absorbs
other colors. It has 5 large moons. All of the moons appear to be
made up of rock and ice. Uranus also has a set of nine thin rings
around it as observed by Voyager
Neptune
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Neptune is another giant
planet. Like Uranus, it gets
its color from traces of
methane in its atmosphere
which is made up mainly of
hydrogen and helium, giving
the planet the blue color. The
most obvious feature on
Neptune is the Great Dark
Spot (GDS) which is a
circulating storm about the
size of Earth. Neptune has 8
moons.
Pluto
The smallest planet and also the farthest away from us,
remains basically a mystery. No detail of its surface is visible from
Earth but the Hubble telescope revealed dark and light regions. It
has one moon named Charon. Pluto is less than one-fifth the size
of Earth, even smaller than our Moon. And now it is classified as a
"dwarf planet“, excluded from the “nine planets”.