Unit 4 Christmas Spirit





Ⅰ.Teaching Aims
Ⅱ. Teaching Contents
Ⅲ. Teaching Time:
Six class hours
Ⅳ: Teaching Focal and difficult Points






Ⅴ. Teaching Methods:
Interactive Approach
Cooperative Learning
Ⅵ.Teaching Aids
PowerPoint
Blackboard
 Ⅶ.Teaching Procedure
Ⅰ.Teaching Aims

Section A: A Sailor’s Christmas Gift
 1. Let the students
acquainted with some new
words and good expressions:
 on one’s way to, wretched, go
wrong, trap, rent, break down,
 irritable, shabby, joint, greasy,
all by oneself, monotonously,
miserable.
 2. Teach the writing skill: A
theme-related writing
Ⅰ.Teaching Aims
 Section B: Care of the Elderly: A Family
Matter
 1. Teach the reading skill: Reading for the
Main Ideas in Paragraphs
 2. Grammar review: Adjective
Ⅱ. Teaching Contents






Section A: A Sailor’s Christmas Gift
Lead-in
Pre-reading Activities
Background Information
Structure of the Text
Language Points
Ⅱ. Teaching Contents




Section B: Our “Family”
Reading skills
Reading comprehension
Language points
Ⅳ: Teaching Focal Points
 Section A: A Sailor’s Christmas
Gift
 1.Sentence structure: how to analyze
the structure of a sentence
 2.Comprehension of the text
 3.Grasp several CET-4 key words
Ⅳ: Teaching Focal and Difficult
Points
 Section B: Our “Family”
 1. Ask students to retell the text
 2. Review the grammar about
Adjective.
Text A
A Sailor’s Christmas
Gift





1. Lead-in
2. Pre-reading Activities
3. Background Information
4. Work on Section A
5. Language Points
1. Lead-in
 ①Do you like Christmas?
 ②How much do you know about
Christmas?
 ③What would you do when Christmas is
coming?
2. Pre-reading Activities
 Task one: Focusing on the main idea
 Fill in the table below with information about the
occupations of each speaker and their opinions about
christmas
 Speaker
Speaker1:
Susan
Speaker 2:
Jenny
Speaker 3:
Karen
Occupation:
Occupation:
Occupation:
Christmas is
mainly
about____
_________
Christmas is
mainly
about_____
__________
Christmas is
mainly
about _____
__________
2. Pre-reading Activities
 Task two: Zooming in on the details.
 Listen to the recording again and fill in each of the blanks
according to what you have heard.
 1. To Susan, Christmas has nothing to do with spending a lot
of money and
.The two things she
loves to do are:
and sharing a home cooked
meal with friends.
 2. Jenny’s opinion about Christmas seems to be different
from her children’s. her children regard Christmas as a time to
be together and
.But Jenny always
prepares
and gifts for the family.
 3. For Karen, Christmas nowadays seems to be so much
different from what it was in the past. She thinks Christmas is
more about
,but this spirit seems to be lost in
today’s _________.
2. Pre-reading Activities
 Answers:
 Task one: Focusing on the main idea
Speaker1:
Susan
Speaker 2:
Jenny
Speaker 3:
Karen
Occupation:
artist
Occupation:
house wife
Occupation:
social worker
Christmas is
mainly about is
mainly about
spending time
together with
the people you
like.
Christmas is
mainly about
having gifts and
enough food
and drink to the
family members.
Christmas is
mainly about
Christmas
spirit—the
element of
giving.
 Task two: Zooming in on the details
 1. throwing big parties, watching a
beautiful Christmas movie with someone
special.
 2. catch up on news and conversation, a
lot of food and drink.
 3. giving and caring, stressful society.
4. Work on Section A

A) Structure of the Text ( a method of analyzing the text
structure is employed)
 Part 1 (Para. 1) My family and I had bad luck last year at
Christmas time when we were in France until we
checked into a shabby hotel in Nice.
 Part 2 (Paras. 2-5) The situation continued to go wrong
in the hotel...
 Part 3 (Paras. 6-22) Things began to get better and
people began to feel happy and excited about the merry
Christmas.
 Part 4 (Para 23) The miserable evening in a dull
restaurant ended up being the very best Christmas Eve
we had ever experienced just because of a young sailor
who had Christmas spirit in his soul.
4. Work on Section A
 B) Raise some questions to make
students grasp some detailed
information in the text (question and
answer method is used)
4. Work on Section A
 C) Questions and Answers
 Part 1 (Para. 1):
 Questions:
 1.Where was the family last Christmas?
 2.How long had they been on holiday?
 3.What went wrong with the author and
his family at Christmas time last year?
 4.How did they feel on Christmas?
Part 1 (Para. 1):
 Answers:
 1.They were in France, on their way from
Paris to Nice, to be precise.
 2.For more than five days.
 3.Quite a few things went wrong: Their
hotels were tourist traps. Their car broke
down and they checked into a shabby
hotel in Nice on Christmas Eve. They had
had five bad days and felt very unhappy.
 4.They did not feel in a festive mood at all..
4. Work on Section A
 Part 2 (Paras. 2-5):
 Questions:
 1.Did the writer like the restaurant? Why did he still
bring his family in?
 2.What did the other customers look like?
 3.Why did the writer call his wife stupid? What had
happened?
 4.What was the wife’s response and what did the
sons do?
 5.How did the writer feel at this time ?
 6.What happened to the French boy?
 7.What happened to the German couple?
Part 2 (Paras. 2-5):
 Answers:
 1.The writer did not like the restaurant but still brought
his family in because he was to tired and unhappy to
search for another one.
 2.They were all eating in stony silence and looked
miserable except for the American sailor.
 3.He called her “stupid ” possibly because he thought if
she had ordered the meal in English, the waiter might
have given them what they wanted. He may have
thought she was stupid to use a language she did not
know well enough to order food.
 4.The wife cried and the sons defended their mother.
 5.He felt even worse.
 6.His father slapped him for a minor fault and he started
to cry.
 7.The German wife began to scold her husband.
4. Work on Section A





Part 3 (Paras. 6-22):
Questions:
1.Why was there a blast of cold air?
2.What did the flower woman look like?
3.The flower lady called the piano player “Joseph”.
What does that show?
 4.Had the piano player got any money? How do
you know?
 5.What did the American sailor do before he left?
 6.What was the sailor’s response when the flower
woman tried to get change?
Part 3 (Paras. 6-22):
 Answers:
 1.A flower woman opened the door and came in,
bringing to a blast of cold air..
 2 She was wearing a shabby raincoat which was
dripping with rain, and she was wearing a pair of wet
and broken shoes..
 3. It shows that she knew each other pretty well and
probably she had been selling flowers for a long time in
the area and the piano player performed regularly in the
restaurant.
 4. No. His tipping plate was empty.
 5. He bought two flowers from the flower woman.
 6. The sailor kissed the flower woman and told her it
was his Christmas present to her.
5. Language Points
 For five wretched days everything had gone
wrong.
 wretched: adj. extremely bad or unpleasant
 eg:The house was in a wretched state.
 eg:I was shocked to see their wretched living
conditions.
 多么令人讨厌的天气！
 (= What wretched weather!)
5. Language Points








rent, hire & lease
这些动词均含“租，租用”之意。
rent在英式英语中指较长时间租出或租入房屋、商店或
土地；而在美式英语中指长时间或短期租用各种资产以
及日用东西。例如：
eg: We rented an apartment together.
hire多指短期租用。在英式英语中一般指租用车、船。
例如：
eg: You can hire a car at the airport.
lease指按照租约租出或租用房屋、土地或其他不动产。
例如：
I’m interested in leasing your cottage.
5. Language Points













break down:
1) stop working
2) (of friendship, agreement, or process) cease to continue; collapse
3) change or remove something that prevents people from working
together and having a successful relationship with each other
4) be unable to stop one’s emotions when in a state of distress,
especially in public
5) separate something into smaller parts so that it is easier to be dealt
with or understood
Directions: Match the above definitions with the sentences below.
a) He showed us the whole dance, then broke it down so that we
could learn it more easily.
b) The car broke down just north of Paris.
c) It takes a long time to break down prejudices.
d) Negotiations broke down after only two days.
e) He broke down and cried.
(Key: 1-b, 2-d, 3-c, 4-e, 5-a)
5. Language Points











Collocation:
break away (from) 逃脱，逃离
break in 闯入
break off 突然结束，中断
break out 突然发生，爆发
break through 突破，有新的发现
break up 结束，断绝关系
Directions: Fill in the blanks with the above phrases. Change the form
where necessary.
1) Thieves ______ and stole ￡10, 000 worth of computer equipment.
(= broke in)
2) The prisoner ______ the two policemen who were holding him. (=
broke away from)
3) What will happen to the children if Jim and Mary ______? (= break
up)
4) The two countries ______ diplomatic relations with each other. (=
broke off)
5) Scientists hope to ______ soon for a cure for this kind of cancer.
(= break through)
6) I was still living in London when the war ______. (= broke out)
5. Language Points
 On Christmas Eve, when we checked into a
shabby hotel in Nice, there was no Christmas
spirit in our hearts.
 shabby: adj. untidy and in bad condition
 eg: Hugh’s jacket was old and shabby.
 eg: Fortunately, she met Jim, who offered her
a job in his rather shabby restaurant.
5. Language Points




The boys defended her, I felt even worse.
defend: vt. use arguments to protect something
or someone from criticism, or to prove that
something is right
eg: She was always defending her husband in
front of their daughter.
eg: Students should be ready to explain and
defend their views.
5. Language Points




翻译：你怎能为因科学研究而杀死动物的行为
辩护呢？
(= How can you defend the killing of animals
for scientific study?)
Pattern:
defend sb. against/from sb./sth.
5. Language Points










slap:
1) vt. hit someone with the flat part of the hand
eg: He slapped her across the face.
eg: If you touch me again I’ll slap you.
2) n. a quick hit with the flat part of the hand
eg: Julia gave Roy a slap on the cheek.
Collocation:
a slap in the face 侮辱，打击
a slap on the wrist 轻微的处罚，温和的警告
a slap on the back 表扬，赞许
5. Language Points
 minor: adj. small and not very important or serious,
especially when compared with other things
 eg: I made minor alterations to the article.
 CF: minor, negligible & minimal
 这些形容词均含“不重要的，次要的”之意。
 minor多指与别的比较后显得不重要，或指较少、较小。
例如：
 * The young actress was given a minor part in the new
play.
 negligible指数量小、不重要、微不足道或可忽略不计。
例如：
 * In buying a suit, a difference of ten cents in prices is
negligible.
 minimal指最少、最低或最小。例如：
 * The cost to taxpayers would be minimal.
5. Language Points
 franc: n. the standard unit of money in various
countries, and used in France and Belgium before
the euro
 NB:Currencies of the World
PRC
Renminbi，
Yuan
CNY
1CNY=10 jiao (角)
1 jiao=10 fen (分)
United
Kingdom
Pound，
Sterling
GBP
1GBP=100 new pence (新便士)
United States
of America
U.S.Dollar
USD
1USD=100 cents (分)
Japan
Japanese
Yen
JPY
1JPY=100 sen (钱)
Canada
Canadian
Dollar
CAD
1CAD=100 cents
5. Language Points
 Collocation:
 point the/a finger at somebody 指责
 eg: I knew that they would point the finger at me. 我知道他
们会指责我的。
 point the way forward 指明方向
 eg: This new discovery points the way forward in the
search for a cure. 这一新发现为寻找治疗方法指明了方向。
 point out 指出，指明
 eg: I pointed out to him where I used to live. 我把我过去住
的地方指给他看。
 point to 表明；指向
 eg: All the evidence points to Randall as the murderer. 所
有的证据都表明兰德尔是杀人凶手。
5. Language Points
 lean: vi. slope or bend from an upright position
 She leant towards him and listened.
 He was leaning on the bridge, watching the
boats go by.
 Collocation:
 lean on somebody 依赖，依靠
 The couple lean on each other for support. 这对
夫妻互相依靠。
 lean towards something有……倾向
5. Language Points
 permission: n. the act of allowing; consent;
authorization
 eg: Did he give you permission to take that?
 Collocation:






ask/request/apply for permission 请求许可
give/grant permission 准许
get/obtain/receive permission 获得许可
have permission (to do something) 许可
refuse/deny (somebody) permission不许
with/without (somebody’s) permission 经过许可/未经许可
5. Language Points
 Directions: Fill in the blanks with the above phrases. Change the form
where necessary.
 1) You must ______ before taking any photographs inside
the church. (= ask permission)
 2) They didn’t ______ cross the frontier. (= have permission
to)
 3) Who ______ to leave class early? (= gave him
permission)
 4) He ______ from his boss before talking to the press. (=
obtained permission)
 5) We heard of the Council’s decision to ______ for the
development. (= refuse permission)
 6) Pages should not be copied ______ the publisher. (=
without the permission of)
 7) ______, I should like to visit Mrs. Thorne myself. (= With
your permission)
5. Language Points












depart: v. leave, especially when starting a journey
eg. Dorothy departed for Germany last week.
CF: depart, leave, go & quit
这些动词均含“离开某处”之意。
depart较正式，指经过周密考虑或郑重地离开，强调离开的起点。例
如：
The train to Edinburgh will depart from platform 6 in five minutes.
leave强调出发地而不是目的地。例如：
We’re leaving from the main station at six o’clock.
go是一般用词，指从所在地到其他地方去，着重目的地而非出发地。
例如：
We are going to my parents’ from Christmas.
quit指离开令人烦恼的地方，或摆脱使人不快的人或事。例如：
I’d had enough, so I quit my job.
5. Language Points
 enthusiasm: n. a strong feeling of interest and enjoyment
about something and an eagerness to be involved in it
 Collocation:
 with enthusiasm 热情（烈）地
 great/much/considerable/enormous enthusiasm 巨大的热
情
 little enthusiasm 没什么热情
 lack of enthusiasm 缺乏热情
 full of enthusiasm 充满热情
 show (great/considerable) enthusiasm 显示出巨大的热情
 lose enthusiasm 失去热情
 fire somebody with enthusiasm 使……充满热情
 generate enthusiasm 激发……的热情
5. Language Points












dull: adj. not interesting or exciting
eg: Life is never dull when Elizabeth is here.
CF: dull, tedious, monotonous & dreary
这些形容词均表示“单调的，乏味的，厌烦的”之意。
dull指缺乏鲜明、吸引力或情趣而显得乏味、沉闷。例如：
The weekly meeting tends to be deadly dull.
tedious指文章、演讲、演出等冗长乏味或环境等单调、沉闷，
缺乏活力，使人感到不舒服。例如：
Most of the students in the hall were put to sleep by the
tedious lecture.
monotonous指没有变化、重复单调的。例如：
He spoilt the poem by reading it in a monotonous voice.
dreary强调无趣味的、不活泼的事或思想状态。例如：
Addressing envelopes is dreary work.
5. Language Points
 release: vt. let someone go free, after
having kept them somewhere
 eg: Police arrested several men, who were
later released.
 eg: The bears are eventually released into
the wild.
 Pattern:
 release somebody from something
 eg: He was released from the hospital
yesterday.










CF: release, free, liberate & discharge
这些动词均含“解放，释放”之意。
release指放松限制、解除监禁或免除义务。例如：
The hijackers released three of the hostages.
free指不再受任何限制、约束、阻碍和压迫，完全可按自己的意志行
事。例如：
She freed the bird from its cage.
liberate常指从束缚和压迫中解放出来，强调获得最终的解放，有时
可和free换用。例如：
The new government has liberated all political prisoners.
discharge强调把某人或某物从监禁、束缚中释放出来。例如：
The judge discharged the prisoner.
Text B
Our “Family”
 1. Ask students to finish reading Text
B in ten minutes and answer the
questions on Page 196.
 2. Languages Points:
2. Language Points
 Para 2:
 ongoing: sth. that has been happening for
quite a long time and seems likely to
continue for some time in the future.
 eg: He interrupted the ongoing discussion
and announced a notice
 request: an act of asking for sth., especially
politely.
 eg:: The president’s request for an increase
in the defense budge was turned down.
2. Language Points







Para 3:
1.My mind was racing with all sorts of ideas.
Meaning: all kinds of possible problems were
flashing through my mind.
我的脑海里满是疑问。
2.I waited for what seemed like an eternity for her
to answer.
Meaning: The author was very anxious to know
the answer, so the few seconds/minutes her
daughter took to answer the question seemed
very long, as if lasting forever.
我等着她的答案，似乎等了一万年。
2. Language Points
 Para 6:
…, and when the school presented them with the
school supply list for all four grades they were
overwhelmed.
 当学校把四个孩子所需的学习用品清单给约翰父母
时，他们简直不知所措。
 overwhelm: (of feeling) to make (sb.) completely
helpless, usually suddenly.
 eg: Maggie felt completely overwhelmed when she
heard the bad news about her husband.
2. Language Points
 Para 10:
 …but because she knew me from my work at the
school and involvement on the PTA board, she
slipped a piece of paper into my hand…(para 10)
 involvement: the state of being a apart of.
 eg: When she was promoted, she missed the dayto-day involvement with customers
 PTA: Parents-Teachers Association, an
organization at each school, which is meatn to
offer parental support to the school and better
cooperation beween parents and teachers.
 slip: give sb. sth. quietly, secretly.
 eg: I slipped a note into her hand under the table.
2. Language Points
 Para 15
 Nothing was underneath.
 Meaning: At Christmas, Christmas gifts are
usually placed under the Christmas tree. Here,
it means that the family was so poor that they
had no Christmas gifts; therefore, nothing was
under the tree.
 underneath: under, below
 eg: The underneath part felt damp.
2. Language Points






Para.20
She never told a soul at school what we
did.
Meaning: She kept the whole thing a
secret. She never told anybody about what
we had done for John’s family.
吉娜从来没有在学校里向任何人提起我们所
做的一切。
soul: a human being
eg: She is a dear old soul.