Book 2
Unit 1
Food
Teaching Aims:
In this unit students are required to :
1) get to know some useful information concerning the topic of the reading passages in
this unit and to know more about English culture;
2) do some preparation activities such as discussion, group work, etc. to practice their
spoken skill and communicative skills;
3) grasp some new words and try to use these words which help them to enrich their
vocabulary;
4)read the in-class reading passage in a limited time and grasp some expressions and
grammatical points in the in-class reading passage to improve their reading
comprehension;
5) do some post-reading exercises and some after-class reading to practice what they have
got to know in class to improve their English comprehensive skills.;
6) translate some typical sentences into Chinese or English by using some expressions
learned in the reading passages to acquire some translating skills and better their
translating abilities.
I. Useful Information
Food is a basic necessity, so every culture has important norms and customs related to
it. Since long ago, according to their specialization or gender, some members in family
units prepare the food, some provide the food, and all must eat. Formal meals may take
hours in some cultures or households, while in others people may eat hastily. In most
cultures the feeding of friends, relatives, and others is a way of meeting, socializing,
entertaining, and showing respect. However, eating away from home in restaurants,
taverns, inns, or hotels has long been an option in most cultures, but the variety of these
choices is rapidly increasing today because of the fast pace of modern life.
The biggest recent change in eating habits and food-related lifestyles is the advent of
fast food. A typical example is KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) and McDonald’s
hamburgers. They may cause some youngsters to dislike their parents’ cooking and some
college students to dislike the more nutritious food available on campus.
Mealtimes differ considerably from culture to culture or from household to household.
In agrarian cultures rural families tend to eat their first two meals early in the day, while
in industrial cultures urban families often have them later. The time of the third meal
depends on several factors. In some cultures people have “tea” in the afternoon, and
supper in the late afternoon or early evening. It is confusing as to whether lunch or supper
is considered to be the largest meal and thus referred to as “the dinner”. People who skip
breakfast may prefer “brunch”, especially on weekends.
II. Preparation
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Checking your vocabulary
•Vegetable: cabbage, beet, carrot, lettuce, bean, eggplant, onion, garlic, pepper, spinach,
tomato, cucumber, pea, potato, turnip, celery, mushroom, broccoli, cauliflower, pumpkin,
asparagus, etc.
•Fruit: apple, pear, fig, peach, grape, pineapple, plum, apricot, banana, mango, orange,
lemon, watermelon, cherry, grapefruit, strawberry, litchi, coconut, mulberry, walnut,
chestnut, date, etc.
•Meat: beef, lamb, steak, chop, pork, ham, bacon, mutton, sausage, chicken, turkey, fish,
duck, etc.
•Cereal: rice, oat, wheat, maize/corn, millet, barley, grain, sorghum, etc.
•Others: chips, mashed potatoes, noodles, broth, milk, cheese, butter, bread, egg, pastry,
biscuits,
•Drink: tea, coffee, coke, Pepsi, wine, sprite, beer, whisky, brandy, lemonade, mineral
water, soda water, champagne, cocktail, alcohol, liqueur, vodka, gin, sherry, milk, juice,
etc.
III. Listening-centered Activities
Useful sentences and keys to exercises
Listening 1
We’d like to start with fruit juice, orange for me and grapefruit for my wife.
We’ll put a selection of preserves on your tray.
Exercise 1: 1). 226
2). 7:30 a.m. 3). Orange juice 4). Grapefruit juice 5).
Bacon, eggs, and tomato 6). Two soft-boiled eggs 7). Toast, butter 8). Lemon tea
Listening 2
Exercise1: 1). To take out, cardboard, plastic, plastic, tight fitting 2). Board, menu,
order, microphone, twenty yards 3). Knives, forks, everything, tray
Exercise 2: 1). Efficient and friendly. 2). Their friendliness is natural and isn’t entirely
because they hope to get a high tip. 3). 15% of the check. 4). They refill the customer’s
coffee cup several times for no extra charge.
Listening 3 Tongue Twisters
1). The big baker bakes the black bread.
2). “The bun is better buttered,” Bill muttered.
3). Cheryl’s cheap cheep shop sells cheap chips.
4). You can have: fried fresh fish, fish fried fresh, fresh fried fish, fresh fish fried, or fish
fresh fried.
5). All I want is a proper cup of coffee
Made in a proper coffeepot.
You can believe it or not—
I want a cup of coffee
In a proper coffeepot.
Tin coffeepots or
Iron coffeepots,
They’re no use to me.
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If I can’t have a
Proper cup of coffee
In a proper copper coffeepot
I’ll have a cup of tea.
IV. In-Class Reading
Food and Culture
Useful sentences
•Barking dogs seldom bite.(proverb)
•Apparently you’ve done a lot of work.(obviously)
•Smoking is forbidden in the concert hall.(prohibit)
•He is a man of capability, in addition, he is young.
•In addition to English, she can speak French.
•I regard it as one of my masterpieces.(think of …as)
•The car was related to the accident.(connected)
Paraphrasing Sentences
•Apparently, the dog’s place in society as a companion and as a protection against
criminals makes the dog taboo as food.
Obviously the dog’s function as a companion and as a protection against criminals
causes it to become taboo as food.
•One explanation for the pig-eating taboo is that pork that is not cooked sufficiently may
spread a disease called trichinosis.
There are some explanations for why pig-eating become a taboo. One of them is that
pork cooked not enough may spread a disease called trichinosis.
Translation
 We regard him as one of the best players in the game.
 The scientist picked up those little pieces of rock and carefully put them into a box.
 The population of China is almost five times as large as that of the USA.
 The reason why the grass is green was once a mystery to the little boy.
 She was standing by the window, apparently quite calm and relaxed.
 Profits have declined as a result of the recent drop of the sales.
 She put on dark glasses as a protection against the strong light.
 He could no longer be trusted after that event.
V. Further Development
1．Food proverbs & their meaning
1). D. Meaning: Even if you have only a little, it is better than none at all.
2). E. Meaning: Something new can only be judged to be good or bad after it has been
tried or used.
3). B. Meaning: If there are too many people trying to do the same job at the same time,
the job will not be done well.
4). F. Meaning: Something that one person likes may not be liked by someone else.
5). G. Meaning: One cannot have the advantage of something without its disadvantages.
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Or: One cannot have two good things at once.
6). C. Meaning: Don’t depend completely on one thing or one course of action in order
to achieve success. Or: One should try alternative ways.
7). A. Meaning: it’s useless to waste time feeling sorry about an early mistake or
problem that can not be changed.
2．Writing
Write an article about your classmates’ eating habits. Your composition should include
both the similarities and the differences. Write no less than 120 words.
Sample
Our Eating Habits
This survey brings us something interesting that is beneficial to our understanding of
the students’ eating habits.
First of all, as most of the students eat in the university canteen, their food choices
are limited. Many students say that they can only have their favorite foods at home.
Secondly, the students, as a whole, spend little time eating. On the average they
spend 1.5 hours eating everyday. Students from the South love rice while students from
the North like pasta, seafood, due to its rarity, is the favorite food for most of the
students.
It is also interesting to find that, in many families, it is the father, rather than the
mother, who does most of the cooking. Family roles are changing now.
Our Eating Habits
The survey shows that students, generally speaking, spend little time eating. They eat
three meals a day, with rice as their basic food (staple). Students from the North like pasta,
for example, noodles, steamed bread, and dumplings. Most students like fresh fish,
seafood and eggs. Only a few students say they are keen on meat of all kinds. Most
students eat their meals at the students’ cafeterias. They don’t cook at home, and some
haven’t even tried. Their parents or grandparents do the cooking in their families.
What is unusual is the fact that many students don’t eat vegetables. They think fruit
can provide all the necessary nutrients their bodies need. With some students, milk is
gradually taking the place of water and other drinks. Besides, in many families, it is now
the father who does most of the cooking. The role of the mother seems to have changed a
lot.
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