Unit 1

1. Unit 1 This Year It’s Going to Be Different

2. Unit 1 Warming-Up Activity Text I: Comprehension and Analysis Text I: Appreciation Text I: Language Study Text II

3. Warming-Up Activity Resolution (n.): sth. that one makes up his mind to do (New Year’s Resolutions?)

4. Unit 1 This Year It’s Going to Be Different

5. Text Comprehension Skimming: • How many resolutions has the writer made altogether? • How many have been mentioned in the text? Are they easily found? • What are the results of the man’s efforts to carry out his resolutions? • How many people are there in this family? Who are they? Summarize the main idea of the text!

6. The Writer’s Family Mother (Maggie) father Kit (14-year-old daughter) Roy (Sam’s brother) Sammy (5-year-old son) Gretchen (little daughter)

7. Text Comprehension and Analysis Structure of Text 1— Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Para 1: I’m going to carry out my NY’s resolutions Paras 2-22: I carried out my resolutions, but in vain. Paras 23-38: I told my family about my resolutions and returned normal.

8. Part 1 (Para 1) • What’s the writer’s opinion about New Year’s resolutions? • What’s implied in “Judging from results of other years, I had never put enough in”? • What did the writer do for this new year? • Why couldn’t the writer wait until New Year’s Day?

9. Part 2 (Paras 2-22) Read and think of Part 2 more carefully. Find out details that may complete the following table! My New Year’s Resolutions!!!

10. Resolutions Things Done People Involved Results 1. Be spontaneous in showing kissed my wife Maggie She shrieked and affection. dropped a cup. 2. A sincere compliment is said “You are looking Maggie My wife got angry. worth its weight in gold. lovely” 7 sections: 1) the writer—his wife; 2) the writer—Sammy; 3) The writer—Gretchen; 4) the writer—Kit; 5) the mess among the children; 6) the writer—his wife; 7) the writer still trying desperately 3. Always encourage your explained the escapement Sammy Sammy thought I child’s curiosity. mechanism was a fool. 4. Meet your child at his own suggested that Gretchen Gretchen Gretchen cried. level. Take her doll to Dr. Sam 5. Show your interest in your asked Marilyn about her Kit Kit is angry. children’s friends. Holidays. (Be tolerant of children’s picked up Kit’s sweater Kit Kit felt sick. bad habits.) 6. Encourage creativity in suggested that the boys Roy and Sammy My wife got the young. carve a spoon angry; the boys whittled the spoon. 7. The most trivial chore can willingly took the garbage Maggie My wife said I prove rewarding if approached out sarcastic. with zest. 8. Take over one of your took down the Christmas Maggie My wife was wife’s chores, she’ll love you tree angry and asked for it. me to sit and watch a game.

11. Part 3 (Paras 23-38) Why did the writer’s resolutions fail to work??? • What did the writer’s wife mean when she said “Yes” to the writer’s words “This year is different”? • What did the children say about their father’s behavior that day? • How the writer respond to his wife and children’s complaints? • What were the writer and the family like in the end?

12. Text Appreciation narration What type of writing is this text? In what style is the text written? Has the writer used any special techniques? Any other special points? informal Contrast (in content and style) • American flavor; 2. Effective beginning • 3. good choice of words

13. Language Study • get out of sth. you put in (out of的其它用法？) • be blessed with sth./sb. • can hardly wait • be worth its weight in gold • look, there, say, sure, come now • in pajamas (in的其它用法？) • 出现在句末的though • dread (v./n.)

14. 9. have the nerve to do 10. draw 的多重含义 11. bother (v.) 12. let alone (let be) 13. sprawl 14. cut, carve, whittle 15. accomplish 16. self-improvement, cross-examine, doctor’s kit

15. Out of的不同含义: 1) (origin) 2) (by using)making a thriving business out of Shakespeare 3) (reason) out of curiosity 4) (without) out of work, out of stock 5) (from) choose one out of ten 6) (not in a place) out of town, out of water 7) (at a distance from) out of London

16. in的不同含义: 1) wearing: in pajamas, in red, in a white coat 2) indicating a condition: in tears, in trouble, in poverty

17. 比较下面三个句子: • I tried to get there on time; I couldn’t manage, though. • Though I tried to get there on time, I couldn’t manage. • I tried to arrive on time, but I couldn’t manage.

18. Dread (v.) dread sth. doing sth. to do sth. that-clause Dread (n.) have a dread of sth.

19. have the nerve to do --1) have the necessary courage to do; 2) (colloq.) be bold and rude enough to do 带有nerve的其它短语： • get on one’s nerves • What a nerve! • have a nerve

20. bother的几种用法: bother sb. with sth. bother about doing sth. bother sb. to do sth. bother oneself to do sth. bother to do

21. let /leave sb./sth. alone = let sb./sth. be e.g. Let me be/alone; I want a rest. Cf. let alone (+v./n.):without considering e.g. The baby can’t even crawl yet, let alone walk! He doesn’t have money for food, let alone these luxuries.

22. Sprawl (vi./vt.): sit, lie or fall with the arms and legs spread out loosely e.g. He was sprawling in an armchair in front of the TV. They were sprawled out in front of the fire. The students sprawled themselves out on the grass.

23. carve: cutshapes out of solid wood or stone whittle: cut(wood) to a smaller size by taking off small thin pieces

24. self-control self-determination self-reliance self-respect self-criticism self-centered self-maltreatment self-conceit self-conscious self-educated self-evident 自我控制 （国家、民族的）自决权 独立 自尊；自重 自我批评 自我为中心 自虐 自负 Shy 不自然的，局促不安的 自学 不证自明的 带有self的合成词

25. cross-check v. cross-country adj. cross-eyed adj. cross-legged adj. cross-purposes n. crossroads n. cross-stitch n. cross-talk n. cross-walk n. crossword n. 核对，复核 越野 斗鸡眼的 盘腿而坐 相互误解 十字路口 十字绣 相声 人行横道 填字游戏 带有cross的合成词

26. doctor’s kit first-aid kit repair kit golfing kit shaving kit

27. Text II • Read Text II and explain the meanings of the following words or phrases. 1) rattle (L1); 2) transact business (L3); 3) an irresponsible idiot (L4); 4) an invalid millionaire (L57); 5) too far gone to reason (L60); 6) made a plunge (L63); 7) Good morning! (L39); 8) wicket (L44) 2. Answer the following questions: • Why are the first two paragraphs written in the present tense? • What details suggest that “I was rattled”? • How does the author achieve the humorous effect?