Task A-4 ：

1. Task A-4： The funny side of life

2. Please go over the underlined parts in your returned homework and try to correct or rewrite them. If you have questions, please consult the teacher.

3. Your second writing task A Summary

4. 罗春桃 90 陈晓嫦 89 余雪娇 88 何 超 88 冯丽云 88 These students are invited to read their works to the class. Well done

5. Luo Chuntao water dispenser

6. Chen Xiaochang • gas furnace • gas cooker • gas stove • gas ring • gas oven (for bakery)

7. Recall the direction Write a composition of at least 300 words to describe your own experiences of the change in your life due to the advent of a household appliance — maybe also a TV, or a computer, or something else. Try to imitate the style of the article we have just read and use the newly learned words and phrases.

8. Write a composition of at least 300 words to describe your own experiences of the change in your life due to the advent of a household appliance — maybe also a TV, or a computer, or something else. Try to imitate the style of the article we have just read and use the newly learned words and phrases. > 12 - 3 > 6 punishment in the 2nd score item

9. Vivid description • Every time, mother’s tired smile brought some subtle dull aches to my heart. 林玥辛

10. Vivid description Nevertheless, in this modern society, this wonder of human intelligence, apart from having strong points, does exert bad influence: computer virus flows through the Internet to ruin individual computer; ugly pictures and information dirty children’s eyes and ears; moreover, children and teenagers spare no pains playing games day and night, and even die before computers because of tiredness.

11. good description • My parents retrench the daily expense, so we are not supposed to make a long call, which, they think, is unnecessary and unworthy. 郑创洲

12. good description • “What is it?” I asked, with my eyes glued to the box. • I flew into the house and sat down, admiring the magic machine hanging on the wall as well as wondering how it could produce such pleasant cool wind. 马祎秀

13. Common problems • Countable nouns do not usually appear without a hat or a tail. e.g. Our computer truly becomes our good friend. To us, we enjoy every benefit of computer.

14. Common problems • *Same path as usual, same moonlight shone at me as usual. • The same path as usual; the same moonlight shone at me as usual.

15. punctuation Improper use of Comma Jenny moved her home into a new one with her daughters, they decorated the house meticulously and grew a lot of roses in the yard.

16. New rules • There should be around 3 sentences you feel most satisfied underlined, or you cannot get high points in the third item of the score. • The total number of underlined parts will be restricted to 4. • Waves in red ink are used by the teacher to show his appreciation of the good sentences/ phrases in the student’s writing.

17. Firewall 1.动词现在时决不能用于描写过去发生的事情！ 2.情态动词后面的动词永远不会有屈折变化！ 3. “there be” 句型中已有动词 “be”, 主语后面不能再跟谓语动词。 4. “while” 不能用于并列两个句子。

18. Excellent works by students of previous years

19. Our first telephoneGrade 01 Mo Yan (莫雁) The telephone set was invented in the late 19th century. Though it came into the world at such an early time, it hadn’t been brought into Chinese ordinary families until the spring breeze of the reform blew over the land of China. In recent 10 years, telephone became very popular with more and more families who could afford it. People could speak to their relatives living far away without going on a long journey. And merchants could deal with more transactions within the same time. The time my family bought a telephone was 12 years ago, when I was 8.

20. That was a Sunday morning of sunshine and gentle breezes. I was doing my homework when my father came in with a medium-sized box in his arms. Gathering around him, my mother and I asked him with one voice, curiously, “ what’ s that?” “A telephone set. Come and have a look.” That night, we all got excited of the new comer and studied its usage until midnight. Next day, we informed our neighbours, friends and relatives of the phone number, awaiting their calls.

21. We were in great expectation of answering a call. To our disappointment, however, not even a ring of the phone bell was ever heard. The fact was that we didn’t realize that telephone had not been a common communicative means at that time. Without a phone how could those who knew our number call us? Anyway, we finally got a call.

22. One night, the telephone suddenly rang, which astonished us indeed. Looking at each other blankly, we just couldn’t believe our ears—did it really happen? The bell was going on. Who was going to answer the call? A cunning smile crept over my father’s face, “Who bought the telephone? Who brought it back home? Who installed it? Again who is the master of this house?”

23. A long silence was the response to this series of questions. Father wore a satisfactory smile, walking quickly to the phone. “Hello!” he answered loudly with a joyful voice. Soon things changed. Father’s smile disappeared. Then he put down the receiver. No expression could be seen on his face. “ What is going on?” mother was puzzled. Guess what the answer was-- • “ Wrong number!”

24. Teaching objective: develop your humour

25. This task requires the reflection on the outside world where lots of things are frowned on. The following is an example written in an ironic way.

26. Input reading Learning to read — in college

27. Learning to read — in college The Timkens sent their child Laura off to college with a check for $ 7,000 in tuition and thought that was the end of it. But soon after, they received a letter from the dean of studies. “We are happy to announce that we have started a remedial reading class for college freshmen and strongly advise that your daughter Laura participate in it. If she doesn’t, it is our opinion that Laura will not be able to keep up with her studies. The cost will be $250.”

28. Timken read the letter. “I thought Laura could read,” he said to his wife. “So did I. I think the problem is she can read, but she does not understand what she reads.” “What did they teach her in public school and high school?” “I have no idea, but if the college says she needs remedial reading, we’d better see that she gets it or $7,000 will be thrown away.”

29. A few days later they got another letter from the dean. “The English department has informed us that your daughter Laura can’t write. They have suggested that she enroll in the remedial writing class. We started it two years ago when we discovered this was a common problem for most college students. If you agree that Laura should get this special help, please send a check for $250.” Timken was angry now. “How did she get in college if she can’t write?” Mrs. Timken was much more optimistic about it. “Laura can write. She just can’t write complete sentences.”

30. “She went to school for 12 years and she can’t write a sentence?” Timken said. “They made an illiterate out of my daughter!” “Oh, I believe that’s a bit strong. I’m sure, anyway, the college can help her learn to write. After all, it’s an institution of higher learning.” “So now we have to pay $ 250 for something they should have taught her in grammar school?”

31. “Don’t you remember what the principal said years ago? It was the school’s responsibility to make good citizens out of the students, and the parents’ responsibility to teach the children to read and write. It seems that we’re the ones who failed.” Timken sent in the check, and was not surprised to find another letter waiting for him a week later. It read: “We have found that no one in the freshman class can add, multiply, subtract or divide simple sums. We feel it is urgent that this deficiency be corrected early in a student’s college career. Therefore, we are setting up a special remedial arithmetic course. The fee will be $250. If you do not want your daughter to take this course, we can’t guarantee she will graduate.”

32. Once again Timken flew into a rage. “I thought Laura got A’s in maths in high school.” Mrs. Timken said, “That was conceptional maths. She never could add or subtract. Don’t you remember when you complained once about it and Laura’s teacher told you, ‘she can always learn to add and subtract when she gets to college’?”

33. Suggested writing task: Write a similar satirical story about anything irrational in our life. Try to imitate the sardonic style of the input reading but do not duplicate its plots.

34. Exchange your brainstorming in groups

35. Excellent works by students of previous years

36. The cost of a bargainGrade 01 Feng Sijing 冯思婧 With the development of science and technology, mobile phone is becoming more and more popular in our daily life. Two days after I came to university, I walked into a telecom store which acted as a purchasing agent for customers. As I had a cell phone, I only had to choose a kind of telecom service. A genial shop employee recommended a favourable one to me. “It’s quite substantial for college students as you don’t have to pay 50 yuan for the rent monthly,” he guaranteed, “You are not supposed to pay any extra fee and the most attractive point is that long distant call merely costs 0.4 yuan per minute.”

37. Only 0.4 yuan a minute! This meant I could telephone my family every day? But was it really a bargain? Or they laid a trap under the favourable-sounding promise? “No commission, no rent, exemption of formalities!” Seeing me roaming undecided, the employee pledged again and again. Since this seemed to be the lowest price of all the service plans, eventually, I paid him 110 yuan, in which 10 yuan was for the SIM card, and 100 yuan for the telephone fee of that month. After that, calling home became a part of my everyday life. Everything went on smoothly until one day, all of a sudden, I couldn’t make a call. I dialed but could not get through. Instead, a girl in the phone told me in a gentle voice, • “Sorry, your service has been cut off. Please hand over your phone fee.”

38. Cut off? How could they cut it off without giving any warning? I had to get in touch with my friends for a weekend party. It would be rather inconvenient to do it if “service has been cut off”. Wondering what had happened, I entered the telecom store after class, and recognized the employee who received me that day. “At least you should send me a list or message to show me how I spent that 100 yuan.” Being wronged, I added, “It even puts my life into disorder!” The employee explained, “This is not my fault. It was the China Mobile who cuts off your phone, but not me. You may give the money to me and we can act on your behalf. Then your phone can be used in no time.”

39. “But how did that 100 yuan ran out in only two weeks?” I asked doubtfully. To my disappointment, his reply was “Ask the China Mobile”. Because of the eager desire for phone calls, I decided to make my service in order first. So I produced 100 yuan from my purse. “Please give me another 10 yuan for handling charges?” His words puzzled me, “Hadn’t you said ‘no extra fee’? What is this so called ‘handling charges’ on earth?” He explained, “In fact, collecting fees is not our business. We do it for you additionally.”

40. I tried to keep calm and said, “So that is to say that in case I hand over the fee to the telecom office directly, I don’t need to pay you the 10 yuan?” “You may do it as you like,” he nodded. “Then tell me where the City Telecommunication Bureau is? I mean the nearest one.” He answered smilingly, “There is one in Guangzhou Road and it takes you about an hour by taxi. But do you expect this 10 yuan can take you there by taxi?” His answer angered me, “It just takes me less than two hours and 1 yuan to get there by bus!”

41. Leaving this unreasonable store, I hesitated on the road. “I can hand over the fee by means of transfer between bank accounts.” This idea dashed into my mind and I went into the bank beside the gate of our university at once. After waiting in a long queue for half an hour, I finally stood in front of one of the windows. I asked the assistant to handle the transfer business for me. She responded politely, “You must go to the City Telecommunication Bureau and fill in a form yourself there. Otherwise, I’m afraid we cannot do anything for you.”

42. Was I doomed to go to that distant Telecom Bureau? I was too busy to go there that day. Maybe I can turn to the school telecom department for help. I went there but still got an unsatisfactory answer, “We can hand over your fee there without handling charges. But the service will not return to normal until next week. The post office might help you.” God! I had been walking here and there in such a withering hot day for so long! Though disappointed time and time again, I would not give up this last hope.

43. However, the response of the assistant in the post office turned my hope to despair, “A post-office is never responsible for the mobile phone.” I was tired enough to fall down in faith! Having no alternative, I went back to the telecom store and gave 110 yuan to the disgusting employee.

44. Now your turn, To shine yourself!