1、Unit 2Active reading (1)Language points1 . I can recall the changing colors of those days, clear and definite as a pattern seen through a kaleidoscope. (Para 1)A kaleidoscope is a toy that shows changing patterns. It is made of a tube with mirrors and colored pieces of glass inside. The glass pieces
2、 move as you turn the kaleidoscope. As a metaphor, kaleidoscope means a view, situation or experience that keeps changing and has many different aspects.2 and look over the lights of Boston that blazed and blinked far off across the darkening water. (Para 2)To blaze means to burn strongly and bright
3、ly. The lights . that blazed and blinked means the lights were bright and went on and off continuously, like the blinking of eyes.3 The sunset flaunted its pink flag above the airport, and the sound of waves was lost in the perpetual droning of the planes. (Para 2)To flaunt means to deliberately try
4、 to make people notice something, eg your possessions, beauty, abilities etc, because you want them to admire you. The sunset flaunted its pink flag means the pink color of the setting sun was like a flag which the sun was using to try to make everyone notice and admire it. To drone means to make a
5、continuous low sound. Because Logan is an international airport, the noise of the planes continued all the time. So it was perpetual.4 I marveled at the moving beacons on the runway and watched, until it grew completely dark, the flashing red and green lights that rose and set in the sky like shooti
6、ng stars. (Para 2)A beacon is a bright light that shines in the dark and is used as a signal to warn people of danger or to show them the way to somewhere. Beacons are used in airports to show approaching and departing planes the position of the runways to help them land and take off safely. A shoot
7、ing star is a meteor, a large piece of rock in space that falls through the earths atmosphere and makes a bright line of light in the sky. When you see a shooting star, it is said to be lucky, and some people make a wish.5 Out by the parking lot David and I found the perfect alcove for our Superman
8、dramas. (Para 5)A parking lot is the American equivalent of a car park, British English. A lot in American English refers to a small area of land used for a particular purpose.6 During recess, David and I came into our own. (Para 6)To come into ones own means to have the opportunity to show how good
9、 or useful someone is. Here the two children are good at imaginative play with Superman games.7 We ignored the boys playing baseball on the gravel court and the girls giggling at dodge-ball in the dell. (Para 6)Dodge-ball is a game played by children standing in a circle or on opposite sides of an a
10、rea. A rubber ball is thrown by those outside, who try to hit those in the circle. The children in the circle try to dodge the ball to avoid being hit.8 Our Superman games made us outlaws (Para 6)An outlaw is a criminal, especially one who moves from place to place to avoid being caught. There are m
11、any famous stories of outlaws in Western culture, eg Robin Hood, Billy the Kid, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Ned Kelly etc. Here, the two children are outlaws because they play their imaginative games against the custom of other games like dodge-ball.9 the sallow mammas boy on our block who w
12、as left out of the boys games . and skin his fat knees. (Para 6)Mamma, mama, momma, mummy are childrens names for mother (mum). A mammas boy is one who depends too much on his mother and is not independent when he should be.To skin ones knees means to hurt ones knees by falling on a rough surface in
13、 a way that causes some skin to be removed.10 At the time my Uncle Frank was living with us while waiting to be drafted (Para 8)The draft means conscription into the armed forces for military service. People who are drafted are made to join the army, navy etc; they are conscripts or draftees not vol
14、unteers.Reading and understanding3 Answer the questions.1 What were Sylvia Plaths most important memories?She remembered winning a prize, Paula Browns new suit and the view from her window.2 Where did she live and what could she see from her bedroom window?She lived on the bay side of town, on Johns
15、on Avenue, and she could see the lights of Boston and LoganAirport from her bedroom window.3 What did the view make her want to do?It made her want to fly in her dreams.4 Why did she have such vivid dreams?Because she was rarely tired when she went to bed.5 Who appeared in her dreams?Superman appear
16、ed and taught her to fly.6 Why did she enjoy the radio adventures of Superman?Because she loved the sheer poetry of flight.7 Where did her friend and she play Superman?At the dingy back entrance to the school, an alcove in a long passageway.Unit 2 Childhood memories468 Why do you think they chose Sh
17、eldon to be the villain?Because he was a mammas boy and was left out of the other boys games.9 How did she feel about her Uncle Frank?She admired him as she thought he bore an extraodinary resemblance to Superman incognito.4 Choose the best summary of the passage.3 Sylvia Plath wrote about her real
18、and imaginary life as a child.Dealing with unfamiliar words5 Match the words in the box with their definitions.1 accurate and true (definite)2 continuing all the time (perpetual)3 to spin quickly in circles (whirl)4 to shine very brightly (blaze)5 to laugh in a nervous, excited or silly way that is
19、difficult to control (giggle)6 to encourage someone to speak or continue speaking (prompt)7 to fall to the ground (tumble)6 Complete the paragraph with the correct form of the words in Activity 5.Plath never needed to be (1) prompted to talk about her childhood memories. They were very (2) definite
20、and still real to her as an adult. She imagined she could fly and (3) whirl through the air like Superman. Coming from the highways around Boston was the (4) perpetual sound of traffic. In the distance a plane was taking off, its lights (5) blazing into the night sky. She remembered the sound of (6)
21、 giggling which came from the group of girls. Sadly in her later life it seemed as if Superman had (7) tumbled to earth.7 Replace the underlined words with the correct form of the words in the box.1 The lights at the airport went on and off all day and night. (blinked)2 The playground was like a des
22、ert. It was without any interesting or positive features and unfriendly. (barren)3 The boys were playing a childrens game in which the players chase and try to touch each other and the girls were gossiping and giggling. (tag)4 Pulling the legs off insects is a form of action causing extreme physical
23、 pain by someone as a punishment, and is extremely cruel. (torture)5 The similarity in appearance between the twins was striking. (resemblance)6 He would cover candy with a piece of cloth used for cleaning lips and hands, and make it disappear. (napkin)8 Answer the questions about the words and expr
24、essions.1 If you look through a kaleidoscope, are you likely to see (a) changing coloured patterns, or (b) a single coloured pattern?2 If you flaunt something, do you (a) deliberately try to make people notice, or (b) try to hide it?3 If you marvel at something, do you find it (a) boring, or (b) sur
25、prising and fascinating?4 Are shooting stars likely to (a) move brightly through the night sky, or (b) stand still?5 Is the twilight likely to be (a) at the end of, or (b) in the middle of the day?6 If you drift off to sleep, are you likely to fall asleep (a) quickly, or (b) slowly?7 If someone is b
26、ookish, are they likely to be (a) more, or (b) less interested in reading books than doing other activities?8 If you make up something, do you (a) invent it, or (b) borrow it from someone else?9 If you come into your own, are you likely to show (a) how effective and useful, or (b) ineffective and us
27、eless you can be?10 Is a villain likely to be a (a) good, or (b) bad person?11 If you are left out of something, are you likely to be (a) included, or (b) excluded?Active reading (2)Language points1 These changing ideas about children have led many social scientists to claim that childhood is a “soc
28、ial construction”. (Para 4)A social construction refers to the process or result of creating an idea or system of behaviour in social contexts, ie it is created and developed between people and is not something natural or genetic.2 Social anthropologists have shown this in their studies of peoples .
29、 (Para 5)Social anthropologists are scholars and researchers who study human societies, customs and beliefs from a social perspective, which may be distinct from the focus of physical anthropologists or linguistic anthropologists.3 Because they cant be reasoned with, and dont understand, parents tre
30、at them with a great deal of tolerance and leniency. (Para 5)Tolerance is the attitude of someone who is willing to accept other peoples beliefs or way of life without criticizing them even if they disagree with them. The word leniency means giving a punishment or acting in a way that is not as seve
31、re or harsh as it could be.4 They are seen as being closer to mad people than adults because they lack the highly prized quality of social competence (Para 6)Something is prized if it is considered to be very important or valuable. The examples in the passage emphasize how different cultural communi
32、ties may give importance to quite different qualities which they expect from children, so the children are brought up very differently.5 They are regularly told off for being clumsy and a child who falls over may be laughed at, shouted at, or beaten. (Para 6)To tell someone off means to criticize so
33、meone angrily for doing something wrong. If you are told off for doing something in a serious or official way, you are reprimanded.6 Looking at it from a cross-cultural perspective shows the wide variety of childhoods that exist acrossthe world (Para 11)A cross-cultural perspective is a view which c
34、onsiders different cultures separately or independently and then makes comparisons. An intercultural perspective would look at the relations and interactions between different cultures or communities, taking inside views of each culture into account. A transcultural perspective would look at differe
35、nt cultures using knowledge, skills and insights which are thought to apply to a wide range of cultural contexts and which would help people in intercultural contexts.Reading and understanding3 Read the passage again and complete the table.Teaching tips When Ss have completed the table on their own,
36、 divide the class into seven groups, each group being responsible for one row in the table. They have to summarize the characteristics of childhood of this ethnic group, and also include an example. Then they report to the class. Each group should also add related information they learned from the p
37、assage, and the language and culture notes. The presentation of each group could be given from that exact roles of parents from that exact cultural or ethnic group. If this is difficult, T may give each group a copy of the example below, and ask them to practise and present it to the class. As a way
38、 to follow this up, T can ask each group, one by one, to compare their result with that of another group, without looking at their books. An alternative follow-up is for the T, together with one or two Ss, to take the roles of TV reporters who meet each group and ask them “on camera” to compare them
39、selves with another group, and talk about how they understand the other group from a cross-cultural perspective.1 We are American colonial people. We lived in the 17th and 18th centuries on the east coast of America and our families settled here from Europe. In our time, children were expected to be
40、 good and industrious. That was the main characteristic of childhood. For example, when our girls were four they knitted stockings and mittens; when they were six they spun wool. We called them “Mrs” to show the girls our appreciation.2 We are Inuit people from the Arctic regions. Some of us are fro
41、m Canada and Greenland, Denmark, others from Russia and Alaska of US. For us, children need to get ihuma you would call this the process of acquiring thought, reason and understanding. Thats the main characteristic of childhood.For example, as parents we are tolerant and lenient with children until
42、they are old enough to develop ihuma, then we can teach them and discipline them.3 We are from Tonga, a kingdom of about 170 islands in the south-west Pacific Ocean. As parents, we may regularly beat our children if they havent yet developed poto. You would think of poto as social competence. For us
43、, its the main quality that our children need to develop. So we treat them with discipline and physical punishment when they are mischievous or wilful.4 We are the Beng people. We live in different parts of West Africa. The main characteristic of childhood is that young children are thought to be in
44、 contact with the spirit world. They come to the world reluctantly because life in the spirit world is so pleasant. As parents, we have to look after our children properly, or they may return to the spirit world. We have to treat them with care and reverence. They can know and understand everything
45、we tell them, whatever languages we use.5 We are parents from the Western world today. Some of us are from Europe, others from North America, Australia and other places. The main characteristic of childhood in our countries is that children are incompetent and dependent, so they should play, be part
46、 of the family and go to school. Children should not work. For example, a child under 14 cant look after a younger child unsupervised because they arent competent or responsible yet. If we found a child of 12 working in a factory or in a market, the social services could intervene and the family cou
47、ld be prosecuted.6 We are Fulani people. Most of us live in West Africa. For us, the main characteristic of childhood is that children are competent and responsible. So by the age of four our girls can care for their younger siblings; by six they can pound grain or produce milk and butter which they
48、 can sell in the market alongside us.7 We are the Yanamam people from the Amazonian rainforest. We live among the hills where you probably call the border between Brazil and Venezuela. The main characteristic of childhood is that children are responsible and competent. Our girls help their mothers f
49、rom a young age and by the age of ten they will be running the house. This is important because they will probably be married at 12 or 13.Our boys have fewer responsibilities. They can play because they dont get married until later.Culture / Ethnic group Characteristics of childhoodAmerican colonial expected to be good and industriou
