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《现代大学英语精读2》课程教案
Lesson 9 Quick Fix Society
Pre-reading tasks:
1. Tell a story about a circle to the students:
Once, a circle missed a small fraction. The circle wanted to be whole, so it went around looking for its missing piece. However, it could only roll very slowly, simply because it was incomplete. It admired the flowers along the way. It chatted with worms. It enjoyed the sunshine, but none of them fit. So it left them all by the side of the road and kept on searching.
Then one day the circle found a piece that fit perfectly. It was so happy. Now it could be whole, with nothing missing. It incorporated the missing piece into itself and began to roll. Now that it was a perfect circle, it could roll very fast, too fast to notice the flowers or talking to the worms. When it realized how different the world seemed when it rolled so quickly, it stopped, left its reclaimed piece by the side of the road and rolled slowly away.
2. Ask students the questions listed below:
●What’s the lesson of the story?
The lesson of the story is that in some strange sense we are more whole when we are missing something.
(Let’s look at the story from another perspective and focus on the two experiences of the circle.) ●What leads to these two different experiences?
It rolled too fast to notice the flowers or talk to the worms. The key point is nothing but “quick”.
Do you agree that nowadays people often impatiently get everything done quickly?
For instance, recently family relationship has been weakened, because, more often than not, contacts between parents and children are maintained chiefly through the telephone.
●Do you have any personal experience like that? Sometimes, you finish everything very
quickly and at the same time, you lose a lot.
Probably everyone once went to fast-food store or bought frozen semi-prepared food, and actually in this way are we deprived of the fun in making Chinese dumplings together. Therefore, we are now living in a quick fix society.
While-reading tasks:
●A sk students to explain the title:
Fix: an easy and temporary solution to a problem;
The title as a whole refers to a society in search of quick solutions to everything.
●Identify the structure of the essay:
I. Introduction (1-3) a comparison bt. the ride to W. Virginia and the return trip of a different route;
II. The body (4-6) three ways that Americans seek a quick fix;
III.The conclusion (7-8) restatement of the thesis (the last 2sentences in Para. 8);
●Ask students to identify the starting point and the destination of the trip
Philadelphia→West Virginia
●What did we see on the road to West Virginia?
Farms →moving green checkerboards
Cows→dots in the rear view mirror
●And then the author mentions: “our real amusement consisted of counting exit signs…” do
you think “counting exit signs” could be something amusing or interesting?
Maybe not, but in the eyes of the author, it is really something amusing! So we can see how monotonous the trip is!
●(line 3)What are the new experiences on the return trip?
Toured a battle field
Stood on the little hill
Drove through the main street
We Admired toy trains and antique cars
Saved 70 percent
Stuffed ourselves with salads
Wandered outside
●Ask students to make a comparison of the two experiences
●Look at the chart above , which route is more preferable to you?
●Why do many of the Americans choose the first one? (And introduce the thesis)
Our country has become a nation in search of the quick fix – in more ways than one.
●Can you identify the two parts of this paragraph? How can you easily tell?
Referring to the 2 time indicators: Once upon a time/ today
●Note the repetition of sentence structure “if we …”And ask students to point out the 3
aspects that the author intends to elaborate on:
1. money
2. food
3. losing weight
●Note the comparison: the way how Americans lifestyle has changed from “saving for a rainy
day ” in the past to “relax now, pay later” at present
●Ask students to pick out the key phrases to complete the chart below.
●Ask students to retell this part, referring to the information in the chart (some phrases are
erased)
●Look at the first sentence, what is the function of this sentence in this particular paragraph?
A transitional sentence- from “now” to “faster”
●How does the author further illustrate the “I-hate-to-wait” attitude of Americans?
By the repetition of “fast”
1) fast money
2) fast convenient store
3) fast food/meal
4) fast relief
5) fast pictures- Polaroid
6) fast entertainment- VCR
7) fast information
●Is there any transitional sentence in this paragraph?
The first sentence
● What are the examples in this paragraph to illustrate the point? Can you find a sentence in
which these 4 examples are all mentioned? 1) book 2)music 3) news items 4) personal relationship
The last sentence includes all these 4 examples, so it is the concluding sentence of this paragraph.
● The first sentence is a very brief summary of the previous part, and can you tell reason why? Because in this sentence, three verbal phrases correspond to three ways that Americans seek quick fix.
● Can you identify the thesis of the whole essay?
The last sentence: Let’s take the time to read every word of the story, hear very note of that music, and enjoy every subtle change of that countryside. Let’s rediscover life in the slow lane.
Post-reading tasks:
1. Review the structure of the essay
2. Homework: Finish the sentences with the phrases given below be reduced to Thanks to get it over with lingered over save people the trouble of
1) Simply because of poverty, these boys ____________ stealing and begging. 2) __________the favorable weather conditions, we had a good harvest last year. 3) This book is boring. I’d like to ________________ as soon as possible.
4) We were not interested in the details, but he ____________________them for a long time. 5) Fast-food restaurants are popular, because they __________________cooking at home.
Outline
I. Introduction (1-3) a comparison bt. the ride to W. Virginia and the return trip
Para.1. the ride from Philadelphia to West Virginia
1) Farms →moving green checkerboards
2) Cows→dots in the rear view mirror no fun at all
Para. 2. the return trip Toured a battle field
Stood on the little hill
Drove through the main street
New experiences →We Admired toy trains and antique cars fun
Saved 70 percent
Stuffed ourselves with salads
Wandered outside
Para. 3. the reason to choose the fast lane- a nation in search of the quick fix
II. The body (4-6) three ways that Americans seek a quick fix;
Para. 4. now instead of later
1) once upon a time
a. money: put away for a rainy day; save up for
b. food: Wait patiently for the harvest
c. to be thinner: Eat less and Wait patiently
2) today
a. money: take out loans; use credit card
b. food: Ready-made; off the rack
c. to be thinner: the latest miracle diets
Para. 5. faster instead of slower
1) fast money
2) fast convenient store
3) fast food/meal
4) fast relief
5) fast pictures- Polaroid
6) fast entertainment- VCR
7) fast information
a. messages
b. documents
c. current events
d. history
Para. 6. superficially instead of thoroughly
1) book
2) music
3) news items
4) personal relationship
III. The conclusion (7-8) restatement of the central idea(the last 2sentences in Para. 8);