BOOK 3 UNIT 1 1

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BOOK 3 UNIT 1 (1)

• Myths and Legends

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AIMS DEMANDS

• 1.grasp the main idea
• 2.appreciate writing skills demonstrated in the
  key-text
• 3.master the key language points and grammatical
  structure in the text.
• 4.conduct a series of listening, reading,
  speaking and writing activities related to the
  unit

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Teaching Methods

• Group discussion pair work individual
  presentation analyzing difficult language points
  by the teacher

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BACKGROUND I

• In order to understand the world around them,
  virtually all early cultures developed myths that
  explained various aspects of life and the
  mysteries of nature. Animals, plants and people
  --- both imaginary and real--- were often
  attributed with special powers that gave them a
  spiritual significance. In ancient China, for
  example, the phoenix, the dragon, the unicorn and
  the tortoise were regarded as sacred creatures
  that symbolized various characteristics including
  wisdom, longevity, indestructibility and power.
  The ancient Greeks developed a complex system of
  myths related to hundreds of gods and goddesses
  that were said to control the fate of all men and
  women. Whether myths became part of an
  established religion or not, they were always
  incorporated into stories that could be told and
  retold as captivating explanations of natural and
  supernatural events. And as such they became
  cultural treasures that educated and united
  people around common belief.

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BACKGROUND II

• Although the line between myth and legend is
  often blurred, myths tend to focus on superhuman
  animals and gods, whereas legends glorify a hero
  or a great event and usually contain an element
  of truth. Like myths, legends became popular
  stories handed down from generation to
  generation.
• In all cultures, story-telling was a way of
  transmitting beliefs, customs, and moral
  principles to people of all ages who could
  neither read nor write. Story-telling was also an
  important form of entertainment at the level of
  the family and the village. With the advent of
  radio and television, however, story-tellers have
  all but disappeared. Instead of gathering around
  an individual capable of remembering all kinds of
  wonderful and amusing tales, people now prefer to
  sit in front of a television set.
• It is mainly in their written form that we
  can still enjoy traditional myths, legends,
  fables and folktales. In reading stories

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BACKGROUND III

• From different cultures, we can discover some of
  the universal characteristics of humankind. The
  trickster, for instance, is a clever, deceitful
  and greedy individual who inspires admiration but
  who must be taught a lesson. In some cultures he
  appears as a monkey, in others a tortoise or a
  raven. Or, to take another example, folktales
  from all over the world have shown that the
  kindest and most compassionate person is not
  necessarily beautiful. Irrespective of their
  origin, traditional stories often present
  universal truths in a simple but eloquent way.

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PREPARATION I

• 1 (1) Many myths and legends are composed of a
  lot of characters. In ancient China, some
  creatures are regarded as sacred. What are they?
• (The phoenix, the dragon, the unicorn and the
  tortoise were regarded as sacred creatures that
  symbolized various characteristics including
  wisdom, longevity, indestructibility and power.)
• (2) What is the difference between myth and
  legend? Which is more likely to be based on the
  truth? (Although the line between myth and legend
  is often blurred, myths tend to focus in super
  human and gods, whereas legends glorify a hero or
  a great event and usually contain an element of
  truth.)
• 2. An argument about the sun
• The Analects of Confucius

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PREPARATION II

• 1) Both the children are wrong. The sun gives
  out almost the same amount of heat at any time of
  the year. We feel sometimes it is hotter, and
  sometimes it is cooler only because the angle
  between the sunlight and the surface of the earth
  varies constantly.
• 2) Confucius was knowledgeable, but he is not
  genius. We cant expect him to know everything.
  Everyone has his or her limitations. (We are not
  genius, how do we know the answer?) Another
  reason is that at that time science was not
  developed and people didnt have advanced
  equipment to do research on the sun and the
  earth. So it was difficult to understand or
  explain many natural phenomena.
• 3) A. I think Confucius was honest. He did not
  pretend to know the answer.
• B. No one is perfect. One may be an expert in one
  field, but a layman in other fields.
• C. The children were very curious, a good quality
  of theirs. But they

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PRAPARATION III

• Only saw one side of the phenomenon and then
  jumped to conclusions. One should consider
  different aspects before drawing any conclusion.
• 3. 3. Bedtime stories
• In In all cultures, story telling was a way of
  transmitting beliefs, customs and moral
  principles to people of all ages. Now, I will
  tell you a story that was told by my grandmother
  in my childhood. After it, please answer this
  question What is the moral of this story?
• See sample in p2 in teachers book.
• Honest is the best policy.
• 4. Chinese fables
• 1)China is a country abundant in fables such
  as Qi Ren You Tian and Hua She Tian Zu. Who
  can express these two idioms in your own words?

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PRAPARATION IV

• The man of Chi worried lest the sky fall.
• Draw a snake and add feet to it. (Ruin the
  effect by adding something superfluous. Gild the
  lilytry to improve that is already perfect.)
  
• 2)Now I will tell you a fable. After finishing
  listening, please tell me the exact idiom for it
  and also its moral.
• Three at dusk and four at dawn (blow hot and
  cold)
• It originally means to describe people play a
  trick in somebody. Later it is used to describe
  people who change mind frequently.)

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PREPARATION V

• 5. Game
• Ill provide you with several English sayings and
  idioms. Find a Chinese equivalent.
• a.       Speak of the devil and he will
  appear.???,????
• b.       Love is blind./Beauty is in the eye of
  the beholder.????
• ???
• c.       A narrow escape from death????
• d.       At the end of ones resources/ at ones
  wits end.????
• e.       Out of sight, out of mind.??????
• f.        Love me, love my dog.????
• Six of one and half a dozen of the
  other.????

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LISTENING COMPREHENSION

• Listening I
• (1) a. pup young dog b .retriever dog of a
  breed that is often trained to retrieve game
• (2) Listen to the passage and check answers
• (3)Work in groups to talk about Mart Moody and
  his dog. Then share your ideas with other groups
  in the class.
• Listening II
• ( 1) a.Reverend deserving to be treated with
  respect. The Reverend used as the title of a
  clergyman b.Carve cut c.Shed tears/blood
• 2) Listen to the second passage
• Listening III
• (1)a. sleek looking well-fed b. peer look
  closely or carefully
• (2)Listen to the passage
• Listen to the passage again and retell the story
  to your neighbor

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PRE-READING (IN-CLASS)

• What characteristics come to your mind when you
  think of a tortoise?
• (Usually a tortoise does not have a good
  reputation. A tortoise is very slow, very
  foolish. It is ugly but it has a long life. It is
  a symbol of longevity. Sometimes it is described
  as clever and determined as in the story
  Tortoise and Hare.)

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PASSAGE READING LANGUAGE POINTS I

• Most of us are familiar with the tortoise, but
  there are few people know why the shell of the
  tortoise is not smooth. From the legend, we know
  how the tortoise , with his sweet tongue,
  persuaded the birds to take him to take him to
  the sky to attend a feast and how and why he was
  punished at last.
• 1)     Give the students16 minutes to finish
  reading the passage and checking the reading
  comprehension.
• 2)     Language studying. It is the students
  turn to raise questions either in grammar or in
  understanding. As to some simple questions, you
  should solve them through group discussion.
• a.       the very thought (L10) This
  phrase means just thinking about something.
• The very thought of eating liver made me sick.

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PR LP II

• a. Punder is the very nature of imperialism.
  ?????????????
• b. set off to do/on ones journey/ the
  firecrackers
• c.  take/ think/regard/view/accept/describe
  as n./adj/doing
• She is viewed as a strong competitor for the
  job.
• d. deliver (L68) Did you deliver my message
  to your father? (take something)
• She delivered a talk on philosophy to the
  society. (give a speech)
• Midwives help deliver babies when women give
  birth at home. (assist a baby being born)
• She was delivered of (give birth to) healthy
  twins. (????????????)

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PR LP III

• e. The very thought
• This phrase means just thinking about
  something
• e.g. The very thought of eating liver made me
  sick.
• f. A changed man
• It means someone who has become very
  different from what he was before as a result of
  a powerful experience
• e.g. Since he stopped drinking, hes a changed
  man.
• g. Age-old
• having existed for a very long time
• h. A widely traveled man
• It means someone who has traveled to many
  different countries.

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PR LP IV

• in the very pot
• Here very is an adj. used to emphasize
  the exact identity of a particular person or
  thing, meaning actual, same, precise.
• e.g. He died in this very room.
• This less expensive ring is the very
  one I saw at the jewelers.

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QUESTIONS ANSWERS I

• 1.Do you admire Tortoise for his cleverness or
  do you sympathize with all the birds?
• (I do not admire Tortoise cleverness. In fact,
  his cleverness is being cunning and mischievous.
  He is unwise to cheat all the birds who treated
  him so sincerely. How could he have face to live
  with them any longer? Being cunning, he could
  never get true friends. He was clever, but at the
  same time, he is also stupid. When all the birds
  became so angry how could he have trusted
  parrot? He should have jumped into the sea to
  avoid being hurt. I sympathize with the birds.
  They treated Tortoise as their friend only to be
  cheated by him. After flying such a long
  distance, they had to fly back home on empty
  stomach. I think the birds were very unlucky. At
  the same tine, I think the birds should take a
  lesson from this unlucky experience-not to trust
  the tortoise any more.)

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QUESTIONS ANSWERS

• 2. What do you think is the moral of the story?
• a.       We should be honest and sincere and
  should not cheat others. Take the tortoise right
  words a man who makes trouble for others is also
  making trouble for himself. He is the wisest who
  does not think so.
• b.       We should not be carried away by sweet
  words, like the birds.Never trust fine words.
• A leopard cannot change its spots, nor can
  Tortoise. He was cunning, he could never change
  his personality and behave himself.

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FURTHER DEVELOPMENT I

• Myths and Morals
• A. Virtue will be rewarded. For example, Beauty
  is a kind-hearted and pious girl. She loves her
  father, and she is willing to sacrifice herself
  for the father. Finally she is rewarded with a
  happy marriage. On the other hand, the evil
  sisters are punished by the fairy. They become
  two statues but have to observe Beautys
  happiness painfully.
• B. A good heart is more important than
  appearance. Although the Beast is very ugly, he
  loves Beauty and has a kind heart. In the end he
  wins the heart of Beauty and the spell is broken
  by Beautys love.
• 2) A. Nothing can be gained without any effort
  or hardship. If you want to succeed or make
  achievements, you have to face and overcome
  difficulties, or even great dangers. Tang Seng,

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FURTHER DEVELOPMENT II

• Monkey and others had gone through eighty-one
  great dangers or hardships before they obtained
  the authentic version of the Buddhas teachings.
• B. A persons strength, skills and judgments
  are the guarantee of success. Without Monkey
  King, Tang Seng couldnt have fetched the
  Buddhas teachings. Unlike Tang Sengs other
  followers, Monkey King developed his martial arts
  and skills and became so strong that almost no
  one could defeat him.

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EXERCISES CHECKING

• Vocabulary
• a. MBA Master of Business and Administration
• b. approval/survival/refusal/arrival
• c. endear/enlarge/enrich/enpower/enlighten
• d. prove be seen or found to be something
• The task proved to be more difficult than we had
  thought.
• e. He told his wife everything rather than
  risk breaking up his marriage.
• f. Stamp print a design on paper with
  official seal.
• g. Be renowned for be famous for
• h. Attribute/contribute to

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QUIZ

• a.       invitation to sb./sth something that
  tempts or encourage sb. to do sth.
• b.       a well-written composition/a
  widely-traveled person.
• c.       Die of/from/away/down
• d.       Set off/aside/off

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HOMEWORK

• Writing a composition, which can be a myth, a
  legend, or a story. Remember to use connectors
  and give a vivid narration.