Department of Foreign Languages

Xi’an Shiyou University

New Horizon College English

Book Ⅰ

Unit 2 Section A

A Busy Weekday Morning

Contents

I. Background Information

II. Pre-reading Activities

III. Text Analysis– Structure

IV. Intensive reading

V. Writing skill

VI. Exercises

I. Background Information

1. Green Waves is a fictional name for a musical group made up by the writer for use in this story.

2. French Lilac Blue is a fictional name for eye-liner make-up made up by the writer for use in this story.

3. A generation gap is a popular term used to describe wide differences in cultural norms between members of a younger generation and their elders. This can be defined as occurring "when older and younger people do not understand each other because of their different experiences, opinions, habits and behavior"

II. Pre-reading ActivitiesListen to the short passage twice and answer questionsQ1. What are some of the things you think the daughter

and her parents might have different ideas about? Reference key: music / clothes/value/ make-up

Q2. How can the older and younger generation have real communication with and understand each other?

Reference key: If a person has a loving heart and consideration and try to think about everything from the view of the opposite ,then we can make it

Script

You are about to read an early morning exchange between a daughter and her parents. You will find how they think about the same things very differently. You will also hear how they miss connecting with or understanding each other. It is as if they are blind to what is important in each other’s worlds. This puts them in separate worlds and creates the gap between the older and the younger generation.

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III. Text Analysis-- Structure

Part 1 ( Paras. 1-4): The talk between Sandy and her father.

Part 2 ( Paras. 5-7): Morning washing Part 3 ( Paras. 8-25 ): The conversation betwee

n Sandy and her mother. Part 4 (Para. 26): The uncomfortable feeling of

Sandy. Back

IV. Intensive reading

Part 1 ( Paras. 1-4):

Q1: Who woke up Sandy? Rock music woke Sandy up (para.1)

Q2:Why did Mr. Finch shout at his daughter? He didn’t like the music his daughter listened to.He t

hought it was a horrible stuff. (para.2)Q3:Did Sandy agree with her father? Why? No, because she thought the music had a really powe

rful message.(para.3)

1. The radio clicked on. Rock music blasted forth. Like a

shot, the music woke Sandy. (para1)

Meaning: As soon as the radio started with a short, sharp sound, rock music began loudly.

click: (1) v. make a short, sharp sound 发出“卡塔”的轻微响声e.g. The key clicked in the lock. 钥匙在锁里 “咔嗒” 响了一声。

(2) n. a short, sharp sound 卡塔声e.g.The door closed with a click. 门 “咔嗒”一声关了。Like a shot : [idiom] very quickly

blast: ①.v. make a sudden, 发出猛烈响声

e.g. She was so angry that she blasted him with insults and loudly mentioned all his faults. 

她气愤之极，恶声恶气地辱骂他，并大声把他的短处数落殆尽。

②. break up by explosion 爆破

e.g. They blasted a hole in the wall so that they could get through.

他们在墙上炸了一个洞以进入屋内。。

2. Steve Finch burst into her room. (Para. 2)

burst into: (1) enter hurriedly or explosively 匆匆进入

e.g. The children burst into the room looking for toys.

孩子们冲进房间找玩具。 (2) start suddenly 突然爆发 e.g. She burst into laughter. 突然大笑了起来。

3. It is definitely horrible stuff. (Para. 2)

Meaning: The music is certainly very bad. definitely: ad. certainly, with no doubt 当然；无疑地

e.g. Without enough teachers the education in this area is definitely a problem; no one can argue that it is not serious.

没有足够的师资，这个地区的教育肯定成问题，没有人能否认这个问题的严重性。

horrible: a. awful, unpleasant 可怕的；令人不悦的 e.g. What a horrible mistake you've made! 你犯了个多么可怕的错误！

4.and the musicians didn't use such offensive

language. (Para. 4) Meaning: ... and the musicians didn't use such bad lan

guage. offensive: a.1.bad, very unpleasant 极讨厌的，令人作呕

的 e.g. The room has an offensive smell. Why not open th

e window and air it?  房间的味道难闻死了，干嘛不开窗透透气？2. for attacking 攻击性的e.g. That country developed lots of offensive guns.那个国家研制了许多进攻性武器。

Part 2 ( Paras. 5-7):

Q: Sandy seemed to enjoy the bathroom, but she didn’t stay long in it. Why?

Answer: Because her mother or father would bang on the door to rush her (para. 5)

1. …No one disturbs me in here (para.5)

disturb :1. interrupt, trouble or bother 打扰 , 妨碍

Sorry to disturb you, but I want to speak to Mr. John.对不起，打搅你了，我想跟约翰先生说几句话。

2. make sb. worried or unhappy 使不安，使烦恼They were rather disturbed by the way the government tried to cover the truth.

他们对于政府掩盖真相的做法感到不安。

2. ...her mom or dad usually banged on the door ...

(Para. 5) Meaning: Her mom or dad would hit hard and with loud

noises on the door.

bang: v. (cause to) knock, beat, or move violently and with a loud noise （使）撞击；（使）猛击 , 使劲敲

  I could hear the door banging in the wind. 我能听到门被风吹得直响。

  She banged the chair against the wall. 她把椅子猛地往墙上一撞。

Part 3 ( Paras. 8-25 ):

Q: What class was Sandy going to have that day?

A: She was going to have a music class because her mother reminded her to take the instrument with her.

Q: Was the daughter thankful to the mother? And why?

A: No, instead, she thought her mother was bugging her.

Q: Why did Sandy’s mother greet her by full name?

A: She was serious and letting her daughter know she was speaking to her as her parent.

1. It's disgusting. (Para. 18)

Meaning: It's bad, and I don't like it.

disgusting: a. very unpleasant 令人厌恶的，令人作呕的

What a disgusting smell!

多么难闻的气味！  I think it's disgusting the way the govern

ment raises taxes. 我认为政府加税的做法实在可恨。

2. Stop bugging me.

bug :(informal/slang) bother; annoy; trouble令人生气；使人烦； 纠缠

I did it only to bug my colleagues.

我做这事只是想跟我的同事过不去。

3. Sandy pretended not to notice that her mother

was a little annoyed. (Para. 23)

Meaning: Sandy acted as if she did not notice that her mother was a little angry.

annoy: vt. make a little angry 使生气 ; 使恼怒 The police told me to call them immediately if the

man annoyed me again. 警察告诉我如果那个人再来骚扰我，就立即打电话给

他们。

4. and bolted out of the house. (Para. 25)

Meaning: ... and left the house quickly.Bolt: suddenly start to run or break away 冲出去，逃跑

The horse bolted at the sight of the car.

马见到汽车就奔跑了起来。

vt. 闩，拴住

They bolted the door before they went to bed.bolt out: leave in a hurry

When I opened the door, a cat bolted out. 我打开门时，一只猫窜了出来。

Part 4 (Para. 26):

Q: What’s the main idea of this part?

A: The uncomfortable feeling of Sandy.

1. but she hadn't heard from him for a while. (Para. 26)

hear from: receive a letter or telephone call from (someone) 收到某人的信息

We were so worried when we didn't hear from you for three weeks.

三周没有你的消息，我们非常担心。

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V. Writing skill

-- presenting a series of actions through a sequenced order and using time markers whenever possible.

Task: Now write one short paragraph with a series of actions organized according to the order of the sequence. Use time markers whenever possible. Here you have a few topics to choose from.

Topic 1:

How to make tea

Topic 2:

The story of how I made progress in English learning

Topic: When telling a story or narrating something, this kind of writing style is usually employed.

What happened on my way to cinema yesterday?

I was waiting… when the bus came…

After two stops… suddenly …without thinking…I stood up… she talked …until… we said goodbye after…

….

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VI. Exercises

1. Combine each of the following groups of sentences into one, using as

2.rewrite each of the following sentences, using while + -ing

3.Story summary.

1.rewrite each of the following sentences, using while + -ing

Model:

She ate a piece of toast while she stood by the sink.

   She ate a piece of toast while standing by the sink.

More practice

(1.) She listened to her favorite rock music while she sang along with the words.

… while singing along…

(2). She was putting on her jeans and at the same time asked me to hand her the sweater.

She was putting on her jeans while asking me.

2.Combine each of the following groups of sentences into one, using as.

Models: Sandy sang along with the words. At the same time,

she lay listening to her favorite radio station.

Sandy sang along with the words as she lay listening to her favorite radio station.

      As she lay listening to her favorite radio station, Sandy sang along with the words.

More practice

Kate saw her brother Bill. At the same time she was getting off the school bus.

Kate saw her brother Bill as she was getting off the school bus.

Or as she was getting off the school bus Kate saw her brother Bill.

3.Story summary

Cloze

On Page 24

The End