Integrated Skills

of English

Lectured by Betty

Where the Sun Always Rises

Unit 2

Where the Sun Always Rises P1 Listening and speaking Activities

P2 Reading comprehension and Language Activities

P3 Extended Activities

P1 Listening and speaking

Activities

1 Brainstorming

2 The woman on the hilltop

3 Changes in the countryside 4 Pick your favorite 5 Look at the other side of the picture

1 Brainstorming Work with your group to think out as

many words/phrases/expressions as possible about country life and the changes. Write them down in the blanks below

Expressions of natural phenomena Expressions of flowers Expressions of trees Expressions of countryside animals/insects Verbs for talking about the countryside/changes (of life

)

Expressions of natural

phenomena

dawn, sunrise, twilight, sunset, moonlit, mist, fog, rain, snow, storm, hail, flowering, budding

Expressions of flowers

lily, rose, tulip, gardenia, daisy, daffodil, chrysanthemum (mum), poinsettia, violet, sunflower, cactus

Expressions of trees

pine, willow, poplar, fir, plane tree, magnolia, redwood

Expressions of countryside animals/insects sheep, pig, buffalo, cow, bull,

deer, goat, lizard, cicada, butterfly, dragonfly, frog, tadpole, ant, bee, termite, wasp, mosquito, fly, beetle, cricket, grasshopper

Verbs for talking about the countryside/changes (of life)

(The trees/flowers) blossom in April, (Morning) awakens at the crack of the day, (The leaves) decay in winter. (The little pond) sparkles in the sun, (Early morning mist) disappears with the sunrise, (The wind) wanes / dies away, (The storm) subsides, (The flood water) recedes, (The garden) thrives after rain, (Changes) bring new life into the village; (Old occupations) die / disappear / are replaced by …, (New entertainment) comes into being. (Village life) declines / is gone forever. (Automobiles / Machinery) sweep(s) away …

2 The woman on the hilltop Listen to the recording and answer the

following questions a. Why do some people prefer to live in

the countryside and not in the city? b. Describe Sharon’s farm c. What does Sharon’s family think of he

r lifestyle? d. What kind of hard times has Sharon e

xperienced on her farm? e. Does Sharon have any regrets?

a. Why do some people prefer to live in the countryside and not in the city?

They prefer to live in the countryside because the cities are too congested, polluted, and life there was too hectic while the countryside has clean air, fewer people, a slower pace, and natural beauty.

b.  Describe Sharon’s farm

Sharon lives on a one acre farm perched on a hilltop. One her farm she has goats, chickens, a cat and a dog. There is a vegetable garden and a flower garden. There are also apple trees on her land.

c. What does Sharon’s family think of her lifestyle?

Her family thinks she is crazy and wasting her life away, and that she should be making money and working as a professional.

d. What kind of hard times has Sharon experienced on her farm?Does Sharon have any regrets? Sharon has experienced the hard

times of terrible wind storms when branches crashed down everywhere near her house and heavy flooding during rainy season which made the roads unpassable. On two occasions some dangerous wild animals passed through her land and threatened her animals

e. Does Sharon have any regrets?

Sharon has no regrets and feels fortunate to be living “a peaceful healthy life close to the beauties and truths of nature.

3 Changes in the countryside The following expressions may be useful

during your discussion There used to be … People no longer … The farmers would rise up before daybreak … Going to town used to be a great treat for … It never occurred to me … Standing at my door, I would see … in the

south, dreaming about …, but now, … a reality

4 Pick your favorite

if you had the opportunity to plant trees and flowers and grow vegetables and raise animals on your farm, what would you plant, grow and raise and why? Use the vocabulary you have learnt in the brainstorming section of this unit.

5 Look at the other side of the picture Country life often involves many

inconveniences, and sometimes-even dangers. Have you experienced any such inconvenient or dangerous situations? If you haven’t, you may learn of some from your partners.

P2 Reading

Comprehension and Language Activities

Pre-reading Task TEXT Comprehension work

Pre-reading Task Discuss 1. Which of the following views do you a

ppreciate most? Can you tell your partner when you visited the place and how it impressed you? 

2. What factors, in your opinion, contribute most to one’s appreciation of natural beauty? (Age, mood, education, etc.)

The Three GorgesThe Huangguoshu Waterfalls

Cliffs in the Huangshan Mountains

Yuanming Garden ruins

Ancient forests in Zhangjiajie

The panoramic view on the top of MT. Tai

TEXTWhere the Sun Always RisesBy Marnie O. Mamminga

1~2 3~5 6~7 8~9 10~12 13~15 16~17

Where the Sun Always Rises (1~2)

“ Get up! Get up!” my mother whispers. My eyes flash open in the predawn gray. Sleepily, I look around the screened in porch of our family’s log cabin, where we spend our vacation. I take in the green porch swing, the table, the twin bed where my sister sleeps, the smoky glass of the kerosene lantern. My face feels the coolness of the early=morning air.

I relax and curl deeper beneath the blankets’ warmth.

Flash open: open quickly and wide. Take in: mentally absorb what is seen.

Where the Sun Always Rises (3~5)

　“ Get up!” my mother whispers again. “the sunrise is glorious!” careful not to let the screen door slam, she sets off down to the lake.

Get up to see the sunrise? The last thing this 14-year-old wants to do is leave a warm bed to see the sun rise. It’s freezing out there.

My 17-year-old sister pushes back her covers and sits up. I make a supreme effort and struggle out too. We grab my father’s World War II army blankets and wrap them pajamas. Our pace is quick. One of us misses catching the screen door. It slams.

The last thing this 14-year-old wants to do: What the 14-year-old dislikes most is to get out of a warm bed and walk out into the freezing outdoors to see the sunrise.

Make a supreme effort: make a very great effort.Misses catching the screen door: (One of us) does not get hold of the kitchen door before it slams

Where the Sun Always Rises (6~7)

Gingerly, we pick our way over slippery rocks and prickly pine needles, down 49 dew-covered log steps to the shore. We catch our breath and look up. Across the lake, on the lake shore, the first light catching the soft red of her hair.

Hues of lavender, rose and amber begin to pulsate in the sky. High above, in the soft blue, a lone star still sparkles. Silver mist rises gently from the lake. All is still

Where the Sun Always Rises (8~9)

Suddenly, the curve of a brilliant sun bursts through the dark forest. The world –begins to awaken. A blue heron rises from a distant shore and gently fans its way over the water. Two ducks make a rippled landing near our dock, wile a loon skims along the edge of a nearby island, hunting its morning food.

Breathing the chill air, the three of us draw our blankets closer. At last, the soft hues of dawn turn bright with the new day. The star fades. My sister and I take one more look and race back to bed.

Where the Sun Always Rises (10~12)

My mother is reluctant to leave the sunrise amphitheater. It is a while before I hear her rech the top step and gently close the porch door.

“ Get up! Get up!” I whisper to my adolescent sons sleeping in the old metal beds on the cabin porch. “come see the sunrise! It’s awesome!”

I watch as they snatch the World War II army blankets from their beds and stumble out the porch door. It slams, Gingerly, they maneuver over slipper rocks and prickly pine needles down 49 dew-covered log steps to the lake shore.

Where the Sun Always Rises (13~15)

Their grand mother, her red hair now streaked with white, is already there. She greets us silently with a bright smile, gathers her blanker closer and turns toward the east.

My sons watch intently as the rich colors of the sunrise soar into the sky. It isn’t long before the lake awakens at the flap of a blue heron’s wings and the melodic call of a loon.

“ Isn’t is beautiful?” I whisper. The boys nod silently. Before long, they grab the tails of their frayed blankets and race back up the steps to the warmth of their beds.

Where the Sun Always Rises (16~17)

My mother and I stay. Standing close, we watch the swirls of pearl mist rise and the grace ful glide of an eagle high overhead. Our faces warm in the early sun.

We turn and begin the slow climb up the old log stairs. Halfway up, I look back to see how my mother is doing. But she’s not on the stairs. She has changed her mind. Through the trees I can see her, still on the shore, lingering in the light.

Comprehension work A. Probe the story

A. Probe the story Discuss the following questions. 1.In the text, the writer describes two

occasions of seeing the sunrise. Find out in the text what has remained unchanged and what has changed. After the discussion, put your findings into the following table. The first item has been done for you as an example.

What? (1)

The log steps: Unchanged, 49 dew covered log steps to

the lake The place where they camp: The location where they see the

sunrise:: The road to the lake

What? (2)

The thing children use to keep warm: The view of the sunrise: The kind of wild birds seen on the

lake: The children’s reaction to the view: The writer: The writer’s mother:

A. Probe the story 2. Why does the grandmother keep lingering along

the lake shore when everyone else is gone? What does it suggest?

3. What does the writer repeat the description of the wild birds? What does she want to suggest?

4. Why does the writer use “the present tense” even when describing things in the past? Does it suggest anything in relation to the theme of the story?

5. How do you understand the title “Where the Sun Always Rises”?

B. Essay questions

1.Do you think the children will also take their own children to this place to see the sunrise as their mother and grandmother did? Why and why not?

2.What do the mother and grandmother actually teach the children when they take them to see the sunrise?

P3 Extended Activities

Dictation Read more Grammar work Work with words Translation Writing

Dictation

Read more

Grammar work a. Sleepily, I look around the screened-in porch of our

family’s log –cabin, where we spend our vacation. (So the event sounds as if it is just taking place in from of your eyes!)

b. She is always complaining. (That is a very annoying habit!)

c.  I’m hoping you can come and have lunch with us. (The idea is just being formed., but not yet mature. So this is only tentative and you need not take it as a pressure on you.)

d. I’m forgetting my irregular verbs. (But the event is incompletes because I still know something about them.)

e. He is being foolish. (This is only a temporary situation. Generally speaking, he is very smart person.)

2 Language work A Get the right words 1.  About how the mother is outlined in the misty morning light:

silhouette 2.  About the color at the top of the forest early in the morning: 3.  About the color of the mother’s hair: 4.  About various shades of color in the sky: 5.  About the 49 log steps: 6. About the movement of a blue heron in the distance: 7.  About the movement of two ducks: 8.  About the movement of a loon: 9.   About the movement of an eagle: 10.  About the sound made by a blue loon: 11.  About the rich colors of the sunrise spreading upward quickly 12. About the movement of the silver mist:

a.       Fill out the blank with a word from the text which is closest in meaning to the word or expression in the brackets.

1.       The woman was gazing at the beautiful package ___________, as if she were examining an x-ray plate. (with a great deal of attention)

2.       As he could not find the light switch, my great-uncle groped ___________ along the narrow passage. (carefully, cautiously)

3.       The European explorer marveled at the perennial snow ___________ the top of the Tibetan mountains. (covering at the highest point)

4.       To have a better understanding of ___________ children, modern parents are advised to learn some education psychology. (teen-aged, juvenile)

a.       Fill out the blank with a word from the text which is closest in meaning to the word or expression in the brackets.

1.       The woman was gazing at the beautiful package ___________, as if she were examining an x-ray plate. (with a great deal of attention)

2.       As he could not find the light switch, my great-uncle groped ___________ along the narrow passage. (carefully, cautiously)

3.       The European explorer marveled at the perennial snow ___________ the top of the Tibetan mountains. (covering at the highest point)

4.       To have a better understanding of ___________ children, modern parents are advised to learn some education psychology. (teen-aged, juvenile)

5.       It took a rescue party 15 hours to help Jerry ___________ out of the collapsed tunnel. (move slowly)

6.       During the war, the veteran soldier inadvertently killed an old lady. The sense of guilt still ___________ in his mind after his retirement from the army. (remain stay)

7.       On New Year’s Eve, the man drank a little more than was good for him and ___________ out of the bar and fell on the sidewalk. (walk in a very unsteady way)

8.       After the shock treatment, the patient’s heart began to ___________ and his blood pressure became normal. (throb, beat)

B Work with sentencesRewrite the following sentences with the expressions in the box

Streak with Make a supreme effort The last thing Catch one’s breath Set off Before long Take in Pick one’s way to

B Work with sentencesRewrite the following sentences with the expressions in the box

1.       The dazzling sunlight blinded the man for a moment. After a while he could see what was around him

2.       Stopping at a shallow stream, we had to get out of the car and walk carefully across the water

3.       The crimson carpet has some blue lines in it. 4.       On hearing the heavy footsteps approaching, the boy got so

nervous that he held his breath for a moment and hid himself behind the door.

5.       Taking exams is the most awful thing in my school life. 6.       To save people’s lives, a number of rescue parties left for the

flood- stricken areas. 7.       I did all I could to supply glue to the broken china vase and

clamp the pieces together. 8. With that ageing suit on, I found myself so clumsy for movement

that soon I got exhausted.

C Word studya. Give the meanings of the following words or expressions used in the text. You may use an English-English dictionary. Then write a sentence to illustrate its meaning and usage.

1.       setoff 2.       the last thing that … want to do 3.       make an effort 4.       make a landing 5.       gingerly 6.       manoeuvre (British spelling) 7.       be streaked with

b. For each of the following clues, use the given prompts to produce sentences in the same way as is shown in the model

1. Model: Careful not to let the screen door slam, she sets off down to the lake.

Prompt: careful/ not / let screen door / slam / she / setoff / the lake

  a.       excited / receive / gift / Jane / setoff / down the

road / on bike b.       eager / meet / guest / we/ set off / station / without

delay c.       in order ./ get there / o time / we / set off / early in

the morning

2. Model: The last thing this 14-year-old wants to do is leave a warm bed to see the sun rise

Prompt: the last thing / 14-year-old / want to do / leave / bed / see / the sun / rise

  a.       the last thing / we / do / sit / do nothing b.       the last thing / the boy / do / sit up late /

revising lessons for the exam the last thing / the young man / would do /

leave his friends in danger

1.       Model: I make a supreme effort and struggle out too.

Prompt: I / make effort / and / struggle out   a.       enemies / made desperate effort / but /

unable / break through / siege b.       we / made the utmost effort / to win /

game / and / succeeded the boy / made another effort / to convince /

teacher / but / she / wouldn’t / belive

1.       Model: Two ducks make a rippled landing near our dock.

Prompt: two ducks / make a landing / near our dock

a. the pilot / managed / make an emergency landing / after / the left engine / fail

b. flock of swans / made a graceful landing / which stir up ripples / across the lake

c. spaceship Roamer / finally make a successful landing / Mars

. Model: Gingerly, they manocuvre over slippery rocks and prickly pine needles down 49 dew-covered log steps to the lake shore.

Promtp: gingerly / they / manoeuvre / rocks / and / pine needles / down / dew-covered / log steps / lake shore

  a.       Bill / started the car / and gingerly / manocuvred /

out of the parking lot b.       Gingerly / they / manoeuvred / over the frozen

river / for the small village down stream They / gingerly / manoeuvred down the rotten staircase

at the end of the corridor / the basement

1.       Model: Their grandmother, her red hair now streaked with white, is already there

Prompt: grandmother / red hair / streaked with / white / be there

  a.       mother / stood / at the door / basket in hand / and /

coat / streaked with mud b.       the woman / finished her moving story / our faces /

streaked with tears grandma / sat on the top of the big rock / gazing intently

at the east / the lake / streaked with / golden rays of the rising sun

Complete the following sentences with appropriate tenses and voices (1)

1. How can I ever concentrate if you continually ___________ (interrupt) me with silly questions?

2.  I ___________(hope) to go to university next year but my parents ___________(decide) that they will not be able to afford it unless I ___________(succeed) in getting a scholarship.

3.  I ___________(be) afraid the Director cannot see you at present. He ___________(see) a candidate for a vacancy.

4. I ___________(not feel) very well yesterday, but I ___________(feel) better today.

5.  I ___________(wonder) if I might have a word with you? 6. Come and look what ___________(happen) in the street; a woman

___________(rob) of her handbag and ___________(point) to a man who ___________(chase) along the street by a policeman. I ___________(wonder) if he ___________(catch).

Complete the following sentences with appropriate tenses and voices (2)

7.  He always ___________(say) that he will mend the window but he nerer ___________(do) it.

8.  The children ___________(be) very quiet; I wonder what they ___________((be) up to?

9.  ___________you ___________(understand) the article better now? 10. I’m driving along this country road and I completely

___________(lose). Then I ___________(see) this old fellow. he ___________(lean) against the gate. i ___________(stop) the car and ___________(ask) him the way. he ___________(think) a bit, then ___________(say), “Well, if i ___________(be) you, I ___________(not start) from here.

11.Having stayed in China for two months, John tells me tha he ___________(forget) his English, but I think he ___________(remember) his Chinese vocabulary better.

Work with words

Fill out the following blanks with suitable words. (1)

Christmas morning my eight-year-old “son”, Jeff, awoke to find a dinghy in the living room. Santa (1) ___________ some real magic to get it there.

June finally arrived, six long months later. A neighbor’s son joined Jeff for the (2) ___________ voyage. They provisioned the boat with potato chips and drinks. My wife and I helped the two boys (3) ___________ the dinghy gingerly to the lake side for the launch. For little arms guided the boat down the ramp, and fiber glass and water kissed warmly for the first time, breaking quiet water into rolling (4) ___________ Jeff checked for leaks, smiled and strapped on his life jacket.

Fill out the following blanks with suitable words. (2)

The two boys hopped in and shoved off. They tightened the sail and pointed the tiny craft out into the lake. The wave Jeff gave toward shore was (5) ___________, his hands busy managing the tiller and the bag of chips. The boys fixed their eyes (6) ___________ on the horizon, (7) ___________ to the shore behind. The little boat, pushed by the wind, (8) ___________ its way toward the center of the lake.

I focused the camera and (9) ___________ the moment for posterity.

As I watch the transom rise and dip over the waves, I recalled my first sail many summers ago. In an album at home, there is a faded black and white snapshot. The picture shows two brothers in a canoe with a sail made of bed sheets. Funny, but I don’t remember my dad (10) ___________ that picture

Translation 1 ． 救 援 队 天 一 亮 就 出 发 去 搜 寻 那 失 踪 的 孩 子 。 (set off, in

search of) 2 ． 尽 管 守 门 员 竭 尽 全 力 ， 仍 然 没 有 挡 住 球 。 (miss doing

something) 3 ．消息太意外了，她惊奇得透不过气来。 (catch one’s breath) 4 ．看见足球队员踢进一个球，观众们爆发雷鸣般的掌声。 (burst

into) 5 ．你算老几，跟我来谈这件事？ (the last …) 6 ． 姑 娘 在 等 她 男 朋 友 的 电 话 时 ， 双 眼 急 切 地 盯 着 电 话 机 。

(intently) 7 ．当孩子从小自行车上掉下时，他的父亲鼓励她再试一次。

(make an effort)

Writing

Write an article of 300 words about the countryside you are most familiar with.You can deseribe either the scenery or the changes in country life.

Keys

Changed or unchanged (1) Unchanged; 40 dew covered log stops to

the lake Un changed; the old log cabin Unchanged; at the lake shore Unchanged; slippery rocks covered with

prickly pine needles Un changed; early morning and cold The old World War II army blanket remains

unchanged, but they are frayed, which indicates the passage of time

Changed or unchanged (2)

Unchanged; glorious and awesome Almost the same; first sunrise – blue herons, a loon,

ducks, second sunrise – a blue heron, a loon and an eagle Unchanged; fascinated by the breathtaking view of the

sunrise despite their reluctance to leave their warm beds Changed; form a 14-year-old to a mother of adolescent

sons, showing more appreciation and even overcome by awe at the sight of the beauty of the sunrise

Changed, form a mother to a grand mother, but her fascination with the beauty of nature isn’t waning, instead, it has become all the more intense