Unit 16 Scientists at work
Period 1 Listening
ⅠTeaching aims:
1. To improve students’ listening ability by listening to the information on science and scientists.
2. To improve students’ listening ability by listening to the given listening passage.
Ⅱ Suggestions for teaching:
1. Important and difficult points:
(1) Getting the most important information of the dialogue between Mrs. Zhu and her students.
(2) Getting the general idea of the given listening passage.
2. Suggested teaching methods:
Step 1
(1) Pre-listening
Show students the pictures of the laboratories in the warming-up activity, talking about what they do in the laboratories freely. These lead-in questions may be helpful:
① What kind of laboratories do you think they are?
② What can we see in these pictures?
③ What kinds of laboratories are there in your school?
④ If we are doing an experiment in the lab, what should we pay attention to?
The teacher should lead the students to think about some basic rules that should be followed in the lab and express themselves freely in class.
(2)Collect students’ rules about experiments in the lab and on the blackboard write down some of their rules in the column of Dos and Don’ts.
Dos Don’ts
Step 2 Listening
Task 1
Let students listen to the dialogue and skim the information. Tick the things that Mrs. Zhu talks about.
( ) safety in the lab ( )gloves
( )gases ( )experiments
( )long hair ( )liquids
( )ear accidents ( )earrings
( )flames
Task 2
Play the tape for students to listen again for the details of the dialogue. When listening, try to find the answers to the following questions:
① What is the most important thing students should remember when they are in the lab?
② What is the first thing students should do when they come into the lab?
③ Why should students be careful smelling from bottles?
④ What is to be done when anything gets into your eyes?
⑤ What should students do before leaving the lab?
Period 2 Speaking
Ⅰ Teaching aims:
1. To improve students’ speaking ability by talking about some issues on the advantages and disadvantages of the work of scientists.
Keep the following views in mind:
① Like almost all the other things in the world, scientific discoveries and applications have two aspects: advantages and disadvantages.
② The work of scientists is hard. No one can hope to do it in an easy way.
2. To make students learn to express themselves correctly and freely, using the useful phrases in the box.
Ⅱ Suggestion for teaching:
1. Important and difficult points:
(1) Knowing about the advantages and disadvantages of the scientific discoveries and applications.
(2) Learning to use special words to describe advantages and disadvantages.
2. Suggested teaching methods:
Task 1
Discussion (Individual work. Ask students to express themselves freely.)
Topic for discussion: Advantages and disadvantages of scientific discoveries and applications. (Teacher may begin in this way: Everything in the world has two aspects, good aspect and bad aspect. We often say, “In certain conditions, good things may cause bad results. On the other hand, bad things may also cause good results. Please give some examples in our daily life.” Hints: delicious food; beautiful clothes; motorcars, etc.)
Task 2
Discussion (Pair work. Ask students to talk about one scientific discovery or application to express themselves.)
Hints for teachers: This activity should be a controlled one. Teacher designs the situation carefully before class, and provides students with some key expressions. Students may use some of the expressions given to express themselves.
Given situation: Shanghai is the first city in the world to build a high-speed Magnetic train from the city to Pudong airport.
Advantages:
① very fast and clean, travel from Beijing to Shanghai in a few hours;
② less pollution; no noise, just as planes do;
③ new technology.
Disadvantages:
① Too expensive;
② Better build more roads or railways in other parts of China.
(Key expressions for advantages: It is good for the economy. It can help many people in the future. It is clean and doesn’t pollute the air. It is important for science. It brings people more comfort.)
(Key expressions for disadvantages: It is too expensive. It is dangerous or bad for your health. It is bad for environment. It is unnecessary. Some people will use it for other things.)
Task 3
Discussion (Class work. As a summary to Activity 2, students may give their opinions on how to use new technologies in science. This activity is a preparation for the next activity.)
Task 4
Discussion (Pair or group work. This activity is a productive one. Students are encouraged to make free comments on the following scientific invention. The topics are as follows: cloning; nuclear energy; computers; space flights, ect.)
Task 5
Extension: Students can create and practice their own dialogues. They may include any other applications they use in their daily life or studies. For example, their opinions on TV sets, toy-like studying materials, and so on.
Period 3
Part One Reading comprehension
Franklin’s Famous Kite Experiment
Ⅰ Teaching aims:
1. To get students to understand the achievements of scientists in history and develop their enthusiasm for scientific experiments after reading the passage Franklin’s Famous Kite Experiment.
2. To improve students’ ability of reading comprehension through reading activities and grasp the spirit of the reading passage.
3. To lead students to master the following useful words and expressions through the reading passage:
Conduct; attract; condenser; work; prove; add…to; tie…to; get wet/ charged; cf: a great deal of/ a number of.
4. To learn the following sentences:
Having realized that I could… I decided to do …
Build the frame of the kite by making a small cross of two pieces of light wood.
The pieces should be just long enough to reach the corners of the handkerchief.
Ⅱ Suggestions for teaching:
1. Important and difficult points:
① Knowing about Benjamin Franklin’s famous kite experiment and learning how to do experiments in a scientific way.
② Developing students better habits in their studies by learning how scientists do their experiments.
2. Suggested teaching methods:
Step1 Pre-reading
Task 1 Questions and answers
Talk about some famous scientists in history and their great contributions to the world, especially in physics, medicine, chemistry and biology. Teacher may begin the class with the following questions:
a. Who do you think is the most famous scientist today? What has he/she done?
b. In the 18th and the 19th centuries, many scientists all over the world made many important discoveries. Can you name some of them?
c. Are these discoveries important in today’s world? Give some examples.
Task 2
After questions and answers, teacher may ask students to describe a scientific experiment they have done before, including preparations and the final results of this experiment. And then talk about the scientific way of doing experiments as a summary.
(2) Reading
Task 1 Skimming
Ask students to skim the text to find the main idea of each paragraph.
Suggested answers:
Para.1: Introduction to how he showed what electricity is.
Para.2: Introduction to his famous kite experiment in detail.
Para.3: His kite experiment in finding electricity succeded.
Para.4: Preparations for doing the kite experiment.
Para.5: The way of making the kite.
Para.6: How the experiment succeeded and suitable conditions for this experiment.
Task 2 Scanning
Ask students to read the text carefully and do questions and answers. This time they should pay more attention to details.
Questions:
① How did he show what electricity is?
② What did he use to attract lightning?
③ When and where did he do this experiment?
④ Who helped him fly the kite?
⑤ How did he know the string got charged?
⑥ What did he use to collect and store electricity?
⑦ How did he make the kite?
⑧ Do you think this experiment is a successful one? Why (not)?
Suggested answers:
① He showed what electricity was by conducting a number of experiments.
② He used a kite.
③ He did this experiment in a shed in the fields in June 1752.
④ His son helped him in the kite experiment.
⑤ He knew it because he saw some one the hairs on the string stand up.
⑥ He used a condenser to collect and store electricity.
⑦ First he built the frame of a kite by making a small cross of two pieces of light wood, then he tied the corners of a silk handkerchief to the points of the cloth. And then he added a tail to the frame and a long string to the cross to control the kite.
⑧ This experiment is a successful one. Because by doing this kite experiment he proved his idea that lightning and electricity are the same.
Task 3 Summary
Complete the following passage as a summary. This exercise may be done either individually or discussed in pairs.
In order to show that lightning and __1__are the same, Franklin decided to do a kite __2__. When the first thunderstorm came in __3__, 1752, he took his __4__ to a shed in the fields together with his son. When the kite flew higher and higher in the __5__sky, he found the string was getting __6__. The experiment succeeded. He made a lot of preparations for this experiment. His kite was a special one. It was not made of paper but __7__. In order to __8__the kite, he added a tail to the __9__ of the kite. When flying the kite, he proved his idea. It is a great __10__ to the whole world.
Suggested answers:
electricity experiment June kite rainy
charged silk control frame discovery
(3) Post-reading
Teacher may design the following activities for consolidation:
Task 1 Pair work
According to the reading passage, judge whether the sentences given are true or false. Students should be asked to correct the mistake if it is judged to be false.
① In 1752 scientists already knew what electricity is.
② Franklin was helped by a friend to do this experiment.
③ Franklin made the kite of silk because wet silk does not conduct electricity.
④ A condenser was used in the experiment to store electricity.
⑤ The key tied to the string was put into the door to stop the kite from flying away.
Task 2 Questions and answers
Students are encouraged to express themselves freely. If possible, a small debate may be held in class.
① Why did Benjamin Franklin do this experiment with the kite?
② Why is it better to make the kite of silk than of paper?
③ Do you think Franklin’s experiment was dangerous? Why (not)?
④ His discovery has changed our life completely. Why do we think so? Please give some examples.
Task 3 Picture describing
Look at the pictures showing how Franklin did his experiment and pick out the correct ones.
Task 4 Retelling
Retell the process of his kite experiment in your own words. Some key words are given.
Key words:
In June…used a kite to… bad weather…a shed in the fields… some of the hairs…got charged…feel a light but very clear…collected and stored…a success
Period 4 Language Learning
Ⅰ Teaching aims:
1. To learn the useful expressions and sentence structures in the reading passage.
2. To enable students to use these language points both orally and in written form.
Ⅱ Important and difficult points:
1. 词语学习
（1） conduct
该词为及物动词，做“实施、处理、管理”解，此处conduct a number of experiments 的意思等于do/make/carry out experiments。
例如：If he conducts his business affairs in the careless way he conducts his private affairs, they must be in confusion. 如果他处理公事也像处理私事一样粗心，那些事情一定会很紊乱。
另外，该词也可以作“引导、带领”解。
例如：The secretary conducted me in/out. 秘书领我进去/出来。
Do you prefer conducted tours or independent travel? 你比较喜欢有向导的游览还是喜欢独自旅行？
另外，该词也可以作名词使用，意思为“管理、指挥、引导”等，也可指人的“行为、品行”等。
例如：I was shocked at/by his bad conduct.我对他的恶行感到震惊。
（2） get charged
charge 在英语中是个多意词，既可作动词，也可作名词。此处为动词，作“充电”解，和介词with连用。
例如：Cell phones should be charged with electricity from time to time. 手机应该经常充电。
charge sb with sth 的意思是“交由某人管理；由某人负责”。
例如：He was charged with an important mission.他被交付一项重要使命。
He charged himself with the task of taking care of children. 他担负起了照看孩子的任务。
另外，如作“索价、要价”解，则和介词for连用。
例如：He charged me fifty pence (for it ).这件东西他向我索价50便士。
How much do you charge for mending a pair of shoes?你补一双鞋子要多少钱？
在词组in/under the charge of sb (in sb’s charge)中作名词，意思为“由某人负责”。
例如：This ward of the hospital is in/under the charge of Dr Green. (in Dr Green’s charge)该医院的这间病房由格林医生负责。
但(be)in charge of的意思是“负责”的意思。
例如：Dr Green is in charge of this ward of the hospital.格林医生负责该医院的这间病房。
（3） get wet
这儿get是连系动词，形容词wet作表语。Get作连系动词时，后面一般加形容词作表语，表示一种状态的变化。
例如：The weather is getting warm.天气热起来了。
The days are getting longer and longer. 白天越来越长了。
除了后面加形容词之外，也可以加不定式或分词作表语。
如本课中的：The string was getting charged.
再如：He went out and got drunk.他到外面去喝醉了。
When these women get talking, they go on for hours.这些女人一谈便是几小时。
Soon they got to be good friends.很快他们就成了好朋友。
（4）a number of/a great deal of
a number of 和a great deal of 在意思上相同，但用法不一样。a number of 后面只能跟可数名词的复数形式，而a great deal of 后面只能跟不可数名词。
例如：A number of accidents always occur on rainy days.雨天常常有许多事故发生。
A number of books are missing from the library.图书馆的一些书不见了。
I spent a great deal of my time on this work.我在这项工作上花了不少时间。
另外，a great deal of 也可说成a good deal of。
例如：She spends a good deal of money on clothes every year. 她每年在衣服上花了不少钱。
除了 a number of 之外，也可以用a large/good number of 或(large) numbers of 来表示数量众多，意思为“大量的，众多的”
例如：Numbers of people came from all parts of the country to see the exhibition.
许多人从国内来参观这个展览。
需要引起注意的是，若用the number of ，后面仍需用名词复数，但谓语动词则应用单数。因为这时表示的是数字，而非数量。
例如：The number of books missing from the library is very large.
图书馆遗失的图书数量很大。
(4) add
add作及物动词使用，意思为“增加、添加”等，后面要加介词to构成短语。
例如：If the tea is too strong, add some hot water (to it).如果茶太浓，再加点开水。
另外，add up 和add up to则有不同的意思。add up意思为“合计、加起来”；而add up to则表示相加后的结果。
例如：Please add up these ten figures.请把这十个数字加起来。
These figures add up to 100.这些数字相加的结果是100。
此外，add也表示“补充说、继续说”之意。
例如 “And I hope you’ll come earlier,” he added.他又接着说，“并且我希望你早点儿来。”
（6） tie
tie的意思是“把…系到或拴到…上”，与介词to连用。
例如：Don’t tie the horse to that small tree.别把马拴到那棵小树上。
或表示“限制某人自由、束缚某人”之意。
例如：He’s not in a hurry to get married; he doesn’t want to get tied down.他还不急于结婚，因为他不想受束缚。
2. 难句分析
（1） In the 18th century, Benjamin Franklin conducted a number of experiments in which he showed what electricity is.
此句含有一个“介词+关系代词”引导的限制性定语从句，意思为“在这些实验中”。另外注意该句使用的是一般过去时，但在showed之后的宾语从句中却使用了一般现在时。这是因为“电是什么”这个概念并不受任何时间的影响，故用一般现在时。
（2） Having realized that I could use a kite to attract lightning, I decided to do an experiment.意识到我可以用风筝吸收闪电，我决定做一个实验。
（3） Z在这一句中having realized是现在分词的完成时形式，在句中作原因状语。因为“我”先意识到，然后才决定做实验。
（3）Most kites are made of paper, but a kite made of silk will last longer in weather with rain and strong winds.大多数风筝是用纸糊制的，但是用丝绸作成的风筝在大风大雨的天气里能够持久一点。在这一句中，made of paper/silk为过去分词短语，作定语，相当于定语从句（which is made of paper/silk）。介词短语with rain and strong winds作定语，修饰名词weather。
3. 课堂反馈
（1） 用下列词语的正确形式填空，有的词不止用一次。
Conduct; charge; get; in numbers; add to; tie
① It is very hard ____ for students to cheat in class.
② How much do they ____ a month for room and board?
③ I ____ sea sick when the sea is rough.
④ Mr. Ling is in ____ of a car factory.
⑤ The enemy appeared ____ large ____.
⑥ This article is very important; it ____ the value of the book.
⑦ A speaker who uses notes is ____ to them.
⑧ A person who ____ well is respected by others.
4. 翻译下列句子。
5. 你的手机充电了么？
6. 他因为行为不正而失去了他的职位。
7. 你去准备好，我一会儿就来。
8. 当你使用这太机器时，请务必按照说明去做。
9. 她允许我们用她的柜子和电脑。
10. 你离开实验室时，一定要把所有的窗子都关好。
11. 参考答案：
12. 填空
conduct charge get charge in, numbers adds to
tied conducts
13. 翻译
① Is your cell phone charged with electricity?
② He lost his place through his bad conduct.
③ You go and get ready. I will be with you in a minute.
④ When you use this machine, please make sure you follow the instructions.
⑤ She allowed us to use her cupboard and computer.
⑥ When you leave the laboratory, be sure to close all the windows.
Period 5 Language Study
Ⅰ Teaching aims:
1. To review the words and expressions learned in the reading to make sure students master them.
2. To get students to master word formation rules of making compound words.
Ⅱ Suggestions for teaching:
1. Important and difficult points:
(1) Word study
Task 1 Game-playing-Making a kite
Mastering the word formation to the reading passage. When performing this activity, students are asked to close their books. Divide the class into groups of four and discuss the steps of making a kite. Then one of the four says in class how they make the kite. What they say should include their preparations, materials they use and how they make it.
Task 2 Word study
Teacher may deal with word study by organizing the following activities:
① Dictation: Have a dictation of the important words and phrases learned in the reading passage.
② Teach the words listed in the part of word study and discuss their different meanings in different sentences.
③ Encourage students to make sentences using the words being learned and discussed.
④ Encourage students to name out some compound words they have learned and their meanings.
(2) Grammar: word formation
Task 1 Revision (books closed)
Revise rules of word formation by adding suffix and prefix to a word and the changes in meaning and word speech. Teacher may begin this activity with the compounds collected from the students in the activities above.
Task 2 Word analyzing
Choose the compound words in the reading passage and analyze the structure of these words and their meanings.
(Examples: thunderstorm; thundercloud; handkerchief)
Task 3 Grammar teaching
① Brainstorm question: what are compounds?
Answer: Compounds are words that are made up of at least two parts, such as the words thunderstorm, thundercloud and so on. The two parts have different meanings.
For example,
a. a loud noise from the sky-thunder
b. a strong wind-storm
c. compound-thunderstorm
② Collect other examples from the students.
(2) Consolidation
Task 1 Practice
Discuss the example descriptions in the textbook and write down the words on the blackboard.
Task 2 Summary
Repeat the compound words learned today and describe one object whose name is a compound.
Ⅲ Extension:
合成词在英语中是很活跃的，较为常见的有合成形容词、合成动词和合成名词。合成形容词的主要构成方法有：
1. 形容词+名词+ed。如：warm-hearted, open-minded;
2. 形容词+现在分词/过去分词。如 good-looking, ready-made
3. 名词+现在分词/过去分词。如peace-loving, man-made;
4. 副词+现在分词/过去分词。如：hard-working, well-known;
5. 名词+形容词。如：duty-free。
合成名词的主要构成方法有：
1. 名词+名词/动名词。如：silkworm; handwriting
2. 形容词+名词。如：shorthand
3. 动名词+名词。如：waiting-rom
4. 动词+名词/副词。如：pickpocket; get-together
5. 副词+名词。如：outbreak
合成动词的主要构成方法有：
1. 名词+动词。如：sleepwalk
2. 副词+动词。如：undergo
3. 形容词+动词。如：whitewash
当然，合成词的数量是相当多的，而且有些合成词在词典中是查不到的，因为相当一部分合成词是由作者或说话人根据说话时的情景临时编造的。如在下句中的wait-and-see;
Some people used a wait-and-see policy at the beginning.
有些人在开始时采取了一种观望的政策。
Ⅳ Feedback:
找出下列句子中的合成词并将其译成汉语。
1. They helped us to make out a long-term plan.
2. Open-air exercise will do you good.
3. Sightseeing took up the whole morning.
4. Finally we reached the crossroads at the foot of the mountain.
5. When she saw us, she greeted us warm-heartedly.
6. You are wrong if you keep this nothing-can-be-done attitude in your mind.
7. Everyone must keep a sharp lookout for this sign.
8. No smoking during take-off.
Suggested answers:
Long-term 长期的 open-air 户外的 sightseeing 观光游览
Crossroads 十字路口 warm-heartedly 热情地
Nothing-can-be-done 无法可想 lookout 注意 take-off 起飞
Period 6 Integrating Skills (Reading and Writing)
Ⅰ Teaching aims:
1. To get to know what animal experiments are and why scientists do animal experiments.
2. To enable students to learn different opinions about animal experiments.
3. To enable students to think about this problem: Do human beings have rights to do animal experiments? And then write a short essay to express themselves on this problem.
Ⅱ Suggestions for teaching:
1. Important and difficult points:
1.)Knowing about whether it is necessary to do animal experiments.
2.)Enabling students to express themselves on animal experiments.
2. Suggested teaching methods:
Task 1 Lead-in
Talk about lovely animals, especially pets they raise at home.
Teacher may begin the class by asking students to talk about their pets. The following questions may be helpful to them.
1.Do you raise pets at home? If yes, what kind of animals are your pets?
2.What do you think the relation should be between human beings and animals?
3.Introduce one lovely animal in class, especially explain how lovely it is .
After finishing this task, teacher may ask students whether they know about animal experiments. Collect students’ opinions about such kind of experiments.
Task 2 Reading
First ask students to skim the text to find the main idea of each paragraph.
Suggested answers:
Para.1: Purpose of animal experiments
Para.2.Importance of animal experiments.
Para.3.Different opinions about animal experiments between medical scientists and animal rights activities.
Para.4-6: Scientists’ explanation about animal experiments.
Para.7: Different opinions about whether people have rights to do animal experiments.
Para.8-9: How people treat animals today.
Para.10: Conclusion-we have no rights to kill animals.
Then get students to scan the text for details. Ask students to read the passage carefully to find information to fill in the following form:
Opinions about animal experiments
Scientists and Doctors Animal rights activities
Important to find new medicines. Animal testing doesn’t work.
Animal testing works. There are better ways than animal testing.
Develop medicines against many diseases It is possible to use much few animals.
Doctors get more skilled. What works with animals often doesn’t work on humans.
Human life is more important than animals. Millions of animals die in unsuccessful experiments.
Using animals for medicine science is much more important. Humans have no right to use animals in their experiments.
Animals have the same rights as human beings.
Scientists often break laws to protect animals.
This exercise can be done as the topic of free talk. First divide students into groups. Then each member of the group names one or more items. After that, the members exchange their information. At last one member reports it to the whole class.
Task 3 Post-reading
Teacher may design the following activities for consolidation:
①Debate.
Divide students into two groups. One stands for the scientists, the other animal rights activities. Each group tries to persuade the other group to accept their opinions about animal experiments. One or more students may act as the judges.
③ Writing.
Students are asked to write a short essay based on the debate about animal experiments using the tips given in the textbook. This exercise is used as homework.
Task 4 Language Points
(1)Animals are used to test products such as shampoo, skin creams and new cancer drugs.该句中的be used to是动词use的被动形式，意思是“被用于测试像…的产品”。to test products是不定式短语，作目的状语。例如：Knives are used to cut things.刀子是用来切东西的。
除不定式短语外，在动词use之后，也可用介词for和as引导的短语表示目的。
例如：She decided to use them for gifts.她决定将这些用作礼物。
You can use it as a bookmark.你可以将它用作书签。
另外，要特别注意被动句be used to (do)和表示过去经常性动作的used to (do)以及表示习惯于做某事的be used to (sth/doing sth)的区别。如：
Uncle Wang used only to care about his own family.王大叔以前只关心自己家庭。
I am quite used to flying in all sorts of weather.我在各种天气下飞行已经习惯了。
2.Does animal testing work?此句中的动词work为“奏效、起作用”的意思。
例如：I think your suggestion will work.我认为你的建议会起作用的。
3.…there are better ways of finding out what we want to know.该句中，ways of finding out 也可以说成ways to find out, 两者意思相同。例如：Is this the way to do it? 在意思上就等于Is this way of doing it? 这是做此事的方法吗？
4….there is a very high chance that…在该句中chance表示“可能性”。例如：
What are the chances that we shall succeed? 我们成功的可能性如何呢？
Feedback:
将下列句子译成英语：
① 他赢的可能性微乎其微。He has a poor chance of winning.
② 我们开始也想友好，但行不通。We tried to be friendly at first, but it wouldn’t work.
③ 我们相处的不错，比以前好多了。We get on pretty well. Better than we used to.
④ 你能适应这种天气么？Are you used to this kind of weather?
⑤ 保持快乐的唯一方法就是满足。The only way to be happy is to be satisfied
⑥ 他没有想到他们是在利用他吓唬别人He didn’t expect at all that they were using him to frighten others。