當(dāng)代研究生英語(yǔ)讀寫教程(上)Unit 5教案

1、Unit 5Text A Can We Know The Universe- Reflections on a Grain of Salt Teaching Objectives(教學(xué)目的Students will be able to1. grasp the main idea and structure of the text2. master the key language points and grammatical structures3. conduct a series of reading, listening, speaking and writing activities

2、 related to the theme of the unit.Teaching procedures(教學(xué)步驟(1 Pre-reading activity (Period1a. Information related to the textb. Introduction to the Textc. Pre-reading questions(2While-reading activity(Periods2-3a. The organization of the textb. Detailed reading-study of the language points(3 Post-rea

3、ding activity (Period4a. Speaking Activityb. Writing Practicec. Have students finish the exercisesPeriod 1Pre-reading activitya. Background Information1. Introduction to the AuthorAmerican astronomer and pioneer exobiologist. Sagan was born in New York city and studied at the University of Chicago,

4、where he received a Ph.D. in astrophusics. Sagans research wsa directed toward evidence of life in outer space. He also studied the origins of organism with geneticsts Hermann J. Mullers and Joshua Lederberg.2. Introduction to the TextThe Bi Bang TheoryBig Bang Theory, currently accepted explanation

5、 of the beginning of the universe. The big bang theory proposes that the universe was once extremely compact, dense, and hot. Some original event, a cosmic explosion called the big bang, occurred about 10 billion to 20 billion years ago, and the universe has since been expanding and cooling. The the

6、ory is based on the mathematical equations, known as the field equations, of the general theory of relativity set forth in 1915 by Albert Einstein. In 1922 Russian physicist Alexander Friedmann provided a set of solutions to the field equations. These solutions have served as the framework for much

7、of the current theoretical work on the big bang theory. American astronomer Edwin Hubble provided some of the greatest supporting evidence for the theory with his 1929 discovery that the light of distant galaxies was universally shifted toward the red end of the spectrum (see Redshift.This proved th

8、at the galaxies were moving away from each other. He found that galaxies farther away were moving away faster, showing that the universe is expanding uniform ly. However, the universes initial state was still unknown.In the 1940s Russian American physicist George Gamow worked out a theory that fit w

9、ith Friedmanns solutions in which the universe expanded from a hot, dense state. In 1950 British astronomer Fred Hoyle, in support of his own opposing steady-state theory, referred to Gamows theory as a mere “big bang,” but the name stuck. Indeed, a contest in the 1990s by Sky & Telescope magazine t

10、o find a better (perhaps more dignified name did not produce one.Evolution of the universe3. Pre-reading questionsLead-in questionsPurposes:To present key words and phrases related to universeTo encourage students to think about the theme of the coming text, i.e.the concept of macrocosm or that of m

11、icrocosmT o arouse students interest in the topic of the coming textTo develop students skill in predicting the main idea of the textMethodology:1. The purpose of activities 1, 2 and 3 is to arouse studentsinterests in the topic ofthe text and prepare them to read the text actively. It may be very e

12、asy for your students to give a list of environmental problems and the harmful effects of population explosion on the ecological system and human life as a whole, but to find the way out is more difficult. If you encourage students to think carefully about the solution to the population explosion, t

13、hey will probably hit upon the central idea and the main purpose of the coming article.2.In order to get the whole class involved, pair-work is recommended for activity 1, 2and 3. If time permits, you can find on or two students to report to the class what they have discussed.3. In activity 4, some

14、key words and phrases along with their definitions arepresented.Although many students are already familiar with these words and phrases, they cannot always give accurate definitions of them in English. To make sure that the whole class participate in the discussion, let them work in pairs first and

15、 then encourage them to compare their answers with other neighboring classmates. By working with a partner first and then more classmates, students should be able to match the terms and definitions correctly. There is no need to check the answers in class, but be ready to provide any help they need

16、while they are working.Key to lead-in questions1.Bigness and smallness are relative concepts in comparison with others. Forexample, the Sun is very big in comparison with its nine planets, whereas it is small when compared with some other enormous celestrial bodies in the universe.2.The universe mea

17、ns the entire celestrial comos which is generally believed to beboundless and mysterious, therfore the word “universe” is always used to indicate the concept of bigness or something unknown. Salt is a very common colorless or white solid substance with many uses ranging from daily life ti chemical i

18、ndustry.A grain of salt is generally considered as something common and small. It seemsthere is no relation between these two words. However, the author associates the universe with a grain of salt deftly so as to reveal to the reader the comlexity of things in the world intelligence as we are, we c

19、annot understand even such small matter as a grain of salt.3.1 d 2 f 3 j 4 a 5 h 6 b 7 k 8 i 9 e 10 c 11l 12 gPeriod 2-3While-reading activitya. The organization of the textThe Gist of the ArticleThe first part of the article(para1-3 defines what science is. According to the author, science is more

20、of a way of thinking than of a body of knowledge. Its goal is to find out how the workd works, to seek what regularities there may be, to penetrate to the connections of things. Sicence cannot depend on out intuition or our perception, it is based on experiment, on the willingness to challenge old d

21、ogma, and on an opneness to see the universe as it really is.The second part of the article examines the question whether the universe is knowable and to what extent we can really know it. Before answering these questions, the author uses something as tiny as a grain of salt to illustrate his point.

22、From the axample of a grain of salt, the author makes the point that if the unverse also has laws that govern its behavior to the same degree of regularity tht determines a crystal of salt, then the unverse would be knowable. That is why human beings are highly motivated to find regularities and nat

23、ural laws.The author concludes his article by expressing his peronsal opinion about an ideal universe. An idlea universe is one that is knowable, and at the same time, there is much in it that is unknown. The reason is clear; there will be no source of motivation for the thinking being if ervery thi

24、ng is known or if the unverse is unknowable.b. Detailed reading-study of the language pointsDetailed reading of the textPurposes:To help student s draw important facts of each paragraph To help students identify and remove the source of difficulty in understanding the textTo help students actively i

25、nteract with the text and develop strategies to work out the meaning of the textTo give students practice in note-takingMethodology:When working through the text, you can, besides explanation (refer to “Detailed E xplanation of the Text in the students book, use the technique of asking questions to

26、develop studentsunderstanding. Make sure students always keep their text open when they answer the questions. The purpose of asking questions is to make students actively interact with the text and develop their strategies to derive the meaning from the text. At the same time, they can become aware

27、of the way language is used to convey meaning. There is a close connection between answering questions and developing understanding.At the start, three types of questions should be designed for this purpose. First, straightforward questions ne ed to be asked to draw studentsattention to important fa

28、cts in the text and to ensure they understand the literal meaning of the facts.The second type of questions should be used to develo p students skills of tackling difficult sentences.A third type should make students recognize grammatical and lexical features that play a crucial part in the interpre

29、tation of the text.When students answer your questions they should also practice taking notes.You can ask the following questions orally.1.What are the goals of science? Can we rely on our intuition or perception toachieve these goals?2.What are the bases of scientific study of the world around us?3

30、.What does “Just So Stories”mean in para 2? Can we count on explanationsdivorced from experiment, or from carful comparative observations?4.What are the characteristics of a scientific mind?5.Is Science soemthing that only scientists are concerned about? Why does the authormention Walt Whitman?6.Why are some people fearful of a universe in which everything might one day beknown?7.What is the authors attitude towards th