Unit 4 Glue

1. Unit 4 Glue • Part I Listening and Speaking Activities • Part II. Reading Comprehension and Language Activities • Part III Extended Activities

2. Part I Listening and Speaking Activities • Brainstorming • Listening • Speaking

3. Brainstorming Familiarizing the students with the basic vocabulary in this unit to handle small gadgets in every day life 1. Prepare four or five objects such as a stapler, paper clips, an eraser, file folders, etc. 2. Have the students work out the function of various small stationery objects. • Have students add more terms on the board. If the students are low in proficiency, use the following methods; 1. Introduce the vocabulary by showing the students the objects. 2. Check all the students know the words. 3. Explain selectively some difficult words by translating them such as punch (a steel tool for cutting holes in, or pressing a pattern onto, paper, leather, metal, etc.打孔机)， clip (a small variously-shaped plastic or usually metal object for holding things tightly together or in place 回形针， 夹子).etc.

4. Vocabulary for reference 1. Names of small stationery objects: pins, clips, staplers, paper, envelopes, pen, ball-point pens, felt-tip pens (软笔头墨水笔), pencils, rulers, paper fastener (装订散页纸的夹子), punch, adhesive tape(透明或不透明的胶带), 2. Verbs expressing the use of small stationery objects: handle, hold, make it work, punch holes, pull, staple, bind, sharpen a pencil, rub out / erase, pedal / push (a bike), wind up, press the button, plug it in, switch / turn on / off the radio / TV / lump … white out (用白色涂抹), 3. Names of tools for using on small objects: screwdriver, pincers(镊子/钳子)，pliers(钳子)， spanner（扳手），hammer, nails, drill，electric drill, screwdriver, tape measure 4. Names of parts of machines or gadgets in everyday life: Bike, wheels, handle grips（手钳），spokes（车辐条），brake, bell, type, mudguard, chain, plug（插头）

5. Listening Listen and complete the following tasks. 1.Explain briefly how to produce invisible writing with milk and then how to retrieve the message. 2.Explain briefly how to produce invisible writing with water and then how to retrieve the message.

6. Work with your partner and explain how you do the following things: 1.What should you do if you buy a new TV ?How do you adjust the channels? 2.Your electronic watch is not correct now ,How do you make adjustments for time and date? 3.Explain hou you can copy songs so that you can play them on your record player? 4.If your bike suddenly has a flat tyre,What are the possible causes and what should you do about it? 5.Have you ever tried toy-making ?if so,what toys have you made and how did you make them? 6.Do you enjoy mending small objects ?what things can you mend by yourself,and how do you do it ? 7.What small gadgets do you like to handle and how ? Other topics for further discussion: 1.Paper-cutting 2.Making clay figures 3.Knitting 4.Handing a VCD player 5.Handing cameras(loading/unloading films,taking pictures) 6.Using other modern stationery items such as a pen sharpener,stapler,ect. Speaking: A Explaining technology

7. Prepare a short story about an interesting experience you have had of playing with or making a toy,or handing a small gadget;or using a tool to repair something .You may tell true story or use your imagination .Make your story as interesting as possible. You may prepare your story using the following clues: 1.The first step is … 2.Then,… 3.Next… 4.If…works,you 5.Now,what’s the result?You won’t believe… The following expressions may be useful for your story : I can into trouble when … My solution was… I used…for… It proved very effective… With… ,you can… I racked my brains for a solution It suddenly occurred to me… It suddenly clicked that… I came upon an amazing idea… Speaking:B Truth or fantasy

8. Part II. Reading Comprehension and Language Activities • Pre-reading task • Text • Notes • Comprehension work • Language work (A,B,C)

9. Part II. Reading Comprehension and Language Activities • Pre-reading task 1 .Do you know Chinese Qigong? Are you skilled at the art? 2 .Do you believe that if you exercise Chinese Chigong (or Qigong), there will be a special energy in your breathing or you will acquire powers bordering on the paranormal?

10. Notes • The Air force is experimenting with a new glue they hope will hold some of their airplanes together: The Air Force is treated as an organized group, hence the third person singular form of the verb is, but the Air Force can also be treated as a collective noun phrase, so the pronoun they is used to refer to the people of the organization. A similar case is: The Army was sent to clean up the snow on the highway. They were working at various positions. 2. I hope the Air Force has more luck with the glue than I’ve ever had: The writer is being humorous and ironic here. He sometimes doesn’t mean what he says. Encourage the students to find other such instances after finishing discussion of the whole text. A few of the other cases of humor are: (1) … can’t be blamed on the glue-makers … (what he suggests is that the glue-makers often exaggerate the strength of glue in their ads). (2) Maybe I just have no knack for glue (Do you need a special talent to handle glue?) (3) …I just don’t have an oven-like pressure vessel I can heat. Maybe that’s why … (How can people be expected to have such a pressure vessel at home, just for the purpose of using glue?) (4) and over the period of a year I use more thinner than I use cement. (The original purpose of using cement is lost when you are concerned more with thinning it.)

11. Notes 3. I can’t get a dish to hold together, and they’re lifting elephants with it: they refers to the glue-makers. In the sentence the conjunction and with a preceding comma introduces a contrastive statement. In informal style, and with a comma before it can be used to link two statements which contrast with each other. E.g. I meant to buy some bread yesterday, and I forgot. This sentence together with the next one Ed White, the football player, can’t pull apart two blocks struck with it shows how the glue-makers try to make people believe the wonder of their glue products. 4. How often making them stay that way comes up in our lives: How often … making things stay glued together happens in our life. Here, come up means happen or take place. Notice another meaning of the phrase “ come up”: If something comes up in a talk or a meeting, it arises or is discussed. E.g. 1) The question is bound to come up at the next conference. 2) We should get prepared for the problems that might come up during his absence. 5. Maybe I just have no knack for glue: Knack is a clever or adroit way of doing something. E.g. The boy has a knack for imitating his teacher’s voice. 6. It works if it’s the right consistency: It is effective if it (the cement) is of the right degree of thickness.

12. Notes 7. super glues: glues which are recommended either by the glue-makers or the vendors as miraculously powerful. Notice the different kinds of glue. It seems there are too many glue products on the market for customers to make the right choice and hence they often fall prey to misleading advertisements. 8. Glue and I are simply not meant for each other: Glue and I were virtually incompatible. (Notice here, again the author is being humorous. Instead of saying that glue is not effective he says that he and glue do not fit each other.) If something / somebody is (not) meant for something / somebody, they are not intended for each other. E.g. 1) These course books are not meant for freshmen. 2) John and Catherine are obviously meant for each other --- they will make a perfect match. 9. all in all I’ve made mess of my project: all in all, meaning considering everything, is used to introduce a summary based on facts or reasons previously mentioned. E.g. Her style is too restrained, her songs are out of fashion and her voice is a bit harsh. All in all, I am not in favor of this singer.

13. Comprehension work • Summarize the paragraphs • Summarize the paragraphs • Study the story • Reproduce the story • Research

14. Part III Extended Activities • Dictation • Read more • Grammar work • Vocabulary work • Translation

15. Dictation Now, I’m going to teach you how to make a little object. First, you need a piece of paper about fifteen centimeters by ten centimeters. Put the paper on the table in front of you with the long sides pointing down. Get a pencil and draw a horizontal line across the top of the paper about a quarter of the way from the top. Then, draw two vertical lines down from that line, dividing the bottom area into three equal sized pieces. So you’ve divided the bottom into thirds. Now, cut or tear very carefully those two lines as far as the horizontal line you drew in the first place. So you get three little flaps. Fold the left-hand flap out towards you, like a leg kicking out, doing a high kick. Leave the center one pointing down, and fold the right-hand one away from you as though it’s kicking backwards. Then, attach a paper clip to the bottom of the central flap. Now, stand up and lift up the whole thing. Hold it from the top so that all the little legs are flapping. And now, let it fall! What have you got? (Answer: a helicopter) (A note for the teacher: if the students are unfamiliar with the spelling of some words such as horizontal, flap, etc., the teacher can tell them before giving the dictation.)

16. Read more • True / False / Not mentioned • 1. F 2. F 3. T 4. NM 5. T 6. F 7. T 8. T 9. F 10. F • These questions are meant to exercise the students’ power of imagination. They may come up with different explanations for Mr. Benchley’s clumsiness. To have a more extensive discussion, the teacher can advise the students to make a comparison between Robert and Uncle Alden in Unit Two Why My Great-uncle Gave Up the Ministry.

17. Grammar work a . 1. They were afraid (that) I might have talked to the police. 2. I was pleased (that) George was waiting to meet me. 3. We were delighted (that) everyone enjoyed the picnic 4. Peter was disappointed (that) his brother missed the football match. 5. It is unlucky (that) there is life on Mars. 6. It’s a shame (that) she didn’t get the scholarship. 7. Please make sure (that) everything is in order. 8. It’s a nuisance (that) the baby next door keeps crying during the night. 9. It’s disgrace that some AIDS patients are being discriminated against wherever they go. 10. It is definite (that) fossil fuel supply will be exhausted if we continue to consume it without restraint.

18. Grammar work b . (For reference) 1. My explanation is that my teacher never seems to ask me questions that I know the answers of / you failed frequently too while you were young. As the saying goes, like father, like son. 2. My opinion is that she is much too smart for you / she won’t be a good wife, though she is a good girl. 3. His advice is that I should stop smoking.

19. vocabulary high long wide short deep low far broad 1.Let’s measure the___of this rope. 2.I swam 20___of the swimming pool. 3.I’ve___her skirt for her. 4.The audience were tired of the___speech by the chairman. 5.Can I make a___phone call? 6.The new road will___our journey by ten minutes . 7.There’s a___to the station .it will save us at least 20minutes’drive. 8.Let’s measure the___of this room. 9.I want to ___my experience. 10.The government has decided to___many roads this year. 11.The ___of the wall is two metres. 12.The fog___the feeling of mystery. 13.He loves travelling to___places 14.You can___that table if it is too high by cutting the legs down. 15.His death so soon after hers___our sadness. 16.The ___of the river here is about 3 metres.

20. vocabulary expand stretch spread shrink grow contract 1.AIDS ____rapidly during the 1980s 2.The textile industry____when the economy was strong,but now it has____and thousands of workers have been made redundant. 3.My sweater has____in the wash! 4.Looking from the village bridge, you will see that the green field____as far as those trees down there. 5. Our problems have____since that new boss came.

21. Vocabulary work • a. 1. length 2. lengths 3. lengthened 4. lengthy 5. long-distance 6. shorten 7. shortcut 8. width 9. widen, broaden 10. widen 11. height 12. heightens 13. faraway 14. lower 15. deepens 16. depth • b. 1. spread 2. expanded / grew; contracted 3. shrunk 4. stretches 5. grown

22. Translation 1.Obviously I have overestimated my sense of direction. Next time, I will remember to bring along a map with me. 2.The mother is now thoroughly disillusioned with her selfish son 3.She has no knack for saying the right thing at the right time. 4.He and football were meant for each other from the start. 5.My boss assigned me the secretarial work for the first month. 6.If a driver breaks traffic rules, are there any alternatives to a fine? 7.Being a clumsy person, he often subjects himself to ridicule.