1、1Objectives:0 Understand what animals are being described.Get to know more about animals.Get to know more about how man and animals co-exist.Catch main ideas and supporting details.0 Have practice in liaison and contraction.1) They live in Africa and India. They have four legs and a tail. They are v
2、ery big and very strong. They are intelligent, too. They have a trunk and some of them have tusks. They sometimes live for 70 years.2) They live in Africa and Asia. They are brown. They have arms and legs, but they dont have a tail. Their arms are very long and they have big ears. They are good clim
3、bers. They are very intelligent, too.3) They live in Africa. They are very tall. They have four legs, a tail and a very long neck. They eat leaves and twigs. They can run very fast. They are brown and white.4) They live in very cold countries. They have wings, but they cant fly. They are good swimme
4、rs. They eat fish. They are blue and white or black and white.5) They live in Australia. They are red or gray. They have short from legs, long back legs and a very long tail. The back legs and the tail are very strong. They can run very fast. The females carry their young in a pouch.6) They live in
5、Africa. They have four legs and a tail. They have a beautiful coat with black and white or brown and white stripes. They eat grass and plants.7) They live in very cold countries. They have four legs. They are very big and very strong. They have a white coat. They can swim. They eat seals and fish.(L
6、ength: 2 min. 23 sec.)A. Write down the name of the animal beings described in each case.1) elephants2) chimpanzees3) giraffes24) penguins5) kangaroos6) zebras7) polar bearsB. Complete the following sentences with what you hear on the tape.1) They live in Africa and India. They have four legs and a
7、tail.2) Their arms are very long and they have big ears.TipsIn case the students dont know some of the English names for these animals, they may give the names in Chinese. And then get them practise saying them in English. Alternatively, you could elicit/ introduce such animal names as chimpanzee, p
8、enguin, zebra and kangaroo.The fastest animal on land is the cheetah. It can run at a speed of about 100 kilometres an hour. The fastest bird in the world can fly at 170 km/h, and the fastest fish can swim at more than 100 km/h.Human beings are not very fast. The fastest man in the world can only ru
9、n at about 40 km/h. Many animals can run faster than this. But most animals run on four legs. Four legs are better than two, arent they? Why do we only have two legs?Scientists say that we are more intelligent than other animals because we stand on two legs, so we can use our hands for other things.
10、 We can pick things up with them. We can use tools. Human beings have used tools for millions of years. That is why our brains have developed. That is why we have become the most intelligent animals in the world.In the past few years, we have made all kinds of machines. We have made cars, ships, aer
11、oplanes and spacecraft. In these machines we can travel faster than any animal-by land, by sea, or by air. We can even go to the moon. No other animal has ever done that!(Length: 1 min. 30 sec.)A. Answer the following questions.1) What is the fastest animal on land?Key: The cheetah.2) What is the sp
12、eed of the fastest birds?Key: 170 km/h.3) What is the speed of the fastest fish?Key: More than 100km/h.4) Why can many animals ran faster than human beings?Key: Because most animals run on four legs.5) Why can human beings travel faster than any animals?3Key: Because we have machines.B. Decide wheth
13、er the statements are true (T) or false (F) according to the tape.1) The fastest man in the world can run at 100 km/h. F 2) Most animals run on two legs. F 3) We have become the most intelligent animals in the world because we have used tools for millions of years. T A: You know, were studying dinos
14、aurs in science class. Its really interesting.B: Oh, yeah? Hey, have you learned why the dinosaurs disappeared?A: Well, no one knows for sure.B: I thought it had something to do with the climate. The temperature might have gotten cooler and killed them off.A: Yeah, thats one theory. Another idea is
15、that they may have run out of food.B: Uh-huh. And you know, theres even a theory that they could have been destroyed by aliens from outer space.A: That sounds crazy to me!(Length: 48 sec.)A. Answer the following questions.1) What are the possible reasons why the dinosaurs disappeared?Key: Climate, l
16、ack of food and aliens from outer space might be responsible for their extinction.2) Does the man believe in the theory of alien invasion?Key: No.B. Fill in the missing words with what your hear on the tape.B: I thought it had something to do with the climate. The temperature might have gotten coole
17、r and killed them off.A: Yeah, thats one theory. Another idea is that they may have run out of food.B: Uh-huh. And you know, theres even a theory that they could have been destroyed by aliens from outer space.To do the first exercise well, students may be encouraged to take notes while listening. Ge
18、t them to pay attention to such expressions as “it had something to do with.“, “another idea.“ and “theres even a theory that.“After doing the exercises, do some oral work on this topic if desired. 4Question like “Why do you think dinosaurs disappeared?“ can be asked.For the shortest life, the first
19、 prize must go to the mayfly, which typically lives only a matter of a few hours after it emerges from its shell. Few mayflies live to see the sun rise again. These creatures devote their whole lives to a single desperate mission: finding a mate and producing young. They dont even have functional mo
20、uths and stomachs. They simply have no time to eat. In fact they have no time for anything else.The record-holder for the longest life may be the Arctic clam, one of which lived quietly underwater for 220 years. However it did not have any birth certificate to prove this. One could only judge by its
21、 growth rings.If you insist on better documentation, the oldest animal ever was probably a tortoise that died in 1918. It had been captured already full-grown in 1766, nine years before the American Revolution began, and it died 152 years later as World War I came to a close.(Length: 1 min. 20 sec.)
22、Answer the following questions.1) What animal has the shortest life? For how long?Key: The mayfly. A few hours.2) What do mayflies do in their lifetime?Key: They just do two things: finding a mate and producing young3) How do we know that one of the Arctic clams lived for 220 years?Key: We could jud
23、ge by its growth rings.4) How long was the tortoise that died in 1918 kept in captivity?Key: It was kept for 152 years.Every year about 17 million animals are used in laboratory experiments. But in many countries today, a difficult question is being asked: Do we have the right to use animals in this
24、 way?People who are for using animals in research argue that the use of animals in medical research has many practical benefits. Animal research has enabled researchers to develop treatments for many diseases, such as heart disease and depression. It would not have been possible to develop vaccines
25、for diseases like smallpox and polio without animal research. Every drug anyone takes today was5tried first on animals.Future medical research is dependent on the use of animals. Which is more important: the life of a rat or that of a three-year-old child?Medical research is also an excellent way of
26、 using unwanted animals. Last year, over 12 million animals had to be killed in animal shelters because no one wanted them as pets.However those who are against it point out that the fact that humans benefit cannot be used to justify using animals in research any more than it can be used to justify
27、experimenting on other humans. Animals suffer a lot during these experiments. They are forced to live in small cages, and they may be unable to move.Much of the research that is carried out is unnecessary anyway.Animals have the same rights as humans do-to be able to move freely and not to have pain
28、 or fear forced on them. Researchers must find other ways of doing their research, using cell culture and computer modeling. There should be no animals in research laboratories at all.(Length: 1 min. 50 sec.)Key: A. Answer the following question.What is the main idea of the passage?Key: People have
29、different opinions on using animals for research.B. Complete the following ontline of the passage.1) The case for using animals in research:a) Every drug anyone takes today was tried first on animals.b) Future medical research is dependent on the use of animals.c) Medical research is also a good way
30、 of using unwanted animals.2) The case against using animals in research:a) Animals suffer a lot during the experiments.b) Much of the research is unnecessary.c) Animals have the same rights as humans do.3) Some alternative ways for scientists to do their research:a) Using cell culture.b) Using comp
31、uter modeling.Exercise B is designed to help the students get an outline of the passage, and to help them understand both the main idea and the supporting details. It is recommended that the students first take notes without referring to the outline given in the textbook and then fill in the missing
32、 information based on their notes. If some of the students find it difficult to finish the task, they 6may read the outline, and fill in the blanks while listening.Visitors to the National Zoo in Washington D.C. can see three new young tigers. The rare babies met the public for the first time late l
33、ast month. Chip ONeal tells us about them.The mother tiger sat nearby on the grass as her babies rolled, chased and bit each other playfully. Then Korenchy also jumped into the games. Her cubs were born at the zoo four months ago. They are called Mike, Eric and Chrisy. The new young tigers at the Na
34、tional Zoo each weigh about 13 kilograms. The fur is dark orange with black stripes. They eat horse meat and drink milk from Korenchy.Korenchy and her babies are Sumatran tigers. Sumatran tigers came from the Indonesian island of Sumatra. They are now in danger of disappearing from the earth. Fewer
35、than 500 of these tigers remain in the world. That includes about 60 living in zoos in North America.Korenchy came to the National Zoo from the Jakarta Zoo in Indonesia. The gift was part of the Sumatran Tiger Species Survival Program. Korenchy has given birth to live cubs three times. The father of
36、 her new cubs is Rokan, a Sumatran tiger who arrived two years ago from another zoo. Korenchy and Rokan had their babies the natural way instead of the scientific method often used to produce young animals in zoos.A wire fence separates Rokan from his babies. Zoo workers who care for Rokan say he re
37、aches through the fence to wash the cubs with his tongue. They say this means he recognizes Mike, Eric and Chrisy as his cubs. However, zoo officials are hoping that Rokan will produce more cubs with another female Sumatran tiger at the zoo, so they do not want him to become too interested in this f
38、amily.The National Zoo hopes to keep the Sumatran tiger cubs for at least 18 months before sending them to other zoos. That is about the age when most tiger cubs in the wild leave their mothers. The National Zoo has placed cameras in the Sumatran tigers living area, so people with computers can see
39、them. To do this, use your computer to find the National Zoos Website at www.si.edu/natzoo.(Length: 3 min. 40 sec.)Key:A. Answer the following questions.1) Was the mother tiger born in the National Zoo as well?7Key: No.2) Why is the father tiger separated from his cubs?Key: Because zoo officials wan
40、t him to produce cubs with another female tiger, so they dont want him to become too interested in this family.B. Complete the following sentences with what you hear on the tape.1) The young tigers are four months old.2) Each of them weighs about 13 kilograms.3) They eat horse meat and drink their m
41、others milk.4) People with computers can see the daily life of these tigers by visiting the National Zoos Website at www.si.edu/natzoo.C. Choose the best answer to each of the following questions.1) How many Sumatran tigers remain in the world? ( C)a) About 60. b) More than 500. c) Less than 500.2)
42、Korenchy has given birth to ( C)a) three cubs b) four cubs c) five or more cubs3) After 18 months, these cubs will be sent ( b)a) to the wild b) to other zoos c) to the Jakarta ZooCats in AmericaAn old expression says, “Mans best friend is his dog.“ Today, however, it seems that cats have replaced d
43、ogs as the most popular pets in American homes.Americans have more than 62 million pet dogs. But even more cats-more than 64 million- live in American homes.These pet cats may have long hair or short hair. They are different colors and sizes. Some are costly animals that take part in competitions. M
44、any more are common American mixtures of several kinds of cats.Most house cats live a good life. They are not expected to work for their food. Instead, they rule their homes like furry kings and queens. They wait for their owners to serve them.Americans are increasingly serious about their cats. The
45、se concerns have made the care of cats into big business.Each year, cat owners buy tons of food especially prepared for cats. They buy toys and other equipment. They buy jewelry and clothes for themselves with images of cats on them. Some owners even bury their dead pets in special burial grounds.Hu
46、mans have loved and respected cats for centuries. Scientists have evidence that cats and people lived together as long as 8,000 years ago. The small house cat was once a highly honored animal. In 8ancient Egypt for example, people who killed a cat could be punished by death.Early in American history
47、 cats were not treated as gods, however. They probably arrived in the United States with settlers and traders from Europe. These cats worked. They killed rats and mice.Sometimes, Americans mistreated their cats. During the early days of the nation, religious extremists believed that some cats were w
48、orking for the devil. Black cats were especially suspected of being evil.Later, American families who had enough food began taking cats into their homes. People cared for the cats because the animals gave them pleasure. The cats thanked people for feeding them by making a purring sound. This pleasan
49、t noise usually means a cat is happy.Animal experts offer several reasons why cats have become so popular as house pets. They say cats need less care than dogs. And cats do not seem to suffer as much as dogs from being alone if the owners are away.Still, millions of other people do not like cats at all. They say dogs are better and more loving pets. They say cats do not have much feeling. They believe cats stay with people only to be fed. Cat owners defend their pets against such criticism. They say cats are just much more indepen
