1、Unit 1 College Life,Learning Objectives,After finishing this unit, you should be able to:analyze the structure at sentence and text levels understand the meanings of the suffixes -ion, -ition, and -ation apply the reading skill guessing word meanings through context clues to reading tasks deal with
2、fragments and correct them in writing tasks talk about college life,I. Background Information,Higher education in the United States It refers to a variety of institutions of higher education in the United States. Strong research and funding have helped make American colleges and universities among t
3、he worlds most prestigious, which is particularly attractive to international students, professors and researchers in the pursuit of academic excellence. According to the Shanghai Jiao Tong Universitys Academic Ranking of World Universities, more than 30 of the highest-ranked 45 institutions are in
4、the United States (as measured by awards and research output). Public universities, private universities, liberal arts colleges, and community colleges all have a significant role in higher education in the United States. An even stronger pattern seems to be shown by the 2010 Webometrics Ranking of
5、World Universities with 103 US universities in the Top 200.,Text A,Why Is College Important？,Language Points,1. After all, college education is not something that comes cheap and it does take a few years before an individual can start earning his or her own income. (Para.1)after all: (1) in spite of
6、 what you thought was true or expected to happen He wrote to say they couldnt give me a job after all. Union leaders announced that they would, after all, take part in the national conference.(2) used to say that sth should be remembered or considered, because it helps to explain what you have just
7、said Prisoners should be treated with respect they are human beings after all. I dont know why youre so concerned it isnt your problem after all.,2. A college degree opens up many new doors of employment in the future, even though it takes a bit longer to get there. (Para.1) Paraphrasing: A person w
8、ith a good educational background will have more chances in the job market, although this will come true in the future. even though: although Even though hes 24 now, hes still like a little child. I can still remember, even though it was so long ago. I still look fat, even though Ive been exercising
9、 fairly regularly. They like him even though he rarely has anything to say to them, directly or through the media.,Language Points,Language Points,3. Education is, after all, an investment and the time invested in it will eventually translate into greater returns in the long run. (Para. 2)Paraphrasi
10、ng: Education is like an investment, and the more time you spend on it, the more you will get in the future. invest: invest sth in sth Oliver made a fortune by investing in antique furniture. Williams invested a large sum of money in Swiss stocks. He had invested heavily (=invested a lot of money) i
11、n the bond market. translate into: change sth These rates translate into a return of 8.5% for dollar investors. in the long run: later in the future, not immediately Moving to Spain will be better for you in the long run. All our hard work will be worth it in the long run. in the short run: in the n
12、ear future Sufficient supply, in the short run, will be a problem.,4. Lets look at a few reasons why obtaining a college degree is vitally important and beneficial. (Para. 3)beneficial: improving a situation; having a helpful or useful effect beneficial to / for Cycling is highly beneficial to healt
13、h and the environment. an arrangement that is mutually beneficial (=it has advantages for everyone who is involved),Language Points,5. All these reasons have different attractions for different individuals, but no matter who you are and where you come from, obtaining a college degree is something yo
14、u should be sincerely aiming for. (Para.3) attraction: Being your own boss is one of the attractions of owning your own business. no matter who / when / how / what / whether, etc.: used to say that sth is true or that sth happens whatever the situation is Feeding a baby is a messy job no matter how
15、careful you are. Im determined to visit Japan no matter what it costs. He visited her every day no matter the weather. My priority is to drive the business, bring in the revenue, no matter what it takes. aim for: try or intend to achieve sth Were aiming for a big improvement. The pilot was aiming fo
16、r the runway but came down in a nearby field.,Language Points,6. Employment opportunities are far better for someone with a college degree, as employers are assured that this person has working knowledge of their business and can cope with a competitive work environment as well. (Para. 4)cope with:
17、be able to deal with sth difficult No system is designed to cope with the floods we have had this year. My computer can cope with huge amounts of data. She feared she wouldnt be able to cope with two new babies. Local authorities have to cope with the problems of petitive: Advertising is an intensel
18、y competitive business. Competitive sports encourage children to work together as a team. The team seems to have lost its competitive edge recently (=its ability to compete well).,Language Points,Language Points,7. Most college students are juggling their college life between studying for their exam
19、s and earning money through small jobs to support their college tuition. (Para. 5)Paraphrasing: For most college students, they have to deal with studying for the exams and earning money to pay for their tuition at the same time. tuition: When I started college, tuition was $350 a quarter.,Language
20、Points,8. The experiences one has in college really transform teenagers into adults, and gear them up for the real world. (Para. 5)Paraphrasing: The college experiences can help teenagers turn into adults, and help them to prepare for the future challenges in reality. transforminto: completely chang
21、e the appearance or character of sth / sb In the last 20 years, Korea has been transformed into a major industrial nation. The movie transformed her almost overnight from an unknown schoolgirl into a megastar.,Language Points,9. With a vast array of people from all walks of life accompanying him, he
22、 is bound to see the world as it really is and learn to accept people for what they are. (Para. 6)be bound to: be certain to do sth Dont lie to her. She is bound to find out. When you are dealing with so many patients, mistakes are bound to happen. But like everything online, its a work in progress
23、so it is bound to get better.,Language Points,10. All stereotypes and discrimination will be dropped eventually, and this is why college plays a large part in liberating a persons mind. (Para. 6) Paraphrasing: College is a place that helps liberate peoples minds, and they will get rid of their previ
24、ous stereotypes and discrimination. liberate: womens freedom to pursue careers liberated from childcare the liberating power of education,Language Points,11. These are people with whom the individual will share a strong bond for the rest of his or her life, and it will also help in building a networ
25、k of career opportunities in the future. (Para. 7) Paraphrasing: Your relationship with those people will last for the rest of your life. And this social network will help you to get more job opportunities in the future. bond between: the emotional bond between mother and child bond with: the United
26、 States special bond with Britain,Language Points,12. Obtaining a college education also helps an individual develop their confidence in themselves and grow as adults. (Para. 8) obtain: Further information can be obtained from head office. You will need to obtain permission from the principal. confi
27、dence: Our first priority is to maintain the customers confidence in our product. The survey reveals a lack of confidence in the police. She had complete confidence in the doctors. Opinion polls show that voters have lost confidence in the administration. the schools campaign to win back the confide
28、nce of parents,Language Points,13. This is a very important development for all future endeavors, and will also provide the individual with the strength to set forth in the world and do well. (Para. 8) endeavor: They made every endeavor to find the two boys. Despite our best endeavors, we couldnt st
29、art the car. set forth: set out He set forth an idealistic view of society. None quite meets all the criteria set forth above.,Language Points,14. All these factors make a college degree vitally important, and should encourage all high school students to pursue higher education. (Para. 8) pursue: Sh
30、e plans to pursue a career in politics. Students should pursue their own interests, as well as do their schoolwork. pursue a goal / aim / objective etc.: companies that pursue the traditional goal of profits a campaign promise to pursue policies that will help the poor,Language Points,15. A college
31、degree opens up doors to greater avenues and possibilities, and this is an aspect of education that must not be ignored at any cost. (Para. 9) Paraphrasing: Having a college degree may bring a lot of opportunities to individuals, and people should know the benefits are from education. avenue: The pr
32、esident wants to explore every avenue towards peace in the region. There are many avenues open to researchers. ignore: You cant ignore the fact that many criminals never go to prison. The phone rang, but she ignored it. Sam rudely ignored the question. He had completely ignored her remark, preferrin
33、g his own theory.,Language Points,16. With the help of this article, we hope each of you have received satisfactory answers to the question Why is college important? (Para. 9) satisfactory: There seems to be no satisfactory explanation. None of the solutions was entirely satisfactory. Mary got satis
34、factory grades and was offered a place at university.,I. Text Structure,(1) to live a better life (2) an investment (3) benefits (4) better jobs (5) friends (6) opportunities,Post-reading Activities,II. Comprehension Check,(1) D (2) B (3) A (4) B (5) C,Post-reading Activities,III. Discussion,(1) How
35、 do you adapt yourself to college life? (2) What are the benefits of having roommates in college?,Post-reading Activities,IV. Language Focus,Vocabulary 1 (1) investment (2) discrimination (3) diploma (4) confidence (5) bonds (6) options (7) attractions (8) opportunities (9) employment (10) individua
36、ls Vocabulary 2 (1) confidence (2) pursue (3) ignore (4) competitive (5) beneficial (6) satisfactory (7) In addition to (8) be accompanied (9) options (10) was aiming for,Post-reading Activities,IV. Language Focus,Structure(1) Dont lie to her, because she is bound to find out. (2) No matter where he
37、 is, he will be thinking of you. (3) The National Education Association is gearing up for its four-day convention in Boston. (4) Teachers should avoid at any cost unnecessary negative comments when speaking to a shy student. (5) It took a few minutes for my eyes to adjust to the dark.,Post-reading A
38、ctivities,IV. Language Focus,Cloze (1) obtain (2) transformed (3) to (4) serves (5) and (6) additional (7) experts (8) which (9) who (10) importance (11) resources (12) more (13) however (14) provides (15) beneficial,Post-reading Activities,IV. Language Focus,TranslationTask A(1) Participating in ex
39、tracurricular activities has many benefits for high school students, and sometimes they can translate into scholarship opportunities. (2) The goals and activities in this plan are consistent with the goals set forth in recently proposed plans for education reform. (3) School authorities have to cope
40、 with the problem of waste on the campus. (4) Experts define office politics as proper behavior used to pursue ones own self-interest in the workplace. (5) Nowadays a husband should not expect his wife to be bound to the house all day long.,Post-reading Activities,IV. Language Focus,TranslationTask
41、B(1)尽管获得大学学历需要较长的时间，但它在未来可以给我们提供很多新的就业机会。 (2)对拥有大学学历的人来说，就业机会要好得多，因为雇主们可以放心，此人拥有业务知识，也能应对充满竞争的工作环境。 (3)多数大学生的大学生活都周旋于为考试而学习和为贴补学费而打零工之间。 (4)周围都是形形色色的人，他一定会见到最真实的世界，学会接受现实中的人。 (5) 这一发展阶段对于未来的努力十分重要，还将为个人提供步入社会并取得成绩的实力。,Post-reading Activities,Text B,How College Is Different from High School,Backgroun
42、d Information,Elementary and Secondary Education in the United States Formal education in the United States consists of elementary, secondary and higher education. Elementary and secondary education, which forms public education, is free and compulsory. Elementary and secondary education in the Unit
43、ed States covers 12 years for ages 6 through 18. The typical organizational pattern for elementary and secondary schools is that of graded schools. Usually, the elementary school grades 1 8 and the high school 9 12. The pattern under which the elementary school covers grades 1 5 or 6, the junior sch
44、ool 6 or 7 9, and the high school 10 12 is also common. The elementary school curriculum includes reading, writing, and arithmetic or mathematics. Social studies (some history and geography), science, foreign languages, music, health and physical education are also included in almost all grades.,Ele
45、mentary and Secondary Education in the United States High schools are made up of comprehensive, academic, vocational and technical schools with somewhat different tasks. Comprehensive high schools provide both academic and vocational education; academic high schools only aim to prepare students for
46、college; vocational and technical ones generally provide for a variety of occupations and vocations though some are specialized in a single vocational or technical area. A typical high school curriculum includes almost all the subjects for elementary schools, but is more specialized. For example, En
47、glish courses stress grammar and literature. History is split into separate courses in American history, American government and European history; Algebra, geometry and trigonometry are offered, and a one-year course in general science, and then more detailed courses in biology, chemistry and physic
48、s are usually required. Many high schools offer dozens and sometimes hundreds of elective courses, ranging from philosophy and creative writing to community services.,Cultural Notes,1. The SAT Reasoning Test (学术能力评估测试推理测验) formerly Scholastic Aptitude Test (学术能力评估测试) and Scholastic Assessment Test i
49、s a standardized test for college admissions in the United States. The SAT is owned, published, and developed by the College Board, a not-for-profit organization in the United States. It was formerly developed, published, and scored by the Educational Testing Service which still administers the exam. The test is intended to assess a students readiness for college. It was first introduced in 1901, and its name and scoring have changed several times. 2. GPA: Grade Point General (平均分数) 3. ACTP: American College Testing Program (美国大学测试),
