1、Return to Menu,Unit 1,Passage A Think About It Read About It Talk About It Write About It,1. What is the message that the tree frog tries to send us?,We must take the responsibility for the planet to stay livable before it is too late.,Reference:,2. What has happened to frogs?,The frog was endangere
2、d by the worsening environment.,Reference:,3. How are we and frogs related?,Man and animals are related as we live in the same environment.,Reference:,Read About It Language Points Content Awareness Language Focus,Frog Story A couple of odd things have happened lately. I have a log cabin in those wo
3、ods of Northern Wisconsin. I built it by hand and also added a greenhouse to the front of it. It is a joy to live in. In fact, I work out of my home doing audio production and environmental work. As a tool of that trade I have a computer and a studio. I also have a tree frog that has taken up reside
4、nce in my studio. How odd, I thought, last November when I first noticed him sitting atop my sound-board over my computer. I figured that he (and I say he, though I really dont have a clue if she is a he or vice versa) would be more comfortable in the greenhouse. So I put him in the greenhouse. Back
5、 he came. And stayed. After a while I got quite used to the fact that as I would check my morning email and on-line news, he would be there with me surveying the world.,At that moment Tree Frog leaped across my foot and sat on the floor in front of my computer. He then reached up his hand to his lef
6、t ear and cupped it there. He sat before the computer and reached up his right hand to his other ear. He turned his head this way and that listening to that tone. Very focused. He then began to turn a very subtle, but brilliant shade of green and leaped full force onto the computer. And then I remem
7、bered the story about the frogs that I had heard last year on public radio. It said frogs were dying around the world. It said that because frogs skin was like a lung turned inside out, their skin was being affected by pollution and global climate change. It said that frogs were being found whose sk
8、in was like paper. All dried up. It said that frogs were an “indicator species”. That frogs will die first because of the sensitivity. Then, I understood.,The frogs have a message for us and it is the same message that some sober folks have had for us. “There are no more choices.” We have reached th
9、e time when we must be the adults for the planet, for the sake of the future generations of human and for frogs. Because we are related. Then I understood that there are no boundaries, that there is no more time. That we, for the sake of our relatives, must act now. And then I understood, not only w
10、hy the frog was there, but, also why I am here.,Wisconsin,Wisconsin is a state in the north central United States. Its total area is 169,642 sq km. The name of the state comes from an Indian word that may mean “gathering of the waters” or “place of the beaver”. The capital is Madison. Wisconsin rank
11、s 18th in population (5,169,677 by 1997 estimate) among the 50 states and is an important state in terms of the value of its manufacturing. Wisconsin remains a leading dairy state, accounting for about 14% (1999) of U.S. milk and 27% (1999) of the nations output of cheese.Despite Wisconsins many lak
12、es, ponds, and rivers, drought especially in summer can be a serious problem.,tree frog,audio adj. related to recording and broadcasting sound,Examples With such an audio card in your computer, you can produce your own music. Audio signals will be given when traffic light changes.,atop prep. on top
13、of something,Examples Under the newspaper, atop a sheet of paper, lay an envelope. There is a seagull atop the mast.,vice versa used when the opposite of a situation that has been just described is also true,Examples He doesnt trust her, and vice versa. Teachers qualified to teach in England are not
14、 accepted in Scotland and vice versa.,hum v. to make a low, continuous sound,Examples The birds sang, and the bees hummed. Within half an hour of his arrival, the equipment started humming again.,overtake v. to come upon unexpectedly; take by surprise,Examples Something like panic overtook me in a f
15、lood. The people all over the world were overtaken by the 9-11 attack in New York.,urge n. a strong wish or need,Examples The people with a powerful urge to compete and succeed are more likely to have heart attacks. When I was young, I often felt an urge for chocolate.,tone n. the quality of a sound
16、, especially the sound of a musical instrument or someones voice,Examples It wasnt so much what she said that annoyed me it was her tone. He told the story to his parents in pleasant tones.,weird adj. unusual and different from anything you have seen or heard before,Examples Mikes got a really weird
17、 sense of humor. Drugs can make one do all kinds of weird things.,communicate v. to exchange information or conversation with other people,Examples They communicate in sign language with ease. Its cheap and efficient to use e-mail to communicate with your friends wherever they may be.,at this/that r
18、ate if things continue to happen in the same way as now,Examples At this rate, we shall soon be bankrupt. At this rate, well never be home by midnight.,survive v. to continue to exist in spite of many difficulties and dangers,Examples When the market economy is introduced, many factories will have d
19、ifficulties to survive. The chance of surviving an air crash always is slim if not nil.,focus v. to pay special attention to a particular person or thing instead of others,Examples I cannot focus my attention on my study with such a noise. The TV program focuses on the cause why people take drugs.,s
20、ubtle adj. not easy to notice or understand unless you pay careful attention,Examples The two pictures are similar, but there are subtle differences between them. The slow and subtle changes are taking place in all living things.,brilliant adj. bright, shining,Examples The woman had brilliant green
21、eyes. The sky was a brilliant, cloudless blue.,indicator n. sth. that can be regarded as a sign which shows you in what way a situation is changing,Examples All the indicators show that there will be a rise in the stock market before long. The number of wells is a fair indicator of the demand for wa
22、ter.,species n. a group of animals or plants which are all similar and can breed together to produce young animals or plants of the same kind as them,Examples Panda has been declared an endangered species. Some people believe that the Internet is the greatest tool our species has invented.,sensitivi
23、ty n. the quality of being easily influenced, changed or damaged, esp. by a physical activity or effect,Examples Sex education at school is cautiously pushed because of the cultural sensitivity. The sensitivity of the information allowed only two people to know it.,sober adj. serious and thoughtful;
24、 not affected by drug or alcoholic liquors,Examples Halloween is never a day to be sober. The party was in a sober mood, people just standing there chatting politely.,boundary n. the official line that marks the edge of town, country, etc.,Examples Terrorists operate across national boundaries. Conq
25、uering any difficulty always gives one a secret joy, for it means pushing back a boundary-line and adding to ones liberty.,for the sake of because of, or for the purpose of,Examples Lets not disagree for the sake of some small details. For the sake of historical accuracy, please permit me to state t
26、he true facts.,. I was suddenly overtaken by an urge to know why he was there and not in the greenhouse, where I figured hed live a happier frog life.,Paraphrase ,Paraphrase Suddenly I had a strong urge to know why he was there and not in the greenhouse, where I thought hed live a happier frog life.
27、,The tone seemed to hit me right in the center of my mind.,Paraphrase ,Paraphrase The tone seemed to attract my intense attention.,“Understand what?” my mind jumped in.,Paraphrase ,Paraphrase “Understand what?” the question came into my mind.,The fax said that the earth is warming at 1.9 degrees eac
28、h decade.,Paraphrase ,Paraphrase The fax said that the earth is getting 1.9 degrees warmer every ten years.,Read and think Exercise 2 Exercise 3 Exercise 4,Ex. 2 Work in pairs to make a conversation between the author and the frog. You play the author and your partner the frog, or vice versa. The co
29、nversation should cover the following steps.,Ex. 3 Find out more supporting details in the passage for the following statements, especially the underlined parts.,A tree frog has taken up residence in my studio.,He stopped and turned around and just sat there looking at me.,Ex. 3 Find out more suppor
30、ting details in the passage for the following statements, especially the underlined parts.,Possibly the tone of my computer sounded to him like other tree frogs.,Ex. 3 Find out more supporting details in the passage for the following statements, especially the underlined parts.,Frogs were dying arou
31、nd the world.,Frogs were being found whose skin was like paper.,Frogs are an “indicator species”.,Ex. 3 Find out more supporting details in the passage for the following statements, especially the underlined parts.,The frogs have a message for us.,We must be the adults for the planet.,There are no b
32、oundaries, that there is no more time.,Ex. 4 Fill in each of the blanks with an appropriate word.,I found a tree frog in my studio some months ago. I took it to my g_, as I thought it would be a better place for the frog. But it came back and insisted taking the r_ in the studio. Why? I couldnt get
33、an idea. Then, after five months of being together, we seemed to be able to c_ with each other. It may sound w_, but I did feel I came to understand what it wanted me to do. The frog came to me probably attracted by the h_ tone of my computer, which sounded like that of other tree frogs, or with a m
34、_ to tell me that frogs were dying around the world because of their s_ to the pollution and global climate change. As frogs are an “i_ species”, what has happened to them may happen to us, if we sit back and do nothing. We must act now, or it would be too late.,Check up,I found a tree frog in my st
35、udio some months ago. I took it to my g_, as I thought it would be a better place for the frog. But it came back and insisted taking the r_ in the studio. Why? I couldnt get an idea. Then, after five months of being together, we seemed to be able to c_ with each other. It may sound w_, but I did fee
36、l I came to understand what it wanted me to do. The frog came to me probably attracted by the h_ tone of my computer, which sounded like that of other tree frogs, or with a m_ to tell me that frogs were dying around the world because of their s_ to the pollution and global climate change. As frogs a
37、re an “i_ species”, what has happened to them may happen to us, if we sit back and do nothing. We must act now, or it would be too late.,greenhouse,residence,communicate,wired,humming,message,sensitivity,indicator,Ex. 4 Fill in each of the blanks with an appropriate word.,Read and complete: Exercise
38、 5 Exercise 6 Exercise 7 Read and translate: Exercise 8 Read and simulate: Exercise 9,Ex. 5 Pair each word in the left column with a word associated in meaning in the right column, and then make a sentence with the paired words.,Model:1. soda a. urge2. overtake b. thirsty,1. I was so thirsty that I
39、drank up the soda.,2. Seeing the poor conditions of the village school on TV, thousands of people were overtaken by an urge to help,Ex. 5 Pair each word in the left column with a word associated in meaning in the right column, and then make a sentence with the paired words.,Check up,Ex. 5 Pair each
40、word in the left column with a word associated in meaning in the right column, and then make a sentence with the paired words.,1. He didnt raise his voice, but his tone was obviously threatening.,Ex. 5 Pair each word in the left column with a word associated in meaning in the right column, and then
41、make a sentence with the paired words.,_,Reference:,Ex. 5 Pair each word in the left column with a word associated in meaning in the right column, and then make a sentence with the paired words.,2. Some people report that their car sickness is often caused by their sensitivity to the smell of gasoli
42、ne.,_,Reference:,Ex. 5 Pair each word in the left column with a word associated in meaning in the right column, and then make a sentence with the paired words.,3. The farmers are very much worried that their crops would be affected by the severe climate change.,_,Reference:,Ex. 5 Pair each word in t
43、he left column with a word associated in meaning in the right column, and then make a sentence with the paired words.,4. Recent years have seen great efforts to tap new resources of energy.,_,Reference:,Ex. 5 Pair each word in the left column with a word associated in meaning in the right column, an
44、d then make a sentence with the paired words.,5. There are more concerns about the local environment due to heavy use of chemicals.,_,Reference:,1. The essayists language expresses rich and _ meanings.,subtle,audio boundary cup (v.) decade directly focus overtake species subtle tone,2. The stockbrok
45、ers _ by the sharp drop in the stock market last Tuesday.,were overtaken,Ex. 6 Fill in the blanks with the words given below. Make changes where necessary.,3. Biologists have estimated that there are around one million animal and plant _ living and growing in the rainforests.,species,audio boundary
46、cup (v.) decade directly focus overtake species subtle tone,4. In the United States the cost of living has been steadily rising in the past few _.,decades,Ex. 6 Fill in the blanks with the words given below. Make changes where necessary.,5. The quickly growing company has ambitious plans to expand b
47、eyond national _.,boundaries,audio boundary cup (v.) decade directly focus overtake species subtle tone,6. That computer store is having a sale of _ software; lets go and have a look.,audio,Ex. 6 Fill in the blanks with the words given below. Make changes where necessary.,7. To be safe, you may put on your dark glasses to avoid the sun shining _ into your eyes.,directly,audio boundary cup (v.) decade directly focus overtake species subtle tone,
