11 Unit 5 Silent Spring

Unit 5

一、授课时间：

第

10

、

11

周

< br>二．授课类型：

理论课

9

课时； 实践课

3

课时

三．授课题目：

Silent Spring

四．授课时数

：

12

五．教学目的和要求：

通过讲授课文 使大学生了解有关环境保护的有关知识，

学会用英语解释句子以达到学以

致用的目的。

要求学生主动地预习课文，

课前准备练习 ，

学会分析文章体裁和进行段落划分。

六．教学重点和难点：

1

）背景知识的传授：

About the author

；

2

）文章的体裁分析及段落划分；

3

）语言点的理解：

Word study: to change; to exchange; beside; besides; except; used to; be used to; to shiver;

to tremble; to shake; to shudder

Grammar

Focus:

Study

and

learn

how

the

words

such

and

so

are

used;

Study

such

patterns as

considering

…

; given time; it is no accident that; it is not my contention that

.

七．教学基本内容和纲要

Part One Warm

–

up

1.1 Warm-up Questions

1.2 Define the following words and phrases

Part Two Background Information

2.1

What can you infer about Carson’s view of the relation between man and nature?

Part Three Text Appreciation

3.1 Text Analysis

3.1.1 Theme of the text

3.1.2 Structure of the text

3.2 Writing Devices

3.2.1 Contrast

3.2.2 Developing paragraphs by examples

3.2.3 Other ways of developing paragraphs?

3.3 Sentence Paraphrase

Part Four Language Study

4.1 Phrases and Expressions

4.1.1 Word list:

4.1.2 Phrases and expressions list:

4.1.3 Word Building

4.2 Grammar

4.2.1 Object

Part Five Extension

5.1 Group discussion

八、教学方法和措施

本单元将运用黑 板、

粉笔、

多媒体网络辅助教学设备等教学手段，

主要采用以学生为主

体、教师为主导的任务型、合作型等教学模式，具体运用 教师讲授法、师生讨论、生生讨论

等方法进行教学。

九．作业，讨论题，思考题

完成课后练习；

多看英语报刊杂志及英语经典小说，扩大阅读量；

精听与泛听相结合，逐步提高自己的听力水平；

积极参加英语角等有助于提高英语口语的活动；

坚持用英语写日记；

做一些专四相关练习；

十．参考资料：

1)

杨立民主编

,

《现代大学英语精读》

（

3

）第二版，学生用书。北京：外语教学与研

究出版社

,2012

。

2)

杨立民主编

,

《现代大学英语精读》

（

3

）第二版，教师用书。北京：外语教学与研

究出版社

,2012

。

3)

李观仪主编，

< br>《新编英语教程》

（第三、

四册）

。

上海

:

上海外语教学研究出版

,

1999

。

4)

黄源深，

虞苏美等主编，

《综合英语教程》

（

1-4

册）

。

北京：

< br>高等教育出版社，

1998

。

5)

《高等学校英语专业英语教学大 纲》

，北京：外语教学研究出版社，

2000

< br>。

6)

Judy Pearsall

主编，

《 新牛津英语词典》

。上海：上海外语教育出版社，

1998

。

7)

丁往道、吴冰等编著，

《英语写作手册》

。北 京：外语教学与研究出版社。

8)

张道真，

《现代英语用法词典》

（重排 本）

。北京：外语教学与研究出版社，

1994

。

9)

张道真，

温志达

,

< br>《英语语法大全》

上、

下卷。

北 京：

外语教学与研究出版社，

1998

。

十一、

课后小结

Unit 5 Silent Spring

Part One Warm

–

up

1.1 Warm-up Questions

1. What is the message given to us in the essay? What are Rachel Carson

’

s main arguments? Have

they stood the test of time?

2.

We

are

faced

with

all

kinds

of

environmental

problems

nowadays.

But

what

is

the

one

that

Rachel Carson dealt with in her book

Silent Spring

?

3. How do chemicals affect the environment and people?

4. Does Carson mean that insecticides should never be used in agriculture?

1.2 Define the following words and phrases

1. be geared to

2.

introduce…into

3.

a great variety of…

4.

hold sth within bounds

5.

built-in

6.

check

7.

a limit on…

8.

set the stage for

9.

explosive (increases)

10.

live on (wheat)

11.

a/another factor in…is…

Part Two Background Information

2.1 Rachel Carson (1907-1964) biologist, writer, ecologist

1. intense love for nature since her childhood

→

“Humans have now acquired a fateful power to alter and to destroy nature. But Man is a par

t of

nature, and his war against nature is inevitably a war against himself.”

―

Rachel Carson

She was once bitterly attacked:

“an anti

-

humanitarian crank, a priestess of nature, and a hysterical woman”

But she courageously went on fighting until her idea caught on and more and more people joined

in.

→

the mother of modern environmental movement

About the book:

1. When was it published?

2. Who was the author?

3. What is it about? What is its central argument?

4. How was it received?

5. How significant is it now?

6. Does it still make sense now?

Part Three Text Appreciation

3.1 Text Analysis

1.

Questions for thinking:

a.

What can you infer about Carson’s view of the relation between man and nature?

b.

Was her view common in her time?

c.

How do you arrive at this inference?

3.1.2 Structure of the text

Part I:

paras.1-6

a town before & after the disaster

Part II: paras. 7-9

cause of the disaster: chemicals

Part III: paras. 10-14

character & impact of man’s tampering with nature

Part IV: paras. 15-18

reasons why pesticides fail to solve the pest problem

Part V: paras. 19-24

cause of modern pest problem and possible solutions

Part VI: para. 25

conclusion

Logic & Technique

What: from interest to concern

description

How: from general to specific

exposition

from nature to man

Why: from effect to cause

argumentation

How: from cause to solution

exposition & argumentation

Relevant questions:

1. Why did Carson devote a whole paragraph to describe the spreading of species in nature before

she mentioned man’s role in the process?

2

Did she always first describe the mechanisms in nature before talking about man’s tampering

with nature?

3.

Why did she present her ideas in this way? What’s her hidden argument?

3.1.3 Detailed Analysis of the text

Part I: Main Idea

Contrast: a town before & after the disaster

Before

After

Color

Color

Sound

Sound

Motion

Motion

Overall impression:

Overall impression:

vibrant,

lifeless,

harmonious,

deserted,

beautiful

awful

Part II: Discussion

1.

Why did the author paint such a beautiful picture of a non- existent town?

2.

What was she trying to appeal to?

Part III: Discussion

1. How has man changed the relation between organisms and their surroundings?

Human

Nature

Direction:

Direction:

life

→

environment

environment

→

life

Speed:

Speed:

Character: destructive

Character: adaptative

irrecoverable

2. In what way has man’s power changed in character

？

(para. 11)

3. How do chemicals affect our life? (para. 11)

“passing from one to another

in a chain of poisoning and death”

4. What are the two examples given by the author as man’s tampering

with nature? (paras. 11-13)

5. Why is man’s change of the world particularly devastating? (paras. 12

-14)

Part IV: Discussion

1. Why are pesticides not a good solution? (3 reasons)

They kill indiscriminately, reducing biodiversity. (para. 16)

They contaminate the entire environment. (para. 16)

–

residual effect

They couldn’t solve the pest problem. (para. 17)

–

resistance to chemicals

–

resurgence induced by pesticides

2. What does the “endless spiral” refer to? (para. 17)

3. What does the author mean by saying

“all life is caught up in its violent crossfire”? (para. 17)

4. What is the author’s attitude towards man’s use of chemicals? How is it implied?

Rhetorical questions:

“Can anyone believe it is … ?”(para. 16)

“How could intelligent beings…?” (p

ara. 18)

Part V: Discussion

1. What principles should we follow to solve the pest problem? (para. 19)

2. How did the pest problem come into being?

intensification of agriculture (para. 20)

invasion of imported species (paras. 21-23)

3. Does spreading of organisms to new places happen in nature? How does it happen? What is the

primary factor in this natural process?

geological

element,

i.e.

separating

and

rejoining

of

lands

which

took

millions

of

years

to

complete (para. 21)

4. What are the sensible measures to solve the pest problem? (para. 24)

to avoid suppressing “pests”

to get more knowledge

to promote an even balance

5. In what ways have we done wrong in using chemicals?