Unit 2

The First Oyster

1. Leading-in2. Language Points3. Guided Writing4. Presentation and Exercises

The First Oyster

Lead-in

1. Background Information2. Discussion

My first oyster is presented by the writer as a “coming of age ceremony” (reaching the age of maturity, which in many cultures is marked with a special celebration).

Background Information

• Oysters were an important food source in all coastal areas where they could be found, and oyster fisheries were an important industry where they were plentiful. Overfishing and pressure from diseases and pollution have sharply reduced supplies, but they remain a popular treat, celebrated in oyster festivals in many cities and towns.

Background Information

• crab

a sea animal with a hard shell, five legs on each side, and two large claws

Background Information

• prawn

a small pink shellfish that can be eaten

Background Information

• lobster

a sea animal with eight legs, a shell, and two large claws

Background Information

Work in pairs. Talk about the food you associate with:

• Spring FestivalI associate jiaozi with Spring Festival.

• your childhoodWhenever I eat candies / toffee hawthorn ( 冰糖葫芦 ), I think of my childhood.

• a summer’s dayI think about an ice lolly ( 冰棍 ) / ice cream on a summer’s day.

• the end of the working dayI associate the end of my working day with a pint of beer / a cup of tea.

Language Points

1. Vocabulary

2. Sentences

烤箱里正在烤面包 .

I'm baking some bread.

有些地方仍使用在太阳下晒干砖块的方法。In some places, bricks are still baked in the sun.

bake: v. to cook something using dry heat, in an oven 烘 ; 烤 ; 焙

1. She _______________ no one had been at the airport to meet her.

2. She often ________________ not feeling appreciated at work.

3. Several women __________________ sexual harassment.

4. Neighbours _____________ the police about the dogs barking.

complain (that); complain about; complain of; complain

to

cmplained that

complains about

have complained of

complained to

Complain: v. to say that you are annoyed, not satisfied, or unhappy about something or someone 抱怨 ; 发牢骚 ; 投诉

v. to break or to make something break, so that it gets lines on its surface, or breaks into pieces 砸开 ; ( 使 ) 开裂; ( 使 ) 破裂

crack something on something

v. to hit someone or something hard 砸

He picked up a piece of rock and cracked it in half.

Don't put boiling water in the glass or it will crack.

I slipped and cracked my head on the door.

She cracked him over the head with a hammer.

crack

n. a feeling that you have no hope at all 绝望

– She killed herself ___________.

– The noise from the neighbors used to______ _____________.

– __________________________, the company announced the closure of the factory.

to the despair of sb.in despair drive sb. to despair

in despair

drive him

to despair

To the despair of the workers

despair

v. to get rid of something

[= throw away] 丢弃 ; 抛弃

他被历史所抛弃。

他把旧书都扔了。

History discarded him.

He discarded his old books.

discard

adj. very big in size or in amount [= huge] 巨大的 ; 极大的 ; 很多的

enormous

huge

gigantic

巨额费用

巨大的成功

巨浪

力大无穷的人

极度失望

an enormous expenses

a man of enormous strength

a huge wave

a huge success

a gigantic disappointment

enormous

v. to make an angry, unhappy, or confused expression,

moving your eyebrows together 皱眉 ; 蹙额

She frowned as she read the letter.

常用短语 frown on / upon sb. / sth.: to disapprove of someone or something, especially someone's behavior

frown

常用短语 frown at

Mattie frowned at him disapprovingly.

Even though divorce is legal, it is still frowned upon.

adj. making you feel that things will not improve [= depressing] 沮丧的

adj. sad because you think the situation will not improve [= depressed] 悲观的

adj. dark, especially in a way that makes you feel sad 阴暗的 ; 幽暗的

gloomy

The report paints a gloomy picture of the economy.

Anne dismissed these gloomy thoughts from her mind.

It was a gloomy room with one small window.

n. a tool, especially one used for outdoor physical

work 工具；器具

v. to take action or make changes that you have officially decided should happen 落实 ; 实施

implement

农具 farming implements

常用表达 implement a policy / plan / decision etc.

We have decided to implement the committee's decision.

n. the fact of being not guilty of a crime [≠ guilt] 清白 ; 无辜

n. lack of experience of life or knowledge of the bad things in the world 无知 ; 幼稚 ; 天真

innocence

Can you prove your innocence?

常用表达 protest / maintain your innocence

(=say repeatedly that you are not guilty)

The prisoners continued to protest their innocence.

the innocence of childhood In our innocence we believed everything we were told.

n. an amount of food or drink that you put into your mouth at one time ( 食物或饮料的 ) 一口

Michael told his story between mouthfuls.Betty drank a mouthful of beer.

a handful of rice 一把米 a fistful of nuts 一把坚果 A small handful of men 少数人 A fistful of toffees 一把太妃糖

mouthful

n. the way you think about something and your idea of what it is like 看法 ; 认识

n. the way that you notice things with your senses of sight,

hearing etc. 感觉 ; 知觉能力

n. the natural ability to understand or notice things quickly

洞察力

perception

children's perceptions of the world

visual perception

Ross shows unusual perception for a boy of his age.

adj. something that is slippery is difficult to hold, walk on, etc. because it is wet or greasy 湿滑的 ; 滑的

In places, the path can be wet and slippery.

Harry's palms were slippery with sweat.

slippery

变化不定的形势变化不定的地位难以捉摸的字眼难于应付的 , 滑头的

a slippery position

a slippery term

a slippery situation

as slippery as an eel

adj. (informal) tasting very good 美味的 ; 可口的

Yucky难吃的、恶心的

Yummy好吃的、美味的

yummy

This cake is really yummy.

After the rainy season, the berries high on the

mountain were really yummy.

to reach the age when you are legally considered to be

a responsible adult 成年 ; 到了法定年龄

sth. reaches a stage of development at which people

accept it as being important, valuable, etc. 发展成熟

come of age

He will inherit the money when he comes of age.

During this period the movies really came of age as an art form.

1 … and to mark an important event in my life, as important to my father as coming of age: my first oyster. (Para 5)

• The father thought that oysters were such a very special dish and that trying oysters for the first time was like “coming of age”. This is humor through exaggeration.

2 … and the only emotion was the fear of lost innocence … (Para 7)

• For a child, being innocent is usually regarded in the West as a positive quality, so losing innocence in some way can be sad or regretful, even though it is a sign of growing up

3 … striking a note of compromise for the first time … (Para 9)

• To strike a note of something means to speak in a particular manner or tone. Here, the father indicated a compromise or bargain: If the son ate an oyster, he could choose some other food which he liked.

4… he raised his glass to me and said, “Cheers!” (Para 13)

• This is a common way to make a toast on formal occasions. Similar ways to express good wishes when holding a glass of drinks, just before you drink it, include “Good health!” “Good luck!”.

An argumentative passage

• Teaching steps• Ask Ss to read the sentences and think

about the functions given.• Ask Ss to read the other sentences in the

passage which follow the sentences quoted. How many of them give support with examples or specific details? Are there counter-examples of a possible objection to the main argument?

An argumentative passage

• Describe a common idea or impression.

In my city, visitors can quickly notice how many local people eat street food for breakfast. Many people start the day at roadside carts or in small eating places, where they stand or sit on stools to enjoy hot-dry noodles ( 热干面 ) or local specialities, like fried dough with herbs ( 面窝 ) or bean pan ( 豆皮 ).

An argumentative passage

• Describe a contrasting idea.

On the other hand, fast food is also popular, especially with young people. Many go to the fast food restaurants and sometimes you can’t find a place to sit. However, they probably eat their chicken or burgers with chips later in the day or at night – not in the early morning.

An argumentative passage

Refer back to the common idea or impression in the first paragraph.

So why is street food more popular for breakfast? There seem to be several reasons. First there is the huge variety. You can eat a different breakfast every day because there are so many kinds of local styles available. Then there is the price – local street food is cheaper than fast food. And, of course, having a street breakfast on your way to work is a strong local tradition, so there are cultural reasons too.

An argumentative passage

• Refer back to the contrasting argument in the second paragraph.

However, perhaps we really need to ask why people in my city go to the fast food places. Although it generally costs more to eat there, the restaurants are clean. There is a fashion for such Western food and some students like to meet their friends there.

An argumentative passage

• Develop the main argument and give examples.

Personally, I prefer street food, not only for breakfast, but for snacks at other times too. However, there may be a problem for some foreign visitors to China with street food for breakfast because they may not know what to ask for, and perhaps they will not try unfamiliar food in the streets. It is easier for foreign visitors to order fast food as it is the same everywhere.

An argumentative passage

• Draw a conclusion.

In conclusion, I think we could introduce more visitors to our street food, then they will have a better idea of our food culture.

Thank you!