Www.themegallery.com An Integrated English Course Book 3 Unit 13

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An Integrated English Course

An Integrated English Course

Book 3

Unit 13


Learning Objectives Learning Objectives By the end of this unit, you are supposed to

• grasp the author’s purpose of writing and make clear the structure of the whole passage through an intensive reading of Text 1;

• comprehend and paraphrase key sentences;

• learn new words and structures and use them with fluency and accuracy;

• discuss friendship and peer pressure.


Teaching ProceduresTeaching Procedures

Pre-reading QuestionsText I. A Magic Circle of Friends

● Passage● Structure analysis● Main idea of the passage● Language points

● sentence studies ● vocabulary studies

Text II. Dealing with Peer Pressure


1. What is your understanding of “friends”?

2. Do you have many friends? Can you describe the relationship between you and your friends?

Pre-reading questions


Main IdeaMain Idea

It discusses benefits of having friends. The author elaborates on the kinds of friends she has and the effect of their friendship on her life and her attitude toward people and her world view.


The passage can be divided into three parts.

Part One: (Para. 1) Her opinion of herselfPart Two: (Para. 5-13)

The kinds of friends she has and the effect of their friendship on her life and her attitude toward people and her world-view

Part Three: (Para. 14-20)

The effects of having friends

Structure Analysis Structure Analysis


Text 1A Magic Circle of Friends

Text 1A Magic Circle of Friends


Older than forty and starting from scratch: I thought I was a unique item, but as soon as I peeked out of my shell I found a sea of women in similar positions.

The little child in us has grown mature and middle-aged, almost to our surprise. We share a fear that sits in the back of the mind like a spider ready to pounce but we’ve also developed determination, almost like a religion.

We know we have friends; at least, I know my friends are with me, if not always, at least most of the time. And most of the time I need them, and they me. We reach over the phone lines for that word of comfort, the encouragement we need to go on when our own store of willpower has become depleted.


Returning to school, I found my friends were my best fans. In spite of their own insecurities, they never failed to offer me the cheering I often needed to rewrite a paper one more time or to stay up one last half-hour to re-read a difficult chapter.

After classes we would go to a diner, a bunch of over-forty classmates. Working together on a project that we felt strongly about ignited a part of us we did not know existed. While we were quite far from orthopedic shoes, bifocals were prominent. Underneath the artful make-up, we would measure the wrinkles on each other’s cheeks across the table, almost as if these lines could form a cord to link us.

It was a good time. For years, in a locked-up corner of our minds, we had held the unspoken fear that we might actually be brain-dead. We were finally giving ourselves permission to celebrate our minds.


For some, it was a return to the carefree years of college. For others, a first-time discovery that learning can be both fun and exhilarating. Besides the intellectual surprises, we found joy in each other’s company, and we delved in this newly-found camaraderie with an intensity we did not know we could achieve outside of love and pregnancies. We were, and are, proud of our ages. The only woman in the group who was under thirty struck most of us as brash, angry, and, frankly, quite inappropriate. We were probably insensitive to her needs, but somehow we failed to find out how she felt in our midst and were almost relieved when she found excuses for not joining our study sessions.

We ended up treating her almost like a daughter, and doing for


us would always agree, and even our disagreements were somehow smooth and enjoyable.

We had, in fact, created a sort of bubble around us, a magic circle that follows us still and says we are bright, successful, caring, ambitious, and, finally, ready to change the world. We will not do it, as we might have been ready to do at twenty, pushing and fighting and abrading.

We will do it instead at a slower pace, because, along the way, we have learned lessons both small and big: for example, that the world is in no hurry to be changed and that we will have a better shot at it after a good night’s sleep. We may not complete our plans by tomorrow, or even by the end of the week, because the details of our lives may interfere, such as a child home from college, or a neighbor’s emergency.


Our goals may not even be achieved exactly as originally planned, and that is fine, too, because time has also brought us a sense of flexibility and an appreciation for the serendipitous properties of practically any action. The end product could turn out to be infinitely more complex, and in its way more perfect, more multifaceted and rich, than what we had first envisioned. The process is in itself an achievement.

They call us “late bloomers,” they call us “returnees.” We are sought by schools, thanks to the sheer numbers we represent, not to mention the life experience and the common sense that even the least bright among us brings to the classroom. We feel flattered and surprised, and our ego is bolstered by the realization that we are indeed quite capable.

There are fears, too (“Will it all make sense at some point? What if I’ll never be able to get a decent job?”), but they are kept for only a


few pairs of ears, where we know we will find support and understanding.

Graduation comes: the last papers have been handed in with trepidation, the test booklets carrying in their pages the very essence of our knowledge closed for the last time. Goodbyes, with promises and some tears, even a photograph to keep as souvenir. We’ve made it: watch out world, here come the mothers and the grandmothers, ready to push, cajole, smile and negotiate to achieve those goals we did not have a chance to effect the first time around.

We may just begin to feel a few arthritic pangs in our toes and fingers, but with our hair neatly streaked and some expensive dental work, we know we still look good. We know we are still strong, smart, vital, and, especially, ready to work. This time around we will make a big difference. We know, because, for sure, we already are different.


Paraphrase I had thought that I was quite different fro

m other people, but when I directed my attention from myself to other people I found that there were so many people just like me.


Paraphrase To our surprise, the little child among us w

hen we were young has already grown mature and already in her middle age. And we realize that we are really getting old.


Paraphrase

We all know that “orthopedic shoes” are used to correct leg or spine deformation in children while bifocals are used by the elderly to see things which are near or far off. So this sentence means that they are not young any longer, and they are getting old.


Paraphrase Some of us regarded it as an opportunity t

o be back to the college life, which is free without any restraint. Others had never thought learning could be so pleasant, and this was the first time for them to recognize the pleasure in learning.


Paraphrase We found so many surprises in school,

and apart from that, we also enjoyed the company of each other very much. We appreciated this kind of friendship intensely, just like what we felt for our lovers when we were in love or for the baby when we were pregnant.


Paraphrase Maybe we would not reach our goals as e

asily as we had imagined. But that was also fine, because we could adjust ourselves to the surrounding during such a long enough time, and recognize virtues in actions that couldn’t be discovered so easily.


Paraphrase The thing that matters for them is not the r

esult any longer but the process.


Language PointsLanguage Points

1. From scratchFrom the very beginning, esp., without utilizing

or relying on any previous work for assistance

Eg., He built his own computer company from scratch.

2. Out of one’s shellBecoming less shy and more confident and willi

ng to talk to people


3. End upTo finally be in a particular place or situation

Eg., They are traveling across Europe by train and are planning to end up in Moscow.

4. Pick up the slackTo do the work which somebody else has stopped doing

but which still needs to be done

5. ShotAn attempt to do or achieve sth that you have not done

before


6. Turn outTo be known or discovered finally and surprisin

gly

7. Late bloomerSb who becomes good at sth after people usu b

ecome at it

8. Thanks toBecause of sb or sth


9. Not to mentionUsed when you want to emphasize sth that you

are adding to a list

10. PangA sudden sharp feeling, esp of painful emotion

11. StreakedHaving long thin noticeable lines of a different c

olor


TEXT 2: Dealing with Peer PressureTEXT 2: Dealing with Peer Pressure

“Come on! ALL of us are cutting math. Who wants to go take that quiz? We’re going to take a walk and get lunch instead. Let’s go!” says the kid in school with whom you’re dying to be friends. Do you do what you know is right and go to math class, quiz and all? Or, do you give in and go with them? As you grow older, you’ll be faced with some challenging decisions. Some don’t have a clear right or wrong answer, like should you play soccer or field hockey? Other decisions involve serious moral dilemmas, like whether to cut class, try cigarettes, or lie to your parents. Making decisions on your own is hard enough, but when other people get involved and try to pressure you one way or another it can


be even harder. When people your own age try to influence how you act, it’s called peer pressure. It’s something everyone has to deal with ─ even adults. Read on to find out about peer pressure and how to deal with it.

Defining Peer Pressure A peer is a friend or acquaintance who is about the sam

e age as you. You probably interact with peers in school, at your church or synagogue, on your soccer team, or in your tutoring session. Peers influence your life, whether you know it or not, just by spending time with you. You learn from them, and they learn from you. It’s only human nature to listen to learn from other people in your age group.

Peers can have a positive influence on each other. Maybe another student in your science class taught you an easy way to remember the planets in the solar system, or someone on the soccer


team taught you a cool trick with the ball. You might admire a friend who is always a good sport and try to be more like her. Maybe you got others excited about your new favorite book, and now everyone’s reading it. These are examples of how peers positively influence each other everyday.

Sometimes peers influence each other in negative ways. For example, one kid in school might try to get another to cut class with him, your soccer friend might try to convince you to be mean to another player and never pass her the ball, or a kid in the neighborhood might want you to shoplift with him.

Why Do People Give in to Peer Pressure? Some kids give in to peer pressure because they want t

o be liked, to fit in, or because they worry that other kids may make fun of them if they don’t go along with the group. Others may go along because they are curious to try something new that others are doing.


The idea that “everyone’s doing it” may influence some kids to leave their better judgment, or their common sense, behind.

Peer pressure can be extremely strong and hard to resist. Experiments have shown how peer pressure can influence someone to change her mind from what she knows for sure is a correct answer to the incorrect answer — just because everyone else gives the incorrect answer! These studies have also shown that all it takes for someone to stand her ground on what she knows is right is for one other peer to join her. That principle holds true for people of any age in peer pressure situations.

How to Walk Away from Peer Pressure It can be hard to walk away from peer pressure, but it can be done.

Paying attention to your own feelings and beliefs about what is right and wrong can help you know the right thing to do. Inner strength and self-confidence can help you stand firm, walk away, and resist doing something when you know better.


Having at least one other peer who joins you takes a lot of the power out of peer pressure and makes it much easier to resist. It’s great to have friends with values similar to yours who will back you up when you don’t want to do something.

You’ve probably had a parent or teacher advise you to “choose your friends wisely.” Peer pressure is a big reason why they say this. If you choose friends who don’t use drugs, cut class, smoke cigarettes, or lie to their parents, then you probably won’t do these things either, even if other kids do. Remember to join a friend if you see him having trouble resisting peer pressure. It can be powerful for one kid to join another by simply saying, “I’m with you, let’s go.”

Even if you’re faced with peer pressure while you’re alone, there are still things you can do. For example, if you’re out at recess and you see the group of kids who are always trying to get you to


smoke cigarettes with them, avoid them. If you don’t go near the group at all, they can’t try to pressure you. Simply telling them you don’t want to smoke might be another option for you. Or, if you’re going outside during lunchtime, hang out with other people who are doing thing you enjoy. Maybe there’s a dodgeball game getting started or a group of kids are running races.

If you continue to face peer pressure and you’re finding it difficult to handle, talk to someone you trust. Don’t feel guilty if you’ve made a mistake or two. Talking to a parent, teacher, or guidance counselor can help you feel much better and prepare you for the next time you face peer pressure.

Powerful, Positive Peer Pressure Peer pressure is not always a bad thing. It can be pow

erful in shaping positive behaviors in kids.


For example, in some schools where bullies have been a problem, peer pressure has been used to influence the kids who are bullying to straighten up and act right. There are many elementary schools in which peer groups have joined together to prevent bullying.

Sometimes it takes adult guidance to help with such a big plan, but the power of the peer group for positive change is a major force. Remember, if you stand your ground and do what you know is right, you’ll never regret it!


Questions for Discussion 1. Why do people give in to peer pressure?

2. How can one walk away from peer pressure?

3. Can peer pressure have any positive influence? If so, what positive influence can it have?


Answers for reference1.Some kids give in to peer pressure because they

want to be liked, to fit in, or because they worry that other kids may make fun of them if they don’t go along with the group. Others may go along because they are curious to try something new that others are doing. The idea that “everyone’s doing it” may influence some kids to leave their better judgment, or their common sense, behind.


2.─ Paying attention to your own feelings and beliefs about what is right and wrong can help you know the right thing to do.─ Having at least one other peer who joins you takes a lot of the power out of peer pressure and makes it much easier to resist.─ If you choose friends who don’t use drugs, cut class, smoke cigarettes, or lie to their parents, then you probably won’t do these things either, even if other kids do.─ If you’re out at recess and you see the group of kids who are always trying to get you to smoke cigarettes with them, avoid them.─ If you continue to face peer pressure and you’re finding it difficult to handle, talk to someone you trust.


3.Yes, it can. For example, in some schools where bullies have been a problem, peer pressure has been used to influence the kids who are bullying to straighten up and act right. There are many elementary schools in which peer groups have joined together to prevent bullying.

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Www.themegallery.com An Integrated English Course Book 3 Unit 13