A taste of English humour(Period 1 Reading)
reading task 1 general reading
t:boys and girls,i’d like you to read the passage fast and try to decide how many parts the reading passage can be divided into and then get the general idea of each part with your partners.
a few minutes later.
t:i see most of you have finished your task.who would like to tell how many parts the reading passage can be divided into?
s:we think there are three parts in this text.the first paragraph is the first part.from the second to the fourth paragraph is the second.
t:ok.are there any different opinions?
s:in our opinion,the reading passage can be divided into four parts.the first part is the first paragraph.the second part is the second paragraph.the third and the fourth paragraph is the third part.and the last paragraph is the fourth part.
t:can you tell us the main ideas of the text?
s:the first part tells us that not all humour is kind.the second part tells us that some actors can astonish us with the deep feeling they can inspire with us for a character they are playing.the third one tells us something about charlie chaplin’s acting style.the last one is a short biography about charlie chaplin.
t:sounds reasonable.
reading task 2 careful reading
t:ok,since you have a good understanding of the general idea of this reading passage,i’d like you to read the passage once again and work together with your partners to find out the answers to the following questions.
1.why do people enjoy seeing other people’s bad luck?
2.what was chaplin given a special oscar for?
3.why did people like the little tramp?
t:finished?ok,any volunteers!
suggested answers:
1.people enjoy seeing other people’s bad luck,because it makes people more content with/satisfied with their life.
2.chaplin was given a special oscar for the contributions he made in films.
3.people like the little tramp because it gives people courage to overcome difficulties;because he was always kind even when people were unkind to him,and because he was optimistic.
step 3 language focus
t:so much for the questions and answers.now look through the passage again and see if you have any language problems.
s:i don’t know whether the phrase “content with” has the same meaning with “be satisfied with”?
t:yes,“content” means “satisfied,happy,not wanting more.” for example:
1)the old granny is content to live in the small village alone.
2)are you content with your present salary?
s:mr.li,in chinese the three words “particular,especial,special” all mean “特別的”,i’m really confused about them.will you explain them to us?