Unit 1 Other countries, other cultures Part One Teaching Design 第一部分 教学设计 Aims and requirements ◆ read a travel brochure about Canada and a magazine article about an aspect of Australian culture ◆ listen to a conversation about travel plans ◆ talk about issues related to travel and phone up a travel agent ◆ plan and write a travel itinerary ◆ make a flip chart about an aspect of Chinese culture Procedures ● Welcome to the unit Step 1 Brainstorming At the beginning of this period, let’s enjoy some pictures first. When you catch sight of them, which country comes into your mind first? Leaning Tower Of Pisa--- Italy kimono—Japan Statue of Liberty—America Shakespeare—the UK Pyramid—Egypt tulip—Holland Venus—Greece Yasser Arafat—Palestine maple leaves—Canada Kangaroo—Australia raki—France football—Brazil  Step 2 Sharing information 1. Work in groups of four and discuss the four pictures on page 1. Picture 1 Who are the people in the picture? (They are Mounties, or the Royal Canadian Mounted police. They are also known as the RCMP.) What do you know about them? (The RCMP was originally called North-West Mounted Police, which was formed in 1873. In 1920, it was renamed the Royal Canadian Mounted as a means of transport by the police in Canada. Now, various modern facilities are used instead. The official motto of the force is ‘Uphold the right’.) Why do you think the Mounties represent Canada? (The Mountie is one of the most recognizable Canadian symbols as it was always featured in Hollywood movies, especially between the 1920s and the 1940s.) What other things can you think of to represent Canada? (Maple trees, Niagara Falls, the CN Tower, etc.) Picture 2 What is the man in the picture? (The man is a beefeater, or the Yeomen Warder of Her Majesty’s Royal Palace and Fortress the Tower of London.) What do beefeaters do? (In the past, the beefeaters looked after the prisoners in the London Tower and guarded the British crown jewels. Now, they no longer safeguard the Queen’s jewels. Instead, they are ceremonial guardians who also act as tour guides. To most of the tourists, they are tourist attractions in their own right.) What do you know about beefeaters? (It is said that the word ‘beefeater’ came from French ‘buffetier’, which refers to the guard protecting the king’s food in the place of French kings.) Why do you think a beefeater represents the UK? (Beefeaters have a long history. In 1485, King Henry VII set up the first beefeaters as his bodyguards. Beefeaters are also famous for their uniforms. One is the red and gold ceremonial uniform, which dates back to 1552 and can still be seen on important occasions. The other one is the blue dress uniform, which is more commonly worn. This uniform dates back to 1858.) What other things can you think of to represent the UK? (Big Ben, Stonehenge, Sherlock Holmes, etc.) Picture 3 What can you see in the picture? (An opera house—the Sydney Opera House.) What does this opera house look like? (It looks a group of seashells.) Where is it? Which country does it stand for? (It is in Sydney. It stands for Australia.) Why has this opera house become a symbol of Australia? (The Sydney Opera House represents both achievements in modern architecture and performance. This magnificent building was constructed between 1957 and 1973, and its concrete shell roof is very distinctive. Since its official opening, the Sydney Opera House has attracted famous performers from all around the word.) What other things can you think of to represent Australia? (Koala bears, kangaroos, Gold Beaches, etc.) Picture 4 What are these two skyscrapers called? (Marina City.) Where are they located? (In Chicago, the USA.) What do you know about Marina City? (This magnificent complex was designed by Bertrand Goldberg and constructed between 1959 and 1964. This is a 36,000,000-dollar project in the heart of Chicago. The 60-storeyed twin towers were built on only 3 acres of land. It can accommodate 450 apartments and 450 cars in each of the twin towers. It is called ‘the city within a city’.) Do you think Marina City is an icon of the city of Chicago or even an icon of the USA? Why or why not? (Yes. The complex is a symbol of the city due to its unique shape. The skyscrapers represent the great success in designing, engineering and construction.) What other things can you think of to represent the USA? (The Statue of Liberty, the White House, Hollywood, etc.) 2. Work in pairs and have a discussion about the questions below the pictures. Sample answers 1 As for Canada, the maple leaf can be the symbol. Besides the beefeaters, I think many buildings can be the symbols of the UK, such as London Bridge and Buckingham Palace. Koala bears and kangaroos can represent Australia. With regards to the USA, we can’t miss the Statue of Liberty. For other countries, I think kimonos and cherry blossom can be seen as the symbols of Japan, the pyramids can be seen as the symbol of Egypt, the Colosseum can be seen as the symbol of Italy and the Acropolis can be seen as the symbol of Greece. 2 I would choose a dragon to represent China, even though it is not a real creature. The dragon is regarded as a symbol of our nation. Also, in ancient times dragons were seen as having magic powers, which might bring fine weather and good harvests. Today, many Chinese believe that dragons can bring them good luck. 3 Many different things have come to represent their country. It could be a building, an animal or a plant, the landscape or the people. These things came to be seen as the symbol of their country for various reasons. However, they all have something in common. All of these things are typical or unique to that country. They also reflect the culture of their country, and are respected and loved by its people.  Step3: Discussion: 1. What is culture? What about the relationship between culture and language? For reference: Culture, in a broad sense, is an integrated pattern of human behavior that includes thoughts, communications, languages, practices, beliefs, values, customs, courtesies, rituals, manners of interacting and roles, relationships and expected behaviors of a racial, ethnic, religious or social group. As a culture is so inclusive, it permeates virtually every aspect of human life and influences predominantly people’s behavior, including linguistic behavior. This means that language is not only part of how we define culture, but it also reflects culture. Language and culture intrinsically depend on each other, they have evolved through the history. Their mutual interdependence can find proof in the rise of civilization, the development of writing and human communication. Language is a vehicle of cultural transmission. Different languages may reflect different cultures; different cultures entail different language expressions. Idioms, proverbs and metaphors in different languages derived from different origins, also demonstrate cultural differences. Different languages may have different idioms owing to different living environments, social conventions and literature tradition, etc. Thus, language learners cannot truly master the language until they have also mastered the cultural contexts in which the language occurs.  2. What role do you think culture teaching play in language teaching? Language is a part of culture and plays a very important role in it. Some social scientists consider it the keystone of culture. Without language, they maintain, culture would not be possible. On the other hand, language is influence and shaped by culture; it reflects culture. In the broadest sense, language is the symbolic representation of a people, and it comprised their historical and cultural backgrounds as well as their approach to life and their ways of living and thinking. Learning a language is inseparable from learning its culture. When learning a foreign or second language. We should not only learn the mere imitation of the pronunciation, grammar words and idioms, but also learn to see the world as native speakers do. That is to say, learn the ways in which the foreign language reflects the ideas, customs and behavior of that society. Learning to understand their “language of the mind”. That is to say, we need to learn enough about the language’s culture so that we can communicate in the target language properly to achieve not only the linguistic competence as well. This is of great significance in learning a foreign or second language. Otherwise the ignorance of cultural difference as seen in the previous sections can create barriers in learning the target language and in communication, thus causing some unnecessary misunderstandings and confusions sometimes.  Step4: Homework: 1. Read the article in Part A on page 106 in Workbook 2. Prepare the Reading part.

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