My First Job

Unit 1

Objectives:

To learn expressions of greetings and farewell by acting out the dialogues;

To improve skills of reading, listening, writing, translation and speaking through the study of the text and the exercises.

Arrangements:

Periods 1-2 Listening and speaking activities

Periods 3-4 Detailed study of Text A Periods 5-6 Comprehension work of Text

A and exercises Periods 7-8 Further reading and extended

activities

Listening and Speaking Activities

Expressions of greetings and farewell

You may greet people informally like this:

Hi, I’m Jack Smith. Are you tome Brush?

This is Mary, my friend.

You may say this if you want to say goodbye to your friends:

See you later.

Warming-up Activities for the text

Discuss the following questions with your partner:

1. Would you like to take shoe-shining as your job? Why and why not?

2. Should children get paid for what they have done for their families? Why and why not?

Warming-up Activities for the text

3. Which of the following qualities does one need in order to do a good job? Tick your choices from the list.

intelligence ability loyalty devotion creativity willingness to work hard team-spirit

Language Points:

Try to speak more1.given name: the name given to a child by the

parents2.family name: the name shared by the membe

rs of a family3. “It’s been nice talking to you”: Some people also use “It’s nice to talk to yo

u” in American English

Language Points:

4. “Goodbye and good luck”:

a farewell formula seldom used upward in social ranks

5. I’m flying back…: flying indicates a scheduled action

6. write to: write a letter to…

7. Have a happy landing: a farewell formula used only when people are going to take a plane

Language Points:

Make your own dialogue

1. to put my feelings to words: to express my feelings in words

2. Hi, I’m Linda Su.: to be polite, one usually introduces oneself first before asking for other’s name

Language Points:

What are they for1. Please come and have lunch with us some Sunday, so we can really have a nice talk: This sentence is often used as lip service rather than a real invit

ation when people are going to say goodbye. A real invitation should involve time and location for the meeting. However, people sometimes do use this kind of expression as a gambit to a real invitation. The listener usually depends on the communicative situation to figure out the speaker’s real intention.

Language Points:

2. How are you getting on?: a greeting often used among friends or famili

ar people.

3. Fancy meeting you here!: a greeting used in a chance encounter, spok

en in a high pitch which reflects excitement and high spirits

Language Points:

If you want to learn more

1. Couldn't be better:

often used as a response to a greeting such as “How are you getting on?” “How are you doing?” etc. with a slight touch of humor and emphasis on the positive side of one’s life.

2. It’s a small world!:

often used in a chance encounter or a comment on such an event

Language Points:

Textrun: a) to manage 他们开了一家小餐馆。 They run a small hotel. 不要试图主宰我的生活。 Don’t try to run my life. 他在一家经营良好 / 不好的公司。 He works in a well-run/badly run company. b) to operate, be in charge of 机器运转的时候不要去碰它。 Don’t touch the machine while it’s running.

Language Points:

eatery: American slang, a restaurant of other commercial establishment serving food

diner: a person who dines, especially in a restaurant.

In American English, it is more commonly used to mean a type of restaurant.

This type of restaurant is usually informal, cheap, and popular with families, for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The atmosphere there is less formal than the expensive restaurants.

Language Points:

offer: a) to hold out (to a person) for acceptance or refusal 我可以提一个建议吗？ May I offer a suggestion? 给客人端些咖啡来。 Offer some coffee to the guests. b) express willingness 他表示愿意开车送我回家。 He offered to drive me home.

Language Points:

reshine: to shine again re--: to do sth again. e.g. Rewrite, reread, reelect shine: a) to produce light 他们肯定在家。睡房里有灯亮着呢。 They must be at home---there’s light shinning in the be

droom b) to polish, make bright by rubbing 出门前把鞋子擦亮点。 Shine your shoes before going out.

Language Points:

satisfy: please someone, esp. by giving them enough

e.g 有些人是很难使之感到满足的。 Some people are very hard to satisfy.

duties: work load, responsibilities

janitor: a person who guards the main door of a large building

Language Points:

beam: smiled broadly e.g. 他爸爸眉开眼笑表示满意。 His father beamed with satisfaction.Reference words:a)      smile: to have or form a smileb)      grin: to draw back the lips and bare the teeth, as in mirth or good hu

morc)      laugh: to express certain emotions, especially mirth, delight, or deri

siond)      giggle: to laugh with repeated short, fitful soundse)     leer: to look with a sidelong glance, indicative especially of sexual d

esire or sly and malicious intent g) guffaw: to laugh heartily and boisterously.

Language Points:

I was pitching in for the good of the whole family: I made my contribution to the growth of my family restauran

t. pitch in: set to work with energy

e.g. 如果你想成功就要努力。 You should pitch in if you want to win succes

s.good:do good: Social workers do a lot of good.for the good of: He works for the good of the country.do sb good: Smoking does you more harm than good.for good: permanently, for ever He says that he’s leaving the country for good.

Language Points:

But my father made it clear I had to meet certain standards to be

part of the team.

“it” refers to “I had to meet certain standards to be part of the team”

make …. clear: express or explain something clearlyI’ve made it clear that everybody must hand in his/her re

port tomorrow.

Similar structures: I found it pleasant to work with him.I don’t think it worthwhile taking such trouble.

Language Points:

except for: used when what is excluded is different from what is included

e.g.

你的文章很好，除了有些拼写错误。 Your essay is good except for the spelling.

除了一位老太太，公车上就没人了。 The bus is empty except for the old lady.

Language Points:

how about: a colloquial expression for making a suggestion or an offer. One may also say“What about…?” e.g. 我们周末一起去怎么样？ How about we go together this weekend?

buddy: a close friend, especially a male friend of a man; used in formal English.

soda: a drink of soda water, or other flavoring drinks such as Sprite, Coca-Cola or fr

uit juice in

American English.

Language Points:

figure: to calculate; think

e.g. 他计算了一下费用。 He figured the expenses.

我想他很快就会回来。 I figure he’ll be back soon.

Language Points:

as far as Dad was concerned: in my father’s opinion

e.g. 就我认为，这篇文章写得不错。 As far as I am concerned, the composition is not b

ad. Be concerned about/ for sb/ sth: worry, trouble e.g. 请别为我担心。 Please don’t be concerned about me. 我们都很担心她的安全。 We are all concerned for/about her safety.

Language Points:

reach for: stretch out the hand for and take sth.

e.g.

他伸手去拿刀，但是太远了。 He reached out his hand for the knife, but it w

as too

far away.

他伸手去拿字典。 He reached for the dictionary.

Language Points:

involve: vt. e.g. 你犯的错别把别人扯进来。 Don’t involve other people in your mistakes. 不管我们想不想，我们都被卷进来了。 We are all involved, whether we like it or not.

Be involved in/with He is deeply involved in trouble. He is deeply involved with her and felt he must marry her

because everyone expects it.

Assignments:

Write a composition to discuss the following question:

In many Western countries and even in China, some parents do pay their children for the work they have done for their family. What are the advantages and disadvantages of paying children for doing household jobs?