What will you do for entertainmentin your spare time?

Have you ever been a member of a book club?

What did you do in the book club?

Does our school have a book club?

Are you a member of this club?

If you are, what do you think of the club?

Are books printed on paper the only books we can find?

What other kinds of books are there?

Have you ever an e-book? What was it like?

Do you prefer reading printed books or e-books? Why?

What is science fiction?Do you like science fiction? Can you name one or two science fiction writers?Can you name any examples of science fiction books that are widely read now?

Do you like reading or writing poems? Why or why not?

Which poem is your favourite? Why do you like it? Could you recite it for us?

Which poet’s work do you enjoy reading the most?

A survey showed that children today just don’t prefer appreciating classics.Are you one of them?What’s your opinion about reading classics?

Do you know the four famous works of Chinese fiction history?

Romance of the Three Kingdoms

Water Margin

Pilgrimage to the West

A Dream of Red Mansions

Match the writers with the masterpieces.

William ShakespeareCharles DickensJane AustenRobert BurnsCharlotte Brontè

Jane EyreGreat ExpectationsA Red, Red RoseRomeo and JulietPride and Prejudice

Work with your partner and tell each other about your favorite writer, and a book you like.

Which of the following books have you read?

Who is the writer?

David Copperfield

A Tale of Two Cities

Great Expectations

Oliver Twist

Charles Dickens is one of England’s most famous novelists. He described life in the middle of the 19th century, a period that is now called Victorian, as it is when Queen Victoria ruled Britain. Many of Dickens’ novels take place in London.

Life Story of Charles Dickens

那是最美好的时代 , 那是最糟糕的时代 ; 那是智慧的年头 , 那是愚昧的年头 ;

那是信仰的时期 , 那是怀疑的时期；那是光明的季节 , 那是黑暗的季节 ; 那是希望的春天 , 那是失望的冬天 ; 我们全都在直奔天堂 , 我们全都在直奔相反的方向 -- 简而言之 , 那时跟现在非常相象 , 某些最喧嚣的权威坚持要用形容词的最高级来形容它。说它好，是最高级的 ; 说它不好 , 也是最高级的。

Have you ever

seen the story or

film adaptations

of Great

Expectations?

Great Expectations is a 1998 contemporary film adaptation of the Charles Dickens novel of the same name. It is known for having moved the setting of the original novel from 1812-1827 London to 1990s New York. The film is an abridged modernization of Dickens's novel with the hero's name has also been changed from Pip to Finn, and the character Miss Havisham has been renamed Nora Dinsmoor. The film received mixed reviews.

Reading the text quickly and answer the questions.

1. What is classic literature?

2. Who is Charles Dickens?

3. How old is Pip when the story

begins?

Answers:Answers:

1. Classics are the antiques of the literary world. They are novels, plays and poems that were written a long time ago and were so well written.

2. England’s greatest writer.

3. Seven years old.

1. Why don’t many people like classics?

Because they think classics are old and boring, and have nothing to do with life today.

Reading the text carefully and answer the questions.

2. What does Liz think about classic novels?

She doesn’t think that they are old or boring. She thinks they have something to do with contemporary life.

3. What is written on Charles Dickens’s tomb?

His tomb reads, “By his death, one of England’s greatest writers is lost to the world.”

4. What kind of person is Joe?

5. Who gives Pip a lot of money?

A stranger.

Joe is a kind and simple man.

6. What kind of person does Pip become after he moves to London?

He becomes vain and ashamed of his background.

7. Why is Pip embarrassed by Joe?

Because Joe does not fit his rigid ideas of what it means to be civil and to be a gentleman.

8. What does Pip learn by the end of the novel?

He learns that wealth does not buy happiness and that friends are more important than a fancy education.

1. characters 2. setting 3. symbol

4. plot

5. theme

a. mist b. what it means to be a

gentleman c. England in the early 1800s

d. Pip, Joe, Estella e. a stranger gives Pip a lot

of money, then Pip moves to London and becomes ashamed of his background

Match the elements with correct examples.

Post-reading activity

1. Retell the story of Great Expectations

in your own words.

2. Discuss the relationship between

money and happiness

What can we learn from Great Expectations?

Great Expectations includes almost every aspect of the human condition. From this novel, one learns that true friendship is worth much more than material possessions. Wealth and social status do not guarantee happiness. In life, it is sometimes necessary to sacrifice one’s illusion to discover one’s own inner worth.

和狄更斯及狄更斯作品有关的三个词汇和俚语

1. Scrooge 吝啬鬼 ( 来自查尔斯 · 狄更斯的名作《吝啬鬼埃比尼泽》 )

Surely only Scrooge himself would be furious about getting a bit of help with Christmas cooking … and I bet my cake is going to taste all the sweeter for the bit of help I got with it on the way. 肯定只有吝啬鬼才会对圣诞烹饪的小窍门发火。我敢打赌，我做的蛋糕一定会因为我使用的这些辅助方法而更加美味。

2. Dickensian 专门研究狄更斯者；崇拜狄更斯者

The film has been called "Dickensian" -- and freely borrows from Indian film traditions, right down to its closing dance number.

这部电影被称作“狄更斯式的作品”——并且自由地借用印度电影传统，直至闭幕舞蹈表演。

3. What the Dickens!

What the dickens does she want?

她究竟想要什么 ?

Have you ever seen any film adaptations of some other famous classic books?

What did you think of them?

Do you like film adaptations of classic novels? Why or why not?