Unit 4 Cultural Encounters Teaching plan综合教程二.pdf
Unit 4 Cultural EncountersUnit 4 Cultural EncountersTeaching PointsTeaching Points1)2)3)4)By the end of this unit，students are supposed tograsp the idea revealed in the writing and make clear the structure of the wholepassage through an intensive reading of Cultural Encounters。comprehend the deductive approach of argumentation development。get a list of new words and structures and use them freely in conversation andwriting。be aware of the importance and significance of intercultural understanding andempathy.Topics for discussionTopics for discussion1)In what language are you usually surfing at Internet websites?2)What fun do you find on Internet？3)Have you ever encounter any intercultural misunderstanding？If have，can you listthe reasons that account for the misunderstandings?Cultural informationCultural information1.Quotes1.QuotesHuman beings draw close to one another by their common nature，but habits andcustoms keep them apart。Confucius2 2。Cross-cultural Communication StrategiesCross-cultural Communication StrategiesThe key to effective crosscultural communication isknowledgeknowledge.First,it is essential that people understand the potential problems of cross-culturalcommunication,and make a conscious effort to overcome these problems。Second，it is important to assume that ones efforts will not always be successful，and adjust ones behavior appropriately。Suggestions for heated conflicts is to stopstop，listenlisten，and thinkthink。This helps incrosscultural communication as well.When things seem to be going badly，stop or slow down and think.Active listening can sometimes be used to check this out by repeating what onethinks he or she heard,one can confirm that one understands the communicationaccurately。Often intermediaries who are familiar with both cultures can be helpful incrosscultural communication situations。They can translate both the substanceand the manner of what is said.They may explain the problem，and makeappropriate procedural adjustments.Text IText ICultural EncountersCultural Encounters1Susan BassnettGlobal ReadingGlobal ReadingI I。Text analysisText analysis1.Which sentence is the thesis statement？The last sentence of the 3rd paragraph：“Most fundamental is the profoundrelationship between language and culture that lies at the heart of society and onethat we overlook at our peril.”2.Compromising,in the authors view,is a key notion in translation and thus also inintercultural communication.Numerous examples are used to explain this notion。Try to find these examples。Paragraph 4：The lack of an exact counterpart of the English word“homesickness”inother languages such as Italian，Portuguese,and German。Paragraph 5:The problem of untranslatability which the early Bible translatorsencountered.Paragraph 6：English and Welsh speakers make adjustments regarding the colorspectrum in the grey/green/blue/brown range;the flat breads of Central Asia area long way away fr om Mothers Pride white sliced toasties,yet the word“bread”hasto serve for both.IIII。Structural analysisStructural analysis1.What type of writing is this essay?And what s the main strategy the author adopt todevelop the body of the essay？It is a piece of argumentation.Abundant examples are provided to support herargument in the body of the essay.2.Divide the text into parts by completing the table。ParagraphsParagraphs13Main ideasMain ideasIt describes the communications revolution taking place worldwide andthe widespread use of the English language，and then points out thatthere are indeed problems with the communications revolution。It exemplifies that language and culture are so closely interrelated thatoften we find that what we can say in one language cannot be conveyedat all in another,and that confronted with insurmountable linguisticproblems,translators negotiate the boundaries between languages andcome up with a compromise.It briefly points out the immense significance of interculturalunderstanding。4-78Detailed ReadingDetailed ReadingParagraphs 1-3Paragraphs 1-3QuestionsQuestions：1.What do cheap flights and the Internet mean to people today？（Paragraph 1)2Cheap flights mean that millions of people can afford to visit places their parents couldonly dream about,while the Internet means that numerous people are able tocommunicate with the remotest places with great ease。2.Exemplify and explain that English has become the most important internationallanguage.(Paragraph 2）Conferences and business meetings around the globe are held in English,regardless ofwhether anyone present is a native English speaker。English has simply become thelanguage that facilitates communication,and for many people learning English is anessential stepping stone on the road to success.Paragraphs 4Paragraphs 47 7QuestionsQuestions：1.Supply specific examples to prove that language and culture are closely related to eachother。（Paragraph 4)Numerous examples show that language and culture are interrelated.Take a look atsome English idioms and see how different their Chinese counterparts are：a drop in the ocean沧海一粟to laugh ones head off笑掉大牙to shed crocodile tears猫哭老鼠to spend money like water挥金如土to be born with a silver spoon in ones mouth生长在富贵人家2。Explain and illustrate what“compromising and“the spread of English mean。(Paragraph 7）For“compromising，”refer to Paragraph 6 of the text。As to“the spread of English，a typical example is the spread of English in China。Compared with other nations,China boasts the largest number of people who have learned or are learning English.Chinese learners of English are learning how to overcome cultural and linguisticdifferences.In todays China，the mastery of English has become an important skillwhich is of great use and value in all walks of life。Paragraph 8Paragraph 8Questions:Questions:1.According to the writer，what is the great function of intercultural understanding?(Paragraph 8)The writer says,“World peace in the future depends on intercultural understanding.In other words,intercultural understanding will play a most important role in thepromotion of world peace in the future。2。Who will probably be most able to help the process of world peace in the future?（Paragraph 8)Those who are most competent to contribute to the process of world peace probably arethose who have acquired the skills to understand the literal，implied，figurative，orcultural meanings of the words spoken in many different languages。Text IIText II3Does Your Body Betray YouDoes Your Body Betray You？LeadLeadin Questionsin Questions1.What is body language？What kinds of body language can you think of?2.Can you tell the meanings of some common facial expressions or gestures?Main ideasMain ideasDoes Your Body Betray you，the title indicates that changes in your body positionand movements show what you are feeling or thinking。In fact,threequarters of thesocial meaning of a typical twoperson exchange is carried by nonverbal cues,thoughmost of the time we are not aware that we are doing it.Nonverbal signals differ fromculture to culture at least as much as one language differs from another，and so we needto realize that knowledge of a foreign language is incomplete unless it extends to thenonverbal signals。So,it is essential to get some knowledge about nonverbalcommunication。The passage provides us with some commonly-used body language cuesand their interpretations through a list of examples。NotesNotes1。body languagebody language(Paragraph 1）：Body language is communication by means of facialexpressions，gestures，postures,and other wordless signals.Body language alsoincludes grooming habits,hair and clothing styles,and such practices as tattooing andbody piercing。Body language communicates unspoken information about peoplesidentity，relationships，and thoughts,as well as moods,motivation，and attitudes.It plays an essential role in all interpersonal relationships，such as childcare,politics,teaching,and public speaking.The scientific study of body language is called kinesics。2。bebe tellingtelling thethe worldworld a a totallytotally differentdifferent storystory（Paragraph 1)：be meaningentirely different things from what you are saying3。.。.however cool and contained you think you.however cool and contained you think you re being,there is a host ofre being,there is a host oflittlelittle telltaletelltale gesturesgestures andand expressionsexpressions thatthat givegive youyou away.away.（Paragraph2）：however successfully you think you are managing to appear calm andselfcontrolled，a large number of slight changes in your body position andmovements provide evidence about what you are feeling or thinking.。4。.。youyou re a bundle of nervesre a bundle of nerves。（Paragraph 4）:.。.you are feeling very nervous.5.invading your spaceinvading your space(Paragraph 5)：intruding into your air spaceStudies by experts suggest that man walks around inside a kind of private bubble，which represents the amount of air space he feels he must have between himself andother people.To invade is to affect someone in an unwanted and annoying way.e e。g g。Does that give you an excuse to invade my privacy？6.keepkeep themthem atat armarm s s lengthlength(Paragraph 5）:avoid developing a relationship withtheme e。g g。If youre wise,youll keep Mrs.Jones at arms length.Shes the worst gossip inthe village。7.You want to block out the speaker You want to block out the speaker s wordss words (Paragraph 7）：You want to stopyourself thinking about what the speaker says 48.in your heart of heartsin your heart of hearts(Paragraph 8)：If you know,feel，or believe something inyour heart ofhearts，you are sure about it although you may not admit it。e.g.e.g.Claire knew in her heart of hearts that she would never go back there。9.trying to shield her listener from what shes sayingtrying to shield her listener from what shes saying（Paragraph 9):trying toprotect herlistener from being hurt by what shes sayinge e。g g。Several officials are accused of trying to shield the General from US federalinvestigators。10。rather thanrather than(Paragraph 11)：instead ofe e。g g。Rather than squeezing your own oranges,have you tried buying packs oforange juice?11.in a quandaryin a quandary（Paragraph 12):unable to decide what to do about a difficult problemor situatione.g.e.g.The city council is in a quandary over whether to raise taxes or not.Questions for discussionQuestions for discussion1.What does the title of the text mean?2。What does the author mean when he says“three-quarters of our knowledge aboutthem comes via our eyes rather than our ears”？3。How can ones gestures and expressions give him/her away？4.What conclusion can we draw from such instinctive behaviour as fiddling and armfolding？5。What is the main idea of LOVE SIGNS？6。Why doesnt the author spell out a precise vocabulary of gestures?7.What implications does the study of body language have for learning a foreignlanguage？8.Observe people near you for several days，looking for uses of body language.Try alsoto be conscious of your own use of body language.What conclusion can you draw？Key to questions for discussionKey to questions for discussion1。Changes in your body position and movements show what you are feeling or thinking.2。Three-quarters of the social meaning of a typical twoperson exchange is carried bynonverbal cues.3.All of us communicate with one another nonverbally,as well as with words。Most ofthe time we are not aware that we are doing it.Body language provides evidence abouthow the human mind processes information.4.People feel safer behind some kind of physical barrier.If a social situation is in any waythreatening，then there is an immediate urge to set up such a barricade.5.When two people look searchingly into each others eyes,emotions are heightened andthe relationship becomes more intimate。Therefore，we carefully avoid this，exceptin appropriate circumstances.6.The author looks for patterns in the context,not for an isolated meaningful gesture.Besides,there are several possible interpretations for a single gesture.For example,5when a student in conversation with a professor holds the older mans eyes a littlelonger than is usual，it can be a sign of respect and affection rather than a sign oflove。7。Nonverbal signals differ from culture to culture at least as much as one languagediffers from another，and so we need to realize that knowledge of a foreign language isincomplete unless it extends to the nonverbal signals.Memorable QuotesMemorable QuotesRead the following quotes and analyze the purposes of culture advanced by MatthewArnold.Guidance:Guidance:The following quotes are from Culture and Anarchy-a series of periodicalessays by Matthew Arnold。In the book，he advanced that“Culture.。.is a study ofperfection”.He further wrote that：“It（Culture）seeks to do away with classes;to makethe best that has been thought and known in the world current everywhere；to make allmen live in an atmosphere of sweetness and light.。”1。Culture has one great passion the passion for sweetness and light。It has one evenyet greater，the passion for making them prevail.Matthew ArnoldMatthew Arnold(18221888）was an English poet。ParaphraseParaphrase：Part of the essence of culture is the love of beauty and unbiasedintelligence.The even more essential part of culture is to make the best ideas-the love ofbeauty and unbiased intelligence,to be the most common.2.The men of culture are the true apostles of equality。Matthew ArnoldParaphrase:Paraphrase:The men of culture diffuse the best ideas regardless of class。6
