1、Unit2. World News: Earth and EnvironmentContents:Warming upNews reportCity recyclingGoals:To train students to recognize key words and phrases in listeningTo develop students ability to identify significant information through listeningTo activate students knowledge about environment To cultivate st
2、udents ability of summarizingTeaching methods:Students listening; group discussion; teachers instructionDuration:90 minutes I. Warming upA.blaze (n. & v) C (a) bright flame or fire 火焰; 火光: Dry wood makes a good blaze. 乾木燃起夺目的火焰. (b) very large (often dangerous) fire 大火; 火灾: Five people died in the b
3、laze. 有五人死於火灾.Brazil - Rio de Janeiro( former capital of Brazil)The new city, Brasilia, replaced Rio de Janeiro as the capital of Brazil in 1960.Desertification is the process by which a piece of land becomes dry, empty, and unsuitable for growing trees or crops on. (土壤)荒漠化, 沙漠化- A third of Africa i
4、s under threat of desertification.everglade n. marshland, swamp- wetlands region in southern Florida大沼泽地Greenland n. self-governing island belonging to Denmark located between Iceland and the northeastern coastal islands of North America (largest island in the world)Listen to some sentences about en
5、vironment and supply the missing information.Check the answers after students discussion.1. New research on the likely impact of climate change suggests that damage to crops in low-lying coastal regions could be worse than previously thought.2. More than 2000 delegates from around the world have gat
6、hered in northern Brazil for the third United Nations Conference on Desertification.3. Crews are working to clean up a huge oil spill off the coast of Mexico, about 50 miles south of San Diego. - a port city in California (USA)4. Wildfires in the Florida Everglades have been contained after a nearly
7、 a week of blazes that consumed 65,000 hectares in the southern part of the States.5. A. US Space Agency study finds that Greenland is melting around the edges. The loss to the worlds second largest ice sheet-more than 50 cubic kilometers per year-is enough to raise global sea level by 0.13 millimet
8、ers.B. Aerial offensivereptile / reptal; US -tl; rptl/ n any of the class ofcold-blooded, egg-laying animals including lizards, tortoises, crocodiles, snakes, etc with relatively short legs or no legs at all 爬行动物(冷血, 卵生, 如蜥蜴 龟 鳄鱼 蛇等); 爬虫.salamander火蜥蜴alligator短吻鳄amphibian: 两栖动物poppy: 罂粟herbicide: su
9、bstance used to destroy weedsdirectory: list of telephone subscribers, business firms, etc.xeric adj. of a dry environment, suited for a dry environmentxeriscaping -a landscaping method that employs drought-resistant plants in an effort to conserve resources, especially water.旱生园艺; 节水型花园-通过选择需水少的植物,
10、进行环境美化sawgrass -A tall coastal or marshy sedge of eastern North America, Mexico, and the West Indies, having leaves with sharp, minutely toothed margins.锯齿草:一种产于北美东部、西哥和西印度群岛高海岸或沼生的蓑衣草,叶片具有尖利的小齿边缘.锯草球场 -golf coursePreliminary listening. Listen to the items and summarize each of them.Listen to the ne
11、ws items again. Focus your attention on the “wh-“ questions and try to answer them.Discussion after the first listening.1. What?It attempts to balance environmental concerns and the needs of the community.2. What?Reptile species are in greater trouble than amphibian species.3 What?A new approach in
12、the fight against the illegal drugs trade.4. What?One in every eight species of plants is threatened with extinction.5. What?A new local directory for the environmentally-aware, called the “Boulder County Green Pages.”News items:1. Australia is the worlds driest continent. Theres general agreement t
13、hat the country has to use water more efficiently. In many parts, supplies are in crisis. At a meeting in Canberra, the Council of Australian Governments has approved a national water plan. It attempts to balance environmental concerns and the needs of the community. The amount of water taken from r
14、ivers for commercial use is to be cut and farmers will be compensated.2. The disappearance and deformity of amphibians such as frogs and salamanders from rain forests and mountain lakes worldwide has attracted wide-spread scientific attention over the last decade. Now a new study says reptile specie
15、s including turtles, snakes, and alligators are in even greater trouble. Twice as many reptiles as amphibians, or some 100 species, are currently listed as endangered by the World Conservation Union. The study says habitat loss and degradation, pollution, disease, climate change, and over-collection
16、 for food, pets and drugs are the major threats to reptiles.3. Four regional governors from columbia, on a visit to Washington, have sharply criticized an American-backed aerial offensive to eradicate thousands of hectares of illegal coca and poppy plantations. At a news conference the governors cal
17、led for a different approach in the fight against the illegal drugs trade, saying that the herbicides currently being used were harmful to public health and the environment.4. Much attention has been devoted to threatened animal species. But what about plants which are the fundamental bases of life?
18、 One in every eight species of plants is threatened with extinction. Since all food chains begin in the sphere of plant life, this is bad news for the animals too, including humans who depend on plants not only for food but also for medicines, building materials, and other vital purposes.5. A new lo
19、cal directory for the environmentally-aware is now available, called the “Boulder County Green Pages”. The Rotary Clubs in Boulder County got together with local recycling and environmental specialists to put together this first-ever directory. It includes quick reference to green products and servi
20、ces for recycling, xeriscaping, energy conservation, and more. The $5 cost helps raise funds for the sponsoring groups.II. News reportsADeteriorate: become worse in quality or conditionVibrancy- vitality, essentiality, powerfulness, vigorousnessvibrant: full of life and energy; exciting 充满生气的; 精力充沛的
21、; 兴奋的: a vibrant atmosphere, personality,performance 活跃的气氛 活泼的个性 有活力的表演 * She was vibrant with health and enthusiasm. 她健康活泼生气勃勃.virtual world虚拟世界imaginary, hypothetical; computer simulated representation of an actual object Coral reef: 珊瑚礁Glacier: mass of ice, formed by snow on mountainsListening. L
22、isten to the first news report and supply the missing information.Give students time to discuss their answers. Ask some students about their answers.Furthering listening. Listen again and check the answers.An annual study by the Worldwatch Institute in Washington says with the boom in the informatio
23、n economy, Americans have lost sight of the deteriorating health of the planet. The fast growing information economy is affecting every aspect of life, from communication, commerce and work, to education and entertainment. The Worldwatch Institude gives the earth an annual physical exam. According t
24、o this years result, almost all those vital signs of the health of the earth, including the number of species, the stability of climate, the health of coral reefs, show deterioration. Other warning signs are rising temperatures, falling water tables, melting glaciers, shrinking forests and collapsin
25、g fisheries. The major environmental challenges in the 21st century will be to stabilize both climate and world population growth.B. Catastrophic (a.)Catastrophe (n.)Obligation: law, moral pressure, promise, etc that forces one to do sth义务,责任Potable (fml) fit for drinking; drinkableSanitary (a): hyg
26、ienic; free from dirt or substances that may cause diseaseWorld Meteorological Organization: 世界气象组织Shell oil- Shell Union Oil CorporationListening. Listen to the second news report. Complete the news summary and then briefly answer the questions you hear.Summary:This news report is about the severe
27、shortage of water in some developing nations. It will lead to catastrophic consequences unless global solutions are found soon.Answers to some of the questions:3. almost one billion people could suffer from a scarcity of water.4. Middle East, parts of Africa, western Asia, northeastern china, wester
28、n and southern India, large parts of Pakistan and Mexico, parts of the Pacific coast of the United States and South America5. to treat water as a precious resource6. 5 liters;II. City recyclingTo meet sth head-on with the head foremost, frontally; directly, face to faceeligiblesuitable or fit to be
29、chosen; having the right or proper qualifications 适宜被选中的; 有恰当资格的; 合格的: eligible for a pension, a job, an award 有资格领取养老金 得到工作 获得奖品 * eligible for promotion, membership 适宜提升 得到会员身分 * eligible to join a club 有资格加入俱乐部 * an eligible young man, eg one who would be a satisfactory choice as a husband 合意的 年轻
30、人(如可做佳婿者).Head-onCurb (side): 路边,(人行道旁的)镶边石,边栏He parked his car close to the curb. 他将汽车停在紧靠人行道路缘的地方bustle (with sth) - be full of (noise, activity, etc) 到处是(嘈杂的声音 繁忙的景象等): bustling streets 熙熙攘攘的街道 * The city centre was bustling with life. 城市中心充满了生活的繁忙景象.Mound: mass of piled-up earth; small hillCommi
31、ngle: merge, mix, blendAssorted: mixed; different sorts各种各样的; 混杂的; 什锦的: a tin of assorted biscuits 一罐什锦饼乾.Forklift: machine used to lift and transport heavy loads叉车;铲运车Newsprint - cheap paper used mainly for printing newspapers (often made of recycled materials)Fuzz (u.n): mass of soft light particl
32、esConduct toursListening. Listen to a reportabout city recycling. Number the following major points accordint to the order you hear them.Discuss your answers with you partners.Suggested answers:2-a 4-b 3-c 1-dB. Listen to the report again and answer the corresponding questions on your textbook.1. 130,000/80%2. plastic/glass/tin cans/newspapers3. recycle truck picks it up.4. one of community recycling centers.5. each weekday.6. conducts tours of the plant7. 3/48. sold to other companies that make them into different products9. made into new containers.10. one of the top five in the USA