1、Topic one: Generation Gap(代沟) Language notes(参考词汇):lack of communication;different outlook on the world; different attitudes toward life; influences from the changes in society, technology, culture etc. calls and visits from grown-up children, babysitting, family chores, transfer pressure to pare
2、nts, need for companionships, feel lonely and have nothing to do, advices, financial support, love, a life of their own, need time and energy to attend their own affairs and friends, interdependence, mutual understanding, to show concerns to, to put somebody in one’s shoes, to fill/diminish/bridge t
3、he gap Sentence structures: If I were the daughter/son, I would… That maybe true, but…. Can I add something here? Do you mind if I jump in here? (插话) I am of the opinion that priority should be given to… The generation gap can be reduced to some extent by… In order to ease the tension betw
4、een our parents and us, we are supposed to/ should do…right of the bat. There is no denying…(毫无疑问) Anyway, …(不管怎么说…) Topic two: Online Shopping Language notes(参考词汇):do shopping in the comfort of home, convenient, more variety, time-saving, time-consuming, driving around town looking for…, wo
5、rried about security of entering credit card details, reliability of the internet, widespread, popular, prices are often lower online, with just a few clicks of mouse, book tickets online, pay bills online, without leaving the house, temptations hard to resist, take one’s eyes off the screen, compe
6、te with online businesses, have access to the Internet, special offers for holidays, lure customers to spend money, interpersonal communication, impersonal(没有人情味的),queue up in busy shops, local businesses, figure out. Sentence structures: Think twice before… …is a good way to… …have a firewa
7、ll installed …have a serious impact on… …keep the anti-virus system active and updated… …stop downloading unlicensed software… Practice safe computing… These days, lots of people do shopping online. It costs less than it would have if I had bought it locally. What’s going to happen to our l
8、ocal businesses? But it’s so much quicker and easier to shop around on the Internet. I am sure you’re right, but I’d rather support…, even if it… Topic Three: Planning to Live Abroad Language Notes: The good of living abroad: save money, enjoy life there, beautiful house, nice natural enviro
9、nment, a chance to mingle with new cultures, look into history, make friends from different countries, good quality of life, earns more, better lifestyle, language fluency, travelling widely, broaden horizon, great cultural awareness… The bad of living abroad: cultural shock, language barriers, mis
10、sing friends and family, quality of life falls, housing problem, shopping, transportation, other services, expensive, lack of convenient supermarkets, be treated with scorn and taunt, racial discrimination, homesickness, toil and hardships in part-time jobs, discouragement, anger. Sentence Struc
11、tures: It may be true that… It would be unwise to… You would be at a disadvantage if… It is ridiculous to say… Things like … might happen, but… It is unbelievable that … I have heard that… It has been my experience that… Is it true that…? Should I…? What can I do if…? Is it necessary
12、for me…? Must I…? If I were you, I would… I think it might be better if you… I’d suggest that you… I think you’d better… I still experience shock after… Get used to…. Adjust myself to the things there. Topic Four: Violence in Sports Language Notes: French midfielder Zidane head-butt
13、 Italian defender Materazzi in 2006 World Cup Final, astonish, audience, irresponsible, sense of responsibility, reflection, on behalf of, phenomenon, demonstrate, indicate, positive energy, live up to the expectations of …, fall victim to sports violence, ban(禁赛), be vulnerable to, amateur(业余球员),mi
14、nimize, injury, professional, suffer from, dental problems (打坏牙齿),damage to internal organs(损伤内脏), be more likely to, strength, skill, will power(意志力), appeal to(呼吁),numerous(不计其数的), commercial hit (商业卖点),safety monitoring(安全监督), health insurance, barbaric(野蛮的), safety measures, protective equipment
15、 game rules, boxing, boxers, down and out, tactics (战术), death rate, fascinating(奇妙的), suspensions停赛、points deductions扣分,exclusions取消参赛资格, disciplinary code纪律准则 Sentence structures: Sport is beautiful, violence is not. Violence just causes pain, too much pain. What about violence in football?
16、 This is a reflection of the violence in society at large. 是社会总体暴力现象的一个反映 Pour petrol on the flames 火上浇油 It is unfortunate that we… Financial fines are not sufficient. Football is sometimes in danger of being taken hostage by this violence. I hope the deaths in boxing matches can bring abo
17、ut some effective changes. Topic Five: Human and Animals Language Notes: Souls of animals, humans, fellow creatures, animal-hunting, animal welfare, sentimental, emotions, equal rights, elephant tusks, hunting dolphins, a heavy heart, feel sorry for, companions, devotion, loyalty, unconditio
18、nal love, bring tears to my eyes, live and let live, be free to do what they like… Sentence structures: We should care for animal welfare. Bullfight is barbaric, not justified as sports. Be devoted to increasing public awareness of animal protection. Use psychology and education to enrich th
19、e world through respect for non-human animals. Reveal animal experimentation cruelty Protest the violence of factory farms and slaughterhouses Report animal abuse Educate society the rights of all non-human animals. Educate people about animal abuse Explore our relationship with animals thro
20、ugh cultural, history and philosophy. Provide small grants / money for grassroots animal advocacy Provide assistance to sick, injured and homeless animals. Vegetarian solutions: changing the world one meal at a time, for your health, for the animals, for the environment. Animal defense: work t
21、o abolish the fur trade. Promote a lifestyle that is free from animal products. Be against animal testing. Topic Six: Farmers’ Worries Language notes: fertilizer肥料,chemical fertilizer化肥,terrace梯田,erosion侵蚀,barter物物交换,drought干旱, poor soil土壤贫瘠,flood, insufficient irrigation灌溉不足,plague of ins
22、ects and pests病虫害,good years and bad one丰年和歉收, good salaries开高工资,advanced education, new kinds of entertainment, farm subsidies农业补贴,household contract包产到户,responsibility system责任制,extra funds额外投入,reform of rural taxes and administrative charges农业税费的改革,non-profit education programs, needy families困难户
23、caring environment营造关心农业的大环境,forestry林业,animal husbandry畜牧业,fishery渔业,primary/secondary/tertiary industries第一、二、三产业,eliminate differences between rural regions and urban cities消除城乡差别,promoting the integration of rural regions and cities促进城乡融合, short-term gain短期利益,long-term pain长期问题, Sentence str
24、uctures: Offer assistance to the needy Care for others Grassroots-level society Non-profit programs Contribute to A sense of fulfillment The land is small, and no longer fertile, bleeding year after year. The soil is difficult to till in a bad year Farmers are reluctant to invest in the
25、land they currently hold. Famers in coastal provinces take jobs in cities but still need to pay taxes and fees for their contracted land. The chemicals from fertilizers may cause water pollution. Excessive use of chemical fertilizers may… Topic Seven: Sense of Humor Language Notes: humoro
26、us, knowledgeable, learned, relaxing, not frightening, interesting, dull, boring, concentrate, vary from person to person, as far as I am concerned, the most essential quality of being a good partner, a perfect example, funny, amusing, humoristic, facetious, glad, joyful, laughing, pleased, cheerful
27、 sense of humor, non-critical, enhance, comedy, funny, an outburst of laughter Sentence structures: Personally speaking, … If I am asked, I will… I think / agree that… I can not agree more… Humor doesn’t simply involve…, it includes…. A good sense of humor will help me… We enhance our s
28、ense of humor by/ in the way of … Not exactly. There are many levels of humor. Humor often results in laughter. Positive laughter has the potential to enhance the health of individual students and group cohesion. Topic Eight: Today’s workplace Language notes: downturn in the economy, cut
29、 back on production, lay off, stick with current company, figure out what to do, get passed over for a promotion, hand in notice, give up, equal treatment, come up with, catch on, sales take off, get ahead in one’s career, little chance of, in places, think of, why bother, goof off, claim, go for, w
30、ork extra hard, glass ceiling of personal development, specialize in, an opportunity in disguise, butterflies in one’s stomach, so to speak, lead to, be open to, turn over, can’t stand, thrill, come around, tour guide, yoga instructor, Sentence Structures: Bear in mind that… I can agree to t
31、hat… That will be fine. If you will, I would… I am afraid I can’t. Why would you quit your job as … I am sure you’ll do great. What I’ve been thinking about is that… Perhaps you could… That can be an option. It will pay off in the long run. I know what you are saying, but what I am tryi
32、ng to get is that… Topic Nine: Are You A Savvy Saver Language notes: reward oneself, see sth. as a priority, settle down, lead an extravagant lifestyle, by any means, splurge on ,squander, make ends meet, put away, invest, live paycheck to paycheck, watch, sensible things, stick to a budget,
33、get out of debt, run out of money, max out, get finances in order, pay off., cut back on, doable, come out to, anxiety attack Sentence Structures: I live paycheck to paycheck and have to watch how I spend money. I really have to budget to make ends meet. Saving money is not really a priorit
34、y for now. My money usually goes to sensible things like… Sticking to a budget can be tough. Someday money will run out. Why don’t you… From looking at your expenses, I’d agree with you there. Well, the first thing to do, I think is to eliminate… But if we don’t get things under control, w
35、e are going to be in big trouble. Let’s take one step at a time and see if we can … That’s easier said than done. I guess I can accept that. I think it’s more like 60 dollars per month. And what about magazine subscriptions? This is the way we need to look at it. I’d suggest taking your
36、own coffee from home. Hold on a second. Topic Ten: the disappearance of the Boss’s Birthday Cake Language notes: mysterious disappearance, fridge, cleaners, suspect, thief, celebrate, convince, evidence, track down, traces, fingerprints, work schedule, vacuum cleaner, noise, cover, doubt, on
37、one’s way to work, can’t believe my eyes, out of the ordinary, once in a hundred year, right on the spot, investigation, questioning, tight, lock, backup plan/ plan B, can’t do without, wonder, surveillance camera, security personnel, theory, … Sentence Structures: I wonder if… I suppose… I suspect… I am pretty sure that… I am convinced that… It’s impossible… There’s no doubt that… How come…?怎么会 No way! That hardly seems likely. Well, maybe, but… Perhaps we should…






