北师大版高中英语课文Unit15Learning.doc

Unit 15 Learning

Warm-up
Tapescript
Dave: I write down new words several times on paper. This helps my spelling, too. Oh, and I also draw little pictures in my vocabulary book, you know, for “fur” I'd maybe draw a fur coat. And I also imagine the pages of the textbook in my head, you know, photos might help me remember a few words, or even grammar structures.
Luning: I can't remember vocabulary very well. If I have to learn a lot of words, I just repeat them aloud to myself, again and again, till I can remember them well enough to spell them backwards even. Sometimes one word makes me think of another, in the list. I also go over the corrections that my teacher makes in my schoolwork.
Tonghuan: Mm, it's hard to say. It depends on the words, but I often sort of simplify a word by breaking it up into different parts, you know, like “entertain-ment”, and this helps me understand how they fit together. Sometimes a word sounds similar to another word in Chinese, which helps me remember it.
Xiaofang: This may sound silly, but I have a jar in my room. I write translations of new words on bits of paper and put them in the jar. After a week, I open the jar and see if I can remember the words in English. And I write translations in my vocabulary book and ask my mum to test me. And sometimes I test myself on my way to school. You know, I say things in English to myself!

Lesson 1 Life-long Learning
The Importance of Lifelong Learning
Nowadays, more and more people of various ages and backgrounds are continuing to study to improve themselves. Here's what they have to say about their life-long learning experience.
Sun Wen – 28 years old “It's never too late to learn.” That was the advice I got after I failed my college entrance exam. Now I'm about to graduate from the School of Continuing Education at Qinghua University with a Bachelor's Degree in Computer Engineering by distance learning. Because of my new qualification, I'm getting promoted at work.
In the past, if someone like me had failed to get into university through the college exam, he would have had no chance of getting a degree. But it's different now. I decided to give myself a second chance by studying for a degree in the evenings and on weekends while keeping a secure full-time job. Frankly speaking, the last four years have been hard work, but it's been worth it!
Ms Tang – 45 years old
Three months ago, when my manager told me that I would be laid off, my mind went blank and my heart swelled with anger. In the past, if someone had worked for a company for over 20 years, they would have stayed there until retirement! I suspect that they laid me off because the company was not doing that well but it still brought a lump to my throat and made me want to cry. I felt as if I had done something wrong! I know this isn't true though. It's just the status of the job market at the moment.
At first, I enjoyed being a full-time housewife and called myself “CHO” or “chief home officer”. But soon I got bored and decided to do a business course. I have always dreamed of starting my own company.
I have nearly finished the course now and it has been very helpful. I have learnt so many new skills and have already prepared a business plan for setting up my own export company! I think that getting laid off will prove to be the best thing that ever happened to me.
Grandpa Chen – 75 years old
I'm sure you all know the saying, “You can't teach an old dog new tricks.” Well, it's certainly not true! I'm an old dog, and I'm teaching myself new tricks every day!
It all started a few months ago when postage went up. I'd been sending letters by airmail to my daughter in the US once a week, but, suddenly, it was too expensive. I decided that it was time I became an Internet user. I got my grandson to instruct me on how to email and use the Internet and I really enjoy the speed at which my messages get sent and answered. And aside from emailing, it's fun to see and talk to my grandchildren in the US on the i-Cam. In the past, if I'd wanted to see them, I would have had to visit them in person.
So many people think that after you retire, all you can do is switch off your brain and bury everything you've ever learnt. This is so wrong!
Anyway, it's time for me to go now. I have to practise the alphabet! I'm doing an English course on the Internet.
Tapescript
One morning, Bill was standing in his corn field shouting angrily at his neighbour's cattle. Somehow, the cattle had broken through the fence and were now happily eating his corn. Bill tried to get them away but it was no use. What difference did it make? If the frost didn't ruin the harvest, then it was disease.
And if it wasn't disease, then it was his neighbour's cattle. Why did he choose to be a farmer? He could have been a banker like his friend Jack! Bill stared at the surrounding countryside for a while and then started up the steep hill to the farm house. He could have made lots of money like Jack and lived in a great flat in the city. And he would never have had to worry about whether his neighbours' cattle were eating his grain if he had chosen to be a banker! Bill chewed his lip as he walked into his kitchen and wiped the mud off his shoes.
Suddenly he noticed someone sitting at the table. It was Jack!
“What are you doing here?” he asked. “What's the matter?” Jack sighed and put his head in his hands. “I've quit my job and want to stay here with you for a while. I'm tired of the pollution in the city and the stress of my job. I work all the time and never get to see trees or grass! I wish I'd chosen to be a farmer like you!” Bill smiled. “Here are some words of wisdom for you, Jack. Do you know this idiom? The grass is always greener on the other side.”

Lesson 2 Different Schools

Tapescript
Mrs Liu: Most of you have met Jack and Nicholas – our exchange students from the UK. I've asked them to talk to us this afternoon about their learning experiences in the UK. Jack, let's start with you. Can you tell us about the kind of education you had? Jack: Good morning, everyone. I guess I had quite a traditional education. By “traditional” education, I mean that there were lots of rules. It was very strict! They didn't allow even the slightest loose conduct. The school was founded in 1896 and it's very proud of its reputation. The teachers were always telling us to do something – even little things... ‘Do this! Do that! Hurry up! Slow down!' There were so many rules at that school and we had to obey them at all times!
Mrs Liu: I see. But what about the classroom learning itself?
Jack: Oh, I guess it was traditional, too. However, I think we had excellent teachers. In class, teachers would give lectures and we took a lot of notes. We had to review the notes after class and remember some texts. We had to put up our hands and stand up straight to answer the teacher's questions. Also, we had a lot of homework to do after school. Everything we studied would be tested. Even now, I can remember some of the texts and poems we learned.
Mrs Liu: That's very interesting, thanks, Jack. Nicholas, can you describe the kind of schooling you had?
Nicholas: Sure. My school is very different from Jack's school. My school only started in 1967 and it isn't traditional, you know, or conservative. The school motto is “making our school fit for every child” — that means it cares for every student and it recognises that we all have different learning needs and learning styles. Our teachers were all very mild and kind-hearted. They were very patient with each of us and they were not very strict. They did not like to hand out punishment at all.
Mrs Liu: Can you tell us what learning was like in the classroom?
Nicholas: Well, we were never treated simply as receivers of knowledge and asked to memorise the texts. Instead, we took an active part in learning and were involved in a lot of reading, writing and problem-solving activities. We were allowed to work at our own pace, and we could ask questions whenever we wanted. We didn't wear uniforms and the teachers didn't always tell us what to do. They used different types of learning activities and made each subject as interesting as possible. To check what we had learned, they seldom gave us tests but encouraged us to do lots of project work and interesting assignments. I think my school took a learner-centred approach to teaching.
Mrs Liu: I see. What do you think about your school?
Nicholas: For me, it was great. I don't think I could have studied at Jack's school.

Tapescript
Mrs Liu: Is this kind of learner-centred approach popular in the UK?
Nicholas: Not really. I don't think it's as popular as it used to be in the 1970s. Now the competition to get selected for university is much greater and a lot of parents see traditional, strict schools, like Jack's, as giving students the best chance. But I think that this approach prepares us better for university and real-life because we learn about our own learning styles.
Mrs Liu: Do you agree with that, Jack?
Jack: Well, to a certain extent, yes, but I can't really say because I only know my type of school. One of the problems I've heard about the sort of alternative school Nicholas goes to is that students don't prepare well for tests.
Nicholas: I'm sorry to disagree, Jack, but I don't accept that at all. I think many people misunderstand and believe that the learner-centred approach isn't as good as the traditional method. That just isn't true. We used to practise doing exams but we were also taught how to study more independently. Research shows that we do just as well as students from traditional schools.
Jack: Well, maybe you're right. Our lessons were very structured, and we were tested on the content, the facts – we weren't taught how to analyse or think about something on our own. I guess I would have preferred your type of school.
Nicholas: Not necessarily. It doesn't suit all students. You may not have liked it, Jack.
Jack: You might be right but I would've liked to try it!
Mrs Liu: That is all very interesting – perhaps we can talk about it again later. Thank you both for sharing your experiences with us.

Lesson 3 Teachers

My Teacher
Graham Lawrence, 29, science author who gives presentations on TV, went to Overton School, 1981-1989.
I haven't seen Mr Jenkins since I left school but I often think about him. I wasn't very good at most school subjects. I suppose I was a bit lazy and now I wish I'd done more work, especially in maths. The only thing I can remember from school maths is that the angles of a triangle add up to 180 degrees! But when I was 15 and went into Mr Jenkins' class, I really became interested in a subject for the first time.
Before Mr Jenkins, science had simply been a subject full of strange words to me. I had no idea what an atom was and I didn't really want to know either! I found it all so boring and difficult. But Mr Jenkins made everything interesting. He used to explain things with lots of practical examples and simplified things that seemed difficult. One day, he took us outside and we built a rocket! I remember that he let me pour some powder into the rocket and then another student lit a flame to set it off. It was great fun.
I know that I wasn't a willing student and I shouldn't have been so difficult at school, but it was probably because I lacked confidence in myself. Mr Jenkins made me feel that I could do things. I was interested in astronomy and he asked me to give a presentation to the class. That was really the first time I ever tried to explain science to an audience and now it's my job! Often when I'm preparing a programme, I think about how Mr Jenkins would have done it. Sometimes I wish I could phone him and ask for his opinion!

My Student
Brian Jenkins, science teacher at Overton School. Before Graham came into my class, he was very difficult. I had heard stories about his bad behaviour. Once I caught him and a friend seeing who could spit the furthest off the school stage! But when he got interested, he changed. The first day he walked into my class, he was dragging his school bag behind him and looking bored, but as soon as I set up an experiment to show how the human stomach works using acid and an onion, he gave me his full attention. He loved science! He was very bright and should have done much better in all his other subjects. I've read a couple of his books and seen him on TV. I always say to my wife, “Oh look, I used to teach him!” I wish I was as successful with all my students as I was with Graham.
It's difficult teaching nowadays. There are lots of problems and not enough money. The government should have put more money towards science education. And I wish they would decrease the size of classes — it's not easy doing lessons in laboratories with big groups and it must be even worse in the poorer schools! At least with schools like ours, we have laboratories!
My wife often wishes that I had chosen a job with less stress but I love what I do. The thing about being a teacher is that you have access to children's minds when they are open and eager to learn. And if what I do as a teacher can help turn a child like Graham into such a successful adult, then I know what I'm doing is worthwhile.

Lesson 4 Understanding

“Who questions much, shall learn much, and remember much.”
– Francis Bacon (1561–1626)
It seems obvious now how we acquire knowledge and understanding. To start with, you need questions. Then, to find answers, you observe the world around you and study the facts. After that you consider possible answers and test each to find the right ones. Although today we are more accustomed to typing a few key words into a search engine and waiting for the Internet to spit the answer out for us, modern scientists and thinkers are still solving the world's problems with this type of analysis — luckily for us.
However, in the 17th century when Francis Bacon suggested that this type of thinking was the way to gain knowledge, he was going against the views of the day. Bacon held an important rank under King James (1566–1625) of England but his true interest was not the day to day bureaucratic details of the government, but the worthy search for knowledge. This was certainly not the interest of most people in his day. At that time, people believed more in religion than in facts and people like Galileo Galilei (1564–1642), who proved scientific ideas such as “the Earth is not the centre of the universe”, were often punished by the church with no one coming to their defence. The church and many people tended to ignore the facts and were unwilling to challenge what they had always comfortably believed. They preferred to make assumptions about the world based on the experience of others. In fact, when Galilei proved that the Earth was not the centre of the universe, instead of believing him, people chose to believe views tha