1初中英語教師培訓材料(1).doc

初中英語教師練習材料1 Gods coffeeA group of alumni（lmna 校友）, highly established（istblit 已建立的;已確立的） in their careerskri 職業(yè)；經(jīng)歷, got together to visit their old university professor. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life. Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment s:tmnt 分類 of cups-porcelain（p:slin 瓷器；瓷制的、精美的）, plastic, glass, crystal（kristl 水晶）, some plain（簡樸的;樸素的） looking, some expensive, some exquisite（ekskwizit 精美的;精致的）-telling them to help themselves to the coffee. When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said: “If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal（正常的,正規(guī)的,標準的） for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source（根源;來源）of your problems and stress. Be assured （確定的;得到保證的）that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously（knsli 有意識地；自覺地） went for the best cups. And then you began eyeing each others cups. Now consider this: life is the coffee; the jobs, money and position（地位;身份） in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain（包含;容納）life, and the type of cup we have does not define（解釋,給.下定義）, nor change the quality of life we live. （生活就是咖啡；而工作、金錢、社會地位只是裝咖啡的杯子。它們不過是承載生活的工具。我們擁有什么樣的杯子并不能定義，或是改變我們生活本身的品質(zhì)。）Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee God has provided us.”God brews the coffee, not the cups. Enjoy your coffee!“The happiest people dont have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything.”Live simply. / Love generously. / Care deeply. / Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.2 How do we deal with our problems?Rich or poor, young or old, we all have problems. And unless we deal with our problems, we can easily become unhappy. Worrying about our problems can affect how we do at school. It can also influence the way we behave with our families. So how do we deal with our problems? There are many ways. By learning to forget.Most of us have probably been angry with our friends, parents or teachers. Perhaps they said something you didnt like, or you felt they were unfair. Sometimes, people can stay angry for years about a small problem. Time goes by, and good friendships may be lost.When we are angry, however, we are usually the ones affected. Perhaps we have seen young children and decide not to talk to each other. However, this usually does not last for long. This is an important lesson for us: we can solve a problem by learning to forget.By regarding problems as challenges.Many students often complain about school. They might feel they have too much work to do sometimes, or think the rules are too strict. We must learn how to change these “problems” into “challenges”. Education is an important part of our development. As young adults, it is our duty to try our best to deal with each challenge in our education with the help of our teachers.By thinking of something worse.By comparing yourself to other people, you will find your problems are not so terrible. Think about Stephen Hawking, for example, a very clever scientist, who regards his many physical problems as unimportant. He cant walk or even speak, but he has become very famous and successful. We are probably quite healthy and smart. Lets not worry about our problems. Lets face the challenges instead.3 He used to cause a lot of trouble.Martin Murray is a fifteen-year-old boy. He used to be a “problem child”, but a recent conversation with his mother changed his life. He didnt use to give his mother many problems. However, after his fathers deat5h a few years ago, Martins life became much more difficult. His mother couldnt afford to pay for her childs education. To do this, she had to work, and so was often not at home.His mother looked after him as well as she could. Unfortunately, Martin still caused problems for himself and his family. He was not interested in studying and he often got into trouble with the police. Luckily, his mother was very patient, and didnt give up trying to help him. In the end, she made a difficult decision: to send him to a boys boarding school. Martin hated it and used to cause a lot of trouble. One day, he told his teacher he wanted to leave the school. Even the teacher agreed that Martin was wasting his time.The head teacher said it was necessary for Martin to talk with his mother. Martin called his mother, but to his surprise, this phone call changed his life. “It was exactly what I needed,” he said. “My mother helped me to understand how much she had given me. She also told me that even though my father was no longer with us, he was watching me and would always take pride in everything good I do. Thats when I decided to change. I realize that since my father died, I have been afraid of being alone, and have tried to make my mother pay more attention to me.” Now Martin has really changed. He has been working hard and is now one of the best students in his class. How was he able to change? His mothers love helped him to feel good about himself, and as Martin himself says, “Its very important for parents to be there for their children.”4 Should I be allowed to make my own decisions?Many teenagers have hobbies. But sometimes these hobbies can get in the way of schoolwork, and parents might worry about their childs success at school. Teenagers often think they should be allowed to practice their hobbies as much as they want. Do you agree?Liu Yu, a fifteen-year-old boy from Shandong, is a running star. He is on his school running team and has always wanted to be a professional athlete. However, his parents wont allow him to train as much as he would like to. “Of course we want to see Liu Yu achieve his dreams,” says Mr. Liu, “and we know how much he loves running. Thats great, and my wife and I have watched him in every one of his races. We have nothing against running. But we do think that our son needs to be realistic. Now that he is getting older, he needs to think about what will happen if he doesnt become a professional runner in the end.”Liu Yu doesnt really agree. “Well, I think I should be allowed to make decisions for myself.” He says. “My parents have always taught me the importance of working hard and not just to do what I enjoy. I understand this. But Im serious about running. Being a professional runner is the only thing I have ever wanted to do.”Mr. and Mrs. Liu believe that Liu Yu should study hard in the evenings, and so they dont allow him to practice running on school nights. “I know this might seem strict,” says Mrs. Liu, “but we think were doing the right thing. He has to understand that very few people can become professional athletes. Its a very difficult dream to achieve. We dont allow him to practice every day because we think he needs to spend time on his homework.”But Liu Yu still doesnt agree. “I know my parents care about me,” he says. “But they are always talking about what will happen if I dont succeed. But I will succeed. I think I should be allowed to make this decision for myself. Only then will I have a chance of achieving my dream.”5 only eat food that tastes good.How important is keeping healthy to you? A group of young people got together to discuss this question. Heres part of their discussion.PETER: Id like to stay healthy, but to be honest, I only eat food that tastes good. And if food tastes good, its usually bad for you, isnt it? Cola tastes better than water, for example.TONY: Well, food that is bad for you can taste good. But I prefer not to eat too much food that is fried, like, er, French fries. Do you eat fast food, Laura?LAURA: Do I eat fast food? Never. I love to eat food that is healthy. I want to take care of my health, so I eat mainly fruit and vegetables. Oh. And I stay away from sugar, you do too, dont you?TONY: Hm, yes. And I think most people are in agreement that fruit and vegetables are good for health. But, um, I would say that fast food itself isnt always bad for you, but too much of it is not goo.LAURA: Actually, did you know that its been found in laboratory testing that some types of oil are really bad for us? So I dont eat anything thats been cooked in oil. Also, did you know that some foods might cause cancer? Like burnt barbecued meat. Ive heard eating burnt food like this can increase the risk of cancer.PETER: Really. But I love to eat meat thats well cooked, even if it is a little burnt; Its delicious, and meat isnt really dangerous, is it?LAURA: Oh. Yes, it is. I never eat meat. Its not at all good for our health. If I were you, Id eat nuts instead.TONY: Well, I agree its good to eat lots of fruit and vegetables, but I think its also fine to eat some meat or fish. People who eat a balanced diet should be healthier than those who only eat biscuits and hamburgers, shouldnt they? I prefer to only eat food that I like, but isnt it important to eat food thats healthy, even if you dont like it? The main thing is to have a good balance.6 Id love to sail across the Pacific.We all dream about things that we would like to do and things we hope to achieve in the future. But are everybodys dreams the same? Here are some of the findings of a survey about hopes and dreams, in which thousands of students across China took part.What are the hopes of teenagers?We received several different answers to the question: what would you like to do after finishing your education? It seems some students would like to start work as soon as possible, so that they can help provide better lives for their parents. Other students hope to continue studying after finishing school and to go to university. Although money is important, many teenagers said they want to do jobs they enjoy. According to the survey, the most popular choice of job is computer programming.What are the dreams of teenagers?Teenagers have all kinds of dreams. Some are more realistic than others. For example, many students said they would like to be volunteers at the 2008 Olympics, maybe working as translators or tour guides. And quite a few said they dream of going to the moon one day. According to the survey, less realistic dreams are also common, but many students reported that they were willing to work hard to achieve their dreams. Quite a few dream of becoming famous, perhaps famous sportspeople or singers. Some said theyd love to go on exciting trips: one student said shed love to sail across the Pacific Ocean. And then there are dreams that are impossible; three students said theyd like to be able to fly.ConclusionIt was clear from the survey that teenagers have similar hopes. It seems that most students hope to have a good education and find a good job. On the other hand, students dream of very different things: good things, and even crazy things. It is very important to dream, so hold on to your dreams: one day they may just come true.7 Ill send you a photo of lucky.Dear Miss LI,Id like to thank you for sending money to “Animal Helper” an organization set up to help disabled people. You see, you have helped make it possible for me to have “ Lucky”, who has filled my life with pleasure. Let me tell you my story.Being blind, deaf, unable to walk or use your hands easily is something that most people cannot imagine. But there are many people who face these challenges, and I am one of them. Because I cant use my arms or legs well, normal things like answering the telephone, opening and shutting doors or carrying things have always been difficult for me. Then one day last year, a friend of mine s aid that she would like to help me out. She said she would talk to “Animal Helpers” to see if it would be possible for me to get a specially trained dog. She also thought a dog might cheer me up. I told her that I love animals and that Id love to have a dog.After six months of training with a dog at “Animal Helpers”, I was able to bring him home. My dogs name is “l(fā)ucky” a good name for him because I feel very lucky to have him. You see, Im only able to have a “dog-helper” because of your kind donation.How does lucky help me, you might ask? Well, he has been trained to understand different instructions. For example, I say, “Lucky, Fetch my book,” and he does it at once. He is very clever and understands many English words, even some difficult ones like “upstairs”.Lucky is an amazing dog. Ill send you a photo of him if you like, and I could show you how he helps me too one day. And so I thank you again for supporting “Animal Helpers”. It is much appreciated and the money is well used to help disabled people like me.8 Do you know when basketball was invented?If you travel around China you will notice a very popular activity everywhere you go-basketball. This much-loved and active sport is enjoyed by many, for fun and exercise.The sport of basketball is a little over a hundred years old. It is played by more than 100million people in over 200 countries including China, where basketball has been played in parks, schools, and even in factories.Basketball was invented by a Canadian doctor named James Naismith, who was born in 1861. When he was at college, his class was once asked to invent a new game that could be played indoors during the long winters. Dr Naismith created a game to be played on a hard wooden floor, so the safety of the players was important. Knocking into players and falling down would be dangerous.Dr Naismith divided the men in his class into two teams and taught them how to play his new game. The aim of basketball is for players to get a ball into the “basket”: a net hanging from use the “backboard” for guiding the ball into the basket. Players move towards one end of the court while throwing the ball to each other.It is believed that on December 21st, 1891, the first basketball game in history was played. Then in 1936 in Berlin, it became an Olympic event. A team from China took part, and although they didnt win they used the experience to help develop the game at home. Since then, the popularity of basketball has risen worldwide, and the number of foreign players in Americas NBA (National Basketball Association) has increased. Basketball has also become a more popular sport for people to watch, and many young people dream of becoming famous basketball players.9 Could you please lend me your pen?Asking for information or help is a very common and necessary activity, especially when we visit a foreign country. So knowing how to ask for information politely is important. In English, “Where are the restrooms?” and “Could you please tell me where the restrooms are?” are similar requests-both are correct English, but the first could sound rude. Its important to use correct language, but sometimes this alone is not enough-we need to learn how to be polite when we make requests.In English, just like in Chinese, we change the way we speak when talking with different people. The expressions you use might depend on whom you are speaking to or how well you know them. If you say to your teacher, “Where is my book?” this will sound rude. But if you say, “Excuse me, Mr. West. Do you know where my book is?” your question will sound much more polite. On the other hand, it might be alright to say “Where is my book?” in some situations perhaps with people you know well.And you would not usually say, “Peter, lend me your pen.” A very direct order like this can sound rude in English. Usually in English polite questions are longer and include extra language such as “Could you please? or “ Can I ask.?” It sounds more polite to say. “Peter, could you please lend me your pen?” Sometimes we might even need to spend some time leading in to a question or request. For example, if you stop a stranger in the street, we might first say, “Excuse me. I wonder if you can help me” or “Im sorry to trouble you but,” before asking them for help.It might seem that speaking politely is more difficult than being direct, and in a way this may be true. However, in order not to offend people, learning about language etiquette is just as important as learning grammar or vocabulary. And doing this will also help you become better at English, or any other language you wish to speak.10 Youre supposed to write quickly.Can you write in English? And can you also write e-mail English? Maybe not. E-mail English is a new kind of written English that is being used to save time.A lot of e-mail English words might look unfamiliar to us many look like rubbish. This is because they come from a computer program called ICQ, which means I seek you. ICQ is an online conversation with friends. One Canadian teacher says, “People can use their computers to talk to each other. But you are supposed to type quickly so the other person doesnt get bored. Using e-mail English helps you write quickly.”E-mail English mostly uses two types of words. The first is “abbreviation”. This is formed by using the first letter of each word in the phrase. For example, BTW means “by the way”, and CSL means “cant stop laughing”. The second kind of word is a “homophone”-its created by combining letters and symbols or numbers to sound like other words. An example of this would be to write “great as “gr8” or to write “see you later” as “CU18r”When you write e-mail English you do not use punctuation marks only in the traditional way. You are also supposed to use them to show the emotion you are feeling. These are called “emoticons”. The advantage of using punctuation marks is that you can make faces with them. The most common one is the happy face-it looks