1. Some believe that we are quipped with a special ability to learn language and that our brain adjusts itself to the language and the our brain adjusts itself to the language we hear around us .

T or F

1. We learnt our mother tongue by everyday activates and interactions with the people around us .

2. Language experts agree on how we were able to acquire our language .

3. A lot of people are born with a special ability to learn a foreign language well .

4. Learn a foreign language much faster than we do our mother tongue .

5. We can get a lot of help and the learning is more efficient , so we learn English much faster than we may have thought .

6. Successful language learners spent as many hours studying English as they do their mother tongue .

7. The less anxious and relaxed the leaner , the better their language acquisition .

8. Learning a language needs patience .

Read the text quickly and find the answers to the following questing .

1. Generally speaking , when has a child mastered the basics of his or her mother tongue ?

2. What characteristics do successful language learners have in common ?

(They are interested in understanding their own thinking , curious about the world, willing to take chances and confident in their ability )

2.　　　 prepare for the grammar The Adverbial.

　Please finish Ex2 in Grammar, and you can tell me what part of speeches can be used for the Adverbial.

1.　　　 Recite the general idea of the play.

　 The short passage is the general idea of this play. Please read the passage carefully and quickly, then fill in the blanks with proper words and phrases.

　 It was the day before Christmas. Frost stands on the window. Bob feels

Very cold, so he is warming his hands over the candle. But his boss Scrooge, who is cold, mean, and selfish man, orders him to continue working. Then Bob asks Scrooge to have a day off in order to have a good Christmas. However, he is unwilling to promise him. Fred—Scrooge nephew wants to invite him their Christmas dinner, but he was refused. A gentleman who wants to collect some money for the poor tries to persuade Scrooge to make a contribution to the poor, but he fails. At last, when all the others left Scrooge, Scrooge had a dream, in which he met Santa Claus. Santa Claus leads Scrooge into his past, present and future. This makes him admit his error in valuing money over people. Therefore, on Christmas morning, Scrooge goes to the Bob Cratchit’s family, having a merry Christmas together. The play teaches us a lesson that we should open our hearts to help others.

　Please scan the passage and answer the questions in the post reading part.

1.　　　 How does Ebenezer Scrooge treat people working for him?

Can you give some examples?

He treats people badly. For example, his nephew Fred invites him to have Christmas dinner with them. He doesn’t understand him at all, laughing at his being poor. What’s worse, he refuses to help the poor.

2.　　　 Characters in stories by Charles Dickens can often be recognized by some typical behavior.

(1). What’s typical of Scrooge? What dose he mean by saying it?

　 Scrooge always says “Humbug”, which means nonsense.

(2). What’s typical of Santa Clause? What dose it mean?

　 Santa Clause gives a kind of voice “Ho, Ho, Ho”, which is a way of laughing. It really means “He, He, He”.

3.　　　 What’s the true spirit of Christmas according to Fred?

According to Fred, the true spirit of Christmas is to stop only think about yourself, but to open your heart freely and think of other people.

4.　　　 Scrooge’s last visitor’s says he is concerned with welfare. What is　 meant by that?

Scrooge’s last visitor, Santa Clause says he is concerned with Scrooge’s welfare. It means that he is worried about Scrooge because he is selfish, mean and cold, never thinks about others.

5.　　　 Santa Clause takes Scrooge on a journey through time. What’s his role? Is he a guide, doctor or judge? Explain your answer.

Santa Clause’s role is that of a guide. He shows Scrooge some scenes from his own past, present and future, a little bit like a tour guide.

6.　　　 Scrooge says that he doesn’t want to watch the scenes Santa shows him. Why not?

Scrooge says he doesn’t want to see the scenes, maybe because he now sees clearly what a terrible and selfish he has always been.

7.　　　 An important scene in A Christmas Carol is when Scrooge watches his younger self talking with his girl friend.

(1). What’s the talk between young Scrooge and the girl about?

The girl wants to break up her relation with young Scrooge.

(2). What does she mean by “the golden idol”?

“The golden idol” is money.

(3). Why doesn’t she love Scrooge any more?

She doesn’t love Scrooge any more because he is selfish and only thinks about money.

(4). What does it mean if people weigh everything by gain?

Weighing everything by gain means that people will only do something for themselves, and but they don’t help others.

8.Why does Mrs Cratchit not want to drink a toast to Mr Scrooge?

Mrs Cratchit doesn’t want to drink a toast to Mr Scrooge because she hates him and blames him for Tiny Tim’s bad health.

8.　　　 What’s wrong with Tiny Tim? Would it be Scrooge’s fault if Tiny Tim died in the future?

Tiny Tim is a very small and weak, little boy who has some problems with his legs. That’s why he has to use some support or be carried by his father. Tim’s death will get worse unless his family can buy him some the medicine he needs and improve his diet. Since the problem of Tiny Tim’s health is caused by the fact that his father doesn’t his father earn enough money，you could say that Scrooge is responsible for Tiny Tim’s death in the future. The story suggests that if Scrooge were a good man, he should make it his responsibility to care for his employees.

　A Christmas Carol is a play, which is made up of two parts ( Reading and Integrating skills), so we should read the play as a whole. Please skim the play and tell me the main plots of the play.

　 This part not only introduces background but also brings in new key words.

　 Charles Dickens’ works display his deep sympathy and love for the poor. In his time many people earned very low wage they could hardly live on. The rich only occupied themselves with making money, and had no eye for the needs and welfare of their works. Opportunities to find well-paid jobs were far from abundant.

　 Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol in 1843. When the book appeared, It was an immediate success. Several of the characters in the book are very striking. There is Bob, who works for Scrooge as a clerk, wearing an old and worn overcoat. and warming his frozen hands over a candle as the windows are covered with frost. And then there is Fred, Scrooge’s nephew, who invites his uncle to a dinner. Finally there is Santa Clause, who brings Scrooge back to his old days to make him admit the fact that he only cares for money. And of course Scrooge, a cold, mean old man, is always commenting on everything by saying “Humbug”—an expression typical of Dickens’ times.