Feel

Free to

Inquire

Unit 2

Second edition

Feel Free to Inquire

Warm-up

Reading

Language in Use

ProjectCulture

Tips

Homework

Learning to learn

Warm-up

1.Watch the video.

What do you think of the man?

2. Quiz: Are you curious?

Give yourself two points for each ‘a’ response, one point for each ‘b,’ and

zero point for each ‘c’.

Warm-up

Warm-up

1. A man you’ve never met before arrives at your front door and claims to be your real father. What do you say to him?

a. “What?! This is crazy! Are you joking? ”

b. “O.K., I’ll be your kid—for now.”

c. “Whatever. Just tell me what my new last name is.”

Warm-up

2. Your phone bill is much higher than usual. What is your reaction?

a. “Something doesn’t seem right here. I’m going to check the bill carefully.”

b. “Well, I wish I knew what extra fees were, but I guess it’s not my job to know, right?”

c. “Eh, I probably called Mars.”

Warm-up

3. It’s late at night, and there’s a noise downstairs. What will you do?

a. Quietly get out of bed, and tiptoe across the landing to get a better look.

b. Sit up in bed. Listen for a very obvious sign of trouble.

c. Although it’s not raining out, just pretend it’s thunder.

Warm-up

4. “Hello. I’m calling with your test results.”

a. “Oh God, this is it. I haven’t slept in three weeks.”

b. “Great, great. Listen, could you just e-mail those when you have time?”

c. “I don’t know, just give them to charity.”

Warm-up

5. Aliens have landed on your street.

a. “Aliens! What do they want?”

b. “Aliens. Do they want a medal?”

c. “Wake me when the probing begins in earnest.”

Warm-up

6. “Would you like to play 20 Questions?”

a. “Love to! Animal, vegetable, or mineral?”

b. “Is it an octopus? Either way, I’m done guessing.”

c. “20 Questions is so boring, and I’m not interested.”

Your Curiosity Quotient revealed:

11–12 You probably spend a dozen hours a week in your

neighbours’ garbage.

9 –10 There is no co-worker tragedy not worth knowing or

disseminating..

4 – 7 All you really need to know you’ve avoided since

kindergarten.

0 – 3 You’re like a rock.

Warm-up

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Reading

Reading

Task 1 Pre-reading Activities

Task 2 Reading Comprehension

Task 3 After-reading Activities

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Pre-reading Activities

1.Did you ever have a “big” problem and finally manage to solve it successfully? Share the experience with your partners.

Before you read the article, discuss the

following questions with your partner.

2. Are you happy with the present life? Have you ever thought about the future? What if you lose all your advantages?

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Reading Comprehension

The Inquisitive Fish

1 At the bottom of an overgrown and neglected garden there was a large and beautiful pool. The pool was home to a very lot of rather fat and self-important fish and one tiny little golden fish.

2 The big fat fish gobbled up all the worms and enjoyed the shade of the lily leaves, which left the poor little golden fish with very little to eat and nowhere to escape the hot sun. As he couldn’t spend his time lazing around like the other fish, he had to do a lot of serious thinking to keep himself from being sad. So he explored every corner of the pool, until he knew exactly how many tiles there were, the names of all the weeds, and which lily was going to open next.

Reading Comprehension

3 The fat fish got greedier and fatter, and the little golden fish got thinner and lonelier, until one day, when he was swimming past the grating, he knew that he was thin enough to squeeze between the bars. It was quite a struggle getting through the grating and he lost quite a few scales in the process, but at last he was free. He swam down a long water-channel until he got to a winding stream. Then he swam until he reached a great river, and he kept right on swimming (with short rests, of course) until he came to the sea. There he discovered lots of things that were very beautiful (and very frightening), and many other things that were quite beyond his comprehension.

Reading Comprehension

4 Once he saw a fish so big that it could have drunk the whole pool for breakfast and still remained thirsty. Then the little golden fish found a beautiful coral palace in the clear, green depths of the sea; and lovely little fish with shining blue and silver spots brought him the most juicy fat worms on mother-of-pearl plates. He enjoyed it all so much he might have stayed there forever; but he wanted to return to his own home pool and tell the big fat fish all the exciting things they were missing. So he left the sea and swam back up the river. On the way he had many more adventures, both beautiful and frightening, but there simply isn’t time to tell you all about them. And so he swam up the long river and along the winding stream; and on up the water-channel, until he came back to the grating, but now he was so thin from all his adventures, that he slipped through it without losing a single golden scale.

Reading Comprehension

5 He thought everyone would be really surprised to see him again after his long absence, but none of the fat fish had even noticed he had been away. He swam right up to the nose of the fattest and greediest fish in the whole pool, and said: “Stop stuffing your face and blowing bubbles and listen to me, you fat and foolish fish! I have come to tell you about all the amazing things that happened to me on the other side of the grating; and I shall teach you how to grow thin, too, so that you can make the same journey and become as wise as I am.”

Reading Comprehension

6 The fat fish, who was truly enormous, swam lazily toward the grating, and when he saw that the bars were so close together that not even his smallest fin could slip between them, he blew a stream of angry bubbles and turned scornfully on the little golden fish, saying: “Silly little minnow! How dare you disturb my lunch with your foolish fancies? I am much older and wiser than you, for I am the king of all the fish in this pool! How could you have got through the grating when I can’t even put my smallest fin through it?”

Reading Comprehension

7 With an insulting flick of his enormous tail, the big, fat greedy fish swam back to the shadows under the lily leaves to finish his lunch. The little golden fish was very sad that nobody would listen to him; so he slipped quietly away through the grating and swam back out towards the sea.

8 Quite soon afterwards there was a drought, and the water-channel ran dry; and no more water gushed into the pool. The water level in the pool got lower and lower, and the big, fat fish got more and more frightened, until the day came when they lay gasping in the mud at the bottom of the pool. And then they died. But the little golden fish, whose inquisitiveness had led him through the grating, was living very, very happily in the beautiful coral palace under the sea.

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After-reading Activities

( ) 1. The little golden fish was of no importance in the pool.

( ) 2. The little golden fish lived sadly in the pool.

( ) 3. The big, fat fish forced the little fish to do a lot of work for them.

( ) 4. The little fish returned to his home pool to show off his experience to other fish.

( ) 5. The little fish loved the adventures he experienced out of the pool.

A. Read the text and decide whether the following

statements are true (T) or false (F).

T

T

T

F

F

After-reading Activities

( ) 6. Other fish were really surprised to see the little fish again after his long absence.

( ) 7. The fattest fish didn’t believe what the little fish told him.

( ) 8. The big and fat fish wanted to follow the little fish but they couldn’t pass the grating.

( ) 9. The big fish were very regretful because they didn’t listen to the little fish’s advice.

( ) 10. The little fish’s inquisitiveness saved his life.

T

F

T

F

F

After-reading Activities

1. How did the little golden fish find a better life?

Discuss the following questions in groups.

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2. Why did all the big, fat fish die at last?

3. What moral lesson can you learn from this story?

Language in Use

Task 1 Grammar Development

Task 2 Vocabulary Building

Grammar Development

一、“ so... that...” 句型的意思是“如此 / 这么……以 致于 ······” ，常引导结果状语从句。” So...

that...” 句型中的 so 是副词，常常用来修饰形 容词或副词。常用句型为：

So… that… & so that

A. so+形容词（表语） +that从句。例如： It was so cold outside that we had to stop the game.

B. so+形容词 +a(m)+单数名词 +that从句。例如： She made so good a meal that we all ate far too much.

Grammar Development

C. so+副词 +that从句。例如： Tom ran so fast that he won the first place.

D. so+many / /much / few / little+名词 +that从句。例如： I’ve had so many falls that I’m black and blue all over.

Grammar Development

二、 “ such... that...” 句型和“ So… that…” 句型 可以互换，都表示“如此……以致于……”。但 such 是形容词，常常用来修饰名词。常用句型 有：A. such+a(n)+形容词 +单数名词 +that从句。例如：

This is such a good book that all of us like it very much.

B. such+形容词 +复数名词 +that从句。例如： He had such long arms that he could almost touch h

is knees.

Grammar Development

C. such+（形容词） +不可数名词 +that从句，例如： The book is written in such easy English that beginners

can understand it.

D. one (no, any, all, many, some, several, 等 )+such+可数名词 +that从句。例如：

There are many such good books that I can’t decide which one to choose.

Grammar Development

三、 so 与 that 也可连起来写，即变成：“ ... So that...”( 以便 / 为了 ······) ，引导目的状语从句。 例如：

1. I got up early so that I could catch the early bus.

2. Please open the window so that we can breathe fresh air. 3. You must go now so that you won't be late.

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Vocabulary Building

Compound words

Compounding is one of the important kinds of word formation. A compound word is made up of two or more words that together express a single idea.

___ + ___ = _____

word word new word

cow

Vocabulary Building

girl

+

cowgirl

rain

Vocabulary Building

bow+

rainbow

1. An open compound consists of two or more words written separately, such as salad dressing, income tax, or April Fools’ Day.

2. A hyphenated compound has words connected by a hyphen, such as bullet-proof, mother-in-law, or part-time.

3. A solid compound consists of two words that are written as one word, such as pickpocket, keyboard, or typewriter.

Vocabulary Building

There are three types of compounds.

Vocabulary Building

Exercise: Match a word in Column A with a word in Column B to form a compound noun.

baby

hair

dish

coffee

bus

washing

sun

credit

youth

spin

glasses

dryer

stop

washer

maker

hostel

cut

Machine

Card

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Project

Project

Step 1

Walk around in the classroom and interview five classmates. Ask them whether they are inquisitive persons and what they are most curious about. Take notes while you are doing the interview.

Project

Step 2

Write a report according to the information you get from the interviews. Analyse why they are curious and inquisitive about certain things.

Project

Step 3

Form groups of four and exchange your thoughts about the results of the interviews. Collect the results within groups and prepare a presentation for the class.

Project

Step 4

Each group presents the results to the whole class. Group members should also talk about what they have learned from this interview project.

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Culture Tips

Culture Tips

Curiosity killed the cat is a proverb used to warn against being too curious lest one comes to harm.

Culture Tips

Curiosity Killed the Cat were a British pop band that found success in the UK Singles Chart in the late 1980s and early 1990s. They played soulful, jazzy, and funky pop music.

Culture Tips

Curiosity Kills the Cat ( 好奇害死猫 ) is a 2006 Chinese thriller film directed by Zhang Yibai. It stars Hu Jun, Liao Fan, as well as veteran Hong Kong actress Carina Lau.

Culture Tips

Hey Mr. Curiosity Is it true what they've been saying about you Are you killing me You took care of the cat already And for those who think it's heavy Is it the truth Or is it only gossip

Call it mystery or anything Just as long as you call me I sent the message on did you get it when I left it See this catastrophic event It wasn't meant to mean no harm But to think there's nothing wrong is a problem

I'm looking for love this time Sounding hopeful but it's making me cry Love is a mystery Mr. Curious...

Jason Mraz - Mr. Curiosity

Come back to me Mr. waiting never patient can't you see That I'm the same the way you left me In a hurry to spell check me And I'm underlined already in envy green And then to red And I've forgotten what you've said Will you stop working for the dead and return Mr. curious well I need some inspiration It's my birthday and I cannot find no cause for celebration The scenario is grave but I'll be braver when you save me From this situation laden with hearsay

I'm looking for love this time Sounding hopeful but it's making me cry And love is a mystery Mr. Curiosity Be Mr.. please Do come and find me

Jason Mraz - Mr. Curiosity

I'm looking for love this time Sounding hopeful but it's making me cry Trying not to ask why 'Cause love is a mystery Mr. curiosity Be Mr.. please Do come and find me Love is blinding when your timing's never right Oh who am I to beg for difference Finding love in a just instant But I don't mind at least I tried, well I tried...

Jason Mraz - Mr. Curiosity

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Learning to learn

Be inquisitive yourself, and never lose your own sense of wonder. Keep on asking questions, like what makes rainbows or what causes an itch. Then go searching, find out the answers, and share your news. Meanwhile, learn something new every day—like the following cool facts—and pass it along to your classmates.

Never lose your sense of wonder

Learning to learn

● Elephants are the only animals that can’t jump.

● Women blink twice as often as men.

● It’s physically impossible to lick your elbow. (You may have a try.)

● No English word rhymes with “month”.

● Our eyes remain the same size from birth, but our noses and ears keep growing.

● The shortest complete sentence in English is “Go”.

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Homework

• Some people think that we should try to be inquisitive all the time, because it inspires our urge for learning new things.

• However, others believe that being inquisitive may lead us into trouble.

What is your opinion?

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