Unit 2Unit 2

What is happiness to you?What is happiness to you?

TaskTaskWriting an article about Writing an article about

problems and solutionsproblems and solutions

TaskTaskWriting an article about Writing an article about

problems and solutionsproblems and solutions

Skills building 1:Skills building 1:

recognizing words that express problems

How will you feel if you’re in the following

situations?

If you lost your way in a forest and there

was no one to help you find the way out,

you would feel _______.hopeless

If you failed in the exam again, you would

feel ____.

If you found that you lost the match, you

would feel ___________.

If you were misunderstood by the teacher,

you would feel __________.

If you heard that your excursion has been

cancelled, you would be ____________.

sad

unhappy

disappointed

frustrated

wordswords

sad confused disappointed unhappy

alone depressed afraid hopeless lonely

regretful frustrated anxious …

emotional words and negative images used emotional words and negative images used

to discuss problems, fears and worriesto discuss problems, fears and worries

patternspatterns

I feel like…

They make / It makes me feel…

I wish… I’m tired of…

phrasesphrases

under a black cloud, feel blue

stuck / caught between…

in very low spirits

For example:

I felt like crying when I knew I would

never see my grandma again.

Failing my Maths test again made me feel

rather depressed. I want to have a talk

with my Maths teacher.

Make the sentences using the

structures.

He left school under a black cloud after

causing a serious accident.

Since her husband got ill, she seems

very down in the dumps.

Step 1: recognizing problemsStep 1: recognizing problems

Read the letter in Part A on page 26 and

underline the words, phrases and patter

ns used to describe the problems in the le

tter.

Answers:Answers:

I don’t know what to do.

I’ve been very sad…

I feel caught between…

They make me feel like I’m a bad son.

I feel guilty…

I’m so confused.

I’m really tired of feeling worried…

being sad. I am uncertain what to do!

1. What problem does Ma Jie have?

2. If you were Ma Jie, what would you do

to solve the problem?

Answers:

(1)____ (2)______________

(3)________ (4)_____________

(5)_________

(6) ______ (7)_______

(8)_____ (9)_________ (10)_____

(11)_________ (12) ____________

Listen and complete your notes.Listen and complete your notes.

sad make mistakes

studies falling behind

basketball

talent willing

focus education injury

important business world

Why didn’t these solutions work?

Answers:

1. Both things take a lot of time.

2. Two days a week is not enough

training.

3. I failed two exams and my parents were

very disappointed.

4. If I don’t play, I’m not happy.

Skills building 2: Skills building 2: breaking a big question into smaller onesbreaking a big question into smaller ones

A big question:A big question:

How can I improve my grades?

What subjects do you find hard and need

to improve on?

What is your problem in these subjects?

Is that because you have not spent enough

time on them?

What have you done to improve on these

subjects?

Small questions:Small questions:

Did you use good study methods in these

subjects?

What are your short-term and long-term

goals in these subjects? Have you set

proper goals?

……

Work in pairs with your partner.

What do you think of Ma Jie’s problem?

Step 2: discussing solutionsStep 2: discussing solutions

Let’s make things less complicated.

We’d better divide the big question into some smaller ones.

Answers:

problem: What is his problem?

source of information:

How did you find out about the problem?

people affected:

Who else is affected by the problem

besides Ma Jie?

attempts to solve problem:

What has he done to try to solve the

problem?

results of attempts:

What were the results of the solutions he

had tried?

things one wishes to happen:

What does he wishes to happen?

Skills building 3: Skills building 3: presenting solutionspresenting solutions

When we present solutions, there are a

few points to remember. Points of how

to make solutions clearer and more

helpful to people who need it:

Points What to do Why

avoid judging

give examples

Use positive, helpful language; do not say, ‘It’s wrong for you to…’

People want help but not judgement of their previous behavior.People will know how to use your advice.

Mention a similar situation where your advice works.

Guidelines What to do Why

be specificPeople can

be helped to

solve their

problems.

Give the solution

that can help

people to solve

their own

problems.

Step 3: writing an articleStep 3: writing an article

Write an article about how Ma Jie

solved his problem with the help of his

parents, teachers and coach.

Work in groups and discuss what you

should write. Each member of your

group writes one part.

What we should write:What we should write:

• Ma Jie’s problems

• the possible solutions Ma Jie thought of

and the reasons why they didn’t work

• the advice you gave to Ma Jie

• the advice his parents, teachers and

coach gave him and why it works

• your opinion about the best way to

solve problems that students have

HomeworkHomeworkRead the passage in Part A on page

113 in Workbook. Then write a

passage according to the guidelines

in Part B.