Unit Eight A Magician at Stretching a Dollar

Designed by Shi Yuan

BookⅠ

The First Two Periods

Listening and Speaking

Listening and Speaking

• Enjoy the video• Group discussion• Background information • Listening Practice• Oral Practice• Assignments

Enjoy the video

Group Discussion

1. Please divide yourselves into groups of 4 or 5 students for each.

2. Have a discussion focusing on one of the following questions for 5 minutes.

3. Choose one out of each group to present your group discussion. When the student gives his or her presentation, please come to the front of the classroom.

4. Others listen carefully and grade the performance of the speakers.

5. The speakers grade their own performance.

6. The teacher grades the performance of each speaker.

Direction:

Christmas is coming. How do you plan to spend it ?

Have you ever received any unforgettable present from

others?

Background information

• Santa Claus • Christmas tree • Christmas card• Christmas carol

Santa Claus

“Father Christmas” (or “Santa Claus”) has become the human face of Christmas. Pictures will be seen everywhere of the old man with long white beard, red coat, and bag of toys. Children are taught that he brings them presents the night before Christmas (or in some countries on December 6th - St. Nicholas’ Day), and many children up to the age of 7 or 8 really believe this is true. In most countries, it is said that he lives near the North Pole, and arrives through the sky on a sledge (snow-cart) pulled by reindeer. He comes into houses down the chimney at midnight and places presents for the children in socks or bags by their beds or in front of the family Christmas tree.

In shops or at children’s parties, someone will dress up as Father Christmas and give small presents to children, or ask them what gifts they want for Christmas. Christmas can be a time of magic and excitement for children.

Father Christmas is based on a real person, St. Nicholas, which explains his other name “Santa Claus” which comes from the Dutch “Sinterklaas”. Nicholas was a Christian leader from Myra (in modern-day Turkey) in the 4th century AD. He was very shy, and wanted to give money to poor people without them knowing about it. It is said that one day, he climbed the roof of a house and dropped a purse of money down the chimney. It landed in the stocking which a girl had put to dry by the fire! This may explain the belief that Father Christmas comes down the chimney and places gifts in children's stockings.

Christmas tree

• The Christmas tree has become one of the most beloved and well known holiday symbols. The tradition of a holiday tree has been around since ancient times and has played an important part in winter celebrations for many centuries. The use of a Christmas tree indoors appears to have begun in Germany. One of the first public displays of a Christmas tree was set up by German Settlers in Pennsylvania. Early Christmas trees were often decorated with apples, nuts, cookies, colored popcorn and candles. The invention of electricity in the early 20th century and use of electrical Christmas lights helped spread the use of the Christmas tree. 

    It is now common in most communities through out the US to feature public displays of Christmas trees. Every year the President of the United States lights the National Christmas Tree in Washington and in New York skaters spin beneath the lighted tree of Rockefeller Center. Through Europe and the rest of the world the Christmas tree has also become readily accepted and adored.

• Christmas card

• — a form of greeting, expression of good will• — popular practice of sending Christmas cards in all

English-speaking countries, even in the whole world

• — the first Christmas card designed in England in 1843 with the words “A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to You”

• Christmas carol

• — “carol”, a Greek dance called a choraulein, accompanied by flute music

• — eulogizing Jesus Christ, Virgin Maria and Santa Claus

• — to create solemn religious atmosphere or merry Christmas atmosphere

• — most composed in the 1700’s and 1800’s

• —popular nonreligious carols including Jingle Bells and White Christmas

• 颂歌圣诞节时唱的赞美诗称为“圣诞颂歌”。圣诞颂歌很多，曲谱多取自著名音乐家的名作。经常唱的有《普世欢腾，救主下降》、（ Joy to the World ！）、《天使歌唱在高天》（ Angels We Have Heard on High ）、《缅想当年时方夜半》（ It Came to be Midnight Clear ）、《美哉小城，小伯利恒》（ O Little Town of Bethlehem ）、 《牧人闻信》（ While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks ）、《远远在马槽里》（ Away in the Manger ）、《荣耀天军》（ Angels ，from the Realms of Glory ）、《听啊，天使唱高声》（ Hark ！ the Herald Angels Sing ）、《圣诞钟声》（ I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day ）、等等其中以《平安夜》（ Silent Night ）最为有名。

Enjoy the song

• Silent Night 　　

　　 Silent night Holy night 　　 All is calm all is bright

　　 'Round you virgin Mother and Child 　　 Holy infant so tender and mild

　　 Sleep in heavenly peace 　　 Sleep in heavenly peace

　　　　 Silent night, holy night,

　　 Shepherds quake at the sight. 　　 Glories stream from heaven afar,

　　 Heav'nly hosts sing Alleluia; 　　 Christ the Savior is born; 　　 Christ the Savior is born.

　　　　 Silent night, holy night,

　　 Son of God, love's pure light. 　　 Radiant beams from Thy holy face, 　　 With the dawn of redeeming grace,

　　 Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth; 　　 Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth.

• 《平安夜》

平安夜，圣善夜！万暗中，光华射，

照着圣母也照着圣婴，多么慈详也多么天真，

静享天赐安眠，静享天赐安眠。　　

平安夜，圣善夜！牧羊人，在旷野，

忽然看见了天上光华，听见天军唱哈利路亚，

救主今夜降生，救主今夜降生！　　

平安夜，圣善夜！神子爱，光皎洁，

救赎宏恩的黎明来到，圣容发出来荣光普照，

耶稣我主降生，耶稣我主降生！

• 据说， 1818 年在奥地利一个名叫奥本多夫的小镇上住着一个默默无闻的乡村牧师一摩尔。这年圣诞节，摩尔发现教堂里管风琴的管于被老鼠咬坏了，修理已经来不及了。怎么庆祝圣诞呢？摩尔为此闷闷不乐。他忽然想起《路加福音》里记载着，那稣降生时，天使向伯利恒郊外的牧羊人报佳音后，高唱颂歌：“在至高之处荣耀归于上帝，在地上平安归于他所喜悦的人。”他灵机一动，根据这两句经文写成一首赞美诗，取名《平安夜》。摩尔写好歌词后拿给本镇小学教师葛路伯看，请他谱曲。葛路怕读完歌词很受感动，谱好曲，第二天在教堂里演唱，大受欢迎。后来有两个商人路过这里，学会了这首歌，他们为普鲁士国王威廉四世演唱，威廉四世听后大力赞赏，下令把《平安夜》定为全国教堂过圣诞节时必唱的歌曲之一。

legendThe began with a real person: St. Nicholas, who lived during the 4th century in what is now . He is one of the most popular saints honored by and there are many stories about his generosity. Santa Claus as we know him today is a relatively recent

invention. These were introduced into American by Dutch settlers. The name “Santa Claus” comes from his Dutch name “Sinta Klaus”. In the United States he became with Christmas rather than December 6, his traditional fast day, and he developed into a purely secular figure. Most of the of the Santa Claus legend, such as his climbing down the chimney and his red suit rimmed with white fur, are of Dutch . His association with reindeer and the , however, apparently came from Scandinavia.

______Turkey_______

Christians________

American________

associated__________

central features_____________

origin_______North Pole_________

Listening Practice---Blank-filling

Listening Practice---Blank-filling

The boy was at first delighted to discover the present his mother had hidden away as his Christmas gift. But then he began to worry that his mother would now no longer have the pleasure of giving him a surprise. What was he to do?

A Magician at Stretching a Dollar

That December, with Christmas , she was out at work and Doris was in the kitchen when I let myself into her bedroom one afternoon a safety pin. Since her bedroom opened onto a community hallway, she kept the door locked, but needing the pin, I took the key from its hiding place, unlocked the door and stepped in. Standing against the wall was a big, black bicycle with balloon tires. I recognized it instantly. It was the same second-hand bike I’d been admiring in a Baltimore Street shop window. I’d even asked about the price. It was a . Something like $15. Somehow my mother had enough for a down payment and meant to surprise me with the bicycle on Christmas morning.

approaching

in search of

shockscraped together

I was deeply moved by the discovery and yet sickened by the knowledge that, bursting into her room like this, I had robbed her of the pleasure of seeing me astonished and delighted on Christmas day. I hadn’t wanted to know her lovely secret; still coming upon it like this made me feel as though I’d struck a blow against her happiness. I backed out, put the key back in its hiding place, and thought over what to do.

I decided that between now and Christmas I must do nothing, absolutely nothing, to reveal the slightest hint of my terrible knowledge. I must avoid the least word that might reveal my possession of her secret. Nothing must deny her the happiness of seeing me completely amazed on Christmas day.

In the of my bedroom I began composing and testing exclamations of delight: “Wow!” “A bike with balloon tires! I don’t believe it!” “I’m the luckiest boy alive!” And so on. They all owed a lot to movies in which boys like Mickey Rooney had seen their wildest dreams come true. I soon realized that, with my lack of acting talent, all of them were going to sound false when I wanted to cry out my love spontaneously from the heart. Maybe it would be better to say appear to be shocked into such deep pleasure that speech had escaped me. I wasn’t sure, though. I’d seen gratitude in the movies too, and it never really worked until the actors managed to cry a few quiet tears. I doubted I could cry on cue, so I began thinking about other expressions of speechless amazement. In front of a hand-held mirror in my bedroom I tried the whole range of expressions; mouth open and eyes wide; hands slapped firmly against both cheeks to keep the jaw from falling off; ear-to-ear grin with all teeth fully exposed while hugging myself with both arms. These and more I practiced for several days without acquiring confidence in any of them. I decided to wait until Christmas morning and see if anything came naturally…

privacy

at the critical moment

speechless

nothing but

That Christmas morning she woke us early, “to see what Santa Claus brought,” she said with just the right tone of voice to indicate we were all old enough to know who Santa Claus was. I came out of my bedroom with my present for her and Doris, and Doris came with hers. My mother’s has been placed under the tree during the night. There were a few small brightly wrapped packages, a big doll for Doris, but no bicycle. I must have looked disappointed.

“It looks like Santa Claus didn’t do too well by you this year, Buddy,” she said, as I opened packages. A shirt. A necktie. I said something halfhearted like, “It’s the thought that counts,” but what I felt was bitter disappointment. I supposed she’d found the bike just too expensive and sent it back.

• “Wait a minute!” she cried, snapping her fingers. “There’s something in my bedroom I forgot all about.”

• She went out, and a moment later came back wheeling the big black two-wheeler with balloon tires. I didn’t have to pretend, after all. The three of us – Doris, my mother, and I – were people bred to hold back emotional expressions of love, but I did something that startled both my mother and me. I threw my arms around her spontaneously and kissed her.

• “All right now, don’t carry on about it. It’s only a bicycle,” she said.• Still, I knew that she was as happy as I was to see her so happy.

Oral practice

Do you know anything about “white lie”?

Have you ever told a white lie before? On what circumstance?

Did it work?

Assignments

1. Read the new words again and again after class, next time you are supposed to read them aloud in class.

2. Read the text and do Ex. 1-2.

3. Preview Reading skill and do related ex.

4. Do translation work.