1、Unit 4 Never too old to learnIntegrated skillsIn this section,you are going to:analyse Chinese peoples reading habits;use proper expressions to talk about reading habits;write an article for the school newspaper calling for people to read more.1.Read the report on Chinese peoples reading habits and
2、answer the three questions in part A on page 50.(1)What is the importance of reading?Reading is entertaining.It also increases our knowledge and deepens our understanding of the world around us.(2)What information can you get from the two charts?The first chart shows that digital reading is more pop
3、ular than reading printed materials.The second chart shows that people spend about 40 minutes a day reading printed materials and over 2 hours a day reading digital materials.(3)Do you think digital reading will completely replace print reading?Why or why not?Yes,I think so.Digital reading is alread
4、y very popular and is growing quickly,especially as the younger generations are growing up with digital reading materials.With its popularity,reputable publishers will prefer digital publishing over print publishing as it is more economical to produce.Eventually,print reading will die out and become
5、 a part of history.No,I dont think so.Even though digital materials often take less time and care to create,and almost anyone can create and post them using the Internet,there will always be a place for printed materials.One reason people read printed materials is because they are viewed as being mo
6、re trustworthy.They believe that the in-depth content has been well-researched.Some people also just enjoy holding a book or newspaper in their hands when reading.2.Work in pairs and discussing the following questions.(1)Do you read less than when you were younger?Why or why not?Yes,I read a lot les
7、s now than when I was in junior high,and thats mainly because I have more schoolwork to do.Its harder for me to take time to sit and read a book for an hour or two.No,I try my best to ensure I have at least one hour to read every day.Reading is one of my hobbies,and I love spending time reading book
8、s or magazines.It refreshes my mind,especially after finishing my homework.(2)What factors may influence Chinese peoples reading habits?I think factors such as age,gender,education and occupation may affect Chinese peoples reading habits.For example,some jobs may require more reading than others,suc
9、h as jobs in publishing.1.Listen to the interview and finish B1 on page 51.(1)50,000 _ a.Number of people who attended last weekends event(2)1,000 _ b.Number of book exchanges organized(3)30,000 _ c.Total number of books exchanged(4)40 _ d.Number of books on the online learning platform(5)500 _ e.Nu
10、mber of books exchanged at last weekends eventTipMatching informationBefore listening,underline keywords in the exercise to quickly identify them in the text.Focus on relationships between the information provided in the exercise and the information given in the text.cedba2.Listen to the interview a
11、gain and finish B2 on page 51.Encouraging people to read moreMeasures taken Organizing book exchanges at weekends to encourage traditional reading,starting from(1)_ Organizing reading events to get people to read and (2)_ with others Launching an online learning platform sharing books about literatu
12、re,art,(3)_ and(4)_Future planOrganizing book exchanges and reading events in(5)_last yearshare their favourite bookslawpopular sciencerural areasReporter:Mr Zhou,thank you for taking the time to talk to me today about how you are encouraging people to read more.Mr Zhou:My pleasure!The Chinese gover
13、nment has done a lot to promote nationwide reading,and our library has participated in the national reading campaign.We regard it as our duty to encourage people to read more,so Im delighted to tell you about some of our achievements.Reporter:Please go ahead!Whats the library doing to encourage peop
14、le to read more?Mr Zhou:We want people to devote more time to traditional reading,so starting from last year,our library has been organizing book exchanges every weekend.So far weve organized about 40 book exchanges and a total of 50,000 books have Transcript been exchanged.About 500 people attended
15、 last weekends event,and they exchanged nearly 1,000 books.Reporter:Thats amazing!Mr Zhou:Yes,were very pleased with this achievement.Weve also organized reading events to get people to read and share their favourite books with others.Im proud to say that these reading events have received a positiv
16、e response.Reporter:People obviously love sharing book recommendations,and digital reading makes that easier.What measures have you taken to improve the publics access to digital resources?Mr Zhou:Weve just launched an online learning platform sharing our collection of 30,000 books,covering fields s
17、uch as Transcript literature,art,law and popular science.Reporter:Great!Do you have any plans for other activities in the future?Mr Zhou:Yes,indeed.Our current book exchanges and reading events are mostly held here in the city,but there is a big demand for such events in rural areas too.We are hopin
18、g to organize more events in these areas soon.Reporter:This has been most interesting.Thank you,Mr Zhou.TranscriptIn pairs,discuss Chinese peoples reading habits and different ways to encourage reading.Use the following ideas and expressions to help you.The importance of reading Chinese peoples read
19、ing habits(how often and how long they read,what media they use to read,etc.)Measures to encourage people to read moreExpressionsTalking about habitsIs it common for.to.?once/twice/.times a day/month Normally/In general/Generally speaking,.never/seldom/rarely.more frequently than.minutes per day/.ho
20、urs per week A:You know,reading is important.It increases our knowledge and gives us a better understanding of the world.B:True.Reading can also be entertaining and provides an escape from daily pressures.I saw a recent survey on Chinese peoples reading habits that showed that we spend almost 75 min
21、utes per day reading on smartphones.A:Thats a good thing.Its promising to see that reading is still a favourite pastime for many Chinese.B:It also stated that reading on digital platforms is on the rise,with close to 70%of people choosing this method.Reading on smartphones is especially popular.A:It
22、s probably because digital platforms are more convenient.B:Exactly.Its more common for people to read online nowadays.Sample What are your reading habits?A:I must admit I do most of my reading online.I normally use my smartphone to read when Im on the subway.So thats about one hour per day.What abou
23、t you?B:I rarely read on my phone.I love the feel of actual books,so I often borrow books from my local library.A:Sounds great.No matter which reading method,people should be encouraged to read more.I think people ought to be provided with more digital options,like e-books or audio books.B:Agreed.Re
24、aders can also try to incorporate more traditional reading into their life.I think visiting the local library is one good way because its fun to browse through a wide variety of printed books.SampleA:Great idea.I also know libraries hold exchange activities and reading events more frequently than be
25、fore.So,readers have more chances to become involved.B:Absolutely!Public awareness about the importance of reading,whether online or traditional,could lead to people increasing the time and frequency they spend reading.A:Generally speaking,once people develop a habit of reading every day,their enjoy
26、ment will grow,one page at a time!SampleWrite an article for the school newspaper calling for people to read more.Planning your writing Learning about the structureTo write an article calling for people to read more,you can follow the structure below:Introduce the topic by stating the importance of
27、reading.Analyse Chinese peoples reading habits,providing data on their reading frequency and duration,preferred media,etc.Suggest measures to encourage people to read more.Write an article for the school newspaper calling for people to read more.Planning your writing Learning about the languageWhen
28、you describe graphs and charts,the following expressions might be helpful:The graph/chart shows/indicates/illustrates.a higher/lower/greater/smaller percentage.As is shown in the graph/chart,.larger/smaller/longer/shorter than.As can be seen from the graph/chart,.the same as/similar to.in time/rate.
29、Lets read more!Why is reading important?Reading increases our knowledge and gives us a better understanding of the world.Besides,reading can be very entertaining and it provides an escape from daily pressures.A recent survey on Chinese peoples reading habits showed that the Chinese spend a lot of ti
30、me reading,almost 75 minutes a day on smartphones in fact.The charts in the survey show that reading on digital platforms is on the rise,with close to 70%of people choosing this method probably because digital platforms are more convenient.Of all platforms available,reading on smartphones is the mos
31、t popular method.It is promising to see that reading is still a favourite pastime for manySampleChinese.To encourage people to read more,there are a few things thatcan be done.First of all,as more people prefer digital reading now,they can be provided with more options like e-books or audio books.Ad
32、ditionally,people should be encouraged to incorporate more traditional reading into their lives.For example,visiting the local library can be an enjoyable way to browse through a wide variety of printed books.Readers may have more opportunities to become involved in book exchange activities and read
33、ing events.In summary,there are many reasons to increase the amount of reading time in your life and it is worth trying.Once you develop a habit of reading every day,your enjoyment will grow stronger,one page at a time!SampleChecking your writingRemember to check your writing after you finish and ex
34、change drafts between you and your partner.Pay attention to the following aspects:Punctuation Spelling Grammar Choice of words Style(formal/informal)StructureSelf-review What data do you offer when analysing Chinese peoples reading habits?How do you present the measures?Peer review Does your partner think your writing is encouraging?In which aspect does your partner think you do well?Polish up your article.
