now that the baby was born, they all feel happy for the young Mexican couple. Q:Why does the author say that they hate to leave the meeting point without the Haitians?
A: Because the Haitian friends have such a sense of fun that the passengers feel happy when they are aboard. So, although they are always late because of their tricky bus route, the passengers are willing to wait for them.
▇ Comprehension questions （Paras. 10-11）
Q:What is the only thing that the author and his wife feel sad about during their Sunday-morning bus trip for many months?
A: They can?t develop a friendly relationship with the silent woman at the front of the bus. She never responds to their cheerygreetings. They feel sad about it.
Q:What was the response of the silent woman when they greeted her in the fish restaurant?
A: When the couple greeted her with the friendly familiarity they had shown all year, she showed her happy recognition this time and responded with a shy smile. Q:Why was the woman silent on the bus?
A: As the author and his wife later found out, the woman had a speech impediment. She was silent because talking was hard for her.
▇ Comprehension questions （Paras. 12-16）
Q: What do you know about the family life of the silent woman?
A: She was a single mother with a disabled son who was receiving special care away from home. She lived alone and felt lonely. The bus ride was the best thing she did all week, and an occasional visit to the fish restaurant was almost as good as the second best thing. She missed her son very much.
Q:Why did she ride the bus on Sunday mornings?
A: She rode the bus on Sunday mornings simply for the companionship of the driver whose name she didn?t know, but who appreciated the hot coffee she brought.
Q:How did the author and his wife feel about the dinner with the silent woman?
A: They all had a wonderful time. For the silent woman, an occasional visit to the fish restaurant was a pleasant experience and this time, it was even better with the companionship of her friends—the author and his wife. The author and his wife also enjoyed the dinner and they felt that the fish had never tasted better.
Q:What happened when they left the restaurant?
A: When they left the restaurant, they were already friends with each other. And they shared their names.
16
Unit Two-- Text A: Choose Optimism
I.Teaching Objectives
1. To make clear the writer?s purpose to write the text and the ideas that the writer desire to convey in the text.
2. To grasp the key words, phrases and structure.
3. To master the skills of writing and reading in this unit.
II. Teaching Content
1. Get Started
2. Discovering the Main Ideas
3. Key Words and Expressions for Text A 4.Voicing Your Views
5. Guided Practice (exercises, oral practice and group work) 6. Summary
7.After-Class Assignments
III. Teaching Process 1. Get Started
Discussion
▇Sit in groups of threes or fours and discuss the following questions. 1) How do you feel about your present life? 2) Are you in a bad mood sometimes? If so, why?
3) Do you know how to keep yourself in a good mood?
4) How do youreact to difficulties in life? Can you give an example? 5) Do you think optimism is the key to a happy and better life?
▇ Answers for reference: 1) Possible Answers:
a. I feel happy about my present life.
? My parents love me much and my classmates are friendly and caring. ? I am making progress in my studies every day. ? I am becoming a more independent person. b. I am not happy about my life now.
? It seems that I still cannot adapt to college life very well.
? I find it hard to balance between social activities and studies. ? I have difficulty getting along with my classmates. ? I feel lonely at times. 2) Possible Answers:
a. Yes, I am in a bad mood sometimes.
? whenI have a quarrel with one of my classmates;
? whenI fail to get the desired results in my examinations; ? whenI feel bored and can find nothing interesting to do; ? whenI have a money problem. b. No, I am never in a bad mood.
17
3) Possible Answers:
Yes, I know a few ways to keep myself in a good mood.
? Tell myself to be in a good mood every morning when I get up; ? Choose to look at the bright side of things;
? Focus on the things I have rather than things I do not have or cannot get;
? Do some sports or play some computer games to distract myself when in a bad mood; ? Take a walk on campus. 4) Possible Answers:
a. If I meet some problems or difficulties in life, I will face them positively and try my best to solve them by myself.
? My parents hardly have enough money to pay for my education. I did not complain or
feel disadvantaged. Instead, Iset my mindon solving the problem by myself. After I got into college I found a part-time job on campus and managed to earn some money to support myself.
b. I would turn to my parents for help, because they are more experienced in life. And they are always willing to help.
c. I would just ignore them and let them be. There?ll be some kind of solution somehow. Why bother?
5) Possible Answers:
a. Yes, I think so because happiness is a feeling of self-contentment. If I choose to be an optimist and to be always in a good mood, I may feel happier and laugh more, and in this way I can enjoy life more, have more chances of success, and most probably I will live longer.
b. No, I don?t think so. Optimism alone is not enough for a happy and better life. Things may not get better just because of one?s will power or one?s optimistic attitude towards them.
2. Discovering the Main Ideas
1. Answer the following questions with the information contained in Text A.
1) 2)
3) 4) 5)
▆Answers for Reference:
1) According to Rich DeVos, there seems to be a natural cause-and-effect relationship between
optimism and success.
2) Because there is enough good and bad in everyone?s life and this serves as a rational basis
for us to choose either optimism or pessimism.
3) Rich DeVos chooses to highlight the positive and slip right over the negative, because he is
an optimist by choice as much as by nature. And he found that the good in life is far greater and more important than the bad.
4) It tells us that a negative attitude may have a profound effect on the way we feel and act. 5) We can be optimists and still recognize that problems exist and that some of them are not
dealt with easily.
2.Text A can be divided into three parts. Now write down the paragraph numbers of each part and then give the main idea of each in one or two sentences. Part Paragraph(s) Main Idea
1-3 It is necessary to choose optimism to shape our outlook and One
expectations. Two
4-7 The author illustrates the effect ofnegativism through his own experience.
18
According to Rich DeVos, what is the relationship between optimism and success?
Why should each of us choose between optimism and pessimism to shape our outlook and our expectations?
What is the author?s choice? Why does he make such a choice? What does the author?s experience in the service station tell us?
What?s the meaning of the sentence “Optimism doesn?t need to be naive”(Para. 9)?
Three
8-10
The author suggests that we direct our attention to positive and constructive thinking rather than to negativism. 3. Key Words and Expressions for Text A
reverse n.
[(of)] the opposite; the other way round [常与of连用]相反
e. g.If you tell these naughty children to do something, they will often just do the exact reverse.
He did the reverse of what we expected: instead of being angry, he bought us a drink. 他所做的和我们的预料正相反——他非但没有生气，反而请我们喝酒。
in reverse
in the opposite way to normal or to the previous situation; vice versa 反过来；反之亦然 e. g.The secret number is my phone number in reverse.
To stop the engine you repeat the same procedures, but in reverse. 若想停下引擎，则重复相同的步骤，但要以相反的顺序。
shape vt.
influence and fix the course or form of 影响（??的形态等）；决定（进程等） e. g. She had a leading role in shaping the party?s policy.
It is said that childhood experiences can shape a person?s character. 据说童年经历能影响一个人的性格。
curse vi. & vt.
express a wish that great misfortune will happen to (sb.), esp. by calling on magical powers 诅咒
e. g.People in many cultures believe witch doctorshave the power to bless or curse their lives.
She cursed him for ruining her life. 她诅咒他，说他毁了她一生。
perspective n.
[(on)]the way in which a situation or problem is judged, so that (proper) consideration and importance is given to each part [常与on连用]（观察问题的）视角 e. g.The novel is written from a child?s perspective.
The new evidence put an entirely different perspective on the case. 新的证据使我们要从完全不同的视角来看待这个案子。
view vt.
[esp. (as, with)]consider; regard; think about [尤与as或with连用]考虑，看，认为 e. g.They try to view the situation objectively.
They viewed the future with some expectation. 他们怀着某种期待看未来。 Collocations:
view sth. as sth. 把??看作??
view sth. from sth. 从??角度来看待??
view sth. / sb. from a … perspective
think about sth. or sb. in a particular way 从??视角来看待某事或某人
e. g. Your point can be viewed from both the woman?s perspective and the man?s.
If we view the problem from a different perspective, a solution may become more obvious. 假如我们从另一个视角考虑这个问题，或许会更容易找到解决办法。
highlight vt.
pick out (sth.) as an important part; throw attention onto 使??显著[突出]，使注意力集中于
19
e. g.These figures clearly hightlight the differences in living standards between the two areas.
The report on the accident highlights the need for considerable improvements in safety. 事故报告强调了提高安全的重要性。
slip over
neglect; omit 忽视，忽略；遗漏
e. g.Don?t slip over the important issue.
I?m sorry I completely slipped over his birthday. 很抱歉，我完全忽略了他的生日。
by choice
because one has chosen; as a result of choosing; because of wanting to 出于自己选择地，凭爱好
e. g. Everything we do, we do by choice; and every choice we make, we make for a reason.
I didn?t have to work all weekend — I did it by choice.
我并不是非得整个周末都工作，我是自己选择这样做的。
by nature
as a result of inherent qualities; innately 出于本性地，天生地
e. g. He is by nature a very happy individual; he seems to have been born with a smile on his lips.
It?s not in her nature to be rude; she?s polite by nature. 她生性并不粗野，倒是很有礼貌。
live through
remain alive during and in spite of (a difficult or dangerous period) 活过；经过（困难、危险）之后仍活着
e. g. We were all sad to learn that the old man is in a critical condition and may not live through the winter.
He lived through two world wars. 他经历了两次世界大战。
crisis n.
a point or moment of great danger, difficulty, or uncertainty 危机；紧要关头 e. g.We need someone who can stay calm in a crisis.
Relations between the two countries have reached crisis point. 两国关系已经达到出现危机的地步。 Collocations:
cause/stir up a crisis 引起危机 lead to a crisis 导致危机
overcome/settle a crisis 解决危机 in a crisis 处于危机当中
when all is said and done
when everything is considered or explained; after all 结果，说到底，归根结底；毕竟，终究 e. g.When all?s said and done, he?s only a kid and should be excused for his wrongdoing.
When all is said and done, she was a most remarkable woman with a strongcharacter. 归根结底，她是个非常出色的女士，性格坚强。
feed on / upon
(of a feeling, etc.) become stronger because of; (esp. of an animal or baby) eat（感情等）因??变得更强烈；（尤指动物或婴孩）吃，以??为食
e. g. Our memory is limited, but our imaginationis unlimited, and it feeds on optimism and hope.
His self-confidence fed on encouragement from his father.
20