Unit 4 Information Technology

Lesson 1 Avatars

【第一学时】

【学习目标】

1．能够概括和提炼文本中关于虚拟形象的主要信息；

2．能够找出并梳理虚拟形象在不同方面的具体影响；

3．能够反思与评价虚拟形象与人们的关系，并对网络安全问题进行辩证式思考。

【学习重难点】

通过阅读理解虚拟形象，并对虚拟形象与人们的关系进行评价。

【学习过程】

I. Prediction.

What would you like to learn about avatars? Write your questions in the diagram.

III. Discussion and deep thinking.

1. Why do people obviously make their avatars look better than they do in real life?

2. Do you agree with the writer that “the avatar you choose says a lot about your personality”? Give examples to support your opinion.

3. Are there any risks of using avatars? Any examples?

4. How should we use avatars in a safer and healthier way on the Internet? Any suggestions?

【第二学时】

【学习目标】

1．复习和归纳语篇中关于虚拟形象的主要信息；

2．能够识别既包含过去时又包含过去将来时的主从复合句，并理解其句法功能；

3．能够根据不同语境运用过去将来时创作不同的句子和语篇。

【学习重难点】

发现过去将来时的用法，并用过去将来时创作句子和语篇。

【学习过程】

I. Review and practice.

Complete the short text with information from the reading.

Avatars are digital 1__________ that you use to represent yourself online. You can choose an avatar from 2__________ of ready-made images, or 3__________. Although avatars haven’t been around for long, they are widely used.

Avatars let you 4__________ and give you 5__________. But the use of avatars has also caused 6__________. Some users worry that they are spending too much time 7__________ that they are becoming afraid of meeting people in the real world. The use of several avatars can also be 8__________, as people can use avatars to 9__________. However, many people see avatars in 10__________.

II. Language learning.

1. Work in pairs and ask the following questions about the change of avatars. Write down the answers from the text:

1) In the past, like the 1980s, what was people’s prediction about future avatars?

2) When people started creating avatars, what was their plan?

3) Since when did people start to have more than one avatar?

Answers:

1) ___________________________________________________________________

2) ___________________________________________________________________

3) ___________________________________________________________________

2. Observe the three complex sentences, underline the verbs and write down their tenses.

3. Summarise the form and function of past future tense.

Form: _______________________________________________________________

Function: _____________________________________________________________

4. What’s the relationship between past, present and future? Draw a timeline.

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III. Language in use.

Think about what changes has technology brought to our lives. Make a list of four changes in groups and describe the changes by using past future tense.

Example: In the past, I never thought that we would …

2. Complete the following sentences using past future tense.

1) In the 1990s, few people knew that ______________________________________.

2) When computers were invented, it was believed that _________________________.

3) In the past few years, users of smartphones realised that _______________________.

4) The convenience of the Internet made Internet users discover that ______________.

5) When avatars first appeared in the 1980s, few people believed that ______________.

IV. Creative writing.

Suppose you were at the age of ten, how would you fancy your life in the future with the help of technology? Complete the story by using past future tense.

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