Unit 5

Unit 5 Travelling abroad

If you could go anywhere in the world, which country would you like to visit and why? The Pyramids 埃及金字塔

The Grand Canyon 美国大峡谷

New Zealand 新西兰

Paris巴黎

Great Barrier Reef 澳大利亚大堡礁

What problems and difficulties will we face while traveling abroad?

What should we take into account before we decide to travel abroad? Money ID card Make plans Transportation Travel abroad Local conditions and customs Apply for a visa Accommodation Weather

Talk about words and expressions related to travelling and studying abroad. tourism, group tour, travel agency, guide, route means of transportation, motel see off, meet

baggage, luggage check in, check out visa, passport …

Do you want to go abroad for a further study?

Oxford University

Cambridge University

Harvard University

Princeton University

Yale University

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

What are the advantages and disadvantages of studying in a foreign country?

What do you think a Chinese student will find different from studying at a Chinese university?

Chinese student fitting in well Keep it up, Xie Lei Chinese student fitting in well

What is the main idea of the article? Give one sentence to describe it. It talks about the Chinese student Xie Lei’s experience in the UK.

Glance quickly through the magazine article and find out the answers to these questions. 1. Which country is Xie Lei studying in now? 2. How old is she now? Xie Lei is studying in England. She is 21 years old.

3. Who does she live with? 4. Did Xie lei get a good mark for her first essay? 5. How is her life now? She lives with a host family. No, she got an E. She feels much more at home now.

Answer these questions about the text. (1) What is Xie Lei in England for? How long has she been in England? She is in England to study at a university. She has been in England for six months.

(2) Why is she doing a preparation course first? Because studying in England is different from studying in China and she needs to learn about these differences and improve her English.

(3) Why did she feel like a child when she first arrived in England? Because she had to learn how to do everyday things like using a telephone, paying on a bus, finding her way around a strange city; understanding English as spoken in real life; learning how to write essays acceptable to her British lecturer.

(4) Which two types of people have helped Xie Lei most since she came to England? Xie Lei’s host family and her teachers.

(5) Why has Xie Lei decided to join a few clubs? Because she thinks it’s important to have a balance between study and a social life, and she wants to make new friends.

Complete the form about Xie Lei’s life in England. Paragraph Main idea 2 She has to complete a business ____________. In her opinion, the preparation course is most _________. 3 She has to get used to a whole new way of life. qualification beneficial

Paragraph Main idea 4 She lives with a(n) __________, which gives her the opportunity to learn more about ___________ and _______ in the new country. 5 From the first _____ she did for her tutor, she has understood that she has to give her own ________ and explain them by referring to other authors. host family everyday life customs essay opinions

Paragraph Main idea 6 She feels much more _________ in England and realizes it’s important to have a(n) _______ between study and a(n) _________. at home balance social life

Choose the best answer. (1) According to the first paragraph, which of the following is TRUE about Xie Lei? A. She went to London first by plane and then by bus. B. This was not her first time to be abroad. C. She was not willing to go to London. D. She had been in London for half a year.

(2) Why did Xie Lei’s tutor seem dissatisfied with her first essay? A. Because she didn’t give her own opinions at all. B. Because there were too many mistakes in it. C. Because what she wrote made no sense. D. Because her opinions were different from her tutor’s.

Benefits Read the text again and fill in the blanks. of doing a preparation course ____________________________ ____________________________. 2. ____________________________ to learn how to fulfill Western academic requirements to get used to a new way of life and improve her English

of living with a host family _____________________________ _____________________________. 2. _____________________________ to learn more about everyday life and customs to have people to explain things not understood

of having a tutor ______________________________ ______________________________. 2. ______________________________ to explain about why you cannot use other people’s work without acknowledging it to encourage you to express your own ideas with reasons

Difficulties at the university ___________________________ ___________________________. 2. ___________________________ learning to read widely and analyze the texts expressing one’s own opinion with reasons

of a new way of life _________________________ _________________________. 2. _________________________. finding a balance between study and a social life making new friends

Read the text carefully and fill in the blanks. Xie Lei, a 21-year-old girl, for the first time left her motherland ― China to study for a business ____________ in London. Like most foreign students, she has to complete the preparation course before applying for a _______ course. qualification degree

Xie Lei explained it took up all her ____________ in the beginning to get used to a new way of life there. Sometimes she felt like a child because she had to learn almost everything again. Luckily, she lives with a ____ family who can give her good advice, and also the chance to learn more about the new culture. Meanwhile, it is a substitute family to give her comfort when she ______ her family. concentration host misses

The ___________ course, in Xie Lei’s opinion, is most beneficial, making her understand the ____________________ of a Western university. To write an essay, ________ Xie Lei’s tutor was concerned, the most important thing was her own opinion. He required her to read lots of texts containing different opinions and _______ them. preparation academic requirements as far as analyse

Besides, when citing (引用) other authors’ opinions, she should acknowledge them. She was encouraged to give her own opinion, explain it by referring to other authors, and even to contradict the authors. Her ______ have improved and she is a more ___________ learner now. marks autonomous

At present she feels more ________ in England and what has ever seemed very strange appears quite normal to her. However, occupied with work, she has not had time for social activities. So she tried to have a ________ between study and a social life. at home balance

In groups, discuss the following questions 1. What kind of person do you think Xie Lei is? Find evidence in the article to support your opinion. 1) She is serious about her work.

Evidence: She did research on the Internet for her essay. When her tutor did not give her a good mark she went to see him to find out why. She put her tutor’s ideas into practice.

2) She perseveres. Evidence: She had problems when she first arrived, but worked at them till she succeeded in getting over them. She asks her host family for help with any language or culture issues. She did not give up with her first setback over the essay.

3) She is enterprising and adaptable. Evidence: She left her city to go to England even though she had never travelled abroad before. She settled down well enough to feel at home in a strange country.

2. Why do you think the reporter used some direct speech in the article? 1) Direct speech makes the passage appear more immediate and vivid. 2) Using direct speech shows that the writer of the article has done some research.

3) He/She is making it clear that this article is not referring to people in general but is concentrating on the experience of one student.

3. Where do you think this article might have been published? This article is about how one overseas student has adapted to university life in England. It would not be suitable for a general daily newspaper but would be most appropriate for a student newspaper. I imagine that this article would have been published in a student newspaper.

Homework Suppose you are a newspaper reporter. Please interview Xie Lei using the following words or phrases and write a passage. keep it up, get along, make progress, board, adjust to, It is the first time …, get used to, as far as one is concerned, feel at home, all the best, etc.