Unit 1 Living Rea ding 。會 MARTY'S STORY Hi, my name is Marty Fielding and I guess you could say that I am"one in a million. In other words, there are not many people like me. You see, I have a muscle disease which makes me very weak, so I cant run or climb stairs as quickly as other people. In addition, sometimes I am very clumsy and drop things or bump into furniture. Unfortunately, the doctors dont know 7s how to make me better, but I am very outgoing and have learned to adapt to my disability My motto is: live one day at a time Until I was ten years old I was the same as everyone else. I used to climb trees, swim and play football. In fact, I used to dream about playing professional football and possibly representing my country in the World Cup. Then I started to get weaker and weaker, until I could only enjoy 10 football from a bench at the stadium. In the end I went into hospital for medical tests. I stayed there for nearly three months. I think I had at least a billion tests, including one in which they cut out a piece of muscle from my leg and looked at it under a microscope. Even after all that no one could give my disease a name and it is difficult to know what the future holds One problem is that i don' t look any different from other people. So sometimes some Is children in my primary school would laugh, when I got out of breath after running a short way or had to stop and rest halfway up the stairs. Sometimes, too. I was too weak to go to school so my education suffered. Every time I returned after an absence. I felt stupid because I was behind the others My life is a lot easier at high school because my fellow 20 students have accepted me. The few who cannot see the real person inside my body do not make me annoyed, and I just ignore them. All in all I have a good life. I am happy to have found many things I can do, like writing and computer programming. My ambition is to work for a fir 25 that develops computer software when I grow up. Last year I invented a computer football game and a big company has decided to buy it from me. I have a very busy life with no time to sit around feeling sorry for myself. As well as going to the movies and football matches with my friends, I spend a lot of time with my pets 30 I have two rabbits, a parrot, a tank full of fish and a tortoise. To look after my pets properly takes a lot of time but I find it worthwhile. I also have to do a lot of work, especially if I have been away for a while In many ways my disability has helped me grow stronger psychologically and become more independent. I have to work hard to live a normal life but it has been worth it. If I had a 2
Unit 1 Living well chance to say one thing to healthy children, it would be this: having a disability does not mean 35 your life is not satisfying. So don't feel sorry for the disabled or make fun of them, and don't ignore them either. Just accept them for who they are, and give them encouragement to live as nich and full a life as you do Thank you for reading my story Comprehending 1 Read Marty's story and fill in the table Problems caused by his disability What Marty does in spite of his disability I weak and cant run or climb stairs as I enjoys writing and computer programming quickly as others 234 345 write a short summary for each paragraph. Paragraph I Paragraph 2 Paragraph 3 Paragraph 4 P raglan 3 Discuss these questions in groups I What kind of person do you think Marty is? 2 What do you think is the most difficult thing that Marty has to deal with in his life 3 What kind of thing does Marty do in order to make his life happy and satisfying? 4 What can other people do to help Marty and others like him live a good life? 5 Why has his fellow students' conduct changed towards Marty? How would your life change if you were to develop a muscle disease like Martys?
UnitIL Learning about Language Discovering useful words and expressions 1 Fill in the table below. You can use the dictionary to help you Noun Adjective Noun Adjective ambitious clumsiness absent firmness suitabilit noise benefit psychology annoyance encouraging 2 Answer each question by using a correct new word in this unit I How do you measure the length of a race round a racetrack? 2 How would you feel if someone kept talking when you were trying to read? s In what way can a teacher check if you have learned the new words by heart? 4 what do you call an item written in a diary or in a dictionary? s What kind of instrument does a doctor need to examine viruses in blood? 6 How do you describe someone who is happy to meet new people? 7 What do you call students in the same year group and the same situation as you s what do you call the behaviour of one student to others' Complete this passage using the words below adapt to cut out in other words out of breath sit around In many ways make fun of all in all There was a time when children with mental disabilities were prevented from living a normal life They used to in their own homes after being educated in special schools. Other people sometimes them. But now things are changing. There are training programmes for young people with mental disabilities, which have proved very beneficial. Students like Xie Li, mentally disabled from birth. now have a chance to become athletes. But it is a challenge. She has to training programmes as well as mixing with other able-bodied athletes."Xie Lis confidence has grown "said her father. "She looks much better and is not so often after her training her mother and I are very happy with her progress. "So, instead of mainstream activities, mentally disabled students can become part of the mainstream they can lead a more fulfilling life 4 In groups make a short dialogue about Xie Li's progress What would you say using the phrases in Exercise 3? S: All in all Xie Lis confidence has grown In other words she is more outgoing
Unit 1 Living well Revising useful structures 1 Underline all the sentences in the unit which contain infinitives. Then mark their usages according to the headings below 1 As the subject (S) 2 As the predicative(P) 3 As the object (O) 4 As the object complement(Oc) 5 As the attributive(A) 6 As the adverbial(Ad) 2 Read the dialogue below with the correct pronunciation and intonation. Then underline the perfect infinitives in it. Notice the expressions that are followed by the infinitives JO: Oh! Am I late? I,m sorry to have kept you waiting SUE: No, you're fine. JO: Thank you. The trouble is I cant find my shopping list. SUE: Oh dear! Where on earth could you have put it? JO: Well, it isn't in my bag. I might have left it on the kitchen table. I seem to have forgotten so many things now that Christmas is here. SUE: I quite understand. So many presents to buy and so many cards to send! JO: True. I was supposed to have finished all my shopping by now but SUE: Never mind. Nobody is said to have finished till there's no more left to buy! JO: Quite right. Oh look, here's my list-in my pocket. SUE: Let's get to work then! 3 Living well means enjoying the same rights and the same opportunities for a good life. Complete the passage below about a man who helped give opportunities to black people in 19th- century England. Remember to use infinitives correctly. william Wilberforce was a great man. He is known (spend)eighteen years fighting for slaves.-(free)slaves was his ambition. He was a very kind man, who did not like (see)people going hungry or in pain. He wanted to do some good in the world. The cause which attracted him most was the abolition of the slave trade. Africans were taken from their homes and sold in markets. A master was able by law (treat) his servants as he wished -even working them to death if he wanted to. wilberforce was not the only person that was interested in this cause but he was in politics and so able (help pass)the law which made it illegal. Finally the slave trade was abolished in 1807. wilberforce then resigned from government in 1825 and died in 1833, just after the law was passed which was eventually (abolish)slavery in England 4 Have you ever wished to go back in time and meet famous people from the past? They might be leaders, pioneers or writers of great literature. In pairs discuss who you would like to have met. EXAMPLE: S,: Who would you like to have met/seen /spoken to/talked with /.? S, I d like to have met /seen/spoken to/talked with/.. S,: Why would you choose him/her? s: I'd like to have asked him/her 5
Using Language Listening and speaking 1 Discuss this question in pairs: What kind of difficulty do you think weak-sighted or blind people would have climbing a mountain? Make a list. Barry Minto has just made a successful climb of Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa Listen to him being interviewed on the radio and write down why Barry and his team did the climb and why Joan, the interviewer, describes Barry's plan for next climbing as" amazing” Barry and his team wanted to Joan thinks Barrys plan is amazing because 3 Listen again and complete the notes below Interview with Barry Minto Age of the weak-sighted and blind climbers s Age of the sighted companions Height of Mount Kilimanjaro Number in the disabled group s Number of the disabled who reached the top of the mountain Number in the sighted group rr Number of the sighted who reached the top Number of the days to climb the mountain Number of the days to come down the mountain Discuss in pairs. In what ways do you think the sighted climbers gave assistance to their weak-sighted or blind companions Do you think the weak-sighted or blind climbers could have climbed the mountain without them? feeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee y noTes 6