Project(1): Making a happiness handbook名师教学视频（文字实录）

M6 Unit2 What is happiness to you? 拓展阅读

Reading material Life is all about choices Michael is someone who is always in a good mood and always has something positive to say. When people asked him how he was doing, he usually replies, “If I were any better, I’d be twins!”

He was a natural motivator. If an employee was having a bad day, Michael is always there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation. One day I went up to Michael and asked him, “ I don’t get it. You can’t be positive all the time. How do you do it?”

Michael replied, “each morning I wake up and say to myself，you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or a bad mood. I choose to be in a good mood.”

“Yeah, right, it’s not that easy.” I were against it. “Yes, it is.” Michael said. “Life is all about choices. You choose how you react to situation. You choose how people affect your mood. You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom line: It’s your choice how you live life.”

I thought over what Michael said. Afterwards, I left the Tower Industry to start my own business. We lost in touch, but I often thought about him when I made a choice about life. Several years later, I heard Michael was involving in a serious accident, falling off 60 feet from a communications tower. After 18 hours of medical operation and weeks of intensive care, Michael was released from the hospital with rods placed in his back. I saw Michael about six months after the accident. I asked him what had gone through his mind as the accident took place.

“The first thing that went through my mind was the well-being of my soon-to-born daughter,” Michael replied. “Then, as I lay on the ground, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live or --- I could choose to die. I chose to live.”

“Weren’t you scared? Did you lose consciousness?”

I asked. Michael continued, “The doctors were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they pushed me into the ER(Emergency Room) and I saw the expression on faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read ‘He’s a dead man.’ I knew I needed to take action.”

“What did you do?” I asked.

“Well, there was a big burly nurse shouting questions at me” said Michael. She asked me if I was allergic to anything.

“Yes,” I replied.

The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled ”, Gravity.”

Over their laughter, I told them, “I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead.”

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Life is all about choices

I. Conduct a questionnaire among the students 1. To go to college to further my study or to hunt for a job after graduation?

2. To help my classmate in the exam or not?

3. To stay at home watching CCTV the Spring Festival Gala or go traveling?

4. To skip the English class since I’m not feeling well today or insist on learning here since a new teacher will give us a lesson? II. Skimming Ask questions: 1. What’s the writing style of this passage, narration (记叙文)，argumentation(议论文) or expository writing (说明文)? 2. What’s the topic paragraph of this passage?

★What rhetoric（修辞）

does the paragraph contain? Why?

III. Reading （I）Do T or F questions 1. Michael is always in a good mood, saying positive words.

2. When others were unhappy, Michael always advised them to see things optimistically.

3. Michael firstly thought about his young daughter when the accident happened.

4. The author and Michael once were colleagues. 5. Michael was not scared when he was pushed into the ER.

6.The doctors and nurses laughed because of Michael’s humor.

（II）TIMELINES :Several years later，……

____________________________________________________________________ ●After 18 hours……and weeks……, _________________________________________________________________ ●The first thing going through his mind，……

_________________________________________________________________ ●Then, as he lay on the ground，……

_________________________________________________________________ ●When the nurse asked him if he was allergic to anything，……

_________________________________________________________________

●Over their laughter，……

_________________________________________________________________ IV. Reading between lines

1.Michael was released from the hospital with rods placed in his back. The

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underlined phrase

means____

A. was set free

B. recovered from

C. was allowed to leave the hospital

2.What was the real reason why Michael said that he was allergic（过敏的）

to gravity（重力）?

A. He was allergic to nothing so he decided to make people laugh at his answer.

B. He used humor to show his great determination to live and cheer up the

doctors.

C. It is gravity that caused the accident from the aspect of physics. 3. What caused Michael to survive at last?

The doctors’ s_____ and his p_____ attitude.

4. What does the sentence “If I were any better, I would be twins!” mean(in para 1)?

A. If I am in good health, I can do the work of two.

B. I am the best and I couldn’t be better.

C. If I had a twin brother, it would be better. V. Analysis of the hero

1. Brainstorm: qualities (list adjectives) Humorous__________________________________________________________ 2. Analyze examples(Use one adjective to conclude) ●Michael is someone who is always in a good

mood and always has something positive to say. ( Para. 1) ●…

“If I were any better...”

●“I choose to be in a good mood.”( Para. 3) __________________________________ ●When people asked him how he was doing, he usually replies, “If I were any better, I would be twins!”

( Para.1) ●She asked if I was allergic to anything. “Yes,”

I replied. I took a deep breath and yelled, “Gravity.” ( Para. 14) __________________________________ ●If an employee has a bad day, Michael is always

there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation.

●“Life is all about choices. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people affect your mood. You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom line: It’s your choice how you live your life.”

__________________________________ VI. Post reading

（I）Analyze the clues of the passage

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The passage is obviously(明显地) organized by Michael’s words, deeds and things，

which is an obvious clue. At the same time, there is a hidden clue in the passage. What’s it? ●I were against it. / I thought over what Michael said. / We lost in touch, but I often thought about him when I made a choice about life. ●The author’s different reactions to Michael’s life attitude. ●Being against / half believing and half doubting / _______________

（II）

Watch and listen: Task: Watch a video clip of Forrest Gump, and then answer the question below.

What three sentences does his mum say to Forrest Gump? 1. 2. 3. （III）

Discuss If you have a chance to choose only one from the following students to be your seatmate? Tell the reasons (at least 3). Jack：Hardworking but not generous Tom：Poor at studying but helpful Mike：Naughty but clever Useful Expressions for Your Discussion

From my perspective, I attach much significance to … because/in that …

What I value most is …

I put … in the first place simply because…

I give first priority to … in that…

I value … the most on account of /because of

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VII Conclusion

What do you think of after reading the passage? What is happiness to you? ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

VIII. Homework

Improve your writing “My new seatmate” or “What is happiness to me”.

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