初中基础0303-45版

原文

A biochemist walks into the comedy world

Can you host a talk show in English? A biochemist called Huang Xi can, and he is famous for his stand-upcomedy (单口相声) both in America and China.

Before 2002, Huang’s life had nothing to do with talk shows or performances. He studied biochemistry at an American university and worked as a scientist for eight years. But after taking a stand-upcomedyclass, he made a change in his career. He began to practice comedy at a club in Boston (美国波士顿) and tried to get noticed. Finally, in 2009, he became well-known in America after appearing on The Late Show with David Letterman (《大卫·莱特曼深夜秀》). He changed many Americans’ view that Chinese people had no sense of humor and were always buried in work.

In 2013, Huang returned to China with the purpose of making the Chinese laugh. He is now busy doing talk shows around the country and is also hosting his own show called Is It True (《是真的吗》) on CCTV-2. Audiences in America and China see different things as funny. “Every country has different rules,” Huang says. “You have to know how people live.” In the U.S.A., he stays away from jokes about public transportationbecause most people drive their own cars. But in China, “Jokes about the subway are really popular,” he says.

As a biochemist who walked into the comedy world, Huang believes it’s important not to be afraid to do something different in life. For once, he isn’t joking.

教案

Pre-reading

  1. What is a talk show?Do you know any talk show stars?

Notes:

A talk show is a TV or radio program (节目) that has everything to do with talking. Usually, the guest (guests) of the show discuss(es) different kinds of topics put forward (提出) by the host. Other times, well-known people are invited to discuss a topic or answer questions from the audience. There have been many great talk shows and the shows often make their hosts famous.

  1. Are there any differences between Chinese humor and English humor?

While reading

Choose the best answer.

1. Huang Xi entered the comedy world after _____.

A. he graduated from high school

B. he returned to China

C. he took a stand-up comedyclass

D. he hosted a talk show in the U.S.A.

2. Huang Xi became well-known in America in _____.

A. 2002 B. 2009

C. 2012 D. 2013

3. Huang Xi changed many Americans’ idea about _____.

A. stand-up comedyin the U.S.A.

B. public transportationin China

C. Chinese people’s sense of humor

D.Chinese people’s jobs

4. Is It True is ______.

①a TV show in China

②a midnight show in Boston

③hosted byDavid Letterman

④hosted by a stand-upcomedian

A.①② B. ①④

C. ②③ D. ③④

Key: 1-4 CBCB

Word usage

Complete each sentence with one word in its proper form.

performance / laugh / funny / humor / true
  1. My father is a______man. He always tells jokes to make us happy.
  2. He can hear the kids’______very clearly.
  3. The boy______very well in last week’s contest.
  4. What______it is to watch an outdoor movie!
  5. He refused to tell the ______to his family.

Key: 1. humorous2. laughter 3. performed 4. fun5. truth

Sentences

Translate the following sentences from the articleinto Chinese.

  1. He changed many Americans’ view that Chinese people had no sense of humor and were always buried in work.
  2. As a biochemist who walked into the comedy world, Huang believes it’s important not to be afraid to do something different in life.

Key:

  1. 许多美国人认为，中国人缺乏幽默感并且总是埋头工作，而他改变了他们的想法。
  2. 作为一名涉足喜剧界的生化学家，黄西认为，勇于在生活中做出改变是很重要的。

After reading

Crosstalk (相声) is a traditional Chinese comic performance. It is a form of story-telling, which often discusses social problems in funny ways. What do you think keeps it popular even today? Discuss it with your classmates.

初中基础0303-6版

原文

“Human Google” answers any question by phone

When people have a question, most of them googleit. But here’s another way to get the answer: Just call 917-ASK-NYPL. A live librarian in the New York Public Library (NYPL) will receive the call and try to answer the question.

The “Human Google” service is not known by too many people. This special line was set up even before the creation of Google. Since the 1960s, the line has been managed by nine librarians and information assistants. The Ask NYPL team gets a lot of calls from people who want to check things they’ve heard in thenews or about science and history. As time went by, they have received questions on justabout any topic, like “What does it mean when you dream about being chased by an elephant?” Since July 2015, nearly 60,000 phone calls have been answered, which come in about once an hour. Each time they’re asked a question, the hard-working librarians try to find the best answer by searching the library’s resources that have been collected over 120 years.

One librarian explains whythey still receive so many calls a year, “I think some callers just want somebody to talk to.” Besides (此外), not everyoneuses Google, even in 2017.

教案

Pre-reading

1. How often do you go to the library? Why do you go there?

2. Some people think we do not need libraries in the future. Do you agree? What is the future of libraries?

While reading

Answer the questions.

  1. What is the number of the “Human Google”phone line?

______

  1. How many people manage the “Human Google”service?

______

  1. Was the line set up after the creation of Google?

______

  1. How many phone calls has the Ask NYPL teamanswered since July 2015?

______

  1. How often does the team receive calls from people?

______

6. How does the team find answers to people’s questions?

______

Key: 1.917-ASK-NYPL.

2.Nine.

3. No, it wasn’t.

4. Nearly 60,000.

5.About once an hour.

6. The team tries to find the best answerby searching the library’s resources that have been collected over 120 years.

Word usage

下面是关于“hear”的几个动词短语

hear fromsb.收到某人的信件（或电子邮件、电话等）

e.g. I look forward to hearing from you.

我盼望着收到你的信。

hear aboutsb./sth.听说，得知

e.g. I’m sorry to hear about your accident.

获悉你遇到意外，我很抱歉。

hear sb. out听某人把话说完

e.g. Please hear me out before you make the decision.

在你做决定之前，请听我把话说完。

not hear of不同意

e.g. He would not hear of my walking home alone.

他不让我独自一人走回家。

Word usage

Use the correct forms of the phrases below to finish the following sentences.

hear of hear from hear out hear about

1. The speaker was afraid that people would not want to ______him ______.

2. She wanted to be an actress, but her father wouldn’t ______it.

3. It’s always great to ______a friend living in a foreign country.

4. We have______your experiences from the newspaper.

Key: 1. hear out 2. hear of 3.hear from 4. heard about

Translate the following sentences with the given phrases from the article.

  1. 你必须向他解释你为什么上班迟到了。(explain)
  2. 为纪念那些英雄，我们建立了一座博物馆。(set up)
  3. 你可以通过地点和日期来搜索事件。(search)

Key:

  1. You must explain to him why you were late for work.
  2. Toremember those heroes,wesetupa museum.
  3. You can search for eventsbyplaceanddate.

After reading

Many people ask questions on Baidu (百度), China’s biggest search engine. Do you know the origin (来源，起源) of its name? (Hint: It comes from a line of a Chinese poem.) Do some research and share the result with your classmates.