Unit 1 Good friends
Senior English for China Student's Book 1A
Unit 1 Good friends
Goals
1. Talk about friends
2. Practise talking about likes and dislikes
3. Learn to make apologies
4. Use Direct Speech: He says,”…”
5. Use Indirect Speech:
She said that …
She asks if / what / who / where / how …
6. Write an e-mail
Warming up
What should a good friend be like? What qualities should a good friend have? Should they be funny, smart or strong? Use the words in the box below to describe a 5-star friend. You can use other words if you like.
kind honest brave loyal happy wise strong beautiful handsome rich smart funny
I think a friend should be kind.
A good friend is someone who makes me happy.
Describe yourself in three words and then describe one of your friends.
LISTENING
Listen to the two friends arguing.
1. What are they arguing about? Write down what you hear.
2. What do you think they should do to solve their problems? Write down the possible solutions.
SPEAKING
Work in pairs. Read about the following people and fill in the form. Decide who you think could be friends and give reasons for your decisions.
JOHN: I'm 15 years old and I love football. I also like reading, especially stories about people from other countries. I don't enjoy singing, nor do I like computers. I think that rock music is terrible.
ANN: Hi, I'm Ann. I'm 16 and I like dancing and computers. I also like rock music. I hate hiking and I'm not into classical music. I don't enjoy reading too much.
STEVE: I'm 14 years old and I love skiing. Other favourite hobbies are reading and singing. I don't like hiking. I think that rock music is too loud, and I think that football is boring.
PETER: I'm from Australia. I'm 15 and I'm fond of singing. I sing a lot, and when I'm not singing, I listen to rock music or use my computer. I don't like football and I think that classical music is terrible. I hate dancing!
SARAH: My name is Sarah and I'm 14 years old. My interests are reading novels, playing football and singing songs. I think that rock music is terrible, and I don't like dancing. I don't enjoy computers either.
JOE: Hi there. I am Joe. I really like computers. I surf the Internet all the time and I like playing computer games. I don't enjoy football and I hate hiking. Rock music is OK, and so is skiing.
Make a list of their age, gender, likes and dislikes.
Useful expressions
I'm sure that …
I'm not so sure that …
I think that …
Perhaps …
He/She likes …
He/She enjoys …
He/She is fond of …
He/She loves …
He/She doesn't like …
He/She doesn't enjoy …
He/She thinks that … is boring / terrible.
He/She hates …
PRE_READING
Imagine that you are alone on an island. You have to survive without friends and all the things your everyday life. Which of the items in the box would be the most useful to you on the island? List the three most useful items and explain why you think they would be useful.
a knife a box of matches a mirror a radio a frying pan a gun
a hammer a book a saw a umbrella a rope a compass
READING
CHUCK'S FRIEND
In the movie Cast Away, Tom Hanks plays a man named Chuck Noland. Chuck is a businessman who is always so busy that he has little time for his friends. He is successful manager in a company that sends mail all over the world. One day Chuck is on a flight across the Pacific Ocean when suddenly his plane crashes. Chuck survives the crash and lands on a deserted island.
On the island, Chuck has to learn to survive all alone. He has to learn how to collect water, hunt for food, and make fire. Perhaps the most difficult challenge is how to survive without friends. In order to survive, Chuck develops a friendship with an unusual friend — a volleyball he calls Wilson.
Chuck learns a lot about himself when he is alone on the island. He realises that he hasn't been a very good friend because he has always been thinking about himself. During his five years on the island, Chuck learns how to be a good friend to Wilson. Even though Wilson is just a volleyball, He becomes fond of him. He talks to him and treats him as a fiend. Chuck learns that we need friends to share happiness and sorrow, and that it is important to have someone to care about. He also learns that he should have cared more about his friends. When he makes friends with Wilson, he understands that friendship is about feelings and that we must give as much as we take.
A volleyball is certainly an unusual friend. Most of our friends are human beings, but we also make friends with animals and even things. For example, many of us have pets, and we all have favourite objects such as lucky pen or a diary. The lesson we can learn from Chuck and all the others who have unusual friends is that friends are teachers. Friendship helps us understand who we are, why we need each other and what we can do for each other.
POSTING-READING
Discuss the following questions in groups.
1. What things must Chuck learn to survive on the island?
2. What does Chuck learn about himself when he is alone on the island?
3. If you were alone on an island, what would you do in order to survive?
4. Imagine that four people are in an airplane that is going to crash. One is a policeman, one is a doctor, one is a teacher, and one is a scientist. There is only one parachute. Decide who should get the parachute and explain why.
LANGUAGE STUDY
Word study
Fill in the blanks with the words and phrases you have learnt in this unit.
1 My friend is honest. He never tells lies.
2 I like pop music. She likes classical music, but we are good friends.
3 I think a good friend should not only share happiness, but also sorrow with me.
4 Although Father and I often argue with each other, we are good friends.
5 Many people keep dogs as pets because dogs are regarded as loyal friends to people.
6 If you were alone on a deserted island, you would have to learn to collect water and hunt for food.
7 The young man is very fond of history. He reads books about it almost every day.
8 She is a brave girl. She is never afraid of anything.
9 There will be many people at the theatre, so we will go there early in order to get good seats.
10 If someone is quick in mind and action, we say he is wise.
Grammar
Direct and Indirect Speech (1) — Statements and Questions
“I like reading adventure stories,” said John.
John said that he liked reading adventure stories.