Listening task

&Reading and Writing taskWorkbook(P50-52)

Listening task

&Reading and Writing taskWorkbook(P50-52)

Warming up

BrailleBlinded by an accident in his early childhood, 15 year old Louis Braille (1809-1852) invented a system of reading and writing by touch.A Braille cell consists of six raised dots. By arranging the dots in various combinations, 64 different patterns cam be formed.Braille, a true alphabet, is read by moving the hand from left to right along each line. Readers average about 104-125 words per minute. Some can read 250 words by using both hands.

BrailleBlinded by an accident in his early childhood, 15 year old Louis Braille (1809-1852) invented a system of reading and writing by touch.A Braille cell consists of six raised dots. By arranging the dots in various combinations, 64 different patterns cam be formed.Braille, a true alphabet, is read by moving the hand from left to right along each line. Readers average about 104-125 words per minute. Some can read 250 words by using both hands.

Listening task

1. What country did Louis Braille come from?

He came from France.2. What disability did he have? He was completely blind.

Listen to Paul’s talk about Louis

Braille. Then answer the questions.

3. What did books for the blind look like

when Louie was a boy?

They were ordinary books with letters

raised up off the page.

4. What were the two problems with the

books for the blind?

The letters were huge and difficult to

read, and the books were very expensive.

5. What invention gave Louie the

idea for his system?

A system for soldiers to send and

receive messages in the dark.

6. What advantages do you think

Louis’s system has?

I think Braille system has the

advantage of being easy to learn, and

so it is easy to produce books of

normal size. It helps make blind

people independent because they can

read as much as sighted people do.

Year Age Event

1809 ______________

1813 4 _________________________

1819 10 _________________________

1821 12 _________________________

____________________________________________

1824 15 _________________________

__________________________

1827 18 _________________________

1852 43 _________________________

Born Became completely blindSent to school in Pairs

Heard a soldier talk about a system consisting of a raised system of dots

Completed the Braille system of touch reading

First Braille book published

died

Reading and writing task

从懂事那天起，我就面临只能活 28 岁的无情命运。 10 岁 , 我只能举起一个枕头；12 岁 , 我只能拄着棍儿走路。 14 岁 , 我走不出院子；16 岁 , 完全不能走了 , 只能直直地站着。

《假如我能行走三天》

18 岁 , 不能下地； 20 岁 , 胳膊举不过头顶。如今 , 我拿不起一杯水……生活完全不能自理。行走对于一个正常人来说是最为容易的事，而对于我来说比登天还难 , 所以，假如我能行走三天，我将万分珍惜三天中的每分每秒。他因病从小到大只上过一天学。

23 年只能天天在炕上坐着 , 眼中惟一的风景是自家院子。 肌肉萎缩到不能自己穿衣和洗脸 , 拿不起一本书 , 一杯水。 他叫张云成 , 家住黑龙江省五大连池风景区青泉村。 他写就了一部十余万字的书稿。 这是第一部由肌无力患者写就的、真实再现肌无力患者生活以及坚强的励志之作。 他说 : 我终于证明了一点，在这个世界存在过、奋争过……

Scan the text and write a mini bio

for Zhang Yuncheng.

A Mini Bio

Name:

Sex:

Health:

Zhang Yuncheng

Male

disabilities caused by a muscle

disease; very weak, can hardly

pick up a pen

School education:

Interests and hobbies:

Ambition:

Dream:

one day

reading and

writing

to write and publish a book

to live a better life

Write a new draft of your article.

Although Zhang Yuncheng is unable to walk or even get out of bed without help, he has achieved his ambition to write a book. Because of his disability, Yuncheng went to school for only one day. However, when he was 12 years old, he taught himself to write.

Sample writing

When he was 17, Yuncheng wrote to a

newspaper about his life and his

ambition to write a book. Zhang Danuo,

an editor at the newspaper helped him

by setting him writing assignments

every week. These assignments have

now been turned into a book, which

many people have bought.

Yuncheng says that because his life

will not be a long one, he must do as

much as he can within the time he

has left.

Homework

1. Speaking task on P52.

2. Answer the questions on checking

yourself on P53.