Travel journal Unit 3 Using language (1)

How much do you know about Tibet? What is the climate like there? How is a journey through Tibet like?

Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups. Tibet is the highest region on earth, with an average elevation of 4,900 metres (16,000 ft).

Tibet has some of the world's tallest mountains, with several of them making the top ten list. Mount Everest, at 8,848 metres (29,029 ft), is the highest mountain on earth, located on the border with Nepal. Several major rivers have their source in the Tibetan Plateau (mostly in present-day Qinghai Province). These include Yangtze, Yellow River, Indus River, Mekong, Ganges, Nujiang and the Yarlung Zangbo River.

Journey down the Mekong

Read and answer the questions. 1. What was the weather like in Tibet? 2. Why did they have to change into T-shirts and shorts? It snowed. Because it became much warmer in the valleys.

Imagine that in the morning there is a dialogue between Wang Kun and Wang Wei. What do you think they would say before they leave camp? Sample dialogue WK: Oh, up so early? WW: Early? It’s nearly 9 o’clock. WK: Oops.( look at the watch) I guess you are right. WW: Why were you so tired. WK: Well, I stayed up late last night to watch the stars. WW: That’s nice. They must be pretty. WK: Yes, they were.

Language points 1. Along the way children dressed in long wool coats stopped to look at us. dressed in long wool coats 为过去分词 短语作定语修饰前面的 children, 相当于 一个定语从语 : who were dressed in long wool coats Near the window there is a bookshelf filled with many books (=which is filled with many books).

2. Wang Wei rode in front of me as usual. as usual 照常，像往常一样 As usual, there weren’t many people at the meeting. Needless to say, he came late as usual.

3. She is very reliable. reliable adj. 可靠的，可信的 She may be slow but at least she’s reliable. The news comes from a reliable source. I don’t think he is a reliable man.

4. To climb the mountains road was hard work but … To climb the mountains road 是动词不定式作 主语, 谓语动词用单数。 不定式作主语时，如果主语较长，往往在句 首用形式主语 it 去代替它，而将真正的主语 （不定式）移到谓语之后，形成 “It ＋谓语＋ ( 作主语的 ) 不定式 ” 的结构，以避免形成头重 脚轻，从而保持句子结构的平衡。

To learn a foreign language is important for your future work. = It is important for your future work to learn a foreign language. To see all my teachers and friends again is good. = It’s good to see all my teachers and friends again.

5. …, we were surprised by the view. view n. 风景，视野，见解，方法， vt. 把... 视为，观看，考虑 Would you prefer sea view or mountain view? The valley was hidden from view in the mist. His view of life is different from yours. These people were viewed as their most dangerous rivals.

scene, view, sight, scenery, landscape 这些名词 均含 “ 景色、风景 ” 之意。 scene: 指具体的、局部的或一时的景色，可 以是自然形成的，也可人工造成的。 view: 普通和词，多指从远处或高处所见的 景色。 sight: 侧重指旅游观光的风光，包括城市景 色或自然风光景色。也指人造景物或奇 特的景色。 scenery: 指一个国家或某一地区的整体自然 风景。 landscape: 多指在内陆的自然风光。

6. At this point we had to change our caps, coats, gloves and trousers for T- shirts and shorts. change … for … 以 … 替换 / 代替 … I changed my cat for a dog. Let me change the dollar bill for coins.

change for 交换，兑换钱币，换成 In New York, you’ll change for Boston. change into 变成，改穿 Little Tom has changed into a handsome young man. You should change into your working clothes before starting to do the job. change... into... 把 … 变为... They are changing desert into farmland.

7. …- only the flames of our fire for company. for company 陪伴，作伴 company n. 陪伴 I hate going out alone. I take my daughter for company. He’ll go with you as far as the station for company. Don’t mention it. I’ve really enjoyed your company. I asked Benny to keep my son company while I went shopping.

8. As I lay beneath the stars I thought about … beneath prep. 在... 之下；低于；劣于 The sun is now beneath the horizon. From the balloon we could see the town far beneath us. Beneath her self-confident surface, she’s quite unsure of herself. He is beneath his brother intellectually.

If you live along one of the rivers and have a chance to travel down it, which one would you choose? Why? Mississippi (USA) Thames (England)Mekong (China, SE Asia) Nile (Egypt)

Listen and answer the question. What is the Mekong River called in Laos? The sea of Laos.

A. A girl from Laos told Wang Kun about how Laotians use the Mekong River. B. A girl told Wang Kun about what they would see along the Mekong River. C. A girl from Laos told Wang Kun about how important and beautiful the Mekong is. Listen to the tape and tick the statement which tells the main idea of the dialogue. C

Listen again and complete the passage below. The Mekong is the most important river in Laos. It even _______ on the national _______ of the country. Laotian people use the river for _______, _______ and __________ goods and people around the country. They cal the Mekong “the ____ of Laos”, but in Tibet people call it “the water of the _____”. If you follow the river in Laos, you can visit temples, caves and a ________. At night, you can sleep in some small _______ by the river. appears flag washing fishingtransporting sea rocks waterfall villages

Wang Kun and Wang Wei are interested in Laos’ food, culture, and tradition. Imagine you are one of them and make a dialogue between the girl and you.

Sample dialogue WK: What’s the food like in Laos? G: It’s delicious. There are many fish dishes and a special fish soup. The fishermen catch the fish and then cook it. You should try that. WK: I love to try new food. What will we see along the riverbank? G: Well there are thick forests and mountains in the north of Laos and many interesting plants, birds and animals in the south of Laos. It’s so beautiful by the river that the scenery will take your breath away.

WK: That sounds wonderful. I cannot wait to get going. Thank you for telling us so many things. Take care. G: Have a nice time on your journey. Keep in touch and write to me if you have time. Goodbye. WK: I will. Goodbye.

Imagine one of your friends is traveling in Egypt. Write an asking for information about the country. When did you get there? What is the food like there? What did you do there? Could you tell me about …? What is your favourte food there?

Sample writing Dear Li Yang, How are you recently? I keep wondering how you feel about your trip. Are you enjoying it? I hope that you are. Are you in Cairo yet? Have you visited the Pyramid? Please take some photos for me. When are you coming back? I am so looking forward to hearing about your adventures. Please send some photos with your next letter. Well, have fun and don’t forget to write to me! Good luck on your journey. Take care! Yours, Hu Ling

1. Finish your writing. 2. Preview Reading Task in Workbook.