Unit 1 Tales of the unexplained

The most beautiful thing one can experience is mysteries. They are truly the basis of all arts and sciences. Albert Einstein

Have you heard of any unexplained things? Can scientists explain these phenomena?

UFO

UFO stands for Unidentified Flying Object. According to some witnesses, it is colorless and moves at a slow, steady speed with little noise.

Have you ever read some reports about UFOs in China? Are you interested in UFOs? Are they really from another planet?

Yeti Snowman A Yeti is reported to be half-man and half-beast. Have you heard of it? Do you think some climbers’ disappearances are connected with Yetis?

The Yeti is half-man, half-beast. It is supposed to live in the highest mountain in the world---Mount Himalayas.

Crop circles What happened to the field? Who did it?

Crop circles often appear in spring or summer when wheat is growing in the fields. A crop circle is a large pattern created by the flattening the crop. The first crop circle was discovered in England in 1647.

Stonehenge

Stonehenge stands for mystery and power. Some people guess that it was a temple for worship. The reason Stonehenge was built remains unknown even today.

1.Do you believe in unexplained things mentioned above? Why or why not? 2.If you saw a UFO or a monster some day, what would you do?

Look at some pictures from the textbook. What do you think has happened to the boy? Reading

1. Does the title arouse your interest when you read it? Can you complete the title? 2. What information can you get from the title? 3. What else do you want to know? A boy went missing, and the police were puzzled

Read the passage quickly and answer these questions. 1. What is the article about? It is about a missing boy, UFO and aliens.

2. When was Justin last seen? 3. Who is in charge of the case? Justin Foster was last seen Friday night. Detective Sam Peterson.

Read the passage again and answer these questions. 1. Which city does Justin Foster live in? In Dover.

2. What did Justin do with friends last Friday? 3. What time did Justin get back home that night? He went to play baseball with two friends. At abut 11 p.m.

4. What does Kelly think happened to her brother? 5. What colour are the aliens according to Kelly? She thinks the aliens took her brother. The aliens had white skin and large black eyes.

6. What happened to Mrs. Mavis Wood? 7. What do the police think about the incident? She was once taken away by aliens too. They do not yet know what happened to Justin.

A newspaper article always gives details to support the main points of the story. Write down the supporting details for each point below.

Main points: Justin Foster went missing. Supporting details: Mrs. foster thought _________________________________ ________. Justin Foster _________________________________. he was spending the night with a friend didn’t show up at the family lunch

Main points: Justin Foster returned home. Supporting details: Justin’s friends said _________________________________ __________. Justin went home after playing baseball with them

Supporting details: Witnesses said _________________________________ ____________________. Kelly heard _________________________________ _________________. they saw Justin walking towards his house at p.m him put on his favorite CD after he went to his room

Main points: Justin Foster was taken away by aliens. Supporting details: Kelly saw _________________________________. a large spaceship flying outside

Supporting details: Kelly heard _______________. Mavis Wood said _______________________________ _______________________________. Justin shout the aliens took her away so that they could do research on her

Retell the story according to the following. Justin Foster At 8 p.m. At p.m. At 11 p.m. After 11 p.m., he was heard … The next day, he was found … strange object (UDO) its appearance shape colour size

How to read a newspaper article? title the first paragraph the following paragraphs to give a general idea about the news to tell readers “who” “when” “where” “what” “why” “how” to give detailed but less important information

“A boy missing, police puzzled” the first paragraph the following paragraphs evidence given by Justin’s parents, sister, neighbors … a boy named Justin last Friday night went missing unknown … Who When What why … It’s about a missing boy.

Read the diary of Kelly. Fill in the blanks with proper words. Justin has been missing for two weeks now. I miss him a lot. I’m worried that something ____ has happened to him. I’m sure he came home that night at around 11 p.m. I heard him put on his _________ CD. I wonder where the ______ with large black eyes have taken him. bad favorite aliens

Mavis told me that _________ from outer space took her away a few years ago. They did some research on her. The whole experience was very frightening, just like a __________ but at least they returned her home. I hope they will return _______ soon. creatures nightmare Justin

The police are _____ making much progress. They are very ________. Now they are searching for other _________. They say Justin might have been __________. Dad is very disappointed with them. He doesn’t think they are doing their job properly. not puzzled witnesses murdered

Mum is really worried too. She can’t sleep well. I hope Justin will come home soon and tell us what happened to him. I want all of us to be together again.

Work in pairs. Do you think aliens really come to the Earth and take people away? If not, why do people tell these stories? What do you think really happened to Justin Foster?

Discussion How do you usually select the news you’d like to read, by taking a look at its title or by being attracted by its colourful pictures? What methods do you use in your reading?

Writing Give an ending to the story. Though the police have made efforts to investigate the case, how Justin was missing remained a mystery. Was he really seized by aliens or were there any other reasons?