Unit 15 Mountains (2) Mountains (2)

+ I.Teaching Aims & Requirements: + Let students grasp useful phrases and sentences + Let students get an overview of mountains + Help students improve English tour interpretation + + II. Content + Overview of Chinese mountains + Useful phrases and expressions about mountains + Useful sentences about Chinese mountains + + III. Focus on & Difficulties: + Overview of the Chinese mountains + Useful phrases and sentences about mountains

I. Mountains in China China is a mountainous country, with two- thirds of its surface area covered with mountains or hilly areas. Among the 19 mountains over 7,000 meters high in the world, seven are in China.

I. Mountains in China The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, known as “the roof of the world”, has many high mountains. The Himalayas, with an average elevation of 6,000 meters, have the world’s highest peak Mount Qomolangma, 8,848 meters above sea level.

II. Five Holy Mountains There are many famous mountains in China, and the mountains most famous for cultural importance are the Five Holy Mountains, a collective name for Mount Tai in Shandong Province, Mount Hua in Shaanxi Province, Mount Song in Henan Province, Mount Heng in Hunan Province and Mount Heng in Shaxi Province.

II. Five Holy Mountains Mount Tai is praised as “the First Mountain on Earth” and respected as “the First among the Five Famous Mountains”. With its peculiar peaks standing upright, Mount Hua is majestic and famous for its steepness, straightness and gracefulness in the world.

II. Five Holy Mountains Mt. Hengshan in Hunan Province is 310 km south of Changsha. It is where kings and emperors used to make sacrifices to Heaven and Earth. There are 72 peaks and many temples. Today, Buddhists and Daoists live in peace on the mountain and tourists flock there, especially during the summer.

II. Five Holy Mountains Mount Song consists of two groups of peaks: the Taishi Mountain and the Shaoshi Mountain. The former is magnificent and vast, while the latter is steep and elegant. Mount Hengshan is noted for its “Eighteen Scenic Spots”, among which the Xuankong (Hanging) Temple, built in the Northern Wei Dynasty, is the most renowned.

III. Four Great Buddhist Mountains China’s four great Buddhist Mountains are Wutai in Shanxi Province, Putuo in Zhejiang Province, Jiuhua in Anhui Province, and Emei in Sichuan Province.

III. Four Great Buddhist Mountains The golden Summit of Mount Emei offers four wonderful views: sunrise, vast expanses of clouds, “Buddha’s light”, and the evening glow.

III. Four Great Buddhist Mountains Wutai Mountain is one of the four famous Buddhist Mountains in our country, where Wenshu (Manjusri) performs Buddhist rites. During the reign of the Emperor Mingdi of the Estern Han Dynasty, people started to build temples there. Intergrading the temple, sea, sand, and stone, Mount Putuo is also called the “Buddhist world at South China Sea”, famous both home and abroad. A striking landmark is Statue of Guanyin, 33 meters high, overlooking the sea at the southernmost tip of the island.

IV. Four Great Taoist Mountains China’s four great Taoist mountains are Wudan in Hubei Province, Longhu in Jiangxi Province, Qiyun in Anhui Province and Qingcheng in Sichuan Province. Clustering around Wudang Mountain are numerous striking outstanding peaks and exotic sceneries as if “ten thousands peaks are paying their homage”. Its scenic spots include 72 peaks, 36 rocky cliffs, 24 streams, 3 pool, 9 wells and 10 lakes.

IV. Four Great Taoist Mountains Qingcheng Mountain is one of the birthplaces of Taoist religion in China. During the late years of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Zhang Daoling, the founder of the religion, established his base here and began to preach Daoism. The mountain is entirely covered with lush trees that look like peaks surrounding a city, hence its present name “Green City Mountain.”

V. Other Famous Mountains Huoyan Mountain is located at the central part of Turpan Basin, which was called Red Stone Mountain in ancient books. The mountain extends 100 kilometers from east to west and its maximum width is 10 kilometers. It is a sterile mountain without any grass at all.

V. Other Famous Mountains Wuyi Mountain belongs to typical “Danxia” landform and enjoys good fame of “green waters and red mountains”. With pleasant climate, beautiful scenery, abundant products, long history and advantageous tourism resources, it intergrades the strangeness of Huangshan mountain, the elegance of Guilin, the beauty of West Lake and the grandeur of Mount Tai.

VI. Homework 1. Review the useful phrases, expressions and sentences in Unit 15, which will be checked next week. 2. Read the passage on page , and remember the useful expressions and sentences in the article.

VI. Homework 3. Translate the following phrases into English. 青藏高原 五岳 道教名山佛教名山 文殊菩萨的道场道教发祥地 古建筑群气候宜人 风光秀美物产丰富 主峰 丹霞地貌 佛、道教文化绝壁