Listening

Leading in Mount Kilimanjaro 乞力马札罗山

Mount Kilimanjaro 乞力马札罗山

Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa and the tallest freestanding mountain known to man. It is a mountain where you can hike for more than 90 kilometers, gain 4000 meters in altitude, traverse rain forest, moorland, alpine desert, snow fields and ice cliffs, all virtually on the equator! A truly unforgettable and fascinating adventure.

Listening and speaking 1. Discussion What kind of difficulty do you think weak-sighted or blind people would have climbing a mountain?

2. Why Barry and his team did the climb and why Joan, the interviewer, describes Barry’s plan for next climbing as “amazing”.

prove that they could achieve whatever they decided to do and at the same time raise money for people with weak sight. Barry and his team wanted to _______ _________________________________ ________________________________ ___________________________________. Joan thinks Barry’s plan is amazing because ___________________________________ _____________________________________ after climbing one difficult mountain he wants climb an even more difficult one.

AN AMAZING ACHIEVEMENT Listening text AN AMAZING ACHIEVEMENT Barry Minto (B) has just made a successful climb of Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa. Listen to him being interviewed on the radio by Joan (J).

JOAN: Barry, welcome to our programme and congratulations on that great climb! BARRY: Thank you. It’s good to be here. JOAN: Now, Barry, it was a very special climb, wasn’t it?

BARRY: Yes, that’s right. Half of the. group had very bad eyesight BARRY: Yes, that’s right. Half of the group had very bad eyesight or were blind like me, and the other half were sighted people who came along to help us. JOAN: How old were the climbers? BARRY: Well, the weak-sighted and blind group were between 16 and 19 years old.

JOAN: And the sighted climbers? BARRY: Between 25 and 45. JOAN: I see. Now, why did you make such a difficult climb? BARRY: For two main reasons: one is to prove that we can achieve whatever we decide to do; the other is to raise money for other people with weak sight.

JOAN: Mmm. Well done! I know Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa. But how high is it? BARRY: About 5,900 metres. JOAN: That’s very high! So how many of you reach the top?

BARRY: Of the 12 poor-sighted and blind climbers, 9 made it to the top BARRY: Of the 12 poor-sighted and blind climbers, 9 made it to the top. Of the 15 sighted climbers, 7 did. JOAN: Well done! BARRY: Yes, it just shows you how determined the poor-sighted and blind climbers were.

JOAN: How long did it take you? BARRY: Five days to go up and two to come down. JOAN: Well, Barry, I’m full of admiration for you and your companions. What do you plan to do next?

BARRY: Oh, I’m going to university next year, but my next climbing ambition is to go up Mount Qomolangma one day. JOAN: Amazing. I wish you every success in the future, Barry. BARRY: (fade out) Thanks, Joan…

Wishes & congratulations Expressions Congratulations. All the best. I’m proud of you. I wish you success. Good luck.

Well done. I’m very impressed by your performance. You have my best wishes. I’m very pleased for you. I hope it goes well for you. That’s wonderful/amazing. I want to express my sincere congratulations on…

A sample of offering wishes and congratulations B: I hear you’ve just passed your final exams at university with a very good result. I want to express my sincere congratulations. I know how much hard work you must have done. A: Thank you but…

B: I was so impressed with your performance that I rang my uncle up straight away, and he is prepared to offer you a job tomorrow. A: That’s wonderful but…… B: I was so proud of you that I’ve ordered a special dinner for you and your family at a very expensive hotel here in town.

A: I’m not sure that…… B: Of course you deserve it! You have all my best wishes and I hope everything goes well for you in the future. A: That’s very kind of you, but I think you must be muddling me up with my cousin. He’s the one who’s done so well. I’m still in my first year at university!

Give the following two situations for students to practice offering congratulations and best wishes. Your friend is going to take part in the 2008 “CCTV Cup” English Speaking Contest.

Situation 2 Your friend has won the first prize in the 2008 “CCTV Cup” English Speaking Contest.

Reading, speaking and writing

A letter to an architect 1. Answer the following questions. 1). What is the purpose of the first paragraph of the letter? To tell the reader the purpose of the letter.

2). Why do you think the writer has numbered her suggestions and used italics? The writer has used numbers and a title in italics for each paragraph to organize the ideas and to make it easier for the reader to understand and remember the five suggestions.

3). What is the purpose of the last paragraph of the letter? To finish the letter in a polite way and to put forward some reasons why the architect should consider the writer’s suggestions.

2. Read the text and fill in the blanks. Item Suggestions Adequate ______ to the cinema ▲ It would be ______ to have lifts to all parts of the cinema. ▲ The buttons in the lifts should be easy for a person in __________ to reach, and the doors be wide enough to enter. handy access wheelchair

Earphones It would help to fit sets of earphones to all seats, not just to some of them. Seating The seats at the back be placed ______ than those at the front so that everyone can see the screen easily.. higher

Toilets There should be toilets for the disabled near the ________ to the cinema. Car parking There have to be car parking spaces especially for the disabled and ______. entrances elderly

A letter of suggestion A letter of suggestion normally has five parts. 1. The Heading This includes the address, line by line, with the last line being the date. Skip a line after the heading.

2. The Greeting. The greeting always ends with a comma. The greeting should be formal, beginning with the word "dear". 3. The body. It is also known as the main text. Generally speaking, the body includes

three parts. The first part (usually the first paragraph) tells the receiver that you are writing this letter to make suggestions on something, and the main part tells clearly what your suggestions are. The last part (usually the last paragraph) asks the

receiver to consider your suggestions receiver to consider your suggestions. Don’t forget to encourage the receiver to take your suggestions. Skip a line between paragraphs, especially in typed or printed copy, and also help the reader.

4. The complimentary close. This short expression is always a few words on a single line. It ends with a comma. The complimentary close begins with a capital letter and ends with a comma.

5. The signature line. Type or print your name. The handwritten signature goes above this line and below the close. The signature line and the handwritten signature are indented to the same column as the close. The signature should be written in blue or black ink.

Skip from one to three spaces (two on a typewriter), and type in the signature line the printed name of the person signing the letter. Sign the name in the space between the close and the signature line, starting at the left edge of the signature line.

The Heading The Greeting The body The complimentary close The signature line

A sample of a letter of suggestion Mr.Xue Sun Lei Chief architect 18 Hongyang Supermarket design Yuquan County 211 Kangwei Road Yuquan County 18 March,200_ Dear Mr Xue, I learn from the local news that

you are the architect who is to design the supermarket you are the architect who is to design the supermarket. I am writing to ask you to consider the right of the disabled for easy access. In particular, I would like you to consider the following things:

1. Access to the supermarket for people in wheelchairs and those who have difficulty walking. The lifts should be wide enough for the wheelchairs to move around. The entrance should be suitable for wheelchairs on the ground floor. There should be special entry for people for the blind.

2. Toilets. There should be special toilets for the disabled 2. Toilets. There should be special toilets for the disabled. The bathrooms and toilets should have doorways wide enough for a wheelchair, doors that are easy to open and close, and hand-holds that the disabled can easily use.

3. Telephones should be easy for a person in a wheelchair to reach 3. Telephones should be easy for a person in a wheelchair to reach. Generally speaking, a supermarket is so big that it is difficult for one, especially one in a wheelchair to find what one needs. So telephones should be easy to reach for a person in a wheelchair so that he can call the staff for help.

4. Shelves. When people design the shelves, the disabled should be taken into consideration. Safety should come first.

Thank you for reading my letter Thank you for reading my letter. I hope you will consider my suggestions. Disabled people should have the same opportunity as able-bodied people to enjoy the supermarket and they should be able to do so with dignity. It is very important to use various forms of

technology which can assist individuals with various types of disabilities to increase their mobility and independence. I am sure if you design it with good access for the disabled, the supermarket will attract more customers and people will speak highly of your design. Yours sincerely, Sunlei

Homework Write a letter of suggestion to the architect.