1. Conversational Ballgames
21st Century College English: Book 1
Unit 2: Text A
Conversational Ballgames

2. Reading & Writing Skills Language Points Guided Practice Assignment
Unit Two: Text A
Lead-in Activities
Text Organization
Reading & Writing Skills
Language Points
Guided Practice
Assignment

3. Questions for discussion
Lead-in Activities
Questions for discussion
Do you notice any difference between the way the Chinese talk to each other (in either Chinese or English) and the way the Westerners talk to each other? What are the differences regarding gestures, intonation, facial expressions, body language, and so on.

4. The structure of Text A Text Organization I. Introduction of the topic
Para. 1-3
II. A comparison
Para. 4-9
III. How the two different styles influence conversation
Para
IV. Conclusion
Para. 12

5. I. Introduction of the topic
Text Organization
I. Introduction of the topic
The author found it difficult to join in a Japanese conversation, and she considered the difference in conversation style as the reason.

6. Text Organization
II. A comparison
Respective description of the Western and the Japanese conversation styles

7. III. How the two different styles influence conversation
Text Organization
III. How the two different styles influence conversation
The author was handling the Japanese conversation in a Western way, while her students are always handling the English conversation in a Japanese way.

8. Text Organization
IV. Conclusion
It is no simple matter to switch from one style to another.

9. Reading & Writing Skills
This is an expository writing that is composed of introductory paragraphs, body paragraphs and conclusion. It is developed by comparison and contrast. Through comparison and contrast, the readers could know the two different things. There are two approaches to compare and contrast--- one is to interpret all the characters of A, then all of B; the other is to explain one feature of both A and B, then another feature of A and B. The author here adopted the first way to comparise and contrast.

10. Skill learning in reading
Reading & Writing Skills
Skill learning in reading
A good reader can always recognize the main idea. Please ask yourself: why was this written and what is the main point the author wants to present to you. Recognize the main points by paying attention to the title and subheading, the first paragraph and the first sentence in each paragraph ignoring those unfamiliar words. Please see "woods" not "trees".

11. Conversational Ballgames
Intensive Study
Conversational Ballgames
by Nancy Mansterson Sakamoto
1 After I was married and had lived in Japan for a while, my Japanese gradually improved to the point where I could take part in simple conversations with my husband, his friends, and family. And I began to notice that often, when I joined in, the others would look startled, and the conversation would come to a halt. After this happened several times, it became clear to me that I was doing something wrong. But for a long time, I didn't know what it was.

12. Intensive Study
2 Finally, after listening carefully to many Japanese conversations, I discovered what my problem was. Even though I was speaking Japanese, I was handling the conversation in a Western way.
3 Japanese-style conversations develop quite differently from western-style conversations. And the difference isn't only in the languages. I realized that just as I kept trying to hold western-style conversations even when I was speaking Japanese, so were my English students trying to hold Japanese style conversations even when they were speaking English. We were unconsciously playing entirely different conversational ballgames.

13. Intensive Study
4 A western-style conversation between two people is like a game of tennis. If I introduce a topic, a conversational ball, I expect you to hit it back. If you agree with me, I don't expect you simply to agree and do nothing more. I expect you to add something — a reason for agreeing, another example, or a remark to carry the idea further. But I don't expect you always to agree. I am just as happy if you question me, or challenge me, or completely disagree with me. Whether you agree or disagree, your response will return the ball to me.

14. Intensive Study
5 And then it is my turn again. I don't serve a new ball  from my original starting line. I hit your ball back again from where it has bounced. I carry your idea further, or answer your questions or objections, or challenge or question you. And so the ball goes back and forth.
6 If there are more than two people in the conversation, then it is like doubles in tennis or like volleyball. There's no waiting in line. Whoever is nearest and quickest hits the ball, and if you step back, someone else will hit it. No one stops the game to give you a turn. You're responsible for taking your own turn and no one person has the ball for very long.

15. Intensive Study
7 A Japanese style conversation, however, is not at all like tennis or volleyball, it's like bowling. You wait for your turn, and you always know your place in line. It depends on such things as whether you are older or younger, a close friend or a relative stranger to the previous speaker, in a senior or junior position, and so on.

16. Intensive Study
8 The first thing is to wait for your turn, patiently and politely. When your moment comes, you step up to the starting line with your bowling ball, and carefully bowl it. Everyone else stands back, making sounds of polite encouragement. Everyone waits until your ball has reached the end of the lane, and watches to see if it knocks down all the pins, or only some of them, or none of them. Then there is a pause, while everyone registers your score.

17. Intensive Study
9 Then, after everyone is sure that you are done, the next person in line steps up to the same starting line, with a different ball. He doesn't return your ball. There is no back and forth at all. And there is always a suitable pause between turns. There is no rush, no impatience.
10 No wonder everyone looked startled when I took part in Japanese conversations. I paid no attention to whose turn it was, and kept snatching the ball halfway down the lane and throwing it back at the bowler. Of course the conversation fell apart, I was playing the wrong game.

18. Intensive Study
11 This explains why it can be so difficult to get a western-style discussion going with Japanese students of English. Whenever I serve a volleyball, everyone just stands back and watches it fall. No one hits it back. Everyone waits until I call on someone to take a turn. And when that person speaks, he doesn't hit my ball back. He serves a new ball. Again, everyone just watches it fall. So I call on someone else. This person does not refer to what the previous speaker has said. He also serves a new ball. Everyone begins again from the same starting line, and all the balls run parallel. There is never any back and forth.

19. Intensive Study
12 Now that you know about the difference in the conversational ballgames, you may think that all your troubles are over. But if you have been trained all your life to play one game, it is no simple matter to switch to another, even if you know the rules. Tennis, after all, is different from bowling.

20. Translate: Example: to the point where Key words, phrases & usages
— until, to the extent that, up to the time when something develops or is achieved
Translate:
我学日语学到可以流利地讲话的程度。
Example:
He exercised so hard to the point where he couldn't move.
Key:
I studied Japanese to the point where I became a fluent speaker.

21. Translate: Example: come to a halt Key words, phrases & usages
— stop moving; stop completely
Translate:
The economic boom came to a sudden halt.
Example:
The car slowed down and came to a halt in front of the building.
Key:
经济繁荣期嘎然而止。

22. Cf. Example: whoever Grammar Focus — no matter who
Whatever, however, wherever, whichever, etc. can be used as conjunctions in the same way as the expressions no matter what, no matter how, and so on.
e.g. Please let us know no matter where you go.
= Please let us know wherever you go.
e.g. Life goes on no matter how upset you are.
= However upset you are, life goes on.
Example:
Whoever comes here will receive a VIP welcome.
More to learn

23. Drill: Rewrite the following two sentences.
Grammar Focus
whoever
— no matter who
Drill: Rewrite the following two sentences.
1. No matter which one you choose, you’ll be disappointed.
2. No matter what reason you have, you should not cheat.
Whichever you choose, you’ll be disappointed
You should not cheat whatever reason you have.
More to learn

24. Drill: Complete the following sentences(P.41, Ex. VIII):
Grammar Focus
whoever
— no matter who
Whoever is most qualified
Drill: Complete the following sentences(P.41, Ex. VIII):
(谁最胜任谁就) _____ should get the job.
(每当天气不好时) _____, he takes whatever umbrella he can find.
He makes a lot of friends (不管他到哪儿) _____.
She could not remember what she had dreamed of, (不管她怎样努力) _____.
Whenever the weather's bad
wherever he goes
however hard she tried

25. take turns Example: Fill in the blank: Key words, phrases & usages
— do something one by one in regular order
Example:
The students take turns answering the teacher's questions.
Fill in the blank:
Hey, don’t jump the queue! You should _____ (等着轮 到你).
wait to take your turn

26. previous Translate: Key words, phrases & usages
— happening, coming, or being earlier in time or order
Translate:
The police asked the suspect where he had been the previous night.
Key:
警察问嫌疑人前一天晚上去了哪里。

27. Example Translate: halfway Key words, phrases & usages
— at the midpoint between two things
Translate:
不要中途放弃，你能成功的。
Example
I was halfway up the stairs when I heard a knock at the door.
Key:
Don’t give up halfway. You can make it.

28. refer to Translate: Example Key words, phrases & usages
— talk about or mention; speak about
Example
Although the newspaper article named no names, everyone knew it was referring to the bad behavior of the voted World Footballer of the Year.
Translate:
The president referred to the economic crisis in Asia in his TV statement.
Key:
总统在电视讲话中提到了亚洲经济危机。

29. Translate: Example now (that) Key words, phrases & usages
— as a result of the fact (that); since
Translate:
既然你成年了，就要对自己的所作所为负责。
Example
Now that I've been to the concert, I understand why young people are so crazy about the superstar.
Key:
Now that you’re coming of age, you should be responsible for what you do.
More to learn

30. Complete the following sentences:(p. 42, Ex. X)
Key words, phrases & usages
now (that)
— as a result of the fact (that); since
Complete the following sentences:(p. 42, Ex. X)
Now that he is getting older, _____.
2. _____ now that the bus has broken down halfway.
he might be more patient
I have to take a taxi home

31. switch Example: Fill in the blank: Key words, phrases & usages
— change, esp. suddenly
Example:
He didn't seem to like any of the programs and kept switching from one channel to another.
Fill in the blank:
It is no good for you to _____ (太经常换工作).
switch jobs too often

32. Text-related information (2)
BOWLING GAME
An indoor game in which you roll a large heavy ball along a wooden track in order to knock down a group of pins (wooden objects shaped like bottles).

33. Text-related information (1)
TENNIS
A game for two people or two pairs of people who use rackets to hit a small soft ball backwards and forwards over a net.

34. Guided Practice
Vocabulary
Cloze
Translation
Structure Writing

35. 1. The new approach is truly new — it differs _____ from the old one.
Filling
1. The new approach is truly new — it differs _____ from the old one.
《读写教程 I》: Ex. IV, p. 38
entirely
2. I have no _____ to your becoming a teacher if that’s what you want to be.
objection

36. Filling
3. No one _____ the theory until 1452, when a revolutionary thinker changed our understanding of the universe.
challenged
4. The Foreign Language School has now expanded to three times its _____ size.
original

37. Filling
5. I agree with you that men and women should be equally _____ for bringing up children.
responsible
6. Now that their children have all begun to work, the Browns are living in _____ comfort.
relative

38. Filling
7. The marathon (马拉松) runner had to give up _____ because he couldn’t endure the pain in his stomach.
halfway
8. Everyone looked _____ when Peter challenged the professor’s remarks about Hemingway’s writing style.
startled

39. Filling
9. The true mark of leadership is not _____ to support what is popular but to make what is unpopular popular.
simply
10. I was quite startled to see two old men tossing a baseball _____ in the park.
back and forth

40. 11. He started to sing a popular song of the 1950s and everyone _____.
Filling
11. He started to sing a popular song of the 1950s and everyone _____.
joined in
12. Christmas is important in Western countries, _____ the Spring Festival is very special to Chinese people.
just as

41. Filling
13. After the storm, I was disappointed to see that all of my tomato plants had been _____ by the wind.
knocked down
14. When the film was being shot on location, so many people stopped to watch that traffic _____.
came to a halt

42. 16. You’d better buy some new shirts — all your old ones are _____.
Filling
15. _____ world population growth could somehow be cut by half, there would still be more than 45 million new mouths to feed next year.
Even if
16. You’d better buy some new shirts — all your old ones are _____.
fallen apart

43. Cloze
When I moved to Japan, I found that others often reacted strangely _____ the way I spoke to them. In time, I came to understand that Japan and the U.S. are different not just in terms of the language used, but also in terms of _____ people are expected to talk to each other. Like a game of tennis, a Western-style _____ is full of back and _____. Each person reacts to _____ the other one says. Also, there is no need to wait around _____ an invitation to speak; it is perfectly OK to jump right _____. Japanese conversations, _____, are more like bowling. Everyone offers his opinion separately, and there are strict rules for who will speak _____. to
how
《读写教程 I》: Ex. XI, p. 42
conversation
forth
what
for in
however
next

44. Cloze
gradually
As I _____ came to understand all of this, I could see why everyone in Japan reacted to me as they did. I also realized that my English-language students are having a _____ problem. When they speak English in class, they are _____ holding Japanese-style conversations. Even though I understand these cultural _____ better now, the problems created by these different _____ of talking are still real. When you’ve been playing one ballgame for your entire life, it is very hard to _____ to another.
similar
still
differences
styles
switch

45. 《读写教程 I》: Ex. XII, p. 43 Translation
1. 在谈及美国英语和英国英语的差别时，他说：“美国和英国毕竟是两个不同的国家。”
referring to
《读写教程 I》: Ex. XII, p. 43
after all
Referring to the differences between American English and British English, he said, “The United States and Britain are, after all, two different countries.”

46. Translation
2. 史密斯教授鼓励他的学生独立思考。他常说：“即使你们对我提出质疑或者完全不同意我的看法，我也同样高兴。”
think for themselves
even if
challenge
just as
Prof. Smith encourages his students to think for themselves. “I am just as happy,” he often says, “even if you challenge me or completely disagree with me.”

47. Translation
3. 我们请他参加我们关于流行音乐的谈话，但他一参加进来就引入一个新的话题，谈起了上周的NBA决赛。
as soon as
refer to
the previous week
We called on him to take part in our conversation about pop music, but as soon as he joined in, he introduced a new topic and referred to the NBA finals of the previous week.

48. Translation
4. 司机应对这次事故负责。他的车撞倒了一棵树和一个骑车的人。
be responsible for
knock down
The driver is responsible for this accident. His car knocked down a tree and a man on his bike.

49. Translation
5. 自我们的收音机停止生产后，我们已转产移动电话(mobile phones)。
switch
come to a halt
Since
Since our production of radios came to a halt, we have switched to the production of mobile phones.

50. Translation
6. 我们最初的计划是在北京游览长城、故宫、颐和园等著名景点。
original
such famous sights as…
Our original plan was to see such famous sights as the Great Wall, the Palace Museum and the Summer Palace in Beijing.

51. It’s no simple matter to…
Translation
7. 学好一门外语决非易事。尽管我已学了几年英语，我仍然不能有效地用这种语言表达思想。
even though
It’s no simple matter to…
express oneself
It’s no simple matter to learn a foreign language well. Even though I have learned English for a few years, I still can’t express myself effectively in the language.

52. give me good advice, ideas, and so on
Translation
8. 我不要你仅仅同意或不同意我的想法，我需要有人给我提忠告，出主意等。
simply
give me good advice, ideas, and so on
I don’t want you simply to agree or disagree with me. I need someone who can give me good advice, ideas, and so on.

53. Learn to identify time markers
Structured Writing
Learn to identify time markers
Example 1: Paragraph 8 and 9 of Text A: a description of the process of conversation bowling
The first thing is to wait for your turn, patiently and politely. When your moment comes, you step up to the starting line with your bowling ball, and carefully bowl it. Everyone else stands back, making sounds of polite encouragement. Everyone waits until your ball has reached the end of the lane, and watches to see if it knocks down all the pins, or only some of them, or none of them. Then there's a pause, while everyone registers your score.
making
until
and
Then
while

54. Learn to identify time markers
Structured Writing
Learn to identify time markers
Example 1: Paragraph 8 and 9 of Text A: a description of the process of conversation bowling
Then, after everyone is sure that you are done, the next person in line steps up to the same starting line, with a different ball. He doesn’t return your ball. There's no back and forth at all. And there is always a suitable pause between turns. There is no rush, no impatience.
Then, after everyone is sure that you are done, the next person in line steps up to the same starting line, with a different ball. He doesn’t return your ball. There's no back and forth at all. And there is always a suitable pause between turns. There is no rush, no impatience.
Then, after everyone is sure that you are done, the next person in line steps up to the same starting line, with a different ball. He doesn’t return your ball. There's no back and forth at all. And there is always a suitable pause between turns. There is no rush, no impatience.
Then, after everyone is sure that you are done, the next person in line steps up to the same starting line, with a different ball. He doesn’t return your ball. There's no back and forth at all. And there is always a suitable pause between turns. There is no rush, no impatience.
Then, after everyone is sure that you are done, the next person in line steps up to the same starting line, with a different ball. He doesn’t return your ball. There's no back and forth at all. And there is always a suitable pause between turns. There is no rush, no impatience.

55. Learn to use time markers
Structured Writing
Learn to use time markers
Example 2 How to buy a phone card
Sequence of actions Simultaneous actions
make sure you have 100 yuan
The first thing is to make sure you have 100 yuan
and to learn how to say "phone card" in Chinese.
learn how to say “phone card” in Chinese
Then you walk to the post office,
walk to the post office
repeating the Chinese word silently.
repeat the Chinese word silently
When you get there, you say the word to the clerk,
say the word to the clerk
smile hopefully
smiling hopefully.
pay for the card
Then, after you’ve paid for the card,
find a pay phone
find a pay phone

56. Learn to use time markers
Structured Writing
Learn to use time markers
For your reference:
Practice (assignment: Exercise XIV, p44)
Write a short description of the process of making and serving tea.
The first thing is to start boiling some water. While waiting for it to boil, you get your teapot ready, making sure to put the right amount of tea leaves into it. When the water has boiled, you pour it into the pot and bring the teapot and some cups to the guests.

57. Assignment 1. Ex. IV, p. 38 Ex. V, p. 39 Ex. XI, p. 42 Ex. XII, p. 43
Preview Text B