1. Cyber- stepmother

2. Teaching Plan Ⅰ. Objectives Ⅱ. New Words and Phrases Ⅲ. Lead-in Ⅳ. Cultural Notes Ⅴ. Language Points and Sentence Explanation Ⅵ.Assignments

3. Ⅰ. Objectives After studying this text, students are expected to be able to: 1.talk about the advantages and disadvantages of internet in people’s communication; 2.talk about people’s fixed ideas for stepparents; 3.master new words, phrases, language points, and understand the text.

4. Ⅱ. New Words and Phrases 1.attach vt. 1.fix or connect 贴；联系 We should attach first importance to the development of the economy. 我们应把经济发展放在首位。 2.(used in be attached to) be fond of and feel a strong connection with 喜欢；依恋 The shy girl is very much attached to her parents. 那个腼腆 的女孩很依恋父母。 attachable a. 可附上的；可扣押的，可没收的；可查封 的 attach importance to 重视 2. exist vi. live or be real; have being 存在；生存

5. Family exists not only by love, but more by the long-term responsibility which comes along with marriage. 维系家庭的 不仅是爱，更多的是由婚姻带来的长期责任。 existence n. existent a. 3. combine v. join together, to form a single unit or whole; unite （使）结 合；（使）联合 Take into account the views of other people and combine them with yours. 考虑一下别人的意见，将它们与你自己的意见 结合起来。 combine... with join... together ； to have or do at the same time 将 …… 和 …… 结合起来； 兼有（做）

6. Learn to combine the useful views of others with your own. 学着将别人的有用观点同自己的结合起来。 combination n. 4. enable vt. make possible 使能够；使可能 The new test should enable doctors to find the disease early. 新的测试方法能够让医生提早地检测出这种疾病。 enable sb to do sth 5. correspond vi. 1. exchange letters regularly 通信 I know a lot about him because we have corresponded with each other for many years. 我很了解他，因为我们已通信多 年。 2. be in agreement; match; be consistent (with) or equivalent

7. (to) 相当；相类似 Your account of events does not correspond with hers. 你说的 情况同她讲的不一致。 correspondence n.1. ~ with sth/between sth and sth: agreement; similarity 一致；相似 2. letter-writing; letters 通信；信件 correspondency n. correspondent n. 1. person who contributes news or comments regularly to a newspaper, radio station, etc, esp from abroad 通讯员，记者（尤指派驻国外的） 2. person who writes letters to another 通信者 corresponding a. that corresponds 相符的；相当的；通信 的

8. 6. basis n. [C] the facts, principles, statements, etc. from which something is formed, started, or developed 基础；根据 Your arguments lack legal basis. 你的论点缺乏法律依据。 7. identify v. 1. prove or show the identity of 认出；鉴定 The police showed me the photos because they wanted me to identify the thieves. 警察给我看了照片，因为他们想让我 认出窃贼。 2. cause or consider (someone) to be connected with 把 …… 和 …… 联系起来；把 …… 和 …… 等同起来 It's not right to identify wealth with a happy life. 将财富等同 于幸福生活是不对的。 identifiable a. identification n. 验明；鉴别；身份证明

9. 8. guilty adj. 1. having or showing a feeling of guilt or shame 内疚的 Don't you feel guilty about having cheated an old lady? 你欺 骗了一个老妇人难道不内疚吗？ She had a guilty look on her face. 她的脸上流露出羞愧的神 色。 2. having broken a law or disobeyed a rule 有罪的 Despite what you say, we still believe she is honest and not guilty. 不管你们怎么说，我们仍相信她是诚实和清白的。 9. respond vi. 1. say or write (something) in reply 回答 I already asked him why he was so sad, but he wouldn't respond. 我问过他为什么情绪低落，可他不愿回答。 2. do something in answer; react 响应；有反应

10. Girls respond better than boys to our new teaching method. 对于我们新的教学法，女孩子反应得要比男孩子 好。 response n. 10. accustomed adj. in the habit of; used to (something) 习惯于 …… 的；惯常 的 It will take you some time to get accustomed to a new lifestyle. 要适应一种新的生活方式需要花些时间。 11.attach... to 1. connect... with 把 …… 和 …… 联系起来 Many people attach success to those who have earned great money. 许多人把赚了大钱的人当作成功人士。 2. regard as having (special meaning or importance) 重视；认 为 …… 有重要性

11. 12. out of touch lacking knowledge or information concerning current events and developments 失去联系；不接触 I have been out of touch with my former classmates for years. 我已经多年未与以前的同学联系了。 13. catch up on do what needs to be done in order to come up to date 赶做 I'll take advantage of the day off to catch up on some housework. 我要利用休息的一天赶做些家务。 14. grow/be/become accustomed to be in the habit of; be used to 习惯于 …… She called her parents just to tell them that she had become accustomed to life at the university. 她给父母打电话就是要 告诉他们她已习惯了大学生活。

12. Ⅲ. Lead-in Students are encouraged to discuss the following questions: 2. How can e-mail and other means of communication help us to know each other better? 1. What is your main purpose of going online? 3. How often do you communicate with your parents? How do you communicate with your parents and thus keep a good relationship with them? 4. What kind of fixed ideas do people have for a stepparent, especially a stepmother?

13. Ⅳ. Cultural Notes This text is about how a stepmother communicated with her stepchildren by going online and how she and the eldest stepdaughter to exchange words of affection openly with the help of the Internet. Mum, I love you

14. Because of internet, communication is faster and easier than ever. Not only can we find out what is going on in the world, but also we can talk to others who are far away as if they were speaking in person. Internet is especially helpful for people to practice their communicative skills. People who do not have the talent of conversing easily with strangers in real life might be talkative over the internet. Some people can gain self-confidence by talking online. Staying away from the possible embarrassment in face-to-face communication, they feel free to express their feelings and tastes. Internet makes people feel free to express their feelings.

15. People’s prejudice against a stepparent, especially a stepmother. What do you think of a stepparent, especially a stepmother? What kind of fixed ideas do people have for a stepmother?

16. ## Ⅴ. Language Points and Sentence Explanation 1. Cyber-stepmother Meaning: a stepmother who communicates with her stepchildren online. In this text, a stepmother used to find it difficult to get close to her stepchildren. Since they live apart, they communicate regularly with each other through e-mail and chat-line services. And there was one day when they openly expressed love for each other by going online. This is why the author calls herself "cyber-stepmother". 2. "Stepparent" is a term we attach to men and women who marry into families where children already exist. Meaning: "Stepparent" is a name for a man or woman who is married to another person who has already had children in her/his original family.

17. ## 3. It is most certainly a giant "step", but one does often doubt whether the term "parent" truly applies—at least that's how I used to feel about being a stepmother to my husband's four children. Meaning: Being a STEPPARENT, you take a big "step" by marrying into a family with children, but you cannot really be sure if they admit that you are a real "parent" to them— anyway in the past, I always felt like this as a stepmother to my husband's four children. Notice that the author tries to be humorous by joking about the word "stepparent": "step" is the right word because one needs to be brave enough to marry a man/woman with children, but the word "parent" does not necessarily have its usual meaning, as many kids don't accept their stepparents as their true parents. 4. Over the years, we all learned to become more comfortable with each other, and to adjust to our new

18. ## family arrangement. Meaning: In the past few years, we all learned how to get along with each other in a pleasant way, and change ourselves a bit in order to fit the new family structure. Notice here the new family arrangement refers to the new family structure consisting of the father, four children and the stepmother. Be/become/feel comfortable with: be free from stress or fear dealing with someone or something 与 …… 愉快相处 People who are content with modern design are probably more comfortable with modern life-styles. 喜欢现代设计的人们可能较适应现代生活方式。 5. However, I continued to feel like I was on the outside looking in, coming uninvited to a foreign kingdom.

19. ## Meaning: I still felt that I was like an unwelcome stranger to a strange place and I could not get in, but could only look into it from outside. 6. In order to continue regular communication with the kids, we set up an e-mail and chat-line service right away. Meaning: In order to keep communicating with the children regularly, we immediately decided and began to use an e-mail and chat-line service. 7. This technology, combined with the telephone, enabled us to correspond with them on a daily basis by sending frequent notes and messages, and even chatting together when we were all online. Meaning: Through this e-mail and chat-line service, along with the telephone, we were able to communicate with them every day. We often sent them notes and messages through e- mail and even made a friendly conversation together when

20. ## we were all logged on to the Internet. 8. One sad thing, though, was that these modern tools of communication could still make me feel out of touch. Meaning: But sadly, although we could communicate frequently in these modern ways, I still felt that I was not really close to them. 9. If a computer message came addressed to "Dad", for example, I'd feel forgotten and neglected. Meaning: For example, if a message came through the computer and the greeting words were "Dad" only, I would feel that the kids had forgotten me and had paid no attention to me. 10. If my name appeared along with his, it would brighten my day and make me feel like I was part of their core family unit. Meaning: If the message mentioned both the names of my husband's and mine, I would be happy throughout the day, as

21. ## this made me feel that I belonged to the central part of this family. Notice that in the U.S. some kids may address their parents by their names. Since the author is a stepmother, it is most likely that the kids address her by her name. 11. Yet, there was always a gap—some distance to be crossed—not just over the telephone wires. Meaning: But there was always a distance between me and the family—a kind of distance that needed to be overcome—a distance that could not be overcome simply by making phone calls. 12. … as... I was catching up on my e-mail, an "instant message" appeared on the screen. Meaning: As I was trying to finish reading or writing my e- mail messages, I saw on the screen a real-time electronic message sent by someone else using a computer right then.

22. ## 13. It was Margo, my oldest stepdaughter, also up late and sitting in front of her computer five hours away. Meaning: It was my husband's eldest daughter, Margo, who sent the instant message. Though it was quite late, she was not in bed yet and was using a computer in a town five hours' drive away. Notice here "up late" means "staying up late at night". 14.... we sent several messages back and forth, exchanging any current news. Meaning:...we exchanged a few messages, telling each other what had happened recently. 15. When we would "chat" like that, she wouldn't necessarily know if it was her dad or I on the other end of the keyboard unless she asked. Meaning: When we would "talk" by exchanging e-mail messages, if she did not ask whom she was talking to, she

23. ## might not know whether it was her dad or me. 16. That night, she didn't ask and I didn't identify myself either. Meaning: That night, she didn't ask whom she was "talking" to and I did not tell her that it was her stepmother, either. 17. As I read this message, a wave of sadness ran through me as I realized that she must have thought she was writing to her father the whole time. Meaning: When I read the message "Love you!", I was overcome by great sadness as I came to know that she had most probably thought she had been talking to her father from the beginning to the end. 18. She and I would never have openly exchanged such words of affection. Meaning: She and I had never said words like "Love you!" directly to each other before, so it was impossible that she was

24. ## saying this to me this time. Notice this is written in a subjunctive mood, as the stepdaughter actually said "Love you!" to the stepmother. 19. Feeling guilty for not identifying myself, yet not wanting to embarrass her, I simply responded... Meaning: I felt I was so wrong and sorry for not telling her who I was, but I did not want to embarrass her by telling her the truth, so I only replied... 20. I thought again of their family circle and felt the sharp ache of emptiness I thought I had grown accustomed to. Meaning: Again I felt like I was an outsider to the core family unit, and had a strong feeling of pain and emptiness that I thought I had gotten used to. 21. Then, just as my fingers reached for the keys to return the screen to black, Margo's final message appeared. Meaning: Then just as I was about to touch the keys to turn

25. ## off the computer, Margo‘s last message came on the screen. 22. With tear-filled eyes, I turned the machine off. Meaning: With my eyes full of tears, I shut the computer off. Notice how the adjective “tear-filled” is formed: n. + v. +-ed. Other examples are: man-made 人造的； sun-burnt 晒黑的 Some other formations are: 1) n. + v. +-ing: e.g. time-saving 省时的 pains-taking 艰难的 2) n. + n. +-ed: e.g. brick-walled 砖墙的 lion-hearted 勇敢的 3) a. + n. +-ed: e.g. sad-eyed 眼含忧伤的 cold-blooded 冷酷无情的 4) a. + v. +-ing: e.g. good-looking 相貌好看的 far-reaching 深远的

26. Ⅵ.Assignments Ⅰ.Students are required to finish the exercises after the text. P124-P129 Ⅱ.Presentation Students are divided into 6 groups, and each group will select two representatives to make presentations on the role of internet in people’s communication.