Moduleampnbsp1ampnbspBritishampnbspandampnbspAmericanampnbspEnglish（ReadingampnbspandampnbspSpeaking）

　　module 1 british and american english（reading and speaking）
　　step 1 lead-in.
　　the teachers says:
　　as you know, china is big in size and full of many dialects. hong kong is part of china. do you think we will have difficulty in understanding people from hong kong ? what difficulties in understanding do you think people from hong kong will have when they are in beijing? do people from shanghai sound the same as those from xi’an? what about chinese characters? do you think people from different regions of china have difficulty in understanding chinese characters? what about britain english and american english? do you think they are quite different? can people from the two countries understand each other?
　　step 2 finish activity 2.
　　read the passage and find ways in which british and american english are different. the answer is: vocabulary spelling grammar and pronunciation.
　　step 3 read the first part and find out the topic sentence
　　the first and most obvious way is in the vocabulary.
　　what is the example? americans drive automobiles down freeways and fill up with gas. the british drive cars along motorways and fill up with petrol. as a tourist, you will need to use the underground in london or the subway in new york, or maybe you will prefer to get around the town by taxi ( british ) or cab (american).
　　let the students compare the differences in vocabulary and fill in the blanks.
　　step 4 the second part of the passage.
　　americans use a flashlight, while for the british, it’s a torch. the british queue up; american stand in line. sometimes the same word has a slightly different meaning, which can be confusing. chips, for example, are pieces of hot fries potato in britain; in the states chips are sold in packets. the british call these crisps. the chips the british know and love are french fries on the other side of the atlantic.
　　the main idea of this paragraph: sometimes the same word has a slightly different meaning, which can be confusing.
　　step 5 the third part
　　the topic sentence is: there are a few differences in grammar. according to the texts and tell us some example.
　　the british say: have you got…? my friend has just arrived. in the team at the weekend i’ll see you on monday.
　　americans say: do you have…? my friend just arrived. on the team on the weekend. i’ll see you monday
　　step 6 the fourth part
　　the difference is spelling, such as center, color, and program ( american english) centre, colour, and programmes( british english)
　　what does the sentence mean?
　　the british and the americans are two nations pided by a common language.英国和美国是被同一种语言分开的两个民族。
　　step 7 the fifth part
　　what is the main idea of the first paragraph of this part?
　　it says the two varieties of english are moving closer.
　　what is the reason?
　　the reason is that for more than a century communication across the atlantic have developed steadily.
　　will there be more than two varieties of english? not just two main varieties.
　　step 8 listen to the tape.
　　step 9 complete the sentences with the correct words or phrases.
　　1.there are ______ differences between american and british varieties of english.
　　a.no b. a few c. lots of
　　2.americans________ understand what the british are saying.
　　a.sometimes b. usually c. never
　　3.there are _________ differences between british and american grammar.
　　a.no b. many c. not many
　　4.american spelling is _____ british spelling.
　　a.the same as b. simpler than c. harder than
　　5.for a londoner, an american accent may be easier to understand than _______.
　　a.a chinese accent b. some british accents c. a cnn newsreader.
　　6.television and the internet have made it ______ for the british and americans to understand each other.
　　a.harder b. easier c. impossible
　　the key: 1.b 2. b 3. c 4. b 5. b 6. b
　　step 10 listen to the recording of a program of bbc and voa. let students judge the speaker is british or american.
　　step 11 match the british and american words in the box.
　　apartment autumn elevator fall first floor flashlight flat garbage gas ground floor holiday lift stand in line lorry pavement petrol queue up rubbish sidewalk torch truck vacation
　　british english: flat autumn lift ground floor torch rubbish petrol holiday queue up lorry pavement
　　american english: apartment fall elevator first floor flashlight garbage gas vacation stand in line truck sidewalk
　　rewrite the sentences using british words.
　　1.we really like going on vacation in the fall.
　　2.you don’t need to take the elevator. our apartment in on the first floor.
　　3.did you see that truck come out of the gas station?
　　4.pass me a flashlight, eddie. i’ve lost my wallet.
　　the key:
　　1.we like going on holiday in the autumn very much.
　　2.you don’t need to use the lift. our flat is on the ground floor.
　　3.did you see that lorry come out of the petrol station?
　　4.pass me a torch, eddie. i’ve lost my wallet.
　　step 12 homework. recite the main important sentences in the passage.