I could get up an hour later than usual as schools in China begin before 8 a. m .

I felt lucky as all my teachers were very helpful .

My English improved a lot as I used English every day .

Cooking was really fun as I learned how to buy , prepare and cook food .

3 sound link-v.

The music sounds so pleasant .

That sounds a good idea .

I hope I don't sound as if I'm criticizing you .

It sounded like a train going under my house .

4. average

n. The average of 4, 5 and 9 is 6.

These marks are well above / below average .

On (the ) average.

We fail one student per year on average .

Adj. The average age of the students is 16 in our class .

Rainfall is about average for the time of year .

v. This car averages 40 miles to the gallon .

Meals average out at $ 10 per head .

5. attend : go to

6. earn : get something because you have done something good.

7. challenging : difficult in an interesting way that tests your ability

8. extra : more than usual

9. prepare : make something ready

10. drop : give up

11. desserts : sweet food eaten at the end of a meal .

12. Present attributive clauses and illustrate them to the students:

I sat next to a girl whose name was Diane .

Step 3 Listening and Consolidation

T:Now Let's listen to the tape. You may follow it while listening,and please pay attention to your pronunciation.

(The teacher plays the tape for the students to listen. After that the teacher gives the students a few minutes to read aloud the passage.Meanwhile,the teacher asks the students to try to remember some details.)

T:Please turn to Page 5.Let's do Exercise E. Complete the letter to Wei Hua using the words below.

Suggested answers:

1. experiences

2. literature

3. desserts

4. headmaster

5. different

6. life

7. preparing

Step 4 Discussion