1. The problem talked about in the text is how to catch snakes in the courtyard.

2. The writer solved the problem in different steps. For example placing the frozen bowl and the ice-cubes on top of the bowl to keep it cool, freezing the bowl and ice-cubes again in the evening as the temperature was starting to cool and using a net used for catching fish.

Step Ⅱ Pre-reading

T: Problems can arise anywhere at any time. Now here is a problem of snakes. Look at the title of the reading passage. What can you guess about the content of the passage from the title? To answer the question you should try to predict the content of the reading material by reading the title and looking at the pictures in the text. The title of the text is THE PROBLEM OF THE SNAKES. Next, I'd like you to discuss this question with your partner. Then I'll ask some students to report your work. Are you clear?

After a few minutes

T: Now who'd like to answer the question? Volunteer!

S1: Let me try. Someone was once frightened at the sight of snakes, the brave and clever writer helped solve the problem of the snakes, as we can see from the picture that she finally caught them with a net.

S2: Judging from the title, I think the passage is mainly about the serious problem of the snakes around the house and how the girl made efforts to catch the snakes in the end.

S3: The title tells us that the content of the text will be about different ways of catching snakes tried by the girl and her success in doing it.

T: Very good! Now, let's go on with Exercise 1 in the pre-reading. Inventing is a scientific activity. Every inventor must go through certain stages before they can have their inventions approved. Look at the list of the stages and work out a suitable order.

S: The suitable order of the steps every inventor must go through before they can have their inventions approved:

1. Finding a problem 2. Doing research

3. Thinking of a creative solution

4. Testing the solution

5. Applying for a patent

6. Deciding on the invention

T: Well done! You've worked the order out. Now read the text and check the order you wrote above to see whether it follows the correct stages in producing an invention. First, you should skim the passage by reading the introduction, the topic of each paragraph and the conclusion.

After a few minutes.

T: How about your arrangement of the stages? Are they all right?

S: I find the above steps are correctly arranged according to the text. At first the writer found the problem of the snakes, and then she made a study of the methods of catching them and thought of a creative and practical way to solve the problem.