telephone calls every day, we shouldn't forget the great inventor Alexander Graham Bell. Today, we'll learn something more about him.

Step Ⅱ Pre-reading

T: Next, please look at the picture of the great inventor on page 25. First I'd like you to discuss the following questions in groups.

Show the following.

1. What do you know about the inventor?

2. How useful is his invention to human society? Why?

After a few minutes.

T: Now, who'd like to show your answers?

S1: Let me try. I know Alexander Graham Bell was born in Scotland and he was very curious about the world around him when very young. He did many tests to improve what he had invented and he had made many other inventions in his life. As we all know, it is very convenient for people to communicate with each other through telephones. It is certainly true that telephones have become part of our everyday life. Living in this "information age", we cannot bear a world without the ringing of phones almost anywhere we go.

S2: I think Bell was a very great inventor. He deeply loved his mother who was almost deaf and was determined to do something for the disabled to live a better life. What a great son! I think he was also hardworking because he took a lot of trouble doing many experiments to solve the problems and invented a lot of things. I can't imagine what the life would be like without telephones. Maybe we will live in a silent world without knowing of the things around us, which is unbearable for us human beings in modern society. And it becomes more and more important to use telephones to receive and send information with the development of modern IT.

...

T: I agree. Alexander Graham Bell is really a famous inventor who has made great contributions to human beings and we are going to learn more about him in the following text.

Step Ⅲ Listening & Reading

Let the students read the four questions first to get a general idea of what should be paid attention to and then play the tape for students to follow and give the answers to the questions. When they finish, let them exchange notes with their partners and find the supporting sentences. Then check the answers with the whole class.

T: Now, please read the first sentence of each paragraph and the key words in bold and then tell me the main idea of it.

After a few minutes.

S: It mainly talks about the life of Alexander Graham Bell and how he made the great inventions.

T: Very good! Next please go through the four questions on page 26 and find the answers after listening.

Ask the students to listen to the recording and try to answer the questions.