EF 5.2 Making decisions

blairchen

Publish：Jun 19, 2017

1. Comparing options

parrot [ˈperət]
turtle [ˈtɜ:rtl]
rabbit
goldfish

Dialog
[LEO] They say that a dog is a man’s best friend.
[LEO] In Britain, some people spend as much money on their pets as others spend on their children.
[LEO] I know.
[LEO] You know, they … they … they buy presents for them.
[LEO] They take pictures with them!
[LEO] In my job, I meet a lot of interesting people, and their pets.
[LEO] Wow! Look at your hair!
[MRS.JAMES] Yeah, you like it?
[MRS.JAMES] It’s as white as Coco’s now. Coco loves Mommy’s hair. Yes, she does!
[MRS.JAMES] Mommy’s as beautiful as Coco now. Mommy loves her Coco. They did her hair and nails yesterday.
[MRS. JAMES] Isn’t she beautiful?
[LEO] As beautiful as a princess`[prɪn'ses]`.
[LEO] Whoa! Hi, Miles!
[LEO] Long time, no see, boy!
[MR.BRADY] He’s almost as big as me.
[MR.BRADY] We’re both on a `diet` ['daɪət].
[MR. BRADY] I’m as hungry as a bear.
[MR. BRADY] Now we go for long walks.
[MR. BRADY] See you later.

1.1 grammar

My cat, Gatsby, is as intelligent as a person.
That dog isn’t as loud as my parrot.

Dialog
A: What does your dog look like?
B: He’s really big and he has black fur.
A: Did I tell you what my dog did?
B: No. What happened?
A: What did it look like?
B: It had really big ears.
A: Which do you prefer?
B: I think I prefer cats.

2. Making decisions

seal	cheetah[ˈtʃi:tə]	penguin [ˈpeŋgwɪn]
zebra	dolphin['dɒlfɪn]	whale [weɪl]

Dialog
[SALLY] Hey, Todd, what’s all this?
[TODD] I’m planning a trip with my family. I want something big this year, something really special for the kids.
[SALLY] Where are you `thinking of going`?
[TODD] `It’s down to two options`: Patagonia, or Kenya.
[SALLY] Wow! Cool!
[TODD] Yeah. Both places have `amazing animals`. My kids are crazy about animals.
[TODD] You see, they’ve been to the zoo, but I want them to see animals in the wild.
[SALLY] Yeah.
[TODD] So, it’s down to whales, penguins and seals in Patagonia; or, zebras, lions and elephants in Kenya. I feel like a child, too, planning this trip.
[SALLY] Maybe `I should go on a trip`. Where did you get these brochures? [bro’ʃʊr]
[TODD] Oh. There’s a great little travel agency on 6th Street. They have some great deals right now.

I’m planning an amazing trip.
Which animals are you planning to see?

2.1 grammar

Whales are the biggest animals.
The fastest runner is the cheetah.
Penguins live in the coldest places on earth.

intelligent > most intelligent / least intelligent

Penguins live in the coldest places on earth
Dolphins are probably the most intelligent animal.

2.2 reading

Of all animals, the cheetah is the fastest runner. Cheetahs can run faster than 95 kilometers an hour. (The slowest animal is the sloth. It moves slower than one kilometer per hour.) Cheetahs have very large eyes, but maybe the most interesting thing about cheetahs is their colors. Their black and yellow colors are perhaps the most gorgeous of any animal. Their fur looks just like the African wilderness, so it’s difficult to see them. It’s unlikely that you’ll ever visit the beautiful cheetah in the wilderness of Africa, or the Middle East. The easiest way to see a cheetah is to come here. Today, 10 amazing cheetahs are living with us at Adventure Park.

3. Discussing the details

volcano [vɒl’keɪnəʊ]	package tours	coral reefs ['kɒr(ə)l]
rainforest	desert	glacier ['gleɪsɪə]

Dialog
[AGENT] Good afternoon. May I help you?
[SALLY] I’m thinking about taking a vacation in March.
[AGENT] `How many of you are there?`
[SALLY] Two. I’m going with a friend.
[AGENT] Okay. And, uh, where are you thinking of going?
[SALLY] We haven’t decided yet. We want a relaxing vacation, definitely a nice beach, some nature, and not too expensive. `What would you suggest`?
[AGENT] Well, at that time of year, I’d recommend Hawaii. They have some of the best `package tours`.
[SALLY] I’ve always wanted to go to Hawaii.
[AGENT] I just got this brochure from a hotel in Maui, `right on the ocean`. Great diving just off the beach, lots of coral reefs and mountains not too far away.
[SALLY] That sounds perfect! Oh! And can we see a volcano?
[AGENT] That’s actually on another island, but I can arrange a tour.
[SALLY] Cool. So `how much would it all be`?
[AGENT] Well, how many nights would you like to stay?
[SALLY] Ummm, maybe six? Or seven?
[AGENT] Okay. Give me a minute, and I can give you some prices.

3.2 grammar

Dialog
The weather in Hawaii is the best in the United States.
It was a worse vacation than last year.
It was the worst vacation ever.
A glacier is a really bad place to be in the winter.
The weather this year was worse than last year

My summer vacation in the United States

I just returned from the United States. I had a really good time. Los Angeles was the best place I went. There were amazing beaches and great things to do. I also loved New York and Chicago, but Chicago was better than New York. The people were wonderful. Dallas was the worst place. It was too hot!

3.3 expressions

Dialog
A: When are you thinking of going?
B: I’m thinking of going in January.
A: What are you looking for, exactly?
B: I’m interested in going somewhere beautiful.
A: Are you thinking more of mountains or the ocean?
B: I’m thinking more of the mountains.
B: What would you suggest? What would you recommend?
A: I’d recommend that you go to Hawaii.

4. Summarizing decisions

trail [trel] 、stream 、 bush、backpacking

Dialog
[SIMON] That’s Jake in Barcelona. [,ba:si’ləunə]
[PAM] cool.
[SIMON] And that’s me at the Eiffel Tower.
[PAM] Ha-ha! Nice.
[SIMON] Ooh! And these are the mountains in Switzerland. [ˈswɪtsələnd]
[PAM] Wow! Beautiful trees. And amazing mountain flowers. Those colors.
[SIMON] Yeah, it was really beautiful.
[PAM] Let’s try hiking in the mountains sometime. I’ve never done it before.
[JAKE] Really? You’ve never gone hiking before?
[PAM] No. `I mean, it’s not something my family did`.
[JAKE] Well, if you do go hiking, you’d better be careful. The mountains can be dangerous.
[SIMON] Yeah. Don’t go into the mountains alone. Go with a group of people.
[JAKE] Also, uh, `it can be freezing cold` at night, even in the summer.
[SIMON] Make sure you get excellent equipment, especially boots and a tent.
[JAKE] And always tell someone where you’re going.
[PAM] Okay. Don’t go alone. Get excellent equipment. Be careful. Tell someone where you’re going. I got it. Hey, why don’t we go hiking this weekend?
[SIMON] Well, uh, I have work to do this weekend.
[JAKE] And I have a, uh … thing.
[PAM] `Did you even go up these mountains?`
[SIMON] Of course, we did.
[SIMON] That’s us at the Munich beer festival!

Munich beer [ˈmjunɪk bɪr]

4.2 expressions

Dialog
JOHNNY: I’m going `backpacking` this weekend.
MOM: Well, don’t go alone.
JOHNNY: I’m not. I’m going with some friends.
MOM: And make sure you have good shoes.
JOHNNY: I do have good shoes.
MOM: OK, that’s good. Be sure to stay on the trails. n. 山径；踪迹（trail的复数）；游径
JOHNNY: I will.
MOM: And you’d better get a good jacket.
JOHNNY: Mom, I’m going to be OK.
MOM: I’m sorry. I just love you, and I worry.

4.3 writing

Using commas

When I was on vacation in Chile, I saw a lot of wild animals.
After I got home, I looked at all my photographs.

I live in San Francisco, California [,kælɪ’fɔ:njə]. There are wonderful plants and animals here. In the city, there are wonderful parks with a lot of beautiful birds, rabbits, turtles and other animals. When I go there, I always sit under the big redwood, oak [əʊk] and pine trees. Redwoods are the tallest trees in the world. San Francisco is on the Pacific Ocean. You can sometimes see whales swimming in the ocean. Whales are the largest animals in the world.

My name is Blair. I live in Hangzhou, China. Hangzhou is the most beautiful city in the China. We have incredible nature lake in my state. There are a lot of forests and mountains. West lake Nine Stream is the largest stream in the Hangzhou. I’d suggest you hike Nine Stream. I often see deer and kinds of birds. But, Don’t go hiking alone.