Unit 2 I used to be afraid of the dark

陶声甫

【单元重点话题分析】

随着年龄的增长、时间的推移， 人们的相貌、性格、兴趣爱好可能会发生变化，人们的行为习惯、生活环境也会发生些许变化。本单元的话题就是谈论变化，进行今昔对比。

本单元话题所谈论的内容就是要学生根据自己不同年龄阶段的生活体验，运用目标语言（如used to等 ）描述自己生活中的一些变化。

该话题常见的命题方式是要求学生根据文字提示、表格提示和图片提示等归纳、整理，写出条理清晰的短文，描述人物或事物的今昔变化。写作时要注意顺序得当，主次分明。由于本话题涉及到了过去和现在的情况，因此，要注意恰当地使用过去时和现在时，写作时尽量做到句式多样。

【写作指导】

1.单元话题的特征是通过今昔比较发现变化。写作时要注意对作为描写对象的人或事物进行仔细的思考和观察，根据思考和观察的结果客观地将对比情况告诉他人。在完成试题时，要仔细理解文字、表格和图片等提示，答题时不要遗漏内容要点。

2.注意写作的顺序，做到顺序得当，主次分明。按事件的先后顺序或各要点之间的内在联系排序，分出层次。如果是看图作文，则要按图构思，这样做既可避免要点遗漏，又可使表达内容条理清楚。

3.可能在作文中使用多种句式，不可一种句式从头用到尾，篇幅不宜过长。

【佳篇欣赏】

A

My Life Has Changed

Dear Robby，

I havent seen you for ages. How are you？ Do you play the piano every day now？

I study in a junior middle school now， I am always busy with my lessons. I used to play the piano every evening， but now I cant. I have to do my homework. As you know， I used to have lots of hobbies， but now I just have no time for them. I gave up collecting model cars， sent away my dog and stopped painting. I used to enjoy myself with my friends at weekend， while I spend most of my time doing my lessons now. My life has changed a lot， I feel frustrated.

What about the life of middle school students in your country？ I hope you can enjoy yourself.

I am looking forward to your reply.

Yours，

Jay

B

My Mother Has Changed

My mother is 42 years old. She is a good mother. Recently， my father and I found that my mother has changed a little.

She used to be very kind and gentle， smiles were always on her face. But now she gets angry easily and seldom smiles， she even gets upset if I speak too loud. In the past， she would smile and say “It doesnt matter” if I made mistakes. Now， if I do something wrong， even it is a minor mistake， she will shout at me and will tell me a lot of “You should...” In the next few days， she will talk about my mistakes angrily.

I am really worried about my mother， is she ill？I really miss my kind and gentle mother.

C

My Childhood

I spent my childhood in a small city.

There was a small river in the south of the city. My father used to take me there to catch fish on weekends. When we were tired， we always slept for a while under the big tree. At that time， weekends were a happy time for children. My little friends and I used to climb up the trees to play even it was dangerous.

When I was very young， I was afraid to sleep alone because I used to be afraid of the mouse， I thought they would bite me and take away my toys. I was really a little fool then.

I have a happy and colorful childhood. It is the best part of my memory.

【重点结构和句型展示】

A.原汁原味（课文重点结构和句型）

1.I used to be afraid of the dark. 我过去害怕黑暗。

2. He used to cause a lot of trouble. 他过去常惹很多麻烦。

3.I dont worry about tests. 我不为考试担忧。

4. My biggest problem is that Im too busy. 我最大的问题是我现在太忙了。

5. Before I started high school，I used to spend a lot of times playing games with my friends. 在我上中学之前， 我常常花很多时间和朋友们一起做游戏。

6. She also told me that though my father was no longer with us， he was watching me， and would take pride in everything good I do. 她还告诉我说， 即使爸爸不再和我们一起生活， 他还在注视着我， 并且为我所做的每件好事而自豪。

B. 精彩例句拓展

1. I am terrified of being alone in the house. 我害怕一个人待在屋里。

2. I didnt used to like Beijing opera. / I used not to like Beijing opera.过去我不喜欢京剧。

3. Did you use to like documentary？ 你以前喜欢纪录片吗？

4. I am not used to getting up so early. 我不习惯这么早起床。

5. She is worried about her sons health. 她为儿子的健康状况感到担心。

6. The fact is that he didnt help us at all. 事实上他根本没有帮助我们。

7. He is busy writing. 他在忙于写作。

My mother is always busy with housework. 我妈妈经常忙于干家务活。

8. He is no longer young. He is over fifty. 他不再年轻。 他已经50多岁了。

9. Chinese people are proud of Shenzhou VI. 中国人为“神州六号”感到自豪。

【原创习作点评】

（改自江苏省南通市中考题）请你按照下面表格的提示，写一篇题为“Changes in My Hometown”的英语短文，开头已给出。

要求：

1. 以今昔整体对比的方式写一篇短文；

2. 或者以单项对比的方式写一篇短文；

3. 词数：80词左右（包括已经写出的单词）。

Changes in My Hometown

Over the past 10 years， great changes have taken place in my hometown. In the past，

分析：本篇作文的题目和要点已经给出，有两种写法，一是今昔整体对比，也就是先说明过去的总体情况，再说明现在的总体情况；二是单项对比，也就是先说明过去的房子是什么样子的，而现在的房子是什么样子的……按照不同的比较项目逐一列举。最后也可通过对比，表达自己对家乡变化的喜悦之情或对家乡的热爱。

在选词方面，同学们可灵活运用本单元重点结构used to do/be 或there used to be/do，注意正确使用一般过去时。

【拓展练笔】

1. Jack以前在学习上不愿下功夫，学习成绩也不好。在朋友John的帮助下，Jack的学习有了明显进步。请根据下表的内容提示，写一篇短文。

要求：

1. 短文应包括表中所有要点，不要逐字翻译，可适当发挥。

2. 简单表述自己对这一问题的看法。

One possible version：

Jack is a student at No.2 School. He lives with his uncle because his parents work in another city. He does really well in his subjects. But he used to be a “problem student”. He was always late for school. What was worse， he didnt listen to the teachers carefully in class and he never finished his homework on time. His teachers and classmates were very worried about him. John，a top student in the class， decided to do something to help him. He used to talk with Jack every afternoon after school. He did his homework at Jacks home so that he can help his with his problems and help him review his lessons. At the end of the school year， Jack did better in the exams， he made great progress. Now， with the help of John， Jack is careful about his lessons， he is trying his best to do it well. John is Jacks best friend now. I think Jack is really lucky， he got two things — true friendship and good grades.

2. 马上就要初中毕业进入高中了，你是否还记得丰富多彩的小学生活，小学生活与你现在的学习生活有什么区别吗？请以此为主题写一篇80词左右的短文。

One possible version：

My life has changed since I became a middle school student. When I was in primary school，I used to study fewer subjects，but now I have nine. I used to spend some time playing games with my little friends after school，but now I have to go home and do my homework. I used to like tests，but now I feel stressed out，I dont like them so much. Now I get up early and stay in school all day， I am tired of the school life now.

3. 假如你叫李海，是光明学校的学生，请根据下面的提示向你的笔友Tina写封信，简单介绍学校近年来的变化。

内容要点：1. 3年前，学校只有一座教学楼、一个室外操场，没有图书馆；

2.现在，学校有两座教学楼、一座图书馆、一座办公楼。今年还新建了室内体育馆。

要求：

1. 注意书信格式；

2. 词数在100左右。

One possible version：

Dear Tina，

How is it going？Last time you asked about the changes in my school in your letter. Yes， great changes have taken place in my school.

My school is an old school. Three years ago，there was only one teaching building and one playground. There used to be no library. Now we have two teaching buildings，a library and an office building. This year，an indoor gym was built.

Now our school is bigger and more beautiful. All the teachers and students are very happy to work and study here.

If you have a chance to come， I will show you around. Best wishes！

Yours，

Li Hai

新目标英语九年级Unit2 I used to be afraid of the dark.课外延伸阅读