《新编大学英语综合教程》课堂教学中的问题设计——以“World of Mystery”单元为例

张 文

(安庆师范大学外国语学院，安徽 安庆 246133)

《新编大学英语综合教程》第1册第6单元“World of Mystery”是关于百慕大三角洲飞机神秘失踪的话题，为促进学生更好地理解课文内容，老师在讲述背景知识时，可安排学生就预设的问题展开小组讨论并口头描述。

一、Questions

1.Where is the Bermuda Triangle located ?

2.What is the Bermuda Triangle famous for?

3.What theories are proved to explain the mysterious phenomenon of Bermuda Triangle?

4.What will happen to the compasses on the airplanes in the strange area?

5.According to Spencer，what might be the reason that UFOs make the ships vanish ?

6.Dr.Mclver believed that methane gas might lead to the sudden disappearances of lots of planes，what’s your view?

7.Why do many people think it so mysterious?

8.What happened to Flight 19 on December the 5th，1945?

二、Group Discussion by using such words as “happen；occur；take place；responsible ”

happen" and "occur" are usually used with events that are not planned.The word "occur" is more formal than "happen".The phrase "take place" sometimes suggests that an event is planned.

——Can you describe to us what happened after you left the theater?

——The traffic accident happened/occurred at 4：00 a.m.

——The next attack took place three hours later.

——The interview will take place in HongKong.

“responsible” being the cause of or being blamed for something

——Social changes are responsible for so many problems in modern city.

——Who is solely responsible for the crime?

(一)The Sphinx in Egypt

The Sphinx in Egypt，one of the greatest mysteries in the world history，it is a symbol of power and wisdom of Egyptian culture.Who built it and for what purpose? What time and how was it built?

(二)The Mary Celeste

The Mary Celeste，a large ship on which the crew disappeared without a trace.

(三)Do UFOs really exist?

Do UFOs really exist? A lot of people witnessed UFOs in real life.But do UFOs really exist in our life? What does UFO stand for?

三、Talk about the pictures in each group

The Great Pyramid

1.made by Khufu in Egyptof about 2556 BC or so

2.145.73meters high

3.quadrilateral pyramid

4.the tallest pyramid in the world for over 43 centuries

5.nearly 2 million pieces of stone，each weighing over 2 tons