Unit 5 Decisions Lead-in Activity Warm-up Listening Task Real World Listening Interaction Link Useful Expressions Additional Listening

Unit 5

Decisions

Lead-in Activity Warm-up Listening Task Real World Listening Interaction Link Useful Expressions Additional Listening Homework Argument

Lead-in Activity

e.g. to have a baby, to get a job, to get married, to travel, to choose a major, to buy a new car, to study abroad, to live with parents, to get a pet

What are some big decisions that people have to make during their lifetimes?

Part I

Warm-up

Language Points

figure out 计算出 , 估计 Have you figured out how much the holiday will

cost? 你算出假期得花多少钱了吗 ? lean toward 倾向 , 倚靠 stay-at-home mom 一位家庭主妇 propose v. 向… 求婚 He was trying to decide whether he should

propose (to her). 他反复思量是否该 ( 向她 ) 求婚 .

Language Points get engaged 订婚 weigh the pros and cons 衡量有利与不利的方面 You’d better weigh the pros and cons carefully

before you make the final decision. 你在做最后决定之前最好仔细衡量一下利弊 . downside n. 不利之处 The downside of studying abroad is that she

has to leave her family. 去国外留学的不利之处是她不得不离开家人 . heart-to-heart a. 真心的 , 发自内心的

but how difficult it is the cheapest rates propose to whether do lots of research weigh the pros and cons major inis leaning with the first child a heart-to-heart conversation

Warm Up

Read about the important decisions these people are facing. Write the missing words.

1. Pamela is pregnant ___________. She has to decide whether she wants to be a working mom or stay-at-home mom.

2. The Yamamotos are planning a vacation. They have to figure out which airline offers ___________.

3. Stan is unhappy at work, but he makes a good salary. He’s going to ___________ of getting a lower-paying job that he likes better.

4. Kelsey ___________ toward going to Harvard because she has family near Boston, ___________ she also really likes Yale.

5. Ben just decided to ___________ his girlfriend, Laura. He’s going to have an airplane write “Will you marry me?” in the sky.

6. Mrs. Lai’s company wants to transfer her to another country. She’s going to have ___________

with her husband about it tonight. 7. Katherine isn’t sure ___________ she wants to

___________ anthropology or linguistics. 8. Jeremy and Priscilla didn’t realize until they got

engaged ___________ to plan a wedding. 9. For Roland, the downside of buying a new car is that

he has to ___________ to make the best decision.

Now listen and check

1. Pamela is pregnant with her first child. She has to decide whether she wants to be a working mom or stay-at-home mom.

2. The Yamamotos are planning a vacation. They have to figure out which airline offers the cheapest rates.

3. Stan is unhappy at work, but he makes a good salary. He’s going to weigh the pros and cons of getting a lower-paying job that he likes better.

4. Kelsey is leaning toward going to Harvard because she has family near Boston, but she also really likes Yale.

5. Ben just decided to propose to his girlfriend, Laura. He’s going to have an airplane write “Will you marry me?” in the sky.

6. Mrs. Lai’s company wants to transfer her to another country. She’s going to have a heart-to-heart conversation with her husband about it tonight.

7. Katherine isn’t sure whether she wants to major in anthropology or linguistics.

8. Jeremy and Priscilla didn’t realize until they got engaged how difficult it is to plan a wedding.

9. For Roland, the downside of buying a new car is that he has to do lots of research to make the best decision.

Pair work

Have you made decisions about any of these topics? What did you decide to do?

Discuss the questions with your partner.

Part II

Listening Task

Language Points

do the laundry 洗衣服 engineering n. 工程 puppy n. 小狗 , 小动物

Look at the pictures. What kind of decisions do you think they will discuss?

What is the speaker thinking about doing?

getting a job quitting her jobbecoming a stay-at-home mom

1.

2. looking for a job in another stateaccepting a new job and movingfinding a new career

First Listening


choosing a major majoring in more than one subjectdropping out of college

3.

4. getting a bigger apartmentgetting a puppygetting another pet

Check-upCheck-up

First Listening




1.


First Listening

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1.


First Listening

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3.


First Listening

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3.


First Listening

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What does the other person say? (There may be more than one answer.)

No one will take care of things at home.

Working is too stressful.

It might be difficult to find a job.

1.

2. The job is a great opportunity.

Texas is far away.

Six weeks from now is too soon to move.

Second Listening



She should major in psychology.

She could do great things in any subject.

She shouldn’t keep changing her mind.

3.

4. A puppy is messy.

A big dog wouldn’t like their little apartment.


Check-upCheck-up

Second Listening






1.


Texas is far away.


Second Listening

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1.


Texas is far away.


Second Listening

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3.




Second Listening

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3.




Second Listening

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What might be the changes in the four situations?

Third Listening

1. ______________________________________.

2. ______________________________________.

3. ______________________________________.

4. ______________________________________.

Check-upCheck-up

1. She will go to work and if it is the case, the house work will be shared by the family members.

2. Frank may take the job with an engineering firm and if that’s true, he’ll move out to Texas.

3. Jamie’s probably choosing theater as her major.

4. They may come to a decision to get a cat instead of a dog.

What might be the changes in the four situations?

Third Listening

Script1. A: Honey, I’ve been thinking. B: Huh? A: I’ve been thinking. I think I’d like to go back to work. B: Really? Why? A: Well, the kids are growing up. Jenny is off to

university, and Ted is going to be in high school next year. B: Uh huh, yeah, right? A: Well, I just don’t think I need to be a stay-at-home mom anymore. B: But, but who’s going to make dinner and do the laundry, and who’s going to clean the house? A: I don’t know, honey, but we’ll figure it out. I’ve been weighing the pros and cons, and now it just seems like the best time to make a change.

2. A: Hey, how’s it going, Frank? B: Oh, not too sure. A: Oh, what’s the problem? B: It’s not really a problem. It’s kind of a good thing, I guess. A: You guess? B: Well, I applied for a job with a really good engineering firm a couple of months ago, and I talked to the boss yesterday. A: Yeah? B: And they want to hire me. A: That’s great news. B: Well, sort of. But the downside is the job’s in Texas. I would have to move. And they want me to start in six weeks. A: Ooh, Texas. That’s really far away. What are you leaning toward? B: St this point, I’m seriously considering accepting the offer. But I have until next week to let them know.

Script

3. A: Hey, Jamie, you look stressed out. What’s wrong? B: Oh, I have to choose my major this month, and I’m still undecided. A: I thought you were majoring in theater. Didn’t you say you wanted to be the next Angelina Jolie? B: Yeah, but I changed my mind last semester and started taking more psychology classes. A: Well, why don’t you do that? You could be the next Sigmund Freud, the female version. B: I would, but I don’t know. I’m taking a really great physics class this semester. I totally love it. A: Then why not do physics? B: So I could be the next Albert Einstein, right? I don’t know about that, either. I kinda want to take some French classes. Yeah, that sounds good! Maybe I should major in French. Although, if I

take French, then I can’t really take the physics. And I mean, theater still is really fun.

Script

4. A: What do you think about getting a puppy, Rick? B: A puppy? Why would we do that? A: Well, I was at the supermarket today, and there was this guy with a box of Labrador puppies out front, and they were so cute. B: Yeah, of course they’re cut. Puppies are always cute. But they’re messy, too. A: I know, but you should have seen them. Their little tails and their little faces. B: The problem with a puppy is that it eventually becomes a dog, a big dog. What’s a big dog gonna do in our little apartment? A: We’ll take it for walks. It’ll be great. C’mon. B: I don’t know. I’ll think about it. Why don’t we get a cat instead?

Script

Pair Work

What would you like to do after your graduation? Finding a job or going on with your study?

Discuss with your partner.

Part III

Real World Listening

Language Points

dimension n. 纬度 , 尺度 abstract a. 抽象的 n. 抽象 originator n. 创新者 concrete a. 具体的 , 有形的 flexible a. 灵活的 , 柔性的 Our plans are quite flexible. 我们的计划非常灵活 .

Language Points

conciliator n. 讲求稳妥的人 adapter n. 守旧者 minimum a. 最小的 , 最低的 What’s the minimum fare on the bus? 公共汽车的最低票价是多少 ? processor n. 处理器 , 处理机 implement vt. 实施 , 执行 They are talking about how to implement this

plan. 他们正在谈论怎样执行这一计划 .

Language Points

commit v. 付出，将…交给 The body was committed to flames, ie was

burnt. 遗体被火化 . procrastinate v. 延迟，耽搁 effective a. 有效的 well-informed a. 消息灵通的 conscious a. 有意识的 She spoke to us in her conscious moments. 她神智清醒时跟我们说过话 .

Now listen and check

Prepare

You are going to hear a presentation on decision making. There are four dimensions, or measurements, in decision making. Match the dimensions with the definitions.

1. approach ________

2. information ________

3. risk ________

4. decisiveness _______

a. how fast you make a decision and how fast you act on your decision

b. what kinds of facts and values you need to consider before deciding

c. how you deal with struggles and challenges when you face a tough decision

d. the way that you view the process of reaching a decision

Prepare

You are going to hear a presentation on decision making. There are four dimensions, or measurements, in decision making. Match the dimensions with the definitions.

a. how fast you make a decision and how fast you act on your decision

b. what kinds of facts and values you need to consider before deciding

c. how you deal with struggles and challenges when you face a tough decision

d. the way that you view the process of reaching a decision

1. approach __d____

2. information __b___

3. risk ___c____

4. decisiveness __a_____

Match each dimension with the two types of decision makers.

Get The Main Ideas

1. approach ______

2. information ______

3. Risk ______

4. decisiveness ______

Abstract

Originators

Challengers

Organized

Concrete

Flexible

Conciliators

Adapters

Check-upCheck-up

Match each dimension with the two types of decision makers.

Get The Main Ideas

1. approach Adapters/Originators

2. information Abstract/Concrete

3. risk Challenger/Conciliator

4. decisiveness Flexible/Organized

Abstract

Originators

Challengers

Organized

Concrete

Flexible

Conciliators

Adapters

Explain the following briefly.

Get The Details

Check-upCheck-up

1. An adapter

2. An originator

3. A concrete information processor

4. An abstract information processor

5. A challenger

6. A conciliator

7. A flexible decision maker

8. An organized decision maker


Get The Details

1. An adapter tends to think in terms of the minimum change necessary to produce the results they want.

2. An originator tends to produce decisions that are less similar to past ideas.

3. A concrete information processor needs complete and detailed information before making a decision.

4. An abstract information processor focuses on the big picture and general information before he make his decision.


Get The Details

5. A challenger will take a more extreme and risky choice in order to get a greater gain, even if the situation has a good chance of turning out badly.

6. A conciliator prefers to be cautions and avoid risks or actions that might involve losing too much.

7. A flexible decision maker is slow to choose and also slow to act upon his decisions, and often change plans.

8. An organized decision maker tends to make and act upon his decisions quickly.

Script

Our topic today is decision making. We make decisions every day, right? Maybe about simple, personal things like which train to take to work or should you get a puppy as a pet, and also more complex things like what to major in at college or whether to take a job offer in a new city. We’re going to look at four dimensions of the decision-making process, OK? Approach, information, risk, and decisiveness.

The first dimension is approach, or the way that you view the decision-making process. There are two types of decision makers here: originators and adapters. Adapters tend to think in terms of the minimum change necessary to produce the results they want. They stick with ideas that have worked in the past. Originators, on the other hand, tend to produce decisions that are less similar to past ideas. They make decisions that seem unique and creative.

Script

The second dimension is information. What kind of information do you need to make a decision? Are you a concrete information processor or an abstract information processor? Concrete information processors need complete and detailed information before making a decision. They prefer to work with clear, absolute, and exact facts and values. Abstract information processors, on the other hand, focus on the big picture and general information before they make their decision.

The third dimension is risk. What kind of risk taker are you when you make a big decision? How do you deal with struggles and challenges when you face a tough decision? Two types of risk takers here: conciliators and challengers. Conciliators prefer to be cautions and avoid risks. They avoid taking actions that might involve losing too much. The other type is the challenger. And a challenger will take a more extreme and risky choice in order to get a greater gain, even if the situation has a good chance of turning out badly.

Script The fourth dimension is decisiveness--- how fast you make the

decision, and how quickly you take steps towards implementing your decision. For this dimension, the two types of decision makers are called organized and flexible. Organized decision makers are quick to choose --- bang, come on, make a decision--- and also quick to act upon their decisions: OK, let’s do it! They commit their energy and time sooner than others. Flexible decision makers, on the other hand, are slow to choose and also slow to act upon their decisions. They tend to change plans frequently, and they also procrastinate or postpone their plans unless they become absolutely necessary.

So that’s the theory: four dimensions of decision making. Where do you stand in each dimension? There’s no right or wrong way to make a decision, but by understanding our own decision-making styles, we can make more effective, well-informed , and conscious decisions.

Oral Practice: Role Play

One student acts as a college graduate who just got a great job offer from a major company, the other as the father who wants him/her to take over the family business. They talk with each other, giving the reasons for their decisions, and come to the final decision.

Respond to the Ideas

1. What do you think of this style of decision making? Does it make sense? 2. Tell a partner about a big decision that you had to make in your life. What were the pros and cons? What did you decide to do? What kind of “decision maker” were you when you made this decision: Originator? Challenger? Other?

Part IV

Interaction Link

Language Points

marital status n. 婚姻状况 spouse n. 配偶 housing n.( 总称 ) 住房

1. Life is full of choices. What is important to you? Check the things in the chart that you would prefer to have in your life.

Get a life

Me Person A Person B

Career Business

Government

Health care

Entertainment

Education Undergraduate degree

Graduate degree

Location Rural

Suburban

Urban

Housing Old house

New apartment

1. Life is full of choices. What is important to you? Check the things in the chart that you would prefer to have in your life.

Get a life

Me Person A Person B

Marital Status Married

Single

Divorced

Spouse /

Significant other Beautiful

Intelligent

Children 0

1

Pets Cat

Dog

Fish

None

Get a life

2. Now talk to two classmates. Find out what is important to them. Discuss the things you think are important. Give reasons for your opinions and preferences.

Example

A: Which do you prefer to keep as a pet, a cat or a dog?

B: I like a dog better, because a cat is so messy.

C: Well, a cat is messy, but it helps to catch mice.

A: A dog helps to keep watch at a house.

Part V

Useful Expressions

Useful Expressions

你最好权衡利弊后再做决定 .

You’d better weigh the pros and cons before making any decision.

做出一个明智的决定总不是一件容易的事 .

It’s always difficult to make a sound decision.

三个月后 , 她做出了一个决定 , 到另一公司就职 .

Three months afterward she came to a decision to work for another company.

Useful Expressions

为了征求大家的意见 , 他们召集了多次听证会 .

They held several hearings to invite different public opinions.

I’ve been thinking about how to make few mistakes.

我一直在思考如何才能少犯错误 .

别着急 , 我不想催你做出决定 .

Take your time and I don’t want to rush you for a decision.

Part VI

Additional Listening


The Origin of Sports When did sport begin? If sport is, in _______, play,

the claim might be made that sport is much older than humankind, for, as we all have ________, the beasts play. Dogs and cats wrestle and play ball games. Fishes and birds dance. The apes have simple, pleasurable games. Frolicking infants, school children playing tag, and adult arm wrestlers are ____________ strong, transgenerational and transspecies bonds with the universe of animals - past, present, and future. Young animals, particularly, tumble, chase, run wrestle, mock, imitate, and laugh (or so it seems) to the point of delighted exhaustion. Their play, and ours, appears to ____ no other purpose than to give pleasure to the players, and apparently, to ______ us temporarily from the anguish of life in earnest.

Some philosophers have claimed that our ___________ is the most noble part of our basic nature. In their generous ___________, play harmlessly and experimentally permits us to put our ________ forces, fantasy, and imagination into action. Play is release from the tedious battles against scarcity and _______ which are the incessant, and inevitable, tragedies of life. This is a grand conception that excites and provokes. The holders of this view claim that the origins of our highest accomplishments ---- liturgy, literature, and law ---- can be traced to a play _______ which, paradoxically, we see most purely enjoyed by young beasts and children. Our sports, in this rather happy, nonfatalistic view of human nature, are more splendid creations of the nondatable, transspecies play impulse.


Check-upCheck-upCheck-upCheck-up


The Origin of Sports When did sport begin? If sport is, in essence, play,

the claim might be made that sport is much older than humankind, for, as we all have observed, the beasts play. Dogs and cats wrestle and play ball games. Fishes and birds dance. The apes have simple, pleasurable games. Frolicking infants, school children playing tag, and adult arm wrestlers are demonstrating strong, transgenerational and transspecies bonds with the universe of animals - past, present, and future. Young animals, particularly, tumble, chase, run wrestle, mock, imitate, and laugh (or so it seems) to the point of delighted exhaustion. Their play, and ours, appears to serve no other purpose than to give pleasure to the players, and apparently, to remove us temporarily from the anguish of life in earnest.

Some philosophers have claimed that our playfulness is the most noble part of our basic nature. In their generous conceptions, play harmlessly and experimentally permits us to put our creative forces, fantasy, and imagination into action. Play is release from the tedious battles against scarcity and decline which are the incessant, and inevitable, tragedies of life. This is a grand conception that excites and provokes. The holders of this view claim that the origins of our highest accomplishments ---- liturgy, literature, and law ---- can be traced to a play impulse which, paradoxically, we see most purely enjoyed by young beasts and children. Our sports, in this rather happy, nonfatalistic view of human nature, are more splendid creations of the nondatable, transspecies play impulse.


Part VII

Homework Argument

Homework Argument

Talk with your class about what you’ve decided to do for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

Expressions for reference I’ve been thinking about serving as an

interpreter. I’m leaning toward watching TV to cheer the

Chinese team. The problem with this idea is that my

English isn’t so perfect. Make up your mind. / I haven’t made up my

mind. That sounds good. Why don’t we take action right now? Let’s do it.

Homework Argument

Hints:

to fulfill our duty as the host of the Games;

to work on our disadvantages and shortcomings;

to take action;

to care more about our environment;

to watch games;

to cheer the Chinese team;.

to serve as a volunteer;

to be an interpreter.

Homework Argument

Documents

Unit 5 Decisions Lead-in Activity Warm-up Listening Task Real World Listening Interaction Link Useful Expressions Additional Listening