正安二中 袁先忠

Do you want to form

your own band to

take part in the

music festival?

Form your own band in groups of six.

Decide who will play what instrument

and who will sing. Decide the name of

your band and what kind of band you

will be. For example, will you be a

rock band, or a small group of

singers? Then, choose an English song

for your “band” to perform.

You may find this song on the

internet or on some of your own tapes

or CDs. Practise singing your song to

the music and then perform to the

class. This may be just the beginning

for you and your band!

Sample dialogue:S1: What music shall be performed in

our band? I like folk music. What

about you?

S2: I’d like to suggest Chinese folk

music. I like it very much. What do you

all think?

S3: I don’t mind what music we choose as long as I don’t have to sing. I think we should pretend to play an instrument. Maybe I can bring in my brother’s guitar.S4: Yes. That sounds good but let me say that I don’t like to sing in public so I think we should have a backing group that supports the main singer. What do you think?

S1: Who’s the best singer here?

S2: I’m in the school choir.

S3: Me too. Why don’t we sing a

Chinese folk song together with a

guitar and one backing singer.

S1: It’s OK by me.

S4: Now all we have to do is to choose

the song. Let’s make a list of our

favourites …

Writing for practical purpose:

Asking for advice

1). I would be grateful if you could

give me some advice.

2). How can I …

Useful expressions for asking for

advice and suggestions.

3). What can you suggest?

4). I would appreciate your reply offering

some suggestions.

5). Do you have some good advice on …

6). Does anyone has any tips on …

7). I can’t decide whether …

8). I would like to know how can I …

9). I am a little bit confused. I am

looking forward to receiving your

advice letter and thank you in advice.

10). I really don’t want to bother you,

but …

Would you offer me some advice?

Write an e-mail to Freddy for his

advice on how to make your band

successful. Try to use the useful

expressions for asking for advice

and suggestions we have mentioned

before.

Dear Freddy:

My name is Li Hua. I’m beginning a band

with my friends. However, we have never

been in a band before. Could you please

give us some advice? I would like to know

what music to play and we cannot decide.

Sample letter

I like pop music but most of my friends

like rock ‘n’ roll. Liu Mei likes rap. How

are we to decide what to play? Do you

suggest we play a little of all of these

types of music? Or should we only play

one kind of music? How did you and your

friends decide what to play?

We hope you can give us some advice. Yours hopefully,Li Hua

In groups of four discuss these

questions and make notes of your

ideas (P69).

1. Do you believe in the “Mozart

effect”? Why or why not?

2. Have you ever experienced it?

Give an example.

3. Do you think it also works with

other kinds of music such as pop

music? Give reasons.

S1: I’ve never felt the “Mozart effect”,

have you? S2: Well, I find I feel calmer if I’m

worried about my work. It makes me feel more optimistic.

S3: That’s interesting because I attach great importance to listening to music. I find that I listen to a

Sample dialogue

particular CD when I feel sad. Music

always makes me feel more

confident about life and my

problems.

S4: Is that a CD of classical music? I

don’t appreciate that kind of music

at all. I prefer pop music. It makes

me feel more cheerful and energetic.

S3: No, actually it isn’t classical music

but it does change my mood.

S1: However, the “Mozart effect” is

supposed to improve your memory.

Have any of you noticed anything

like that?

S4: Not really!

S3 : Not really!

S2: Well, I find that if I try and learn

English vocabulary while listening to music, it helps me. Do you think that’s what the “Mozart effect” is?

S1 : No, not really. However, it does seem

as if we believe in the “Mozart effect”, even though none of us have experienced it!

Speaking task on P74

Discuss which kinds of musician/singer/

composer/conductor you prefer. Choose

your favourite. Write down briefly what

you know about him or her: why you chose

him/her and which part of his/her music

you prefer. Make notes in the chart below

to help you remember what you are going

to say.

Sample dialogue

S1: I like Chinese folk music, do you? I

love The Butterfly Lovers. That’s so

romantic and I enjoy listening to it so

much.

S2: I like Western pop songs. The Beatles

are one of my favourites. When I hear

their music it makes me feel so happy. I

always smile.

S1: I don’t know their music at all.

S2: Well, they are a band of four young

men called John, Paul, George and

Ringo. I really like their songs. They

sing songs about life. My favourite

song is Yesterday. It makes me feel so

sad.

S1: I didn’t realize that they wrote

that. I love that song.

S2: Their music has a haunting quality

which keeps it in your mind. The tunes

are so pretty and the songs are so

different. That’s what makes their

music so interesting.

S1: I think I’ll try and find some of

their music too. I think I’d enjoy

listening to them to.

S2: Have we finished? Would you

like to fill in your notes and practise

your speech now?

The BeatlesToday I am going to talk about my favorite Western band --- the Beatles. There were four members of this band: their names were John, Paul, George and Ringo. The song that they wrote which I really love is Yesterday. It has such a beautiful tune and always makes me feel a little sad.

Writing task P74 Sample writing

I got to know their music when I saw them on television. They seemed so kind and friendly to their fans. They had such a good sense of humor too. Their songs seem to talk about things that I feel strongly about like growing old or being lonely. Their music is always so beautiful. It makes me feel happy and sad at the same time.

I think that they are an exceptional band

who produced outstanding music. I hope

you will enjoy listening to this song

which I am going to play…