Unit 20: Everybody’s in a hurry
Learning objectives
- Language focus: comparison of adverbs
- Abilities: round-and-clear pronunciation, speaking, writing, deep listening
Step 1: Listening comprehension
Mục tiêu: Hiểu rõ ý nghĩa bài nghe.
Bấm nghe qua một lần xem chỗ nào đã hiểu, chỗ nào chưa hiểu, sau đó tra cách phát âm và ý nghĩa của từ mới nếu có. Lưu ý, bạn không cần học thuộc từ vựng, mà chỉ cần tra cứu để giúp hiểu câu trong bài nghe. Sau khi đã hiểu toàn bộ bài nghe, bấm nghe thêm một lần nữa.
Comprehension Questions
1. Why did Ford have an accident?
2. How does he drive these cays?
3. Why do other drivers get angry?
4. What do they want him to do?
5. What does Ford think about drivers these days?
Ten years ago Ford Studebaker had an accident in his car. He was driving quickly and carelessly. After the accident his wife said, “Ford you’re old man now. You have to drive more slowly, and more carefully.” Ford has not had an accident since then. He always drives slowly – very slowly.
But the drivers behind him often get angry. They sometimes have to stop suddenly, and then other cars crash into them. Ford always drives in the middle of the road and other drivers can’t pass him. They sound their horns and flash their lights because they want Ford to go more quickly. But Ford never notices them, and he never sees the accidents behind him. When he reads about the accidents in the newspaper, he says to his wife, “People drive more carelessly these days. Everybody’s in a hurry. I don’t understand it!”
Comprehension Questions
1. How does Natasha hit the ball?
2. Why do some people dislike her?
3. How did she play in last year’s final?
4. How did she play in this year’s final?
5. How did she behave in this year’s final?
Natasha Terranova is a tennis star. She’s one of the best players in the world. She hits the ball hard and fast—harder and faster than any other player. But many people dislike her because she often behaves badly. She sometimes gets very angry. Last year she shouted at the crowd, and broke her racket on the ground during the final of the Texas Championship. She didn’t play well and lost. This year she played better and won the final. Unfortunately, she got very angry and behaved worse than last year. She threw her racket at the umpire! She will never be able to play in the Texas Championship again.
comparison of adverbs
You have to drive more slowly and more carefully.
slowly – more slowly – slower
quickly – more quickly – quicker
carefully – more carefully
carelessly – more carelessly
well – better
badly – worse
hard – harder
fast – faster
Step 2: Pronunciation practice
Mục tiêu: Luyện phát âm đúng theo giọng bản ngữ
Luyện shadowing (nói đuổi): Bấm nghe từng câu, tạm dừng và nói theo ngay sau đó, sao cho cách phát âm, nhấn nhá và ngữ điệu tốt nhất có thể. Bạn lập lại đến khi thuận miệng.
Luyện role-play (nhập vai): Bây giờ bạn chìm trong ngữ cảnh của bài nghe và vào vai từng nhân vật trong đó. Các câu nói ra cần đúng phát âm và xuất phát từ cảm xúc của chính bạn.
Thâu âm để nghe lại và chỉnh sửa.
Step 3: Speaking practice
Mục tiêu: Luyện nói, ứng dụng từ bài học.
Bạn thực hiện các hoạt động nói bên dưới. Thâu âm, nghe lại và chỉnh sửa.
VOCABULARY
- To be in a hurry/rush (phrase) – to move or act with speed or haste.
- To plan out (phrasal verb) – to plan carefully and in detail something that you are going to do in the future.
- Scramble (noun) – a hurried attempt to get something.
- Thorough (adj.) – detailed and careful.
- To breeze through (idiom) – to achieve something very easily.
- To get smth out of the road (phrase) – to get sth out of the way.
- To paint very broad strokes (idiom) – if you describe or show something in broad strokes or in broad brushstrokes, you describe or show only the main or general points or features of it and not the fine or exact details.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Maria: Rory, how often are you in a hurry?
Rory: Um, actually, I’m not usually in a rush. I usually have everything planned out quite clearly in my head, and I have everything prepared and ready to go. So I can afford to take life at a slower pace! Maybe once or twice a year I’ll be in like a real, sort of, scramble to get things organized. But it’s not often.
Maria: Do you like doing things quickly?
Rory: Well, if at all possible, yes. Although, some things require a more thorough approach like, oh, doing the dishes, for example, you know. You want to do that quickly, but if you do it too quickly, then you might make a mistake and then your dishes are disgusting. So some things are more important to do more slowly than others. But generally, I like to be quick.
Maria: What do you often do in a hurry?
Rory: I think… things that are boring or things that are overly easy, like filing reports, for example. I just breeze through it just to get it out of the road. And if anyone has any questions about anything in the reports, then they can ask questions and I’ll clarify there and then after the fact.
Maria: When was the last time you did something in a hurry?
Rory: I think a few days ago I was in a bit of a rush to get ready for work, actually, because I’d stayed in bed too long and I kind of lost track of the time. So I didn’t have long to get the bus. And actually, if I’d missed the bus, then it would have been a very expensive taxi ride to work.
Maria: Do you like to finish things quickly?
Rory: If I have better things to be getting on with, then yes! I suppose, like… Well, if we go back to the idea of filing reports, for example, you know, it’s not super important to file reports, but it has to be done. And then once that’s done, then there’s always something more important to be done, like getting ready for the podcast, for example!
Maria: What kind of things do you never do in a hurry?
Rory: Anything where I’m paid to give high quality work or produce high quality work, I should say. So anything like teaching, for example, or giving feedback, I mean, people pay a lot of money for this. So it’s important that I spend a bit of time on it.
Maria: Is it good to be always in a hurry?
Rory: No, not at all! People need to chill out and remember that life isn’t a race and they should stress a lot less. It’s not worth it.
Rory: Well, probably because they’re not paying attention and they paint very broad strokes with whatever is their doing. So they get 90 percent of what they want done just fine. But then they’ve ignored 10 percent of it and sometimes that 10 percent can be quite important. So that’s not good.
Source: https://successwithielts.com/s04e12
Step 4: Writing practice
Mục tiêu: Luyện viết đúng chính tả – ngữ pháp và luyện viết thành câu – đoạn – bài.
Bạn viết bài vào ô nháp, đọc lại và chỉnh sửa chính tả , ngữ pháp và văn phong.
Write your own in-a-hurry story.
Step 5: Deep listening practice
Mục tiêu: Luyện nghe đến mức thấm nhuần ý nghĩa, nghe hiểu liền như nghe tiếng Việt
Nghe thấm nhuần là năng lực quan trọng nhất vì trong giao tiếp bạn có thể nói ít nhưng không thể nghe không hiểu hoặc nghe hiểu mà chậm. Luyện nghe thấm nhuần là bạn sẽ luyện nghe đến mức có thể nghe hiểu liền mà không phải do ghi nhớ nội dung bài nghe – nôm na là như nghe hiểu tiếng Việt vậy.
Lúc nghe nếu còn xuất hiện chữ trong đầu, hay dịch ra tiếng Việt mới hiểu thì chưa phải là nghe thấm nhuần. Lúc nghe mà hiểu được do ghi nhớ hoặc thuộc lòng thì vẫn chưa phải là nghe thấm nhuần. Khi đó, bạn cần tiếp tục nghe cho đến khi thấm nhuần.
Với mỗi bài học bạn cần lập lại bước này nhiều lần vào nhiều ngày khác nhau mới có thể nghe thấm nhuần được. Mỗi lần lập lại nên thực hiện ít nhất 20 lần nghe. Mỗi lần nghe là một lần mới (như chưa nghe bài này bao giờ), có như vậy bạn mới tránh được việc nghe hiểu do ghi nhớ.
Tip: You can practice this deep listening step while you are doing other things, like cooking, before & while sleeping, taking baths, relaxing in free time, etc.
“Thank you for being with us on your journey of learning English.” – Anthony & Aileen