Unit 8 Meet the Home-stay Family
1.listen,read and act.
LiMeng and Xiaohong have gone through all the procedures at the airport
and now they are out looking for the-stay family
who are supposed to be meeting them there.
LiMeng:Here.I've got Mr.and Mrs.Daveis'photo in my satchel.Let's see...
Xiaohong:There's no need.I remember both of them have short hair.
Mrs.Davis has got brown hair and Mr.Davis dark hair.
He's also got glasses on.
LiMeng:I know.Just keep your eyes open and look hard.
(A man walks up to them.Behingd him are a woman and a teenage boy.)
Mr.Davis:I suppoe you must be LiMeng and this little girl must be Xiaohong.
Xiaohong:Yes,we are.Are you,um,Mr....?
Mr.Davis:Mr.Davis.And this is my wife,Mrs.Davis.
LiMeng:Hello!Mrs.Davis.Nice to meet you at last.
Xiaohong:Nice to meet you,Mrs.Davis.
Mrs.Davis:Nice to meet you,kids.
We've been looking forward to seeing you for so long and now at last,here you are.
r.Davis:And kids,this is our son,Daniel.
He is the same age as you,LiMeng.Both of you are 14.
You two are going to have a lot of fun together.
Daniel:Hi!LiMeng.
LiMeng:Hi!I didn't expect you to be so big.
Daniel:And you look bigger than I thought.And you must be Xiaohong.
Xiaohong:Hello.
Mr.Davis:Now,let me find a luggage cart
and we can push your luggage to our van over there in the car park.
You folks have come a long way and must be exhausted now.Come on,let's go.
3.Listen and fill in the blanks.
Jet Lag
Wang Ming:I'm_____ ______after the long flight.I need to sleep for a while.
LiHong:Me too,but I won't go to bed yet.It's____ _______.
WangMing:Aren't you__________?
LiHong:I am,but I'll______ ___________too early if I go to sleep now.
WangMing:Yes,the_________is different here.
LiHong:It's evening now in Beijing,so your______tells you to go to bed.
WangMing:Then what shall I do?
WangMing:OK then,I won't go to bed until it's_________.
4.Listen and practice in pairs.
LiMeng,Xiaohong and the home-stay family get into van and head towards home.
LiMeng and Daniel sit next to each other and start to talk.
Daniel:Dad told me you like soccer.Is that true?
LiMeng:Yeah.It's exciting.All the goals.I'm a forward in the team back in China.
Daniel:Oh,great!I'msure our coach will be glad to hear that.
LiMeng:Coach?What's that?
Daniel:A coach,you know,is just like a teacher
but he tells you how to play soccer.
LiMeng:Oh,I see.Right.The coach is an important man.What's his name?
Daniel:Mr.Hudson.He is good but strict.
He always talks about discipline and fair play.
LiMeng:What do you mean?
Daniel:I mean he always wants us to follow the rules in the game.
LiMeng:Sounds reasonable.
6.Listen and read.
Home-stay families
Arriving in a new country is an exciting but challenging experience.
International students arriving in Australia
should learn about the Australian culture,
which is often very different from their own.
To help students cope with the new environment,
many Australian home-stay families provide the new comers with a warm,
caring,friendly and interesting home.
Home-stays are good for any student who wants to learn English,
but they are especially good for younger strdents.
In a home-stay sitration,students'English will improve quickly.
Living with an English speaking family is noe of the best ways
to learn everyday English vocabulary.
Students also learn about Australian family life and culture.
Learning about culture is a big part of language learning.
A home-stay sitration involves students directly in the home environment
and gives them a realistic understanding of Australian lifestyle and language.
Howevr,not every family can be a home-stay family.
They must be carefully selected.
All host families are asked to provide the following:
* Aprivate,single bedroom for the strdent
* Laundry facilities that are not coin operated
* A well-lit study area
* 3 meals a day
Meanwhile,the following considerations are also very important
for the home-stay families:
* Cleanliness of the home
* Warmth and care shown by the family
* The closeness of the home to the school
* Easy and convenient transportation
* English is the only language spoken at home.
9.Liaten,read and act.
Mrs.Davis is talking with Xiaohong about Australian family structure
while they're on their way home.
Mrs.Davis:Did you have a good flight?
Xiaohong:It was fine.I slept quite a lot and saw an interesting movie.
Mrs.Davis:Good.Wait till we get home,you can give your mum
and dad a call so they will stop worrying.
Xiaohong:Oh,thank you,Mrs.Davis.
Mrs.Davis:Call me mum,if you like.
I'm about the same age as your mum
and I'll take care of you two just like your mum.
Xiaohong:Ok,Mum.It's good to be in a family.
It will help me to stop getting homesick.Are there just five of us in the family?
Mrs.Davis:Well,yes,if we don't include grandma.She lives not far from us.
You see,usually in a family there are just parents and children.
I guess it's the same back in China.Right?
Xiaohong:Yes,usually.But some people also live together with their grandparents.