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Unit 1
Past and present
Comic strip
Oh, where is my food?
It was in the bowl an hour ago.
Eddie, have you seen my food?
Yes.
I've just eaten it.
What?
You've eaten my food?
Why?
Beacuse I was very hungry.
You've changed, Eddie.
You were kind.
Now, you're not.
I don't want to play with you any more.
You've changed too.
You always wanted to play with me!
Reading
A: Times have changed
Millie wants to write about the changes to Sunshine Town for her history project.
Daniel's grandpa, Mr Chen, knows a lot about Sunshine Town, so Millie is interviewing him to get some information.
<Millie>: How well do you know Sunshine Town, Mr Chen?
<Mr Chen>: I know the place very well.
I moved here with my family when I was two years old and have lived here since then.
<Millie>: Have you ever moved house?
<Mr Chen>: Yes.
I first lived near Sunshine River in the southern part of town with my parents.
We lived together till 1965, when I got married.
Then, my wife and I moved to another flat in the centre of town.
We moved again last year when my children bought us a new flat.
<Millie>: Has Sunshine Town changed a lot over the years?
<Mr Chen>: Yes, it has changed a lot!
In the past, 30,000 people lived in the town.
We had some small restaurants, shops and market stalls.
We also had a small post office and an old cinema in the town centre.
Now, the government has turned the place into a park, and we have a large shopping mall and a theatre too.
<Millie>: Do you often meet your old friends?
<Mr Chen>: Yes.
We often meet at weekends.
We like to meet in the new park to play cards and Chinese chess.
It's very pleasant.
<Millie>: There once was a shoe factory near Sunshine River.
Was water pollution a problem before?
<Mr Chen>: Yes.
The pollution was terrible then because the factory used to dump its waste into the river.
The poison in the waste killed fish and plants and polluted the river.
Later, the government realized it was a very serious problem and took action to reduce the pollution.
Now the river is much cleaner.
<Millie>: Do you think life is better now than before?
<Mr Chen>: Well, in some ways it is.
It's nice to have open space and pretty gardens.
However, it has become more difficult to see some of my old friends.
They have moved to other areas in Beijing, and I feel a bit lonely from time to time.
Sometimes they come back to see me, and that makes me very happy.
Integrated skills
A: Changes to Starlight Town
A1: Daniel and Simon are doing their project on Starlight Town near Beijing.
Listen to their conversation.
Help them complete the lists below.
<Simon>: Daniel, have you found any information for our history project?
<Daniel>: Yes.
I've just borrowed this book from the school library.
It's about Starlight Town in the past and the present.
<Simon>: Let me see.
Oh, Starlight Town was a place of natural beauty in the past.
There were lakes and small villages.
This book also says that the air was very fresh then.
<Daniel>: That's true.
My family and I visited Starlight Town about eight years ago.
I remember I saw many wild birds and ducks during the visit.
<Simon>: How did you get to Starlight Town then?
<Daniel>: Oh, we went there by bicycle.
<Simon>: Did people live in flats?
<Daniel>: No.
There were no flats.
Many people just lived near the lakes in small villages.
By the way, does the book talk about the changes to Starlight Town over the years?
<Simon>: Yes, it does.
It says that the size of lakes in the area is getting smaller because there have been many new developments in this place.
<Daniel>: What are the new developments?
<Simon>: Starlight Town has become a modern town.
First, a new railway station was built.
Then, the government built many flats there.
There are also many shops, offices and tall buildings now.
<Daniel>: Are there any new roads?
<Simon>: Sure.
There are several new highways.
People can now travel by taxi, bus and train.
<Daniel>: I know that many people have moved and are now living in those new flats.
<Simon>: Right.
I think we've got a lot of useful information for our project.
<Daniel>: That's great!
B: Speak up: talking about changes in your life
What changes have there been in your life?
Work in pairs.
Find out about the changes in your partner's life.
Use Millie and Sandy's conversation as a model.
<Millie>: When I was in primary school, my mother took me to school every day.
<Sandy>: Me, too.
We always walked to school together in the morning.
Does your mother still take you to school now?
<Millie>: No.
I'm older, so she doesn't need to.
Now, I come to school by bus on my own and my mother has more free time in the morning.
I'm happy that she has time to relax more.
<Sandy>: I have the same feeling too.
Do you sometimes stay after school to chat with friends?
<Millie>: Yes, I do.
I enjoy chatting with you and my other friends after class.
<Sandy>: School life is really great.
<Millie>: Yes, I agree.
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