reading
1. reading aloud to the recording
now please listen and read aloud to the recording of the text in search of the amber room. pay attention to the pronunciation of each word and the pauses within each sentence. i will play the tape twice and you shall read aloud twice, too.
2. skimming and identifying the general idea of each paragraph
now please skim the text to get the key words and general idea of each paragraph.
the introduction about the amber room: design, colour, shape, material
2nd paragraph
the present to the czar: a part of winter palace in st. petersburg, a reception hall for important visitor
3rd paragraph
the relocating of the amber room in catherir Ⅱ times: moved into summer palace, more added to its design
4th paragraph
the missing of the amber room: the two countries were at war, nazi german army stole the amber room, 27 wooden boxes were trained to a german city, nobody knew it from then on
5th paragraph
the rebuilding of the amber room: a new one but the same as the old built by the two countries, for celebrating the 300th birthday of peterburg
3.scanning and analyzing the characteristics of the text.
since you have got to know the general ideas of each paragraph, can you tell me the characteristics of the passage, such as, the type of writing, the way of narrating, and the tense?
4.reading and understanding
next you are to read and underline all the useful expressions or collocations in the passage. copy them to your notebook after class as homework.
look into…, be used to…, make the design for the room, in fact, as a gift of…, add more details to…, remove… from the search for…,belong to…, feel as hard as stone, the fancy style, be made for…, in return, one of the great wonders, art objects, look much like…, give the name, be made into any shape, be made with gold and jewels, be made to be a gift, serve as…, at war, remain a mystery, be ready for…
5. reading and transferring information
read the text again to complete the table, which lists all the numbers in the text.
meaning
1716
frederic william gave the amber room to peter the great as a gift.
1770
catherine Ⅱ had completed the adding to the amber room in this year.
1941
the nazi german army stole the amber room in this year.
2003
the rebuilding of the amber room was completed in this year.
7000 tons
the total weight of the ambers used to make the room.
55
the number of soldiers given to the king of russia in return.
600
the number of the candles lighting the amber room.
2
the two countries: german and russia.
2
in two days the amber room was removed to a german city.
100,000
the amber room was dismantled into 100,000 pieces
27
27 wooden boxes were used to contain the pieces of amber room.
300th
the newly rebuilt amber room was ready for the 300th birthday of st peterburg city
6.reading and learning
read the text and learn more about the following proper nouns. you can surf on the website after class:
names of places
frederick Ⅰ
prussia
frederick william Ⅰ
st.peterburg
peter the great
konigsberg
catherine Ⅱ
winter palace
summer palace
Ⅳ closing down
closing down by doing exercises
to end the lesson you are to do the comprehending exercises no. 1 and no. 2.
closing down by having a discussion
keys for reference:
a. i have no idea about the fate of the amber room. because anything can happen to it. maybe it was destroyed at war in the fighting fire. you see, ambers can be melted easily. maybe it was kept secretly by somebody who had died without telling about it to anyone else. so maybe it is lying somewhere quietly.
b. i think it is worthwhile to reproduce the amber room. because it represents the culture and a period of history in st. petersburg. it is a trace and feature surviving from a past age and serving to remind people of a lost time.
closing down by retelling the story of the amber room
well, all of us have learned the history of the amber room. let’s recall some key words and expressions on the board. you are to retell the story of the amber room:
style
shape
owner
present
move to winter palace
add to
more details
remove to pieces
put on trains
remain a mystery
300th birthday