【Level 4】【Note】Unit 3

Unit 3 The Past

Unit overview

https://app.yinxiang.com/shard/s12/nl/2591669/89675358-2fd2-473a-8ecc-20b220023fdb

Asking about someone's week

【Vocabulary】Daily activities

I ironed my clothes.

The speaker or writer pressed creases out of their clothing with a hot appliance.

I left the house.

The speaker or writer departed from someone's home.

I did the dishes.

The speaker or writer cleaned their dishes with soap and water.

I cleaned my apartment.

The speaker or writer tidied their living space.

I ate breakfast.

The speaker or writer consumed a morning meal.

I watched TV.

The speaker or writer observed programs on television.

I called my friend.

The speaker or writer telephoned their friend.

I washed my clothes.

The speaker or writer cleaned their clothing with soap and water.

I got up.

The speaker or writer awoke and left their bed.

I went for a run.

The speaker or writer exercised by running.

【Grammar】Past tense verbs

Many past tense verbs are formed just by adding -ed to the end of the present tense verb.
e.g.
walk - walked
clean - cleaned
However, some of the most common verbs are irregular, which means that their past forms do not end in -ed. They can be formed in many different ways.
e.g.
have - had
make - made
eat - ate
drink - drank
let - let
The verb be has two forms in the past – was and were. Use was with the pronouns he, she, it and I. Use were with you, we and they.
e.g.
He was tired yesterday.
They were happy in Paris.
Use did + not to make negative past tense verbs. The main verb remains in its base form.
e.g.
They did not like London.
We did not meet John yesterday.
In spoken English, the phrase did not is usually contracted to didn't.
e.g.
They didn't like London.
We didn't meet John yesterday.
Use the phrases was not and were not for the verb be. The contractions of these phrases are wasn't and weren't.
e.g.
Frank was not happy in Los Angeles. > Frank wasn't happy in Los Angeles.
Oscar and Pam were not at home yesterday. > Oscar and Pam weren't at home yesterday.
Use the word did at the beginning of a sentence to form a past question. Use the base form of the main verb after did. Do not add an -s to the verb.
e.g.
Did he go to Shanghai?
Did they eat dinner?
To form a past tense question with the verb be, put was or were at the front of the question phrase.
e.g.
Statement: He was happy.
Question: Was he happy?

【Expressions】Past time expressions

Use the following expressions to talk about past events.
e.g.
I visited Carol yesterday.
Jack and Nancy got back from Mexico the day before yesterday.
We went to that new restaurant two days ago.
I worked at a supermarket last year.
Order the items from the present to the past. Start with today at the top.

Move the text to the correct gaps.

JENNY: Todd, it's good to see you again. How are you doing?
TODD: Fine, Jenny! I just got back from Tokyo two days ago .
JENNY: Business trip?
TODD: Yeah.
JENNY: How was it?
TODD: It was good, but Tokyo's so busy!
JENNY: Yeah.
TODD: Oh, and I was in Kyoto last week.
JENNY: Uh-huh? And how was that?
TODD: It was incredible! So how are you?
JENNY: I'm good. I was in Chicago the day before yesterday.
TODD: Really?
JENNY: Yeah, I had  dinner with Mark and Paula.
TODD: How are they doing?
JENNY: They're fine. Oh, you know they had a baby, right?
TODD: No, I didn't know.
JENNY: Yeah, it was last year .
TODD: Wow. I should call them.
JENNY: Good idea.

【Expressions】Asking questions about past events

Open questions are questions that have more than one answer. For example, the question How was Paris? has many possible answers.
e.g.
How was Paris?
It was great!
It was terrible.
We loved it.
We hated it.
Closed questions, on the other hand, invite only two kinds of response: a yes answer or a no answer.
e.g.
Did you go to Paris?
Yes, I did.
No, I didn't.
Open questions are generally better for encouraging conversation. They give the person you are talking with the freedom to answer in many different ways. There are two important types of open questions: description questions and opinion questions.
1）Description questions
e.g.
What was it like?
What was the wedding like?
What did he look like?
2）Opinion questions
e.g.
How did you like Beijing?
How was your vacation?
How was Russia?

Language note: Be careful with the word like. It has two different meanings.
Description: What was it like?
Opinion: How did you like it?

Talking about your weekend

【Grammar】Irregular past tense verbs

video：https://app.yinxiang.com/shard/s12/nl/2591669/6a0ec63d-4573-493f-9710-67b00912af92
I went to Peter's
I'm off
dude
throw that away
It would be great
start off for a job interview
got to the station

Many verbs are irregular in the past tense. This means that you can't form the past tense of the verb by simply adding -ed.

Some irregular verbs look completely different from their present tense forms. You just need to memorize them.
e.g.
go - went
eat - ate
bring - brought
leave - left
sell - sold
Other irregular verbs have past tense forms that have only one letter that changes. These are a little easier to learn.
e.g.
make - made
rise - rose
get - got
A few verbs have the same form for both present and past.
e.g.
cut - cut
let - let
shut - shut
The verb read has the same spelling in the present and the past, but a different pronunciation. Listen to the pronunciation of read in these two sentences:
e.g.
I often read novels.
I read a good novel last week.
Fill in the table with the correct past tense forms of the verbs. The first one has been done for you. Type the correct answers in the cells.

【Vocabulary】Activities in the past

They watched TV.

Two or more people observed television programs.

I ate some spaghetti.

The speaker or writer consumed a type of noodle dish.

They did yoga.

Two or more people took part in a particular system of exercises that focus on breathing and relaxing

I went jogging.

The speaker or writer exercised by running slowly.

I read a novel.

The speaker or writer looked at and understood a nonfiction work.

We drove to Las Vegas.

Two or more people, including the speaker or writer, got to Las Vegas by car, with one of them operating it

We made lunch.

Two or more people, including the speaker or writer, prepared a midday meal.

We played a game.

Two or more people, including the speaker or writer, took part in a competitive activity or sport with rules.

He cooked dinner.

A male prepared an evening meal using a stove or oven.

She brought a gift.

A female arrived with something to give someone.

【Speaking】Opening a conversion

There are several ways to begin a conversation.

General questions
If you don't have a topic you want to talk about, you can use one of the common general questions that come after greetings.
e.g.
How are you doing?
How are you today?
What's up?
What's happening?
What's going on?
How was your weekend?
Specific questions
You can ask people you know about their lives.
e.g.
How was Peru?
How is your mom feeling?
Statements
In some situations, you will have a topic you'd like to discuss. You can just make a statement about it. Your listener will then comment on your statement.
e.g.
A: Hey, there was a great movie on last night.
B: Really? What was it?
A: That was a great game last night!
B: Yeah, it was really exciting!

【Expressions】Changing a topic

Conversations move from one topic to another. There are some expressions that help people signal that they are going to change the topic.

By the way
Use the expression by the way to introduce a new topic. It can also mean that you just thought of something.
e.g.
A: By the way, I saw Joe last night. He looked good.
B: Really? I'm so glad!
That reminds me
Use that reminds me to change the direction of the conversation when you remember something else that you want to say.
e.g.
A: There was a great baseball game on TV last night.
B: Oh, that reminds me. I have two tickets to tonight's game. Do you want to go?
A: Yeah!
Anyway
Use the word anyway to conclude or summarize a topic so that you can start a new topic. It is a useful word when you are tired of listening to someone talk about something and really want to change the topic.
e.g.
A: That restaurant wasn't very good.
B: No, it wasn't! The meat tasted bad, and the salad wasn't fresh. And the waiter was awful! His clothes were dirty!
A: Anyway, we're not going there again. So, how's Jane?
Move the text to the correct gaps.
e.g.

JERRY: Jessica, how was your weekend ?
JESSICA: Oh, hi, Jerry! The weekend was great! On Friday night, Jim and I flew down to Acapulco.
JERRY: You went to Mexico for the weekend?
JESSICA: Yeah. It's only a short flight from here. The beaches were fantastic and the food, well, it was amazing – fresh fish and delicious fruit every day!
JERRY: Wow! It does sound amazing.
JESSICA: Yeah, and it wasn't expensive. The hotel was pretty cheap. Anyway  , it was a lot of fun – and relaxing, too. So, how was your weekend?
JERRY: It was OK. On Saturday night, Kerstin and I went to a party at a friend's house.
JESSICA: Oh, that reminds me  . Jim and I are having people over next weekend on, uh, Sunday afternoon. Of course, we want you and Kerstin to come.
JERRY: Thanks! I really want to meet Jim.
JESSICA: And, by the way , we have a meeting at 9 o'clock with Harry and his team.
JERRY: Really?
JESSICA: Yeah, and it's 8:55 now.
JERRY: Oh. Well, see you at the meeting.
JESSICA: Yeah!

Telling a story

【Vocabulary】News vocabulary

video：https://app.yinxiang.com/shard/s12/nl/2591669/c8ad7bf6-b7de-41ac-a2cb-60ccfa204cfd
robbery
The staff arrived the next day to find everything gone.
That's a bit scary.
in the neighborhood
It's the economy.：蠢材
hire a security guard

News stories cover a wide variety of topics, like crime, politics and business. Here, we will concentrate only on crime . Here are some useful nouns for crime.

Nouns for crime
e.g.
crime
police
thief
theft

A thief is the person who commits the crime. The theft is the event. The word thief has an irregular plural: thieves.

Verbs for crime
Here are some useful verbs for crime.
e.g.
break into
murder
kill
arrest
steal

The verb steal is irregular. The past form is stole.

Read the email, and answer the questions.

【Grammar】Indefinite pronouns

Some pronouns refer to an unknown noun. These are indefinite pronouns. They include the following three words.
e.g.
somewhere
someone
something
Use somewhere to talk about an indefinite place.
e.g.
John lives somewhere in Tokyo. I don't know his address.
Use someone to talk about an indefinite or unknown person.
e.g.
Someone stole a painting from the museum.
Use something to talk about an indefinite object.
e.g.
The thief stole something from the woman's bag.

Language note: The word somebody has the same meaning as someone.

Move the text to the correct gaps.

LORNA: Jim.
JIM: Yes, dear?
LORNA: Did you listen to the news today?
JIM: No, I was busy.
LORNA: Well, someone broke into an Italian restaurant last night.
JIM: What?
LORNA: There was a theft  at an Italian restaurant somewhere in Houston. And they stole something  strange.
JIM: Strange?
LORNA: Yes! They stole pasta.
JIM: What?
LORNA: They stole a lot of pasta.
JIM: You mean, like, spaghetti?
LORNA: Yes.
JIM: Why did they do that?
LORNA: I don't know. Maybe they were hungry.

【Expressions】Sequencing a narrative

When you are telling or writing a story, it is important to make the sequence of events clear. There are several ways to do this.

Use the phrase the next day when a past event you are describing happened the day after another event.
e.g.
They stole 15 computers on Friday night. The next day, the police came.
To note how long an event happened after another past event, use a number + time word + later.
e.g.
There was a theft on Friday night. Three days later, we hired a security guard.
To tell someone when something happened, you can also use the time expressions you learned earlier in this unit.
e.g.
The theft was three days ago.
They broke in last Friday.
They stole money the day before yesterday.
Listen to the audio, and put the events in the correct sequence. Select the correct answer.

【Reading】Previewing a news article

As you become more proficient in English, you will start to read more difficult texts, like articles in newspapers and magazines. It is important to develop strategies for understanding these texts. One useful strategy is to preview, or look at the whole article, before starting to read the story. Here is a sequence of steps that will help you become a more efficient reader.

Headlines
Headlines are written in a special short form of English, so they may be difficult to understand at first. For example, the headline U.K., U.S. Talk Trade means that the United Kingdom and the United States are discussing trade issues. Because headlines have the main idea of the article, you should pay particular attention to them.
Photographs and illustrations
Photographs and illustrations are placed in articles to make them easier to understand and to add interest. Take some time to look at them carefully. If there are captions beneath the images, read them for more information about the images and the story.
The lead paragraph
The first paragraph of a news article is called the lead paragraph. It contains the most important details of the news. A lead paragraph often tells you who, what, when, where and sometimes how and why. Because it is so packed with information, you should pay close attention to it.
News source
At the top of an article, you may see one or more of these: a byline (the reporter's name), a dateline (the city where the reporter filed the story) and the name of the news agency. Sometimes the news agency's name appears in parentheses (Global News), sometimes abbreviated (GN).

Read the text and answer the questions.

Listening to a story

【Vocabulary】Hiking vocabulary

video：https://app.yinxiang.com/shard/s12/nl/2591669/757eaefb-c025-49b2-a97e-f8d818b4189b
Yosemite National Park：约塞米蒂国家公园（位于美国加利福尼亚州中部）
trail
You feel so close to nature there
camped in Yosemite
I don't think i'm going to like this story
tent
tear open
tore open our backpacks
backpack

tent

a shelter made of a large sheet of canvas, nylon, etc. that is supported by poles and ropes fixed to the ground, and is used especially for camping
e.g. to put up/take down a tent

backpack

a large bag, often supported on a light metal frame, carried on the back and used especially by people who go climbing or walking

deer

an animal with long legs, that eats grass, leaves, etc. and can run fast. Most male deer have antlers (= horns shaped like branches). There are many types of deer
e.g. a herd of deer

trail

a path through the countryside
e.g. a trail through the forest

bear

a heavy wild animal with thick fur and sharp claws (= pointed parts on the ends of its feet). There are many types of bear
e.g. a black bear

boots

a strong shoe that covers the foot and ankle and often the lower part of the leg
e.g. cowboy boots

cabin

a small house or shelter, usually made of wood
e.g. a log cabin

snake

a reptile with a very long thin body and no legs. There are many types of snake, some of which are poisonous
e.g. a snake coiled up in the grass

wolf

a large wild animal of the dog family, that lives and hunts in groups
e.g. a pack of wolves

campfire

an outdoor fire made by people who are sleeping outside or living in a tent

【Grammar】Asking past tense questions

Past tense questions that don't use the verb be, and which begin with a question word, take the auxiliary did. Notice also that the main verb stays in its base form.
e.g.
A: What did you do on the weekend?
B: I played badminton.
A: Where did you go for your vacation?
B: I went to Peru.
To ask about the owner of an object, use the question word whose.
e.g.
A: Whose backpack did you borrow?
B: I borrowed my brother's.
To ask about the category of something, use the question phrase what kind of.
e.g.
A: What kind of tent did you buy?
B: I bought a Shelty. It's the best brand.
A: What kind of animals did you see?
B: We saw deer, wolves and a snake.
You can use the question word how with many different adjectives to ask for detailed information.
e.g.
How far did you walk?
How difficult was the hike?
Questions with the verb be don't require the auxiliary did.
e.g.
A: How was your weekend?
B: It was great, thanks.
A: How long was your trip?
B: We hiked for two weeks.
Connect the matching texts.

Move the text to the correct gaps.

KYLE: Hey, Jane! How was your backpacking trip?
JANE: It was fantastic.
KYLE: Where did you go?
JANE: Uh, we went to Virginia and hiked part of the Appalachian Trail.
KYLE: Wow! The Appalachian Trail! How far did you hike?
JANE: In five days, we hiked about 25 kilometers.
KYLE: Wow! That's pretty far. How cold did it get?
JANE: Well, you know it's October, so it was really cold at night.
KYLE: What kind of tent did you take?
JANE: No tent. There are little cabins on the trail. We all slept in them.
KYLE: Really? What kind of animals did you see ? Any bears?
JANE: No bears. Just a lot of deer.
KYLE: That's good.

【Expressions】Active listening

Listening to a story should not be a passive activity. As is true with conversations in general, you should avoid silence, encourage the speaker and ask questions when you do not understand something. Be an active listener.

It is common to encourage a speaker by asking about the next part of the story. Use these expressions to ask what happened next:
e.g.
And then what happened?
What happened next?
What did you do then?
Go on.
Remember, a rising intonation can turn a statement into a question. Use questions like these to confirm your understanding or express surprise.
e.g.
Bears?
A problem with a bear?
And we're going to the same place?

The best storytelling sessions are ones in which the storyteller and the listeners interact with one another to create a memorable event.