师：Well, to be honest, I'm a bit nervous now. It's today's last class and we're the hosts of this activity. So I'm afraid our class might end in a disaster. Do you have confidence that we can not only get through this but also enjoy the class? Can we not only survive the class but also enjoy it? Yes or no? Show me your confidence with a bright smile. You're so adorable.
So now, let's start. Today, we're going to read a story, but what kind of story? Let's look at this page. Don't hurry to read the story yet. How about a guessing game? First, just look at this page. What can you get from it? What story might it be? Don't worry, it's just a guessing game, so there's no right or wrong. Share anything you think.
生：It may be a negative story. So I'll write this word here, negative story. Because I can see some damaged buildings in the picture. And maybe there was a disaster.
师：So you mean you got a clue from the pictures? Okay, thank you. Good guess. Any others? Anyone else? Please, one question at a time.
生：I think it may be an upset story.
师：Upset story. Okay.
生：Because I see the word “eyewitness”. I think it means some accident might have happened. So there will be...
师：Good. What does “eyewitness” mean? It means someone...
生：Maybe saw an accident or a crime and can later report it.
师：Right. So you got the information from the word “eyewitness”. Both of you made good guesses. Now, we'll have some time to read the story. Please take out your story sheet and turn to side A, paragraphs 1 - 3. You have four minutes to read this part of the story to get the first impression.
师：Sorry to interrupt, but have you finished reading? Is the story more like a tale or more like a report? Right. And what's your impression of it? What kind of story is it?
生：Well, it's really a negative story.
师：You think it's a negative story? Yeah. Can you find the word “negative” directly from the story? No. But what makes you feel this way?
生：Well, there are many sentences in it.
师：Also. Which one is the most negative sentence?
生：Well, I think “San Francisco is gone.” This sentence is...
师：In which paragraph?
生：Paragraph 1.
师：So here, “San Francisco is gone.” Why did you pick this one?
生：Well, when I read this sentence, I had a very heavy feeling in my heart. It's gone. Words like this make me feel upset and a little sad.
师：Yeah, so I want to write the word “heavy” here because I also think it's a very good word to describe the story, right? So “San Francisco is gone.” Do you think it's a long sentence?
生：No, maybe not that long, but it can make you feel very heavy.
师：Right. And how many “gone” can we find from the story? Is it the only “gone” here?
生：Oh, no. “The factories, the great stores and newspaper buildings, the hotels and the great houses of the rich are all gone.” They are all gone. And “half of the heart of the city was gone” in the third paragraph.
师：Right. There are so many “gone” here. Maybe we can find the repetition of the word “gone”. So you mentioned a short sentence, right? And so many “gone, gone and gone” here, right?
Okay, thank you. Sit down, please. Thank you so much. So here, Li Xin, you just set a very good example for us. Now, I'll give you more time to find more sentences to support your answer. And no matter what your answer is, whether it's a negative story, an upset story, or a heavy story, remember, there's no right or wrong. You just need to find more sentences to support your idea. Are you clear? And try to figure out why this sentence gives us such a feeling. Okay, let's go. Two more minutes. That's task 1 on our worksheets.
师：What kind of story? So, click start.
师：Okay, what about you?
生：I think it's a stressful story. Cuz...
师：Wait a minute, why do you think it's stressful? Which sentence is the most stressful in your eyes?
生：I found some sentences. One is “The firefighters to whom the task was given did their best, but there was no way to organize or communicate people's reaction in the face of this disaster. But the truth is, it was helpless.”
师：Good word. It's also hopeless, right? So why was there no way to organize or communicate? Why can you tell from this paragraph?
生：The railway tracks were now useless and there was no water in...
师：Water? Yes, because there were no railway tracks and no water due to the damage caused by the earthquake. Right. So here, what does Jack London compare in this sentence? I guess two powers, right? The first one is the power of nature. Yes, nature. And the second one is the power of human beings. So how was the power of human beings in the face of nature? Too small, weak, right? So this kind of comparison to highlight or emphasize something, what do we call it in English?
生：Contrast.
师：Yes, it's a contrast. If you don't know the word, please read after me. Contrast. Contrast. What does “contrast” mean in Chinese? 对比, right? Okay, thank you so much. And any more volunteers, ISA, please.
生：Oh, I find another contrast.
师：You find another contrast here. Well done. Where is it?
生：And the last sentence of the paragraph, “All of the ways men had made to keep the city safe were gone in the 30 seconds the earth moved.”
师：Yes. How do you feel when you read this sentence?
生：I felt the heavy loss the earthquake brought to the city.
师：Okay, so we can also see two numbers. One number here is 30 seconds. Good. I'll write “number” here, 30 seconds. So why do you think it's a contrast?
生：Maybe it takes almost hundreds of years for people to build this city, but it just takes 30 seconds to destroy it.
师：So it's not only a contrast, but a sharp one, right? Okay, good. Sit down, please. One more volunteer, please.
生：A heartbreaking one. There are two sentences. I think the best example is “Never before in history has a city been so completely destroyed.”
师：What's special about this sentence?
生：I just think it's like stating how serious the earthquake is. So Jack London states this in a different way, making a comparison with history.
师：It's also a comparison, a contrast, right? It compares history and this great accident. Good. So thank you. Sit down, please. And when you read this paragraph, did you notice there's a sentence here? I'd like to share it with you in paragraph 3. “I would like to see it was calm. No wind came up yet from every direction, strong winds blew upon the unlucky city and those whose homes had once stood on its green hills.”