师：Hello everyone, this is mescal from Tianjin No. 21 High School. I'm very delighted to have a class with you all here. Today, we're going to learn a passage titled "Masters of Time". Now, let's begin. First, let's look at the analysis of the material.
This article is a narrative text that introduces the deeds of Wang Jin, a clock restorer at the Palace Museum, who tirelessly repairs clock artifacts day after day, racing against time. It tells the complexity and difficulty of the restoration work of clock artifacts at the Palace Museum. Master Wang Jin can endure loneliness and diligently engages in clock repair work. The craftsmanship spirit he displays indicates the significance of doing one thing well in his life.
师：Now, let's watch a short video clip. After watching it, you can answer the following three questions. The first one, who was the Forbidden City built for? Next, when did it become home to the Palace Museum? The last one, how many works of art are there in the Palace Museum?
The Forbidden City. For over 500 years, the Forbidden City was home to emperors from the Ming and Qing dynasties, their families, and their many servants. This magnificent palace consisted of more than 9,000 rooms filled with treasures. It's believed that millions of laborers and craft workers took part in its construction. No one could enter the Forbidden City without permission from the emperor.
Today, the Forbidden City is home to the Palace Museum, which opened in 1925. Since then, ordinary people have been able to enter the Forbidden City and admire the rich collection of the Palace Museum. The museum comprises around 1.8 million objects that cover thousands of years of Chinese history. The Palace Museum is one of only a few museums in the world that can be regarded not only as a museum of art and history, but also as one of architecture, as well as tradition and culture. In short, it's a symbol of the great and glorious history of Chinese civilization, preserving the cultural memory of the country.
The Forbidden City was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987. Today, more than 14 million visitors each year walk through its huge gates, making it the most visited World Heritage destination in the world.
师：Have you got the answers? Let's check. The first one, who was the Forbidden City built for? The answer is, the Forbidden City was built for emperors, their families, and servants in the Ming and Qing dynasties. The next one, when did it become home to the Palace Museum? The answer is, it became home to the Palace Museum in 1925. The third one, how many works of art are there in the Palace Museum? The answer is, there are around 1.8 million works of art.
师：Well, everyone, open your books and turn to page 20. Let's learn "Masters of Time" together. Look at the title and the pictures, and predict what the passage is about. Now, read the passage while listening to the audio and check your prediction. If you can't see the picture clearly, you can also scan the QR code on the screen to read the passage. Now, let's begin.
Masters of time in the quiet courtyards of Xi San Suu, behind the high walls of the Forbidden City, time ticks at its own pace. If it hadn't been for a three - episode documentary, outsiders would never have known that the plainly dressed people working here are masters of their craft who have spent their lives restoring precious antiques. Among these is the clock restoration master Wang Jin. Walking through the seven Crimson Gates towards his workplace, Wang Jin still regards himself as an ordinary worker in the Palace Museum, although now he's often stopped by admirers wanting their photo taken with him. Day in, day out, Mister Wang and his students spend their time restoring clocks dating back hundreds of years. But for quite some time, he and his student, Qi Haonan, used to be the only two people repairing timepieces in the Palace Museum.
Qing emperors were very fond of clocks. Therefore, in order to please them, foreign envoys presented these emperors with the most intricate and splendid timepieces. Today, the Palace Museum has one of the most significant collections of timepieces in the world, mainly originating from Europe and China, with objects ranging from small pocket watches to clocks over 1 meter in height. Each of these requires its own unique method of restoration, given the complexity of the work and the lack of necessary materials. This means each expert can work on a maximum of two large pieces a year. But through their painstaking efforts, Mister Wang and his students do more than repair the clocks. They bring them back to life. The only sound to break the silence in Wang Jin's workshop is the chiming melody of the repaired and polished clocks. To Wang Jin, it is the most beautiful music in the world.
Now, after eight months of endless adjustments, the time has finally come for Mister Wang to wind up the gigantic clocks that date back to the time of Emperor Qianlong. The intricately fashioned objects that have stood still for centuries instantly come back to life. Water flows, boats sail, dogs bark, chickens flap their wings, and a woman starts to spin. It is a truly awe - inspiring moment. It's suddenly clear that when the clock masters say that these antiques have lives, it's neither an exaggeration nor a metaphor.
But despite the combined work of several generations of masters, it seems unlikely that the restoration of the clocks will ever be complete. Even if every clock in the Palace Museum were restored, there would still be work to do because restoration would probably need to begin again on the clocks that were repaired long ago. This is a race against time that can never be won.
Nonetheless, Mister Wang remains optimistic about the future of these timepieces. Following in the footsteps of his own teacher all those years ago, Mister Wang has now passed on his skills to the new members who will take on many of the future repairs. What's more, inspired to follow in his father's footsteps, Mister Wang's son has also taken up repairing antique clocks. This new generation of artisans will not only help preserve traditional skills, but the innovation they bring to the craft will also ensure that the art of clock - repairing stands the test of time. In today's fast - paced world, the saying that time waits for no man has never seemed more apt. Yet inside the hidden courtyards of Xi Sansua, there is something timeless about the way Mister Wang and his colleagues sedately piece together the past with skillful hands and modest hearts. It's as if they have become one with their craft and with the history of the country.
师：Have you got the main idea of the passage? Think for a second. Right. The passage is about Wang Jin and his team who are working in the Forbidden City to restore old clocks. “Restore” means to bring back a situation or feeling that existed before.