Step 1: General introduction

　　 The grammar items in this unit focus on one aspect of the structure of an article-the elements of a paragraph. You will learn that paragraphs are used to organize information in an article and what is usually included in a paragraph. It will help you write an article better. You are expected to put what you have learnt into practice.

　　 Step2: Explanation:

　　 Introduction: Paragraphs are one of the major "building blocks" of good writing. They are used to organize information in an essay, a story or an article. When writing paragraphs, we usually include the following:

　　 1. Topic: sentences:

　　 ● Each paragraph should have a point. This is usually expressed in a topic sentence, which clearly states what information the paragraph will give.

　　 Not all paragraphs have a topic sentence. This is sometimes the case when, for example, a paragraph is continuing a topic introduced in the previous paragraph, which contained a topic sentence.

　　 The topic sentence is usually the first sentence of a paragraph. However, in the first paragraph of an essay, a story or an article, the topic sentence may often an interesting fact, a question or a quotation.

　　 Older American are on the move.

　　 2. Supporting sentences

　　 ● The topic sentence should be followed by sentences which help explain or prove it.

　　 For decades, Florida has been attracting older residents. In fact, according to the national population survey conducted in 2000, Florida was home to the largest population of people aged 65 and older.

　　 ● The sentences in a paragraph should be listed in an order that makes sense. We can use transitions to link each sentences to the previous or following ones. Transitions we can use include for example, for instance, furthermore, first, second, third, on the other hand, however and also.

　　 Florida is a popular choice for these people because of the climate and the state relatively flat landscape. However, as the number of older Americans moving there increases, more changes are made to cater to them. For example, ambulanceresponse time has decreased, and many houses have bathrooms designed for elderly homeowners, with things like walk-in bathtubs that reduce the risk of slips and falls.

　　 3. Concluding sentence

　　 A paragraph should end with one sentence that respects the topic in a new way. We can also use the concluding sentence to express a final idea about the topic or to help introduce the topic of the next paragraph.

　　 Across the USA, people are noticing the same thing: young people want to live in cities.

　　 4. A hook

　　 Read the second paragraph under the subtitle of "Bright lights, big city" and identify the topic sentence and supporting sentences in it. Why a question is used at the beginning of the paragraph, and whether the question "where are all the young people" is the topic sentence of the paragraph or not. Ask the students to find out the answer to this question: there are almost no young people in a small Midwestern town; they have all moved to live in cities. A question instead of an affirmative sentence here can catch reader's eyes and make reader more interested in the topic. A question like this is called a hook.

　　 Step3 Exercises:

　　 1). Read both the instructions and Part 1 in this section. Make sure that you know what function of a topic sentence is what a hook is. Then, read the two paragraphs in Part A and identify the topic sentence for each one.

　　 Answers:

　　 A 1 A 2 B

　　 2). Read part 2 to learn more about the supporting sentences and their function. Then read the two paragraphs in part A again and point out the supporting sentences as well as the transitions words or phrases in them.

　　 3). Read part 3 to understand what a concluding sentence is. Then read the paragraph in part B. First, you should add transition to complete the paragraph, and then point out the topic and concluding sentences.

　　 Answers:

　　 B (1) At first (2) Then (3) but (4) so (5) However (6) Finally (7) After

　　 4). Find out(underline)the topic sentences of the following short passage:

　　 A

　　 Now more and more people have realized how serious the problem is. Our government is doing its best to take measures to fight against pollution. We've done a good deal of work, but here's still a long way to go. We must keep on fighting until we find ways to protect the environment from being polluted, and do away with pollution. We are sure that we'll win the battle. Goodbye, water pollution!

　　 B

　　 Planting Trees Day comes on March 12 every year. Do you know what can we do to help on the day? In China, Planting Trees Day is on March 12. This special day began in 1979. On that day, people can plant many trees. And if we plant trees more, we must also take care of the trees by watering them until they grow up to be strong. In different countries, Planting Trees Days are on different days. Like in India, Planting Trees Day is on July 1. Why do the people plant trees? It is very easy. Because they want to protect the environment. There are many people who want to earn the money form only cutting down trees. So more and more trees are cut by them. But kind people want to protect the environment and make the air clean. So they plant trees as many as they can. All these actions show that people should pay more attention to the environment. We want to make it better, don't we? So we must plant more trees to protect the environment. So, everyone, if you want to make the air clean, please try your best to protect the environment and plant more trees.

　　 C

　　 However mean your life is, meet it and live it; do not shun it and call it hard names. It is not so bad as you are. It looks poorest when you are richest. The fault-finder will find faults in paradise. Love your life, poor as it is. You may perhaps have some pleasant,thrilling,glorious hours, even in a poor-house. The setting sun is reflected from the windows of the alms-house as brightly as from the rich man's abode; the snow melts before its door as early in the spring. I do not see but a quiet mind may live as contentedly there, and have as cheering thoughts, as in a palace. The town's poor seem to me often to live the most independent lives of any. May be they are simply great enough to receive without misgiving. Most think that they are above being supported by the town; but it often happens that they are not above supporting themselves by dishonest means. Which should be more disreputable? Cultivate poverty like a garden herb, like sage. Do not trouble yourself much to get new things, whether clothes or friends, Turn the old, return to them. Things do not change; we change. Sell your clothes and keep your thoughts.

　　 D

　　 Language learning begins with listening. Children are greatly different in the amount of listening they do before they start speaking, and later starters are often long listeners .Most children will "obey" spoken instructions some time before they can speak, though the word "obey" is hardly accurate as a description of the eager and delighted cooperation usually shown by the child .Before they can speak, many children will also ask questions by gesture and by making questioning noises.

　　 E

　　 It is a problem we need to get out teeth into. The meaning of a word depends on what a particular person means by it in a particular situation and it is clear that what a child means by a word will change as he gains more experience of the world .Thus the use at seven months of "mama" as a greeting for his mother cannot be dismissed as a meaningless sound simply because he also uses it at other times for his father, his dog, or anything else he likes. Playful and meaningless imitation of what other people say continues after the child has begun to speak for himself, I doubt, however whether anything is gained when parents take advantage of this ability in an attempt to teach new sounds

　　 Step 4: Homework

　　 1. Review the grammar: The elements of a paragraph.

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