Unit 1 Section 1 Reading 课件-2025-2026学年沪教版（2024）英语八年级上册

What does the title mean? It means to look for information about something in a dictionary or an encyclopaedia /enˌsaɪkləʊ'pi:djə/. What is an encyclopaedia? a book or set of books giving information on many subjects or on many aspects of one subject many subjects one subject many subjects typically arranged alphabetically (按字母排序地） How do you find information in an encyclopaedia? Use the index (索引) Find the entry … Search the table of contents (目录) • History • Music • Culture and arts • Society and life • Technology and invention … Su Wen is looking through a children's encyclopaedia. It has different subjects. He finds an entry about Leonardo da Vinci under the subject of “Culture and arts”, and an entry about dinosaurs under the subject of “The living world”. What do you know about these two topics? 1 Complete a mini-quiz about Leonardo da Vinci. What do you know about Leonardo da Vinci? (1) Where was Leonardo da Vinci from? a France b Italy c the UK (2) Which of the following was Leonardo da Vinci not good at? a music b engineering c sailing (3) Which painting is Leonardo da Vinci famous for? a Sunflowers b Mona Lisa c Impression, Sunrise P4 1 (You will find most of the answers in an encyclopaedia.) 2 Look at the facts about dinosaurs and see if you can work out what number goes in each of the blanks. P4 2 Numbers: 66 180 1,000 Facts about dinosaurs (1) Dinosaurs lived on the Earth for more than ______ million years. (2) Dinosaurs died out about ______ million years ago. (3) There are more than ______ known species of dinosaurs. (You will find most of the answers in an encyclopaedia.) 180 66 1,000 Read the two entries from a children's encyclopaedia to learn more about Leonardo da Vinci and dinosaurs. Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519) was an Italian painter, inventor, musician, engineer and scientist. Da Vinci was extremely intelligent, and he was unusually talented in many different fields. He was a true genius, and his paintings and inventions changed the way we think about art and science. Leonardo da Vinci was born in the countryside in Italy. From an early age, he showed great intelligence and artistic talent. As he grew older, he learnt to do many different things. His paintings are very famous, and one, the Mona Lisa, is perhaps the most famous painting in the world. He also had many inventions. For example, his notebooks include some interesting drawings of flying machines and other vehicles. Culture and arts Dinosaurs Dinosaurs are a type of prehistoric animal. They are related to crocodiles, snakes and lizards. They are also the ancestors of today's birds. Dinosaurs first appeared around 245 million years ago. The word “dinosaur” comes from two Greek words, and it means “terrible lizard”. Dinosaurs lived on land and walked on either two or four legs. Many dinosaurs ate plants, but some ate meat. Dinosaurs came in different sizes. Some were as small as chickens, and others were as big as ten elephants. Dinosaurs ruled (v. 统治) the Earth for more than 180 million years. About 66 million years ago, dinosaurs suddenly died out. Scientists are not completely sure why. However, they are learning more and more about dinosaurs by studying their fossils (n. 化石). The living world When you need to find certain information in a text, you do not have to read every word. Instead, you can move your eyes quickly over the text until you find the information you need. This is called scanning. Scanning Can you quickly find the information about when dinosaurs first appeared in the second entry? Complete the notes below with the information from the first entry. Task 1 Leonardo da Vinci Year of birth: __________________________________ Year of death: __________________________________ Country of birth: _______________________________ Profession(s): __________________________________ Most famous artwork: ___________________________ P6 1 Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519) was an Italian painter, inventor, musician, engineer and scientist. Da Vinci was extremely intelligent, and he was unusually talented in many different fields. He was a true genius, and his paintings and inventions changed the way we think about art and science. Leonardo da Vinci was born in the countryside in Italy. From an early age, he showed great intelligence and artistic talent. As he grew older, he learnt to do many different things. His paintings are very famous, and one, the Mona Lisa, is perhaps the most famous painting in the world. He also had many inventions. For example, his notebooks include some interesting drawings of flying machines and other vehicles. Leonardo da Vinci Year of birth: _____________________________________________ Year of death: _____________________________________________ Country of birth: __________________________________________ Profession(s): _____________________________________________ Most famous artwork: ______________________________________ 1452 1519 Italy painter, inventor, musician, engineer and scientist Mona Lisa Read the first entry again and answer the questions below. 2. What can we find in his notebooks? 1. How did Leonardo da Vinci influence art and science? Task 2 Leonardo da Vinci's paintings and inventions changed the way we think about art and science. We can find some interesting drawings of flying machines and other vehicles. Complete the notes below with the information from the second entry. Task 3 Dinosaurs Time period: __________________________________ Size: _________________________________________ Diets: ________________________________________ Animals related to dinosaurs: ____________________ Things scientists are not sure about: ______________ P6 1 Dinosaurs Dinosaurs are a type of prehistoric animal. They are related to crocodiles, snakes and lizards. They are also the ancestors of today's birds. Dinosaurs first appeared around 245 million years ago. The word “dinosaur” comes from two Greek words, and it means “terrible lizard”. Dinosaurs lived on land and walked on either two or four legs. Many dinosaurs ate plants, but some ate meat. Dinosaurs came in different sizes. Some were as small as chickens, and others were as big as ten elephants. Dinosaurs ruled the Earth for more than 180 million years. About 66 million years ago, dinosaurs suddenly died out. Scientists are not completely sure why. However, they are learning more and more about dinosaurs by studying their fossils. Dinosaurs Time period: ____________________________________________________ Size: ___________________________________________________________ Diets: __________________________________________________________ Animals related to dinosaurs: ______________________________________ Things scientists are not sure about: ________________________________ around 245 million years ago - about 66 million years ago Some were as small as chickens, and others were as big as ten elephants. Many dinosaurs ate plants, but some ate meat. crocodiles, snakes, lizards and birds why dinosaurs suddenly died out Read the second entry again and answer the questions below. 2. How do we know about dinosaurs? 1. Where did dinosaurs live? Task 4 Dinosaurs lived on land. We know about dinosaurs from their fossils. The two encyclopaedia entries are from different subjects of the same encyclopaedia. Under which subjects should we put the following entries? Culture and arts: _________________________________________________________ The living world: _________________________________________________________ Task 5 Claude Monet insects the giant panda festivals Ludwig van Beethoven types of plants P6 2 Claude Monet, festivals, Ludwig van Beethoven insects, the giant panda, types of plants Year of birth Year of death Country of birth Profession(s) 1452 1519 Italy painter, inventor, musician, engineer and scientist Most famous artwork Mona Lisa Inventions flying machines and other vehicles Time period Animals related to dinosaurs Lifestyles Size around 245 million years ago - about 66 million years ago crocodiles, snakes, lizards and birds lived on land, walked on either 2 or 4 legs as small as chickens ate plants or meat as big as ten elephants Things scientists are not sure about why dinosaurs suddenly died out Word origin From two Greek words (means “terrible lizard”) Analyse the language used in the two entries. Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519) was an Italian painter, inventor, musician, engineer and scientist. Da Vinci was extremely intelligent, and he was unusually talented in many different fields. He was a true genius, and his paintings and inventions changed the way we think about art and science. Leonardo da Vinci was born in the countryside in Italy. From an early age, he showed great intelligence and artistic talent. As he grew older, he learnt to do many different things. His paintings are very famous, and one, the Mona Lisa, is perhaps the most famous painting in the world. He also had many inventions. For example, his notebooks include some interesting drawings of flying machines and other vehicles. Dinosaurs Dinosaurs are a type of prehistoric animal. They are related to crocodiles, snakes and lizards. They are also the ancestors of today's birds. Dinosaurs first appeared around 245 million years ago. The word “dinosaur” comes from two Greek words, and it means “terrible lizard”. Dinosaurs lived on land and walked on either two or four legs. Many dinosaurs ate plants, but some ate meat. Dinosaurs came in different sizes. Some were as small as chickens, and others were as big as ten elephants. Dinosaurs ruled the Earth for more than 180 million years. About 66 million years ago, dinosaurs suddenly died out. Scientists are not completely sure why. However, they are learning more and more about dinosaurs by studying their fossils. • Simple language: Both use easy words and short sentences, suitable for young readers.​ • Clear information: They present basic facts directly, like Leonardo da Vinci's talents and dinosaurs' features.​ • Examples and details: Specific examples (e.g., Mona Lisa, dinosaur sizes) make content vivid.​ • Logical structure: They start with an introduction and then add details step by step.​ • Unemotional tone: The language is plain (平实的), focusing on explaining things clearly. (1) When do you need to find information in an encyclopaedia? (2) What is the difference between a dictionary and an encyclopaedia? ... ... Your ideas Purpose: • A dictionary gives the meanings of words and shows how they are used. • An encyclopaedia provides detailed information on a wide range of topics. Content: • A dictionary focuses mainly on words, their definitions, pronunciations, and sometimes their origins. • An encyclopaedia includes articles about various subjects, including history, science, culture, and more. Length: • A dictionary is usually shorter, focusing on individual words. • An encyclopaedia is longer, offering in-depth (深入的) articles and information. 1. What do you know about encyclopedias? Do you know their meaning and features? When do you need to use an encyclopedia? How do you find information in an encyclopedia? 2. Can you understand the entries about Leonardo da Vinci and dinosaurs? Can you find the information you need from them? 3. Do you know the difference between a dictionary and an encyclopedia? 4. Can you retell the two entries according to the graphic organizers? 1. Share some interesting facts you find in the encyclopaedia with your classmates. 2. Preview Listening part on page 8. $$