Unit 1 Focusing on culture课件-2025-2026学年沪教版（2024）英语八年级上册

What do you know about the history of encyclopaedias? What does the word “encyclopaedia” come from? When were the first encyclopaedias made? What is the largest encyclopaedia in history? Let's read an article and explore the history of encyclopaedias. Encyclopaedias: an educational tool with a long history The word “encyclopaedia” comes from a Greek word that means “general education”. We use encyclopaedias to find information about different subjects. Nowadays, most people use encyclopaedias online, but some still prefer to use paper encyclopaedias. They often come in several volumes (n. 一卷；一册). China has a long history of creating encyclopaedias. One of the first encyclopaedias was the Huanglan (i.e. the Imperial Anthology) (《皇览》). It was created around 220 CE. Another important encyclopaedia was the Yongle Dadian (i.e. the Yongle Encyclopaedia) (《永乐大典》). The Yongle Dadian was completed in 1408 and had over 11,000 volumes. It is probably the largest encyclopaedia in history. Both the Huanglan and Yongle Dadian included important pieces of writing. These entries covered subjects like history, art and science. Encyclopaedias in other parts of the world also go back a long way in history. The earliest known encyclopaedias in Europe were written by the Greeks in the 4th century BCE. They were similar to early Chinese encyclopaedias because they included works by different scholars (n. 学者). Centuries later, the editors of the first modern encyclopaedias, like the Encyclopaedia Britannica, organized the entries in alphabetical order. People could use the first letter of a word to find a subject quickly and easily. Encyclopaedias have played an important role through history in recording and providing information. They are still a useful tool, and they help us learn about the world that we live in. Read the article about encyclopaedias and summarize the main idea of each paragraph. Task 1 Introduction to Encyclopaedias History of Chinese Encyclopaedias History of European Encyclopaedias Significance of Encyclopaedias P14 1 Can you find out how encyclopaedias developed in different parts of the world? Read paragraph 1 and answer the questions. Task 2 1. What do people use encyclopaedias for? 2. What are the two forms of encyclopaedias mentioned, and which one is more commonly used nowadays? People use encyclopaedias to find information about different subjects. ① The two forms are online encyclopaedias and paper encyclopaedias. ② Most people use online encyclopaedias nowadays. Read paragraph 2 and fill in the blanks. Task 3 1. One of China's first encyclopaedias, the Huanglan, was created around _______ CE. 2. The Yongle Dadian was completed in _______ and had over 11,000 volumes. 3. Both the Huanglan and Yongle Dadian covered subjects like _______, _______, and _______. 220 1408 history art science Read paragraph 3 and answer the questions. Task 4 (1) When and by whom were the earliest known European encyclopaedias written? (2) How were early Greek encyclopaedias similar to early Chinese encyclopaedias? (P15) (3) What changes did the editors of the first modern encyclopaedias make? (P15) They were written by the Greeks in the 4th century BCE. They both included works by different scholars. They organized the entries in alphabetical order. Possible answer: I think this change is helpful because it's more convenient to search for information. What do you think of this change? Notes The Encyclopaedia Britannica (《大英百科全书》) is a world-famous encyclopaedia. It is the oldest English- language encyclopaedia. The first edition was published in 1768, and since then there have been 15 editions. Read paragraph 4 and fill in the blanks. Task 5 1. What important role have encyclopaedias played through history? 2. Are encyclopaedias still useful today? If yes, what do they help us do? They have played an important role in recording and providing information. Yes, they are still useful. They help us learn about the world that we live in. 教育工具 悠久的历史 源自；来自 通识教育 查找信息 不同主题 在线百科全书 prefer to do sth. 更喜欢做某事 纸质百科全书 编纂百科全书 重要的文献；重要的著作 世界其他地区 历史悠久 与……相似 组织条目 按字母顺序 起到重要作用 记录并提供信息 了解世界 居住在；生活在 以……形式存在 Translate the following expressions into English. 1. 教育工具 2. 悠久的历史 3. 源自；来自 4. 通识教育 5. 查找信息 6. 不同主题 7. 在线百科全书 8. 更喜欢做某事 9. 纸质百科全书 10. 以……形式存在 ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ __________________________________________________________________ ______________________ ______________________ educational tool long history come from general education find information different subjects online encyclopaedias prefer to do sth. paper encyclopaedias Task 6 come in 11. 编纂百科全书 12. 重要的文献；重要的著作 13. 世界其他地区 14. 历史悠久 15. 与……相似 16. 组织条目 17. 按字母顺序 18. 起到重要作用 19. 记录并提供信息 20. 了解世界 21. 居住在；生活在 ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________ ________________________________________________ create encyclopaedias important pieces of writing other parts of the world go back a long way in history be similar to … organize the entries in alphabetical order play an important role record and provide information learn about the world live in (1) Before you start writing, you need to __________ your ideas. (2) Writers __________ important information about science, art and other subjects in the Huanglan and Yongle Dadian. (3) __________ need to check all facts very carefully. (4) The words in a dictionary are usually in alphabetical __________. P15 3 3 Complete the sentences with the words below. Change the form if necessary. editor order organize record organize recorded Editors order Introduction to Encyclopaedias Origin: From Greek, meaning “general education” Purpose: To find information about different subjects Forms: Online + Paper Significance of Encyclopaedias Recorded and provided information through history Still a useful tool for learning about the world Early works Content Huanglan: Created around 220 CE Yongle Dadian: Completed in 1408, over 11,000 volumes Covered history, art, science, etc. History of European Encyclopaedias Earliest in Europe Modern encyclopaedias Written by Greeks in 4th century BCE e.g. Encyclopaedia Britannica, entries organized in alphabetical order Encyclopaedias History of Chinese Encyclopaedias ... ... Your ideas Find out more information about the Yongle Dadian and share your findings with your classmates. (1) When was the National Museum of Classic Books opened? (2) Where did the idea for the decorations on the gates of the museum come from? Watch the video National Museum of Classic Books and answer the questions. From the Yongle Encyclopaedia. It was opened in 2014. Where can you see precious ancient books in China? The National Museum of Classic Books (国家典籍博物馆) is one such place. National Museum of Classic Books The National Museum of Classic Books, the first museum of precious ancient books in China, was officially (adv. 正式地) opened to mark (v. 纪念) the 105th anniversary of the National Library of China in Beijing in 2014. The Yongle Encyclopaedia was a Chinese compilation (n. 编纂) commissioned (v.正式委托) by the Ming dynasty emperor Yongle in 1403. It was then the world's largest known general encyclopaedia and one of the earliest. This map is finely (adv. 精确地) illustrated (v. 加插图于) with street scenes, customs and people from all walks of life in Xuanhua County, in today's Southwest China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. There are more than 150 maps like this in the Yongle Encyclopaedia. This volume is neatly (adv. 极好地) illustrated with door patterns from pre-Qin times to the Ming dynasty (1368-1644). And the decorations on the gates of the National Museum of Classic Books are inspired from this book too. Encyclopaedias are not merely collections of knowledge but timeless bridges connecting humanity's past wisdom to its endless pursuit of understanding. 百科全书不仅仅是知识的集合，更是连接人类过往智慧与无尽求知探索的永恒桥梁。 1. Do you have a better understanding about the history of encyclopaedias? Have you realized its importance? 2. What do you know about the Yongle Dadian? Search for more information about the Chinese history of encyclopaedias. $$