Unit 8 Focusing on culture课件 2025-2026 学年沪教版英语八年级下册

By the end of this class, you will be able to: ◎understand a science fiction text about time travel; ◎analyze characters' opinions and find evidence from the text to support agreement or disagreement; ◎discuss the topic of time travel in groups. The Time Machine 《时间机器》 by H.G. Wells The Three-Body Problem 《三体》 by Liu Cixin Around the World in Eighty Days《八十天环游地球》 by Jules Verne I, Robot 《我，机器人》 by Isaac Asimov Many ideas from science fiction novels have inspired scientists to do great things. The Time Machine 《时间机器》 by H.G. Wells The Time Machine is one of the most famous science fiction novels ever written. What do you know about it? The Time Machine is one of the most loved science fiction novels of all time. H. G. Wells created a vivid picture of an Earth some 800,000 years into the future. The book was the first novel about time travel. Its impact on science fiction is huge. Have you ever thought about time travel? Do you think it's possible? Today, let's read the adapted excerpt from The Time Machine and find out how the characters in the story think of time travel. Herbert George Wells (1866-1946) was a famous British writer known as “The Father of Science Fiction.” Who was H.G. Wells? • Started writing: In the 1890s • Writing style: Combined science with exciting stories • Main theme: What might happen in the future • Special skill: Made impossible things seem possible Writing Career • The Time Machine《时间机器》(1895) - About travelling through time • The Island of Dr. Moreau《莫洛博士岛》(1896) - About strange scientific experiments • The Invisible Man 《隐身人》(1897) - About a man who becomes invisible • The War of the Worlds《世界大战》(1898) - About aliens attacking Earth Famous Books • Pioneer 先驱者: He was one of the first science fiction writers. • Influence: Many modern movies and books copy his ideas. • Prediction: He imagined things like space travel and time machines. • Legacy 遗产: People still read his books today, over 100 years later. Why is H.G. Wells Important? • His books became famous movies • “Back to the Future” was inspired by “The Time Machine” • Many TV shows use his ideas • Video games often include time travel themes Modern Connections An excerpt from The Time Machine The Time Machine is a novel by H.G. Wells. It is about a man called "The Time Traveller". The following excerpt introduces us to five different characters. Here they are having a conversation after dinner about time travel. "But," said the Medical Man, "if Time is really only a fourth dimension of Space, why can't we move in Time as we move about in the other dimensions of Space?" The Time Traveller smiled. "Are you so sure we can move freely in Space? We can go right and left, backward and forward, but not up and down." "Not exactly," said the Medical Man. "There are balloons." "Yes, but not before the balloons." "Well, they could a bit," said the Medical Man. "But you can't move at all in Time. We can't get away from the present moment." "My dear sir, I'm sorry to disappoint you but you're wrong about this. The whole world is wrong. We always get away from the present moment. Our thoughts pass along the Time-Dimension from the cradle to the grave." The Psychologist nodded. He agreed with the Medical Man, "You can move about in all directions of Space, but you can't move about in Time." "You are wrong. For example, if I am remembering an event very clearly, I go back to the moment when it happened. I jump back for a moment. Of course, I can't stay back for long. But if a man can go up in a balloon, why shouldn't he stop or speed up along the Time-Dimension, or even travel the other way?" "Oh, this," began Filby, "is all nonsense." "Why not?" said the Time Traveller. "It's against reason," said Filby. "What reason?" said the Time Traveller. "You can argue that black is white," said Filby, "but you will never make me believe." "Possibly not," said the Time Traveller. "But now you begin to see my reason for studying the Four Dimensions. Long ago I had a vague idea of a machine—" "To travel through Time!" said the Very Young Man. Skim the excerpt and answer the questions. Task 1 1. How many characters are mentioned in the excerpt? Who are they? 2. What is the main topic they are talking about? 1 2 3 4 5 They are having a conversation about time travel. What are their opinions about time travel? Five. They are the Medical Man, the Time Traveller, the Psychologist, Filby, and the Very Young Man. Tick (✓) agree, disagree or unclear. Then underline the evidence in the excerpt on page 126 to support each of your answers. Statement: We can travel through time. Character Agree Disagree Unclear Medical Man Time Traveller Psychologist Filby Very Young Man P127 2 Task 2 Do the five characters in the excerpt agree or disagree with the statement? Statement: We can travel through time. Character Agree Disagree Unclear Medical Man ✓ "But," said the Medical Man, "if Time is really only a fourth dimension (维(构成空间的因素)) of Space, why can't we move in Time as we move about in the other dimensions of Space?" The Time Traveller smiled. "Are you so sure we can move freely in Space? We can go right and left, backward and forward, but not up and down." "Not exactly," said the Medical Man. "There are balloons." "Yes, but not before the balloons." "Well, they could a bit," said the Medical Man. "But you can't move at all in Time. We can't get away from the present moment." Evidence Statement: We can travel through time. Character Agree Disagree Unclear Time Traveller ✓ Evidence "My dear sir, I'm sorry to disappoint you but you're wrong about this. The whole world is wrong. We always get away from the present moment. Our thoughts pass along the Time-Dimension from the cradle to the grave." The Psychologist nodded. He agreed with the Medical Man, "You can move about in all directions of Space, but you can't move about in Time." "You are wrong. For example, if I am remembering an event very clearly, I go back to the moment when it happened. I jump back for a moment. Of course, I can't stay back for long. But if a man can go up in a balloon, why shouldn't he stop or speed up along the Time-Dimension, or even travel the other way?" Statement: We can travel through time. Character Agree Disagree Unclear Psychologist ✓ Evidence "Well, they could a bit," said the Medical Man. "But you can't move at all in Time. We can't get away from the present moment." "My dear sir, I'm sorry to disappoint you but you're wrong about this. The whole world is wrong. We always get away from the present moment. Our thoughts pass along the Time-Dimension from the cradle to the grave." The Psychologist nodded. He agreed with the Medical Man, "You can move about in all directions of Space, but you can't move about in Time." Statement: We can travel through time. Character Agree Disagree Unclear Filby Very Young Man ✓ "Oh, this," began Filby, "is all nonsense (胡言乱语)." "Why not?" said the Time Traveller. "It's against reason," said Filby. "What reason?" said the Time Traveller. "You can argue that black is white," said Filby, "but you will never make me believe." "Possibly not," said the Time Traveller. "But now you begin to see my reason for studying the Four Dimensions. Long ago I had a vague (模糊的) idea of a machine—" "To travel through Time!" said the Very Young Man. Evidence ✓ Read the excerpt and choose the best answer. Task 3 Choose for details 1. Which of the following can humans do in the three dimensions of space? A. Go right and left B. Go forward and backward C. Go up and down D. All of the above 2. What does the Medical Man use as an example to show we can move up and down in Space? A. A time machine B. A balloon C. A thought D. A dream 3. What does “from the cradle to the grave” mean? A. From morning to night B. From birth to death C. From past to future D. From one place to another 4. What example does the Time Traveller use to argue that we can move in Time? A. Riding a balloon B. Walking in different directions C. Remembering an event from the past D. Building a machine Choose for details 5. Who says “This is all nonsense” about time travel? A. The Medical Man B. The Psychologist C. Filby D. The Very Young Man 6. At the end of the excerpt, what does the Very Young Man suggest? A. That time travel is impossible B. That the Time Traveller is lying C. That the Time Traveller wants to build a machine to travel through Time D. That they should go home Choose for details Choose for attitudes 7. What is Filby's attitude toward the Time Traveller's explanation? A. Very excited and interested B. Confused but willing to learn C. Skeptical and doubtful D. Completely convinced 8. Based on the text, how would you describe the Time Traveller's personality? A. Confident and determined B. Shy and uncertain C. Angry and impatient D. Sad and disappointed Task 4 Work in pairs. Choose your roles. Scenario 1: Time Traveller vs. Medical Man Scenario 2: Time Traveller vs. Filby Scenario 3: … Your conversation should include: • Greeting • Stating your opinion about time travel • Giving reasons • Responding to the other person's view • Conclusion An excerpt from The Time Machine The Time Machine is a novel by H.G. Wells. It is about a man called "The Time Traveller". The following excerpt introduces us to five different characters. Here they are having a conversation after dinner about time travel. "But," said the Medical Man, "if Time is really only a fourth dimension of Space, why can't we move in Time as we move about in the other dimensions of Space?" The Time Traveller smiled. "Are you so sure we can move freely in Space? We can go right and left, backward and forward, but not up and down." "Not exactly," said the Medical Man. "There are balloons." "Yes, but not before the balloons." "Well, they could a bit," said the Medical Man. "But you can't move at all in Time. We can't get away from the present moment." "My dear sir, I'm sorry to disappoint you but you're wrong about this. The whole world is wrong. We always get away from the present moment. Our thoughts pass along the Time-Dimension from the cradle to the grave." The Psychologist nodded. He agreed with the Medical Man, "You can move about in all directions of Space, but you can't move about in Time." "You are wrong. For example, if I am remembering an event very clearly, I go back to the moment when it happened. I jump back for a moment. Of course, I can't stay back for long. But if a man can go up in a balloon, why shouldn't he stop or speed up along the Time-Dimension, or even travel the other way?" "Oh, this," began Filby, "is all nonsense." "Why not?" said the Time Traveller. "It's against reason," said Filby. "What reason?" said the Time Traveller. "You can argue that black is white," said Filby, "but you will never make me believe." "Possibly not," said the Time Traveller. "But now you begin to see my reason for studying the Four Dimensions. Long ago I had a vague idea of a machine—" "To travel through Time!" said the Very Young Man. introduce sb. to … 向某人介绍…… have a conversation about… 就……进行交谈 空间的第四维度 四处移动 在空间中自由移动 go right and left / backward and forward / up and down 左右/前后/上下移动 并不完全是 摆脱；离开；脱离 此刻；当下 从生到死 向四面八方 回到；追溯到 当然 加速 很抱歉让你失望 跳回 停留在过去 向另一个方向旅行 This is all nonsense. 全是胡说八道。 违背常理 颠倒黑白/强词夺理 make sb. believe 让某人相信 the reason for ……的原因 有一个模糊的想法 时间旅行 同意 Pay attention to the key expressions. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ Translate the following expressions into English. 1. 向某人介绍…… 2. 就……进行交谈 3. 时间旅行 4. 空间的第四维度 5. 四处移动 6. 在空间中自由移动 7. 左右/前后/上下移动 8. 并不完全是 9. 摆脱；离开；脱离 introduce sb. to … have a conversation about… the fourth dimension of Space time travel move about move freely in Space go right and left / backward and forward / up and down not exactly Task 5 get away from __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 10. 此刻；当下 11. 很抱歉让你失望。 12. 从生到死 13. 同意 14. 向四面八方 15. 回到；追溯到 16. 跳回 17. 当然 18. 停留在过去 19. 加速 the present moment I'm sorry to disappoint you. from the cradle to the grave agree with in all directions go back to jump back of course stay back speed up _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 20. 向另一个方向旅行 21. 全是胡说八道。 22. 违背常理 23. 颠倒黑白/强词夺理 24. 让某人相信 25. ……的原因 26. 有一个模糊的想法 travel the other way This is all nonsense. against reason argue that black is white make sb. believe the reason for have a vague idea (1) Don't worry. I'll finish the article about H. G. Wells tonight— I won't ____________ you. (2) The traffic is terrible here. It is impossible to ____________ freely in this town. (3) He looked around ______________ to see where the noise came from. (4) He ____________ that we should make a decision based on the data collected. (5) We need to ____________ in order to get to the airport in time. Complete the sentences with the words and phrases below. Change the form if necessary. P127 3 argue　disappoint　move about　in all directions　speed up disappoint move about in all directions argued speed up Do you think time travel is possible? Discuss in groups. P127 4 To learn more about The Time Machine, you can read the book or watch the film. P127 1. Can you understand the excerpt from The Time Machine and get people's different opinions about time travel? 2. Can you find the evidence in the text to support your answers? 3. Can you talk about time travel with your group members? 1. Write a short paragraph (60–80 words) about your idea about time travel. Your writing should include all three points below: • Do you think time travel is possible? • Why or why not? (Give 1–2 simple reasons) • If you could travel through time, what would you do? (Describe one clear thing you want to do) 2. Try to read the original version of The Time Machine by H.G. Wells. Blues 173645.05 $