Unit5 Looking into nature Understanding ideas(Reading)课件2025-2026学年外研版英语八年级下册

Understanding ideas (Reading) Unit 5 Looking into nature 01 Teaching objectives 02 Starting out 03 Understanding ideas 04 Vocabulary Contents 05 Homework 01 Teaching objectives 语言能力 学习掌握有关自然观察、动物行为的核心词汇与短语，能在阅读中准确理解词义和搭配，读懂关于动物习性与自然现象的说明性文本，获取关键事实信息。 正确运用一般现在时、现在进行时描述动物特征与自然现象，掌握描述顺序、对比和因果关系的句型，清晰地表达观察内容与简单发现。 能根据阅读文本梳理信息，用简洁的英语概括段落大意，口头或书面描述一种动物或自然现象，做到表达准确、逻辑连贯。 思维品质 学习能力 文化意识 通过梳理文本结构与信息，学会区分事实与观点，提升信息筛选、归纳和概括的逻辑思维能力，形成清晰的自然观察思路。 对比不同动物的生存方式与习性，分析自然现象背后的简单原因，培养观察、比较与简单推理的批判性思维。 理解人类与自然的关系，反思自身行为对自然的影响，形成尊重生命、保护自然的价值判断与理性思考。 学会运用略读、寻读策略快速定位关键信息，借助标题、图片预测内容，掌握阅读科普类文章的基本方法。 主动整理主题词汇与句型，建立自然主题语料库，在阅读与表达中迁移运用，提升自主学习与知识归纳能力。 积极参与小组讨论与分享，在合作中交流阅读收获与观察发现，学会倾听、借鉴并完善自己的表达。 了解中外对自然观察与生态保护的共同理念，认识到自然界的多样性与神奇，树立尊重自然、敬畏生命的基本意识。 理解保护野生动物与自然环境的重要意义，感受人与自然和谐共生的文化内涵，增强生态保护意识。 关注身边的自然环境，愿意从小事做起爱护自然，形成绿色生活理念，培养社会责任感与环保行动力。 教学重点 掌握本课时自然、动物、观察类核心词汇与重点句型，在语境中准确理解并运用，能读懂科普性自然观察文章并获取细节信息。 掌握科普阅读的基本方法，理清文章结构，能概括段落大意与全文主旨，理解描述自然现象的表达方式。 运用所学语言简单描述动物特征或自然现象，体会文本的说明逻辑，为后续观察写作打下语言与结构基础。 教学难点 准确理解科普文本中长句和描述性语句，区分相似词汇的用法，在语境中恰当使用，避免表达混淆。 梳理文章说明顺序与逻辑关系，在口头和书面表达中做到条理清晰，完整且有条理地呈现自然观察内容。 将自然知识与语言运用结合，在表达中融入简单思考，真正理解人与自然和谐共生的意义并落实到意识与行动。 教学重难点 02 Starting out What can you see in the picture? In the picture, I can see a huge desert at night. The sky is very dark and full of bright stars, and we can even see the Milky Way. There are also some tall sand hills. In the middle of the desert, a person is standing alone and holding a bright light to shine in the dark. Look and Say What does the picture make you feel? It makes me feel small in front of nature and it inspires me to explore. Look at the pictures and answer the questions. 1 What do you know about these people? Li Shizhen was a famous Chinese medical scientist in the Ming Dynasty. He wrote Bencao Gangmu. Charles Darwin was a famous British biologist. He wrote On the Origin of Species. Wang Zhenyi was an outstanding female scientist in ancient China. 李时珍（约1518年—1593年），字东璧，晚年自号濒湖山人，今湖北蕲春 人，明代著名医药学家，与“医圣”万密斋齐名，有“万密斋的方，李时珍的药”之说，曾任楚王府奉祠正、皇家太医院判，后被敕封为“文林郎、四川蓬溪知县”。 他出生于世医家庭，自幼喜爱医药，立志悬壶济世。经过刻苦学习与实践，三十岁时成为当地名医。后受楚王聘请掌管王府良医所，又被推荐上京任太医院判，其间阅读大量医书，医学水平大幅提升，一年后辞职返乡。自1565年起，李时珍先后前往武当山、庐山等多地收集药物标本和处方，拜渔人、樵夫等为师，记录千万字札记。他历经二十七个寒暑，三易其稿，于1590年完成192万字巨著《本草纲目》。1593年，李时珍逝世。 《本草纲目》是当时最系统、完整、科学的医药学著作，被誉为“东方医药巨典”，不仅推动了中国药物学发展，还对世界多学科产生深远影响，英国生物学家达尔文称其为“中国古代百科全书”。李时珍也被后世尊为“药圣”，此外他还著有《奇经八脉考》等多部医书。 Cultural note 查尔斯·达尔文（1809年2月12日—1882年4月19日），出生于英国普雷斯顿， 毕业于剑桥大学，英国著名生物学家，进化论的奠基人。他出生于医学世家，早年先后在爱丁堡大学学习医学、剑桥大学学习神学，后走上生物研究之路。1831年12月，达尔文随贝格尔号军舰开启为期5年的环球考察，返乡后开始整理考察笔记。1839年，他出版《航海日志》，记录航行中的发现与经历；1842年，举家迁居达温宅，完成进化论思想初稿，两年后写成230页提纲。1858年，他的进化论提纲与华莱士的论文一同发表。1859年11月，《物种起源》出版，迅速引发关注；1871年，《人类的由来》问世。他还曾证明种子、动植物可抵达海洋岛屿，当选皇家学会相关成员，1877年获剑桥大学荣誉法学博士学位。1882年4月19日，达尔文在达温宅逝世，厚葬于威斯敏斯特大教堂。 达尔文提出的生物进化论，摧毁了神造论和物种不变论，彻底改变了人们对生物学的认知。他曾获皇家奖章、皇家学会最高荣誉科普利奖章，为近代生物学发展奠定了基础。 Cultural note 王贞仪（1768－1797），字德卿，号金陵女史、江宁女史，祖籍安徽泗州 天长县，后寓居江苏江宁（今南京），清代科学家、诗人，为嘉应州知州王者辅之孙。她出身书香门第，自幼接受良好教育，受祖父影响，对天文、算学、地理、医学等均有浓厚兴趣。祖父去世后，王贞仪随家人赴关外奔丧，在吉林居住四年，其间向蒙古阿将军夫人学习骑射，又随卜太夫人研习古诗文。1784 年，她护送祖父灵柩返回江宁，此后与家人四处游历，开阔眼界。1786 年归居天长旧宅，1792 年与诸生詹枚成婚。婚后她仍坚持治学，1796 年整理文稿编成《德风亭集》，次年病逝，年仅三十岁。一生著有《星象图释》《历算简存》《德风亭初集》等多部作品。 王贞仪诗文质朴真切，多反映社会现实，同时在天文、数学、医学等领域造诣精深，史有 “班昭之后一人而已” 的赞誉。她在国际科学界亦享有盛名，形象曾登外国明信片，国际天文学联合会以其名命名小行星，《自然》杂志更将其列入 “为科学发展奠定基础的女性科学家”名录，成为中国古代杰出女性科学家的代表。 Cultural note Look at the pictures and answer the questions. 2 What do they have in common? All of them have made great contributions to the exploration of nature and science. They were curious about the natural world, put a lot of time into observing, researching and summarising, and used their knowledge to help people better understand nature, medicine, and the principles of life and the universe. Look at the picture and answer the questions. 1 What secrets of nature do you know? There are many interesting secrets of nature. Some plants can “talk” to each other by releasing certain chemicals. Some animals use the Earth's magnetic field to find their way. Some fish and other sea animals can produce their own light in the dark deep-sea environment. Look at the picture and answer the questions. 2 Which one do you want to explore more? I want to explore the plant's “talking” secret further. I'd like to know what kind of chemicals they release and how the nearby plants receive and understand these “messages”. 03 Understanding ideas Look at the title and the pictures. What is the passage about? Use the word cloud to help you. Pre-reading The passage is about how amber helps scientists unlock the secrets of nature. It serves as a window on the past and leads to important discoveries. It also shows how life has changed over time, offering a key to understanding the history of species. Look at the picture and choose the correct answer. Pre-reading 1. What is the genre of this passage? A. A novel B. A popular science article C. A fairy tale D. A personal diary What is the main idea of the passage? A. To introduce the history of amber and how it is formed. B. To explain why dinosaurs had feathers and how amber proves it. C. To show the great scientific value of amber in studying the natural history of the Earth. D. To describe different species found in amber around the world. 琥珀，是一种透明的生物化石，是松柏科、云实科、南洋杉科等植物的树脂化石，树脂滴落，掩埋在地下千万年，在压力和热力的作用下石化形成，有的内部包有蜜蜂等小昆虫，奇丽异常。琥珀大多数由松科植物的树脂石化形成，故又被称为“松脂化石”。琥珀的形状多种多样，表面及内部常保留着当初树脂流动时产生的纹路，内部经常可见气泡及古老昆虫、动物或植物碎屑。常见琥珀种类：金珀，蓝珀，绿茶珀，红茶珀，血珀，翳珀、花珀、棕红珀，绿珀，虫珀，蜜蜡，药珀，珀根，缅甸根珀等。2016年3月6日，中国科学家发现了迄今为止世界上最为古老的琥珀矿石，推测其矿龄可能为9900万年左右。当地时间2025年6月26日，俄罗斯发现距今逾3500万年琥珀，封存完整蟑螂，翅脉清晰可见。 Cultural note 英语科普文是以说明、解释科学知识、自然现象、技术原理、实验过程为 主的文体，语言客观、严谨、逻辑清晰，常见于教材、杂志、新闻、说明文阅读。 一、核心特点 1. 目的明确：介绍事实、解释原理、说明步骤、普及知识，不抒情、不虚构。 2. 语言风格：正式、客观、准确；多用被动语态、一般现在时（描述规律、原理）；专业词汇多，但会用简单句解释。 3. 结构清晰：总分总 / 总分结构明显，常按：现象 → 原因 → 原理 → 应用 → 结论 4. 逻辑连接词密集，如：because, however, according to, in fact, for example等。 二、常见结构模板 开头引出主题：What is…? / Have you ever wondered…? / Scientists have found that… 主体：解释定义、原理；举例说明；描述过程或实验；分析原因与影响 结尾：总结意义、应用前景、未来研究方向。 Cultural note Read the passage and match the main ideas. While-reading Para. 1 Para. 2 Para. 3 Para. 4 D. It regards amber as a window to the past and calls for more research to discover more secrets of nature. A. It corrects the wrong old view of dinosaurs and proves it with an amber containing a dinosaur tail from Southeast Asia. B. It mentions amber helps discover over 300 new species and changes old scientific ideas with a new ant as an example. C. It describes an imagined scene of a feathered dinosaur in an ancient forest to arouse readers' interest. Para. 5 E. It introduces amber as a preservative of the past and uses a flower in Northern European amber as an example. Read the passage and understand the structure of it. While-reading Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Introduction (引论) Body (主体) Conclusion (结论) Scan the passage, divide the passage and write the main idea of each part. Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 It uses an imagined dinosaur scene and the discovery of feathered dinosaur tail in amber to introduce the topic of amber's scientific value. It elaborates on the great scientific value of amber, including its role in studying the change of life on Earth and discovering new species, with specific examples. It summarizes the importance of amber as a window to the past and calls for further research on amber. While-reading While-reading Read the passage and select the correct answer. 1. According to Paragraph 2, what changed people's old idea about dinosaurs? A. A dinosaur fossil found in Southeast Asia. B. A piece of amber with a feathered dinosaur tail. C. New research on lizards in ancient forests. D. Films and TV shows about dinosaurs. 2. What can we learn from the example of the flower in amber from Northern Europe? A. Flowers can grow well in amber for millions of years. B. The flower species used to live in Northern Europe 35 million years ago. C. Amber can only preserve plant species, not animals. D. All flower species in Northern Europe have changed over time. While-reading Read the passage and select the correct answer. 3. How did the discovery of the new ant species in African amber change old beliefs? A. It proved ants came from Africa instead of the northern half of the Earth. B. It showed ants have existed for more than 300 million years. C. It changed people's understanding of the history of ants. D. It proved 13 new ant species live in Africa now. 4. What does the author suggest in the last paragraph? A. Amber has been fully understood by scientists. B. We should stop studying amber to protect it. C. We need to do more research on amber to unlock more nature's secrets. D. Amber is the only key to understanding the history of life on Earth. Choose where you are most likely to read this passage. After-reading a In a popular science magazine about findings in nature. b In a newspaper report on exhibitions about dinosaurs. c In a sci-fi book about travelling 160 million years into the past. Think and Share 1. What do you think of Paragraph 1? Why does the writer begin like this? 2. What are some other ways for you to learn about nature's secrets? It paints a lively picture of a dinosaur, making me feel as if I'm right there and seeing the scene of the dinosaur. The writer begins like this to attract readers' attention. By describing a dinosaur with feather-covered arms, it breaks the traditional image of dinosaurs in readers' minds. This creative description makes the text more interesting. Readers will be more interested in the scientific findings introduced later. By doing small scientific experiments or visiting natural museums, through outdoor exploration, from educational TV shows and online nature-related courses. Think and Share Learning to think for question 1 Writers have different writing styles. They use different methods to achieve their goals. These goals include making the text alive, making their arguments strong getting readers' attention, etc. 学习思考以回答问题 1 作家们有着不同的写作风格。他们采用不同的方法来达成各自的目的。这些目的包括让文本生动起来、使论点有力、吸引读者的注意力等等。 2 a piece of amber, scientists know that dinosaurs had feathers. Amber shows us 1 caught in time. It shows us what ancient species looked like. It helps us understand that life on earth has 3 . A piece of amber proves that a species of flower grew in Northern Europe 4 years ago. It helps us discover new species. More than 300 5 species have been discovered. Scientists found a new species of 6 in a piece of amber from Africa. Amber is a(n) 7 on the past, and a key to unlock more secrets of 8 . After-reading Complete the diagram with the words and expressions from the passage. unknown Thanks to 35 million always changed secrets ants window nature 04 Vocabulary whether /ˈweðə(r)/ conj.是否（用与表示选择或对某事不确定） 表示 “是否”，用来表达选择、不确定、疑问，常用来引导名词性从句（主语从句、宾语从句、表语从句）。 1. 引导宾语从句（最常用） 结构：主语 + 动词 + whether (…or not)可与 if 互换。 例句：I don't know whether he will come. 我不知道他是否会来。 She asked whether I needed help. 她问我是否需要帮助。 2. 与 or not 连用（whether or not 可以放在一起，也可以分开） 例句：I don't care whether or not he agrees. I don't care whether he agrees or not. 我不在乎他是否同意。 3. 只能用 whether，不能用 if 的情况（考试必考点） 前面有介词时 例句：It depends on whether we have enough time. 这取决于我们是否有足够时间。 后面直接接 to do 时 例句：I don't know whether to go or stay. 我不知道是去还是留。 引导主语从句、表语从句时 例句：Whether we will go camping is unclear. 我们是否去露营还不清楚。 出现 whether…or… 表示 “是…… 还是……” 例句：I don't know whether he is right or wrong. 我不知道他是对还是错。 简单记忆口诀 介词后面用 whether，to do 前面用 whether，句首主语用 whether，or not 紧接用 whether。 unknown /ʌnˈnəʊn/ adj.不知道的，未知的 例句：The result is still unknown. 结果仍然未知。 be unknown to sb 对某人来说是未知的 例句：This kind of bird is unknown to most people. 大多数人都不认识这种鸟。 remain unknown 仍然未知 例句：The cause of the accident remains unknown. 事故原因仍不清楚。 an unknown place 一个陌生 / 未知的地方 例句：They traveled to an unknown place. 他们去了一个陌生的地方旅行。 know /nəʊ/v. 知道，了解 例句：I know the truth. 我知道真相。 known /nəʊn/adj. 已知的；著名的 例句：He is a known writer. 他是一位著名作家。 knowledge /ˈnɒlɪdʒ/n. 知识 例句：He has much knowledge of nature. 他有丰富的自然知识。 unknown n. 未知的事物 例句：We are not afraid of the unknown. 我们不害怕未知。 易混辨析：unknown / strange / unusual unknown 强调 “不被知道的、未知的”，侧重信息不了解 an unknown star 一颗未知的星星 strange 强调 “奇怪的、陌生的”，侧重感觉奇怪或不熟悉 a strange noise 奇怪的声音 unusual 强调 “不寻常的、罕见的”，侧重少见，an unusual bird 一种罕见的鸟 brief /bəˈliːf/ n.观点 例句：Different people have different beliefs. 不同的人有不同的观点和信念。 in brief 简言之，总之 例句：In brief, we should protect nature. 总之，我们应该保护自然。 a belief in… 对…… 的信念 / 信任 例句：I have a strong belief in hard work. 我坚信努力的重要性。 political / religious belief 政治 / 宗教信仰 例句：Everyone has the right to their own religious beliefs. 每个人都有拥有自己宗教信仰的权利。 hold the belief that… 认为……；相信…… 例句：She holds the belief that honesty is important. 她认为诚实很重要。 in the belief that… 相信……（怀着…… 的信念） 例句：He did it in the belief that he was helping others. 他做这件事是因为相信自己在帮助别人。 shake one's belief 动摇某人的信念 例句：Nothing can shake my belief in you. 没有什么能动摇我对你的信任。 briefly /ˈbriːfli/adv. 简短地，短暂地 例句：He briefly explained the story. 他简单讲了一下这个故事。 briefing /ˈbriːfɪŋ/n. 简报，情况介绍 例句：We attended a briefing about the trip. 我们参加了旅行情况介绍会。 fully /ˈfʊli/ adv.完全地，充分地，彻底地 例句：I fully understand your feelings. 我完全理解你的感受。 full /fʊl/adj. 满的；完全的，充分的 例句：The box is full of books. 盒子里装满了书。 fill /fɪl/v. 装满，充满 例句：Please fill the cup with water. 请把杯子装满水。 易混辨析：fully /completely/totally fully 侧重 “充分地、完整地、到位地”，强调程度足够、没有欠缺 completely 侧重 “彻底地、完整无缺地”，语气较强，强调 “一点不剩” totally 口语常用，侧重 “全然、绝对地”，强调程度极高 unlock /ʌnˈlɒk/ v.揭开 例句：We want to unlock the secrets of nature. 我们想要揭开大自然的奥秘。 unlock one's potential 激发某人的潜能 例句：Hard work helps you unlock your potential. 努力能帮你激发潜能。 lock /lɒk/v. 锁上；锁住 例句：Don't forget to lock the window. 别忘了锁上窗户。 unlocked adj. 未锁的；已开启的 例句：The door was unlocked. 门没锁。 unlocking n. /v. 解锁；开启 例句：Unlocking creativity is important for students. 激发创造力对学生很重要。 style /staɪl/ n.风格 例句：She has a very special style. 她有一种很特别的风格。 in style 时髦地；流行 例句：This kind of dress is in style this year. 这种裙子今年很流行。 out of style 过时 例句：This skirt is out of style. 这条裙子过时了。 stylish /ˈstaɪlɪʃ/adj. 时髦的；有格调的 例句：She looks stylish in the new coat. 她穿这件新外套看起来很时髦。 stylishly /ˈstaɪlɪʃli/adv. 时髦地 例句：She is stylishly dressed. 她穿着很时尚。 method /ˈmeθəd/ n.方法，办法 例句：We use a new method to learn English. 我们用一种新方法学英语。 a method of doing sth / a method to do sth 做某事的方法 例句：We need a better method of memorizing words. 我们需要更好的记单词方法。 use a method 使用某种方法 例句：You can use this method to improve your reading. 你可以用这个方法提升阅读。 teaching / learning methods 教学法 / 学习方法 例句：The teacher has new teaching methods. 这位老师有新的教学方法。 methodical /məˈθɒdɪkl/adj. 有条理的；有条不紊的 例句：He is a methodical student. 他是个做事有条理的学生。 methodically /məˈθɒdɪkli/adv. 有条不紊地 例句：She methodically finished her homework. 她有条不紊地完成了作业。 易混辨析：method / way / means / approach method侧重系统、科学、正规的方法，强调步骤和条理 例如：a research method 研究方法 way最普通、口语化，泛指 “方式、方法” 例如：a way to solve the problem means侧重 “手段、工具” 例如：by means of 通过…… 方式 approach侧重 “解决问题的思路、途径” 例如：a new approach to English teaching alive /əˈlaɪv/ adj.有活力的，有生气的 例句：The old man is still alive. 那位老人仍然健在。 stay / keep alive 保持活着；保持活力 例句：We need water to stay alive. 我们需要水来维持生命。 be alive with 充满……（活物、生机） 例句：The forest is alive with birds. 森林里到处都是鸟儿，生机勃勃。 come alive 变得活跃；生动起来 例句：The class came alive when the game started. 游戏一开始，课堂就活跃起来了。 live /laɪv/v. 生活，居住 /lɪv/；adj. 现场的，活的 例句：They live a happy life. 他们过着幸福的生活。 living adj. 活着的，现存的 例句：He is one of the greatest living writers. 他是当今健在的最伟大作家之一。 lively adj. 活泼的，生动的 例句：She is a lively girl. 她是一个活泼的女孩。 易混辨析：alive / living / lively alive 侧重 “活着的、有生机的”，常作表语或后置定语 例如：The fish is still alive. 这条鱼还活着。 living 侧重 “活着的、现存的”，可作定语或表语，可修饰人或物 例如：living things 生物 lively 侧重 “活泼的、生动的”，形容人、课堂、气氛等 例如：a lively lesson 一堂生动的课 argument /ˈɑːɡjəmənt/ n.论点，论据 例句：The argument is based on facts. 这个论点是以事实为依据的。 put forward an argument 提出论点 例句：He put forward an argument against the plan. 他提出了反对这项计划的论点。 support one's argument 支持某人的论点 例句：These examples support my argument. 这些例子支撑了我的论点。 a convincing argument 有说服力的论点 例句：She gave us a convincing argument. 她给了我们一个很有说服力的论点。 argue /ˈɑːɡjuː/ v. 争论；辩论；主张 例句：They argue about the best way to study. 他们争论最好的学习方法。 argue for / argue against 赞成 / 反对 例句：We argue for protecting the environment. 我们主张保护环境。 arguable /ˈɑːɡjuəbl/ adj. 可争辩的；有疑问的 例句：It is arguable whether he is right. 他是否正确还有待商榷。 易混辨析：argument vs. opinion vs. reason argument 论点、论据，强调为证明观点而提出的理由、证据、逻辑 例如：a strong argument 有力的论据 opinion 观点、看法，侧重个人主观想法，不一定有证据 例如：in my opinion 在我看来 reason 原因、理由，侧重解释 “为什么” 例如：the reason for his idea 他想法的原因 05 Homework Have you ever discovered any little secrets of nature? What is this secret? Write an article to introduce it. You can use the words, phrases or sentences from this lesson to help you. Preview the grammar knowledge of the Understanding ideas. See you in the next class! $