Period4 LanguageFocusingTheGeneralIdeaofThisPeriodThisperiodmainlydealswiththeimportantlanguagepointsthatappearintheReadingpassages.Butfirst,theteachershouldcheckhowwellthestudentsunderstoodthepassagebyaskingsomedetailedquestionsbasedonthepassage.Whiledoingthis,studentsshouldkeeptheirtextbooksclosed.Thentheteacherwillcheckthestudents’homeworkoffillingsomewordsinashortpassage.Thentheteacherwilldealwiththeimportantpointsinthepassage.Thepurposeofthisstepistohelpstudentsbetterunderstandsomedifficultsentencesandmastertheusageofsomeimportantwordsandexpressions.Sotheteachershouldgivethestudentsseveralminutestofindoutthedifficultpointsatfirst.Inthisway,theteachercanhelpthestudentsremovetheobstaclesinreading.Afterthattheteacherwillexplainthewordsandexpressionsandthenshowthestudentssometypicalexamplestohelpthemunderstand.Sometimestheteacherwillcomparethewordsorexpressionswithsomesimilarones.Afterthisstep,asconsolidation,thestudentsareaskedtofinishashortpassageusingthewordsandexpressionsthattheyhavejustlearnedintheunit.Anothermoredifficulttaskissettomeettheneeds,thatis,totranslatesomesentencesfromChinesetoEnglishbyusingthewordsandexpressionsinthebrackets.TeachingImportantPointsLearntheusageofsomedifficultwordsandexpressions.Trainthestudents’abilitytoremovethedifficultieswhilereading.TeachingDifficultiesTrainthestudents’abilitytodistinguishsomesimilarwordsorexpressions.Knowthattheinvaderscausedthenativepeopletosufferalot,buttheyalsoleftsomehistoricaltreasures.TeachingAidsataperecorderaprojectortheblackboardThreeDimensionalTeachingAimsKnowledgeAimsdivide,puzzle,construct,influence,thrill,consistof,breakaway(from),breakdown,breakin/into,breakout,breakthrough,breakup,setthetime,setanexample,setsb.free,setaboutdoingsth.,setouttodosth.,setsth.aside,setdown,setoff,setup,belinkedto,toone’ssurprise,lookround,keepone’seyesopen,onspecialoccasions,inmemoryof,haveaphototaken,onshow,beproudof,leaveoutThereisnoneedtodosth.Itseemedthatsb.shouldhavedonesth.AbilityAimsLearntheusageofsomedifficultwordsandexpressions.Trainthestudents’abilitytodistinguishsomesimilarwordsorexpressions.Trainthestudents’abilitytoremovethedifficultieswhilereading.EmotionalAimsTrainthestudents’abilitytocooperatewithothers.Gettoknowthathistorycangreatlyinfluencethegeographyofaplace.,Knowthattheinvaderscausedthenativepeopletosufferalot,buttheyalsoleftsomehistoricaltreasures.TeachingProcedureStep1GreetingsTeachergreetsthestudentsasusual.Step2HomeworkCheckingT:InthelastperiodwelearnedsomefamousattractionsinLondon.CanyouusesomesimpleEnglishtodescribetwooftheplaces?S:TheTowerofLondonwasbuiltlongagobytheNormaninvadersofAD1066.Thissolid,stone,squaretowerhadremainedstandingforonethousandyears.Ifyouwentthere,youwouldfindtheQueen’sjewelsguardedbyspecialroyalsoldierswho,onspecialoccasions,stillwearthefour-hundred-year-olduniformofthetimeofQueenElizabethⅠ.S:IfyouwenttovisitGreenwich,youwouldseeitsoldshipsandfamousclockthatsetstheworldtime.Thereistheimaginarylongitudelinewhichdividestheeasternandwesternhalvesoftheworld,andisveryusefulfornavigation.T:Good.Now,pleaseopenyourbooksandturntoPage11.Let’sfirstchecktheanswersinPart1.I’dliketoaskoneofyoutoreadthepassage.S:“Whyyoudebatethiswonderfulopportunitysocarefullyisapuzzletome,”thebosssaidonthephone.“Thisistheprojectforyou.YouwillliveinatowninEnglandandhaveahousewithallmodernconvenience.OurheadquartersinBeijingwillclarifyanyproblemsthatmayariseovertheInternet.YouwillhelpustoexamineanylegalissuesthatmayariseifwewanttobuildafactorysomewhereintheUnitedKingdom.WethinkyouwillfindlivinginEnglandwillbeagreatattractionandsowewouldliketoinfluenceyoutotakethisjob.Wehopeyouwillacceptit.”T:Yes,everywordhasfounditsproperplace.Step3LanguageFocusingT:Lookatthefirstreadingpassageinthisunit.Doyouhaveanytroubleinunderstandinganyword,phraseorsentencepattern?S:Inthisunitthereisasentence,“TheUKconsistsoffourcountries.”Canwechangeitinto“TheUKismadeupoffourcountries.”?T:Absolutelyright.“AconsistsofB”means“AismadeupofB”.OrwecanchangethesentenceintoActiveVoicebyusing“makeup”.Canyou?S:FourcountriesmakeuptheUK.T:Youareright.“Consist”canbeusedwith“in”,whichmeans“liein”.Translatethefollowingsentence:这个计划妙就妙在简明扼要。S:Thebeautyoftheplanconsistsinitssimplicity.S:What’sthedifferencebetween“divide”and“separate”?T:“Divide”meanstoseparatesomethingsuchasanarea,group,orobjectintotwoormoreparts.Forexample:Taketheorangeanddivideitintoquarters.Wecansay“dividesth.in/intosth.”or“dividesth.between/amongsb.”.Translatethefollowingsentences:“1.我们分成几个小组吧。2.这笔钱要在六个孙儿中平均的分配。”S:Let’sdivideourselvesintoseveralgroups.S:Themoneyistobedividedequallyamongthesixgrandchildren.T:“Divide”canalsomeantofindouthowmanytimesonenumberiscontainedinanother,largernumber.e.g.15dividedby3is5.T:Ifsomething“separates”twoplacesortwothings,itisbetweenthemsothattheyarenottouchingeachotherorconnectedwitheachother.Forexample:Afenceseparatedthecowsfromthepigs.“Separate”canalsomeanapart.CanyoutranslatethesentenceintoEnglish:“两个孩子在路的尽头分手了。”S:Thetwochildrenseparatedattheendoftheroad.S:Howcanweusetheword“puzzle”inthetitle“PuzzlesinGeography”?T:“Puzzle”canbeusedasanounorverb.Inthetitle“PuzzlesinGeography”“puzzle”isusedasanoun,whichmeanssomethingthatisdifficulttounderstandorexplain.Forexample:It’sapuzzlewhereallmymoneygoeseachweek.Itcanalsomeanagameinwhichyouhavetothinkhardtosolveadifficultquestionorproblem,asinacrosswordpuzzle.Asaverb,“puzzle”hastwomeanings.Oneistoconfusesomeoneormakethemfeelslightlyanxiousbecausetheydonotunderstandsomething.Theotheristothinkforalongtimeaboutsomethingbecauseyoucannotunderstandorsolveit.Itisoftenusedwithoverorabout.Translatethefollowingsentences:1.那个妇女的病症把医生难住了,他无法找出病因。2.老将军对着那张旧地图苦苦思索着。S:Thewoman’sillnesspuzzledthedoctor;hecouldn’tfindthecause.S:Theoldgeneralwaspuzzlingovertheoldmap.S:Therearetwo“break”phrasesinthisunit:“breakaway”and“breakdown”.Canyoutellussomeother“break”phrasesthatareoftenused?T:OK.Youareverycareful.“Breakaway”meanstoleaveagrouporpoliticalpartytoformanothergroup,usuallybecauseofadisagreement.Itisoftenfollowedby“from”.“Breakdown”hasmanymeanings.Ifalargemachine,especiallyacar,breaksdown,itstopsworking.Ifadiscussion,system,etc.breaksdown,itfailsbecausethereareproblems.Ifasubstancebreaksdownorsomethingbreaksitdown,itchangesasaresultofachemicalprocess.“Breakin”meanstoenterabuildingbyusingforce,inordertostealsomethingortojoinaconversationbyinterruptingsomeoneorsayingsomethingsuddenly.Butwecan’taddanobjectdirectlyto“breakin”.Ifyouwanttodoso,youcanuse“breakinto”.“Breakintotears,laughter,cheers,etc.”meanstosuddenlystartcrying,laughing,etc.Whensomethingunpleasantsuchasafire,war,ordiseasestartstohappen,wecanuse“breakout”.“Breakthrough”meanstoforceawaythroughsomething.Thesimilarphraseto“breakintopieces”is“breakup”.Ifamarriage,groupofpeople,ororganizationbreaksup,thepeopleinitseparateanddonotliveorworktogetheranymore.Now,pleaseusethe“break”phrasestofinishthefollowingsentences.1.Itwasalmostmidnightwhenafire__________intheneighborhood.2.Atdawn300tankspreparedto__________theenemylines.3.Thecar__________halfwaytothedestination.4.Thepolice__________thefightingcrowd.5.Childrenshouldn’t__________onadults’conversation.6.Therobberysuspect__________thelockup.7.Thethieves__________theofficeandstolesomemoney.8.Thecrowd__________cheersandthedrunkbowed.Suggestedanswers:1brokeout 2breakthrough 3brokedown 4brokeup 5breakin 6brokeawayfrom 7brokeinto 8brokeinto,T:Sonowyoumusthavemasteredthese“break”phrases.S:Inthesixthparagraph,thereisaword“constructed”.Canwereplaceitwith“built”?T:Yes.But“construct”referstobuildingalargebuilding,bridge,road,etc.Andcanmeantoformsomethingsuchasasentence,argumentorsystembyjoiningwords,ideas,etc,together.So,“toconstructasentence”means“tomakeasentence”.Doyouknowitsnounform?S:Construction.T:Yes.Sowhatdoesthissentencemean?Whenwegottothehotel,itwasstillunderconstruction.S:Itmeansthehotelisstillbeingbuilt.T:Youareveryclever.S:Canyoutellusthedifferencesbetween“influence”,“affect”,“touch”,“impress”and“move”?T:“Toinfluence”means“tohaveaneffectonthewaysomeoneorsomethingdevelops,behaves,thinks,etc.withoutdirectlyforcingorcommandingthem”.“Toaffect”means“todosomethingthatproducesaneffectorchangeinsomeoneorsomething”.“Totouch”means“tomakesomeonefeelupset,sympathetic,interested,etc.”.Ifsomeoneorsomethingimpressesyou,youadmirethembecauseyounoticehowgood,clever,successful,etc.theyare.“Tomove”means“tomakesomeonefeelstrongfeelings,especiallyofsadnessorsympathy”.Now,trytousethesewordstofillintheblanksinthefollowingsentences.1.Hisharshwordshadobviously__________heralthoughshetriednottoshowit.2.Howwillthetax__________peopleonlowincomes?3.Thechild’ssuffering__________ustotears.4.What__________memostaboutthebookwasitsvividlanguage.5.Myteacher__________mydecisiontostudyscience.S:No.1touched;No.2affect;No.3moved;No.4impressed;No.5influenced.T:Nowlet’scometothesecondreadingpassageinthisunit.Doyouhaveanyquestions?S:Inthethirdparagraph,thereisasentence,“...andfamousclockthatsetstheworldtime.”Whatdoes“set”meanhere?T:“Set”heremeans“decideorestablish”.InEnglishtherearemany“set”phrases,whichareveryuseful.Herearetheexplanationstosome“set”phrases.Pleasewritedownthe“set”phrasesinthebracketbeforeeachofthem.1.( )tobehaveinawaythatshowsothershowtobehave2.( )toallowsomeonetobefree3.( )tostartdoingsomethingespeciallysomethingthatneedsalotoftimeandeffort4.( )tokeepsomethingespeciallymoneyandtime,foraspecialpurposeandonlyuseitforthatpurpose5.( )towriteaboutsomethingsothatyouhavearecordofit6.( )tostarttogosomewhere7.( )toplaceorbuildsomethingsuchasasignorstatuesomewhereS:No.1setanexample;No.2setsb.free;No.3setaboutdoingsth./setouttodosth.;No.4setsth.aside;No.5setdown;No.6setoff;No.7setup.T:Excellent.S:Inthefourthparagraph,thereisaword“thrill”.Howcanweusethisword?T:Theword“thrill”canbeanounandaverb.Asanoun,itmeansasuddenstrongfeelingof,excitementandpleasure,orthethingthatmakesyoufeelthis.Asaverb,itmeanstomakesomeonefeelexcitedandhappy.Hence,wehave“thrilling”(exciting)and“thrilled”(excited).Lookatthefollowingsentence:Ialwaystakeathrillertoreadonthetrain.Whatdoes“thriller”mean?Pleasepayspecialattentiontothecontext.S:Itmeansapersonwhofeelsthrilled.T:Doesanyonehaveabetterexplanation?S:Itmustrefertosomethinginsteadofsomeone.T:Youareright.“Thriller”referstoabookorfilmthattellsanexcitingstoryaboutmurderorcrime.T:Ifyouhavesomeotherquestions,pleasecometoaskmeafterclass.Step4ConsolidationT:TurntoPage50andtrytofinishPart2.Readthesephrasalverbsandusethemcorrectlyinthepassage.(Teachergivesthestudentsseveralminutestofinishthetask.)(Teachercheckstheanswerswiththewholeclass.)S:No.1consistsof;No.2breakawayfrom;No.3taketheplaceof;No.4dividedinto;No.5breakdown;No.6leftout.Step5Homework1.Reviseallthedifficultwordsandphrasesinthisunit.2.Findoutthephrasesfromthetexttofillintheblanks:1)与……连结__________ 2)令某人惊讶的是__________3)到处寻找,观光__________4)睁大眼睛__________5)在特殊的场合__________6)为了纪念……__________7)拍一张照片__________8)展出__________9)为……感到骄傲__________10)遗留,漏掉__________3.TranslatethesentencesintoEnglish,usingthewordsandphrasesinbrackets.1)大卫·贝克汉姆到达日本时,兴奋的球迷们都赶去迎接。（thrilled）2）为了庆祝我表姐的婚礼,我的姨妈和姨父安排了一场晚会。（wedding;arrange）3）这可能有点难以理解,但是举个例子能有助于解释清楚这个难题。（clarify）4）不要受她的话的影响,你必须自己决定。（influence）5）由于父亲无法来款待晚会上的客人,波拉代替父亲接待了他们。（available;taketheplaceof）TheDesignoftheWritingontheBlackboardUnit2 TheUnitedKingdomPeriod4 LanguageFocusingImportantwords&phrases:1.AconsistsofB breakoutsetaboutdoingsth. →AismadeupofBbreakthroughsetouttodosth. →BmakeupAbreakupsetsth.aside2.divide/separate5.construct/buildsetdown3.puzzle6.influence/affect/touch/setoff4.“break”phrases:impress/movesetup breakaway(from)7.setthetime8.thrill(thrilling,thrilled) breakdownsetanexamplethriller, breakin/intosetsb.freeResearchandActivitiesAsiswellknown,HongKongwasonceacolonyoftheUK.FindouthowtheUKsystemsinfluencedtheeconomyandcultureofHongKong.AndfindoutasmanychangesaspossiblebeforeandafterHongKongreturnedtothemainland.Thefollowingwebsitesandthepassagesmaybehelpful.1.http://www.answers.com/topic/history-of-hong-kong2.http://globaledge.msu.edu/IBRD/CountryHistory.asp?CountryID=19&RegionID=33.http://www.reference.com/browse/wiki/History_of_Hong_KongHongKongAftertheendofWorldWarⅡandthecommunisttakeoverofMainlandChinain1949,hundredsofthousandsofpeopleemigratedfromChinatoHongKong.Someofthenewimmigrantsbroughtwiththemskillsandcapital,whileothersbecameavastpoolofcheaplabour.Atthesametime,manyforeignfirmsmovedtheirofficesfromShanghaitoHongKong.ThishelpedHongKongachieveitsfirsteconomicsuccessandbecomeamajormanufacturingcentre.However,despitetheeconomicsuccess,manyemployersdidnottreattheiremployeeswell.TheidealofcommunismimpressedmanyyoungHongkongersinthe1960s.InMay,1967,alabourmovementundertheinfluenceoftheCulturalRevolutioninChinabecameviolent.Riotsfollowedinthenextsixmonths.Afamousradiohost,LamBun(林彬),whoopenlycriticisedthemovement,wasmurdered.LeftistsagitatorsinHongKongresortedtoterroristattacksbyplantingrealandfakebombsaroundthecity.AftertheHongKonggovernmentbroughtdownthelabourmovement,thecommunists’webinHongKongwasbrokenandtheHongkongers’viewofthecommunistsbecamenegative.(RefertoHongKong1967riots)In1974,MurrayMclehosefoundedICAC,theIndependentCommissionAgainstCorruption.Thesituationwassobadthattherewasamasspetitionbypolicemenagainstprosecutions.DespiteearlypoliceoppositiontotheICAC,HongKongwasquitesuccessfulinitsanti-corruptionefforts,eventuallybecomingoneoftheleastcorruptsocietiesintheworld.TheopeningofthemainlandChinesemarketandrisingsalariesdrovemanymanufacturersnorth.HongKongtransformedintoacommercialandtourismcentre.Highlifeexpectancy,literacy,percapitaincomeandothersocioeconomicmeasuresattesttoHongKong’sachievementsoverthelastfourdecadesofthe20thCentury.Someofthechangeswerepurelysymbolic:·AllpublicofficesnowflewtheflagsofthePRCandtheHongKongSAR.TheUnionjacknowfliesonlyoutsidetheBritishConsulate.·MoreschoolswouldnowteachinCantonesewithChinesetextbooks,andinparalleltoEnglish.Englishisstillanofficiallanguage(seeHongKongBasicLaw)andisstillbeingtaughtinallschools.·QueenElizabethⅡ’sportraitdisappearedfrombanknotes,postagestampsandpublicoffices.Asof2005,manypre-1997coinsandsomebanknotesarestillincirculation.·The‘Royal’titlewasdroppedfromalmostallorganisationsthathadbeengrantedit,withtheexceptionoftheRoyalHongKongYachtClub.·Legalreferencestothe‘Crown’werereplacedbyreferencestothe‘State’,andbarristerswhohadbeenappointedQueen’sCounselwouldnowbeknownasSeniorCounsel.,·Publicholidayschanged,withtheQueen’sOfficialBirthdayandotherBritish-inspiredoccasionsbeingreplacedbyChineseNationalDayandHongKongSAREstablishmentDay.Inotherrespects,manythingsremainedunchanged:·ThenewSARremainedaseparatejurisdiction,continuingtouseEnglishcommonlaw.·Theborderwiththemainlandcontinuedtobepatrolledasbefore,withHongKong,unlikethemainland,continuingtodriveontheleft.·Itremainedaseparatecustomsterritory,withfreertradewiththerestoftheworldthanwiththemainland.·Itretainedmostofimmigrationcontrolstoforeigncountries,exceptpoliticallyrelatedvisaapplications.Similarly,HongKongSARpassportholdershadeasieraccesstocountriesinEuropeandNorthAmerica,whilemainlandcitizensdidnot.NotethatthecitizensinMainlandChinacanonlyapplythevisatoHongKongfromtheChinaGovernment.Thepracticeexecutedbeforeandafter1997.·Itcontinuedtohavemorepoliticalfreedomsthanthemainland,includingfreedomofthepress(althoughthisbecamevulnerabletoself-censorship)andfreedomofexpression.·BS1363plugsarestillutilisedinHongKong.HongKongsince1997TheHangSengIndexfellby22.8percentinaweekof28October1998aftertherealestatebubbleeconomycollapsed,severelydamagingtheeconomy.In1998,anotherelectionwasheld.Therealestatemarket,akeycomponentoftheHongKongeconomy,wentintofree-fallduetoincreasinggovernmentalinterventionsonprivateownershipaswellashousingsuppliesandpartiallyasaconsequenceoftheAsianfinancialcrisis.In2003,concernsabouttheproposedanti-subversionbillthatwouldhaveerodedfreedomofthepress,ofreligionandofassociationarisingfromHongKongBasicLawArticle23andtheunpopularityofTungCheeHwaandhisofficials,plusdissatisfactionaboutthepoorstateoftheeconomy,prompted2.5millionpeopletomarchonJuly1,makingitthelargestprotestaimedatmainlandChinaeverinthehistoryofHongKong.Thelegislationwasoverturnedasaresultofthepublicoutcry.InMarch10,2005,chiefexecutiveTungChee-hwaresignedasthechiefexecutive.Tung’spositionhasbeenfilled,afteraby-electionwithonlyonequalifedcandidate,bytheNo.2rankingofficial,theChiefSecretaryDonaldTsang,apopularbowtie-wearingcareercivilservantwhowaseducatedatHarvardandreceivedaknighthoodforhisserviceduringBritishcolonialrule.ReferenceforTeaching“break”phrases:1）breakaway①逃走;逃脱Therobberysuspectbrokeawayfromthelockup.抢劫嫌疑犯从拘留所逃脱了。Modernmusiclikejazzhasbrokenawayfromtheoldtraditionalrules.(喻)现代音乐如爵士乐摆脱了旧的传统规则。②断裂;开裂Alargepieceoficebrokeawayfromthemainblock.一大块冰从整个大冰块上断裂开来。2)breakdown,①破坏;拆散TheCongressmenoftheRepublicantriedtobreakdowntheoppositionfromtheiropponentstotheirproposal.(喻)共和党的议员们试图使他们的反对派不再反对他们的提案。breakdownoldconventions打破旧框框Thepeacetalksaresaidtohavebrokendown.(喻)据说和谈破裂了。②制服;被制服③（机器）损坏Ourtruckbrokedownoutsidetown.我们的卡车在城外抛锚了。The8o’clocktrainbrokedownatFerngreenstationandwastakenofftheline.8点钟的那趟车因在芬格林车站出了故障而被取消了。④失败;破裂Theiroppositionbrokedown.他们的反对意见打消了。⑤精神崩溃;失去控制Hebrokedownandwept.他不禁失声痛哭。⑥起化学变化Foodisbrokendownbychemicals.化学物质引起食物转化。⑦细分;分类3)breakeven不赚不赔;收支平衡4)breakin①闯入;强行进入Theburglarbrokeinandstolemymoney.夜窃贼破门而入,偷了我的钱。②打断;插嘴It’sherusualhabittobreakinwithsomeideasofherown.她常常打断别人的话来发表自己的观点。Don’tbreakinwhentheadventureristellinghisownstory.冒险家讲他自己的经历时,别打断他。Childrenshouldn’tbreakinonadults’conversation.小孩子不要打断大人们的谈话。③训练;驯养;使（某人）熟悉工作Theengineeringdoctorfromabroadonlybrokeinwithuslastmonth.从国外回来的工程博士是上个月才开始和我们一道工作的。5)breakinto①闯入Thethievesbrokeintotheofficeandstolesomemoney.小偷闯入办公室,偷了一些钱。,②打断;插话③突然……起来tobreakintosong突然唱起歌来Thecrowdbrokeintocheersandthedrunkbowed.观众们爆发出一阵欢呼,醉汉鞠了一躬。Thecarwindowsbrokeintopieceswhenthetwocarscrashedintoeachother.两辆车相撞时车上的窗玻璃破裂成碎片。④勉强动用tobreakintoone’ssavings勉强动用存款6)breakof除去（某人的）习性Theybrokehimofhisaddiction.他们除去他吸毒的瘾。7)breakout①逃脱;逃出tobreakoutofprison越狱而逃②突然发生Firebrokeoutinthekitchen.厨房突然发生了火灾。WorldWarⅡbrokeoutin1939.第二次世界大战是1939年爆发的。Hisbackbrokeoutinspots.他背上出现了许多斑点。8)breakthrough突破Afterthestormthesunbrokethroughtheclouds.风暴过后太阳冲破了云层。Atlast,thosephysiciansandspecialistsbrokethroughintheirfightagainstheartdisease.那些内科医生和专家们终于在同心脏病的斗争中取得了突破。Theguerrillassoonbrokethrough.游击队很快就突围了。9)breakup①分裂②结束;解散Thecrowdstartedtobreakupwhenthenightfell.天快黑时人群开始散开了。Theicewillbreakupwhenthewarmweathercomes.天气转暖,冰层就会破裂。Theirmarriagebrokeup.他们的婚姻破裂了。Thepolicebrokeupthefightingcrowd.警察驱散了打架的人群。Breakitup!别打啦!,Thecompanytopmeetingdidn’tbreakupuntilmidnight.公司高层会议到半夜才结束。Thepolicebrokeupthefightamongthetwoblackgangs.警察驱散了两个黑帮间的殴斗。（学校）开始放假Whenwillyoubreakupthiswinter?今年冬季你们什么时候放假?③使发笑;逗乐;使苦恼Thatjokereallybrokemeup.那个笑话可把我逗乐了。TheBritishMuseumTheBritishMuseumistheoldest,andoneofthelargestmuseumsintheworld.Whereelsecanyouseesomeofthegreatesttreasuresofalltimeunderoneroof?HereyoucanseeatfirsthandTheElginMarbles,ThePortlandVase,TheLewisChessmen,TheSuttonHooTreasure,tonameonlyafewofthewondrouscollectionsawaitingyou.YouwillbefascinatedbytheEgyptianMummies,andinspiredbythesuperbexhibitionofprintsanddrawingswhichchangesseveraltimesayear.Allowplentyoftimeforyourvisit—theBritishMuseumisavaststorehouseoftreasures.Betterstill,whynotvisitseveraltimes,concentratingonjustoneexhibiteachtime?In1753theGovernmentofthedayboughtthecollectionofSirHansSloan,awealthyDoctorwhopractisedinChelsea.Thecollectionconsistedofover80000curiosincludingfossils,plants,coins,medalsandprints.Thisunlikelyassortmentformedthebeginningofwhathasbecomecertainlythebiggest,andprobablyoneofthebestmuseumcollectionsintheworld.AnactofParliamentestablishedtheBritishMuseumastheworld’sfirstpublicmuseum.TheCottonianLibraryformedbytheHarleys,EarlsofOxford,wasimmediatelyaddedtothecollection.In1757GeorgeⅡpresentedTheRoyalLibrarytothemuseum.In1823GeorgeⅢconferredonthemuseumtherighttoacopyofeverybookprinted.Thisrightcontinuestothepresentday.Bythistime,withtheacquisitionofenormousquantitiesofantiquities,artefacts,discoveriesfromallovertheworldandmanybequests,itbecameapparentthatmorespacetohousetheevergrowingcollectionwasessential.In1823RobertandSydneySmithsubmittedtheirdesignsforthenewpurposebuiltBritishMuseum.TheworkwascarriedoutoverthenextthirtyyearsandwhatemergedwasoneofLondon’smostawe-inspiringbuildings.DesignedintheGreekrevivalstyle,thismagnificentbuildinghasanIoniccolonnadeandporticocompletewithpedimentfrieze.Bythe1850’sthesiteincludedTheGreatCourt,inthemiddleofwhichwasbuilttheRoundReadingRoom,surmountedbyoneofthelargestdomesintheworld.Inspiteoftheexpansion,spaceonceagainprovedtobeaproblemandanewhomewasfoundfortheNaturalHistoryCollection;thiswastransferredtoSouthKensingtoninthe1880’s;andisnowknown,astheNaturalHistoryMuseum.AnothermajorchangetothemuseumtookplacewhenitwasdecidedtoremovetheBritishLibrarytonewpurposebuiltpremisesatSt.Pancras.Thisenormousundertakingbeguninthe1970’swasnotcompleteduntil1998.Today,theBritishMuseumishometonolessthansixandahalfmillionobjectsandhasninetyfourpermanentandtemporaryexhibitiongalleries.AnEducationDepartmentprovidesawiderangeofservicesforadultsandchildren.OtherdepartmentsareCoinsandMedals,EgyptianAntiquities,Ethnography,GreekandRomanAntiquities,JapaneseArt,MedievalandLaterArt,OrientalAntiquities,Pre-HistoricandRomano-BritishAntiquities,PrintsandDrawings,andWesternAsiaticAntiquities.HighgateCemeteryHighgateCemeteryisprobablythemostfamouscemeteryinLondon,ifnotinEngland,andisamust-visitforanyonewiththeslightestinterestinthingstaphophilic.Thesiteitself,perchedatopanorthLondonhill,wastheidealofVictoriancemeterydesigners;aseriesofwindingpathsinterspercedwithbeautifulplantingandimpressivemonuments,windtheirwaytothepinnacleofLeyden’smagnificentcreation,theCircleofLebanonwithitsEgyptiangatewaysandneo-Classicalcatacombsaroundasuperbcentralcedartree.IfonlyIcouldhaveseenthisinthenineteenthcentury,whenfamiliestookSundaylunchontheflatroofsoftheirforebears’vaults,andthefashionablepromenadedthroughtrimmedandcared-forgroves.PoorLeydenwouldhardlyrecognisehiscreationthesedays.Thepathsandsomeofthemonumentsarejustdiscoverablethroughtheivy;“managedneglect”isnowthewatchwordinthiscemetery,foronereasonIsuspectbecausemoneyisavailabletomaintaintheplaceasanaturereserve,butnottopreserveitasanecropolis.Yearswithoutmaintenancehavecausedsectionsofthehighergroundtostarttomovedownhill,especiallyafterheavyrain;ifyouarevisitingtoviewaparticularmonument,it’sverywisetoenquirebeforesettingoutwhetherthatsectionofthecemeteryisaccessible.ThebiggestproblemwithgainingaccesstoHighgateCemetery,however,istheformidableoldladywhoisthereeverysingleday(you’llknowwhoImean).“She’dclosethewholeplacetothepublicifshecould,”oneguidewhisperedconfidentiallytome,andIbelieveit.Asitis,she’sdoneherbesttoputpeopleoff:entrancetothewesternhalfisbyguidedtouronly.Separateentrancefeesforwestandeastsections,withasupplementpayableifyouwishtotakephotographs,makeavisittoHighgatemoreexpensivethansomethemeparks.Additsdistancefromanyformofpublictransport,itssituationhalfwaydownanarrow,one-way(northwardsonly)laneandthelackofanyparkingonceyougetthere,andit’sawonderthatanyoneevervisitsatall.Shealsotriedtothrowmeoutforbeing“disrespectful”:I’mnotsureifthatwaswearingaT-shirt,orlaughingatherwhenshetoldmebarearmswereunsuitable,butbewarned.Allthissaid,avisithereiswellworththeeffort.TheCircleofLebanonisprobablythemostspectacularpartofanycemeteryinBritain,butit’sbynomeanstheonlythingworthseeing.Eachvolunteerguidewilltakeyouonaslightlydifferenttour,dependingontheirownpreferencesandwhichpartsofthecemeteryarecurrentlyaccessible.Moreisvisiblebeneaththetreesintheautumn,butthegroundunderfootismoretreacherous.Itisajourneytobeplannedlikeamilitarycampaign.Anddon’tmentionthevampire.Theygetveryupsetifyoumentionthevampire.Rooney:I’vegrownupatUtdWayneRooneyinsistshehasmaturedsincejoiningManchesterUnited.The￡27mstarhasshownflashesofhisfierynatureinrecenttimesandiscurrently,suspendedforbothclubandcountryfollowinghisChampionsLeaguedismissalinVillarrealandhisbookinginlastmonth’sWorldCupdefeattoNorthernIreland.Rooney’scautioninBelfastmeanshemustsitoutSaturday’skeyOldTraffordencounterwithAustria,beforereturningintheGroupSixdecideragainstPolandnextWednesday,amatchrefereedbyKimMiltonNielsen—themanwhodismissedhiminSpainforhissarcastichandclapping.TherehavebeenplentyofcriticswhohavesuggesteditisnowtimeforSirAlexFergusonandSven-GoranErikssontodragRooneybackintoline.However,the19-year-oldformerEvertonidolinsistshisbehaviourisgettingbetter,evenifhestillhassomeworktodo.“IfeelIhavematured,onandoffthefieldandhopefullythatwillcontinuebecauseIamtryingtocutoutsillybookingsfordissent,”RooneytoldFourFourTwomagazine.“SigningforUnited,therewasalwaysgoingtobealotmorepressureonmethanplayingforEverton.”Therearepeopleouttheretryingtoshootyoudown.IhavetobeawareofthatanditissomethingIhadtounderstandreallyquickly.“Mylifehaschangedalotinthepastyear.IamgettingusedtoitandIjusttrytoleadasnormalalifeaspossibleoutsideoffootball.”PhotographsofRooneygettingmobbedonashoppingexpeditioninManchestercitycentreonWednesdayprovehowdifficultleadinganormallifecanbeforsuchahighlytalentedandhigh-profileindividual.HehasalreadyscoredfourtimesforUnitedthistermeventhoughhestartedthecampaignplayingwideinsupportoflonefront-manRuudvanNistelrooy.ThosetacticschangeddramaticallyatFulhamonSaturday,whenRooneywaspushedinbehindtheprolificDutchman.TheresultwasUnited’smosteffectiveattackingperformanceofthecampaignwithbothforwardsscoringinathrilling3-2winandRooneyadmitsitisapositionheismoresuitedto,evenifhedoesn’tmindbeingmovedontotheflanks.“Iclassmyselfasacentre-forwardandthatiswhereIprefertoplay,”hesaid.“ButIcanplayindifferentpositionsandIagreewiththemanagerthatithelpsyouasaplayerifyoucandothat.”
