Unit 1 Higher Education
READING
1. Will MOOCs Make College Obsolete?
2. Why Do We Steer So Many 18-Year-Olds Towards University Before They Are Ready?
Skimming
Scanning
LISTENING & VIEWING
1. Do We Need to Attend Lectures?
2. The 100,000-Student Classroom
Note-taking (III): symbols & abbreviations
Note-taking (IV): linear notes
SPEAKING
Seminar discussions (I): citing sources
WRITING
Writing process (I): planning and researching
TRANSLATING
Determining the subject (I): choosing another constituent
Determining the subject (II): adding a subject
VOCABULARY
Clipping (I): front clipping & back clipping
Clipping (II): middle clipping & compound clipping
Unit 2 Social Networks
READING
1. The More Time Children Chat on Social Media, the Less Happy They Feel
2. Screen Time Guidelines Need to Be Built on Evidence, Not Hype
Identifying the structure of an academic text (I): Introduction and Conclusion
Identifying the structure of an academic text (II): Main body
LISTENING & VIEWING
1. The Rise of the Emoji
2. Connected, But Alone?
Note-taking (V): Cornell notes
Note-taking (VI): Charting notes
SPEAKING
Seminar discussions (II): giving an oral summary and evaluation
WRITING
Writing process (II): drafting and revising
TRANSLATING
Choosing the predicate (I): collocating with the subject and the object
Choosing the predicate (II): tense and subject-verb agreement
VOCABULARY
Blending
Acronymy
Unit 3 Medical Care
READING
1. My Laughter Rx for Your Heart
2. When Less Medicine Means More Health
Understanding subheadings
Recognizing different ways to begin an academic text
LISTENING & VIEWING
1. The Next Outbreak? We’re Not Ready (Part I)
2. The Next Outbreak? We’re Not Ready (Part II)
Distinguishing facts and opinions
Distinguishing perspectives and stances
SPEAKING
Seminar discussions (III): presenting academic arguments
WRITING
Writing smoothly (I): cohesion
TRANSLATING
Changing word order (I): attributives
Changing word order (II): adverbials
VOCABULARY
Analogy
Onomatopoeia
Unit 4 Gender Equality
READING
1. Why Your Cell Phone Sounds Female
2. Men’s Looks Matter More Than Women Admit
Understanding how a researcher is first introduced
Understanding key research information
LISTENING & VIEWING
1. Emma Watson’s UN Speech on Gender Equality
2. Gender Equality
Recognizing attitudes
Recognizing problem and solution
SPEAKING
Seminar discussions (IV): responding and linking to others’ contributions
WRITING
Writing smoothly (II): coherence
TRANSLATING
Translating negation (I): as negation
Translating negation (II): as affirmation
VOCABULARY
Synonymy (I): various sources of vocabulary
Synonymy (II): distinguishing synonyms
Unit 5 Artificial Intelligence
READING
1. Working with Robots: Human and Machine Coexistence in the Workforce
2. How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Roomba
Paying attention to linkers expressing contrast / contradiction
LISTENING & VIEWING
1. Driverless Cars
2. The Jobs We’ll Lose to Machines — and the Ones We Won’t
Recognizing pros and cons
Recognizing similarity and difference
SPEAKING
Research-based group presentations (I): teamwork
WRITING
Writing argumentative essays
TRANSLATING
Translating comparative structures (I)
Translating comparative structures (II)
VOCABULARY
Antonymy (I): classification
Antonymy (II): multiple antonymy
Unit 6 Communication
READING
1. You Talk Too Much!
2. Does Your Communication Style Hold You Back?
Understanding specific details and general statements
LISTENING & VIEWING
1. Lower Your Voice Pitch to Persuade
2. Talk Nerdy to Me
Recognizing cause and effect (I): cause and effect relationships
Recognizing cause and effect (II): cause and effect language
SPEAKING
Research-based group presentations (II): research methods
WRITING
Writing comparison-contrast essays
TRANSLATING
Translating set phrases (I): literal translation
Translating set phrases (II): free translation
VOCABULARY
Polysemy
Homonymy
Unit 7 Forces of Nature
READING
1. Give the Earth an Inch …
2. Does Salvaging Scorched Trees Hurt the Environment?
Recognizing exemplification / illustration
LISTENING & VIEWING
1. Loss of Biodiversity Affects Human Society
2. The U.S.’s Quietest Places
Recognizing reasons and explanations
Recognizing evaluations
SPEAKING
Research-based group presentations (III): data analysis
WRITING
Writing cause-effect essays
TRANSLATING
Translating figures of speech (I): literal translation
Translating figures of speech (II): compensation
VOCABULARY
Hyponymy and hypernymy
Semantic field
Unit 8 Behavioral Science
READING
1. A Case Against the Clock
2. Laziness Is Contagious
Understanding the author’s opinions in contrast to others’
LISTENING & VIEWING
1. Healthy Behavior Can Spread Like Illness
2. Try Something New for 30 Days
Recognizing emphasizing strategies
Recognizing conclusion
SPEAKING
Research-based group presentations (IV): the organization of the presentation
WRITING
Writing problem-solution essays
TRANSLATING
Translating long sentences (I): splitting
Translating long sentences (II): combining
VOCABULARY
Extension of meaning & narrowing of meaning
Elevation of meaning & degradation of meaning