教材文本 Unit 4 A Letter Home

Unit 4 SharingPre-readingThe reading passage is a letter from a young Australian woman, Jo, who worked as a volunteer in Papua New Guinea (PNG) for two years. Do you know where PNG is? Jo also sent her friend some photos. Before you read the letter, look at the photos on the next two pages and, in groups, answer the questions. Photos 1 to 3 1 What was Jos job in PNG? 2 What kind of students were in her class? 3 Describe the classrooms. Photos 4 to 10 1 Jo took many photos of a visit to a students village. What can you say about the village? 2 What can you say about life in the village?ReadingA LETTER HOMEDear Rosemary,Thanks for your letter. It was wonderful to hear from you. I know youre dying to hear all about my life here. Ive included some photos which will help you picture the places I talk about. You asked about my high school. Well, its a bush school the classrooms are made from bamboo and the roofs from grass. It takes me only a few minutes to walk to school. When I reach the school grounds there are lots of “good mornings” for me from the boys, many of whom have walked a long way, sometimes up to two hours, to get to the school. Theres no electricity or water and we dont have any textbooks. Im still trying to adapt to these conditions but, one thing is for sure, Ive become a lot more imaginative in my teaching. Science is my most challenging subject as there is no equipment and if I need water I have to carry it from my house in a bucket! The other day I was showing the boys a chemistry experiment before I knew it, the mixture was bubbling over everywhere! The boys had never come across anything like this and started jumping out of the windows. Sometimes I wonder how relevant chemistry is to the kids, most of whom will be going back to their villages after Year 8. In fact, I wonder whether Im making any difference to these boys lives at all. You asked whether I am getting to know any local people. Well, thats actually quite difficult as I dont speak much Pidgin English yet. But last weekend another teacher, Jenny, and I did visit a village that was the home of one of the boys, Tombe. It was my first visit to a village. We walked for two and a half hours to get there first up a mountain to a ridge from where we had fantastic views and then down a steep slope to the valley below. When we arrived at the village, Tombes mother Kiak, who had been working in her garden, started crying “ieee ieee”. We shook hands with all the villagers. Everyone seemed to be a relative of Tombes. Tombes father, Mukap, led us to his house, a low bamboo hut with grass sticking out of the roof this shows its a mans house. There were no windows and the doorway was just big enough to get through. The hut was dark inside so it took time for our eyes to adjust. Fresh grass had been laid on the floor and there was a newly made platform for Jenny and me to sleep on. Usually Kiak slept in her own hut but that night she was going to share the platform with us. Mukap and Tombe were to sleep on small beds in another part of the hut. There was a fireplace in the centre of the hut near the doorway. The only possessions that I could see were a few tin plates and cups and a couple of pots. Outside, Mukap was building a fire. Once the fire was going, he laid stones in it. When hot, he placed them in an empty oil drum with kau kau (sweet potato), corn and greens. He then covered the vegetables with banana leaves and left them to steam. We ate inside the hut, sitting around the fire. I loved listening to the family softly talking to each other in their language, even though I didnt understand a word. Later I noticed a tin can standing upside down on the grill over the fire. After a short time Tombe threw it out of the doorway. I wondered why. Tombe told me that the can was heated to dry out the leftover food. They believe that any leftovers attract evil spirits in the night so the food is dried up in the can and the can is then thrown out of the hut. We left the village the next morning after many goodbyes and shaking of hands. My muscles were aching and my knees shaking as we climbed do