How to Find People’s Likes and Dislikes

Unit 6

Task 2 Do You Like What I Like?

Task 3 Why Do You Like Or Dislike It?

Task 4 What Do They Like Or Dislike?

Task 5 How to Be Liked by People

Activities

Task 1 What do you like?

Task 1 What do you like?

Work in groups. You and three other students form a group. One of you will chair the discussion following the situations given below.

1) It’s Friday evening. You and your roommates want to relax a little. Joe is asking what to do. Usually, you like playing basketball while Joe likes swimming;

想要表达平常喜欢做什么事情，就用 doing something ；而在某个特定时间想做什么事，则应该用 like to do something 。举例来说，某个中国南方人平时 doesn’t like eating noodles 但是某天胃不舒服，就会 like to 了。

2) You and your roommates are in the same class. For this semester, you have new teachers for different courses. You’re now talking about these teachers’ appearances, their different teaching styles, and the ways in which they interact with the students, etc. 3) You and your roommates want to do something together on Saturday. Gene loves taking a walk in the hills, Helen always enjoys visiting a bookstore, Pamela likes having a cup of coffee with friends in the nearest café, and you are fond of exercising in the gym.

和中国一样，英美国家的学生也会经常聚在一起。虽然大家有着自己的喜好，但在参加集体活动时，都会求同存异。随和总是一种受人欢迎的品德，而固执己见通常会让人感到难于接近，最终使自己处于孤立的境地。 BACK

Task 2 Do You Like What I Like?

Ask one of your classmates to be your partner and make up dialogs for the situations given below.

1) You’d like to go shopping in the mall downtown and invite your partner to go with you. But he/she says that shopping is the last thing he/she wants to do. Discuss with him/her the reasons why many people dislike shopping.

2) You’re reading a science fiction novel and are fascinated by the story. So you’re eager to share your excitement with your partner, who, it turns out, is not interested at all.

3) You’re crazy about hot and spicy food and would like to invite your partner to go to a newly opened restaurant of Sichuan cuisine style. Your partner, however, doesn’t like Sichuan food as much.

4) You invite your partner to your friend’s birthday party at a karaoke the coming Saturday evening. But your partner doesn’t seem to like the idea singing.

在英语国家与人交往时，人们会自然而然地地询问他人的喜好，既是对他人习惯的尊重，又表现出自己的关爱之心。但是，由于民族、宗教、健康等方面的原因，对许多人来说，是一个敏感的话题，所以，应尽量避免触及他人的隐私问题。 BACK

Task 3 Why Do You Like Or Dislike It?

Work in a group of four students. One of you is to chair the discussion. Each of you should take turns to talk on ONE PAIR of personal likes and dislikes selected from the list below.

Category What Is It? Why Is It So?

1.The most preferred color

2.The least preferred color

3. The most preferred number

4. The least preferred number

5. The most preferred animal

6. The least preferred animal

7. The most preferred food

8. The least preferred food

9. The most preferred singer

10. The least preferred singer

11. The most preferred book

12. The least preferred book

13. The most preferred movie

14. The least preferred movie

15. The most preferred TV Show 16. The least preferred TV Show

17. The most preferred sport

18. The least preferred sport

BACK

Task 4 What Do They Like Or Dislike? Work in pairs and make up dialogs for the situations given below.

1) Milton has opened a souvenir shop and a related website. He’s talking to you, a frequent shopper, about what you like and dislike about the shop and the site.

2) Richard is the editor of a local newspaper. He’s now having a talk with you, one of the subscribers, about what you like and dislike about the newspaper.

和中国一样，英美国家的学生也会经常聚在一起。虽然大家有着自己的喜好，但在参加集体活动时，都会求同存异。随和总是一种受人欢迎的品德，而固执己见通常会让人感到难于接近，最终使自己处于孤立的境地。

3) You’re talking to Evan, a restaurant manager,

about how you like and dislike the food and

service of the restaurant.

4) You’re talking to Mr. Kelly, the dormitory administrator,

about changing dormitory rooms. Tell him why you want to

have the change and what you don’t like about the room you

are now in.

BACK

Task 5 How to Be Liked by People

1. Read the following short passage on how to impress people or be liked by people, especially those you meet for the first time.

For a person to like you, you have to be approachable. Always smile. Wear that smile naturally and sincerely. Wear it with warmth. Always remember to smile before, during, and after socializing. Smiling is a sure way to facilitate acquaintanceship. Always remember that the first meeting usually leaves a lasting impression.

As you get to know a person in the course of a conversation, show sincere interest and concern for him/her. Remember his/her name and use it in the conversation. Make the conversation pleasant. Make the other person feel comfortable and at ease.

This is possible if you feel comfortable as well. Should there be differences in ideas or opinions, try your best to steer the conversation to a less controversial topic, and never argue. Let the other person do most of the talking. For this to be possible, you must assume the position of a good listener. Hold back your criticisms. Express a heartfelt compliment and make him/her feel important. All human beings yearn to feel important. Everybody loves a compliment, most especially when it is given warmly and sincerely. There are many varied forms of gaining and showing importance. Some people feel important when they are rewarded by a smile from the person whom they helped.

Likewise, the person who received assistance feels important upon knowing that somebody cares enough to look after his welfare, even if they don’t know each other. Yes, you need not know the person you want to help. It can be done anonymously. A “stranger” is just a friend you haven’t met yet. The important thing is that you extend help. What counts is the voluntary act of helping.

Before parting, make the impression that you are looking forward to talking with him/her again in the near future. Make sure that succeeding meetings will follow the first one. These meetings will allow you to get to know more of each other. A single meeting is never enough. The other person cannot have seen the real, complete you in just one encounter. It’s easy to make people like you as long as you want to.

2. Work in groups of four or five students. One student in each group

will chair the discussion on the following topics. You are advised

to use some of the ideas highlighted in the passage above and

make comparisons of what each of you normally does with the

advice offered in the passage above.

1) What kind of person are you? Are you able to impress people during the first meeting? Why/ Why not?

2) What qualities do you think one should have to impress people during the first meeting?

3) Do you make friends quickly or slowly? Why?

4) Are you good at making friends? Why/Why not?

5) What kind of people do you dislike and decide not to have further contact with after the first meeting?

BACK

Enjoy Yourself

Learning to Read After Decades Brings Joy 

StoryCorps is made possible through major funding from the corporation for public broadcasting and most importantly through the support of participants and listeners like you. Welcome to the StoryCorps podcast. In this episode: a story from national Tennessee. We’ll hear a conversation between Michelle Miller and her student Joe Buford. Joe is 63 years old and they met at the Nashville Adult Literacy Center where Michelle is a tutor. Here Joe tells Michelle what his life was like before he could read.

J: Nobody in my family really knew how bad it was with me and how hard that I was over. My wife did not know until after we just married. Some mail came one day and normally she told me that what came in and what needed to be paid, but this time she gave it to me and said “you read this”. And so she found out that I couldn’t just read something from top to bottom, that tore my heart out, and at this point I was working in a shop that repaired construction equipment and they wanted to give me a desk job and I know that I couldn’t do this. I was lying awake at night trying to figure out how can I tell them I didn’t want the job, so I told them that I was satisfied with what I was doing. Most time I just tried to stay in the background because I just in fear, worried of being in front with anything.

M: Do you remember when you first find out that you are gonna have a baby? What does that feel like?

J: Well, I was excited about it and at the same time, I thought what was wrong with me would be passed on to my kids. And I was so afraid that they wouldn’t go on to read. The biggest thing I was afraid of was the child in a budding would happen to ask me to read something to her, this terrified me. So one day, I asked both of them “Could you read?” and they said “Yes, we can remember when we could” This just made me feel so happy that what was wrong with me, I didn’t pass it on to them.

M: But you and I have been working together for 3 years now, I think. （ J: almost 3, right) Yeah, what made you decide that you want to try one to read?

J: Well, after all of my girls have married and gone. I thought now is the time I really need to do something myself and I thought well, I would give it a year if I can’t become anything, I’ll know it's just not for me.

M: Do you remember when you realize that you really were picked it up?

J: Ah, yes, I jumped up, I ran through the house. (Both laughing) It made me cry and I was thinking wow if it really is sinking in. You’re the best thing ever happened to me. You have changed my life.

M: You have changed mine too. I am looking forward to the next 5 or 10 or how many years that we still have to work together. That’s always fun.

J: So am I. I’m looking forward to it.