1. To know the importance of expressing congratulations and making toasts;  

2. To increase the familiarity and use of such expressions; 

3. To translate the visual information from the video clip into the appropriate language; 

4. To use the audio information in the corresponding exercises;

5. To reinforce productively the language that has been learned.

●  Think about the following questions and try to answer them.

1) When do people express congratulations? Can you make a couple of such occasions? 

* suggested answer:

We express joy or acknowledge those who have made a success of something, accomplished something, run into luck, etc. We make such expressions at commencements (毕业典礼) , a formal ceremonies, celebrations, parties, etc.

2) Are there any cultural differences in terms of drinking toasts?

* suggested answer:

Chinese people, drinking toasts, tap the bottoms of their drinking glasses on a large “Lazy Susan”  (转盘)  at the center of the big round table they are seated around.

3) Which do you prefer, making friends before doing business or making friends after doing business?

* suggested answer:

As far as I know, Chinese people prefer making friends before doing business, and Americans prefer the opposite. I’m in between: I prefer the former because it facilitates doing business. And I prefer the latter because it establishes mutual (相互的)  trust first as the basis for the development of future business.

●  Listen and repeat each of the following expressions used for giving congratulations and making toasts.

 1) Congratulations on winning the competition. 

 2) Many, many congratulations on winning a scholarship. 

 3) Please convey him my congratulations. 

 4) Allow me to offer my warmest congratulations on your success. 

 5) I’d like to be the first to congratulate you. 

 6) Please accept my warmest congratulations on your promotion. 

 7) Shall we propose a toast to the future of our company? 

 8) Here’s to the Olympic Games in Beijing. 

 9) Here’s looking at you. (我向您致敬；我向您祝酒。 )

10) Here’s to you. 

11) Here’s to us.

12) To life!

13) To your health.

14) I’ll drink to that.

15) Cheers!

16) Down the hatch! (干杯!) (informal)

17) Bottoms up! 

18) Drink up!

祝贺敬酒是一种文化。在文化交融的重大正式场合，祝贺敬酒形式趋同，文化差异缩小。 然而，在一些单一文化的场面上，英语文化的祝贺敬酒比较安静，而汉语文化祝贺敬酒则显得热闹。前者追求温馨典雅的气氛；后者讲究一种欢快红火的氛围。所以，我们在文化交融的场面上，用英语祝贺敬酒本身也是一种交流，应注意文化的区别。

本单元所提供的祝贺敬酒英语表达形式丰富多彩，使用时应注意将其分为正式性的(如：“Congratulations on winning the competition” , “Allow me to offer my warmest congratulations on your success” , “Please accept my warmest congratulations on your promotion” , “Shall we propose a toast to the future of our company?” )、非正式性的(如：“Here’s looking at you” , “Down the hatch!” ）以及常用性的(如：“Here’s to the Olympic Games in Beijing” , “Here’s to you” , “Cheers!” “Bottoms up!”)。

● Useful Language

●  Watch the video and then complete each of the following statements, based on your observations.

1) Shelley and Michael are sitting by the window. 

2) Out the window they can see a stream and a wooden bridge over it.

3) The dishes they ordered look delicious. 

4) Michael is good at using Chinese chopsticks. 

5) They are making toasts to each other over the table. 

6) They are having a wonderful time every minute. 

A. Watch the video and then decide whether each of the following statements is true (T ) or false (F ).

1) Shelley and Michael exchanged congratulations on their promotions while eating in a restaurant. (F) 

2) Over the table, Shelley and Michael drink a toast in a Chinese way. (T)

3) Michael has a profound knowledge of Chinese cuisine. (T)

4) They order such a spicy Hunan dish that Shelley cries because of its strong and hot taste. (F)

5) Shelley and Michael have a delicious meal and drink a toast to their wonderful, romantic day. (T)

B. Now watch the video again and then complete the following conversation.

Michael: I’d like to be the first to congratulate you on your promotion. Congratulations! 

Shelley: Thanks. I’m just very lucky.

Michael: I’ll drink to that.

Shelley: Here’s to us. Cheers!  

Michael: When in Rome, do as the Romans do, Shelley. Bottoms up!

Shelley: Bottoms up!

Michael: I like the Chinese food in China, so here’s to the real Chinese food! 

Shelley: I love the sesame chicken you ordered. It’s yummy.

Michael: You know, Shelley, it’s the sauce that adds spice to the dish. 

Shelley: How come you know so much about Chinese food? 

Michael: You know why? Whenever I travel in China, I never miss exploring local dishes. China is well-known for its four major cuisines, or eight major cuisines. Chinese dishes are exquisitely prepared. They are wonderful in color, flavor, and taste.

Shelley: No wonder you are now so good at using chopsticks.

Michael: Hey, have you had a taste of Hunan dishes? They are very spicy with a strong and hot taste. 

Shelley: I still remember I cried over a Hunan dish.

Michael: Oh, did you? Hey, let’s enjoy the steamed fish.

Shelley: Oh, that’s my favorite. I’m very partial to fish.

Michael: Let’s have one more bottle of beer, shall we? 

Shelley: Please.

Michael: This is the most delicious food I’ve had for a long time. What a marvelous meal! 

Shelley: I’m glad you like it. This one’s on me.

Michael: Oh, no. I really couldn’t accept that. Let’s split the bill. Here’s to you and this wonderful day. 

Shelley: Down the hatch! 

Michael: Yes, down the hatch!

C. After watching the video a third time, complete the following third-person account of the conversation.

      Shelley has just received a promotion. She is celebrating it with Michael in a restaurant. Michael congratulates Shelley on her promotion and toasts it. Michael also drinks to the real Chinese food they are savoring (品尝) . He tells Shelley that he has never missed exploring local dishes whenever he has traveled in China. So he knows a lot about Chinese cuisine, and is good at using chopsticks. Shelley remembers having a Hunan dish that was so strong and hot that she cried over it. They drink two bottles of beer that evening. It is a rich and wonderful meal, and quite a romantic moment for Shelley and Michael. Shelley wants to make it her treat (请客) , but Michael wants to split the bill.

1) Watch the video again, with a female student doing Shelley’s voice.

2) Watch the video once more, with a male student doing Michael’s voice.

3) Watch the video one last time, with a male student and a female student doing both of the voices for the whole conversation.

● 1. Do you have any good news? Tell the class if you have recently received good news; if so, get ready to receive congratulations! After that, make believe you are having a party or a dinner party for occasion or for someone, and propose toasts using the expressions you have just learned.

* suggested dialogue:

  — Yes, I have good news. I’ve won a scholarship. 

  — I’d like to be the first to congratulate you. Congratulations!

● 2. Discuss the following topics in groups.

As the Chinese saying goes, a party without drinks is not a party at all.

* suggested answer:

We Chinese like to be “noisy” at a party. To encourage a lively  atmosphere, we need drinks. They can add excitement to the party. A party without drinks can hardly be exciting. And a party without excitement, of course, can hardly be a party.

A. You will continue to watch a video clip. Below are suggested steps for the learning activities: 

● Read the information about Jeff Bezos before watching;

● Watch the video without reading the text for the first time;

●  Read the text while listening;

● Watch it again to complete the message;

● Try to answer one of the questions raised by Jeff Bezos in the rest of his speech.

About Jeff Bezos

      Jeffrey Preston “Jeff” Bezos (born January 12, 1964) is an American entrepreneur who played a key role in the growth of e-commerce as the founder and chief executive officer of Amazon.com, Inc., an online merchant of books and later of a wide variety of products. Under his guidance, Amazon.com became the largest retailer on the World Wide Web and the model for Internet sales. 

We are What We Choose

— Part of the speech by Jeff Bezos to the Class of 2010 on May 30, 2010 at Princeton University

      As a kid, I spent my summers with my grandparents on their ranch (农场)  in Texas. I helped fix windmills (风车) , vaccinate (接种疫苗)  cattle, and do other chores (杂务) . We also watched soap operas (肥皂剧)  every afternoon, especially Days of Our Lives. My grandparents belonged to a Caravan (房车)  Club, a group of Airstream trailer (房车)  owners who travel together around the U.S. and Canada. And every few summers, we’d join the caravan. We’d hitch up (拉起)  a Airstream to my grandfather’s car, and off we’d go, in a line with 300 other Airstream adventurers. I loved and worshipped (崇拜)  my grandparents and I really looked forward to these trips. On one particular trip, I was about 10 years old. I was rolling around (滚着玩耍)  in the big bench seat in the back of the car. My grandfather was driving. And my grandmother had the passenger seat. She smoked throughout these trips, and I hated the smell. 

      At that age, I’d take any excuse (理由)  to make estimates (计算)  and do minor arithmetic (算术) . I’d calculate (计算)  our gas mileage (里程数)  — igure out useless statistics (统计)  on things like grocery (杂货店)  spending. I’d been hearing an ad campaign (活动)  about smoking. I can’t remember the details, but basically the ad said, every puff (一口烟)  of a cigarette takes some number of minutes off your life: I think it might have been two minutes per puff. At any rate, I decided to do the math for my grandmother. I estimated the number of cigarettes per day, estimated the number of puffs per cigarette and so on. When I was satisied that I’d come up with a reasonable number, I poked my head into the front of the car, tapped my grandmother on the shoulder, and proudly proclaimed (宣告) , “At two minutes per puff, you’ve taken nine years off your life!”

      I have a vivid memory of what happened next, and it was not what I had expected. I expected to be applauded (称赞)  for my cleverness and my arithmetic skills. “Jeff, you’re so smart. You had to have made some tricky (巧妙的)  estimates, igure out the number of minutes in a year and do some division (除法) .” That’s not what happened. Instead, my grandmother burst into tears. I sat in the backseat and did not know what to do. While my grandmother was crying, my grandfather, who had been driving in silence, pulled over onto the shoulder of the highway. He got out of the car and came around and opened my door and waited for me to follow. Was I in trouble? My grandfather was a highly intelligent, quiet man. He had never said a harsh (严厉的)  word to me, and maybe this was to be the irst time? Or maybe he would ask that I get back in the car and apologize (道歉)  to my grandmother. I had no experience in this realm (状况)  with my grandparents and no way to gauge (判断)  what the consequences (后果)  might be. We stopped beside the trailer. My grandfather looked at me, and after a bit of silence, he gently and calmly said, “Jeff, one day you’ll understand that it’s harder to be kind than clever.”

...

B. Complete the following message delivered by Jeff Bezos in his speech.

      What I want to talk to you about today is the difference between gifts (天赋) and choices. Cleverness is a gift. Kindness is a choice. Gifts are easy — they’re given after all. Choices can be hard. You can seduce (诱惑)  yourself with your gifts if you’re not careful, and if you do, it’ll probably be to the detriment (危害)  of your choices.

C. Go through the list of questions raised by Jeff Bezos in the rest of his speech, and choose one question to answer, as indicated by example.  

* Example:

      I chose the first question: How will you use your gifts? What choices will you make? I will not use my gifts at the cost of my choices. What I’m trying to say is that I got to be careful about my gift when I make a choice. Cleverness does not necessarily lead to a rational choice.

How will you use your gifts? What choices will you make?

Will inertia (惰性)  be your guide, or will you follow your passions?

Will you follow dogma (惰性) , or will you be original?

Will you choose a life of ease, or a life of service and adventure?

Will you wilt (变得萎靡不振)  under criticism, or will you follow 

your convictions (信念) ?

Will you bluff it out (用欺骗的手段蒙混过关)  when you’re wrong, or will you apologize?

Will you guard your heart against rejection, or will you act when you fall in love?

Will you play it safe, or will you be a little bit swashbuckling (虚张声势的) ?

When it’s tough, will you give up, or will you be relentless (不懈的) ?

Will you be a cynic (玩世不恭的) , or will you be a builder?

Will you be clever at the expense of others, or will you be kind?