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111Module 6 Unexplained Mysteries of the Natural WorldPeriod 6 CULTURAL CORNERThe Universal DragonGoals To read about dragon in the east and in the westProceduresStep 1: Before you readPlease go over the word list for this module, paying attention to the pronunciation of the word, the relationship between its pronunciation and its spelling.Step 2: While you readCut/ the sentences into thought groups, blacken the predicates, underline the useful expressions and darken the connectives.Step 3: After you readCopy all the useful expressions into your Expression Book. You may make sentences with these expressions.Useful expressions from The Universal Dragonfriendly or fierce, bring good luck, cause death and destruction, talk about, for a creature, in Chinese culture, be closely connected to the royal family, the emperors robes, have a symbol of a gold dragon with five claws, wear claws, of a different colour, according to popular belief, be born in the year of the dragon, a natural leader, have a different reputation, tell the story of a Scandinavian hero, across the border in Wales, the red dragon, appear on the Welsh flag, a positive symbol, indicating strength and a sense of national identity, have a different character, in different parts of the world, due to the animals, grow out of, the idea of the dragon, come from the snake, be afraid of, a shy animal, live in rivers, plenty of water, a good sign for agriculture, a bringer of good fortuneStep 4: Talking about the universal dragonYou are going to put the article into a dialogue in pairs. The following can be an example for you.A: What is a dragon?B: I dont know. Lets go and ask our teacher, Mr. Zhao and Miss Li. A: Mr. Zhao, could tell us what a dragon is?C: A dragon is a creature of Teutonic mythology. It usually is represented as an animal breathing fire and having a reptilian body and sometimes wings.D: Dragons can be friendly, or fierce.C: You are right, Miss Li.D: They can bring good luck, or cause death and destruction, but, one thing is surepeople talk about them almost everywhere in the world. A: For a creature that doesnt actually exist, thats quite something.B: What is a dragon in Chinese culture?C: In Chinese culture, dragons are generous and wise, although they can be unpredictable. D: And the dragon was closely connected to the royal family.B: Thats why the emperors robes have a symbol of a gold dragon with five claws. A: I learned that other members of the royal family were allowed to wear claws and of a different colour. B: My teacher told me that according to popular belief, if you were born in the year of the dragon, you are intelligent, brave, and a natural leader.A: But in the west, in my country, dragons had a different reputation. B: Yes, they had. The very first text in English, the Anglo-Saxon poem Beowulf, tells the story of a Scandinavian hero, Beowulf, who fights and kills a dangerous dragon but is himself killed in the fight. A: Across the border in Wales, the red dragon on the Welsh flag is a positive symbol.C: Why do you say it is positive?A: It indicates strength and a sense of national identity.B: Miss Li, why should the dragon have a different character in different parts of the world? D: Some experts believe it is due to the animals the myths grew out of. C: I see, in the west, the idea of the dragon probably came from the snake.D: That is an animal which people hated and were afraid of.A: But in China, the idea of the dragon may have come from the alligatora shy animal which lives in rivers, but which is usually only seen when there is plenty of watera good sign for agriculture. So the Chinese dragon was a bringer of good fortune.C: The dragon is one of the 12-year cycles of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar. D: According to Chinese folklore, each animal is associated with certain personality traits. A: I learned that dragon people are considered most eccentric in the Chinese zodiac. Dragons are idealists, perfectionists. They are born thinking they are perfect and inflexible. B:Dragons are also aggressive and determined, going after what they want is second nature to them. 111
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