university英语人文素养阅读的教程下册Unit6CulturalGeographySectionA.ppt

Unit 6 Cultural Geography  Teaching Material: Section A: Maya, the Riddle of a Lost Civilization Teaching Objectives: 1) Grasp the main idea and structure of the text; 2) Master key language points and grammatical structures in the text. Teaching Focus and Difficult Points: 1) The main idea and structure of Section A. 2) The understanding of Section A. Teaching Methods: 1) Interactive Teaching 2) Communicative Teaching Teaching Aids: Teaching notes prepared by the teacher, blackboard, computer and projector. Step 1: Background Information The Olmec奥尔梅克人: ancient Indians living in the southeast of Mexico. The Olmec civilization was one of the first civilizations in the Americas. They thrived between 1200 and 400 B.C. and settled in the forests, savannas稀树草原, and rivers of the Gulf of Mexico. They mainly used stone and clay in their architecture. Their architectural style included large clay platforms and terraces梯田, usually painted bright shades of red, yellow, and purple. For special buildings, such as ceremonial 仪式centers, the Olmecs used multicolored clays on the floors to add decoration to the building. Step 1: Background Information The Toltec托尔特克人: ancient Indians settled primarily in what is now known as Mexico, from 10th century A.D. until mid 12th century A.D. They were a militaristic军国主义 society. Their architecture was simple, and often unchanged because they were more concerned with function than form. The other purpose of their architecture was to induce诱发 fear. For example, they built large columns of fearsome warriors to guard a temple, and often added tzompantlis (low platforms where they made sacrifices and displayed severed human heads) to their buildings. Step Two Pre-reading Tasks Scan the whole passage to get the general idea and find the answers to the following questions. 1. When did the Maya adopt a hierarchical system of government? 2. When did the Mayan civilization start to decline? 3. Who is Xib Chac