U53, Taboos, Target Reading, English Class

1. U53
Unusual4 Taboos
Note: some of the taboos discussed are more like
superstitions2 or etiquette3

2. Text 1: Introduction to Meaning
 All cultures5 have taboos1—things that are not
allowed6.

3. All Cultures5 versus One Culture11
 All the different kinds/societies of people from
around the world
 One kind/society of
people from one part
of the world

4. Grammar 1: Dash
 All cultures5 have taboos1—things that are not
allowed6.
 The dash (—) is used to define the word 'taboo'
 So, question 1
 who can tell me what 'taboo' means?

5. Text 2: Introduction to Origin
 Many taboos come from religion7 and ancient
traditions8.

6. Religion
 Groups for talking about gods

7. Vocabulary 1
 New Words
 Taboo, unusual, All cultures, are not allowed,
religion, ancient traditions
 Make sure you write the meaning of
 Religion
 All Cultures

8. Text 3: Introduction to Taboos in
Different Cultures
 What may be perfectly normal9 in one culture11
can be10 terribly offensive12 in another.

9. Grammar 2
 What may be perfectly normal in one culture
can be terribly offensive in another.
 It starts with the word 'what' but it is not a
question
 This type of grammar is more common in the
middle of the sentence
 I know what the answer is.
 Some taboos are about what skin people can show.
 From later in the story

10. Question 2 and 3
 What may be perfectly normal in one culture
can be terribly offensive in another.
 Question 2: What is this sentence talking
about?
 Question 3: In another what?

11. Text 4: Introduction to What Taboos
are about
 Many taboos are about food and clothing.

12. Vocabulary 2
 New Words
 perfectly normal, can be, one culture, terribly
offensive
 Make sure you write the meaning of
 One culture

13. Question 4
 What taboos will this writing talk about?

14. Text 5: Food and Time
 Are you eating now? What time is it? In
Portugal13, you shouldn't15 eat oranges at night;
in Cape Verde14, they say the same thing about
sweet potatoes.

15. Grammar 3: Tone Shift
 Tone shifts from general informative to using the
informal 'you'
 In paragraph 3 it will switch again to using 'we'
 These tone switches make this story very
informal

16. Portugal and
Cape Verde

17. Eating Oranges at Night

18. Sweet Potatoes at Night

19. Text 6: What you Shouldn't Eat 1
 Some taboos are about what you shouldn't eat.
In America, eating dog or horse meat is taboo,
as is eating most insects. In other places, these
foods are fine17.

20. Grammar 4: as is
 In America, eating dog or horse meat is taboo,
as is eating most insects.
 In _____ (place) _____(ing verb or noun
phrase) is/are _____ (comment; opinion; fact),
as is ___(ing verb or noun phrase).
 They could have written: In America, eating
dogs, horses, or insects is taboo.
 It was as if they forgot insects so then added it
after, like in speaking.
 Using ', as is ___.'
 This is another way to write informally

21. Text 7: What you Shouldn't Eat 2
 Many people in India19 would never16 eat beef,
but in most of the rest of the world18, people
raise cows for meat20.

22. India Picture

23. India Sacred Cow

24. People Raise Cows

25. Vocabulary 3
 New Words
 Portugal, Cape Verde, you shouldn't, would never,
are fine, most of the rest of the world, India, raise
cows for meat
 Make sure you write the meaning of
 Portugal
 Cape Verde
 India
 Raise cows

26. Text 8: The Way People Eat 1
 The way people eat21 is also ruled by22 taboos.
In China, you can23 eat with your mouth open,
whereas24 in Europe26 this is rude25.

27. Eat with your Mouth Open

28. Europe

29. Rude/Offensive Behaviors

30. Question 5
 The way people eat is also ruled by taboos.
 Review Question
 In 1860, who were people in England ruled by?

31. Text 9: The Way People Eat 2
 In many parts of the world27, eating with the left
hand is taboo, because it is used for washing
yourself.

32. Vocabulary 4
 New Words
 the way people eat, ruled by, you can, whereas,
rude, Europe, in many parts of the world
 Make sure you write the meaning of
 Europe

33. Question 6
 In many parts of the world, eating with the left
hand is taboo, because it is used for washing
yourself.
 What do people use the right hand for?

34. Eat with the Right Hand Picture
 Look in your book to see eating with the left

35. Text 10: Clothing Colors show
Social Status Rank
 Clothing taboos often show28 social status29.
Many cultures use colors to show30 rank31. In
ancient China, only the emperor32 could wear33
yellow. In ancient Rome34, only senators35 could
wear purple.

36. Social Status Picture
 Whether you have money or you don't

37. Rome

38. Wear Yellow and Wear Purple
 For an emperor (like a king) wearing yellow see
your textbook
 Interesting Fact: Purple came from imported (進
口) snail juice which was expensive, so it
showed everyone how rich someone was

39. Senator
 The USA also has senators, but the clothes are
different

40. Vocabulary 5
 New Words
 show, social status, use colors to show, rank,
emperor, could wear, Rome, senators
 Make sure you write the meaning of
 social status
 Emperor
 Rome

41. Text 11: What Skin People Can
Show 1
 Some taboos are about what36 skin37 people
can show. In the past, to see a woman's ankle38
was taboo. Now, we have bikinis39!

42. Ankle Picture

43. Vocabulary 6
 New Words
 What skin, skin, ankle, bikini
 Make sure you write the meaning of
 ankle

44. Text 12: What Skin People Can
Show 2
 In India, traditional saris40 show women's
stomachs41, but these clothes would be43 taboo
in much of44 the Middle East42.

45. Sari

46. Middle East

47. Vocabulary 7
 New Words
 Sari, stomach, would be, much of, the middle east
 Make sure you write the meaning of
 sari
 The Middle East

48. Grammar 5: Conditional
 Should, would, could are the used a lot in this
story because it is talking about places in times
different from our own.
 In different countries people should (have to;應該)
do different things
 Story example?
 In different countries or different times people can
do (are allowed to; 可以) different things.
 Story example?
 In conditional, 'would' can mean 'will for sure' or 'is'.
 Story example?

49. Text 13: What Skin People Can
Show 3
 And in Tonga45, it is illegal46 for a man to go
without a shirt47 in public48!

50. Tonga

51. In Public versus at Home
 Being in public=being outside with lots of
people and not by yourself and/or at your house

52. Vocabulary 8
 New Words
 Tonga, illegal, to go without a shirt, in public
 Make sure you write the meaning of
 Tonga
 In public

53. Text 14: Conclusion 1
 Understanding taboos helps us understand
other cultures' histories49, since most taboos
come from the distant past50.
 Grammar Note: Cultures' histories
 The apostrophe ( ' ) comes after the 's' because it is
saying the histories of many cultures. 'culture's
histories' would mean the history of one culture

54. Question 7
 Understanding taboos helps us understand
other cultures' histories, since most taboos
come from the distant past.
 OK, so most taboos come from the distant past,
but are there any new taboos? What can you
think of?

55. Text 15: Conclusion 2
 Learning about other cultures' taboos also helps
us understand our own. After all51, any one of52
our taboos could seem strange53 to a foreigner.

56. Vocabulary 9
 New Words
 history, distant past, after all, any one of, strange

57. Synonyms
 This unit says the same thing many different
ways
 Strange=Unusual
 Far in the Past=The Distant Past=Ancient

58. Other American
Superstitions/Taboos/Dinner
Etiquette People must wear black to a funeral (喪禮)
 The bride (新娘) must wear white at weddings (
婚禮)
 People at a dinner table must wait to eat until
everyone has food in front of them
 Put the napkin (衛生紙) on your lap (大腿) when
eating
 People must not wear a hat indoors
 People must not open an umbrella indoors

59. Question 8
 Which American taboo seems strange to you?
Why?

60. QUESTION SECTION
 Let's say these words first:
 made to be broken
 far in the past
 Laws
 Chewing
 Considered
 Disappeared
 modern society
 Improbably
 Contrast
 a step in a progress

61. Main Idea
 What is the main point of the passage?
 A: ….far in the past. -->about time
 How many dates, times, or numbers can you see?
 B: Many cultures.... -->about places/countries
 How many times do you see the word 'in'?
 C: Food taboos.... -->about food
 How many paragraphs talk about food?
 D: ...broken. -->people who don't do taboos
 Remember Bob Dylan protested and fought the
establishment? Does this story talk about
protests?

62. Subject Matter
 What is the passage mostly about?
 Subject and Main Idea questions are often similar.
 A: Laws
 Laws talk about punishments (懲罰), what you 'must' do,
the government (政府), and court (法庭). Do you see this
stuff?
 B: Different cultures -->about places/countries
 How many times do you see the word 'in'?
 C: Food
 How many paragraphs talk about food?
 D: Clothes
 How many paragraphs talk about clothes?

63. Supporting Details
 According to the passage, what is considered58
rude in Europe?
 This question is easy. Just find the sentence
with 'Europe' and 'rude,' and check to see which
answer (A, B, C, or D) has the same words as
the rest of the sentence

64. Inference
 Which of the following may be inferred from the
third paragraph?
 A uses the word 'still'
 When did the Romans wear purple?
 B talks about open mouths
 What paragraph was that in?
 C talks about the Middle East
 What clothes are taboo in the Middle East?
 D says there are no taboos today
 Do you see present tense verbs like 'is'?

65. Words in Context
 Which of the following means the closest to the
word perfectly in the first paragraph?
 “What may be perfectly normal in one culture
can be terribly offensive in another.”
 This sentence contrasts62 good and bad by
using symmetrical (對稱的) grammar. It is
talking about taboos in cultures. Doing a taboo
is very wrong but in another country it might be
very OK.
 So, which word (A, B, C, D) makes offensive
and normal seem the most opposite (相反)?

66. Clarifying Devices
 “In China you can eat with your mouth open,
whereas in Europe this is rude.” How is the
word whereas used in this sentence?
 Clarifying devices are words or ways that make
meaning more clear to the reader
 'Whereas' makes the sentence more clear
because it helps the reader know that....

67. 'Whereas' makes the sentence
more clear because it helps the
reader know that....
 A: similarity
 Europe and China have the same taboo
 B: contrast
 Europe and China have opposite thoughts about a
taboo
 C: new idea
 There are two topics in the sentence
 D: new step
 There are two steps to complete a certain (特定的)
action (動作)