Period 4Language FocusingThe General Idea of This PeriodThis period mainly deals with the important language points that appear in the Reading passages.But first,the teacher should check how well the students understood the passage by asking some detailed questions based on the passage.While doing this, students should keep their textbooks closed.Then the teacher will check the students’ homework of filling some words in a short passage.Then the teacher will deal with the important points in the passage.The purpose of this step is to help students better understand some difficult sentences and master the usage of some important words and expressions.So the teacher should give the students several minutes to find out the difficult points at first.In this way, the teacher can help the students remove the obstacles in reading.After that the teacher will explain the words and expressions and then show the students some typical examples to help them understand.Sometimes the teacher will compare the words or expressions with some similar ones.After this step, as consolidation, the students are asked to finish a short passage using the words and expressions that they have just learned in the unit.Another more difficult task is set to meet the needs, that is, to translate some sentences from Chinese to English by using the words and expressions in the brackets.Teaching Important PointsLearn the usage of some difficult words and expressions.Train the students’ ability to remove the difficulties while reading.Teaching DifficultiesTrain the students’ ability to distinguish some similar words or expressions.Know that the invaders caused the native people to suffer a lot, but they also left some historical treasures.Teaching Aidsa tape recorder a projectorthe blackboard Three Dimensional Teaching AimsKnowledge Aimsdivide, puzzle, construct, influence, thrill, consist of, break away (from), break down, break in/into, break out, break through, break up, set the time, set an example, set sb.free, set about doing sth., set out to do sth., set sth.aside, set down, set off, set up, be linked to, to one’s surprise, look round, keep one’s eyes open, on special occasions, in memory of, have a photo taken, on show, be proud of, leave outThere is no need to do sth.It seemed that sb.should have done sth.Ability AimsLearn the usage of some difficult words and expressions.Train the students’ ability to distinguish some similar words or expressions.Train the students’ ability to remove the difficulties while reading.Emotional AimsTrain the students’ ability to cooperate with others.Get to know that history can greatly influence the geography of a place.Know that the invaders caused the native people to suffer a lot, but they also left some historical treasures.Teaching ProcedureStep 1 GreetingsTeacher greets the students as usual.Step 2 Homework CheckingT: In the last period we learned some famous attractions in London.Can you use some simple English to describe two of the places?S: The Tower of London was built long ago by the Norman invaders of AD 1066.This solid, stone, square tower had remained standing for one thousand years.If you went there, you would find the Queen’s jewels guarded by special royal soldiers who, on special occasions, still wear the four-hundred-year-old uniform of the time of Queen Elizabeth Ⅰ.S: If you went to visit Greenwich, you would see its old ships and famous clock that sets the world time.There is the imaginary longitude line which divides the eastern and western halves of the world, and is very useful for navigation.T: Good.Now, please open your books and turn to Page 11.Let’s first check the answers in Part 1.I’d like to ask one of you to read the passage.S: “Why you debate this wonderful opportunity so carefully is a puzzle to me, ”the boss said on the phone.“This is the project for you.You will live in a town in England and have a house with all modern convenience. Our headquarters in Beijing will clarify any problems that may arise over the Internet.You will help us to examine any legal issues that may arise if we want to build a factory somewhere in the United Kingdom.We think you will find living in England will be a great attraction and so we would like to influence you to take this job.We hope you will accept it.”T: Yes, every word has found its proper place.Step 3 Language FocusingT: Look at the first reading passage in this unit.Do you have any trouble in understanding any word, phrase or sentence pattern?S: In this unit there is a sentence, “The UK consists of four countries.”Can we change it into“The UK is made up of four countries.”?T: Absolutely right.“A consists of B”means“A is made up of B”.Or we can change the sentence into Active Voice by using“make up”.Can you?S: Four countries make up the UK.T: You are right.“Consist”can be used with“in”, which means“l(fā)ie in”.Translate the following sentence: 這個計劃妙就妙在簡明扼要。S: The beauty of the plan consists in its simplicity.S: What’s the difference between“divide”and“separate”?T: “Divide”means to separate something such as an area, group, or object into two or more parts.For example: Take the orange and divide it into quarters.We can say“divide sth.in/into sth.”or“divide sth.between/among sb.”.Translate the following sentences: “1.我們分成幾個小組吧。2.這筆錢要在六個孫兒中平均的分配。”S: Let’s divide ourselves into several groups.S: The money is to be divided equally among the six grandchildren.T: “Divide”can also mean to find out how many times one number is contained in another larger number.e.g.15 divided by 3 is 5.T: If something“separates”two places or two things, it is between them so that they are not touching each other or connected with each other.For example: A fence separated the cows from the pigs.“Separate”can also mean apart.Can you translate the sentence into English: “兩個孩子在路的盡頭分手了。”S: The two children separated at the end of the road.S: How can we use the word“puzzle”in the title“Puzzles in Geography”?T: “Puzzle”can be used as a noun or verb.In the title“Puzzles in Geography”“puzzle”is used as a noun, which means something that is difficult to understand or explain.For example: It’s a puzzle where all my money goes each week.It can also mean a game in which you have to think hard to solve a difficult question or problem, as in a crossword puzzle.As a verb, “puzzle”has two meanings.One is to confuse someone or make them feel slightly anxious because they do not understand something.The other is to think for a long time about something because you cannot understand or solve it.It is often used with over or about.Translate the following sentences: 1.那個婦女的病癥把醫(yī)生難住了, 他無法找出病因。2.老將軍對著那張舊地圖苦苦思索著。S: The woman’s illness puzzled the doctor;he couldn’t find the cause.S: The old general was puzzling over the old map.S: There are two“break”phrases in this unit: “break away”and“break down”.Can you tell us some other“break”phrases that are often used?T: OK.You are very careful.“Break away”means to leave a group or political party to form another group, usually because of a disagreement.It is often followed by“from”.“Break down”has many meanings.If a large machine, especially a car, breaks down, it stops working.If a discussion, system, etc.breaks down, it fails because there are problems.If a substance breaks down or something breaks it down, it changes as a result of a chemical process.“Break in”means to enter a building by using force, in order to steal something or to join a conversation by interrupting someone or saying something suddenly.But we can’t add an object directly to“break in”.If you want to do so, you can use“break into”.“Break into tears, laughter, cheers, etc.”means to suddenly start crying, laughing, etc.When something unpleasant such as a fire, war, or disease starts to happen, we can use“break out”.“Break through”means to force a way through something.The similar phrase to“break into pieces”is“break up”.If a marriage, group of people, or organization breaks up, the people in it separate and do not live or work together any more.Now, please use the“break”phrases to finish the following sentences.1.It was almost midnight when a fire __________in the neighborhood.2.At dawn 300 tanks prepared to __________the enemy lines.3.The car __________halfway to the destination.4.The police __________the fighting crowd.5.Children shouldn’t__________on adults’ conversation.6.The robbery suspect __________the lockup.7.The thieves __________the office and stole some money.8.The crowd __________ cheers and the drunk bowed.Suggested answers: 1 broke out2 break through3 broke down4 broke up5 break in6 broke away from7 broke into8 broke intoT: So now you must have mastered these“break”phrases.S: In the sixth paragraph, there is a word“constructed”.Can we replace it with“built”?T: Yes.But“construct”refers to building a large building, bridge, road, etc.And can mean to form something such as a sentence, argument or system by joining words, ideas, etc, together.So, “to construct a sentence”means“to make a sentence”.Do you know its noun form?S: Construction.T: Yes.So what does this sentence mean?When we got to the hotel, it was still under construction.S: It means the hotel is still being built.T: You are very clever.S: Can you tell us the differences between“influence”, “affect”, “touch”, “impress”and“move”?T: “To influence”means“to have an effect on the way someone or something develops, behaves, thinks, etc.without directly forcing or commanding them”.“To affect”means“to do something that produces an effect or change in someone or something”.“To touch”means“to make someone feel upset, sympathetic, interested, etc.”.If someone or something impresses you, you admire them because you notice how good, clever, successful, etc.they are.“To move”means“to make someone feel strong feelings, especially of sadness or sympathy”.Now, try to use these words to fill in the blanks in the following sentences.1.His harsh words had obviously __________her although she tried not to show it.2.How will the tax __________people on low incomes?3.The child’s suffering__________us to tears.4.What __________me most about the book was its vivid language.5.My teacher __________my decision to study science.S: No.1 touched;No.2 affect;No.3 moved;No.4 impressed;No.5 influenced.T: Now let’s come to the second reading passage in this unit.Do you have any questions?S: In the third paragraph, there is a sentence, “ ...and famous clock that sets the world time.”What does“set”mean here?T: “Set”here means“decide or establish”.In English there are many“set”phrases, which are very useful.Here are the explanations to some“set”phrases.Please write down the“set”phrases in the bracket before each of them.1.()to behave in a way that shows others how to behave 2.()to allow someone to be free 3.()to start doing something especially something that needs a lot of time and effort4.()to keep something especially money and time, for a special purpose and only use it for that purpose 5.()to write about something so that you have a record of it 6.()to start to go somewhere 7.()to place or build something such as a sign or statue somewhereS: No.1 set an example;No.2 set sb.free;No.3 set about doing sth./set out to do sth.;No.4 set sth.aside;No.5 set down;No.6 set off;No.7 set up.T: Excellent.S: In the fourth paragraph, there is a word“thrill”.How can we use this word?T: The word“thrill”can be a noun and a verb.As a noun, it means a sudden strong feeling of excitement and pleasure, or the thing that makes you feel this.As a verb, it means to make someone feel excited and happy.Hence, we have“thrilling”(exciting) and“thrilled”(excited).Look at the following sentence: I always take a thriller to read on the train.What does“thriller”mean?Please pay special attention to the context.S: It means a person who feels thrilled.T: Does anyone have a better explanation?S: It must refer to something instead of someone.T: You are right.“Thriller”refers to a book or film that tells an exciting story about murder or crime.T: If you have some other questions, please come to ask me after class.Step 4 ConsolidationT: Turn to Page 50 and try to finish Part 2.Read these phrasal verbs and use them correctly in the passage.(Teacher gives the students several minutes to finish the task.)(Teacher checks the answers with the whole class.)S: No.1 consists of;No.2 break away from;No.3 take the place of;No.4 divided into;No.5 break down;No.6 left out.Step 5 Homework1.Revise all the difficult words and phrases in this unit.2.Find out the phrases from the text to fill in the blanks: 1) 與……連結(jié)__________ 2) 令某人驚訝的是__________3) 到處尋找, 觀光__________ 4) 睜大眼睛__________5) 在特殊的場合__________ 6) 為了紀(jì)念……__________7) 拍一張照片__________ 8) 展出__________9) 為……感到驕傲 __________10) 遺留, 漏掉__________3.Translate the sentences into English, using the words and phrases in brackets.1) 大衛(wèi)·貝克漢姆到達(dá)日本時, 興奮的球迷們都趕去迎接。(thrilled)2)為了慶祝我表姐的婚禮, 我的姨媽和姨父安排了一場晚會。(wedding;arrange)3)這可能有點難以理解, 但是舉個例子能有助于解釋清楚這個難題。(clarify)4)不要受她的話的影響, 你必須自己決定。(influence)5)由于父親無法來款待晚會上的客人, 波拉代替父親接待了他們。(available;take the place of)The Design of the Writing on the BlackboardUnit 2The United KingdomPeriod 4Language FocusingImportant words & phrases: 1.A consists of Bbreak outset about doing sth.→A is made up of Bbreak throughset out to do sth.→B make up Abreak upset sth.aside2.divide /separate5.construct/buildset down3.puzzle6.influence/affect/touch/set off 4.“break”phrases: impress/moveset up break away (from) 7.set the time8.thrill (thrilling, thrilled)break downset an examplethriller break in/intoset sb.freeResearch and ActivitiesAs is well known, Hong Kong was once a colony of the UK.Find out how the UK systems influenced the economy and culture of Hong Kong.And find out as many changes as possible before and after Hong Kong returned to the mainland.The following websites and the passages may be helpful.1.http: //www.answers.com/topic/history-of-hong-kong2.http: //globaledge.msu.edu/IBRD/CountryHistory.asp?CountryID=19&RegionID=33.http: //www.reference.com/browse/wiki/History_of_Hong_KongHong KongAfter the end of World War Ⅱ and the communist takeover of Mainland China in 1949, hundreds of thousands of people emigrated from China to Hong Kong.Some of the new immigrants brought with them skills and capital, while others became a vast pool of cheap labour.At the same time, many foreign firms moved their offices from Shanghai to Hong Kong. This helped Hong Kong achieve its first economic success and become a major manufacturing centre.However, despite the economic success, many employers did not treat their employees well.The ideal of communism impressed many young Hongkongers in the 1960s.In May, 1967, a labour movement under the influence of the Cultural Revolution in China became violent.Riots followed in the next six months.A famous radio host, Lam Bun (林彬), who openly criticised the movement, was murdered.Leftists agitators in Hong Kong resorted to terrorist attacks by planting real and fake bombs around the city.After the Hong Kong government brought down the labour movement, the communists’ web in Hong Kong was broken and the Hongkongers’ view of the communists became negative.(Refer to Hong Kong 1967 riots)In 1974, Murray Mclehose founded ICAC, the Independent Commission Against Corruption. The situation was so bad that there was a mass petition by policemen against prosecutions. Despite early police opposition to the ICAC, Hong Kong was quite successful in its anti-corruption efforts, eventually becoming one of the least corrupt societies in the world.The opening of the mainland Chinese market and rising salaries drove many manufacturers north.Hong Kong transformed into a commercial and tourism centre.High life expectancy, literacy, per capita income and other socioeconomic measures attest to Hong Kong’s achievements over the last four decades of the 20th Century.Some of the changes were purely symbolic: ·All public offices now flew the flags of the PRC and the Hong Kong SAR.The Union jack now flies only outside the British Consulate.·More schools would now teach in Cantonese with Chinese textbooks, and in parallel to English.English is still an official language (see Hong Kong Basic Law) and is still being taught in all schools.·Queen Elizabeth Ⅱ’s portrait disappeared from banknotes, postage stamps and public offices.As of 2005, many pre-1997 coins and some banknotes are still in circulation.·The ‘Royal’ title was dropped from almost all organisations that had been granted it, with the exception of the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club.·Legal references to the ‘Crown’ were replaced by references to the ‘State’, and barristers who had been appointed Queen’s Counsel would now be known as Senior Counsel.·Public holidays changed, with the Queen’s Official Birthday and other British-inspired occasions being replaced by Chinese National Day and Hong Kong SAR Establishment Day.In other respects, many things remained unchanged: ·The new SAR remained a separate jurisdiction, continuing to use English common law.·The border with the mainland continued to be patrolled as before, with Hong Kong, unlike the mainland, continuing to drive on the left.·It remained a separate customs territory, with freer trade with the rest of the world than with the mainland.·It retained most of immigration controls to foreign countries, except politically related visa applications.Similarly, Hong Kong SAR passport holders had easier access to countries in Europe and North America, while mainland citizens did not.Note that the citizens in Mainland China can only apply the visa to Hong Kong from the China Government.The practice executed before and after 1997.·It continued to have more political freedoms than the mainland, including freedom of the press (although this became vulnerable to self-censorship) and freedom of expression.·BS1363 plugs are still utilised in Hong Kong.Hong Kong since 1997The Hang Seng Index fell by 22.8 percent in a week of 28 October 1998 after the real estate bubble economy collapsed, severely damaging the economy.In 1998, another election was held.The real estate market, a key component of the Hong Kong economy, went into free-fall due to increasing governmental interventions on private ownership as well as housing supplies and partially as a consequence of the Asian financial crisis.In 2003, concerns about the proposed anti-subversion bill that would have eroded freedom of the press, of religion and of association arising from Hong Kong Basic Law Article 23 and the unpopularity of Tung Chee Hwa and his officials, plus dissatisfaction about the poor state of the economy, prompted 2.5 million people to march on July 1, making it the largest protest aimed at mainland China ever in the history of Hong Kong.The legislation was overturned as a result of the public outcry.In March 10, 2005, chief executive Tung Chee-hwa resigned as the chief executive.Tung’s position has been filled, after a by-election with only one qualifed candidate, by the No.2 ranking official, the Chief Secretary Donald Tsang, a popular bow tie-wearing career civil servant who was educated at Harvard and received a knighthood for his service during British colonial rule.Reference for Teaching“break”phrases: 1)break away①逃走; 逃脫 The robbery suspect broke away from the lockup.搶劫嫌疑犯從拘留所逃脫了。Modern music like jazz has broken away from the old traditional rules.(喻)現(xiàn)代音樂如爵士樂擺脫了舊的傳統(tǒng)規(guī)則。②斷裂; 開裂A large piece of ice broke away from the main block.一大塊冰從整個大冰塊上斷裂開來。2)break down①破壞; 拆散 The Congressmen of the Republican tried to break down the opposition from their opponents to their proposal.(喻)共和黨的議員們試圖使他們的反對派不再反對他們的提案。break down old conventions打破舊框框The peace talks are said to have broken down.(喻)據(jù)說和談破裂了。②制服; 被制服 ③(機器)損壞Our truck broke down outside town.我們的卡車在城外拋錨了。The 8 o’clock train broke down at Ferngreen station and was taken off the line.8點鐘的那趟車因在芬格林車站出了故障而被取消了。④失敗; 破裂 Their opposition broke down.他們的反對意見打消了。⑤精神崩潰; 失去控制He broke down and wept.他不禁失聲痛哭。⑥起化學(xué)變化Food is broken down by chemicals.化學(xué)物質(zhì)引起食物轉(zhuǎn)化。⑦細(xì)分; 分類 3)break even不賺不賠; 收支平衡 4)break in①闖入; 強行進(jìn)入 The burglar broke in and stole my money.夜竊賊破門而入, 偷了我的錢。②打斷; 插嘴 It’s her usual habit to break in with some ideas of her own.她常常打斷別人的話來發(fā)表自己的觀點。Don’t break in when the adventurer is telling his own story.冒險家講他自己的經(jīng)歷時, 別打斷他。Children shouldn’t break in on adults’ conversation.小孩子不要打斷大人們的談話。③訓(xùn)練; 馴養(yǎng); 使(某人)熟悉工作 The engineering doctor from abroad only broke in with us last month.從國外回來的工程博士是上個月才開始和我們一道工作的。5)break into①闖入The thieves broke into the office and stole some money.小偷闖入辦公室, 偷了一些錢。②打斷; 插話 ③突然……起來to break into song突然唱起歌來The crowd broke into cheers and the drunk bowed.觀眾們爆發(fā)出一陣歡呼, 醉漢鞠了一躬。The car windows broke into pieces when the two cars crashed into each other.兩輛車相撞時車上的窗玻璃破裂成碎片。④勉強動用to break into one’s savings勉強動用存款6)break of除去(某人的)習(xí)性They broke him of his addiction.他們除去他吸毒的癮。7)break out①逃脫; 逃出to break out of prison越獄而逃 ②突然發(fā)生Fire broke out in the kitchen.廚房突然發(fā)生了火災(zāi)。World War Ⅱ broke out in 1939.第二次世界大戰(zhàn)是1939年爆發(fā)的。His back broke out in spots.他背上出現(xiàn)了許多斑點。8)break through突破 After the storm the sun broke through the clouds.風(fēng)暴過后太陽沖破了云層。At last, those physicians and specialists broke through in their fight against heart disease.那些內(nèi)科醫(yī)生和專家們終于在同心臟病的斗爭中取得了突破。The guerrillas soon broke through.游擊隊很快就突圍了。9)break up①分裂 ②結(jié)束; 解散The crowd started to break up when the night fell.天快黑時人群開始散開了。The ice will break up when the warm weather comes.天氣轉(zhuǎn)暖, 冰層就會破裂。Their marriage broke up.他們的婚姻破裂了。The police broke up the fighting crowd.警察驅(qū)散了打架的人群。Break it up!別打啦!The company top meeting didn’t break up until midnight.公司高層會議到半夜才結(jié)束。The police broke up the fight among the two black gangs.警察驅(qū)散了兩個黑幫間的毆斗。(學(xué)校)開始放假 When will you break up this winter?今年冬季你們什么時候放假?③使發(fā)笑; 逗樂; 使苦惱That joke really broke me up.那個笑話可把我逗樂了。The British MuseumThe British Museum is the oldest, and one of the largest museums in the world.Where else can you see some of the greatest treasures of all time under one roof?Here you can see at first hand The Elgin Marbles, The Portland Vase, The Lewis Chessmen, The Sutton Hoo Treasure, to name only a few of the wondrous collections awaiting you.You will be fascinated by the Egyptian Mummies, and inspired by the superb exhibition of prints and drawings which changes several times a year.Allow plenty of time for your visit—the British Museum is a vast storehouse of treasures.Better still, why not visit several times, concentrating on just one exhibit each time?In 1753 the Government of the day bought the collection of Sir Hans Sloan, a wealthy Doctor who practised in Chelsea.The collection consisted of over 80 000 curios including fossils, plants, coins, medals and prints.This unlikely assortment formed the beginning of what has become certainly the biggest, and probably one of the best museum collections in the world.An act of Parliament established the British Museum as the world’s first public museum.The Cottonian Library formed by the Harleys, Earls of Oxford, was immediately added to the collection.In 1757 George Ⅱ presented The Royal Library to the museum.In 1823 George Ⅲ conferred on the museum the right to a copy of every book printed.This right continues to the present day.By this time, with the acquisition of enormous quantities of antiquities, artefacts, discoveries from all over the world and many bequests, it became apparent that more space to house the ever growing collection was essential.In 1823 Robert and Sydney Smith submitted their designs for the new purpose built British Museum.The work was carried out over the next thirty years and what emerged was one of London’s most awe-inspiring buildings.Designed in the Greek revival style, this magnificent building has an Ionic colonnade and portico complete with pediment frieze.By the 1850’s the site included The Great Court, in the middle of which was built the Round Reading Room, surmounted by one of the largest domes in the world.In spite of the expansion, space once again proved to be a problem and a new home was found for the Natural History Collection; this was transferred to South Kensington in the 1880’s;and is now known as the Natural History Museum.Another major change to the museum took place when it was decided to remove the British Library to new purpose built premises at St.Pancras.This enormous undertaking begun in the 1970’s was not completed until 1998.Today, the British Museum is home to no less than six and a half million objects and has ninety four permanent and temporary exhibition galleries.An Education Department provides a wide range of services for adults and children.Other departments are Coins and Medals, Egyptian Antiquities, Ethnography, Greek and Roman Antiquities, Japanese Art, Medieval and Later Art, Oriental Antiquities, Pre-Historic and Romano-British Antiquities, Prints and Drawings, and Western Asiatic Antiquities.Highgate CemeteryHighgate Cemetery is probably the most famous cemetery in London, if not in England, and is a must-visit for anyone with the slightest interest in things taphophilic.The site itself, perched atop a north London hill, was the ideal of Victorian cemetery designers;a series of winding paths intersperced with beautiful planting and impressive monuments, wind their way to the pinnacle of Leyden’s magnificent creation, the Circle of Lebanon with its Egyptian gateways and neo-Classical catacombs around a superb central cedar tree. If only I could have seen this in the nineteenth century, when families took Sunday lunch on the flat roofs of their forebears’ vaults, and the fashionable promenaded through trimmed and cared-for groves.Poor Leyden would hardly recognise his creation these days.The paths and some of the monuments are just discoverable through the ivy; “managed neglect” is now the watchword in this cemetery, for one reason I suspect because money is available to maintain the place as a nature reserve, but not to preserve it as a necropolis.Years without maintenance have caused sections of the higher ground to start to move downhill, especially after heavy rain;if you are visiting to view a particular monument, it’s very wise to enquire before setting out whether that section of the cemetery is accessible. The biggest problem with gaining access to Highgate Cemetery, however, is the formidable old lady who is there every single day (you’ll know who I mean).“She’d close the whole place to the public if she could, ”one guide whispered confidentially to me, and I believe it.As it is, she’s done her best to put people off: entrance to the western half is by guided tour only.Separate entrance fees for west and east sections, with a supplement payable if you wish to take photographs, make a visit to Highgate more expensive than some theme parks.Add its distance from any form of public transport, its situation halfway down a narrow, one-way (northwards only) lane and the lack of any parking once you get there, and it’s a wonder that anyone ever visits at all.She also tried to throw me out for being“disrespectful”: I’m not sure if that was wearing a T-shirt, or laughing at her when she told me bare arms were unsuitable, but be warned. All this said, a visit here is well worth the effort.The Circle of Lebanon is probably the most spectacular part of any cemetery in Britain, but it’s by no means the only thing worth seeing.Each volunteer guide will take you on a slightly different tour, depending on their own preferences and which parts of the cemetery are currently accessible.More is visible beneath the trees in the autumn, but the ground underfoot is more treacherous.It is a journey to be planned like a military campaign.And don’t mention the vampire.They get very upset if you mention the vampire.Rooney: I’ve grown up at UtdWayne Rooney insists he has matured since joining Manchester United.The£27m star has shown flashes of his fiery nature in recent times and is currently suspended for both club and country following his Champions League dismissal in Villarreal and his booking in last month’s World Cup defeat to Northern Ireland.Rooney’s caution in Belfast means he must sit out Saturday’s key Old Trafford encounter with Austria, before returning in the Group Six decider against Poland next Wednesday, a match refereed by Kim Milton Nielsen—the man who dismissed him in Spain for his sarcastic hand clapping.There have been plenty of critics who have suggested it is now time for Sir Alex Ferguson and Sven-Goran Eriksson to drag Rooney back into line.However, the 19-year-old former Everton idol insists his behaviour is getting better, even if he still has some work to do.“I feel I have matured, on and off the field and hopefully that will continue because I am trying to cut out silly bookings for dissent, ”Rooney told Four Four Two magazine.“Signing for United, there was always going to be a lot more pressure on me than playing for Everton.”There are people out there trying to shoot you down.I have to be aware of that and it is something I had to understand really quickly.“My life has changed a lot in the past year.I am getting used to it and I just try to lead as normal a life as possible outside of football.”Photographs of Rooney getting mobbed on a shopping expedition in Manchester city centre on Wednesday prove how difficult leading a normal life can be for such a highly talented and high-profile individual.He has already scored four times for United this term even though he started the campaign playing wide in support of lone front-man Ruud van Nistelrooy.Those tactics changed dramatically at Fulham on Saturday, when Rooney was pushed in behind the prolific Dutchman.The result was United’s most effective attacking performance of the campaign with both forwards scoring in a thrilling 3-2 win and Rooney admits it is a position he is more suited to, even if he doesn’t mind being moved onto the flanks.“I class myself as a centre-forward and that is where I prefer to play, ”he said.“But I can play in different positions and I agree with the manager that it helps you as a player if you can do that.”