情景导入
小时候听《白蛇传》，故事总从"很久很久以前，西湖边……"讲起。英语故事也有固定的开场白。讲故事离不开上一单元学的一般过去时，本单元我们更进一步：学会用时间连接词把故事讲得有头有尾、扣人心弦。
Once upon a time, there was an old man near a mountain...（很久很久以前，山脚下住着一位老人……）这正是《愚公移山》（Yu Gong Moves a Mountain）的英文开头。
核心词汇
讲故事高频词：
| 单词/短语 | 意思 | 例句 |
|---|---|---|
| once upon a time | 很久以前 | Once upon a time, there was a king. |
| magic | 魔法（的） | The old woman had a magic pen. |
| prince / princess | 王子 / 公主 | The prince found the glass shoe. |
| in the end | 最后 | In the end, they lived happily. |
故事常用不规则动词：tell → told（讲述）、find → found（发现）、fall → fell（跌落）、lose → lost（丢失）、become → became（变成）、fly → flew（飞）
时间连接词：first（首先）、then（然后）、next（接着）、after that（在那之后）、soon（很快）、finally / in the end（最后）
句型与语法
一、故事的"三段式"骨架
| 部分 | 常用句式 | 例句 |
|---|---|---|
| 开头 | Once upon a time, there was/were... | Once upon a time, there was a poor girl. |
| 发展 | First... Then... After that... | Then she met an old woman with magic. |
| 结尾 | In the end / Finally... | In the end, they lived happily ever after. |
二、there was / there were（过去存在"有"）
- There was a big tree in front of the house. （单数用 was）
- There were two little birds in the tree. （复数用 were）
三、when 和 while 引出"故事的转折时刻"
- When she opened the box, she saw a shining stone. （当她打开盒子时……）
- The wolf came while grandma was sleeping. （就在奶奶睡觉时，狼来了。）
四、连接词让故事更连贯：对比 He got up. He washed his face. He went out.（像流水账）与 First, he got up. Then he washed his face quickly. After that, he went out.（有节奏、有画面）。
听说训练
故事接龙（每人用过去时接一句，把故事编下去）：
- A: Once upon a time, there was a little rabbit in the forest.
- B: One day, it found a magic carrot near the river.
- C: When it ate the carrot, it became as big as an elephant!
- D: In the end, the rabbit helped all its friends with its new power.
辨析对比
① there was vs there were
- There was a castle on the hill. （单数）/ There were many stars in the sky. （复数）
- 就近原则：There was a dog and two cats. （靠近的 a dog 是单数，用 was）
② tell vs say vs speak
- tell a story / tell sb. sth.：讲（故事），告诉（某人）→ Grandma told me a story.
- say + 内容：说（具体的话）→ She said, "Good night."
- speak + 语言：说（某种语言）→ He speaks English.
③ in the end vs at the end of
- in the end = finally，单独使用：In the end, they won.
- at the end of + 名词：在……的末尾 → at the end of the story / at the end of the road
文化角
西方经典童话如《灰姑娘》（Cinderella）都以 Once upon a time 开头，以 They lived happily ever after（从此幸福地生活在一起）结尾。中国故事同样走向世界：《愚公移山》已写进英语教材。给外国朋友讲一个杭州的《白蛇传》（The Legend of the White Snake），就是最好的文化交流。
易错点
- 故事时态跳来跳去：通篇讲过去的事，动词要从头到尾用过去式，不能一句过去时一句现在时。
- there was/were 搭配错：There was many people. ❌ → There were many people. ✅
- 不规则动词又忘了：falled ❌ → fell ✅；finded ❌ → found ✅——讲故事最考验不规则动词储备。
中考真题
Long long ago, there ______ an old man near the mountains. He decided to move them because they were in the way.
A. is B. was C. were D. are
✏️ 点击查看解答
答案：B
解析：Long long ago（很久以前）表明故事发生在过去，先排除现在时的 A、D 两项。there be 句型的 be 动词由后面的名词决定：an old man 是单数，所以用 was，排除复数的 C 项 were。
考点
- there was/were 的单复数搭配是本单元第一考点，常与故事语境结合出题；
- tell/say/speak 的辨析、时间连接词（first, then, finally）的排序在完形填空和补全短文中高频出现；中考常考"看图讲故事"：开头 Once upon a time、结尾 In the end 的完整结构 + 全篇过去时，是阅卷老师眼中的高分标志。
诵读 Read Aloud
Once upon a time, there was an old man called Yu Gong. Two high mountains were in front of his house, so it took a long time to go to the other side. One day, Yu Gong told his family about his plan: they would move the mountains together! First, everyone thought it was impossible. A man called Zhi Sou laughed at him and said, "You are too old!" But Yu Gong answered, "When I die, my sons will continue. The mountains cannot grow, but my family can go on forever." In the end, his spirit moved the gods, and they took the mountains away.
诵读小贴士：这则故事包含 was/were、told、thought、took 等大量过去式，边读边圈出来复习；对话部分模仿人物语气朗读，故事会"活"起来。