college english unit 10 the fantastic spurt in technology unit 10 the fantastic spurt in technology

College English

Unit 10Unit 10

The Fantastic Spurt in Technology The Fantastic Spurt in Technology

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Backgroundinformation

VocabularyPhrases

TextExercises

1. About the Author

Alvin Toffler ( born October 3, 1928) is an American writer and futurist, known for his works discussing the digital revolution,communications revolution, and corporate revolution. His early work focused on technology and its impact. Then he moved to examine the reaction of all changes in society. His later focus has been on the increasing power of 21st century military hardware, weapons and technology proliferation, and capitalism.

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2. Henry Ford, the creator of the assembly line In October 1913, a revolutionary step was taken in the

advancement of factory assembly when Henry Ford unveiled his moving car assembly line. The assembly line certainly changed the face of motor vehicle manufacture. There was an ever-growing demand for the car and the new technology was intended to rapidly speed up the production process.

Setting up in the Detroit suburb of Highland Park, Henry Ford made a 250-foot moving assembly line. Each worker was assigned a specific task and would perform it over and over again.

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3. Bessemer Furnace

Bessemer, Sir Henry(1813-1898), British inventor, born in Charlton, Hertfordshire, England, and largely self-educated. He was a prolific inventor, but is best known for his process for the manufacture of steel. Modern steel-making employs blast furnaces that are merely refinements of the furnaces used by the old ironworkers. The process of refining molten iron with blasts of air was accomplished by the British inventor Sir Henry Bessemer who developed the Bessemer furnace, or convertor in 1855.

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New words

Fantastic1) Unbelievable large or great2) Wonderful or superb; remarkable: 美好的极妙的或极好的；显著的： e.g. a fantastic trip to Europe. 美好的欧洲之旅

Based on or existing only in fantasy; unreal: 虚幻的只在想象中存在的；不真实的：fantastic ideas about her own superiority.对自己怀有奇特的优越感

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New words

n. 喷出；涌出a spurt of steam from the teapot.从茶壶冒出的一股蒸气

Spurt vi, vt. 喷出；涌出；迸出Blood spurted out from the wound.血从伤口涌出。

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Conjure用魔术变成；用戏法变出The magician conjured a bowl of fish out of his hat.魔术师从帽子里变出一碗鱼来。

conjure up想象；推想；回忆；忆起Can you conjure up a picture of the imperial life in ancient Egypt?你能想象出一幅古埃及宫廷生活的图画吗 ?

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2) 似烟的同烟类似的：a smoky haze.如烟般的雾气

3) 烟味的有香烟一样味道的：smoky sausages.烟肠

Smoky

1) 冒烟的以极大的量向外散发烟雾的：

a smoky stove.

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New words

Mill(1) 磨坊；面粉厂 (= flourmill)工厂；工场；纺织厂Cotton cloth is made in a cotton mill.棉布是由棉纺厂生产的。

(2) 磨粉器；碾碎器a coffee mill咖啡碾磨器

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Classic第一流的；最高级的That joke's a classic; it really is funny. ( 喻 )" 这个笑话确属一流 , 真是妙趣横生。 "

经典（著作）Her daughter is particulary likes reading the classics of English literature.她女儿特别喜欢读英国古典文学名著。

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RepresentTo stand for; symbolize: 代表代表；象征：The bald eagle represents the United States.秃鹰象征了美国

（强烈）抗议，告诫通过反对抗议引起对…的注意：Our parents represented to us the need for greater caution.我们的父母告诫我们更加谨慎小心的必要性

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A printed or written sign used to represent an operation, an element, a quantity, a quality, or a relation, as in mathematics or music. 符号，代号印刷的或书面的符号，用来代表某一操作、要素、数量、质量或某种联系，如在数学或音乐中

SymbolSomething that represents something else by association, resemblance, or convention, especially a material object used to represent something invisible. 象征，标志通过联系、类似或传统来代表其它事物的某件东西

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New words

be inadequate to [for] a purpose [end]不能达到目的The supply is inadequate to meet the demand.供不应求。

Inadequateadj.不适当的 ; 不充足的 ; 缺乏的 ; ( 人在社会生活中 ) 不善于照顾自己的be inadequate to do sth.不适于作某件事

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Misleadingadj.引入歧途的 ; 使人误解的 ; 骗人的 ; 使人迷惑的a misleading similarity

Mislead使做错事；引入歧途He is a good boy, but bad companions misled him.他是个好孩子，但坏伙伴把他带坏了。

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Agricultural农业的 , 耕种的 , 农学 ( 上 ) 的agricultural development农业的发展

Invention发明；创作the invention of the telephone电话的发明

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(2)A severe test or trial:严峻的考验或磨难：endured the furnace of his friends' blame after the accident.事故发生之后遭朋友指责的考验

Furnace(1)熔炉；高炉 ;火炉This meeting room's like a furnace.这个会议室热得象火炉一样。

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(2) 应用；使用；适用to apply a nickname用绰号The principle of diligence and frugality applies to all undertakings.勤俭节约的原则适用于一切事业。

Apply(1)请求；申请I want to apply for the job.我想申请这项工作。

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(2) 存在；生存Such plants don't occur here.这种植物不能在这里生存。(3) （与 to连用）想起；想到An idea occurred to me.

Occur(1) 发生The accident occurred at five o'clock.事故发生在五点钟。

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n.品种a breed of dog某一品种的狗

Breed(1)繁殖；下崽Some animals will not breed in cages.有些动物在笼子里不产崽。

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vi, vt. （常与 for, against连用）投票；表决Vote for Johnson--the people's friend!请投约翰逊一票──他是人民的支持者。

Vote选票；投票纸vote of confidence信任票 n.投票表决 secret vote

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(2)Ahead of the times; progressive:超前的；进步的：advanced teaching methods.先进的教学方法

Advanced(1)Being at a higher level than others: 高于的水平高于其余的：an advanced text in physics.高级物理课本

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n. （一阵）疾风；强气流an icy blast of wind一阵冰冷的风

BlastVt.炸开（岩石）They've blasted away the rock to build the new road.他们已炸掉这块岩石以便修一条新的路。

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To light theaters: to give light to theaters

…when the most advanced technological processes are carried out far from assembly lines or blast furnaces:

… when the most advanced technological processes are carried out without depending on assembly lines or blast furnaces at all.

Phrases and expressions HOME

Indeed, in…, quiet and clean surroundings are characteristic—even sometimes essential:

The word “indeed” is used here to introduce a further statement which strengthens the point made in the previous sentence. More examples:


-- He did not object to our proposal. Indeed, he gave several reasons for supporting it.

-- I don’t mind. Indeed I’m pleased.

Characteristic: typical; showing a person’s or thing’s usual character

Examples: Do you believe that greed and dishonesty are characteristic of all businessmen?


Essential; necessary; most important

Examples:

-- Water is essential to the growth of crops.

-- Love of fair play is said to be an essential part of the English character.


Function: natural or special duty, activity or purpose

Examples:

-- Do you know the four essential functions of the United Nations as an international organization?

-- The functions of the mass media are to inform, to entertain and to educate people.

Phrases and expressions

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Quicken: (cause to) go faster

Examples: I was so nervous that I could feel my heart beating faster and my pulse quickening.

This acceleration is frequently dramatized by a brief account of the progress in transportation.:

A brief description of the progress in transportation often makes this acceleration more vivid and impressive.


Dramatize:

1) Change (a book, a story, etc.) into the form of a play

Examples: Soon after Ba Jin published his novel Family, it was dramatized by his friend Cao Yu. And the play proved as much a success as the novel.

2) To show or express in a dramatic (exciting, interesting, colorful, vivid, impressive) way

Examples: He is required to give an oral account of the incident to the colonel.


The fastest transportation available to man:

The fastest means of transportation that could be used by man

Available (to): able to be got, obtained, used, etc. (by)

Examples:

-- I’m afraid my bicycle is not available; it is being repaired.

-- Industry cannot develop until more trained endineers are available.


Averaging eight miles per hour:

Covering eight miles per hour on the average

The word “average” can be used as an adjective, a noun, or a verb.

Examples:

-- Though nearly 80, the artist still averages 4 hours of work a day. (vt.)

-- The average age of the students in this class is 19. (a.)


Maximum: a. greatest possible; largest or highest (its opposite is “minimum”): the maximum (minimum) number / speed / temperature / score / distance / depth / aptitude / size / price / age

n. The greatest number or amount (its opposite is “minimum”)

Examples:

-- In the US, before 1996, drivers must not exceed a maximum of 55 miles an hour.


So impressive was this invention, so difficult was it to exceed this speed limit, that…:

This invention was so impressive and it is so difficult to exceed this speed limit that…

Impressive: making a deep impression on sb.

Examples:

-- In the past few years Chinese athletes have made impressive achievements in competitive sports.


Exceed: be more or greater than; do more than, go beyond

Examples:

-- If your expenses exceed your income, you will be in debt.

Operate: (of a machine, engine) work, be active

Examples:

-- The engine seems to be operating normally.


… it averaged a mere ten mph:

… it had an average speed of only ten mph.

Mere (a.): nothing more than; only

At better than 400 mph: at a speed exceeding 400 mph


A mere twenty-year flick of time:

A very short period of time of only 20 years

The pattern, here and in a thousand other statistical series, is…:

The accelerative trend as shown here and in many, many other series of statistical figures is…


Thousands of years go by, and then, in our own times, a sudden bursting of the limits, a fantastic spurt forward.:

Thousands of years have passed, during which progress in technology has been slow or insignificant, and then, all of a sudden, in our own times, the limits (of speed, flying altitude, etc.) have been broken, and man has made a big leap forward in technology:

Go by: pass

Examples:

-- Nearly a decade went by before they met again in their

hometown.


Feed on:

1) Take as food

-- Lu Xun once said: “Cows feed on grass but what they produce is milk.”

2) Become nourished ir strengthened from; get support from

Examples:

-- At this stage of the meeting I do not know what will be decided.


Stage: a period in a course of events

Examples:

-- At this stage of the meeting I do not know what will be decided.

Embody: express, represent

Examples:

-- Dr. Brown’s latest book embodies all his new ideas on education.


Generate: produce; cause to happen

Examples:

-- This machine will generate quite a lot of electricity from the power of the wind.

Shorten: (cause to) become shorter

Examples:

-- The report is too long. Can you shorten it to 2,000 words?


These new ideas are put to work much more quickly than ever before.:

It is also true that these new ideas are put to work much more quickly than ever before.

It is not that we … but (that) we have, with the …:

It is not because we … but because we …

Example:

-- It is not that (Not that) I’m unwilling to go with you, but that I’m busy now.


Reduce:

Make less; make smaller in size, number, degree

Examples:

-- The cost has been greatly reduced since the efficiency expert was called in a couple of months ago.

-- Many items in the supermarket are on sale and their prices are reduced by 20 to 30 per cent.


Sweep through the society:

Spread quickly over the society

Peak production:

Highest production


For new machines or techniques are not merely a product, but a source, of fresh creative ideas.:

Because new machines and techniques are not only a product of fresh creative ideas, but also a source of more fresh creative ideas. That is, not only do fresh creative ideas results in new machines or techniques, new machines or techniques will also lead to other new creative ideas.


While reading activity: Text

Text

Translation

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Translation Translation

1. In fact, there are different accounts of the shipwreck in the newspapers.

2. It is said that the area was well advanced in agriculture as early as 2,000 years ago.

3. The function of an ATM is to allow people to take out money from their bank account with a special card whether the bank is open or closed.

4. Kong Fansen embodies all the fine qualities of a communist.

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Translation Translation

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5. It is most essential to build up your confidence if you want to achieve something in life.

6. If you apply for a job, you should be ready for an interview in which you often have to answer some difficult questions.

college english unit 10 the fantastic spurt in technology unit 10 the fantastic spurt in technology

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