Unit 2 Robots

• What is the short story about that we learned in the previous lessons?

• Do you know who the writer is?

• Do you know anything about him?

Lead-in

艾萨克 · 阿西莫夫 Isaac Asimov, ( 1920-1992)

was a Russian-born American

author and professor of biochemistry,

a highly successful writer, best known for his

works of science fiction and for his popular

science books. Asimov was one of the most prolific

writers of all time, having written or edited more than

500 books. Asimov is widely considered a master of the

science-fiction genre( 体裁 ).

Famous quotes by Isaac Asimov: I write for the same reason: I breathe - because if I didn't, I would die. If knowledge can create problems, it is not through ignorance that we can solve them. Never let your sense of morals get in the way of doing what's right.

A Biography of Isaac Asimov

Skimming

Use at most two words to sum up the main idea of each paragraph.

• Para 1: General introduction• Para 2: Birth & death• Para 3: Growth & development• Para 4: Writing• Para 5: Works• Para 6: Marriage

Scanning

Scan the text and complete the timeline in Exercise 1.

Date Event1920 Born in Russia.1922 Sister born.

1923 Moved with family to New York. Parents bought a candy store.

1929 Started working in the candy store. Mother had her third child.

1931 Started to take himself seriously as a writer.

1939 Began having stories published in science fiction magazines.

1941 Gained master's degree in chemistry.1942 Finished working in the candy store. Got married.1942－ 1945

Worked as a junior chemist， Philadelphia Navy Yard.

Date Event

1948 Got his PhD in chemistry.

1949Became a biochemistry teacher, Boston University School of Medicine.

1950Published his first novel. Published I, Robot. Developed three laws for robots.

1951－ 1953

Published the Foundation trilogy and won an award for it.

1953 Published first science book.

1958 Became a full-time writer.

1973 Divorced his first wife. Married for a second time.

1983Had a blood transfusion.Became infected with HIV.

1992 Died in New York.

Language points

1. 以…最出名 be best known for2. 寻找 search for3. 作为…的结果，因为 as a result of4. 大约 or so5. 帮忙 help out6. 他的写作天赋 his talent for writing7. 认真对待… take … seriously8. 发表故事 have stories published9. 他的一生中 throughout his life10.大体上以…为基础 be loosely based o

n11.结婚 be/get married

Discussion

Issac Asimov developed three laws for robots.The first law was ：“ A robot must not injure human beings or allow them to be injured.”In groups, discuss what the other two laws might be.Write them down on a piece of paper.Then exchange your opinions with other groups.

Asimov’s Laws For Robots• First LawA robot must not injure human

beings or allow them to be injured.

• Second Law A robot must obey the orders

given to it by human beings(as long as human beings are not injured).

• Third Law A robot must protect its own

existence (as long as human beings are not injured; and as long as the robot does not disobey human beings)

Discuss Asimov's three laws for robots and exchange their opinions with each other.

• Are you for or against Asimov’s three laws for robots?

Discussion

Writing

Write a short summary of Asimov’s life. Follow the steps below.

1. Look back at the timeline of Asimov’s life.

2. Underline the most important parts of his life that made him a great writer of science fiction. This can serve as the outline of a summary

3. Begin by giving your assessment of Asimov as a writer. Then write down the important parts you have underlined.

4. Use a clear simple style to write a profile for Isaac Asimov .

Homework

• Write a short summary of Asimov's life in 150 － 200 words.