Unit 3Unit 3 Unit 3Unit 3

Unit 3

Part Ⅰ Pre-reading activitiesPart Ⅱ Text APart Ⅲ Text BPart Ⅳ

Post-reading activities

Pre-reading activities• The History of Internet• Nowadays Internet is very popular

all over the world,  especially in some big cities. Do you know when the Internet was first established?

Pre-reading activities• Built in 1960s, the Internet was a crud

e network of a few computers which shared information. If one of the computers broke down, the whole networks would be unable to work, causing continual problems. At first, just the government had access to the Internet, using it for communications among different branches.

Pre-reading activities• However, by 1970s the Internet had been u

sed in universities, banks, and hospitals. At the beginning of 1990s computers became affordable for common people and this affordability increased the use of the Internet by people, It is said that each day tens of millions of people log off, making it the most important part of people's life.

Pre-reading activities• Who created the first e-mail

program?

Pre-reading activities• The first e-mail program was created by Ray Tomli

nson of BBN.

The Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) was renamed The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (or DARPA)

ARPANET was currently using the Network Control Protocol or NCP to transfer data. This allowed communications between hosts running on the same network.

TextⅠ Alienation and the Internet

• Pre-reading questions:• 1. Do you go on line every day?

What attracts you to the Internet?• 2. For how many hours a day do

you think a person has to stay on line before he is reckoned to be a net worm? Is it good to be one?

Text structure• This piece of argumentative writing

falls into three parts. The first two paragraphs serve as an opening part, in which the writer presents his thesis. The following four paragraphs constitute the body of argumentation. Where the author supports his point with evidences and reasons. In the final paragraph, i.e. the conclusion of the text, the writer reiterates his main idea.

Text structure• Part Ⅰ(para1 -2 )• The first two paragraphs serve as

an introduction, where the author states his thesis: the internet may be responsible for furthering the fragmentation of society by alienating its individual users.

Text structure• Part Ⅱ(Para 3-6) • This part is the main body of the

essay, where the author engages in the argumentation for his thesis.

Text structure• Part Ⅲ (Para 7)• This is the concluding paragraph,

where the author reiterates his point that only when we make a moderate use of the Internet can we fully realize without having our sense of reality skewed.

Part Ⅰ(para1 -2 )

• Questions:• 1. What is the author’s long

cherished position about the strong points of the Internet?

• 2. Does the author see any negative side of the Internet? What is it?

• 3 ） How did the author state his argumentation?

Part Ⅰ(para1 -2 )

• 1) As a marvelous forum for the free exchange of ideas, the Internet can help realize the human potential by globalizing ideas and ultimately promote the social progress.

• 2) Yes. As well as the merits of the Internet , the author also understands the negative consequences it may bring about. This is what he argue in this essay: the Internet may be responsible for furthering the fragmentation of society by alienating its individual users.

Part Ⅰ(para1 -2 )

• 3) He started his argumentation by presenting an apparent contradiction: on the one hand, the Internet facilitates global unification by enabling the free exchange of ideas; on the other, it alienates the participants.

Part Ⅰ(para1 -2 )

• forum: a place or an occasion for talking about a problem or matter, especially of public interest

Part Ⅰ(para1 -2 )

• “Given the relatively few restrictions governing access and usage, it is the communications modal equivalent of international waters.”

• access: the right to approach, enter, exit, or make use of

• equivalent: adj. Something equal in value, measure, force, effect or significance.

• The dress cost the equivalent of a week’s salary.

• What is the equivalent of fifty pounds in dollars?

Part Ⅰ(para1 -2 )

• international waters.”: international waterways 国际水路

• Whole sentence: As there are relatively few restrictions for reaching and using the Internet, communications via the Internet are comparable to traveling through the international waterways.

• 因为接触和使用互联网几乎没有限制，通过互联网相互交流就相当于在国际水域遨游一样自由自在。

Part Ⅰ(para1 -2 )

potential: n. the ability to develop, achieve or succeed

globalization: being linked with companies or something from other countries

position: a point of view or attitude on a certain question

Part Ⅰ(para1 -2 )

• “And I am excited at the potential for the Internet for dramatically alter our global society for the better”

• dramatically: suddenly and noticeably

• alter: change• Whole sentence: I feel excited at

the inherent capability to greatly change our world into a better one.

Part Ⅰ(para1 -2 )

• “However I am also troubled by the possible unintended negative consequences.”

• unintended: adj. not deliberate or intentional; unplanned 不是存心，蓄意的； 没有计划的

• 反义词： Intended

• However I am also worried about the possible unexpected negative effects.

Part Ⅰ(para1 -2 )

• “But much less widely reported has been the notion that the Internet may be responsible for furthering the fragmentation of society by alienating its individual users.”

• Please analyze the structure of the sentence and find out the subject, object of the sentence?

• (appositive clause)

Part Ⅰ(para1 -2 )

• notion: A belief or opinion.• Further: help further, advance: 促进，推进• e.g. additional training is probably the best

way to further your career these days.• The interests of an organization will never

be furthered through acts of terrorism.

Part Ⅰ(para1 -2 )

• fragment • v. break into parts or small piece• E.g. The satellite will fragment and burn

up as it falls through the earth’s atmosphere

• The clouds fragmented and out came the sun...

• n. = piece (countable )• ...glass fragments.• fragmentation n. (uncountable)

Part Ⅰ(para1 -2 )

• alienation: causing (someone) to feel very distant or not welcome to someone else.

• E.g. She was alienated from her brother by her foolish behavior

• all these changes to the newspaper have alienated its traditional readers.

Part Ⅰ(para1 -2 )

• The whole sentence: • A lot of people talk about the “new i

nformation age”, but not so many people are acquainted with the idea that the Internet separates people from each other and fragments society further as a result. 但是，人们较少考虑，互联网也许应该对加深使用者与社会的隔离而负责。

Part Ⅱ(Para 3-6)• This part is the main body of the

essay, where the author engages in the argumentation for his thesis

Part Ⅱ(Para 3-6)• Question in Para 3 • What is the author’s purpose of

citing the example of his friend in Para 3? How is the example related to his argument?

Part Ⅱ(Para 3-6)• With the example of his friend, the

author intends to convince the reader of the negative consequence of the internet. His friend was addicted to the internet and stayed on line too long. The side effect of the internet upon his friend, i.e. distorting his sense of reality and making his feel lonely and depressed, is a good piece of evidence that the internet contributes to the fragmentation of society by alienating its individual users.

Part Ⅱ(Para 3-6)• he said that he was “addicted”: he

said he liked it very much• Addicted: being dependent on

something and wanting to spend as much time doing it as possible.

• E.g. some youngsters are hopelessly addicted to video games.

• She’s become addicted to love stories.

Part Ⅱ(Para 3-6)• “I have not known this fellow to be given t

o exaggeration, therefore when he described his internet binges, when he would spend over twenty- four hours on line no-stop, it gave me pause to think”

• binge: n. an occasion when an activity is done in an extreme way, especially eating, drinking or spending money. 狂欢；

• E.g. Because of being lovelorn, she is engaged in a shopping binge recently.

Part Ⅱ(Para 3-6)• Whole sentence: • To the best of my knowledge, this

friend of mine has never exaggerated anything; therefore, his story made me pause to think about the unintended negative consequences of the Internet.

Part Ⅱ(Para 3-6)• “He went on to say that all of the time that

he spent on line might have skewed his sense of reality…”

• Skew: cause to be not straight or exact; twist 扭曲，歪曲

• E.g. the company’s results for this year are skewed because not all our customers have paid their bills.

• Today’s election will skew the results in favor of the northern end of the country

Part Ⅱ(Para 3-6)• The whole sentence:• He continued to say that staying

all the time online might have distorted his sense of reality.

Part Ⅱ(Para 3-6)• Questions of Para 4 ：• 1. When and how did the

fragmentation of society begin?• 2. What is the “cruel irony”

concerning the use of the Internet mentioned in Paragraph 4?

Part Ⅱ(Para 3-6)• 1. according to the author, the

fragmentation of society probably began after World War Ⅱwhen soldiers returned home from the overseas battlefields. They believed that only when people purchased cars could society progress. To push forward the social progress, they promoted the possession of automobiles. In their cars, then folks became alienated from their extended families and neighbors.

Part Ⅱ(Para 3-6)• 2. the “cruel irony ” means that the

Internet provides the user with a convenient means of communicating and making friends with people far apart on the one hand , but on the other, it helps the user to be estranged from people around him by canceling his availability for the face-to –face communications even with his families and close friends and for involvement in the community activities.

Part Ⅱ(Para 3-6)• “the fragmentation of society has

been lamented for some time now”

• Now people have been mourning the fact that they are fragmented from the society for some time.

• Lament: vi feel regret

Part Ⅱ(Para 3-6)• “it seems to me that it probably

began in earnest after World War Ⅱwhen a generation returned from doing great deeds overseas.”

• It seems to me that the lament over the fragmentation of society really started after World War Ⅱwhen a generation returned from overseas where they fought against Fascism.

Part Ⅱ(Para 3-6)• In earnest: in a determined manner, seriou

sly 认真地• E.g. He was in earnest when he said he was

leaving Beijing.• If you work in earnest, you will succeed. • I’m perfectly in earnest, I am not joking

Part Ⅱ(Para 3-6)• “They won the war, and by God

they were going to win the peace.”• in World War Ⅱ, American soldiers,

together with their allies, defeated their enemies, Germany, Italy and Japan. When the soldiers returned from the battlefields after the War, they wanted to conquer the peaceful world with the car. This is why the United States saw a boom in car ownership after World War Ⅱ

Part Ⅱ(Para 3-6)• “automobile ownership became common

place… ” : men in the street began to have their own cars…

• “progress” was their mantra. : “progress” was their most discussed topic

• Mantra: Originally it is a word or sound in Hinduism and Buddhism repeated to aid concentration in meditation( 冥想 ) . Here it means a statement of slogan repeated frequently. For instance, the environmental mantra that energy has for too long been too cheap

Part Ⅱ(Para 3-6)• “and when we fast-forward to

today we see an almost cruel irony in that people can and often do develop on-line relationships with folks on the other side of the globe, without leaving their homes.”

Part Ⅱ(Para 3-6)• 1. v. When you fast forward the tape in a

video or tape recorder or when you fast forward, you make the tape go forwards. Compare rewind.

• Just fast forward the video...• He fast-forwarded the tape past the

explosion...• The urge to fast-forward is almost

irresistible.• 2. n. If you put a video or cassette tape on

fast forward, you make the tape go forwards. Compare

Part Ⅱ(Para 3-6)• In that: since, because 由于，因为，

既然• E.g. The high income tax is harmful in

that it may discourage people from trying to earn more.

Part Ⅱ(Para 3-6)• “But at the expense of the time that

would have otherwise been available for involvement in other activities which might foster a sense of community in their villages, towns and cities.”

• At the expense of : at the sacrifice of • E.g. According to this study , women

have made notable gains at the expense of men.

• The orchestra has more discipline now, but at the expense of spirit.

Part Ⅱ(Para 3-6)• Chinese version:• 但是浪费如此多的时间却没有参加发展

乡村、城镇、城市关系的社区活动。

Part Ⅱ(Para 3-6)• In Para 5, why does the author

narrate his own story?

• In his own story , his nephew was used as an example to illustrate that while the Internet helps people develop on-line relationship with folks, it alienates them from each other at the same time.

Part Ⅱ(Para 3-6)• a simulated war game: a imitated war

game 一个模拟的战争游戏 • Simulate: v. Imitate 模拟， 假装 • “It struck us that in generations past,

his son, my nephew, would have been outside playing with his friends ”

• … it struck us that…: it occurred to us that … /… we suddenly realized that…

Part Ⅱ(Para 3-6)• Whole sentence: …. it occurred to us t

hat in the past time, his son, my nephew would have been outside playing with his friends.

• 我们突然想到过去，他的儿子，我的侄儿可能会在屋外和他的朋友一起玩耍。

Part Ⅱ(Para 3-6)• What is the main idea of Para 6?

• In this paragraph, the author means to illustrate how the overuse of the Internet may distort the user’s sense of reality.

Part Ⅱ(Para 3-6)• Why does the author discuss the

question whether the Internet is a real place?

• To prove that the overuse of the Internet may distort the user’s sense of reality, the author has to define the key concept “sense of reality”. Whether or not the Internet is a real place is directly connected with the concept.

Part Ⅱ(Para 3-6)• “… I can understand now, as they surf the

web some folks might be confronted with cognitive overload.”

• be confronted with ： meet face to face; set face to face

• overload: n. • v. to put more information than one can co

pe with ; to lad too heavily 使超载，使过载，过重的负担 she is overloaded with ghost story and she i

s afraid of staying at home alone at night.

Part Ⅱ(Para 3-6)• Cognitive means relating to the men

tal process involved in knowing, learning, and understanding things. adj. 认知的 , 认识的 , 有感知的

• Chinese version: 但是，就我个人的经历，我能够理解有些人在网上冲浪时面临着知识过载。

Part Ⅱ(Para 3-6)• Depending upon how a “real place

” is defined it might very well be.:• According to the definition of a “real

place” , the Internet could most reasonably be considered to be a “real place ” 根据对真实的地方的定义，互联网就是一个真实的地方。

•

Part Ⅱ(Para 3-6)• “We are faced to ask fundamental questio

ns about how we perceive the world about us…” … we are obliged to ask elementary questions about how we understand the world about us… 就怎样理解这个世界，我们被迫询问有一些基本的问题。

• Perceive: to realize; to become aware of. • Converse: the opposite •

Part Ⅲ (Para 7)

• This is the concluding paragraph, where the author reiterates his point that only when we make a moderate use of the Internet can we fully realize without having our sense of reality skewed.

Part Ⅲ (Para 7)

• 1) according to the author, what underlies the trend of overusing the Internet in our society?

• 2) Does the author believe it is within human capacity to reap the benefit of the Internet without being penalized?

Part Ⅲ (Para 7)

• 1) people tend to overuse the Internet because it is the best way of getting immediate gratification, which is most valued by society.

• 2) Yes. He thinks that people are able to maintain their sense of place while exploiting the resources of the Internet.

Part Ⅲ (Para 7)

• “all of this being said…” : after all of this has been said…

• “This would allow us to maximize its potential without losing our sense of place.” achieving balance on our lives would allow us to make the fullest use of the Internet.

• 在生活中保持平衡，我们就可以充分使用因特网。

Part Ⅲ (Para 7)

• “It seems to me that we are a society that values immediate gratification above all else, and what better place to achieve it than in cyberspace, where the cyber-world is your cyber-oyster. ”

• I think that in our society the top priority is given to the satisfaction of one’s immediate needs. The internet is the best tool for this purpose, for on the Internet one can do whatever he likes to .

Part Ⅲ (Para 7)

• gratification: satisfaction; pleasure• Oyster: a world in which someone

can do anything or go anywhere that he wants to

Part Ⅲ (Para 7)

• Utopia: originally it refers to an imaginary island described in Sir Thomas More’s Utopia as enjoying perfection in law, plitics, etc. here it is used for an ideal state.

Text B

•American Online: Losing the Battles, but Winning the War

Questions for discussion

• 1. What vision did Case have?• 2. Why did AOL take the

blanketing approach?• 3. What difficulties did AOL meet

with?• 4. How did AOL survive the strong

competition?

Questions for discussion

• 1. It is uncertain and unpredictable because military confrontation caused by disputes over territory, resources, religion and interest continues and non-traditional security threats characterized by terrorism and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction have become more salient.

Questions for discussion

• 2. The speaker proposed nine measures for nuclear disarmament. Refer to Paragraphs 9-17.

• 3. In Paragraphs 22-25, the speaker talks about the concrete and practical measures taken by China in recent years to build up confidence between China and its neighboring countries.

Questions for discussion

• 4. The multilateral approach is necessary because more than one country possess nuclear weapons and these weapons cannot be reduced and destroyed without willing cooperation between the nuclear states, especially the nuclear powers like the United States.

Post-reading activities

• Vocabulary exercises• Fill in the blank in each sentence

with a phrase taken from the box in its appropriate form.

At the expense of prior to give… pause to think take advantage of be available for in earnest for the better be confronted with

Post-reading activities

• 1. John’s mind if always full of fantasies. He dreams of changing the world_______________.

• 2. Edward Stuart became a brilliant scholar, but only_____________________ his health.

• 3.The corporation was determined to push forward the policy of reform, but the new system ___________________ great difficulties at the start

• 4. In order to gain the utmost amount of benefit, this corporation ____________________ the exceptional opportunities open in exports.

for the better

at the expense of

was confronted with

took advantage of

Post-reading activities

• 5. It presented in satirical terms points made ____________ by catholic writers, which proved to be a great success.

• 6. Two tennis courts and a swimming pool______________ the regular members of the club, but the season tickets are only valid for three months.

in earnest

are available for

Post-reading activities

• 7. According to the Federal Bureau of Inspection, a man seen hanging around the area _________the shooting could have been involved in the assassination of the President.

• 8. An opposition statesman said he hoped the agreement __________ them _______________ about the futility of violence.

prior to

would givepause to think

Post-reading activities

• Translation: • 1. 15 年来，医生们一致用抗癌药治疗这种疾

病，这些药就像大锤一样打垮患者体内的防御力量。　（ equivalent of ）

• For the past 15 years, doctors have tried to treat this disease with anticancer drugs, equivalent of a hammer, to beat down the body’s defense forces. 　

• 2. 无可否认，香烟会使人上瘾。而一旦你上了瘾，就很难戒除这个习惯了。 (addict)

• There’s no denying that smoking is addictive. And once you are addicted, it’s very difficult to get rid of the habit.

Post-reading activities

• 3. 　在日本人生产的一种电子游戏中，玩游戏的人可以模仿爱滋病人患者从染上艾滋病毒知道死亡的经历

• In a Japanese-made video game, players can simulate the experience of AIDS from HIV infection until death.

• 4. 我肯定，他说你可以用这笔钱继续学习音乐时认真的。

• I’m sure he was in earnest when he said that you could use this money to continue your study of music

Post-reading activities

• 5. 　我们只能以牺牲质量为代价来提高生产率，但这可能会损害公司的声誉。 (at the expense of )

• We can only increase production at the expense of quality, which could ruin the company’s reputation.

• 6. 探险者遇到了几乎难以逾越的峡谷。 (confront with) 　

• The explores were confronted with an insurmountable valley.

Post-reading activities

• 7. 一名外语教师如果要在中学任教，他最起码要持有正规教育院校颁发的穴位证书。　（ at the very least ）

• A teacher of foreign language should possess at the very least a graduate degree from a certified education school or institute if he is to teach high school.

• 8. 我很快觉察到我无法使他改变想法。（ perceive ）

• I soon perceived that I couldn’t make him change his mind.

Post-reading activities

• Oral Activities• 1. One of your classmates, who used to be a

top student, has recently got addicted to the Internet. Because of this, he has often been absent from class and fallen behind in his studies. Now talk to your classmate, trying to talk him out of this bad habit.

• 2. Divide yourselves into 2 groups. The first group work together to make a list of the advantages of the Internet and the other group try to come up with a list of its disadvantages. Then each group appoint four representative to have a debate on the following topic.

Post-reading activities

• Writing practice • The advantages and disadvantage

of the Internet