producing more in a day than men could turn out in nearly a year. The Internet and e-commerce are viewed as a global megatrend along the lines of the printing press, the telephone, the computer and the electricity.
You would be hard pressed to name something that isn’t available on the Internet. Consider: books, health care, movie tickets, baby clothes, stocks, real estate, toys and airline tickets. American kids today are so computer savvy that it virtually ensures the United States will remain the unchallenged leader in cyberspace for the foreseeable future. Most kids use computers to play games and have email chats with friends.
What’s clear is that, whether we like it or not, the Internet is an ever-growing part of our lives and there is no turning back.
2. NBC (the National Broadcasting Company): the first of the original three US national broadcasting companies. It was established in 1926 by Radio Corporation of America as two groups of radio stations. The first NBC television channel opened in 1940. The company is now owned by General Electric. Its main offices are at Rockefeller Center in New York.
3. PBS (the Public Broadcasting Service): (in the US) a television system that broadcasts programs to an association of local stations which use no television advertisements and do not make a profit. It was established by the Public Broadcasting Act and is supported by money from the US Government, large companies and the public. PBS is known for the high quality of its programs.
4. ABC (the American Broadcasting Company): one of the original three major television networks in America. It began in 1943 as the Blue Network of six radio stations. ABC is now owned by the Walt Disney Company .
Ⅳ. Language Study
1. virtual: 1) created and existing only in a computer
Examples: I can visit a virtual store and put what I want in my basket at the click of a mouse button.
Some people spend too much time escaping from reality into the virtual world conjured up on their computer screens.
2) being or acting as what is described, but not accepted as such in name or
officially
Examples: Our deputy manager is the virtual head of the business.
Now that the talks have broken down, war in the region looks like a virtual
certainty.
2. interpret: 1) understand (sth. said, ordered, or done)
Examples: They are worried that the students might interpret the new regulation as
a restriction of their rights.
She interprets the dream as an unconscious desire to be young again. 2) give or provide the meaning of, explain
Examples: How do you interpret his refusal to see us?
This dream can be interpreted in several different ways. 3) translate what is said in one language into another
Examples: I am terribly sorry, but I don’t understand a word. Could you interpret
for me?
No one in the tour group spoke Spanish so we had to ask the guide to
interpret.
3. tone: a particular quality or intonation of the voice
Examples: From the tone of her voice I could tell she was very angry.
Suddenly he laughed again, but this time with a cold, sharp tone.
4. stretch: (cause to) become longer, wider, etc. without breaking
Examples: My working day stretches from seven in the morning to eight at night.
The child stretched the rubber band to its full extent.
5. submit: give (sth.) to sb. so that it may be formally considered (followed by to) Examples: You should submit your reports to the committee.
I am going to submit an application for that job in Microsoft.
Peter submitted his plans for the new town square to the local government.
6. edit: revise or correct
Examples: Jack is busy editing Shakespeare’s plays for use in schools.
John didn’t finish editing the annual report until the end of last month.
7. email: electronic mail
Examples: Young people like to keep in touch with their friends via email.
I received an email from my student yesterday.
vt. send an email to
Examples: I will email you the instant I get the news.
She’ll email me a question before she calls so I can think it over in advance.
8. communicate: contact sb. in any way, esp. by speaking to them, writing to them or calling them (followed by with)
Examples: Some young people depend heavily on email to communicate with each other.
They have been divorced for years and never communicated with each other.
9. the Internet: the worldwide network of computer links which allows computer users to connect with computers all over the world, and which carries electronic mail Examples: Whether we like it or not, the Internet is an ever-growing part of our lives.
You can take online courses and earn your degree via the Internet whenever and wherever you want to.
It’s believed the Internet was born in 1969 when two computers at the
University of California, Los Angeles were connected by a 15 foot cable.
10. relationship: state of being connected
Examples: What is the relationship between language and thought?
The scientist had a good working relationship with his American colleagues.
11. at times: sometimes
Examples: She has been away from her home for about a year. At times she wishes she
had never left.
He went on listening to her, at times impatient and at times
fascinated.
12. take in: absorb (sth.) into the body by breathing or
swallowing
Examples: The earth takes in heat and light from the sun.
Fish take in oxygen through their gills.
13. data: information, usu. in the form of facts or statistics that you can analyze
Examples: This data is stored on the network and can be accessed by anybody.
The data is still being analyzed, so I can’t tell you the results.
14. spit: send (liquid, food, etc.) out from the mouth (used in the pattern: spit sth. (out) (at/on/onto sbJsth.))
Examples: The baby spat its food out on the table.
He took one sip of the wine and spat it out.
15. on line: connected to or controlled by a computer (network)
Examples: Our system is on line to the main computer.
The largest online institution is the University of Phoenix, with some 1000 students today and hopes of reaching 200,000 students in 10 years.
16. symptom: 1) sign of the existence of sth. bad
Examples: High interest rates are a symptom of a weak economy.
They regard the increase in crime as a symptom of a more general decline in moral standards.
2) change in the body that indicates an illness
Examples: A cold, fever and headache are the usual symptoms of flu.
If the symptoms persist, it is important to go to your doctor.
17. nightmare: a terrifying dream
Examples: Tom didn’t eat fish because it gives him
nightmares.
Watching horror films gives me nightmares. I had a nightmare about falling off the skyscraper.
18. conversely: in a way that is opposite to sth.
Examples: $1 will buy 100 yen worth of Japanese goods. Conversely, 100 yen will buy
$1 worth of American goods.
You can add the fluid to the powder or, conversely, the powder to the
fluid.
19. but then: yet at the same time
Examples: The failure of China’s soccer team looks inevitable. But then, anything
can happen in football.
Mary performed better than the others in the final exam; but then, she spent much longer on it than they did.
20. jar: have a harsh or an unpleasant effect (used in the pattern: jar sth., jar on sbJsth.)
Examples: You shouldn’t have too many colors in a small space as the effect can
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