Unit4 The Virtual World
Part II Reading Task
Comprehension Content Question Pair Work
1. She used to be a television producer, but now she is a writer. 2. She writes and edits articles online, submits them via email, and
communicates with colleagues via the Internet, too.
3. She could stay computer-assisted at home for weeks, going out
only t get mail, newspapers and groceries.
4. They feel as if they had become one with the computer, and life
seems to be unreal.
5. That people who grew used to a virtual life would feel an
aversion to outside forms of socializing.
6. She gets overexcited, speaks too much, and interrupts others.
7. She is bad-tempered, easily angered, and attacks everyone in
sight, all because she has long become separated from others and lacks emotional face-to-face exchanges with people.
8. She fights her boyfriend, misinterpreting his intentions because
of the lack of emotional cues given by their typed dialogue. 9. Because we rely on co-works for company.
10. She calls people, arrangers to meet the few friends remaining in
the City, gets to the gym, arranges interviews for stories, doctor’s appointments---anything to get her out of the house and connected with others.
11. No, she doesn’t feel happy. She feels being face to face is
intolerable.
12. She makes her excuses and flees, re-enters her apartment, runs to
the computer, clicks on the modem, and disappears into the virtual world again.
Text Organization Working On Your Own
1.
1. 2. 3. 4.
2-3
1,4-10,13 11 12
. .
2.
The first paragraph describes the consequences of living a virtual life and the last tells of the author’s escape back into it. Together, they bring out the dilemma people at present are in: Because of modern technology, we have a choice between a virtual life and real life, but find both unsatisfactory.
Language Sense Enhancement
1.
(1) routine
(2) for company (3) unemployment (4) externally
(5) drug abuse (6) restore (7) fled (8) gym
(9) set apart (10) appointm
ents
Vocabulary I
1.
1) 2) 3) 4) 2.
1) 2) 3)
conversely but then symptom spitting
5) 6) 7) 8)
abusing tone
took; in editing
9) have arranged 10) in sight 11) stretched 12) data
smoking cigarettes jars on me.
find themselves getting sucked in.
has arranged for a technician from the computer store to check and repair it.
4) fled their country to avoid military service/fled to other
countries to avoid military service. 5) restore people’s confidence in it. 3.
1) the virtual; on line; via
2) nightmare; routine; any appointment; arrange for 3) cue; remarks; his tune
II. Collocation
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
We came here all the way on foot.
Private cars are not allowed on campus. They are on vacation in Florida.
Mary has been talking to her friend on the phone for an hour. Don’t worry, Lucy is always on time.
Industrial demand on fuel is on the rise.
III. Usage
. .
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. hard
difficult impossible tough hard easy
Comprehensive Exercises I. cloze
1.
(1) Internet (2) click (3) virtual (4) routines (5) arrange (6) nightmare 2.
(1) companion (2) deliver (3) access (4) enables
(7) annoying (8) connection (9) crawls (10) take in (11) spit (12) data (5) customers (6) delights (7) provides (8) small
(13) sucked
into (14) At times (15) flee (16) on line
(9) remote (10) informat
ion
II. Translation
1.
1) Research shows that laughter can bring a lot of health
benefits.
2) A slow Internet connection speed is really annoying.
3) As the law stands, helping someone commit suicide is a crime. 4) In her report, Mary tries to interpret the data from a
completely different angle.
5) Sue is a girl of great talent. Her amazing memory sets her
apart from her classmates.
2.
Perhaps you envy me for being able to work from home on the computer. I agree that the Internet has made my job a lot easier. I can write, submit and edit articles via email, chat with my colleagues on line and discuss work with my boss. With a click of the mouse, I can get all the data I need and keep up with the latest news. But then, communicating through the Net can be frustrating at times. The system may crash. Worse still, without the emotional cues of face-to-face communication, the typed words sometimes seem difficult to interpret.
. .
Unit5 Overcoming Obstacles Part II Reading Task
Comprehension Content Question Pair Work
1. Because the pole was set at 17 feet which was three inches higher
than his personal best.
2. Because pole-vaulting combines the grace of a gymnast with the
strength of a body builder.
3. His childhood dream was to fly. His mother read him numerous
stories about flying when he was growing up.
4. Because he believed in hard work and sweat. His motto: If you
want something, work for it!
5. Michael's mother wished he could relax a bit more and be that
\to him and his father about this, but his dad quickly interrupted, smiled and said, \6. He began a very careful training program.
7. He seemed unaware of the fact that he had just beaten his
personal best by three inches. He was very calm.
8. He began to feel nervous when the bar was set at nine inches
higher than his personal best.
9. What his mother had taught him about how to deal with tension or
anxiety helped him overcome his nervousness.
10. The singing of some distant birds in flight made him associate
his final jump with his childhood dream.
11. He could imagine the smile on his mother’s face. He thought his
father was probably smiling too, even laughing. However, in fact, his father hugged his wife and cried like a baby in her arms. 12. Because he was blind.
Text Organization Working On Your Own
1.
Part One: Michael faced the most challenging competition in his
pole-vaulting career.
. .
Part Two: Michael’s childhood was marked with dreams and tough
training.
Part Three: Michael topped his personal best, won the championship
and set a new world record.
2.
(1) It also has the element of flying, and the thought of flying
as high as a two-story building is a mere fantasy to anyone watching such an event.
As long as Michael could remember he had always dreamed of flying.
(2) All of Michael’s vaults today seemed to be the reward for
his hard work.
Language Sense Enhancement
1.
(1) startled (2) bale of hay (3) off
(4) intensity
(5) shaking the
tension (6) tense
(7) description
(8) out of
nowhere (9) pictured (10) scared
Vocabulary I
1.
1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 2.
1) 2) 3) 4)
startled mere motion sweating
stretched out
6) vain 7) On the
occasion 8) anxiety 9) emotions
10) ashamed of 11) In my mind’s
eye
12) recurring
coincides with her husband’s.
sends the prices soaring/results in the soaring of prices. of alternate sunshine and rain.
have been his lifelong passions, although he studied economics at university. 5) Tension came over her 3.
1) media; dedication to; grace
2) his competitors; in excitement; hug him; congratulate him on 3) emotions; numerous; intensity; passion for
II. Collocation
1. Mike, a Green, made the suggestion that a large park be built
near the community.
. .