Transcript Unit 1 - 复旦大学大学英语教学网站

Unit 4
The Virtual World
Part I Lead-in
 Will the Internet isolate us from one another, or
will it serve to shorten or eliminate distance? Give
examples to illustrate your point.
 Which do your prefer, a life in real contact with
real people and things, or a virtual one as the
author describes in this essay? Give your reasons.
Text A
A Virtual Life
--- By Maia Szalavitz
Part II Cultural Notes (1)
The Internet:
 an international computer network for the exchange of
information. It was originally used mainly in the academic
and military worlds but has since become available to the
large and increasing number of people with personal
computers. Other services, e.g. the World Wide Web, are
available through it. The Internet is changing our lives and
a parallel universe is rapidly emerging online.
Part II Cultural Notes (1)
 Today there’s scarcely an aspect of our life that isn’t being
upended by the torrent of information available on the
hundreds of millions of sites crowding the Internet, not to
mention its ability to keep us in constant touch with each
other via electronic mail. The Internet is saving companies
billions of dollars in producing goods and serving the
needs of their customers. The Internet and e-commerce are
viewed as a global megatrend along the lines of the
printing press, the telephone, the computer and electricity.
Part II Cultural Notes (1)
 We 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 chat
with friends.
 What is 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.
Part II Cultural Notes (2)
SOHO—Small-Office/Home-Office
 In information technology, SOHO is a term for the small
office or home office environment and business culture. A
number of organizations, businesses, and publications now
exist to support people who work or have businesses in this
environment. These people needn’t go to the office
everyday. They work at home without worrying about their
dress and the strict rules of the company. The term “virtual
office” is sometimes used as a synonym.
Part II Cultural Notes (2)
 Writers, program designers, ad-agent, etc., all belong to
the group of SOHO. Obviously, the author of Text A is a
member of them.
Part II Cultural Notes (3)
Frontline 一线新闻
 This is a news program produced by PBS, the Public
Broadcasting Service, which in the US is a television
system that broadcasts programs to an association of local
stations that use television advertisements and do not make
a profit.
Part II Cultural Notes (4)
Nightline 午夜新闻
 This is an ABC News programs in the night, recapping of
the day’s news from Monday through Thursday. ABC, the
American Broadcasting Company, is 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.
Part II Cultural Notes (5)
CNN 有线新闻电视网
 This is Cable News Network, advertising-supported cable
television network founded in 1980 by American
businessman Ted Turner. Headquartered in Atlanta,
Georgia, CNN was the first 24-hour television network
devoted entirely to news broadcasts.
Part II Cultural Notes (6)
New York 1 纽约一套
 Time Warner’s 24-hour news channel in New York City.
Available exclusively on Time Warner Cable, it covers the
happenings in the City’s five boroughs.
Part III Writing Features
 This text makes a contrast between virtual life and real life.
From the mouth of the author who is a cybernut herself, we
can see the side-effects of virtual life. If one is addicted too
much to Internet, or if one is mad about the Internet, one
will feel himself/herself deeply sucked in the fascinating
virtual life. On the other hand, after one has stayed too long
in the virtual life on the net, he/she would like very much
to return to the real world.
Part III Writing Features
 The first paragraph tells about the consequences of living a
virtual life and the last tells about the author’s return to it.
Together, they throw us the dilemma people at present are
in: Because of modern technology, we have choices
between a virtual life and real life, but we find both
unsatisfactory. The author, however, finally has to choose
the latter despite its negative effects.
Part III Writing Features
 Because of the emergence of the computer and the Internet,
a few combining forms or affixes for new computer-andInternet-related vocabulary have crept into the English
dictionary. For instance, cyber-, Net-, Web-, and E-.
Part III Writing Features
 1) combining forms/prefixes + noun:
cyber-interaction, cybernut, nethead, webmaster, website,
E-shopper, e-journal, e-cash, etc.
 2) combining forms/prefixes + verb:
cybersurf, netsurf, websurf, email, etc.
 3) words like cyber, net, etc. + suffix:
cyberian, cyberphobia, webify, cyberize
 4) clipped word
cyberdoc, Netizen, Webcam, Webnomics, e-tailing, e-zine
Part IV Difficult Sentences
 We have become the Net critics’ worst nightmare
(Lines 5-6, para. 4).
 We have got into a situation that critics of the Net
describe as most dreadful.
Part IV Difficult Sentences
 … coming back out of the cave can be quite difficult
(Lines 3-5, para. 5).
 … returning to normal society from the isolated life of
the virtual world can be quite a problem. “cave” here
refers figuratively to the isolated life of the virtual
world.
Part IV Difficult Sentences
 Work moves into the background (Line 9, para. 7)
 Work becomes less important. Because in the
author’s mind’s eye, communicating with the real
world has become more important at that time.
Part IV Difficult Sentences
 When I’m in this state, I fight my boyfriend as well,
misinterpreting his intention because of the lack of
emotional cues given by our typed dialogue (Lines
1-3, para. 9).
 Because the typed dialogue lacks the emotion that
is expressed and implied in the real dialogue, I
misinterpret my boyfriend’s intention and as a
result often quarrel with him.
Part V Language Points
 virtual:
 1) created and existing only in a computer
e.g. 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) almost what is stated; in fact though not in name
e.g. The king was so much under the influence of his
wife that she was the virtual ruler of the country.
Part V Language Points
 interpret (para.1):
 1) understand (sth. said, ordered, or done)
e.g. The gift is generally interpreted as a bribe.
She made a gesture, which he chose to interpret as
an invitation.
 2) give or provide the meaning of, explain
e.g. Poetry helps to interpret life.
 3) translate what is said in one language into another
e.g. No one in the tour group spoke Spanish so we
had to ask the guide to interpret.
Part V Language Points
 highlight (para.1): n. best, most interesting or most
exciting part of sth.
e.g. The highlight of our tour was seeing the
Summer Palace.
The highlight of the women’s softball match will be
shown on TV tonight.
 v. give special attention to sth.; emphasize
e.g. a TV program highlighting the problems of the
unemployed
The speaker highlighted the important ideas in his
talk with a diagram.
Part V Language Points
 via (para.2): by way of; through means of
e.g. We flew to Paris via London.
I sent a package via messenger.
Part V Language Points
 aversion (para.4): a fixed, intense dislike;
repugnance
e.g. I have an aversion to traveling during the heat of
August.
Have you developed an aversion to smoking?
I’ve formed a strong aversion to crowds.
Part V Language Points
 submit (para.2):
 1) give (sth.) to sb. so that it may be formally
considered
e.g. I am going to submit an application for that job
in Microsoft.
 2) yield (oneself); agree to obey
e.g. Should a wife submit herself to her husband?
 Collocation:
submit oneself to 甘受，服从
submit to 服从于，把…提交给
Part V Language Points
 socialize (para.4): mix socially with others
e.g. She’s got lots of friends: she likes to socialize.
They live together, work together and socialize
together. If you ask me, it can’t be healthy to live in
each other’s pockets like that.
Part V Language Points
 conversely (para.6): from a different and opposite
way of looking at this
e.g. You can add the fluid to the powder, or
conversely, the powder to the fluid.
He was regarded either as too imitative to be
considered original or, conversely, as being overly
original.
Part V Language Points
 but then (para.7): yet at the same time
e.g. The failure of China’s soccer team looks
inevitable. But then, anything can happen in football.
The circus was not a very good one, but then, the
audience was not demanding.
Part V Language Points
 jar (para. 7):
 1) to make or utter a harsh sound
e.g. The chalk jarred against the blackboard.
 2) have an unpleasant or annoying effect
e.g. jar on sb.’s nerves/ears
Their voices jar on my nerves.
There was a jarring note of triumph in his voice.
Part V Language Points
 jar with sth.: to be different from sth. in a strange
or unpleasant way; clash
e.g. The paint of the house jars with the beautiful
surroundings.
Her brown shoes jarred with the rest of the outfit.
Part V Language Points
 suck in (para. 7): involve (sb.) in an activity, an
argument, etc. , usu. against their will
e.g. I don’t want to get sucked in (into) the debate
about the presidential election.
He warned that if the President tried to enforce
control, the country would be sucked into a power
vacuum.
Part V Language Points
 soap opera (para. 7):
 1) a television show, usu. shown in the afternoon, with
complicated love stories, high emotion, and unrealistic
drama
e.g. In that soap opera, two sisters died, came back to
life, and married brothers.
 2) a highly dramatic real-life situation
e.g. Her life is a soap opera: her father drinks too much,
her sister is in jail, and she’s getting a divorce.
Part V Language Points
 project (para.8): imagine that others have the same
feelings, usu. unpleasant ones as you
e.g. He projects his own thoughts and ideas onto his
wife.
Men may sometimes project their own fears on to
women.
Part V Language Points
 cue (para.9): anything that serves as a signal about what
to do or say (followed by to/for)
e.g. The film director pointed at the actors as a cue for
them to start acting.
When he started to talk about the finances, that was our
cue to get up quietly and leave.
Part V Language Points
 dogged (para. 9): not giving up easily, determined,
tenacious
e.g. They have, through sheer dogged determination,
slowly gained respect.
She finished this difficult job because of her dogged
devotion to it.
Part V Language Points
 restore (para. 11): bring back to a former condition
(used in the pattern: restore sth.; restore sb. to sth.)
e.g. Winning three games restored their confidence.
Doing sports every day restored the old man to good
health.
Part V Language Points
 set (sb./sth.) apart (from sb./sth.) (para. 11): make
sb./sth. different from or superior to others
e.g. Her clear and elegant prose sets her apart from most
other journalists.
What set her apart from the other students was that she
had a lot of creative ideas.
Part VI Writing Assignments
Directions: Write an essay on the following topic
in no less than 200 words.
Positive and Negative Aspects of the Internet