I. Lead-in Questions 1. How does the Internet change your life? 2. What can you do on the Internet? 3. Is it good or bad to get online? Why?

I. Lead-in Questions

1. How does the Internet 1. How does the Internet change your lifechange your life? ? 2. What can you do on the 2. What can you do on the InternetInternet? ? 3. Is it good or bad to get 3. Is it good or bad to get onlineonline?? Why? Why?

II. Cultural Notes

1. The Internet:1. The Internet:

2.NBC:2.NBC:

3. PBS:3. PBS:

4. ABC:4. ABC:

The Internet The Internet

It is 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 increasingly number of people with personal computers. Other services, e.g. the World Wide Web, are available through it. The Internet is changing our lives. Something like “information highway, ” the Internet can bring many conveniences into the school, home and

office. College students can check the chart catalogue of Library of Congress in the United States to finish their Housewives can do shopping and pay bills without leaving their homes. People can have a conversation with people all over the world by sending and receiving the E-mails. The Internet exerts such a profound effect on our life that it revolutionizes the way of the people’s living

and thinking..

NBC (the National Broadcasting Company ) It is the first of the original three US national broad-casting 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 General Electric. Its main offices are at Rockefeller Center in New York.

PBS (the Public Broadcasting PBS (the Public Broadcasting Service) Service) It is a television system (in the US) 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.

ABC (the American ABC (the American Broadcasting Company)Broadcasting Company)

It 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.

III. Language Points

WordsWords

1. virtual

a. 1) almost or very nearly the thing described, so that any slight difference is not important

很接近的；几乎…得；事实上；实质上

e.g. She is the virtual president, though her title is secretary.

虽然她的头衔是秘书，她是实际上的董事长 .

e.g. He married a virtual stranger.

他娶了一位几乎素不相识的女子。

WordsWords

2 ） created and existing only in a computer 虚拟的

e.g. I can visit a virtual store and put what I want in my basket at the click of a mouse.

我可以访问网上店铺，点击一下鼠标就可以把我想要的东西放进购物篮。

e.g. New technology has enabled development of an online ‘virtual library’.

新技术已经使在线“虚拟图书馆”的发展成为可能。

WordsWords

2. interpret

v. 1) to explain the meaning of sth. 诠释；说明 e.g. Poetry helps us to interpret life.

诗歌帮助我们解释生活。

e.g. Can you interpret this for me?

你能为我解释一下吗？

WordsWords2) to decide that sth has a particular meaning and to understand it in this way 把…理解为；领会

e.g. I would interpret his silence as refusal.

我把他的沉默理解为拒绝。

e.g. She interpreted his smile to be an agreement.

她把他的微笑理解为首肯。

WordsWords

3. tone

n. 1) the quality of sb’s voice, especially expressing a

particular emotion 语气；口气；强调；口吻

e.g. Don’t speak to me in an impatient.

别对我不耐烦的口气说话。

e.g. He took an angry tone with the reporters.

他带着怒气与记者说话。

WordsWords

2) the general character and attitude of sth, such as a piece of writing, or the atmosphere of an event风格；特色；气氛；情调

e.g. She set the tone for the meeting with a firm statement of company policy.她坚定地说明了公司的方针，为会议定下了调子。

e.g. The article was moderate in tone and presented both sides of the case. 这篇文章的基调不偏不倚，对争论双方的意见都予以表达。

WordsWords

3. stretch

v. 1) to make sth longer, wider or looser

拉长；拽宽；撑大

e.g. Machine washing stretched the sweater out of shape.

机洗使毛衣伸长变形。

e.g. Is there any way of stretching shoes?

有什么办法能把鞋撑大吗？

WordsWords

2) to spread over an area of land or continue over a period of time 绵延；延续

e.g. Fields and hills stretched out as far as we could see.

放眼望去，田野山丘绵延不绝。

e.g. The town’s history stretched back to before 1500.

该城的历史可以追溯到公元 1500 以前。

WordsWords

3) to put your arms or legs out staight and tighten your 伸展；舒展

e.g. He stretched and yawned lazily.

他伸了伸懒腰，打了个哈欠。

e.g. The exercises are designed to stretch your leg muscles.

这些活动目的在于伸展你的腿部肌肉。

WordsWords5. submitv. 1) to give sth so that it may be considered 提交；呈交；呈递

e.g. I submitted my papers to the examiner. 我把试卷交给主考老师。

e.g. I hope you can submit your term papers before the deadline. 我希望你们能在最后期限之前交上你们的学期论文。

WordsWords

2) to yield or surrender (oneself) to the will or authority of another 使屈服于别人的意志或权威

e.g. She refused to submit to threats.

她面对威胁，拒不低头。

e.g. He submitted himself to a search by the guards.

他只好让卫兵搜查。

.

WordsWords6. symptom

n. 1) a change in your body or mind that shows that you are not healthy 症状

e.g. Fever is a symptom of many illnesses.

发烧是许多疾病的征兆。

e.g. The doctor made his diagnosis after studying the patient’s symptoms. 医生研究病人的症状后，作出诊断。

WordsWords2) a sign that sth exists, especially sth bad

征候；征兆

e.g. The rise in inflation was just one symptom of the poor state of the economy.

通胀上升不过是经济不景气的一个征候。

e.g. The affair is a symptom of a global marital disturbance; it is not the disturbance itself.

这一事件是全球婚姻混乱的征兆。

WordsWords7. aversion

n. a strong feeling of not liking sb or sth

厌恶；憎恶

e.g. He had an aversion to getting up early.

他十分讨厌早起。

e.g. She has an aversion to pets.

她讨厌宠物。

WordsWords8. commercial

a. of or relating to commerce

商业的或与商业有关的

e.g. A commercial college teaches things that would be useful in business.

商学院教授那些在商业中可能会有用的东西。

e.g. Here is the commercial center.

这儿是商业中心。

WordsWordsn. an advertisement on television or radio

在电视或无线电上的广告

e.g. Interrupting an opera on television for a pet-food commercial is going from the sublime to the ridiculous.

在电视播演歌剧时插播宠物广告真是煞风景。 e.g. The aim of the repetitions of the same commercial on television is nothing but to brainwash consumers into compulsive

电视上反复地播放同一个广告的目的无非是想宣传得使消费者非用不可。

WordsWords9. remark

v. to express briefly and casually as a comment

评论；说

e.g. Critics remarked that the play was not original.

评论家们说这部剧不新颖。

e.g. I couldn’t help remarking on her dressing.

我忍不住评论她的着装。

WordsWordsn. A casual or brief expression of opinion; a

comment评论

e.g. He made a number of rude remarks about the food.

关于这里的食物他说了许多无礼的评论。

e.g. What exactly did you mean by that last remark?

你最后那句话究竟是什么意思？

WordsWords10. project

v. 1) to cause (an image) to appear on a surface

投影

e.g. He projected the slide onto a screen.

他把幻灯片投映到屏幕上。

e.g. Images are projected onto the retina of the eye.

影像被投射到眼睛的视网膜上。

WordsWords2) to thrust outward or forward

使突出向外或向前突出

e.g. He projected his jaw in defiance.

他伸出下颌以示轻蔑。

e.g. He hung his coat on a nail projecting from the wall.

他把上衣挂在凸出墙面的一根钉子上。

WordsWords3) (psychology) to externalize and attribute (an

emotion, for example) to someone or something else (心理学 ) 把感情投射于…

e.g. You mustn’t project your insecurity onto me.

你不能把你的不安全感投射到我身上。

e.g. I project my guilt onto my younger brother.

我以为我的弟弟像我一样有愧疚感。

WordsWords11. routine

n. A set of customary and often mechanically performed procedures or activities

老一套惯常的机械地执行的程序或活动

e.g. She found it difficult to establish a new routine after retirement.

她发现退休以后很难打破原来的常规做事。

e.g. Do something as a matter of routine.

循规蹈矩做事。

WordsWordsa. done or happening as a normal part of a

particular job, situation or process

常规的；例行公事的；日常的

e.g. Will you go to the routine meeting instead of me?

你代我去参加这次例会好吗？

e.g. Every morning he made his routine trip to the store.

每天早上他照常去商店。

WordsWords12. external

• relating to, existing on, connected with or coming from the outside or an outer part; exterior外面的；外部的；外界的

e.g. External causes become operative through internal causes.

外因通过内因而起作用。

e.g. This medicine is for external use only, not for drinking.

此药只供外用，不可内服。

WordsWords13. abuse

n. 1) improper use or handling; misuse

不正确的使用或处理；误用

e.g. He was arrested on charges of corruption and abuse of power

他因被控贪污腐化和滥用职权而遭逮捕。

e.g. What she did was an abuse of her position as manager.

她的所作所为是滥用经理职权。

WordsWords2) physical maltreatment 虐待

e.g. She suffered years of physical abuse.

她遭受了多年的肉体摧残。

e.g. It is women who are often the victims in the domestic violence.

家庭暴力中女性通常是受害者。

WordsWordsv. 1) to use wrongly or improperly滥用；误用

e.g. He systematically abused his body with heroin and cocaine.

他因吸服海洛因和可卡因一步一步把身体搞垮了。

e.g. She abused her position as principal by giving jobs to her friends.

她滥用自己作为校长的职权，把工作安排给朋友们。

WordsWords2) to treat a person or an animal in a cruel or

violent way 虐待

e.g. All the children have been physically and emotionally abused.

所有这些儿童的身心都受到了摧残。

e.g. He has abused his own daughter.

他曾奸污了自己的亲生女儿。

WordsWords14. restore

v. 1) to bring sb or sth back to former condition, place or position

使复原；使复位；使复职

e.g. He is fully restored to health.

他现在完全恢复了健康。

e.g. He restored the dictionary to the shelf.

他把词典放回到书架上。

WordsWords2) to bring back a situation or feeling that existed

before 恢复某种情况或感受

e.g. The measures are intended to restore public confidence in the economy.

这些举措旨在恢复公众对经济的信心。

e.g. Law and order was quickly restored after the riots.

骚乱过后很快恢复了治安。

WordsWords3) (formal) to give sth that was lost or stolen back

to sb 归还（失物，赃物等）

e.g. The police have now restored the painting to its rightful owner.

警察已经把这幅油画归还给了它的合法主人。

e.g. The stolen bike was restored to its owner.

被盗自行车归还了失主。

WordsWords15. angle

n. Point of view角度；观点

e.g. Seen from this angle, the woman in the picture is smiling.

从这个角度看，画中的女子面带微笑。

e.g. Try looking at the affair from a different angle.

试从另一个角度来看这件事。

WordsWords16. spit

v. Send (liquid, saliva, food, etc) out from the mouth 吐出（液体、唾液、食物等）

e.g. He was spitting blood after being hit in the mouth.

他嘴上挨了打之后，吐出血来。

e.g. In many countries it is considered rude to spit in public.

在许多国家，当众吐痰属不雅行为。

PhrasesPhrases

1. at times: sometimes 有时；时常

e.g. She has been away from her home for about a year. At times she wishes she had never left.

她离家大概有一年了，有时她真希望她从来都不曾离开过家。

e.g. He went on listening to her, at times impatient and at times fascinated.

他继续听她讲，有时他听得不耐烦，有时却听得入神。

PhrasesPhrases

2. take in sth: absorb (sth) into the body by breathing or swallowing 吸进；吸收

e.g. The earth takes in heat and light from the sun.

地球吸收来自太阳的光和热。

e.g. Fish take in oxygen through their gills.

鱼用腮吸取氧气。

PhrasesPhrases

3. suck sb in/into sth: a (usu. passive) involve (sb) in an activity, an argument, etc., usu. against their will 把某人卷入某事

e.g. I don’t want to get sucked into the debate about school reform.

我不想卷入这场学校改革的争论中。

e.g. He found himself sucked in the case.

他发现自己被牵扯到那个案子中了。

PhrasesPhrases

4. keep up with: to learn about or be aware of the news, current events, etc. 熟悉，了解（消息、形势等）

e.g. She likes to keep up with the latest fashions.

她喜欢追赶时尚。

e.g. He didn’t bother to keep up with the news. His only concern was to study.

他不愿意费事去了解新闻，他唯一关注的就是学习。

PhrasesPhrases

5. in sight

1) visible 可以看到的

e.g. There was no one in sight.

一个人也看不见。

e.g. Follow that man and keep him in sight all the time.

要跟着那个人，一直盯着他。

PhrasesPhrases

2) likely to come soon 临近；很块

e.g. The end is in sight.

结局已现端倪。

e.g. A solution to the problem of environmental pollution now seems in sight.

现在看来很快可以找到解决环境问题的办法了。

IV. Comprehension IV. Comprehension

122

1. 1. Text Organization Text Organization Parts Paragraphs Main Ideas

Part 1 Paras1-3 Description of the author’s virtual life.

Part 2 Paras4-10 Her feeling about the virtual life.

Part 3 Paras11-13 Her effort of returning to the real world and her feeling about the real world.

2. Main Idea2. Main Idea

.

The author, formerly a television producer, now works as a freelance. In this essay, she describes her virtual life and its effects on her. Along the way, she compares the virtual reality with the real world. After she tried every effort to contact real human beings and failed, she had to acknowledge the appeal of the electronic dimension.

3. 3. Paraphase Paraphase .

1) After too long on the net, even a phone call can be a shock.

After too long on the net, even a phone call can frighten me.

2) I started to feel as though I’ve become one with my machines, taking data in, spitting them back out, just another link in the net.

I started to feel as if I’ve become a computer, receiving data, sending them out and nothing but a link in the net.

3) Others online report the same symptom.

Other people online have the similar feeling to mine.

4) We have become the Net critics’ worst nightmare.

We have got into a situation that critics of the net describe as most dreadful.

5) And once you start replacing human contact with cyber-interaction, coming back out of the cave can be quite difficult.

If you communicate with people online instead of face-to-face, returning to normal society from the isolated life of the virtual world can be quite a problem.

6) I find myself sucked in by soap operas, or needing to keep up with the latest news and weather.

I find that I am absorbed in soap operas and I need to keep informed of the latest news and weather.

7) I find everyone on my mailing list insensitive, believing that they’ve forgotten that there are people actually reading their wounding remarks.

I find that everyone on my mailing list is indifferent and I believe that they have forgotten that some people who read it might be hurt by their bitter remarks.

8) I don’t realize that I’m projecting until after I’ve been embarrassed by someone who politely points out that I’ve attacked her for agreeing with me.

Someone tells me that I’ve attacked her although she agrees with me, which makes me feel ashamed, only then do I realize that I always imagine others have the same unpleasant feelings as I.

9) And we keep on, doggedly.

We keep on communicating with each other online stubbornly.

10) But sometimes being face to face is too much.

But sometimes being face to face is unbearable.

4. Grammar 4. Grammar .

1) be +of+n=be+adj

e.g. The book is of no value =The book is valuable

e.g. She is a woman of sympathy =She is a sympathetic woman.

2) find oneself+done/doing

e.g. I found myself faced with the most challenging job.

e.g. She found herself lying in a hospital ward.

5. 5. Rhetorical Device Rhetorical Device .

e.g. I ‘ve become one with my machines, taking data in, spitting them back out, just another link in the Net.

(Here data can be figuratively referred to as sth edible)

6. Writing Technique6. Writing Technique

.

Induction is the process by which we accumulate evidence or facts until, at some point, we make the “inductive leap” and reach a useful generalization. Induction is often used in expository writing as well as in persuasive

Take Text A of this unit for example. Beginning from paragraph 4, the writer accumulates evidence to show the negative effects of the virtual life on her: her aversion to outside forms of socializing, her lack of discipline, a tendency to become shyer and bad-tempered, etc. then, in paragraph 10, she makes the inductive leap and reaches the generalization that daily routine and socializing are important to a human being.

V. Post-reading Discussions

• What are the negative and positive effects What are the negative and positive effects of a virtual lifeof a virtual life??

• 2. What is the author’s attitude towards the digital world? Which do you think she prefers, a virtual life or a real life?

• 3.How much do you rely on the computer for company??

无忧PPT整理发布

VI. Supplementary Reading Tasks －

.

http://www.51ppt.com.cn/




It’s odd to watch a friend climb on a platform, put on a helmet and then suddenly start twisting crazily and punching the air in all directions. But video game fans are used to it. They come across scenes like this every day in video arcades.

Virtual reality is the newest, and hottest, type of computer game available. Players love it because it’s the first game that lets them feel as though they are actually inside the game, taking part in the action around them.

The Fun and Excitement of “Reality”





Through the magic of virtual reality, you can become a boxer or turn into a robot by simply putting on a helmet and stepping up to the controls. The key to the “reality” you feel is the helmet. It covers your eyes and ears, blocking off your normal vision and hearing. Turn on a switch and you’re surrounded by the sights and sounds of the game world.

In the boxing game, you hear cheering crowds and the booming voice of an announcer calling out instructions. Then you find yourself standing in a boxing ring, face to face with a big, nasty-looking opponent. The bell rings for the first round and you go in punching. You can even choose a two-player option, so that the face you’re hitting belongs to a friend!






Ever since the first electronic games came out more than 15 years, game developers have been working on programs that could increase the feeling of reality in their games. Their newest products, called interactive games, involve the most advanced game technology ever developed. Virtual reality games are the most complex of these."

It is important to understand the difference between interactive and passive entertainment when talking about video games. Watching television is passive: you sit in a chair in front of a TV set and take in whatever is shown on the screen. You don’t’ have to do anything except keep your eyes open.






Listening to the radio can’t be called interactive because you aren’t actively involved in what is said or what you hear over the airwaves. But it is a less passive activity than watching TV because you use your imagination to fill in images to go with the sounds you hear.

Computer games are interactive because what you do influences how the game turns out: if you don’t find the right secret tunnels, you can’t escape the evil castle, and unless you avoid the traps along the way, you die and the game is over.






In virtual reality, you reach a new level of interaction. With images and sound all around you, thanks to the helmet and some very expensive computer technology, you move from simply watching or playing a game, to experiencing it.

You can hang from a helicopter and watch the ground speed by far below your feet. Or turn around 180°and see the bad guy coming up behind you.






The creators of virtual reality are far from finished. They dream of one day coming up with a game world that players won’t be able to tell apart from the real thing. It would allow people to feel, and even taste and smell, the environment they have stepped into. According to the game developers, it’s only a matter of mine.






Comprehension Exercise Select the most appropriate answer for each of the

following questions 1. Virtual reality computer games are popular because

________.A) the players can hang from a helicopter and see the ground

below speed byB) the players can’t tell these games apart from the real

thingC) they’re the newest and hottest type of computer game

availableD) they let players feel as if they are actually taking part in

the action






2. In virtual reality computer games, the key element is because ________.

A) the helmetB) the magic of the gameC) one’s imaginationD) their complexity






3. The feeling of reality in such games is produced by ________.

A) an imaginary environmentB) their high level of interactivityC) a choice of game optionsD) turning on a computer switch






4. Listening to the radio is more active than watching TV because ________.

A) you have to listen attentively to what is being broadcastB) listening to radio programs is a form of interactive

entertainmentC) your mind forms pictures to go with what you hearD) what you hear influences how you think






5. Developers of virtual reality computer games think that ________.

A) these games have already reached the highest level of interaction possible

B) more expensive technology is needed to improve the games

C) players have to experience the game to enjoy itD) the games can be further improved giving people a better

feeling of reality






International electronic mail systems are no longer the plaything of hackers and bug-eyed computer enthusiasts. They are emerging as credible business tools that enable individuals and companies to communicate cheaply and efficiently around the globe.

Like the in-house electronic mail networks that have become a fact of business life in many companies, these systems provide a means of sending and receiving messages via personal computers or computer terminals. With global electronic mail services, however, messages can be sent across the world or across town.

Electronic Mail Brings Business Closer Together





For evidence of the rising popularity of electronic mail, a look at the business cards collected from clients or contacts lately should be enough. The chances are that some of them include electronic mail “addresses” along with telephone and fax numbers.

The advantages of electronic mail are numerous. It can eliminate hours of frustrating “telephone tag” and enable people to communicate across time-zones with ease. Ti also substitutes for busy fax machines that print out piles of paper which are often misplaced or misdirected. With electronic mail, the message appears upon the computer screen of the individual being contacted.






The biggest roadblock to the success of electronic mail in the past has been the lack of sufficient users. Although dozens of personal computer electronic mail services are available, until recently they were not linked. This meant that to reach somebody it was necessary to subscribe to the same electronic messaging system.

Over the past couple of years, however, many electronic mail systems have started “talking” to one another. The mechanism for this is “Internet”—a low-cost and efficient link between electronic mail services worldwide.






Internet links an estimated 1.5 million computers over 10, 000 networks in 50 countries, serving about six million users. Internet resembles a computer network cooperative. There is no central authority that oversees it, and rules are largely informal.

Over the past 20 years it has mushroomed to include regional, corporate and public networks, including commercial electronic mail systems. “People conduct their love life over Internet, their hobbies and their interests. They argue politics and engage in all kinds of business,” says Mr. Mitch Kapor, co-founder of Electronic Frontier Fountain of Cambridge, Massachusetts, which promotes awareness of the on-line world.






“Internet is doubling annually in users, networks, computers and traffic,” says Mr. Vinton Cert, president of the Internet Society, a volunteer secretariat that helps administer the network. “It is growing faster than any other telecommunications systems ever built, including the telephone network.” Commercial users now outnumber academic and government Internet users, and Mr. Cert predicts, the system will soon serve over 100 million users.






Despite the anarchic nature of its structure, the basics of using Internet communications are simple. All that is needed is a computer, a modem, a communications software package and a subscription to an on-line information service linked to Internet.

Subscription costs range from about US$9 to US$20 per month, depending upon the service and varying according to the information services offered.

Once a subscription to one of these services is obtained, the charge for sending an electronic message is generally only a few cents. In most places a local telephone call will connect you to the system.






Comprehension Exercise Select the most appropriate answer for each of the

following questions. 1. According to the passage, “electronic mail” is a way to

________.A) upgrade the old mail systemB) get electronics by mailC) communicate by personal computers or computer

terminalsD) connect to the post office






2. Electronic mail is widely used in business ________.A) for its efficiency and low costB) with the coming of the computer ageC) because it is part of business trainingD) to speed up the sending of messages






3. In Para. 4, Line 2, “telephone tag” is ________.A) a leaked messageB) an inability to contact the person you phoneC) getting the wrong person on the telephoneD) matching time with the caller






4. Electronic mail wasn’t successful in the past because ________.

A) the cost of electronic mail services was very highB) personal computers weren’t widely usedC) its users subscribed to different, unconnected mail

servicesD) computer networks could not be connected globally






5. Internet provides ________.A) users with international business opportunitiesB) a central control to oversee the systemsC) subscribers with a cheap and efficient linkD) support services to users





Documents

I. Lead-in Questions 1. How does the Internet change your life? 2. What can you do on the Internet? 3. Is it good or bad to get online? Why?