新世纪大学英语综合教程4（第二版）Lecture Notes - U2

Electronic Teaching Portfolio Book Four

Unit Two: Man and Technology

Part I Get Started

Section A Discussion

▇Work in pairs or groups and discuss the following questions.

1) What changes have taken place in our life with the advancement of technology? 2) Do you think technology makes your life easier? Could you give some examples? 3) Is the advancement of technology always a good thing?

▇ Answers for reference:

1) With the advancement of technology, our health has been improved; production has been increased; human

labor has been decreased; people’s mental horizons have been broadened, and what is most important is that people live longer and better. 2) Yes. Take the Internet for example. With the access to the Internet I can learn what is going on all around

the world. I can get the latest information about my present studies at college. And I can communicate with others via e-mail, which saves me a lot of time and money. Another example is the rapid development of various means of transportation. Planes, trains and cars have made my travel easier and more convenient.

3) No. Technology is a double-edged sword which can be used equally for good or evil. For example,

technology has found wide application in the medical field. However, owing to technology, weapons of mass destruction have been invented and used in wars in which large numbers of innocent people have been killed.

Section B Quotes

▇ Study the following quotes about man and technology and discuss in pairs what you can learn from them.

⊙The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom.

— Isaac Asimov

Interpretation:

This quote tells us that knowledge is not wisdom. Knowledge alone does not necessarily make us wiser. Although science has brought about a rapid growth in knowledge, today’s society has not witnessed any corresponding increase in wisdom. And what we are in desperate need of today is wisdom rather than scientific knowledge, for knowledge helps us make a living while wisdom helps us make a life.

Isaac Asimov

About Isaac Asimov:

Isaac Asimov (1920-1992): a US science fiction writer. Born in Russia, he was brought to the USA when he was three and grew up in Brooklyn, New York. He studied chemistry at Columbia University and developed a career both as an academic biochemist and as a science fiction writer. Among his best known novels are the “Foundation Series”―Foundation (《基地》) (1951), Foundation and Empire (《基地与帝国》)(1952), and

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Second Foundation (《第二基地》) (1953), etc. He is also well-known for his textbooks and works of popular science.

⊙Education makes machines which act like men and produces men who act like machines.

— Erich Fromm

Interpretation:

This quote questions the rigidity of the formal educational systems. Machines are often considered as being controlled by others and have no individual thoughts. This quote indicates that the formal educational system controls the development of students and washes away the individual creativity.

Erich Fromm About Erich Fromm:

Erich Fromm (1900-1980): German-born American psychoanalyst. His works, which include Escape from Freedom(《逃离自由》), Man for Himself (《利己者》) and The Sane Society (《健全的社会》), emphasize the role of culture in neurosis and strongly criticize materialist values.

⊙The production of too many useful things results in too many useless people.

— Karl Marx

Interpretation:

According to Marx, under capitalism, overproduction leads to economic crises and unemployment.

Karl Marx

About Karl Marx:

Karl Marx (1818-1883): a German philosopher, social scientist, historian and revolutionary. Karl Marx was the most influential socialist thinker of the 19th century. With Friedrich Engels, he wrote the Communist Manifesto (1848) and other works. Exiled from Europe after the Revolutions of 1848, Marx lived in London, where he worked on his monumental work Das Kapital (Capital), in which he used dialectical materialism to analyze economic and social history. Marxism has greatly influenced the development of socialist thought.

⊙It is difficult to say what is impossible, for the dreams of yesterday are the hopes of today, and the realities of tomorrow.

— Robert H. Goddard

Interpretation:

Advances in science and technology have given birth to many things once only dreamed of.

Robert H. Goddard

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About Robert H. Goddard:

Robert H. Goddard (1882-1945): an American physicist. Goddard is looked upon as one of the three main founders of modern rocketry, along with Tsiolkovsky and Oberth. He launched the first liquid-fueled rocket on March 16, 1926. The flight lasted just 2.5 seconds, reaching an altitude of 12.3 meters and landing 55.2 meters from the launch site.

Section C Watching and Discussion

▇Watch the following video clip “Inception” and do the tasks that follow: 插入视频片段： “Inception.wmv”

1. Fill in the missing words according to what you hear from the video clip.

—You create the world of the dream. You’ll bring the subject into that dream, and then they feel it in their subconscious.

—How could you ever acquire enough detail to make him think that’s reality?

—Our dreams. We feel real while we’re in them. It’s only when we wake up that we realize something actually strange. May I ask you a question? You never really remember the beginning of your dreams, do you? You always wind up right in the middle of what’s going on.

2. Discuss the topic with your group members: Are you sometimes troubled by your dreams? Share one of

your unusual dreams with your peers. ▇Answers for reference: (Open.)

Script：

Inception

COBB: You create the world of the dream. You’ll bring the subject into that dream, and then they feel it in their subconscious.

ARIADNE: How could you ever acquire enough detail to make him think that’s reality?

COBB: Our dreams. We feel real while we’re in them. It’s only when we wake up that we realize something actually strange. May I ask you a question? You never really remember the beginning of your dreams, do you? You always wind up right in the middle of what’s going on. ARIADNE: I guess. Yeah.

COBB: So ... how did we end up here? ARIADNE: We just came here from the...

COBB: Think about it, Ariadne. How did you get here? Where are you right now? ARIADNE: Oh my God. We’re dreaming.

COBB: We’re actually asleep in the workshop right now. This is your first lesson in shared dreaming, remember?

Part II Listen and Respond

Section A Word Bank

evolve v. develop gradually by a long continuous process （使）演变；（使）进化 shuttle★ n. a spacecraft that can be used more than once 航天飞机 prolong★ vt. make longer; lengthen 延长，拉长，拖长 Section B

Task One: Focusing on the Main Ideas

Choose the best answer to each of the following questions according to the information contained in the listening passage.

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1) What is the main idea of the passage? A) The rapid changing world we live in.

B) The important role the Internet plays in our life. C) The important role technology plays in our life.

D) The important role modern transportation plays in our life. 2) What does the passage say about the Internet?

A) It provides us with the quickest means for communication. B) It provides us with the quickest means to collect information. C) It provides us with the quickest means to talk to each other. D) It provides us with modern means of transportation. 3) Why is the journey to the outer space not a dream any more? A) Because people can go anywhere now.

B) Because people can travel to the outer space by airplane now.

C) Because the modern means of transportation makes the journey smoother. D) Because people can travel to the outer space by rockets and space shuttles. 4) How does technology help prolong our life?

A) Patients can go anywhere to seek modern medicine.

B) With modern medicine, people with cancer do not suffer from the pain. C) With modern medicine, people with AIDs do not suffer from the pain. D) With modern medicine, some deadly diseases can be treated now. 5) How does technology expand our vision of the world? A) It gives us ideas that never occurred to us in the past. B) It makes our life easier and more convenient. C) It helps us spread our ideas more quickly. D) It brings us more advanced products. ▇ Answers for Reference:

1) C 2) B 3) D 4) D 5) A

Section C Task Two: Zooming in on the Details

▇ Listen to the recording again and fill in each of the blanks according to what you have heard.

Firstly, technology shortens the distance between people and makes 1) __________ much easier. Today, the Internet is widely used not only for the 2) __________ of information but also for correspondence.

Secondly, modern means of 3) __________, such as airplanes and high-speed trains make our journey 4) __________ and faster. With the help of modern transportation, we can go almost anywhere we want to. To journey into 5) __________ space is not a dream any more. Rockets and space 6) __________ have made the dream come true.

Thirdly, modern medicine prolongs our life and 7) __________ patients from pain. Some deadly 8) __________, such as cancer and AIDs can be treated now, and we can live longer and better.

Last but not least, technology expands our 9) __________ of the world. It provides us with larger 10) __________ by giving us ideas that never occurred to us in the past.

▆ Answers:

Firstly, technology shortens the distance between people and makes 1) communication much easier. Today, the Internet is widely used not only for the 2) collection of information but also for correspondence. Secondly, modern means of 3) transportation, such as airplanes and high-speed trains make our journey 4) smoother and faster. With the help of modern transportation, we can go almost anywhere we want to. To journey into 5) outer space is not a dream any more. Rockets and space 6) shuttles have made the dream come true.

Thirdly, modern medicine prolongs our life and 7) relieves patients from pain. Some deadly 8) diseases, such as cancer and AIDs can be treated now, and we can live longer and better.

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Last but not least, technology expands our 9) vision of the world. It provides us with larger 10) possibilities by giving us ideas that never occurred to us in the past.

Script:

What Has Technology Brought Us?

Technology plays a vital role in our society. It makes our life more comfortable and convenient. Without it, we couldn’t evolve or cope up with the ever changing world we live in.

Firstly, technology shortens the distance between people and makes communication much easier. Today, the Internet is widely used not only for the collection of information but also for correspondence.

Secondly, modern means of transportation, such as airplanes and high-speed trains make our journey smoother and faster. With the help of modern transportation, we can go almost anywhere we want to. To journey into outer space and other planets is not a dream any more. Rockets and space shuttles have made the dream come true.

Thirdly, modern medicine prolongs our life and relieves patients from pain. Some deadly diseases, such as cancer and AIDS can be treated now, and we can live longer and better.

Last but not least, technology expands our vision of the world. It provides us with larger possibilities by giving us ideas that never occurred to us in the past.

It is hard to imagine what the world would be like without technology.

Part III Read and Explore

Text A

Section A Discovering the Main Ideas

1. Answer the following questions with the information contained in Text A. 1) 2) 3) 4)

Did material and technological advances make Americans happier according to the survey? What is the relationship between money and happiness according to Easterlin? How does technology affect human relationships according to the author?

In which field does technology have the most important impact on people’s sense of well-being according to the author?

What does the author think of the relationship between technology and happiness?

5)

▆ Answers for Reference:

1) No. The survey showed that the majority of Americans did not become happier with the advancement of

technology. In fact, the percentage of people who say they are “very happy” has fallen slightly since the early 1970s, even though their income has increased considerably.

2) According to Easterlin, money cannot make people happier after a certain point, that is, when people are

able to meet the needs for a decent life.

3) According to the author, with technological inventions such as linked databases, the Internet and TV,

people have less privacy and less time for real world communication. As a result, they tend to be more lonely and depressed.

4) The most important impact of technology on people’s life is in the field of health care. The development

of medical technology has greatly increased people’s life expectancy and improved their quality of life. So the vast majority of people are happy to be alive, and the more time they get on earth, the better off they feel they’ll be.

5) On the whole, the author holds that technology and happiness are not necessarily closely related.

Throughout the text, the author cites examples to illustrate that the advances in technology do not necessarily make people happier.

2. Text A can be divided into five Parts with the paragraph number(s) of each part provided as follows. Write down the main idea of each part.

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