上外全新版大学英语综合教程讲义-book2-unit4

Unit Four The Virtual World

Teaching Objectives

1. Ss should grasp the main idea of text A

—— Despite the many negative effects of virtual life, the author prefers it to real life. 2. Ss should understand the structure of the text —— Contrast between virtual life and real life.

3. Learn some rules of interpreting new vocabulary and usage related to computers and the Internet in English 4. Grasp the key language points and grammatical structures in the text.

The First Two Periods (90minutes)

Part I. Review of Unit Three (10minutes) Part II. Introductory Remarks:

1. Ask Ss to answer the following questions: (15minutes)

1) Do you like surfing online? How long do you spend online every day? 2) What do you usually do online?

——checking email, chatting with friends, acquiring information, reading and watching news, watching films,

purchasing, etc.

3) What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of the Internet? ——advantages: Life becomes more convenient with the help of the internet.

① We can communicate with relatives and friends through email, QQ, MSN despite the distance between us. ② We can acquire information, news, knowledge more quickly.

③ we can purchase some items we need with a cheap price online without going out. ——disadvantages:

① Harmful information also spread rapidly. Virus spread quickly.

② Some students are indulge in net-games and lots of precious time is wasted. ③ Cyber-love appears which is not real.

④ Some people conduct illegal affairs and cheating through the Internet. ⑤some kind of criminals such as hackers’ crimes.

2. Listen and appreciate the poem Surfing the Internet (10 minutes)

You are not the only one who likes surfing the net, most of the people nowadays like logging onto the web. The following poem tells us the experience and feeling of an employee who surfs the net in his company. 1) Listen and explanation of the poem 2) T asks Ss the following questions:

① What was the hero doing when his boss came in? (Surfing the Internet) ② How did he act in front of his boss?

(He pretended to be surprised at the computer which had crashed “unexpectedly”.

3. Now you may guess out what we are going to talk in the unit. It’s something about the Internet. Here I’d like to share with you some Internet-related words and formation forms. (15 minutes)

The following combining forms/prefixes “Cyber-, virtual, Net- (net-), Web- (web), and E- (e-)” are computer and Internet related vocabulary in English. 1) combining forms/prefixes + noun. virtual cyber-

virtual life, virtual world, virtual community, virtual office, virtual pet, virtual reality cyber-interaction, cyber-culture, cyber-nut（网虫）, cyberpet（电子宠物）, cyberspace,

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net- web- e- Netwriter (发送电子邮件的人) , nethead（网虫） webmaster (网站维护者), web page, website, web TV e-book, e-business, e-card, e-mail, e-journal, e-cash, e-commerce 2) combining forms/prefixes + verb. Cybersurf (网络漫游), netsurf (网络漫游), websurf (网络漫游), email (发送电子邮件) 3) “cyber”, “net”, etc. + suffix. cyberian (cyber+ian, 网络用户), cyberphobia (cyber+phobia, 电脑恐惧症), cybernaut (cyber+naut, 网络用户), cyberize (cyber+ize, 使联网), webify (web+fy, 使万维化), netter (net+er, 网民) 4) Clipped words. Cyberdoc (cyber+doctor, 网络医生), netcast (net+broadcast，网络播放), netiquette (net+etiquette, 网规), netizen (net+citizen, 网民),

netpreneur (net+entrepreneur, 网络企业家), webcam (web+camera, 网络摄像机), webliography (web+bibliography, 网络书目), webnomics (web+economics, 网络经济),

webzine (web+magazine, 网络杂志), e-tailing (electronic+retailing, 电子零售), e-zine (electronic+magazine, 电子杂志).

Part III. Detailed Study of Text A 1. Leading in (2 minutes)

As we have discussed just now, the Internet has its advantages and disadvantages. Some people think that the world Internet brings to us is not real, as the title of the Unit suggest, it’s a virtual world. Some of us like to live a life in contact with real things and real people, but others favor a virtual existence. Which life is better? I’m sure you have different opinions. Now let’s read Text A to find out what Maia Szalavitz has to say about these two life styles.

2. Text Organization (15 minutes)

Step one: Let students read the text quickly and try to find the answer to the following questions. 1) How does the author manage her daily life?

2) How does the author behave when she is suddenly confronted with real live humans? 3) What does the author do to restore balance to her life?

4) Does the author feel happy when she returns to the real world? Why and why not?

Step two: T draws Ss’ attention to divide the text into four parts with reference to Text Organization 1 in page 107.

Structure: Part 1: paras 2-3 description of the author’s virtual life

Part 2: paras1, 4-10, 13 how she feels about it after staying on the Net for a while Part 3: para 11 what she does to return to the real world Part4: para 12 how she feels about the real world

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 show us the dilemma people are in: because of modern technology, we have a choice 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.

3. Cultural notes (see reference book) 4. Analysis of the Text in Detail

i) Analysis of Paragraph 1 (15 minutes) Step one:

Ask Ss to read paragraph 1 and answer the following question:

The author tells us that “after too long on the Net, even a phone call can be a shock”, How does she

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support the point in the following sentences?

——My boyfriend’s accent, secretary’s clipped tone.

Step two: paraphrase

1) My boyfriend’s Liverpool accent suddenly becomes impossible to interpret after his easily understood words on screen.

—— After long time of reading his words on screen, it’s impossible for me to interpret his Liverpool accent

all of a sudden.

? Attention: Adjectives followed by an infinitive active in form but passive in meaning.

Adjectives like easy, hard, impossible, difficult and tough could be followed by an infinitive which is active in form but passive in meaning. (Refer to page 113, exercise III)

…becomes impossible to interpret. = …becomes impossible to be interpreted. Step three: Language points 1) virtual

2) interpret: distinguish interpret and translate 3) clipped: pronounce clearly 发音清楚的

4) tone: distinguish tone (语气语调) and accent (口音)

She took an angry tone with the reporters. 她带着怒气与记者说话 He has an American accent. 他说话带美国口音 5) rejecting: make other reject

reject: To refuse to accept, submit to, believe, or make use of.

拒绝：拒绝接受，屈服，相信或使用 e.g. reject an offer of help 拒绝别人提供的帮助

6) stretch: (cause to) become longer, wider, etc. without breaking stretch one's legs: 伸长腿; 出去遛遛

stretch out a helping hand: 伸出一只援助的手 stretch every nerve to do sth.: 全神贯注地做某事

7) highlight: An especially significant or interesting detail or event.

最重要的或最有趣的细节或事件

5. Homework: preview the rest part of the text (7minutes)

1) Try to summarize the author’s feeling and behavior after long time on the net. 2) Find out what does the author do to restore balance to her life?

The Second Two Periods (90 minutes)

1. Review (10 minutes)

1) Please tell us the some prefixes and combining forms related to the Internet and computer. And cite some examples.

2) Translate the following sentences

① My boyfriend’s Liverpool accent suddenly becomes impossible to interpret after his easily woods on

screen.

显示屏上看惯了我男朋友那些一目了然的文字，他的利物浦口音一下子变得难以听懂。 ② a secretary’s clipped tone seems more rejecting than I’d imagined it would be. 秘书清脆快速的语调听上去比我想象的要生硬。

③ Time itself becomes fluid——hours become minutes, or seconds stretch into days.

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时间本身变得捉摸不定——几小时变成几分钟，或几秒钟延伸为几天。 2. Answers to Preview in Period One (5minutes)

1) Try to summarize the author’s feeling and behavior after long time on the net. Feeling Shyer, more cautious, more anxious; Overexcited; Bad-tempered Bebavior Speak too much and interrupt when confronted with people; worry about her appearance; turn on TV and leave it to talk away; attack everyone online; fight with her boyfriend;

2) Find out what does the author do to restore balance to her life?

—— she calls people, arranges to meet with the few remaining friends, tries to get to the gym,

arranges interviews for stories and doctor’s appointments 3. Analysis of the Rest of the Text.

i) Analysis of Paragraph 2-3 (15 minutes)

Step one: T asks Ss to go over part two (paras2-3) and answer the following questions. 1) What did the author do three years ago and what is she doing now?

—— She was a television producer three years ago. And now she works as a telecommuter. 2) How does the author work nowadays?

—— She submits articles and edit them via email and communicate with colleagues on Internet

mailing lists

3) How does the author manage her daily life?

—— She orders food, and manage her money, love and work through the Internet. Step two: language points

1) telecommuter: tele- + commuter (在家里通过使用与工作单位连接的计算机终端)远距离工作的人

2) submit: ① give (sth.) to sb. so that it may be formally considered

submit sth. to: submit a case to the court 向法院提出诉讼

② to yield or surrender (oneself) to the will or authority of another:

submit to: refuse to submit to an unjust decision拒绝服从不公正的决定

3) via: ①By way of: 经过 went to Pittsburgh via Philadelphia. 经过费城到匹兹堡 ② By means of: 通过，凭借 sent the letter via airmail. 通过空邮寄信 ii) Analysis of Paragraph 4-10 (40minutes)

Step one：Paragraphs 4-10 talk about the feeling after staying on the Net for a while Questions:

1) What are the symptoms shared by people who live a virtual life?

—— They feel as though they have become one with their machines, taking data in, spitting them back

out. They feel an aversion to outside forms of socializing.

2) How does the author behave when she is suddenly confronted with real live humans? —— She gets overexcited, speaks too much, interrupt. 3) How does the author behave on line? Why?

—— On line, she finds herself attacking everyone in sight.

She behaves in such a way because she is bad-tempered and easily angered.

Step two: paraphrase

1) I start 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 have the feeling that I am just a indispensable part of my computer, inputting data in and sending

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them out.

2) We have become the Net critics’ nightmare

—— We have got into a situation that critics of the Net describe as most dreadful. 3) …, coming back out of the cave can be quite difficult.

—— …, 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.

4) I find myself shyer, more cautious, more anxious. (Line 26, page 102) I find myself sucked in by soap operas. (Line 34, page 102) I find myself attacking everyone in sight. (Line 39, page 102)

? Attention: Find + oneself + adjective/past participle/ present participle (Refer to exercise 2 in page 114)

5) even when they are of no possible use to me. —— they are not useful to me

? Attention: of + noun = adjective

e.g. be of great help = be helpful be of great value = very valuable

(Refer to exercise 1 in page 114)

6) 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 politely points out to me that she was attacked by me even though she has the same

opinion with me. I feel embarrassed because I realize that I always think others have the same opinion with me.

7) I fight my boyfriend as well, misinterpreting his intentions because of the lack of emotional cues given

by our typed dialogue.

—— I quarrel with my boyfriend also. We misunderstood each other on line because what we typed on

the screen is lack of emotion and feeling.

Step three: language points

1) take in: absorb (sth.) into the body by breathing or swallowing 2) spit: send(liquid, food, etc) out from the mouth Spit sth. (out) (at/on/onto sb./sth.)

3) symptom: ① Sign of the existence of sth. bad

② Change in the body that indicates an illness 4) nightmare: a terrifying dream

5) luxury: Something expensive or hard to obtain. 6) conversely: in a way that is opposite to sth.

7) confront: To come face to face with, especially with defiance or hostility: To come up against; encounter: 碰到；遇到 （与with连用）使面对；使面临:

I am confronted with many difficulties. 我面临很多困难。

8) talk away: talk with out stop, talk continuously 不断地谈, 在谈话中度过 9) jar: have a harsh or an unpleasant effect. jar sth., jar on sb./sth.

e.g. The loud bang jarred my nerves. Her squeaky voice jarred on me.

10) suck in: (usu.passive) involve (sb.) inan activity, an argument,etc. usu. Against their will.

Suck sb. in/into sth.; suck in

11) keep up with: learn about or be aware of (the news, etc)

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