Unit 3: Alienation and The Internet

主讲人 : 赵俏梅

Will Baker

Contents Background of the text1

Text comprehension 2

Text structure3

Language points4

Analysis the long sentences in the text 5

Background of the text1

Pre-reading questions:

1. Do you go on-line every day? What do you usually do online?

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2. For how many hours a day do you think a person has to stay on-line before he or she is reckoned to be an Internet buff? Is it good to be one? Why or why not?

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3. What is the function of going on-line in our daily life?

4. Make a list of advantages and disadvantages of the Internet.

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Background of the text1

Pros and Cons of the InternetThe Internet is a wonderful source from which we can retrieve valuable information. Moreover, it facilitates our communication with people far away from us at a cost substantially less than that of traditional means of communication. Also, it can be an important building block to children’s learning because a vast amount of information is only clicks away. There is evidence suggesting that computer use is linked to slightly better academic performance.

Background of the text1

However, there is sufficient evidence indicating that the Internet can exert a harmful influence on people. For example, its addictive power has increased children and youngsters’ time spent in front of the computer screens at the expense of other healthier physical activities, thus increasing their chance of getting overweight and short-sighted.

Background of the text1

In addition, children have limited ability of telling right from wrong and therefore are subject to the potential contaminating influence of the harmful materials on the Internet. If the Internet allows for the free exchange of ideas, it helps to unify us. Then how does it alienate us while uniting us? How does it fragment society while globalizing ideas? This is the issue that the author tackles in the text.

Part I  paragraph 1-2The following question may be asked:How did the author describe the violation

of personal space that happened in a bank?Part II  paragraph 3-7

The following questions could be asked :Is “personal space” a phrase of the

seventies? Is it out of date nowadays? Why or why not?

Do you agree with the author about the reasons of space invasion given in Paragraph 4?

Text comprehension 2

What other factor have caused it?What does the author mean by saying

“personal space is mostly a public matter”?

Do space invaders respect other people’s personal space?Part III paragraph 8-9

Do you agree with the writer’s view that the contraction of the outer, personal space is proportion to the expansion of the inner space of modern man?

Text comprehension 2

Do you think we Chinese people have comparatively more personal space or less? Is Chinese personal space now the same as it was decades ago?

Why does the author decide to expand his contracting boundaries of personal space?

Text comprehension 2

The whole text can be divided into three parts. Part1: (paras 1-2) It tells us about the author’s

experience of how his personal space was invaded and how his individual border was intruded on.

Part2: (Paras 3-7) This part show that the phenomenon of invading personal space has become more and more serious n the current society.

Part3: (Paras 8-9) It shows that the shrinking of personal space is less a physical matter than people’s psychological withdrawal.

Text structure3

The whole text can be divided into three parts. Part1: (paras 1-2) It tells us about the author’s experience of how his personal space was invaded and how his individual border was intruded on. Part2: (Paras 3-7) This part show that the phenomenon of invading personal space has become more and more serious n the current society. Part3: (Paras 8-9) It shows that the shrinking of personal space is less a physical matter than people’s psychological withdrawal.

Text structure3

1 ． inch: move very slowly and carefully   Howard inched the van forward.He inched his way forward along the cliff edge. ( 他沿着悬崖边缘小心翼翼地往前挪动。）The worm inched along. ( 那条虫向前蠕动。 )Prices are inching up. ( 物价在缓慢地上涨。 )2. deposit: v. to put money into an account at a bank He deposited £100 a week into his savings account. ( 他每个星期往自己的储户帐户里存入 100 英镑。 )He has deposited quite a lot of money recently.

Language points4

a sum of money which is the first payment for sth. With the rest of the money to be paid later.

The hotel requires a deposit for all advance bookings. ( 旅馆规定凡预定房间都要先付定金。 )

3. minute adj. very small, very exact or accurate

I couldn’t read his writing. It was minute. ( 他的字我看不清，太小了。 )She can describe the man in minute detail. ( 她对那个人的描述细致入微。 )minutely adv. Carefully and precisely, in great

detailI will read the document minutely.

Language points4

4. sidle up/ over to sb./ sth. To move towards sb/ sth in a nervous way, as if you don’t want anyone to notice you. She sidled up to me, and handed a book to me. ( 她悄悄地走到我旁边 )5. scribble v. to write sth quickly and carelessly I scribbled his phone number in my address book. ( 我快速把他的电话号码写在地址本上。 )The children had scribbled all over the walls. ( 那些孩子在墙上乱写乱画。 )

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6. shuffle v. to walk by sliding your feet along instead of lifting them off the ground. The child shuffled past, wearing her mother’s shoes. ( 那孩子穿着她妈妈的鞋拖着脚走过去。 )He shuffled across the floor to answer the telephone. ( 他拖着脚步慢吞吞地过去接电话。 )Don’t shuffle your feet along. ( 不要拖着脚走路。 )7. collapse v. to fall down or break into pieces suddenly. A lot of buildings collapsed in the earthquake. ( 地震中许多建筑物倒塌了。 )

Language points4

Language points48. gratify v. to give sb pleasure and

satisfaction be gratified with = be satisfied with

He was gratified by Mary’s response. = He was satisfied by Mary’s response.

We were gratified to learn that you had passed the exam.

It gratified me to know that she would soon be well again. ( 得知他很快就恢复健康，使我感到非常高兴。 )

gratifying adj. gratification n.

To my great gratification, he fell into the trap. ( 使我非常满意的事，他中了我的圈套。 )

9. penetrate v. ① to go through or into sth, especially when this is difficult. The sunshine couldn’t penetrate where the trees were thickest. ( 阳光不能透人树木最浓密的地方。 )The nail penetrated the wood at least two inches. ( 钉子钉进木头至少有 2 英寸。 )② to be understood or realized Scientists have still not penetrated the workings of the brain. ( 科学家尚未搞清楚大脑的工作原理。 )penetration. n.He is a man of penetration. ( 他是一个赋有洞察力的人。 )

Language points4

10. wedge oneself in : to force sth/ sb to fit into a small space. He wedged himself in through the narrow window. ( 他从狭窄的窗户中挤了过去。 )11. pedestrian: n. a person who is walking in the street The cop signaled traffic to halt to allow pedestrians to cross the street. ( 警察指示车辆停下以便让行人通过。 )pedestrian walk 人行道 pedestrian crossing 人行横道

Language points4

12. zigzag n. a line with left and right turns, like the letter W’s , one after the other The road zigzags up the hill. ( 这条路呈“之”字形山。 )The skier came down the slope in a series of zigzags. ( 滑雪者从山坡上以之字形滑了下来。）Birds flew zigzag in the blue sky. ( 鸟儿在蓝天里交错穿梭。 )13. jostle v. to push hard against sb in a crowd = push= elbowWe had to jostle our way to the front of the platform. The passengers jostled each other in the overcrowded train

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14. fidget: v. to keep moving your body, hands or feet because you are nervous, tired, excited. fidget with sth She fidgeted nervously with her keys. ( 她紧张而烦躁的拨弄着钥匙。 )She fidgeted with her books in her hand. fidgety: adj. 15. relent: v. give in, as to influence or pressureThe wind has relented. ( 风已经减弱了。 )relentless : adj not stopping or changingrelentlessly: adv We must fight against crime relentlessly. ( 我们必须要对犯罪进行无情地打击。 )

Language points4

16. foster ① v. to help or encourage the development of sth synonym: feed, nurse, cultivate, nurture The captain did his best to foster a sense of unity among the new recruits. ( 队长尽 力培养新成员之间的团结精神。 ) She fosters three children. ( 她养育了三个孩子。 )② providing or receiving nurture or parental care though not related by blood or legal ties;foster parent" "foster child" "foster home"Little Jack was placed with foster parents... ( 小杰克和养父母住在一起。 )The foster mother was a wonderful, warm person.

Language points4

17. simulate: v. reproduce someone's behavior or looks, create a representation or model of, synonym: imitate， copy, assume These insects can simulate dead leaves. ( 这些昆虫可以伪装成枯叶。 ) They used this trick to simulate illness. （他们用这种花招来装病。）The scientist developed one model to simulate a full year of the globe's climate...( 这名科学家研制了一个模型来模拟地球全年的气候。 )

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18. surf: n. / v. to stand or lie on a surfboard and ride on a wave towards the beach. My favorite sport is surf riding. ( 我喜欢的运动是冲浪。 ) If the waves are big enough we’ll go surfing. (如果风浪大，我们就去冲浪。 )No one knows how many people currently surf the Net. (没人知道现在有多少人在网上冲浪。 )surf the Internet, you spend time finding and looking at things on the Internet.

Language points4

19. be confronted with: confront: meet face to face; set face to face    He challenged his accusers to confront him openly.The lawyer confronted the accused man with the forged check.The police confronted him with the evidence. = He was confronted with the evidence. Customers are confronted with a large amount of choices. (顾客面临着一大堆选择。 )confrontation n. a fight or an argument. The issue has caused great tension between the two countries and could lead to a military confrontation( 这个问题使得两国关系非常紧张，可能会导致军事对抗。 )

Language points4

20. fundamental: adj. basic and important There will be fundamental changes in the way the school is run. ( 学校的管理方式 将会有根本的转变。 ) There is a fundamental difference between your opinion and mine. (你我的看法存 在着重大分歧。 ) fundamentals: n. basic facts and principles 基本原则21. perceive: v. to notice or realize sth Scientists failed to perceive how dangerous the level of pollution had become. ( 科 学家没有注意到污染已经到如此危险的程度。 ) She has perceived the danger. ( 她已经察觉到危险了。 )

Language points4

The rule isn’t perceived easily. ( 这条规律不容易理解。 ) perception n. the ability to notice or understand sth What is your perception of the situation. (你对局势怎么看？ )22. take advantage of: to make good or full use of sth It never occurred to him to take advantage of me. He took advantage of the good weather to go for a walk. ( 他趁着天气好，出 去散散步。 ) We should take advantage of all educational opportunities to study hard.

Language points4

1. Given the relatively few restrictions governing access and usage, it is the communication modal equivalent of international waters. (para1)【改写】 As there are relatively few restrictions on reading and using the Internet, communication via the Internet are comparable to traveling through the international waterways. 【翻译】由于上网的途径及网络的应用所受到的限制相对还比较少 ,就这点而言 , 网上交流就相当于在国际公海里游弋一样畅行无阻 .

Analysis the long sentences in the text 5

2. But much less widely reported has been the notion that the Internet may be responsible for furthering the fragmentation of society by alienating its individual users. (para 2)【改写】 But not so many people are acquainted with the idea that the Internet separates people from each other and fragments society further as a result. 【翻译】由于互联网里间个人用户 ,从而有可能造成更大的社会裂痕 ,这种观点却没有得到广泛报导 .

Analysis the long sentences in the text 5

3. I have not known this fellow to be given to exaggeration, therefore when he described his Internet binges, when he would spend over twenty-four hours on line non-stop, it gave me pause to think. (para 3)【改写】 As far as I know, this friend of mine has never exaggerated anything: therefore when he said he was deeply entrapped in the Internet and would spend all day long on line without any rests, I paused to think about the negative consequences of the Internet. 【翻译】我从没有见过这家伙会夸大其词 , 因此 , 当他把自己描述成一个互联网瘾君子 , 会一口气在网上花上 24 个小时而不休息时 ,我便停下来静心思考 .

Analysis the long sentences in the text 5

4. And when we fast-forward to today we see an almost cruel irony in that people can and often do develop on-line relationships with folks on the other side of the globe, without leaving their homes. (para 4)【改写】 Today, with the advanced technology, we see a cruel irony because people can and often develop on-line relationships with people in the other part of the world, without going out of their homes. 【翻译】当我们飞速地进入到今天 ,我们看到了一个近乎残酷的讽刺 ,人们无需走出家门 ,通过互联网就能和地球另一端的人建立友谊 .

Analysis the long sentences in the text 5

5. Some would argue that the virtual existences created by some users who debate, shop, travel and have romance on line are in fact not real, while others would argue that, since in practical terms, folks are debating, shopping, traveling and having romance, the converse is true. (para 6)【改写 】 Some people might think that the online users can create a cyber world where they can debate, shop, travel and have romance online, but it is not real. However, others might hold those online people, in a practical sense, are debating, shopping, traveling and having romance, so it is a real world. 【翻译】一些人会认为 ,尽管这些互联网使用者可以在网上辩论 , 购物 ,旅行 , 谈恋爱 , 但他们所缔造的虚拟存在事实上并不是真实的 .然而另一些人认为 , 既然在特定意义上 ,人们是在辩论 , 购物 ,旅行 , 谈恋爱 ,那么 , 它就是真实的 .

Analysis the long sentences in the text 5

6. All of this being said, I believe that the key to realizing the potential of the Internet is in achieving balance in our lives. (para 7)【改写】 After all of this has been said, I believe that the most important thing to realize the potential of the Internet lies in how we strike the balance in our lives. 【翻译】谈到这里 ,我相信实现互联网潜力的关键就在于我们生活中找到平衡 .

Analysis the long sentences in the text 5

7. It seems to me that we are a society that values immediate gratification above all else, and what better place to achieve it than in cyberspace, where the cyber-world is your cyber-oyster. (para 7)【改写】 I think that in our society the top priority is given to the instant satisfaction. The Internet is the best means for this purpose, for on the Internet one can do whatever he likes to. 【翻译】在我看来 ,我们所生活的社会重视即时利益高于一切 , 哪里还会有比网络空间更容易实现目标的地方呢 ?在这里 , 网络世界就是一个你可以随心所欲 ,尽情享乐的世界 .

Analysis the long sentences in the text 5

Having a discussionDo the advantages of the Internet outweigh its disadvantages?Advantages: ease of gathering and sharing information; speed up communication while reducing the costs; SOHO; facilitate business transactions; improve the public supervision over governmental issues and foster justiceDisadvantages: spread of unhealthy information, e.g. violence, pornography, rumor; endanger personal privacy; risk of online crime; highly addictive; skew the sense of reality; reduce the sense of community and give rise to alienation

Interactive activity

Dialogue: Topic: Suppose your desk-mate, has recently become addicted to the Internet, which makes him/her often absent from class and fallen behind in his/her studies. Try to persuade him/her out of this habit.Words and phrases for reference:surf the web, addict, alcoholic, non-stop, moderate, binge, skew the sense of reality, depress, cognitive overload, virtual existence, perceive, unreal, harmful

Interactive activity

Absolute constructionAbsolute constructions are nonfinite or verbless adverbial clauses that have an overt subject but are not introduced by a subordinator and are not the complement of a preposition. Structurally, absolute constructions fall into four types: those with an infinite as verb element, those with an -ing participle as verb element, those with an -ed participle as verb element, and those without any form of verb element.

Grammar points

For example:A number of officials followed the emperor, some

to hold his robe, others to adjust his girdle, and so on. (infinite)

Weather permitting, the cricket match will take place on Wednesday. (-ing participle)

All of this being said, I believe that the key to realizing the potential of the Internet is in achieving balance in our lives. (-ing participle)

His voice drowned by the noise, the speaker interrupted his lecture. (-ed participle)

He went off, gun in hand. (prepositional phrase)The floor wet and slippery, we stayed outside.

(adjectival phrase)

Grammar points

Practice: a. The cowboy dominates the pages of many magazines.b. His hair is dark and curly.c. His broad shoulders are sloping yet powerful.d. His expression is calm and confident.

The cowboy dominates the pages of many magazines, his hair dark and curly, his broad shoulders sloping yet powerful and his expression calm and confident.

Grammar points

THANKS