Part one Preparation: Useful information:
Science is knowledge of facts, laws and relationships that is obtained through systematic observation and experimentation. What we think of science is often the exact sciences like biology, chemistry, and physics. But many other branches of science have developed over the past centuries. Sociology and psychology, for example, are not exact science although their findings are based on the principles of scientific investigation.
The technological changes that took place in the 20th century revolutionized virtually every aspects of life from communication to material comfort. In the space of two or three generations, people witnessed major advances in medical research, nuclear energy and space exploration. In the early part of the century, it seemed that science and technology could do nothing but good. People had implicit faith in scientific progress. However, wars, pollution and new diseases have undermined our confidence. The consequences of technological innovations have not always been positive and the moral and political choices regarding new inventions have often been questionable.
Despite the negative reactions, which many technogical inventions have generated in recent years, some people still regard science in a positive light and look forward to waking up in the distant future. Such is the case for people who believe that liquid nitrogen holds the key to the long-term preservation of the body. These people often believe that death is merely an illness, which science will eventually be able to cure. Their hopes seem strange today. But who knows what the future will bring?
Activity 1: Cloudy Days in Tomorrowland. 10 minutes for this part. Work in groups and compare each predication with what actually happened.
(Notes to the teacher: In doing this activity, the teacher should try to draw the students' attention to what actually happened.) Notes:
1) Wilbur Wright's prediction:
Orville Wright (1871 - 1948) and Wilbur Wright (1867 ~ 1912) are famous for making the first powered flight in their aircraft in 1903, at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. 2) H.G. Wells' prediction:
Herbert George Wells (1866 - 1946) was an English novelist. After studying biology with T.H- Huxley, he wrote some of the earliest science-fiction novels, such as The Time Machine (15) and The War of
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the Worlds (18). These combined political satire, warnings about the dangerous new powers of science, and a hope for the future. The prediction means;
I don't think that submarines will do anything except cause people to die (because of the lack of air) and move about helplessly in water.
H. G. Wells failed to predict the important role that submarines have played.
3) Ferdinand Foch's prediction:
Ferdinand Foch (1851-1929) was a French general. He strongly supported the use of offensive warfare, which resulted in many of his 20th Corps being killed by German machine-guns in August, 1914. He became Supreme Commander of all Allied Forces on the Western Front in early 1918, and served as the senior French representative at the Armistice negotiations.
He failed to predict the role of the airplane in military affairs. 4) Horace Rackham's prediction:
Henry Ford (1863 - 1947) was an American industrialist and maker of the first motorcars. He set
up the Ford Motor Company in 1903, designed the famous Model T car in 1908 and over 15 million cars had been sold before the model was discontinued in 1928. He is known as one of the richest, most successful American businessmen.
5) Dr Lee de Forest's prediction:
Lee de Forest (1873-1961) was an American inventor who was a pioneer in the development of radio communication.
He failed to predict the magic power that science can make. Man can now go to the moon on space flight. 6) William Orton's prediction:
Alexander Graham Bell (1847 - 1922) was a Scottish scientist and inventor who lived in the US and Canada, best known for inventing the telephone in 1876. He also started the Bell Telephone Company. 7) Popular Mechanics' prediction about the size of computers: The first computers weighed several tons. 8)Kenneth Olsen's prediction:
Kenneth OIsen (1936- ) is a US computer entrepreneur.
He failed to predict the widespread use of computers beginning in the 1980s.
9) Lord Kelvin's prediction:
Sir William Kelvin (1824 - 1907) was an English physicist and inventor. Kelvin failed to predict the widespread use of radio in the 20th century. 10) Darryl F. Zanuck's prediction;
Darryl F. Zanuck (1902 - 1979) was an American motion-picture producer and powerful studio executive, who led the 20th Century Fox
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film studio from the mid-1930s through the mid-1950s, in which were among its most successful decades,
He failed to predict the popularity of TV throughout the world. Activity 2: Making Your Own Predictions Sample answers 1) Medicine
In the 21st century, cancer and AIDS will no longer be considered deadly diseases. Wonder drugs will be developed to cure all kinds of diseases. Medicine will be developed to prevent aging, and people will live much longer than now. Technology will develop so that a dead body can be kept for several years and then be revived.
There will be all kinds of advanced equipment in hospitals and doctors or nurses will be able to monitor the patients without going to the wards. Thus \"visits\" can be more frequent. The hospital wards will be clean and bright, but the medical costs will be much higher. 2) Computer technology
Computer technology will be greatly developed in the 21st century. More people will have access to computers. There will be computers in almost all families, offices, even small street-side stores. People will be able to work without leaving home. People will be able to order all kinds of things through computer and delivery will be much faster. A lot of sales clerks will be laid off.
The future computers will be smaller in size and faster in speed. Pocket computers will be able to come into being in the near future and the price will be lower. More and more people can afford computers and multimedia computer technology will gradually make television, VCD and DVD disappear. 3) Education
There will be no national entrance exam and everyone will have the chance to receive college education so long as they can afford it. There won't be so many lectures on the college campus. Students can learn by themselves using computer software, and watching educational programs on TV. Students will have more freedom in choosing and changing their majors.
Education in the future will be available to people of all ages. A Bachelor's degree may become the basic requirement for all professions. Part 2: Reading-centered activities. I. Pre-Reading I. Pre-Reading
Questions: 1. What do you feel about life in the modern world? Would
you rather have lived in any of the less scientific ages that have preceded ours? Why?
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2. Would you rather live in the future or are you happy to be living now? Why? Ss answers:
1) I feel it's really nice to live in the modern world. In this modern world, there are so many things that were not available in the past. Television, refrigerators, VCDs, DVDs, and computers make our life so colorful and enjoyable. I can't imagine a life without all these.
On the one hand, I like to live in the modern world. The modern world provides us with so many wonderful things that our ancestors couldn't even dream of. But on the other hand, I find living in the modern world is a bit tiring. People are living at a fast pace and there is a lot of competition and challenges. I find myself always in a rush.
2) I don't want to live in the future. I'm the sort of person who is satisfied with what I have. From what I read in books, magazines, newspapers, etc., I somehow get the feeling that people in the future will become more indifferent to each other. Besides, there will be less and less communication between people in the future and the distance between people will be greater. So I'm happy to be living now.
I like living in the future world. With the development of modern science and technology, more and more inventions will be made and we can have access to a greater variety of things. I once read a science fiction novel depicting the future world as one where people lived in harmony and peace. This is exactly what I want. I hate wars and I feel sorry for the victims of wars.
II Passage Reading Too Fast? （太快了吗？）
Activity 1: vocabulary. Lead Ss to read the words and phases.
1. adaptable: able to change so as to be suitable for new needs, different conditions, etc.
e.g. I think she’ll cope with the change very well; she is very adaptable.
adapt …to…: He could not adapt his way of life to the company. adept: good at, or skillful e.g. She was adept in music.
2. bewildering: confusing esp. because many different things happen at the same time or there are many choices at the same time.
3. contradict: (1)to be contrary to; disagree with; e.g. Your actions
contradict your principles.
(2) to assert or express the opposite of (a statement). e.g. It's difficult to contradict someone politely.彬彬有礼地驳斥别人是难以做到的。
Don't contradict!不要反驳!
4. convert: (1) To change (something) into another form, substance, state,
or product; transform: （常与into连用）转变；变换
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e.g. to convert an old house into a new one 把旧房改成新房 That building has been converted into a school. 那座楼房改成学校了。convert water into ice.
(2) To persuade or induce to adopt a particular religion,
faith, or belief: 改变信仰、党派或意见等 e.g. She managed to convert him to her opinion.她终于设法说服了他接受她的意见。 convert pagans to Christianity;伯依天主教
5. lag: v. to move or develop more slowly(than others) e.g. The elder
people and children always lag behind when we go for a walk.\"我们出门散步时,年纪大的人和孩子们总是落在后头。\" Let not a single classmate lag behind.不要让一个同学掉队。 n. cultural [culture] lag文明迟滞(指精神文明落后于物质文明) jet lag高速飞行时引起的生理节奏的失调和精神脱节, 高速飞行引起的时差反应
6. propose: (1) to put forward for consideration, discussion, or adoption;
suggest: 建议
e.g. propose a change in the law. He proposed that we
should go for a walk. 他提议我们去散步。
(2)（常与to连用）企图；欲 e.g. I propose to go on Tuesday. 我想星期二去。 (3) 提付表决；动议 e.g. to propose a motion 提出一
项动议
(4)（常与to连用）求婚 e.g. He proposed to her, and
she accepted.
7. catch one’s breath: rest for a while after hard work in order to be able
to continue later. 屏息；歇一口气
hold one's breath屏息 take breath歇息
take one's breath away目瞪口呆；大为惊讶 e.g. The original
picture of the unknown ancient painter took my breath away.那幅不知名古代画家的真迹使我惊讶不止。
8. give birth to: (1) to be the origin of产生; 引起; 造成 give rise to
(2) to bear as offspring
9. have sb./sth. in mind 10. on the other hand:
11. out of the ordinary: unusual, uncommon 12. to be exact:
Activity 2: leave 12 minutes for the Ss to read the passage and finish the
post-reading Ex 2:
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The structure of this text is as follows:
1. para. 1-2: the fast change of the modern world 2. para. 3-5: people’s reaction to changes. 3. para. 6-7: science and man.
4. para. 8-11: the possibility for people to adapt to changes. Activity 3: grammatical points and key words in the passage:
1. The people of the pre-World War I generation had hardly assimilated the inventions of that era before they were attacked by a new batch of even more sophisticated inventions.
Paraphrase: just before the pre-world war I generation got familiar with
the inventions of that day, many more advanced inventions came to them.
2. Certain important inventions, like …were not felt until many years later.
Paraphrase: certain important inventions, like the telephone, the airplane,
the automobile, and the radio, had been invented by 1914, but the effects of these inventions upon the lives of ordinary citizens were affected after many years later.
The word \"by\" in this sentence means \"not later than\" (at or before). e.g. She had promised to be back by five o'clock.
The application must be in by the 31st to be accepted.
3. ... will rule our lives to a greater and greater degree. (l. 20-21) The phrase \"to a greater and greater degree\" means \"increasingly\and more\". Expressions like \"to some degree\and \"to a certain degree\" are used to show that something is partly true, but not, entirely true.
e.g. These statements are, to some degree, all correct.
I agree with you to some degree.
4. They can't wait for the next invention to be available. (1. 23-24) Paraphrase: They are eager to see the new invention.
\"can't wait / can hardly wait to do something\" is used to emphasize that one is very excited about something that one is eager to do. It is usually used in spoken English.
e.g. We can't wait to get started.
I could hardly wait to get out of there. 5. ... proposed over one hundred years ago ... (l. 33)
The word \"propose\" in this sentence means \"to state that a theory is acceptable because it fits in with the evidence that has been considered\". e.g. His theory proposes the existence of black holes in the universe.
This word is often followed by a that-clause in its subjunctive mood when it means \"to suggest\".
e.g. It was George who first proposed that we dry clothes in that locker.
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He proposed a motion that the chairman resign.
6. Will we, as a species, survive the revolutions that we have begun.
Paraphrase: will we, as human beings can continue to live after we ourselves started the revolutions?
7. Despite all the problem of the modern world, …that have preceded ours.
Paraphrase: in spite of all the problems of the modern world, however,
most people were not willing to live in any of the previous ages which were less scientific.
III Post Reading Ex. And answers.
Part 3: Further Development
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