1 Unit 4 The Virtual World Teaching Aims: 1. Understanding the main idea and structure of the text. 2. Deduce the meaning of new vocabulary related to computers and the Internet. 3. Grasp the key language points in Text A and learn how to use them in context. 4. Understand the cultural background related to the content. 5. Express themselves more freely on the theme of The Virtual World after doing a series of theme-related reading, listening, speaking, and writing activities 6. Write e-mail message in an appropriate way. Teaching Keypoints: 1. Grasp the main idea of Text A and language points in Text A 2. Cultural background in Text A 3. Analysis of the difficult sentences in Text A Teaching Difficulties: 1. Writing strategy and style demonstrated in Text A 2. Write an essay with an anecdote or a piece of news, etc. Teaching Aids: Teaching, discussion, exercises, group-activities, student-centred Teaching Procedure: Step 1Warming up 1. Ask students questions about the poem. They should have listened to this before class. 2. Have students look at the theme of this unit(The Virtual World ) and the title of Text A(A Virtual Life) and then try to. ---find antonyms of “virtual world” and “virtual life”(real world, real life). ---suggest synonyms for “virtual world”(cyberia,etherworld,virtual reality,Internet world, net world,etc). ---say what people can do on the Internet (communicating with people, shopping, reading, entertaining,education,working, hacking, publishing,etc). Step 2 Global Analysis of Text A 1. Division of the Text A Part1: Paras.1-3 Description of the author’s virtual life. Part2: Paras.4-10 How the author feels after staying on the Internet for a while. Part3: Para.11-13 The author tries to find her way back into the real world but fails. Step 3. Detailed leaning of Text A 1. My boyfriend’s Liverpool accent suddenly becomes impossible to interpret after his easily understood words on screen: a secretary’s clipped tone seems more rejecting than I’d imagined it would be. What does the sentence imply? I have become more familiar with the virtual world than the real world. 2. We have become the Net critics’worst nightmare. 2 Paraphrase the sentence. We have got into a situation that critics of the Net describe as most dreadful. 3. And once you start replacing real human contact with cyber-interaction, coming back out of the cave can be quite difficult. What does “cyber-interaction”mean? “Cyber-” is a prefix which means “of the computer”. “Cyber-interaction” means the contact with the computer. What does “cave” here refer to? “Cave” here refers figuratively to the isolated life of the virtual world. Paraphrase the second part of the sentence. Returning to normal society from the isolated life of the virtual world can be quite a problem. 4.At times, I turn on the television and just leave it to talk away in the background, something that I’d never done previously. Translate the sentence into Chinese. 有时我把电视机开着,让它作为背景声音一直响着,以前我从不这样做。 5.“Dateline,” “Frontline,” “Nightline,” CNN, New York1, every possible angle of every story over and over and over, even when they are of no possible use to me. Give the Chinese equivalents for “Dateline”, “Frontline”, “Nightline”, “CNN”, “New York1”. “每日新闻”、“一线新闻”、“夜间新闻”、“有线新闻电视网”、“纽约一套”。 6.Work moves into the background. What does this sentence mean? It means work becomes less important. Why does work become less important? Because in my mind’s eye, communicating with the real world has become more important at that time. 7.When I’m in this state, I fight my boyfriend as well, misinterpreting his intention because of the lack of emotional cues given by our typed dialogue. Why do I misinterpret my boyfriend’s intention? Because the typed dialogue lacks the emotion that is expressed and implied in the real dialogue. 8.I arrange interview for stories, doctor’s appointments —anything to get me out of the house and connected with others. What does “story” here refer to? “Story” here refers to any descriptive article in a newspaper or an event, a situation, etc. suitable for such an article. 9. virtual: adj. 1)created and existing only in a computer I can visit a virtual store and put what I want in my basket at the click of a mouse button. Some people spend too much time escaping from reality into the virtual world conjured up on their computer screens. 2) almost what is stated,in fact though not in name The officials hear this kind of talk in virtual silence. 国王处处都受王后的影响,以至于王后成了国家实际上的统治者。 The king was so much under the influence of his wife that she was the virtual ruler of the country. 3 10. interpret: v. 1) understand (sth. said, ordered, or done) The gift is generally interpreted as a bribe. She made a gesture, which he chose to interpret as an invitation. 2)give or provide the meaning of, explain Poetry helps to interpret life. 诗有助于阐述人生的意义。 The evidence is difficult to interpret. 11. translate what is said in one language into another No one in the tour group spoke Spanish so we had to ask the guide to interpret. 12.stretch: v. (cause to) become longer, wider, etc. without breaking My wool coat stretched when I washed it. The child stretched the rubber band to its full extent. 你已经使我忍无可忍了。 You are stretching my patience to limit. 13.submit: vt. 1) give (sth.) to sb. so that it may be formally considered I am going to submit an application for that job in Microsoft. Peter submitted his application to the local government 3) yield (oneself); agree to obey Should a wife submit herself to her husband? We should submit ourselves to discipline. Collocation: submit oneself to 甘受,服从 submit to 服从于;把„提交给„ submit willingly心悦诚服 14. edit: vt. revise or correct Scholars often edit Shakespeare’s plays. John didn’t finish editing the annual report until the end of last month. municate: 1) vi. contact sb. in any way, eap. by speaking to them, writing to them or calling them (followed by with) We can communicate with people in most parts of the world by telephone. 年轻人有时抱怨无法与父母沟通思想。 Young people sometimes complain of not being able to communicate with their parents. 2) vt. make (news, opinions, feelings, etc.) known The radio stations communicate the storm warnings to the islanders. She communicated her ideas to her subordinates. 16.at times:sometimes At times, I feel that I want to leave this job. 17.take in: 1) receive, admit