新世纪⼤学英语综合教程4（第⼆版）LectureNotes_U2 Electronic Teaching PortfolioBook FourUnit Two: Man and TechnologyPart I Get StartedSection 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; humanlabor 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 aroundthe 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 AsimovAbout 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), andSecond 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 FrommAbout 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 MarxInterpretation:According to Marx, under capitalism, overproduction leads to economic crises and unemployment.Karl MarxAbout 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 realitiesof tomorrow.— Robert H. Goddard Interpretation:Advances in science and technology have given birth to many things once only dreamed of.Robert H. GoddardAbout 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 ofyour unusual dreams with your peers.▇Answers for reference:(Open.)Script：InceptionCOBB: 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 RespondSection A Word Bankevolve 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 IdeasChoose the best answer to each of the following questions according to the information contained in the listening passage.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) ASection 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.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 ExploreText ASection A Discovering the Main Ideas1. Answer the following questions with the information contained in Text A.1)Did material and technological advances make Americans happier according to the survey?2)What is the relationship between money and happiness according to Easterlin?3)How does technology affect human relationships according to the author?4)In which field does technology have the most important impact on people’s sense of well-being accordingto the author?5)What does the author think of the relationship between technology and happiness?▆ Answers for Reference:1)No. The survey showed that the majority of Americans did not become happier with the advancement oftechnology. 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 areable 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 developmentof 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.Part Paragraph(s) Main IdeaOne1-2 ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Two3-5________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Three6-9________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Four10________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Five11________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________▆▆ Answers for Reference:Part Paragraph(s) Main IdeaOne 1-2 Material and technological advances do not really bringhappiness to people in the developed countries. ThoughAmericans now are wealthier than they were in the middleof the last century, they are not happier than they used tobe.Two 3-5 Technology and happiness are not necessarily closelycorrelated because people adapt to technological progresstoo quickly.Three 6-9 The current comments on technology have mostly centeredon the bad effects of technology on human relationshipsrather than particular, harmful technologies.Four 10 The most important impact of technology on people’s senseof well-being is in the field of health care.Five 11 People in general claim that on a deeper level, technologycannot bring happiness to them, which is just contradictoryto the fact that it has greatly improved people’s health andlife expectancy.Section B In-depth StudyIn the present era, all of us are enthusiastically pursuing technological advancement and take it for granted that the development of technology will make us happier. However, little evidence can be found to prove the correlation between technology and happiness once material and technological advances reach a certain level. The text below may provide you with some insights into this issue.Technology and HappinessJames Surowiecki1 In the 20th century, Americans, Europeans, and East Asians enjoyed material and technological advances that were unimaginable in previous eras. In the United States, for instance, gross domestic product per capita tripled from 1950 to 2000. Life expectancy soared. The boom in productivity after World War II made goods better and cheaper at the same time. Things that were once luxuries, such as jet travel and long-distance phone calls, became necessities. And even though Americans seemed to work extraordinarily hard, their pursuit of entertainment turned media and leisure into multibillion-dollar industries.2 By most standards, then, you would have to say that Americans are better off now than they were in the middle of the last century. Oddly, though, if you ask Americans how happy they are, you find that they are no happier than they were in 1946 (which is when formal surveys of happiness started). In fact, the percentage of people who say they are “very happy” has fallen slightly since the early 1970s — even though the income of people born in 1940 has, on average, increased by 116 percent over the course of their working lives. You can find similar data for most developed countries.3 The relationship between happiness and technology has been an eternal subject for social critics and philosophers since the advent of the Industrial Revolution. But it’s been left largely unexamined by economists and social scientists.The truly groundbreaking work on the relationship between prosperity and well-being was done by the economist Richard Easterlin, who in 1974 wrote a famous paper entitled “Does Economic Growth Improve the Human Lot?” Easterlin showed that when it came to developed countries, there was no real correlation between a nation’s income level and its citizens’ happiness. Money, Easterlin argued, could not buy happiness —at least not after a certain point. Easterlin showed that though poverty was strongly correlated with misery, once a country was solidly middle-class, getting wealthier did not seem to make its citizens any happier.4 This seems to be close to a universal phenomenon. In fact, one of happiness scholars’ most important insights is that people adapt very quickly to good news. Take lottery winners for example. One famous study showed that although winners were very, very happy when they won, their extreme excitement quickly evaporated, and after a while their moods and sense of well-being were indistinguishable from what they had been before the victory.5 So, too, with technology: no matter how dramatic a new innovation is, no matter how much easier it makes our lives, it is very easy to take it for granted. You can see this principle at work in the world of technology every day, as things that once seemed miraculous soon become common and, worse, frustrating when they don’t work perfectly. It’s hard, it turns out, to keep in mind what things were like before the new technology came along.6 Does our fast assimilation of technological progress mean, then, that technology makes no difference? No. It just makes the question of technology’s impact, for good or ill, more complicated. Let’s start with the downside. There are certain ways in which technology makes life obviously worse. Telemarketing, traffic jams, and identity theft all come to mind. These are all phenomena that make people consciously unhappy. But for the most part, modern critiques of technology have focused not so much on specific, bad technologies as on the impact of technology on our human relationships.7 Privacy has become increasingly fragile in a world of linked databases. In many workplaces, technologies like keystroke monitoring and full recordings of phone calls make it easier to watch workers. The notion that technology disrupts relationships and fractures community gained mainstream prominence as an attack on television. Some even say that TV is chiefly responsible for the gradual isolation of Americans from each other. Similarly, some others stress the harmful effects of the Internet, which supposedly further isolates people from what is often called “the real world”.8 This broad criticism of technology’s impact on relationships is an interesting one and is especially relevant to the question of happiness, because one of the few things we can say for certain is that the more friends and the closer relationships people have, the happier they tend to be.9 Today, technological change is so rapid that when you buy something, you do so knowing that in a few months there’s going to be a better, faster version of the product, and that you’re going to be stuck with the old o ne. Someone else, in other words, has it better. It’s as if disappointment were built into acquisition from the very beginning.10 Daily stress, an annoying sense of disappointment, fear that the government knows a lot more about youthan you would like it to —these are obviously some of the ways in which technology reduces people’s sense of well-being. But the most important impact of technology on people’s sense of well-being is in the field of health care. Before the Industrial Revolution, two out of every three Europeans died before the age of 30. Today, life expectancy for women in Western Europe is almost 80 years, and it continues to increase. The point is obvious: 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. But until very recently, life for the vast majority of people was nasty, rough, and short. Technology has changed that, at least for people in the rich world. As much as we should worry about the rising cost of he alth care and the problem of the uninsured, it’s also worth remembering how valuable for our spiritsas well as our bodies are the benefits that medical technology has brought us.11 On a deeper level, what the technological improvement of our health and our longevity emphasizes is a paradox of any discussion of happiness on a national or a global level: even though people may not be happier, even though they are wealthier and possess more technology, they’re still as hungry as ever for more time. It’s like that old joke: the food may not be so great, but we want the portions to be as big as possible.（此课⽂没有更新，不需要配图说明。
