New Horizon College English The Teaching Plan for Unit 4,

New Horizon College English

The Teaching Plan for Unit 4, Book 4 (Reading and Writing)

The Telecommunications Revolution

Students’ level: Band 4

Teaching material: Unit 4: The Telecommunications Revolution

Teaching aims:

1.To learn new expressions and patterns

2.To understand the main idea and devices for developing it

3.To understand general statements supported by specific statements

Teaching time: 5 periods

Teaching method: Communicative Language Teaching Approach

Teaching evaluation: dictation; exercises; writing; self-testing exercises

Words and phrases for dictation:

telecommunications; dumb; utility; optical; parade; condense; intensive; desperate; log; lease; usage; disposal; persist; (be) stuck with; be stuck in; a matter of sth. / doing sth.; choose between; date from; scratch the surface; lag behind；

Exercises from the textbook

V ocabulary: P87; Word Bank:P88; Collocation: P88--89; Word Building: P89--90; Structure: P91--92; Translation: P92--93; Cloze P93--94; Text structure analysis: P94--96.

Online homework.

Teaching stages:

Step 1: Presentation for class

To inform students of the teaching aims mentioned above.

Step 2: Pre-reading activities

1.Background Information

Telecommunications:

Telecommunications, from Greek, means “communications at a distance”. Telecommunications through voice, data, and image communication is changing the world. The ease of accessing information and people anywhere at anytime is having major impacts on society, business, and finance. Two major trends have occurred in the technology that is applicable to telecommunications. The first trend has been the incredible increase in the processing power of digital computers, namely, dramatic decreases in physical size along with equally dramatic increases in complexity, speed, and capacity. The second trend has been the explosive growth in transmission capacity through the widespread use of optical fiber across continents and under oceans. These two trends have had impressive long-term consequences for telecommunications around the world. The Internet and the World Wide Web have already created a global system for the access of information. It has become popular that people check flight, weather, and hotels before traveling to a foreign country. E-mail makes it easy to keep in contact instantly with colleagues and friends around the globe. But many of the peoples of the world do not even have a telephone, much less access to the Internet and the information. The challenge to the telecommunications industry is to bridge the digital gap and extend the availability of telecommunications to all parts of the planet.

Optical fiber:

Optical fiber (or “fiber optic”) often refers to the medium and the technology associated with the transmission of information as light pulses along a glass or plastic wire or fiber. Optical fiber carries much more information than conventional copper wire and is in general not subject to

electromagnetic interference and the need to retransmit signals. Most telephone company long-distance lines are now of optical fiber. Transmission on optical fiber wire requires repeater at distance intervals. The glass fiber requires more protection within an outer cable than copper. For these reasons and because the installation of any new wiring is labor-intensive, few communities yet have optical fiber wires or cables from the phone company's branch office to local customers (known as local loop). Single mode fiber is used for longer distances; multimode fiber is used for shorter distances.

Information age:

When we say that we live in the information age, we mean that we live in a time when information is very important and easy to get. The information age is an era of fundamental and global change in intellectual, philosophical, cultural and social terms. Today's information age began with the telegraph. It was the first instrument to transform information into electrical form and transmit it reliably over long distances. New techniques of encoding and distributing digital information are pacing the spread of the information age throughout society

BellSouth Corporation:

BellSouth is a telecommunications company in the U.S. that mainly serves the southern states. Its business ranges from voice (such as local and long-distance telephone and wireless) to data (computer networks) services.

2.Questions and answers:

1).Why are developing countries investing great sums of money in telecommunications

networks?

2). What does China hope to achieve? And what does Shanghai hope to achieve?

3). What do some people fear?

Step 3: Intensive Study

------ Words and Phrases

1. telecommunications n.[U] the sending and receiving of messages over distance, esp. by

telephone, radio and television 电信，远距离通

a telecommunications satellite 长途通信卫星

the telecommunications industry 电信业

The company specializes in telecommunications.这家公司专门从事长途通信。

2. dumb a. lacking the power of speaking; unable to speak 哑的，不会说话的

e.g. 1) He was struck dumb with fear. 他吓得说不出话来。

2) The prisoner remained dumb throughout his trial. 整个审判期间犯人一言不发。

3.utility n. 1). [C] a service used by the public, such as an electricity or gas supply or a train service

公用事业，公用事业设施

a public utility公用事业公司

high utility bill 高额公用事业开支

2). [U] the usefulness of sth., esp. in a practical way 功用，效用，利用

e.g. 1) Some kitchen tools have very little utility.有些厨房用具几乎没有什么用处。

2) The utility of this rescue equipment has still to be assessed in a real emergency. 这种救生设

备的功用还有待在真正的紧急情况中评定。

To distinguish the following three words:

apply:使用，应用，多指实际的应用，如将研究成果应用于生产中等。

e.g. They are applying new findings in the work.

employ: 较为正式，指发挥作用地运用。

e.g. I often employ my leisure time in reading.

use: 使用，普通用语，后可接人或物，使用的对象一般较为具体，如用手段或工具时常用”use”.

e.g. I often use a dictionary.

utilize: 运用，利用，后面多跟物，指因为有利可图或使用价值而利用某物。

e.g. He utilized his privilege to gain profit.

4. optical a. 1).of or using light, esp. for the purpose of recording and storing information for use in

a computer system 光学的，光的

e.g. 1) an optical fiber光学纤维

2) Telescopes and microscopes are optical instruments.

望远镜和显微镜都是光学仪器。

2).of or about the sense of sight; visual 视力的，视觉的，眼睛的

e.g. 1) an optical effect 视觉效果

2) He suffers from an optical defect. 他有视觉障碍。

5. parade n. 1). [C] a series of people or things that seems never to end 一连串，一批

e.g. 1) an endless parade of advertisements 一连串没完没了的广告

2) When I asked him about his childhood, he remembered a parade of baby-sitters. 当我问起他

的童年时，他记起了一大批保姆。

2). [C] a line of people, vehicles, etc. moving forward in order, often as a celebration of

some event （庆祝）游行，检阅

e.g. 1) The small boy loves watching the soldiers on parade.

这个小男孩喜欢看士兵的检阅队伍。

2) The crowd marched through town in a victory parade.

人群游行走过市中心，欢庆胜利。

6. condense v.1).reduce (esp. sth. written) to a smaller or shortened form 缩短，压缩

e.g. 1) The editor condensed the manuscript to half of its original length.

编辑把稿子压缩成原稿的一半。

2) I've tried to condense ten pages of comments into two.

我试图把十页长的评论文章缩短成两页。

2). (of a gas) become liquid or sometimes solid, esp. by becoming cooler (使)冷凝

e.g. Steam c ondenses into water when it touches a cold surface.

蒸气接触冷的表面就凝成水珠。

A long story can sometimes be into a few sentences. (A)

A. condensed

B. condemned

C. concealed (隐藏)

D. concentrate (集中)

7. intensive a. involving a lot of activity, effort, or careful attention in a short period of time 密集

的，集中的，加强的

e.g. 1) a one-week intensive course in English 为期一周的英语强化课程

2) A lot of farming techniques have been abandoned because they were too labour-intensive.

许多农业技术因过于劳动密集而被放弃了。

She took an course in cooking before her marriage. (C)

A. strong

B. intentional

C. intensive

D. intense

8. desperate a.1). expecting great need; wanting very much 极度需要的，非常想要的

Usage: be desperate for sth. / to do sth.

e.g. 1) They are desperate for help. 他们极需要帮助。

2) She was desperate to get into university. 她非常想上大学。

2). showing a willingness to take risks, esp. because one is in a bad situation that one

wants to change 拼死的，铤而走险的，绝望的

a desperate illness 重病；

a desperate situation 严重的局势

e.g. 1) The doctors made one last desperate attempt / effort to save the boy's life.

为挽救男孩的生命，大夫们作了最后一次拼搏。

2) They made a desperate plea for help. 他们不顾一切地恳求帮助。

The prisoners became in their attempts to escape. (C)

A. despite

B. desolate

C. desperate

D. discard

9. log v.1). make an official record of events, facts, etc. 记载

e.g. 1) They have logged more than 90 complaints. 他们已经记录了90余例投诉。

2) The old plane had logged hundreds of hours of flying time.

那架老飞机已经积累了数百小时的飞行记录。

Phrases:

Log onto/on to :登录，进入计算机系统

e.g. Anyone can log onto this computer. 任何人都可以登录这台计算机。

Log out/off:关机，退出计算机系统

e.g. Log out before switching the computer of

f. 关机前要推出。

2). cut down trees 砍伐

e.g. The forest has been so heavily logged that it is in danger of disappearing.

森林被严重砍伐，面临毁灭的危险。

10. lease v. make a legal agreement by which money is paid in order to use (land, a

building, a vehicle or a piece of equipment) for an agreed period of time

租借，出租

Usage: ~sth. from sb. / ~sth. to sb.

e.g. 1) They leased the land from a local farmer. 他们向当地的农场主租用土地。

2) The estate contains 300 new homes, about a third of which are leased to the council. 这批

房产有300套新住房，其中约三分之一租给了议会。

3) The company leases cars from a local supplier.

该公司从当地的供应商那里租用汽车。

n.[C]an agreement giving the use of a house, etc. on payment of rent租约

e.g. 1) The lease runs out in two years' time. 该租约两年后到期。

2) He has the flat on a long lease. 他长期租用该公寓。

3) We signed the lease yesterday. 我们昨天签了租约。

11. usage n.1). [U] the way sth. is treated or used 使用，对待方式

e.g. 1) a radio designed for rough usage为耐用而设计的收音机

2) With normal usage, the equipment should last for many years.

正常使用的话，这些设备应该可以用很多年。

2). [U] the generally accepted way of using a language 用法

e.g. 1) a guide to common English usage常用英语用法指南

2) The earliest recorded usage of the word is in the twelfth century.

最早有关该词用法的记录见于12世纪。

We discourage the of calculators in examinations. (B)

A. uses

B. use

C. usage

D. usages

仅表示“使用”时，用use即可。

12. disposal n.1). [U]the power or authority to use freely支配权，处置权

phrase:at one’s

e.g. 1) During your visit, I will put my room at your disposal.

在你来访期间我会把我的房间给你用。

2) During their visit I put my car at their disposal.

在他们来访期间，我把汽车交给他们随意使用。

3) The young lady has entire disposal of the house.

这位年轻的小姐对这座房子有完全的处置权。

2). [U] the act of getting rid of sth. 处理，消除

e.g. 1) His business is waste disposal. 他的业务是处理垃圾。

2) Please see to the disposal of that rubbish. 请负责处理掉那堆废物。

13. persist v. keep on doing sth. in spite of opposition or difficulty 坚持不懈，执意

Usage: ~ in sth. / ~in doing sth./~ with sth.

e.g. 1) Why do you persist in blaming yourself for what happened?

你为什么要不停地为所发生的事责备自己呢？

2) She persisted in reading the newspaper at the dinner table.

她非要边吃晚餐边看报不可。

He persisted with his questioning. 他坚持追问。

14. (be) stuck with have no choice about dealing with (sb., sth.) or doing (sth. unwanted or unpleasant)

无法摆脱，解脱不了

e.g. 1) We were stuck with unexpected visitors.我们被迫接待不速之客。

2) I'm stuck with this job for the moment. 我眼下被工作困住了。

15. be stuck in be in an unpleasant or boring situation and unable to change it or get away from it

陷入

e.g. 1) We were stuck in traffic for over an hour. 我们被交通堵塞困了一个多小时。

2) He said his car had got stuck in the snow. 他说他的车当时陷在雪里了。

16. a matter of sth. / doing sth. sth. that needs or requires sth. else需要……的问题，需要……的

事情

e.g. 1) It's simply a matter of letting people know in time.

这只是个让人们及时知道的问题。

2) Some people prefer the old version to the new one. It's a matter of taste.

有些人喜欢旧版本胜于新版本。这只是品味问题。

17. choose between make a choice between(usu. two things or people)在两者中作出选择

e.g. 1) She had to choose between giving up her job or hiring a nanny.

她必须在辞职和雇用保姆之间作出选择。

2) He had to choose between death and dishonor.

他必须在死亡和屈辱之间作出选择。

18. date from have existed since (the date of building or origin) 始于

e.g. 1) This law dates from the 17th century. 这条法律起源于17世纪。

2) Our friendship dates from college days. 我们的友谊始于大学时代。

19. scratch the surface deal with a subject, problem, etc. in a manner that is not thorough or

complete 触及表面

e.g. 1) The lecturer merely scratched the surface of the subject.

演讲人仅仅谈了谈该题目的一点皮毛。

2) We left feeling that we had just scratched the surface of this fascinating country.

我们离开这个神奇的国家时，觉得只了解了她表面的一些东西。

20. lag behind fail to achieve as much as sb. or sth. else; fail to remain level

落后，落在……后面

e.g. 1) The little boy lagged behind his parents. 那小男孩落在他父母的后面了。

2) We still lag far behind many of our competitors in using modern technology.

在应用先进技术方面，我们仍落后于我们的许多竞争者。

Step 4: Text Analysis

------ What is the main idea of the text?

Telecommunications is widely conceived as a key to developing countri es’ dream of jumping into the modern world. Although there is some dispute as to how fast they can push ahead with their plans, different developing countries still are seeking their own ways of leaping over their backwardness with one jump in this direction. Surely, they will catch up with developed countries on the information superhighway as long as they persist in their efforts.

--------How is the text organized?

The passage is arranged into four parts: The advantages of telecommunications technologies; the questions that should be considered in developing the new technologies for developing countries; different countries trying to solve their problems with different solutions; and the conclusions. As a striking feature of its organization, what is in suspense is sketched out whereas what is in certainty is explicated through comparison and exemplification.

Detailed Text Analysis:

This passage can be broadly divided into 4 parts. They are:

Part I(paras.1-2):

Advanced telecommunications will boost living standards in the developing world, speed its step into Information Age, and accelerate the rate of its economic development, etc.

(Devices for developing it: Contrast (对比法)e.g. in paragraph 1:

It may take a decade for many countries in Asia, Latin America, and Eastern Europe to improve transportation, power supplies, and other utilities. But a single optical fiber with a diameter of less than half a millimeter can carry more information than a large cable made of copper wires. By installing optical fiber, digital switches, and the latest wireless transmission systems, a parade of urban centers and industrial zones from Beijing to Budapest are stepping directly into the Information Age.

Part II (para. 3):

This part puts forward a question for consideration: How fast to develop telecommunications technologies in developing countries?

(Devices for developing it: Exemplification (例证法)e.g. in paragraph 3:

The statement of the author’s view:

How fast these nations should push ahead is a matter of debate.

The example:

Many experts think Vietnam is going too far by requiring that all mobile phones be expensive digital models, when it is desperate for any phones, period.

Part III (paras.4-10):

This part deals with how 6 different countries or regions carry out their telecommunications transformation. Each of them tries to seek different ways out of its own problems.

Devices for developing it: Comparison and contrast (对比法)e.g. In this part, comparisons and contrasts are made between China and Russia:

Part IV

Developing countries can catch up with Americans and Western Europeans in telecommunications technologies if they persist in their efforts. Devices for developing it: The author concludes the article with favorable remarks on the revolution of telecommunications. Summary

A transformation is occurring that should greatly boost living standards in the developing world. Places that until recently were deaf and dumb are rapidly acquiring up-to-date telecommunications. Many developing countries are planning to invest vast sums of money in their telecommunications networks to allow them to compete, in respect of the transfer of information, with developed countries. They believe this will promote foreign and domestic investment. How fast these nations should push ahead is a matter of debate. China is making one of the boldest leaps by carefully weighing costs and choosing between technologies. Over the next decade, it plans to pour some $100 billion into telecommunications equipment. In a way, China’s backwardness is an advantage, because the expansion occurs just as new technologies are becoming cheaper than copper wire systems. Telecommunications is also a key to Shanghai’s ambition of becoming a top financial center. To offer peak performance in providing the electronic data and paperless trading, Shanghai plans to be as electronically advanced as the City of New York. Some experts fear however that some developing countries are trying to do much too soon. Vietnam, in particular, while being extremely underdeveloped and lacking enough telephones of any type, is determined to invest in the most expensive, newest technology. For countries that have lagged behind for so long, the temptation to move ahead in one jump is hard to resist. And despite the mistakes they’ll make, they’ll persi st—so that one day they can cruise alongside Americans and Western Europeans on the information superhighway.

Step 5: Writing (Passage writing界定说明文)People’s Interpretations of Sth.

1.……是什么？

1) 对不同的人它又意味着什么？2) 就大学生而言，它意味着……

------ writing model: （划线部分可替换）1) Sth. in its largest/broadest/real sense refers to… that… (广义界定) 2) It features… and has… as… (进一步说明) 3) When applied to different walks of life/adopted to…, however, it takes on different shades of meaning/comes in a variety of connotations. (过渡句)

4) (不同的人对该事物的界定) Sth. in the world of… is often interpreted as… 5) Sth. in the context of… is another name for… 6) To sb., sth. is symbolic of… 7) With sb., sth. is characteristic of… 8) For sb., sth. means…

9) As far as sb. is concerned, sth. always signifies… 10) Anyone who… will stand little /much chance to… 11) And furthermore, sth. is relative and changeable, because… 12) In this light, the ideal way of… is to…

Assignment:

People’s Interpretations of Hi-tech

1) 什么是“高科技” ？

2）对于不同领域的人它又意味着什么？

3）就大学生而言，“高科技”是……