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新编英语教程 5 Unit 3 教案

发布时间：2015-04-21 10:42:04 来源：文档文库

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Unit Three

TEXT 1

THE NIGHTMARE LIFE WITHOUT FUEL

Isaac Asimov

Objectives: to identify the examples in each para. by telling the central idea of it.

to work out Asimov’s way in arranging all his details.

to tell orally and in written form the importance of energy resource: the functions, the nightmare life without it, and the measures to be taken to avoid such nightmare life.

Section one

Pre-reading Questions (10 mins.)

1. What are the fuels that can be used in our life?

Some fuels are indispensable to city life: coal, gas, petroleum.

Some fuels are indispensable to country life: wood, natural gas, kerosene, petroleum.

2. What fuel resources is China rich in?

coal, oil, wood.

3. Suppose the world had run out of fuel, what would happen to our life? What sort of ‘nightmare life’ do you think Asimov describes in this text?

Text Analysis: catch the examples and the central meaning of each paragraph. (110 mins.)

Para.1 --- lack of means of transport for going to work (why walk to work?) (comp.2-1)

1. ‘So it’s 1997’. When was this article written?

It was written in 1977. The year 1997 is the future year Asimov describes in his prediction. Now it’s 1997, and we can see if there is any truth in Asimov’s prediction 20 years ago.

2. What do the words “slosh” and ‘slide’ suggest about the trip to work by bike on that rainy day? (Comp.3 - 1)

The trip is unpleasant and difficult because of the muddy and slippery road.

Asimov starts with what seems to be the most essential thing to the Americans - the car. (Org. & Devl.)

3. What are the examples?

The subways/barts are crowded; many trains/one out of five trains break down (stop because of a mechanical fault); the buses are gone; the bicycles slosh and slide (flounder or splash about in slush or mud)

Para. 2 --- lack of raw materials and alternative source of energy

e.g. Construction materials got from fading structures (old buildings); enough coal difficult to get; nuclear energy dangerous; solar energy expensive.

1. Why does Asimov use ‘fading’ and ‘decaying’ to describe ‘structures’ and ‘city’ respectively? or, explain the meanings of these words. (comp.3-2)

fading - losing color and brightness; disappearing gradually

fading structures suggests that the buildings are in bad repair and become fewer and fewer in number.

decaying - declining in prosperity, wasting away

decaying city suggests that the city lacks vitality to the extent of collapsing.

Together they help to create a bleak picture of the city.

2. How do you understand The fading structures of a decaying city are the great mineral mines and hardware shops of the nation? Break them down and reuse the parts.

When the old buildings are pulled down, the various parts such as those reinforcing bars, tubes, etc. can be recycled. So the fading structures seems to be the great mineral mines and hardware shops where the materials of this kind can be found.

3. What is the job in demolition (= destruction, leveling)? Why is it steady according to the author? (comp.2-2)

the job involved with destroying old buildings.

because many old buildings have to be pulled down so that their various parts can be recycled.

4. Coal is too difficult to ...; nuclear fission is ...; the technical breakthrough toward nuclear fusion ...; and solar batteries are ....

Coal is time-consuming, effort-consuming, and energy-consuming in digging up and transportation.

Nuclear fission is dangerous because it produces radioactive rays which are harmful to people by contaminating land, water, and air.

Nuclear fusion did occur because we have had hydrogen bombs, but we can’t utilize the energy produced by nuclear fusion in our life up till now.

Solar energy can’t be 100% utilized to produce electricity, so solar batteries are expensive.

5. How does Asimov keep the first two paras. coherent?

walk to work (para.1) - job in demolition (para.2) - job involving the re-use of raw materials and energy resources - lack of raw materials and energy resources

Para.3 --- the disappearance of automobiles because of the shortage of gasoline

how there are no more cars running in the streets in 1997 (comp.2-3)

1. What does filthy rich mean?

2. What is rationed? What does the ‘sacrifice’ refer to?

The gas/gasoline is rationed because of its shortage. ‘Sacrifice’ refers to those who can’t afford the gas to keep their cars moving.

3. Describe how the automobiles vanish. (comp.3-3)

Automobiles dwindled because of the rising price of gas. Then only the rich could afford to keep their cars. This enraged the ordinary people. Then gas was rationed. The ration was gradually decreased. Finally all cars disappeared.

4. Is it true in America and in China?

Cars are not diminishing in the states, but it is true that American people now show less interest in manufacturing automobiles, because they believe the future need is computers and internet/info highway, from which people can do almost everything, shopping, visiting, having meetings, communicating, watching movies, etc. They will be seldom in need of cars to carry them everywhere.

In China, more and more people are purchasing cars, for owning a private car is the symbol of becoming wealthy.

Para.4 --- some advantages of fuelless life / world

1. According to the author, the fuel crisis of 1997 has some advantages. What are they? (comp.3 - 4) Why?

less pollution (The air is cleaner) and fewer diseases, more security and lower crime rate, more healthy way of life (people walk all the time), closer human relationships (mutual protection in crowds).

2. Rephrase With the police car too expensive (and too easy a target), policemen are back on their beats. Legs are king in the cities of 1997, and people walk everywhere far into the night.

Police cars are too costly (and are very likely to become victims of assault), so policemen walk about designated routes to perform their patrol duty as before.

In the year 1997, walking forms the most important means of transportation in the cities and, from early in the morning till late at night, people travel here and there, back and forth, all on foot.

Para.5 --- what results from the shortage of electricity (and fuels)

e.g. no heating, no air-conditioning, no more hot showers, less lighting

1. What’s the meaning of with most of what furnace fuel is allowed hoarded for the dawn?

2. How do you interpret lukewarm sponge baths will do. and if the air is not always very fragrant in the human vicinity, the automobiles fumes are 0gone. (comp.3-5)

What people can have are only lukewarm sponge baths instead of showers, so if the air is full of the unpleasant smell coming from human perspiration because of fewer baths, you can smell the auto fumes.

The pleasant smell in the air comes from human perspiration rather than from the toxic vapor of cars as people can no longer afford to have a shower every day but can only clean their bodies with a sponge.

Note the understatement in the sentence.

3. What are the consequences of the scarcity of electricity and fuels?

no air-cons for heating and cooling, staying in the dark after supper, not to burn the furnace all night to keep warm, put on sweaters even indoors in winter, not to take showers everyday but only lukewarm sponge baths so not fragrant smell in the air elicited from human bodies because of fewer showers.

Para.6 --- the more disastrous conditions in the suburbs because the scarcity of fuels, say, gasoline and electricity

e.g. the diminishing of cars so people have to form shopping pools, and to use pushcarts. shortage of electricity so not enough to hoard for the whole winter, and not enough for the dogs to eat in winter

1. What’s the function of the word ‘that’ in the first sentence? (comp.3-6)

Introducing an adverbial clause expressing reason.

2. Paraphrase There is some consolation in the city that it is worse in the suburbs.

City people feel somewhat comforted by the thought that people in the suburbs suffer even more (from the energy shortage).

3. Explain the meaning of the sentence The suburbs were born with the auto, lived with the auto, and are dying with the auto? (comp.3-7)

The car made it possible for the city to sprawl out and develop its suburbs; the mobility the car provided made it possible for people to live in the suburbs; with the disappearance of the car, the once-prosperous suburbs are declining.

Para.7. --- scarce energy resources should be priorly distributed to transport and agriculture, not to personal comfort, and the reasons (comp.2-4)

e.g. The nation as a whole must survive. The railroads moving the coal which is the immediate hope, and the subways moving the people should receive major attention; energy must be conserved for agriculture in order to produce more food, to maintain sufficient food supply, or even to exchange some oil with food. As for the personal comfort, people can huddle together when cold, fan ourselves when cool, sleep or make love at night when there is no electricity.

Para.8 --- starvation in the rest of the world (comp.2-5)

1. What makes Americans feel that they are luckier than people elsewhere in the world? (comp.3-8)

While Americans are forced to eat less, people in the rest of the world are simply starving.

2. Paraphrase Some cynics say that it is the knowledge of this that helps keep American from despair. (LW6-4)

American people know well that they are lucky to have enough food supply - America is one of the biggest agricultural exporters in the world - so that they do not lose any hope.

According to some cynics, the reason why Americans have not yet lost hope is that they even understand that the situation in the rest of the world is even more discouraging.

3. Paraphrase All the statistics point to rapidly declining rate of population increase, but that is coming about chiefly through a high infant mortality.

The rapidly declining rate of population increase is resulted chiefly from a rapid increase of infants deaths. In other words, there are more infants who die every day than babies who are given birth to.

Survey results indicate a rapid decrease in population, but this decline results mainly from a rapid increase in infant deaths.

Para.9 --- brain damage caused by malnutrition

There are some people in the world who can get barely enough food to keep their body working so that they can survive / they are alive. However, their brains are permanently damaged because of malnutrition.

The same is true in most parts of the African continent now, where there are fewer natural resources, but more fights with each other, and besides, the climate is not favorable for crops.

So some people hold the view that it would be ‘realistic’ to wipe out those who are only alive but brain-damaged. It was reported days ago that during the years 1935 - 1976 in Sweden, 60,000 women were sterilized because they were regarded as inferior races. It is well known that Adolph Hitler massacred / slaughtered tremendous amount of Jews to purify / ensure the purity of his own Germanic race.

Para.10 --- military forces reduced because the weapons are energy-consuming

Though there are still some soldiers in uniform and with rifles in almost every nation, those energy-consuming weapons are limited.

This is not the case in 1997 now.

1. Why does Asimov think that only US and SU/USSR can maintain a few weapons in 1997?

He considers these two nations as the military and economic superpowers in the world.

Para.11 --- the effect of energy shortage on people’s work and on their cultural life

Because of the exhaustion of energy, people have to work manually for longer hours and have less cultural entertainment: less time to watch TV and movies, fewer books to read. Men can do little else besides work, sleep, and eat, with the last less likely to be guaranteed.

This is proved to be a false prediction by the reality in 1997 now.

1. What does the Trinity refer to?

God the Father Jehovah, God the Son Jesus Christ, and God the Holy Spirit

Para.12 --- how the energy crisis will end

1. How will the energy crisis end according to Asimov? (comp.2-6) or, what will the final consequences of the energy exhaustion?

It will not end until the clock is turned back to about 200 years before.

With the exhaustion of energy resources, we would have to live as if we were in the ages 200 years ago / before 1800, when there were no machine industry, no scientific technology because they were fossil fuels-consuming (fossil fuels are those that originated in organic matter of past geologic times: coal, oil, and natural gas); when there were only subsistence farming (farming that provides all or almost all the goods required by the farm family, usu. without any significant surplus for sale) and less population (no more than one billion) owing to starvation, disease and violence.

Para.13 --- Asimov’s attitude in the face of the energy crisis? Is he totally pessimistic? (comp.3-10)

No, he is not totally pessimistic. The article appeared in a 1977 issue of Time magazine, and what is described is supposed to happen in 1997. In the last sentence Asimov says ‘If we had started 20 years ago, that might have been another matter.’ This means that if measures had been taken in 1977, when the article was published, human beings could well be saved from the disaster caused by the exhaustion of energy resources. So Asimov still sees a ray of hope.

Main idea: (10 mins.)

By depicting the nightmarish life of Americans in 1997 resulting from the exhaustion of fossil fuels, the author draws attention to the gravity of the energy crisis and calls for immediate action to prevent the possible occurrence of the nightmare. (comp.1-B)

(copm.3-9) Is the topic sentence of the passage explicitly stated or is it implied? What is it?

The topic sentence of the passage is implied: Measures must be taken immediately to prevent the exhaustion of fuel on earth, which will likely result in a nightmareish life for the Americans and other people of the world as well.

Organization and Development / Analysis - Example

Group work : Silent reading of Org. & Devl./ Analysis and discussion on the following questions.

(15 mins.)

Class discussion: Ask one in each group to answer one question and the others evaluate it.

(15 mins.)

1. What are the examples Asimov uses and how does he organize his examples? (25 mins.)

In his essay Asimov has used many examples to draw a grim picture of human life without fuel. Obviously these examples are intended to illustrate the indispensable role energy plays in people’s daily lives. These examples are so tangible that the reader may well picture how much people are relying on energy resources. From there, he can further visualize the possible consequences of a fuel crisis, ready to accept the author’s claim that proper measures must be taken immediately to conserve energy.

Of the various effects which the exhaustion of energy resources might produce, Asimov has selected those which are most closely related to people’s daily life and thus are the most immediately felt. This will make the reader sense more acutely the gravity of the situation.

Apparently these examples are not a random collection. Rather, they are carefully chosen to serve the writer’s purpose.

Observe how Asimov organize his examples. In helping to explain the various consequences of a predicted energy crisis, he begins with examples of inconveniences that are directly related to individual lives, inconveniences caused by cars, heaters, lights, showers and air-conditioners; he then moves on to those related to communal life, such as transportation, agriculture, industry and national defense. It is not hard to see that Asimov is here following the order of importance.

One of the advantages of such a plan is that, by putting the strongest examples last, the impression it creates may remain with the reader....

Asimov starts with what seems to be the most essential thing to the Americans - the car. Then the inconvenience and hardship of life caused by the shortage of electricity. Then the shortage of food. And lastly, the less essential aspect of life - cultural life and what is less directly related to the ordinary people - the military build-up of the country. Generally speaking, one can probably say that Asimov follows the order of ‘from what the people are most concerned with to what they are less concerned with.’

2. How does one set of examples evolve from another?

Examples of the suburbs naturally follow those of the cities. And the situation of the world naturally follows that of the US. Brain-damage caused by malnutrition evolves from deaths caused by starvation.

3. In what case should we use examples in our writing?

Examples are used to turn a general or abstract statement into a meaningful and concrete message, making a concept or an argument more specific, precise and clear.

4. What should be noticed in the choice of examples?

A well-chosen example or illustration can support a claim so that the reader may feel willing to accept it as true. Similarly, a poorly-selected example or illustration may even destroy a claim. So examples should be relevant so that they may illuminate accurately the ideas as desired.

5. How can examples be arranged?

Normally, examples can be arranged in a chronological fashion as in a narrative or process paper. If time does not seem important, the examples may be placed in order of importance, impressiveness, wittiness, outrageousness, or seriousness.

Pre-class work:

Read Text 2 and identify the wide use of air-con in the States, and its effects.

Text 2

THE GREAT AMERICAN COOLING MACHINE

Frank Trippett

Questions for discussion:

1. the extravagant use of cooling machines in the US. (paras.1-3)

2. the positive and negative effects of the vast cooling of America. (paras.4-10)

Group work for 15 mins. and class presentation for another 20 minutes.

3. Recent years have witnessed an increasingly wide use of air-cons both in public places and private homes in some big cities in China. What do you think of this trend? (5 mins.)

4. some good expressions in this article.

Post-reading activities

1. Tell orally the importance of energy resource: the functions, the nightmare life without it, and the measures to be taken to avoid such nightmare life.

2. Write a brief essay, in which you predict some of the possible consequences if the irresponsible attitude toward consumption of energy resource on the part of the students in the campus dorm. Use examples to help you explain. (after-class work)

Language work 1, 3, 4, 5