Unit 4, book
4Unit 4 The Telecommunications Revolution
Period：2 periods
Teaching Material：New Horizon College English
Teaching Objectives: The students will be able to:
A: learn to use some important words such as:
condense, receion, revenue, desperate, promote
etc.
B: learn to use “rather than” and “twice as…as, three
times as…as”;
C: master the prefix “super-,auto-”
Teaching Procedure:
A.Pre-reading Activity(10minutes)
Students listening to a short paage and answering the following questions
B.While-reading Activity
1.Ask students some sign post questions to each paragraph to see how well
the students understand each paragraph and train Ss skimming ability.(Some of the questions are on 95 Comprehension of the text)
1.Language Points:
boost living standards… (Para.1)
boost: v.
1) make sth.increase, or become better or more succeful
There is nothing like winning to boost the morale of players.没有什么比获胜更能提高运动员的士气。
Getting that job did a lot to boost his ego.得到那份工作大大增强了他的自信。
2) praise and publicize to make sth.more popular
Her books have been boosted in The Observer recently.她的书近来得到了《观察者》杂志的推介。
n.
1) sth.that helps or encourages sb.or sth.else
The tax cuts will give a much needed boost to the economy.减税将使经济得到急需的增长。
Winning the competition was a wonderful boost for her morale.竞赛获奖对她
的士气而言是极好的鼓励。
2) (esp.AmE) an act of pushing sb.up from behind
He gave her a boost over the fence.他从身后把她推过栏杆。
as a way to leap over whole stages of economic development.(Para.2)Note the difference between economic and economical.Both words are adjectives.Economic describes things relating to the economy of a country and economics.When economic has this meaning, it always comes before a noun.If an activity is economic, it makes a profit or saves money.
When economic has this meaning, it can either be in front of a noun or after a verb.For example:
Economic conditions are more favorable.经济形势更加有利。
Have you ever read something about the economic theories of Ricardo? 你读过李嘉图的一些经济理论吗？
It is not always practical or economic to recover energy from organic matter.从有机物质中提取能量并非总是很实用或经济的。
Something that is economical does not cost a lot of money to operate or use.If a person is economical, they are careful not to waste money, effort or time.For example:
This system was extremely economical because it ran on half-price electricity.这个系统非常省钱，因为它用的是半价的电。
People are having to be as economical as poible.人们只好尽可能地节省。…to condense the time required… (Para.2)
condense: v.
1) reduce (esp.sth.written) to a smaller or shortened form
I tried to condense the report into as few words as poible.我努力把报告压缩得尽可能短一些。
He managed to condense his letter of application to one page.他设法将他的申请信压缩成一页。
2) (of a gas) become liquid or sometimes solid, esp.by becoming cooler
When a gas or vapor condenses, it changes into liquid.气体或水蒸气冷凝时变成液体。
…a huge advantage over countries stuck with old technology.(Para.2)an advantage over: a condition or circumstance that puts one in a favourable position compared to other people
His height and reach give him an advantage over other boxers.他的身高和臂长使他比其他拳击手更具优势。
His connections gave him an advantage over the others.他有门路，所以比别
人占优势。
Her working experience gave her a big advantage over the others for the job.她的工作经历使她比其他申请这项工作的人占有更大的优势。…countries stuck with old technology.(Para.2)
be stuck with: have no choice about dealing with (sb., sth.) or doing (sth.unwanted or unpleasant)
Why am I always stuck with the dirty work? 我为什么老是得干脏活？Jim always got stuck with cleaning the garage.吉姆总是不得不干打扫车库的活。
Compare: Let\'s just make a decision, and then stick with it.让我们做个决定，然后坚持这一决定。
I\'d rather stick with a way of doing things that I know will work.我宁愿坚持用我认为能起作用的方法做事。
… desperate for any phones, period.(Para.3)
desperate: a.
1) (~for sth.or ~to do sth.) needing or wanting sth.very much
I was absolutely desperate to see her.我简直太想见到她了。
I\'m desperate for a cigarette.我非常想抽烟。
2) showing a willingne to take risks, esp.because one is in a bad situation that he / she wants to change
The prisoners grew more desperate in despair.囚徒们在绝望中更加不顾死活了。
His increasing financial difficulties forced him to take desperate measures.他日益恶化的经济状况迫使他采取孤注一掷的措施。
3) (of a situation) extremely serious or dangerous
The children are in desperate need of love and attention.孩子们急需得到照顾和关爱。
They face a desperate shortage of water.他们面临严重缺水的局面。To lick this problem,… (Para.4)
lick: vt.
1) (informal) easily defeat sb.or deal with sth.
It was a tricky problem but I think we\'ve licked it.问题很棘手，但我认为我们已经解决了。
I think we\'ve finally got the problem licked.我认为我们最终算是解决了那个问题。
2) move one\'s tongue over the surface of sth.in order to eat it, make it wet or clean it
He licked the ice cream left on his fingers.他舔掉了沾在手指上的冰淇淋。The cat licked up the milk from its bowl.猫从碗里舔喝牛奶。
She licked the honey off the spoon.她舔净了汤匙上的蜜。
To offer peak performance…(Para.6)
peak: a.used to describe the highest level of sth., or a time when the greatest number of people are doing or using sth.
The Information Age is a time of peak demand for computers.信息时代是大量需求电脑的时期。
March is one of the peak periods for our busine.三月份是我们业务的高峰期。
n.[C] the point when sb.or sth.is best, most succeful, strongest, etc.
Demand for coal is at its peak in January and February.
一、二月份是对煤的需求量最大的月份。
Membership of the club has fallen from a peak of 600 people in 1990.俱乐部会员的人数已从1990年600人的高峰跌落下来。
v.reach the highest point or value
Oil production peaked in the early 1980s.石油生产于20世纪80年代初达到颠峰。
Unemployment peaked at 17% during the receion.萧条时期失业率高达17%。
…at your disposal.(Para.8)
disposal n.
1) [U] the power or authority to use freely
We will use all the means at our disposal to solve this dispute.我们将运用我们能支配的一切手段来解决这一争端。
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。
2) [U] the act of getting rid of sth.
Please see to the disposal of that rubbish.请把那堆垃圾清理掉。
Locals are objecting to the land being used as a disposal site for household waste.当地人反对把这块土地用作家庭垃圾的处理场。
…annual revenue… (Para.8)
revenue: n.[C] the money that a government receives from taxes or that an organization, etc.receives from its busine
Advertising revenue finances the commercial television channels.广告收入资助商业电视频道。
The company\'s annual revenues rose by 30%.公司的年收入增长了30%。Taxes provide most of the government\'s revenue.政府的大部分收入是税款。Government revenues have fallen dramatically with four million people out of work.随着400万人失业，政府岁入已急剧下降。
That\'s partly because Latin American customers talk two to four times as long on the phone as people in North America.(Para.8)
Note the structure \"two to four times as long as\" in the sentence.We can use this structure to indicate the size or extent of something by comparing it to something else.Expreions such as \"twice\", \"three times\" or \"one fifth\" can be used in front of \"as…as\":
Water is eight hundred times as dense as air.
This animal is three times as popular with girls as with boys.
Their house is about three times as big as ours.
…they\'ll persist … (Para.11)
persist: v.
1) (~in sth., ~in doing sth.or with sth.) continue to do sth.in spite of difficulties or opposition, in a way that can seem unreasonable
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？
She persisted in her search for the truth.她持之以恒地寻求真理。He persisted with his questioning.他坚持追问。
2) continue to exist
The belief that the earth was flat persisted for many centuries.认为地球是平面的观念延续了数个世纪。
If the symptoms persist, consult your doctor.如果症状持续下去就要去看医生。
C.Post-reading Activity
1.Ask students to sum up the main idea of the text and to analyze the writing techniques of the text.
Structural analysis of the text
The reading paage deals with one of the popular and current topics of
today — telecommunications revolution.The paage explores the topic from different aspects:
the advantages of telecommunications technologies, questions that should be considered in developing the new technologies for developing countries, different countries trying to solve different problems with different resolutions, and lastly the conclusions.Look at the following chart and you will find:
1.The first part is made up of 2 paragraphs, Paragraphs 1 and 2.The 2 paragraphs focus on the overwhelming advantages of telecommunications revolution, esp.for developing countries: boosting living standards and promoting internal and foreign investment; stepping directly into the information age and leaping over whole stages of economic development; changing from labor-intensive model to high-tech intensive model to give developing countries a huge advantage over countries stuck with old technology.
2.The second part is 1 paragraph only: Paragraph 3.T agraph leading to specific countries in their efforts to develop telecommunications technologies.
3.The third part is the biggest part of the paage, consisting of 7 paragraphs, from Paragraph 4 to Paragraph 10.This part deals with 6 different countries or regions, such as Ruia, China, Hungary, Latin American countries, Thailand and Vietnam in the transformation of telecommunications technologies.Different countries have different backgrounds and they seek different ways out of their respective problems to realize telecommunications transformation.Ruia needs to invest in information technology a huge amount of money to update its ancient telephone system but it is unlikely due to a poor economy.China, taking advantage of its backwardne, invests a huge amount of money to become a major part of the information superhighway.And Shanghai plans telecommunications networks as powerful as those in Manhattan.Hungary sold a 30% stake in its national phone company and leased rights to Western companies to overcome the problem of funding and to speed up the import of Western technology.Hungary also finds that it is worth doing so.While Hungary is trying to find the money through various ways for telecommunications equipment, Latin American countries are making money out of the new technologies.People in Thailand are happy to accept
the new technologies as they can make better use of all the time they spend stuck in traffic with mobile phones.And Vietnam, despite its backwardne, plans to invest more money in op ber,tical fi digital switches, and decades.transmiion systems annually to keep pace with anyone in Asia in new technology for 4.The fourth part is 1 paragraph, Paragraph 11 and it is a conclusion full of confidence.The paage concludes to say that developing countries can catch up with Americans and Western Europeans in telecommunications technologies if they persist in their efforts even though they will make mistakes in the proce of transformation
2.Homework:Learn the words and phrases by heart and next week there will be a dictation; Do all the exercises on the book with translation done on the exercise book.
(2)
Period：2 periods
Teaching Material：New Horizon College English
Teaching Procedure:
1.Dictation of the words and phrases
2.comment on and appraise the exercises.
Reading skills: recognizing paragraph patterns: Cause and Effect, Comparison and Contrast, Time Sequence, a Set of Sequential Actions, a General Point Supported by Details/ Examples/ a List of Things, a Problem-Solution Pattern, etc.(Section B)
