New College English Integrated Course 2 Page 1 of 8
Unit 4
The Virtual World
一、 二、 三、 四、 五、
授课时间：秋季学期
授课班级：非英语专业本科生
授课内容：新编大学英语 综合教程2 第4单元
课程类型：阅读课
教学目的：1理解课文的主题，掌握其写作结构 2 掌握课文中出现的语言点和语法现象
3 通过与课文主题相关的一系列的听、说、读、写活动，提
高学生的英语综合能力。
八、 教学重点：课文的理解和语言点的掌握和应用。
九、 教学方法：最大限度利用网络教学资源，展开以学生参与为主的课堂教
学活动，并通过督促检查等手段使学生课下继续学习。
十、
主要参考书目：
季佩英，吴晓真，2001，《全新版大学英语综合教程2－教师用书》上海：上海外语教育出版社
柯彦玢，张砚秋，2002，《全新版大学英语阅读教程2－教师用书》 上海：上海外语教育出版社
朱万忠，2002，《大学英语阅读进阶2》 重庆：重庆大学出版社
Foreign Language Department 1 China University of Geosciences
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New College English Integrated Course 2 Page 2 of 8
Unit 4 The Virtual World
Objectives:
1) Understand the main idea and structure of the text.
2) Learn some rules of interpreting new vocabulary and usage related to computers and the Internet in English.
3) Grasp the key language points and grammatical structures in the text.
4) Conduct a series of reading, speaking and writing activities related to the theme of the unit.
Time Allocation and Course Arrangement:
Pre-reading Tasks: (50 minutes)
1. Warming-up exercise: Deliver handout about the introduction of Internet and ask concerned questions for Ss to discuss first and then answer them. (15’) 2. Do the pre-reading task on pp.100. (10’)
3. Listen to the recording twice and then discuss the following questions with your partner. (15’)
1) Is the hero a student or an employee? 2) What was he doing when the boss came in? 3) How did he act in front of his boss?
4. Ask Ss to find antonyms of “virtual world” and “virtual life” in the text. (10’) While-reading Tasks: (40 minutes)
1. Ss are asked to skim the text and then do the Text Organization Exercise on page 107. (15’) 2. Detailed Reading: Ss discuss the following questions and report to the class (30’)
1) Question for Paragraph 1
What does the author feel after too long on the Net? 2) Questions for Paragraph 2-3
What did the author do three years ago and what is she doing now? How does the author manage her daily life? 3) Questions for Paragraph 4-10
What are the symptoms shared by people who live a virtual life?
How does the author behave when she is suddenly confronted with real live humans? How does the author behave on line? Why? 4) Questions for Paragraph 11-12
What does the author do in order to return to the real world?
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Does she feel happy doing so? 5) Question for paragraph 13
When dissatisfied with the real world, what does the author do? Homework:
1. Deliver handouts about language points and ask Ss to review them after class. 2. Finish exercises of unit 1. 3. Finish reading Text B.
4. Ss prepare for follow-up discussion: The pros and cons of Internet After-reading Tasks: (90 minutes)
1. Group discussion on the pros and cons of Internet. (30’) 2. The presentation of each group. (20’) 3. Check on Ss’ homework. (20’) 4. Test of Unit 3. (10’)
II. Language Study
1. virtual: 1) created and existing only in a computer
Examples: 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) being or acting as what is described, but not accepted as such in name or officially Examples: Our deputy manager is the virtual head of the business.
Now that the talks have broken down, war in the region looks like a virtual certainty. 2. interpret: 1) understand (sth. said, ordered, or done)
Examples: They are worried that the students might interpret the new regulation as a restriction of their rights.
She interprets the dream as an unconscious desire to be young again. 2) give or provide the meaning of, explain Examples: How do you interpret his refusal to see us?
This dream can be interpreted in several different ways. 3) translate what is said in one language into another
Examples: I am terribly sorry, but I don't understand a word. Could you interpret for me? No one in the tour group spoke Spanish so we had to ask the guide to interpret. 3. tone: a particular quality or intonation of the voice
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New College English Integrated Course 2 Page 4 of 8
Examples: From the tone of her voice I could tell she was very angry. Suddenly he laughed again, but this time with a cold, sharp tone. 4. stretch: (cause to) become longer, wider, etc. without breaking
Examples: My working day stretches from seven in the morning to eight at night. The child stretched the rubber band to its full extent.
5. submit: give (sth.) to sb. so that it may be formally considered (followed by to) Examples: You should submit your reports to the committee.
I am going to submit an application for that job in Microsoft.
Peter submitted his plans for the new town square to the local government. 6. edit: revise or correct
Examples: Jack is busy editing Shakespeare's plays for use in schools.
John didn't finish editing the annual report until the end of last month. 7. email: electronic mail
Examples: Young people like to keep in touch with their friends via email. I received an email from my student yesterday. vt. send an email to
Examples: I will email you the instant I get the news.
She'll email me a question before she calls so I can think it over in advance. 8. communicate: contact sb. in any way, esp. by speaking to them, writing to them or calling
them (followed by with)
Examples: Some young people depend heavily on email to communicate with each other. They have been divorced for years and never communicated with each other. 9. the Internet: the worldwide network of computer links which allows computer users to connect
with computers all over the world, and which carries electronic mail
Examples: Whether we like it or not, the Internet is an ever-growing part of our lives. You can take online courses and earn your degree via the Internet whenever and wherever you want to.
It's believed the Internet was born in 1969 when two computers at the University
of California, Los Angles were connected by a 15 foot cable.
10. relationship: state of being connected
Examples: What is the relationship between language and thought?
The scientist had a good working relationship with his American colleagues. 11. at times: sometimes
Examples: She has been away from her home for about a year. At times she wishes she had
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never left.
He went on listening to her, at times impatient and at times fascinated. 12. take in: absorb (sth.) into the body by breathing or swallowing Examples: The earth takes in heat and light from the sun. Fish take in oxygen through their gills.
13. data: information, usu. in the form of facts or statistics that you can analyze Examples: This data is stored on the network and can be accessed by anybody. The data is still being analyzed, so I can't tell you the results.
14. spit: send (liquid, food, etc.) out from the mouth (used in the pattern: spit sth. (out) (at/on/onto
sb./sth.))
Examples: The baby spat its food out on the table. He took one sip of the wine and spat it out. 15. on line: connected to or controlled by a computer (network) Examples: Our system is on line to the main computer.
The largest online institution is the University of Phoenix, with some 1000 students today and hopes of reaching 200,000 students in 10 years. 16. symptom: 1) sign of the existence of sth. bad
Examples: High interest rates are a symptom of a weak economy.
They regard the increase in crime as a symptom of a more general decline in moral standards.
2) change in the body that indicates an illness
Examples: A cold, fever and headache are the usual symptoms of flu. If the symptoms persist, it is important to go to your doctor. 17. nightmare: a terrifying dream
Examples: Tom didn't eat fish because it gives him nightmares. Watching horror films gives me nightmares. I had a nightmare about falling off the skyscraper. 18. conversely: in a way that is opposite to sth.
Examples: $1 will buy 100 yen worth of Japanese goods. Conversely, 100 yen will buy $1 worth of American goods.
You can add the fluid to the powder or, conversely, the powder to the fluid. 19. but then: yet at the same time
Examples: The failure of China's soccer team looks inevitable. But then, anything can happen in football.
Foreign Language Department 5 China University of Geosciences
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