Unit III Understanding Science

1. Unit III Understanding Science

2. Teaching Objectives

3. Teaching Objectives • Students will be able to: • Understand the main idea and structure of the text; • Appreciate the differences between narrative writing and expository writing; • Master the key language points and grammatical structures in the text; • Conduct a series of reading, listening, speaking and writing activities related.

4. Teaching Set-up • Text A • Pre-reading: • Warm-up activities • Background information • Text prediction • While-reading: • Text organization • Writing strategies • Language points • Related exercises

5. Post reading: • Useful expressions • Questions for discussion • Text B • Background information • Language points • Assignments

6. Warm-up activities • Brainstorming • Clone

7. Brainstorming Brainstorm some of the scientific and technological inventions. Electricity Television E-mail nanotechnology Computer Laptop Scientific and technological inventions Genetic engineering Mobile phone Nuclear power cloning

8. Questions In what way have science and technology changed the world we live in? ? Do all these inventions always change our life for the better? Give examples to explain your opinion. How do you keep informed of the changes in science and technology? What else can be done to educate the public about science? In what way does science change our life for the worse?

9. Television changes for the worse? changes for the better? Expose children to violence Quick and easy access to information, education, entertainment, etc. Deprive families of quality time Deprive people of the will to communicate with each other

10. cloning changes for the worse? changes for the better? Endangered animals Clone human beings ? Produce stronger ones farmers Clone their cows and sheep who can produce more milk Hitler or other war criminals or evil people? Man Clone replacement organs for transplant patients

11. In February 1997 a group of geneticists(遗传学家) led by Ian Wilmut at the Roslin Institute in Edinburgh, Scotland, announced that they had cloned a sheep from the mammary gland tissue(乳腺组织) of a six-year-old ewe(母羊), the first time scientists have been able to clone an adult mammal(哺乳动物).

12. Dolly, the first-ever mammal to be successfully cloned from an adult cell, with her first lamb, named Bonnie, is seen at the Roslin Institute in Edinburgh, Scotland in this image on April 23, 1998. Dolly, who was naturally mated at the end of last year with a Welsh Mountain ram（公羊）, gave birth to Bonnie on April 13, proving that despite her unusual origins, she is able to breed normally and produce healthy offspring.

13. People must understand that science is inherently neither a potential for good nor for evil. It is a potential to be harnessed by man to do his bidding. ------- Glenn T. Seaborq What role should scientists play in science and technology development?

14. Background information: • ☆Stephen Hawking • ☆Albert Einstein • ☆Frankenstein

15. ☆Stephen Hawking • ☆1. Brief Introduction to Stephen Hawking ☆2. Chronology of Stephen Hawking

16. After Reading Detailed Reading Before Reading Global Reading Stephen Hawking ☆1. Brief Introduction to Stephen Hawking Stephen Hawking (1942~ ): British theoretical physicist and mathematician

18. After Reading Detailed Reading Before Reading Global Reading BR_Background _ 2.Chronology of Stephen Hawking -1 ☆2.Chronology of Stephen Hawking --1942 Born in Oxford, England. --1958 Entered and became especially interested in thermodynamics（热力学）, relativity theory, and quantum mechanics （量子力学）. --1962 Received a bachelor’s degree in physics and then enrolled as a research student in general relativity at the . Oxford University University of Cambridge

20. After Reading Detailed Reading Before Reading Global Reading BR_Background _ 2.Chronology of Stephen Hawking1-1 2.Chronology of Stephen Hawking Oxford University

22. After Reading Detailed Reading Before Reading Global Reading BR_Background _ 2.Chronology of Stephen Hawking-1-2 2.Chronology of Stephen Hawking University of Cambridge

24. After Reading Detailed Reading Before Reading Global Reading BR_Background _ 2.Chronology of Stephen Hawking-2 2.Chronology of Stephen Hawking --1966 Earned his Ph.D. degree at the University of Cambridge. Stayed at the University of Cambridge to do post-doctoral research. Diagnosed as having Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) (肌萎缩性脊髓侧索硬化). “I am quite often asked: How do you feelabout having ALS? The answer is, not a lot. I try to lead as normal a life as possible, and not think about my condition, or regret the things it prevents me from doing, which are not that many.”

26. After Reading Detailed Reading Before Reading Global Reading BR_Background _ 2.Chronology of Stephen Hawking -3 2.Chronology of Stephen Hawking -- 1977 Became a professor of physics. -- 1979 Appointed Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge, a post once held by Isaac Newton. This is a picture of Stephen, Isaac New-tonand Albert Einstein.

28. BR_Background _ 2.Chronology of Stephen Hawking -3. Main Achievements 3. Main Achievements singularity (A point in space-time at which the space-time curvature（曲率）becomes infinite.) black hole (A region of space-time from which nothing, not even light, can escape. Nothing can escape because gravity is so strong.) A Brief History of Time (One of his books to make his work accessible to the public.)

29. ☆Albert Einstein • ☆The Monologue of Albert Einstein (1879~1955) • I was born in Ulm, Germany in 1879. • As you may know, 1905 was a big year for me. That’s when I turned the world upside down, at least for scientists, with several new ideas. I proposed that space and time had to be looked at in a whole new way -- that Newton’s view of space and time was inaccurate. These ideas became known as the special theory of relativity and introduced the equation E=mc2. • Ten years later I presented the general theory of relativity. The general theory showed that gravity is not a force, as Newton had thought. It is instead a curvature（曲率） of the space-time continuum.

30. ☆Do You Know? ☆Einstein could not find a job in physics upon graduating from college, and became a technical assistant in the Swiss Patent Office. He worked on theoretical physics in his spare time. ☆Einstein did not receive a Nobel Prize for his theory of relativity ☆Einstein immediately left Germany for the United States following Hitler’s rise to power.

31. ☆Do You Know? • ☆Einstein spent much of his later career searching for a unified field theory, but was unsuccessful. • ☆Einstein declined the presidency of the state of Israel when it was offered to him in 1952 by state leaders. • ☆The element einsteinium（锿）, discovered in 1952, was named in honor of Albert Einstein.

32. Frankenstein • This is a horror film about a doctor who builds a monster out of dead body parts and brings it to life using electricity, based on the novel by Mary Shelley.

33. Text prediction: • With the activities we’ve done, can you predict what the text is mainly about?

34. While-reading: • I. Text organization: • An essay is usually divided into 3 parts, and how many parts are there in this text? Structure of the text: ☆Teacher may explain that this text would be the first piece of expository writing Ss encounter in Book One. ☆Teacher explains that in expository writing, the structure of a paragraph is usually similar to that of the text, i.e., the topic sentences are presented in the first or second sentences of a paragraph, followed by supporting details.

35. Part Division of the Text

36. Chart Completion • Fill in the chart by comparing the first 10 lines of both All the Cabbie Had • Was a Letter and Public Attitudes toward Science to see the style differences • between narration and exposition.

37. Text Analysis: • This text is the first piece of expository writing in our textbook series, therefore it is important to note the style difference between narration and exposition. By the former comparison between unit two and unit three, we can see clearly the differences between narration and expository. • ☆expository writings usually employ longer paragraphs in which there are longer and more involved sentences; • ☆expository writings are more closely packed than the narration; • ☆third-person narration is often adopted in exposition for the purpose of objectivity; • ☆sentences in the passive voice appear regularly in exposition;

38. Question for part I: • 1.What is the attitude of some people towards the changes brought about by science and technology? • Some people would like to stop these changes and go back to what they see as a purer and simpler age. • 2.What was life like before science and technology began to change our way of life? • For the vast majority of the population, life was nasty, brutish, and short. • 3.What would happen if all government money for research were cut off? ● The force of competition would still bring about advances in technology if all government money for research were cut off. • 4.Is it possible to prevent science and technology from further development? Why or why not? • No. The only way to prevent further developments would be a global state that suppressed anything new, and human initiative and inventiveness are such that even this would not succeed.

39. Part Two: Skimming • Skim part 2 to find out a mini-exposition. • Topic sentence: How to educate the public in science? • Supporting point 1:_______________________________; • Supporting point 2:_______________________________; • Supporting point 1:_______________________________;

40. Part 3:True or False 1.Our civilization is more advanced than other alien civilizations according to the joke. ( T ) 2.We have not been contacted by an alien civilization because of the insufficient development of the science and technology. ( F ) We have not been contacted by an alien civilization because any alien civilization tends to destroy themselves when they reach our stage. 3.The author has had sufficient evidence to prove that the joke is wrong. ( F ) The author has not had sufficient evidence, but he believes that the good sense of the public might prove the joke is wrong.

41. II. Language points: • Difficult sentences: • The only way to prevent further developments would be a global state that suppressed anything new, and human initiative and inventiveness are such that even thiswouldn’t succeed.All it would do is slow down the of change. • 1. What is the grammatical function of the first “that”? Here “that” brings about an attributive clause. 2. What does the structure “such that” here mean? The structure is used to give an explanation for something. His manner was such that he would offend everyone he met. 3. What can we infer from this sentence? No way can suppress anything new, as human initiative andinventiveness do exist.

42. At the moment, the public is in two minds about science. • What does “in two minds about” mean? Unable to decide whether or not you want sth. or want to do sth. 2. What can we learn from the sentence? The public finds itself holding two contradictory viewpoints about science. On the one hand, it expects the improvement in the standard of living that has been brought by science; on the other hand, it also distrusts science because it does not understand it.

43. Words and phrases: • Likely • Do without • Put/turn the clock back • Cut off • Initiative • Slow down • Ensure • Inform • In terms of • Put across • hence

44. Likely:1)adj. probable • The word is often used in the following patterns: It is likely that…/be likely to do sth. • Eg. It is likely that my roommate will win the first-class scholarship. • An earthquake is likely to strike the area in a year or two. • I’m likely to be very busy tomorrow.

45. 2)adv. probably • When used as an adv, the word is often preceded by “most”, “more than”, or “very”. You don’t use it as an adv in its own. • Eg: It is reported that another sandstorm will very likely come in the next 24 hours. • We will most likely stay home during the Spring Festival.

46. Do without: manage to survive, continue, or succeed although you do not have sth. you need,want, or usu. have. • Eg: There’s no bread left, so I’m afraid you’ll just have to do without. • She simply can’t do without at least four weeks holiday a year.

47. put/turn the clock back : return to the past or to a previous way of doing things • Eg:As is manifested by history, nobody can put the clock back and prevent the advancement of society. • Since you cannot turn back the clock, you may as well forget the past and look to the future .

48. cut off: 1)stop providing sth. • Eg: Water and electricity supplies in the city have been cut off because of the American air attacks. • Their phone has been cut off because they haven’t paid the bill.

49. Cut off 2) to become separate or cause someone to be or feel alone • Eg: When his wife died, he cut himself off from other people. • Many villages have been cut off by the heavy snow.

50. Initiative:1)the ability to make decisions and take action without waiting for sb. to tell you what to do • If you show that you have initiative, you will sooner or later be promoted. The workers are able to solve the problem on their own initiative.