Unit 3
Alienation and the Internet
Exercises
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Comprehension Exercises
Vocabulary Exercises
Grammar Exercises
Translation
Exercises for Integrated Skills
Oral Activities
Writing
Comprehension Exercises
I. Decide which of the following best states the
author’s purpose of writing. (page 44)
A.
B.
C.
To tell the reader that he is bewildered by the
benefits and the negative consequences brought
about by the Internet.
To convince the reader of our ability to reap the
benefit of the Internet without being penalized by it.
To argue that the demerits of the Internet overweigh
its merits.
Comprehension Exercises
II. Judge, according to the text, whether the following
statements are true or false. (page 37)
T
1. The author believe that the human potential can’t be
realized with out the globalization of ideas.
F
Refer to Para. 1.
2. The paradox seems unintelligible to the author that
the Internet alienates the participants and at the
same time it drives towards global unification.
Refer to Para. 2. When the author says “this might sound like
an apparent contradiction”, he implies that this is in fact not a
contradiction at all. Throughout the whole essay, the author
explains the seemingly contradictory idea: on the one hand,
the Internet is responsible for global unification, and on the
other, it alienates the participants.
F
3. When his friend told him about his Internet binges, the
author thought he was exaggerating.
Refer to Para. 3, where the author, by saying “”I
have not known this fellow to be given to
exaggeration … it gave me pause to think”, actually
means that to the best of his knowledge, this friend
of his has never exaggerated anything.
T 4. When people spend too much time on line, they will be
unable to participate in activities together with other
community members so that their sense of community
gradually diminished.
Refer to Para. 4. At the end of this paragraph, the
author argues that when people spend much time
developing on-line relationships with faraway folks,
they will have no time participate in the communal
activities, which undermines the sense of community.
T 5. A person is likely to be cognitively overload if he
confronted with too much information on the Internet,
and he may consequently have a distorted sense of reality.
Refer to Para. 6. In this paragraph, the author argues
that when surfing the web a person might be
cognitively overloaded and that the cognitive overload
might result in a distorted sense of reality.
III. Answer the following questions. (page 37)
1. What’s the author’s viewpoint about the benefit of the
Internet? What does he see about its negative side?
As the author sees it, the Internet is most likely to make our global
village a better place to live in. It provides a miraculous forum for
the globalization of ideas, which contributes to the realization of
human potential. Further more, it is a powerful tool for the
acquisition and application of knowledge. The benefits of the
Internet, however, may be darkened by its negative consequences.
It may deprive its user of his time for necessary interaction with
other society members so that the whole world may be further
fragmented. In addition, there is a reasonable likelihood that the
Internet presents too much information, which gives its user a
skewed sense of reality by making him a cognitively overloaded
man.
2. What happened to the author’s friend as regards the
Internet? What negative consequences did he see about it?
His friend was addicted to the internet. He would spend
even over twenty-four hours non-stop on the Internet so
that he had to force himself to go off line. As he spend so
much time in cyberspace, his sense of reality might have
been crooked. Moreover, without any face-to-face verbal
communication with other people, he felt lonely and
depressed.
3. What alienated society members before the Internet gained
popularity? What alienates them in the information age?
The alienation of society members had begun long before the
Internet started to be used worldwide. After World War II when
the soldiers returned from the battlefields, they devoted
themselves to “progress”. Large quantities of cars were
manufactured, which fed the creation of suburbs, and consequently people lived far apart from each. The Internet, however,
has added to the problem and Internet addicts are far from rare.
As illustrated by the example of the author’s nephew, it seems
to be an irreversible trend that more and more people, old and
young, are becoming addicted to the Internet. They will spend
many hours non-stop in cyberspace rather than with their
families or friends. For lack of communication, they are
becoming strangers to other people. Therefore, there is a good
reason to believed that society is being further alienated by the
Internet.
4. What is meant by the “cruel irony” that appears in
Paragraph 4?
The “cruel irony” means that the Internet provides the
user with convenient means of communicating and
making friends with people far apart on the one hand,
but on the other, it helps the user to be estranged from
people around him by canceling his availability for
face-to-face communications even with his families and
close friends and for involvement in the community
activities.
5. How, according to the author, can the potential of the
Internet be realized?
The potential of the Internet as a powerful tool for
globalizing ideas and for acquiring and applying
knowledge can only be realized when its users strikes a
balance between the reality and the Internet. Although
the Internet makes it possible for its users to debate,
shop, travel, and have romance in cyberspace without
leaving home, the overuse of this tool probably result in
a distorted sense of reality. The only way to avoid being
penalized by the Internet is making moderate use of this
tool without losing one’s sense of place in the world.
IV. Explain in your own words the following sentences
taken from the text. (page 45)
1. Given the relatively few restrictions governing access and
usage, it is the communications modal equivalent of
international waters. (Para. 1)
As the Internet can be reached and used with relatively few
restrictions, it plays a role in connecting people globally, which
is comparable to travelling through the international waterways.
2. But much less widely reported has been the notion that the
Internet may be responsible for furthering the fragmentation of
society by alienating its individual users. (Para. 2)
(A lot of people talk about the “new information age”,) but not
so many people are acquainted with the idea that the Internet
separates people form each other nad fragments society further
as a result.
3. It seems to me that we are a society that values immediate
gratification above all else, and what better place to achieve it
than in cyberspace, where the cyber-world is your cyberoyster. (Para. 7)
I think that in our society the top priority is given to the
satisfaction of one’s immediate needs. The Internet is the best
tool for this purpose, for on the Internet one can do whatever
he likes to.
Vocabulary Exercises
I. Explain the underlined part in each sentence in your
won words. (page 45)
1. potential: ability to develop, achieve or succeed
2. alienating: causing to feel very distant from or not welcome to
other people
liked it very much and wanted to spend as
3. was
addicted: much time doing it as possible
4. overload: More information than one can cope with
5. virtual
existences: A set of images and sound produced by a
computer which seems so real that for most
purposes it can be regarded as real
II. Fill in the blank(s) in each sentence with a phrase
from the box in its appropriate form. (page 46)
at the expense of
take advantage of
for the better
prior to
give … pause to think
be available for in earnest
be confronted with
1. John’s mind is always full of fantasies. He dreams of
for the better
changing the world ____________________.
2. Edward Stuart became a brilliant scholar, but only
_________________
at the expense of his health.
was confronted with
3. The company’s policy of reform _________________
great difficulties at the start.
took advantage of
4. The corporation _____________________
the exceptional
opportunities open in exports
5. He said it ____________,
not in jest.
in earnest
6. A tennis court and a swimming pool _________________
are available for the
regular members of the club.
prior to the
7. All the arrangements should be completed ____________
your departure.
8. An opposition statesman said he hoped the agreement
___________
would give them _______________
pause to think about the futility of
violence.
III. Fill in the blank with the appropriate form of the
given word. (page 46)
1) The company fears nosy brightly-lit shops ____________
alienating
older customers. (alienation)
2) Trends toward the _______________
of industry have
globalization
dramatically affected food production in that country.
(globe)
3) By the first century BC, Buddhism was in danger of
into small sects. (fragmentation)
fragmenting
_____________
4) She is a TV _________
addict
can. (addiction)
and watches as much as she
5) The dress ______________
her wasp waist and enlarges
exaggerates
her bosom. (exaggeration)
6) He never forgot the hardships he witnessed during the
Great _____________
of the 1930s. (depress)
depression
7) Cars are tested to see how much damage they suffer in
crashes. (simulation)
simulated
___________
8) The news that they were well _________
gratified
(gratification)
us.
1) alienation n. → alienate v.
e.g. 制造业的工作又枯燥又单调，使许多工人产生了一种疏离
感。
The boring and repetitive nature of manufacturing
jobs has led to the alienation of many workers.
他们采取这个政策，就要冒同许多支持者疏远的风险。
By adopting this policy, they risk alienating
many of their supporters.
2) globe n. → global a. → globalize v. → globalization n.
e.g. 这个美丽的城市每年都吸引着全球各地的游客。
The beautiful city attracts tourists from every corner
of the globe every year.
环境保护是个全球问题。
Environmental protection is a global issue.
公司已经成功地将业务推向了全球。
The company has successfully globalized its business.
e.g. 中国在全球化的进程中经历着快速变化。
China has been experiencing rapid changes
during the process of globalization.
3) fragmentation n. → fragment n. & v. → fragmented a.
e.g. 国家正面临分裂成几个独立小国的危险。
The country was facing the danger of fragmentation
into several small independent states.
(n.) 他说的没有一点是真话！
There is not even the smallest fragment of truth in
what he says!
(v.) 生产资本和金融资本的兴趣不同可能会分裂资产阶级。
A difference of interests between manufacturing and
finance capital may fragment the bourgeoisie.
e.g. 这些措施将有助于重建分裂的社区并创造适宜孩子成长的
环境。
These policies will help to rebuild a fragmented
community and create an environment suitable for
children to grow up in.
4) addiction n. → addict n. → addicted a.
e.g. 年轻人吸食海洛因成瘾这一问题日益严重。
There is a growing problem of heroin addiction
among young people.
他变成了一个不可救药的电脑游戏瘾君子。
He became an incurable computer game addict.
服用这些毒品不长时间就会上瘾。
It doesn’t take long to become addicted to these
drugs.
5) exaggeration n. → exaggerate v. → exaggerated a.
e.g.说大多数学生从来没有读过一部完整的莎士比亚戏剧，
这毫不夸张。
It’s no exaggeration to say that most students
have never read a complete Shakespeare play.
媒体刻意夸大了形势的严重性。
The press has deliberately exaggerated the
seriousness of the situation.
他倾向于作夸大其辞的断言。
He tends to make greatly exaggerated claims.
6) depress v. → depressing a. → depressed a. →
depression n.
e.g. 想到还须重新考试，我就感到很郁闷。
The thought of having to take the exam again
depressed me.
这年头，找工作会令人很沮丧。
Looking for a job these days can be very depressing.
e.g. 我在这种天气里总是感到精神抑郁。
I feel very depressed in such kind of weather.
国家依然深陷经济萧条不能自拔。
The country was still in the grip of economic
depression.
7) simulation n. → simulate v. → simulated a.
e.g. 在电脑模拟的核爆炸中，人们可以清楚地看到爆炸发生的
情形。
People can see clearly what happens in the
computer simulation of nuclear explosion.
在配音过程中，人们抖动金属片来模仿雷声。
In the dubbing process, a sheet of metal was
shaken to simulate the noise of thunder.
他迷恋模拟战争游戏。
He is addicted to simulated war games.
8) gratification n. → gratify v. → gratitude n.
e.g. 家庭的成功是他晚年十分满意的事。
His family’s success was a great gratification to
him in his old age.
看到我的结婚礼物倍受赞赏，我感到很高兴。
It gratified me to see how much my wedding
present was appreciated.
她请我吃饭以表谢意。
She showed me her gratitude by inviting me to
dinner.
IV. Choose the word or phrase that can replace the
underlined part in each sentence without
changing its original meaning. (page 46)
1. binge:
A. indulgence
2. slight:
B. subtle
3. lament:
B. mourn
4. skew:
C. distorted
5. simulate
B. imitate
6. gratification: A. satisfaction
7. perceived:
D. realized
8. alienate:
D. distance
V. Give a synonym or an antonym of the word
underlined in each sentence in the sense it is
used. (page 47)
1. However I am also troubled by the possible unintended
negative consequences.
Antonyms: intended (purposeful, intentional, planned)
2. Automobile ownership became commonplace and
suburbs were created.
Antonyms: extraordinary (unusual0
3. Those folks were already becoming distanced from their
extended families and neighbors.
Synonyms: alienate (isolate, estrange)
4. These activities might foster a sense of community
among the local people.
Synonyms: cultivate (nurture)
5. He said that he felt like an alcoholic in that moderate use
of the Internet was just not possible for him.
Antonyms: considerable (excessive, indulgent)
6. It seems to me that the Internet is a powerful tool that
presents an opportunity for the advancement of the
acquisition and application of knowledge.
Synonyms: improvement (enhancement)
7. And I can also understand how one might have his or her
sense of reality distorted in the progress.
Synonyms:misrepresent (falsify)
8. We are forced to ask fundamental questions about how
we perceive the world about us.
Antonyms: unimportant (trivial, minor)
VI. Explain the meaning of the underlined word or
phrases in each sentence. (page 45)
1. Large deposits of limestone and clay can be found in the
northern reaches of the state of Washington.
n. [C] continuous extent, expanse
e.g. It is one of the most beautiful reaches of the Thames.
Other main usages:
1) [sing only] act of stretching out (a hand, etc.)
e.g.
He tried to get the book by a long reach.
2) [U] extent to which a hand can be stretched out, a movement
carried out or one’s mental powers extended or used
e.g.
Put that bottle of weed-killer out of children’s reach.
2. Several colleges and universities in the United States are
now requiring that their students purchase personal
computers.
think it necessary; make necessary
e.g. The work required great patience.
Other main usages:
1) insist upon as a right or by authority
e.g. Students are required to take three papers in English
literature.
2) have need of
e.g.
He requires medical care.
3) place someone under an obligation to do
something
e.g. You are required to answer all the questions.
3. The use of mechanical refrigerators became widespread in
the United States in the 1920’s.
commonplace, occurring or found in many places or
among many persons
e.g. Fever is widespread in hot countries.
Other main usages:
1) spread over a wide area
e.g. A widespread flu epidemic affected eighteen western
states.
2) open
e.g.
She greeted her son with widespread arms.
4. Could we go out tomorrow night instead? I’d rather have a
quiet evening in tonight.
at home
e.g. My husband won’t be in until six o’clock.
Other main usages:
1) in fashion
e.g. Long skirts are in again this summer.
2) elected, in power, in office
e.g.
The democrats are in.
3) in season, obtainable
e.g.
When will oysters be in?
5. Becky will fill you in on what happened at the last meeting.
fill sb. in on/about sth.: tell someone
Can you fill me in on James? What’s his qualification
for the job?
The teacher filled in Mary about classwork done while
she was sick.
Other main usages:
e.g.
1) add what is necessary to make complete
e.g. Please fill in all your particulars on this form.
2) make or become full
If we fill in that old fireplace, we will have a wall free for
e.g.
book shelves.
3) replace, take the place of temporarily
e.g. The teacher was sick and Miss Jones filled in for her.
6. You can lose yourself in a sea of identical hairstyles and
thought style.
large number
e.g. The immense square was a sea of flowers and
happy faces.
Other main usages:
1) beyond/over the sea(s): abroad, to or in countries
separated by the sea
e.g. For many years he has lived beyond the seas.
2) all/completely at sea: (fig) puzzled, at a loss
e.g. He was all at sea when he began his new job.
Grammar Exercises
Absolute construction
To: preposition or infinitive marker
Inversion
Absolute construction
Absolute constructions are nonfinite or verbless
adverbial clauses that have an overt subject but are not
introduced by a subordinator and are not the complement of
a preposition. Structurally, absolute constructions fall into
four types: those with an infinite as verb element, those with
an -ing participle as verb element, those with an -ed
participle as verb element, and those without any form of
verb element.
For example:
A number of officials followed the emperor, some to hold his
robe, others to adjust his girdle, and so on. (infinite)
Weather permitting, the cricket match will take place on
Wednesday. (-ing participle)
All of this being said, I believe that the key to realizing the
potential of the Internet is in achieving balance in our lives.
(-ing participle)
His voice drowned by the noise, the speaker interrupted his
lecture. (-ed participle)
He went off, gun in hand. (prepositional phrase)
The floor wet and slippery, we stayed outside. (adjectival
phrase)
I. Combine the sentences in each group into one, using
at least one absolute construction. (page 48)
1. A. All of this is said.
B. I believe that the key to realizing the potential of the
Internet is achieving balance in our lives.
All of this being said, I believe that the key to realizing
the potential of the Internet is achieving balance in
our lives.
2. A. There had been no rain.
B. The ground was dray.
There having been no rain, the ground was dry.
3. A. When I walked in, Grandpa was sitting at the kitchen
table.
B. The newspaper was spread before him.
When I walked in, Grandpa was sitting at the kitchen
table, the newspaper spread before him.
4. A. The boys leaned against the willow tree.
B. Their fishing poles rested on sticks.
C. Their eyes gazed at the bobbers floating on the ripples.
The boys leaned against the willow tree, their fishing
poles resting on sticks, their eyes gazing at the
bobbers floating on the ripples.
5. A. Mark went homeward alone.
B. His heart was full of a strange emotion.
Mark went homeward alone, his heart full of a strange
emotion.
6. A. The discussion had been completed.
B. The chairman adjourned the meeting for half an hour.
The discussion completed, the chairman adjourned
the meeting for half an hour.
7. A. Diana stood motionless at the end of the diving board.
B. Her hands were at her sides.
C. Her heels were slightly raised.
B. Every muscle anticipated action.
Diana stood motionless at the end of the diving board,
her hands at her sides, her heels slightly raised, every
muscle anticipating action.
8. A. The cowboy dominates the pages of many magazines.
B. His hair is dark and curly.
C. His broad shoulders are sloping yet powerful.
D. His expression is calm and confident.
The cowboy dominates the pages of many magazines,
his hair dark and curly, his broad shoulders sloping
yet powerful and his expression calm and confident.
To: preposition or infinitive marker
Apart from being an infinitive marker, to can also be a
preposition, which is followed by a noun or a noun equivalent.
For example:
This guy is not given to exaggeration. (to as a preposition)
The key to realizing the potential of the Internet is in
achieving balance in our lives. (to as a preposition)
I used to get up early in the morning. (to as an infinitive
marker)
I am used to getting up early in the morning. (to as a
preposition)
For example:
He swore to having paid for the goods (= he swore he had
paid). (to as a preposition)
He swore to tell the truth (= he swore he would tell the truth).
(to as an infinitive marker)
III. Put the verbs in brackets into a gerund or an
infinitive. (page 49)
1. I tried to pacify
_____ (pacify) him but he refused to _________
be pacified
grumbling (grumble).
(pacify) and went on _________
seeing (see) you.
2. I am looking forward to _____
3. I object to ___________
being treated (be treated) like a child.
_____ (do) on-line shopping.
4. I don’t feel like doing
getting (get) the car out, will you see to_______
5. If I see to _______
closing
(close) the window?
answering (answer) the phone, and very often just
6. He hates _________
ring (ring).
lets it ____
7. Two whole pages are devoted to reporting
_________ (report)
yesterday’s bomb explosion.
8. His suggestions went very near to resolving
__________ (resolve) our
dilemma.
9. He bought the old house with an eye to making
________ (make) it a
hotel.
10. I’m so tired I don’t think I feel up to going
______ (go) shopping
today.
Inversion
When we use negative adverbials at the beginning of a
clause, the subject and the verb are inverted. Inversion can
also occur after a clause beginning with only + adverb /
prepositional phrase / adverbial clause.
For example:
Never had I found him in such a good mood.
Only through sheer luck did he manage to get some tickets.
So quickly did the workmen finish the job that they were
highly praised.
III. Rewrite the following sentences, beginning with the
words given. (page 49)
1. He had hardly arrived when she started complaining.
had he arrived when she started complaining.
Hardly ______________________________________
2. Once Manton gets logged on to the Net, he rarely cares about
anything else.
Rarely does
________________________________________
Manton care about anything else once he gets
__________________
logged on to the Net.
3. You must not touch this switch under any circumstances.
Under no circumstances _______________________
must you touch this switch.
4. They have never known such hardships in all their lives.
________________________________________
all their lives have they known such hardships.
Never in
5. He worries so much about his financial position that he can’t
sleep at night.
So much ___________________________________________
does he worry about his financial position that he can’t
sleep at night.
___________
6. He spoke not only more correctly but also more convincingly.
Not only did
__________________________________________
he speak more correctly but also more convincingly.
7. They succeeded only after several trials.
after several trials did they succeed.
Only _____________________________
8. The passengers are not permitted to open the doors themselves under nay circumstances.
Under no circumstances ______________________________
are the passengers permitted to open
the
doors themselves.
_________________
IV. Rewrite each of the following sentences, shifting
the adverbial phrase of direction or place to the
front of the clause. Use inversion where possible.
(page 49)
When we put an adverbial phrase, especially of direction or
place, at eh beginning of a sentence, we sometimes put an
intransitive erb in front of its subject. This kind of inversion is
found particulary in formal or literary style.
1. The teacher blew a whistle and the children ran off.
The teacher blew a whistle and off ran the children.
2. The man lit the fuse and after a few seconds the rocket
went up.
The man lit the fuse and after a few seconds up went
the rocket.
3. A small dark-haired girl was sitting on the stairs.
On the stairs was sitting a small dark-haired girl.
4. A milk-van came round the corner.
Round the corner came a milk van.
5. The vicar goes there.
There goes the vicar.
6. The people dived for cover as the bullets flew over their
heads.
The people dived for cover as over their heads flew
the bullets.
7. Her father stood in the doorway.
In the doorway stood her father.
8. A white pillar was in front of them and a small, marble
statue stood on top of it.
In front of them was a white pillar and on top of it
stood a small, marble statue.
V. Correct any mistakes you find in this newspaper
item. (page 50)
Such was the heat of
has a town of this size
The people of Sawston were evacuated yesterday as
forest fires headed toward the town. Such the heat was of
the oncoming inferno that trees more than 100 metres
ahead began to smoulder. Only once in recent years, during
1994, a town of this size has had to be evacuated because
of forest fires. A fleet of coaches and lorries arrived in the
town in the early morning. Into these vehicles the sick and
elderly climbed, before they headed off to safety across the
river. Residents with cars were ordered to leave by
midmorning.
climbed the sick and elderly
did the fire pose
nor did most of my neighbours
complaints were heard
later in the day, as the wind changed direction and it
became clear that the fire would leave Sawston untouched,
were heard complaints from some residents. “At no time
the fires posed a real threat,” said one local man. “I didn’t
want to leave my home, and nor most of my neighbours did.”
But Chief Fire Officers Jones replied, “Hadn’t we taken this
action, lives would have been put at risk. Only when the
fires have moved well away from the town residents will be
allowed to return their homes.”
will residents be allowed
had we not
IV. Make sentences of your own after the sentences
given below, keeping the underlined structures in
your sentences. (page 50)
1. He said that he felt like an alcoholic, in that moderate use
of the Internet was just not possible for him.
in that
It is a fixed phrase, leading an adverbial clause of
cause, which is similar to because, since, seeing that,
now that, considering that, given that, not that … but
that …，on the grounds that …
1. I am ready to accept your proposal in that I believe it to be
the best you can offer.
2. This machine differs from the other one in that it is more
powerful.
3. Theory is valuable in that it can provide a directing for
practice.
4. A gas differs from a solid in that it has no definite shape.
2. All of this being said, I believe that the key to realizing the
potential of the Internet is in achieving balance in our lives.
Avoid Dangling participle
A present participle is a verb ending in -ing, and is called
“dangling” when the subject of the -ing verb and the
subject of the sentence do not agree.
e.g. Rushing to finish the paper, Bob’s printer broke. ×
In the second sentence, the subject is Bob’s printer, but the
printer isn’t doing the rushing.
Better would be “While Bob was rushing to finish the paper,
his printer broke.”
Combine the two sentences with proper form of participle.
1. All things are considered.
I think I ought to award the scholarship to John.
All things being considered, I think I ought to award the
scholarship to John.
2. So many members are absent. The meeting had to be put off.
So many members being absent, the meeting had to be put off.
3. The decision has been made.
What is to be done now is how to carry it out.
The decision having been made, what is to be done now is
how to carry it out.
4. He was judged from his appearance. He was a lawyer.
Judging from his appearance, he was a lawyer.
Translation
I. Translate the following sentences into English, using
the word or phrase given in the brackets. (page 51)
1. Given the relatively few restrictions governing access and
usage, it is the communications modal equivalent of
international waters.
由于登录和使用互联网的限制相对较少，它的作用就等同
于通讯传播中的国际海域。
2. At first this might sound like an apparent contradiction: how can
something, that is on the one hand responsible for global
unification by enabling the free exchange of ideas, alienate the
participants?
乍听起来这时候互相矛盾：一种东西怎么会既能让人们自
由地交流思想，从而使全球融为一体，同时又让人们彼此
疏远呢？
3. I have not known this fellow to be given to exaggeration,
therefore when he described his Internet binges, when he
would spend over twenty-four hours on line non-stop, it
gave me pause to think.
由于登录和使用互联网的限制相对较少，它的作用就等同
于通讯传播中的国际海域。
4. But at the expense of the time that would have otherwise been
available for involvement in other activities which might foster
a sense of community in their villages, towns and cities.
但代价是消耗了原本可以用来参加一些培养他们村庄及城
镇社区意识的活动的时间。
I. Translate the following sentences into English, using
the word or phrase given in the brackets. (page 51)
1. 无可否认，香烟会使人上瘾。而一旦你上了瘾，就很难
戒除这个习惯了。 (addict)
There is no denying that smoking is addictive. And once
you are addicted, it’s very difficult to get rid of the habit.
2. 在日本人生产的一种电子游戏中，玩游戏的人可以模拟
艾滋病患者从染上艾滋病毒直到死亡的经历。(simulate)
In a Japanese-made video game, players can simulate
the experience of AIDS from HIV infection until death.
3. 我肯定，他说你可以用这笔钱继续学习音乐是认真的。
(in earnest)
I’m sure he was in earnest when he said that you
could use this money to continue your study of music.
4. 我们只能以牺牲质量为代价来提高生产率，但这可能会
损害公司的声誉。(at the expense of)
We can only increase production at the expense of
quality, which could ruin the company’s reputation.
5. 她难得生气，不过这次她可真的是发脾气了。(be given to)
She is not often given to anger, but this time she really
lost her temper.
6.一名外语教师如果要在中学任教，他最起码要持有正规教
育院校颁发的学位证书。(at the very least)
A teacher of foreign language should possess at the very
least a graduate degree from a certified education school
or institute if he is to teach high school.
7. 我很快觉察到我无法使他改变想法。 (perceive)
I soon perceived that I couldn’t make him change his mind.
II. Translate the following passage into Chinese. (page 51)
互联网已经把我们带入了一个真正的信息时代，而且
正在帮助世界各地的人们在一个以前不可想象的范围内相
互交流。无论互联网和信息高速公路走的是一条什么样的
发展道路，电讯、电视和计算机行业一致采用数码化的做
法永远改变了我们的交际和计算方式。
这种一致将使公司能提供以前因技术有限而不能提供
的服务。网络电视将使观众能接触互联网。大屏幕、高保
真数字电视和DVD有可能改变电影的拍摄方法。卫星将帮助
汽车找到回家的路。家家户户将接收到卫星、微波发射塔、
纤维或铜线传送的信号。
Exercises for Integrated Skills
Dictation
Cloze
I. Dictation
You will hear a passage read three times. At the first
reading, you should listen carefully for its general idea.
At the second reading, you are required to write down
the exact words you have just heard (with proper
punctuation). At the third reading, you should check
what you have written down.
The Internet undoubtedly enriches our lives in many ways. /
The instant reach of the email / makes keeping-in-touch so
rewarding / and so excuse-proof. / The access to so much information by our fingertips / certainly makes a tremendous difference. /
But do all these new platforms / of carrying on existing activities /
contribute to the making of the new opportunities / created by the
coming of electricity and telephone, / and steam locomotives and
airplanes? / Do they really boost our productivity / and create new
wealth? / Are we simply using a new platform in the Internet / to do
things we have been doing without it? / If so, we don’t really need
Internet companies to do them for us. / Perhaps, the leaders of the
Internet revolution / can’t easily reconcile with their fate of
becoming dispensable. / It certainly will take a lot of independent
thinking on our own part / to get over the Internet-is-the-world
mood.
II. Fill in each blank in the passage below with ONE
appropriate word.
Since the 1960s, when the Internet was developed by
as
___a military network capable (2)
the Pentagon (1)
of
___
surviving nuclear war, the technology and number of users
rate. This explosion has
have grown at an unthinkable (3)
_____
brought (4) ______
with it all sorts of moral and practical
questions including the censorship by the state.
in the interests of
We censor all of our media (5) ___
society as a whole, and the Internet is no different.
Freedom of speech is not an absolute thing (6) but
_____ a
right that our society gives us; when, however, freedom of
speech conflicts with another individual’s right (7)
to
___
privacy, quality of life (8) or
___ even life itself, censorship is
not only justified but a duty of (9) _____
any society. Racist and
terrorist propaganda and hardcore pornography on the
Internet should be censored. The landmark Communications
and Decency Act (CDA) was passed in 1996 in the U.S. to
tackle this (10) _________
problem.
The sentence lacks a preposition, and “to develop A as B”
which means “to develop A when considered as being B” fits
into the context.
Since the 1960s, when the Internet was developed by
as
___ a military network capable (2)
the Pentagon (1)
of
___
surviving nuclear war, the technology and number of users
_____ . This explosion
have grown at an unthinkable (3) rate
has brought (4) ______
with it all sorts of moral and practical
questions including the censorship by the state.
in the interests of
___
We censor all of our media (5)
society as a whole, and the Internet is no different.
A preposition is needed to link the adjective “capable” with
the following gerund, and “be capable of” is a fixed
collocation.
Since the 1960s, when the Internet was developed by
as
___ a military network capable (2)
the Pentagon (1)
of
___
surviving nuclear war, the technology and number of users
_____ . This explosion
have grown at an unthinkable (3) rate
has brought (4) ______
with it all sorts of moral and practical
questions including the censorship by the state.
in the interests of
___
We censor all of our media (5)
society as a whole, and the Internet is no different.
It can be inferred from the context that it talks about the
speed of growth, thus “at a … rate”.
Since the 1960s, when the Internet was developed by
as
___ a military network capable (2)
the Pentagon (1)
of
___
surviving nuclear war, the technology and number of users
_____ . This explosion
have grown at an unthinkable (3) rate
has brought (4) ______
with it all sorts of moral and practical
questions including the censorship by the state.
in the interests of
___
We censor all of our media (5)
society as a whole, and the Internet is no different.
It reads that the explosion has brought various problems
“with” it, and the preposition “with” suffices.
Since the 1960s, when the Internet was developed by
as
___ a military network capable (2)
the Pentagon (1)
of
___
surviving nuclear war, the technology and number of users
_____ . This explosion
have grown at an unthinkable (3) rate
has brought (4) ______
with it all sorts of moral and practical
questions including the censorship by the state.
in the interests of
___
We censor all of our media (5)
society as a whole, and the Internet is no different.
“Interest” here means “a good result or an advantage for
sb./sth.”, and the fixed phrase “in the interests of sb./sth.”
naturally fits into the context.
Since the 1960s, when the Internet was developed by
as
___ a military network capable (2)
the Pentagon (1)
of
___
surviving nuclear war, the technology and number of users
_____ . This explosion
have grown at an unthinkable (3) rate
has brought (4) ______
with it all sorts of moral and practical
questions including the censorship by the state.
in the interests of
___
We censor all of our media (5)
society as a whole, and the Internet is no different.
Judging from the context, “freedom of speech” is a right
our society gives us, and the sentence should be a
contrastive expression between the negation in the first
part and the second part; thus, “not … but …” is naturally
expected.
Freedom of speech is not an absolute thing (6)
but
_____ a
right that our society gives us; when, however, freedom of
speech conflicts with another individual’s right (7)
to
___
privacy, quality of life (8)
or
___ even life itself, censorship
is not only justified but a duty of (9)
any society. Racist
_____
and terrorist propaganda and hardcore pornography on the
Internet should be censored. The landmark
Communications and Decency Act (CDA) was passed in 1996
in the U.S. to tackle this (10)
problem .
_________
Again, a preposition is missing between the noun “right”
and the following nouns, while “to” habitually follows
“right” to construct the phrase “right to sth. / to do sth.”,
meaning “a moral or legal claim to have or get sth. or to
behave
particular
way”.
Freedominofa speech
is not
an absolute thing (6)
but
_____ a
right that our society gives us; when, however, freedom of
speech conflicts with another individual’s right (7)
to
___
privacy, quality of life (8)
or even life itself, censorship
___
is not only justified but a duty of (9)
any
_____ society. Racist
and terrorist propaganda and hardcore pornography on the
Internet should be censored. The landmark
Communications and Decency Act (CDA) was passed in 1996
in the U.S. to tackle this (10)
problem
_________ .
“Privacy, quality of life”, and “life itself” construct a
coordinate structure, and a coordinator, implying
alternation, is needed, thus “or”.
Freedom of speech is not an absolute thing (6)
but
_____ a
right that our society gives us; when, however, freedom of
speech conflicts with another individual’s right (7)
to
___
privacy, quality of life (8)
or
___ even life itself, censorship
is not only justified but a duty of (9)
any society. Racist
_____
and terrorist propaganda and hardcore pornography on the
Internet should be censored. The landmark
Communications and Decency Act (CDA) was passed in 1996
in the U.S. to tackle this (10)
problem
_________ .
Judging from the context, the sentence means that
censorship is a duty in all societies. As “society” appears as
a singular, a determiner meaning any one of all is needed.
Here, “any” is used with singular countable nouns to refer
to
one of of
a number
ofnot
things
or people,
when
not
Freedom
speech is
an absolute
thing
(6)it does
but a
_____
matter which one, and is used here for emphasis.
right that our society gives us; when, however, freedom of
speech conflicts with another individual’s right (7)
to
___
privacy, quality of life (8)
or
___ even life itself, censorship
is not only justified but a duty of (9)
any
_____ society. Racist
and terrorist propaganda and hardcore pornography on the
Internet should be censored. The landmark
Communications and Decency Act (CDA) was passed in 1996
in the U.S. to tackle this (10)
problem
_________ .
A noun referring to the problem of censorship is missing
here, while “ to tackle a problem” comes out naturally.
Freedom of speech is not an absolute thing (6)
but
_____ a
right that our society gives us; when, however, freedom of
speech conflicts with another individual’s right (7)
to
___
privacy, quality of life (8)
or even life itself, censorship
___
is not only justified but a duty of (9)
any society. Racist
_____
and terrorist propaganda and hardcore pornography on the
Internet should be censored. The landmark
Communications and Decency Act (CDA) was passed in 1996
in the U.S. to tackle this (10)
problem .
_________
Oral Activities
Having a dialogue
Having a discussion
Having a dialogue
Suppose your desk-mate, has recently become
addicted to the Internet, which makes him/her often
absent from class and fallen behind in his/her
studies. Try to persuade him/her out of this habit.
Words and phrases for reference:
surf the web, addict, alcoholic, non-stop, moderate, binge,
skew the sense of reality, depress, cognitive overload,
virtual existence, perceive, unreal, harmful
Having a discussion
Divide yourselves into 2 groups. The first group
work to make a list of the advantages of the Internet
and the other group try to come up with a list of its
disadvantages. Then each group appoint four
representatives to have a debate on the topic “Do the
advantages of the Internet outweigh its disadvantages?” The other members of each group can help
representatives when necessary.
Viewpoints for reference
Advantages:
ease of gathering and sharing information; speed up
communication while reducing the costs; SOHO; facilitate
business transactions; improve the public supervision
over governmental issues and foster justice
Disadvantages:
spread of unhealthy information, e.g. violence,
pornography, rumor; endanger personal privacy; risk of
online crime; highly addictive; skew the sense of reality;
reduce the sense of community and give rise to alienation
Writing
With the Internet people can now shop, bank, work and
communicate without leaving home. The danger is that
people could become isolated from each other and lose
social skills.
Write a 250-word essay on the topic “The Danger of
the Internet.” In the first part, tell the reader about the
problem caused by the wide use of the Internet. In the
second part, provide evidence to prove that the problem is
serious. And in the third part, make suggestions on how to
solve this problem.