1、Unit 3 Alienation and the Internet Key to the Exercises Text comprehensionI. Decide which of the following best states the authors purpose of writing.BII. Judge, according to the text, whether the following statements are true or false.1. T (Refer to Paragraph 1.) 2. F (Refer to Paragraph 2. When th
2、e 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 alien
3、ates the participants.) 3. F (Refer to Paragraph 3, where the author, by saying “I have not known this fellow to be given to exaggeration?“ actually means that to the best of his knowledge, this friend of his has never exaggerated anything.)4. T (Refer to Paragraph 4. At the end of this paragraph, t
4、he author argues that when people spend much time developing on-line relationships with faraway folks, they will have no time to participate in communal activities, which undermines the sense of community.)5. T (Refer to Paragraph 6. In this paragraph, the author argues that when surfing the Web a p
5、erson might be cognitively overloaded and that the cognitive overload might result in a distorted sense of reality.)III. Answer the following questions.1. Refer to Paragraph 1. As the author sees it, the Internet is most likely to make our global village a better place to live in. It provides a mira
6、culous forum for the globalization of ideas, which contributes to the realization of human potential. Furthermore, 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 the user of h
7、is 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 the user a skewed sense of reality by making him cognitively overloaded. 2. Refer
8、 to Paragraph 3. 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 spent so much time in cyberspace, his sense of reality might have been crooked. Moreover, without any face-to-face verba
9、l communication with other people, he felt lonely and depressed. 3. Refer to Paragraph 4. 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.“ La
10、rge 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 authors nephew, it seems to be an irreversible
11、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 believe th
12、at society is being further alienated by the Internet.4. The “cruel irony“ means that the Internet provides the user with a convenient means of communicating and making friends with people far apart on the one hand, but on the other, it estranges the user from the people around him by canceling his
13、availability for face-to-face communication even with his families and close friends and for involvement in community activities. 5. Refer to Paragraphs 6 and 7. The potential of the Internet as a powerful tool for globalizing ideas and for acquiring and applying knowledge can only be realized when
14、the user strikes a balance between reality and the Internet. Although the Internet makes it possible for the user to debate, shop, travel and have romance in cyberspace without leaving home, the overuse of this tool probably results in a distorted sense of reality. The only way to avoid being penali
15、zed by the Internet is make moderate use of this tool without losing ones sense of place in the world.IV. Explain in your own words the following sentences.1. As the Internet can be reached and used with relatively few restrictions, it plays a role in connecting people globally, which is comparable
16、to travelling through international waterways.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 from each other and fragments society further as a result. 3. I think that in our society top priority is give
17、n to the satisfaction of ones immediate needs. The Internet is the best means to achieve this purpose, for on the Internet one can do whatever he likes to.Structural analysis of the textThe three parts of the text: Part 1 (Paragraphs 1?); Part 2 (Paragraphs 3?); and Part 3 (Paragraph 7).Thesis state
18、ment: . the Internet may be responsible for furthering the fragmentation of society by alienating its individual users. Concluding statement: All of this being said, I believe that the key to realizing the potential of the Internet is in achieving balance in our lives.Rhetorical features of the text
19、 More antonyms: real 杗 ot real, reality 杤 irtual existence, outside playing with his friends杙 lay his games against his friends in cyberspace. The use of all these pairs of antonymous words and expressions helps to reinforce the seeming self-contradiction that the Internet can lead to globalization
20、on the one hand and cause the alienation of the users from the people around them on the other.Vocabulary exercisesI. Explain the underlined part in each sentence in your own words.1. ability to develop, achieve or succeed2. causing to feel very distant from or not welcome to other people3. liked it
21、 very much and wanted to spend as much time doing it as possible4. more information than one can cope with5. a set of images and sounds produced by a computer which seem so real that for most purposes they can be regarded as realII. Fill in the blank(s) in each sentence with a phrase from the box in
22、 its appropriate form.1. for the better2. at the expense of 3. was confronted with4. took advantage of5. in earnest6. are available for7. prior to8. would give . pause to thinkIII. Fill in the blanks with the appropriate forms of the given words.1. alienating 2. globalization3. fragmenting 4. addict
23、5. exaggerates 6. Depression7. simulated 8. gratifiedIV. Choose the word or phrase that can replace the underlined part in each sentence without changing its original meaning.1. A 2. B 3. B 4. C5. B 6. A7. D 8. DV. Give a synonym or an antonym of the word underlined in each sentence in the sense it
24、is used. 1. Antonym: intended (purposeful, intentional, planned)2. Antonym: extraordinary (unusual)3. Synonym: alienate (isolate, estrange)4. Synonym: cultivate (nurture)5. Antonym: considerable (excessive, indulgent)6. Synonym: improvement (enhancement)7. Synonym: misrepresent (falsify)8. Antonym:
25、unimportant (trivial, minor)VI. Explain the meaning of the underlined part in each sentence.1. expanses2. thinking it is necessary3. commonplace4. at home5. tell you6. large numberGrammar exercisesI. Combine the sentences in each group into one, using at least one absolute construction.1. All of thi
26、s being said, I believe that the key to realizing the potential of the Internet is in achieving balance in our lives.2. There having been no rain, the ground was dry.3. When I walked in, Grandpa was sitting at the kitchen table, the newspaper spread before him.4. The boys leaned against the willow t
27、ree, their fishing poles resting on sticks, their eyes gazing at the bobbers floating on the ripples.5. Mark went homeward alone, his heart full of a strange emotion.6. The discussion completed, the chairman adjourned the meeting for half an hour.7. Diana stood motionless at the end of the diving bo
28、ard, her hands at her sides, her heels slightly raised, every muscle anticipating action. 8. 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.II. Put the verbs in brackets into a gerund or an inf
29、initive.1. pacify, be pacified, grumbling2. seeing3. being treated4. doing5. getting, closing6. answering, ring7. reporting8. resolving9. making10. goingIII. Rewrite the following sentences, beginning with the words given.1. Hardly had he arrived when she started complaining.2. Rarely does Manton ca
30、re about anything else once he gets logged onto the Net.3. Under no circumstances must you touch this switch.4. Never in all their lives have they known such hardships.5. So much does he worry about his financial position that he cant sleep at night.6. Not only did he speak more correctly but also m
31、ore convincingly.7. Only after several trials did they succeed. 8. 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 possibl
32、e. 1. The teacher blew a whistle and off ran the children. 2. The man lit the fuse and after a few seconds up went the rocket. 3. On the stairs was sitting a small dark-haired girl. 4. Round the corner came a milk-van. 5. There goes the vicar. 6. The people dived for cover as over their heads flew t
33、he bullets. 7. In the doorway stood her father. 8. 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. The people of Sawston were evacuated yesterday as forest fires headed towards the town. Such was the heat of
34、the oncoming inferno that trees more than 100 metres ahead began to smoulder. Only once in recent years, during 1994, has a town of this size 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 climbed the sick and
35、 elderly, before they headed off to safety across the river. Residents with cars were ordered to leave by midmorning. Later in the day, as the wind changed direction and it became clear that the fire would leave Sawston untouched, complaints were heard from some residents. “At no time did the fires
36、pose a real threat,“ said one local man. “I didnt want to leave my home, and nor did most of my neighbours.“ But Chief Fire Officer Jones replied, “Had we not taken this action, lives would have been put at risk. Only when the fires have moved well away from the town will residents be allowed to ret
37、urn to their homes.“VI. Make sentences of your own after the sentences given below, keeping the underlined structures in your sentences.(Reference version)1. I am ready to accept your proposal in that I believe it to be the best you can offer.2. All things being considered, I think I ought to award
38、the scholarship to John.Translation exercisesI. Translate the following sentences into Chinese.1. 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. 乍听起来这似乎相互矛盾：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. 据我所知，此人不喜欢夸大其词，因此当他描述自己的网瘾、说常常连续泡网一天一夜时，这引起了我的思考。4. 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。II. Translate th
39、e following sentences into English, using the words or phrases given in brackets.1. Theres no denying that smoking is addictive. And once you are addicted, its very difficult to get rid of the habit. 2. In a Japanese-made video game, players can simulate the experience of AIDS from HIV infection unt
40、il death. 3. Im sure he was in earnest when he said that you could use this money to continue your study of music.4. We can only increase production at the expense of quality, which could ruin the companys reputation. 5. She is not often given to anger, but this time she really lost her temper.6. A
41、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. I soon perceived that I couldnt make him change his mind.III. Translate the following passage into Chinese.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
42、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。卫星将帮助汽车自行回家。家家户户将接收到卫星、微波发射塔、纤维线和铜线传送的信号。Exercises for integrated skillsI. DictationThe Internet undoubtedly enriches our lives in many ways. / Th
43、e 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 oppor
44、tunities / 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 dont really need Inter
45、net companies to do them for us. / Perhaps, the leaders of the Internet revolution / cant 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.(1) as (2) of(3) rate (4) with(5) in (6) but(7) to (8) or(9) any (10) problem
