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Unit Three

Alienation and the Internet

海南大学外国语学院 基础英语教研室

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• Contents• A. Text one• I. Pre-reading: • (I). Warm-up questions • (II). Background information • II. While-reading: Text Analysis• (I) Structure analysis• (II) Comprehension questions • (III) Language points• (IV) Difficult sentences • III. Post-Reading:• (I) Grammatical items• (II) Translation Exercises• (III) Oral activities• (IV) Writing practice • B. Text two• （I）Questions for text comprehension• （II）Language points

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• I. Pre-reading: • Information• Pros and Cons of the Internet The Internet is a wonderful source from

which we can retrieve valuable information. Moreover, it facilitates our communication with people far away from us at a cost substantially less than that of traditional means of communication. Also, it can be an important building block to children’s learning because a vast amount of information is only clicks away. There is evidence suggesting that computer use is linked to slightly better academic performance.

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However, there is sufficient evidence indicating that the Internet can exert a harmful influence on people. For example, its addictive power has increased children and youngsters’ time spent in front of the computer screens at the expense of other healthier physical activities, thus increasing their chance of getting overweight and short-sighted. In addition, children have limited ability of telling right from wrong and therefore are subject to the potential contaminating influence of the harmful materials on the Internet.

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• If the Internet allows for the free exchange of ideas, it helps to unify us. Then how does it alienate us while uniting us? How does it fragment society while globalizing ideas? This is the issue that the author tackles in the text.

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This piece of argumentative writing falls into three parts.

Part I (Paragraphs 1 — 2): The writer presents his thesis in the opening part: the Internet may be responsible for furthering the fragmentation of society by alienating its individual users.

Part II (Paragraphs 3 — 6): The author supports his point with evidence and reasons in the body of argumentation.

Part III (Paragraph 7): The writer reiterates his main idea in the conclusion of the text.

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• The thesis statement of the text is in the second paragraph: “... the Internet may be responsible for furthering the fragmentation of society by alienating its individual users.”

The concluding statement appears at the beginning of the last paragraph: “All this being said, I believe that the key to realizing the potential of the Internet is in achieving balance in our lives.”

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• II. While-reading: Text Analysis• (I) Structure analysisQuestions:How does the author start his argument? The author starts his argument by

presenting an apparent contradiction: on the one hand, the Internet facilitates global unification by enabling the free exchange of ideas; on the other, it alienates the participants.

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What is the author’s purpose of citing the example of his friend in Paragraph 3? How is the example related to his argument?

With the example of his friend, the author intends to convince the reader of the negative consequence of the Internet. His friend was addicted to the Internet and stayed on line too long. The side effect of the Internet upon his friend, i.e. distorting his sense of reality and making him feel lonely and depressed, is evidence that the Internet contributes to the fragmentation of society by alienating its individual users.

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What is the “cruel irony” concerning the use of the Internet mentioned at the end of Paragraph 4?

The “cruel irony” means that on the one hand the Internet provides users with a convenient means of communicating and making friends with people far apart, but on the other, it estranges them from people around them by curtailing their availability for face-to-face communication even with their families and close friends and for involvement in community activities.

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What is the main idea of Paragraph 6?In this paragraph, the author means to

illustrate how the overuse of the Internet may distort the user’s sense of reality.

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• Does the author believe it is within human capacity to reap the benefit of the Internet without being penalized ?

Yes. He thinks that people are able to maintain their sense of place while exploiting the resources of the Internet.

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• Group discussion• Do you find the Internet useful in your

life? What advantages does the Internet bring to you? Are there any disadvantages of the Internet? Share your opinions about the pros and cons of the Internet with your groupmates.

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• Detailed reading• Vocabulary and Expressions • given: prep. when you consider sth.• Given his age (= considering how old he

is), he’s remarkably active. • Given her interest in children, teaching

seems the right job for her.given that: conj.It was surprising the government was re-

elected, given that they had raised taxes so much.

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a. fixed for a purpose and stated as suchThey were to meet at a given time and place.

• equivalent:• n. sth. equal in value, measure, force,

effect or significance• Comparison:equivalent (of/to sth.) • The dress cost the equivalent of a week’s

salary.• What is the equivalent of fifty pounds in US

dollars?

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a. equal in value, amount, meaning, importance, etc.

equivalent (to sth.) • Eight kilometers is roughly equivalent to

five miles.• Rewrite the sentence using

“equivalent”:• Breathing such polluted air has the same

effect as smoking ten cigarettes a day. • Breathing such polluted air is the

equivalent of smoking ten cigarettes a day.• Breathing such polluted air is equivalent to

smoking ten cigarettes a day.

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• dramatically: ad. • suddenly and noticeably• Prices have fallen dramatically. • Events could have developed in a

dramatically different way. dramatic a.• a dramatic

increase/fall/change/improvement • dramatic results/developments/news

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• alter: v. • become different; make sb./sth. different• He had altered so much that I scarcely

recognized him. • Nothing can alter the fact that we are to

blame. • The landscape has been radically

altered, severely damaging wildlife.alteration: n. a change to sth. that makes

it differentThey are making major/minor alterations

to the house.

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• alternate: • a. (of two things) happening or

following one after the other regularlyShe puts alternate layers of fruit and

cream to make cake.v. (cause to) follow by turnsWe alternate periods of work and sleep.

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• alternative: • n. a thing that you can choose to do or

have out of two or more possibilitiesYou can be paid in cash weekly or by

check monthly; those are the two alternatives.

a. [only before noun] Have you got an alternative suggestion?

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• further: v. • help forward• Additional training is probably the best

way to further your career these days.• The interests of an organization will

never be furthered through acts of terrorism.

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Note that when the same form is used as a noun, the stress shifts to the first syllable.

fragment:v. break into parts or small pieces

Pronunciation:

e.g. The satellite will fragment and burn up as it falls through the Earth’s atmosphere.The government is planning to fragment the industry before privatizing it.

n. a small part of sth. that has broken off or comes from sth. largere.g.

Police found fragments of glass near the scene. I overheard a fragment of their conversation.

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e.g.

the fragmentation of the country into small independent states

Derivations:

fragmentation: n.

e.g.

a fragmented society

fragmented: a.

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alienate: v. cause sb. to feel very distant from or not welcome to sb. else

e.g. She was alienated from her brother by her foolish behavior.All these changes to the newspaper have alienated its traditional readers.

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e.g.

In a world that had suddenly become alien and dangerous, he was her only security. (a.)aliens from outer space (n.)

Derivations:

alien: a. & n.

e.g.

The new policy resulted in the alienation of many voters. Many immigrants suffer from a sense of alienation.

alienation: n.

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addicted: a. being dependent on sth. and wanting to spend as much time doing it as possible

e.g.

Some youngsters are hopelessly addicted to video games.She’s become addicted to love stories.

Collocation:

be addicted to sth.

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e.g.

He is now fighting his addiction to alcohol.

Derivations:

addiction: n.

e.g.

Heroin is highly addictive.

addictive: a.

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alcoholic: n. sb. who cannot stop drinking large amounts of alcohol, even when this is making him or her ill

e.g.shopaholic; chocaholic; workaholic

Word Formation:

-aholic: suffix in nounsliking sth. very much and unable to stop doing or using it

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in that: conj. (formal) for the reason that; because

e.g.She was fortunate in that she had friends to help her. Men differ from brutes in that they can think and speak.The news was all the more reliable in that it was from an official source.

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be given to: (formal) do sth. often or regularly

e.g.He is given to heavy drinking.He is given to going for long walk on his own.

Collocation:

be given to sth. / doing sth.

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exaggeration: n. action of making a situation, quality, or feature appear greater, more obvious, or more important than it really is

e.g.The hotel was really filthy and I’m not exaggerating. He tends to exaggerate the difficulties.

Derivation: exaggerate: v. make sth. seem larger, better, worse or more important than it really is

e.g.He told his story simply and without exaggeration.

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• binge: n. • an occasion when an activity is done in

an extreme way, esp. eating, drinking or spending money

• go on a binge / an Internet binge / a chocolate binge

• One of the symptoms of this disease is binge eating.

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skew: v. cause to be not straight or exact; twist

e.g.The company’s results for this year are skewed because not all our customers have paid their bills.Today’s election will skew the results in favour of the northern end of the country.

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lament: v. express sadness and regret about sth.

e.g.He lamented the death of his friend. She lamented that she had never been to Paris.

e.g.

She shows a lamentable lack of understanding.

Derivation: lamentable: a. very disappointing

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It strikes me that nobody is really in favor of the proposal.我突然意识到没人真正喜欢这个提议。

... it struck us that …:

... it occurred to us that … / ... we suddenly realized that …

e.g.How does the concert last night strike you?He struck me as an odd, old-fashioned professor of Chinese.

___________

Blank filling:

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He challenged his accusers to confront him openly.They lawyer confronted the accused man with the forged check.This was the first time he had confronted an armed robber.

confront: v.deal with a problem or difficult situation

e.g.

She knew that she had to confront her fears.He manifested extraordinary courage when confronted with formidable difficulty.

Synonym: face up to

face sb. so that they cannot avoid seeing and hearing you, esp. in an unfriendly or dangerous situatione.g.

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perceive: v. see, notice, or realize sth., esp. when it is not obviouse.g. I perceived a change in his behavior.

She perceived that all was not well. The patient was perceived to have difficulty in breathing.

e.g.

It was very perceptive of you to notice that.

Derivations:

perception: n. perceptive: a. having or showing the ability to see or understand things quickly, esp. things that are not obvious

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(1) The price increase has had no effect

on sales. 价格增长对销售没有产生可见的影响。(2) The drug can alter people’s of

visual stimuli. 这种药物能够改变人的视觉刺激感知能力。

e.g.

Her foreign accent was barely perceptible.

Derivations:perceptible: a. great enough for you to notice it (Synonym: noticeable)

perceptible__________

Blank filling:

perception_________

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converse: n. the opposite

e.g. In the U.S., cars are driven on the right side of the road, but in Britain the converse applies.It is possible, of course, that the converse of this theory may also be true.

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maximize: v.increase sth. as much as possible

e.g.maximize efficiency/fitness/profits [computing] Maximize the window to full screen.

make the best use of sth.

e.g.maximize opportunities/resources

minimize

Antonym:

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value: v. regard highly; esteem

e.g.

We value your cooperation and would like to expand business with you.I have always valued your friendship.

Collocations: value sb./sth. (as sth.); value sb./sth. (for sth.)

他是我们队很看重的一个成员。He is a member of our team. valued______

Blank filling:

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(change) for the better: improve1.

e.g. 我的商店经营状况有所好转，今年有望盈利。

Things are changing for the better at my store. I may make a profit this year.

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take advantage of: make use of sth. well; make use of an opportunity

2.

e.g. 她利用孩子们不在的时间打扫了他们的房间。

She took advantage of the children’s absence to tidy their rooms.

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in earnest: very serious and sincere about what you are saying and about your intentions; in a way that shows that you are serious

3.

e.g. 我相信他说想娶她是真心实意的。

I am sure he was in earnest when he said he wanted to marry her.

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prior to: (formal) before sth.4.

e.g. 全部安排都应在我们出发之前完成。

All the arrangements should have been completed prior to our departure.

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give ... pause to think: make sb. think seriously about sth. or hesitate before doing sth.

5.

e.g. 一系列事故的发生使得政府停下来考虑交通安全问题。

The series of accidents gave the government pause to think about the traffic safety issue.

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1. 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.

If you simulate sth., you give the effect or appearance of it and imitate it.

Translate the following sentences into English.

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Practice ： 电脑软件可以被用来模拟海底的状况。

这些鞋子是用仿制皮革制成的。

Computer software can be used to simulate conditions on the seabed.

These shoes are made of simulated leather.

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2. 我们只能以牺牲质量为代价来提高产量，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.

If you do one thing at the expense of another, you sacrifice the latter, or do the former at the cost of the latter.

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Practice ： 他以自己的健康为代价来完成这项工作。

He finished the job at the expense of his health.

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3. 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.

If you are given to sth., you do it often or regularly.

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Practice ：她有消沉的倾向。

他是个不错的家伙，就是常常说傻话。

She is given to depression.

He is a nice guy, but rather given to making stupid remarks.

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4. 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.

When something is “at the very least”, it is no less than …

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Practice ：这个项目至少要花一年的时间。

如果你想在某一公司工作，至少你要表现出对所申请工作的兴趣。

This project will take a year, at the very least.

If you are hoping to work in a company, at the very least you need to exhibit a positive interest in the job on offer.

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5. 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.

If you perceive sth., you see, notice, or realize sth., esp. when it is not obvious.

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Practice ：我们看不出问题出在何处。

他们发觉自己不受欢迎便走了。

We were unable to perceive where the problem lay.

They perceived that they were unwelcome and left.

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Post-Reading Having a dialogue

surf the web, addict, alcoholic, non-stop, moderate, binge, skew the sense of reality, depress, cognitive overload, virtual existence, perceive, unreal, harmful

Words and phrases for reference:

Topic: 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.

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Having a discussionDo the advantages of the Internet outweigh its disadvantages?

Viewpoints for reference:

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

Advantages:

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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

Disadvantages:

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Suggestion: Write a problem-solving essay. The problem needs to be presented and explained clearly (e.g. the first paragraph), and necessary evidence is required to back up your description (e.g. the second paragraph), and finally, suggestions on the solution should be proposed (e.g. the last paragraph).

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Practice: Write a three-paragraph essay on the given topic: “The Disadvantages of TV”In the first paragraph, tell the reader about the problem caused by the extensive use of the TV. In the second paragraph, provide evidence to prove that the problem is serious. And in the third paragraph, make suggestions on how to solve this problem.

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Lead-in questions

1) Have you heard of the company American Online (AOL)?

2) What do you think will make an Internet-related business successful?

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• Text B About the text — This text is taken

from Business Today (1999) by Michael H. Mescon et al.

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Because it was by no means easy to get a large number of subscribers, especially at the very beginning. AOL had to start with this unique marketing approach to make its product known to the general public. As a matter of fact, it took five years for this company to attract a million subscribers.

He imagined a world in which computers would be connected so that they could work much faster and everybody could use them.

1. What vision did Case have?

2. Why did AOL take the blanketing approach?

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3. What difficulties did AOL meet with?

It did not expect the fast increase of subscribers and failed to satisfy the needs of its customers. As a result, it lost a lot of money and consumer confidence.

4. How did AOL survive the strong competition?

It got a large amount of revenue from advertising on the Internet and selling products online.

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