Supplementary Reading >> Culture Notes

I. El Nino

El Nino is a global ocean-atmosphere phenomenon. It is an important temperature fluctuation in surface waters of the tropical Eastern Pacific Ocean. The name El Nino, from the Spanish for “the little boy”, refers to the Christ child, because the phenomenon is usually noticed around Christmas time in the Pacific Ocean off the west coast of South America.

II. A Brief History of Exploration of Mars

1. The modern era of Mars exploration began to take shape in the early 1960s.This era has, so far, consisted of a series of robotic probes launched, primarily, by the United States.

2. Mariner 4 was launched by NASA in November of 1964. On July 15th, 1965 it passed by Mars successfully at 9,846 km.

3. The two Viking probes were launched from Earth in 1975 and entered Mars orbit in the same year.

4. Mars Pathfinder was launched on December 4th, 1996 and landed near the mouth of the Ares Valles valley on July 4th, 1997.

5. Mars Odyssey was launched on April 7th, 2001 and entered Mars orbit on October 24th, 2001.

6. Mars Express is the first successful robotic probe to Mars launched and operated by the European Space Agency. It was launched in June of 2003 and arrived in Mars orbit on December 25th, 2003.

Supplementary Reading >> Reading

I. Difficult Sentences

1. Imagine the hopes raised in the millions battling cancer. (Para. 2)
Paraphrase the sentence:
(Imagine what a great encouragement it is for the millions of patients who are fighting against cancer.)

2. Science doesn’t work that way. (Para. 3)
Paraphrase the sentence:
(Science doesn’t operate that way.)

3. It rarely arrives at final answers. (Para. 3)
Paraphrase the sentence:
(Seldom does science enable us to arrive at ultimate solutions.)

4. The scientific method, as many of us learned in school, is a gradual process that begins with a purpose or a problem or question to be answered. (Para. 4)
Translate the sentence into Chinese.
(正如我们很多人在学校里所学的那样，科学方法是一个渐进的过程，这个过程始于某个目的，或某个需要解决或回答的问题。)

5. It’s the result of course, that makes the best news – not the years of quiet work. (Para. 5)
Translate the sentence into Chinese.
(成为新闻热点的当然是结果，而非长年默默无闻的努力。)

6. Other researchers will try to repeat the experiment, and the more often it works, the better the chances that the result is sound. (Para. 6)
Translate the sentence into Chinese.
(别的研究人员会试图重复这一实验，实验成功的次数越多，其结果就越有可能是可靠的。)

7. As President Clinton said that day, the possibility that life existed on Mars billions of years ago was potentially one of the great discoveries of our time. (Para. 7)
Translate the sentence into Chinese.
(正如克林顿总统那天所说，发现亿万年前火星上可能存在生命这件事，有可能是我们时代最伟大的发现之一。)

8. Some concluded that the “evidence of life” was mostly contamination from Antarctic ice or that there was nothing organic at all in the rock. (Para. 8)
Translate the sentence into Chinese.
(有些人得出结论说，这些“生命的证据”大多来自南极冰的污染，或者那块石头里根本就没有有机物。)

9. Like climbing a mountain, we struggle up three feet and fall back two. (Para. 10)
Paraphrase the sentence.
(Just like in mountain climbing, progress is gradual, slowed by reverses.)

II. Words & Expressions

deadline: n.  point in time by which sth. must be done

- I’m afraid you’ve missed the deadline — the deadline for applications was May 30th.

- 在周五的最后期限之前完成将是非常困难的。(Friday’s deadline is going to be very difficult to meet.)

victim: n.  sb. who has been hurt or killed by sb. / sth.; sb. who suffers because of sth. bad that happens or because of an illness

- 孩子们是这场打斗的无辜受害者。(The children were the innocent victims of the fighting.)

- He was the victim of an administrative error.

frustrate: vt.  cause (sb.) to feel discouraged or disappointed; prevent (sb.) from doing or achieving sth.

- Some websites are not tested adequately and consequently carry bugs that frustrate visitors.

- 由于大雪，他们登上顶峰的努力失败了。(They were frustrated in their efforts to reach the summit by heavy snowfall.)

yield: vt.  reveal; produce or provide

- 双方的会谈没有取得成果。(Talks between the two sides have yielded no results.)

- The agency finally yielded consent to his application.

step by step:  gradually

- The career counselor guided Elle step by step through her planning for gaining admission to a graduate program in psychology.

step-by-step: adj.  gradual

- 该教科书是以其循序渐进介绍英语语法而众所周知。 (The textbook is well known for its step-by-step introduction to English grammar.)

outcome: n.  result

- One current educational approach which has not received a lot of attention is outcome-based education.

- 在记者招待会上将会公布谈判的结果。(The outcome of the negotiations will be announced at a press conference.)

gradual: adj.  happening or developing slowly and by degrees

- Some people favour a gradual switch from the Microsoft system to open source.

- 这一过程是悄然发生、循序渐进且无法避免的。(This process is quiet, gradual and inevitable.)

process: n.  connected series of actions, changes, etc.

- 减肥是一个缓慢的，渐进的过程。(Losing weight is a slow, gradual process.)

- I think life itself is a learning process.

conclusion: n.  belief or opinion that is the result of reasoning; end

- There are perhaps two main conclusions to be drawn from the above discussion.

- 我们是根据事实得出的结论。(We based our conclusion on facts.)

- 会议是结束了，却取得很少进展。(At the conclusion of the meeting, little progress had been made.)

propose: vt.  put forward for consideration; suggest (used in the patterns: propose that … ; propose doing sth.)

- 报告还建议延长高速公路。(The report also proposes extending the motorway.)

- The government has proposed legislation to ban retailers from selling tobacco products to young people.

- In his speech he proposed that the UN should set up an emergency centre for the environment.

evaluate: vt.  assess

- 您的工作将由管理团队的成员进行评估。(Your work will be evaluated by members of the management team.)

- From books to Internet sites to television to scholarly journal articles, it is always important to critically evaluate information.

bulk: n.  the main or largest part; (largeness of) size

- 他注意到，活跃的社区成员大部分是女性。(He has noticed that the bulk of active community members are women.)

- The bulk of the wealth of humanity is intangible, informational, and cultural.

submit: vt.  offer for consideration (used in the pattern: submit sth. to sb.)

- 发展商向当地政府提交了建筑图,以获得批准。(The developers submitted building plans to the local government for approval.)

- We have submitted proposals for a new curriculum to the Vice Chancellor.

publish: vt.  make information available to people, especially in a book, magazine or newspaper, or produce and sell a book, magazine or newspaper

- They are publishing the dictionary on CD-ROM.

- 这个出版社主要出版教科书和其他教育材料。(The press publishes mainly textbooks and other educational materials.)

professional: adj.  of a profession

- He was a keen amateur photographer for many years before he turned professional.

- 这个网站提供免费和专业的语言翻译服务。(This website provides free and professional language translation service.)

challenge:

1. n. difficult or stimulating task; statement or action which questions (sth.)

- 我喜欢学习新事物的挑战。(I like the challenge of learning new things.)

- Brian now faces the biggest challenge of his career.

2. v. give / send / be a challenge to

- We were challenging all the traditional methods of testing for poisons.

- 这种说法一直备受争议和质疑，但又似乎站得住脚。(That claim has been challenged and much debated, but it seems to hold up.)

amount: n.  quantity; total sum

- My dog has an amount of nearly white hairs.

- 当你增加纤维的摄入量时, 要多饮液体, 这一点很重要。(It’s important to drink more fluids when you increase the amount of fiber you eat.)

wear down:  (cause to) become smaller, weaker, etc.

- 多年内战拖垮了这个国家。(The country was worn down by years of civil war.)

- The tires have worn down; they don’t grip as well as before.

organic: adj.  relating to farming or gardening methods of growing food without using artificial chemicals, or produced or grown by these methods

- 有机水果一般更为昂贵。(Organic fruit is generally more expensive.)

- Most supermarkets now sell organic produce.

somehow: adv.  in some way; by some means; for some reason that is not clear

- Still single in his fifties, he expected somehow to discover a woman who would love him.

- 他原本能按预定进度做完这件事的，但不知怎么却落后了。(He could have finished it on schedule, but somehow he fell behind.)

- Somehow my tongue got tied and I failed to ask the film star for her autograph.

Supplementary Reading >> Comprehension Tasks

I. Talk about Pictures

Divide students into two groups. The first group looks at Picture 1, and the second group looks at Picture 2. Invite students from each group to describe their picture respectively, and then hold a discussion about pros and cons of technology.

(图略)

II. Listening and Discussion

In this part, you will hear two short passages about tumor and cell phones. You are required to listen to them carefully and write down some important information. After your listening, you are asked to have a discussion based on the questions following the passage.

Passage One

Key words:

tumor            瘤

analog           模拟的

digital            数字的

A Swedish study suggests that people who use cell phones for at least ten years might be at greater risk for developing a rare tumor. It can grow on the nerve that leads from the inner ear to the brain. The risk was higher on the side of the head where the phone was usually held.

The researchers found that those people who had used cell phones for at least ten years had almost two times the risk of developing this kind of tumor. In addition, the tumor risk was almost four times higher on the side of the head where the phone was usually held.

There was no increased risk for those who had used cell phones for fewer than ten years. At the time the study was done, only analog phones had been in use for ten years.

Almost all early analog cell phones released more radiation than the digital phones now being sold. But researchers say they cannot be sure if the results are just linked to the use of analog phones. They say further study is needed.

Questions for discussion:

1) What is the study mainly about?

2) Who would have a higher health risk according to the report?

3) Do you always believe what scientists say or report?

Passage Two

New research has found no link between the use of cell phones and tumors in the head. The study is one of the largest ever done on the possible links between brain cancer and cell phone radiation. 

Anthony Swerdlow led the study. He said the results suggest there is no major risk of acoustic neuromas in the first ten years of using cell phones. But he said the technology is still too new to know about long-term effects. He also warned that young children who use cell phones could be at higher risk. The results of a recent Swedish study also found no link between cell phone use and brain tumors. In 2000, a British study found no serious health effects from the use of cell phones. However, it warned that children should use them only in emergencies. 

Questions for discussion:

1) What is the new research mainly about?

2) What are the major findings?

Why does the second report totally contradict the first rep