Track 2-04-03.mp3

Supplementary Reading

Ⅰ. Culture Notes

Advantages and Disadvantages of Internet

(Directions:)

You are required to read the words while listening to the following passage and then have a dialogue about the pros and cons of Internet.

Ten years ago, the term internet was practically anonymous to most of the people. And today internet has become the most ever powerful tool for man throughout the world. However, like every single innovation in science and technology, internet has its own advantages and disadvantages.

Advantages

Communication:

The foremost target of internet has always been the communication. By the advent of the Internet, our earth has reduced and has attained the form of a global village. Nowadays, with the help of email, MSN, Skype and other services, it has become very easy to establish a kind of global friendship where you can share your thoughts and explore other cultures of different nations.

Information

Easy access to information is probably the biggest advantage internet is offering. Any kind of information on any topic under the sun is available on the Internet. The search engines like Google, yahoo are at your service on the Internet. You can almost find any type of data on almost any kind of subject that you are looking for. Students and children are among the top users who surf the Internet for research. Today, it is almost required that students should use the Internet for research for the purpose of gathering resources. Teachers have started giving assignments that require research on the Internet.

Entertainment

Easy access to entertainment is another popular reason why many people prefer to surf the Internet. People can Download games, visit chat rooms or just surf the Web for fun. There are numerous games that may be downloaded from the Internet for free. Chat rooms are popular because users can meet new and interesting people. When people surf the Web, there are numerous things that can be found. Music, hobbies, news and more can be found and shared on the Internet.

Services

Many services are now provided on the internet such as online banking, job seeking, purchasing tickets for your favorite movies, hotel reservations, guidance services on topics engulfing every aspect of life. Often these services are not available off-line and can cost you more.

Disadvantages

Theft of Personal information

If you use the Internet, you may be facing grave danger as your personal information such as name, address, credit card number etc. can be accessed by hackers, or even cyber criminals to make your problems worse.

Spamming

Spamming refers to sending unwanted e-mails in bulk, which needlessly obstruct the entire system. Such illegal activities can be very damaging, so instead of just ignoring it, you should make an effort to try and stop these activities so that using the Internet can become that much safer.

Virus threat

Virus is nothing but a program which disrupts the normal functioning of your computer systems. Computers attached to internet are more prone to virus attacks and they can end up into crashing your whole hard disk, causing you considerable headache.

Pornography

This is perhaps the biggest threat related to your children’s healthy mental life. There are thousands of pornographic sites on the Internet that can be easily found and can be a harmful factor to letting children use the Internet.

Ⅱ. Language Study

1.（Para. 1）It is the sound of the only lasting disagreement in a household that is otherwise peaceful.

   Translate the sentence into Chinese.

(=这是一个原本安宁的家庭中唯一挥之不去的不和谐音。)

2.（Para. 1）household:  n. all the people living together in a house

* American swimmer Michael Phelps has become a household name across the world after breaking the Olympic record for most gold medals in a single Games.

在美国拥有汽车是很普遍的，大多数家庭拥有一辆或一辆以上的私人汽车。

(=Automobile ownership in the United States is widespread, with most households owning one or more private auto. )

3.（Para. 1）be hooked on:  be very keen on and absorbed in

* The Outdoors Magazine describes close-to-home destinations for those hooked on outdoor adventures.

新的研究发现那些试着抽烟的孩子在生理上迷上烟草的速度比人们想象得要快。

(=A new study finds that children who experiment with cigarettes can become physically hooked on tobacco faster than people think.)

4.（Para. 2）on top of:  in addition to

* The last few years were rough. Heart surgery, stomach cancer, and on top of that he lost everything when his house burned down.

他除了向我借了50英镑外, 还向我借汽车。

(=On top of borrowing 50, he asked me to lend him my car.)

5.（Para. 2） intense:  adj. serious and concentrated

* Members of the United Nations Security Council were holding an intense dialogue on the lifting of economic sanctions on Iraq.

随着伊拉克战争的加速，美军医疗人员正在接受紧张的训练。

(=As the war in Iraq stepped up, the U.S. Army medics were receiving intense training.)

6.（Para. 3）worldwide:  

1. adj. around the world

This travel agency offers worldwide booking of airlines, hotels, cars, cruises, and vacations.

全球个人电脑市场依然强劲，2004年第四季度的增长率为13.7％。

(=The worldwide PC market remained strong in the fourth quarter of 2004 with a growth rate of 13.7%.)

2. adv.

Their products are selling well worldwide.

她以顾问的身份在世界各地旅游。

(=she travels worldwide as a consultant.)

7.（Para. 3）It leads to intimacy before acquaintance; it scatters secrets

outwards, not inwards; and, most worrying of all, it is a

vehicle for liars.

   Translate the sentence into Chinese.

(=它使人们还未相识就已亲近；它不能保守秘密反而扩散秘密；而最令人担心的是，它是撒谎人传播谎言的工具。)

8.（Para. 3）scatter:  vt. throw in different direction

* The book is a collection of my musings and scattered thoughts.

他把妻子的骨灰撒在自己家的农场中。

(=He scattered his wife's ashes at the family farm. )

9.（Para. 3）outwards: adv. toward the outside

* Most people's properties can be expanded either outwards or upwards, so you don't have to think about moving to a more expensive house to have an extra room or two.

现在，很多大学都希望从校外得到新的资金来源。

(=Universities nowadays look outwards for new sources of financing. )

10.（Para. 3）vehicle: n. means by which thoughts, feelings, people, or goods

can be conveyed

* Use this guide to choose the cleanest and most fuel-efficient vehicle that meets your needs.

在欧洲，文化遗产被公认为一种文化特性的载体。

(=Cultural heritage is widely recognized across Europe as a vehicle of cultural identity.)

11.（Para. 5）overnight:

1. adv. during or for the night

* Most anti-virus companies issued updates overnight to allow their programs to detect the virus when it is uploaded from the Internet to a victim's PC.

在战争环境中，孩子们在一夜之间就可能会变成大人。

(=Under war conditions children may be transformed overnight into adults.)

2. adj. happening during the night

* Overnight mail services are available in this part of the country.

她乘夜车去纽约。

(=She took the overnight train to New York.)

12.（Para. 7）on the whole:  all things considered, in general

On the whole, those countries experience a decrease in lung cancer that can probably be linked with tobacco control.

总的来看，该项目对俄罗斯的国家安全构成了某些威胁。

（=On the whole, the project poses a certain threat to Russia's national security.）

13.（Para. 7）I said, trying to be reasonable but not altogether succeeding, that in and among the things they "tell" each other on the tap-tap, a tendency to murder might just have been overlooked, might it not?

   Translate the sentence into Chinese.

(=我说，他们啪哒啪哒“讲”给互相听的事情中，杀人的倾向或许就被忽略了，难道这不可能吗？我说这话时尽量想做到通情达理，但不完全成功。)

14.（Para. 7）reasonable:  adj. (of a person or their behavior) showing

fairness and good sense 

* I'm sure he'll understand what happened — he's a reasonable man.

在这个超市里，你能以合理的价格买到优质食品。

(=In this supermarket you can get quality food at a reasonable price.)

15.（Para. 7）tendency : n.  inclination, leaning

The car has a tendency to drift towards the left; we need to have it checked.

欧洲人口已显示出不断减少的发展趋势。

(=Europe's population has developed a tendency to shrink.)

16.（Para. 7）overlook: vt. fail to take notice; miss

* Everyone here in the community is important, and no one will be overlooked.

他似乎忽略了一个重要的事实。

(=He seems to have overlooked one important fact.)

17.（Para. 9）Seizing the initiative she moves over to the attack.

  Paraphrase the sentence.

(=When she proved my ideas wrong she started to attack, forcing me to be on the defense.)

18.（Para. 10）slip: vi. go or move quietly or quickly, esp. without attracting

attention

*A new year slips into the valley with spring-like temperatures.

她快速挣脱了手铐，抓起枪，杀死了她的绑架者。

(=She slipped out of her handcuffs, grabbed a gun and killed her captors. )

19.（Para. 12）horror: n. a feeling of great fear or shock  

The sight of his pale, ugly face filled me with horror.

当飞机撞上大楼时， 人群恐惧地尖叫着。

(=The crowd cried out in horror as the plane hit right into the building.)

20.（Para. 12）plot: n. a plan or an outline of the events in a play or novel

The plot of a story will extend beyond the bounds of the story itself.

那部新小说的情节在作者的头脑中逐渐形成。

(=The plot of the new novel gradually developed in the author's mind.)

21.（Para. 12）to one’s knowledge:  as far as one knows personally

* To her knowledge, she was the only one in her department to interview for the position.

据我所知，本星期大剧院没有演出。

(=To my knowledge there are no shows at the Grand Theater this week. )

22.（Para. 12）Needless to say, it is a new version of the old tale of innocents calling forth evil forces they cannot control, this time in the form of a visitor with the ever-handy axe packed in his luggage.

   Translate the sentence into Chinese.

(=不用说，这又是一些无辜的人引出了邪恶的力量却又不能控制的老故事的翻版，这一次的邪恶力量是以一位来客的面貌出现，但行囊中却藏着斧头，随时可以拿出来杀人。)

23.（Para. 12）needless to say:  as you already know or would expect

*Needless to say, there are other solutions. But this one is the most cost-effective.

约翰摔伤了他的左臀部。不用说，他将有一段时间不能工作。

(=John has broken his left hip. Needless to say, he’ll be off work for a while. )

24.（Para. 12）call forth:  bring into action or existence

* Physical deformity calls forth our charity. But the infinite misfortune of moral deformity calls forth nothing but hatred.

她的所作所为引起了夫妻间的争吵。

(=Her behavior called forth a quarrel between the couple.)

25.（Para. 13）imitate:  copy the behavior, speech, etc. of (sth./sb.)

* Some of the younger singers try to imitate their musical heroes from the past.

你喜欢那些用豆腐和其他蛋白质为原料模仿成肉制品的素菜吗？

(=Do you like vegetarian dishes that use tofu or other sources of protein to imitate meat?)

Ⅲ. Comprehension Task

Since the topic of Text B has something to do with Internet, now here is a passage about educational technology in American schools. You are required to accomplish two tasks based on the passage.

Task One: Questions and Answers

 (Directions:)

In this section, you will listen to a passage about the educational technology in American schools. After you listen to it, you are required to answer the following questions

.

1. What is the question? And who asked it?

2. In order to answer this question, what elements should we consider?

3. Do all schools in USA have access to Internet? Do they use it in the same way?

4. Why do some schools use video conferencing?

5. What is Smart Board? Can you say something about it?

6. What kind of devices do some teachers use in their teaching?

7. According to the educators, which is more important, device or content?

Task Two: Spot Dictation

(Directions:)

Listen to the passage again and fill in blanks with the words you heard.

This is the VOA Special English ________ (=Education Report).

A question from the West Bank: Zuheir Khlaif wants to know how American schools use _______(= educational technology).

There is not a simple answer. It depends on the subject and level of students, of course. But it also depends on the interest and training of the teachers, and the goals and budgets of the schools.

Schools are almost all connected to the Internet. But some have more technology, and use it more, than others. For example, some schools use computers for activities like video conferencing, to bring the world into the classroom.

And some classrooms are equipped with things like a Smart Board, a kind of interactive whiteboard. Interactive whiteboards are large displays for presentations. They connect to a computer and can operate by touch. They can be used for documents or writing or to project video.

Some teachers are trying creative new ways to teach with devices like iPods and mobile phones. But educators say the most important thing, as always, is the content.

This is the VOA Special English ________ (=Education Report).

A question from the West Bank: Zuheir Khlaif wants to know how American schools use _______(= educational technology).

There is not a simple answer. It depends on the ________(=subject and level) of students, of course. But it also depends on the interest and training of the teachers, and the ________________ (=goals and budgets of the schools).

Schools are almost all _________(= connected ) to the Internet. But some have more technology, and use it more, than others. For example, some schools use computers for activities like _________ (=video conferencing), to bring the world into the classroom.

And some classrooms are ________(=equipped with) things like a Smart Board, a kind of interactive whiteboard. Interactive whiteboards are large displays for presentations. They connect to a computer and can _______(=operate by touch). They can be used for documents or writing or to ________ (=project video).

Some teachers are trying ______ (=creative new ways) to teach with devices like iPods and mobile phones. But (= educators) say the most important thing, as always, is the _______ (= content).