Unit Three Understanding Science

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Unit Three Understanding Science
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Teaching objectives

• Get a general idea about Stephen Hawking
• Understand the main ideas and structures in Text
  A
• Appreciate the style differences between
  narrative writing and expository writing
• Grasp the main language points

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Warm-up Activity

• Brainstorm some of the scientific and
  technological inventions.
• Discuss In what way do scientific discoveries
  change our lives for the better or for the worse?
• Make a brief introduction to Stephen Hawking

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Brainstorm some of the scientific and
technological inventions.
E-mail
clone
nanotechnology
telephone
Genetic engineering
TV
Laptop computer
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• In what way do scientific discoveries change our
  lives for the better or for the worse? Take one
  invention for example.

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People must understand that science is inherently
neither a potential for good nor for evil. It is
a potential to be harnessed by man to do his
bidding. -----Glenn
T. Seaborq
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A brief introduction of Stephen Hawking

• Read the passage on P279 and answer the following
  three questions.

• What do many people find most striking about
  Hawking?

It is the contrast between the strength of his
mind and the weakness of his body.
2. How does Hawking communicate with others?
He uses a computer that enables him to select
words which are then turned into speech.
3. What are his main achievements?
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• Singularity????????????????????????,????,????????
  ??????????????,??????????????? .
• Black hole Objects from which nothing was
  supposed to be able to escape?????????????????????
  ??????????????????????,???????????????????????????
  ????????,?????????????,??????????,????????????????
  ?,????,????????????,???????????
• A Brief History of Time????

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What impress us most is Hawkings optimism.
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Although there was a cloud hanging over my
future, I found, to my great surprise, that I was
enjoying life more than before.
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At the beginning of A Brief History of Time,
Hawking writes

• ?????,???????????,???????????????????????????,???
  ??????,?????????Emc2???????????????????
• I was advised that each equation I included would
  halve the sales. I included one equation.
  Einsteins famous equation, Emc2. maybe I would
  have sold twice as many copies without it.

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In-class Reading

• Compare Unit 2 and Unit 3 to see the differences
  between narration and exposition (Video Tape)
• Analyze the text structure
• Read each part in Detail

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The style of expository writing

• Longer paragraphs in which there are longer and
  more involved sentences.
• Closely packed
• Third-person narrationfor the purpose of
  objectivity
• Sentences in the passive voice
• Structure

A statement of opinion
Supporting details
a conclusion
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Text Orgnization
The public needs education in science so as to
make informed decisions on their fate
1--3
4--6
The way to educate the public are detailed.
Human civilization will survive if the public
understand science well.
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Exercises on Part 1

• Answer the following four questions.
• Whats the attitude of some people towards the
  change brought about by science and technology?
• What was life like before science and technology
  began to change our life?
• What would happen if all government money for
  research were cut off?
• Is it possible to prevent science from further
  development? Why or why not?

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Exercises on Part 2a. Mini-exposition
What can be done to give the public the
scientific background it needs to make informed
decisions on science?
1.Science education in schools
2. Replacing equations with words and diagrams
3. Making use of popular media such as
newspapers, magazines and above all TV.
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b. Difficult sentences

• Explain the underlined wordsA qualitative grasp
  of scientific concepts is sufficient.(L47)
• Analyze the structure of the following sentences
• But the rate of scientific progress is now so
  rapid that there are always new developments that
  have occurred since one was at school or
  university. (L50)
• Genetic engineering and computers are two of the
  developments most likely to change the way we
  live in the future. (L53)
• Translate the following sentences
• Maybe I would have sold twice as many copies
  without it. (L43)
• Only television can reach a truly mass audience.
  (L57)
• But others present scientific wonders simply as
  magic, without explaining them or showing how
  they fit into the framework of scientific ideas.
  (L60)

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c. Cultural words

• Acid rain
• Greenhouse effect

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• Acid rain, a serious threat around the world,
  occurs when sulfur dioxide (????) and nitrogen
  oxide (???)emissions from automobiles and
  fossil-fuel burning power plants which react
  (???) in the atmosphere (???) with water, oxygen,
  and oxidants (???) to form various acidic
  compounds (???) fall back to Earth as acidic
  precipitation (???).
• Production of food crops has declined .
• Causes acidification (???) of lakes and streams
  and contributes to damage of trees at high
  elevations (??) .
• The surfaces of great art and architectural
  treasures has been eroded(??), including the
  ancient sculptures of Rome and the Sphinx in
  Egypt.

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Greenhouse effect

• 1. Solar energy enters atmosphere.(???)
  unaffected (?????) by greenhouse gases.
• 2. Solar energy is absorbed (??) by the earth and
  re-radiated (???) back to space of longer heat
  wavelengths (??) .
• 3. Greenhouse gases absorb heat radiation and
  re-radiate (???) some of it back to the surface,
  much like an insulating (???) blanket (?).
• 4. Higher concentrations (??) of greenhouse gases
  trap (??,??) more re-radiated heat, causing
  temperatures in the lower atmosphere and of the
  earth's surface to rise.

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Exercises on Part 3

• T/F (Video Tape)

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After-class activity

• Useful expressions
• Retell the text
• Debate
• Check exercises

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Should cloning of human beings be banned?
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Find out useful expressions from the exercises
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• Raise a question
• On the basis of
• Despite the fact that
• Make predicate predictions
• Line of products
• Regain ones health
• Mountainous region
• Trained doctors
• Survive the car accident
• Release sb. From prison
• Further negotiation
• Have difficulty doing sth.
• Support military action
• Peaceful solution

• Reasonable price
• Grasp the seriousness of the problem
• Commit the crime
• Sufficient evidence against sb.
• Timely help
• Economic development
• The board of directors
• Open a branch office
• Ensure sb. Sth
• Be dismissed
• Be vital to
• Hold an election

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• Joint venture
• Not because of but because of
• Lack of capital
• Poor management
• Have the right attitude toward sth.
• Latest developments
• Rely on
• Lengthen ones life
• Daily life

• Meet ones requirements
• As is shown by history
• With the improvement of the standard of living
• Local clashes
• Dial a wrong number
• Go on a diet
• In the last two decades
• Reform and open policy
• A great success
• Substantial cut in
• In the coming year
• Human rights situation

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Useful sentences

• The job is great in terms of advancement but the
  starting salary is rather low.
• The lawn was laid out in the form of figure 8.
• Words cannot convey how grateful we are for his
  timely help.
• No living thing can do without air and water.
• Mary is undecided about whether to stay on in her
  present post or to find a new job.
• As is proved by the records, chinas human rights
  situation has been steadily improving over the
  years.
• What we learn in school is no longer sufficient
  to last a lifetime.

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Prefix
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Assignments

• Writing based on the debate
• Prepare for Unit Four American Dream

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Go,go,go!
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Topic sentence

• Topic sentence--the sentence containing the
  topic. It tells the reader what the paragraph is
  about, so it acts as a kind of signpost.
• Support sentencethe other sentences telling us
  more about the topic.
• Two ways of writing down the topic of a
  paragraph
• a noun or noun phrase, such as examples, causes,
  other causes
• A question. For example Why is the world getting
  hotter?