21_B3_U09A

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21st Century College English Book 3
Unit 9 Text A
Space Politics
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Unit 9 Text A

• Lead-in Activities
• Text Organization
• Reading Writing Skills
• Language Points
• Guided Practice
• Assignment

3
Lead-in Activities
Questions for Discussion
1.Does space hold a shining promise for the
future of mankind? 2. Will it become just
another arena for greed and destruction. 3.
Shouldnt we concentrate on the problems here on
Earth instead of wandering around the universe in
search of who-knows-what?
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Text Organization
The Structure of Text A
I. Presents the question Is public support for
the international space effort necessary?
Para. 1
II. Deals with the public support for the space
program.
Paras. 24
III. Deals with the new enthusiasm the space
project has generated in recent years.
Paras. 515
IV. Concludes that space exploration has been
conducted mainly for political reasons.
Paras. 1112
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Text Organization
I. Presents the question
Is public support for the international space
effort necessary?

Para. 1
6
Text Organization
II. Deals with the public support for the space
program throughout its history and how the
support declined for various reasons.
In the U.S.A.
Paras. 23
In Russia
Para. 4
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Text Organization
In the U.S.A.
In the 60s
Para. 2
In the 70s

Para. 2
In the 80s

Para. 3
8
Text Organization
In Russia
Para. 4
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Text Organization
III. Deals with the new enthusiasm the space
project has generated in recent years.
New enthusiasm in space exploration in recent
years.
Paras. 58
The impetus to fund a large-scale project is
questionable.
Paras. 913
The reasons for the space exploration enthusiasm.
Paras. 1415
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Text Organization
IV. Concludes that space exploration has been
conducted mainly for political reasons.
Para. 16
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Reading Writing Skills
1. Reading skill Scanning for Specific
Information As weve learned, scanning a text
before you read can make your reading more
efficient in many ways. It can get you acquainted
with the authors style and aims it can give you
an idea of how the text is organized and where to
look for ideas and information. This third type
of scanning can save you lots of valuable time
when you need some specific information, for
example when youre doing researchor answering
comprehension questions!
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Reading Writing Skills
2) Writing skill This text is an
argumentation. The author starts by stating his
viewpoint. And then develops it by presenting the
facts intertwined with opinions. The author also
uses time markers to organize these paragraphs in
simple chronological order(????).
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Intensive Study
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Intensive Study
Space Politics It is expected that the
discovery of possible life-forms from the planet
Mars will revive public interest in space
exploration. But is public support for the
international space effort necessary, given that
politicians seem determined to press ahead with
it anyway?
15
Intensive Study
1 The race to the moon, which was won by the
Americans in 1969, was driven almost entirely by
politics. The rivalry between the U.S. and the
former Soviet Union meant that the two countries
were determined to be the first to put a man on
the moon. President John F. Kennedy promised that
America would win this race and, as one of the
most popular presidents in American history, he
inspired a nation to think of space exploration
as the ultimate test of Americas superiority
over her Soviet enemy.
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Intensive Study
2 Americas success as the first nation to reach
the moon, coupled with continuing Cold War
rivalry, created much public support for the
space programme and Washington was able to fund
many more missions. During the 1970s, the moon
was visited again, unmanned missions were sent to
Mars and, for the first time, man-made craft were
put on paths that would take them out of the
solar system.
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Intensive Study
3 But, by the 1980s, public support for space
exploration was declining. It faded almost
entirely after the Challenger space shuttle
disaster of 1986, and the U.S. government was
under pressure to scale back its space programme.
Politicians reacted by demanding cuts in
spending, which put the future of many space
missions in doubt. 4 In Russia, funding was also
a problem. The end of the Soviet Union meant the
country could no longer afford to sustain its
space programme. In fact, spending became so
tight that there was often not enough money to
bring home astronauts working on the countrys
Mir space station.
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Intensive Study
5 But, in the last few years, politicians seem to
have changed their attitude to space exploration,
even though there is little evidence that the
public have. New missions to Mars are planned,
and plenty of money is being spent on other
extraterrestrial activities. Last year, for
instance, the U.S. spent more on space research
and development than on any other area of
research, except health and the military.
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Intensive Study
6 And spending is likely to increase in the
coming years currently, the National Aeronautics
and Space Administration (NASA) is planning a
number of missions to Mars, and it is pressing
ahead with the most expensive space-exploration
project ever undertaken the International Space
Station. (Three years ago, this project a
collaboration between the U.S., Canada, Russia,
Europe and Japan came within one vote of being
canceled by the American House of
Representatives.)
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Intensive Study
7 And the Americans are not the only ones
spending huge sums on space exploration. The
Europeans, Canadians and Japanese are expected to
spend 9 billion on their share of the space
station, and Europe has already spent huge sums
developing its Ariane rockets, the most recent of
which Ariane 5 blew up shortly after it was
launched. The Russians, too, claim they are
committed to supporting the International Space
Station an expense that country seems ill able
to afford.
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Intensive Study
8 So, if there is little public support for space
exploration, where does the impetus to fund these
activities come from? Promoting the cause of
science is one possible answer. But recently
there has been considerable controversy over
whether projects like the International Space
Station have enough scientific value to merit the
billions that have been and will be spent on it.
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Intensive Study
9 NASAs reasons for building the space station
are to develop new materials and technologies
that will have immediate, practical
applications. However, for such research to be
worthwhile, NASA needs private companies to
develop (and help pay for) extraterrestrial
research. Unfortunately, the cost of sending
anything into orbit is so high that most private
companies favour improving techniques on Earth.
Significantly, NASA has so far not managed to get
any substantial private investment to manufacture
products in space.
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Intensive Study
10 The result is that the station seems, at
present, to have only one concrete objective
research into how people can live and work safely
and efficiently in space. But how important is
this research? And can it possibly justify the
cost of this huge orbiting laboratory? 11 The
only purpose of studying how humans live and work
in space would be to prepare for long-term space
missions. At present, none are planned, and this
seems unlikely to change in the near future. The
main reasons for this are the costs. A manned
mission to our nearest planetary neighbour Mars,
for example, would cost around 400 billion. This
is 50 billion more than Russias present Gross
Domestic Product (GDP).
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Intensive Study
12 And even if one accepts that this research is
important, can it justify building a space
station the size of 14 tennis courts, at a cost
which is eventually expected to exceed 100
billion? Given the shortage of funds in many
other areas of scientific research, it would seem
not. 13 So why build it? There are good political
reasons for doing so. It will provide work for
the thousands of unemployed defence workers who
depended on the Cold War for their jobs, and who
make up a substantial proportion of voters in
both Russia and the U.S. It will also help keep
American/Russian ties strong another reason
NASA believes the space station is a good
investment. (Critics argue that there are far
cheaper ways to keep the U.S. and Russia on good
terms.)
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Intensive Study
14 And then there is the legacy of the Cold War.
The Berlin Wall may have fallen, but NASA and the
U.S. government still seem to believe in the
ideal of one nations superiority in space.
Indeed, NASA describes the space station as a
powerful symbol of U.S. leadership. 15 It seems
that the worlds politicians are caught in a
time-warp. They still believe, as they did in the
1960s, that man must conquer space in order to
prove he is master of his surroundings. If only
it werent so expensive. (1002 words)
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Text-related information
27
given that supposing that considering that
Examples Many people are holding their money
tight, given that the prices of cars would come
down. Given that the cost for college
education is so high, he decided to apply for a
training program.
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press ahead/on (with sth.) continue (doing
sth.) in a determined way, knowing that it may
take a long time or may be very difficult
Examples Despite public complaints, the
company pressed on with its plan. The country
pressed ahead with its expansion into its
neighboring country despite international
protest.
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Text-related information
First Lunar Landing Launched July 16, 1969,
Apollo 11 made the first manned lunar landing on
July 20. Neil Armstrong was the first out he
stepped on the moon surface at 1056 pm that day.
Dropping the last meter from the ladder, he said
Thats one small step for a man, one giant
leap for mankind.
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Text-related information
John Fitzgerald Kennedy The 35th president of the
United States (196163), was, at the age of 43,
the youngest man ever elected to the presidency.
Rich, handsome, elegant, and articulate, he
aroused great admiration at home and abroad. His
assassination in Dallas, Tex., in November 1963
provoked outrage and widespread mourning.
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couple with to join or combine with
Examples Hard work coupled with high pressure
caused serious health problems among the
employees. A reputation for quality, coupled
with very competitive prices, has make these cars
very popular.
Make a sentence with the phrase ?
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Washington the U.S. government
Example Beijing announced today that the US
President would pay a 3-day visit to China next
week. Beijing the Chinese government
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Text-related information
The Challenger Disaster The 25th flight on the
space shuttle Challenger, ended less than two
minutes after liftoff on Jan. 28, 1986, when a
fireball interrupted the crafts ascent track.
This disaster killed the entire crew of seven,
including Christa McAuliffe, a high school
teacher chosen for the flight.
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scale back/down reduce esp. by a fixed rate
Examples The company is scaling down its
operation in the Middle East. Imports will
have to be scaled down until exports begin to
rise again.
35
(put sth.) in doubt (cause sth. to be) in a
condition of uncertainty or at risk
Examples The future of the project is in doubt
because of a lack of money. The result of the
election remained in doubt until the next
morning.
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Text-related information
Mir Space Station Mir is the Russian space
station launched on Feb. 20, 1986. The name is a
Russian word meaning peace. Mir has four
additional ports for docking, more windows, two
private compartments, and a slightly increased
interior space. The core of the station is about
17 m (56 ft) long and 4 m (13 ft) wide.
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But, in the last few years, politicians seem to
have changed their attitude to space exploration,
even though there is little evidence that the
public have.
Translate the sentence ?
Key ??,?????????????????????????,????????????????
??
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Text-related information
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration
(NASA) NASA is the U.S. government agency
responsible for the development of advanced
aviation and space technology and for space
exploration. It is an independent civilian agency
responsible directly to the president.
39
Three years ago, this project a collaboration
between the U.S., Canada, Russia, Europe and
Japan came within one vote of being canceled by
the American House of Representatives.
Translate the sentence ?
Key ???,???????????????????????????????????????
????
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Text-related information
Ariane Rocket Ariane rockets are designed by the
European Space Agency (ESA) to give Europe
greater independence in the launching of
satellites. Its private marketing company,
Arianespace, has headquarters in Every, France,
and a launch facility at the French Space Center,
Kourou, French Guiana. The French space agency is
the companys principal shareholder, along with
36 European aerospace firms and 11 European banks.
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blow up to explode

• Examples
• Its more than shock to see the space shuttle
  blow up in the sky.
• The fireworks factory blew up when something went
  wrong in an electric switch.

42
merit v. deserve, be worthy of
Examples The suggestion merits serious
consideration The movie English Patient merits
all the prizes it has been awarded.
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Unfortunately, the cost of sending anything into
orbit is so high that most private companies
favour improving techniques on Earth.
Key ????,??????????????,???????????????????
Translate the sentence ?
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Significantly, NASA has so far not managed to get
any substantial private investment to manufacture
products in space.
significantly ad. to an important or
considerable degree
Example Tourism contributes significantly to
the economy of Hainan province.
More to learn
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Significantly, NASA has so far not managed to get
any substantial private investment to manufacture
products in space.
substantial a. large in size, value or
importance

• Examples
• By hard study he made a substantial improvement
  in arithmetic.
• The first draft of his novel needed a substantial
  amount of rewriting.

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And can it possibly justify the cost of this huge
orbiting laboratory?
Key ?????????????????????????
Translate the sentence ?
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Text-related information
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) The total output of
goods and services for final use produced by an
economy, by both residents and nonresidents. It
does not include payments to the nation's
residents on their foreign investments, and it
counts only output produced within the country.
This measure is now being used more frequently as
a means for evaluating the size of the economy.
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Given the shortage of funds in many other areas
of scientific research, it would seem not.
Key Considering that many other areas of
scientific research dont have enough funds, it
seems this research would not justify building
that space station.
Paraphrase the sentence ?
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on good/bad/speaking terms have a
good/bad/speaking relationship
Examples Ive always been on good terms with
my neighbors. I am not on speaking terms
with him at the present time.
50
Text-related information
The Berlin Wall A concrete wall, 4 m (12 ft)
high, surrounding West Berlin from 1961 to
1989. In November, 1989 enthusiastic citizens
began to demolish whole sections of the wall.
East Germany eventually removed the Berlin Wall
and reunited with West Germany in 1990, forming
the Federal Republic of Germany.
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believe in 1) sth. to be certain that it
exists 2) sb. /sth. to have the confidence
in sb./sth.

• Examples
• Do you believe in ghosts?
• Not many people believe in the Presidents plans
  to improve economy.

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It seems that the worlds politicians are caught
in a time-warp.
Key ???????????????????
Translate the sentence ?
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Guided Practice

• Vocabulary
• Cloze
• Translation
• Structure Writing

54
Vocabulary
III. Fill in the blanks with the words given
below. Change the form where necessary.
military collaboration cancel impetus
immediate orbit concrete rocket
1. For health reasons the president has decided
to ________ his planned visit to Italy.
cancel
2. John Glenn, the first U.S. astronaut to
________ the Earth in 1962, was 77 years old when
he returned to space in 1998.
orbit
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Vocabulary
III. Fill in the blanks with the words given
below. Change the form where necessary.
military collaboration cancel impetus
immediate orbit concrete rocket
3. This book is the product of several years of
____________ between two leading universities.
collaboration
4. Anger can be a positive force if it provides
________ for change.
impetus
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Vocabulary
III. Fill in the blanks with the words given
below. Change the form where necessary.
military collaboration cancel impetus
immediate orbit concrete rocket
5. Shes the only person in her ___________
family who has a college education, although two
of her cousins also have degrees.
immediate
6. There are many theories about where natural
satellites came from, but manmade satellites are
launched into space by ________.
rockets
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Vocabulary
III. Fill in the blanks with the words given
below. Change the form where necessary.
military collaboration cancel impetus
immediate orbit concrete rocket
7. I dont have any ________ plans for the
weekend I was thinking of spending some time
with my family or perhaps getting together with
some friends.
concrete
8. According to the U.S. Constitution, the
president and Congress share power over ________
affairs the president commands the armed forces,
but only Congress can declare war.
military
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Cloze
???? III Ex. XII, p. 271
59
Cloze
Select the most appropriate word from the box to
fill each of the blanks below. The choice O means
no additional word is correct.
60
Cloze
about collaboration extraterrestrials represente
d spacecraft which amid controversial genuine
rivalry symbol whose among controversy im
petus rivals symbolized with
by cruising launching secure to O
of extraterrestrial military
securely ultimate
Its interesting to observe the changes in
public attitudes toward visitors from other
planets. In the early years of the Cold War,
popular science-fiction films usually portrayed
1)_____ as horrible monsters 2)_____ the universe
in terrifyingly advanced 3)_____, eager to
enslave, colonize or destroy the innocent Earth.
extraterrestrials
cruising
spacecraft
61
Cloze
about collaboration extraterrestrials represente
d spacecraft which amid controversial genuine
rivalry symbol whose among controversy im
petus rivals symbolized with
by cruising launching secure to O
of extraterrestrial military
securely ultimate
In most of these movies, the ETs 4)_____ highly
advanced civilizations whose 5)_____ expertise
was matched only 6)_____ their evil ideas an
obvious 7)_____ of our worst fears about our Cold
War 8)_____. It wasnt until the 1970s when
America felt 9)_____ in the knowledge of who had
won the space race that films started
speculating 10)_____ a gentler sort of
extraterrestrial.
secure
about
represented
military
by
symbol
rivals
62
Cloze
about collaboration extraterrestrials represente
d spacecraft which amid controversial genuine
rivalry symbol whose among controversy im
petus rivals symbolized with
by cruising launching secure to O
of extraterrestrial military
securely ultimate
The famous film Close Encounters of the Third
Kind was 11)____ the first of these. It portrays
the visitors almost as angels 12)____
technological superiority is coupled 13)____ a
desire to help mankind solve all our problems and
achieve 14)____ a higher moral and spiritual
level. At about the same time, the book Chariot
(??) of the Gods presented some highly 15)____
evidence that it was early 16)____ visitors
that provided the 17)____ for human civilization.
whose
among/O
with
O
controversial
extraterrestrial
impetus
63
Cloze
about collaboration extraterrestrials represente
d spacecraft which amid controversial genuine
rivalry symbol whose among controversy im
petus rivals symbolized with
by cruising launching secure to O
of extraterrestrial military
securely ultimate
These images are only science fiction, of course,
but their popularity expresses a 18)____ thirst
to be saved ETs have become the religion of
modern times. One reason for this could be that
while ET stands for extraterrestrial, it also
stands for English teacher.
genuine
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Translation
65
Translation English to Chinese
???? III Ex. IX, p. 270
66
Translation English to Chinese
The race to the moon, which was won by the
Americans in 1969, was driven almost entirely by
politics. The rivalry between the U.S. and the
former Soviet Union meant that the two countries
were determined to be the first to put a man on
the moon. President John F. Kennedy promised that
America would win this race and, as one of the
most popular presidents in American history, he
inspired a nation to think of space exploration
as the ultimate test of Americas superiority
over her Soviet enemy.
The race to the moon, which was won by the
Americans in 1969, was driven almost entirely by
politics. The rivalry between the U.S. and the
former Soviet Union meant that the two countries
were determined to be the first to put a man on
the moon. President John F. Kennedy promised that
America would win this race and, as one of the
most popular presidents in American history, he
inspired a nation to think of space exploration
as the ultimate test of Americas superiority
over her Soviet enemy.
The race to the moon, which was won by the
Americans in 1969, was driven almost entirely by
politics. The rivalry between the U.S. and the
former Soviet Union meant that the two countries
were determined to be the first to put a man on
the moon. President John F. Kennedy promised that
America would win this race and, as one of the
most popular presidents in American history, he
inspired a nation to think of space exploration
as the ultimate test of Americas superiority
over her Soviet enemy.
????????????????
????????????????????????????????
67
Translation English to Chinese
Americas success as the first nation to reach
the moon, coupled with continuing Cold War
rivalry, created much public support for the
space programme and Washington was able to fund
many more missions. During the 1970s, the moon
was visited again, unmanned missions were sent to
Mars and, for the first time, man-made craft were
put on paths that would take them out of the
solar system.
Americas success as the first nation to reach
the moon, coupled with continuing Cold War
rivalry, created much public support for the
space programme and Washington was able to fund
many more missions. During the 1970s, the moon
was visited again, unmanned missions were sent to
Mars and, for the first time, man-made craft were
put on paths that would take them out of the
solar system.
?20??70??,???????,?????????,??????????????????????
????
68
Translation Chinese to English
???? III Ex. XI, p. 270
69
Translation Chinese to English
1. ????????????,??????????,???????????????????????
?
one of the tangible objectives
space flight
the aging process
NASA announced that one of the tangible
objectives of this nine-day (flight) mission was
to do research into the effects of space flight
on the aging process.
70
Translation Chinese to English
2. ?????,?????????????????????????
the Cold War era
space exploration
spend substantial funds (on)
During the Cold War era, the Soviet Union and the
United States both spent substantial funds on
space exploration.
71
Translation Chinese to English
3. ????????????????????????????????
scale down
social welfare
cause a great deal of controversy
The Presidents proposal to scale down/back the
governments social welfare spending has caused a
great deal of controversy.
72
Translation Chinese to English
4. ????????????????????,?????????,???????,??????
?????
the space shuttle Discovery
coupled with
put its safe landing in doubt
Before the American space shuttle Discovery
returned to the Kennedy Space Center, the bad
weather in Florida, coupled with the door
trouble, put its safe landing in doubt.
73
Translation Chinese to English
5. ???????????????????,????????????????????
there is little evidence of
this doesnt justify
So far there is little evidence of life on Mars,
but this doesnt justify the conclusion that
space research has no scientific value.
74
Translation Chinese to English
6. ???????????????????,???????????????
the International Space Station
space-exploration project
The International Space Station, a collaboration
in which sixteen countries are taking part, is
the most expensive space-exploration project ever
undertaken.
75
Translation Chinese to English
7. ????????????,???????????????????????,??????????
?
at the end of the 1950s
pioneers
pressed ahead with the research
This book describes the period at the end of the
1950s when the pioneers of Chinese space
exploration pressed ahead with their research
without the help of foreign experts.
76
Translation Chinese to English
8. ???????????????,?????????????
manufacturing industries
make profits
make up one half of our countrys GDP
This year the profits made in manufacturing
industries have exceeded 200 billion, making up
one half of our countrys GDP.
77
Structured Writing
In Text A chronological order

• The author starts by stating his viewpoint.

• He then proceeds to present facts, intertwined
  with opinions, that support his point of view.
  Notice how he uses time markers to organize these
  paragraphs in simple chronological order(????).

Sample Essay
Write your own
78
Structured Writing

• viewpoint
• The race to the moon, which was won by the
  Americans in 1969, was driven almost entirely by
  politics

79
Structured Writing

• Facts. (Notice how he uses time markers to
  organize these paragraphs in simple chronological
  order)
• Paragraph 2 the reference to President Kennedy
  establishes the time period as the 1960s
• Paragraph 3 During the 1970s
• Paragraph 4 But, by the 1980s the Challenger
  space shuttle disaster of 1986

80
Structured Writing
The war against written homework for pupils in
primary schools was started in the late 80s of
the 20th century. People were shocked to find
that pupils school bags, containing many more
textbooks, workbooks and exercise books, were
becoming heavier than ever before. Pupils were
totally deprived of their carefree childhood,
having to work on their small desks for 4 or 5
hours a day after school. Public concern for
pupils health, coupled with the demand of
returning a carefree childhood to our children,
created much support for dramatically cutting
down the homework for pupils. In the first decade
of the 21st century, primary schools banned all
kinds of homework for pupils, memorization was
declared unhealthy and entrance examination for
middle schools were altogether stopped.
81
Structured Writing
But in the middle of the second decade of the
21st century, public support for no homework
began to decline as people found with dismay that
the no homework policy failed to meet the
countrys demand for a highly educated workforce.
Primary schools were under pressure to make sure
children could read and write properly. This put
the future of free time for pupils in doubt.
82
Structured Writing
Use chronological order to structure a short
composition of your own about 150 words in
which you present the historical background to an
issue youre interested in. An example written
from a future standpoint would be
83
(No Transcript)