Unit Seven Machine
Translation

Text A
Ⅰ. Objectives:
Students will be able to:
1.grasp the main idea and structure of the text;
2.have a general idea of the latest development of
MT;
3.appreciate the writing skills employed in the text;
4. conduct a series of activities: skills focused:
reading and writing
skills integrated: speaking and listening
II Time Allotment
periods

content
1st &
2nd
Pre-reading;
(Parts1-2)
3rd &
4th
While reading (Parts 3-4); Post
reading
5th
Practical exercise book IV;
Theme-Related Language
learning tasks
While
reading
III. Pre-reading tasks
1. Ask students to answer
some questions as warm-up
exercises:
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a. Do you often surf on Internet?
 b.What do you usually do when you go on
Internet?
2. Discuss in class: what are
the positive aspects and
negative aspects of surfing on
Internet?
3. Divide the whole class into
two sides (positive side and
negative side) and hold a
debate:

Positive Side:
People should be
encouraged to go on Internet.
 Negative Side: Some restrictions should be
made to prevent people, especially
university students, from surfing on Internet.
(Some words for reference: latest
information, exchange, different cultures,
relaxation, erotic content, virus, … )
IV. While-reading tasks
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1. What are the advantages and disadvantages of
MT?
2. What does the title of the text mean? Ask
several Ss to paraphrase it.
3. T tells Ss some related background information.
4. T helps Ss analyze the organization of the text.
5. T explains some of the language points and has
Ss to prepare for the others.
6. T asks Ss to paraphrase some difficult language
points.
1. Cultural Notes
1). Rockefeller Foundation

An Introduction of Rockefeller Foundation
 The year was 1913. The United States, as a nation,
was 137 years old. Woodrow Wilson was
inaugurated as the 28th president. The 16th
amendment was passed, creating the federal
income tax. Richard Nixon was born. Willa Cather
published O Pioneers! and John Singer Sargent
painted Portrait of Henry James. Vitamin A was
first isolated and Niels Bohr formulated his theory
of atomic structure. J. Pierpont Morgan died,
Grand Central Station opened, the Philadelphia
Athletics beat the New York
Giants in the World Series, and World War I was
imminent. And in 1913 the work of the
Rockefeller Foundation began. During the
emerging years, scientists and scholars worked to
solve many of the worlds and the countrys ills.
Plagues such as hookworm and malaria have been
brought under control; food production for the
hungry in many parts of the world has been
increased; and the mind, heart, and spirit have been
lifted by the work of Foundation-assisted artists,
writers, dancers, and composers. But other plagues
continue: World hunger persists, particularly in
Africa, as the imbalance among food, health, and
growing populations threatens many countries, and
in America the problems of cities
and schools demand attention. The tasks of
today are as vital and daunting as they were
when John Davison Rockefellers foundation
formally came into being. His bent for
philanthropy began early in life. In his teens,
from sums earned in his first job, he allotted
money for his Sunday school and other
activities of his Baptist church. By 1860
Rockefellers philanthropy included regular
contributions to churches, Sunday schools,
and an orphanage.
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As his personal wealth grew, Rockefellers interest
in philanthropy increased. He was impressed in
1889 by an essay written by Andrew Carnegie and
titled The Gospel of Wealth. The day is not far
distant, Carnegie said, when the man who dies
leaving behind him millions of available wealth,
which was free for him to administer during life,
will pass away unwept, unhonored, and unsung.
Rockefeller wrote a letter to Carnegie: I would that
more men of wealth were doing as you are doing
with your money but, be assured, your example
will bear fruits, and the time will come when men
of wealth will more generally be willing to use it
for the good of others. In the same year 1889
Rockefeller began his philanthropic work in
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earnest, making the first of what would
become $35 million in gifts, over a period of
two decades, to found the University of
Chicago. In 1901 he established the
Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research,
now Rockefeller University. In 1903 he
created the General Education Board at an
ultimate cost of $129 million to promote
education in the United States without
distinction of sex, race, or creed.

In 1909 he established the Rockefeller Sanitary Commission
for Eradication of Hookworm Disease to cure and prevent the
disease, particularly in the southern United States. Rockefeller
was prepared to begin the Rockefeller Foundation in 1909,
even signing a deed of trust to turn over 72,569 shares of
Standard Oil of New Jersey stock worth $50 million. But
delays and difficulties in seeking a federal charter for the
Foundation, desired by Rockefeller though never obtained,
resulted in a lapse until 1913, when the Foundation was
officially incorporated in the state of New York. Since its
inception the Rockefeller Foundation has given more than $2
billion to thousands of grantees worldwide and has assisted
directly in the training of nearly 13,000 Rockefeller Foundation
Fellows. In the chronology that follows, we highlight the work
of these men and women who have brought the work of the
Rockefeller Foundation to life.
2). IBM & IDC
The character of a company -- the stamp it puts on
its products, services and the marketplace -- is
shaped and defined over time. It evolves. It
deepens. It is expressed in an ever-changing
corporate culture, in transformational strategies,
and in new and compelling offerings for
customers. IBM's character has been formed over
nearly 100 years of doing business in the field of
information-handling. Nearly all of the company's
products were designed and developed to record,
process, communicate, store and
retrieve information -- from its first scales,
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tabulators and clocks to today's powerful
computers and vast global networks. IBM helped
pioneer information technology over the years,
and it stands today at the forefront of a worldwide
industry that is revolutionizing the way in which
enterprises, organizations and people operate and
thrive. The pace of change in that industry, of
course, is accelerating, and its scope and impact
are widening. In these pages, you can trace that
change from the earliest antecedents of IBM, to
the most recent developments. You can scan the
entire IBM continuum
from the 19th century to the 21st or pinpoint -year-by year or decade-by-decade -- the key
events that have led to the IBM of today. We
hope that you enjoy this unique look back at
the highly textured history of the
International Business Machines
Corporation.

This IDC study presents a competitive market map
for the business analytics (BA) software market
based on the end-of-year 2002 results. The market
map and its methodology are introduced as a tool
for evaluating the competitive positioning of
software vendors in an increasingly complex
market. Although we used end-of-year 2002 data
(the most recent available full-year data), this study
will be updated by the end of May 2004 with fullyear 2003 vendor performance results. Therefore,
the primary purpose of this study is to introduce
the tool and methodology in advance of the 2003
full-year results. "The business analytics software
market continues to mature
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and has attracted vendors from different
segments of the overall software market. To
evaluate the market landscape, IDC
introduces the competitive market map as a
quantitative tool based on the following
four variables: size, scope, momentum, and
dependence of business analytics
software." — Dan Vesset, research manager,
Analytics and Data Warehousing
Babel
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AltaVista - Babel Fish Translation
2. The structure of the text
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Part One: Paras1-3
 Main idea: An brief introduction to MT.
 Part Two: Paras4-8
 Main idea:The chronological development
of MT
 Part Three: Paras9-12
 Main idea: The need for MT and its current
state
3. Have Ss paraphrase some
difficult sentences:
1) Since its …has suffered from
exaggerated claims and impossible
expectations.(Para1)
 2) It does so because both the difficulty of
getting computers to understand human
languages, and the high expectations that
must be met if MT is to be taken
seriously.(Para2)
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4. T explains some key and
active language points:
1). a short in the arm: sth. that
boosts one’s spirits or
encourages, esp. in a difficult
situation

Example:
 The new measure taken by the government
was a real short in the arm for the local
economy.
2). transmit: pass along(news
or information); send an
electronic signal, radio,
television broadcast, or
disease etc.
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Examples:
 Water transmits sound better than air.
 Insects can transmit disease.
 trans- : This prefix means changing or
moving.
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transform ---- to change in form
transplant ---- to move (a plant) from one place
and plant it in another
transport---- to carry (goods or people etc.)from
one place to another
transact---- to carry (a piece of business, etc.)
through to an agreement
transition---- to change or pass from one state,
subject or place to another
3). lay out: plan in detail,
provide (a detailed plan or
design); spread out or arrange
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Examples:
The architect laid out the interior of the building.
His dinner jacket was already laid out on the bed.
Some phases with “lay”:
lay down: to put down (tools, arms etc.); begin to
build or state firmly
lay off: to stop employing

lay over: to make a short stay (usu. at an
airport) before continuing a journey
 lay up: (usu. Pass. ) to cause to be kept
indoors or in bed with an illness
4). be (well) along toward: go
in the direction of, come near
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Example: The talk is well along toward
reaching an agreement on the border dispute
between the two countries.
5). dry up: disappear as if by
draining or cutting off a source
of a supply
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Examples:
 The streams dry up in the summer.
 The separation of many years has dried up
their intimacy.
6). revival: the coming again
into activity and prominence
(followed by of )

Example:
 There has been a revival of interest in the
fashions of the 1930’s.
 v. revive
7). spur: urge or incite to act
(used in the patterns: spur sth.;
spur (on) sb. to do sth.; spur
sb. into sth./doing sth.
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Example:
 He spurred on his team to try harder.
8). analysis: (pl. analyses)
work done to find facts and
solutions to problems
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Example:
The analysis of the samples on the murder
spot showed some valuable clues to the
police.
 v. analyze
9). databases: a large
collection of information that is
stored in a computer system
in such a way that it can easily
be found by a computer user
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Examples:
 We are linked to the online database at our
head office.
10). output: information or data
produced by a computer; an
amount produced or
manufactured
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Examples:
 The output of the factory this year is four
times that in 2000.
 An assessment of the Welfare System would
involve careful study of its inputs and
outputs.
11). elaborate: carefully
worked out and rich in detail;
very detailed and complicated

Examples:
 They are making the most elaborate
preparations for the wedding.
 He came out with such an elaborate excuse
that I didn't quite believe him.
 cf : collaborate
12). highlight: v. emphasize,
make important
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Examples:
 The report on the accident highlights the
need for considerable improvements in
safety.
 Could you read through this for me and
highlight the important points?
highlight: n. the best or most
exciting, entertaining, or
interesting part

Examples:
 The highlight of our trip to New York was
going to the top of the Empire State
Building.
 You’ll be able to see the highlights of the
TV series in a one-hour special on
Christmas Day.
13). scramble: mix or throw
together haphazardly ; move
or climb quickly but with
difficulty, often using the
hands
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Examples:
 We had scrambled eggs on toast for
breakfast.
 She scrambled up the steep hillside and over
the rocks.
14). whereas: but; compared
with the fact that

Example:
 He must be about sixty, whereas his wife
looks about thirty.
15). partial: not complete or
whole

Examples:
 He made a partial recovery, but he was
never able to walk properly after the
accident.
 Opp. impartial
5. T asks Ss to prepare the
following words and
expressions in advance.

1) anonymous (n. anonymity)
 2) storage
 3) on the face of it
 4) go back to
 5) memorandum (memo)
 6) automatic
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7) collaboration
8) better than none/nothing
9) multinational
10) intermediate
11) symbolic
12) plug
13) multiple
14) particle
6. Practice
1. Cholera is __________ through contaminated water
 A. transferred B. transmitted C. transported D. transacted
 2. The company has signed (a) ________ of understanding
with a group of investors to sell its steel operations.
 A. memoirs B. memento C. memorial D. memorandum
 3. Most of Manhattan is _________ in a grid pattern with
avenues of going north-south and streets east-west.
 A. laid down B. laid out
C. laid off D. laid up
 4.The two playwrights worked in close _________ with
each other on the script.
 A. operation B. colleague C. collaboration D. connection
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5. With cheaper PC software and wider access to the Internet ,
there has undoubtedly an _______ growth in the use of MT.
 A.unprocessed
B.unperceived
 C.unprecedented
D. unperturbed
 6. Recently there has been some __________ of interest in
ancient music.
 A. revival
B. revision C. reversion D. reverse
 7. Many shops cut prices just before Christmas in an attempt
to ________ sales.
 A. spurn B. spurt
C. spur
D. sputter
 8. Radio Two plans to double its daily news ____ from next
month. A. output B. outrage C.outspread D. outcome
 9. He came out with such (a)n ____ excuse that I didn’t quite
believe him.
 A. cooperative B. elaborate C. collaborated D. evaporated
 10. It’s about time we ____ the organization of this company.
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A.demonstrated
B.demoralized
C.demotivated
D.democratized
11. What the person does next is the result of the ________ influences to
which they have been exposed.
A. multilingual B. multiple C. multilateral D. multinational
12. The report on the accident ___________ the need for
considerable improvements in safety.
 A. highballs B. highlights C. hightails
D. hijacks
 13. He came to the party dressed in a yellow suit and a pink
bow tie, which caused great ________ among the other guests.
 A. confusion
B. congestion C. hilarity D. enthusiasm
 14.
Bad weather _________ the air schedule, and a lot of
passengers are allocated to hotels
 around waiting for new information.
 A. bothered
B. scrambled C. interfered D. troubled
 15. He must be about sixty, ________ his wife looks about
thirty. A. whereas whereby C. wherein D. whereupon
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16.
The food decays easily. It is important to store these
________ food in cool places.
A. available B. breakable C. valuable D. perishable
17. ________ news coverage is quite hard to find as quite a few
news companies are financed by particular interests.
A. Immoral B. Impartial C. Immortal D. Impassive
18. There is a wide __________ of opinions on the question of
unilateral disarmament.
A. diversity B. involvement C. database D. analysis
19. I’ve wired up the stereo system, but I haven’t _______ the
speaker in yet.
A. placed B. inserted C. plugged D. bolted
20. A(n) _______ of seven years’ work revealed errors and
inconsistencies.
A. output
B. analogy C. collaboration D. analysis
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21. Very correctly, she was handing out the polite but
casual _____ due to a new neighbor who had rendered her
small service.
 A. hostility B. hospitality C. submission D. indifference
 22. We’re linked to the online ________ at our head office.
 A. website
B. database C. logo D. datemark
 23. He is ______ one of the world’s finest football players.
 A. arguably B. unintentionally C. colloquially D. partially
 24.
She wouldn’t give me the slightest ________ of
information about what she’d been doing.
 A. part
B. party C. particle D. partition
 25.
I didn’t have much _______ into the project, which
resulted in bad consequences.
 A. output
B. input C. putout D. putdown

26. Environmentalists are doing everything within their power
to ______the impact of the oil spill.
 A. maximize B. minimize
C. lower D. miniaturize
 27. Their team _______ to the top of the League after their
three years’ efforts.
 A. rocketed B. bolstered
C. blustered D. boomed
 28. English, maths and science are compulsory for all students,
but art and music are ________.
 A. available B. acquirable
C. optional B. optical
 29. Dictators like him rarely go ________ without a fight.
 A. back on B. for C. off D. down
 30.
This fundamental idea immediately found its way into
man’s speech, which ____ became filled with words and idioms
expressing it.
 A. henceforth B. nevertheless
C. whatsoever D. whereby
 31. What ________ do you use when judging the quality of a
student’s work?
 A. standard
B. norm C. appraisal D. criterion
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32. As a revenge, the government has ordered the immediate
__________ of exports to that country.
A. inspiration B. expiration C. cancellation D. suspension
33. Susan’s success in winning the first prize ________ the
other girls’ jealousy and they viciously spread a rnmor that she
was cheating in the exam.
A. concurred B. recurred C. incurred D. occurred
34. The computer program isn’t ____ with this operating system.
A. comparable B. compatible C. compactable D. computable
35. There is a growing ______ that this country can no longer
afford to be a nuclear power.
A. recognition B. acclamation C. evaluation D. recommendation
36. He sees himself as being _________ economic reform.
A. on the face of
B. well above
C. well along toward
D. in the vanguard of
37.The concert was a good one, but because of bad __very few
people came.A.publishing B.publicity C. highlights D. advertiser
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38. There was much ____ before the family would agree to my
suggestion.
 A. unanimity B. controversy
C. conspiracy D. anticipation
 39. You must ___ with the library rule, or else you will be fined.
 A. abide
B. stick
C. conform
D. comply
 40. No matter what the teacher said, he still __ tenaciously to his
opinion. A. persisted B. insisted C. clung D. persevered
 41.At the moment there is a (n) ____lack of enthusiasm in her
musical performance.
 A. extinct
B. instinct C. distinct D. intact
 42.Congress is considering measures to ____the sale of cigarettes.
 A. restrict
B. enchant C. promote D. retract
 43.I know him well and have some___about the truth of his story.
 A. reservations B. conservations C. preservations D. desperations
 44.The man standing over there is the composer who will
__________ the orchestra at tonight’s concert.
 A. control B. manipulate
C. operate D. conduct
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45. Do you think he is ________ in making that remark?
 A. reasoned
B. rationalized C. justified D. identified
 46.
The constitution is no longer ________ as a system of
private rights and legislation is now regarded as a dynamic, not
an interpretative process.
 A. contrived B. conceived C. contracted
D. contributed
 47.The new job _______ selling and setting up sale conferences.
 A. retails
B. entails C. details D. pintails
 48. Half the people questioned said they were opposed to
military _______ in the civil war.
 A. interference B. interpretation C. intrusion D. intervention
 49. The campaign of violence and ____ against them intensifies
daily.A. intimation B. intoxication C. intimidation D. intrusion
 50. His face _________ with bitterness and rage.
 A. contorted
B. extorted C. presorted D. retorted
 51.The missionaries____the teaching of Christianity throughout
the islands. A. dispatched B.apprised C. discharged D. preached
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52. In buying an apartment, a difference of ten cents in prices is _____. A.
negligible B. infallible C. doubtful D. innumerable
53. Cheer up! It is stupid to ______ over the lost opportunity all the time. A.
rejoice B. brood C. dwell D. conceive
54. The lighting of the Olympic torch ________ peace and friendship among
the nations of the world.
A. expresses B. predicts C. means D. symbolizes
55. Two men _________ him with weapons and forced him to give up his
money.
A. blackmailed B. menaced C. conquered D. eliminated
56. Don’t be so __________ to be taken by their lies.
A. merciful B. malignant C. ingenuous D. obscene
57. There is no evidence to think that the _________ that the phone call was
made by the defendant is correct.
A. resumption B. consumption C. supposition D. consideration
58. The dress will not __________ the years as my velvet will.
A. stand up to B. live up to C. come up to D. face up to
Key
Keys:
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1-5
16-20
31-35
46-50
BDBCC
DBACA
DDCBA
BBDCA
6-10 ACABD
21-25 BBACB
36-40 DBBAC
51-55 BABDB
11-15 BBCBA
26-30 BACDA
41-45 CAADC
56-58 CCA
4. Writing Skills Employed in
the Text

1. How to write a chronological development of a
thing or an event.(pay attention to time indicators)
 2. How to define a new term (e.g. use of
synonyms, examples, a list of items covered by the
term, or a list of items not covered by the term),
and ask Ss to work in pairs to locate and
appreciate the definitions for the following terms
in Text A : MT(Para1), parallel text(Para7),
example-based MT system (Para7), Babel Fish
(Para 10), ‘round-trip’ translation (Para 10)
V. Post- reading tasks

1. Have Ss do some after-text exercises;
 2. Check on Ss’ home reading of Text B;
 3. Guide Ss through Reading Strategy;
 4. Have Ss to prepare for the next unit
a. Preview Text A of Unit 8
b. Suggested topic of Oral Presentation for
Text A of Unit 8
 5. Let students do some additional exercise
The End
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Thank you !