Unit 4
The Virtual World
Teaching Objectives




Students will be able to:
Grasp the main idea and structure of the text;
Learn some rules of interpreting new vocabulary
and usage related to computers and the Internet
in English;
Master the key language points and grammatical
structures in the text;
Conduct a series of reading, listening, speaking
and writing activities related to the theme of the
unit .
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Teaching Set-up

Text A
Pre-reading:
Discussion
About the Title
Background Information
While-reading:
Main Idea
Text Organization
Global Reading
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Language Points
Related Exercises
Post-reading:
Computer-related Vocabulary Items
Useful Expressions
Mock Debate

Text B
Language Points
 Assignments
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Discussion
1. What do people usually do on line?
2. What web sources interest you most?
3. What do you think are the differences
between the web sources and the
normal media ones (such as news in
the newspaper, on television and over
radio)?
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About the Title
1. What does the title mean?
2. Try to find the synonyms and antonyms
for “virtual life”.
Synonyms:
cyberspace, cyberia, net world,
virtual reality, virtual existence
Antonyms:
real life, real world, actual world, reality
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Word-web
Scan Text A to find out vocabulary items related to
computer and the Internet.
link
L19
Title virtual life
L1
on the net
L25
cyber-interaction
L8
telecommuter
L39
on line
L9
email
L47
system crash
L9-10 Internet mailing lists
L64 click on the modem
L10-11 computer-assisted L64
L65
L18
data
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connection
password
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Background Information
SOHO -- Small-Office/Home-Office
1) What do you guess is the meaning of
SOHO in information technology?
2) What kind of people do you think belong
to the group of SOHO?
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In information technology, SOHO is a term
for the small office or home office
environment and business culture. A number of
organizations, businesses, and publications
now exist to support people who work or have
businesses in this environment. These people
needn’t go to the office every day. They work
at home without worrying about their dress and
the strict rules of the company. The term
“virtual office” is sometimes used as a
synonym.
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Writers, program designers, ad-agents, etc.,
all belong to the group of SOHO. Obviously,
the author of Text A is a member of them.
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Main Idea
Despite the many negative
effects of virtual life, the author
prefers it to real life.
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Text Organization
Parts Lines
Main Ideas
1
1-16
Description of the author’s virtual
life.
2
17-53
Her feeling about the virtual life.
54-66
Her effort of returning to the real
world and her feeling about the
real world.
3
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Global Reading
Skim the text and find:
1. What does the author do in her virtual life?
2. How does she feel about the virtual world?
3. What does she do to return to the real
world?
4. How does she feel about the real world?
5. Which does she prefer, the virtual life or
the real life?
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Language Points
1. virtual:
1) created and existing only in a computer:
I can visit a ~ store and put what I want in my
basket at the click of a mouse button.
Some people spend too much time escaping from
reality into the ~ world conjured up on their
computer screens.
` 2) being or acting as what is described, but not
accepted as such in name or officially:
Our deputy manager is the ~ head of the business.
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2. interpret:
1) understand:
They worry that students may ~ the new
regulations as a restriction of their rights.
She ~s the dream as an unconscious desire to
be young again.
2) explain:
How do you ~ his refusal to see us?
3) translate:
Could you ~ for me?
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3. stretch:
(cause to) become longer, wider, etc., without
breaking
The child ~ed the rubber band to its full extent.
The meeting ~ed over 3 hours.
The cornfield ~ed for miles.
~ yourself / ~ her neck to see what was going
on / ~ out a friendly hand to sb.
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4. take in
1) receive, admit 2) see at a glance; see at once
3) understand
4) make (clothes) narrower
5) deceive
6) include
The dress was too big, so I took it in.
4
I didn’t take in what you were saying.
3
She took in every details of the other woman’s clothes. 2
Do you mean we should get rid of the stale and take
1
in the fresh?
Don’t be taken in by her promises.
5
This is the total cost of the trip, taking in everything.6
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Collocation:
take apart
take for
拆开
收回（所说的或所写的事）
拿下，放下
把……视作；误认为
take off
脱掉（衣服等）；起飞
take on
从事；开始对付
take out
取出；弄走
take over
接管
take up
take after
举起；开始从事
仿效，跟随；相像，在相貌、
脾气或性格上相似
take back
take down
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5. arrange:
prepare or plan (usu. used in the pattern: arrange
to do sth. / arrange for sb./sth. to do sth. )
I’ve ~d for my secretary to meet you at the
airport.
Let’s ~ to have a dinner together some time
before we graduate.
I have ~d for a taxi to pick us up at 8:00 a.m.
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Sentence Structure
Read Paras 4~10 and work in pairs to find out
consequences of “my” virtual life. Use the “find
oneself + adj./past participle/present participle”
structure when summing up the consequences.
Models:
I find myself shyer, more cautious, more anxious.
I find myself sucked in by soap operas.
I find myself attacking everyone in sight.
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Computer-related Vocabulary Items
Combining forms & prefixes:
cyber网络的
虚拟的
virtual
网
Net- (net-)
Web- (web-) 网
E- (e-)
电子的
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a.Combining forms/prefixes + noun
(The most common type):
virtual life (虚拟生活)
virtual reality (虚拟现实)
virtual world (虚拟世界)
virtual office (虚拟办公室)
virtual pet (虚拟宠物)
virtual community (虚拟社区)
cyber-interaction (网络互动)
cyberculture (网络文化)
cyberpet (电子宠物)
cyberspace (网络空间)
cybernut/ nethead (网虫)
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netwriter (发送电子邮件的人)
webmaster (网站维护者)
web page (网页)
website (网站)
web TV (网络电视机)
E-book (电子书籍)
E-shopper (网上购物者)
e-card (电子贺卡)
e(-)mail (电子邮件)
e-journal (电子杂志)
e-business (电子商务)
e-cash (电子货币)
e-commerce (电子商务)
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b. Combining forms/prefixes + verb:
cybersurf (网络漫游)
netsurf (网络漫游)
websurf (网络漫游)
email (发送电子邮件)
c. Words like cyber, net, etc. + suffix:
cyberian (cyber+ian 网络用户)
cyberphobia (cyber+phobia 电脑恐惧)
cybernaut (cyber+naut 网络用户)
netter (net+er 网民)
webify (web+fy 使万维网化)
cyberize (cyber+ize 使联网)
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d. Clipped word （缩略词，截短词） :
cyberdoc (cyber+doctor 网络医生)
Netcast (Net+broadcast 网络播放)
Netiquette (Net+etiquette 网规)
Netizen (Net+citizen 网民)
Netpreneur (Net+entrepreneur 网络企业)
Webcam（Web+camera 网络摄像机）
Webcasting (Web+broadcasting 网络播放）
Webliography（Web+bibliogrpahy 网络书目)
Webnomics (Web+economics 网络经济）
Webzine (Web+magazine 网络杂志)
e-tailing (electronic+retailing 电子零售)
e-zine (electronic+magazine 电子杂志)
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Word Completion
• Complete the words with the help of the
definitions given.
s ______ become longer, wider, etc.
e ______ having or seeming to have
no end
a ______ a strong feeling of dislike
a ______ a particular way of considering
an issue
m _____ understand wrongly
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r ______
a ______
r ______
i ______
depend confidently; put trust in
wrong or excessive use
bring back to a former condition
too bad to be endured
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Useful Expressions
一周中的最好时光
投稿
有时
对…感到厌恶
社交方式
缺乏自律
网络交际
面对
穿着得体
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a highlight of the week
submit articles
at times
feel an aversion to
forms of socializing
a lack of self-discipline
cyber-interaction
be confronted with
be dressed appropriately
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坏脾气
在此状态下
日常事务
依赖
长期失业
吸毒
恢复平衡
将…与…区分开
面对面
找借口
bad temper
in this state
daily routine
rely on
long-term unemployment
drug abuse
restore balance
set apart … from …
face to face
make an excuse
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Mock Debate
• Suppose your parents think you and your
brother/sister are spending too much time
on the Internet, neglecting your
schoolwork and normal daily life, and
isolating yourselves from the real world.
You want to convince them that your time
on the Internet is not wasted, and the
Internet has in no way isolated you from
the real world.
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Topic:
The Internet Will Isolate Us
From One Another
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Text B Words and Phrases
1. on top of:
1) in addition to :
~ his financial problem, his wife left him.
2) covering, above:
The bike fell ~ me.
3) very close to紧挨着:
We are ~ each other on the bus.
4) in control of:
I try to stay ~ things.
5) on top of the world: very happy and satisfied
Everything was working smoothly and I felt ~.
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2. to my knowledge: as far as I know
He has been there several times ~.
3. call forth:
The old song called forth my happy
memories.
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Writing Strategy — Inductive
Generalization
(P.125)
What is induction?
Example
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In developing a paragraph by means of the
inductive generalization, the writer presents
particular instances of a like kind and leads them
into valid generalization which serves as his
topic sentences. Thus, in the inductive pattern,
the topic sentence is likely to appear late in the
paragraph, often at the end. The result may be
referred to as a periodic paragraph, which, like a
periodic sentence, cannot be considered
structurally complete at any point before the end.
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Example
As an early-morning pastime, Susie, my
tortoise-colored kitten, would frequent the utility
room, swing open the small metal door on the
gas heater, and peer at the mechanism inside.
During the daytime her favorite toy was not the
usual ball of the yarn, but a small musical top.
And late at night, when there was sometimes a
gentle tapping in the study next to my bedroom,
the cause proved the same: in the darkness a soft
little paw was playing feline rhythms on the key
of my typewriter. For a kitten, Susie had an
unusual interest in mechanical things.
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1. What is the conclusion?
For
a kitten, Susie had an unusual interest
in mechanical things.
2. How does the author draw this conclusion?
By three examples of the kitten’s
interest.
3. Analyze Text A and explain how the author
uses the technique of induction.
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Proverbs and Quotations
1. Lack of work brings a thousand diseases.
一闲生百病。
2. Time and tide wait for no man.
时光如流水，岁月不待人。
3. Don’t burn the candle at both ends.
蜡烛不可两头点。（即：不要过度操劳。）
4. People need to know one another to be at their
honest best.
--Bobbins Staca, British writer
人们需要相互了解才能达到最诚实的境界。
--英国作家 R. 斯达卡
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5. When one loves one’s art no service seems too hard.
--O. Henry, American novelist
一旦热爱自己的工作, 什么奉献也不难。
--美国小说家 欧.亨利
6. No matter how strong you are, how notable your
attainments, you have enduring significance only in
your relationship to others.
--Ziegler Edward, American writer
不管你有多么强大, 你的成就多么辉煌, 只有保持
你与他人之间的关系, 这一切才会有持久的意义。
--美国作家 Z.爱德华
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Writing Assignment
Write a composition entitled Internet － Twoedged Sword based on the following outline (no
less than 150 words).
1) 因特网的功绩
2) 因特网的弊端
3) 你的看法
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Thanks!
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