大学21世纪英语 Unit 6.docx

大学21世纪英语 Unit 6.docx

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大学21世纪英语Unit6

Unit6Book2

TextAABriefHistoryofStephenHawking

Warm-upActivity

StephenHawkingisthemostfamouslivingscientistthathaseverbeen.Hawkinghasbeendubbed“Einstein’sheir,”“thegreatestgeniusofthelate20thcentury,”“thefinestmindalive,”andonejournalistevenbestoweduponhimtheillustrioustitleof“MasteroftheUniverse.”

Beforegettingdowntothetext,

1.askthestudentswhattheyknowaboutStephenHawking;

2.writeontheblackboardwhatthey’vementioned;

3.piecetogethertheinformationtheygive;

4.thenreadthepassagebelowaboutStephenHawkingtothestudents,andaskthemtoanswerthequestionsthatfollowtochecktheircomprehension;and

5.presentthetextwhentheyhavegotageneralideaaboutStephenHawking.

Overthepast25years,StephenHawkinghasgreatlyexpandedoverallcontemplationandunderstandingofourvastuniverse.Hisground-breakingtheoriesonblackholesandtheoriginandworkingsoftheuniversehaveoftenproventhemselvestoberevolutionaryintheircontent.

ThroughouttheswiftadvancementofStephenHawking’scareerandfame,hisprivatelifehasenduredgreattrouble.Attheageof21,HawkingwasinformedthathehadthecripplingdiseaseALS（amyotrophiclateralsclerosis）,oftenreferredtoasmotorneurondisease.Thismeantthatfortheremainderofhislife,hewouldbeforcedtodependuponawheelchairinordertoretainhismobility.Somehow,StephenHawking

managedtonotonlyendurethishardship,butalsoriseaboveitandcontinuetofollowhisscientificresearchwithzest.SomepeoplespeculatethattheALSactuallyaidedtheyoungscientistinpursuinghiscareertothefullestbecauseitallowedhimtoreleasetheresponsibilitiesofeverydaylife,givinghimthefreedomtofocussolelyonhisresearch.

Questions:

1.WhathasStephenHawkingbeenworkingonforthepast25years?

（Hehasbeenworkingon‘blackholes’andtheoriginandworkingsoftheuniverse.）

2.Whatkindoftroublehasheenduredinhisprivatelife?

（HehassufferedfromthecripplingdiseaseALS（amyotrophiclateralsclerosis）,oftenreferredtoasmotorneurondisease.）

3.HowhasheretainedhismobilitysincehegotALS?

（Hehasdependedonawheelchair.）

4.HowdoesStephenHawkingfacehishardship?

（Hemanagestoendureitandcontinueshisresearchwithzest.）

5.WhydosomepeoplesaythattheALShasactuallyhelpedhimin

pursuinghiscareer?

（Becauseithasallowedhimtobefreefromtheresponsibilities

ofeverydaylifeandgivenhimmorefreedomtofocusonhis

research.）

Pre-ReadingActivities

InstructionsforTeachers:

Preteachessentialnewvocabulary.Tellthestudentsthey’regoingtohearatapeaboutStevenHawking,thescientistandauthor.Astheylistenthefirsttime,theyshouldunderlinethesectionsoftheparagraphbelowthatdifferfromwhattheyhearonthetape.Thetapecouldbelistenedtotwiceinclass.

（NB:

Wheretherearedifferencesinmeaning,theinformationintheprintedpassageiscorrect:

Hawkinglosthisvoicein1985;andhecommunicatedbyraisinghiseyebrows.ThecomputerwasinventedbyanAmerican;itletshimconstructsentencesatarateofabout15wordsperminute;andhejokesthatitgiveshimanAmericanaccent.）

FirstListening

1.Thedifferencesthestudentsshouldunderlineare:

StevenHawking,thewell-knownscientistandauthor,losthisabilitytospeakin1983.Alreadyconfinedtoawheelchair,unabletomovemorethanafewmuscles,helosthisvoiceandthislefthimabletocommunicateonlybyraisinghisfingers.ThenanAustraliancomputerprogrammercametoHawking’srescuebydesigningavocalizingcomputerspeciallyforhim.Withitshelp,Hawkingcanconstructsentencesataspeedofabout50wordsperminute,byselectingwordsfromacomputerscreenandthenclickingadevicethatsaysthesentencesforhim.Hawkinglikesthecomputer,saying:

“TheonlytroubleisthatitgivesmeanAustralianaccent.”

SecondListening:

1.Bothoftheseareopenquestionswithno“correct”answers.

ListeningPassage

StevenHawking,thewell-knownscientistandauthor,losthisabilitytospeakin1983.Alreadyconfinedtoawheelchair,unabletomovemorethanafewmuscles,helosthisvoiceandthislefthimabletocommunicateonlybyraisinghisfingers.ThenanAustraliancomputerprogrammercametoHawking’srescuebydesigningavocalizingcomputerspeciallyforhim.Withitshelp,Hawkingcanconstructsentencesataspeedofabout50wordsperminute,byselectingwordsfromacomputerscreenandthenclickingadevicethatsaysthesentencesforhim.Hawkinglikesthecomputer,saying:

“TheonlytroubleisthatitgivesmeanAustralianaccent.”

LanguagePoints

1.StephenHawking&ABriefHistoryofTime

StephenHawkingisanEnglishtheoreticalphysicist,whosework

hasgreatlyadvancedunderstandingofspace-timeanditssingularities.

Hismainworkhasbeenonquantummechanicsand“blackholes”,whichheconductedcanemitthermalradiationatasteadyrate.

BorninOxford,England,onJan.8,1942,hewenttostudyphysicsatUniversityCollege,Oxford,in1959.HereceivedhisPh.D.in1966.WhileagraduatestudentatCambridge,hedevelopedaprogressivedisablingneuromusculardiseasethatlimitsmovementandspeech.

Confinedtoawheelchair,unabletowriteandwithseverelyimpairedspeech,hehascarriedouthismathematicalcalculationsmentallyandcommunicatedtheminadevelopedform.Inadditiontowellover100researchpapersinscholarlyjournals,Hawkingwroteonetechnicalbook,TheLargeStructureofSpace-Time（withGeorgeEllis）.In1988hepublishedapopularbook,ABriefHistoryofTime:

FromtheBigBangtoBlackHoles,whichsetrecordsonthebest-sellerlistsinEnglandandAmerica.Amoviebasedonthebookwasreleasedin1992.Hislifeandworkareanotabletriumphoverseverephysicaldisability.

2.（L1）Hehasbeenproclaimed“thefinestmindalive”…

Paraphrase:

Hehasbeendeclaredthemostintelligentmanwhoislivingtoday…

proclaimv.

1）.tomake（esp.）somethingofnationalimportance）knownpublicly;

declareofficially

A.proclaim+object

Thecountryproclaimeditsindependencein1978.

TheGovernmentproclaimedastateofemergency.

B.proclaim+thatclause

Thegovernorproclaimedthathewouldfirsttacklethe

unemploymentproblem.

C.proclaim+object+（tobe）

Theyproclaimedher（tobe）therightfulowneroftheland.

2）.toshowclearly;beanoutwardsignof

A.proclaim+object

Herfaceproclaimedherdeepdisappointment

B.proclaim+thatclause

HispronunciationproclaimedthathewasanAmerican.

C.proclaim+object+（tobe）

Hisactionsproclaimedhim（tobe）amanofstrongdetermination.

mind:

napersonwhothinks,esp.onewithagoodbrainandthe

abilitytolead,tocontrol,etc.

Thebestminds（=thecleverestpeople）inthecountryaretryingtofindawayoutofitsdifficulties.

alive:

adj.（predicative）havinglife;living

Thedoctorsaretryingeverypossiblemeanstokeephimalive.

Itisreportedthatmorethanfortypeoplewereburnedalivein

yesterday’sfire.

bealivewithsth.:

becoveredwithorfullof（livingthings）

Beijingisabigcityalivewithtourists.

Hiseyesarealivewithhope.

bealivetosth.:

havingfullknowledgeof

Hewasalivetothedangerofthework.

Cf.living:

adj.（Thiswordcanbeusedasattributivetoreferto

peoplewhoarestillalive.）

Alivinglanguageisalanguagethatisalwayschanging.

Ihavenolivingrelativesinmyhometown.

live:

adj.（Thiswordcanbeusedasattributivetoreferto

animals,plantsorthings.）

It’salivefish.

Onlyafewlivetreeswereleftafterthefire.

Afterthetyphoonpeoplewerewarnedthatmanylivewires（many

wirescarryingelectricity）weredown.

InEnglishtherearesomeadjectiveswhichcanonlybeusedas

predicative,suchasadrift（飘浮着的,飘流着的），afloat（浮着的,

飘浮着的）,aghast（吃惊的,吓得打哆嗦的）,akin（有血亲关系的，

同族的）,alight,（点亮着的，闪着光彩的，喜气洋洋的）,alike,

alone,ashamed,asleep,averse（讨厌…的,反对…的）awake,aware

content,drunk,lit,upset,etc..

3.（L2-3）Einstein’sheir

heir:

n.thepersonwhowillinherittheirmoney,property,ortitle

whentheydie

Cf.heiress:

n.awomanwhowillinherittheirmoney,property,or

atitle

4.（L3）farandwide（alsofarandnear）

everywhere;overagreatdistanceoralargearea

Thecouplelookedfarandwideforthemissingdiamondring.

Peoplecamefarandwidetoseethecircus.

Sinceheretired,hehastraveledfarandwide.

5.（L5-8）Hisgiftforrevealingthemysteriesoftheuniverseinastyle

thatnon-scientistscanenjoymadeHawkinganinstant

celebrityandhisbookabestsellerinbothBritainand

America.

Paraphrase:

Hisabilitytoexplainthecomplexitiesoftheuniverseinawaythattheaveragenon-professionalreaderscanunderstandandappreciatesoonmadehimwellknownandhisbookbest-sellinginbothBritainandAmerica.

instant:

adj.happeningatonce

celebrity:

n.afamousperson

bestseller:

n.anything,especiallyabook,thathasalargesale

6.（L8-9）IthasearnedaplaceintheGuinnessBookofRecordsfor…

Paraphrase:

IthasbeencarriedintheGuinnessBookofRecords

（foritssuccess）.

earn:

v.get（somethingthatonedeserves）becauseofone’squalities;

deserve

HehasearnedaplaceIhistory.

Sheearnedthepromotionfromasalesgirltoasalesmanager.

Afterthat,Sheearnedareputationforhonesty.

GuinnessBookofRecords:

In1955,NorrisandhistwinbrotherRosseditedthefirstGuinness

BookofWorldRecords.Thebookwasfirstdesignedtorecordthethenextremesin,onandbeyondtheEarth—notablyinhumanperformanceand