模块七 Unit 1阅读材料中英文对照版文档格式.docx

1、Sound and video recordersIn 1928, the first tape recorders used to copy sound were made in Germany. Most early recorders employed steel tape to record on, which made them heavy and difficult to use, or paper tape, which was easier to use but often broke. It was not until the early 1950s that most ta

2、pe recorders began using plastic tape as they do today. Meanwhile, electrical components eventually became so small that, by the late 1960s, portable cassette players were developed, along with video recorderswhich were used by TV stations. By the late 1970s, video recorders small and cheap enough f

3、or home use were introduced.Sound and video go digitalIn 1982, the first CDs were made available. CDs are often used for storing and playing music because they have a much better sound quality than traditional records and cassettes. In 1993, the VCD was born, and in 1995, the DVD was invented. The D

4、VD is now the standard for recording and playing back video.The futureWith the development of digital technology, sound and video can now be stored on a PC, on the Internet, or using some form of portable storage. This will soon make records, cassette recorders, CDs, DVDs and even TVs things of the

5、past. Technology is now changing faster than most people can keep pace with. Who can foresee what the future will bring?ProjectTo phone or not to phone?In the USA, the Amish-a Christian group-are famous because they drive carriages instead of cars, do not use TVs or refrigerators, and do not have pe

6、rsonal telephones. Many people assume the Amish must have religious reasons for their many rules, but this is not true. In truth, whenever a new technology is introduced, the Amish meet and discuss its advantages and disadvantages. They then vote on whether they will accept it. The Amish reject cars

7、 because they like having tight communities where everyone lives close together. They have no TVs or refrigerators because their homes do not have electricity-they do not think it is necessary and dislike dealing with strangers, such as the people who work at the electric company.Since the Amish val

8、ue seeing each other face to face, they oppose having telephones in their houses. However, in each community there is often a small building that has a telephone for emergencies.The telephone is very convenient for communication, and most people in the world today cannot live without it. However, ma

9、ybe the Amish have a valid point. Which is more of a friend, someone you often talk to over the phone or someone you often talk to face to face? And, if you need help, who can help you better, someone far away or someone in the room with you? There is something important about being together and sha

10、ring life that cannot be found over a telephone wire.There are other disadvantages to the telephone, as well. For example, no matter what the circumstances, when the phone rings, everything stops so that the call can be answered. Your family could be eating dinner or chatting together, yet this will

11、 be interrupted. However, most phone calls are not really that important; certainly, they could not be more important than family time. Then, when you are absorbed in a book or simply trying to rest, the phone always seems to be ringing, destroying whatever peace you might have. However, the person

12、calling is often merely a salesman or someone who has dialled the wrong number.With mobile phones, these problems increase. How many times have you been talking with a friend, only for your friend to interrupt the conversation to answer a call? For some reason, a typical mobile phone call is nearly

13、always given greater importance than a face-to-face conversation. Yet, once again, most mobile phone calls are about rather small matters. When asked later what the call was about, your friend always answers, Oh, nothing really. If the call was really about nothing, then why was it so important as t

14、o interrupt your conversation and waste your precious time? Of course, using the mobile phone for text messages is the worst. In one study, girls average 80 text messages a day, and boys average 30. What do people talk about in text messages? While these messages always seem important at the time, m

15、ost people cannot really remember them the next day. Phones and text messages focus on building relationships with many people. However, these relationships are often quite shallow. Many teenagers say that while they have a lot of friends, they really have no best friend. The use of technology for c

16、ommunication rather than talking face to face is one reason why this is true. Meanwhile, real relationships are often sacrificed, and whatever personal peace one has is destroyed whenever the phone rings. The Amish in general have a higher degree of mental health than most people. They have very cal

17、m and stable lives because they value community and living in peace above all else, especially new technology. Maybe they are right. Maybe we should throw all of our phones into the dustbin, along with our cars and TVs for good measure. Maybe we should rid ourselves of modern technology and return t

18、o simpler times.Whats that? . Sorry, I have to go. The phones ringing .影像和声音设备的发展电视的早期历史无线电视传输节目于1925年在美国首次公开播出。随后在1928年，英美两国之间第一次实现了远距离电视播送。之后不久便开始定期向公众播放，在纽约的开播时间是1928年5月11日，在伦敦的开播时间是1929年8月20日。很多不同的人对电视的发展做出了贡献。早期电视大多使用有英国人约翰洛吉贝尔德开发的系统。然而，他的系统非常原始，有许多缺点。20世纪20年代末和30年代初，美国人斐洛法恩斯沃斯在电视的研发上取得了重大突破。现代

19、电视机使用了许多由法恩斯沃斯首先发现的原理。约翰洛吉贝尔德于1928年制造出第一台彩色电视机，但直到1938年第一个彩色电视节目才播出。彩色电视节目到1951年才得以在美国定期播出，其间经历了二十多年的时间。在英国，定期的彩色电视节目的播出一直延迟至1967年。然而，在短时间内，几乎所有的电视节目都被制作成了彩色的，不出五年，彩色电视机的使用率就超过了黑白电视机。当代：卫星电视卫星用于播送电视节目始于1962年。卫星让远距离直播电视节目成为可能，大家在同一时间可以收到相同的电视节目。它们也使远离城市的人们可以收看电视，在农村和边远地区经常可以看到卫星天线。当然，只有一小部分人拥有自己的卫星天线

20、。然而，大多数人仍然受益于卫星电视，因为当地的电视公司把从卫星接收器接收到的信号传送给附近的居民。录音机的早期历史一切始于1877年，这一年托马斯爱迪生用他发明的留声机第一次录制了人的声音。早期的录音机是使用圆管记录声音的。然而，在1887年，一位侨居美国的德国人埃米尔贝利纳发明了使用唱片来代替圆管的留声机，这样现代录音机就诞生了。最早的留声机必须手摇上发条，而且只能播放两分钟长的录音。时代确实已经改变！录音机和录像机1928年，第一批磁带录音机在德国制造出来。大多数最早的录音机用钢质磁带或者纸质磁带录音。钢质磁带很沉，使用起来困难；纸质磁带用起来虽方便，但常常破损。直到20世纪50年代初，大

21、多数录音机才开始使用塑料磁带，就跟现在一样。同时，电器元件最终变得很小，到60年代后期，便携式录音机被研制出来，电视台使用的录像机也随之出现。到了20世纪70年代末，足够小巧而价廉的家用录像机被采用。声音和视频数字化1982年，最早的CD光盘出现了。它们通常用来存储和播放音乐，其音质远远胜过任何传统的唱片和卡带录音机。1993年VCD诞生，1995年DVD问世。目前，DVD是标准的视频录制和回放设备。未来展望随着数字技术的发展，声音和视频现在可以储存在个人电脑上、互联网上，或使用某种形式的便携式储存设备储存。这将很快使唱片、卡带录音机、CD、DVD甚至电视成为过去。技术变革快得大多数人难以跟上

22、。谁能预见未来会带来什么呢?打电话还是不打？在美国，阿曼门诺派（一个基督教团体）很有名，因为这个教派的教徒不开汽车而使用非机动车，不用电视和冰箱，也没有私人电话。许多人认为阿曼门诺派有这么多规矩，肯定是因为宗教原因，但事实并非如此。实际上，每当出现一项新技术，阿曼门诺派教徒便开会讨论其优点和缺点。然后，他们投票决定是否要接受它。阿曼门诺派教徒拒绝汽车，因为他们喜欢享有关系紧密的社区，在这里大家一起住得很近。他们没有电视机和电冰箱，因为他们的家没有电他们认为电力并非必需，而且他们不喜欢与陌生人打交道，例如那些在电力公司工作的人。由于阿曼门诺派教徒重视彼此面对面地交往，他们反对在住宅里装电话。然而

23、在每个社区常常有一个小亭子，里面有一部紧急电话。电话非常便于沟通，当今世界上大多数人的生活都离不开它。然而，也许阿曼门诺派教徒有个合理的观点。哪一个更像是朋友呢：是你在电话中经常交谈的某个人，还是你经常面对面地交谈的某个人？还有，如果你需要帮助，谁能更好地帮助你呢：是远方的某个人，还是与你同处一室的某个人？在一起并分享生活，其中蕴藏着某种重要的东西，而这种东西是无法通过电话线获得的。电话还有其他缺点。例如，无论在什么情况下，当电话铃声响起时，为了能接电话，一切都要停下来。你们一家人可能正在一起吃晚饭或聊天，这却会被电话打断。然而，大多数电话不是真的那么重要。它们当然不会比与家人在一起共度时光更

24、重要。还有，当你专注地看一本书或者只想休息时，电话似乎总是响个不停，打破了你本来可以享有的一切安宁。可打电话的人常常只是一名推销员或拨错了号码的某个人。有了移动电话，这样的问题就更多了。有多少次你正在与一位朋友交谈，可是仅仅为了接一个电话，你的朋友就中断了交谈呢？由于某种原因，一个平常的手机来电几乎总是被赋予比面对面交谈更多的重要性。不过，话又说回来，大部分的手机来电只涉及相当微不足道的事情。当事后被问及来电是有关什么事时，你的朋友总是回答说：“噢，其实也没什么事。”如果来电真的是“没什么事”，那么它为什么如此重要以至于打断你们的交谈，并浪费你们的宝贵时间呢？当然，用手机发短信是最糟的事。在一

25、项调查中，女孩平均每天发80条短信，男孩平均发30条。人们在短信中谈论什么呢？尽管这些短信在当时总是看似重要，但第二天大多数人并不能真的记得它们。电话和短信意在与许多人建立感情关系。然而，这样建立起来的交情常常是相当浅的。许多青少年说，虽然他们有很多朋友，但事实上他们却没有最好的朋友。之所以会这样，一个原因就是通信技术的应用代替了面对面的交谈。同时，真正的关系往往被牺牲了，而且，每当电话铃声响起时，个人所拥有的任何宁静都会被打破。总的说来，阿曼门诺派教徒的心理健康程度高于大多数人。他们过着非常平静而稳定的生活，因为他们看重社区和宁静生活，并视其高于其他的一切，特别是新技术。也许他们是对的。也许我们应该把所有的电话连同小汽车和电视机一起扔进垃圾箱。也