新世纪U2B4.docx

1、新世纪U2B4Unit 2 Book 4Technology and Happiness1. Difficult sentences1) (LL2425) But its been left largely unexamined by economists and social scientists.What does “it” refer to here? (= It refers to the relationship between happiness and technology.)Paraphrase this sentence.(=But economists and social

2、 scientists have hardly examined the relationship between happiness and technology at all.)2) (LL2529) The truly groundbreaking work on the relationship between prosperity and well-being was done by the economist Richard Easterlin, who in 1974 wrote a famous paper entitled “Does Economic Growth Impr

3、ove the Human Lot?”What is the meaning of “lot”?(=It means fortune in life.)How is the paper of great significance? (= As a work on the relationship between prosperity and well-being, it is innovative.)Translate this sentence into Chinese.(=经济学家理查德伊斯特林在经济繁荣和幸福的关系方面进行了具有开拓性的研究，并于1974年发表了一篇题为“经济增长改变人类

4、命运吗？”的著名论文。)3) (LL3233) Money, Easterlin argued, could not buy happiness at least not after a certain point.What does this sentence imply?(= Money cant bring people happiness, at least when peoples wealthhas reached to a certain level.)4) (L.39) people adapt very quickly to good news.How usually wil

5、l people react to good news?(=They tend to feel happy and excited on hearing good news but they soon take it for granted.)5) (L.58) Telemarketing, traffic jams, and identity theft all come to mind.Explain the three expressions in the sentence, “telemarketing”, “traffic jam” and “identity theft”.(=Te

6、lemarketing means salespeople try to sell products to you on the phone. Traffic jam means your car is stuck in heavy traffic. Identity theft means your personal information is stolen.)Translate this sentence into Chinese.(=我们马上会想到电话推销、交通阻塞以及身份资料失窃等情况。)6) (LL6062) But for the most part, modern critiq

7、ues of technology havefocused not so much on specific, bad technologies as theimpact of technology on our human relationships. What do modern critiques of technology mainly focus on?(= They mainly focus on the impact of technology on our human relationships.)Paraphrase this sentence.(=However, curre

8、nt comments on technology have mostly centered on the bad effects of technology on our human relationships rather than particular, harmful technologies.)7) (LL 66 68) The notion that technology disrupts relationships and fractures community gained mainstream prominence as an attack on television.Wha

9、t do people blame television mainly for? (=Television is to blame mainly for interfering with the smooth development of relationships between people and breaking up community unity.)Translate this sentence into Chinese.(=人们对电视的批评主要集中在以下方面：技术扰乱了人际关系、破坏了社区交往。)8) (LL 78 81) Today, technological change

10、is so rapid that when you buy something, you do so knowing that in a few months theres going to be a better, faster version of the product, and that youre going to be stuck with the old one. With technology changing so rapidly, is it possible for people to buy the best product? Why or why not?(=No,

11、because rapid development of technology will always soon produce a better one.)What can we do with the old version of the product?(=We have to keep it even if we dont like it any more.)9) (LL 82 83) Its as if disappointment were built into acquisition from the very beginning.What does this sentence

12、mean?(=It seems as if people were doomed to disappointment the moment they bought the product.)10) (LL8487) Daily stress, an annoying sense of disappointment, fear that the government knows a lot more about you than you would like it to these are obviously some of the ways in which technology reduce

13、s peoples sense of well-being.Translate this sentence into Chinese.(=日常生活的压力、一种令人烦恼的失望感、对政府知道你的情况超出你希望程度的恐惧感 这些显然都是技术降低了人们幸福感的几个方面。)11) (LL94 95) the more time they get on earth, the better off they feel theyll be.What does this sentence mean? (=the longer life people live in the world, the happier

14、they feeltheyll be.) 12) (LL97101) As much as we should worry about the rising cost of health care and the problem of the uninsured, its also worth remembering how valuable for our spirits as well as our bodies are the benefits that medical technology has brought us.Who are the “uninsured”?(= people

15、 who dont enjoy health care insurance.)How does medical technology benefit people according to this sentence?(= It benefits people both physically and mentally.) 13) (LL102104) what the technological improvement of our health and our longevity emphasizes is a paradox of any discussion of happiness o

16、n a national or a global levelWhat does this sentence imply?(=the fact that technology has greatly improved peoples health and life expectancy is just contradictory to the general claim at any level that technology cannot bring happiness to people.)14) (LL104107) even though people may not be happie

17、r, even though they are wealthier and possess more technology, theyre still as hungry as ever for more time.Translate this sentence into Chinese.(=即使人们不会更幸福，即使他们更加富裕并拥有更多技术，他们还会像以前那样渴望长寿。)2. Words and Expressions1) (L.3) gross: a. general, total* gross domestic product (GDP) 国内生产总值(=His gross annual

18、 income, before tax, is just $12, 000.)这个包裹连盒子总重量是十公斤。(= The gross weight of the package is 10 kilos, including the box.)2) (L.3) triple: v. (cause to) grow to three times the amount or number * Apartments with generous spaces in this area will triple in value. 新设备的引进使我们的产量增加到了三倍。(= The introduction

19、 of new equipment has tripled the output.)(=World fuel consumption has tripled since World War .)3) (L.5) life expectancy: the length of time that a person or animal is expected to live* Women still have a longer life expectancy than men. 这个部落人的平均寿命是40岁。(= The average life expectancy of the people i

20、n this tribe is 40 years.)Collocations: low life expectancy 预期寿命短high life expectancy 预期寿命长a life expectancy of 50 years 预期寿命50年4) (L.5) soar: vi. rise rapidly or to a very high level*Unexpectedly the jet crashed shortly after it soared into the air.(=Industrial unemployment has soared to 40%, which

21、 is threatening the social stability.) 5) (L.5) boom: n. a (period of) rapid growth or increase* This countrys economy development has contributed a lot to the boom in world trade.我们必须要意识到90年代的经济繁荣已经结束了。 (=We have to realize that the economic boom in 90s is over now.) 6) (L.10) entertainment: n. sth

22、., esp. a public performance, that amuses*Las Vegas is one of the biggest entertainment centers in the US. (=Our agency supplies live entertainment for private or corporation parties.)适当的娱乐对于情感和心理的健康是必要的。(=Appropriate entertainment is necessary for emotional and psychological health.)7) (L. 16) form

23、al: a. suitable for official occasions, serious writing, etc. but not for ordinary conversationWe should be formal on business occasions, and never call anyone by their first name. 我们在商务场合应该讲究礼仪, 不要对别人直呼其名。(=You shouldnt use Yours faithfully its much too formal for this kind of letter. )Collocations

24、:formal curriculum 正式课程formal dress 礼服formal effectiveness 正式生效formal style 正式文体 8) (L.16) survey: n. a general examination or study, esp. carried out by asking people questions最近的调查发现学生希望在课堂上有更多的时间练习口语。(=The recent survey found that students wanted to spend more time practicing speaking in class. )

25、*In a survey conducted by a leading travel firm, the Canary Islands were the most popular vacation spot. cf. inquiry, investigation & survey 这些名词均有“调查”之意。inquiry普通常用词，指正式调查，也指一般的打听或查询。investigation一般指系统的调查，以了解希望发现或需要知道的事。survey多指为写书面报告而进行的民意测验或调查。(Directions:) Fill in the blanks with the words above

26、. Change the form where necessary.1. A/An _ by airline officials has shown that the crash was caused by human error. (= investigation)2. Out of curiosity, she made _ about the guy who dated her sister. (=inquiries)3. This report was based on a/an _ our group carried out in the past two months. (=sur

27、vey)4. Some of the people under _ have been accused of spying. (=investigation)9) (L.19) on average: in most cases; usually *On average, 18% of our daily calories come from sugar. 我国成年人平均每天抽烟五根。(= Adults in our country smoke on average five cigerattes every day.)10) (L.30) when it comes to: when it

28、concerns *When it comes to this matter, peoples opinions vary. 这个问题大家众说纷纭。在记者招待会上，当提到这位影星的私人生活时，他总是保持沉默。(=At the press conference, when it came to his personal life, the movie star always kept silence. )11) (L.31) correlation: n. a structural, functional, or qualitativecorrespondence between two thi

29、ngs*There is an obvious correlation between sun bath and skin cancer. (=In tests, there was no correlation found between diet and intelligence.)12) (L.37) phenomenon: n. an occurrence, a circumstance, or a fact that is perceptible by the senses.*An eclipse of the moon is a rare phenomenon. 月蚀是罕见的现象。

30、对数学的透彻理解有助于解释各种各样的自然现象。(=A thorough understanding of mathematics helps explain a wide range of natural phenomena.) 13) (L.48) at work: having an effect on sth.*The pills are at work, and he is sleeping like a log now. 经济学家们正在研究通货膨胀在经济中的作用。(=Economists are now studying the inflationary forces at work

31、 in the economy.) 14) (L.50) frustrating: a. annoying; discouraging*Many learners find it frustrating that they cant speak the second language well enough after a long time of study, and then quit.(=Recovery from a serious accident can be a slow and frustrating process.)随着孩子们渐渐长大，他们开始反抗父母的管束。(= As they grow older, kids begin to rebel against the restraintsimposed by their parents.)frustrate: v. to cause feelings of discouragement *Lack of progress in recovery frustrates her greatly.康复没什么起色, 这让她很灰心。frustrated: a. being in a state of upset or discouragement*The world-famous director once was a