高级英语第一册Unit8 An Interactive Life

1、Unit8 An Interactive LifeBarbara KantrowitzBarbara Kantrowitz has been an editor and writer at Newsweek since 1985. She has written dozens of cover stories on education and family issues and has won numerous awards for her work. She is also a published fiction writer. A graduate of Cornell Universit

2、y and the Columbia UniversityGraduate School of Journalism, Kantrowitz livesin New York with her husband and two sons. Joshua Cooper RamoJoshua Cooper Ramo (b. 1968) is a senior editor for the weekly newsmagazine Time, where he covers business and technology. Formerly he ran a new media company for

3、Time Warner, publisher of Time Digital, and was a science and technology reporter and creator of the online service at Newsweek. This article ran as a cover story for Time in December 1996. An Interactive LifeBackAn interactive life is a life which acts reciprocally.Whats your opinion about the inte

4、ractive life? What can you imagine?NewsweekNewsweek is a weekly news magazine published in New York City and distributed throughout the United States and Canada. It is the second-largest weekly magazine in the U.S., having played second fiddle to TIME during its entire career except for brief moment

5、s when its advertising revenues were somewhat greater. Its circulation puts it ahead of U.S. News & World Report. Peter Jennings: Peter Jennings was the anchor and senior editor of ABCs World News Tonight, where he established a reputation for independence and excellence in broadcast journalism. He

6、was the networks principal anchor for breaking news, election coverage and special events.World News Tonight anchor Peter Jennings(ABC News )As one of Americas most distinguished journalists, Jennings reported many of the pivotal events that have shaped our world. He was in Berlin in the 1960s when

7、the Berlin Wall was going up, and there in the 90s when it came down. BackHe covered the civil rights movement in the southern United States during the 1960s, and the struggle for equality in South Africa during the 1970s and 1980s. TELEVISION SERIES 1964 World News Tonight (co-anchor) 1965-68 World

8、 News Tonight (anchor)1975-76 AM America (news anchor) 1978-2005 ABC World News TonightWith Peter Jennings (anchor) New wordsenvision: v. imagine (sth. not yet in existence); picture in the mindprophecy: n. prediction of the future under the influence of divine guidance; act of practice of a prophet

9、hype: n. Am. slang extravagant promotional advertising esoteric: adj. intended for or understood by only a chosen few; beyond the understanding of knowledge of most people.HOMENew wordsfuturistic adj. of or having to do with the future ;of futurismfanatic n. a person whose extreme zeal, piety, etc.

10、goes beyond what is reasonable ;zealotclick v. colloq. fit, work, or get along together successfully; be a success.artsy adj. pretentiously artistic; arty.beam v. direct or aim (a radio signal, program, etc.)via prep. by means of ;usingHOMENew wordsfake adj. fraudulent; not genuine; sham; falsecouth

11、-potato: n. a person who spends most of his time on a couch watching TVarcade n. a roofed passageway, esp. one with shops on either sideHOMENew wordschannel-surfing n . Skimming quickly through various TV channels to find a suitable programCD-ROM n. compact discs with read-only memorytitle n. disc o

12、f movie or TV programs 视盘HOMENew wordslucrative adj. producing wealth or profit. Profitablescribble v. write carelessly or illegiblyanonymous adj. with no name known or acknowledgedtout v. colloq. praise or recommend highly; puffscribble v. write carelessly or illegiblyHOMENew wordscellular adj. con

13、sisting or containing cells; porousCellular phonetrample v. crush, destroy ,hurt, violate, etc. by or as by treading heavily onstampede n. a sudden ,headlong running away of a group of frightened animals esp. horses or cattleHOMENew wordscorral n. an enclosure for holding horses, cattle or other ani

14、malsobscene adj. offensive to ones feelings, or to prevailing notions ,of modesty or decency; lewdanalogy n. similarity in some respects between things otherwise unlike; partial resemblanceHOMENew wordsicon n . an image ;figure; representationclog v . hinder; impedepulse n. a very short burst of ele

15、ctromagnetic wavesloop n .elec. a complete circuit; the complete fibreoptic cable systemHOMENew wordsloop n .elec. a complete circuit; the complete fibreoptic cable systemtab n. (when used in keep tabs a tab on )colloq. keep a check on; follow or watch every move oftap v. Am. make a secret connectio

16、n with (a telephone line) to overhear or record private conversationstoll n. a tax or charge for a privilege, esp. for permission to pass over a bridge ,along a highway, etc.levy v. impose or collect (a tax, tribute, fine, etc.)elitism n. advocacy of government or control by an eliteHOMENew wordspop

17、ulism n. the beliefs of a political party that claims to represent ordinary peoplezap v. Am. slang move ,strike, stun, smash, kill etc. with sudden speed and force.mutant n. an animal or plant with inheritable characteristics that differ from those of the parents; sportspill v. shed (blood)HOMEBackp

18、ut the world at your fingertips: to become familiar with the world by using the tips of your fingers on computers; fingertips here has both a literal and a figurative meaning ,literally it means the tip of the finger on the computer while figuratively it means to be familiar with as in the phrase “h

19、ave at ones fingertips”Phrases and expressionsHOMEconceive of: to have a picture or idea of something in your mindIn preference to: rather than Preference forGive/ show preference (to somebody)Phrases and expressionsHOMETo cater to: To attend to the wants or needs of.Cater for: To provide food or en

20、tertainment.To keep taps on:密切监视Pin ones hope/faith on somebody/something: to hope that something will happen or someone will help you, because all your plans depend on this Hang on sth : to depend on somethinghang on to something : to keep something hang up: to end a telephone callhang around: to w

21、aitPhrases and expressionsHOMEA gold mine of: someone or something that can give you a lot of information about a particular subject and that is therefore very useful or helpfulRound up: to find and gather together a group of people, animals, or things See if you can round up a few friends to help y

22、ou! His dog Nell started to round up the sheep.Phrases and expressionsBack an interactive life: a life which acts reciprocally or mutually put the world at your fingertips: to become familiar with the world by using the tips of your fingers on computers; fingertips here has both a literal and a figu

23、rative meaning ,literally it means the tip of the finger on the computer while figuratively it means to be familiar with as in the phrase “have at ones fingertips” To get an ideathe past: In order to form a view of what will happen in the future, you need only to have a look at what happened in the

24、past In the decades .dramatically: In the tens of years covered by the machines on exhibition, the idea and purpose of sound recording experienced great changes Edisoncommunicate: Edison designed and developed his sound recording machine as a working tool for people to talk to each other over long d

25、istance. He intendedmore: his only intention in inventing the machine was the recording of voices His competitors. and art: His business rivals saw in their minds that there was great possibility of using the machine for entertainment and art.simply put.Broadway 1) simply put :to express in a way th

26、at is easy to understand 2) a huge amount of a button: if you press a button, you will be able to get a large amount of information over a wide range of topics 3)esoteric scientific journal: magazines on science written in such a way as to be understood only by a few who know the subject.On the rece

27、iving end stream of data1)on the receiving end :for those who are the viewers 2)the era of the no brainer: the period of no need to bother about the selection of programmed3)to be programmed: to furnish the computer with a planned sequence of operations to be performed. How will we to sleep? 1)negot

28、iate:succeed in crossing ,surmounting, moving through 2)mass:a large quantity or number 3)How shall we handle and manage such a large quantity of data and still have time to sleep? data highway : the authors are comparing the transmission in the air to a busy highway and information, data travels al

29、ong the highway. This is a vivid metaphor .: The quick answerCalif. 1)quick:prompt 2)were a long way from “wild palms”: there is still great distance before we can reach the stage as depicted in the TV series ”wild palms” But even if within a year or two 1)techno-chaos:technological disorder or conf

30、usion. 2)futuristic fantasy: highly imaginative TV series, with stress on the speed, flux and violence of the machine age 3)The futuristic fantasy mini-series refers to “wild palms” to set a performance standard: to lay down norms for operation CD_ROM do ,however: In spite of that, CD-ROMs still giv

31、e you a chance to have a brief look at what will be in store for us in the future. Philips Interactiveadventure game 1)in which the vieweron the screen: the viewer may decide on which part on the museum to visit and turn on the TV 2)an animated adventure game :an exciting experience filled with acti

32、vity and vigor Hawkins says .on a small screen 1)work-at-home market : those people who stay at home to do their work and have their computers linked with the office terminals 2)outlet:market 3)telecoferencing devices: equipments used for holding a conference of individuals in different locations, a

33、s by speakerphone, close circuit TV, etc. 4)portable computing devices: equipments used for calculation which can be easily carried around 5)touted:recommended highly 6)runs on a handwritten. .screen: operates on instructions written by hand on a small screen in a casual wayBackParaphraseWhere he sa

34、w internal memos, someone else saw Beethoven.He imagined that the machine could record informal communication between departments in a company but other people thought it could be used to record music.BackParaphraseWith so much big money and so many big dreams pinned to an idea that is still largely

35、 on the drawing boards, there is no limit to the hype.Since large sums of money have been spent on an idea which is mainly in the planning stage ,since great hopes have been put on such an idea, there certainly is a lot of exaggerated publicity.HOMEBackParaphraseSay you shoot a viden that you think

36、is particularly artsy.For example , you film a video which you think has special artistic pretensions. Send out the video and ask those who have watched it to pay a fee. In this way you can make quite a sum of money.BackParaphraseEven the truest believers have a hard time when it comes to nailing do

37、wn specifics.My daughter wishes me to have a slender figure and a fair complexion; like an uncooked barley pancake: a simile comparing the skin to barley dough which has a creamy, smooth texture.BackParaphrase Somedayinteractivity:At some future time it will be quite suitable to have a place like th

38、e Edison National Historical Site in memory of those who make the important advance recently in interactivity although it has not been able to do all the things the creators promised.BackParaphraseAt various points ”Terminator XII ”:At different places ,you can turn on the device for other possible

39、development of the story and offer your own variation.BackParaphrase.Peter Jennings would be obsolete:There is no linger any need for news anchorman because anyone can record news with a video-camera and put in it on the universal network for everybody else to see.BackParaphrase.Sounds great .actual

40、ly work:In theory the whole idea seems wonderful but even for those who firmly believe in this, it is difficult to work out the details of how it will actually function.BackParaphraseAnd, frankly,. anyway?this is no longer a question on specifics. it inquires into the usefulness and ultimate purpose

41、 of such an idea.BackParaphraseLike when you see the wriggling end of a snake just in front of your foot on the road.An elliptical sentence. Its the kind of disgusted response you have when you see the wriggling end of a snake just in front of your foot on the road.BackParaphraseGame fanaticsshoot-”

42、em-ups”:Those who are obsessed in video games may do it in the same way by contacting another electronic library which has a large number of video tapes recording the actual shootings and killings seen in video game shops. shoot-em-up: a movie or TV show featuring much physical violence, esp. shooti

43、ng and killing BackParaphraseInstead of flipping through. gear:choosing how one would like to watch the ball games or other athletic competitionsBackParaphrasewhy does Caruso call this “fake interactive”?:it is not considered genuine interactivity because it is not revolutionary enough and is just o

44、ne step beyond passive viewing. it is still the traditional form of sitting on the couch watching .BackParaphraseMoving beyond. infrastructure:Getting over the first stage and moving into what Caruso terms as real interactive, people need to bring about great changes in the basic structure on which

45、technology and regulation rest.BackParaphraseTitles produced on another:discs produced in one specified form can only be played on machines designed for such discsBackParaphraseMany investorsmarket:Many investors are confident that amusement will the most profitable market for interactive productsBa

46、ck Metaphor A metaphor is the use of a phrase which describes one thing by stating another thing with which it can be compared without using the words “as” or “like”. It is also a comparison between two things that are essentially unlike yet are alike in a certain respect. It differs from simile in

47、that there are no words whatsoever used to show the relation of comparison between the tenor and the vehicle. A genuine metaphor therefore, is an implied simile. For example:Rhetorical DevicesThe world is a stage.Jim was a fox.He is the soul of the team.Failure is the mother of success.Some books ar

48、e to be tasted, others swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested. - -(Bacon) She melted into tears.He is a lion in the way.The man is the black sheep in the family.A dark horse I was able to rise from the ashes. （凤凰焚身的形象） （我终于从灰烬中获得新生/我终于得以东山再起） A mixed metaphor is one in which the writer st

49、arts with one comparison and then shifts to another that is not consistent with the first; the implications of one image clash with those of another. Personification is a figure of speech which attributes human qualities and abilities to inanimate objects, animals, abstract ideas, eg. Youth is hot a

50、nd bold, （青春充满热情和勇气） Age is weak and cold, （衰老变得虚弱和冷漠） Youth is wild, and age is tame.（青春豪放不羁，衰老温顺驯服） -William Shakespeare This time fate was smiling to him. The wind is whistling through the trees. Dusk came stealthily.(黄昏悄悄来临) I watched the moonlight dancing on the ripples of the lake. She listene

51、d to the brook murmuring through the hills. The ancient mansion spoke to me of bygone days. Antithesis is the deliberate arrangement of contrasting words or ideas in balanced structural forms to achieve force and emphasis. The form of the expression is very important for the effect, for the force of

52、 emphasis, whether for profundity of judgment, or humor or for satire, depends chiefly on the juxtaposition of direct opposites, of glaring contrasts:For example, 1) Crafty men condemn studies; simple men admire them; and wise men use them. 2) Speech is silver, silence is golden. 3) It was the best

53、of times; it was the worst of times; it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of Hope, it was the winter of Despair, we had everything before us,

54、we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way. (Dickens - A Tale of Two Cities)4) The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion.SimileSimile is when you compare two nouns (persons, places or things) that are unlike, w

55、ith like or as. E.g. I am the way my daughter would want me to be: a hundred pounds lighter, my skin like an un cooked barley pancake. The water is like the sun.“The rain falls like the sun,rising upon the mountains. 1. 星期六演出的票子已经没有了，咱们还是干点别的过周末吧。XII. ExercisesTranslation There are no tickets available for Saturdays performance, lets do something else for the weekend.2.这种套裙的各种尺码 的都有。 。The dress is available in all sizes.XII. Translate the following sentences into English.,