雅思基础课程阅读讲义

基础阅读课程讲义

UNIT1Education

Educationoverthepast100years

A

Theeducationofouryoungpeopleisoneofthemostimportantaspectsofanycommunity,

andideasaboutwhatandhowtoteachreflecttheacceptedattitudesandunspokenbeliefsof

society.Theseideaschangeaslocalcustomsandattitudeschange,andthesechangesarereflected

inthecurriculum,teachingandassessmentmethodsandtheexpectationsofhowbothstudentsand

teachersshouldbehave.

词汇讲解：

curriculumn.教学大纲：

reflectv.反映；反射；

assessmentn.评价；

B

Teachinginthelate1800sandearly1900swasverydifferentfromtoday.Rulesforteachers

atthetimeintheUSAcoveredboththeteacher'sdutiesandtheirconductoutofclassaswell.

Teachersatthattimewereexpectedtosetagoodexampletotheirpupilsandtobehaveinavery

virtuousandpropermanner.Womenteachersshouldnotmarry,norshouldthey"keepcompany

withmen.1Theyhadtowearlongdressesandnobrightcoloursandtheywerenotpennittedtodye

theirhair.Theywerenotallowedtoloiterdowntowninanicecreamstore,andwomenwerenot

allowedtogooutintheeveningsunlesstoaschoolfunction,althoughmenwereallowedone

eveningaweektotaketheirgirlfriendsoutiftheywenttochurchregularly.Noteacherswere

allowedtodrinkalcohol.TheywereallowedtoreadonlygoodbookssuchastheBible,andthey

weregivenapayincreaseof25caweekafterfiveyearsofworkforthelocalschool.

词汇讲解：

mannern.行为守则；

beexpectedto：被预期…

表示将来时：

beexpectedto

bepredictedto

beperspectiveto

C

Aswellasthislonglistof'dos'and'don'ts,*teachershadcertaindutiestoperformeachday.

Incountryschools,teacherswererequiredtokeepthecoalbucketfullfortheclassroomfire,and

tobringabucketofwatereachdayforthechildrentodrink.Theyhadtomakethepensfortheir

studentstowritewithandtosweepthefloorandkeeptheclassroomtidy.However,despitethis

listofduties,littlewasstipulatedaboutthecontentoftheteaching,noraboutassessmentmethods.

D

Teacherswouldhavebeenexpectedtoteachthethree'r's-reading,writingandarithmetic,

andtoteachthechildrenaboutChristianityandreadfromtheBibleeveryday.Educationinthose

dayswasmuchsimplerthanitistodayandcoveredbasicliteracyskillsandreligiouseducation.

Theywouldalmostcertainlyhaveusedcorporalpunishmentsuchasastickorthestrapon

naughtyorunrulychildren,andthechildrenwouldhavesattogetherinpairsinlongrowsinthe

classroom.Theywouldhavebeenexpectedtositquietlyandtodotheirwork,copyinglongrows

oflettersordoingbasicmathssums.Farmingchildrenincountryareaswouldhavehadonlyafew

yearsofschoolingandwouldprobablyhaveleftschoolat12or14yearsofagetojointheir

parentsinfarmwork.

词汇讲解：

arithmetic：算数；

literacy：文学，阅读；

religious：宗教的；

discrimination：歧视；

religiousdiscrimination：宗教歧视。

E

ComparethiswithacountryschoolintheUSAtoday!Ifyouvisitedtoday,youwouldseethe

childrensittingingroupsroundlargetables,orevenonthefloor.Theywouldbeworkingtogether

onarangeofdifferentactivities,andtherewouldalmostcertainlybeoneormorecomputersin

theclassroom.Childrennowadaysareallowedandevenexpectedtotalkquietlytoeachother

whiletheywork,andtheyarealsoexpectedtoasktheirteachersquestionsandtoactivelyengage

infindingoutinformationfbrthemselves,insteadofjustlisteningtotheteacher.

词汇讲解：

engagein：依靠，依赖，把精力放在…地方；

activelyadv.主动的；

F

Therearenorulesofconductfbrteachersoutoftheclassroom,andtheyarenotexpectedto

performcaretakingdutiessuchascleaningtheclassroomsormakingpens,butneverthelesstheir

jobsaremuchharderthantheywereinthe1900s.Teacherstodayareexpectedtoworkhardon

planningtheirlessons,toteachcreativelyandtostimulatechildren'sminds,andtherearestrict

protocolsaboutassessmentacrossthewholeoftheUSA.Corporalpunishmentisillegal,andany

teacherwhohitachildwouldbedismissedinstantly.Anotherbigdifferenceisthatmoststate

schoolsinwesterncountriesaresecular,soreligiousteachingisnotpartofthecurriculum.

词汇讲解：

corporal：肉体的；

corporalpunishment：体罚；

G

Thesechangesineducationalmethodsandideasreflectchangesinoursocietyingeneral.

Childreninwesterncountriesnowadayscomefromallpartsoftheglobeandtheybringdifferent

cultures,religionsandbeliefstotheclassroom.Itisnolongerconsideredacceptableor

appropriatefbrstateschoolstoteachaboutreligiousbeliefs.Ideasaboutthevalueandpurposeof

educationhavealsochangedandwiththeincreasingsophisticationofworkplacesandlifeskills

neededforasuccessfulcareer,thecurriculumhasalsoexpandedtotrytopreparechildrenfbrthe

challengesofadiverseworkingcommunity.Itwillbeinterestingtoseehowthesechanges

continueintotheftitureasoursocietyandculturegrowsanddevelops.

词汇讲解：

Nigger：对黑人侮辱称呼；

African-American：非洲裔美国人。

culture：文化；

religious：宗教；

belief：信念。

练习：ReadthefirstsentenceONLYofeachparagraphinthereadingpassage.TakeNOMORE

THANFIVEminutestodothis.

Then,puttheseparagraphdescriptionintothesamepassageasthetextitself.Writetheletter

oftheparagraph,A—Gbesideeachone.

Teachingcontentinthepast

Teachinginthepresent

Rulesforteachersinthepast

Theimportanceofeducationalbeliefs

Changesinteachingandinsociety

Teachingdutiesinthepast

Rulesforteachersinthepresent

UNIT2Food

Hoodia

词汇讲解：

Hoodia：南非食用仙人掌;

A

TheSanliveinthatpartofAfricacalledtheKalahariDesert.Lifethereishard,andnature

canbeharsh.Therearesomewherebetween45,000and100,000ofthemlivingincountrieslike

ZambiaandZimbabwe.They'renotrichandtheydon'tliveinexpensivehouses.Thereareno

roadsorschoolsorhospitalsnearthem.Theydon'thavemanymaterialpossessionslikecarsor

computers,thingsthatpeopleinthedevelopedworldcan'tdowithout.Infact,theyhavemany

problemssuchasunemploymentandpoverty.Ontopofthis,theyalsosufferfromalcoholism,

drinkingtoforgettheirproblems.TheyYetheSan,atribeoftraditionalhunter-gatherers,whoused

totravelinsearchoffoodfortheirfamiliesinsteadofgrowingitorkeepinganimals.Theyhavea

culturethatis20,000yearsold,buttheiroldwayoflifeisdisappearingfastandhasnearlygone

forever.Soyes,they'repoor,andyes,theirlifestyleisnotattractivetooutsiders,buttheydohave

onethingthatcertainpeopleinthedevelopedworldarevery,veryinterestedinandwanttohave,

andthatmaymakethemsomemoney.It'scalledhoodia.

词汇讲解：

KalahariDesert：喀拉哈里沙漠(位于非洲南部)；

harsh：严酷的；

harshwords：刻薄的言语。

tribe：部落。

B

Manycountrieshavebasic,commoncropsthatpeopleplantforfood,suchasriceorpotatoes.

PotatoesaregrowninmanyEuropeancountriesaswellasSouthAmerica(Theyoriginatedthere!),

andriceisastaplefoodinAsia.Butnotallplantsaregrownjustforfood;someofthemcanalso

beusedasmedicine.Afewexamplesaregarlic,whichissaidtohelpwithcoldsorhighblood

pressure,gingertohelpwithheadachesortoothache,orthemagnoliatreewhichisusedin

Chinesetraditionalmedicinetotreatsomeformsofcancerandheartdisease.Hoodia,acactus-like

plant,onlygrowsintheareawheretheSanlive,andtheyknowwheretofinditandthebesttime

touseit.Theyhaveknownaboutitfbrcenturiesandtheyunderstandhowtouseit,buttheydon*t

useitfbrfood,andtheydon'tuseittocurediseaseeither.Theyuseittofighthunger.

词汇讲解：

colds：感冒；

highbloodpressure：高血压。

C

IntheolddayswhentheSanhadtotravelinsearchoffood,theyandtheirchildren

sometimeshadtogowithoutfoodfbrseveraldays.Thiswasevenlongerintimesoffamineor

whentherainsfailed.Theyatethehoodiaplantwhentheywerestarving,tohelpthemsurvive

untiltheyfoundfood,tostoptheirchildrenfromcrying,andtogivethemthestrengthtocontinue

theirsearch.However,itdidn'tgivethemenergylikenormalfoodwould.Instead,thechemicalsin

thehoodiaplantkilledthefeelingofhungerandstoppedthemwantingfood.Theydidn'tknow

exactlyhowitworked;theonlythingtheyknewforcertainwasthatitdidwork.

D

Scientistshavenowdiscoveredthattheplantcontainsasubstancewhichtheyhavecalled

P57.Thischemicalmakesthebrainbelievethatthestomachisfullandthatthebodydoesn'tneed

food.Thatiswhypeopleinthedevelopedworld,especiallythoseinpharmaceuticalcompanies,

areextremelyinterestedinthisverypromisingplant.

词汇讲解：

substance：物质；

同义词：chemical

E

Obesityinthedevelopedworldisahugeandgrowingproblem,notonlyamongadults,but

increasinglyamongchildren.Ithasbeenestimatedthatupto50%ofpeopleinthedeveloped

worldareoverweightand20%oftheseareobese;atthetimeofwriting,forexample,30%of

Chinesechildrenwereconsideredtobetooheavyfortheirage.Onecauseofobesityiseatingtoo

much,toooften,andanotheriseatingthewrongkindoffood.Ourgrandparentshadthetimeto

preparesimpleyetnourishingmeals,andtheydidn*thavemoneytoaffordexpensivefood.They

didn*teatasmuchmeatorfattyfoodsaswedonowadays,andthafsonereasonwhytheywere

slimmerandhealthierthantheirdescendants.Todaywehavelesstimetocook,andwehavemore

money,sotheeasiestthingtodoistobuyready-mademeals.Theymaybeconvenientandtaste

good,butthey'reoftenhighinfat,saltandsugar.Toomuchofthesemakepeopleunhealthyand

fat.Theyneedtoloseweight,andthafswherehoodiacomesin.

词汇讲解：

obesityn.肥胖症；

obeseadj.肥胖的。

cancer：癌症;

-ache疼：

heartdisease：心脏病；

headaches：头疼；

toothache：牙疼；

F

Itseemstobetheperfectsolution.PeopleintheWestwanttoloseweightandhoodiaisideal.

Westerncompaniespayfortherighttousethesecretsofthehoodiaplant;bysellingtheserights

totheWest,theSanmakemoneyandcanthenhelpthemselves.Obesepeopleloseweightandthe

Sanpeoplemakeaprofit,soeveryoneishappy.

LocatingInformation

练习l：Thepassagehassixparagraphs,A-EWhichparagraphcontainsthefollowinginformation?

WritethecorrectletterA-F,besidethestatementsbelow.

NOTE:Youmayuseanylettermorethanonce.Youmaynotneedtousealltheletters.

6)Somefoodsareusedtocurehealthproblems.

7)Manymodernpeopledonoteatwellandhaveweightproblems.

8)TheSanhavesomethingthatpeopleintheWestwant.

9)ThesaleofhoodiafromAfricatotheWestmighthelpeveryone.

10)HoodiawasusedbytheSantocontrolhungerwhenfoodwasscarce.

UNIT3Health

EnhancingtheTasteofOurFood

词汇讲解：

Enhance：加强；

A

Whatareyourfavouritefoods?Doyoulikepizza,hamburgers,roastpork,orsweetcakes

andcookies?Chancesarethat,whateveryoulikebest,ithasastrongtasteandasalty,sweetor

savouryflavour.Peoplegenerallyliketoeattastyfoods,andthiscancreatepotentialhealth

problems,especiallywiththeconsumptionoffastorprocessedfood.Fastfoodtraditionally

containalotofsaltorsugar,becausethisisacheapwaytomakefoodtastegoodandit

encouragespeopletobuymorecookies,chipsandsoftdrinks,forexample.However,peopleare

becomingincreasinglyawareofthedangersofanunhealthydiet,andthemanufacturersof

processedfoodknowthatsaleswillincreaseiftheycanadvertisethattheirproductshavelesssalt

orsugar.Theyalsoknowthatiftheirproducttastesblandorboring,noamountofhealthbenefits

willmakeitapopularchoicewithconsumers,andtheywilllosemoneyiftheirproductisnot

popular;However,anewtechnologyiscurrentlybeingdevelopedthatmayallowfastfood

manufacturerstoreducesaltandsugarwithoutsacrificingtaste.

词汇讲解：

roast：烤;

chancesarethat：有…的可能；

potentialadj.潜在的；n.潜能；

increasingly：越来越多地；

awareof：了解；

sacrifice：牺牲；

B

Ifyoustickoutyourtongueandlookinthemirror,youwillseethatitiscoveredwithtiny

bumps.Thesebumpsarecalledtastebudsandtheyarethereceptorsinourskinthatallowusto

tastedifferentkindsoffoods.Therearefivedifferenttastereceptors,forsweet,salty,sour,bitter

andsavouryflavours.Whenwearebomwehavealotoftheseontheroofofourmouthaswellas

onourtongue,butaswegetolder,welosetastebuds,whichiswhyolderpeoplefinditharderto

tastethings.Adultstypicallyhaveabout10,000tastebuds,butolderpeoplemayhaveasfewas

5,000.Wehavemorereceptorsforbittertastesthanforanyothers;researchersthinkthatthismay

bebecausethesetastebudswarnusiffoodispoisonous.

词汇讲解：

stickout：伸出舌头；

bump：斑点；

bud：蕾；

tastebud：味蕾。

receptor：受体，接收器；

bitter：苦味，苦的；

poisonous：有毒的；

poison：毒品。

C

Thefoodthatweeatcontainsnaturalchemicalsthatfitintothedifferentshapedreceptorson

ourtongues;fbrexample,sweetfoodstriggerthesweetreceptors.Thetechnologytomimic,or

copy,thesenaturalflavourswithchemicalssuchasaspartamehasbeeninexistenceforalong

time,andaspartameisacommoningredientinmanydietsoftdrinksandotherdietproducts.

Whileaspartameallowsustoexperienceasweettastewithouteatingsugar,italsohas

disadvantages.Firstly,manypeopledonotlikeitsbitteraftertaste,andsecondly,somepeoplesay

thatitisbadforhealthiftakeninlargequantities.

词汇讲解：

chemical：化学物质；

trigger：激起,激发，引发；

mimic：模仿；

aspartame：天冬甜素；

ingredient：添加物，成分；

softdrinks：软饮；

D

However,anewtechnologyisbeingdevelopedthatmaybeanimprovementonartificial

sweetenersandotherchemicals.Tasteenhancerstargetthetastereceptorsonourtongues,andthey

makeusmoresensitivetosweet,sourorsaltytastes.Justafewmoleculesofatasteenhancer

coulddoublethesweetnesseffectofateaspoonofsugar,orthesaltyeffectofateaspoonofsalt.

Thismeansthatinsteadofusingartificialchemicalstomakefoodtasty,foodmanufacturerscould

usehalfthequantityoftherealsubstanceandatinyquantityoftasteenhancertomakethefood

tastegood.Thishasthepotentialtosavefoodmanufacturersmoney,byreplacinglargequantities

ofsugarandsaltwithtinyamountsofchemicals.Itcouldalsobenefitourhealthifwecaneatfood

thattastesgoodandislowinsugarandsalt.

词汇讲解：

artificial：人工的；

molecule：细胞;

E

Tasteenhancershaveotheradvantages,too.Peoplegenerallydonotlikebittertastingfood,

butreversingthistechnologysothatthebittertastereceptorsareblockedinsteadofstimulated

mayreducethebittertasteofsomehealthyfoods.Thismeans,forexample,thatpeoplemaybe

persuadedtoeatmoresoyprotein.

词汇讲解：

stimulate：刺激；

soy：大豆；

protein：蛋白质；

persuade：劝说；

convince：劝说。

F

Tasteenhancertechnologyisverynewtothemarketplace,andasyetitisnotwidelyused,

butithasthepotentialtomakeasignificantchangetotheprocessedfoodindustry,andtoimprove

thehealthinessofmanyfastfoods.

IdentificationofInformation

Dothefollowingstatementsagreewiththeinformationgiveninthereadingpassage?

Write:TRUEifthestatementagreeswiththeinformation

FALSEifthestatementcontradictstheinformation

NOTGIVENifthereisnoinformationonthis

10)Consumersarehappytobuyhealthyfoodevenifittastesblandorboring.

11)Tastebudsenablethebodytotastefoodsofmanyflavours.

12)Youngerpeoplecantastemoreflavoursthanolderpeople.

13)Bittertastebudsaremoreuncommonthanothertastebuds.

14)AspartameisachemicalproducedinlargequantitiesintheUSA.

15)Artificialsweetenersandotherchemicalscausetoothdecay(退化).

16)Tasteenhancersmaybebetterforourhealththanaspartame.

17)Soyproteinisanexampleofabittertastingfood.

UNIT4Media

ComputerGenerationofAnimatedCharacters

词汇讲解：

animated动画片/动画人物；

paparazzo（意大利语）狗仔。

阅读技巧：

对文章标题进行合理预测。

Askanyyoungpersontotellyouthenamesofsomefamousmoviesandthechancesarethat

manyofthosementionedwillbepopularbecauseofcomputer-generatedspecialeffects.Movies

suchas'StarWars*,4theMatrix*and'HarryPotter1relyheavilyoncomputerstocreatespecial

fantasyandspaceeffects.Others,suchasthefamous'LordoftheRings*movies,created

surprisinglylifelikehumanoidcharactersusingsophisticatedcomputer-generatedtechniques.The

creativeeffortthatliesbehindthesecreaturesisamazing.However,genuinely4human9characters,

indistinguishablefromrealactors,arestillnotquitepossible,althoughwearegettingverycloseto

thiselusivegoal.

词汇讲解:

mentionvt.提到，说到；e.g.:Hementionedthembyname.他提及到他们的名字。

vt.提及，说起；e.g.:Ashehasnotdonemuch,heisbeneathmention.

同义替换：

whenitmentionsto当涉及到..的时候；

whenitrefersto/whenitcomesto/whenitconcernedto

e.g.:Whenitreferstoprivacy,thelinecouldnotbecrossed.

privacyn.隐私；privateadj.私人的/私有的。

词汇讲解：

fantasyn.想像，幻想

e.g.:Everyoneshouldindulgeinfantasyonoccasion.

fantasizevt.&vi,想像;幻想；做白日梦。

e.g.:Manymenfantasizeaboutsleepingwithsomeonewhoisnottheirpartner.

fann.粉丝；

lordn.主人/君主；

landlordn.房东；landladyn.包租婆。

surprisingly：出乎意料的，出人意料的，指的是出乎大家想象的。

humanoidadj.有人的特点的（形容动物/动画片）；

humanlyadv.和人相关的，用人力；

humanityn.（总称）人，人类人道，人文学科；人性化。

vegetariann.吃素的人；

humanitariann.&adj.人道主义者；

cannibalismn.吃人肉；同类相食

sophisticated：

adj.老练的；老于世故的；e.g.:Mr.Smithisasophisticatedworldtraveler.

adj.精密的，尖端的;e.g.:Thisisaverysophisticatedmachine.

adj.高雅的，有教养的；

近义词：Complex/Complicated：复杂的。

genuine:

adj.真的，非人造的；e.g.:Thismedalismadeofgenuinegold.

a4j.真诚的，真心的；e.g.:Astimewenton,agenuinefriendshipgrewupbetweenus.

artificial:

adj.人造的，人工的，假的；e.g.:Thenewdamwillformalargeartificiallakebehindit.

adj.虚假的，不真挚的，矫揉造作的；e.g.:Hersmilelooksartificial.

adj.人为的Artificialintelligence人工智能

indistinguishablen.不可区分的，无法识别的。

goal:

n.球门,进球得的分；e.g.:Wescoredagoalinthefirstminuteofthegame.

n.努力的对象,目标;e.g.:WhenheatlastarrivedinRomehefelthehadreachedhis

goal.

近义词：achievement/destination

elusiveadj.难以捉摸的；难以找到的；不易记住的

eg:Tvebeentryingalldaytoreachhimonthetelephone,buthe'sveryelusive,

illusionn.错觉，幻想，错误观念

B

Theprocessofimagininganddevelopingacomputer-generatedcharacteriscomplex,

involvingmanystages.Thefirststageistodesignthelookofthecharacter,andtocreatea

three-dimensionalmodelonthecomputer.Themodelmustbeabletomoveinarealisticmanner

and,mostimportantly,itsfacemustmirrorhumanfaceswhenitlaughs,frownsortalks.Oneway

toachievethisisbybuildingarealskeletonofthemodel.Afterusinglaserstoscantherealmodel

intothecomputer,controlsareaddedthatallowthebonesandmusclestobemovedaround.

词汇讲解：

three-dimensional（3D）/Index：3D动画；

realisticadj.真实的，实际的，真是存在；

mirrorv.反射出，反映出；

achieve：

vt.取得，获得；e.g.:Theyachievedsomevictoriesdespitethesesetbacks.

v.实现，达至lj,完成；e.g.:Youwillachieveyourambitionifyouworkhard.

固定搭配：achievethegoal；名词形式：achievement

skeleton：

n.'胃'骼，骷鲁娄；e.g.:Theboybentcuriouslytotheskeletonofthebuck.

n.骨干，框架；e.g.:Theblockisstilljustaskeletonofgirders.

skulln.颅骨/bone/Aplus

SkullandBonesisasecretsocietyatYaleUniversityinNewHaven,Connecticut.

Thesociety'salumniorganization,whichownsthesociet/srealpropertyandoversees

theorganization'sactivity.

ManySkull&Bonesalumnihaveassumedpositionsofprominence,including

PresidentGeorgeW.Bush,andhis2004PresidentialopponentSenatorJohnKerry.

musclen.川l肉,e.g.:Exerciseconditionsyourmuscles.

C

Thisiswherecomputeranimationcomesin.Becausepeoplearesoconsciousofhow'real'

faceslook,manydetailedcontrolsareneededonthecomputertomovethedifferentfeaturesof

theface.Uptoahundredmaybeneededtomovethemusclesoftheface,sothatthecharacter's

eyes,skin,mouthandotherfeaturesalllooknaturaltooureyes.

词汇讲解：

conscious：

adj.神志清醒的e.g.:Shespoketousinherconsciousmoments.

beconsciousof：意识至lj…e.g.:Iwasnotconsciousofhavingmadeamistake,

self-conscious：不自在，不舒服。

detailedadj.详细的，逐条的；

detailn.细目，细节；小事

controln.控制器；controlsubjects：标准组；

featuresn.五官

D

Afterdesigningallofthecomponentsofthefaceandbody,andthecomputercontrols,the

characterisreadytomove,orbeanimated.Onewayofachievingthisiscalledmotioncapture,

whereapersonactsoutthecharacter,andhismovementsarecapturedbyvideocameraand

uploadedintothecomputer.Anotherwayiskey-frameanimation,where,insteadofmodeling

actionsfromarealperson,theanimatorsusethecontrolstomoveallofthepartsofthebodyand

facetocreatemovementonthescreen.Thesemethodsareoftenusedtogetherincreatingan

animatedcharacter;bothofthemareslowandpainstaking,requiringhoursofeffortandplanning.

词汇讲解：

componentn.成分，组成部分，部件，元件；

e.g.:Achemistcanseparateamedicineintoitscomponents.

同义词：elements

motion:

vt・（向…）打手势,示意;e.g.:Theteachermotionedtheboytostudy.

n.（物体的）运动；e.g.:objectisnolongerincyclicalmotion.

movev.移动/感动；e.g.:newsmovedhimverymuch.

capturevt.俘获，e.g.:capturedthecriminal.

catch/capture

uploadedv.上传

framen.框架；

key-framen.关键步骤；

controlsubject：实验标准组；

require/get/gain/obtain/need/acquire

berequiredto：被要求...e.g.:Youarerequiredtakethestudyseriously.

Tenchairsarerequiredtotaketheclass.

E

Enormouscomputerpowerisneededtomakeanimationlookreal.Forthe'Lordofthe

Rings*,thousandsofprocessorsandnumerousworkstationswereusedtocreateallofthe

charactersandspecialeffects.Therewereupto160peopleworkingoncomputergraphicsfor

thesethreemovies,whichtookapproximately4millionprocessinghours.Itisestimatedthatthe

sameprocesswouldhavetakenupto200yearsona4-gigahertzPC!

词汇讲解：

enormousadj.极其多的；

processorn.（计算机的）中央处理器；

centralprocessunit/CPU：中央处理单元。

graphicsn.（作单数用）制图法，制图学，图表算法,图形；

approximatelyadv.近似地，大约about；

estimatevt.&vi.估计；评价，评估

e.g.:gardenerestimatedthatitwouldtakehimfourhourstoweedthegarden,

overestimate：高估；e.g.：Youcannevereveroverestimatehim.

F

However,despiteallofthisextremelysophisticatedandexpensivetechnology,creatingareal

humanfaceisstillachallengeforouranimators.Peopleareverysensitivetofacialexpressions.

Wecanimmediatelypickifafaceisnothuman,andweoftenhaveastrongreactiontothis.The

closerthefaceistolookingtrulyhuman,themorenegativethisreactioncanbe;thiseffecthas

beenchristenedthe"uncannyvalley,byJapaneseroboticist*MasahiroMori.However,healso

suggeststhatoncetheanimationgetscloseenoughtotherealthing,webegintofeelpositive

aboutitoncemore.So,maybefutureTomCruisesorLindsayLohanswillbecomputergenerated,

andwewillneverknowthedifference.

词汇讲解：

extremelyadv.极端；极其；非常，e.g.:Thatisextremelyinteresting.

significantly/absolutely/aweful（非常的）

sensitiveadj.敏感的；

uncannyvalley：诡异谷；

uncannyadj.超人的；不寻常的；

valleyn.山谷；

canyon/thegreatcanyon：（没有水）的山谷；

gorgen.山峡，峡谷，TheThreeGorges长江三峡

roboticsn.机器人技术；

robotn.机器人；

AI/ArtificialIntelligence人工智能技术。

练习1:ReadthefirstsentenceONLYofeachparagraphinthereadingpassageandanswerthe

questionbelow.TakeNOMORETHANFIVEminutestodothis.

Doesthisreadingpassage:

a.Giveahistoryofsomething?

b.Describehowsomethingisdone?

c.Compareandcontrasttwothings?

d.Discussaproblemandgiveasolution?

■Topicsentences—最能反映文章大意的句子；

■Supportingsentences：

,Reasons；

,Facts：

Examples；

Statistics.

ScanningforSpecificFacts

SometimesinIELTSreadingsyouneedtolookquicklyoverthereadingpassagetofindfacts,

dates,numbersornames.ItisimportanttopracticefocusingyoureyesONLYontheinformation

youneed.

(1)Skimming跳读：

Mainidea：Title,topicsentence；

(2)Scanning逐字逐句阅读：scanner：扫描仪。

定位词—特殊时间、人名、地名、年代、数字……

选择原则：1)识别性强；

2)重复率低。

(3)Reading：仔细阅读，比较原文与内容的差别。

练习2：Lookquicklyatthepassageandwritedowntheletteroftheparagraphwhichcontainsthe

followinginformation.TakenomorethanTHREEminutestodothis!

a.MasahiroMori

b.Keyframeanimation

c.160

d.Sta