新编大学英语（第四版）视听说教程4（智慧版）教案 Unit 8 Pathway to progress

Unit8Pathwaytoprogress

Warmingup

Listening&speakingConversation

Scripts

Host:Goodmorning,Dr.Ding.Welcometotheprogram.IattendedyourrecentlectureontheimpactofAIonhighereducation,andIhavetosayitwasveryinformative.

Dr.Ding:Thankyou.I’mgladyoufounditvaluable.

Host:YoumentionedthatAI’sreshapingofuniversitiesseemsunstoppable.Doyouthinkthismayleadtothedeclineofuniversities?

Dr.Ding:No,Idon’t.Thecorefunctionofuniversities,whichistalentcultivation,isirreplaceable.AIwon’teliminatetheneedforuniversities.Instead,itwillenhanceourabilitytonurturetalent,andthistalentwill,inturn,advanceAIitself.

Host:That’sinspiring.Then,woulditendangersomemajors,suchasaccountingorarchitecture?Dr.Ding:It’shardtosay.AIispowerful,butnotomnipotent.Itexcelsatsolvingtasksthatarewell-definedandtime-consumingbutstruggleswithhighlyabstractproblemsthatrequirehumancreativity.Lawisagoodexample.AImakesthetediousworkofdocumentretrievalmucheasier,butthevaluejudgmentsoffairness,justice,andrightnessremaininhumanhands.

Host:Isee.So,AIhandlesroutinetasks,buthumansarestillresponsibleforcomplexdecisions.Dr.Ding:That’sright.ItisonlythroughthecollaborationofhumanwisdomandAIthateducationcanshiftitsfocusawayfromgeneralknowledgetocorecompetences.

Host:Onelastquestion.SomepeoplesaythatwhileAIenhancestheeducationalexperience,itcannotreplaceteachersinhelpingstudentsunderstand,apply,andcreatenewknowledge.Whatareyourthoughtsonthis?

Dr.Ding:Icompletelyagree.AIcanimproveteachingmethodsandenhancethelearningexperience,butthehumanelementineducationremainsindispensable.Teachersdonotjustgivestudentsknowledge;theyprovideguidanceandinspiration.ThecollaborationofAIandhumanintelligencewillleadtoaricherandmoreeffectiveeducationalenvironment.

Host:Thankyou,Dr.Ding.Today’sdiscussionhasbeenveryinteresting.

Dr.Ding:Thankyouforhavingme.Itwasapleasuretosharemythoughts.

Questions:

WhatisthetopicofDr.Ding’slecture?

Whatistheessentialroleofuniversities,accordingtoDr.Ding?

WhatisDr.Ding’smainargumentagainstAIcompletelyreplacingteachers?

Referenceanswers1

T

F

NG

T

T

2

1.B 2.B3.C

Thinkingandspeaking

ThebenefitsandpotentialrisksofAIinindividuallearning

ThefutureofcorecompetenciesintheageofAI

Passage1Scripts

WhentheOlympics,theancientGreekevent,wasrevivedbyFrenchmanPierredeCoubertininthelate19thcentury,hesawitasacelebrationofgentlemanlyathleticism“withfemaleapplauseasitsreward.”Itwasnotuntilthe1900ParisOlympicsthatwomenwerefirstallowedtocompeteintheOlympics,wheretheyrepresentedjust2.2percentofparticipantsandwerelimitedtofiveevents.

Sincethen,femaleparticipationhassteadilyincreased.

Now,124yearslater,theInternationalOlympicCommittee(IOC)hassetanotherhistoricmilestoneinParisbyachievingequalrepresentationofmaleandfemaleathletesonthefieldofplay.It’samonumentalachievementthatsymbolizesprogress,equality,andafirmcommitmenttoinclusionatthelargestsportingeventintheworld.

TheIOC’scommitmenttogenderequalitydoesn’tstoponthefieldofplay.Fromtheverybeginning,Paris2024Olympicsdemonstrateditsambitiontoachievegenderequalityinallareas.Concretemeasureswereinplacetopromotebalancedmediacoverageduringthegames,andtoincreasethenumberofwomenincoaching,broadcasting,andsportsgovernanceroles.Italsohighlightedgenderequalityduringtheopeningceremonybyencouragingeachcountrytohaveonemaleandonefemaleathletecarryflags.

Whilesignificantprogresshasbeenmade,challengespersist.Thegenderpaygap,forexample,remainsaconcerninmanysports.Anotherchallengeisthatofequalityinsportsleadership,wherewomenremainunderrepresented.

Thegenderequalityatthe2024Olympicsisagreatmarkofsocialprogressandsetsthestandardforfutureadvancements.Itreflectstheevolvinglandscapeofglobalsports–onewheregenderequalityisincreasinglybecomingthenormratherthantheexception.

Questions:

WhydoesCoubertinthinktheOlympicsis“acelebrationofgentlemanlyathleticism‘withfemaleapplauseasitsreward’”?

Whichofthefollowingstatementsistrueaboutthe1900ParisOlympics?

Accordingtothepassage,whatisthesignificanceofthe2024Olympicsintermsofgenderequality?

Referenceanswers

1

equalrepresentation

mediacoverage

sportsgovernance

carryflags

paygap

sportsleadership

2

1.D2.B3.C

Thinkingandspeaking

Progressingenderequality

Mediaandgenderequality

Passage2Scripts

It’safactthatmanyoftoday’syoungpeopleareattractedbytheclothestypicallywornbythemiddle-agedandolderagegroups.Onamajorsocialmediaplatform,grandpacore–atrendshowcasingclothinggenerallywornbyolderpeople–hashadalmost16millionviews.

London-basedfashiondesignerWakemanissuchafanofseniorcitizenfashionthatsheoftentakesphotosofthestylishseniorssheseesandevenhasanexhibitiondedicatedtoit.Sheconsidersthegrowinginterestinseniorcitizenstyletorepresentarenewedinterestinclassicstyle.Accordingtoanotherdesigner,theoversizedfitandloosestyleareinlinewiththecontemporaryfocusoncomfort.

Thepopularityofseniorcitizenfashionspeakstothebroaderculturalrealitythatsomeofthehobbiestypicallyassociatedwitholderpeople,suchasgardening,havebeentrendinginrecentyears.ItmaybethefirsttimethatmanyyoungpeopleintheWesthavebeenaskedtolookuptotheir

eldersasfashionmodels.

Thistrendhasalsohadarippleeffect.Somesocialmediaaccountshavegeneratednumerousfollowings,thanksinparttotheirvideosofelderlycouplesembracing,holdinghands,andsharingicecreams.Fashionbrandsarealsostartingtoincludeoldermodelsintheircampaigns.

Inaworldfocusedonrelentlessprogressandyouth-drivenideals,witnessingthevalueandcontentmentofolderpeoplecanbearefreshingreminderofadifferentkindofworth.Foragenerationconcernedaboutthefuture,imagesshowinggracefulagingcanprovideameaningfulcounterbalancetotherapidpaceofchange,revealingabeautyinthesimplenotionofgrowingolder.

Questions:

WhatdoesthedesignerWakemansayaboutthegrowinginterestinseniorcitizenstyle?

Whatdoesthepassagemeanthatseniorcitizenfashionhasarippleeffect?

Whatistheimpactoftheseniorcitizenstyleoncontemporarysociety?

Referenceanswers1

1.A 2.B 3.A

2

T

F

T

T

F

Thinkingandspeaking

Fashionandage

Learningacrossgenerations

LectureScripts

Goodmorning,everyone,

Today,wewilltalkaboutthemagicalmomentsinscientificdiscovery,oreurekamoments.Thehistoryofscienceisfilledwithluckydiscoveriesandmomentsofunanticipatedinspiration.Forinstance,afallingapplepromptsphysicistIsaacNewtontoformulatehislawofgravity.Archimedesdiscoveredthelawofbuoyancywhiletakingabath.Hardevidencefortheseancienttalesislacking.Narrativesofscientificdiscovery,likeanyother,getpolishedafterthefact.

So,whydoeseveryonelovethesestories?Becausetheyaresoneatandsorare.Typically,theprocessofscienceisslowandcanbetediousratherthanexciting.Breakthroughsoftentakeyears,evenlifetimes,ofwork.Theyareusuallylessaboutindividualgeniusthanaboutbuildinguponacollectivefoundationofknowledge.However,theseeurekastoriesareoftenaboutoneinspirationalmoment,whichistheproductofdecadesofwork.Theysimplifythingsandtakeawayallthehardlabor.

Butwhatexactlydotheseeurekamomentssayaboutthescientificprocessandcreativity?

BothstoriesaboutNewtonandArchimedesspeaktotheneedtoquietthemindandthinkdeeply.Theyalsohighlighttheimportanceofmakingconnectionsbetweendifferentconceptsorobservations,suchaslinkingafallingappletogravityoranoverflowingbathtubtospecificgravity.Furthermore,theytellusthatcreativityneedsspacetothrive.Somescientistsgetcreativeideaswhentheyletthemselvesplay.

Somemodernscientificbreakthroughsweretheresultofhappychance,coupledwiththefactthattheyoccurredbeforewatchfuleyesandscientificmindswhichweretrainedtoobservethem.

Takethestoryofpenicillin.Oneday,pharmacologistAlexanderFlemingreturnedfromatwo-weekvacationtoScotland,onlytopeerintoamoldyPetridishandfindtheworld’sfirstantibiotic.Asaresearchercomments,callingthesediscoveries“accidental”canbeabitmisleading.Actually,whenpreparation,opportunity,anddesirecometogether,theresultcanbeanaccidentaldiscoverythatchangesourunderstandingoftheworld.

So,whatotherEurekamomentshaveyouheardof?Whatdoyouthinktheytellus?

Questions:

Whydoeseveryoneloveeurekamomentsstories?

Whichofthefollowingistrueaboutthetypicalprocessofscientificdevelopment?

Whatdoesthespeakerthinkisnecessaryforcreativitytothrive?

Whatdoesthespeakersayabouteurekamoments？

Referenceanswers1

lawofgravity

takingabath

firstantibiotic

atwo-weekvacation

2

1.C 2.C 3.C 4.B

Thinkingandspeaking

Eurekamoments

Creativityinscience

Viewingandspeaking

Scripts

About10,000yearsago,humansbegantofarm.Thisagriculturalrevolutionwasaturning-pointinourhistory,thatenabledpeopletosettle,build,andcreate.Inshort,agricultureenablestheexistenceofcivilization.Today,approximately40percentofourplanetisfarmland.Spreadallovertheworld,theseagriculturallandsarethepiecestoaglobalpuzzlewearefacing:Inthefuture,howcanwefeedeverymemberofagrowingpopulationahealthydiet?Meetingthisgoalwillrequirenothingshortofasecondagriculturalrevolution.Thefirstagriculturalrevolutionwascharacterizedbyexpansionandexploitation,feedingpeopleattheexpenseofforests,wildlife,andwater,anddestabilizingtheclimateintheprocess.

That’snotanoptionthenexttimearound.Agriculturedependsonastableclimatewithpredictableseasonsandweatherpatterns.Thismeanswecan’tkeepexpandingouragriculturallands,becausedoingsowillunderminetheenvironmentalconditionsthatmakeagriculturepossibleinthefirstplace.Instead,thenextagriculturalrevolutionwillhavetoincreasetheoutputofourexistingfarmlandforthelongtermwhileprotectingbiodiversity,conservingwater,andreducingpollutionandgreenhousegasemissions.So,whatwillthefuturefarmslooklike?Thisdroneispartofafleetthatmonitorsthecropsbelow.Thefarmmaylookhaphazardbutisadelicatelyengineereduseofthelandthatintertwinescropsandlivestockwithwildhabitats.Conventionalfarmingmethodsclearedlargeswathesoflandandplantedthemwithasinglecrop,irradicatingwildlifeandemittinghugeamountsofgreenhousegasesintheprocess.Thisapproachaimstocorrectthatdamage.Meanwhile,movingamongthecrops,teamsoffieldrobotsapplyfertilizerintargeteddoses.Insidethesoil,hundredsofsensorsgatherdataonnutrientsandwaterlevels.Thisinformationreducesunnecessarywateruseandtellsfarmerswheretheyshouldapplymoreandlessfertilizerinsteadofcausingpollutionbyshoweringitacrossthewholefarm.

Butthefarmsofthefuturewon’tbeallsensorsandrobots.Thesetechnologiesaredesignedtohelpusproducefoodinawaythatworkswiththeenvironmentratherthanagainstit,takingintoaccountthenuancesoflocalecosystems.Lower-costagriculturalpracticescanalsoservethosesamegoalsandaremuchmoreaccessibletomanyfarmers.Infact,manysuchpracticesarealreadyinusetodayandstandtohaveanincreasinglylargeimpactasmorefarmersadoptthem.InCostaRica,farmers

haveintertwinedfarmlandwithtropicalhabitatssosuccessfullythatthey’vesignificantlycontributedtodoublingthecountry’sforestcover.Thisprovidesfoodandhabitatforwildlifeaswellasnaturalpollinationandpestcontrolfromthebirdsandinsectsthesefarmsattract,producingfoodwhilerestoringtheplanet.InBangladesh,Cambodia,andNepal,newapproachestoriceproductionmaydramaticallydecreasegreenhousegasemissionsinthefuture.Byexperimentingwithnewstrainsofrice,irrigatinglessandadoptinglesslabor-intensivewaysofplantingseeds,farmersinthesecountrieshavealreadyincreasedtheirincomesandcropyieldswhilecuttingdownongreenhousegasemissions.

Thisvisionoffuturefarmingwillalsorequireaglobalshifttowardmoreplant-baseddietsandhugereductionsinfoodlossandwaste,bothofwhichwillreducepressureonthelandandallowfarmerstodomorewithwhattheyhaveavailable.Ifweoptimizefoodproductionbothonlandandsea,wecanfeedhumanitywithintheenvironmentallimitsoftheEarth.Butthere’saverysmallmarginoferror,anditwilltakeunprecedentedglobalcooperationandcoordinationoftheagriculturallandswehavetoday.

Referenceanswers1

expansionandexploitation

existingfarmland

greenhousegasemissions

localecosystems

tropicalhabitats

irrigatingless

foodlossandwaste

globalcooperationandcoordination

2

F

F

F

T

Thinkingandspeaking

Theroleofagriculture

Reducingfoodlossandwaste

UNITPROJECT

Furtherlistening

ConversationScripts

A:Recently,therehasbeenagrowinginterestintraditionalChinesecrafts.Today,wearespeakingwithMr.Li,arenownedartist,abouthowtodevelopandreviveourtraditionalcrafts.Welcome,Mr.Li.

B:Thanksforhavingme.

A:So,asanartist,whatdoyouthinkcanbedonetorevivetraditionalChinesecraftsandhelpthemthriveinthecontemporaryenvironment?

B:Ibelievethatweshouldn’tsimplynurturetraditionalcraftsasiftheywereflowersinagreenhouse.Instead,ourgoalshouldbetotrulyintegratethemintothedailylivesofmodernpeople.A:Canyougiveaspecificexample?

B:Sure,forinstance,askilledworkermightspendthreeorfourdaysweavingabasketthatsellsforonlyafewdozenyuan.Ifweconsiderthelaborinvolved,it’sundoubtedlyhigh-costandlow-profit.Suchpurelypracticalitemsarenotcompetitiveintoday’smarket.However,ifwetransformthefunctionofthebamboobasket,forexamplebyturningitintoadecorativeitemthatsatisfiespeople’saestheticandspiritualneeds,itcansellforahigherprice.Inthisway,wenotonlypreservethecraftbutalsocreatenewmarketdemandsandeconomicopportunities.

A:Isee.Anotherquestion,thegovernmentisalsonowpayingmoreattentiontotheinheritanceanddevelopmentoftraditionalcrafts.Howimportantdoyouthinksuchinterventionis?

B:Whileitcanbeuseful,personally,Iadvocatefortheprincipleof“self-reliancefirst,supportsecond.”Weneedtohelptraditionalcraftsreviveandthriveontheirown.Thisinvolvesintegratingtraditionalcraftswithmodernproductionmethods,adoptingmoderntechnologiesandconcepts,andlearningcontemporarymarketingstrategies.

A:Howdoyouunderstandtherelationshipbetweentraditionandinnovation?

B:Inmyview,greatcreationsarebuiltuponthefoundationsofthepast.Wemustnotonlyrespectthemethodsandcraftsmanshipoftraditionalarts,butalsounderstandandintegratetheirculturalconnotationsintoourcontemporarylifestyle.Byconnectingthemwithmodernemotions,experiences,andpracticalneeds,wecancreatecraftsthatreflectthespiritandvitalityofourtimes.

Questions:

AccordingtoMr.Li,whatistheproperattitudetowardtraditionalcraftsincontemporaryworld?

WhatdoesMr.Lisuggesttoincreasethemarketvalueofatraditionalbamboobasket?

HowdoesMr.Liviewtherelationshipbetweentraditionandinnovation?

Referenceanswers

1.C 2.B 3.C

Passage1

Scripts

Space,ournextfrontier,haslongcaptivatedtheimaginationofhumanity.Ithasbeenthestageforsomeofthemostremarkableandinspiringendeavorsinthehistoryofhumancivilization.

Thejourneyinspaceunfoldsthroughdecadesofpioneeringmissions,beginningwiththelaunchofSputnikIbytheSovietUnioninOctober1957,markingthestartofthespaceage.ThefollowingSpaceRaceledtoaseriesofbreathtakingmilestones,includingthehistoricjourneyofthefirsthumaninspacein1961andthefamousApollomoonlandings.

Thelatterhalfofthe20thcenturysawaperiodofsignificantadvancements.Spacestationsprovideasteppingstoneforlong-durationscientificresearchinspace.Thiswasalsothebeginningofthe

explorationofotherplanets.SpacecraftliketheVoyagerIandVoyagerIIprovidedunprecedentedviewsofouterplanets,whileVikingandPathfinderlaidthefoundationsfortheexplorationofMars.ThecollaborationbetweennationsalsobecamemorepronouncedwiththeconstructionoftheInternationalSpaceStation,aprojectwheremultiplecountriesworktogethertoadvancescientificresearch.

The21stcenturyhaswitnessedatransformativeshiftinthespaceindustrywiththeemergenceofprivatespacecompanies.Theynotonlydrivecompetition,butalsofosterinnovationandexpandcommercialopportunitiesinspace,makingspaceincreasinglyaccessibleforgovernments,researchers,andeventourists.Theireffortsareshapingthefutureofspaceexplorationandbroadeningthescopeofthespaceeconomy.

Thehistoryofspaceexplorationisacompellingnarrativeofhumaningenuity,ambition,andthirstforknowledge.Thisgreatendeavorcontinuestoevolve,withnewmissions,technologies,andinternationalcollaborationsexpandingourunderstandingoftheuniverse.

Questions:

Whichofthefollowingmarkedthebeginningofthespaceage?

Howhasthespaceindustrytransformedinthe21stcentury?

Whichofthefollowingistrueaboutthehistoryofspaceexploration?

Referenceanswers

1.C2.B3.D

Passage2Scripts

FromtheRomanEmpiretotheMayanCivilization,humanhistoryisfullofstoriesofsocialcollapse.Traditionally,historianshavestudiedsocialdownturnsbydivingintothetwistsandturnsofindividualsocieties.

However,somescientistshaveadoptedabroaderapproach,lookingfortheenduringpatternsofhumanbehaviorsonagranderscaleoftimeandspace.Inarecentlypublishedstudy,researchersaimedtoansweraprofoundquestion:Whyaresomesocietiesmoreresilientthanothers?Theycompared16societiesacrosstheglobe,analyzing30,000yearsofarchaeologicalrecordstotracetheimpactsofwars,famines,andclimatechangeonsocialresilience.

Thestudyhighlightedthatthelifestylesofsocietiesledtodifferentrhythmsofcollapseandgrowth.Societiesthatengagedinfarmingorlivestockraisinggrewmorequicklybutwerealsomorelikelytodecline.Manydownturnswerefoundtocoincidewithclimatechange,demonstratingthat“climateisourbiggestweakspot.”

Researchersidentifiedsomefactorstoexplainwhysomesocietiessufferedprolongeddownturnswhileothersexperiencedquickerrecoveries.Onefactorthatstoodoutwasthefrequencyofdownturns.Contrarytoexpectations,thefindingsrevealedthatsocietieswhichhadexperienceddownturnswerebetterequippedtohandlefutureshocks.Themorefrequentlyasocietyfacedchallenges,themoreresilientitbecameovertime,leadingtolessseveredeclineandfasterrecoveries.

Thispatternmirrorswhatecologistsobserveinforests:Ecosystemsthatendurefrequentdisturbancesbecomethemostresilient.Researcherssuggestedthathumansocietiesalsolearnsurvivalstrategiesduringdownturnsandpassthisknowledgetofuturegenerations,leadingtoinnovationsandpracticesthathelpthembettersurvivefuturecrises.

Questions:

Whatistheresearchquestionoftherecentstudymentionedinthepassage?

Whatcanwelearnfromthefindingsofthisstudy?

Inwhatwayarehumansocietiessimilartotheecosystemsinforests?

Referenceanswers

1.D 2.B 3.C

LectureScripts

Goodmorning,everyone.TodayI’dliketotalkaboutthesignificanceofcultureinshapingthefuturewewant.

Culture,inallitsdiversity,isaninfinitesourcefromwhichwegainknowledgeoftheworldandfindsolutionstoproblems.EversincetheemergenceofHomosapiens,culturehasdriventheprogressofhumanhistorythroughtheexchangeofdiscoveries,innovations,institutional

experience,andknowledgebetweenhumangroups.

Developmentwithoutcultureisgrowthwithoutasoul.Traditionaldevelopmentpolicies,withtheiroftenpurelygrowth-orientedapproaches,oftendeepen