大学体验英语英语视听说教程3 第四单元

大学体验英语视听说教程,第三册,高等教育出版社,北京科技大学,UNIT 4,Technology: A Blessing or a Curse?,Most of the important things in the world have beenaccomplished by people who have kept on trying when thereseemed to be no hope at all.,UNIT-4,Dale Carnegie,Background Information,Unit Overview,Lesson 1,Lesson 2,Supplementary Reading,Home listening,Agenda,In this highly developed era, people are making use of technologies to improve their standard of living. Many problems are solved with the advent of such technology as cloning, surrogacy and gene therapy. These biotechnologies have brought more options that people can easily access.Simultaneously, however, they bring about some ethical issues on how these technologies should be used fairly without infringing on peoples rights and how they should be regulated to make sure they are not used illegally and exploited. Students will get to know the pros and cons of biotechnology through reading, listening and viewing. Various activities will inspire the students to talk about the impact of biotechnology on peoples life by using the words and expressions in this unit.,Unit Overview,Background Information,The fast development of biotechnology has brought in more options for people to improve their lives. One of the scientific achievements of biotechnology is that people may have access to their genetic information. If were going to use genetic knowledge, should we use it to improve ourselves? Do you want to make betterbabies? Do you want to make taller people? Faster people? Stronger people? People with better memory? Thats not going to happen right away, but it will. This revolution in front of us is as personal as it gets, concerning our gender, our race, our family. But how much do you really want to know about your future health? One of the great ironies of the genetic revolution is that it teaches us about our flaws, our limits. We now know thats whats going to hurt and thats what you are at risk of.,Background Information,Another question is: Whatever happened to cloning, thats not really an issue, because we dont want to copy; we want to improve. However, if we can make people better than what nature designed, who gets to buy designer genes? This may lead to the most serious ethical debate that society will face: Are we going to try and do that? Will we set any limits at all? Will the market determine it? Who will have access? Will the poor be able to access this technology? Will the third world have it if the first world has it too? This may become a battleground. In this unit, students will have a lot of opportunities to think independently and exchange ideas with each other on the mostcontroversial issues of biomedical field in recent years.,Lesson One,Lead-in,Audio studio,Video studio,Speaking workshop,Project bulletin,Lead-in,Task 1,Task 2,Task 3,Task 1 Describing the Picture,Describe the pictures first and then discuss which one you like better and why.,What do people in the picture have in their hands? What are the scientific approaches?,What should we do to be open to new scientific findings?,Task 2 Reflecting on the Reading,1. What does the overuse of the Internet lead to?,Read through the Supplementary Reading passage on page 130, and answer the following questions.,Answer: Human life was highly restricted due to the unavailability of technological application.,Answer: An over-exposure to it leads to Internet addiction.,2. What was the life like in the days when there were no computers and no modern means of transport?,3. What are the unethical practices bred by the Internet?,Answer: The Internet has bred many unethical practices like hacking, spamming and phishing. Internet crime is on the rise.,4. What tends to be left out with the use of modern means of communication such as online messengers, emails and cell phones?,Answer: The tendency of taking pains to reach the loved ones has vanished.,5. What can we infer from the statement “Everything has become so easily available due to the advancing technology that it has lost its value”?,Answer: People tend to cherish the things less when they come too easily.,Task 3 Expanding Your Vocabulary,A. dislike of or opposition to a plan, an idea, etc.B. not important or serious; not worth consideringC. to find or discover sb./sth.D. making you feel admirationE. physically strong, fit and activeF. having little experience of the world,Read through the words in the left-hand column, and match each of them with the appropriate meaning in the right-hand column.,1. identify,2. impressive,3. innocent,4. athletic,5. resistance,6. trivial,Audio Studio,Word Bank,1. overtake 追上，赶上2. implant 嵌入，移植3. boost 推进4. intellectual 知识分子5. innovation 改革，创新,Task 1,Task 2,Audio Task 1 Identifying the Gist,.1. What is the function of the little robots implanted in our brain according to Dr. Kurzweil?A) They give us more powerful memories.B) They make us become healthier than we were.C) They could overtake the power of the human brain.2. How many times more technical progress will next half century see according to Dr. Kurzweils prediction?A) twiceB) 18 timesC) 32 times,Listen to the audio clip, and choose the right answers to the questions.,Audio Task 2 Checking the Facts,1. A leading US scientist has predicted that computers will be more intelligent than humans by 2029.2. Dr. Kurzweil is an innovator in various fields of computing.3. Things we see in science fiction movies will never happen in reality.,Listen to the audio clip again and fill in the blanks according to what you have heard. Repeat the sentences after you have completed them.,Script,F,T,F,A leading US scientist has predicted that computers will be as intelligent as humans by 2029. Futurologist Dr Ray Kurzweil told the American Association for the Advancement of Science that in the near future, machine intelligence will overtake the power of the human brain. He said that within two decades computers will be able to think quicker than humans. Dr Kurzweil painted a picture of us having tiny robots called nanobots implanted in our brain to boost our intelligence and health. He told reporters that these microscopic nanobots would work with our brains to make us think faster and give us more powerful memories. Kurzweil explained that we are already “a human machine civilization” and that the upcoming technology “will be a further extension of that.”Dr Kurzweil was one of 18 top intellectuals asked by the US National Academy of Engineering to identify our greatest technological challenges. Other experts included Google founder Larry Page and the human genome pioneer Dr Craig Venter. Kurzweil has a very impressive background in science and innovation. He was an innovator in various fields of computing, including the technology behind CDs. He also pioneered automatic speech recognition by machines. He predicts the pace of new inventions will increase greatly from now, saying: “ the next half century will see 32 times more technical progress than the past half century.” This means scenes from science fiction movies, like Blade Runner, The Terminator and I, Robot, will become more and more a part of our everyday lives.,Script,Video Studio,Word Bank,1. override 否决，推翻2. tinker 小修补3. specify 具体说明，明确规定4. geneticist 遗传学家5. hypocrite 伪君子，虚伪的人6. theoretically 理论上7. catalogue 目录8. modification 修改，改进9. outweigh 重于，超过10. in-vitro fertilization 体外授精,Task 1,Task 2,Video Task 1 Matching &Predicting,1. Some geneticists believe parents will be able to select for genes that _ intelligence, memory, even talents like playing the piano.2. Now everybody is pouring over it with computers and trying to _ what it all means.3. And we dont really want to _ them until we are very convinced that the benefits outweigh the risks.4. And so the children in rich really might be beautiful and the children of ordinary people wont _ _ the same sorts of expensive technologies.5. Will that happen in twenty five years? It all _ how people decide to handle the technology.,Complete the following statements with the phrases given below. Predict what will be talked about in the video. Then check your answers after watching the video clip.,mess with have access to depends on figure out help with,help with,figure out,mess with,have access to,depends on,Video Task 2 Bridging the Gap,Watch this part of the video clip and fill in the blanks.,Imagine being able to override Mother Nature and hand-pick the physical appearance and intellectual traits of your unborn child. Well, _ _, what may seem far-fetched now could be the norm for parents 25 years down the road. What seems like _ in the movie Gattaca is already happening. Through in-vitro fertilization, parents can actually choose to have a girl or a boy.In twenty five years, some geneticists believe, parents will be able to select for genes that help with intelligence, memory, even talents like playing the piano.,“The question is whether or not people want to use the technology _ _.” We posed the question at a gathering of pregnant moms and found _ _. But here is the thing, when we asked the mummies that if it would be okay to change their babys genetics to _ _, the answers changed.,And that ability for a parent to shape their childs health may be the biggest event 25 years from now. Theoretically science could provide genes to make babies super resistant to diseases. Hereshow, a few years back, scientists_ _ the human genome, its a lot like a giant codebook, a catalogue of the genes in the human body.,thanks to modern,science,science fiction,for that,purpose,a lot of,resistance,avoid a,disease,mapped,out,Video Task 2 Checking Your Comprehension,Watch this part of the video clip and answer the following questions.,What physical and intellectual traits can expectant parents choose? Answer: Parents could choose the babys hair color, eye color, brain power, how athletic theyll be.,2. Do pregnant moms agree to change their babys genetics to avoid a disease?Answer: Yes, they do.,3. What potential ethical concerns will trait selection bring about?Answer: Our view of children, our view of parenthood, our view of our relationships with each other will tend to change.,4. Who is able to afford the technology of trait selection?Answer: Only rich people will be able to afford it.,5. Do you think it is advisable for parents to choose physical and intellectual traits for their babies? Answer: Open.,Script,Script Imagine being able to override Mother Nature and hand-pick the physical appearance andintellectual traits of your unborn child. Well, thanks to modern science, what may seem far-fetched now could be the norm for parents twenty five years down the road.They are so lovable, so innocent, ten little fingers, ten tiny toes, to every parents eye, pureperfection. But what if you could tinker with perfection, choose your babys hair color, eye color, brain power, how athletic theyll be. “You have specified hazel eyes, dark hair and fair skin ” What seems like science fiction in the movie Gattaca is already happening. Through in-vitrofertilization, parents can actually choose to have a girl or a boy.“We can already look for the genes that, erh, influence all sorts of trivial traits, like our eye color or hair color.” In twenty five years, some geneticists believe, parents will be able to select for genes that help with intelligence, memory, even talents like playing the piano. “The question is whether or not people want to use the technology for that purpose.”We posed the question at a gathering of pregnant moms and found a lot of resistance. “I think once you start choosing, you know, how your baby should look like, and what it should be or what the sex it should be. You take the excitement out of the unexpected ”But here is the thing, when we asked the mummies that if it would be okay to change their babys genetics to avoid a disease, the answers changed.,Video Task,Script “Ill say Yes. But again Im being a hypocrite, but I think health is the most important part.” And that ability for a parent to shape their childs health may be the biggest event 25 years from now. Theoretically science could provide genes to make babies super resistant to diseases. Heres how, a few years back, scientists mapped out the human genome. Its a lot like a giant codebook, a catalogue of the genes in the human body. “We have all the information, and now everybody is pouring over it with computers and trying tofigure out what it all means.” No reason except for ethical concerns that genetic modification could change everything.“Our view of children, our view of parenthood, our view of our relationships with each other, and therefore our view of what it, what it means to be human. And we dont really want to mess with them, I think, until we are very very convinced that the benefits outweigh the risks.” And who will get the benefit? In twenty five years, many worry only rich Americans will be able to afford genetic tinkering. “There is going to be a growing gap between the haves and have-nots. And so the children in rich really might be beautiful and the children of ordinary people wont have access to the same sorts of expensive technologies.” Will that happen in twenty five years? It all depends on how people decide to handle the technology.,Video Task,Speaking Workshop,Expressions & Structures to Use,1 trait selection / genetic tinkering2 boost the intelligence and health3 thanks to modern science4 vary from person to person5 the benefits outweigh the risks6 work wonders7 artificial intelligence8 deprive sb of sth9 figure out10 have access to,Task 1,Task 2,Speaking Task 1 Summarizing,Discuss with your peers and complete the following tips with the information you have learned in the video clip. Then prepare an oral presentation with the help of the tips.,Tips: physical appearance intellectual traits science fiction to avoid potential diseases is a controversial practice peoples opinions on vary raise peoples debate over reach an agreement on have access to ,Speaking Task 1 Summarizing,Tips: physical appearance intellectual traits science fiction to avoid potential diseases is a controversial practice peoples opinions on vary raise peoples debate over reach an agreement on have access to ,Speaking Task 1 Summarizing,Summary: Twenty five year from now, parents would be able to select physical appearance and intellectual traits of their unborn babies. What happens only in science fiction now will have become reality by then. Through new biotechnology, parents could not only choose the gender oftheir babies but also the traits such as eye color, hair color, intelligence, memory and even some Talents Peoples opinions vary greatly on whether it is advisable to use trait selection technology. Some thinks the joy is deprived of not knowing the gender of their baby until it is born if they select the gender of their babies.,Speaking Task 1 Summarizing,Summary: Others would like to design their babies so that the new-bornbabies might carry traits that their parents desire. But when it comes to using this technology to help the babies avoid potential diseases, people tend to reach an agreement; that is to say, trait selection is a great technology to help to realize the dream of avoiding diseases. The trait selection technology might lead to a heated debate as it causes the change of peoples view of children, parenthood, relationships with each other, and therefore the view of what it means to be human But will that really happen in twenty five years? What will this biotechnology bring about? Who will have access to such technology? These are some questions, the answers to which are yet to be discovered.,Situation1 Work in small groups of four or five. Discuss what you think about the situations described in each of the following scenarios. Each group is supposed to select one topic from the following scenarios. Think about whether it is a good use of the technology and why.2 Write down a few notes to summarize your discussion points.3 You have 15 minutes to discuss within your own group.4 One reporter from each group is to report the discussion result to the class. Other students are supposed to write down a few reasons mentioned by others while the reporters are voicing their views.,Speaking Task 2 Solving the Problem,Work with your peerson the situation below and try to come up with a solution to the problem described. You are expected to share your ideas and justify yourself in this process. Use as many phrases from the “Expressions & Structures to Use” box as possible.,Speaking Task 2 Solving the Problem,Speaking Task 2 Solving the Problem,Speaking Task 2 Solving the Problem,Alternative Situation1. Work in groups. Suppose your group members were the leaders of the bioethics society in a university. Make a survey on whether surrogate mothers should be given the right to visit the babies they give birth to.2. You have 15 minutes to discuss within your group.3. Select one student from each group to report the result of their survey.,Work on the following real-life project with your group members and present your report in the next class.,Real-Life ProjectWhat do you find attractive or desirable?If you had the opportunity during your lifetime, what would you choose? to change the shape of your nose to increase your height to be at least 180 cm tall to have fair hair or blue eyes to be very intelligent to be able to sing or play the piano well to cure an inherited disease so that you did not pass it on to your children?