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Unit 7 The Age of Miracle Chips Teaching Objectives Get to know some background knowledge about the development of science and technology Grasp the main idea and the theme of this passage Learn to use some terms and expressions connected with computer Appreciate the writing skills of the passage Teaching Points I. Background information II. Text analysis III. Detailed study of the text IV. Rhetorical devices V. Questions for discussion II. Text Analysis Type of literature: -- a piece of exposition Thesis: New microtechnology will transform society. This inert fleck has astonishing powers that are already transforming society. II. Text analysis 1. making effective use of specific verbs and adjectives 2. employing various methods to make the science writing understandable and interesting II. Text analysis 1st Part: Section 1: What it is like, the outlook, the appearance of the miracle chip. Section 2: Its uses, the advantages / superiority of microcomputer over the old type of computers. Section 3: The significance of this miracle chip. II. Text analysis 2nd Part: Section 1. (Paras. 1. It is 7:30. 2. After her husband. 3. Wellsian fantasy?) The matutinal scenario of Mr. Aladdin's family, an ordinary family in latter-day American society when equipped with computers. Section 2. (Paras. from "The microelectronic revolution promises..." to "beyond the ken of many educators") The many uses of this microelectronic revolution. Section 3. Conclusion: the computer revolution is... to a higher order of existence. III. Detailed Study fleck: a small mark or spot brown cloth with flecks of red a fleck of milk on the baby's chin powers: general natural abilities calculating capability: the ability of processing complex mathematics problems in large amounts Detailed Study hulking: massive and clumsy, heavy and awkward Caliban of vacuum tubes his tyrant of a father her doll of a daughter a giant of a soldier a palace of a house Detailed Study read-out: the information removed from a computer and displayed (here, on the screen) Detailed Study commandeer: to place an order, to seize sth. (esp. private property) for esp. military use The policeman commandeered a taxi to chase the robbers. During the battle, all the houses along the river bank were commandeered. Detailed Study terminal: an apparatus by which a user can give instructions to and get information from a computer. Here a controlling board recipe: a set of instructions for making sth. from various ingredients a recipe for moon cakes Detailed Study Byzantine art and architecture include not only works done in the city of Byzantium after it became the capital of the Roman Empire (A.D.330), but also work done under Byzantine influence, as in Italy, Syria, Greece, Russia, and other Eastern countries. Detailed Study conjugation: the way verbs change their forms in accordance with number, person, mood, voice and tense verb conjugation: the different inflectional (inflexional) forms of verbs, such as do, does, did, done & etc. 47. groovy: (sl.) very good, pleasing, deeply satisfying Detailed Study Herbert George Wells (1866-1946), the son of a gardener and a lady’s maid, He went to the Normal School of Science in London and studied biology under Professor Thomas Henry Huxley, the principal exponent in England of Darwin's Theory of Evolution. Detailed Study By 1895, he had published The Time Machine, the Wonderful Visit and a volume of short stories. These made Wells the pioneer of science fiction in the world. Among his works, besides the above mentioned, The Invisible Man, The War of the Worlds, The First Men in the Moon and The War in the Air are outstanding. Detailed Study With this microelectronic revolution, it becomes certain that life will be more comfortable, that the quality of life will be improved, and that life will be much simpler. Detailed Study enrich: to make rich, to improve by adding sth. The discovery of the gold mine will enrich the district. dreary: dull, uninteresting, tedious, depressing, cheerless Detailed Study capricious: tending to change abruptly and without apparent reason A spoiled child is often capricious. We can't go camping while the weather is so capricious. The capricious woman bought and exchanged three dresses in a week. Detailed Study virtually: almost, very nearly This word is very close in meaning to practically, and actually. With the boss out sick, the secretary is virtually in charge. The king was so much under the influence of his wife that she was the virtual ruler of the country. Detailed Study The computer will be as much a part of the home as…. The household computer will be a part of the home as much as the kitchen sink. He is as much an important a member of our team as the captain. IV . Rhetorical Devices 1. antonomasia 2. metaphor 3. alliteration V. Questions for Discussion 1. What does a miracle chip look like? What is it made of? 2. What is the significance of the computer revolution? 3. Is the computer a humanizing or dehumanizing factor? 4. The author tries to make his science writing interesting and popular. What are some of the methods he employs to achieve this?