Unit 7 The Fun They Had.

Unit 7 The Fun They Had

A detailed study of Text I Practices & Homework
Overview Word study A global picture A detailed study of Text I Practices & Homework

Derivation Synonyms & Antonyms Differentiation Word parts Word Study
Pronunciation Derivation Synonyms & Antonyms Differentiation Word parts

Word Study: Pronunciation
Read the new words and expressions aloud.

Word Study: Derivation
noun adjective adverb verb calculation / calculator calculating / calculated -- calculate superiority superior adjustment adjust insertion insert loftiness lofty loftily --- sorrow sorrowful sorrowfully scorn scornful scornfully

Word Study: Synonyms & Antonyms
smart (syn) (anto) intelligent stupid scornful contemptuous respectful

Word Study: Synonyms & Antonyms
lofty (syn) proud dignified / arrogant haughty (anto) humble modest unassuming dispute (v. ) argue concede

Word Differentiation (Textbook)
IV. Vocabulary Exercise II (on p 102) 1. Funny is a very informal word, focusing mainly on whatever results in laughter because of oddness, abnormality, or inappropriateness. Interesting refers to something that attracts people’s attention, usually because it is exciting, unusual and deserves their observation and study.

Word Differentiation (Textbook)
2. Still suggests an unruffled or tranquil state, and often refers to a moment of calm between periods of noise and movement, and during this moment there is no sign of activity. Silent simply means becoming speechless or being without noise; it does not necessarily suggest serenity or motionlessness.

Word Study: Word Differentiation
3. Dispute is often used as a transitive verb, meaning to say that something is incorrect or untrue, to fight passionately for control or ownership of something. Argue usually refers to a reasoned presentation of views or to a heated exchange of opinion; very often when used intransitively, it is followed by prepositions like “with,” “for/against,” “about”, etc.

Word Differentiation Textbook)
4. Usual is applied to whatever recurs frequently and steadily, referring to natural happenings as well as to occurrences based on the customs of the community or the habits of an individual. Regular emphasizes a conformity to the established or natural order of things, referring to events that happen often, or events that have equal amounts of time between them, so that they happen at the same time, for example, each day or each week.

Word Study: Word Parts dis- -not, opposite of, reverse dislike disapproval disagree -separate disconnect disperse dismantle mechan-  -of or related to machines mechanic mechanical mechanize

Word Study: Word Parts re-  -again rebuild rewrite review super-  -over, above Superman supermarket superstar

Revision: Do you remember?
____: v. to change slightly in order to make suitable for a particular purpose or situation ____: v. to put sth. into a small space, esp. in order to protect or hide it ____: n. a division or a part of a whole number in mathematics ____: a. showing great disrespect for sb. or sth. ____: a. having many thin folds ____: n. a space or room under the roof of a house often used for storing things

Revision Do you remember? ______: v. to find sth. by using mathematics
______: a. thinking oneself better than others ______: ad. in a way to behave calmly and seem not to worry or care about anything ______: v. to question or doubt the truth of sth. ______: a. worked by machines

A Global Picture Background Information About the author
About science fiction Comprehension Check Theme & A Structural analysis A Detailed Study of Text I

Background Info: The Author
Isaac Asimov (1920–1992) Is an American biochemist and prolific science fiction writer; Was born in the former USSR on January 2, 1920; Emigrated to the United States at 3 with his parents; Was brought up in Brooklyn, New York; Graduated from Columbia University in 1939; Got his Ph.D. in the same university in 1947; Published about 500 books; Died of kidney and heart failure in 1992.

Background information Type of writing & Theme A structural analysis
A Global Picture Background information Type of writing & Theme A structural analysis

Background Information
Asimov taught biochemistry at Boston University, but he is most widely known for his science fiction. Some of his best-known works are I, Robot, published in 1950 and The Foundation Trilogy, published in

Science fiction is a type of writing in which imaginary future developments in science and their effects on life are described. Science fiction writers are interested in making the world see the changes in our lives caused by the development of science, so it is regarded as a way to explore how society may change as science develops.

Asimov’s definition of Science Fiction Modern science fiction is the only form of literature that consistently considers the nature of the changes that face us, the possible consequences, and the possible solutions. That branch of literature which is concerned with the impact of scientific advance upon human beings. (1952)

Comprehension Check Complete the Comprehension Exercises on pages Answer the following questions: 1. From the story what can we see about education in the distant future? 2. How does Maggie feel about her education? 3.What do you think the message of the story is?

A Structural Analysis This short story centers around an old paper-and-ink book about school and involves two main characters—Margie and Tommy. Text I can be divided into three parts: Part I (para. 1)--the background Part II (para. 2—30)--the body of the story (a conversation between Margie and Tommy) Part III (para. 31—35)—the resolution

Theme Theme: In distant future, children would have lessons with mechanical teachers at home, and such a practice might deprive kids of the great fun the old school offered.

A Structural Analysis: A Closer Look
Part I (Para. 1) Margie, a girl living in 2157, wrote about an interesting conversation she had with her friend Tommy in her diary. Part II (Para. 2—30) The 11-year-old Margie, who hated school very much, learnt surprising yet interesting facts about schools existing centuries ago from Tommy. Part III (Para. 31—35) By comparison with the school life she had with the computer teacher, Margie was interested and even a bit longed for the fun kids at old schools once enjoyed.

A Detailed Study of Text I
Review Text comprehension of Text I Language points Stylistic features Expansion

Revision: Vocabulary I. Write out the words with meanings and initial letters given. s____: v. to utter a loud, piercing, high-pitched cry, esp. in fear, pain, or excitement d____: v. to question or doubt the truth of sth. c____: n. a set of instructions that tell a computer what to do s____: ad. very sadly i____: v. to put sth. inside or into sth. else w____: v. to make a high or musical sound by blowing air out through one’s lips s____: n. an assigned place and time in a sequence or schedule p____: n. the action of pressing a key or button in order to activate a device or perform an operation

Revision: Vocabulary II. Fill in the gaps with words or phrases from Text I. 1. They decided to h_____ eastward. 2. Keeping a d______ is a great way to express your emotions on paper and treasure experiences. 3. Is a captain s______to a commander in the navy? 4. When I asked for help, he just smiled l_____ and turned away. 5. We c______ that the average size farm in Lancaster County is 60 acres. 6. The chairman did not d______ the fact that the company is in trouble.

Key I. scream dispute code sorrowfully II.
1. head diary superior loftily 5. calculate dispute

Comprehension questions
1. What does the narrative text tell us? 2. From the text what can we see about education in the distant future?

Part I (para. 1—4) Comprehension questions Language points Paraphrases

Language Points & Paraphrases
fun (in the title) Some fixed expressions with “fun” have ~ great / good ~ ~ and games Compare (when fun is used as an adj.) He told a funny joke. Beijing is a fun city.

head: v. to be in the first or foremost position of (Para. 1) The president’s car ~ed the procession through the city centre. They decided to ~ for home. (to go in a particular direction) . (figurative) You’re ~ing for an accident if you drive after drinking. (to be likely to happen to you soon )

Part II (Para. 2—30) Comprehension questions Language points
Paraphrases

Comprehension Questions (Para. 2—30)
1. What is the conversation concerned with? 2. Why does Margie hate school? 3. If your were Margie, what would you feel?

crinkly: a. having many folds in sth. or on its surface (Para. 3) her big ~ face a ~ shirt Related word: crinkle be supposed to do (Para. 3) The CIA is supposed to work for the president. (to have a duty or responsibility to do sth.) The new policy is supposed to help single parents. (to be generally considered to be)

… and it was awfully funny to read words that stood still instead of moving the way they were supposed to—on a screen, you known. (Para. 3) Paraphrase and it was very amusing to read words that were motionless instead of moving the way they ought to.

What a waste! When you’re through with the book, you just throw it away, I guess. (Para. 4) through: adj having finished Let me know when you’re ~ with the computer. The guard at the gate wouldn't let us ~. ( in one side and out another side of) Paraphrase When you have finished reading the book, you merely cast it away, I believe.

Telebook (Para. 5): a book written for presentation on TV tele-: distance; distant telepathy telescope telecommunication by or for television teleconference teleshopping telesales

Margie was scornful. (Para. 10) scornful: a. showing a great lack of respect for sb. / sth. because one considers him / it as stupid or worthless Sneer is a ~ facial expression characterized by the slight raising of one corner of the upper lip. What’s there to write about school? (Para. 10) Paraphrase The school is so uninteresting that there is nothing worth being written into a book.

…she had been doing worse and worse until her mother had shaken her head sorrowfully and sent for the County Inspector. (Para. 11) send for: to ask or order sb. to come by sending them a message Don’t worry. I’ve sent for the doctor. Paraphrase …her test results grew steadily worse, which made her mother very sad. Assuming that something had gone wrong with the teacher, her mother asked the County Inspector to come and fix the machine.

He smiled at Margie and gave her an apple, then took the teacher apart. (Para. 12) take…apart: to separate a machine, piece of equipment etc. into parts My brother knows how to take cars apart, but he can’t put them back together again. synonyms: dismantle disassemble Paraphrase With a smile, the Inspector gave Margie an apple, and then disassembled the mechanical teacher.

…but he knew how all right, and, after an hour or so, there it was again, … (Para. 12) Paraphrase …but he knew how to put the machine together pretty well, so about an hour later, Margie’s mechanical teacher could work properly again, …

She always had to write them out in a punch code they made her learn when she was six years old, and the mechanical teacher calculated the mark in no time. (Para. 12) a punch code: a computer system of words, letters, numbers, etc. in no time: almost instantly; immediately At his age, he’ll heal ~ . Paraphrase She always had to write her homework in a computer language by pressing keys which she learnt at the age of six, and the computer which served as her teacher would immediately work out the mark.

She had been hoping they would take the teacher away altogether. (Para. 13) altogether: adv. entirely; completely; utterly This word may be omitted ~. These rare animals may soon disappear ~. Paraphrase She had been hoping that they would carry the mechanical teacher to another place once for all.

Tommy looked at her with very superior eyes, ….(Para. 14) superior: adj. thinking oneself better than others Her ~ tone of voice annoyed me. She was said to be of very ~ intelligence. (better than other things of the same kind) He added loftily, pronouncing the word carefully, “Centuries ago.” (Para. 14) loftily: adv. in a manner that shows one is better than others, haughtily The man behaved ~ and turned down any request for help. pronounce: v. In the word “adjust," the letter “d" is not ~d. (to make the sound of a letter, a word, etc ) I now ~ you man and wife. (to declare officially or formally)

Language points & paraphrases
Margie wasn’t prepared to dispute that. (Para. 21) dispute: v. to question or doubt the truth of sth. Some economists ~d whether consumer spending is as strong as the figures suggest. Your bravery has never been ~d. The two governments ~d over the ownership of the territory. They have won previous pay ~s with the management. (an argument or disagreement)

Language points & paraphrases
“But my mother says a teacher has to be adjusted to fit the minds of each boy and girl it teaches…. (Para. 25) adjust: v. to change slightly in order to make suitable for a particular purpose or situation It took her two years to ~ to life in England. The figures have been ~ed for inflation.

Language Points & Paraphrase
He walked away whistling, the dusky old book tucked beneath his arm. (Para. 30) tuck: v. to put sth. into a small space, esp. in order to protect or hide it The bird ~ed its head under its wing. She ~ed her scarf into her blouse. The underlined part an absolute construction formed by a noun and a past participle phrase. It is used as an adverbial showing attending circumstance. Paraphrase He whistled a tune as he moved away, holding the dusty old book under his arm.

Part III (Para. 31—35) Comprehension questions Language points
Sentence highlights

Comprehension Questions
1. What do you know about the schoolroom and the mechanical teacher? 2. What was Margie thinking about? 3. How do you comment the future school according to the text? 4. How do you understand the title of the text?

The screen was lit up, and it said : “Today’s arithmetic lesson is on the addition of proper fractions…. (para. 10) light up: The flames lit up the sky. ( to give light to a place or shine light on sth.) A warning signal lit up on the dashboard. (to become bright with light or colour)

The screen was lit up, and it said : “Today’s arithmetic lesson is on the addition of proper fractions…. (para. 10) fraction: [C] (in mathematics) a division or part of a whole number a proper fraction: 真分数 an improper fraction: 假分数 a mixed fraction: 带分数 a fraction of sth.: a tiny amount or proportion of sth.

Appreciation: Effective Narration
Building of suspense Careful selection of details Use of rhetorical devices Use of realistic dialogues school

Effective Narration Building of Suspense
On the page headed May 17, 2157, she wrote, “Today Tommy found a real book!” Careful selection of details They turned the pages, which were yellow and crinkly, and it was awfully funny to read words that stood still instead of moving the way they were supposed to—on a screen. … there is was again, large and black and ugly, with a big screen on which all the lessons were shown and the questions were asked. Margie was scornful. Tommy looked at her with very superior eyes,…. He added loftily, pronouncing the word carefully, “Centuries ago.”

Appreciation: Effective Narration
Use of rhetorical devices Rhetorical questions What’s there to write about school? (There is nothing at all to write about school.) Parallelism …there it was again, large and black and ugly… All the kids from the whole neighbourhood came, laughing and shouting in the schoolyard, sitting together in the schoolroom, going home together at the end of the day. Use of realistic dialogues the dialogues between Margie and Tommy the dialogue between Margie and her mother

Expansion Watch the video about Isaac Asimov’s view on replacing human labour with machines, especially computers. Pay special attention to his views on the following issues: Why should we replace human labour with computers? What shall we do when machines take over most of the manual work? Is Asimov fully optimistic about such a replacement? What’s your view on this replacement? Do you agree with the science fiction writer?

Practices & Homework Review --The future school vs. the present school --Translation Discussion of textbook exercises Dictation Oral activity Group work: a role-play Class work: a discussion Supplementary reading

Review Complete the following table with the major differences between the education Margie and Tommy receive and that of the old days. Teachers School-rooms Books Home-work Tests Curricula Education in 2157 Education of “the old days”

E-C Translation Paragraph 2
Margie’s grandfather once said that when he was a little boy his grandfather told him that there was a time when all stories were printed on paper. Paragraph 4 What a waste! When you’re through with the book, you just throw it away, I guess. Paragraph 11 The mechanical teacher had been giving her test after test in geography and she had been doing worse and worse until her mother had shaken her head sorrowfully and sent for the County Inspector. It is generally acknowledged that English has 13 modal auxiliaries

E-C Translation Paragraph 12
…, but he knew how all right, and, after an hour or so, there it was again, large and black and ugly, with a big screen on which all the lessons were shown and the questions were asked. Paragraph 14 Tommy looked at her with superior eyes, “Because it’s not our kind of school, stupid…. Paragraph 22 Tommy screamed with laughter. It is generally acknowledged that English has 13 modal auxiliaries

E-C Translation Paragraph 30.
“Maybe,” he said nonchalantly. He walked away whistling, the dusty old book tucked beneath his arm. Paragraph 31 It was always on at the same time every day except Saturday and Sunday, because her mother said little girls learned better if they learned at regular hours. Paragraph 35 Margie was thinking about how the kids must have loved it in the old days. She was thinking about the fun they had. It is generally acknowledged that English has 13 modal auxiliaries

Notes on Grammar Exercises: Articles (I)
The articles a/an (the indefinite article) and the (the definite article) belong to a group of words called determiners. They normally go at the beginning of nouns or noun phrases. Alice is a financial advisor. She is working for an insurance company. I have been to the doctor. Can I talk to the manager? It is generally acknowledged that English has 13 modal auxiliaries

Articles (cont.) Articles are used to show whether we are talking about things that are known both to the speaker and to the listener, or that are not known to them both. Articles can also show whether we are talking about things in general or particular things. (To be continued) It is generally acknowledged that English has 13 modal auxiliaries

Articles (cont.) NOTE: A singular countable noun normally has an article or other determiner (my, this, her, some etc.) with it. We can say a dog, my dog, that dog or every dog, but not just dog. I saw a child in the store. Can I use your car? Who is that boy in the red shirt? Plural and uncountable nouns can be used with or without an article or other determiner. Milk is rich in nutrients. Children usually rush about. Is there any milk in the bottle? Time is money. (To be continued)

Articles (cont.) “A/an” or “the”? The indefinite article “a/an” is used to talk about one particular person or thing when the listener does not know which one is meant. She married an old man. A girl answered the phone. The definite article “the” is used when the listener knows which particular person or thing is meant. The child was crying. (You know which child - the one I met in the toy store.) The girl who answered the phone was polite. (You know which girl - the one who answered the phone.) Who invented the computer? I would like to learn the violin. (To be continued)

Articles (cont.) The first time you speak of something/somebody use a/an, the next time you repeat the same noun use “the”. To talk about things in general, we normally use a singular countable noun with “a/an”. A spider has eight legs. (To be continued)

Spiders have eight legs. Teachers must have patience.
Articles (cont.) Note that we can also use a plural noun with no article to make a general statement. Spiders have eight legs. Teachers must have patience. Sometimes we use a singular noun with “the” to make general statements. This is particularly common before the names of instruments and inventions.

Key to Textbook Exercises
Text Comprehension IV. 1. Her mother asked the County Inspector to come over. 2. The mechanical teacher finished the calculation of the mark very quickly. 3. Tommy looked at Margie with an air which suggested he knew far better about school than others. 4. A teacher, a computerized teacher on net, has to be changed slightly so as to be suitable for each boy and girl to learn from.

Key to Textbook Exercises
Vocabulary exercises I. 1. have finished reading 2. by looking from behind his shoulder 3. is capable of providing 4. sent a message asking for the assistance of 5. disassembled the machine/computer teacher 6. didn't like/want to

Key to Grammar Exercises
II. 1. the, the a a, a, / 4. a the /, the III. 1. /,/,/ / the,/ the,/ 5. /, / The / the, the 9. the, / /

IV. 1. Light a noise 3. very good weather bad luck 5. president The vegetables 7. war All the books 9. coffee poetry

Cloze 1. earliest toys succeed 4. stages likely Therefore 7. develop brings with 10. importance

Notes on Writing Practice
Ellipsis We can omit words when the meaning of sentences can be understand without them. When expressions are joined by and or some other conjunctions, it is quite common to leave out words to avoid repetition. Various kinds of words can be left out to make sentences simple and concise.

Dictation Children learn almost nothing from television, / and the more they watch, / the less they remember. / They regard television purely as entertainment, / resent programs that make demands on them / and are surprised that anybody should take the medium seriously. / Far from being over-excited by programs, / they are mildly bored with the whole thing. / These are the main conclusions from a new study of children and television. / Its author confirms / that the modern child is a dedicated viewer. / The study suggests / that there is little point in the television company's attempts / to isolate adult viewing in the later hours. / More than a third of the children regularly watched their programs after 9 p.m. / All 11 -year-olds had watched programs after midnight.

Oral Activities I. Group work:
Act the two episodes from the text, one from paragraphs 4 to 11 and the other from 14 to 30. Ask two of your classmates to play with you the roles of Tommy, Margie, and Margie’s mother respectively. II. Class work: Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of human teachers and mechanical teachers in class.

Supplementary Reading
Star Light by Isaac Asimov

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Unit 7 The Fun They Had.

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