1. 首届 “ 外教社杯 ” 全国大学英语教学 大赛 组别：综合课

2. New College English Integrated Course 2

3. Unit 4 Text A A Virtual Life Maia Szalavitz

4. Chatting online Playing games Watching movies Searching for information problems Shopping Listening to music Sending Emails

5. A Virtual Life Maia Szalavitz This text was written in 1996 by an American writer who lived in New York City.

6. Maia’s welcoming speech--- “Hi! I am Maia Szalavitz. Today, I will take you to my virtual world. There is so much I want you to see, and hear and feel. I know there are a lot of problems. That’s why I have tried to return to the real life. But it just doesn’t work. I think I’d rather stay with my computer. I feel much safer there.”

7. Outline of Maia’s Story 1. Maia’s self-introduction (paragraphs 2 - 3) 2. Maia’s virtual life in detail (paragraphs 1,4 – 10) 3. Maia’s efforts to return to the real life (paragraphs11 -12) 4. Maia’s choice of the virtual life in the end (paragraph 13)

8. Part 1 Maia’s Self-introduction 1. My job a. England 2. Where I work b. Writer 3. How I work c. New York City 4. How I live d. submit articles via Email 5. My boyfriend e. Order food and manage money online

9. Part 2 Maia’s Virtual Life In Detail 1. How does she respond to the sounds of daily life and how does she feel about time ? 2. What are the changes in her personality? 3. How does she get along with people online? SScan paragraphs 1, 6, 8 and 9 and see if you can find the answer.

10. Pair work: fill in the following blanks “After staying online for too long, even a phone call can be a. My boyfriend’s Liverpool suddenly becomes impossible to interpret. itself becomes fluid. There are changes in my. I find myself shyer, more cautious, more. I have become bad tempered and easily angered. I everyone in sight, including my. What a crazy life!” boyfriend attack anxious personality Time shock accent

11. Part 3 Returning to the Real Life “Being face to face is too much.”

12. Part 4 Maia’s Final Choice of the Virtual Life “I run to the computer as though it were a place of safety…I enter my password. The real world disappears.”

14. Warning: More and more people are getting addicted to the Internet !

15. Please help my friend! “Happily Addicted to the Web”

16. Happily Addicted to the Web

17. Group Discussion:  If you have a friend who is addicted to the Internet, what will you do to help him or her?

18. conclusion  Maia’s story is not over. We are faced with more and more Internet problems. Guard against Internet addiction. That's everyone’s job. So next time when you switch on the computer, remind yourself of Maia’s lesson.