1. Unit 3 Alienation and the Internet

2. Topic for Presentation Are You a Net Worm? Role play Group work Who Is Greater, Henry Ford or Bill Gates?

3. Text-related questions 1. What is the writer’s belief as regards the internet? 2. What happened to the author’s friend in the text? 3. What is meant by the “cruel irony” in paragraph 4? 4. How can the potential of the Internet be realized according to the writer?

4. Text structure Part I The opening part or the thesis part (1-2): Introduction in which the author states his thesis: the Internet may be responsible for furthering the fragmentation of society by alienating its individual users. Part II The argument part (3-6): Body in which the author supports his point with evidences and reasons. Part III The summary part (7): Conclusion where the author reiterates his point that only when we make a moderate use of the Internet can we fully realize its potential without having our sense of reality skewed.

5. Part I Introduction Expressions to Be Learned: alienate given equivalent potential for the better

6. Part I Introduction Paraphrase: Given the relatively few restrictions...international waters. →As there are relatively few restrictions for reaching and using the Internet, communications via Internet are comparable to traveling through the international waterways. That is, it is accessible to almost anyone in the world.

7. Part I Introduction Paraphrase: But much less widely reported…by alienating its individual users. →But not so many people are acquainted with the idea that the Internet separates people from each other and fragments society further as a result.

8. Part II argument part Expressions to Be Learned: addicted in that binge give sb pause (to think/for thought) skew lament prior to in (dead/deadly/real) earnest at the expense of available simulateperceive

9. Part II argument part Paraphrase: Depending upon how a “real place” is defined it might very well be. →According to the definition of a “real place”, the Internet could most reasonably be considered as a “real place”.

10. Questions for review: 1. What is the author’s purpose of citing the example of his friend in Paragraph 3? 2. When and how did the fragmentation of society begin? 3. Why does the author narrate his own story? 4. Why do you think the author discuss the question whether the internet is a real place?

11. Part III conclusion Expressions to Be Learned: gratification The world is one’s oyster.

12. Part III conclusion Paraphrase: It seems to me that we are a society…the cyber-world is your cyber-oyster. → I think that in our society the top priority is given to the satisfaction of one’s immediate needs. The Internet is the best tool for this purpose, for on the Internet one can do whatever he likes to.

13. Questions for review: 1. How does the author think about the trend of overusing the Internet in our society? 2. Does the author believe it is within human capacity to reap the benefit of the Internet without being penalized? 3. Work on the rhetorical features of the text.