Unit 4 Extraterrestrials

1. Leading-in2. Text Analysis3. Language Points4. Presentation and Ex

ercises

Text A A Watery Place

Lead-in

1. Background Information

2. Discussion

Background Information

Issac Asimov (1920~1992) was a Russian-born American writer and scientist. He was a distinguished biochemist, but is more widely known as the author of many works of science fiction, books on science for non-scientists, and essays on a wide variety of subjects. Among his best-known science fiction is I, Robot (1950) and the Foundation trilogy (1951~1953). Building on Karel Capek’s concept of the robot, in 1941 Asimov coined the term robotics.

Extraterrestrial life: life-forms that may have evolved on other planets. There is no hard evidence at present that life exists other than on the Earth. Most UFOs have been satisfactorily explained as being natural or man-made, and the Viking missions to Mars were inconclusive in testing for the existence of life on that planet. Nevertheless, searches have been and are being made for signs that life has arisen in other parts of the universe.

Certain knowledge either that life is confined to planet Earth or has been found elsewhere would have the profoundest philosophical implications for mankind. Factors contributing to any assessment of the probability that life exists elsewhere must include the size, age. and structure of the universe, and the conditions under which life as we know it can originate and evolve. Other factors of relevance in the search for extraterrestrial life include an assessment of the probability that intelligence leading to scientific and technological civilizations similar to our own may arise.

Venus: the second major planet in order of distance from the Sun. Also known as Hesperus, the evening star, or Phosphorus, the morning star, Venus can be the brightest object in the sky after the Sun and Moon and follows a near-circular path some 106 million kilometers from the Sun, taking 225 days to complete one orbit.

Discussion

1) Do you think there exist extraterrestrials? Why or why not?

2) Do you think interstellar (星际间 ) travel will ever be possible?

Text Analysis

• Part Division

• Comprehension

Part Division

The text consists of two parts– an introduction and the main body of the story

Part one Paras1-3 -- The-narrators claims that _____________________________on earth.

Part two Paras4-48 --The narrators gives an account of his encounter with____________, making it clear why he claims that___________________

no extraterrestrials will ever land

extraterrestrials

they will return no more.

beginning of story: before the E.T. arrives

development of story: landing of the flying soccer meeting with E.T.

end of story after E.T. left

Para. 4-5

Para. 6-11

Para. 12-34

Para. 35-48

The main body of the story can be divided into four sections according to time sequence. Please write down the paragraph numbers of each section and give its main plots.

Comprehension

1. How did the flying saucer land on Earth?

2. What did the two men from space look like?

3. What did the writer feel at the sight of the extraterrestrials?

4. How did Bart respond to the arrival of the two strangers?

5. What was the main purpose of the extraterrestrials’ trip?

6. What was Bart’s response to the guests’ request?

7. How did the author feel about the guests’ departure?

8. What was the “stupid error” made by Bart?

Language Points

1. Vocabulary

2. Sentences

(fml) because of The house isn’t really suitable for an old

person on account of all those stairs.

The president declined to deliver the speech himself on account of a sore throat.

on account of (L6)

work up (L11)

spend time and effort preparing; produce or develop gradually

The head of the department asked me to work up some sample compositions and give them to the students.

Let’s go for a walk to work up an appetite.

(to make ourselves hungry)

complicated (L14)

a. difficult to understand or deal with The situation there is so complicated that many

people are uncertain what will happen next.

The new computer is too complicated even for a skilled operator to handle.

CF: complicated & complex

两者都有“复杂”之意。 complex 意为“综合的、合成的”，指组成某种机器

的零件、构成某件事的因素或构成数学题的元素不仅很多，而且相互的关系 或相互的作用也令人眼花缭乱，需要深入研究或具有专门的知识才能理解。例如：

the complex mechanism of a watch

Physics is a rather complex subject involving the study of matter and motion.

complicated 具有 complex的一切意义，但更强调复杂得难以解释或 理解。一道算式题可能非常complex，但未必 complicated；而一道complicated的算式题一般总是 complex的。

That puzzle is too complicated for the children.

The material has a complicated pattern.

knock off (L21)(infml) slop working, usu. at the end of a day When do you usually knock off for supper? If I get this paper done I'll knock off early

today.

hit the sack (L21)(infml) go to bed Time to hit the sack, lights out. Louise was so tired that he hit the sack

soon after supper.

bug (L29)

v. cause (eyes) to stick out; annoy (sb.) His eyes bugged with horror. The naughty kid from next door put a frog in my mailbox, which really bugged me. Don’t bug me with petty details.

adopt (L52)

1) v. take over and use as one’s own We adopted the new method of making

wine.

Some immigrants discarded their old customs and adopted American ways.

2) v. take sb. else’s child into one’s family and legally become its parent

The Red Cross has adopted a lot of homeless children in Afghanistan.

adopted children

blink (L59)shut and open the eyes

quickly; flash on and off Staring for hours at a

computer screen dries out the eyes as people blink less.

You can see a light blinking on a fence showing that you have reached the end of the new road.

go to pieces (L74)

If you go to pieces, you are so upset or nervous that you lose control of yourself and cannot do what you should do.

Tom is a strong man, but he nearly went to pieces when he heard his colleague died in the car accident.

make like (L103)

(infml) act as if one were; pretend to be (used in the patterns: make like sb. /sth.; make like + clause)

Bob made like he was a fish blowing bubbles. 那个老人装扮成猴子去逗孩子们开心。The old man made like a monkey to amuse the children.

It wouldn’t be so bad if he’d let a taxman work on the forms with him, but he insists on doing it himself and it makes him a bitter man. By April 14, he isn’t approachable. (L15)

1. What does “not approachable” mean here?

It means “not friendly or easy to talk to.”

approachable 用来形容人，表示易亲近的、友好的（ friendly and easy to talk to ）； 用来形容某个地方， 意思是可接近的（ able to be reached from a particular direction or by a particular means ）。

2. Why do you think by April 14, Bart Cameron isn't approachable?

According to the author, Bart Cameron is an impatient man and gets very irritable when he has to work up his income tax. April 15 is the deadline for tax forms to be mailed. So on April 14 some people stay up late trying to finish all the tax forms. Since Cameron has got very complicated tax figures, he naturally grows particularly impatient and testy when working on them.

I couldn’t choke or point; ... (L. 28)

1. Paraphrase the sentence.

I was so amazed and scared that I could not even breathe or point this out to Cameron.

2. Translate it into Chinese.

我喉部肌肉僵直，也没法用手示意。

He looked at me, as though he wanted to see a smile on my face, but I couldn’t as much as fall down if someone had pushed the chair out from under me. (L68)

1. What does “couldn’t as much as” mean?

If you do not as/so much as do a particular thing, you do not even do that, when you were expected to do more.

2. Paraphrase the second sentence.

3. Translate the second sentence.

… but I was so scared that I couldn’t do anything, couldn’t even fall down if someone took my chair away. All I could do was sit and stare.

就算有人从我身后把椅子抽开，我也不会摔倒在地。

Presentation and Exercises

Thank you.