Welcome to the unit特级教师教学实录

Unit 3 Tomorrow’s world

Teaching Design Aims and requirements ♦ Read a formal proposal and summaries of three science fiction novels. ♦ Listen to facts and opinions and an interview about computer use. ♦ Discuss your views on technology and interview a classmate about his or her computer use. ♦ Write a proposal for a computer room and a short science fiction story. Procedures

Welcome to the Unit Step 1: Brainstorming

1.

As is known, most people love reading science fiction stories. These stories allow people to use their imagination and think about what life will be like in the future. What do you like most about science fiction stories? In order for all of us to have a good understanding of the text, try to design and make a poster for one of the science fiction stories you were asked to brought to class. How did you feel when you were reading the story? Draw several pictures which highlight the main characters and scenes in the story. You may also choose one scene in the story that you liked the most and draw one picture of this scene.

2.

Please tell your science fiction story in groups of four. Then I’ll ask a few students to tell your stories in front of the class.

3.

Now I’d like to ask you some questions which will help you to find out the main characteristics of science fiction stories.

What do you like most about science fiction stories, the characters, plot or the language used? Why do you think so many people are interested in science fiction stories?

( Because they allow people to use their imagination and think about what life will be like in the future.) 4.

Now look, here’s a stick in my hand. This stick is a ‘magic wand” and it can be used to make things happen in the future. Please have a discussion about the following questions and express your opinions freely. What will life be like in the year 2080? What would you like to happen by 2080?

What would you not like to see in 2080? If you could use the magic wand to make one thing happen in the future, what would it be? 5.

Read the instructions and focus on the four pictures. Discuss the pictures in pairs. (P41) Picture 1: What is the robot doing in this picture? (Serving dinner for the master.) What else can a robot do? Do you think robots can do everything for humans? Why or why not? (Robots can do a lot of repetitive or tedious things for human beings, for example, they can help people do housework; with the help of robots, more high-tech products can be produced, which will make people’s lives more convenient; what’s more, robots can help people do boring or dangerous work so that people can have time to relax.) Do you think you will have a robot at home in the future?

Picture 2: Where are the passengers going? (To the Moon or to Mars.) Do you believe that one day traveling to the Moon or to Mars would be just like traveling to another city? Why or why not? If you had a chance, would you like to fly to the Moon or another planet?

Picture 3: What are the people in this picture doing? (Having a birthday party.) How old is the man? (200 years old.) What do you think a 200-year-old man would look like? Do you think the man in the picture looks that old? Do you think people can live that long in the future? Why or why not? (With the development of genetic research, scientists can find out the secret of living longer. In the future, human beings can live much longer than we live today.)

Picture4:

Can you tell where these “people” are and what they are doing there?

(In the office.) Can you tell who these “people” are and what they are doing there? (Apparently some of the people sitting in the office are not human beings. They are aliens from outer space. The aliens and the human beings are discussing something in the office. What problems are the aliens and the people probably talking about? (They are probably discussing peace issues in the Galaxy or trade affairs between other planets and the Earth.) What is the relationship between them? (Workmates.)

Step 2: Sharing information 1.

Form your own groups and discuss the three questions listed under the four pictures first. 2.

Express your opinions freely and report your responses back to the whole class.

Sample answers 1.

Yes. With the development of science and technology, human beings could travel wherever they want in the future. The Moon and other planets could eventually become tourist destinations. Travelling to the Moon or to another planet might be as easy as traveling to another city. You might just have to book a ticket, get packed and think about what present you would like to bring back to your friends on the Earth.

2.

In my point of view, robots could do almost everything in the future. With the development of science and technology, they may be designed almost the same as humans. They could help people do boring and dangerous work. For example, it would be possible for robots to be lowered to the ocean floor and left to explore the ocean; robots could play an important role in exploration missions to other planets; they could also be the companions of humans and assist humans physically and psychologically, that is, they could perform more useful functions than just entertainment. All in all, robots could do much more in the future than we can imagine today.

3.

New technology seems like magic, it can do a lot of amazing things that we could never imagine before, I’d like to see that a virtual world could be created with the

help of technology so that people could live in both a real world and a virtual one. We could not only play games, travel or experience excitement in the virtual world, but also we could do whatever we can do in reality.

3.

More questions for you to answer:

Do you think robots will replace human beings in the future?

What things do you think robots can’t do?

Resources Robots

One high-tech industry that is growing quickly in the 21st century is robots. Nowadays scientists are doing research and trying to build humanoid robots with arms and legs that can move freely. It has been reported that modern robots can even have thoughts and facial expressions. Robots can do a lot of work autonomously for humans. For more information about robots, you may check the following website: http://www.frc.ri.cmu.edu/~hpm/project.archive/robot.papers/1999/SciAm.scan.html