Unit Three

Understanding Science

Part I Lead-inPart II Language PointsPart III Text AnalysisPart IV Writing

Background information

1.Stephen Hawking (1942--): a British scientist who has greatly influenced people’s ideas on the origins of the universe. He has devoted much of his life to probing in the space-time described by general relativity and the singularities where it breaks down. And he’s done most of his work while confined to a wheelchair, brought on by the progressive neurological disease. Hawking is the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge, a post once held by Isaac Newton.

In the late 1960s. Hawking proved that if genera relativity

is true and the universe is expanding, a singularity must

have occurred at the birth of the universe. In 1974 he first

recognized a truly remarkable property of black holes,

objects from which nothing was supposed to be able to

escape. He has written the international bestseller A Brief

History of Time, The hook spent more than four years on

the London Sunday Times bestseller list — the longest run

for any book in history.

The Sky at Night: a popular British television program about the stars and planets, broadcast every month by the BBC since 1957. It is well known for the way in which its presenter, Patrick Moore, gives scientific information in an entertaining way.

MATTERS OF LIFE AND DEATH -- Medicine and Health

1900

Patients battle illness,

while doctors can do

little more than counsel

（劝告） and comfort

them and keep them

clean.

Today

Doctors treat and often

cure patients with a

vast array( 一大批 ) of

medicines and medical

technologies, but some

diseases are still

incurable.

MYSTERIES OF THE UNIVERSE -- Physics and Astronomy

1990The Milky Way galaxy(including some unexplained nebular clouds （星云） ) is the known universe. Newton’s laws explain the physical world. Matter is composed of atoms.

TodayThe Milky Way is just one galaxy among countless millions we have observed in the universe. There is no set of laws that explains all phenomena in the physical world, although there are many theories. Atoms are composed of many subatomic particles, all of which derive from energy.

RESEARCH INTO OURSELVES -- Human Behavior

1900

There is no cure for the

mentally ill, who are

confined to insane

asylums ( 精神病院 ).

“Mind” and “body” are

thought of as two

separate things.

Today

Mental illness can be

treated with a range of

therapies an medications.

We know a great deal

about the chemistry and

the parts of the brain that

control our behavior and

thoughts.

FASTER, CLOSER, BETTER -- Technology

1900

The only way to view

the Olympic Games in

Paris is in person.

News about the Games

travels to America via

telegraph and is printed

in newspapers.

TodayMillions worldwide will watch the 2008 Beijing Olympics on television, Transmitted instantaneously( 瞬间地 ) by satellite. The news will spread as well by radio, newspaper, and the World Wide Web.

Scientific and Technological Inventions

genetic engineering

e-mail

mobile phone

laptop

nanotechnology

nuclear weapons

clone

Word StudyWord Study

1. likely: probable; probably (adv.)＊ be likely to do sth.

Sentence pattern: ＊ It is likely that… ＊ Chances are/were (that) ＊ There is possibility that… ＊ There is every chance that…

2. privilege: special right or advantage available

only to a particular person

privileged: having privileges ＊ She came from a privileged background.

3. minority ←→ majority ＊ the majority of… ＊ the greater/overwhelming

majority of minor ←→ major minor operations major operations ↓ ＊ major in sth. ＊ specialize in sth. ↓ ＊ English major

4. put/turn the clock back ： return to a situation that used to exist, usually because the present situation is unpleasant

＊ The employment bill in which

women are not allowed to take jobs will put the clock back fifty years.

5. inquire: seek information by questioning ask (followed by about or wh-

clause) ＊ I rang up to inquire about the train

times. ＊ He inquired whether there had been

any messages for him.

MORE: ＊ inquire sth. of sb. ＊ inquire into sth.---- look into ath.

MORE: ＊ inquiry about ＊ inquiry into ＊ an inquiry office/desk

More＊ require sth

of sb.＊ ask sth.

of sb.＊ expect sth.

of sb.

CF: ＊ warn sb. of sth. ＊ remind sb. of sth. ＊ inform sb. of sth. ＊ suspect sb. of sth. ＊ strip sb. of sth. ＊ accuse sb. of sth.

6. ensure: make sure ＊ ensure sb. of sth. ＊ assure sb. of sth. ＊ ensure that… ＊ assure sb. that…More: ＊ insure sth./sb.

Sentence StudySentence Study

… and human initiative and inventiveness are such that even this wouldn’t succeed.

→As human initiative and inventiveness do exist, even this way to suppress anything new worldwide would fail.

such that…→The shock was such that she was almost

driven mad.→Such was the force of the eruption that

the whole town was covered with ash.

…hence the sick joke that…→therefore the sick joke spreads that….

＊ sick joke: sick joke deals with death and suffering in a cruel and unpleasant

way.

MORE: ＊ hence: as a result; therefore from this time ＊ I don’t know where I will be six months

hence.

Text AnalysisText Analysis

Parts Paragraphs Main Ideas

Part One

Paras 1-3 To make informed decision about change , the public needs a basic understanding of science.

Part Two

Paras 4-6 What can be done to endure the public about science.

Part Three

Paras7 With an informed public , human civilization will survive.

ExpositionExposition

Exposition is explanatory writing. Its purpose is to clarify a point, and explains something such as why a certain phenomenon happens, how a problem is solved, or what a word or term means.

Comparison and Contrast Essay

What is comparison/contrast?

Comparison/contrast is a method of developing a paragraph or an essay. Comparison shows similarity while contrast shows difference. The word comparison is sometimes used to mean both comparison and contrast.

How to develop the body of a comparison and contrast

There are three comparison/contrast patterns.

Subject A:

Point 1 Point 2 Point 3

Subject B:

Point 1 Point 2 Point 3

The subject-by-subject pattern

Sample 1

Subject A: Women’s Weekly

1. Front cover: attractive, with photos of celebrities, small pictures along with highlights of the contents

2. Print quality and paper: art paper, vivid pictures and dazzling colors

3. Content: topics catering for various kinds of needs

Subject B: Women

1. Front cover: less attractive, with pictures of starlets or minor fashion models

2. Print quality and paper: poor paper, rough pictures and dull color

3. Content: topics sometimes either too radical or irrelevant to women

The block pattern is a good approach for a short paper

Its drawback is that sometimes your writing may seem like two separate essays

The point-by-point pattern

Point 1: Subject A

Subject B

Point 2: Subject A

Subject B

Point 3: Subject A

Subject B

Sample 2

Point 1

1. Women’s Weekly: attractive, with photos of celebrities, small pictures along with highlights of the contents

2. Women: less attractive, with pictures of starlets or minor fashion models

Point 2 Print quality and paper1. Women’s Weekly: topics catering for various

kinds of needs2. Women: poor paper, rough pictures and dull

colors Point 3 Content1. Women’s Weekly: topics catering for various

kinds of needs2. Women: topics sometimes other too radical or

irrelevant to women

It is good for longer essays in which you want to show many complex points of comparison and need to help your readers see how those points match up.

The drawback of the alternating pattern is that you may reduce your analysis to an exercise. If you use the alternating pattern in a short essay, your essay sounds choppy and disconnected---more like a list than an essay.

The likeness-difference pattern

you put all the similarities between the subjects together and all the differences together. This pattern is suited to subjects whose likeness and differences are more or less balanced, such as two jobs or two good friends, because they probably share certain qualities you like, but are also different in many ways.