Unit 3
Understanding
Science
Text A Public Attitudes toward
Science
Part 1 Objectives
Part 2 Cultural Notes
Part 3 Text Structure
Part 4 Language Points
Part 5 Content Questions
I.Objectives
Students will be able to,
1,understand the main idea ( to ensure the survival of
human civilization,measures must be taken to help
the public understand science) and structure of the
text ( introducing a topic,developing the topic with
supporting details,supplying a conclusion);
2,appreciate the style between narrative writing and
expository writing,[Back]
II.Cultural notes
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 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 pro-
gressive neurological disease,Hawking is the
Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge,
a post once held by Isaac Newton.He has written
the international bestseller A Brief History of
Time.The book spent more than four years on the
London Sunday Times bestseller list – the longest
run for any book in history,[Back]
III,Text Structure
Parts Paragraphs Main ideas
Part 1 Paras 1-3 To make informed decisions
about change,the public
needs a basic understanding
of science
Part 2 Paras 4-6 What can be done to educate
the public about science
Part 3 Para 7 With an informed public,
human civilization will
survive
IV.Language points
1,attitude,manner or way one thinks about toward sb,
or sth,(usu,followed by to/ toward)
e.g.--We take an open-minded attitude toward friends,
,-- His son’s attitude toward work made him angry,
2,likely,probable,used in the pattern,it is likely
that…,be likely to do sth
e.g.-- He is likely to become mad at me,
-- It is likely that he is a good sales manager,
Cf,probable,likely,possible
3,do without
e.g.-- I haven’t enough money to buy a car,so
I’ll just have to do without it,
-- No living thing can do without air and water,
4,put / turn the clock back,return to a situation that
used to exist
e.g.-- Forget all about it and look to the future; you
can’t turn the clock back,
-- The employment bill in which women are not
allowed to take jobs will put the clock back fifty
years,
5,cut off, stop providing sth
e.g.-- We’d better pay that electricity bill before they
cut us off,
-- The water was cut off last week
6,bring about,make sth happen
e.g.-- Some educators are hoping to bring about major
changes in the educational system,
-- What does these discoveries bring about?
7.inquire,seek mire information by questioning,
followed by about or wh- clause
e.g.-- He inquired the way of the old man,
-- I’d like to inquire about the trains to London,
8,ensure, make sure
e.g.-- The new treaty will ensure peace,
-- I can’t ensure that he will be here in time,
9,inform,having or showing knowledge
Pattern,inform sb of /about sth,inform sb + that-
clause,inform sb
e.g.-- Keep me informed of fresh development,
-- He is a well-informed men,
10,in two minds, unable to decide whether of not
you want sth or want to do sth
e.g.-- She’s in two minds about whether to accept his
present or not
-- It seems to me that the board of directors is in
two minds over the opening of a branch office in
America,
11,basis ( followed by for or of or that –clause)
usage,lay the basis
e.g.-- What is the basis for your opinion?
-- On the basis of our sales we may begin to make
a project next year,
12,lie in, exist or be found in sth
e.g.-- The root of all these events lay in history,
-- The play’s interest lies in the questions it raises
about marriage,
13,in terms of,as regards sth
e.g.-- In terms of salary,the job is terrible,
-- Give the answer in terms of a percentage,
14,tend, tendency n,
e.g.-- I tend to get tired in the evening,
-- Plants tend to die in hot weather if you don’t
water them,
15,in the form of, having the shape of
e.g.-- The lawn was laid out in the form of the figure
8,
-- The bowl is in the form of a boat,
16,convey,make ideas,feelings,etc,known to
another
e.g.-- Words cannot convey my feelings,
-- Their smiling faces conveyed the impression
that they were satisfied with it,
17,put across, cause to be understood
e.g.-- He’s very good at putting his ideas across,
-- Good teachers are the ones who are able to
put things across well,
18,proportion,
Pattern,the proportion of A to B ; in proportion to
( out of proportion to) ; in direct proportion to / in
inverse proportion to 与,..成正比 /反比
e.g.-- The proportion of boys to girls in our class
is two to one,
-- The income tax increases in proportion to the
amount we earn,
19,fit into,be part of a situation
e.g.-- The new college courses fit into a national
education,
-- College English videos are designed to fit into
the syllabus,
20.hence,as a result
e.g.--The town was built on the side of a hill; hence
the name Hillside,
-He’s an extremely private person; hence his reluctance
to give interviews,
21,The only way to prevent further developments
would be a global state ( that suppressed anything new),
and human initiative and inventiveness are such that
even this wouldn't succeed,
但人类的进取心与创造力是如此旺盛,因此即便这
个政府也不会成功
Paraphrase,A universal suppressive government might
prevent more advances in technology,but as humans are
born curious,even this attempt would fail,
22.But the rate of scientific progress is now so rapid that
there are always new developments that have occurred
since one was at school or university,
Paraphrase,Science is developing so rapidly that new
advances have been occurring all the time,
23,The world today is filled with dangers,hence the
sick joke that the reason we have not been contacted
by an alien civilization is that civilization tend to
destroy themselves when they reach our stage,
Paraphrase,Dangers are everywhere nowadays,so a
sick joke spreads,because civilizations are easy to
destroy themselves when they are as developed as our
earth,no aliens can exist to contact us
24,as many … as… // as much … as
e.g.-- You can take an many pictures as you like in
this park,
-- He has as much interest in politics as in literature,
-- My income is now twice as much as I used to earn
two years ago,
25,as + be + p.p attributive clause
e.g.-- The man was a teacher,as was evident from his
way of speaking,
- As is shown by the growth rate of GDP in the last
two decades,China’s reform and open policy is a
great success,[Back]
V,Content questions
1.What is the attitude of some people towards the
changes brought about by science and technology?
2,Why is it necessary for the public to have a basic
understanding of science?
3,How is science taught in schools?
4,What does the author think of the future of human
civilization? [Back]
Understanding
Science
Text A Public Attitudes toward
Science
Part 1 Objectives
Part 2 Cultural Notes
Part 3 Text Structure
Part 4 Language Points
Part 5 Content Questions
I.Objectives
Students will be able to,
1,understand the main idea ( to ensure the survival of
human civilization,measures must be taken to help
the public understand science) and structure of the
text ( introducing a topic,developing the topic with
supporting details,supplying a conclusion);
2,appreciate the style between narrative writing and
expository writing,[Back]
II.Cultural notes
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 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 pro-
gressive neurological disease,Hawking is the
Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge,
a post once held by Isaac Newton.He has written
the international bestseller A Brief History of
Time.The book spent more than four years on the
London Sunday Times bestseller list – the longest
run for any book in history,[Back]
III,Text Structure
Parts Paragraphs Main ideas
Part 1 Paras 1-3 To make informed decisions
about change,the public
needs a basic understanding
of science
Part 2 Paras 4-6 What can be done to educate
the public about science
Part 3 Para 7 With an informed public,
human civilization will
survive
IV.Language points
1,attitude,manner or way one thinks about toward sb,
or sth,(usu,followed by to/ toward)
e.g.--We take an open-minded attitude toward friends,
,-- His son’s attitude toward work made him angry,
2,likely,probable,used in the pattern,it is likely
that…,be likely to do sth
e.g.-- He is likely to become mad at me,
-- It is likely that he is a good sales manager,
Cf,probable,likely,possible
3,do without
e.g.-- I haven’t enough money to buy a car,so
I’ll just have to do without it,
-- No living thing can do without air and water,
4,put / turn the clock back,return to a situation that
used to exist
e.g.-- Forget all about it and look to the future; you
can’t turn the clock back,
-- The employment bill in which women are not
allowed to take jobs will put the clock back fifty
years,
5,cut off, stop providing sth
e.g.-- We’d better pay that electricity bill before they
cut us off,
-- The water was cut off last week
6,bring about,make sth happen
e.g.-- Some educators are hoping to bring about major
changes in the educational system,
-- What does these discoveries bring about?
7.inquire,seek mire information by questioning,
followed by about or wh- clause
e.g.-- He inquired the way of the old man,
-- I’d like to inquire about the trains to London,
8,ensure, make sure
e.g.-- The new treaty will ensure peace,
-- I can’t ensure that he will be here in time,
9,inform,having or showing knowledge
Pattern,inform sb of /about sth,inform sb + that-
clause,inform sb
e.g.-- Keep me informed of fresh development,
-- He is a well-informed men,
10,in two minds, unable to decide whether of not
you want sth or want to do sth
e.g.-- She’s in two minds about whether to accept his
present or not
-- It seems to me that the board of directors is in
two minds over the opening of a branch office in
America,
11,basis ( followed by for or of or that –clause)
usage,lay the basis
e.g.-- What is the basis for your opinion?
-- On the basis of our sales we may begin to make
a project next year,
12,lie in, exist or be found in sth
e.g.-- The root of all these events lay in history,
-- The play’s interest lies in the questions it raises
about marriage,
13,in terms of,as regards sth
e.g.-- In terms of salary,the job is terrible,
-- Give the answer in terms of a percentage,
14,tend, tendency n,
e.g.-- I tend to get tired in the evening,
-- Plants tend to die in hot weather if you don’t
water them,
15,in the form of, having the shape of
e.g.-- The lawn was laid out in the form of the figure
8,
-- The bowl is in the form of a boat,
16,convey,make ideas,feelings,etc,known to
another
e.g.-- Words cannot convey my feelings,
-- Their smiling faces conveyed the impression
that they were satisfied with it,
17,put across, cause to be understood
e.g.-- He’s very good at putting his ideas across,
-- Good teachers are the ones who are able to
put things across well,
18,proportion,
Pattern,the proportion of A to B ; in proportion to
( out of proportion to) ; in direct proportion to / in
inverse proportion to 与,..成正比 /反比
e.g.-- The proportion of boys to girls in our class
is two to one,
-- The income tax increases in proportion to the
amount we earn,
19,fit into,be part of a situation
e.g.-- The new college courses fit into a national
education,
-- College English videos are designed to fit into
the syllabus,
20.hence,as a result
e.g.--The town was built on the side of a hill; hence
the name Hillside,
-He’s an extremely private person; hence his reluctance
to give interviews,
21,The only way to prevent further developments
would be a global state ( that suppressed anything new),
and human initiative and inventiveness are such that
even this wouldn't succeed,
但人类的进取心与创造力是如此旺盛,因此即便这
个政府也不会成功
Paraphrase,A universal suppressive government might
prevent more advances in technology,but as humans are
born curious,even this attempt would fail,
22.But the rate of scientific progress is now so rapid that
there are always new developments that have occurred
since one was at school or university,
Paraphrase,Science is developing so rapidly that new
advances have been occurring all the time,
23,The world today is filled with dangers,hence the
sick joke that the reason we have not been contacted
by an alien civilization is that civilization tend to
destroy themselves when they reach our stage,
Paraphrase,Dangers are everywhere nowadays,so a
sick joke spreads,because civilizations are easy to
destroy themselves when they are as developed as our
earth,no aliens can exist to contact us
24,as many … as… // as much … as
e.g.-- You can take an many pictures as you like in
this park,
-- He has as much interest in politics as in literature,
-- My income is now twice as much as I used to earn
two years ago,
25,as + be + p.p attributive clause
e.g.-- The man was a teacher,as was evident from his
way of speaking,
- As is shown by the growth rate of GDP in the last
two decades,China’s reform and open policy is a
great success,[Back]
V,Content questions
1.What is the attitude of some people towards the
changes brought about by science and technology?
2,Why is it necessary for the public to have a basic
understanding of science?
3,How is science taught in schools?
4,What does the author think of the future of human
civilization? [Back]
