Unit 1 Smart Cars
Text A Smart Cars
? Part 1 Objectives
? Part 2 Background
? Part 3 Structure Study
? Part 4 Language Points
Objectives
a) Understand the main idea and structure of
the text;
b) Learn some techniques in expository writing
(definition,quotes,a mixture of facts and
opinions,etc.);
c) Grasp the key language points and
grammatical structures in the text,
Background
? automobile industry,The automobile industry is
one of the most important industries in the world,
affecting not only economies but also cultures,It
provides jobs for millions of people,generates
billions of dollars in worldwide revenues,And
provides the basis for a multitude of related
service and support industries,Automobiles
revolutionized transportation in the 20th century,
changing forever the way people lives,travel,and
business,
? The automobile has enabled people to travel and transport
goods farther and faster,and has opened wider market
areas for business and commerce,The auto industry has
also reduced the overall cost of transportation by using
methods such as mass production (making several products
at once,rather than one at a time),mass marketing (selling
products nationally and globally rather than locally),and
globalization of production (assembling products with
parts made worldwide),Between 1886 and 1898,about
300 automobiles were built,but there was no real
established industry,A century later,with automakers and
auto buyers expanding globally,automaking became the
world’s largest manufacturing activity,with more than 53
million new vehicles built each year worldwide,
? Automobile manufacturers are among the largest
companies in the world,These corporations are often
multinational,These companies often share parts,or use
parts made in foreign factories,The U.S,automobile
industry produces 16.8 million vehicles in 1999,The three
major automobile manufacturers in the United States –
General Motors Corporation,Ford Motor Company,and
Daimler Chrysler AG – provide three-fourths of the
industry’s total direct employment in the United States,
? At the start of the 21st century,the trends of global trade
and
? manufacturing flexibility continue,Computerization
continues to be a major part of part of auto design and
manufacture,as do the search for alternative fuels and
more efficient automobile designs,
? Global Positioning System (GPS),space-based radio-
navigation system,consisting of 24 satellites and ground
support,GPS provides users with accurate information about
their position and velocity,as well as the time,anywhere in
the world and in all weather conditions,
? GPS determines location by computing the difference
between the time that a signal is sent and the time it is
received,GPS satellites carry atomic clocks that provide
extremely accurate time,The time information is placed in the
codes broadcast by the satellite so that a receiver can
continuously determine the time the signal was broadcast,The
signal contains data that a receiver uses to compute the
locations of the satellites and to make other adjustments
needed for accurate positioning,
? The receiver uses the time difference between the time of signal
reception and the broadcast time to compute the distance,or
range,from the receiver to the satellite,The receiver must
account for propagation delays,or decreases in the signal’s
speed caused by the ionosphere and the troposphere,With
information about the ranges to three satellites and the location
of the satellite when the signal was sent,the receiver can
compute its own three-dimensional position,
? As of March 1994,24 GPS satellites were in operation,
Replenishment satellites are ready for launch,and contracts
have been awarded to provide satellites into the 21st century,
GPS applications continue to grow in land,sea,air,and space
navigation,The ability to enhance safety and to decrease fuel
consumption will make GPS an important component of travel
in the international airspace system,Airplanes will use GPS for
landing at fogbound airports,Automobiles will use GPS as part
of intelligent transportation systems,
? Emerging technologies will enable GPS to determine not
only the position of a vehicle but also its altitude,
? Intelligent Transportation System (ITS),advanced
electronics,communications,and computer systems that
increase the efficiency and safety of highway
transportation,Originally known as Intelligent
Vehicle/Highway System (IVHS),these technologies can
provide real-time information exchange between drivers
and the roads,giving rise to the terms,smart cars” and
“smart highways”,As the technologies have expanded to
include public transportation and commercial vehicles,this
range of technologies has become known as the Intelligent
Transportation System,Increasingly,drivers will have
access to up-to-the-minute information on traffic
conditions,alternate routes,and directions to unfamiliar
destinations,Ultimately,vehicle control may be automated,
Text Structure
Parts Paragraphs Main Ideas
Part 1 Par,1-3 New technology will have a dramatic impact
on cars and highways in the 21st century,
Part 2 Par,4-9 With the aid of advanced technology,smart
cars will be so designed that they can help
eliminate traffic accidents,determine their
own precise locations and warn of traffic jams,
Part 3 Par,10-13 GPS and,telematics” will make it possible to
build smart highways,which will benefit us in
more than one way,
Language Points
New Words,
1.eliminate vt.,to remove or get rid of completely,
e.g,(1) 我们能把饥饿从地球上根除吗？
Can we ever eliminate hunger from the world?
(2) The police have eliminated all the other suspects (=
shown that they are not guilty),so only one now remains,
<警方已排除了所有其他的嫌疑犯，因此现在只剩下一名了。 >
(3) 我们队在（竞赛）的第一轮就被淘汰了。
Our team was eliminated (from the competition) in
the first round,
2,alert
A,(vt.), to make (some one) watchful and ready for
possible danger
e.g,(1) a campaign to alert the public to the dangers of
smoking,
<使公众对吸烟的危害性有所警觉的宣传活动。 >
(2) The manager alerted the staff to the crisis facing the
company,
<经理提醒职员注意公司面临的危局。 >
(3) The teacher alerted the students to the danger of
swimming in the river,
B,(a.), (be) alert (to sth.), attentive & quick to think or act,
e.g,(1) 对可能发生的危险有警觉。
be alert to possible dangers,
(2)The alert listener will have noticed the error,
<耳朵尖的人能听出这个错。 >
C,(n.),
i,a warning to be ready for danger
e.g,拉响警报
to sound the alert,
ii,on (the) alert（ against / for）, in a state of being ready to
deal with danger,esp,after a warning,
e.g,Police warned the public to be on the alert for suspected
terrorists,
<警方警告群众警惕涉嫌的恐怖分子。 >
3,convert
A,[I; T (to,into) ],to (cause to) change into another form,
substance,or state,or from one purpose,system,etc,to
another,
e.g,(1) Coal can be converted to gas,
(2)This sofa converts into a bed,
(3)
把英镑兑换成美圆。
to convert pounds into dollars
B,[I,T (form,to) ],to (persuade to) accept a particular
religion,belief,etc,
e.g,(1) John was converted to Buddhism by a Chinese
priest,
<一位中国僧人使约翰皈依了佛教。 >
(2) Anne has converted to Catholicism,
<安妮已转而信仰天主教。 >
(3) 她女儿使她转而喜欢流行音乐。
Her daughter has converted her to pop music,
4.correlate vi&vt., to (show to) have a close shared
relationship or connection of cause and effect,
[~ (with sth.); ~ A and/with B.]
e.g,(1) 吸烟与肺癌密切相关 。
Smoking &lung cancer are closely correlated,
(2) We can often correlate age with frequency of illness,
<年龄的大小往往与发病率有关。 >
(3) A mother’s smoking in pregnancy correlates with low
birth weight in her baby,
5,rotate
A,[I,T],to (cause to) turn around a fixed point or axis
e.g,(1) The earth rotates / revolves once every 24 hours,
(2)
那家旅馆有旋转门。
The hotel has rotating / revolving doors,
B,to (cause to) take turns or come round in regular order
e.g,(1) The chairmanship of the department rotates
annually,
(2) We rotate the crops,sowing wheat one year,sugar
beet the nest,and so on,
<我们种庄稼，头一年种麦子，下一年就种甜菜等等。 >
Phrases,
1,start (sth.) up,(cause sth,to) begin or begin working,
running,happening,etc,
e.g,(1) The engine started up suddenly,
(2) 建立新的公共汽车公司
start up a new bus company
(3) What started the argument up?
(4) 那辆车我们发动不起来。
We couldn’t start the car up,
2,be/ get stuck in (sth.), be unable to move or be moved,
stuck adj., fixed in position; impossible to move,
e.g,(1) I was stuck in the traffic yesterday for about one
hour,That’s why I missed the plane,
(2) I was stuck at home with flu,
(3) 他把手指卡在洞里了。
His finger got stuck in the hole,
3,send sb./ sth,out,to send from a central point
e.g,(1) Make sure you send out the invitations in good time,
(2) The satellite is sending out radio signals,
(3) 门单 /货物昨天从仓库 发出。
The order was/The goods were sent out from the
warehouse yesterday,
4,be poised to (do), (of people,animals,etc.) in a state of
physical tension,ready for action
[补 ] be poisoned in/ on /above/ for sth,
(1) 这支军队已经准备好随时进攻。
The army was poised to attack,/ for an attack,
(2) The automobile company is poised to launch its new
advertising campaign,
(3) Poised on the edge of the swimming-pool,(i.e,ready
to jump in)
在游泳池边做出跳水的姿势。
Text A Smart Cars
? Part 1 Objectives
? Part 2 Background
? Part 3 Structure Study
? Part 4 Language Points
Objectives
a) Understand the main idea and structure of
the text;
b) Learn some techniques in expository writing
(definition,quotes,a mixture of facts and
opinions,etc.);
c) Grasp the key language points and
grammatical structures in the text,
Background
? automobile industry,The automobile industry is
one of the most important industries in the world,
affecting not only economies but also cultures,It
provides jobs for millions of people,generates
billions of dollars in worldwide revenues,And
provides the basis for a multitude of related
service and support industries,Automobiles
revolutionized transportation in the 20th century,
changing forever the way people lives,travel,and
business,
? The automobile has enabled people to travel and transport
goods farther and faster,and has opened wider market
areas for business and commerce,The auto industry has
also reduced the overall cost of transportation by using
methods such as mass production (making several products
at once,rather than one at a time),mass marketing (selling
products nationally and globally rather than locally),and
globalization of production (assembling products with
parts made worldwide),Between 1886 and 1898,about
300 automobiles were built,but there was no real
established industry,A century later,with automakers and
auto buyers expanding globally,automaking became the
world’s largest manufacturing activity,with more than 53
million new vehicles built each year worldwide,
? Automobile manufacturers are among the largest
companies in the world,These corporations are often
multinational,These companies often share parts,or use
parts made in foreign factories,The U.S,automobile
industry produces 16.8 million vehicles in 1999,The three
major automobile manufacturers in the United States –
General Motors Corporation,Ford Motor Company,and
Daimler Chrysler AG – provide three-fourths of the
industry’s total direct employment in the United States,
? At the start of the 21st century,the trends of global trade
and
? manufacturing flexibility continue,Computerization
continues to be a major part of part of auto design and
manufacture,as do the search for alternative fuels and
more efficient automobile designs,
? Global Positioning System (GPS),space-based radio-
navigation system,consisting of 24 satellites and ground
support,GPS provides users with accurate information about
their position and velocity,as well as the time,anywhere in
the world and in all weather conditions,
? GPS determines location by computing the difference
between the time that a signal is sent and the time it is
received,GPS satellites carry atomic clocks that provide
extremely accurate time,The time information is placed in the
codes broadcast by the satellite so that a receiver can
continuously determine the time the signal was broadcast,The
signal contains data that a receiver uses to compute the
locations of the satellites and to make other adjustments
needed for accurate positioning,
? The receiver uses the time difference between the time of signal
reception and the broadcast time to compute the distance,or
range,from the receiver to the satellite,The receiver must
account for propagation delays,or decreases in the signal’s
speed caused by the ionosphere and the troposphere,With
information about the ranges to three satellites and the location
of the satellite when the signal was sent,the receiver can
compute its own three-dimensional position,
? As of March 1994,24 GPS satellites were in operation,
Replenishment satellites are ready for launch,and contracts
have been awarded to provide satellites into the 21st century,
GPS applications continue to grow in land,sea,air,and space
navigation,The ability to enhance safety and to decrease fuel
consumption will make GPS an important component of travel
in the international airspace system,Airplanes will use GPS for
landing at fogbound airports,Automobiles will use GPS as part
of intelligent transportation systems,
? Emerging technologies will enable GPS to determine not
only the position of a vehicle but also its altitude,
? Intelligent Transportation System (ITS),advanced
electronics,communications,and computer systems that
increase the efficiency and safety of highway
transportation,Originally known as Intelligent
Vehicle/Highway System (IVHS),these technologies can
provide real-time information exchange between drivers
and the roads,giving rise to the terms,smart cars” and
“smart highways”,As the technologies have expanded to
include public transportation and commercial vehicles,this
range of technologies has become known as the Intelligent
Transportation System,Increasingly,drivers will have
access to up-to-the-minute information on traffic
conditions,alternate routes,and directions to unfamiliar
destinations,Ultimately,vehicle control may be automated,
Text Structure
Parts Paragraphs Main Ideas
Part 1 Par,1-3 New technology will have a dramatic impact
on cars and highways in the 21st century,
Part 2 Par,4-9 With the aid of advanced technology,smart
cars will be so designed that they can help
eliminate traffic accidents,determine their
own precise locations and warn of traffic jams,
Part 3 Par,10-13 GPS and,telematics” will make it possible to
build smart highways,which will benefit us in
more than one way,
Language Points
New Words,
1.eliminate vt.,to remove or get rid of completely,
e.g,(1) 我们能把饥饿从地球上根除吗？
Can we ever eliminate hunger from the world?
(2) The police have eliminated all the other suspects (=
shown that they are not guilty),so only one now remains,
<警方已排除了所有其他的嫌疑犯，因此现在只剩下一名了。 >
(3) 我们队在（竞赛）的第一轮就被淘汰了。
Our team was eliminated (from the competition) in
the first round,
2,alert
A,(vt.), to make (some one) watchful and ready for
possible danger
e.g,(1) a campaign to alert the public to the dangers of
smoking,
<使公众对吸烟的危害性有所警觉的宣传活动。 >
(2) The manager alerted the staff to the crisis facing the
company,
<经理提醒职员注意公司面临的危局。 >
(3) The teacher alerted the students to the danger of
swimming in the river,
B,(a.), (be) alert (to sth.), attentive & quick to think or act,
e.g,(1) 对可能发生的危险有警觉。
be alert to possible dangers,
(2)The alert listener will have noticed the error,
<耳朵尖的人能听出这个错。 >
C,(n.),
i,a warning to be ready for danger
e.g,拉响警报
to sound the alert,
ii,on (the) alert（ against / for）, in a state of being ready to
deal with danger,esp,after a warning,
e.g,Police warned the public to be on the alert for suspected
terrorists,
<警方警告群众警惕涉嫌的恐怖分子。 >
3,convert
A,[I; T (to,into) ],to (cause to) change into another form,
substance,or state,or from one purpose,system,etc,to
another,
e.g,(1) Coal can be converted to gas,
(2)This sofa converts into a bed,
(3)
把英镑兑换成美圆。
to convert pounds into dollars
B,[I,T (form,to) ],to (persuade to) accept a particular
religion,belief,etc,
e.g,(1) John was converted to Buddhism by a Chinese
priest,
<一位中国僧人使约翰皈依了佛教。 >
(2) Anne has converted to Catholicism,
<安妮已转而信仰天主教。 >
(3) 她女儿使她转而喜欢流行音乐。
Her daughter has converted her to pop music,
4.correlate vi&vt., to (show to) have a close shared
relationship or connection of cause and effect,
[~ (with sth.); ~ A and/with B.]
e.g,(1) 吸烟与肺癌密切相关 。
Smoking &lung cancer are closely correlated,
(2) We can often correlate age with frequency of illness,
<年龄的大小往往与发病率有关。 >
(3) A mother’s smoking in pregnancy correlates with low
birth weight in her baby,
5,rotate
A,[I,T],to (cause to) turn around a fixed point or axis
e.g,(1) The earth rotates / revolves once every 24 hours,
(2)
那家旅馆有旋转门。
The hotel has rotating / revolving doors,
B,to (cause to) take turns or come round in regular order
e.g,(1) The chairmanship of the department rotates
annually,
(2) We rotate the crops,sowing wheat one year,sugar
beet the nest,and so on,
<我们种庄稼，头一年种麦子，下一年就种甜菜等等。 >
Phrases,
1,start (sth.) up,(cause sth,to) begin or begin working,
running,happening,etc,
e.g,(1) The engine started up suddenly,
(2) 建立新的公共汽车公司
start up a new bus company
(3) What started the argument up?
(4) 那辆车我们发动不起来。
We couldn’t start the car up,
2,be/ get stuck in (sth.), be unable to move or be moved,
stuck adj., fixed in position; impossible to move,
e.g,(1) I was stuck in the traffic yesterday for about one
hour,That’s why I missed the plane,
(2) I was stuck at home with flu,
(3) 他把手指卡在洞里了。
His finger got stuck in the hole,
3,send sb./ sth,out,to send from a central point
e.g,(1) Make sure you send out the invitations in good time,
(2) The satellite is sending out radio signals,
(3) 门单 /货物昨天从仓库 发出。
The order was/The goods were sent out from the
warehouse yesterday,
4,be poised to (do), (of people,animals,etc.) in a state of
physical tension,ready for action
[补 ] be poisoned in/ on /above/ for sth,
(1) 这支军队已经准备好随时进攻。
The army was poised to attack,/ for an attack,
(2) The automobile company is poised to launch its new
advertising campaign,
(3) Poised on the edge of the swimming-pool,(i.e,ready
to jump in)
在游泳池边做出跳水的姿势。
