P re -re ad in g Sp e ak in g
Ⅰ. Talking about th e p ictu res
Look at the pictures above and answer the following questions:
1. Can you tell about the advantages of riding a bicycle and the disadvantages of riding a motorcycle and driving a car?
2. Do you want to own a car in the future? Why?
3. Do you think motorcycles and cars will take the place of bicycles in the future?
4. Create two dialogues based on Pictures D and E with your partner and act them
out.
Ⅱ. Pair wor k
1. Can you guess what“The highs of low technology”might mean? According to the title，can you guess what the author thinks of“high technology”?
2. Can you make comments on the following quotation?
If we accept that we cannot prevent science and technology from changing our wor ld，we ca n a t lea st try to ensure tha t changes they make are in the r ight directions.
- Stephen Hawking
Black Hole a nd Baby Universe and Other Essays ( 1993)
P o s t -re ad in g Sp e akin g
Ⅰ. Grou p d iscu ssion
The technological innovations of the above items have great influence on the way
people live.
1. In what ways do these innovations change our lives for the better? And in what ways do these innovations change our lives for the worse?
For instance，Television provides people with quick and easy access to information，education，entertainment，etc. ，but it also exposes children to violence. Computers and the internet suck us into the virtual life，depriving people of time and the will to communicate with each other，etc.
2. Are you in favor of the author??s attitude towards high technology? Why or why not?
3. What should be the ideal relationship between human beings and modern technology?
Ⅱ. A prepa red deba te
You are asked to prepare a debate on the topic: Ha s Science a nd Technology ma de
us la zy?
Instructions:
1. The class is divided into two groups.
2. Each group may assign the first speaker and the last speaker who can state strongly and forcefully in fluent English with supporting arguments and details.
3. Next，students in either group as the pro or the con debaters should present their opposite views in turn. Make sure each student participates in the debate.
4. Then the debate can go into a period of free debate for about five minutes. Students in each group may volunteer to defend their opinions. But the pro and con debaters should also take turns to speak.
5. At last，the assigned last speakers can make a brief sum-up of each side in turn.
You may argue like this:
For the pro group
1. Science and technology has made modern people lazier and lazier while it has
brought enormous conveniences to people??s lives.
2. While people are enjoying the great benefits and conveniences it has brought，. . .
3. Modern people have been more and more pampered ( 纵容，娇养) by the modern technology . . .
4. . . . . . .
For the con group
1. The enormous benefits science and technology has brought to people??s lives make us all more innovative and drive us to make more inventions to serve us better.
2. Modern people should no long be enslaved by manual labor. . . .
3. Science and technology is meant to serve people and free people from heavy physical labor . . .
4. Its conveniences provide impetus for people??s ingenuity to create better gimmicks and gadgets . . .
5. . . .
Ⅲ. Assignmen t
Try to take down some viewpoints of your classmates on the debate.
Ⅳ. Quotat ions
Discuss with your partner what these quotations mean，and try to translate them into
Chinese.
1. The whole of science is nothing more tha n a refinement of everyday thinking.
- Albert Einstein，Edward Gibbon
2. True science teaches，a bove all，to doubt and be ignora nt.
- Miguel de Unamuno
3. People must understand tha t science is inherently neither a potential for good nor for evil. It is a potentia l to be harnessed by man to do his bidding.
- Glenn T. Seaborg