Unit 4 The Virtual World. Part I Lead-in Will the Internet isolate us from one another, or will it...

Unit 4

The Virtual World

Part I Lead-in

Will the Internet isolate us from one another, or will it serve to shorten or eliminate distance? Give examples to illustrate your point.

Which do your prefer, a life in real contact with real people and things, or a virtual one as the author describes in this essay? Give your reasons.

A Virtual Life--- By Maia Szalavitz

Text A

Part II Cultural Notes (1)

The Internet: an international computer network for the exchange of

information. It was originally used mainly in the academic and military worlds but has since become available to the large and increasing number of people with personal computers. Other services, e.g. the World Wide Web, are available through it. The Internet is changing our lives and a parallel universe is rapidly emerging online.


Today there’s scarcely an aspect of our life that isn’t being upended by the torrent of information available on the hundreds of millions of sites crowding the Internet, not to mention its ability to keep us in constant touch with each other via electronic mail. The Internet is saving companies billions of dollars in producing goods and serving the needs of their customers. The Internet and e-commerce are viewed as a global megatrend along the lines of the printing press, the telephone, the computer and electricity.


We would be hard pressed to name something that isn’t available on the Internet. Consider: books, health care, movie tickets, baby clothes, stocks, real estate, toys and airline tickets. American kids today are so computer savvy that it virtually ensures the United States will remain the unchallenged leader in cyberspace for the foreseeable future. Most kids use computers to play games and chat with friends.

What is clear is that, whether we like it or not, the Internet is an ever-growing part of our lives and there is no turning back.


SOHO—Small-Office/Home-Office In information technology, SOHO is a term for the small

office or home office environment and business culture. A number of organizations, businesses, and publications now exist to support people who work or have businesses in this environment. These people needn’t go to the office everyday. They work at home without worrying about their dress and the strict rules of the company. The term “virtual office” is sometimes used as a synonym.


Writers, program designers, ad-agent, etc., all belong to the group of SOHO. Obviously, the author of Text A is a member of them.


Frontline 一线新闻 This is a news program produced by PBS, the Public

Broadcasting Service, which in the US is a television system that broadcasts programs to an association of local stations that use television advertisements and do not make a profit.


Nightline 午夜新闻 This is an ABC News programs in the night, recapping of

the day’s news from Monday through Thursday. ABC, the American Broadcasting Company, is one of the original three major television networks in America. It began in 1943 as the Blue Network of six radio stations. ABC is now owned by the Walt Disney Company.


CNN 有线新闻电视网 This is Cable News Network, advertising-supported cable

television network founded in 1980 by American businessman Ted Turner. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, CNN was the first 24-hour television network devoted entirely to news broadcasts.


New York 1 纽约一套 Time Warner’s 24-hour news channel in New York City.

Available exclusively on Time Warner Cable, it covers the happenings in the City’s five boroughs.

Part III Writing Features

This text makes a contrast between virtual life and real life. From the mouth of the author who is a cybernut herself, we can see the side-effects of virtual life. If one is addicted too much to Internet, or if one is mad about the Internet, one will feel himself/herself deeply sucked in the fascinating virtual life. On the other hand, after one has stayed too long in the virtual life on the net, he/she would like very much to return to the real world.


The first paragraph tells about the consequences of living a virtual life and the last tells about the author’s return to it. Together, they throw us the dilemma people at present are in: Because of modern technology, we have choices between a virtual life and real life, but we find both unsatisfactory. The author, however, finally has to choose the latter despite its negative effects.


Because of the emergence of the computer and the Internet, a few combining forms or affixes for new computer-and-Internet-related vocabulary have crept into the English dictionary. For instance, cyber-, Net-, Web-, and E-.

Part III Writing Features 1) combining forms/prefixes + noun:

cyber-interaction, cybernut, nethead, webmaster, website, E-shopper, e-journal, e-cash, etc.

2) combining forms/prefixes + verb:

cybersurf, netsurf, websurf, email, etc. 3) words like cyber, net, etc. + suffix:

cyberian, cyberphobia, webify, cyberize 4) clipped word

cyberdoc, Netizen, Webcam, Webnomics, e-tailing, e-zine

Part IV Difficult Sentences

We have become the Net critics’ worst nightmare (Lines 5-6, para. 4).

We have got into a situation that critics of the Net describe as most dreadful.


… coming back out of the cave can be quite difficult (Lines 3-5, para. 5).

… returning to normal society from the isolated life of the virtual world can be quite a problem. “cave” here refers figuratively to the isolated life of the virtual world.


Work moves into the background (Line 9, para. 7) Work becomes less important. Because in the

author’s mind’s eye, communicating with the real world has become more important at that time.


When I’m in this state, I fight my boyfriend as well, misinterpreting his intention because of the lack of emotional cues given by our typed dialogue (Lines 1-3, para. 9).

Because the typed dialogue lacks the emotion that is expressed and implied in the real dialogue, I misinterpret my boyfriend’s intention and as a result often quarrel with him.

Part V Language Points virtual: 1) created and existing only in a computer

e.g. I can visit a virtual store and put what I want in my basket at the click of a mouse button.

Some people spend too much time escaping from reality into the virtual world conjured up on their computer screens.

2) almost what is stated; in fact though not in namee.g. The king was so much under the influence of his wife that she was the virtual ruler of the country.

Part V Language Points interpret (para.1): 1) understand (sth. said, ordered, or done)

e.g. The gift is generally interpreted as a bribe.

She made a gesture, which he chose to interpret as an invitation. 2) give or provide the meaning of, explain

e.g. Poetry helps to interpret life. 3) translate what is said in one language into another

e.g. No one in the tour group spoke Spanish so we had to ask the guide to interpret.

Part V Language Points highlight (para.1): n. best, most interesting or most exciting

part of sth.

e.g. The highlight of our tour was seeing the Summer Palace.

The highlight of the women’s softball match will be shown on TV tonight.

v. give special attention to sth.; emphasize

e.g. a TV program highlighting the problems of the unemployed

The speaker highlighted the important ideas in his talk with a diagram.

Part V Language Points via (para.2): by way of; through means of

e.g. We flew to Paris via London.

I sent a package via messenger.

Part V Language Points aversion (para.4): a fixed, intense dislike;

repugnance

e.g. I have an aversion to traveling during the heat of August.

Have you developed an aversion to smoking?

I’ve formed a strong aversion to crowds.

Part V Language Points submit (para.2): 1) give (sth.) to sb. so that it may be formally considered

e.g. I am going to submit an application for that job in Microsoft. 2) yield (oneself); agree to obey

e.g. Should a wife submit herself to her husband? Collocation:

submit oneself to 甘受，服从submit to 服从于，把…提交给

Part V Language Points

socialize (para.4): mix socially with others

e.g. She’s got lots of friends: she likes to socialize.

They live together, work together and socialize together. If you ask me, it can’t be healthy to live in each other’s pockets like that.


conversely (para.6): from a different and opposite way of looking at this

e.g. You can add the fluid to the powder, or conversely, the powder to the fluid.

He was regarded either as too imitative to be considered original or, conversely, as being overly original.


but then (para.7): yet at the same time

e.g. The failure of China’s soccer team looks inevitable. But then, anything can happen in football.

The circus was not a very good one, but then, the audience was not demanding.


jar (para. 7): 1) to make or utter a harsh sound

e.g. The chalk jarred against the blackboard. 2) have an unpleasant or annoying effect

e.g. jar on sb.’s nerves/ears

Their voices jar on my nerves.

There was a jarring note of triumph in his voice.


jar with sth.: to be different from sth. in a strange or unpleasant way; clash

e.g. The paint of the house jars with the beautiful surroundings.

Her brown shoes jarred with the rest of the outfit.

Part V Language Points suck in (para. 7): involve (sb.) in an activity, an argument, etc. , usu.

against their will

e.g. I don’t want to get sucked in (into) the debate about the presidential election.

He warned that if the President tried to enforce control, the country would be sucked into a power vacuum.

Part V Language Points soap opera (para. 7): 1) a television show, usu. shown in the afternoon, with complicated love

stories, high emotion, and unrealistic drama

e.g. In that soap opera, two sisters died, came back to life, and married brothers.

2) a highly dramatic real-life situation

e.g. Her life is a soap opera: her father drinks too much, her sister is in jail, and she’s getting a divorce.

Part V Language Points project (para.8): imagine that others have the same

feelings, usu. unpleasant ones as you

e.g. He projects his own thoughts and ideas onto his wife.

Men may sometimes project their own fears on to women.

Part V Language Points cue (para.9): anything that serves as a signal about what to

do or say (followed by to/for)

e.g. The film director pointed at the actors as a cue for them to start acting.

When he started to talk about the finances, that was our cue to get up quietly and leave.


dogged (para. 9): not giving up easily, determined, tenacious

e.g. They have, through sheer dogged determination, slowly gained respect.She finished this difficult job because of her dogged devotion to it.


restore (para. 11): bring back to a former condition (used in the pattern: restore sth.; restore sb. to sth.)

e.g. Winning three games restored their confidence.

Doing sports every day restored the old man to good health.


set (sb./sth.) apart (from sb./sth.) (para. 11): make sb./sth. different from or superior to others

e.g. Her clear and elegant prose sets her apart from most other journalists. What set her apart from the other students was that she had a lot of creative ideas.

Part VI Writing Assignments

Positive and Negative Aspects of the Internet

Directions: Write an essay on the following topic in no less than 200 words.

Unit 4 The Virtual World. Part I Lead-in Will the Internet isolate us from one another, or will it...

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