Unit 6 The secret life of science
The integrated course
6-1 Active reading 1
Pre-reading activities
01、Bad luck refers to things happening in ways you do not want. An event in itself is not bad luck, but it could be bad luckto someone. My losing money is bad luck for me, but it may be someone else's good luck (if they dishonestly keep the money).
02、I guess it can. Once you have lost your job, for example, your family may break up, and you might fall ill from stress, and so on in a vicious spiral.
03、I've been very unlucky with my house recently first the bathroom flooded, then my key broke in the lock, and now the heating has stopped working. Also, I was unlucky yesterday. My bicycle got a puncture and I lost my favourite pen.
Exercises-1
01、A
02、B
03、A
04、B
05、D
06、A
07、B
08、A
Exercises-2
01、misfortunes
02、neutral
03、frequency
04、mathematical
05、extend
06、vulnerable
07、subsequent
08、encountered
Exercises-3
01、bumped
02、overlapped
03、adjacent
04、situated
05、cluster
06、duration
Exercises-4
01、A
02、B
03、B
04、B
05、B
06、B
07、B
08、B
09、A
6-2 Active reading 2
Pre-reading activities-1
01、Quite a number of them: anatomy (studying the body), astronomy (studying space), biochemistry, botany (studying plants), chemical engineering, cosmology (studying the universe), ecology (studying organisms and their environments), genetics (studying genes and variation), meteorology (studying weather), microbiology (studying viruses etc), nutrition, oceanography (studying the seas), pharmacology (studying medical drugs), radiology (studying radiant energy such as X-rays), seismology (studying earthquakes), systems analysis.
02、In fact none of them is easy to teach.
03、It is easier to learn a lot of scientific facts by reading about them, because it is faster and more practical than doing the experiments yourself. Of course, new scientific knowledge can only be discovered through experiments.
04、Yes, sometimes. But science fiction is generally for fun. It is not a good source of scientific knowledge.
Pre-reading activities-2
01、D
Exercises-1
01、B
Exercises-2
01、C
02、C
03、D
04、C
Exercises-3
01、C
02、E
03、A
04、D
05、B
Exercises-4
01、outdated
02、shifted
03、namely
04、depressing
05、explosion
06、dreadful
07、proposal
Exercises-5
01、revolve
02、inhabitants
03、generate
04、baffling
05、hurl
06、reckless
Exercises-6
01、A
02、A
03、B
04、B
05、A
6-3 Language in use
Grammar & structure-1
01、There is a possibility that the insurance won't pay you for this accident.
02、What happens to you isn't my responsibility.
03、I'm not sure of the suitability of this programme for you.
04、The calculation's complexity slowed me down.
05、Natural curiosity is a characteristic of many great thinkers.
06、I was surprised at the stupidity of her behaviour.
Grammar & structure-2
01、hands-free
02、alcohol-free
03、sugar-free
04、traffic-free
05、lead-free
Grammar & structure-3
01、When it comes to evaluating students' work, there are always some very difficult choices to be made.
02、When it comes to the examples of bad luck you spoke about, many of these seem to be rather unimportant.
03、When it comes to human psychology, we see that this is very closely related to physical health and well-being.
04、When it comes to learning an instrument like the piano or violin, a lot of patience and the ability to persevere are essential.
05、When it comes to non-scientific studies of good and bad luck, there are all sorts of fantastic theories.
Collocations
01、When it comes to evaluating students' work, there are always some very difficult choices to be made.
02、When it comes to the examples of bad luck you spoke about, many of these seem to be rather unimportant.
03、When it comes to human psychology, we see that this is very closely related to physical health and well-being.
04、When it comes to learning an instrument like the piano or violin, a lot of patience and the ability to persevere are essential.
05、When it comes to non-scientific studies of good and bad luck, there are all sorts of fantastic theories.
Translation-1
01、In August 2008, China's first high-speed railway, the Beijing-Tianjin Intercity Railway, was opened, ushering China into an era of high-speed railway. In recent years, in addition to achieving a series of major innovations and breakthroughs in key technologies, China has also developed a world-class high-speed railway technology system with independent intellectual property. With its advanced technology, cost-effectiveness and successful operating experiences in high-speed railway, China is witnessing an increasing export of its high-speed railway technologies and related products to many countries around the world. China's high-speed railway technology is finding its way in the world and is playing a positive role in promoting "the Belt and Road Initiative".
Translation-2
01、In August 2008, China's first high-speed railway, the Beijing-Tianjin Intercity Railway, was opened, ushering China into an era of high-speed railway. In recent years, in addition to achieving a series of major innovations and breakthroughs in key technologies, China has also developed a world-class high-speed railway technology system with independent intellectual property. With its advanced technology, cost-effectiveness and successful operating experiences in high-speed railway, China is witnessing an increasing export of its high-speed railway technologies and related products to many countries around the world. China's high-speed railway technology is finding its way in the world and is playing a positive role in promoting "the Belt and Road Initiative".
6-4 Reading across cultures
Exercises-1
01、Maths and physics.
02、Skills of using words language learning, speaking, writing etc.
03、Tricky indeed I think one (the systemizing brain) the point about girls accepting their weakness (if that's what is meant) and the one about teachers concentrating on the boys seem to explain why more boys take science rather than why they are better at science.So I think only one reason is given that boys' brains are better adapted for science. The other points explain why science is less popular with girls.
04、An empathizing brain tries to understand other people's thoughts and emotions, while a systemizing brain wants to understand the rules which govern the behaviour of a system.
05、Girls.
06、They get better exam results than boys.
Exercises-2
01、This seems global, and China is no exception. Boys are in general better than girls at science in China.
02、Boys are traditionally good at subjects in science and technology, such as maths, physics and engineering. There is no known reason why this is so, but according to the passage, boys have systemizing brains, and this may be the reason.
03、Girls are traditionally good at arts, literature and language learning. Again, there is no known reason accounting for this. Maybe it is because girls have "empathizing" brains.
04、As a general trend, the situation has not changed. But we are seeing more girls take subjects traditionally dominated by boys, and vice versa.
05、Boys and girls may have different answers. Personally I think I have a brain that is kind of "empathizing". I have never been good at science maths, physics and so on. I even had difficulty passing exams in these subjects.
06、Psychologists, counsellors and people in the hospitality business all need to empathize with other people. I suppose computer programming and doing things like organizing transport networks would be examples of careers where a systemizing brain would be a big advantage.
6-5 Guided writing
Writing task-1
01、Simon Baron Cohen's theory about brain differences.
02、To make us pay particular attention to the word, and not allow the theory to prove too much.
03、That all girls have "empathizing" brains.
04、That girls do better at school.
05、One girls are opting for science subjects. Or three girls are opting for science subjects, probably because they want to study medicine, which is a caring, empathetic career.
06、Yes, it reinforces the first sentence of the paragraph and closes the paragraph neatly. No, its point is rather contradictory to other arguments in the passage, so we are left without a clear overall statement.
Writing task-2
01、Lots of people think that cookery is a suitable subject for girls. This may be true, but it doesn't mean all girls make good cooks. Nor does it imply that boys cannot cook great food. On the contrary, many of the great chefs in the top restaurants are male. We only have to think about Yi Yin back in the Shang Dynasty to see men have always been cooking well. And one of my male friends is the top chef at a five-star hotel. Lots of girls take cookery, but it does not mean they make the best cooks. In fact, many girls think of cooking only as a chore. This can be seen by the popularity of pre-prepared frozen and canned food. Men who cook are more likely to take a pride in the activity and aim to produce something special.
6-6 Unit test
01、rotates
02、reckless
03、atomic
04、extend
05、exert
06、response
07、aliens
08、notion
09、proposal
10、astronaut
11、generate
12、formula
13、inhabitant
14、giant
15、encounter
16、depressing
17、explosions
18、revolves
19、curse
20、simultaneous
21、with
22、up
23、on
24、from
25、from
26、up
27、to
28、at
29、back
30、up
31、L
32、J
33、F
34、G
35、O
36、D
37、K
38、H
39、N
40、E
41、argumentative
42、We just need a bit of patience and let science catch up to science fiction.
43、Many science-fiction authors are scientists.
44、Truth and Reality in Science Fiction.
45、Paragraph 4.
Further practice
6-7 Vocabulary
Exercises-1
01、F
02、B
03、G
04、E
05、H
06、A
07、D
Exercises-2
01、psychological
02、gravitational
03、controversial
04、technological
05、theoretical
06、marginal
07、conventional
08、chemical
Exercises-3
01、A
02、B
03、B
04、B
05、B
06、B
07、B
08、A
Exercises-4
01、absorb, bend, dip, roll, shift
02、accessible, confusing, normal, radical, simultaneous
03、ant, bend, data, dip, lung, roll, shift
Exercises-5
01、confusing
02、simultaneously
03、accessible
04、rolled
05、dip
06、bends
07、absorb
08、radical
Exercises-6
01、generate
02、proposed
03、exploded
04、depressing
05、apply
06、revolv
07、interpret
08、subsequent
Exercises-7
01、probability
02、responsibility
03、complexity
04、curiosity
05、possibility
06、suitability
07、stupidity
08、memorability
Exercises-8
01、A
02、B
03、C
04、A
05、B
06、C
6-8 Structure
Exercises-1
01、When it comes to different kinds of unlucky events, we can see that some are unluckier than others.
02、When it comes to analysing the data, we should be cautious.
03、When it comes to anecdotal cases of unlucky coincidences, we should treat them with some scepticism.
04、When it comes to descriptions of unlucky events, they can be interpreted in different ways.
05、When it comes to remembering unlucky events, we should remember that they are more memorable than neutral ones.
Exercises-2
01、What may be true is that females have empathizing brains and males have systemizing brains.
02、What Einstein proved is that spacetime is not flat but curved.
03、The physics students felt their tutor had explained very clearly what had been confusing them.
04、What is fairly easy to understand is that the collapse of a star creates a black hole.
05、Scientists desperately needed to discover what was the mechanical fault that had caused the problem.
06、What the filmmakers got wrong in Empire of the Ants was that they didn't understand that giant ants wouldn't be able to function well.
6-9 Reading
Reading 1-1
01、B
02、C
03、B
04、A
05、A
Reading 1-2
01、E
02、C
03、D
04、A
05、I
06、H
07、G
08、F
09、B
Reading 2-1
01、modern life
02、difficult to understand
03、understand scientific concepts
04、are often best-sellers
05、popular science books
06、universe started
07、genes
08、modern-day priests
Reading 2-2
01、A
02、A
03、B
04、B
05、A
06、A
07、B
08、B
09、A
6-10 Integrated skills training
Exercises-1
01、C
02、B
03、A
04、C
05、B
06、A
07、D
08、A
09、D
10、B
Exercises-2
01、One way of making chemical formulae easier to remember is to set them to music in songbooks.
02、A simulation of a rocket journey through space is used in a video game to explain relativity.
03、The most obscure scientific subjects are made accessible and fun by using cartoons.
04、Despite the fact that some of the films may be dreadful, they hide a lot of helpful messages.
05、Two simultaneous explosions cause the earth to be pushed towards the sun.
06、Even more confusing is the treatment of relativity in science fiction films.
07、The way ants get oxygen is by absorbing it through the tissues in their bodies.
08、It is more likely that an ant the size of a human would be gasping for breath.
Exercises-3
01、博尔特・泰勒的右半脑完好无损，尽管一开始感到了剧烈的疼痛，这位神经系统科学家却觉得幸福无比，因为她的身体似乎与整个宇宙相连了。（Tips: 注意 in which 的变通译法。）
02、这位科学家被迅速送进了医院，她花了八年时间进行康复治疗，终于完全恢复了左半脑的功能。她说在左半脑失去功能的那段时间里，她的内心极度平静，没有任何经验感受，因为那是右半脑管的事。
03、不管怎么说，那些不太懂现代科技中所蕴涵的科学概念的人（即大多数人）还是渴望了解它们。实际情况也是这样的，科普书籍那种以简洁明了的语言解释艰深的科学概念的书常常是热卖的畅销书。（Tips: 注意 behind 的译法；后一句翻译时需拆分，同位语可用标点来处理。
04、这本有争议的书对西方广大读者产生了巨大的影响。可以毫不夸张地说，霍金和道金斯（两个人是好朋友）是当代的宗师，科学就是新的宗教，他们的畅销书就是当代最权威的著作。
Exercises-4
01、Recently he experienced a succession of mishaps. Last weekend, he bumped the back of a car and paid a large sum of money for the accident; then his TV was broken and was in need of repair; and yesterday he was sacked by his boss. The series of misfortunes made him feel so unlucky that he decided to try his luck in the lottery.
02、The group is doing a research on how our perceptions of luck affect our life. The research shows that if our minds are negatively affected, we will get the impression that we were born unlucky and what happens to us is beyond our control, thus bad things will continue happening to us.
03、This is nothing but a lie. He leaps to this conclusion just because he is trying to lay the finger of blame on those who have for all these years worked day and night for the success of this project and escape his own responsibility for the failure
04、Virtual reality is a new information technique. In fact, virtual reality uses computer hardware and software to generate a simulation of an environment, such as a comfortable classroom, a breathtaking action and so on.
Exercises-5
01、谷歌无人驾驶汽车是靠一套设备运作的：安装在车顶上的激光距离探测器可以生成周围环境详细的3D地图，安装在前后保险杆上的四个雷达可以望远以便应对高速路上的极速车流，安装在后视镜旁的摄影机可以检测到红绿灯，另外还有全球卫星定位系统、惯性测量装置和车轮角度编码器，这些装置可以确定车辆的位置及车轮轨迹。无人驾驶汽车的设计者希望智能汽车不但能改善交通状况、提高交通效率，还能把车辆变成共享资源。如果需要用车，人们只要点击智能手机，一辆自动驾驶汽车就会来接他们，把他们送到任何地方。但是这项技术在投入使用之前，设计者必须解决如何在雪地里行驶、如何应付道路上的各种突发状况等问题。
