StepbyStep2000 第一册 unit 3 Net Changes Life (II)

Unit 3 Net Changes Life (II)

Part I Warming up

A.

Time

1. in the 1830s

2. on Aug. 5th, 1858

3. on Nov. 2nd, 1920

4. after World War II

5. in the 1950s

6. on Sep. 25th, 1956

7. in July 19'62

8. today

Events

a. first radio program broadcasting b. two coasts of the U.S. shown on

TV ,at the same time

c. telegraph invention

d. television invention

e. first message transmitted by a wire cable under the Atlantic Ocean

f. three hundred million computers connecting to networks

g. first direct telephone calls from the U.S. to Europe

h. first communications satellite placed in orbit around the earth

1--c 2--e 3--a 4--d 5--b 6--g 7--h 8--f

Tapescript:

1. The first useful telegraphs were developed in Britain and the United States in the 1830s. Each letter of the alphabet and each number had to be sent separately by a device called a telegraph key.

2. On Aug. 5th, 1858, the first message was transmitted by a wire cable under the Atlantic Ocean. This meant that information now took only a matter of hours to reach most large cities in the world.

3. On Nov. 2nd, 1920, radio station KDKA in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania broadcast the first radio program. Within a few short years, news and information could be heard anywhere a radio broadcast could reach.

4. After World War II, a new invention appeared: television. In the industrial countries, television quickly became common in most homes.

5. In the 1950s, two important events took place that greatly affected¹ the communication of information. The first was a television broadcast that showed the east coast and the west coast of the United States at the same time. People could see two reporters talk to each other although they Were separated by a continent.

6. The other event happened on Sep. 25th, 1956. That was when the first telephone cable under the Atlantic Ocean made it possible to make direct telephone calls from the United States to Europe.

7. In July 1962, the first communications satellite was placed in orbit around the earth. The speed of information again greatly increased.

8.Today experts say there are about 300 million computers connected to networks that provide links with computers around the world.

B.

Tapescript:

America Online is the largest provider of Internet service in the world. It serves more than 20 million people worldwide. Time Warner is the world's largest media company. The company owns Time magazine, first published in 1923. Time Warner publishes more than 30 magazines. One hundred and twenty million people read them. The company produces TV shows and films as well as recordings².

Part II Net changes dorm life

Areas Examples

Academics a. registering for classes

b. getting assignments and research papers

c. attending professors' "virtual office hours"

d. posting course lectures

Entertainment a. data containing music files

b. online games

Communications a. instant messages

b. toll-free phone calls

Commerce e-commerce orders

B.

1. When you choose a university, will you consider high-speed

Internet access a top priority? Why or why not?

2. What facilities do you think are a must that a university should offer in the future?

3. What do you think of attending professors' "virtual office

hours" online? Is it better than the traditional way?

Tapescript:

The proposed merger³ of America Online and Time Warner anticipates an age when high-speed Internet access is everything. It will be a pipeline⁴ for almost all the entertainment, communications and information that people consume.

It is an era so distant to most Americans that they can hardly envision it. And yet it already exists. In fact, it is the only world that today's college students know. Colleges across the United States have spent hundreds of millions of dollars in recent years wiring dormitories for high-speed Internet access.

When admissions people go out and talk to students these days, the students always ask, "Do you have a high-speed network?" Indeed, for today's students, having high-speed Internet access is a top priority. They base their housing decisions on it, and restructure their meager⁵ student budgets to afford it.

College administrators⁶ acknowledge that academic pursuits are just a fraction of the activity On their campus networks. The bulk of the traffic consists of data containing music files, instant messages, toll-free phone calls, e-commerce orders, online games and just about anything.

At a high-rise dorm at the University of Southern California, walking down the hallway on the eighth floor almost any time of day, you're likely to hear students in separate rooms shouting at each other -- "You killed me! '-- as they mow⁷ each other down in online games played over the network. Friends from opposite ends of the floor simultaneously⁸ make for the elevators. They've just messaged each other by computer that it's time to head off to the dining commons. To them, knocking on someone's door is an antiquated⁹ 20th century tradition.

Today's students register for classes, get their homework assignments, research papers and attend professors' "virtual office hours" online. Some universities even post course lectures on the Net, so that students can review them any time they wish.

Just as one of the students put it: "We live our lives over the Internet."

Part III Global multi-media giant

A. Tapescript:

The Internet company America Online and the movie company Time Warner may soon link to create the world's largest media company. Officials of the two companies said they will work to use the latest technology to provide news and entertainment products. America Online will buy Time Warner for at least 160 thousand million dollars. Officials of both companies have approved the agreement. But it still must be approved by stockholders and government officials.

B.

--Event: merger agreement between America Online and TimeWarner

--Name of the new company: AOL Time Warner

--Areas influenced by the event: music, publishing, news gathering¹⁰, films, Internet

--Way of buying: with stock

--Value of the agreement: 180 thousand million dollars

C.

(F) 1. Time Warner earns more money than America Online

and its stocks are more valuable than those of America

Online.

(F) 2. The value of America Online stock has risen 180% in

the past two years.

(T) 3. It can be inferred from the report that in the future

there may be more mergers¹¹ of Internet and media busi-

nesses.

(T) 4. The agreement is the result of media companies trying to use the power of the Internet and Internet companies wanting to reach more people.

(F) 5. Some groups oppose the sale of Time Warner to America Online because Internet and media businesses may feel more pressure to unite.

Tapescript:

On Monday, the largest provider of Internet service in the world announced plans to buy the world's largest media company. America Online and Time Warner expect to combine their businesses by the end of the year. The new company will have a major influence in many areas including music, publishing, news gathering, films and the Internet. The new company will be called AOL Time Warner.

America Online agreed to buy Time Warner with stock. Some media estimates said the agreement was worth as much as 180 thousand million dollars. However, share prices in both companies fell as the week continued. The agreement shows that traditional media no longer exist separately from the media created by new technology. Time Warner admits that its efforts to move in new directions have not always succeeded. So it welcomed the offer by America Online. The agreement surprised many people. Time Warner earns a lot more money than America Online. However, America Online is growing faster. Many investors¹² consider the stocks of Internet companies to be more valuable than those of traditional companies. The value of America Online stock has risen 800% in the past two years. The sale of Time Warner to America Online must be approved by shareholders¹³ in both companies. It also will be closely examined by federal officials.

Some experts say AOL Time Warner could be as powerful as the computer software company Microsoft. Other Internet and media businesses may feel more pressure to unite. The agreement comes as traditional media companies try to decide how best to use the power of the Internet. At the same time Internet companies want to reach more people. Media observers worry that as the Internet becomes more popular it will become controlled by fewer and fewer companies. That's why some groups oppose the sale of Time Warner to America Online. They want the government to make sure that the Internet does not become just another place of business.

1 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

2 recordings   

n.记录( recording的名词复数 )；录音；录像；唱片

参考例句：

• a boxed set of original recordings 一套盒装原声录音带
• old jazz recordings reissued on CD 以激光唱片重新发行的老爵士乐

3 merger   

n.企业合并，并吞

参考例句：

• Acceptance of the offer is the first step to a merger.对这项提议的赞同是合并的第一步。
• Shareholders will be voting on the merger of the companies.股东们将投票表决公司合并问题。

4 pipeline   

n.管道，管线

参考例句：

• The pipeline supplies Jordan with 15 per cent of its crude oil.该管道供给约旦15%的原油。
• A single pipeline serves all the houses with water.一条单管路给所有的房子供水。

5 meager   

adj.缺乏的，不足的，瘦的

参考例句：

• He could not support his family on his meager salary.他靠微薄的工资无法养家。
• The two men and the woman grouped about the fire and began their meager meal.两个男人同一个女人围着火，开始吃起少得可怜的午饭。

6 administrators   

n.管理者( administrator的名词复数 )；有管理（或行政）才能的人；（由遗嘱检验法庭指定的）遗产管理人；奉派暂管主教教区的牧师

参考例句：

• He had administrators under him but took the crucial decisions himself. 他手下有管理人员，但重要的决策仍由他自己来做。 来自辞典例句
• Administrators have their own methods of social intercourse. 办行政的人有他们的社交方式。 来自汉英文学 - 围城

7 mow   

v.割（草、麦等），扫射，皱眉；n.草堆，谷物堆

参考例句：

• He hired a man to mow the lawn.他雇人割草。
• We shall have to mow down the tall grass in the big field.我们得把大田里的高草割掉。

8 simultaneously   

adv.同时发生地，同时进行地

参考例句：

• The radar beam can track a number of targets almost simultaneously.雷达波几乎可以同时追着多个目标。
• The Windows allow a computer user to execute multiple programs simultaneously.Windows允许计算机用户同时运行多个程序。

9 antiquated   

adj.陈旧的，过时的

参考例句：

• Many factories are so antiquated they are not worth saving.很多工厂过于陈旧落后，已不值得挽救。
• A train of antiquated coaches was waiting for us at the siding.一列陈旧的火车在侧线上等着我们。

10 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

11 mergers   

n.（两个公司的）合并( merger的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Mergers fall into three categories: horizontal, vertical, and conglomerate. 合并分为以下三种：横向合并，纵向合并和混合合并。 来自辞典例句
• Many recent mergers are concentrated within specific industries, particularly in retailing, airlines and communications. 现代许多合并企业集中进行某些特定业务，在零售业、民航和通讯业中更是如此。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

12 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

13 shareholders   

n.股东( shareholder的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The meeting was attended by 90% of shareholders. 90%的股东出席了会议。
• the company's fiduciary duty to its shareholders 公司对股东负有的受托责任