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UNIT 5
Text A
PRE-READING TASK
Exercise 1
Before reading the passage, try to answer the questions.
1. How much do you know about the Internet?
2. What do people usually do on the Internet?
3. What has made the Internet possible?
Modern Communication:
The Laser and Fiber-Optic Revolution
1. In April 1995, a young Chinese chemistry student at Beijing University lay dying in a Beijing hospital. She was in a coma, and although her doctors had performed numerous tests, they could not discover what was killing her. In desperation, a student friend posted an SOS describing her symptoms to several medical bulletin boards and mailing lists on the Internet. Around the world, doctors who regularly checked these electronic bulletin boards and lists responded immediately.
2. In Washington, D.C., Dr. John Aldis, a physician with the U.S. Department of State, saw the message from China. Using the Internet, he forwarded the message to colleagues in America. Soon an international group of doctors joined the e-mail discussion. A diagnosis emerged -- the woman might have been poisoned with thallium, a metal resembling lead. A Beijing laboratory confirmed this diagnosis -- the thallium concentration in her body was as much as 1000 times normal. More e-mail communication followed, as treatment was suggested and then adjusted. The woman slowly began to recover. Well over a year later, the international medical community was still keeping tabs on her condition through the electronic medium that saved her life.
3. It's 11:30 p.m., you're in San Francisco on business, and you want to check for messages at your office in Virginia. First you dial in and get your voice mail. Next you plug your portable computer into the hotel-room telephone jack, hit a few keys, and pick up e-mail from a potential client in South Africa, your sister in London, and a business associate in Detroit. Before writing your responses, you do a quick bit of search on the Internet, tracking down the name of the online news group you had mentioned to the man in Detroit and the title of a book you wanted to recommend to your sister. A few more keystrokes and in moments your electronic letters have reached London and Detroit. Then, knowing that the time difference means the next workday has begun in South Africa, you call there without a second thought.
4. These stories reflect society's increasing reliance on a system of global communication that can link you equally easily with someone in the next town or halfway around the world. The expanded telephone-line capacity that has allowed the growth of these forms of communication is a recent phenomenon. The United States has enjoyed domestic telephone service for more than a century, but overseas telephone calls were difficult until relatively recently. For a number of years after World War II, calls to Europe or Asia relied on short-wave radio signals. It sometimes took an operator hours to set up a 3-minute call, and if you got through, the connection was often noisy.
5. In 1956, the first transatlantic copper wire cable allowed simultaneous transmission of 36 telephone conversations -- a cause for celebration then, a small number today. Other cables followed; by the early 1960s, overseas telephone calls had reached 5 million per year. Then came satellite communication in the middle 1960s, and by 1980, the telephone system carried some 200 million overseas calls per year. But as demands on the telecommunication system continued to increase, the limitations of current technology became apparent. Then, in 1988, the first transatlantic fiber-optic cable was laid, and the "information superhighway" was on its way to becoming reality.
6. Optical fibers form the backbone of the global telecommunication system today. These remarkable strands of glass -- each thinner than a human hair, yet stronger, length for length, than steel -- were designed to carry the vast amounts of data that can be transmitted via a relatively new form of light -- tightly focused laser beams. Together, lasers and optical fibers have dramatically increased the capacity of the international telephone system. A typical fiber-optic cable made up of 100 or more such fibers can carry more than 40000 voice channels. With equally striking improvements in computing, the new communication technology has fueled the exponential growth of the phenomenon known as the Internet.
New Words
laser
n. 激光
fiber
n. 纤维
optic(al)
a. 光的；光学的
coma
n. state of long unnatural deep unconsciousness caused by disease, poisoning,etc. 昏厥（状态）
SOS
n. an international signal calling for help, used esp. by ships in trouble 求救信号
symptom
n. a change in body or mind which shows disease or disorder 症状
bulletin
n. a short public usu. official notice 公告，告示
Internet
n. 因特网；国际互联网络；网际网
physician
n. a doctor, esp. one who treats diseases with medicine 内科医生
forward
v. to send; to send forward to a new address 寄；转寄
colleague
n. a fellow worker, esp. in a profession 同事
e-mail
n. electronic mail 电子邮件
diagnosis
n. a statement which is the result of diagnosing 诊断
emergev. to come or appear 显现；出现
thallium
n. 铊
resemble
v. to look or be like 像，类似
lead
n. 铅
plug
v. 插上，塞，堵
portable
a. that can be carried or moved; quite small and light 手提式的，便携式的，轻便的
client
n. a person who pays a professional person, esp. a lawyer, for help or advice; customer 委托人，客户，顾客
associate
n. a person connected with another, esp. in work 合伙人，同事
v. 1. to join as friends or as partners in business 结交；联合
2. to connect in one's mind 联想
online
a. directly connected to or controlled by a computer 联机的
recommend
v. 1. to speak (to someone) in favor of; praise(as being good for a purpose) 推荐，介绍
2. to advise or suggest 劝告，健议
keystroke
n. 击键，按键
reflect
v. 1.to express; give an idea of 反映，表现
2.to throw back (light, sound, heat, or an image) 反射
reliance
n. dependence; trust 依靠，信任
global
a. of or concerning the whole earth; involving or relating to all the parts or aspects of a situation 全球的，全世界的，全部的
domestic
a. 1. of the house, home or family 家庭的
2. not foreign 国内的
overseas
a. & ad. to, at, or in somewhere across the sea; foreign 外国的；海外
short-wave
n. wave of less than 60 meters in length 短波
transatlantic
a. crossing or on the other side of the Atlantic ocean 横跨大西洋的，大西洋彼岸的
simultaneous
a. happening or done at the same time 同时的，同时发生的
transmit
v. to send out electric signals, messages, etc. 发射，传输， 传送
transmission
n. 发射，传输，传送
satelliten. 1. a man-made object intended to move around the earth, moon, etc. for some purpose 人造卫星
2. a heavenly body moving around another one 卫星
telecommunication
n. 电信；远距离通讯
limitation
n. a fact which limits the power of sb or sth 限制，局限
current
a. belonging to the present time 当前的，现在的
apparent
a. 1. easily seen or understood; plain 显然的
2. seeming 表面的
superhighway
超级高速公路
reality
n. 现实，事实
backbone
n. 脊椎，支柱
strand
n. a single piece of thread （绳、线等的）股，缕
vast
a. great in size or amount 巨大的； 巨额的
data
n. (datum的复数)资料，数据
via
prep. by means of; through 通过，经过
beam
n. (光线的)束，柱
compute
v. 计算，用计算机计算
fuel
v. & n. 支持，刺激
exponential
a. 指数的，快速的
Phrases and Expressions
keep tabs (a tab) on
观察，盯紧，把...记账
on business
出差
track down
跟踪,追捕
second thought(s)
重新考虑
rely on
依靠,依赖
set up
建立,开办,创设(公司、组织、制度等)
get through
接通(电话);通过
Proper Names
Washington, D.C.
哥伦比亚特区华盛顿(美国首都;简称Washington)
the U.S. Department of State
美国国务院
San Francisco
旧金山（美国加利福尼亚州西部港市）
Detroit
底特律（美国密歇根州东南部城市）
Text B
PRE-READING TASK
Exercise 1
Before reading the passage, consider the questions.
1. "Intel" is the name of a(n)_________.
A. U.S. company
B. IBM computer
C. government department
D. branch of the Internet
2. China is a country ________scientists and engineers in terms of computing technology.
A. poor in
B. rich in
C. lacking in
D. with a surplus of
Intel Announces US $50 Million
for China Research Center
1. BEIJING, May 5, 1998 Intel will open an information technology research and development center in Beijing, China, Dr Andrew S. Grove, chairman and chief executive officer, said here today.
2. The Intel China Research Center will explore Internet-related issues and information technology disciplines such as speech recognition that have particular relevance to Chinese applications. The center's research scope will extend to other computing technologies as its charter develops. Intel is conducting an international search now for the Center's director.
3. Dr. Grove said, "China has a deep pool of talented scientists and engineers, and we think there is a great opportunity to assemble a world-class team here to do some outstanding research.
4. "China's importance as both a manufacturer and consumer of computers is growing. As this growth continues, it's likely China will also become a force in shaping computing technology. We want the Intel China Research Center to be part of this process," he said.
5. Intel said it expects to invest $50 million during the next five years to fund the new organization. The Center will conduct its own research and will also fund projects at China's leading universities and research institutes.
6. The China Research Center will be part of the company's annual $2.8 billion worldwide research and development effort. The Center will report to Intel Fellow Dr. Richard Wirt, who is director of the company's Microcomputer Labs. His operations in the U.S., Israel, Russia and China perform R&D in integrated circuits, CPU architectures and compilers, computer platforms, software development tools and technologies for emerging applications.
7. Mr Zeng Peiyan, Chairman of China's State Development Planning Commission (SDPC) said, "We always welcome multinational companies to invest and establish fundamental research and development bases in China. In particular, we encourage research in the high technology sector. China has a rich supply of talented researchers, a sizeable industrial base, and a large domestic market. Combined, they represent a huge potential and bright prospect for the development and application of high technology in China. The establishment of Intel's China Research Center is a far-sighted investment. It represents a new trend for foreign investment in China.
8. Professor Wang Xuan, Fellow of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Fellow of the Chinese Academy of Engineering said, " The establishment of Intel's China Research Center will help improve the fundamental research level in high technology in China. Also, it promotes the exchange and cooperation between Chinese and foreign high technology research institutes, and bring into full play the talents of China's high technology research community."
9. In addition to the new research center, Intel operates a flash memory factory in Shanghai, 12 marketing offices, and Intel Architecture Development Laboratory which works closely with the nation's software developer community from its base in Shanghai.
New Words
issue
n. 1.问题
2.出版,发行
discipline
n. 1.a branch of learning 学科
2.纪律
recognition
n. 识别，承认
relevance
n. the quality of being connected with the subject 相关
application
n. the putting to use 应用,运用
scope
n. the area within the limits of a question, subject, etc.; range 范围
extend
v. to reach, stretch，or continue 扩展,延伸
charter
n. 宪章
conduct
v. to carry out a particular process, eps. in order to get information or prove facts 进行
director
n. a person in charge of an organization 主任,厂长
talented
a. having special ability or skill, esp. of a high quality 有才能的
assemble
v. to gather or collect together 召集,集合
outstanding
a. better than others; very good 突出的，显著的
consumer
n. a person who buys and uses goods or services 消费者
process
n. 过程，方法，步骤
invest
v. 投资
fund
v. 资助，投资
n. 基金，资金
fellow
n. a member (of a society) (学会)会员, 院士
microcomputer
n. 微机
R & D = research and development
研究与发展
integrated
a. 集成的，综合的
CPU
n. central processing unit (计算机等的)中央处理器
architecture
n. 建筑艺术(学), 结构
compiler
n. 编译器
software
n. 软件
multinational
a. of or related to many countries or nations 多国的,跨国的,多民族的
fundamental
a. 基础的，基本的
sector
n. 领域，部门
sizeable
a. rather large; considerable 相当大的,大的
combine
v. to (cause) to come together; unite or join together (使)联合, (使)结合
represent
v. to be a sign of; stand for 象征,表现,代表
far-sighted
a. 有远见的，远视的
cooperation
n. 合作
flash
n. 闪光，闪现
commission
n. 委员会
academy
n. 科学院
Phrase and Expressions
flash memory
高速存储器
bring into full play
充分发挥...的作用
in addition to
除...以外,此外
Proper Names
Intel
（美国）因特尔公司
Andrew S. Grove
安德鲁S.葛洛夫（Intel公司总裁）
the Intel China Research Center
英特尔中国研究中心
State Development Planning Commission
（中国）国家发展计划委员会
the Chinese Academy of Sciences
中国科学院
the Chinese Academy of Engineering
中国工程科学院
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