【单词】
borrow [ˈbɒrəʊ] v.借，借来
put up 提供；建造；举起
website [ˈwebsaɪt] n.网站
mail [meɪl] n.邮件，信件
textbook [ˈtekstbʊk] n.教科书，课本
mainly [ˈmeɪnli] adv.大部分地，主要地
thousands of 好几千，成千上万
page [peɪdʒ] n.页，一页（纸）
electronic [ɪˌlekˈtrɒnɪk] adj.电子的
technology [tekˈnɒlədʒi] n.技术
powerful [ˈpaʊəfl] adj.有影响力的，能控制他人的
memory [ˈmeməri] n.存储器，存储量
full [fʊl] adj.满的，充满的
fix [fɪks] v.修补，挽救
instructions [inˈstrʌkʃənz] n.[复数]说明书
lend [lend] v.（把某物）借出，借给（某人）
properly [ˈprɒpəli] adv.合适地；正确地
look through 浏览，快速阅读
printing [ˈprɪntɪŋ] n.印刷
at a time 每次；一次
by hand 用手，靠手做
development [dɪˈveləpmənt] n.发展，进步
trade [treɪd] n.买卖，交易
result [rɪˈzʌlt] v.（因……而）产生，发生
spread [spred] (spread, spread)v.扩展；蔓延；传播
in a way 从某一角度；从某一点看；在某种程度上
compare... to... 把……比作……
introduction [ˌɪntrəˈdʌkʃn] n.引进；采用；推行
amount [əˈmaʊnt] n.量，数量
store [stɔ:] v.存储，储藏
varied [ˈveərid] adj.各种各样的；各不相同的
form [fɔ:m] n.种类；类型；形态；存在形式
connection [kəˈnekʃn] n.电话连接；计算机网络连接
single [ˈsɪŋgl] adj.仅一个的，单个的
direction [dɪˈrɛkʃən] n.方向
replace [rɪˈpleɪs] v.替换；取代
wait and see 等等看，等着瞧
【课文】
Unit 1
Activity 2
Daming: What do you think, Betty? Which of these inventions is the most important?
Betty: It’s difficult to say. They’ve all changed people’s lives.
Lingling: I love my mobile phone because I can use it anywhere. It’s so useful.
Daming: Yes, all my friends’ numbers are kept in my phone, so I don’t need a notebook.
Betty: Today’s cameras are better than old cameras because they don’t need film.
Daming: Yes, and the photos can be sent by email.
Lingling: Well, I think everything was changed by computers to some degree, so I think the computer is the most important invention.
Daming: I agree. I can’t imagine living without one.
Activity 3
Tony: Dad, can I borrow your camera?
Dad: Why?
Tony: I'd like to take some photos on the school visit to the museum next week. They'll be put up on the school website. And they can be seen on the Internet by other classes, even people living in other countries.
Dad: Sounds great! When I was at school, we waited for weeks to hear from our pen friends abroad. But today, we can send and receive photos and mails on the Internet, and it's really fast.
Tony: Yes, the Internet and the computer have changed our lives. We even use online textbooks in our class. I wonder... Will computers be used more than books in the future?
Dad: Perhaps. In the past, we mainly got information from paper books. Some were huge ones with thousands of pages. Today, with the invention of the computer and electronic technology, it's easy to get information on the Internet. The Internet is more powerful than books.
Tony: Anyway, about the camera... ?
Dad: Oh, yes. Here it is. I haven't used it since your mum's birthday. And the memory card may be full.
Tony: OK. That can be fixed. I've got an empty memory card. where are the instructions?
Dad: In the camera bag. It's a gift from your mum for my birthday, so you must promise that you'll take good care of it. If you have to lend it to anyone, tell them to use it properly.
Tony: Promise!
Unit 2
Activity 2
Will books be replaced by the Internet?
Every morning, my father buys a newspaper on his way to work. Every day, I open my books in class and start my lessons. Every evening, my mother looks through magazines at home. And every night, I look at the photos of David Beckham and Yao Ming on my bedroom wall before I go to sleep. Can we imaging life without paper or printing?
Paper was first created about 2,000 years ago in China. After its invention, people started to write on paper to make books. In those days, books were only produced one at a time by hand. As a result, there were not many books, and they were expensive. So, few people had the chance to learn to read.
Printing was invented in China during the Sui and Tang Dynasties. Later, developments in printing made it possible to produce books more quickly and cheaply. A trade in books resulted, and more people learnt to read. Knowledge and ideas spread faster than ever before. In a way, we can compare the invention of paper and printing to the introduction of the Internet in the twentieth century.
Although the Internet is still young, it is growing very fast, and may become more powerful than printing. A much larger amount of information can be stored in more varied forms on the Internet than in books. Someone with an Internet connection can find information much more easily than they can find it in printed forms. And the machines we use to read it are now small and light, often smaller and lighter than a single book.
Computers and the Internet are used in classrooms now, and newspapers and magazines are already read online. So what direction will traditional printing take in the future? Will books be replaced by the Internet? Let's wait and see.
Unit 3
Activity 5
After printing was invented, knowledge was spread around the world by books. For many years, books were very expensive. Each one was written by hand, so very few books were produced. Today, books are produced quickly. They’re light, cheap and easy to get hold of.
But the early books are now too valuable to be picked up and held in the hand, so here in the British Library, they were copied onto a computer a few years ago. Have a look at the screen here. You can turn the pages on the screen, without touching the real books.