1、Unit 4 A glimpse of the future Developing ideas 新标准新标准英语英语高中选择性必修第三册高中选择性必修第三册 Activity 1 Watch the video and answer the questions. 1 How does Asimov set out the relationship between humans and robots? He puts forward the Three Laws of Robotics, which ensure that robots should always obey and protec
2、t humans. 2 Have you read any of Asimovs novels? If so, share one story youve read with the class. If not, would you like to read them? Why or why not? Activity 2 Complete the table to compare life on Earth with life on the Moon. Life on Earth Wear ordinary clothes and change according to the season
3、s. Breathe the air freely. Have to make an effort to jump high. Keep pets, such as dogs, cats, etc. Life on the Moon _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Wear spacesuits whenever outside. Breathe from an air supply. Jump high easily. Keep robots as pets. Activity 2 Complete the table to compare life on Earth with life o
4、n the Moon. Now read the passage and find out what life on the Moon is like in the novel. Activity 3 Complete the summary of the story. Title Author Setting Time: Place: Characters Jimmy, a Moon-born boy A Boys Best Friend Isaac Asimov In the future On the Moon Mr Anderson, Jimmys father Mrs Anderso
5、n, Jimmys mother Robutt, a mechanical dog, Jimmys pet Activity 3 Complete the summary of the story. Plot Jimmys parents get a dog from Earth. They want to give it to Jimmy as a pet. But Jimmy already has a robot pet named Robutt. His parents think it would be good for Jimmy to have a real dog, and t
6、hat he would like it. They want to send Robutt to another family. To his parents surprise, Jimmy refuses to accept the real dog, because he loves Robutt and he believes Robutt loves him too. For Jimmy, Robutt is not just a mechanical dog, but a real friend. Different attitudes towards Robutt Parents
7、: Jimmy: They think Robutt is a mechanical imitation of a real dog. He loves Robutt and treats him like a real dog. Think & Share 1 What are the similarities and differences between Robutt and a real dog? Similarities: Both are able to respond to orders given by human beings. Both can outrace human
8、beings. Both can guide and protect human beings. Differences: They have different appearances. A real dog is a living creature, while Robutt is a machine. A real dog loves human beings as a result of its nature, while Robutt is just adjusted to act as though it loves human beings. Think & Share 2 Is
9、 there any foreshadowing of Jimmys final decision? Find clues in the reading passage. 3 What other sci-fi novels about robots can you think of? Share one with the class. 4 The two reading passages in this unit show us different aspects of technology in the future. Which of these do you most expect t
10、o encounter in your lifetime? Yes, there is. At the beginning of the story, we know Jimmy has never seen a real dog. It also seems that he spends a lot of time with Robutt. Jimmy plays with Robutt enthusiastically, shouting “Come on, Robutt”. In the middle of the passage, we are told that “Jimmy cou
11、ldnt go wrong while Robutt was around”, indicating that Robutt protects Jimmy well. Activity 4 Work in groups. Give a talk on whether it is possible to have a real friendship with a robot. 1 Answer the questions to help to form your point of view. Why do Jimmy and his parents have different feelings
12、 towards Robutt? If you were Jimmy, which one would you choose, Robutt or a real dog? Because Jimmy was born on the Moon, he has never seen a real dog. He has been getting along well with Robutt, and thus has developed an affection for him. He cannot figure out why a real dog is better than a mechan
13、ical dog, despite his fathers explanation. While Jimmys parents have seen real dogs before they left Earth. They know what real dogs look like. They think Robutt is just a machine. Activity 4 Work in groups. Give a talk on whether it is possible to have a real friendship with a robot. 2 Organise the
14、 main points you would like to cover and complete the table. Point of view Arguments Supporting details Conclusion 3 Give your talk to the class. Activity 4 Work in groups. Give a talk on whether it is possible to have a real friendship with a robot. Now vote for the best speaker. Ask them to share
15、their experiences. Continuing a sci-fi story Activity 5 Read the story and answer the questions. 1 What happened to the prison and what was the cause? There was a prison breakout, caused by faulty robotics. 2 What kind of job do you think Carolyn has? She might be a prison governor. 3 Are there any
16、sentences that might foreshadow what will happen next? Underline them. Activity 6 Think about what will happen next, based on the examples of foreshadowing you have underlined. Complete the notes to plan the rest of the story. Setting Time:_ Place:_ Characters_ _ Plot_ _ Ending_ _ Now continue the s
17、tory. Activity 7 Share your story with the class. Now make comments on your partners story and see whether the language style is consistent. 参考范文参考范文 Carolyn had a long commute to the prison, even by aircar. When she arrived, everything seemed normal, except for a robot lying at the front gate, moti
18、onless. Its an old model, she thought. They broke down now and again. She passed through the gate, noting that everything else was apparently in order. But just as she closed her office door behind her, a loud alarm sounded. Carolyns blood froze. She had only ever heard that sound during drills. It
19、cant be! she thought. A general systems failure! She looked out of the reinforced glass of her office window into the prison below. Sure enough, the robots were out of control. Most had stopped moving at all. Some spun aimlessly around and around. But others were randomly operating things, including
20、 the cell gates, and she could see prisoners rushing out to freedom. “Grab the robots weapons and run!” shouted the prisoners. Carolyn opened her bag and reached for her emergency call device. Her heart sank as she realised she had left it at home. I need to call in the police, she thought. But how?
21、 Without the device, she couldnt communicate. Nothing in the prison would work properly now. There was a voice behind her. “Looking for one of these?” Carolyn gasped. “Julius!” There was her secondin-command, holding an emergency caller in his hand. “What are you doing in my office?” “It should be m
22、y office!” snarled Julius. “Ive worked here for forty years and the City Commissioners gave you the job as prison governor! But now youll pay. Youll all pay! I can make every robot in every prison in the city go crazy. The prisoners will escape, and the city will burn!” Then the door burst open, and
23、 the room was suddenly flooded with riot police. And there was Todd! “I took the aircar over here to bring you this,” he said quietly, winking as he pushed the emergency call device secretly into her hands. “I could see there was trouble, so I activated it to call in the police.” “It was Julius,” sa
24、id Carolyn, watching the police bundle Julius out of the door. “Hes gone mad.” “Sure,” said Todd. “But now we know how easy it is to cause a mass robot breakdown. Youll have to write a report. Make some recommendations to upgrade the robots.” “I know.” Carolyn slid from Todds hug and walked towards the door. She could see the police rounding up the prisoners. “But right now, Ive got a prison to run.”
