1、人教版（人教版（2019）选择性必修四）选择性必修四Unit 1 Science FictionReading and ThinkingBefore you read, discuss the questions in groups. What do you see in the picture? What does the picture remind you of?The picture is of a futuristic city. A space vehicle jets above geometrically designed buildings and towers. One b
2、uilding on the left has a landing pad. The colours used and buildings depicted are typical of those used in illustrations in science fiction magazines.Such kinds of illustrations are in fact the inspirations of actual buildings we can see commonly in many countries today.Before you read, discuss the
3、 questions in groups. What is science fiction? Have you read any science fiction? Do you enjoy them? Why or why not? What elements does science fiction usually include?Before you read, discuss the questions in groups. Science fiction, abbreviation SF or sci-fi, is a form of fiction that deals princi
4、pally with the impact of actual or imagined science upon society or individuals. The themes often include space exploration, alien contact, AI, and the future of humans, etc.Before you read, discuss the questions in groups.Isaac Asimov (1920-1992), one of the finest writers of science fiction and sc
5、ientific fact in the twentieth century.Todays science fiction is tomorrows science fact. Isaac Asimov今天的科幻小说即明天的科学现实。 艾萨克阿西莫夫Read the quote. Do you agree with it? Why or why not?Do you know Isaac Asimovs famous predictions in 1983?Read them and state your opinions.Prediction 1 “Computerisation will
6、undoubtedly continue onward inevitably. Computers have already made themselves essential to the governments of the industrial nations, and to world industry and it is now beginning to make itself comfortable in the home.”Prediction 2 “With the shuttle rocket as the vehicle, we will build a space sta
7、tion and lay the foundation for making space a permanent home for increasing numbers of human beings. By 2019, we will be back on the moon in force.”Do you know Isaac Asimovs Laws of Robotics (in the 1940s)? Read them and state your opinions.Law One: A robot may not injure a human being or, through
8、inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. Law Two: A robot must obey orders given it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law. Law Three: A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law. 第一法则：机器人
9、不得伤害人类，或袖手旁观坐视人类受到伤害；第二法则：除非违背第一法则，机器人必须服从人类的命令；第三法则：在不违背第一及第二法则下，机器人必须保护自己。How do robots already help humans in their lives today?Robots are useful for domestic, commercial, military intelligence and combat purposes.Robots are performing tasks that are too dangerous for humans like neutralizing bom
10、bs. Robots can help to search for human survivors in insecure ruins. They can aid in discovering mines and shells.Robotics is also a teaching aid in STEM, which stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.What is a domestic robot? Name some domestic robots you know or used. A domest
11、ic robot or a service robot is an autonomous robot that is used for household chores. Most of the domestic robots are simplistic, and some are connected to Wi-Fi home networks or the smart environments. They are highly autonomous.Robot VacuumUAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle)CyberdogRead the story below,
12、 which was originally written by famous science fiction writer Isaac Asimov.Take notes on who these people are and their relationships to each other. Larry Belmont Claire Tony Gladys ClaffernLarry Belmont worked for a company that made robots. Recently it had begun experimenting with a household rob
13、ot. It was going to be tested out by Larrys wife, Claire.Claire didnt want the robot in her house, especially as her husband would be away on a business trip for three weeks, but Larry persuaded her that the robot wouldnt harm her or allow her to be harmed. It would be a bonus. However, when she fir
14、st saw the robot, she felt alarmed. His name was Tony. He seemed more like a human than a machine. He was tall and handsome with smooth hair and a deep voice, although his facial expression never changed.SATISFACTION GUARANTEEDAdaptedOn the second morning, Tony brought her breakfast and then asked h
15、er whether she needed help dressing. She felt embarrassed and quickly told him to go. Now she was being looked after by a robot that looked so human, and it was disturbing.One day, Claire mentioned that she didnt think she was clever. Tony said that she must feel very unhappy to say that. Claire tho
16、ught it was ridiculous that she was being offered sympathy by a robot, but she gradually admired his wisdom and integrity and began to trust him. He always treated her with dignity. She told him how she was unhappy that her home wasnt elegant enough for Larry, who wanted to improve his social positi
17、on with a bigger salary. She wasnt like Gladys Claffern, one of the richest and most powerful women around. As a favour, Tony promised to help Claire make herself more beautiful and her home more elegant. So Claire borrowed some library books for him to read, or rather, scan. She looked at his finge
18、rs with wonder as they turned each page. How absurd, she thought. He was just a machine.Tony gave Claire a new hairstyle and improved her makeup. As he was not allowed to accompany her to the shops, he wrote out a list of things that he would need for his work on the house. Claire went downtown and
19、bought these things. She had an appointment to paint her nails, then she went into an expensive clothes shop. The saleswoman there was rude to her, so she rang Tony and told him she was being treated badly. He spoke to the woman, who immediately changed her attitude. Claire thanked Tony, telling him
20、 that he was a “dear”. As she turned around, there stood Gladys Claffern. How awful to be discovered by her, Claire thought. By the look on her face, Claire knew that Gladys thought they were in a relationship. After all, she knew Claires husbands name was Larry, not Tony. Although it was completely
21、 innocent, Claire felt guilty. When Claire got home, she wept. Gladys was everything Claire wished to be. Tony told her she was being sensitive and was just as good as Gladys. He suggested that she invite Gladys and her friends to the house the night before he was to leave and Larry was to return. B
22、y that time, Tony expected that the house, which was being completely transformed, would be ready.Tony worked steadily on the improvements. Claire tried to help by working on a light suspended from the ceiling, but she fell off the ladder. Even though Tony had been in the next room, he managed to ca
23、tch her in time. As he held her, she felt the warmth of his body. She screamed, pushed him away, and ran to her room.The night of the party arrived. The clock struck eight. The guests would be arriving soon, so Claire dismissed Tony for the rest of the night. At that moment, Tony took her in his arm
24、s, bringing his face close to hers. She heard him declare that he did not want to leave her the next day, and that he felt more than just the desire to please her. Then the front door bell rang.Read the passage quickly and find out the characters mentioned in the story and then tell who they are.Cha
25、ractersWho are they?Larry BelmontClaireTonyGladys ClaffernClaires husband who works for a company that makes domestic robots.Larrys wife who has Tony, a domestic robot, in her home for three weeks to take care of her, but then falls in love with him.A domestic robot made by Larrys company to take ca
26、re of Claire.A wealthy woman whom Claire admires and wants to be.One Possible VersionThe house was perfect, Claire fell into Tonys arms and the doorbell rang just as her husband entered from the garage door. Larry had come home early.Tony declared that he loved Claire. Larry, hearing this, raced to
27、take her from Tonys arms.“What are you doing, Tony?” yelled Larry.“I am doing as I am programmed!” answered Tony.Just then the ladies who had rang the doorbell appeared.“You didnt answer the doors, so we just decided to come in,” Gladys said.“See! I told you! Thats the man she was talking sweetly to
28、!”How do you think this story will end? Work in groups and come up with an ending. “Good heavens!” shouted all the ladies.“Hes no man!” answered Larry. “Hes the robot I designed to take care of Claire. I just never imagined .”“A robot, this handsome, this helpful with decorating skills, and housewor
29、k?” exclaimed one of the ladies.“I want him!” demanded Gladys.“I want one too,” shouted all the others.From that day on, the orders for more Tonys went on and on. Claire remained stylish, kept a beautiful home, and her husband.How do you think this story will end? Work in groups and come up with an
30、ending. Then the front door bell rang.Tony let her go and disappeared from sight. It was then that Claire realised that Tony had opened the curtains of the front window. Her guests had seen everything!The women were impressed by Claire, the house, and the delicious cuisine. Just before they left, Cl
31、aire heard Gladys whispering to another woman that she had never seen anyone so handsome as Tony. What a sweet victory to be envied by those women! She might not be as beautiful as them, but none of them had such a handsome lover.Then listen to the rest of the story. How different is it from your en
32、ding?Then she remembered Tony was just a machine. She shouted “Leave me alone!” and ran to her bed. She cried all night. The next morning a car drove up and took Tony away.The company was very pleased with Tonys report on his three weeks with Claire. Tony had protected a human being from harm when h
33、e prevented Claire from falling off a ladder. He had also opened the curtains that night so that the other women would see him and Claire, which would make them envy Claire. But even though Tony had been so clever and caring, he would have to be rebuilt you cannot have women falling in love with mac
34、hines.Claires feelings towards Tony changed as the story developed. Review the story, and then complete the chart.OccasionClaire .1 before he arriveddisliked him2 was alarmed3felt embarrassed4admired him5 called him a dear6felt his warmth7felt being envied8cried all nightwhen she first saw himwhen T
35、ony asked if he should help her get dressedwhen Tony offered sympathy to herwhen he helped her talk to the saleswomanwhen she fell and Tony caught and held herafter the ladies saw Tony holding her and speaking to her lovingly through the windowafter she remembered he was just a machine and shouted,
36、“Leave me alone!”Complete the diagram with the similarities and differences between Tony and a human being. facial expression never changesTonyHuman beingfacial expression changes oftenprogrammed to appear sensitive and caringcan show true sensitivity and carealways the same emotionemotions can chan
37、gesmooth hairofferssympathytreats people kindlywarm bodySimilaritiesThen use the words in the boxes to describe the similarities and differences.Comparisonthe same as similar tosimilarly more likejust as in comparisonin the same wayContrastdifferent frombutwhilewhereasalthoughhoweveron the other han
38、din contrastfacial expression never changesTonyHuman beingfacial expression changes oftenprogrammed to appear sensitive and caringcan show true sensitivity and carealways the same emotionemotions can changesmooth hairofferssympathytreats people kindlywarm bodyA human beings facial expression changes
39、 often, whereas Tonys never changes. Although Tonys actions appeared sensitive and caring, he was just following his programming and these were not real emotions. In contrast to Tony, who never changed from his programming, a humans emotions can change. However, there are similarities between them.
40、Tonys smooth hair and warm body are the same as human beings. Tony treats people kindly in the same way. He can offer sympathy just as what we do.Yes, I do, because the robot thinks and acts like human beings, which can make us forget the differences between robots and human beings. Our love for som
41、eone mainly comes from emotion instead of the matter of what we are made of.Discuss the questions in pairs.1. Do you think is it possible for a person to love a robot? Why?It is possible that robots will be used by human beings as a substitute for human relationships. Certainly, some people are lone
42、ly and may find robots comforting, in much the same way people nowadays feel comforted by a pet. Of course, the main advantage of a robot is that a robot can be programmed to always get along with people and never get angry or upset. In this sense, some people may prefer the company of robots to tha
43、t of human beings because it is easier to get along with a robot than to have to develop a genuine human relationship.2. What relationship do you think will develop between humans and robots in the future?A robot named Tony was sent to Claires house (1) _ (test) out. He looked like a real man, tall
44、and handsome with smooth hair (2) _ a deep voice.Not only did he look like a human, but he (3) _ (behave) like a real man. He did everything to comfort Claire. He prepared breakfast in (4) _ morning. He even tried to help Claire get (5) _ (dress), which made Claire feel embarrassed.When he heard tha
45、t Claire was not (6) _ (satisfy) with her house, he began to improve it. When he learned that Claire was jealous of another lady, he helped to improve (7) _ (she) makeup and make Gladys and her friends admire Claire by (8) _ (hold) a party at home.Tony was only a robot, but he could do and think (9)
46、 _ (exact) like a real man. He even fell in love with his hostess, Claire, near the end of the test. (10) _ an excellent science fiction it is! to be testedandbehavedthedressedRead the text again and fill in the following blanks.Whatsatisfiedherholdingexactlyfiction n. _science fiction _test out _ b
47、onus n. _more like _ridiculous adj. _integrity n. _小说；虚构的事意外收获；奖金；红利愚蠢的；荒谬的；荒唐的检验；测试 更像是；更接近科幻小说（或影片等）诚实正直；完整；完好dignity n. _salary n. _absurd adj. _appointment n. _nail n. _ vt. _saleswoman n. _ guilty adj. _庄重；庄严；尊严预约；约会；委任 女售货员；女推销员荒谬的；荒唐的指甲；趾甲；钉子薪水；薪金内疚的；有罪的；有过失的（用钉子）钉牢；固定suspendvt. _laddern. _di
48、smiss vt. _declarevt. _ whereas conj. _悬；挂；暂停；暂缓表明；宣称；公布然而；但是；尽管让（某人）离开；解散；解雇；消除梯子；阶梯integrity1. n. the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles 诚实；正直 personal/professional/artistic integrity 个人的/职业上的/艺术家的诚实正直 to behave with integrity 行为表现诚实正直2. (formal) the state of being whole an
49、d not divided 完整；完好 to respect the territorial integrity of the nation 尊重该国的领土完整guilty1. adj. (about sth) feeling ashamed because you have done sth that you know is wrong or have not done sth that you should have done 感到内疚的；感到惭愧的 I felt guilty about not visiting my parents more often. 我因没有常去看望父母而感到内
50、疚。 John had a guilty look on his face. 约翰脸上显出惭愧的表情。 I had a guilty conscience and could not sleep. 我问心有愧，睡不着觉。guilty2. adj. (of sth) having done sth illegal; being responsible for sth bad that has happened 犯了罪；有过失的；有罪责的 The jury found the defendant not guilty of the offence. 陪审团裁决被告无罪。 He pleaded gu
