New Horizon College English

1
New Horizon College English Book Four
Unit Four Section A The Telecommunications
Revolution
2
Preview
All the three passages have the common theme of
electronic communications in the modern world.
The first passage discusses how investment in the
most modern telecommunications equipment will
help the economic growth of developing countries
by attracting foreign and domestic investment.
Passage B outlines the benefits of the
information superhighway, the Internet, but also
points out some of the potential challenges which
exist if the poor as well as the rich are to
benefit. Passage C explores the biggest
disadvantage of the information age the ease of
transfer of information about individuals and the
resulting loss of privacy.
3
Section A The Telecommunications Revolution
Background Information
Pre-reading Activities
Text Structure Analysis
Detailed Study of the text
Exercises
4
Background Information
1. Telecommunications 2. Information age
5
Background Information

• Telecommunications
• Telecommunications, from Greek, means
  communications at a distance. Two major trends
  have occurred in the technology that is
  applicable to telecommunications. The first trend
  has been the incredible increase in the
  processing power of digital computers, namely,
  dramatic decreases in physical size along with
  equally dramatic increases in complexity, speed,
  and capacity. The second trend has been the
  explosive growth in transmission capacity through
  the widespread use of optical fiber across
  continents and under oceans. These two trends
  have had impressive long-term consequences for
  telecommunications around the world.

6
Background Information
2. Information age When we say that we live
in the information age, we mean that we live in a
time when information is very important and easy
to get. The information age is an era of
fundamental and global change in intellectual,
philosophical, cultural and social terms.
Todays information age began with the telegraph.
It was the first instrument to transform
information into electrical form and transmit it
reliably over long distances. New techniques of
encoding and distributing digital information are
pacing the spread of the information age
throughout society.
7
Pre-reading Activities
First Listening
Second Listening
1. Why are developing countries investing great
sums of money in telecommunications networks? 2.
What does China hope to achieve? And what does
Shanghai hope to achieve? 3. What do some people
fear?
8
Text Structure Analysis
Telecommunications is widely conceived as a key
to developing countries dream of jumping into
the modern world. Although there is some dispute
as to how fast they can push ahead with their
plans, different developing countries still are
seeking their own ways of leaping over their
backwardness with one jump in this direction.
Surely, they will catch up with developed
countries on the information superhighway as long
as they persist in their efforts.
9
Text Structure Analysis
The reading passage deals with one of the popular
and current topics of today telecommunications
revolution. The passage explores the topic from
different aspects the advantages of
telecommunications technologies, questions that
should be considered in developing the new
technologies for developing countries, different
countries trying to solve different problems with
different resolutions, and lastly the
conclusions. Look at the following chart and you
will find
10
Text Structure Analysis

• The first part is made up of 2 paragraphs,
  Paragraphs 1 and 2. The 2 paragraphs focus on
  the overwhelming advantages of telecommunications
  revolution, esp. for developing countries
  boosting living standards and promoting internal
  and foreign investment stepping directly into
  the information age and leaping over whole stages
  of economic development changing from
  labor-intensive model to high-tech intensive
  model to give developing countries a huge
  advantage over countries stuck with old
  technology.

11
Text Structure Analysis
2 The second part is 1 paragraph only
Paragraph 3. The paragraph puts forward a
question for consideration how fast to develop
telecommunications technologies in developing
countries. Taking Vietnam as an example, the
passage suggests that developing countries should
consider the questions of weighing costs and
choosing between technologies. This is also a
transitional paragraph leading to specific
countries in their efforts to develop
telecommunications technologies. 
12
Text Structure Analysis
3 The third part is the biggest part of the
passage, consisting of 7 paragraphs, from
Paragraph 4 to Paragraph 10. This part deals with
6 different countries or regions, such as Russia,
China, Hungary, Latin American countries,
Thailand and Vietnam in the transformation of
telecommunications technologies. Different
countries have different backgrounds and they
seek different ways out of their respective
problems to realize telecommunications
transformation.
13
Text Structure Analysis
Russia needs to invest in information
technology a huge amount of money to update its
ancient telephone system but it is unlikely due
to a poor economy. China, taking advantage of its
backwardness, invests a huge amount of money to
become a major part of the information
superhighway. And Shanghai plans
telecommunications networks as powerful as those
in Manhattan.
14
Text Structure Analysis
Hungary sold a 30 stake in its national
phone company and leased rights to Western
companies to overcome the problem of funding and
to speed up the import of Western technology.
Hungary also finds that it is worth doing so.
While Hungary is trying to find the money through
various ways for telecommunications equipment,
Latin American countries are making money out of
the new technologies.
15
Text Structure Analysis
People in Thailand are happy to accept the
new technologies as they can make better use of
all the time they spend stuck in traffic with
mobile phones. And Vietnam, despite its
backwardness, plans to invest more money in
optical fiber, digital switches, and transmission
systems annually to keep pace with anyone in Asia
in new technology for decades.
16
Text Structure Analysis
4. The fourth part is 1 paragraph, Paragraph 11
and it is a conclusion full of confidence. The
passage concludes to say that developing
countries can catch up with Americans and Western
Europeans in telecommunications technologies if
they persist in their efforts even though they
will make mistakes in the process of
transformation.
17
Detailed Study of the text

• The Text
• Useful words
• Useful phrases and expressions
• Difficult Sentences
• Chinese Translation

18
Detailed Study of the text
The Telecommunications Revolution
A transformation is occurring that should greatly
boost living standards in the developing world.
Places that until recently were deaf and dumb are
rapidly acquiring up-to-date telecommunications
that will let them promote both internal and
foreign investment. It may take a decade for
many countries in Asia, Latin America, and
Eastern Europe to improve transportation, power
supplies, and other utilities.
19
Detailed Study of the text
But a single optical fiber with a diameter of
less than half a millimeter can carry more
information than a large cable made of copper
wires. By installing optical fiber, digital
switches, and the latest wireless transmission
systems, a parade of urban centers and industrial
zones from Beijing to Budapest are stepping
directly into the Information Age. A spider's web
of digital and wireless communication links is
already reaching most of Asia and parts of
Eastern Europe.
20
Detailed Study of the text
All these developing regions see
advanced communications as a way to leap over
whole stages of economic development. Widespread
access to information technologies, for example,
promises to condense the time required to change
from labor- intensive assembly work to industries
that involve engineering, marketing, and design.
Modern communications "will give countries like
China and Vietnam a huge advantage over countries
stuck with old technology".
21
Detailed Study of the text
How fast these nations should push ahead
is a matter of debate. Many experts think Vietnam
is going too far by requiring that all mobile
phones be expensive digital models, when it is
desperate for any phones, period. "These
countries lack experience in weighing costs and
choosing between technologies," says one expert.

22
Detailed Study of the text
Still, there's little dispute that
communications will be a key factor separating
the winners from the losers. Consider Russia.
Because of its strong educational system in
mathematics and science, it should thrive in the
information age. The problem is its national
phone system is a rusting antique that dates from
the l930s.
23
Detailed Study of the text
To lick this problem, Russia is starting to
install optical fiber and has a strategic plan to
pump 40 billion into various communications
projects. But its economy is stuck in recession
and it barely has the money to even scratch the
surface of the problem.
24
Detailed Study of the text
Compare that with the mainland of China. Over
the next decade, it plans to pour some 100
billion into telecommunications equipment. In a
way, China's backwardness is an advantage,
because the expansion occurs just as new
technologies are becoming cheaper than copper
wire systems.
25
Detailed Study of the text
By the end of 1995, each of China's provincial
capitals except for Tibet will have digital
switches and high-capacity optical fiber links.
This means that major cities are getting the
basic infrastructure to become major parts of the
information superhighway, allowing people to log
on to the most advanced services available.
26
Detailed Study of the text
Telecommunications is also a key to
Shanghai's dream of becoming a top financial
center. To offer peak performance in providing
the electronic data and paperless trading global
investors expect, Shanghai plans
telecommunications networks as powerful as those
in Manhattan.
27
Detailed Study of the text
Meanwhile, Hungary also hopes to jump into the
modern world. Currently, 700,000 Hungarians are
waiting for phones. To partially overcome the
problem of funds and to speed the import of
Western technology, Hungary sold a 30 stake in
its national phone company to two Western
companies. To further reduce the waiting list for
phones, Hungary has leased rights to a Dutch
-Scandinavian group of companies to build and
operate what it says will be one of the most
advanced digital mobile phone systems in the
world.
28
Detailed Study of the text
In fact, wireless is one of the most popular ways
to get a phone system up fast in developing
countries. It's cheaper to build radio towers
than to string lines across mountain ridges, and
businesses eager for reliable service are willing
to accept a significantly higher price tag for a
wireless call the fee is typically two to four
times as much as for calls made over fixed lines.
29
A
Detailed Study of the text
Wireless demand and usage have also
exploded across the entire width and breadth of
Latin America. For wireless phone service
providers, nowhere is business better than in
Latin America having an operation there is like
having an endless pile of money at your disposal.
BellSouth Corporation, with operations in four
wireless markets, estimates its annual revenue
per average customer at about 2,000 as compared
to 860 in the United States. That's partly
because Latin American customers talk two to four
times as long on the phone as people in North
America. .
30
A
Detailed Study of the text
Thailand is also turning to wireless, as a way
to allow Thais to make better use of all the time
they spend stuck in traffic. And it isn't that
easy to call or fax from the office the waiting
list for phone lines has from one to two million
names on it. So mobile phones have become the
rage among businesspeople, who can remain in
contact despite the traffic jams.
31
Detailed Study of the text
Vietnam is making one of the boldest leaps.
Despite a per person income of just 220 a year,
all of the 300,000 lines Vietnam plans to add
annually will be optical fiber with digital
switching, rather than cheaper systems that send
electrons over copper wires. By going for
next-generation technology now, Vietnamese
telecommunications officials say they'll be able
to keep pace with anyone in Asia for decades.

32
Detailed Study of the text
For countries that have lagged behind for so
long, the temptation to move ahead in one jump is
hard to resist. And despite the mistakes they'll
make, they'll persist so that one day they can
cruise alongside Americans and Western Europeans
on the information superhighway. Words
911
33
Detailed Study of the text

• Useful words

telecommunications n. Uthe sending and
receiving of messages over distance, esp. by
telephone, radio and television ??,????? The
company specializes in telecommunications.
?????????????
34
Detailed Study of the text
utility n.1. C a service used by the public,
such as an electricity or gas supply or a train
service ????,?????? a public
utility ?????? high utility bill
???????? ?
35
Detailed Study of the text
2.U the usefulness of sth., esp. in a practical
way ??,??,?? Some kitchen tools have very
little utility. ??????????????? The utility of
this rescue equipment has still to be assessed in
a real emergency. ???????????????????????
36
Detailed Study of the text
optical a. 1.of or using light, esp. for the
purpose of recording and storing information for
use in a computer system ???,??an optical
fiber????Telescopes and microscopes are optical
instruments. ??????????????2.of or about the
sense of sight visual ???,???,???He suffers
from an optical defect. ???????
37
Detailed Study of the text
strategic a. forming part of a plan or an aim
to achieve a specific purpose or to gain an
advantage ???The company has appointed a new
marketing director to broaden its strategic
expertise. ????????????????????????????
38
Detailed Study of the text
stake n.1.(sing.) an investment in business,
with the hope of financial gain ??,????He holds
a 40 stake in the company. ????????40????I
just don't feel I have a stake in how the trial
comes out. ??????,?????????????2. Ca pointed
piece of wood, metal, etc. for driving into the
ground as a mark, for holding a rope, etc.
?,??One of the stakes in the fence is broken.
???????????
39
Detailed Study of the text
desperate a.1) (for sth. or to do sth.)
needing or wanting sth. very much I'm desperate
for a cigarette. ??????? 2) showing a
willingness to take risks, esp. because one is in
a bad situation that he / she wants to change
His increasing financial difficulties forced him
to take desperate measures.???????????????????????
3) (of a situation) extremely serious or
dangerous The children are in desperate need of
love and attention. ?????????????
40
Detailed Study of the text
period n. used at the end of a statement to
show that you believe you have said all there is
to say on a subject and you are not going to
discuss it any more There will be no more
shouting, period! ?????,????! I don't want to do
it, period. ???????,????? We are all against the
proposal, period. ?????????,?????
41
Detailed Study of the text
Useful Phrases and expressions (be) stuck with
have no choice about dealing with (sb., sth.) or
doing (sth. unwanted or unpleasant) ????,????We
were stuck with unexpected visitors.???????????I
'm stuck with this job for the moment.
??????????
42
Detailed Study of the text
a matter of sth./doing sth. th. that needs or
requires sth. else?????,?????It's simply a
matter of letting people know in time.
???????????????Some people prefer the old
version to the new one. It's a matter of taste.
??????????????????????
43
Detailed Study of the text
choose between make a choice between (usu. two
things or people)????????She had to choose
between giving up her job or hiring a nanny.
??????????????????He had to choose between
death and dishonor. ????????????????
44
Detailed Study of the text
scratch the surface deal with a subject,
problem, etc. in a manner that is not thorough or
complete???? The lecturer merely scratched the
surface of the subject. ?????????????????We
left feeling that we had just scratched the
surface of this fascinating country.
????????????,???????????????
45
Detailed Study of the text
log on to put one's name into a computer so
that one can start using it ??(???)??,?? You
need a password to log on to the system.
?????????????Customers pay to log on and chat
with other users. ???????????????????
46
Detailed Study of the text
at ones disposal available for one to use as
one wishes ?????,?????Well, I'm at your
disposal. ??,????????He will have a car at his
disposal for the whole month. ????????????????
47
Detailed Study of the text
keep pace with remain level with (sb. or sth.
that is changing or developing quickly)
?????Are wages keeping pace with inflation?
???????????????The company is struggling to
keep pace with changes in the market place.
?????????????????
48
Detailed Study of the text
Difficult Sentences A transformation is occurring
that should greatly boost living standards in the
developing world. (Para. 1) Meaning A change is
taking place that should greatly improve and
promote standards of living of the developing
countries.
49
Detailed Study of the text
Places that until recently were deaf and dumb are
rapidly acquiring up-to-date telecommunications
that will let them promote both internal and
foreign investment. (Para. 1) Meaning Those
areas where until recently people were unable to
communicate with the outside world because of the
lack of communications facilities are now getting
advanced telecommunications and this will allow
them to attract or draw more investment from both
home and abroad.
50
Detailed Study of the text
a parade of urban centers and industrial zones
are stepping directly into the Information Age.
(Para.1) Meaning a large number of urban
centers and industrial zones are directly
entering the Information Age.
51
Detailed Study of the text
All these developing regions see advanced
communications as a way to leap over whole stages
of economic development. (Para. 2) Meaning All
these developing regions regard directly
acquiring and making use of up-to-date
communications as a way to catch up with the
advanced countries economically.
52
Detailed Study of the text
Widespread access to information technologies,
for example, promises to condense the time
required to change from labor-intensive assembly
work to industries that involve engineering,
marketing, and design. (Para. 2) Meaning A great
number of opportunities of using information
technologies, for example, will make it possible
to lessen or shorten the time needed to change
from labor-intensive assembly work to industries
that involve engineering, marketing, and design.
53
Detailed Study of the text
Modern communications "will give countries like
China and Vietnam a huge advantage over countries
stuck with old technology". (Para.2) Meaning
Modern communications will give countries like
China and Vietnam a greater chance of success
than countries that still continue to use old
technologies.
54
Detailed Study of the text
How fast these nations should push ahead is a
matter of debate. (Para. 3) Meaning People have
different opinions as to how fast these countries
should move ahead or advance.
55
Detailed Study of the text
a rusting antique that dates from the l930s.
(Para.4) Meaning old rusty equipment that was
made in the 1930s.
56
Detailed Study of the text
To lick this problem, Russia is starting to
install optical fiber and has a strategic plan to
pump 40 billion into various communications
projects. (Para.4) Meaning To tackle / overcome
this problem, Russia is beginning to install
optical fiber and has a strategic plan to put 
40 billion into various communications projects
in order to make these projects successful.
57
Detailed Study of the text
But its economy is stuck in recession and it
barely has the money to even scratch the surface
of the problem. (Para. 4) Meaning But its
economy is deeply involved in a difficult time
and it has almost no money to solve even a small
part of the problem.
58
Detailed Study of the text
allowing people to log on to the most advanced
services available. (Para.5) Meaning allowing
people to gain access to the most advanced
services that can be used.
59
Detailed Study of the text
Wireless demand and usage have also exploded
across the entire width and breadth of Latin
America. (Para. 8) Meaning There is a sudden
popularity of mobile phones all over the
countries in Latin America.
60
Detailed Study of the text
For wireless phone service providers, nowhere is
business better than in Latin America having an
operation there is like having an endless pile of
money at your disposal. (Para. 8) Meaning For
wireless phone service providers, business is the
more profitable in Latin America than in other
countries, and if you have an operation there,
you are sure to make a lot of money without any
risk.
61
Detailed Study of the text
So mobile phones have become the rage among
businesspeople, who can remain in contact despite
the traffic jams. (Para.9) Meaning So having
mobile phones has become popular and fashionable
among the people who work in business because
mobile phones can keep them in touch with other
people even when they are caught in traffic jams.
62
Detailed Study of the text
For countries that have lagged behind for so
long, the temptation to move ahead in one jump is
hard to resist.(Para.11) Meaning For countries
that have been backward for a long time, it is
hard for them to resist the temptation to leap
over whole stages of economic development.
63
Detailed Study of the text
Chinese Translation ????
?????????????????????????????????????????????????
????,???????????????????????????????????10????????
??????????????????????????????????????????????????
?????????????????????????????,????????????????????
??????????????????????????????????????????????
64
Detailed Study of the text
????????????????????????????????????
??,?????????????????????????????????????????????
????????????????????????????????????????
?????????????????????????? ??????,?????????????,??
?????????????????????????????? ?????,????????????
???????
65
Detailed Study of the text
??????,??????????????????? ???????????
???????????????,???????????????
???,???????????????20??30???????
????????,????????????,??????400?????????????????
???????????,??????????????????
?????,???10??,?????????????1,000????
???????,?????????????,????????????????????????????
?1995??,????????????????????????????
???????????????????,?????????????,?????????,??????
???
66
Detailed Study of the text
??????????????????????????? ???????????????????
????????????,?????????????????????????
????,?????????????? ???70??????????? ???????????,
????????,??????????30??????????????
???????????,??????????????-??????????,????????????
??????????????? ???,??????????????????????????????
?????????????????????? ??,???????????????????????
?????--?????????????????
67
Detailed Study of the text
?????????????,????????????????????????
?????,?????????????????????????????????????
?????????????,???????????????????
??????????????? ???????????220??,????????30???????
???????????,????????????????????
??????????????,??????????????????????????????????
?????????????,???????????????
??,????????,????????--????,???????????????????????

68
Exercises
???? IV Ex. II, p. 95
???? IV Ex. V, p. 96
69
Exercises

• Comprehension
• Answer the following questions
• According to the writer, what would happen if the
  transformation under discussion takes place?
• The living standards in the developing world
  will be greatly improved.

70
Exercises
Comprehension 2. What does the author mean by
describing places as deaf and dumb? The
author refers to those places without
telecommunications facilities such as telephones,
which hinders exchange of information.
71
Exercises
3. Why are advanced communications seen as a way
to leap over whole stages of economic
development? Because advanced communications
and subsequent widespread access to information
technologies enable the developing regions to
shorten the process of changing from
labor-intensive assembly work to industries that
involve engineering, marketing and design.
72
Exercises
4Why do some experts believe it is inappropriate
for Vietnam to require that its mobile phones all
be expensive digital models? Because they
believe it is in bad need of any phones and it
lacks experience in weighing costs and choosing
between technologies.
73
Exercises
5. What has Hungary done to quicken its steps
into the modern world? First, it sold a 30
stake in its national phone company to two
Western companies to quicken the import of
Western technology. Second, it had leased rights
to a Dutch-Scandinavian group of companies to
build and operate an advanced digital mobile
phone system.
74
Exercises
6. What is one of the most popular ways mentioned
in the passage to boost a phone system in
developing countries? And why? Wireless. For
its cheaper to build radio towers than to string
lines across mountain ridges and it is a reliable
service.
75
Exercises
7. Why can wireless phone providers make more
profits in Latin America than any other places?
Because customers there talk two to four times
as long on the phone as people in North America.
76
Exercises
8. Why are mobile phones popular among
businesspeople in Thailand? Because mobile
phones make it possible for them to keep contact
with each other even when they are caught in the
traffic jams.
77
Exercises
Collocation Look at the following sentence taken
from your reading passage. Just think about what
else you can promote and fill in the sentences
with the right words. e.g. Places that until
recently were deaf and dumb are rapidly acquiring
up-to-date telecommunications that will let them
promote both internal and foreign investment.
78
Exercises
1.Many advertisements use well-known people such
as TV personalities, sports stars, etc. to
promote the sales of products. 2. They promote
health and help prevent illness in the first
place.
79
Exercises
3. We will use overseas aid to promote the good
will of the government, sensible economic
policies and the respect for human rights. 4. We
will promote greater and fairer trade for poor
countries, to enable their economies to grow and
diversify (?????).
80
Exercises
5. It shall be the duty of the Minister of
Education to promote the education of the people
and the progressive development of institutions
devoted to that purpose, and to secure the
effective execution (??) of national policy for
providing a comprehensive educational service in
every area. 6. A good diet should maintain
health, provide energy, promote growth, and give
protection against disease.
81
Exercises
7. Pupils should be encouraged to respond to all
forms of literature in ways which they find
pleasurable, and which are likely to promote
understanding. 8. It is an important part of
their role to promote the idea of equality in the
community for every aspect of the work and
activity carried out in the school.
82
New Horizon College English Book Four
Unit Four Section B The Information
Superhighway
83
Section B The Information Superhighway

• Reading Skills
• Detailed Study of the Text
• Exercises

84
Reading Skills
In our New Horizon College English series, we
have been analyzing every Passage A from Unit 1,
Book 1 up to now. This kind of practice has three
purposes 1. coming to a better understanding of
the main ideas of the reading passages 2.
understanding text structure 3. helping us
construct well-organized paragraphs or short
compositions.
85
Reading Skills
Through Text Structure Analysis, we have become
familiar with quite a few basic structures of a
text such as Cause and Effect, Comparison and
Contrast, Time Sequence, a Set of Sequential
Actions, a General Point Supported by
Details/Examples/a List of Things, a
Problem-Solution Pattern, etc. Paragraphs are
important units of thought in the essays and
stories you have to read. And figuring out the
main idea in a paragraph is your basic challenge
as a reader. A helpful clue to it often lies in
the way a writer arranges information in a
paragraph.
86
Reading Skills
Paragraph information often appears in patterns
that can be recognized or analyzed. If you know
some typical paragraph patterns in which
information may appear, you may find it easier to
understand what you read. Of course, no writer
follows any patterns rigidly. Usually, in an
essay or story, many different patterns appear.
In a single paragraph, in fact, they often
overlap and combine. But being aware of typical
patterns in a reading selection can help you
follow a writers thoughts and ideas.
87
Reading Skills
Here are two more examples from passage A
Example 1    All these developing regions see
advanced communications as a way to leap over
whole stages of economic development.
88
Reading Skills
Widespread access to information technologies,
for example, promises to condense the time
required to change from labor-intensive assembly
work to industries that involve engineering,
marketing, and design. Modern communications
will give countries like China and Vietnam a
huge advantage over countries stuck with old
technology. (Para. 2, Passage A, Unit 4)
89
Reading Skills
What is the main idea of the paragraph?  
Advanced communications are seen as a way to leap
over whole stages of economic development.
Why?   
90
Reading Skills
    It is because information technologies
shorten the time required to change from
labor-intensive assembly work to engineering,
marketing and design industries. And what is
more, modern communications will give countries
like China and Vietnam a huge advantage over
countries stuck with old technology.
What is the structure of the paragraph?  It
is a general statement supported by reasons.
91
Reading Skills
Example 2    Wireless demand and usage have also
exploded across the entire width and breadth of
Latin America. For wireless phone service
providers, nowhere is business better than in
Latin Americahaving an operation there is like
having an endless pile of money at your disposal.
92
Reading Skills
BellSouth Corporation, with operations in
four wireless markets, estimates its annual
revenue per average customer at about 2,000 as
compared to 860 in the United States. Thats
partly because Latin American customers talk two
to four times as long on the phone as people in
North America. (Para. 8, Passage A, Unit 4)
93
Reading Skills
What is the main idea of the
paragraph?Wireless demand and usage have
exploded across the entire Latin America.    
What are the reasons to support this main
idea? Wireless phone service providers are
making a lot of money out of information
technologies.
94
Reading Skills
What is the example given to support the main
idea?  BellSouth Corporation estimates its
annual revenue per average customer at about
2,000 as compared to 860 in the United States.
95
Reading Skills
What is the structure of the paragraph? It is a
general statement supported by details of reasons
and an example. Read the following paragraphs
from Passage B and answer the questions.
96
Reading Skills
    Your school has no professors of Japanese and
you want to learn the language. Just sign up for
a language course offered by a school in other
places and the materials and instructions can be
sent to you via your computer.
97
Reading Skills
A problem-solution pattern. Poor people must also
have access to high technology. The author offers
reasons such as the access to high technology is
crucial to obtaining a high-quality education,
getting a good job, and also important to
banking, shopping, communication, and
information. The paragraph starts with a general
statement, which is supported by reasons.
98
Detailed Study of the Text
The Information Superhighway Are you too
tired to go to the video store but you want to
see the movie Beauty and the Beast at home? Want
to listen to your favorite guitar player's latest
jazz cassette? Need some new reading material,
like a magazine or book? No problem. Just sit
down in front of your home computer or TV and
enter what you want, when you want it, from an
electronic catalogue containing thousands of
titles.
99
Detailed Study of the Text
Your school has no professors of Japanese, a
language you want to learn before visiting Japan
during the coming summer holiday. Don't worry.
Just sign up for the language course offered by a
school in another district or city, have the
latest edition of the course teaching materials
sent to your computer, and attend by video. If
you need extra help with a translation assignment
or your pronunciation, a tutor can give you
feedback via your computer.
100
Detailed Study of the Text
Welcome to the information superhighway.  
While nearly everyone has heard of the
information superhighway, even experts differ on
exactly what the term means and what the future
it promises will look like. Broadly speaking,
however, the superhighway refers to the union of
today's broadcasting, cable, video, telephone,
and computer and semiconductor industries into
one large all-connected industry.
101
Detailed Study of the Text
Directing the union are technological
advances that have made it easier to store and
rapidly transmit information into homes and
offices. Fiber-optic cable, for example made up
of hair-thin glass fibers is a tremendously
efficient carrier of information. Lasers shooting
light through glass fiber can transmit 250,000
times as much data as a standard telephone wire,
or tens of thousands of paragraphs such as this
one every second.
102
Detailed Study of the Text
The greatly increased volume and speed of data
transmission that these technologies permit can
be compared to the way in which a highway with
many lanes allows more cars to move at faster
speeds than a two-lane highway hence, the
information superhighway.   The closest thing
to an information superhighway today is the
Internet, the system of linked computer networks
that allows up to 25 million people in 135
countries to exchange information.
103
Detailed Study of the Text
But while the Internet primarily moves
words, the information superhighway will soon
make routine the electronic transmission of data
in other formats, such as audio files and images.
That means, for example, that a doctor in Europe
who is particularly learned will be able to treat
patients in America after viewing their records
via computer, deciding the correct dose of
medicine to give the patient, or perhaps even
remotely controlling a blade wielding robot
during surgery.
104
Detailed Study of the Text
"Sending a segment of video mail down the hall
or across the country will be easier than typing
out a message on a keyboard," predicts one
correspondent who specializes in technology.
105
Detailed Study of the Text
The world is on "the eve of a new era",
says the former United States Vice President Al
Gore, the Clinton administration's leading
high-technology advocate. Gore wants the federal
government to play the leading role in shaping
the superhighway. However, in an era of smaller
budgets, the United States government is unlikely
to come up with the money needed during the next
20 years to construct the superhighway.
106
Detailed Study of the Text
That leaves private industry computer,
phone, and cable companies to move into the
vacuum left by the government's absence. And
while these industries are pioneering the most
exciting new technologies, some critics fear that
profit-minded companies will only develop
services for the wealthy. "If left in the hands
of private enterprise, the data highway could
become little more than a synthetic universe for
the rich," worries Jeffrey Chester, president of
the Center for Media Education in Washington,
D.C.
107
Detailed Study of the Text
Poor people must also have access to high
technology, says another expert. "Such access
will be crucial to obtaining a high-quality
education and getting a good job. So many
transactions and exchanges are going to be made
through this medium banking, shopping,
communication, and information that those who
have to rely on the postman to send their
correspondence risk really falling behind," he
says.
108
Detailed Study of the Text
Some experts were alarmed earlier this year
when diagrams showed that four regional phone
companies who are building components of the
superhighway were only connecting wealthy
communities.   The companies denied they
were avoiding the poor, but conceded that the
wealthy would likely be the first to benefit. "We
had to start building some place," says a
spokesman for one of the companies, "and that was
in areas where there are customers we believe
will buy the service. This is a business."
109
Detailed Study of the Text
Advocates for the poor want the companies
building the data highway to devote a portion of
their profits to insuring universal access.
Advocates of universal access have already
launched a number of projects of their own. In
Berkeley, California, the city's Community Memory
Project has placed computer terminals in public
buildings and subway stations, where a message
can be sent for 25 cents. In Santa Monica,
California, computers have replaced typewriters
in all public libraries, and anyone, not just
librarians, can send correspondence via computer.

110
Detailed Study of the Text
Many challenges face us as we move closer to
the reality of the information superhighway. In
order for it to be of value to most people,
individuals need to become informed about what is
possible and how being connected will be of
benefit. The possibilities are endless but in
order for the information superhighway to become
a reality, some concrete steps need to be taken
to get the process started. Words 905
111
Useful Words and Phrases
tutor n.C a teacher who works with one student
or a small group, either in a university or in
the home of a child ????,????,????,??His parents
employed a tutor for him instead of sending him
to school. ?????????,?????????????His tutor
encouraged him to read widely. ????????????
112
Useful Words and Phrases
feedback n.U information or statements of
opinion about sth., such as a new product, that
provide an idea of whether it is successful or
liked ??,????We are waiting for feedback from
the students' parents on the new scheme for
buying schoolbooks. ????????????????????????The
feedback from the customers is very positive.
???????????????????
113
Useful Words and Phrases
format n.C a pattern, plan or arrangement
(??????)??,??,??I think we need a change of
format. ?????????????There is no set format for
these weekly meetings.?????????????????We'll
produce the leaflet in large and small formats.
???????????????
114
Useful Words and Phrases
synthetic a.1. artificial ???,???This
synthetic dress material does not crush.
????????????Synthetic rubber has substituted
natural rubber in many fields. ?????????????????
2. not sincere or genuine??? I hate her
synthetic skin-deep smiles. ???????????????
115
Useful Words and Phrases
correspondence n.1. U letters ??,??personal
correspondence ????Any further correspondence
should be sent to my new address.
??????????????He found her letter at the bottom
of a piece of business correspondence.
??????????????????
116
Useful Words and Phrases
2. U the action of writing, receiving and
reading letters, esp. between two people
??,????He has kept up a correspondence with his
teacher since graduation. ???????????????????Her
correspondence with Jim lasted many years.
??????????????
117
Useful Words and Phrases
terminal n.1. C computer equipment which
allows one to use a central computer ?????The
data will be fed into a computer terminal.
??????????????2. C the area or building at a
station, airport or port which is used by
passengers leaving or arriving by train, aircraft
or ship ???,??,???The new air / rail terminal is
very large and well-designed. ?????/?????,??????
Your flight to Shanghai will leave from Terminal
4. ?????????4??????
118
Useful Words and Phrases
come up with 1.produce supply??,??She came up
with some pictures taken by her father.
?????????????2. think of or suggest a plan or
idea, a solution to a problem, or an answer to a
question ??,??She came up with a new idea for
increasing sales. ??????????????He couldn't
come up with an appropriate answer just at the
time. ??????????????
119
Useful Words and Phrases
have access to be able to reach or use (sth.)
????(???)???,???????Students must have
access to good resources. ??????????????Many
divorced fathers only have access to their
children at weekends. ?????????????????????
120
Useful Words and Phrases
fall behind fail to develop at the same rate as
sth. else, or fail to achieve a standard reached
by other people ??,????He is falling behind
all the top players. ????????????She soon fell
behind other students because of illness.
??????????????????
121
Useful Words and Phrases
devote to use all of sth. for a particular
purpose ???(?)He devoted all his time to his
job. ????????????????This magazine is devoted
to science.?????????????
122
Difficult Sentences
Want to listen to your favorite guitar player's
latest jazz cassette?  (Para. 1) Meaning Do you
want to listen to your favorite guitar player's
most recent jazz cassette?  
123
Difficult Sentences
Just sign up for the language course offered by a
school in another district or city, have the
latest edition of the course teaching materials
sent to your computer, and attend by video. 
(Para. 2) Meaning Just sign a document or
contract to show that you want to take the
language course that is offered by a school in
another district or city, ask them to send the
most recently published edition of the teaching
materials for the course via computer, and attend
the course by video.
124
Difficult Sentences
a tutor can give you feedback via your
computer. (Para.2) Meaning a member of the
teaching staff will give you advice or response
by means of computer through e-mail or online
learning system.    
125
Difficult Sentences
While nearly everyone has heard of the
information superhighway, even experts differ on
exactly what the term means and what the future
it promises will look like. (Para. 4) Meaning
While almost everyone knows something about the
information superhighway, even experts have
different ideas about what the term really means
and what it will bring about in the future.
126
Difficult Sentences
Broadly speaking, however, the superhighway
refers to the union of today's broadcasting,
cable, video, telephone, and computer and
semiconductor industries into one large
all-connected industry. (Para. 4) Meaning
Generally speaking, however, the superhighway
relates to the joining together of today's
broadcasting, cable, video, telephone, and
computer and semiconductor industries as one
large all-connected industry.
127
Difficult Sentences
Directing the union are technological advances
that have made it easier to store and rapidly
transmit information into homes and offices.
(Para. 5) Meaning It is technological
developments that are controlling and guiding the
union. These technological developments have made
it easier to store information and send
information into homes and offices.
128
Difficult Sentences
The greatly increased volume and speed of data
transmission that these technologies permit can
be compared to the way in which a highway with
many lanes allows more cars to move at faster
speeds than a two-lane highway hence, the
information superhighway. (Para. 6)
129
Difficult Sentences
Meaning The greatly increased volume and speed
of data transmission made possible by these
technologies are similar to the situation in
which a highway with many lanes allows more cars
to move at faster speeds than a two-lane highway,
and for this reason, people use the term
"information superhighway".
130
Difficult Sentences
But while the Internet primarily moves words, the
information superhighway will soon make routine
the electronic transmission of data in other
formats, such as audio files and images. (Para.
8)
131
Difficult Sentences
Meaning But while the Internet mainly transmits
words, the information superhighway will soon
make it normal to allow the electronic
transmission of data in other formats, for
example, audio files and images.
132
Difficult Sentences
deciding the correct dose of medicine to give
the patient (Para. 8) Meaning making decisions
about the proper amount of medicine to give the
patient  
133
Difficult Sentences
"Sending a segment of video mail down the hall or
across the country will be easier than typing out
a message on a keyboard," predicts one
correspondent who specializes in technology.
(Para. 9)
134
Difficult Sentences
Meaning One reporter who specializes in
technology predicts that it will be easier to
send a piece of video mail down the hall or
across the country than to type out a message on
a keyboard.
135
Difficult Sentences
Gore wants the federal government to play the
leading role in shaping the superhighway. (Para.
10) Meaning Gore wants the federal government to
have the most important role in constructing and
developing the superhighway.  
136
Difficult Sentences
However, in an era of smaller budgets, the United
States government is unlikely to come up with the
money needed during the next 20 years to
construct the superhighway. (Para. 10) Meaning
However, the United States has smaller budgets
now and it is unlikely for it to give the large
sum of money needed during the next 20 years to
build the superhighway.
137
Difficult Sentences
That leaves private industry computer, phone,
and cable companies to move into the vacuum
left by the government's absence. (Para.
11) Meaning Because the government is unlikely
to come up with the money needed to construct the
superhighway and it can not play its role in
constructing the superhighway, private industry
computer, phone, and cable companies plays the
leading role instead of the government.
138
Difficult Sentences
And while these industries are pioneering the
most exciting new technologies, some critics fear
that profit-minded companies will only develop
services for the wealthy. (Para. 11) Meaning And
while these industries are the first to be
engaged in the most exciting new technologies,
some critics worry that companies that only think
about making money will only offer services to
the rich people.
139
Difficult Sentences
"If left in the hands of private enterprise, the
data highway could become little more than a
synthetic universe for the rich," (Para.
11) Meaning "If it were to be controlled by
private enterprise, the data highway could become
almost nothing but a man-made world for wealthy
people,"
140
Difficult Sentences
 Poor people must also have access to high
technology, says another expert. (Para.
12) Meaning Another expert says that poor people
must also have the opportunity and right to enjoy
the services and benefits of high technology.
141
Difficult Sentences
 "Such access will be crucial to obtaining a
high-quality education and getting a good job."
(Para. 12) Meaning Such access will be extremely
important for people to get high-quality
education and a good job
142
Difficult Sentences
"that those who have to rely on the postman to
send their correspondence risk really falling
behind," he says. (Para. 12) Meaning that those
who have no choice but to depend on the postman's
service in sending their letters probably will
suffer the unfavorable consequence of falling
behind.  
143
Difficult Sentences
The companies denied they were avoiding the poor,
but conceded that the wealthy would likely be the
first to benefit. (Para. 14) Meaning The
companies said that it was not true that they
were only developing services for rich people and
not for poor people, but they admitted that rich
people would likely be the first customers of
their services.
144
Difficult Sentences
Advocates for the poor want the companies
building the data highway to devote a portion of
their profits to insuring universal access.
(Para. 15) Meaning Those who believe poor
people must also have access to high technology
want the companies building the data highway to
contribute some of their profits to making
universal access possible.
145
Difficult Sentences
Many challenges face us as we move closer to the
reality of the information superhighway. (Para.
16) Meaning As we move closer to the reality of
the information superhighway, we will encounter
many tough problems.  
146
Difficult Sentences
In order for it to be of value to the most
people, individuals need to become informed about
what is possible and how being connected will be
of benefit. (Para. 16) Meaning In order for the
superhighway to be valuable to the most people,
individuals need to know about what is possible
and how being connected to it will be beneficial
to them.
147
Difficult Sentences
The possibilities are endless but in order for
the information superhighway to become a reality,
some concrete steps need to be taken to get the
process started. (Para. 16) Meaning There are
endless possibilities but in order that the
information superhighway may become a reality we
need to take some real and specific measures.
148
Chinese Translation
??????     ??????,??????????????????
??????????????????????? ???????????,???????
??????????????????,???????????????????????????????
???     ?????????????,???????????
????,????????????????,?????????,??????????????????
???,??????????? ??????????????????,??????????????
149
Chinese Translation
???????????     ????????????????,????????????????
,????????????????? ?????,?????????????????????????
????????????????????????     ????????????????????
??????????????????????????? ??,???? --
???????????? -- ????????????? ????????????????????
25?????,???,???????????????    
150
Chinese Translation
    ???????????????????????????????????,??????????
??????????? -- ???????????    
??,????????????????,????????????????,???135?????2,
500???????????     ??,??????????,????????????????
??????(???????????)????? ????,????,???????????????
???????????????,?????????,??????????????????????
151
Chinese Translation
    ??????????????????"??????????????????????????
????????????????"     ???????????,?????????"????
??",??????????????????? ??????????????????????????
??? ??,??????????????,????????????20??????????????
??
152
Chinese Translation
    ???????? -- ???????????????? --
??????????????????? ???????????????????,??????????
??????????????????? ?????????????????????????"??
???????????????,???????????????"    
??????,????????????? ??"?????????????????????????
?? ??????????????????? -- ????????????? --
???????????????????????????"
153
Chinese Translation
????,????????????????????????????????????,????????
???     ?????????????,????????????????
???????????"????????????,?(?)????????????????????
??????????"
154
Chinese Translation
??????????????????????????????????????????????
???????????????????? ??????????,"???????"?????????
??????????,?25????????? ????????,?????????????????
?????,??????????,??????????    
?????????????????,??????????? ????????????,???????
???????,????????????? ????????????????,????????,??
????????????????
155
Exercise

• Comprehension
• Read the following statements carefully, and
  decide whether they are true (T) or false (F)
  according to the text.
• 1. F If you sign up for a language course, a
  tutor will give you feedback by a computer.
• 2. F People have talked a lot about the
  information superhighway, and they share the same
  opinion about what the information superhighway
  is.

156
Exercise
3. T It is technological advances that make
easier the storage and rapid transmission of
information into homes and offices. 4. T The
information superhighway has got its name because
the greatly increased volume and speed of data
transmission is much like a highway with many
lanes which allow more cars to move at a faster
speed than a two-lane highway. 5. F The Internet
and information superhighway will make routine
the electronic transmission of data in the same
formats.
157
Exercise
6. T Some people are afraid that only rich
people will gain the profits brought by the data
highway. 7 T To get high-quality education and a
good job, it is necessary for poor people to have
the right to acquire and use high technology. 8.
T While they denied they were avoiding the poor,
the four regional phone companies were more
concerned with making profits than providing
access to the poor.