21_B3_U08A

1
21st Century College English Book 3
Unit 8 Part A
The Highs of Low Technology
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Unit 8 Part A

• Pre-Reading Activities
• Text A Language Points
• Exercises
• Assignment

The Highs of Low Technology
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Pre-Reading Activities
1. In the famous tale Through the
Looking-Glass, Alice finds her way through a
mirror to a very strange land. In the scene
youre about to hear, Alice has been sitting
under a tree and talking with the Red Queen.
Listen to the passage twice and fill in the
missing words from the text below.       
Check-up
4
Pre-Reading Activities
Suddenly they began to run. Alice never could
quite understand how they began All she
remembers is that they were running hand in hand,
and the Queen went so fast that Alice could
hardly manage to keep up with her. The Queen kept
crying __________! __________! But Alice
couldnt go faster, though she had no breath left
to say so. She felt as if she would never be able
to talk again, she was getting so out of breath.
And still the Queen cried __________!
__________! and dragged her along.
Faster
Faster
Faster
Faster
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Pre-Reading Activities
_____________________? Alice managed to
gasp. ______________?! the Queen repeated.
Why, _________________ ten minutes ago!
__________! And they ran on, with the wind
whistling in Alices ears and almost blowing her
hair off her head, she imagined. They went so
fast that at last they seemed to hardly touch the
ground with their feet. And then suddenly, just
as Alice was getting quite exhausted, they
stopped, and she found herself sitting on the
ground.
Are we almost there
we passed it
Almost there
Faster
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Pre-Reading Activities
Alice looked around in great surprise. Why, I do
believe ____________ _____________________________
_________! Of course we have, said the Queen.
What would you expect? Well, in my country,
said Alice, youd generally __________________
__________________________________________________
____________. _______________________! said
the Queen. Here it takes __________
______________________________________________.
A slow sort of country
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Pre-Reading Activities
2. The Queens final statement is very often
quoted as a comment on modern society. What kind
of life does it make you think of?    
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
____________
A very fast-paced life with everything advancing
so rapidly that you can hardly keep pace. The
moment youve learned something about the
computer, for instance, the knowledge has become
outdated.
Check-up
8
Pre-Reading Activities
Suddenly they began to run. Alice never could
quite understand how they began All she
remembers is that they were running hand in hand,
and the Queen went so fast that Alice could
hardly manage to keep up with her. The Queen kept
crying Faster! Faster! But Alice couldnt go
faster, though she had no breath left to say so.
She felt as if she would never be able to talk
again, she was getting so out of breath. And
still the Queen cried Faster! Faster! and
dragged her along. Are we almost there? Alice
managed to gasp. Almost there?! the Queen
repeated. Why, we passed it ten minutes ago!
Faster!
And they ran on, with the wind whistling in
Alices ears and almost blowing her hair off her
head, she imagined. They went so fast that at
last they seemed to hardly touch the ground with
their feet. And then suddenly, just as Alice was
getting quite exhausted, they stopped, and she
found herself sitting on the ground. Alice looked
around in great surprise. Why, I do believe
weve been under this same tree the whole
time! Of course we have, said the Queen. What
would you expect? Well, in my country, said
Alice, youd generally get somewhere else if you
ran very fast for a long time as weve been
doing. A slow sort of country! said the Queen.
Here it takes all the running you can do to stay
in the same place.
9
Language Points
Text A
The Highs of Low Technology
By Johanne Mednick
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Language Points
The Highs of Low Technology
By Johanne Mednick 1 I have a wonderful
bicycle. My family refers to it as that piece of
junk an ancient piece of metal, the likes of
which can be found in the dump or, if youre
lucky, at garage sales. But I have confidence in
my bike. It gives me power, and I cherish its
simplicity.
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Language Points
2 What intrigues me, in this age of technological
innovation (which is nowhere more apparent than
in the bicycle world), is the number of people
who stop me and comment on my bike. Its a real
conversation piece. Where did you get that
thing? I havent seen one of those in ages.
What a great bike. I get all kinds of comments
the best one being from a motorcycle gang who
cornered me while I was locking it up. They
politely suggested that I should wear gloves
while riding to protect my hands. Maybe I should
also put on a leather jacket.
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Language Points
3 But really, what is it that people are
admiring? Are they admiring me for resisting the
lure of mass bicycle consumerism? I must look
like an eyesore pedaling behind my family, who
all ride the latest model of mountain bike. (To
them, Im some sort of odd person, an
embarrassment not fit to be on the road.) On the
other hand, maybe people are just genuinely
curious, as they would be if confronted with a
dinosaur bone. I never get the feeling that they
think Im crazy for riding something so old when
I could be fussing with gears and having a
presumably easier time of things. My bike seems
to touch a sensitive chord in people, and Im not
quite sure what or why that is.
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Language Points
4 Perhaps my bike is representative of a world
gone by the world before gimmicks and gadgets,
accessories and attachments. A time when people
thought in terms of settling into a cushioned
seat, stopping the movement with their heel and
travelling a bit slower than we are travelling
now. My bike is certainly not built for speed,
but who needs speed when I can coast along the
streets, hold my head high and deliciously feel
the wind on my face? My bike is built for taking
time. It makes people feel relaxed.
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Language Points
5 When Im riding my bike, I feel as though I
have control. And I dont feel that way about
most things these days. I dont deny that my
computer and my microwave make my life a lot
easier. I use these things, but they also make me
feel rather small and, in a strange way,
inadequate. What if I press the wrong button?
What if something goes wrong? Maybe if I learned
to understand these appliances Id feel better
more secure about my relationship with
technology. But frankly, Im not comforted by
manuals and how-to courses. Of course there are
always experts I could go to who seem to know
everything about anything. Relatives, friends,
salespeoplepeople who seem at ease with all the
latest inventions and who delight in ingenuity.
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Language Points
6 I just dont get excited over the idea of yet
another thing I could do if I pulled the right
lever or set the right program. Nervous and
unsure in the beginning, I eventually adapt to
these so-called conveniences and accept them as a
part of life, but Im not entirely convinced of
their merit. I hunger for simplicity and I have a
sneaking suspicion that many people feel the same
way. Thats why they admire my bike. It comforts
them and gives them a sense of something
manageable, not too complicated.
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Language Points
7 Im not suggesting that we all go back to a
pioneer-village attitude. But I do think its
important to respect that which is simple and
manageableno doubt difficult in a time when more
means better and new means best. Im proud that
my piece of junk makes me and others feel good.
It allows me the opportunity to relax and, when
Im heading down the road, to escape what I dont
understand.
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refers to it as speak about sb./sth. as ...
call sb. Something

• e.g.
• He always refers to his wife as the old woman.
• This kind of art is often referred to as
  minimal art (??????).

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the likes of which sth./sb. of the same kind

• e.g.
• He was a very great actor we wont see the
  likes of him again.
• You dont know what loss of employment means to
  the likes of me.

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garage sales ????(???????????????)
A garage sale in American English is a private
sale of used furniture, household appliances,
personal articles, clothing, tools, and other
items, held in the garage or other part of a
sellers home. Things that you get at garage
sales are usually very cheap and of no great
value.
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I cherish its simplicity. I appreciate its
simplicity.
Cherish is, however, different from appreciate in
that it implies a special love and care, while
appreciate often connotes understanding and
admiration.

• e.g.
• She cherishes her children above all.
• We all appreciate beautiful things.

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intrigues vt. excite interest or curiosity
?????

• e.g.
• Anything colorful intrigued the little boy.
• Throughout history, people have been intrigued
  by the question of whether there is intelligent
  life elsewhere in the universe.

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nowhere ad. not anywhere in/at/to no place

• e.g.
• My keys are nowhere to be found.
• He went nowhere yesterday.

23
conversation piece sth. that stimulates
conversation between people ?????????

• A conversation piece is an unusual object which
  causes people to start talking.
• e.g.
• Her collection of Victorian dolls provided a
  conversation piece for her guests.

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cornered get sb. into a place or situation
difficult to escape ???? ???????

• e.g.
• The police pursued and cornered the escaped
  prisoner.
• He once cornered me ( talked to me alone and
  made it difficult for me to get away from him) at
  a party and bored me to death about his difficult
  childhood.

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locking it up fasten sth. with a lock ??

• e.g.
• Although the jewels were locked up in a
  strongbox (? ??), the thieves stole them without
  any difficulty.
• Its cruel to keep the dog locked up all day.

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lure n. attraction temptation ?? vt.
attract, tempt ??,??

• e.g.
• She was attracted to Hollywood by the lure of
  the silver screen.
• I know I shouldnt eat chocolate cake when Im
  dieting, but I find it hard to resist the
  temptation.
• lure sb. away from his duty

Compare lure and temptation Lure suggests
something that always attracts and often deceives
yet does not necessarily leads one into evil or
danger, while temptation often suggests the
desire to do or have, through pleasure or gain,
something one knows one should not do or have.
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consumerism n. the consumption of goods and
services ??

• Consumerism is the state of advanced industrial
  society in which a lot of goods are bought and
  sold, or (disapproving) the state in which too
  much attention is given to buying and owning
  things.
• e.g.
• He disliked Christmas time and its rampant
  (????) consumerism.

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eyesore n. something ugly to look at

• e.g.
• They think the new library building is an eyesore.

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pedal v. ?(???) ???? n. ??     

• e.g.
• Anne pedaled (her bike) to school.
• In the cities many people now pedal around on
  bicycles instead of polluting the environment by
  using cars.
• Bicycles have two pedals, one for each foot.
• This sewing machine is operated by a foot pedal.

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genuinely ad. authentically truly

• e.g.
• Im genuinely sorry for what I said.
• These will be the first genuinely free elections
  in the country.

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fuss with concern oneself with sth.
unimportant (????)????

• e.g.
• It irritates me the way shes always fussing with
  her hair!

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gears n. set of wheels with teeth around the
edges used to control the speed of a machine or
vehicle,????

• e.g.
• A piece of gum fell onto the gears, bringing the
  machine to a halt.
• While driving up the hill, Anne shifted to a
  lower gear.

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touch a sensitive chord call up someones
feelings affect or stir someones emotions

• e.g.
• The issue of food safety touches a chord with
  almost everyone.
• The report touched a chord in the American
  people.
• The speaker had obviously struck a chord with
  his audience.

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is representative of being an example or type
of (a certain class or kind of thing) ???

• e.g.
• Are your opinions representative of all the
  workers here?
• Is a questionnaire (????) answered by 500
  people truly representative of national opinion?

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gimmick n. an unusual action, object or device
which is intended to attract attention or
publicity (????????)???,??????????

• e.g.
• I bought a gimmick that purifies (??) water
  straight from the tap.

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accessories n. (oft. pl.) an extra part which
makes sth. More effective or beautiful
?????

• e.g.
• What accessories are available on this
  automobile?
• She wore a green wool suit with matching
  accessories ( shoes, hat, bag, etc).

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attachment n. something that is fixed to
something else ???

• e.g.
• This food processor has a special attachment for
  grinding coffee.

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think in terms of give primary consideration to
sth./doing sth. emphasize sth./doing sth. in
ones thinking have sth./doing sth. as ones
priority ????(?)?? ??(?)???????

• e.g.
• You should be thinking in terms of paying off
  your debts.
• He is thinking in terms of leaving.

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cushion n. a soft pillow or pad to rest on
protection from harm, esp. from impact ????
vt. reduce the force of protect from hardship or
sudden change

• e.g.
• My rocking chair has a soft cushion.
• The three goals we scored in the first half give
  us a useful cushion against defeat.

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coast along move along or make progress without
much effort

• e.g.
• coast along on a bicycle ( ride along without
  pedaling)
• While I struggled and labored, my sister just
  coasted along with top grades in all subjects.

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deliciously ad. very pleasantly ??????

• e.g.
• As she dived into the pool, the water felt
  deliciously cool on her skin.

42
taking (ones) time use as much time as is
needed do not hurry

• e.g.
• Take your time theres no rush.
• Hes certainly taken his time in answering my
  letter.

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deny vt. 1. declare untrue refuse to accept
as true 2. refuse to give or allow

• e.g.
• The students all denied cheating on the test.
• He denied the news to be true.
• Neil denies that he broke the window, but Im
  sure he did.
• No one should be denied a good education.
• She denied her son nothing.

44
feel small feel ridiculous, ashamed or
humiliated (Also look small)

• e.g.
• Talking to him makes me feel small.
• He is always trying to make me look small in
  front of my girlfriend.

45
feel inadequate feel lack of abilities or
confidence

• e.g.
• He makes me feel totally inadequate.
• I always feel inadequate when faced by a
  difficult problem.

46
goes wrong turn out badly make a mistake ??
??

• e.g.
• If that washing machine goes wrong again, I shall
  complain to the makers.
• These shelves are very easy to put together you
  cant go wrong.

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appliance n. a machine for use in the home ????

• An appliance is a tool or machine designed for a
  particular use, especially one that utilizes an
  electric current.
• e.g.
• Refrigerators, vacuum (??) cleaners,
  washing- machines are household appliances.
• The kitchen is full of electrical appliances.

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at ease with feel confident and comfortable
with sth./sb. ??, ???

• e.g.
• The little boy is at ease with strangers.
• He was ill at ease with things he didnt
  understand.

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ingenuity n. skill and cleverness in arranging
things, solving problems, etc. ????

• e.g.
• We have electricity because of Thomas Edisons
  ingenuity.
• Annes boss praised her for her ingenuity in
  designing the unusual new product.

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lever n. ?????

• e.g.
• I pushed down on the lever to lift the rock on
  the other end.
• Push down on that red lever to start the machine.

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convenience n. the quality of being convenient
something that makes sth. easier, quicker, more
efficient, etc. ?????????

• e.g.
• I like the convenience of living so near work
  it only takes me five minutes to get there.
• Our cabin (??) in the woods had no modern
  conveniences.

52
merit n. value worth ??,??

• e.g.
• There is little merit in this plan.
• One of her great merits as a teacher is her
  ability to listen.

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hunger for want sth. very much ????

• e.g.
• My children hungered for friends.
• Its terrible to hunger for news when the
  familys letters dont arrive.

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have a sneaking suspicion an unproved and vague
feeling of suspicion
If you have a sneaking feeling about someone or
something, the feeling embarrasses you, for
example, because it is caused by the realization
that someone else was right and you were wrong,
or because it is the opposite of what you
normally feel about them.

• e.g.
• I have a sneaking suspicion that he stole my
  wallet.
• I have a sneaking feeling that shes right.
• His book leaves one with a sneaking admiration
  for his shameless commercialism.

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manageable a. easy to control or deal
with ????????

• e.g.
• This shampoo (???) makes my hair more manageable.
• The work has been divided into smaller, more
  manageable sections.

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Text-related information
pioneer-village attitude way of thinking of
early American settlers and country people who
used to have a simple, self-sufficient life
Pioneers (or settlers), the first members of a
group to settle in an area, are especially
important in the history of North America.
Pioneers often suffer great hardships and are
often responsible for forming the basic structure
of society for those who follow.
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that which is simple and manageable what is
simple and manageable

• that which what
• e.g.
• No price were too great to pay for a wrong such
  as that which he had put upon her.
• That which was strangest to the native was to see
  me eat salt with the meat.
• There I met with that which I had been looking
  for so long in vain.

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Unit 8 Exercises

• Comprehension
• Vocabulary
• Listening

The Highs of Low Technology
59
Exercises Comprehension
???? III Ex. II, p. 234
60
Exercises Comprehension
Answer the following questions
1. Why does the authors family refer to her
bicycle as that piece of junk? 2. What kinds
of comments does the bicycle attract from other
people?
Because they ride fancy mountain bikes, while she
sticks with her old, simple bicycle.
Comments that reflect affectionate curiosity
about this old style of bicycle thats familiar
to everyone but is now rarely seen.
61
Exercises Comprehension
3. Why does the author consider the motorcycle
gangs comment the best one?  4. What
tentative explanations does the author propose
for the many comments her bike attracts? 
Because its funny Motorcycle gangs are
notoriously intimidating and notoriously very
proud of their powerful engines. Its humorous
that they treat her with respect because of her
old bicycle.
That people may admire her for her resisting the
lure of mass bicycle consumerism that theyre
curious about this antique or that it reminds
people of a past time when they could relax more.
62
Exercises Comprehension
5. Why do modern appliances make the author feel
inadequate? 6. What do the authors feelings
about modern appliances have to do with her
feelings about her bike?  
Because theyre too complicated and she cant
understand them easily.
Her bicycle gives her a feeling of control and
ease that the other appliances around her
dontand her bicycle allows her to escape from
those appliances and the bad feelings they cause.
63
Exercises Comprehension
7. Why does she think its important to respect
that which is simple and manageable (Paragraph
7)?   8. What does the word highs in the
title of the text refer to?
Because she feels that simple, manageable things
help us maintain the right relationship with our
gadgets and appliances We should enjoy them, not
be intimidated by them.
It could be interpreted as advantages, but its
closer to pleasures or thrills.
64
Exercises Vocabulary
The Highs of Low Technology
65
Exercises Vocabulary
???? III Ex. III, p. 234
66
Exercises Vocabulary
III. Fill in the blanks with the words given
below. Change the form where necessary.
lure convenience merit chord
pedal intrigue nowhere appliance genuin
e cushion
1. The dormitory may not be the most comfortable
place to live, but I like the __________ of
living on campus.
convenience
2. Dont be silly if that were a __________
Tang Dynasty vase, it would be in a museum, not
on sale in a street market!
genuine
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Exercises Vocabulary
III. Fill in the blanks with the words given
below. Change the form where necessary.
lure convenience merit chord
pedal intrigue nowhere appliance genuin
e cushion
3. Most of the films on TV these days have no
real artistic __________ watching them is just a
waste of time.
merit
4. Money-making opportunities are not the only
reason people are __________ to big cities.
lured
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Exercises Vocabulary
III. Fill in the blanks with the words given
below. Change the form where necessary.
lure convenience merit chord
pedal intrigue nowhere appliance genuin
e cushion
5. The books unusual title __________ me, so I
bought it.
intrigued
6. The rain forests of Brazil are home to many
species of plant that grow __________ else.
nowhere
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Exercises Vocabulary
III. Fill in the blanks with the words given
below. Change the form where necessary.
lure convenience merit chord
pedal intrigue nowhere appliance genuin
e cushion
7. When you mail glass objects, you have to
__________ them adequately to prevent them from
breaking.
cushion
8. Instead of giving us more leisure time to
enjoy __________, like microwaves and computers
just seem to add to the pressures of modern life.
appliances
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Exercises Vocabulary
III. Fill in the blanks with the words given
below. Change the form where necessary.
lure convenience merit chord
pedal intrigue nowhere appliance genuin
e cushion
9. __________ a bicycle is an excellent way to
strengthen your leg muscles.
Pedaling
10. Her story clearly struck a __________
somewhere deep within himhe began to weep and
hurried away from the room.
chord
71
Exercises Vocabulary
???? III Ex. IV, p. 235
72
Exercises Vocabulary
IV. Rescue these sentences! Our underachieving
student tried to use an expression from the text
in each of the sentences below, but he got all
the prepositions mixed up -- and hes made other
mistakes as well. Correct all the sentences,
using expressions from the text, then put
synonyms or definitions of the corrected
expressions in the spaces provided.
73
Exercises Vocabulary
IV. Rescue these sentences!
1. Why does she always refer at her husband like
the fat boy? correct form
_______________________ synonym _______________
________ 2. I havent really convinced to the
notion that all college students are interested
in how much money they can make when they
graduate. correct form __________________
______ definition ________________________
refer to her husband as
call her husband
am not really convinced of
dont completely agree with
74
Exercises Vocabulary
IV. Rescue these sentences!
3. The results of surveys dont always represent
for the way people really think. correct
form _______________________ synonym _________
______________ 4. To think of the terms of whats
good for the environment, a bicycle is clearly
better than a car. correct form
________________________ definition
________________________
are not always representative of
dont always reflect
In terms of
From the standpoint of
75
Exercises Vocabulary
IV. Rescue these sentences!
5. Youngsters are often much more in easy by
computers than their parents are. correct
form _______________________ synonym _________
______________ 6. We all have moments when we are
in hunger of deeper understanding of the meaning
of life. correct form ___________________
_____ synonym ________________________
at ease with
comfortable with, familiar with
am not really convinced of
dont completely agree with
76
Exercises Vocabulary
IV. Rescue these sentences!
7. I dont like fussing up hair dryers and
curlers I just want a simple haircut.
correct form _______________________
definition _______________________
fussing with
complicating my life with
77
Listening Practice Conversations
???? III Part 2.2, p. 100
78
Listening Practice Conversations
Listen to the following conversation twice and
find answers to the questions about it.

• What did the woman get last week?
• Why does the woman like it very much?
• How does it help the woman to decide how much
  water to add?
• How can the woman have the right strength of
  coffee?
• What does the man offer to do?
• Why does the woman use her old machine to make
  coffee?
• What can we learn from the conversation?

Check-up
79
Listening Practice Conversations

• What did the woman get last week?
• Why does the woman like it very much?
• How does it help the woman to decide how much
  water to add?
• How can the woman have the right strength of
  coffee?

A new coffee maker.
Because its pretty high-tech.
It weighs the coffee before adding water.
It can be programmed to keep track of what she
likes.
80
Listening Practice Conversations

• What does the man offer to do?
• Why does the woman use her old machine to make
  coffee?
• What can we learn from the conversation?

To help her figure out how to enter data into the
machine.
Because she does not know how to use the new
machine.
Modern equipment is sometimes too complicated to
use.
Script
81
Listening Practice Conversations
Larry Wow, thats a nice-looking coffee maker!
Its new, isnt it? Valerie I just got it last
week. Its the latest model. Larry Im impressed
look at all those buttons and
levers! Valerie Yes, its pretty high-tech all
right! It does everything a coffee maker can
do. Larry Whats this thing for? Valerie Thats
to weigh the coffee. It weighs it and then
decides how much water to add so that I get
exactly the right strength of coffee each
time. Larry How does it know what strength you
like? Valerie I program it. See this panel here?
Thats a micro-computer that keeps track of what
kind of coffee I use, how much I use and whether
it tasted good to me.
Larry Wow. How do you enter your
data? Valerie I havent figured that out
yet. Larry Oh. What are these buttons
for? Valerie Im not sure. Larry Oh. What does
this gadget do? Valerie I dont
know. Larry Well, maybe I can help you figure it
all out. Wheres the instruction
manual? Valerie Um, actually Im not sure about
that either. But I can make us some coffee in my
old machine while we look for it.
82
(No Transcript)