课标人教实验版 高二 Module 7 Unit 2

Listening and reading task

Listening on Page 54 RobotWhat is the robot? What can the robot do? 1 Vacuum cleaner It can move from room to room cleaning your house. You can program it so that it cleans when you're away and you can control what it's doing from your computer at the office.

RobotWhat is The robot? What can the robot do? 2 Personal robot called "PaPeRo" It understands 650 phrases, speaks more than 3,000. It can recognize different people. It can check your and change the TV channel. It can help children do research on the Internet for their homework, talk to them about their day at school, play games, and even dance with them.

RobotWhat is the robot? What can the robot do? 3 Tiny helicopter It will be used to fly into dangerous areas. For example, it could fly into a house that's been destroyed by an earthquake and check if anyone's inside.

RobotWhat is the robot? What can the robot do? 4 Walking chair It helps people who can't walk to go up and down stairs.

LISTENING TEXT THE WORLD OF ROBOTS Listen to radio presenter, Alan Dobson (AD), talking to science news reporter, Emma Woods (EW), about robots in today’s world.

AD: Now it’s time for our weekly chat with science news reporter, Emma Woods. Hi Emma. EW: Hi Alan. AD: So, what do you have for us today, Emma?

EW: Well, Alan, I thought we’d have a quick look at the world of robots. Often when you talk about robots, people think of science fiction stories; they don’t’ think of robots as part of today’s world. AD: Yes, I’d agree with that.

EW: Well, we actually already use robots in many industrial but now they’re also being developed for use around the house. Let me tell you about a couple. There’s now a very clever vacuum cleaner that can move from room to room cleaning your house by itself.

You can program it so that it cleans when you’re away and you can control what it’s doing from your computer at the office. AD: I wonder whether it does a good job, but I want one anyway! EW: Well, Alan, you’d probably also want a PaPeRo.

AD: A what? EW: A PaPeRo – it’s an egg-shaped personal robot that you can talk to … AD: You’re kidding. You man it can understand you?

EW: That’s right. I’ve read that it understands 650 phrases and speaks more than 3,000. And it can recognize different people. AD: That’s amazing! So, what can it do?

EW: Well, it can check your and change the TV channel. It can help children do research on the Internet for their homework, talk to them about their day at school, play games, and even dance with them.

AD: Unbelievable! Now, let’s move on to other types of robots. You also found out about a tiny robot helicopter, didn’t you? EW: That’s right, Alan. This wonderful little robot weighs less than 9 grams and has a camera that works as an eye.

The creators believe that in the near future it’ll be used to fly into dangerous areas. For example, it could fly into a house that’s been destroyed by an earthquake and check if anyone’s inside. AD: So it could save a lot of people’s lives.

EW: Yes, and, recently, a walking chair’s been developed that the makers believe will help people who can’t walk to go up and down stairs. AD: Well, Emma, thanks so much for telling us a little bit about the exciting world of robots. Now what’re you going to talk about next week?

Reading task

Three decades of war in Cambodia have left scars in many forms throughout the country. Unfortunately, one of the most lasting legacies of the conflicts continues to claim new victims daily. Read this piece of news about landmines.

In most cases, even the soldiers who planted the mines did not record where they were placed. Now, Cambodia has one of the highest rates of physical disability of any countries in the world.

At the current rate of progress, it may take as many as 100 years to clear all the mines in Cambodia, and the UN estimates that with current technology, it will take nearly 1,100 years to clear all the mines in the world.

This is the situation in Cambodia.

Here and there are the mine signs.

In spite of so many warning signs, there are still many victims.

Robots in the fight against landmines.

Fast reading 1. Which part of the text tells you what the main topic of the article is? What is the main topic? 2. Who wrote the article? 3. What do the three pictures show you?

4. Where is research being done on robots that can find landmines? 5. In which two countries might the robots be used?

Careful reading 1. What are the three reasons why landmines are particularly terrible? Landmines kill or badly injure around 26,000 people every year. What is worse is that they keep causing damage for decades after

war ended. There are about 100 million landmines just beneath the surface of the ground in 60 countries. Removing them is very slow and dangerous work that must be done by hand.

2. How are most landmines removed today? By Hand. Someone has to use a mental detector to find the mine. Then he or she has to dig the mine out without setting it off.

3. Why is this method so dangerous? Because the mental detector does not find new types of mine covered in plastic.

4. What are some of the advantages of using the insect-like robot to remove landmines? As well as being much safer than finding mines by hand, the insect robot is also much faster.

5. What is the robot able to do? It walks on six legs and when it finds a mine, it marks the spot with paint and sends data to a computer which can then map the mines.

6. Why is Chiba University trying to develop a robot that can use radar? The goal is for the computer to use the data it receives to determine not only whether an object is a piece of mental or a mine but also what type of mine it is.

7. What was the result of many countries fighting against the use of landmines? In 1997, 122 countries signed an agreement in Ottawa, Canada, to stop the manufacture and use of landmines.

8. Which sentence does the writer use to emphasize the need to find solutions quickly to removing landmines? Perhaps robotics will provide a solution, but as every 20 minutes goes by, one more person is killed or badly injured.

Discussion Write a letter of suggestion to Bush---the president of the US, for the US hasn’t yet committed to the Mine Ban Treaty.

Material Producing one landmine costs $3, yet once in the ground it can cost more than $1,000 to find and destroy, according to the ICBL. Over 80 per cent of the 15,000 to 20,000 landmine victims each year are civilians, and at least one in five

are children, according to the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL). The deadly legacy of landmines far outlasts the conflicts that that gave rise to them. Among the most contaminated countries are Iraq, Cambodia, Afghanistan, Colombia, and Angola.

Homework Finish writing the letter to President Bush.

A sample: Sun Cheng China 28 March Dear Mr. President, I read in the newspaper that the US hasn’t yet committed to the Mine

Ban Treaty. I’m writing to suggest your country sign on the agreement. 1. Landmines kill or badly injure around 26,000 people every year. There are about 100 million landmines buried just beneath the surface of the ground in 60

countries. Among the most contaminated countries are Iraq, Cambodia, Afghanistan, Colombia, and Angola. Ｉ think this is one reason why people in these countries hate the US so much. 2. Producing one landmine costs

$3, yet once in the ground it can cost more than $1,000 to find and destroy, according to the ICBL. So stop manufacturing landmines and spend more money on finding solutions to clearing the landmines. As you know, your

country has designed the most advanced robots. Why not use your advanced technology and spend more money on designing some robots to clear the landmines. If so, it will benefit the whole world. People all over the world will think highly of you and your country.

You and your country will become more influential. Japan has set a good example. They have developed robots that can be used to clear landmines. I hope your government will follow Japan’s example. Thank you for reading the letter. I hope you will consider my

suggestions. I believe you also hope the whole world will enjoy peace. Let’s work together and make a peaceful world. Yours sincerely, Sun Cheng