2. What does Mekanika tell us in the letter ?

3. 1.Is life in the year 3044 very different from life in the 21st century? 2.What friends do people have on the Mars? 3.Do they think about the world and reality in the same way we do either? 4.What are the differences between their computer programmes and ours? Read the letter carefully, and then answer the following questions.

4. 1.Is life in the year 3044 very different from life in the 21st century? Life in the year 3044 is very different from life in the 21st century.

5. 2.What friends do people have on the Mars? They have e-friends.

6. 3.Do they think about the world and reality in the same way we do either? They do not think about the world and reality in the same way we do either.

7. We use computer programmes to imitate the real world and call it “virtual reality”.In the year 3044,they use programmes that can imitate the world and people so well that they see them, hear them,touch them,talk to them,and feel them. We use computer programmes to imitate the real world and call it “virtual reality”.In the year 3044,they use computer programmes that can imitate the world and people so well that they see them, hear them,touch them,talk to them,and feel them. 4.What are the differences between their computer programmes and ours?

8. Choose the proper words and phrases from the following to fill in the blanks. Keep sb company, imitate,absurd, have lots of fun, clean up, old-fashioned. download, more than, digital, lifelike, 1.We now have e-friends to help us and __ us ____. 2.My e-friend is a lot like me and we _______________together. keep company have lots of fun

9. 3.She can also send me messages, just like _____________ e-mail. 4.You can _________ information from the computer. 5.You use computer programmes to _______the real world. 6.This may sound ______ to you. 7.We can see ___________ just a picture. 8.I send my e-friend to _________my room. old-fashioned download imitate absurd more than clean up

10. digital lifelike 9. I have a _____ phone. 10. We see a _____ model of the person.

11. Language points: For example, we now have e-friends to help us and keep us company. 例如，我们现在有电子朋友来帮助我们并陪伴我们。 company 在此不是 “ 公司 ” ，而是 “ 伴侣；同伴；陪伴 ” 之义。 keep sb. company 陪伴某人；与某人同行 I will stay here and keep you company. 我留下来陪你。 常见搭配有 fall into company with… 偶然和 …….. 结识 in the company of 在 ……. 陪同下

12. I would like to tell you more about life in the year 3044, but I have to send my e-friend to clean up my room. would like 相当于 I want 表示 “ 我想要 ” ，但比 I want 语 气委婉，显得客气些。后面可以接不定式（即 would like to do sth. 想要做某事）或不定式的复合结构（即 would like sb. to do sth. 想要某人去做某事） 我想学医。 I would like to study medicine. 我想让他和我去看电影。 I would like him to see a film with me. Clean up “ 打扫；清扫 ” 在会议之前把房间打扫干净。 Clean the room up before the meeting begins.

13. Summar y In the “Greetings From The Future”, Mekanika first describes an e-friend. She explains what it is, what it looks like, and how people use it. Then she describes an idea, namely virtual reality. She defines virtual reality and gives an example to show both what it is and how it sometimes confuses people.