《大学英语读写》课程教学资源（精讲四级教案）Unit 9 The Education of a Physicist.doc_大学文库

Theoretical physicists refer to those who study theoretical physics,the description of natural phenomena in mathematical form.It is impossible to separate theoretical physics from experimental physics,since a complete understanding of nature can be obtained only by the application of both theory and experiment.There are two main purposes of theoretical physics:the discovery of the fundamental laws of nature and the derivation of conclusions from these fundamental laws. Some World-famous Theoretical Physicists A.Galileo He was an Italian astronomer and physicist.The first to use a telescope to study the stars,he was an outspoken advocate of Copemicus's theory that the sun forms the English mathematician and scientist who invented differential calculus and formulated the theory of universal gravitation,a theory about the nature of light. and three laws of motion.His treatise (on gravitation was supposedly inspired by the sight of a falling apple. C.Einstein German-born American theoretical physicist whose special and general theories of relativity revolutionized modern thought on the nature of space and time and formed a theoretical base for the exploitation of atomic energy.He won a 1921 Nobel Prize for his explanation of the photoelectric(光电的)effect.. D.Hawking He is an English theoretical physicist.He studied at the University of Oxford and later received his Ph.D.from Cambridge.He has worked primarily in the field of general relativity and particularly on the physics of black holes. (3)San Francisco San Francisco lies on the northern end of a p eninsula(半岛)between the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay.It h as a population of 776,733.The Golden Gate Bridge spans the strait to the north that separates San Francisco from Marin County Founded in the 18th century by the Spanish,it came under Mexican control after Mexican independence in 1821.Occupied by U.S.forces in 1846,it grew rapidly after the discovery of gold in nearby a the 19.The sity was proinnt i the American Culurl Revolution in the an fire and a commercial.cultural,educational,and financial centre and one of the country's most cosmopolitan cities.Chinatown in San Francisco is famous world-wide. 3.Introductory Remarks What make a child decide to become a scientist?What leads some children to pursue a life of science?In this essay,Professor Michio a world-famo physicist.recalls the crucial moments and events in his childhood that set him on the path that would define his life.His story tells us a great deal about science and about life Step Two Global reading

Theoretical physicists refer to those who study theoretical physics, the description of natural phenomena in mathematical form. It is impossible to separate theoretical physics from experimental physics, since a complete understanding of nature can be obtained only by the application of both theory and experiment. There are two main purposes of theoretical physics: the discovery of the fundamental laws of nature and the derivation of conclusions from these fundamental laws. Some World-famous Theoretical Physicists A．Galileo He was an Italian astronomer and physicist. The first to use a telescope to study the stars, he was an outspoken advocate of Copernicus’s theory that the sun forms the center of the universe, which led to his persecution and imprisonment. B．Newton English mathematician and scientist who invented differential calculus（微积分） and formulated the theory of universal gravitation, a theory about the nature of light, and three laws of motion. His treatise（专著） on gravitation was supposedly inspired by the sight of a falling apple. C．Einstein German-born American theoretical physicist whose special and general theories of relativity revolutionized modern thought on the nature of space and time and formed a theoretical base for the exploitation of atomic energy. He won a 1921 Nobel Prize for his explanation of the photoelectric（光电的） effect. D．Hawking He is an English theoretical physicist. He studied at the University of Oxford and later received his Ph.D. from Cambridge. He has worked primarily in the field of general relativity and particularly on the physics of black holes. (3) San Francisco San Francisco lies on the northern end of a peninsula（半岛）between the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay. It has a population of 776,733. The Golden Gate Bridge spans the strait to the north that separates San Francisco from Marin County. Founded in the 18th century by the Spanish, it came under Mexican control after Mexican independence in 1821. Occupied by U.S. forces in 1846, it grew rapidly after the discovery of gold in nearby areas (see gold rush). San Francisco suffered extensive damage from the earthquake and fire in 1906 and from an earthquake in 1989. The city was prominent in the American Cultural Revolution in the 1960s. It is a commercial, cultural, educational, and financial centre and one of the country’s most cosmopolitan cities. Chinatown in San Francisco is famous world-wide. 3. Introductory Remarks What makes a child decide to become a scientist? What leads some children to pursue a life of science? In this essay, Professor Michio Kaku, a world-famous physicist, recalls the crucial moments and events in his childhood that set him on the path that would define his life. His story tells us a great deal about science and about life. Step Two Global reading

Give the students 10 minutes to read the text as quickly as they can,and ask them to Para1 Michio kaku recalls two crucial childhood experiences that set him on the path to be a theoretical physicist. Para.2-10 By watching carp swimming in their pond,Michio Kaku realizes that other dimer or force s might e、 xist of which we hu root of it 2.True or False Ouestions (1)When the author was a child,his parents sometimes took him to the Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco the author,the carp a ame ur vers e might be carp among the fish and that they would propose a parallel world could exist above their world. (4)To the carp,the water lilies would appear to be pushed by waves of water when raindrops fall on the pond's surface. (5)The te t indicates that there might be invisible vibrations that fill the empty space around us (6)The author imagined what would happen if he lifted one of the carp"scientists" out of the pond and then threw him back into the pond. (7)Most of the carp would be fascinated by the "scientist's"description of his joumey beyond their universe. (8)When the autho r was a child,he showed no interest in Einstein's work (9)According to the author,there might be some relationship between the carp in the pool and Einstein's unfinished work. (10)The author decided to continue Einstein's work on a theory that could explain all the laws of nature Step Three Detailed study Explain the important and difficult points in the text.including the usage of new words and phrases,structure of complex sentences and relevant grammar. 1.fascinate:yt attract or interest (sb greatly e.g.Anything about flying and airplanes fascinated the boy I am so fascinated by Shakespeare's four comedies that I have seen each of them several times. 2.Spending most of their time moving around for food on the bottom of the pond. they would be only dimly aware that an alien world could exist above the surface. (1)alien adj.1)foreign,unfamiliar,strange e.g.Entire groups were driven from their homes to alien regions 2)contrary to sth.;hateful to sb. e.g.Their ideas are quite alien to our way of thinking. Cruelty was quite alien to his nature

Give the students 10 minutes to read the text as quickly as they can, and ask them to : answer the questions on P230 1. Structure of the Text Para.1 Michio kaku recalls two crucial childhood experiences that set him on the path to be a theoretical physicist. Para. 2-10 By watching carp swimming in their pond, Michio Kaku realizes that other dimensions or forces might exist of which we humans are unaware. Para.11-14 Einstein’s “unified field theory” inspires Michio Kaku to get to the root of it. 2. True or False Questions (1) When the author was a child, his parents sometimes took him to the Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco. (2) According to the author, the carp and human beings live in the same universe. (3) The author imagined that there might be carp “scientists” among the fish and that they would propose a parallel world could exist above their world. (4) To the carp, the water lilies would appear to be pushed by waves of water when raindrops fall on the pond’s surface. (5) The text indicates that there might be invisible vibrations that fill the empty space around us. (6) The author imagined what would happen if he lifted one of the carp “scientists” out of the pond and then threw him back into the pond. (7) Most of the carp would be fascinated by the “scientist’s” description of his journey beyond their universe. (8) When the author was a child, he showed no interest in Einstein’s work. (9) According to the author, there might be some relationship between the carp in the pool and Einstein’s unfinished work. (10)The author decided to continue Einstein’s work on a theory that could explain all the laws of nature. Step Three Detailed study Explain the important and difficult points in the text, including the usage of new words and phrases, structure of complex sentences and relevant grammar. 1. fascinate: vt. attract or interest (sb.) greatly e.g. Anything about flying and airplanes fascinated the boy． I am so fascinated by Shakespeare’s four comedies that I have seen each of them several times. 2. Spending most of their time moving around for food on the bottom of the pond, they would be only dimly aware that an alien world could exist above the surface. (1) alien adj. 1) foreign; unfamiliar; strange e.g. Entire groups were driven from their homes to alien regions. 2) contrary to sth.; hateful to sb. e.g. Their ideas are quite alien to our way of thinking. Cruelty was quite alien to his nature

n.a foreigner who is not a citizen of the country where he is living:a creature from another world e.g.An Englishman is an alien in China. (2)Translate the sentence into Chinese. 他们大部分时间都在游来游去寻找池塘底上的食物，所以至多只会模糊糊地觉得水面上方可能有一个陌生的世界。 3.I was intrigued that I could sit ony a few inches from the carp,yet be separated from them by a very huge gap. (1)What does"a very huge gap refer to? It refers to wide separation of ideas or concepts between human beings and those carps living under the water. (2)Tran 我可以坐鲤贺有儿英的地方，但却被一条鸿沟与他们分隔开来，对此我深感好奇。 (3)intrigue:v. 1)arouse sh's interest or curiosity story,people have been intrigued by the question of whether there 2)make and carry out secret plans or plots to do sth.bad e.g.She was intriguing with her sister against her mother. Some of the members had been intriguing to get the secretary dismissed. 4.To a carp"scientist," he only things that were real were what the fish could see or touc What is the implied meaning ofthis sentence? Carp scientists are reluctant to explore the unknown world.They smugly refuse to admit that parallel universes could exist just beyond our grasp. 5 To them the vater lilies would appear to be moving around by themselves,without anything pushing the Why would the water lilies appear to the carp to be moving around by themselves? Since the water they lived in would appear invisible,much like the air and space around us,they would be baffled that the water lilies could move around by selves 6.Since the water they lived in woul appear invisible,much like the air and space around us.they would be baffled that the water lilies could move around by themselves (1)What is the implied meaning of this sentence? Like the arp, our niverse cons sts only the familiar and the visible (2)baffle 1)cause (sb.to be unable to understand or explain sth.:puzzle e.g.She was completely baffled by her friend's strange behavior One of the exam questions baffled me completely. 2)prevent(sb.)from doing sth.;frustrate

n. a foreigner who is not a citizen of the country where he is living; a creature from another world e.g. An Englishman is an alien in China. (2) Translate the sentence into Chinese. 他们大部分时间都在游来游去寻找池塘底上的食物，所以至多只会模糊糊地觉得水面上方可能有一个陌生的世界。 3. I was intrigued that I could sit only a few inches from the carp, yet be separated from them by a very huge gap. (1) What does “a very huge gap” refer to? It refers to wide separation of ideas or concepts between human beings and those carps living under the water. (2) Translate the sentence into Chinese. 我可以坐在距鲤鱼只有几英寸的地方，但却被一条鸿沟与他们分隔开来，对此我深感好奇。 (3) intrigue: v. 1) arouse sb.’s interest or curiosity e.g. Specialists were intrigued by a woman who writes upside-down. Throughout history, people have been intrigued by the question of whether there are alien life forms. 2) make and carry out secret plans or plots to do sth. bad e.g. She was intriguing with her sister against her mother. Some of the members had been intriguing to get the secretary dismissed. 4. To a carp “scientist,” the only things that were real were what the fish could see or touch. What is the implied meaning of this sentence? Carp scientists are reluctant to explore the unknown world. They smugly refuse to admit that parallel universes could exist just beyond our grasp. 5. To them, the water lilies would appear to be moving around by themselves, without anything pushing them. Why would the water lilies appear to the carp to be moving around by themselves? Since the water they lived in would appear invisible, much like the air and space around us, they would be baffled that the water lilies could move around by themselves. 6. Since the water they lived in would appear invisible, much like the air and space around us, they would be baffled that the water lilies could move around by themselves. (1) What is the implied meaning of this sentence? Like the carp, our universe consists of only the familiar and the visible. (2) baffle: vt. 1) cause (sb.) to be unable to understand or explain sth.; puzzle e.g. She was completely baffled by her friend’s strange behavior. One of the exam questions baffled me completely. 2) prevent (sb.) from doing sth.; frustrate

e.g.Betty was baffled by her lack of success in her job search. 7. Unable to comprehend at there could be waves on the unseen surface.they would conclude that lilies could move without being touched because a mysterious invisible entity called a force acted between them. Translate the sentence into Chinese. 他们无法理解在看不见的水面上会有波浪，于是断定，睡莲之所以能在没有外物触碰的情况下移动是因为有一种叫做力的看不见的神秘实体在它们之间起着作用。 8.wit:n. 1)quick understanding:intelligence e.g.He hadn't the wit enough to realize the danger Afall into the pit.gin i your wit. 2)clever and humorous expression of ideas,liveliness of spirit e.g.Jane Austen has a literary style full of elegance and wit. His writings sparkle with wit. 9.This story,of course,of a journey beyond the universe would be so fantastic that most of the would dismiss it as utter nonsens (1)Paraphrase this sentence. The experience of the carp scientist is so absurd that most of the carp smugly refuse to admit that parallel universes can exist beyond their universe. (2)dismiss:vt. 1)remove sb.froma position The officer was dismissed from the service for neglect of duty. 2)send sb.away:allow sb.to go e.g.The landlady dismissed the servant from her presence. The teacher dismissed his class when the bell rang. 3)p叫 away fro m the mind:sto op think ing or talking ab e.g.She was dismissed as a dreamer He dismissed the idea as impossible. 10.However,being a child,I didn't understand that perhaps there was a link between the carp swimming in the Tea Garden and the unfinished papers lying on Einstein's desk What is the link between the carp and Einstein's unfinished papers? The unfinished papers on Einstein's desk were an attempt to construct a single theory that could explain all the laws of nature,including the world of the carp. 11.Nevertheless.I could see that this story was far more exciting than any murder mystery and more important than anything I could ever imagine. Translate the 但是我懂得这个故事比何凶杀疑案作品都惊心动魄得多，比任何我能想像的事物都重要 12.I decided that I would try to get to the root of this mystery,even if I had to become a theoretical physicist to do it

e.g. Betty was baffled by her lack of success in her job search. The scene baffled all description. 7. Unable to comprehend that there could be waves on the unseen surface, they would conclude that lilies could move without being touched because a mysterious invisible entity called a force acted between them. Translate the sentence into Chinese. 他们无法理解在看不见的水面上会有波浪，于是断定，睡莲之所以能在没有外物触碰的情况下移动是因为有一种叫做力的看不见的神秘实体在它们之间起着作用。 8. wit: n. 1) quick understanding; intelligence e.g. He hadn’t the wit enough to realize the danger. A fall into the pit, a gain in your wit. 2) clever and humorous expression of ideas; liveliness of spirit e.g. Jane Austen has a literary style full of elegance and wit. His writings sparkle with wit. 9. This story, of course, of a journey beyond the universe would be so fantastic that most of the carp would dismiss it as utter nonsense. (1)Paraphrase this sentence. The experience of the carp scientist is so absurd that most of the carp smugly refuse to admit that parallel universes can exist beyond their universe. (2) dismiss: vt. 1) remove sb. from a position e.g. The servant was dismissed for being lazy and dishonest. The officer was dismissed from the service for neglect of duty. 2) send sb. away; allow sb. to go e.g. The landlady dismissed the servant from her presence. The teacher dismissed his class when the bell rang. 3) put away from the mind; stop thinking or talking about e.g. She was dismissed as a dreamer. He dismissed the idea as impossible. 10. However, being a child, I didn’t understand that perhaps there was a link between the carp swimming in the Tea Garden and the unfinished papers lying on Einstein’s desk. What is the link between the carp and Einstein’s unfinished papers? The unfinished papers on Einstein’s desk were an attempt to construct a single theory that could explain all the laws of nature, including the world of the carp. 11. Nevertheless, I could see that this story was far more exciting than any murder mystery and more important than anything I could ever imagine. Translate the sentence into Chinese. 但是，我懂得这个故事比任何凶杀疑案作品都惊心动魄得多，比任何我能想像的事物都重要。 12. I decided that I would try to get to the root of this mystery, even if I had to become a theoretical physicist to do it

(1)What does"this mystery"refer to? (2 /strike at the root(s)of sth discover the source of sth.(usually problematic or unpleasant)and tackle it there e.g.What you said is true,but it does not quite seem to get to the root of things. Let's try to get to the root of the problems we're facing now IV.Su 1a 1.Main idea of the text How does a small child go from watching brightly colored carp swimming among water lilies to being a theoretical physicist(沉醉于字宙法则研究) In this essay,Michio Kaku recalls two crucial childhood experiences that(决定了他的职业选择) oung Kaku spent hour swatching carp swimming in their pond.He understood that,limited by their small world,and(对人类的无知) carp can't imagine life outside water.or无鳍游动) Nor can they know that when their water lilies move,it's because of(外面的风雨) Kaku realized that we human in ou world might be like the carp in theirs: othe dimensions or forces might exist of which we are unaware Meanwhile. Kaku learned that a great scientist had died before completing his greatest discovery. This(激励) him to learn all he could about Albert Einstein.He discovered Einstein was trying to construct a single theory that could xplain al(自然法则) from the tiniest atom(到最大的星 Kaku believed that though h imans cannot or touch it,.(统场论) is what links the carp's world with his boyhood one,and both with what lies beyond in the universe.This mystery amazed him more than anything else,and he was determined to(查明其中根源) That's how his life as a physicist took off. 2.Words and Expressions V.Homework 1.Memorize the new words and phrases in the text 2.Do exercises on p231-240 3.Leam the text in"Reading Activity"by yourself. 4 Write the osition in Guided Writing on p247 VI.References I.College English Intensive Reading 4.LinYinhua(ed )Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press 2006 2 College English Intensive reading 4 (Teacher's Book)Zhang Zengiian(ed Shanghai fore eign Lang age Education Press. 2006 3.Oxford Advar eamer's English-Chinese Dictionary (6th edition)Oxford university pres &The Commercial Press,200 4.大学英语语法.薄冰主编。山西：山西教育出版社，2006 5.大学英语实用语法讲解与练习.任福洪等主编.北京：国防工业出版社，2004. 6.实用英语语法.张道真.北京：外语教育与研究出版社.2002

（1）What does “this mystery” refer to ? It refers to the unified field theory that could explain all the laws of nature. （2）get to / get at / strike at the root(s) of sth. : discover the source of sth. (usually problematic or unpleasant) and tackle it there e.g. What you said is true, but it does not quite seem to get to the root of things. Let’s try to get to the root of the problems we’re facing now IV. Summary 1. Main idea of the text How does a small child go from watching brightly colored carp swimming among water lilies to being a theoretical physicist ( 沉醉于宇宙法则研究)_________________________? In this essay, Michio Kaku recalls two crucial childhood experiences that ( 决定了他的职业选择)___________________ .The young Kaku spent hours watching carp swimming in their pond. He understood that , limited by their small world , and ( 对人类的无知)______________________, carp can’t imagine life outside water , or (无鳍游动)________________. Nor can they know that when their water lilies move, it’s because of (外面的风雨)____________________. Kaku realized that we humans in our world might be like the carp in theirs: other dimensions or forces might exist of which we are unaware. Meanwhile, Kaku learned that a great scientist had died before completing his greatest discovery. This (激励 )___________him to learn all he could about Albert Einstein. He discovered Einstein was trying to construct a single theory that could explain all (自然法则) __________________from the tiniest atom, (到最大的星系)_______________ . Kaku believed that though humans cannot see or touch it,（统一场论）_______________________is what links the carp’s world with his boyhood one, and both with what lies beyond in the universe. This mystery amazed him more than anything else, and he was determined to （查明其中根源） __________________ . That’s how his life as a physicist took off． 2. Words and Expressions V. Homework 1. Memorize the new words and phrases in the text. 2. Do exercises on p231-240 3. Learn the text in “Reading Activity” by yourself. 4. Write the composition in Guided Writing on p 247 VI．References 1. College English Intensive Reading 4, LinYinhua(ed.), Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press, 2006. 2. College English Intensive Reading 4, (Teacher’s Book), Zhang Zengjian(ed.), Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press, 2006. 3. Oxford Advanced Learner’s English-Chinese Dictionary（6th edition）, Oxford university press﹠The Commercial Press, 2004. 4. 大学英语语法. 薄冰主编. 山西：山西教育出版社，2006. 5. 大学英语实用语法讲解与练习. 任福洪等主编. 北京：国防工业出版社，2004. 6.实用英语语法. 张道真.北京：外语教育与研究出版社. 2002