Listen and Respond
Task One Focusing on the Main Ideas
Choose the best answer to complete each of the following
statements according to the information contained in the listening passage.
1) One of the reasons for the annual increase in HIV infections is that ________.
A) people show little concern about HIV
B) no effective cure for AIDS has been found yet
C) people are unaware of the danger of HIV D) there is no way to prevent HIV from spreading
2) The first reason given for AIDS education is ________.
A) to prevent new infections from taking place
B) to help people know where HIV infections may happen C) to tell people how to protect themselves from HIV and AIDS
D) to tell people about the two processes of prevention from HIV infections
3) The second reason for AIDS education is ________. A) to curb the HIV infection
B) to ask hospitals to offer more help
C) to improve the quality of life for HIV-positive people D) to give financial aid to AIDS patients
4) The third reason for AIDS education is ________.
A) to reduce the fear of HIV and AIDS B) to bring down the death rate of AIDS C) to prevent the spread of HIV
D) to protect HIV-positive people or AIDS patients
5) The purpose of the passage is ________.
A) to explain why we should overcome the fear of AIDS B) to criticize schools for neglecting AIDS education
C) to prove that the danger of AIDS has been overstated (夸大)
D) to give the reasons for AIDS education
Task Two Zooming In on the Details
Listen to the passage again and fill in each of the blanks according to what you have heard.
1) A survey in the UK found recently that a third of teenagers thought there was a ―cure‖ for AIDS . So education is important in preventing the spread of HIV.
2) There are TWO processes to prevent new HIV infections: one is to give people information about HIV and the other is to teach people how to put this information to use and act on it practically.
3) HIV-positive people need to get medical services and drug supplies . And they also need to find appropriate emotional and practical support and help.
4) Many people fear those who are HIV-positive. Some extreme cases can be found in India , where AIDS patients were burned to death .
Read and Explore
Task One Discovering the Main Ideas
1 Answer the following questions with the information contained in Text A.
1) Why does the author describe Charles Winget and his wife in the first paragraph?
Because she intends to show that people’s bodies operate at different speeds.
2) How would behavioral scientists explain the differences between Charles Winget and his wife?
Behavioral scientists would say that such differences were caused by personal eccentricities or early conditioning.
3) What are ―circadian rhythms‖ according to Franz Halberg?
According to Franz Halberg, circadian rhythms are the regular daily patterns of our body. That is, our systems work on an approximately 25-hour cycle. Sometimes our body speeds up, and sometimes it slows down. It achieves peak efficiency for only a limited time each day.
4) How does the study of chronobiology benefit people in general?
Chronobiology tells people how to coordinate their activities with their biological capacities so that they can achieve their best with the least effort.
5) What approach has been developed to help a person recognize his body’s patterns?
Winget and his associates have developed a simple approach. It is to record 6 readings of a person’s temperature all throughout the day and put the readings on graph paper. The rising or falling patterns of the temperature can be recognized as his body’s patterns.
6) How should we arrange our mental and physical work according to the author?
Physical work can be best done when our rhythms are at their peak. In most people, this peak lasts about four hours. For mental activities, the timetable is more complicated. Precision tasks such as mathematical work are best tackled when your temperature is on the rise. For most people, this is at 8 or 9 a.m. By contrast, reading and reflection are better done between 2 and 4 p.m., which is the time when body temperature usually begins to fall.
7) What tips does chronobiology offer for effective dieting?
Eating breakfast rather than dinner helps to lose weight, because calories burn faster in the morning than in the evening.
8) What tips for sleep problems are offered in the text?
Three tips are offered. The first is that we should go to bed at the same time every night and get up at the same time every morning, even on weekends. The second is that the best way to recover from a bad night’s sleep is simply to resume your normal cycle. And the third tip is that we should beware of sleeping pills, as most sleeping pills won’t work for periods longer than two weeks and there is real danger of drug accumulation in the blood.
2 Text A can be divided into four parts with the paragraph number(s) of each part provided as follows. Write down the main idea of each part.
Part Paragraph(s) Main Idea
One 1–4 Our bodies operate with the complexity of clocks. Franz Halberg, a physician-biologist, discovered that there is a 25-hour cycle in the body with the body systems running with regular patterns. Halberg called these regular patterns ―circadian rhythms.‖
Two 5–6 Circadian principles have already been used to schedule astronauts’ work and it is expected that the work in chronobiology will be applied to increasing our efficiency in daily activities.
Three 7–17 Taking the given approach to figure out our body’s patterns, we can then take advantage of chronobiology techniques to improve our health and productivity in such aspects of life as our daily work, dieting, taking medicine and sleeping.
Four 18 It is important to keep regularity in all aspects of our life and learn to act in synchronization with our body’s natural rhythms.
Task Two Reading Between the Lines
Read the following sentences carefully and discuss in pairs what the author intends to say by the italicised parts.
1. It is barely 5 a.m., but Winget is raring to go. Meanwhile, his wife pulls up the covers and buries her face under the pillow. (Para. 1)
Early in the morning Winget wakes up and is eager to begin the day’s work while his wife still needs more sleep. That is to say, people’s body clocks run at different speeds, thus leading to different waking times.
2. Halberg’s explanation: instead of performing at a steady, unchanging rate, our systems function on an approximately 25-hour cycle. (Para. 4)
Many people believe that our systems work at the same rate all throughout the day, but it is not true.
3. Of course, individual variations make all the difference. (Para. 11)
Different people may show different patterns of temperature change, and such differences reflect differences in their circadian rhythms.
4. ―All the subjects lost weight eating breakfast,‖ states Sothern. ―Those who ate dinner either maintained or gained weight.‖ (Para. 14)
Sothern, a chronobiologist who personally did the research and whose words are to be taken seriously, emphasizes the point that for effective dieting, it’s a good choice to eat breakfast rather than dinner.
5. The best way to recover from a bad night’s sleep is simply to resume your normal cycle. (Para. 17)
The best way to recover from a bad night’s sleep is not to have more sleep in order to make up for the lost sleep, but to go on with your normal sleep-wake cycle, i.e. to go to bed at the same time every night and get up at the same time every morning, even on weekends.
Checking Your Vocabulary Word Detective
1 Put down the right word from Text B in the space provided according to the given definition. The first letter of each word is already given.
Example: election: the choosing by vote of a representative to take an official position
1) isolate: keep apart; separate from others
2) issue: produce (esp. sth. printed and / or official)
3) contract: get or begin to have (sth. bad, esp. an illness)
4) ignorance: lack of knowledge, information, or consciousness
5) broken: made discouraged or weak by misfortune, ill-health, etc.
6) segment: any of the parts into which sth. can be cut or divided
7) community: the people living together and/or united by common background, nationality, etc.
8) prejudice: (an) unfair and unreasonable opinion or feeling, esp. when formed without enough thought or knowledge
2 Fill in each blank with a word or phrase from Text B. Both the explanation and the number of the paragraph in which the target word or phrase appears are given in brackets. Be sure to use the proper form.
Example: She wanted to protect her children from the evils of the outside world.
(great wickedness or misfortune: Para. 7)
1) The two sides never agree. How can I bring their disputes to an end ? (cause sth. to finish, usu. after lasting some time: Para. 1)
2) The SARS victims have to be isolated so that they would not infect others. [(of disease) get into the body of (sb.): Para. 3]
3) The letter was full of threats and she decided to show it to the police. (an expression of an intention to hurt, punish, etc.: Para. 6)
4) By acting in this stupid way you may eventually put your whole future at risk ?
(in danger: Para. 8)
5) It is time to set aside our differences and work together for a common purpose.
(abandon or leave out of consideration: Para. 14)
6) James took the books off the little shelf to make room for the new photo frame.
(push things closer together in order to provide space for another thing: Para. 14)
7) The government is appealing to everyone to save water. (make a strong request for support, help, etc.: Para. 15)
Checking Your Comprehension
1 Answer the following questions with the information contained in Text B.
1) Why did Mary Fisher come to address the audience?
She came to break the silence that has been kept over the issue of HIV/AIDS for a long time.
2) How serious is the situation of HIV infection?
In the United States, two hundred thousand Americans are dead or dying; a million more are infected. AIDS is the third leading killer of young adult Americans today. Worldwide, 40 million, 60 million, or a hundred million infections will be counted in the coming few years.
3) Why does Fisher say that AIDS virus is not a political creature?
Because it has nothing to do with politics. It does not care whether you are a Democrat or Republican; it attacks people regardless of race, sex or age; it does not ask whether you are gay or straight.
4) Why has the AIDS virus spread so widely?
Because we have helped it spread with our ignorance, prejudice and silence.
5) Why shouldn’t AIDS patients be treated cruelly?
Because they are human. Each of them is a person. They are not evil and have not earned cruelty. They do not deserve meanness. They don’t benefit from being isolated or treated as outcasts. They long for our pity and they are worthy of our compassion and support.
6) How have Fisher’s family members reacted to her being infected with HIV?
Instead of practicing prejudice against her, they have rendered strong support to her. Her parents and her brother have shown concern for her consistently. They have always encouraged her and have helped her pull through the hardest moments in her struggle against the disease.
7) What does Mary Fisher call on her listeners to do?
She calls on the whole nation to be aware of AIDS. She calls on the HIV positive to have the courage to fight it out. She calls on the healthy people to set aside prejudice and show compassion and support for AIDS patients.
2 Read the following sentences carefully and discuss in pairs what the author intends to say by the italicised parts.
1) I have come tonight to bring our silence to an end. (Para. 1)
To act on the proposal I made, I have to break the silence myself tonight. It is time to speak out the truth about the deadly disease — AIDS.
2) Tonight, I represent an AIDS community whose members came reluctantly from every segment of American society. (Para. 5)
AIDS has become so widespread that those who have been infected come from every part of society.
3) Are you human? And this is the right question: Are you human? (Para. 7)
This question reveals the essence of the AIDS issue: Since AIDS poses a threat to humankind, every one of us, irrespective of race, age or sex, may contract HIV and become a victim of AIDS for the simplest reason that we are all human.
4) Because people with HIV have not entered some alien state of being. (Para. 7)
Because people with HIV have not turned into some strange kind of creature that is totally different from us. They are just as human as anyone else. We have no reason to practice prejudice against them.
5) Then their children, and yours, may not need to whisper it at all. (Para. 15)
Then the future generations will face the problem in an honest and frank manner. Only in this way can they deal with the disease effectively and make the world safe and free from this deadly disease.
Optional Classroom Activities
The two tables below illustrate respectively the leading causes of death worldwide in 2002 (Table 1) and the leading causes of death among 15 to 59-year-olds worldwide (Table 2) in the same year. Work in small groups and study the tables carefully, and then do the following two tasks:
1) Compare the two tables and find out in Table 2 a. What new causes of death are added?
New causes of death added in Table 2 are: suicide, violence and liver cancer.
b. What causes move up in ranking?
Causes that move up in ranking in Table 2 are: HIV / AIDS, road accidents and tuberculosis.
Suggestions for this activity:
Since students will have no difficulty in finding out the answers to the questions in Task 1, this activity should focus on Task 2. In fact, no professional knowledge is required for a fruitful discussion. Students are encouraged to share their existing knowledge and pool their ideas. If time permits, ask some students to give presentations to the whole class.
2) Discuss what might have caused the above differences.
Table 2 shows an increase in the ranking of deaths due to HIV / AIDS, tuberculosis, road accidents, suicide, violence and liver cancer among people in the 15–59 age bracket, compared to their rankings in all age groups.
Teenagers (13–19 year olds) and young people tend to be more passionate, emotional and adventurous. So they may love taking risks: breaking traffic laws, taking drugs, being loose with sexual relationships. And they may easily feel frustrated with failures in their study or relationships. Hence more deaths resulting from road accidents, violence, HIV / AIDS, and suicide.
People in their thirties and forties are generally under great pressure from their work and family burdens. The pressure may continue to be a threat to their health before they reach 60.
Enhance Your Language Awareness Words in Action
Working with Words and Expressions
1 In the boxes below are some of the words you have learned in this unit. Complete the following sentences with them. Change the form where necessary.
Text A accelerate equip familiarize guarantee monitor process resume sponsor Text B appeal contract ignorance infect isolate issue prejudice threat
1) You should familiarize yourself with the rules before you start to play the game.
2) A judge must be free from prejudice — his opinions must be fair and reasonable.
3) The police are appealing to the public for detailed information about the murderer.
4) The car that had been following ours suddenly accelerated and overtook us.
5) I won’t take his threats seriously — he often says he will punish me, but he never does.
6) Patients who are given the new drug will be asked to monitor their heartbeat, temperature and blood pressure.
7) It is the hospital’s policy to isolate any patient who is suffering from an infectious disease.
8) Clear skies are no guarantee of continued fine weather; it may rain in the evening.
9) If one child gets sick with chicken-pox (水痘), the rest of the children in the same kindergarten will be exposed to the danger of being infected .
10) His total ignorance of the subject is truly surprising. How come he knows nothing about it?
11) Having anticipated the problems I might encounter, I was well equipped to deal with the situation.
12) I often buy processed foods. They may not be so fresh, but it’s really time-saving.
13) We need to find some companies to sponsor the contest we’re going to hold because we won’t be able to cover all the expenses.
14) In the past two years, she’s stayed at home looking after her baby. She is hoping to resume her career soon.
15) The Department of Public Health has issued strict instructions that no one should enter the epidemic area (疫区) without permission.
16) He contracted such bad habits as smoking and drinking when he was fifteen, and now it is hard for him to get rid of them.
2 In the boxes below are some of the expressions you have learned in this unit. Do you know how to use them in the proper context? Now check for yourself by doing the blank-filling exercise. Change the form where necessary.
Text A at one’s best attribute … to by contrast take advantage of Text B at risk bring … to an end make room for set aside
1) It’s a fine day. You should take advantage of the good weather to paint the fence.
2) He almost failed in the math exam, but his twin brother, by contrast, did very well.
3) There are two more people coming — can you make room for them to sit down?
4) I’m tired of their endless quarrels. I wonder how I can bring their disagreement to an end .
5) The gymnast has performed poorly for the past few days. I wonder when she will be at her best ?
6) The doctors in that hospital have attributed the cause of his illness to an unknown virus.
7) The children were taken care of by their aunt because their father was violent and they were believed to be at risk .
8) I repeatedly warned him not to do it, but my warnings were never considered — they were simply set aside .
Increasing Your Word Power
1 Cross out the verb that CANNOT go together with the target word or expression in the circle.
Example: a. improve b. regain c. ruin d. raise your health
1) a. process b. apply c. establish d. follow the basic principles
2) a. detect b. fulfill c. alter d. match your body’s patterns
3) a. operate b. control c. monitor d. restrict your food intake
4) a. gain b. maintain c. lose d. subtract weight
5) a. tackle b. address c. accelerate d. identify sleep problems
6) a. suffer b. encounter c. practice d. contract gender prejudice
7) a. achieve b. enhance c. coordinate d. reduce
work efficiency
8) a. face b. exercise c. represent d. pose a threat to health
2 Study the prefix “self-”, and put down the Chinese meaning after each given word.
Prefix Meanings Examples
self- 1) by means of oneself or itself He’s self-taught.
2) of, to, with, for, or in oneself or itself a self-addressed envelope
Chinese meanings
self-centred a. 自我中心的，自私的
self-conscious a. (过于在乎别人的看法等而)忸怩的；自觉的 self-confident a. 自信的 self-evident a. 显而易见的 self-discipline n. 自律，自我约束 self-esteem n. 自尊(心)，自信 self-image n. 自我形象 self-pity n. 自怜
Now translate the Chinese given in brackets into English with words from the above list.
1) Young adolescents tend to feel very self-conscious about their appearance (非常在意自己的外表).
2) You’ll need plenty of self-discipline to fight against laziness (需要好好约束自己，与惰性斗争) if you’re going to work from home.
3) You couldn’t help admiring the self-confident way (会禁不住佩服那自信的样子) she stood up to speak to the big crowd.
4) Roland was becoming ever more self-centred (越来越自私了), paying no attention to the needs of his roommates.
5) These health risks may seem self-evident (看起来是不言而喻的), yet many people choose to disregard them.
6) Instead of burying/indulging themselves in self-pity (沉溺于自怜中), they should do something positive to improve their situation.
7) The critical newspaper reviews were a blow to his self-esteem (对他自尊心的极大打击), and he began to doubt his values.
8) Children who are bullies often have a poor self-image (自我形象差) and they try to make themselves feel better by punishing other children.
Grammar in Context
Observe the following sentences from both Text A and Text B, paying special attention to the anticipatory (先行词) “it”. Then do the following two tasks.
1) It’s a biological law of human efficiency: to achieve your best with the least effort,… (Para. 6, Text A)
2) We must break the silence, making it safe for you to reach out for compassion. (Para.12, Text B) Task 1
Examine each of the following sentences and underline the real object or subject that is replaced by it.
1) It proved difficult to reach an agreement in such a delicate situation.
to reach an agreement in such a delicate situation
2) It worries me the way he keeps changing his mind.
the way he keeps changing his mind
3) It never occurred to me that perhaps he was lying.
that perhaps he was lying
4) ―I felt it a great honor to be asked to speak here,‖ said Mr. Johnson.
to be asked to speak here
5) Do you find it pointless buying so much food when the children are all away?
buying so much food when the children are all away Task 2
Complete the following sentences, using it as an anticipatory. 1) It is disappointing (令人失望) to see so many university students indulging themselves in computer games.
2) I find it useless /pointless (我觉得没用) trying to explain to him again — He’s not interested at all.
3) It is not possible/ It is impossible (不可能) to write a book or make a film that suits every individual.
4) They kept it a secret/ kept it quiet (他们一直保密) that the President was dead.
5) It is still not clear (仍然不明朗) how far the globalization process will go. Cloze
Complete the following passage with words and phrases chosen from this unit. The initial letter of each is given.
AIDS is a terrible disease. It poses a threat (1) to all the human beings without caring whether you are black or white, male or female, gay or straight, young or old. But what is at risk (2) now is not just the people infected (3) with the disease. Human civilization itself is being threatened. This is because the whole society tolerates both ignorance of and prejudice (4) against HIV or AIDS. Once diagnosed (被诊断) as HIV-positive, the victims are isolated (5) or treated as outcasts. They are believed to have contracted (6) something evil or to have entered some alien state of being. As a result, these poor people have to shelter (7) the flickering candle of life from the cold wind of rejection by their family members. When they die of the disease, their families dare not whisper the word AIDS. They just grieve (8) silently. Thus, our prejudice and silence have helped the disease along (9). Now HIV marches firmly towards AIDS in more than a million American homes, littering its pathway (10) with the bodies of the young. To guard against the disease effectively, we must take this issue (11) seriously. People should be educated to bring (12) those negative attitudes to an end. We should not see AIDS as something evil (13) and the patients as alien. Instead, we should concern ourselves with (14) the prevention of the disease and render strong support (15) to the patients with more compassion. Only in this way can we have a better chance of winning the war against AIDS.
Translation
1 Translate the following sentences into English, using the words and expressions given in brackets.
1) 由于不了解艾滋病，以前人们称HIV感染者为―祸害‖。(ignorance; label; evil)
Owing to ignorance of AIDS, people used to label HIV infected/carriers/victims as evils.
2) 普及艾滋病知识的活动需要继续开展，这个阶段的重点放在这种病的传播途径。(contract)
The campaign of Knowing More About AIDS needs to be carried on, and for/at this stage the emphasis is put on the way (how) the disease is contracted.
3) 我们真切地向青年人呼吁：请保重身体，良好的健康将使你能最好地应对生活中的任何困难。(appeal; equip)
We appeal to the young earnestly: Take care of your health, with which you’ll be best equipped to handle any tough problems in your life.
4) 众多杰出科学家们将于本周五齐聚日内瓦(Geneva),讨论主要源于现代社会激烈竞争的诸多问题。(largely; leading)
The leading scientists will be meeting in Geneva on Friday to discuss problems largely caused by the fierce competition in modern society.
5) 他的恐高归因于童年时期一次非常痛苦的经历。他曾经被迫独自一人站在10米跳台上长达10分钟。(attribute...to...)
His fear of heights was attributed to an extremely painful experience in his childhood. He was once forced to stand alone on the 10-meter diving board for up to 10 minutes.
6) 我们相信新发布的关于改善农村医疗系统的文件必将终结农村地区缺医少药的时代终将结束。(issue; bring sth. to an end)
We believe that with the newly issued document on improving the medical system in rural areas, the era is to be brought to an end when such areas are always short of doctors and medicines.
2 Translate the following paragraph into English, using the words and expressions in the box below.
authority capacity coincide coordinate demanding efficiency familiarize interval plot at one’s best by contrast set aside
我们都想要健康，在应付各种严峻挑战时想要自己处于最佳状态。健康方面的好建议并不少。例如：均衡饮食、睡眠充足以及每周安排一些时间做运动。一门新学科—时间生物学—为我们提供了一个能取得最佳效率的新方法。这个方法就是协调我们的日常活动与自身身体能力。我们将一天中每隔四小时所测得的六个体温读数标记在坐标纸上，让自己熟悉以下信息：我的体温何时开始上升，何时体温升到最高，何时降到最低。然后，我们遵照时间生物学权威人士的指示来规划我们的日常活动。例如，体力要求最高的工作要在我们体温最高时去做。而与之不同的是，像读书和思考这样的脑力脑力劳动就要在体温下降时去做。这样，
我们实际做的事就与我们身体的自然节奏相吻合，我们就能如预期一样表现出最佳状态。
We all want to be healthy, to be at our best when handling tough challenges. There has never been a lack of good advice on health. For example, eat a balanced diet, get enough sleep, and set aside some time every week for exercise. Chronobiology, a new science, has provided us with a new approach to achieving peak efficiency. It is to coordinate our daily activities with our biological capacities. We plot on graph paper six readings of our temperature taken at fourhour intervals throughout a day, and familiarize ourselves with such information as when our body temperature begins to rise, when it reaches its peak/the highest point, and when the bottom/the lowest point appears. Then, we plan our daily activities by following the instructions given by chronobiology authorities. For instance, we tackle the most demanding physical work when our temperature is the highest. By contrast, we pursue mental activities like reading and reflection when our temperature is falling. In this way, what we actually do coincides with our body’s natural rhythms and we achieve our best as predicted.