Learning objectives:

After reading, students are expected to gain some information about the history, the current situation and the future improvement of video and sound devices. Meanwhile, students will improve their reading skills by the headlines.

Learning procedures:

Step 1 Pre-reading

Please match the words with their proper meanings.

1. evolution　 A. not do sth. until a later time

2. construct   B. to make a clock work by turning a handle, etc. several times

3. delay      C. the slow development of plants, animals for a long time

4. wind      D. at the end of a period of time

5. eventually   E. to build or make sth. such as a road, building, etc.

6. foresee   F. to give things to a large number of people

7. sceptical   G. having doubts whether a statement is true or sth. will happen

8. distribute   H. to think sth. is going to happen in the future, to know about sth. before it happens

Step 2 While-reading

1. Fast­reading

First look at the title and skim the headings and the first sentence of each section and then finish the following exercises.

1). What's the main idea of the text?

The text is mainly about the development of ________________________.

2). How is the text organized?

A. By examples. B. By time. C. By space.    D. By comparison.

2. Careful­reading

(Ⅰ) Choose the best answers according to the text.

1). Who made important breakthroughs in the development of TV in the late 1920s and early 1930s?

A. John Logie Baird.     B. Philo Farnsworth.

C. Thomas Edison.    D. Emile Berliner.

2). Satellites were used to broadcast TV beginning ________.

A. in 1967   B. in 1962 C. in 1951    D. in 1938

3). Satellite TV has the following advantages EXCEPT ________.

A. satellites allow TV to be broadcast live over vast distances

B. with satellite TV everyone can receive the same broadcast at the same time

C. satellites can also make TV accessible to people who live far away from cities

D. all the people can benefit from satellite TV

4). According to the text, the following statements are true EXCEPT ________.

A. in 1928, the first long­distance TV broadcast was made between the UK and the USA

B. regular public broadcasting first began on 11 May 1928 in New York.

C. the colour TV programme was broadcast immediately the first colour TV was made

D. most early TV broadcasts were made using a system developed by John Logie Baird in the UK

5). Which statement is WRONG according to the text?

A. It was not until the early 1940s that most tape recorders began using plastic tape as they do today.

B. Emile Berliner invented the modern record player.

C. The first tape recorders used to copy sound were made in Germany in 1928.

D. Thomas Edison made the first record player.

3. Summary

The first public TV broadcasts were made in the USA in 1925. Many different people 1.______________ to the development of TV. In 1928, John Logie Baird constructed the first colour TV, but it was not until 1938 that the first colour TV programme was 2. ______________. Most people have 3. ______________ from satellite TV since satellites were used to broadcast TV in 1962. Satellites 4. ______________ everyone to receive the same broadcast at the same time. The history of sound recorders began in 1877, 5. ______________ Thomas Edison made the first recording of a human voice on his 6. ______________, the record player. It had to be 7. ______________ up by hand and only played records two minutes long. By the late 1960s, portable cassette players were 8. ______________, along with video recorders. With the development of 9. ______________ technology, sound and video can now be stored on a PC, on the Internet, or using some form of portable 10. ______________.

Exercises:

Ⅰ. 阅读理解

From self­driving cars to carebots (care＋robots) for elderly people, rapid development in technology has long represented a possible threat to many jobs normally performed by people. But experts now believe that almost 50 percent of occupations existing today will be completely unnecessary by 2025 as artificial intelligence continues to change businesses.

“The next fifteen years will see a revolution in how we work, and a revolution will necessarily take place in how we plan and think about workplaces,” said Peter Andrew，Director of Workplace Strategy for CBRE Asia Pacific.

A growing number of jobs in the future will require creative intelligence, social skills and the ability to use artificial intelligence.

The report—Fast Forward 2030: The Future of Work and the Workplace—is based on interviews with 200 experts, business leaders and young people from Asia Pacific, Europe and North America. It shows that in the US technology already destroys more jobs than it creates.

But the report states: “Losing occupations does not necessarily mean losing jobs—just changing what people do.” Growth in new jobs could occur as much，according to the research.

“The growth of 20 to 40 person companies that have the speed and technological know—how will directly challenge big companies,” it states.

A 2014 report by Pew Research found 52 percent of experts in artificial intelligence and robotics were optimistic about the future and believed there would still be enough jobs in the next few years. The optimists pictured “a future in which robots do not take the place of more jobs than they create,” according to Aaron Smith, the report's co­author.

“Technology will continue to affect jobs, but more jobs seem likely to be created. Although there have always been unemployed people, when we reached a few hundred billion people there were billions of jobs. There is no shortage of things that need to be done and that will not change,” Microsoft's Jonathan Grudin told researchers.

1. According to the report,         .

A. people won't necessarily lose jobs  B. big companies will face fewer challenges

C. small companies will win against big companies

D. most people will become interested in technology

2. We can infer from the text that in the future        .

A. people will face many difficulties  B. people will take up more creative jobs

C. artificial intelligence will threaten people's lives

D. most jobs will be done in traditional workplaces

3. What is the attitude of most experts in artificial intelligence and robotics to the future?

A. Mixed.　        B. Worried.          C. Hopeful.        D. Doubtful.

4. Jonathan Grudin's words in the last paragraph suggest that        ．

A. there will be enough jobs for people B. things will change a lot in a few years

C. many people will become unemployed D. technology will totally change future jobs

Ⅱ. 阅读七选五

Five ways to improve creativity

Creativity is the ability to go beyond traditionally rules，ideas or relationships and create something new through imagination or progressiveness. There are many ways to improve your creative mind.

Exercise the mind.

Exercising your mind is an ideal way to boost creativity. Like the body，the mind needs exercise to work the creative muscles and make them stronger. Exercise your brain by learning new subjects, getting into a debate about politics and talking to other creative and intelligent people.  1  

Be Passionate.

One aspect of creativity is passion.  2   Find you internal motivation and follow your passion to improve your creativity.

Change your routine.

  3   To boost your creativity, consider changing one to two elements of your daily routine. If you are working on a certain project, consider stopping one project to work on another project at regular interval throughout the day or week.

Read.

While reading provides many intellectual benefits, reading is also beneficial for boosting creativity, exercising your brain and provide creative inspiration.  4   Consider reading about subjects that were previously uninteresting to you. This change in the norm might spark your creative interest.

  5  

Our packed schedules have no room for creative thinking. Take a certain amount of time every day to quiet, refresh and clear the mind while relaxing the body. This quiet time can consist of a yoga workout, meditation or simply sitting still in a dark and quiet room, in a peaceful garden or on a beautiful beach.

A. Schedule quiet time.

B. It can become weak due to stresses.

C. Creativity is a natural quality.

D. Often, creativity is blocked due to a too­familiar routine.

E. These activities will encourage a flow of creativity.

F. Read as much as possible about several different subjects.

G. Typically, students will do well in subjects they are interested in.

Ⅲ. 语法填空

In the middle of April，if you walk through Jinghong, 1.________ capital of Xishuangbanna region in Yunnan Province, 2.________ (chance) are that you'll get very, very wet. The Dai people will be celebrating their water­splashing(泼水) festival from April 15 to 17, marking the new year for the Dai ethnic minority.

Lonely Planet, one of the world's 3.________ (large) travel brands, has described what happens. People race around the streets of Jinghong and the surrounding villages, soaking(浸透) every person 4.________ sight with buckets of water.5.________ (tradition), water would be collected and poured only on family members as a symbolic way 6.________ (ensure) good luck in the coming year. Dai people believe that the wetter you get，the luckier you will be.

Although water 7.________ (play) a vital role in the celebration，there is much more to the festival，especially during the first two days 8.________ water splashing is comparatively kept under control, according to Lonely Planet. People wear their best clothes，while older women in nearby villages 9.________ (dress) in traditional outfits(服装). They gather with their families and visit Dai temples. There, they wash the statues of Buddha(佛陀) with water, a practice 10.________ (know) as “Bathing the Buddha”.