1、Unit Four Information Technology,Lead-in Text A: Silicon Valley Visionary Who Put Apple on Top Text B: Nokia at the Crossroads: Blazing Platforms,Lead-in,Lead-in,Are you using a smart phone, such as the iPhone or the Samsung Galaxy?What applications do you use most often?Do you think the using of sm
2、art phone has changed your life style?,Lead-in,Discussion:What are the pros and cons of using smart phones?,Text A Silicon Valley Visionary Who Put Apple on Top,Structural Analysis,Part I Questions about Part I,Q1. Why had the comeback of Steve Jobs stirred up such an excitement? This was not the fi
3、rst time of comeback for him to Apple. Little more than a decade earlier, he made his first comeback and turned Apple from going bankruptcy to an enormous successful company. Therefore his recovery and comeback were highly anticipated.,both Mr. Jobs career and Apple,were widely considered washed up,
4、 their relevance to the future of technology written off both in Silicon Valley and on Wall street. (Line 4, Para. 2)Both his career and the company he founded were widely considered to have come to an end, and he would have nothing to do with high-tech in the future in the eyes of silicon valley en
5、trepreneurs and the Wall Street investors.,Part I Sentence Interpretation,the level of anticipation whipped up in advance of the January event was unusual . (Line 1, Para. 3)The level of excitement for expecting his return was extraordinary, which had already become heated before he stepped onto the
6、 stage in January.,Part I Sentence Interpretation,cap (Line 2, Para.1) v. lie at the top of example: He capped his friends story with an even more exciting one. She capped her rage when she heard her husbands cheating on her.,Part I Words and Expressions,sideline (Line 1, Para.2)v. remove from the c
7、enter of activity or attention 使靠边，使降格，不重视 example: He was under pressure to resign and was about to be sidelined What they fear is that environment policy will be sidelined until it is too late.,Part I Words and Expressions,emaciated (line. 2, para.2)adj. extremely thin and weak because of illness
8、or lack of food 骨瘦如柴的example: .horrific television pictures of emaciated prisoners. The animals had lost weight noticeably, becoming lean, almost emaciated.,Part I Words and Expressions,wash up (Line 5, Para.2)wear out completely 耗尽，结束example: I hardly believe the fact that their relationship has be
9、en washed up.,Part I Words and Expressions,write off (Line 6, Para.2)to decide something is unimportant or useless and they are not worth further serious attention 摒弃example: He is fed up with people writing him off because of his age. His critics write him off as too cautious to succeed.,Part I Wor
10、ds and Expressions,whip up (Line 2, Para 3)deliberately cause and encourage people to feel a certain emotion 煽动, 激起example: to whip up enthusiasm He accused politicians of whipping up anti-foreign sentiments in order to win right-wing votes.,Part I Words and Expressions,Q1. In many critics eyes, wha
11、t special talent did Steven Jobs have (Para. 4)?He has the ability to turn technologies into perfect products and convince people to buy IT gadgets that they even have no idea they needed.,Part II Questions about Part II,Q2. How did Apple now rule its new kingdom? (Para. 10-11)By deciding which apps
12、 are available in its online store, and setting the rules for how those apps are developed, Apple now ruled its new kingdom.,Part II Questions about Part II,A rebuttal of Francis Scott Fitzgeralds much-quoted aphorism that there are no second acts in American life does not come more decisively than
13、this. (Line 1, Para. 6)Famous writer F.S Fitzgerald once said there are no second acts in American life and it was agreed by many people. However, the life experience of Steve Jobs is a perfect example to show that the statement is not true.,Part II Sentence Interpretation, his formative role in pop
14、ularizing the personal computer, and Apples initial pubic offering on Wall Street made him the tech industrys first rock star. (Line 4, Para. 6)his pioneering role at the beginning stage of personal computer industry, and the companys listing in the stock marketmade him a big iconic figure in the te
15、ch industry.,Part II Sentence Interpretation,he has secured his place in the foremost ranks of the West Coast tech titans . (Line 1, Para. 7)Undoubtedly, he is regarded as one of the leading figures of West Coast IT giants ,Part II Sentence Interpretation,of all the fingers that Apple has poked into
16、 Microsofts eyes over the years, none can have rankled as much as the early success of the iPad. (Line 1, Para. 8)Of all the challenges that Apple has raised against Microsoft and of all the successes that Apple enjoyed during the competition with Microsoft, the early success of the iPad is the bitt
17、erest for Microsoft to accept.,Part II Sentence Interpretation,His ability to get consumers to line up for products conjured from nothing paying premium prices, and in uncertain economic times draws accolades even from rivals. (Line 3, Para. 12)He has an ability to get consumers to queue in lines, t
18、o pay higher prices even at times of economic uncertainty, just for want of the Apple products. Such ability has won praise for him even from his rivals.,Part II Sentence Interpretation,disparagingly (Para. 4)adv. in a disparaging manner 轻蔑地, 蔑视地 disparagingadj. expressive of low opinionexample: He
19、was critical of the people, disparaging of their crude manners. disparaging remarks about the new house,Part II Words and Expressions,rebuttal (Para. 6) n. a statement that gives reason why an accusation or a charge against you is untrue 辩驳，反驳 example: He is conducting a point-by-point rebuttal of c
20、harges from former colleagues.,Part II Words and Expressions,exert greater sway (Para. 7) have a greater influence on 有更大的影响力 example: Developed countries exert greater sway over the issues of maintaining world peace.,Part II Words and Expressions,rankle (Para. 8) v. make resentful or angry because
21、you think it was unfair or wrong 令人愤怒example: The injustice rankled her. The insult that his sister hurled at him still rankled in his mind.,Part II Words and Expressions,digerati (Para. 10) n. people who earn large amount of money through internet-related business 电子商务精英，计算机行家 example: With blogger
22、s, developers and other members of the digerati looking for more, this new technology can help take it to the next level.,Part II Words and Expressions,conjure (Para. 12) v. If you conjure sth. out of nothing, you seem to make it appear by magic 变魔术般创造出 example: I cant simply conjure up the money ou
23、t of thin air. Jean can conjure up a good meal in half an hour.,Part II Words and Expressions,Q1. What kind of spiritual beliefs exerted a heavy influence on Steve Jobs? (Para.15)?His spiritual training of Zen Buddhism has played an important role in his life.,Part III Questions about Part III,There
24、 was little in Mr. Jobs beginnings that gave a hint of what was to come. (Line 1, Para. 14)From Mr. Jobs early life we couldnt find much sign or indication of his later success.,Part III Sentence Interpretation,Mr. Jobs spiritual aspirations left him with little use for either shoes or soap for long
25、 periodsto the distress of co-workers. (Line 2, Para. 15)Because of his spiritual beliefs, for a long time, he seldom wore shoes or took a showerit was quite a distress to his co-workers.,Part III Sentence Interpretation,fledgling (Line 5, Para. 14) adj. young and inexperiencedexample: .the sound pr
26、actical advice he gave to fledgling writers. He was chosen in 1996, beginning his training for Chinas fledgling space program.,Part III Words and Expressions,eschew (Line 6, Para. 15) v. deliberately avoid doing sth or becoming involved in sth. 避免，回避 example: A civilized leader must eschew violence.
27、 Eschew fattening foods if you want to lose weight.,Part III Words and Expressions,floundering (Line 4, Para. 16) adj. if something is floundering, it has many problems and may soon fail completely 陷入困境 example: The economy was floundering. Men and horses were floundering in the deep snow beside the
28、 road.,Part III Words and Expressions,Q1. What are the qualities of Steve Jobs that enabled him to achieve such a tremendous success (Para. 17-26)?Never stopping pushing forward, he was brave, courageous and obsessive to details. He was also a perfectionist. Later his style changed a little, and he
29、had become more pragmatic and learnt to compromise when necessary.,Part IV Questions about Part IV,Those who have labored under him describe him as a stern taskmaster who understands the art of the possible, rather than a long-range visionary. (Line 2, Para. 17)Those who have worked under him descri
30、be him as a strict task master who knows what is possible to achieve at the moment, not someone who always focuses on the future.,Part IV Sentence Interpretation,A lieutenant who left this year describes how the Apple boss can become more fixated in finding flaws in an icon on a screen than in the p
31、rogram it represents. (Line 1, Para. 20)An assisting staff who left this year said that Steve sometimes would put more emphasis on finding flaws of the design of an icon than the program it represents.,Part IV Sentence Interpretation, but the greater sense of expediency reflects Apples new place in
32、the world. (Line 1, Para. 23), but becoming more pragmatic and choosing to do what is more convenient rather than what is believed to be right reflects Apples new approach in operation as its place in the business world changed.,Part IV Sentence Interpretation, though the reversal also seemed calcul
33、ated to appease developers who might otherwise turn more attention to creating apps for phones running Googles software. (Line 4, Para. 26), though the removal of the requirement seemed carefully planned so as to gain good will of software developers who might otherwise turn to create apps for other
34、 phone companies.,Part IV Sentence Interpretation,culmination (line 1, para. 17) n. something, especially something important, of an activity, process, or series of events, happens at the end of it 结局，高潮，顶点 example: The show marked the culmination of months of hard work. The reforms marked the succe
35、ssful culmination of a long campaign.,Part IV Words and Expressions,call the shots (Line 1, Para. 19)to give orders or to be in charge 操纵，掌握，发号施令 example: Typically, a single company cannot call the shots that transform an industry. “Who is calling the shots in this house?”,Part IV Words and Express
36、ions,fixated (Line 3, Para. 20)Fixate v. pay attention to exclusively and obsessively, become fixed on 关注，注视，使固定 example: The media are fixating on Princess Dianas death. If you are too fixated on something, you might miss a car coming around the corner and fail to jump out of the way.,Part IV Words
37、 and Expressions,buoy (Line 2, Para. 24)v. keep afloat with a buoy; if someone in a difficult situation is buoyed by something, it makes them feel more cheerful and optimistic 支撑，鼓励，使浮起 example: The party did little to buoy up her spirits. German domestic consumption buoyed the German economy.,Part
38、IV Words and Expressions,dismissive (Line 1, Para. 25) adj. showing indifference or disregard 轻视的，鄙视的 example: Her manner was coldly dismissive. She might have been less dismissive of my talents if he could have seen my latest achievements.,Part IV Words and Expressions,calculated (Line 15, Para. 26
39、) adj. carefully thought out in advance 精心策划的，蓄谋的 example: Irenes cleaning the floor had been a calculated attempt to cover up her crime. .a calculated and coherent strategy for winning power,Part IV Words and Expressions,appease (Line 15, Para. 26) v. try to stop some from being angry by giving the
40、m what they want 使平息，使和缓，安抚 example: The move was widely seen as an attempt to appease critics of the regime. The government tried to appease discontented workers.,Part IV Words and Expressions,Text B Nokia at the Crossroads:Blazing Platforms,Structural Analysis,I. Discussion 1. What enabled Nokia t
41、o achieve its success in the manufacturing and selling of the first generation mobile phone?,Exercises I. Speaking,The first generations of modern mobile phones were purely devices for conversation and text messages. The money lay in designing desirable handsets, manufacturing them cheaply and distr
42、ibuting them widely. This played to European strengths. And Nokia has been a highly efficient manufacturing and logistics machine capable of churning out a dozen handsets a second and selling them all over the world.,Exercises I. Speaking,2. Why couldnt Nokia continue its success?,Exercises I. Speak
43、ing,As microprocessors become more powerful, mobile phones are changing into hand-held computers. As a result, most of their value is now in software and data services. This is where America, in particular Silicon Valley, is hard to beat. Nokia, along with the rest of Europes mobile industry, is als
44、o being squeezed in both simple handsets and networking equipment.,Exercises I. Speaking,3. What strategies are likely to be adopted by the management of the company to cope with the situation?,Exercises I. Speaking,The major strategy is turning the Finnish hardware-maker into a provider of software
45、 and services. A former senior executive of Microsoft was brought in to work as the new CEO. The first option is trying to turn Symbian, its own operating system for smartphones, into the first platform for mobile software and services after the iPhone and Android.,Exercises I. Speaking,II. DebateDivide the whole class into several teams to debate on the topics given.,Exercises I. Speaking,Nokias future is doomed.,Value-oriented proposition,People should return to traditional ways of communication instead of massive use of smartphones.,Policy proposition,
