1、its combination of gases had little oxygen left. Hit by a lack of fresh air, my head ached. Just as I tried to make the necessary adjustment to this new situation, Wang Ping appeared. “Put on this mask,” he advised. “Itll make you feel much better.” He handed it to me and immediately hurried me thro
2、ugh to a small room nearby for a rest. I felt better in no time. Soon I was back on my feet again and flowing him to collect a hovering carriage driven by computer. These carriages float above the ground and by bending or pressing down in your seat, you can move swiftly. Wang Ping fastened my safety
3、 belt and showed me how to use it. Soon I could fly as fast as him. However, I lost sight of Wang Ping when we reached what looked like a large market because of too many carriages flying by in all directions. He was swept up into the centre of them. Just at that moment I had a “time lag” flashback
4、and saw the area again as it had been in the year AD 2008. I realized that I had been transported into the future of what was still my hometown! Then I caught sight of Wang Ping again and flew after him. Arriving at a strange-looking house, he showed me into a large, bright clean room. It had a gree
5、n wall, a brown floor and soft lighting. Suddenly the wall moved it was made of trees! I found later that their leaves provided the room with much-needed oxygen. Then Wang Ping flashed a switch on a computer screen, and a table and some chairs rose from under the floor as if by magic. “Why not sit d
6、own and eat a little?” he said. “You may find this difficult as it is your first time travel trip. Just relax, since there is nothing planned on the timetable today. Tomorrow youll be ready for some visits.” Having said this, he spread some food on the table, and produced a bed from the floor. After
7、 he left, I had a brief meal and a hot bath. Exhausted, I slid into bed and fell fast asleep. More news later from your loving son, Li Qing I HAVE SEEN AMAZING THINGS My first visit was to a space station considered the most modern in space. Described as an enormous round plate, it spins slowly in s
8、pace to imitate the pull of the earths gravity. Inside was an exhibition of the most up-to-date inventions of the 31st century. A guide(G) showed us around along a moveable path. G: Good morning to all our visitors from 2008. First were going to examine one of the latest forms of communication among
9、 our space citizens. No more typists working on a typewriter or computer! No more postage or postcodes! Messages can now be sent using a “thoughtpad”. You place the metal band over your head, clear your mind, press the sending button, think your message and the next instant its sent. Its stored on t
10、he “thoughtpad” of the receiver. Its quick, efficient and environmentally friendly. The only limitation is if the user does not think his or her message clearly, an unclear message may be sent. But we cannot blame the tools for the faults of the user, can we? During the explanation I looked at the p
11、air of small objects called “thoughjtpads” on a table. They just looked like metal ribbons. So ordinary but so powerful! While I was observing them, the path moved us on. G: And now ladies and gentlemen, we are in the “environment area”. People used to collect waste in dustbins. Then the rubbish was
12、 sent to be buried or burned, am I right?(We nodded.) Well, now theres a system where the waste is disposed of using the principles of ecology. A giant machine, always greedy for more, swallows all the waste available. The rubbish is turned into several grades of useful material, such as “fertilizer
13、” for the fields and “soul” for deserts. Nothing is wasted, and everything, even plastic bags, is recycled. A great idea, isnt it? I stared at the moving model of the waste machine, absorbed by its efficiency. But again we moved on. G: Our third stop shows the changes that have happened to work prac
14、tices. Manufacturing no longer takes place on the earth but on space stations like this one. A group of engineers programmer robots to perform tasks in space. The robots produce goods such as drugs, clothes, furniture, hovering carriages, etc. There is no waste, no pollution and no environmental dam
15、age! However, the companies have to train their representatives to live and work in space settlements. They have to monitor the robots and the production. When the goods are ready theyre transported by industrial spaceship back to earth. My mind began to wander. What job would I do? My motivation in
16、creased as I thought of the wonderful world of the future. Unit 4 MY FIRST WORK ASSIGNMENT “unforgettable”, says new journalist Never will Zhou Yang (ZY) forget his first assignment at the office of a popular English newspaper. His discussion with his new boss, Hu Xin (HX), was to strongly influence
17、 his life as a journalist. HX: Welcome. Were delighted youre coming to work with us. Your first job here will be an assistant journalist. Do you have any questions? ZY: Can I go out on a story immediately? HX: (laughing)Thats admirable, but Im afraid it would be unusual! Wait till youre more experie
18、nced. First well put you as an assistant to an experienced journalist. Later you can cover a story and submit the article yourself. ZY: Wonderful. What do I need to take with me? I already have a notebook and camera. HX: No need for a camera. Youll have a professional photographer with you to take p
19、hotographs. Youll find your colleagues very eager to assist you, so you may be able to concentrate on photography later if you re interested. ZY: Thank you. Not only am I interested in photography, but I took an amateur course at university to update my skills. HX: Good. ZY: What do I need to rememb
20、er when I go out to cover a story? HX: You need to be curious. Only if you ask many different questions will you acquire all the information you need to know. We say a good journalist must have a good “nose” for a story. That means you must be able to assess when people are not telling the whole tru
21、th and then try to discover it. They must use research to inform themselves of the missing parts of the story. ZY: What should I keep in mind? HX: Here comes my list of dos and donts: dont miss your deadline, dont be rude, dont talk too much, but make sure you listen to the interviewee carefully. ZY
22、: Why is listening so important? HX: Well, you have to listen for detailed facts. Meanwhile you have to prepare the next question depending on what the person says. ZY: But how can I listen carefully while taking notes? HX: This is a trick of the trade. If the interviewee agrees, you can use a recor
23、der to get the facts straight. Its also useful if a person wants to challenge you. You have the evidence to support your story. ZY: I see! Have you ever had a case where someone accused your journalists of getting the wrong end of the stick? HX: Yes, but it was a long time ago. This is how the story
24、 goes. A footballer was accused of taking money for deliberately not scoring goals so as to let the other team win. We went to interview him. He denied taking money but we were skeptical. So we arranged an interview between the footballer and the man supposed to bribe him. When we saw them together
25、we guessed from the footballers body language that he was not telling the truth. So we wrote an article suggesting he was guilty. It was a dilemma because the footballer could have demanded damages if we were wrong. He tried to stop us publishing it but later we were proved right. ZY: Wow! That was
26、a real “scoop”. Im looking forward to my first assignment now. Perhaps Ill get a scoop too! HX: Perhaps you will. You never know. GETTING THE “SCOOP” “quick,” said the editor. “Get that story ready. We need it in this edition to be ahead of the other newspapers. This is a scoop.” Zou Yang had just c
27、ome back into the office after an interview with a famous film star. “Did he really do that?” asked someone from the International News Department. “Yes, Im afraid he did,” Zhou Yang answered. He set to work. His first task was to write his story, but he had to do it carefully. Although he realized
28、the man had been lying, Zhou Yang knew he must not accuse him directly. He would have to be accurate, Concise too! He knew how to do that. Months of training had taught him to write with no wasted words or phrases. He sat down at his computer and began to work. The first person who saw his article w
29、as a senior editor from his department,. He checked the evidence, read the article and passed it on to the copy-editor. She began to edit the piece and design the main headline and smaller heading. “This will look very good on the page,”its combination of gases had little oxygen left. Hit by a lack
30、of fresh air, my head ached. Just as I tried to make the necessary adjustment to this new situation, Wang Ping appeared. “Put on this mask,” he advised. “Itll make you feel much better.” He handed it to me and immediately hurried me through to a small room nearby for a rest. I felt better in no time
31、. Soon I was back on my feet again and flowing him to collect a hovering carriage driven by computer. These carriages float above the ground and by bending or pressing down in your seat, you can move swiftly. Wang Ping fastened my safety belt and showed me how to use it. Soon I could fly as fast as
32、him. However, I lost sight of Wang Ping when we reached what looked like a large market because of too many carriages flying by in all directions. He was swept up into the centre of them. Just at that moment I had a “time lag” flashback and saw the area again as it had been in the year AD 2008. I re
33、alized that I had been transported into the future of what was still my hometown! Then I caught sight of Wang Ping again and flew after him. Arriving at a strange-looking house, he showed me into a large, bright clean room. It had a green wall, a brown floor and soft lighting. Suddenly the wall move
34、d it was made of trees! I found later that their leaves provided the room with much-needed oxygen. Then Wang Ping flashed a switch on a computer screen, and a table and some chairs rose from under the floor as if by magic. “Why not sit down and eat a little?” he said. “You may find this difficult as
35、 it is your first time travel trip. Just relax, since there is nothing planned on the timetable today. Tomorrow youll be ready for some visits.” Having said this, he spread some food on the table, and produced a bed from the floor. After he left, I had a brief meal and a hot bath. Exhausted, I slid
36、into bed and fell fast asleep. More news later from your loving son, Li Qing I HAVE SEEN AMAZING THINGS My first visit was to a space station considered the most modern in space. Described as an enormous round plate, it spins slowly in space to imitate the pull of the earths gravity. Inside was an e
37、xhibition of the most up-to-date inventions of the 31st century. A guide(G) showed us around along a moveable path. G: Good morning to all our visitors from 2008. First were going to examine one of the latest forms of communication among our space citizens. No more typists working on a typewriter or
38、 computer! No more postage or postcodes! Messages can now be sent using a “thoughtpad”. You place the metal band over your head, clear your mind, press the sending button, think your message and the next instant its sent. Its stored on the “thoughtpad” of the receiver. Its quick, efficient and envir
39、onmentally friendly. The only limitation is if the user does not think his or her message clearly, an unclear message may be sent. But we cannot blame the tools for the faults of the user, can we? During the explanation I looked at the pair of small objects called “thoughjtpads” on a table. They jus
40、t looked like metal ribbons. So ordinary but so powerful! While I was observing them, the path moved us on. G: And now ladies and gentlemen, we are in the “environment area”. People used to collect waste in dustbins. Then the rubbish was sent to be buried or burned, am I right?(We nodded.) Well, now
41、 theres a system where the waste is disposed of using the principles of ecology. A giant machine, always greedy for more, swallows all the waste available. The rubbish is turned into several grades of useful material, such as “fertilizer” for the fields and “soul” for deserts. Nothing is wasted, and
42、 everything, even plastic bags, is recycled. A great idea, isnt it? I stared at the moving model of the waste machine, absorbed by its efficiency. But again we moved on. G: Our third stop shows the changes that have happened to work practices. Manufacturing no longer takes place on the earth but on
43、space stations like this one. A group of engineers programmer robots to perform tasks in space. The robots produce goods such as drugs, clothes, furniture, hovering carriages, etc. There is no waste, no pollution and no environmental damage! However, the companies have to train their representatives
44、 to live and work in space settlements. They have to monitor the robots and the production. When the goods are ready theyre transported by industrial spaceship back to earth. My mind began to wander. What job would I do? My motivation increased as I thought of the wonderful world of the future. Unit
45、 4 MY FIRST WORK ASSIGNMENT “unforgettable”, says new journalist Never will Zhou Yang (ZY) forget his first assignment at the office of a popular English newspaper. His discussion with his new boss, Hu Xin (HX), was to strongly influence his life as a journalist. HX: Welcome. Were delighted youre co
46、ming to work with us. Your first job here will be an assistant journalist. Do you have any questions? ZY: Can I go out on a story immediately? HX: (laughing)Thats admirable, but Im afraid it would be unusual! Wait till youre more experienced. First well put you as an assistant to an experienced jour
47、nalist. Later you can cover a story and submit the article yourself. ZY: Wonderful. What do I need to take with me? I already have a notebook and camera. HX: No need for a camera. Youll have a professional photographer with you to take photographs. Youll find your colleagues very eager to assist you
48、, so you may be able to concentrate on photography later if you re interested. ZY: Thank you. Not only am I interested in photography, but I took an amateur course at university to update my skills. HX: Good. ZY: What do I need to remember when I go out to cover a story? HX: You need to be curious.
49、Only if you ask many different questions will you acquire all the information you need to know. We say a good journalist must have a good “nose” for a story. That means you must be able to assess when people are not telling the whole truth and then try to discover it. They must use research to inform themselves of the missing parts of the story. ZY: What should I keep in mind? HX: Here comes my list of dos and donts: dont miss
