成人高等教育英语教材第四册01

UNIT 1
Email and Internet
Integrated Skills Development

Passage Seniors Find fun on Web

Thousands of Americans over 50 are discovering friends, fun, and new ideas on an Internet-based community called SeniorNet.
"I am an old lady—except on-line when 1 am 37, blonde and ready to roll," says a respectable member of SeniorNet, a true community of seniors that includes a 104-year-old member.
A fifth of Americans with Internet access, or 8-10 million people, are over 50.
SeniorNet is a non-profit site that develops very quickly thanks to voluntary contributions from its 25 000 members and a handful of retirees who design the website and manage more than 200 discussion groups set up on the network.
"Of course, the usual topics linked with old age are very much there—health and financial questions—but they are not the only topics," says Glen Gilbert, the site's director of development. Subjects ranging from cooking and knitting to digital cameras and politics are discussed, he says.
"It's a place where one can break the isolation¹ of a bedroom without having to leave it, where you can comfort one another in times of sickness," Gilbert says. "But it is also a place where you can share in the happy moments of life, be it birthdays or even weddings."
The almost complete liberty of expression provided by the Web also allows for a "men's lounge" which wives are asked to avoid, and for the constitution of a group of "gay and lesbian seniors."
This group permits men and women to discuss issues that, in their youth, would have been shameful² to them.
One senior says that, "for a teacher like me, to come out at that time was a bit like signing your death sentence."
SeniorNet has also established a network of 130 computer learning centers. These provide the basics on navigating³ the Internet and tips on setting up a website as well as a computer for those who lack their own equipment.

New Words and Expressions

access
n. 进入，接触

blonde
a. 金发碧眼的

comfort
V. 安慰，慰问

community
n. 社区，社团

constitution
n. 组成，构成

contribution
n. 捐助；贡献

digital
a. 数字的

financial
a. 财政的，金融的

gay
n. 同性恋者（有时专指男性）

handful
n. 少量，少数

internet
n. 英特网

isolation
n. 孤立，隔离

knit
V. 编织（毛衣等）

lack
V. 缺乏，缺少

lesbian
n. 同性恋者（专指女性）

liberty
n. 自由，释放

link
V. 联系，连接

lounge
n. 休息室

navigate⁴
V. 浏览

range
V. （范围）涉及

respectable
a. 可尊敬的，有身份的

roll
V. 滚动，翻滚

sentence
n. 宣判，判决

shameful
a. 可耻的，不体面的

tip
n. 提示，诀窍

voluntary
a. 志愿的，义务的

website
n. 网址

a bit like
略微像，有点像

a handful of...
少量的，少数的

be linked with/to
与…相联系

be ready to
做好准备

come out
公开表白是同性恋者

range from... to...
涉及（范围），从…至…，包括…和…

thanks to
由于，多亏

Merry Learning

A Japanese company and an American company had a boat race; the Japanese won by a mile. The Americans hired experts to work out what went wrong. They reported that the Japanese had one person managing and seven rowing, while the Americans had seven managing and only one rowing. The American company immediately reorganised its team. Now they had one senior manager, six management consultants⁵ and one rower. In the rematch the Japanese won by two miles. So the American company fired the rower.

1 isolation   

n.隔离，孤立，分解，分离

参考例句：

• The millionaire lived in complete isolation from the outside world.这位富翁过着与世隔绝的生活。
• He retired and lived in relative isolation.他退休后，生活比较孤寂。

2 shameful   

adj.可耻的，不道德的

参考例句：

• It is very shameful of him to show off.他向人炫耀自己，真不害臊。
• We must expose this shameful activity to the newspapers.我们一定要向报社揭露这一无耻行径。

3 navigating   

v.给（船舶、飞机等）引航，导航( navigate的现在分词 )；（从海上、空中等）横越；横渡；飞跃

参考例句：

• These can also be very useful when navigating time-based documents, such as video and audio. 它对于和时间有关的文档非常有用，比如视频和音频文档。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
• Vehicles slowed to a crawl on city roads, navigating slushy snow. 汽车在市区路上行驶缓慢，穿越泥泞的雪地。 来自互联网

4 navigate   

v.航行，飞行；导航，领航

参考例句：

• He was the first man to navigate the Atlantic by air.他是第一个飞越大西洋的人。
• Such boats can navigate on the Nile.这种船可以在尼罗河上航行。

5 consultants   

顾问( consultant的名词复数 )； 高级顾问医生，会诊医生

参考例句：

• a firm of management consultants 管理咨询公司
• There're many consultants in hospital. 医院里有很多会诊医生。