[例] Keep away from that woman. 离那女人远点。 8.instead of
in place of; rather than 代替；宁愿
[例] I ordered chicken instead of fish. 我点了鸡而不是鱼。
[例] I went swimming instead of skating. 我去游泳了而不是滑冰。 9.keep in contact with
keep in touch with 与 …… 保持联络
[例] She is still keeping in contact with her old friends. 她仍与老朋友们保持联系。 [例] Keep in contact with me! 与我保持联系。 10.pick up
be able to hear or receive 收听到
[例] We picked up radio signals for help. 我们接收到无线电求救信号。
[例] We can't pick up any radio signals from VOA. 我们接收不到任何“美国之音”的信号。
IV.Sentences Explanation
1. Cell Phones, E-mail and Voice Mail cell: (= cellular)
adj. using a network of radio stations to pass on signals 蜂窝式(细胞式)无线电通讯系统的
cell phones: (Wireless telephones are) hand-held phones with built-in antennas, often called cell, mobile, or PCS phones.
(无线电话)是带有固定天线的手提电话，人们称之为蜂窝电话、移动电话或个人通讯服务电话。
Do you have your cell phone with you? 你带手机了吗？
voice mail: It's a service that supplies customers with an individual \greetings can be given out and messages taken when the end-user is not available, or chooses not to answer the telephone. End-users may store, forward, retrieve and erase the messages.
voice mail是语音邮件系统。它给顾客提供一个个人电子信箱，当终端用户不在或选择不接听电话时该邮箱可以发出问候（语）并接收信息。终端用户可以储存、转发、恢复和删除信息。
The company provides free voice mail services for some special schools. 这家公司为一些特殊的学校提供免费语音邮件服务。
2. Aren't the above supposed to help us communicate with each other more easily? Meaning: Is it not true that cell phones, e-mail and voice mail are supposed to help us communicate with each other more easily?
Here, \the title.
3. Sadly, that is not always the case.
Meaning: It's a pity that this is not always true. (In other words, cell phones, e-mails, and voice mails are not always helpful to us when we need to communicate with each other.)
4. Take the other day for example, when I was walking through the park with my friend...
Meaning: For example, one day when I was taking a walk with my friend in the park…
the other day: in the recent past
前几天，日前
He came here the other day. 他前几天来过这儿。
5. ...and he answered it— ignoring me and cutting our conversation dead!
Meaning: …and he answered the cell phone call, paying no attention to me at all and stopping our conversation completely!
ignore: vt. take no notice of; refuse to pay attention to 不顾；不理；忽视
It would be irresponsible to ignore these warnings. 忽略这些警告是不负责任的。 dead: adv. suddenly and completely 突然地；完全地 stop dead 突然停止
6. In point of fact, the park was filled with people talking on their cell phones. Meaning: In fact, you can find many people talking on their mobile phones here and there in the park.
people talking on their cell phones = people who were talking on their cell phones in point of fact: really; actually 事实上；实际上
In point of fact, she is an inexperienced teacher. 实际上她是个没有教学经验的老师。
7. They were passing other people without even looking at them, or stopping to stroke their dogs.
Meaning: When they were walking by other people, they did not even have a look at them, nor did they stop to touch their dogs as a sign of love.
8. It was clear that the voice on the cell phone was preferable to human contact. Meaning: Obviously（显然）, people like talking on the cell phone better than meeting and talking with each other face to face （面对面地）. prefer: vt. choose (one thing or action) rather than another; like better （两者中）宁愿选择（其中之一）；更喜欢 He prefers black coffee. 他喜欢不加奶的咖啡。
preferable: adj. better or especially suitable; that one should or would prefer 更好的；更适合的；更可取的
He finds country life preferable to citylife. 他觉得乡村生活比城市生活好。
9. There we were, four friends driving down the road, but not being allowed to talk to one another because of something that is supposed to make communication easier! Meaning: Right in the car were the four of us friends, and we were driving down the road, but not allowed to talk to one another, simply because of the cell phone that is supposed to make communication easier.
communication: n. [U] the act or process of communicating 通讯；交往；交流
There was little real communication between the father and the daughter. 这对父女之间很少有真正的交流。
The major goal of language use is communication. 语言运用的主要目的是交流。
10. Why is it that the more connected we get, the more disconnected I feel?
Meaning: The more communication we have with the help of modern technology, the more lonely I feel. What is the reason for this strange thing?
it = that the more connected we get, the more disconnected I feel V.
Yao Ming Rockets to Stardom!
Ⅰ Objective ? Topic: I Love This Game! ? Text: Yao Ming Rockets to Stardom!
Ⅱ Time Arrangement passage .
? About two periods of class will be used for the analysis and discussion of the
Ⅲ Related Information
? Introduction to the Topic
Sports can be so exciting!Where you’re playing or watching, there’s just something so amazing about the speed and fun of being part of a game. Can you think of a time when you felt this excitement?Was your heart beating very fast? Wonderful! That’s what makes sports so much fun?
? Prepare Questions
(1) What do you play basketball? (2) What sports games do you like? Ⅳ Emphasized Points ? Key Words and Expressions
(1) stardom
(2) association (3) draft (4) surround (5) coach
(6) encourage (7) look forward to (8) along the way (9) funnily enough (10) in the long term
Ⅴ Text Comprehension ? Sentence Analysis ? 1. Yao Ming Rockets to Stardom!
Meaning: Yao Ming becomes a star player at rocket speed (by joining the Houston Rockets).
Please notice the word \is used here as a pun (双关语). It has two meanings: Yao Ming rises quickly, like a rocket, to join in the NBA stardom; and he is to play for the Huston Rockets. rocket: vi. move at very great speed 急速移动
The spacecraft rocketed into the sky. 宇宙飞船飞速升上天空。
stardom: n. [U] the state of being a very famous performer 明星的地位
She shot to stardom on Broadway by a comic play.
她出演了一部喜剧，一夜之间就成了百老汇的明星。
Please notice that the word is a coinage. It is formed by the noun \suffix \–dom\of the stated rank, or the group of people, each of whom has the stated rank, job, interest, or character (注意该词是一个由名词“star”与后缀“–dom”构成的合成名词，表示“职位”、“地位”、“领域”或具有同一职务、行业或利益的“群体”). Please see the following words formed in the similar way: kingdom 王国
officialdom 官场
2. Yao has said that he's looking forward to playing with the best in the world—even if he has to adjust to American food along the way.
Meaning: Yao Ming has said that he is expecting to play basketball with the best players in the world, although he has to get himself used to American food as time passes.
3. It was early Thursday morning in Beijing when Yao got up to watch the live draft with his family.
Meaning: Early on Thursday in Beijing, Yao Ming got up to watch the actual selection on TV with his family members.
4. \
Meaning: \big: adj. important 重要的
This is a big moment for him. 这对他来说是个重要时刻。
5. \
Meaning: \don't like Western food very much, but I don't think of it poorly, either\
so-so: adj. & adv. all right but not particularly good/well 一般；还可以
\ “你好吗？”“还好。”
\
“这电影怎么样？”“哦，一般吧。”
6. 7-foot-5 Yao's quick moves and eye for the ball are rare to a player so tall. Meaning: It is unusual for Yao Ming, who is 7 feet 5 inches tall, to move so fast and to have such good judgment in basketball. eye: n.
1) (usually singular) (in ball games) the ability to see the ball and to judge its direction
判断球的方向的能力
His eye for the ball makes him the world's most famous goalkeeper. 对球的（敏锐的）判断力使他成为闻名全球的守门员。 2) (also plural) the power of seeing 视力；眼力
My eye rested upon the appealing cake. 我的视线落在那个诱人的蛋糕上。
Her eye for fashion has helped her to become an excellent fashion designer. 她对时装的眼力有助于她成为一名优秀的时装设计师。
7. Chinese national coach, Wang Fei, said that Yao should have no problems. Please pay attention to the use of the auxiliary \Here, it indicates likelihood, especially of a desirable or expected thing, result, or state.
(注意：情态动词 “should” 在这里表示某种可能性，尤其指合乎理想或期待的事情、结果或状态).
The photos should be ready tomorrow morning. 明天早晨照片应该能洗出来。
There shouldn't be any difficulty in getting you a ticket for the basketball match. 给你弄张篮球比赛的门票应该不难。
8. Funnily enough, the Chinese were so excited about the World Cup that they hardly picked up on the news about Yao on Thursday.
Meaning: It is very interesting that the Chinese didn't hear about Yao Ming's NBA draft pick on Thursday, as they were so excited about the World Cup at that time. funnily: adv. strangely or unexpectedly 奇怪地
funnily enough: it is funny that... 奇怪的是
Funnily enough, he didn't say a word against me. 很奇怪,他没说半句反对我的话。
Please notice the following similar phrases: oddly enough: it is odd that...
surprisingly enough: it is surprising that...
Strangely enough, nobody was there when I arrived hurriedly for the meeting. 令人感到奇怪的是，当我匆匆忙忙赶来开会时，那里一个人也没有。
Interestingly enough, they were born on the same day, in the same month, and in the same year!
有趣的是，他们竟然是同年同月同日生！
Please also notice the use of \…that\— it indicates \extent,\