Unit 20 Futurology一、教学课型：阅读课这是本单元第一篇阅读文章，它给学生提供了一个近距离感受科学技术迅猛发展的机会，让学生了解到什么是未来学和未来学家，从而鼓励学生积极、勇敢地面对人类社会所面临的经济、政治、文化等多方面的挑战。

二、教材分析1、教学内容(1) Before reading21st century Mobile Phonesou r wallets. For example，instead of handing over cash to pay for groceries，our mobile phones would be scanned and the cost added to our next phone bill. The idea that in the future we won’t need to carry money seems crazy，but 80 years ago，the idea that yo u could walk out of your house with your phone in your hand probably seemed crazier！Mobile phones have become a major part of our lives and one wonders what the next tec hnological advance will be.(2) ReadingHannah Jones looks into the future of futurology.I love talking about the future --- and I am not the only one. Over the centuries，people have always wondered about the future. Some like to read fantasy stories and imagine w hat the world will be like in 10，50 or even 1’000 years’ time. Others foresee future op portunities and problems. They plan the future of the world for a living. These people are called futurologists.This weekend，hundreds of futurologists are meeting at Newcastle University. The semina r starts on Friday and the experts will be discussing the influence of technology on the f uture. The future is now big business. I clicked into the websites of some futurologists an d here’s what they’re predicting:·The technology already exists，so very soon all of us are going to use our voices to gi ve instructions to computers. ·In the next few years，we will be communicating with our friends around the world using life-sized video screens in our living rooms.·By the year 2020，computers will already have become more handy and also more powe rful than the human brain both in terms of intelligence and the amount of information the y can store.·By the year 2030，development in biochemistry and medical science will make it theoret ically possible for us to live for at least 150 years. Tiny，insect-like robots may be sent around our bodies to carry out repairs and keep us healthy.·By the middle of the century，computers that are millions of times smarter than us will have been developed. We will be linking our brains to these computers and a huge databa se. A new species might have developed！·By the end of the century，we will have discovered other places in our solar system sui table for living and will have discovered ways to go further into space.I’ll be there in Newcastle this weekend. At nine o’clock on Saturday morning，I’ll be sit ting in the front row and listening to the great Duke Willard talking about the future of my brain. If you can’t beat the future，join it！(3) Post-readinga) The Programme of the futurologists’ conferenceit. ( ) 1) At 5 p.m on Friday Prof Howard Green will be giving a lecture on alternative so urces of energy.( ) 2) By Saturday lunchtime，they will be listening to two lectures.( ) 3) At 2.30 p.m on Saturday，everyone will have had lunch.( ) 4) On Sunday night，they will be having a reception.( ) 5) On Sunday morning，the participants will have identified a few problems of the future.( ) 6) At noon on Sunday they will have attended the closing ceremony.b) Title: _____________________________ISRAEL: In our world's oceans，wind，waves and underwater currents spread dissolved air through the water. At a depth of 200m below the sea，there is still about 1.5% disso lved air. Fish gills work comfortably with this amount of air，and now Israeli inventor A lon Bodner has designed a way for man to do the same，eliminating the need for cumbe rsome oxygen tanks and expensive air compression units. If it goes to plan，a tankless u nderwater breathing system in the form of a vest that will be attached to a diver should be available in a few years time.(4) Homeworka) Match the vocabulary with the explanations.1)wonder about a. estimate in advance2)foresee b. survive or continue living with difficulty3)meet c. go into a website4)seminar d. get together5)click into e. (of things or places) convenient，useful6)predict f. feel curiosity7)exist g. know or see something in advance8)handy h. according to9)in terms of i. a group of animals or plants10)store j. collect and keep for future use11)carry out k. a meeting where students discussing a topic with teachers12) link… to… l. connect… to…13)species m. finish doing somethingb) Complete the sentences with the correct form of the words given.1) A toolbox will be very _________ if you have got one at home.2) Scientists are __________ research into using spiders’ cobwebs to produce tiny wire.3) I was ___________ why he did this.4) There is no one who can ________ or __________ what the human future will be.5) Many people __________ in front of the City Government Building yesterday.6) Nowadays if you ___________ the websites of some famous writers，you can read th eir works.7) It is said that computers will be more powerful than the human brain ________intelligence.8) Many animals like squirrels will ________ food for future use.9) In some slowly developing districts，there are no roads ________ the city _______ vi llages.10) We call for middle school students to read more books _________ for their ages and health.c) Read more information about “the Future” and do exercises.1) By the time you get home I ________________________________________.你到家之前我将把房子彻底打扫了一遍。