The Greatest Invention

1. The Greatest Invention Lord Dunsany

2. Contents 1 Part One Warm-up 2 Part Two Background Information 3 Part Three Language Study 4 Part Four Text Analysis 5 Part Five Detailed Study 6 Part Six Exercises

3. Part One Warm-up I. On Science II. On Terrorism

4. Part One Warm-up What is science? What do you think is the greatest invention? Is science only for science itself? What does science benefit us? Will science do any harm to human being?

5. Part One Warm-up What do you think is the image of a scientist? What is the driving force of the scientists to do their research? What do you know about terrorism? How do we respond to the terrorism?

6. Part One Warm-up Quotes: • Science is a wonderful thing if one doesn’t have to earn one’s living at it. • —Albert Einstein • The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not “Eureka!” (“I found it!”) but rather, “hmm... that’s funny…” • —Isaac Asimov • No science is immune to the infection of politics and the corruption of power. • —Jacob Bronowski

7. Part One Warm-up Quotes: • Terrorism has become the systematic weapon of a war that knows no borders or seldom has a face. • —Jacques Chirac • We all have to be concerned about terrorism, but you will never end terrorism by terrorizing others. • —Martin Luther King III • Everybody’s worried about stopping terrorism. Well, there’s a really easy way: stop participating in it. • —Noam Chomsky

8. 1 2 3 4 Author Germ Ware The Caribbean Fantasy and Fable Part Two Background Information

9. I. Author Lord Dunsany (July 24, 1878—October 25, 1957) was an Irish writer and dramatist. His full name was Edward John Moreton Drax Plunkett, 18th Baron Dunsany.

10. I. Author • Lord Dunsany was educated at Eton College and Sandhurst. He served as an officer during the Boer War and World War I. He was a keen huntsman, and sportsman, and was at one time the chess and pistol champion of Ireland. • His fame arose, however, from his prolific writings of short stories, novels, plays and poetry, reportedly mostly written with a quill pen.

11. I. Author His writings: The work of Lord Dunsany must be the foundation of any good library of fantasy and science fiction. His most notable fantasy short stories include:The Gods of Pegana, The Book of Wonder, The Man Who Ate the Phoenix etc. His significance within the genre of fantasy writing is considerable.

12. I. Author Quote of the author: Logic, like whiskey, loses its beneficial effect when taken in too large quantities.

13. I. Author Books of the author At the Edge of the World The Book of Wonder The Fourth Book of Jorkens

14. Germ is an informal term for a disease-causing organism, particularly bacteria. Biological warfare, also known as germ warfare, is the use of any organism (bacteria, virus or other disease-causing organism) or toxin found in nature, as a weapon of war. It is meant to incapacitate or kill an adversary. II. Germ Warfare

15. Biological warfare is a cause for concern because a successful attack could conceivably result in thousands, possibly even millions, of deaths and could cause severe disruptions to societies and economies. However the consensus among military analysts is that except in the context of bioterrorism, biological warfare is militarily of little use. II. Germ Warfare

16. The Caribbean or the West Indies is a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea. These islands curve southward from the bottom tip of Florida to the Northwest of Venezuela in South America. There are at least 7,000 islands, islets, reefs and caves in the region. They are organized into twenty-five territories including sovereign states, overseas departments and dependencies. The name “West Indies” originates from Christopher Columbus’ idea that he had landed in India when he had in fact reached the Americas. The Caribbean consists of the Antilles and the Bahamas and is part of North America. III. The Caribbean

17. Fantasy IV. Fantasy and Fable • It is a situation imagined by an individual or group, which does not correspond with reality but expresses certain desires or aims of its creator.

18. Fantasy IV. Fantasy and Fable • Fantasies typically involve situations which are impossible (such as the existence of magic powers) or highly unlikely (such as world peace). • In literature fantasy is a form of fiction, usually novels or short stories.

19. Fantasy IV. Fantasy and Fable • As a genre, fantasy is both associated and contrasted with science fiction and horror fiction. • “Fantasy” seems reserved for fiction that features magic, brave knights, damsels in distress, mythical beasts, and quests.

20. Fable IV. Fantasy and Fable • A fable is a short story or folk tale with a moral at the end. It often, but not necessarily, makes metaphorical use of an animal as its central character. In some cases usage of the term has been extended to include stories with mythical or legendary elements. An author of fables is a fabulist.

21. Modern fable IV. Fantasy and Fable Features: • fabled characters of more modern archetypes • using familiar characters in an unfamiliar setting • introduce people’s characters in modern life • updated message with contemporary circumstance and plot line

22. Word Study Phrases and Expressions Part Three Language Study ENTER

23. I. Word Study Word list: • appeal • aspiration • bribe • brood • charge • fierce • figure 8. glory 9. mastery 10. plague 11. rival 12. soothe 13. spur

24. I. Word Study 1. appeal Chinese 恳求，呼吁；有吸引力；上诉 • v. a.to make a serious request for help, • money, information • b. to be attractive or interesting • c. to make formal request to a court Word formation n. appeal • Examples: • She appealed to the kidnappers to release her son. • Does the idea of working abroad appeal to you? • If you are not satisfied, you can appeal.

25. I. Word Study appeal n. Chinese • Examples: • appeal for aid • an appeal to parents to supervise their children • The film has great appeal for young audience. • an appeal to the European court of Human Rights 恳求，呼吁； 吸引力； 上诉， 申诉

26. I. Word Study 2. aspiration n. a strong desire to have or achieve sth. Word formation v. aspire • Examples: • When I was 12 I had aspirations to play professional football. • He had no political aspirations.

27. I. Word Study 3. bribe v. to pay money to sb. to persuade him to help you by doing sth. dishonest n. money or sth. valuable given to sb. to persuade him to do sth. dishonest • Examples: • The criminal bribedthe policeman to let him go free. • They tried to bribe the official into silence. • The official took bribes from those who wanted favors.

28. I. Word Study 4. brood • v. to keep thinking for a long time about sth. • that makes you very angry or worried Chinese 沉思；念念不忘，计较；思考 • Examples: • She sat there brooding on whether life is worth living. • Don’t brood over lost opportunities. • Just as physicists worry about the nature of matter, historians brood about the study of man’s past.

29. I. Word Study 5. charge • v.a. to rush in or as if in an attack • b.toask in payment • c. to declare officially and openly • d.to load Suddenly the wild animal charged at us. The hotel charged me $50 for a room for the night. He was charged with murder and betrayal. The soldiers charged their guns and prepared to fire.

30. I. Word Study 6. fierce • a. very strong; done with very strong • feelings and energy • fierce emotions • fierce attack • fierce competition • fierce anger • fierce look • fierce tempest • 强烈的感情 • 猛烈的进攻 • 激烈的竞争 • 极度愤怒 • 面目狰狞 • 狂风暴雨

31. I. Word Study 7. figure Select the proper meaning of “figure” in each sentence. • n.a. shape b. person • c. number d. character • e. an amount of money You have to watch our diet if you want to keep your figure. keeping unemployment figure down  both a political and a religious figure  to play the figure of a judge an estimated figure of $200 million

32. I. Word Study 8. glory • n. great honor; praise Word formation • 凯旋 • 得意之时 • 死，升天 • 为做某事而自豪 • 自夸 • 光荣的牺牲 • Examples: • return with glory • in one’s glory • go to glory • glory to do/in doing sth. • glorify oneself • a glorious death v. glorify a. glorious

33. Examples: • The enemy had complete mastery of the seas and no ships could get through. • Everybody was impressed by her quick mastery of those complicated theories. I. Word Study 9. mastery • n. the status of master or ruler; control Word formation v. n. (to) master

34. I. Word Study 10. plague • n. a. any disease causing death and • spreading quickly to a large number • of people • b. sth. that annoys you • v. to cause trouble to sb.; to annoy sb. • Examples: • A great many people have been swept away by the plague. • That child is a plague of her life. • The little boy plagued his father by begging over and over to go to the zoo.

35. I. Word Study 11. rival n. a person, group or an organization that you compete with in sport, business, a fight, etc. v. to be as good or important as sb. or sth. else • Examples: • The two girls were rivals for Jack’s attention. • The college’s facilities rival those of Harvard and Yale.

36. I. Word Study 12. soothe • v.a. to make someone feel calmer and less • anxious, upset or angry • b. to make a pain less severe Word formation a. soothing adv. soothingly • Examples: • She soothed the child who was afraid. • I bought some lozenges to soothe my • throat.

37. I. Word Study 13. spur • v.a. to encourage a horse to go faster • b. to incite or stimulate • n. a fact or event that makes you try harder • to do sth. • Examples: • The rider spurred on to his destination. • He was spurred on by poverty to commit a crime. • To him difficulties were simply spurs to endeavor. • Ambition is an excellent spur for the young.

38. II. Phrases and Expressions List: • 7. lose grip on • 8. mark off • 9. put into/in • 10. what if • 11. within one’s grasp • adapt to • be born to do/be sth. • but for • drive away • if only • let loose

39. II. Phrases and Expressions 1. adapt to 适应 to change your ideas or behavior so that you can deal with a new situation • Examples: • Most students have little difficulty adapting to college life. • When he moved to Canada, the children adapted to the change very well. cf. adapt for

40. II. Phrases and Expressions adapt for 改装，改造 to change sth. so that it can be used in a different purpose • Examples: • The materials can be adapted for use with older children. • You can adapt this fabric for anything from driver’s suit to gloves.

41. II. Phrases and Expressions 2. be born to do/be sth. to be very suitable for a particular job, activity, etc. “born” phrases • Examples: • She was born to be a dancer. • He is a person born to lead.

42. II. Phrases and Expressions • cf. • be born with a silver spoon in one’s mouth • be born under a lucky star • born and bred • I wasn’t born yesterday. • There is one born every minute. • cf. • 生于富贵人家 • 生来就幸运 • 土生土长 • 不要拿我当小孩。 • 随时有人犯傻。

43. II. Phrases and Expressions 3. but for without, if not for • Examples: • But for these interruptions the meeting would have finished half an hour ago. • But for my brother's help, I would not have finished.

44. II. Phrases and Expressions 4. drive away to make someone stop wanting sth. or stop wanting to be with someone • Examples: • Increasing prices will only drive customers away. • Your possessiveness will drive Liz away if you’re not careful.

45. II. Phrases and Expressions 5. if only used to express a strong wish • Examples: • If only I had a car, I could get out of this place. • “If only I could see for three days,” said the blind girl.

46. II. Phrases and Expressions 6. let loose to let sb. or sth. go free • Examples: • You should not let loose your indignation in this way. • Don’t let your dog loose if there are any sheep around.

47. II. Phrases and Expressions 7. lose grip on a. to lose the power and control over b. to become less able to understand things or deal with them “grip” phrases • Examples: • Thepoliceman would not lose his grip on the thief. • Don’t lose your grip on the rope or you’ll fall. • Are you starting to lose your grip on reality?

48. II. Phrases and Expressions • be in the grip of sth. 处于不利局势之中 • The forest is still in the grip of winter. • get a grip on oneself 控制自己的感情 • Stop being hysterical and get a grip on yourself. • have a grip on sth. 对某事的控制 • The church no longer has a strong grip on the population.

49. II. Phrases and Expressions 8. mark off to make an area separate by drawing a line around it or putting a rope around it • Examples: • We marked off the limits of our lots with stakes. • The place was marked off as a tennis court. • Her smiling eyes marks her off from other girls.

50. II. Phrases and Expressions 9. put into/in a. to enter a port or harbor b.to spend time or use energy working or practising sth. c. to interrupt sb. in order to say sth. “put” phrases • Examples: • The ship put in a port. • You have to put in a lot of effort to learn a new language. • He put in a good word for me.