Unit 5 The Battle Against AIDS
Background Information
1. AIDS
AIDS, Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, is a disease which destroys the natural method the body uses to protect against other disease. It is caused by the HIV(Human Immunodeficiency Virus), but AIDS is different from HIV in that the former usually causes death while HIV may lead to AIDS. HIV is spread in three ways: (1) contact with infected blood; (2) sex; (3) mother-to-child.
Pre-reading activities:
AIDS is a disease that appeared in the United States more than 20 years ago. Since then, AIDS has killed thousands of people and more than a million others are infected. Governments have been slow to introduce programs to help public. Some AIDS programs operate out of small businesses. They show films or provide books and information to customers and share these tools with schools, community groups and churches. They also teach other groups how to join in the battle to stop the spread of AIDS. Each of us has a duty to help with the war against this disease. All of us can learn how to protect ourselves and others.
Answers:
1 The name of the disease that emerged more than 20 years ago is AIDS. As a damaging and infectious disease, it has killed thousands of people and made more than one million people infected. In addition, it threatens to wipe out an entire generation and leaves another without parents, which itself has contributed to a serious social problem.
2 The war described in this passage refers to people’s fighting against the disease: AIDS. Despite the government’s inactivity, many local organizations have been established to combat this fatal disease. They make efforts to educate people to guard against the virus by carrying out their educational programs creatively. They use easy-to-understand language or hand-drawn pictures to explain the risk of catching AIDS or emphasize that everyone is at risk and has a right to protect himself or herself.
3 Each of us should learn to be open-minded and try not to be distracted from the concentration on the solution to the problem itself by the cultural, racial or social barriers. Moreover, each of us should learn to be responsible for fighting against this disease and protect us and others as well. In other words, each of us should become an educator and learn to live a healthy life, keeping us free from any unhealthy sex acts, remaining faithful to our marriage life, and staying far away from any habit-forming drug.
Main idea of the text ?
Despite the spread of AIDS, no cure for it and lack of government activity, some local organizations have been active and creative in the battle against the fatal disease.
Text structure analysis
The writer of this article lists some ways of winning the war against AIDS. Each idea is presented in a general statement. The writer tries to argue for the idea in problem-solution-evaluation way.
The problem-solution is one of the most common patterns we have in writing. The basic structure of the pattern is situation-problem-solution-evaluation. There are some possible differences in the pattern but the basic parts are problems and solutions.
We may pay some attention to the organizational words or phrases that are often used in this pattern. "The problem" or "the question" is often used to introduce a problem. "To solve…" and "the solution" are often used to introduce the solution while "the result" or "as a result" is often used for result, effect or evaluation.
Devices for developing it?
Problem-Solution-Evaluation问题解决法
The Problem:
AIDS, diagnosed in the late 1970s, has killed more than 204,000 Americans, expecting another 185,000 of the one million infected with the HIV virus to die; and meanwhile, women and youth in rural Southern communities are making up the fastest segment of people with AIDS. Hit with the problems, however, American governments have been slow in stopping the spread of the disease.(Para. 1 - 3)
The Solution:
Numerous local organizations have set up and shared with each other some effective AIDS educational programs: speak to your community in a way they can hear; train teenagers to educate their peers; redefine “at risk” to include women from different backgrounds and marriage status. (Para. 3-12)
The Evaluation:
These programs are not the only solutions to the crisis but, until there is a cure for AIDS, they are only safe measures against the virus.(Para. 13)
Part I (Para. 1-2)
A serious disease named as AIDS was diagnosed in the U.S.A. in the late 1970s; and since then it has been a big threat to the American society.
Part II(Para.3-6)
In contrast to the government’s inactivity, some local organizations have made efforts to fight against AIDS creatively.
Part III (Para.7－13)
The organization has generalized some practical methods which are useful to other similar groups.
Part IV (Para.14)
Fighting against AIDS entails everyone’s involvement and forces each of us to be an educator and learn to live.
Vocabulary
Acquire 指通过逐步的、持续的、缓慢的过程获得某物，一经获得就永久保持。
He acquired a knowledge of the language by careful study.
get最普通，使用最广泛指通过武力非武力的方式得到或占有某物；也指被动地、消极地领受某物。
obtain较为正式，有时可与换用，指通过努力找出或获得某物
gain比obtain更加强调搜寻过程中的努力，也可指军事方面的强而有力的夺取。
represent: show; be a sign of ; stand for; describe
He got a chance to represent China at the Olympic Games the next year.
He does not clearly represent the stages of painting a picture.
immune
The medicine will make you immune to the disease. be immune to
The man was told that he would be immune from punishment if he helped the police.
那人被告知如果他协助警察，就可以免受处罚。
threaten
The father threatened to punish the child if the child did not obey his orders.
distract from:
Don’t let social activities distract you from your study.
hand out give out, spread around 拿出来，分发
hand back return, give back 归还
hand in give in by hand ; send in 上交
hand over give up control of, change 移交，让与
hand down pass down by hand; assist to get down with the hand 传下去 hand on依次传递
Language notes
1 be diagnosed as (with) AIDS (L.1)
Since the infectious disease was hard to diagnose, we had to isolate the patients whose syndromes we were partly certain.
鉴于这种传染病很难诊断,我们只好将疑似病人隔离起来.
2 to be expected to die (L.4)
This business, in which he has invested all of his savings, is expected to pay off very
well. 他已把所有积蓄投入到了这一生意里;期待着能有好的回报.
3 to constitute the fastest growing segment of people with AIDS (
L.6) 成为数量增长最快的患艾滋病的人群
The online courses have constituted a real challenge to the regular courses.
远程课程对常规课程已构成真正的挑战。
4 to be slow in implementing programs to stop the spread of AIDS (L.8)
It has been argued that the American education is observably slow in the pupils’mathematics training. 有人认为美国的教育在培养学生数学能力方面明显滞后.
5 (sth.) to emerge (L.10)应运而生
It later emerged that the driver of the car had been drunk.
事后人们得知,这个汽车驾驶员是喝醉酒了。
6 to combat the growing number of AIDS cases (L.12)防止艾滋病病例数量的增加
This disaster pushes us to combat our bad habits of eating and drinking.
这场灾难促使我们要与不良的饮食习惯作斗
7 to reach more people (L.15) 接触到更多的人
Will we be able to reach you on this telephone, in case there are any problems?
8 to speak to your community in a way they can hear (L.31)
以社区居民能接受的方式与他们交谈
He carefully explained his position on each issue in a way that made sense to his listeners.他以一种听众可以理解的方式仔细陈述他在每一问题上的立场.
9 to show people who look like those we need to educate (L.36) 告诉人们哪些人可能需要这方面的教育
He might show the outsiders like one who reacts before thinking.
对于不明情况的人来说，他似乎是一个不经思考就行动的人。
10 to wipe out an entire generation (毁掉一代人
L.56)
Bloody conflicts between the two countries arose from the old scores both sides failed to wipe out. 两国间的流血冲突起因于双方抹不掉的宿怨。
11 (not) to feel comfortable talking about AIDS (L.60 )谈论艾滋病令人难受
He does not feel comfortable talking about those painful issues that once strained their relationship and made them grow distant.
他不愿意谈及那些令人痛苦的问题。这些问题曾使他们的关系变得紧张和疏远。
Dictation:
HIV is the _1_ Immunodeficiency Virus. This is the virus that spreads through _2_ with infected blood, infected _3_ partners or within the womb of an infected _4_ mother. After infecting a person, HIV can remain _5_ in the body for long and different _6_ of time until it becomes _7_ and _8_ into AIDS for which no known _9_ exists. The virus spreads very fast once contact has been made with an infected _10_.
(human contact sexual pregnant hidden periods active develops cure source)
1