Text B America in the 1970s 

1.  The chaotic events of the 1960s, including war and social change, seemed destined to continue in the 1970s. Major trends included a growing disillusionment of government, advances in civil rights, increased influence of the women's movement, a heightened concern for the environment, and increased space exploration. Many of the “radical” ideas of the 1960s gained wider acceptance in the new decade, and were mainstreamed into American life and culture. 

2.  During the 1970s the United States underwent some profound changes. The Vietnam War continued to divide the country even after the Paris Peace Accords in January 1973 put an end to U.S. military participation in the war, Crime increased despite Nixon’s pledge to make law and order a top priority of his presidency. People from Third World countries came to this country in search of economic improvement or to escape political repression. 

3.  Women and minorities increasingly demanded full legal equality and privileges in society. Women expanded their involvement in politics. The proportion of women in state legislatures tripled. Women surpassed men in college enrolment in 1979. However, the rising divorce rate left an increasing number of women as sole breadwinners and  forced more and more of them into poverty, African-Americans also made their presence felt as the number of black members in Congress increased, and cities such as Los Angeles, Detroit, and Atlanta elected their first African-American mayors.

4.  Technology advanced at amazing speed in the 1970s. The floppy disc appeared in the1970s, and the next year Intel introduced the microprocessor, the “computer on a chip”. Apollo 17, the last manned craft to the moon，brought back 250 samples of rock and soil. The videocassette recorder (VCR) changed home entertainment forever. Jumbo jets revolutionized commercial flight, doubling passenger capacity and increasing flight range to 6,000 miles. The neutron bomb, which destroys living beings but leaves buildings intact, was developed. In medicine, ultrasound diagnostic techniques were developed. The first test tube baby, Louise Brown, was born, developed from an artificially inseminated egg implanted in the mother’s womb. Other noteworthy developments of the 1970s included these inventions or innovations: email (1971)， first retail barcode scanned (1974)， the laser printer (1975)， MRI scanner (1977), and the first space lab (USA Skylab, 1973).

  

After You Read

Knowledge Focus

1. Pair Work: Discuss the following questions with your partner.

(1) Why was the 1960s called “the age of youth”?

(2) What do you know with regard to the Civil Rights movement?

(3) What was Martin Luther King famous for?

   (4) What do you know about Hispanic Americans? What was the 

        situation of Hispanic Americans in the 1960s?

   (5) Can you list a few key figures in Women's Liberation? What do 

        you know about the Women’s Lib?

(6) Why did the United States wage the Vietnam War?

(7) What was the public response to the Vietnam War?

(8) Who were the first men to walk on the moon in 1969?

(9) Can you name the major trends of America in the 1970s?

(10) What were the technological advances in the 1970s' America?

 

2. Solo Work: Tell whether the following are true or false 

   according to the knowledge you have learned. Consider why.

(1) Comparatively speaking, the 1950s was revolutionary, whereas 

     the 1960s was conservative.   (  )

(2) American young people in the 1960s were ready to embrace 

     revolutionary changes in education, values, lifestyles, laws, and

      entertainment.   (  )

 (3) In the 1960s, the term “blacks” became socially acceptable 

     and was replaced by “Negroes” .  (  )

 (4) American Indians faced unemployment rates of 50% and a 

       life expectancy only two-thirds that of the whites, and they 

       resigned themselves to life.   (  )

(5) The artificial insemination and abortion was never legalized in 

     America.   (  )

   (6) Compared with the situation in the 1950s, the crime rate of 

        America in the 1960s decreased dramatically.   (  )

   (7) The hippies were opponents of drugs, rock music, mystic 

         religions and sexual freedom. (  )

    (8) Both the Sovict Union and the United States were involved in 

         Cuba Missile Crisis. (  )

  (9) In 1979, women and men had equal enrollment in college for 

       the first time.  (  )

     (10) The floppy disc, VCR, neutron bomb and the first test tube 

             baby all appeared in the 1970s.  (  )

 

 

Language Focus

1. Solo Work: Fill in the blanks with the following words or 

    expressions from the texts.

     fabric evolve subside assert legalize    artificial     

   pinnacle overtakehazard  surpass

(1) On the table was a vase filled with ____________ flowers.

(2) Brook's original idea has ____________ into an official 

      NASA program.

(3) Television soon ________ the cinema as the most popular form 

     of entertainment.

(4) He _________ that nuclear power was a safe and non-polluting 

     energy source.

(5) In several years, this nation is likely to _________ the U.S. 

     as the world's largest export market.

(6) Gambling has recently been _________ in three towns in 

     Colorado.

(7) For international traders, changes in the exchange rate 

     are an unavoidable ________.

(8) The pains in his head had ___________, but he still felt dizzy 

      and sick.

(9) The bank was at the __________ of England's financial system 

      then.

(10) Man-made __________ such as polyester are easy to wash and 

       iron.

 

2. Pair Work: Choose the appropriate word to complete each of 

    the following sentences. Check your answers with your partner.

(1) The restaurant slowly ____________ (evolves/ revolves), giving 

     excellent views of the city.

(2) They built and financed a whole new suburb, and they did it 

      without a public __________ (subside/ subsidy).

(3) He had long ago ___________  (repressed/ oppressed) the 

     painful memories of his childhood .

(4) ___________  (Insert/ Assert) the correct coins, select the drink 

     you want and then press the button.

(5) Tony was always in trouble with the police when he was young, 

      but now he is a _________ (respectful/ respectable) married man.(6) Carla seems pretty much content _________ (in/ with) her life.

(7) An exact ___________ (diagnose/ diagnosis) can only be made 

     by obtaining a blood sample.

(8) Many rock stars have pledged _______ (to support/ supporting) 

     the campaign to save the rainforests.

  

Comprehensive Work

Solo Work: Ready, Set  The Space Race Begins

Directions: Some words are missing in the following passage about the Space Race. Fill in each blank with the words that best complete the passage. If you find some of them difficult, please refer to Text D in this unit.

pounds satellites force battle scientists      Wernher  

scientist  country determined  satellite   possible  half  

shocked  contenders radiation     powerful  rock

For thousands of years, man has looked out into the sky in wonder. What was out there beyond their home? Were there warriors out there who had died bravely in (1) ______? Were there dragons and monsters? What were the stars made of? How hot is the sun? Is there life on other planets? Who is the man in the moon? It was not until the mid 1950s that scientists developed the technology needed to explore the mysteries of space. Scientists can be very competitive, just like athletes. It was understood in the scientific world that the first country to conquer space would become the most (2) ________  (3) _________ on earth. The Soviet Union and the United States became the top (4) __________ in this space race. Think of some of the problems connected to exploring space. The next time you are in an open field, pick up a rock and throw it as high and as hard as you can. What happens to the (5) ___________? It will go a short distance and then fall back to earth. How then, can (6) ___________ propel a heavy object into the sky and have it stay there for long periods of time? Years of research and study had to go into this problem. Scientists knew that (7) _________ were (8) __________. The moon is a (9) __________. It travels around the earth at all times. Earth's gravity keeps it from floating out into deep space. Centrifugal (10) ___________ keeps it from crashing into the earth. Scientists wanted to develop an artificial satellite that would have the same characteristics. In October 1957, the Soviet Union (11) _________ the entire world. They launched a satellite they had named Sputnik. It was about the size of a basketball. It weighed about 183 (12) _________. It took about 98 minutes to make one trip, orbit, around the earth. The race was now officially on. The winner would be determined by who could put a human being on the moon first. About three and a (13) ___________ months later, in January of 1958, the United States success fully launched their first satellite. (14) ___________ von Braun, a famous German (15) _________ who had moved to the United States, and his team of scientists launched Explorer I. This satellite was built for research. Equipment on Explorer I discovered that there is a magnetic (16) __________ belt around Earth. Scientists named this discovery the Van Allen Belt after the man who led the research. In July of1958，the United States Congress passed a bill which created the National Aeronautics and Space Administration which you probably know as NASA. The United States was bound and (17) ________ that they would not lose the Space Race. They may have gotten behind when Sputnik headed into space, but the scientists were going to do their best to win the long race.

 

Solo Work

Among the many important dates in American history is May 25，1961，where President John F. Kennedy announced to America that we would put a man on the moon by the end of the decade. The 1960s was an age of space race. The Space Race has affected our everyday lives. In a mere forty years, we have had more technological advances than the Industrial Revolution. With the technology gained from the Space Race, we can perform medical tasks that only existed in the dreams of surgeons; we can communicate with another person on the other side of the world in seconds, not days or months. Without the Space Race, we would not have the technological advances that exist today.

What's your view on space race? Write an essay of about 300 words to illustrate your point.