BOOK 3
Module1 Reading
Great European Cities
PARIS
Paris is the capital and largest city of France, situated on the River Seine. It is one of the most beautiful cities in the world and is visited by more than eight million tourists every year. The most popular place for tourists is the Eiffel Tower, the famous symbol of Paris. One of the world’s largest art galleries, the Louvre, is also located in Paris. The city is also famous for its restaurants, cafes and theatres. About two third of France’s artists and writers live in Paris.
BARCELONA
Barcelona is the second largest city of Spain and is situated on the northeast coast, about five hundred kilometres east of the Spanish capital, Madrid. One of Barcelona’s most famous landmarks is the Church of the Sagrada Familia, which was designed by an architect called Antonio Gaudi. Gaudi worked on the project from 1882 until his death in 1926. The church hasn’t been finished yet.
FLORENCE
Florence is an Italian city which became famous because of the Renaissance, a great artistic movement which began in the 1300s and lasted for three hundred years. During the Renaissance, some of the greatest painters of all time lived and worked in Florence. Many of Florence’s most beautiful paintings and sculptures were produced by great artists such as Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. Florence is visited each year by about a million tourists who come to see the art galleries, churches and museums. The Uffizi Palace is the most famous art galleries in the city. ATHENS
Athens, the capital of Greece, is known as the birthplace of western civilisation. Two thousand four hundred years ago, it was the world’s most powerful city. Buildings such as the Parthenon on the Acropolis Hill were built during this period. Greece’s best writers lived in ancient Athens. Their work has influenced other writers ever since.
译:
欧洲的大城市巴黎
巴黎是法国的首都，也是法国最大的城市，坐落在塞纳河畔。它是世界上最美丽的城市之一，每年有八百多万游客前来参观。最受游客欢迎的旅游景点是埃菲尔铁塔，它是巴黎著名的象征。世界上最大的艺术博物馆之一——卢浮宫——也位于巴黎。这个城市也以餐馆、咖啡馆和剧院而闻名。法国约三分之二的艺术家和作家住在巴黎。巴塞罗那
巴塞罗那是西班牙第二大城市，位于（西班牙的）东北海岸线上，距离首都马德里东部五百公里处。巴塞罗那最有名的标志性建筑之一是圣家大教堂，由建筑家安东尼奥·高迪设计。高迪从1882年起从事这项工程直至1926年逝世。至今教堂还没完工。佛罗伦萨
佛罗伦萨是一座因文艺复兴而闻名的意大利城市，这场艺术运动始于14世纪并且延续了300年。在文艺复兴时期，历史上一些最伟大的画家在佛罗伦萨生活和工作。佛罗伦萨许多最美的画作和雕像都出自于莱奥纳多·达·芬奇和米开朗琪罗这样的艺术大师。佛罗伦萨每年大约有一百万旅游者来访，他们都是来参观艺术馆，教堂和博物馆的。其中乌飞齐美术馆最为著名。雅典
希腊是希腊的首都，作为西方文明的发祥地而闻名于世。2400年前，它是世界上最强大的城市。一些诸如雅典卫城山上的巴特农神庙那样的建筑都是在这段时期建造的。希腊最为著名的作家就居住在古雅典。他们的作品影响了后世的作家。
Cultural Corner
The European Union
What Is the European Union?
The European Union is an organisation of European
countries. The countries are independent and are governed in different ways. In the United Kingdo m, for example, the head of state is a king or queen. In France, on the other hand, the head of state is a president. But each of them sends representatives to the European Parliament, which has some control over what happens in each of the member countries.
How Did It Start?
The idea of the European Union began in the 1950s. The first members were France, Germany, Be lgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Italy. Little by little, the number increased during the sec ond half of the twentieth century. By the year 2000, there were 15 member countries. The new cou ntries were Austria, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Ireland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United K ingdom.
How Many Countries Belong to It Now?
In 2004, the European Union increased to 25 members. The Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, La tvia, Lithuania, Poland, the Slovak Republic and Slovenia, plus the Mediterranean islands of Cypr us and Malta all became members. The expanded European Union has a population of more than h alf a billion people, twice as big as the population of the United States.
译:
欧盟
什么是欧盟呢？
欧盟是欧洲国家的一个组织。各个国家都是独立的而且管理方式也不同。例如，在联合王国（英国），国家的首脑是国王或女王。另一方面，在法国，国家的首脑却是总统。但是每个国家都向欧洲议会驻派代表，来控制在每个成员国所发生的事情。
欧盟是怎样创建的呢？
创建欧盟的想法是在20世纪50年代开始的。最初的成员国为法国、德国、比利时、卢森堡、荷兰和意大利。在20世纪的下半叶，成员国逐渐增加。到2000年为止，已经有15个成员国。这些新的国家是奥地利、丹麦、芬兰、希腊、爱尔兰、葡萄牙、西班牙、瑞典和联合王国。
现在有多少国家属于欧盟呢？
在2004年，欧盟的成员国增加到了25个。捷克共和国、爱沙尼亚、匈牙利、拉脱维亚、立陶宛、波兰、斯洛伐克共和国和斯洛文尼亚，还有地中海的岛国塞浦路斯和马耳他都成为成员国。扩大的欧盟人口达到5亿多，是美国人口的2倍。
Module 2 Reading
The Human Development Report
In the year 2000, 147 world leaders agreed to work
together to reduce poverty by 2015 or earlier. From this agreement came the Human Development Report.
One of the most important sections of this report is The Human Development Index. This examine s the achievements of 175 countries. The index measures a country's achievements in three ways: l ife expectancy (how long people usually live), education and income. The index has some surprise s. Norway is at the top of the list, while the US is at number 7. The other top five countries are: Ice land (2), Sweden (3), Australia (4), the Netherlands (5). The UK is in the thirteenth position, while China is in the middle of the list. The bottom ten countries are all African countries, with Sierra L eone (in West Africa) at the bottom of the list.
The report describes eight development goals. The most important goals are to:
reduce poverty and hunger;
make sure that all children have education up to the age of 11;
fight AIDS and other diseases;
improve the environment of poor people, e.g. make sure they have safe drinking water; ncourage developed countries to give more help to other countries.
The 2003 Human Development Report gives examples of
Successful development.For example, in nine years (1953–1962), China increased life expectancy by 13 years. In the last ten years in China, 150 million peo ple moved out of poverty. However, the challenges are still great. Every day 799 million people in developing countries are hungry. Over half of these are in South Asia or Africa. Although more tha n 80% of children in developing countries go to primary school, about 115 million children are not being educated. More than 1 billion people in developing countries do not drink safe water. Howe ver, in other regions of the world, e.g. Eastern Europe, water is now mostly safe to drink.
The report shows that we are making some progress but that we need to make greater efforts. Alth ough developed
countries give some financial help, they need to give much more. Interestingly, the countries that g ive the most money are the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden. These are among the five richest co untries in the world, so it is right that they should do so.
译:
人类发展报告在2000年，来自世界各国的147位领导人一致同意共同努力到2015年或在更早的时间减少贫困。由此产生了人类发展报告。
这份报告一个最重要的部分是人类发展指标。它审阅了175个国家的发展成就。指标从三个方面衡量一个国家的成就：寿命、教育和收入。这项指标显示了一些令人意外的情况。挪威高居榜首，而美国则排在第七。位于前五位的其他国家是：冰岛（2），瑞典（3）澳大利亚（4）荷兰（5）。英国位居第十三位，而中国处于中等地位。处于末端的十个国家均是非洲国家，塞拉利昂（西非）排在最后。
报告描述了八个发展目标。其中最重要的是：减少贫穷和饥饿；
确保所有儿童11岁之前都能接受教育；对抗艾滋病和其他疾病；
改善穷苦人民的环境，例如，确保他们有安全饮用水；鼓励发达国家给予其他国家更多的帮助。
2003年人类发展报告列举了一些成功发展的例子。譬如，在九年（1953-1962）的时间里，
中国的人均寿命增加了13岁。过去的十年之内，中国有1.5亿人脱贫。然而，挑战仍很严峻。在发展中国家，每天有7.99亿人在挨饿。其中一半以上的人来自南亚或非洲。虽然发展中国家80%以上的儿童能上小学，但仍有1.15亿的孩子得不到教育。发展中国家里十多亿的人喝不上安全的饮用水。当然在世界的其它地方，例如东欧，现在的饮用水大多是安全的。
报告显示我们正在进步，但是我们必须做出更大的努力。虽然发达国家提供了一些经济援助，但是提供援助的数量应该大大增加。有趣的是，捐钱最多的国家是荷兰、挪威和瑞典。它们都属于世界上五个最富的国家，所以他们这样做是合情合理的。
Module3 Reading
What is a Tornado?
A tornado（龙卷风）is a rotating column of air from a thunderstorm to the ground. The most violent have winds of more than 400 kilometres per hour. Almost all of them occur in the US, in the area from Texas in the southeast to South Dakota in the north.
Tornadoes can pick up cars, trains and even houses and put them down in the next street --- or even in the next town. They can take the fur off the back of a cat and the feathers off a chicken. They can destroy houses, but leave the furniture inside exactly where it was.
On average, there are 800 tornadoes in the US each year, causing about 80 deaths and 1500 injuries. The worst tornado of all time occurred in 1925, affecting three US states : Missouri, Illinois and Indiana. By the time it ended, more than 700 people had been killed and 2700 had been injured.
What is a Hurricane?
Hurricanes（飓风）are strong tropical storms, and they usually occur in the southern Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. There are violent winds of 120 kilometres per hour or more, which cause huge waves, heavy rain and floods. There are on average six Atlantic hurricanes each year and they usually affect the east coast of the US from Texas to Maine.
The worst hurricane disaster of all time occurred on the 8th September 1900 in Galveston, Texas. Winds of 200 kilometres per hour and five-metre-high waves hit the city. The disaster killed 6000 people in a population of 37000 and destroyed 3600 buildings.
An Extraordinary Event
This is a story about the 1900 Galveston hurricane.
Charles Coghlan was a nineteenth-century Irish actor who went to live in Canada. He then moved to New York, where he became famous. By the late 1890s, he had moved to Galveston, where he died in 1899, a year before the hurricane struck. The cemetery（墓地）where Coghlan was buried was destroyed by the hurricane and Coghlan’s coffin（棺材）ended up in the sea.
Eight years later, the coffin was found by fishermen in the sea near his home on Prince Edward Island in the east of Canada. The Gulf Stream had carried it 3000 kilometres up the eastern US coast to Prince Edward Island. Coghlan travelled back to Canada --- after he had been buried in Texas!
译:
什么是龙卷风？
龙卷风是指一个从空中的雷暴延伸到地面而生成的旋转气柱。最厉害的一次风速达到每小
时400公里。几乎所有的龙卷风都发生在美国，从东南部的德克萨斯州直到北部的南达科他州。龙卷风能卷起汽车、火车甚至房子，把它们卷到旁边的街道——甚至能卷到邻近的城镇。龙卷风可以卷走猫背上的皮毛、鸡身上的羽毛。它们能毁掉房子，却把房内的家具留在原处。平均来说，美国每年发生800次龙卷风，造成大约80人死亡、1,500人受伤。最恶劣的一场龙卷风发生在1925年，波及到了美国的三个州：密苏里州、伊利诺斯州和印第安纳州。等到风停时，已有700多人死亡，2,700多人受伤。什么是飓风？
飓风是强劲的热带风暴，通常发生在南大西洋、加勒比海和墨西哥海湾。飓风发生时，风暴速度达到每小时120公里或者更快，引发巨浪、暴雨和洪灾。每年平均有六次大西洋飓风，通常会影响到从得克萨斯州到缅因州的美国东部海岸。
最恶劣的一次飓风于1900年9月8日发生在德克萨斯州加尔维斯顿。时速高达200公里的狂风和五米高的巨浪袭击了加尔维斯顿城。37,000人口中有6,000人遇难，3,600幢大楼被摧毁。一个离奇的事件
这是关于1900年加尔维斯顿飓风的故事。
查尔斯·科格伦是十九世纪一位定居加拿大的爱尔兰演员。后来他移居纽约，并在那里获得了成功。19世纪90年代后期，他迁居加尔维斯顿，直到1899年在那里去世，也就是飓风袭击的前一年。掩埋科格伦的公墓被飓风所摧毁，他的棺材最后被卷入了大海。
八年后，渔民们在位于加拿大东部爱德华王子岛他家附近发现了他的棺材。墨西哥湾流沿着美国东海岸把它（棺材）一直带到爱德华王子岛，行程3,000公里。埋葬于德克萨斯州的查尔斯·科格伦又回到了加拿大
cultural Corner
Earthquakes Around the Pacific
About 400 earthquakes occur worldwide everyday, more than a hundred thousand in a year. China is situated in one of the most active earthquake regions in the world and there have been many terrible earthquakes. The most serious of these occurred in Hua County in Shaanxi Province in 1556. The earthquake affected eight provinces in Central China. It covered an area of 800 square kilometres. In some communities, 60 percent of the population were killed. In all, 830,000 people lost their lives.
The California Earthquake of the 18th of April 1906 is the worst earthquake that has ever happened in the United States. It took place at 5:15 a.m., and lasted for only a minute. However, it caused the worst natural disaster in the nation’s history.
Fires caused by the California Earthquake did the most damage. The fires burned for three days, destroying a total of 25,000 buildings. About 500 people were killed in the city of San Francisco and 250,000 were made homeless. In the whole of California, the earthquake and fires caused about 3000 deaths.
The 1906 earthquake was caused by a movement on the San Andreas Fault（圣安德烈亚斯断层）. One hundred years later, movements on the San Andreas Fault continue to cause problems for the whole of California
译:
太平洋周围的地震
全世界每天大约发生400次地震，一年大约十多万次地震。
中国位于世界上最活跃的一个地震带上并且那里已经发生了多次严重的地震。最严重的一次
地震发生在1556年陕西省的华县。这次地震影响了中国中部的八个省，涉及了800平方千米的地区。在一些地区，60%的人口死亡。总计，有83万人丧生。
1906年4月18日发生在加利福尼亚的地震是美国历史上最严重的一次地震。它在凌晨5点15分开始，仅持续了1分钟。然而，它却引发了这个国家历史上最严重的自然灾害。
加利福尼亚地震所引起的火灾造成了最大的破坏。这场火燃烧了3天，总共毁掉了二万五千座大楼。旧金山有大约500人死亡，25万人无家可归。在这个加利福尼亚，地震和火灾导致3,000人死亡。
1906年的地震由圣安德烈亚斯断层的运动引起的。一百年后，圣安德烈亚斯断层的运动持续给整个加利福尼亚带来问题。
Module4 Reading
Sandstorms in Asia
Sandstorms have been a major disaster for many Asian countries. Scientists have tried many years to solve this problem and in China, a mass campaign has been started to help solve it. Sandstorms are strong,dry winds that carry sand. They are often so thick that you cannot see the sun, and the wind is sometimes strong enough to move and dunes. The four main places in the world where there are sandstroms are Central Asia, North America, Central Africa and Australia. Ren Jianbo, from Inner Mongolia described a terrible sandstrom he experienced as a child in the desert. “To have been caught in a sandstorm was a terrible experience,”he said. “There was nothing to be done. It was the most frightening and the most dangerous situation I’ve been in. You just had to hope you’d survive. I thought I was going to disappear under the sand.”Northwest China is part of the sandstorm centre in Central Asia. Sandstorms begin in desert areas. Sandstorms in China appear to have increased in recent years as a result of “desertification”. This is a process that happens when land becomes desert because of climate changes and because people cut down trees and dig up grass.
Sandstorms sometimes affect Beijing. Citizens wake up to an orange sky and strong winds that cover the city in a thick, brown-yellow dust. The storms sometimes continue all day and traffic moves very slowly because the thick dust makes it difficult to see.
The Chinese Central Weather Station can forecast a sandstorm some weeks before it arrives in Beijing, but the strength of the storm sometimes surprises people. When a sandstorm arrives in the city, weather experts advise people not to go out. Huang Xiaomei, who lives in Beijing says, “To be cycling in a sandstorm is frightening. The winds are very strong. It’s difficult to breathe and the dust makes us ill. So if you want to go out, you’d better wear a mask.”
The desert is only 250 kilometres away to the west of Beijing. To prevent it coming nearer, the government is planting trees. Already the government has planted more than 30 billion trees and plans to continue planting for the next five years.
译:
亚洲的沙尘暴
几百年以来，沙尘暴一直是许多亚洲国家面临的主要灾难。科学家尝试过多种方法解决这个问题，在中国，也发动了群众运动来对付沙尘暴。
沙尘暴是夹带沙尘的强烈而干躁的风。沙尘暴夹带的沙尘含量常常很大以致于可以遮天蔽日。风力强大时可以搬动沙丘。世界上沙尘暴发生的四个主要地区是中亚、北美、中非和澳
大利亚。来自内蒙的任建波是这样来描述他小时候遭遇的一次沙尘暴的：“遇上沙尘暴是一个可怕的经历，”他说，“你一点办法也没有。那是我所遭遇过的最可怕、最危险的境况。你只能祈求会活下来。那时候我觉得我会消失在沙尘下。”
中国的西北地区是中亚沙尘暴中心的一部分。沙尘暴发端于沙漠地区。因“荒漠化”越发严重，中国近年来发生沙尘暴的次数明显增加了。这是由于气候变化和人们伐树挖草，使土地变成荒漠后产生的一种作用。
沙尘暴有时候会影响北京。居民醒来时，看到昏黄的天空，狂风夹着黄沙在城里肆虐。暴风有时持续一整天，车辆开得很慢，因为浓浓的尘埃降低了能见度。
中国中央气象站能在沙尘暴到达北京前几周预报沙尘暴，但沙尘暴的力量有时很惊人。沙尘暴到来时，气象专家建议人们不要外出。家住北京的黄小梅说：“在沙尘暴中骑车真可怕。风力很强，呼吸困难，沙尘使人难受。所以要出门，最好带上口罩。”
沙漠离北京西境只有250公里。为阻止沙漠的逼近，政府已经开始植树。政府已经种了300亿棵树，并准备在未来的五年里继续种植。
cultural Corner
The Green Movement
Some countries are better than others at looking after the environment. In Europe, Germany and the northern European countries work very hard to improve the environment. People in countries such as Germany put their garbage into different bags --- paper in one bag, plastic in another bag,etc. The garbage is then taken away and, if possible, recycled. CFCs ( chlorofluro-carbons 氯氟烃), chemicals which are found in refrigerators and aerosol cans（喷雾罐）, are not allowed. There are laws that do not allow people to burn too much coal.
In the 1970s, as people learnt more about environment problems, the “Green”movement began and soon spread all over Europe. The “Green”movement tries to get governments to think seriously about the environment and how to look after it. It collects information about how industry is damaging the environment and gives this information to newspapers.
译:
绿色行动
一些国家对环境的保护要好于其他国家。在欧洲，德国和北欧国家非常努力地改善环境。在一些国家，例如德国，人们把垃圾放在不同的袋子里——纸放在一个袋子中，塑料放在另一个袋子中，等等。然后垃圾被运走，如果可能的话，被循环利用。在冰箱和气榕胶罐里发现的氟氯碳化学元素都被禁止了。也有法律禁止人们燃烧太多的煤。
在20世纪70年代，当人们对于环境问题了解得更多的时候，“绿色”行动就开始了，不久便遍布整个欧洲。“绿色”行动试图使各国政府认真考虑环境问题以及如何去保护环境。它搜集关于工业破坏环境的信息，并把这些信息提供给社会
Module5 Reading
Philosophers of Ancient China
Ancient China was a palce where states were often at war with each other. But it was also a time when there were many great philosophers. Confucius（孔子）( 551BC --- 479BC ) is the philosopher whose influence has been the greatest. He stressed the importance of kindness, duty and order in society. Chinese society was influenced by these ideas for more than 2000 years.
Mencius（孟子）was a thinker whose teachings were very similar to those of Confucius. Mencius was born in 372BC. His father died when he was young, and he was brought up by his mother. He became a student of Confucius’s ideas, and was then given an important position in the government of a state. However, when he saw that the ruler was not following his advice, he resigned. For many years he travelled from state to state, teaching the principles of Confucius. He then became an adviser to another ruler. He spent his last years preparing a book of his teachings called The Book of Mencius. Mencius believed that the reason why man is different from animals is that man is good. He taught that if the government was kind, then people would be good. He believed that people were more important than rulers, and hated the state when it treated people badly.
Mozi（墨子）was another teacher who was very influential. Born in 476BC, he came from a family which was very poor. He became famous for his unusual clothes and behaviour. Mozi founded the philosophy called Mohism. In some ways, his beliefs were similar to those of Confucius. For example, he considered that government was most important. As a result, he spent many years trying to find a state where people would follow his teachings. Mozi believed that all men were equal. His idea of love was different from the Confucian idea of kindness. Mozi taught that we should love all human beings and look after those who are weaker than ourselves. He hated the idea of war. Mozi died in 390BC.
译:
中国古代的哲学家
古代中国各诸侯国之间经常发生战争。但那也是一个产生了许多哲学家的时期。孔子（公元前551—公元前479）是影响最大的哲学家。他强调了仁爱、责任和社会秩序的重要性。中国社会受这些思想的影响达2000多年之久。
孟子是一位思想家，他的理论和孔子的理论很相似。孟子生于公元前372年。父亲在他年幼时去世，母亲把他抚养成人。他学习了孔子的学说，后来在一个诸侯国的政府内居要职。但是，当他看到统治者不采纳他的意见时，就辞去了官职。许多年来，他周游列国，传授孔子的思想，后来成为另一位统治者的谋士。他晚年写了一本介绍他思想的书，名为《孟子》。孟子认为，人之所以不同于动物，是因为人性本善。他告诫人们，假若政府仁慈，人民就会有善行。他认为人民比政府更重要，憎恨对人民残暴的政权。
墨子是又一位极具影响力的先哲。他生于公元前476年，出身贫寒。他因不修边幅行为怪异而闻名。墨子创立了墨家学说。他的学说在某些方面和孔子学说很相似。例如，他认为政府很重要。因此，他花了许多年的时间，寻找一个人们愿意遵从他思想的国家。墨子认为，人生来平等。他的仁爱思想与孔子不同。墨子告诫人们要博爱，要帮助弱者。他憎恨战争。墨子死于公元前390年。
cultural Corner
The Industrial Revolution
In Europe, in the second half of the eighteenth century, there was an important change in society. This change was called the “Industrial Revolution”. Until then Europe had been a farming society. With the Industrial Revolution, factories appeared and mass production became possible for the first time. The factories were built in towns and as a result, the population of towns and cities greatly increased.
These changes became possible because of inventions such as the steam engine. This was invented
in 1769 by James Watt and was the main energy source during the Industrial Revolution. At first the steam engine was used in mines, but it was soon used in factories and on the railways.
During the Industrial Revolution, factory owners became more powerful than land owners. Thousands of people left the countryside to work in the city. Often, factory workers lived in poor and crowded conditions. From 1830 to the early 20th century, the Industrial Revolution spread through Europe and the US and then to other countries such as Japan.
译:
工业革命
18世纪后期的欧洲社会发生了一次重大变革。这个变革被称为“工业革命”。截至到那时，欧洲一直都是以农业社会为主。随着工业革命的到来，工厂出现了，并且批量生产第一次成为可能。工厂都建在城镇，结果城镇的人口大量增加了。
这些变化由于有了像蒸汽机这样的发明而成为可能。蒸汽机是1769年由詹姆斯·瓦特发明的，并且成为工业革命期间最主要的能量来源。最初，蒸汽机是在采矿时使用的，但是很快就被用在工厂和铁路上了。在工业革命期间，工厂主比农场主力量更强大。成千上万的人离开乡村去城市工作。工厂的工人们经常生活在艰苦拥挤的环境中，从1830年到20世纪早期，工业革命遍及了整个欧洲和美国，然后又蔓延到日本等其他一些国家
Module6 Reading
The Three Gorges Dam
Mao Zedong wrote a poem in which he dreamed of “walls of stone to hold back clouds and rain till a smooth lake rises in the narrow gorges”（毛泽东诗词：更立西江石壁，截断巫山云雨，高峡出平湖）. Now his dream has come true. The power of the Yangtze River, which is the world’s third longest river, has been harnessed（利用，变成动力）by the Three Gorges Dam.
The Three Gorges Dam（三峡大坝）, which is the biggest construction project in China since the building of the Great Wall and the Grand Canal, has been built to control flooding and provide hydro-electric power for the central region of China. The dam is nearly 200 metres high and 1.5 kilometres wide. It is the largest hydro-electric power station and dam（最大的水力发电站和水坝）in the world and has cost more than any other construction project in history.
Sun Yat-sen（孙中山）, who was the leader of the 1911 Revolution, first suggested the idea of a dam across the Yangtze River in 1919. Three quarters of China’s energy is produced by burning coal. In 1993, China used 1.2 billion tons of coal for heating and generating electricity. Unfortunately, burning coal causes serious air pollution and increases global warming. The dam will generate electricity equal to about 40 million tons of coal without causing so much air pollution.
The reservoir has flooded 2 cities, 11 counties, 140 towns and more than 4,000 villages. More than a million people who lived in the region have moved from their homes. Now they’re living a happy new life in different areas.
The Three Gorges area is one of the most beautiful areas of China and the project has flooded some of China’s most famous historical sites, including the Qu Yuan Temple, the Han Watchtower and the Moya Cliff carvings. About 800 historical relics（遗迹）have been submerged. Some of them are being removed and some are being put into museums.
译:
三峡大坝
毛泽东写过一首词，在词中，他想象了“更立西江石壁，截断巫山云雨，高峡出平湖”的壮丽景观。如今，他的理想变成了现实。三峡大坝制伏了世界第三大河流——长江的激流。修建三峡大坝是自修筑长城和开凿大运河以来中国最大的建筑工程，它控制了长江的洪灾并为我国中部地区提供电力。大坝高度接近200米，宽1500米。它是世界上最大的水力发电站和大坝，造价超过历史上的任何一项工程。
早在1919年，领导了辛亥革命的孙逸仙（中山）先生就首次提出了要在长江修筑大坝的设想。中国四分之三的能量是通过燃煤获得的。1993年，中国燃掉了12亿吨煤用于供热和发电。不幸的是，燃煤造成了严重的大气污染，加剧了全球变暖。大坝将要生产相当于燃烧4000万吨煤所产生的电量，但却不会造成那么严重的空气污染。
水库淹没了两个城市、11个县、140个镇和4000多座村庄。生活在这些地区的100多万人已经搬迁了。现在，他们在不同的地区幸福地生活着。
三峡是中国风光最美丽的地区之一。由于大坝工程，一些著名的历史遗迹被水淹没，包括屈原庙、汉瞭望塔和摩崖石刻。大约800多处历史遗迹已被淹没。其中有一部分被转移，还有一部分被博物馆收藏。
Cultral Corner
The Empire State Building, New York
Most of the tallest buildings in the world were built in the 1990s and in the twenty-first century, but the two tallest buildings in the US were built much earlier. In fact, the second tallest building in the US is more than 75 years old!
The Empire State Building, which was the tallest building at the time was finished in May 1931. it was the tallest building in the world until the World Trade Centre was built in New York in 1972. The world Trade Centre twin towers, which were destroyed in September 2001, were 417 and 415 metres high.
Facts about the Empire State Building :
·Ten million bricks were used in the construction of the building.
·There are 6500 windows.
·From the observatory at the top, on a clear day you can see five US states.
·Lightening strikes the Empire State Building about 500 times a year.
·In 1945, a US military plane, which was flying over Manhattan on a foggy day, crashed into the building just above the 78th floor
译:
纽约的帝国大厦
世界上大部分最高的建筑物都建于20世纪90年代和21世纪，但是美国最高的两座大楼却建得比这早很多。事实上，美国的第二高楼的历史已经超过75年了！
帝国大厦建于1931年5月，是当时世界上最高的建筑物。直到1972年纽约的世贸中心被建起之前，帝国大厦一直是世界上最高的建筑物。世贸中心的姊妹塔高达417米和415米，但是这两座建筑在2001年9月被毁掉了。
关于帝国大厦的资料：
·建造大厦用了1000万块砖。·共有6500个窗户。
·在晴朗的天气里，你可以从顶部的观察台上看见美国的五个州。·帝国大厦每年遭受约500次雷电袭击。
·1945年，一架在雾天飞跃曼哈顿上空的美国军用飞机撞进大厦的第78层。
Great European Cities PARIS Paris is the capital and largest city of France, situated on River Seine. It is one of the most beautiful cities in the world and is visited by more than eight million tourists every year. The most popular place for tourists is the Eiffel Tower, the famous symbol of Paris. One of the world’s largest art galleries, the Louvre, is also located in Paris. The city is also located in Paris. The city is also famous for its restaurants, cafes and theatres. About two-thirds of France’s artists and writers live in Paris. BARCELONA Barcelona is the second largest city of Spain and is situated on the northeast coast, about five hundred kilometres east of the Spanish capital, Madrid. One of Barcelona’s most famous landmarks is the Church of Sagrada Familia, which was designed by an architect called Antonio Gaudi. Gaudi worked on the project from 1882 until his death in 1926. The church hasn’t been finished yet! FLORENCE Florence is an Italian city which became famous because of the Renaissance, a great artistic movement which began in the 1300s and lasted for three hundred ears. During the Renaissance, some of the greatest painters of all time lived and worked in Florence. Many of Florence’s most beautiful paintings and sculptures were produced by great artists such as Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. Florence is visited each year by about a million tourists who come to see the art galleries, churches and museums. The Uffizi Palace is the most famous art gallery in the city. ATHENS Athens, the capital of Greece, is known as the birthplace of western civilization. Two thousand four hundred years ago, it was the world’s most powerful city. Buildings such as the Parthenon on the Acropolis Hill were built during this period. Greece’s best writers lived in ancient Athens. Their work has influenced other writers ever since. The Human Development Report In the year 2000, 147 world leaders agreed to work together to reduce poverty by 2015 or earlier. From this agreement came the Human Development Report. One of the most important sections of this report is the Human Development Index. This examines the achievements of 175 countries. The Index measures a country’s achievements in three ways: life expectancy (how long people usually live), education and income. The index has some surprises. Norway is at the top of the list, while the US is at number 7. The other top five countries are: Iceland(2), Sweden(3), Australia(4), the Netherlands(5). The UK is in the thirteenth position, while China is in the middle of the list. The bottom ten countries are all African countries, with Sierra Leone(in West Africa) at the bottom of the list. The report describes eight Development Goals. The most important goals are to: Reduce poverty and hunger; Make sure that all children have education up to the age of 11; Fight AIDS and other diseases; Improve the environment of poor people, e.g. make sure they have safe drinking water; Encourage developed countries to give more help to other countries. The 2003 Human Development Report gives examples of successful development. For example, in nine years, China increased life expectancy by 13 years. In the last ten years in China, 150 million people moved out of poverty. However, the challenges are still great. Every day 799 million people in developing countries are hungry. Over half of these are in South Asia or Africa. Although more than 80% of children in developing countries go to primary school, about 115 million children are not being educated. More than 1 billion people in developing countries do not drink safe water. However, in other regions of the world, e.g. Eastern Europe, water is now mostly safe to drink.
单词 1 across prep. & adv. 横过，穿过；从一边到另一边；在对面 come across 偶然遇到 get across 通过；使被理解；解释清楚 10 meters across 宽10米 【词语辨析】 across, through和 over across表示从一定范围的一边到另一边，且在物体的表面上或沿着某一条线的方向而进行的动作，其含义常与on 有关；through表示动作在空间内进行，其含义常与in有关；over表示“越过”，指越过较高物体，从一侧到另一侧。 【活学活用】 (1)My house is just ________the street. 我的房子就在马路对面。 2 face n. 脸；表面；(物体的)正面，表面 v. 面对，面向；面临；应付，应对 lose one's face 丢脸；丢面子 make a face 做鬼脸 in the face of 面对 be faced with 面临；面对 face to face 面对面 face south/the park 面向南方/公园 face the fact 正视现实 3 range n. [C]山脉；列；排；(变动或浮动的)幅度；[C，U](知识、知觉、听觉等的)范围；(枪支、导弹等的)射程，最大航程 v. (在一定范围内)变化，变动；安排；徘徊 be in/within range 在范围以内 be beyond/out of range 超出范围；在范围以外 a wide/broad range of 范围广泛的 range from…to…从……到……不等 4 situated adj. 坐落(某处)的；位于(某处)的 situate v. 使位于；使处于 situation n. 情形；位置；境遇 be situated/located/at/in/on＋n. 位于；坐落于 be well/badly/situated 处境很好/困难5 opposite prep. 在……对面 adj. 相对的；对面的；对立的；相反的 n. 对立面；反面 just/quite the opposite 恰恰相反 in the opposite direction 朝相反的方向 the man opposite 对面的那个人 on the opposite side of the street 在街的对面 【词语辨析】 opposite和contrary (1)opposite指位置、方向、地位、性质、意义等的对 立、相反。 (2)contrary指“两物朝相反的方向发展”，含有“相 互冲突，不一致”的意思。on the contrary“正相反”，经常用来引出相反的观点或事实。 6 sign v. 签署；签字；签约；雇佣；做手势(示意) n. 迹象；征兆；手势；信号；标志；指示牌；符号 sign to sb to do sth 示意某人做某事 sign up 经报名参加 sign in/out 签到/签名登记离开 sign for 签收 sign on 签约受雇(或入伍) sign an agreement 签署协议 road signs 路标 短语 1 work on 从事，忙于 work at 研究，努力学习 work out 计算，算出，找到答案； 弄懂；制订出；锻炼，健身； 按某种方式发展，结果 work as 作为……工作 at work 在上班 【短语辨析】 work on和work at work on往往指做某种具体的工作，翻译起来比较灵活；而work at更倾向于“钻研”或“努力学习”。 如： He is working on a new novel. 他正在写一本新的小说。 The little boy was working on a branch with a knife to make a toy gun. 小男孩正在用刀子削树枝做玩具手枪。 He is working at English grammar. 他正在努力学习英语语法。 (2)根据语境选择work out恰当的英语释义 a．to calculate sth b．to train the body by physical exercise c．to develop in a particular way, turn out d．to find the answer to sth; to solve sth; to understand e．to plan or think of sth 1
高中英语外研版必修三单词表 Module 1 1. across prep. 横过；穿过 2. boot n. 长统靴；皮靴 3. continental adj. 大陆的；大洲的 4. face vt. 面向；面对 5. range n. 山脉 6. landmark n. 标志性建筑 7. gallery n. 美术馆；画廊 8. situated adj. 坐落（某处）的；位于（某处）的 9. symbol n. 象征；符号 10. located adj. 位于 11. architect n. 建筑师 12. project n. 计划；项目；工程 13. sculpture n. 雕刻；泥塑 14. birthplace n. 发源地 15. civilization n. 文明 16. ancient adj. 古代的 17. opposite prep. 在……对面 18. sign vt. 签署 19. agreement n. 协议；契约 20. whereabouts adv. 在哪里 21. govern vt. 统治；治理 22. head n. 领袖；领导人 23. representative n. 代表 24. parliament n. 国会；议会 25. region n. 地区；区域 26. geographical adj. 地理的 27. feature n. 特点 28. produce n. 产品；农产品 because of 因为；由于 be known as 作为……而出名/闻名 ever since 自从……一直 in terms of 据……；依据…… on the other hand 另一方面；反过来说little by little 一点点地；逐渐地 Module 2 1. hunger n. 饥饿 2. income n. 收入 3. poverty n. 贫穷 4. human n. （与动物等对比的）人 5. development n. 发展 6. index n. 指数 7. measure vt. 测定；测量；评估 8. goal n. 目标 9. expectancy n. （根据概率得出的）预期数额 10. position n. 位置 11. educate vt. 教育；培养；训练 12. figure n. 数字 13. household n. 一家人；家庭 14. homeless adj. 无家可归的 15. charity n. 慈善团体 16. crowded adj. 拥挤的 17. freeway n. 高速公路 18. inhabitant n. 居民 19. similarity n. 类似；相似 20. unfortunate adj. 不幸的；遗憾的 21. location n. 位置；所在地 22. tourism n. 旅游业 23. transport n. 交通工具 24. industrial adj. 工业的 25. polluted adj. 受到污染的 26. smart adj. 漂亮的；整洁的；时髦的 27. vast adj. 巨大的；庞大的；浩瀚的 28. entertainment n. 娱乐 29. exchange n. 交换 at the top of 在……顶端 at the bottom of 在……底部 make effort 努力 be connected with 与……有联系；与……有关 be close to 接近；靠近 Module 3 1. disaster n. 灾难
必修三Module 1 ⒈be located/ situated ( on/ in / to…) = lie/ stand (on/ in/ to) 位于…的；坐落于…的；处于…地位（状态的） ⑴我们学校坐落于一个美丽的地方，周围有青山绿水环绕。 Our school is situated in the beautiful place, with green mountains and clear rivers around. ◆ situation n. 立场；局势；形势 in a …situation 处于….状况中；在…形势下 1). In the present situation, I wouldn’t advise you to sell your house. 在目前的形势下，… 2). You’re putting me in a very embarrassing situation. 你使我处于非常尴尬的境地。 3). With no rain for three months and food supplies running out, the situation here is getting worse. 三个月无雨，食品供应也将消耗殆尽，这里情况越来越糟糕了。 ⒉face 1). face up to 勇敢面对（接受并处理） (be) faced with 面对；面临 face (to the) south/north/east/west 面朝南/北/东/西 2). face to face 面对面(地) in (the) face of 面对；在…面前 make a face at 向…做鬼脸 save/lose face 保全/丢面子to one’s face 当着某人的面 stare sb. in the face 盯着某人 turn red in the face 涨红了脸 be+过去分词+介词（这些词作状语或定语时用ed形式,be 去掉） be faced with；be compared with be seated；be hidden； be lost / absorbed/occupied in be abandoned/ addicted to（沉溺于）； be born；be dressed ；be tired of （厌烦）等 ⒊表示“某物在哪个方向”可用south/north/east/west等，构成以下几种表达方式。 (1). …is in the south of 在…的南部（在部） …is on the south of 在…的南边（接壤） …is to the south of 在…以南（在外部） …is south of 在…的南部（不指明在部还是外部） (2). 把表示方位、地点的介词或副词短语放在句首，句子用完全倒装语序。 ①.Jiangsu is on the south of Shandong. South of Shandong is Jiangsu. ②.East of our school lies a railway. ⒋倍数表示法： as…as ◎A is …↓… (more than) times -er than B 倍数the N. of size, length, height, weight… ⒌主谓一致
外研版高中英语必修三课文 3.1 Great European Cities Paris Paris is the capital and largest city of France, situated on the River Seine. It is one of the most beautiful cities in the world and is visited by more than eight million tourists every year. The most popular place for tourists is the Eiffel Tower, the famous symbol of Paris. One of the world's largest art galleries, the Louvre, is also located in Paris. The city is also famous for its restaurants, cafés and theatres. About two-thirds of France's artists and writers live in Paris. Barcelona Barcelona is the second largest city of Spain and is situated on the northeast coast, about five hundred kilometres east of the Spanish capital, Madrid. One of Barcelona's most famous landmarks is the Church of the Sagrada Familia, which was designed by an architect called Antonio Gaudi. Gaudi worked on the project from 1882 until his death in 1926. The church hasn't been finished yet! Florence Florence is an Italian city which became famous because of the Renaissance, a great artistic movement which began in the 1300s and lasted for three hundred years. During the Renaissance, some of the greatest painters of all time lived and worked in Florence. Many of Florence's most beautiful paintings and sculptures were produced by great artists such as Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. Florence is visited each year by about a million tourists who come to see the art galleries, churches and museums. The Uffizi Palace is the most famous art gallery in the city. Athens Athens, the capital of Greece, is known as the birthplace of western civilisation. Two thousand four hundred years ago, it was the world's most powerful city. Buildings such as the Parthenon on the Acropolis Hill
高一英语人教版必修三-全册课文原文 Unit 1 Festivals around the world FESTIVALS AND CELEBRATIONS Festivals and celebrations of all kinds have been held everywhere since ancient times. Most ancient festivals would celebrate the end of cold weather, planting in spring and harvest in autumn. Sometimes celebrations would be held after hunters had caught animals. At that time people would starve if food was difficult to find, especially during the cold winter months. Today’s festivals have many origins, some religious, some seasonal, and some for special people or events. Festivals of the dead Some festivals are held to honour the dead or to satisfy the ancestors, who might return either to help or to do harm. For the Japanese festival Obon, people should go to clean graves and light incense in memory of their ancestors. They also light lamps and play music because they think that will lead the ancestors back to earth. In
外研版高中英语必修三单词表（带音标） 课本单元单词音标中文 必修３1across[?'kr??s]prep.横过；穿过 必修３1boot[bu?t]n.长统靴；皮靴 必修３1continental[?kɑnt??nentl]adj.大陆的；大洲的 必修３1face[fe?s]vt.面向；面对 必修３1range[re?nd?]n.山脉 必修３1landmark[?l?nd?mɑrk]n.标志性建筑 必修３1gallery[?ɡ?l?ri]n.美术馆；画廊 必修３1situated[?s?t?u?e?t?d]adj.坐落/位于(某处)的必修３1symbol[?s?mb(?)l]n.象征；符号 必修３1located[l???ke?t?d]adj.位于 必修３1architect[?ɑ?k?tekt]n.建筑师 必修３1project[?pr?d?ekt]n.计划；项目；工程 必修３1sculpture[?sk?lpt??]n.雕刻；泥塑 必修３1birthplace[?b??θple?s]n.发源地 必修３1civilisation[?s?v?la??ze???n]n.文明 必修３1ancient[?e?n??nt]adj.古代的 必修３1opposite[??p?z?t]prep.在…对面 必修３1sign[sa?n]vt.签署 必修３1agreement[??ɡri?m?nt]n.协议；契约 必修３1whereabouts[?we?r??ba?ts]adv.在哪里 必修３1govern[?ɡ?v(?)n]vt.统治；治理 必修３1head[hed]n.领袖；领导人 必修３1representative[repr??zent?t?v]n.代表 必修３1parliament[?pɑ?l?m?nt]n.国会；议会 必修３1region[?ri?d??n]n.地区；区域 必修３1geographical[?d?i???ɡr?f?k(?)l]adj.地理的 必修３1feature[fi?t??]n.特点 必修３1produce[pr?'dju?s]n.产品；农产品 必修３2hunger[?h??ɡ?]n.饥饿 必修３2income[??nk?m]n.收入 必修３2poverty[/?p?v?ti ]n.贫穷 必修３2human['hju?m?n]n.(与动物等对比的)人必修３2development[d??vel?pm?nt]n.发展 必修３2index[??ndeks]n.指数 必修３2measure[?me??]vt.测定；测量；评估 必修３2goal[g??l]n.目标 必修３2expectancy[?k?spekt?nsi](根据概率得出的)预期数额必修３2position[p??z??(?)n]n.位置 必修３2educate[?edj?ke?t]vt.教育；培养；训练 必修３2figure[?f?ɡ?]n.数字 必修３2household[?ha?s?h??ld]n.一家人；家庭 必修３2homeless['h??ml?s]adj.无家可归的 必修３2charity['t??r?ti]n.慈善团体 必修３2crowded[?kra?d?d]adj.拥挤的 必修３2freeway[?fri?we?]n.高速公路 必修３2inhabitant[?n?h?b?t?nt]n.居民 必修３2similarity[?s?m??ler?ti]n.类似；相似 必修３2unfortunate[?n?f?rt??n?t]adj.不幸的；遗憾的 必修３2location[l??'ke???n]n.位置；所在地 必修３2tourism[?t??r?z(?)m]n.旅游业 必修３2transport[tr?ns?p??t]n.交通工具 必修３2industrial[?n?d?stri?l]adj.工业的 必修３2polluted[p?'lu?t?d]adj.受到污染的 必修３2smart[smɑ?t]adj.漂亮的;整洁的;时髦的必修３2vast[vɑ?st]adj.巨大的;庞大的;浩瀚的必修３2entertainment[ent??te?nm?nt]n.娱乐 必修３2exchange[?ks?t?e?nd?]n.交换 必修３3disaster[d??zɑ?st?]n.灾难 必修３3flood[fl?d]n.洪水
Unit 5 CANADA- “THE TRUE NORTH” A TRIP ON “THE TRUE NORTH” Li Daiyu and her cousin Liu Qian were on a trip to Canada to visit their cousins in Montreal on the Atlantic coast. Rather than take the aeroplane all the way, they decided to fly to Vancouver and then take the train from west to east across Canada. The thought that they could cross the whole continent was exciting. Their friend, Danny Lin, was waiting at the airport. He was going to take them and their baggage to catch “The True North”, the cross-Canada train. On the way to the station, he chatted about their trip. “You’re going to see some great scenery. Going eastward, you’ll pass mountains and thousands of lakes and forests, as well as wide rivers and large cities. Some people have the idea that you can cross Canada in less than five days, but they forget the fact that Canada is 5,500 kilometres from coast to coast. Here in Vancouver, you’re in Canada’s warmest part. People say it is Canada’s most popular cities to live in. Its population is increasing rapidly. The coast north of Vancouver has some of the oldest and most beautiful forests in the world. It is so wet there that the trees are extremely tall, some measuring over 90 metres.” That afternoon aboard the train, the cousins settled down in their seats. Earlier that day, when they crossed the Rocky Mountains, they managed to catch sight of some mountain goats and even a grizzly bear and an eagle. Their next stop was Calgary, which is famous for the Calgary Stampede. Cowboys from all over the world come to compete in the Stampede. Many of them have a gift for riding wild horses and can win thousands of dollars in prizes. After two days’ travel, the girls began to realize that Canada is quite empty. At school, they had learned that most Canadians live within a few hundred kilometres of the USA border, and Canada’s population is only slightly over thirty million, but now they were amazed to see such an empty country. They went through a wheat-growing province and saw farms that covered thousands of acres. After dinner, they were back in an urban area, the busy port city of Thunder Bay at the top of the Great Lakes. The girls were surprised at the fact that ocean ships can sail up the Great Lakes. Because of the Great Lakes, they learned, Canada has more fresh water than any other country in the world. In fact, it has one-third of the world’s total fresh water, and much of it is in the Great Lakes. That night as they slept, the train rushed across the top of Lake Superior, through the great forests and southward towards Toronto. “THE TRUE NORTH” FROM TORONTO TO MONTREAL The next morning the bushes and maple trees outside their windows were red, gold and orange, and there was frost on the ground, confirming that fall had arrived in Canada. Around noon they arrived in Toronto, the biggest and most wealthy city in Canada. They were not leaving for Montreal until later, so they went on a tour of the city. They went up the tall CN Tower and looked across the lake. In the distance, they could see the misty cloud that rose from the great Niagara Falls, which is on the south side of the lake. The water flows into the Niagara River and over the falls on its way to the sea. They saw the covered stadium, home of several famous basketball teams. As they walked north from the harbour area, Li Daiyu said, “Lin Fei, one of my mother’s old schoolmates, lives here. I should phone her from a telephone booth.”
必修三知识点汇总 Module 1 Europe 重要短语： because of be covered by/with be known for/as/to make A out of B on the coast work on have…in common refer to have control over/of have a population of little by little on the other hand in one’s thirties compared with belong to increase to/by in terms of be faced with ever since 重要句型： 1. It is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. one of the +形容词最高级+ 可数名词复数最。。。。之一 2. Portugal is to the west of Spain. ①表示位置: A is/lies in/on/to/off the+方向+of B A is located/situated in/on/to/off the+方向+of B ②位置+距离: A is (about)+距离+（to the）+方向+of B in ,on和to表地理方位的区别 （1）表示A在B的范围内（即A是B的组成部分之一）时用in.如：our school is in the west of the town.我们学校在城西。 （2）强调A和B两地接壤时，用on.如： Korea is on the east of China.朝鲜与中国东部接壤。 （3） A在B的范围之外，两者之间没有所属关系时用to。如：Our school is to the west of the hospital.我们学校在医院的西面。 3. on the coast和off the coast on表示“位于河畔或铁路，公路及海岸等沿线上”；off表示“稍离陆地，在沿岸的海里”。如： 语法要求： 一：一般现在时和一般过去时的被动语态 被动语态由“be+及物动词的过去分词(+by) ”构成。被动语态发生时态变化时只变be的形式，过去分词不变。 现在时被动语态：am/ is/ are + 过去分词 过去时被动语态：was/ were + 过去分词 二：主谓一致：本单元主要强调第二个原则 语法一致原则。句子的主语是单数，谓语动词用单数形式；主语是复数，谓语动词用复数形式。 注意：(1) something, everybody, nobody , either, neither, each等不定代词作主语时，谓语需用单数。 (2) 当主语后面跟有with, together with, as well as, like 等时，谓语动词的单复数形式仍然要与这些词语前面的主语保持一致。 2. 意义一致原则。 一些集合名词，如：family, enemy, class, population, army等作主语时，谓语动词的
Unit 1 Festivals around the world FESTIVALS AND CELEBRATIONS Festivals and celebrations of all kinds have been held everywhere since ancient times. Most ancient festivals would celebrate the end of cold weather, planting in spring and harvest in autumn. Sometimes celebrations would be held after hunters had caught animals. At that time people would starve if food was difficult to find, especially during the cold winter months. Today’s festivals have many origins, some religious, some seasonal, and some for special people or events. Festivals of the dead Some festivals are held to honour the dead or to satisfy the ancestors, who might return either to help or to do harm. For the Japanese festival Obon, people should go to clean graves and light incense in memory of their ancestors. They also light lamps and play music because they think that will lead the ancestors back to earth. In Mexico, people celebrate the Day of the Dead in early November. On this important feast day, people eat food in the shape of skulls and cakes with “bones” on them. They offer food, flowers and gifts to the dead. The Western holiday Halloween also had its origin in old beliefs about the return of the spirits of dead people. It is now a children’s festival, when they can dress up and go to their neighbours’ homes to ask for sweets. If the neighbours do not give any sweets, the children might play a trick on them. Festivals to Honour People Festivals can also be held to honour famous people. The Dragon Boat Festival in China honours the famous ancient poet, Qu Y uan. In the USA, Columbus Day is in memory of the arrival of Christopher Columbus in the New World. India has a national festival on October 2 to honour Mohandas Gandhi, the leader who helped gain India’s independence from Britain. Harvest Festivals Harvest and Thanksgiving festivals can be very happy events. People are grateful because their food is gathered for the winter and the agricultural work is over. In European countries, people will usually decorate churches and town halls with flowers and fruit, and will get together to have meals. Some people might win awards for their farm produce, like the biggest watermelon or the most handsome rooster. China and Japan have mid-autumn festivals when people admire the moon and in China enjoy moon-cakes. Spring Festivals The most energetic and important festivals are the ones that look forward to the end of winter and to the coming of spring. At the Spring Festival in China, people eat dumplings, fish and meat and may give children lucky money in red paper. There are dragon dances and carnivals, and families celebrate the Lunar New Year together. Some Western countries have very exciting carnivals, which take place forty days before Easter, usually in February. These carnivals might include parades, dancing in the streets day and night, loud music and colourful clothing of al kinds. Easter is an important religious and social festival for Christians around the world. It celebrates the return of Jesus from the dead and the coming of spring and new life. Japan’s Cherry Blossom Festival happens a little later. The country, covered with cherry tree flowers, looks as though it is covered with pink snow. People love to get together to eat, drink and have fun with each other. Festivals let us enjoy life, be proud of our customs and forget our work for a little while.