人教新课标高中英语选修8workbookreadintask(最新整理)

选修8Unit 1△illustratevt.说明；阐明distinctadj.清晰的；明显的；明确的distinctionn.差别；区分；卓著△immigrantn.（从外国移入的）移民live on继续存在；继续生存straitn.xx△BeringxxArcticadj.xx的；xx的the Arcticxxmeansn.手段；方法by means of…用……办法；借助……△prehistoricadj.xx的majorityn.大多数；大半ministryn.（政府的）部；（全体）牧师；牧师的职责Catholicadj.天主教的n.天主教徒△Alaskan.阿拉斯加（州）△San Franciscon.圣弗朗西斯科（也称旧金山）△adventurern.冒险家make a life习惯于新的生活方式、工作等△despiteprep.尽管；不管hardshipn.苦难；困苦electvt.选择；决定做某事；选举某人federaladj.联邦制的；联邦政府的railn.铁路；扶手；（护栏的）横条percentagen.百分比；百分率△Los Angelesn.xxItalyn.xxItaliann.意大利人；意大利语adj.意大利人的；意大利语的Denmarkn.xx（北欧国家）keep up坚持；维持；沿袭（风俗、传统等）△Hollywoodn.好莱坞；美国电影业boomn.（人口、贸易的）繁荣vi.处于经济迅速发展时期aircraftn.飞行器；航空器；飞机△Cambodiann.柬埔寨人；柬埔寨语Korean.xx；xxKoreann.韩国/朝鲜人；朝鲜/韩语adj.韩国（人/语）的；朝鲜（人/语）的Pakistann.巴基斯坦Pakistaniadj.巴基斯坦（人）的n.巴基斯坦人△immigratevi.移入（外国定居）immigrationn.移民；移居入境racialadj.人种的；种族的crossingn.横渡；横越；十字路口；人行横道vicen. & adj.代理；副职nephewn.侄子；外甥polen.地极；电极；磁极applicantn.xxcustomsn.xx；关税；进口税socialistn.社会主义者；社会党人adj.社会主义者的socialismn.社会主义occurvi.发生；出现cattlen.xx（总称）△Hispanicn.（美）讲西班牙语的美国人indicatevt.指出；指示；表明；暗示back to back背靠背luggagen.行李（<美>baggage）shavevt. & vi. (shaved; shaved, shaven)刮；剃△cablen.缆绳；绳索；电缆△cable car缆车；（美）有轨缆车△Andrew Hallidie安德鲁?海利迪tramn.（有轨）电车apparentadj.显而易见的；显然的；表面上的apparentlyadv.显然地；显而易见地braken.闸；刹车；制动器Vi. & vt.刹（车）；用制动器减速conductorn.（公车）售票员；列车员；（乐队）指挥slipvi.滑动；滑行；滑跤n.滑动；滑倒△wharfn.码头bakeryn.面包房；面包厂ferryn.渡船；渡口vt.摆渡；渡运△Angel Island天使岛team up with与……合作或一起工作hirevt. & n.租用；雇用△fascinatingadj.迷人的；吸引人的mark out划线；标出……界线seagulln.海鸥take in包括；吸收anglen.角；角度a great/good many许多；很多apply for申请；请示得到nowhereadv.无处；到处都无△miserableadj.痛苦的；悲惨的punishmentn.处罚；惩罚justicen.xx；公平mournvt. &vi.哀悼；悼念；表示悲痛civiladj.公民的；国内的；民间的authorityn.权威；权力(pl)当局；官方reformvt. & vi.改革；革新n.改革；改造；改良graspvt. & n.抓住；抓紧；掌握；领会△thoughtfuladj.关切的；体贴的；深思的thankfuladj.感激的；感谢的insertvt.插入；嵌入Unit 2differvi.不同；相异exactadj.精确的；准确的△cuttingn.剪枝；剪报；剪纸twinn.双胞胎之一；孪生儿之一adj.成对的；成双的△identicaladj.同一的；一模一样的commercialadj.商业的；贸易的straightforwardadj.简单的；直接的；坦率的△complicatedadj.复杂的；难懂的undertakevt. (undertook, undertaken)着手；从事；承担pay off得到好结果；取得成功；偿清breakthroughn.突破proceduren.程序；步骤；手续△nucleusn.原子核；中心△somaticadj.躯体的；肉体的；细胞体的△embryon.胚；胚胎；xx时期carriern.携带者；搬运工；运输工具castvt. (cast, cast)扔；投；掷cast down沮丧；不愉快altogetheradv.总共；完全地arbitraryadj.任意的△faten.命运；天命correctionn.改正；纠正；修正objectvi.反对；不赞成objectionn.不赞成；反对；异议△impactn.撞击；冲击；巨大的影响mediumn.媒介；手段；工具the media大众传播媒体（如电视、报纸等）obtainvt.获得；赢得attainvt.获得；到达（水平、年龄、状况等）moraladj.xx（上）的；xx的conservativeadj.保守的；守旧的forbidvt. (forbade,forbad; forbidden)禁止；不准accumulatevt.积累；聚保in favour of赞成；支持side road旁路；支线；岔道(<美>sidewalk) constitutionn.宪法；章程compulsoryadj.必须做的；义务的；强迫的；强制的operan.歌剧；歌剧团；歌剧院chorusn.合唱；合唱队loafn.一条（面包）flourn.面粉owevt.欠（账、钱、人情等）；归功于……shortlyadv.立刻；不久retirevi.退休；离开bothervt.打扰vi.操心n.烦扰(be) bound to (do)一定或注定（做）……assumptionn.假定；设想regulationn.规则；规章；法规△nonsensen.胡说；无稽之谈；废话△popularityn.受人喜爱；流行△Jurassic Park侏罗纪公园（美国电影名）strikevi & vt. (struck, struck)打；撞击；罢工strike…into one’s heart使……刻骨铭心△bisonn.xx或xx野牛△calfn.小牛；牛犊from time to time不时；偶尔bring back to life使复生；使复活initialadj.最初的；开始的△DNA脱氧核糖核酸vainadj.虚荣的；自负的；徒劳的in vain白费力气；枉费心机resistvt.抵抗；对抗drawbackn.缺点；不利条件merelyadv.仅；只；不过△restorevt.恢复；使恢复原状；重建△aurochsn.原牛（古代欧洲野牛，已灭绝）decorationn.装饰unableadj.不能的；不会的△great aukn.大海雀（已灭绝）feathern.羽毛△quaggan.xx斑马（已灭绝）△fairlyadv.公平地；相当地in good/poor condition状况很好（坏）；情况很好（坏）turkeyn.火鸡△dyevt.给……染色；染n.染色剂clawn.xx；脚xxadorevt.崇拜；xx；喜爱hatchvt. & vi.孵出；孵卵；孵化reasonableadj.合情理的；讲道理的；公道的Unit 3△amphibiousadj.两栖（类）的△George Stephenson乔治?斯蒂芬森（英国发明家，蒸汽机的发明人）patentn.专利证书；专利权call up给……打电话courtyardn.院子；庭院；天井now and then偶尔；有时walnutn.xx；xx木distinguishvi. & vt.显示……的差别；使……有所不同；辨别mercifuladj.宽大的；仁慈的；慈悲的productn.产品powdern.粉末；火药set about开始；着手perfumen.xx；香味stainlessadj.无锈的；不锈的；没有污点的△jellyn.果冻；果冻状物cuben.xx；立方cubicadj.立方的abruptadj.突然的；意外的abruptlyadv.突然地；xx地convenientadj.便利的；方便的；就近的cautionn.小心；谨慎expectationn.预料；期待；期望passiveadj.被动的；消极的；被动语态的merryadj.愉快的；高兴的merrilyadv.高兴地；愉快地seizevt.抓住；捉住；夺△recognitionn.认出；认可；承认criterionn.（评判的）标准；尺度△claimn. & vt.要求；声称；主张validadj.有效的；确凿的filen.文件；档案；文件夹vt.提交；将……归档ripeadj.熟的；成熟的stringn.线；绳子；一串gluen.胶；胶水vt.粘贴；粘合△rodn.杆；棒freezingadj.冰冻的；严寒的greengrocern.果蔬商（pl）蔬菜水果店identificationn.鉴定；辨认；确定；身份证明directoryn.电话簿；商行名录dialvt.拨（电话）rainfalln.降雨△courtroomn.法庭；审判室innocentadj.清白的；无罪的；天真的lanternn.灯笼；提灯bearvt.忍受；忍耐；负担jamn.堵塞；阻塞；果酱△Alexander Graham亚历山大?格雷厄姆?贝尔△microphonen.xx；话筒foreheadn.额头beaten track被踩出来的路；常规；惯例△occasionallyadv.偶然地；不时地dive into迅速把手伸入；一心投入dynamicadj.充满活力的；精力充沛的；动态的；发展变化的set out (to do)开始（做）△multiple adj.多种的；多样的；多类型的n.倍数△Morsexx电码dotn.点；小圆点vt.以小圆点标出；分散tapvt.轻打；轻拍；轻敲n.轻轻地敲击（声）；（水）龙头wiren.金属丝；电线strawn.稻草；麦秆；饮料吸管△reproducevt.复制；再现……的形象或声音currentn.（水或气）流；电流adj.现在的；当前的helicoptern.直升飞机trianglen.三角形；三角形物体△tetrahedronn.四面体stableadj.稳固的；稳定的；安定的△invaluableadj.无价的；极宝贵的associatevt.联想；联系n.同伴；伙伴practicaladj.实际的；实践的；实用的△James Dyson詹姆斯?戴森（英国发明家）refrigeratorn.冰箱courtn.法庭；法院；xxextensionn.电话分机；扩大；延伸hang on不挂断；稍等；紧紧握住out of order次序颠倒；发生故障get through设法联系上（尤指打通电话）；（设法）做完；通过ring back回复电话ring off挂断电话versionn.版本；译本competencen.能力；胜利；本领△competentn.能胜任的；有能力的；称职的jeepn.xxpersonneln.人力资源；人事部；全体人员Unit 4△Pygmalionn.皮格马利翁（希腊神话）△George Bernard Shaw乔治?伯纳德?萧adaptationn.适应（性）；改编本classicadj.经典的；第一流的n.经典著作captionn.（图片上的）说明文字；（电视、电影）字幕；（杂志等文章的）标题；韪plotn.情节；阴谋professorn.教授△Higginsxx（姓）△phoneticsn.语音学△coloneln.（xx）上校△Pickeringxx（姓）△fatefuladj.重要的；决定性的；命中注定的whistlevi.吹口哨；发出汽笛声n.口哨声；汽笛声garmentn.（一件）衣服（外套、裙、袍等）（pl）服装woollenadj.毛纺的；纯毛的（<美>woolen）hesitatevi.犹豫；踌躇uncomfortableadj.不舒服的；不安的；不自在的uncomfortablyadv.不舒服的；不自在地troublesomeadj.带来麻烦的；使人心烦的walletn.皮夹；钱包outsomen.结果；效果thiefn.小偷；贼handkerchiefn.手帕；手绢；纸巾△disguisevt.伪装；假扮；遮掩n.伪装△in disguise伪装（的）；假扮（的）mistakenadj.（见解或判断上）错误的；不正确的brilliantadj.光辉灿烂的；杰出的；才华横溢的classifyvt.编排；分类；归类remarkn.谈论；言论；评述vt. & vi.谈论；评论；说起betrayvt.显露出（本来面目）；背叛upperadj.（位置或地位）较高的；级别较高的extraordinaryadj.不同寻常的；非凡的condemnvi.谴责；使……注定△guttern.排水沟；xx；贫民区properlyadv.适当地；恰当地pass…off as…（把某人）改变或冒充成……△duchessn.xx；女公爵ambassadorn.大使；使节acquaintancen.相识；了解；熟人make one’s acquaintance结识；与……相见handfuln.一把；少量△amazementn.惊讶；惊愕△in amazement震惊；惊讶fortunen.机会；运气；大笔的钱authenticadj.真实的；真正的；可信的；可靠的generally speaking一般来说statusn.身份；地位；职位superioradj.优秀的；较高的；上级的n.上级；长官in terms of…就……来说；从……角度△disapprovevt. & vi.不赞成；反对；认为不好robvt.抢劫；盗窃；剥夺antiqueadj.古时的；（因古老、稀少而）珍贵的n.文物；xx；古玩musicaladj.音乐的；喜爱音乐的n.音乐喜剧stockingn.长袜△believern.信徒；教徒Buddhismn.佛教△Buddhistn.佛教徒adj.佛教的△Buddhan.佛△voweln.元音；元音字母△Pearcexx（姓）cookien.饼干teapotn.茶壶creamn.奶油；面霜nailn.指甲；钉子show…in带或领……进来waxn.蜡；蜜蜡vt.上蜡diskn.磁盘△wax disk旧式唱片shabbyadj.破旧的；寒酸的△curtsyvi.（also curtsey）行屈膝礼n.（女子行的）xx礼△shillingn.先令（1971年以前的英国货币单位，旧币的12便士）refereen.裁判员；仲裁者compromiseni. & vi.妥协；折衷horribleadj.可怕的；恐怖的laundryn.洗衣店；洗衣房；（待洗的或洗好的）衣服bathtubn.浴缸；澡盆sobvi.啜泣；抽噎n.啜泣（声）；抽噎（声）waistn.腰；腰部；腰围vestn.背心；内衣disgustingadj.使人反感的；令人厌恶的once more再一次in need of需要……△heartilyadv.尽情地；热心地；痛快地overlookvt.俯视；忽视；不理会alphabetn.字母表△effectiveadj.有效的fadevi. & vt.（使）褪色；减弱；逐渐消失fade out（声音、画面）逐渐模糊；渐淡Unit 5△identifyvt.确认；识别；鉴别alternativen.可能的选择adj.供选择的；其他的△archaeologyn.考古学(<美>archeology) △archaeologicaladj.考古学的；与考古学有关的(<美>archeological)△archaeologistn.考古学家(<xx>archeologist)starvationn.挨饿；饿死tentativeadj.试探性的；不确定的accuracyn.精确；准确△excavatevt.挖掘；发掘△excavationn.挖掘；发掘interruptvt. & vi.打断……讲话；打岔；暂时xx或中止acuteadj.有观察力的；敏锐的；严重的；深刻的assumevt.假定；设想regardlessadv.不管；不顾regardless of不管；不顾matn.席子；垫子quiltn.被子；棉被beastn.野兽at most至多；最多centimetren.厘米(<美>centimeter) sharpenvi. & vt.（使）锋利；尖锐；清晰sharpenern.磨具；削具cut up切碎△scrapevt.擦净；削平；磨光△scrapern.刮刀；刮削器ampleadj.足够的；充足的；富裕的messyadj.凌乱的；脏的primitiveadj.原始的；远古的；简陋的△beadn.小珠子；滴botanyn.植物学botanicaladj.植物学的；与植物学有关的analysisn.分析seashelln.海xxripenvt. & vi.使……成熟；成熟categoryn.种类；类别；xx significancen.意义；意思；重要性；重要意义somehowadv.以……方式；不知怎么地systematicadj.有系统的；有计划的；有条理的spitvt. (spat, spit; spat, spit)吐出（唾液、食物等）vi.吐痰deletevt.删；删除albumn.相册；集邮册；唱片scratchn.（刮、抓、划的）痕迹；搔；挠vt.搔；抓；擦伤；刮坏academyn.学院；学会；学术团体；院校receptionistn.接待员；招待员onionn.洋葱kindergartenn.xxskateboardn.滑板fed up with受够了；饱受；厌烦yogurtn.酸乳酷；酸奶radioactiveadj.放射性的；有辐射能的radioactivityn.放射性divisionn.分割；划分；分配；分界线BC公元前melonn.（各种）瓜wrinklen.皱纹pulsevi.强烈而有规律地跳动；搏动n.脉搏；节拍△veinn.血管；静脉applaudvi. & vt.鼓掌欢迎；赞赏look ahead向前看；为将来打算howlvt. & vi.嗥叫；叫喊；吼叫acceleratevi. & vt.加速；促进spearn.矛；枪arrestvt.逮捕；吸引n.逮捕；拘留dizzyadj.晕眩的；昏乱的；使人发晕或困惑的△eyebrown.眉毛△cheekbonen.颧骨△arrowheadn.箭头△axen.斧；斧子hammern.铁锤；锤子gayadj.快乐的；欢快的gailyadv.快乐地；轻松地skilfuladj.有技巧的；熟练的(<.xx>skillful)date back追溯到……punctuationn.标点符号△worshipvt. & vi.崇拜；敬奉n.崇拜；xx△craftsmanshipn.技艺；手艺；精工细作。

选修8 Unit 1 A land of diversity-ReadingCALIFORNIACalifornia is the third largest state in the USA but has the largest population. It also has the distinction of being the most multicultural state in the USA, having attracted people from all over the world. The customs and languages of the immigrants live on in their new home. This diversity of culture is not surprising when you know the history of California.Unit1 加利福尼亚加利福尼亚是美国的第三大州，而且是人口最多的州。

加州与众不同之处在于它也是美国最具多元文化的一个州，它吸引了来自世界各地的人们。

这些移民的风俗习惯以及语言在他们的新家都得以延续。

当你了解了加利福尼亚的历史后，你就不会对此感到惊讶了。

NATIVE AMERCANSExactly when the first people arrived in what we now know as California, no one really knows. However, it is likely that Native Americans were living in California at least fifteen thousand years ago. Scientists believe that these settlers crossed the Bering Strait in the Arctic to America by means of a land bridge which existed in prehistoric times. In the 16th century, after the arrival of the Europeans, the native people suffered greatly. Thousands were killed or forced into slavery.In addition, many died from the diseases brought by the Europeans. However, some survived these terrible times, and today there are moreNative Americans living in California than in any other state.美洲土著人最早的一批人具体是在什么时候来到我们现在所知道的加利福尼亚地区的，谁也说不清楚。

人教新课标高中英语选修7workbookreadintaskUnit 1 Living well - Reading and wriZHANG YUNCHENG ACHIEVES HIS AMBITIONAt the age of 25, Zhang Yuncheng achieved his ambition to write and publish a book. Having a book published is a great achievement for anyone, but Zhang Yuncheng's success is particularly special. Yuncheng went to school for only one day and he did not start learning to read until he was 12 years old. Even more amazing, every character the young author writes causes him pain.Yuncheng has a disease which affects the muscles in his body. His parents first noticed there was something wrong with their son when he was just three years old. By the time he was seven, the boy could neither run nor jump. He could only walk. On his first day of school, Yuncheng had to watch the other students as they ran around at lunchtime. That day he caught a cold and his parents decided not to send him back to school. So Yuncheng stayed at home and over the years his condition got worse and worse. By the time he was 16 he could not walk at all, by 18 he couldn't get out of bed without help, and by the time he was 20 he could not lift his arms above his head. Yuncheng's whole world became his family and what he could see out of the window near his bed. Every movement he made caused him pain.However, Yuncheng's condition has not stopped him making the most of his life. When, at the age of 12, he became interested in learning to read, his brother showed him some characters. Within a few years he had taught himself thousands of Chinese characters. Yuncheng also taught himself to write and when he was 17 he wrote a letter to a newspaper describing his situationand hisdream of a better life. The letter was read by Zhang Danuo, an editor at the newspaper, who was inspired by Yuncheng's spirit. The two began writing to one another and soon became friends.Zhang Danuo offered to help Yuncheng achieve his ambition to write a book. Every week or so he set Yuncheng a writing assignment. Although he was often ill, and sometimes could hardly pick up his pen, Yuncheng kept writing and sent his finished essays to Zhang Danuo. Yuncheng was always happy when he finished an assignment. "I felt everything in the world was beautiful and how wonderful it was to live in the world," he said. Yuncheng's book describes what his life is like, what his hopes and dreams are and how he overcomes the problems he faces every day. Readers have been inspired by his courage and his good heart and his book has sold extremely well. Yuncheng says that because his life will not be a long one, he must do as much as he can in the time that is left to him.Unit 2 Robots - Reading taskROBOTS IN THE FIGHT AGAINST LANDMINESLANDMINES KILL OR BADLY INJURE around 26,000 people every year. That is one person every 20 minutes. What is worse is that they keep causing damage for decades after wars have ended. There are about 100 million landmines buried just beneath the surface of the ground in 60 countries. Most of the victims are innocent people - women, children, farmers - who happen to step on them as they go about their daily lives.By Natasha WesleyWe seem to be losing the fight against landmines. While, every year, about 100,000 landmines are removed, 2,000,000 more are buried in the ground. Removing them is very slow anddangerous work that must be done by hand. Someone has to use a metal detector to find the mines. This is very inaccurate as the metal detector finds all metal objects, not just the mines, and it does not find new types of mine which are covered in plastic. Then he or she has to dig the mine out without setting it off. Using this method it could take centuries to rid the world of landmines.This is where robotics comes in. Several countries are working on technological solutions to the landmines problem. As part of Japan's support for finding and removing landmines in Afghanistan, Japanese scientists and engineers have been researching into robotics. One of the most exciting projects is at Chiba University, where a robot that looks something like an insect is being developed. It is 4 metres long, 1.8 metres wide, 1 metre high, and weighs 900 kilograms, about the size of a small car. It walks on 6 legs and when it finds a mine, it marks the spot with paint and sends data to a computer which can then map the mines. As well as being much safer than finding mines by hand, the insect robot is also much faster.The university is also experimenting with the robot so that it can use radar to search for plastic mines. The goal is for the computer to use the data it receives to determine not only whether an object is just a piece of metal or a mine, but also what type of mine it is. The researchers hope that massproduction of robots will start in the next year or so and they will be used in such countries as Afghanistan and Cambodia.In the 1990s world opinion built up against the use of landmines and, in 1997, 122 countries signed an agreement in Ottawa, Canada, to stop the manufacture and use of landmines. However, the task of clearing mines is still a very difficult one.Perhaps robotics Will provide a solution, but as every 20minutes goes by, one more person is killed or badly injured.Unit 3 Under the sea - Reading taskTHE INUIT LEGEND OF SEDNA THE SEA GODDESSSedna was a beautiful young Inuit woman who lived alone offshore with her father. There were many hunters who wished to marry her but she refused them all. As Sedna's father was getting old and would soon need someone to look after Sedna, he became very angry and yelled at her,"You must acceot the next man who asks for your hand in marriage!"The following day, a stranger approached in his canoe and Sedna's father dragged his daughter down to the shore. Once there he urged the hunter to marry her, saying that his daughter would make a good wife. The hunter replied that he had in fact come to ask Sedna to marry him. He promised to provide her with plenty of food, furs for clothes and blankets. Sedna looked at the man and, although his face was partly hidden in his furs, he appeared handsome enough. She agreed to marry him and he took her away in his canoe across the waters to his island.When they arrived at the island, Sedna looked around and could see nothing except bare rock with a kind of nest made from seaweed, animal hair and feathers. She looked at her husband, shocked. Then she discovered, as he pulled the furs away from his face, that he was not a man, but a sea bird. No matter how angry she felt, she had no choice but to stay with him.Time went by, but Sedna never became used to the bird man. She felt very unhappy in the relationship and spent her days crying and calling her father's name. In the meantime her father began to feel guilty about forcing his daughter to marry againsther will. So as soon as her cries reached her father, he decided to go in search of her. He packed his canoe and paddled for days, ignoring strong tides and freezing water till he came to the island. When he arrived, the bird man was away hunting and Sedna was standing on the shore. He asked his daughter for forgiveness and helped her into the canoe. They set off for home.Later that day, the bird man returned from fishing. Finding his wife was no longer there, he let out cries of anger and flew off in the direction of the canoe. He soon caught up with it and ordered the old man to give his wife back. When Sedna's father refused, he flapped his wings so hard that the calm water suddenly turned into huge waves.Sedna's father was so scared that he grabbed Sedna and threw her into the sea, screaming, "Here she is, take her." Sedna, terrified, tried to hang on to the side of the canoe. But her father would not let her get back in. Grabbing his sharp knife, he cut off Sedna's fingers. As her fingers were sinking to the bottom of the ocean, they turned into seals, whales and other large sea mammals. And Sedna, when she could no longer fight to keep herself alive, sank to the bottom too, where she became the goddess of the sea.It is said that Sedna has power over all the animals in the sea and that when she is angry, she keeps them away from the hunters. Because the Inuit depend on the sea for their survival, they believe they must show the sea goddess great respect. One of the ways a hunter does this is to drop fresh water into a seal's mouth after he catches it. He believes that this is showing respect for the animal and is also thanking Sedna for her kindness in allowing him to feed his family.Unit 4 Sharing - Reading taskA LETTER FROM PLAN INTERNATIONALDear Students,I would like to welcome you to Plan International on behalf of your newly sponsored child, Orlando. My name is Rosanna and I work as a community volunteer in an area of Ecuador where Orlando and his family have lived for as long as they can remember. I recently visited Orlando's family and talked to Maria, Orlando's mother.Orlando is five years old and Maria told me that he enjoys playing with toy cars and singing. He is too young to go to school yet, but helps his family by collecting firewood, sowing and weeding. In this part of the world children grow up fast as they have to make a contribution to the family finances. Although they still have time to play, they also have to help with daily jobs, which can take up a lot of time.Orlando is not able to write his own letters. However, we will encourage him to send you drawings. Fernando, his brother, is eager to write on behalf of Orlando's family. Although children in this community are very shy about writing to someone from a different country, we encourage them to write letters and send drawings. It is exciting for them to receive a letter or a photograph and so I hope you will find the time to send Orlando and his family a message occasionally.There are ten members of Orlando's family altogether. His father, Manuel (40), is a poor farmer and his mother, Maria (36), is a housewife. Orlando is the youngest child in the family. He has four sisters and three brothers. This may sound like a very large family to you, but this is usual in this part of the world. At home the family speak Spanish.Orlando's family lives in a small metal house that has a roofof dried grass and a dirt floor. They do not have their own toilet and have to use an open field. This increases the chances of disease. Maria told me that for the last six months the three youngest children suffered from a skin disease but now they are fully recovered, This has been a great relief for the family. If any family members are sick, they have to travel for two hours to get to the nearest health centre. If there is an emergency, they have to travel three hours to get to the nearest hospital.Orlando's family, like other families in the community, has a very small income and it is a struggle to be able to meet their basic needs. So your financialcontribution will be especially appreciated. Even so the family has a lively social life. During their spare time, Orlando's family love to sit around their radio with friends, listening to the news and music.We hope that your friendship with Orlando will be an unforgettable experience and that hearing from Fernando will give you an opportunity to learn about another culture far away. We look forward to writing to you again about Orlando and his family's progress and achievements.Yours sincerely,Rosanna ChulcoUnit 5 Travelling abroad – ReadingTRAVELLERS’ TALESLook at the pictures and predict what problem each traveller experienced. TOM'S STORYMy first overseas trip was from New York to Paris. I first had to catch a plane to Heathrow Airport in London and then change to another flight. When I got off the plane at Heathrow I saw someone handing out cards to some of the passengers, but Ididn't know what they were for, so I didn't take one. Besides, I was too occupied trying to work out how to find where to catch the plane to Paris. When I tried to board the second plane they asked for my transit card, which I didn't have. I then realized that was what the card was for. I showed them my ticket but-they said I needed to show them a transit card too. I wasworried they were going to send me back to New York. Instead they made me wait while they checked everyone's air ticket, and then they let me0n'board. The plane was 30 minutes late leaving London and some passengers got very angry. After that I was always careful to notice what other passengers were doing and to ask someone if I didn't understand something.SALLY'S STORYI was going overseas on a Short holiday. I needed to take some medicine from the doctor with me. The pills were in a big bottle, so I counted out how many I needed for the holiday and put them into a small bottle. When I arrived at my destination, a customs officer at the airport looked in my bag and found the pills. The officer wanted to know what the pills were for and why they weren't in their proper bottle with my name and the doctor's name on it. I explained that the bottle had been too big and heavy. Then he wanted to know if I had a letter from my doctor explaining about the pills. I didn't. I found out it was illegal to have these pills without a doctor's permission. In the end a customs officer called my embassy and the embassy telephoned my doctor. I didn't get to my hotel till after midnight and I was very stressed.PAUL'S STORYI was staying in a small village in Turkey. The countryside around the village was very beautiful so I decided to go for a walk.I had been walking for about an hour and a half when suddenly I slipped and fell down a riverbank. I hurt my ankle and I couldn't stand up. I didn't know how I could get back to the village. I hadn't told anyone where I was going, so no one would know where tolook for me when they realized I was missing. I began to worry that I might have to stay there all night. I had no water or food and no warm clothes. I was very frightened. Luckily, a couple of hours later, a young boy came past on a horse. He lifted me onto the animal and took me back to the village.DONNA'S STORYIt was a very hot day so I put on some shorts and a T-shirt to go sightseeing. I hadn't gone very far when I noticed everyone was looking at me, and they didn't seem very friendly at all. One woman even spat on me as I walked past. I decided to get off the crowded streets and so I turned left down a small, quiet street. I hadn't gone very far when I realized my mistake. Two men were following me. I started to run but suddenly my way was blocked by two other men walking towards me. Luckily for me a taxi came around a corner and I was able to stop it and jump inside quickly. On the way back to the hotel the taxi driver explained that this was a very religious town and that the people did not approve of women walking around in clothes that didn't cover them properly.。

选修8 Unit 1 A land of diversity-ReadingCALIFORNIACalifornia is the third largest state in the USA but has the largest population. It also has the distinction of being the most multicultural state in the USA, having attracted people from all over the world. The customs and languages of the immigrants live on in their new home. This diversity of culture is not surprising when you know the history of California.NATIVE AMERCANSExactly when the first people arrived in what we now know as California, no one really knows. However, it is likely that Native Americans were living in California at least fifteen thousand years ago. Scientists believe that these settlers crossed the Bering Strait in the Arctic to America by means of a land bridge which existed in prehistoric times. In the 16th century, after the arrival of the Europeans, the native people suffered greatly. Thousands were killed or forced into slavery. In addition, many died from the diseases brought by the Europeans. However, some survived these terrible times, and today there are more Native Americans living in California than in any other state.THE SPANISHIn the 18th century California was ruled by Spain. Spanish soldiers first arrived in South America in the early 16th century, when they fought against the native people and took their land. Two centuries later, the Spanish had settled in most parts of South America and along the northwest coast of what we now call the United States. Of the first Spanish to go to California, the majority were religious men, whose ministry was to teach the Catholic religion to the natives. In 1821, the people of Mexico gained their independence from Spain. California then became part of Mexico. In 1846 the United States declared war on Mexico, and after the war won by the USA, Mexico had to give California to the USA. However, there is still a strong Spanish influence in the state. That is why today over 40 of Californians speak Spanish as a first or second language.RUSSIANSIn the early 1800s, Russian hunters, who had originally gone to Alaska, began settling in California. Today there are about 25,000 Russian-Americans living in and around San Francisco.GOLD MINERSIn 1848, not long after the American-Mexican war, gold was discovered in California. The dream of becoming rich quickly attracted people from all over the world. The nearest, and therefore the first to arrive, were South Americans and people from the United States. Then adventurers from Europe and Asia soon followed. In fact, few achieved their dream of becoming rich. Some died or returned home, but most remained in California to make a life for themselves despite great hardship. They settled in the new towns or on farms. By the time California elected to become the thirty-first federal state of the USA in 1850, it was already a multicultural society.LATER A RRIVALSAlthough Chinese immigrants began to arrive during the Gold Rush Period, it was the building ofthe rail network from the west to the east coast that brought even larger numbers to California in the 1860s. Today, Chinese-Americans live in all parts of California, although a large percentage have chosen to stay in the "Chinatowns" of Los Angeles and San Francisco.Other immigrants such as Italians, mainly fishermen but also wine makers, arrived in California in the late 19th century. In 1911 immigrants from Denmark established a town of their own, which today still keeps up their Danish culture. By the 1920s the film industry was well established in Hollywood, California. The industry boom attracted Europeans including many Jewish people. Today California has the second largest Jewish population in the United States.Japanese farmers began arriving in California at the beginning of the 20th century, and since the 1980s a lot more have settled there. People from Africa have been living in California since the 1800s, when they moved north from Mexico. However, even more arrived between 1942 and 1945 to work in the ship and aircraft industries. MOST RECENT ARRIVALSIn more recent decades, California has become home to more people from Asia, including Koreans, Cambodians, Vietnamese and Laotians. Since its beginning in the 1970s, the computer industry has attracted Indians and Pakistanis to California.THE FUTUREPeople from different parts of the world, attracted by the climate and the lifestyle, still immigrate to California. It is believed that before long the mix of nationalities will be so great that there will be no distinct major racial or cultural groups, but simply a mixture of many races and cultures.GEORGE’S DIARY 12TH—14TH JUNEMonday 12th, JuneArrived early this morning by bus. Went straight to hotel to drop my luggage, shower and shave. Then went exploring. First thing was a ride on a cable car. From top of the hill got a spectacular view of San Francisco Bay and the city. Built in 1873, the cable car system was invented by Andrew Hallidie, who wanted to find a better form of transport than horse-drawn trams. Apparently he'd been shocked when he saw a terrible accident in which a tram's brakes failed, the conductor could not control the situation and the tram slipped down the hill dragging the horses with it.Had a late lunch at Fisherman's What. This is the district where Italian fishermen first came to San Francisco in the late 19th century and began the fishing industry. Now it's a tourist area with lots of shops, sea food restaurants and bakeries. It's also the place to catch the ferry to Angel Island and other places in the Bay.Did so much exploring at Fisherman's What. Am exhausted and don't feel like doing anything else. Early bed tonight!Tuesday 13th, JuneTeamed up with a couple from my hotel (Peter and Terri) and hired a car. Spent all day driving around the city. There's a fascinating drive marked out for tourists. It has blue and white signs with seagulls on them to show the way to go. It's a 79km round-trip that takes in all the famous tourist spots. Stopped many times to admire the view of the city from different angles and take photographs. Now have a really good idea of what the city's like.In evening, went to Chinatown with Peter and Terri. Chinese immigrants settled in this area in the 1850s. The fronts of the buildings are decorated to look like old buildings in southern China. Saw some interesting temples here, a number of markets and a great many restaurants. Also art galleries and a museum containing documents, photographs and all sorts of objects about the history of Chinese immigration, but it is closed in the evening. Will go back during the day. Had a delicious meal and then walked down the hill to our hotel.Wednesday 14th, JuneIn morning, took ferry to Angel Island from the port in San Francisco Bay. On the way had a good view of the Golden Gate Bridge. From 1882 to 1940 Angel Island was a famous immigration station where many Chinese people applied for right to live in USA. The cells in the station were very small, cold and damp; some did not even have light but the immigrants had nowhere else to go. Their miserable stay seemed to be punishment rather than justice and freedom to them. They wrote poems on the walls about their loneliness and mourned their former life in China. In 1940 the civil authorities reformed the system so that many more Chinese people were able to grasp the opportunity of settling in the USA. Made me very thoughtful and thankful for my life today.选修8 Unit 2 Cloning-ReadingCLONING: WHERE IS IT LEADING US?Cloning has always been with us and is here to stay. It is a way of making an exact copy of another animal or plant. It happens in plants when gardeners take cuttings from growing plants to make new ones. It also happens in animals when twins identical in sex and appearance are produced from the same original egg. The fact is that these are both examples of natural clones.Cloning has two major uses. Firstly, gardeners use it all the time to produce commercial quantities of plants. Secondly, it is valuable for research on new plant species and for medical research on animals. Cloning plants is straightforward while cloning animals is very complicated. It is a difficult task to undertake. Many attempts to clone mammals failed. But at last the determination and patience of the scientists paid off in 1996 with a breakthrough - the cloning of Dolly the sheep. The procedure works like this:On the one hand, the whole scientific world followed the progress of the first successful clone, Dolly the sheep. The fact that she seemed to develop normally was very encouraging. Then came the disturbing news that Dolly had become seriously ill. Cloning scientists were cast down to find that Dolly's illnesses were more appropriate to a much older animal. Altogether Dolly lived six and a half years, half the length of the life of the original sheep. Sadly the same arbitrary fate affected other species, such as cloned mice. The questions that concerned all scientists were: "Would this be a major difficulty for all cloned animals? Would it happen forever? Could it be solved if corrections were made in their research procedure?"On the other hand, Dolly's appearance raised a storm of objections and had a great impact on the media and public imagination. It became controversial. It suddenly opened everybody's eyes to the possibility of using cloning to cure serious illnesses and even to produce human beings.Although at present human egg cells and embryos needed for cloning research are difficult to obtain, newspapers wrote of evil leaders hoping to clone themselves to attain their ambitions. Religious leaders also raised moral questions. Governments became nervous and more conservative. Some began to reform their legal systems and forbade research into human cloning, but other countries like China and the UK, continued to accumulate evidence of the abundant medical aid that cloning could provide. However, scientists still wonder whether cloning will help or harm us and where it is leading us.THE RETURN OF THE DINOSAURS?The possibility of cloning fierce and extinct wild animals has alwaysexcited film makers. And they are not the only ones! The popularity of films such asJurassic Park, in which a scientist clones several kinds of extinct dinosaurs, proveshow the idea struck a mixture of fear and excitement into people's hearts. But in factwe are a long way from being able to clone extinct animals. Scientists are still experimenting with cloning mammals. This is because the cloning of mammals is stilla new science and its story only began seriously in the 1950s as this list shows:1950s cloning of frogs 1996 first clone of a mammal: Dolly the sheep1970s research using the embryos of mice 2000 cow gave birth toa bison1979 work on embryos of sheep and mice 2001 China's firstcloned twin calves1981 first experimental clones of mice 2002 first clonedcats1983 first experimental clones of cows 2005 first cloneddog…From time to time people suggest that extinct animals like dinosaurs, canpossibly be brought back to life through cloning. Unfortunately, with what we knownow, this is either impossible or unsuitable. There are many reasons.◎ The initial requirement is that you need perfect DNA (which gives information forhow cellsare to grow).◎ All efforts of cloning an animal will be in vain if there is not enough diversity inthe group to overcome illnesses. Diversity in a group meanshaving animals with their genes arranged in different ways. The advantage isthat if there is a new illness some of these animals may die,but others will survive and pass on the ability to resist that disease to the nextgeneration. The great drawback to cloning a group ofanimals is that they would all have the same arrangement of genes and so mightdie of the same illness. Then none of them would be left tocontinue the species.◎It would be unfair to clone any extinct animals if they were to live in a zoo. Asuitable habitat would be needed for them to lead a natural life.Based on what we know now, you cannot clone animals that have been extinct longer than 10,000 years. Actually, dinosaurs disappeared 65,000,000 years ago. So the chance of dinosaurs ever returning to the earth is merely a dream.选修8 Unit 3 Inventors and inventions-ReadingTHE PROBLEM OF THE SHRIKESWhen I called up my mother in the countryside on the telephone she was very upset. "There are some snakes in our courtyard," she told me. "Snakes come near the house now and then, and they seem to have made their home here, not far from the walnut tree. Can you get rid of them please?" I felt very proud. Here was a chance for .me to distinguish myself by inventing something merciful that would catch snakes but not harm them. I knew my parents would not like me to hurt these living creatures!The first thing I did was to see if there were any products that might help me, but there only seemed to be powders designed to kill snakes. A new approach was clearly needed. I set about researching the habits of snakes to find the easiest way to trap them. Luckily these reptiles are small and that made the solution easier.Prepared with some research findings, I decided on three possible approaches: firstly, removing their habitat; secondly, attracting them into a trap using male or female perfume or food; and thirdly cooling them so that they would become sleepy and could be easily caught. I decided to use the last one. I bought an ice-cream maker which was made of stainless steel. Between the outside and the inside walls of the bowl there is some jelly, which freezes when cooled. I put the bowl into the fridge and waited for 24 hours. At the same time I prepared some ice-cubes.The next morning I got up early before the sun was hot. I placed the frozen bowl over the snakes' habitat and the ice-cubes on top of the bowl to keep it cool. Finally I covered the whole thing with a large bucket. Then I waited. After two hours I removed the bucket and the bowl. The snakes were less active but they were still too fast for me. They abruptly disappeared into a convenient hole in the wall. So I had to adjust my plan.For the second attempt I froze the bowl and the ice-cubes again but placed them over the snakes' habitat in the evening, as the temperature was starting to cool. Then as before, I covered the bowl with the bucket and left everything overnight. Early the next morning I returned to see the result. This time with great caution I bent down to examine the snakes and I found them very sleepy. But once picked up, they tried to bite me. As they were poisonous snakes, I clearly needed to improve my design again.My third attempt repeated the second procedure. The next morning I carried in my hand a small net used for catching fish. This was in the expectation that the snakes would bite again. But monitored carefully, the snakes proved to be no trouble and all went according to plan. I collected the passive snakes and the next day we merrily released them all back into the wild.Pressed by my friends and relations, I decided to seize the opportunity to getrecognition formy successful idea by sending my invention to the patent office. Only after you have had thatrecognition can you say that you are truly an inventor. The criteria are so strict that it is difficult to get new ideas accepted unless they are truly novel. In addition, no invention will get a patent if it is:◎a discovery◎a scientific idea or mathematical model◎literature or art◎a game or a business◎a computer programme◎a new animal or plant varietyNor will you receive a patent until a search has been made to find out that your product reallyis different from everyone else's. There are a large number of patent examiners, too, whose only job is to examine whether your claim is valid or not. If it passes all the tests, your application for a patent will be published 18 months from the date you apply. So I have filled in the form and filed my patent application with the Patent Office. Now it's a matter of waiting and hoping. You'll know if I succeed by the size of my bank balance! Wish me luck!ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELLAlexander Graham Bell was born in 1847 in Scotland, but when he was young his family moved to Boston, USA. His mother was almost entirely deaf, so Alexander became interested in helping deaf people communicate and in deaf education. This interest led him to invent the microphone. He found that by pressing his lips against his mother's forehead, he could make his mother understand what he was saying.He believed that one should always be curious and his most famous saying was:"Leave the beaten track occasionally and dive into the woods. Every time you do you will be certain to find something that you have never seen before. Follow it up, explore all around it, and before you know it, you will have something worth thinking about to occupy your mind. All really big discoveries are the result of thought."It was this exploring around problems and his dynamic spirit that led to his most famous invention - the telephone in 1876. Bell never set out to invent the telephone and what he was trying to design was a multiple telegraph. This original telegraph sent a message over distances using Morse code (a series of dots tapped out along a wire in a particular order). But only one message could go at a time. Bell wanted to improve it so that it could send several messages at the same time. He designed a machine that would separate different sound waves and allow different conversations to be held at the same time. But he found the problem difficult to solve. One day as he was experimenting with one end of a straw joined to a deaf man's ear drum and the other to a piece of smoked glass, Bell noticed that when he spoke into the ear, the straw drew sound waves on the glass. Suddenly he had a flash of inspiration. If sound waves could be reproduced in a moving electrical current, they could be sent along a wire. In searching to improve the telegraph,Bell had invented the first telephone!Bell was fully aware of the importance of his invention and wrote to his father:"The day is coming when telegraph wires will be laid on to houses just like water or gas – and friends will talk to each other without leaving home."The patent was given in 1876, but it was not until five days later that Bell sent his first telephone message to his assistant Watson. The words have now become famous:"Mr Watson - come here - I want to see you."Alexander Graham Bell was not a man to rest and he interested himself in many other areas of invention. He experimented with helicopter designs and flying machines. While searching for a kite strong enough to carry a man into the air, Bell experimented putting triangles together and discovered the tetrahedron shape. Being very stable, it has proved invaluable in the design of bridges.Bell was an inventor all his life. He made his first invention at eleven and his last at seventy- five. Although he is most often associated with the invention of the telephone, he was indeed a continuing searcher after practical solutions to improve the quality of everybody's life.选修8 Unit 4 Pygmalion-ReadingPYGMALIONMAIN CHARACTERS:Eliza Doolittle (E): a poor flower girl who is ambitious to improve herself Professor Higgins (H): an expert in phonetics, convinced that the quality of aperson's English decides his/her position in societyColonel Pickering (CP): an officer in the army and later a friend of Higgins' who sets him a taskAct One FATEFUL MEETINGS11 :15 pm in London, England in 1914 outside a theatre. It is pouring with rain and cab whistles are blowing in all directions. A man is hiding from the rain listening to people's language and watching their reactions. While watching, he makes notes. Nearby a flower girl wearing dark garments and a woollen scarf is also sheltering from the rain. A gentleman (G) passes and hesitates for a moment.E: Come over’ere, cap’in, and buy me flowers off a poor girl.G: I'm sorry but I haven't any change.E: I can giv’ou change, cap’in.G: (surprised) For a pound? I'm afraid I've got nothing less.E: (hopefully) Oah! Oh, do buy a flower off me, Captain. Take this for three pence. (holds up some dead flowers)G: (uncomfortably) Now don't be troublesome, there's a good girl. (looks in his wallet and sounds more friendly) But, wait, here's some small change. Will that be of any use to you? It's raining heavily now, isn't it? (leaves)E: (disappointed at the outcome, but thinking it is better than nothing) Thank you, sir. (sees a man taking notes and feels worried) Hey! I ain’t done nothing wrong by speaking to that gentleman. I've a right to sell flowers, I have. I ain’t no thief. I'm an honest girl I am! (begins to cry)H: (kindly) There! There! Who's hurting you, you silly girl? What do you take me for? (gives her a handkerchief)E: I thought maybe you was a policeman in disguise.H: Do I look like a policeman?E: (still worried) Then why did 'ou take down my words for? How do I know whether 'ou took me down right? 'ou just show me what 'ou've wrote about me!H: Here you are. (hands over the paper covered in writing)E: What's that? That ain't proper writing. I can't read that. (pushes it back at him)H: I can. (reads imitating Eliza) "Come over' ere, cap'in, and buy me flowers off a poor girl." (in his own voice) There you are and you were bornin Lisson Grove if I'm not mistaken.E: (looking confused) What if I was? What's it to you?CP: (has been watching the girl and now speaks to Higgins) That's quite brilliant! How did you do that, may I ask?H: Simply phonetics studied and classified from people's own speech. That's my profession and also my hobby. You can place a man by just a few remarks. I can place any spoken conversation within six miles, and even within two streets in London sometimes.CP: Let me congratulate you! But is there an income to be made in that?H: Yes, indeed. Quite a good one. This is the age of the newly rich. People begin theirworking life in a poor neighbourhood of London with 80 pounds a year and end in a rich one with 100 thousand. But they betray themselves every time they open their mouths. Now once taught by me, she'd become an upper class lady ...CP: Is that so? Extraordinary!H: (rudely) Look at this girl with her terrible English: the English that will condemn her to the gutter to the end of her days. But, sir, (proudly) once educated to speak properly, that girl could pass herself off in three months as a duchess at an ambassador's garden party. Perhaps I could even find her a place as a lady's maid or a shop assistant, which requires better English.E: What's that you say? A shop assistant? Now that's sommat I want, that is!H: (ignores her) Can you believe that?CP: Of course! I study many Indian dialects myself and ...H: Do you indeed? Do you know Colonel Pickering?CP: Indeed I do, for that is me. Who are you?H: I'm Henry Higgins and I was going to India to meet you.CP: And I came to England to make your acquaintance!E: What about me? How'll you help me?H: Oh, take that. (carelessly throws a handful of money into her basket) We must have a celebration, my dear man. (leave together)E: (looking at the collected money in amazement) Well, I never. A whole pound! A fortune! That'll help me, indeed it will. Tomorrow I'll find you, Henry Higgins. Just you wait and see! All that talk of (imitates him) "authentic English" ... (in her own voice) I'll see whether you can get that for me ... (goes out)Act Two, Scene 1 MAKING THE BET It is 11am in Henry Higgins' house the next day. Henry Higgins and Colonel Pickering are sitting deep in conversation.H: Do you want to hear any more sounds?CP: No, thank you. I rather fancied myself because I can pronounce twenty-four distinct vowel sounds; but your one hundred and thirty beat me. I can't distinguish most of them.H: (laughing) Well, that comes with practice.There is a knock and Mrs Pearce (MP), the housekeeper, comes in with cookies, a teapot, some cream and two cups.MP: (hesitating) A young girl is asking to see you.H: A young girl! What does she want?MP: Well, she's quite a common kind of girl with dirty nails.I thought perhaps you wanted her to talk into your machines.H: Why? Has she got an interesting accent? We'll see.Show her in, Mrs Pearce. MP: (only half resigned to it) Very well, sir. (goes downstairs)H: This is a bit of luck. I'll show you how I make records on wax disks ...MP: (returning) This is the young girl, sir. (Eliza comes into the room shyly following Mrs Pearce. She is dirty and wearing a shabby dress. She curtsies to the two men.) H: (disappointed) Why! I've got this girl in my records. She's the one we saw the other day. She's no use at all. Take her away.CP: (gently to Eliza) What do you-want, young lady?E: (upset) I wanna be a lady in a flower shop 'stead o' selling flowers in the street. But they won't take me 'less I speak better. So here I am, ready to pay him. I'm not asking for any favours - and he treats me like dirt.H: How much?E: (happier) Now yer talking. A lady friend of mine gets French lessons for two shillings an hour from a real Frenchman. You wouldn't have the face to ask me for the same for teaching me as yer would for French. So I won't give yer more than a shilling.H: (ignoring Eliza and speaking to Pickering) If you think of how much money this girl has - why, it's the best offer I've had! (to Eliza) But if I teach you, I'll be worse than a father.CP: I say, Higgins. Do you remember what you said last night? I'll say you're the greatest teacher alive if you can pass her off as a lady. I'll be the referee for this little bet and pay for the lessons too ...E: (gratefully) Oh, yer real good, yer are. Thank you, Colonel.H: Oh, she is so deliciously low. (compromises) OK, I'll teach you. (to Mrs Pearce) But she'll need to be cleaned first. Take her away, Mrs Pearce. Wash her and burn her horrible clothes. We'll buy her new ones. What's your name, girl?E: I'm Eliza Doolittle and I'm clean. My clothes went to the laundry when I washed last week.MP: Well, Mr Higgins has a bathtub of his own and he has a bath every morning. If these two gentlemen teach you, you'll have to do the same. They won't like the smell of you otherwise.E: (sobbing) I can't. I dursn't. It ain't natural and it'd kill me. I've never had a bath in my life; not over my whole body, neither below my waist nor taking my vest off. I'd never have come if I'd known about this disgusting thing you want me to do ...H: Once more, take her away, Mrs Pearce, immediately. (Outside Eliza is still weeping with Mrs Pearce) You see the problem, Pickering. It'll be how to teach her grammar, not just pronunciation. She's in need of both.CP: And there's another problem, Higgins. What are we going to do once the experiment is over?H: (heartily) Throw her back.CP: But you cannot overlook that! She'll be changed and she has feelings too. We must be practical, mustn't we?。

普通高中课程标准实验教科书英语必修6Unit 1 Art-Reading TaskSuppose you were the president of a high school council and you received the letter below. It is from a group of students who would like to make their school more attractive. Read the letter and then use the outline on the next page to make notes for a report about the letter to the school council.Class 2ASeaforth High SchoolRamsay RdSeaforthMrs L KrollPresident, Seaforth High School CouncilPO Box 235, Seaforth12 MayDear Mrs Kroll,Lately our class has become worried about the environment at the back of the school, and we would like to do something to make it more attractive. We have done some research and have come up with a plan. With the help of our parents, we can do most of the work ourselves, but we will need a small amount of money for equipment, plants-and paint. I am writing to ask the council for permission to do this work and to ask if the school council could donate $500 towards our project.We would like to turn the empty land at the back of the school into a nature garden. We would plant trees and grasses, make paths through the garden and dig a small pond. We think this would provide a peaceful place for students and teachers to walk in. It would also attract birds, insects and small animals which students could then study in science classes. We would also like to paint the back wall of the school that faces the new garden. Some of our art classes could then paint a huge picture on it. It might be possible to paint over the wall each year so the next classes can make a new picture.Lastly, we would like to paint all the rubbish bins. At the moment they look old and the paint is coming off. If we paint them in bright, attractive colours, students might be more likely to use them. We think our plan would greatly improve the back of the school and everyone in the schoolwould benefit. We have already asked our parents and they have promised to donate one weekend of their time to help us complete the project.We hope you will give us permission for this worthwhile project and will be able to donate the $500 we need. When we have finished the work, we hope the council will join us in a celebration morning tea so that the whole school can thank you.Yours sincerely,Jo Ryan (Class president)Unit 2 Poems-Reading Task A spring morningA I awake light-hearted this morning of spring, Everywhere round me the singing ofbirds-But now I remember the night, the storm, And I wonder how many blossoms were broken.(by Meng Haoran )B Hungrily the cat consumes the fish;Hungrily I close my eyes and make a wish;Hungrily the boy runs to the road's end;Hungrily the driver takes the next bend.Hungrily the young man loves life at sea;Hungrily the beautiful girl looks at me;Hungrily the seal dives down into the deep;Hungrily I fall into bed and sleep.C If you were the only girl in the worldand I were the only boy!Nothing else would matter in the world todaywe could go on loving in the same old way!A garden of Eden just made for twowith nothing to mar our joyI would say such wonderful things to youthere would be such wonderful things to doIf you were the only girl in the worldand I were the only boy!(by Clifford Grey)D SunshineLovely, cheerfulWarming, welcoming, calmingI sing with youBrightnessE First autumn morning:The mirror I stare intoShows my father's face.(by Kijo Murakami)Unit 3 A healthy lifeSUCCESSFUL ALDS PROGRAMME IN YUNNANAn AIDS awareness programme started by the Chinese Red Cross in Yunnan province six years ago has proved so successful that it is now running in several other provinces, including Xinjiang, Guangxi, Hainan, Fujian and Jilin.As well as providing care and support for AIDS sufferers, the programme trains young people to teach others about HIV/AIDS. These volunteers hold two-day classes to teach people of similar age and background about the virus and its links to drug use and sexual practices. They work with students, drug users, people who work in the entertainment business and others who may be at risk of becoming infected by the virus.Programme organisers believe that the programme is an extremely effective way of making sure that people learn the facts about HIV/AIDS because the workshops are given by people just like them. The director of the programme said that, although people knew about HIV/AIDS and how it was spread, they often thought it had nothing to do with their own life. This may have been true in the past, when HIV/AIDS was found mainly among drug users and those who had become infected through careless blood transfusion practices. However, today, the number of young people becoming infected through sexual activity is increasing and it is important to handle this issue.The Chinese government predicts that unless action is taken immediately, as many as 10 million people could be infected with HIV/ AIDS in China by the year 2010.In June 2001, as part of their response to this problem, the Chinese central government announced afive-year plan for dealing with the spread of the disease. This plan focuses on better education about the virus, a national system to report cases of the disease and better practices for collecting blood.Unit 4 Global warming-Reading taskBefore you read Tom's essay on environmental problems, glance at the title and pictures and predict the main idea of the essay.CLEAN UP YOUR BUTTS AND BAGSAll sorts of items become litter, but two of the most common and most dangerous are cigarette butts and plastic bags. Litter is a big problem for our environment, but it is a problem that individuals can easily do something about. Not littering at all or cleaning up litter, such as cigarette butts and plastic bags, greatly improves the quality of our environment.Although cigarette butts are small, they are bad for the environment. Over 1,600 billion cigarettes are smoked each year in China and large quantities of the butts are thrown away. Worldwide, about 4.5 trillion butts are littered every year. Apart from the fact that butts spoil the beauty of the environment, they contain some very toxic chemicals. These find their way into the water supply where they decrease the quality of the water and endanger plants and animals that live there. Because there are so many butts and because they can take up to 5 years to break down, the toxic chemicals add up to a large amount. So, if people have to smoke, they should not throw away the butts but put them in the rubbish bin instead.Plastic bags are another common form of litter that is a danger to the environment. There are several reasons for this. They are made from oil and gas, which are non-renewable resources, ff they are not recycled, these resources are lost to us. In China, 2 billion plastic bags are used every day. An enormous number of these become litter. This is a huge problem because they last from 20 to 1,000 years in the environment. They float easily in air and water and travel long distances. They find their way to rivers, parks, beaches and oceans. Plastic bags kill up to one million seabirds, 100,000 sea mammals and countless fish each year worldwide. When the animal dies and breaks down, the plastic bag can become free again to kill another animal. It is up to people not to let plastic bags become litter. It would be better if they used fewer and recycled them.Cleaning up your cigarette butts and plastic bags would improve the environment. The earth would be a better place because it would be less polluted. And we would know that we were doing something to look after our planet. However, I believe the best solution would be not tosmoke or use plastic bags at all.Unit 5 The power of natureLook at the title of the story and the picture below. Can you predict what the story is about? Then read the story quickly and see if you were right.TRAPPED BY THE FLOOD"It's not looking too good, darling. I think you'd better pack a few things and go to your mother's place. And you'd better take Rosie and Monty with you."Putting down the phone, Sara sighed. Tomorrow was her husband Tony's birthday. She had planned to cook him a nice meal and then surprise him with the new mountain bike she'd bought for him. If she went to her mother's house, Tony wouldn't get his present for days.However, her mother's house was the best place to be right now. Being on higher land, it would be safe from the floods. It had been raining heavily for almost two weeks and the river near Sara and Tony's house was rising higher and higher all the time. Tony and others from thevillage had spent the last two days putting sandbags along the side of the river to stop it overflowing. Now they feared that their hard work had been useless and soon the whole valley would be flooded.Sara dressed baby James in warm clothes and collected the things she would need for him over the next few days. She put the lead on the dog and went in search of Monty, the cat. It took her a long time, but eventually she found him safe and warm under the covers on her bed. Sheplaced him in his cat basket and took him into the kitchen where James and the dog, Rosie, waited.Just as she was reaching for the car keys, Sara heard a sound like the noise bath water makes when you pull out the plug. She looked at the back door. Water was flowing in underneath. Turning around she saw dirty brown water fountaining out of the drain and filling the sink. Quickly she put James into her backpack and pulled it onto her back. Calling to Rosie, she picked up the cat basket and ran to the front of the house and out into the front garden.The water was already up to her knees. Rosie was swimming beside her. Knowing the water would soon be much deeper, Sara ran to the car and opened the doors. She threw the cat basket onto the roof of the car and pushed Rosie up beside it. Using the car seat as a step she climbed first onto the front of the car and then onto the roof. James, sately attached to her back, made no sound at all. Sara stared down at the water which was rushing past the car. It was already half way up the doors, and still rising.。

人教版英语选修8课文原文及课文译文Unit 1 Aland of diversity 第一单元一个多元文化的国土ReadingCALIFORNIACalifornia is the third largest state in the USA but has the largest population. It also has the distinction of being the most multicultural state in the USA, having attracted people from all over the world. The customs and languages of the immigrants live on in their new home. This diversity of culture is not surprising when you know the history of California. NATIVE AMERCANSIn the 18th century California was ruled by Spain. Spanish soldiers first arrived in South America in the early 16th century, when they fought against the native people and took their land. Two centuries later, the Spanish had settled in most parts of South America and along the northwest coast of what we now call the United States. Of the first Spanish to go to California, the majority were religious men, whose ministry was to teach the Catholic religion to the natives. In 1821, the people of Me某ico gained their independence from Spain. California then became part of Me某ico. In 1846 the United States declared war on Me某ico, and after the war won by the USA, Me某ico had to give California to the USA. However, thereis still a strong Spanish influence in the state. That is why today over 40 of Californians speak Spanish as a first or second language. RUSSIANSIn the early 1800s, Russian hunters, who had originally gone to Alaska, began settling in California. Today there are about 25,000 Russian-Americans living in and around San Francisco. GOLD MINERSAlthough Chinese immigrants began to arrive during the Gold Rush Period, it was the building of the rail network from the west to the east coast that brought even larger numbers to California in the 1860s. Today, Chinese-Americans live in all parts of California, although a large percentage have chosen to stay in the \Other immigrants such as Italians, mainly fishermen but also wine makers, arrived in California in the late 19th century. In 1911 immigrants from Denmark established a town of their own, which today still keeps up their Danish culture. By the 1920s the film industry was well established in Hollywood, California. The industry boom attracted Europeans including many Jewish people. Today California has the second largest Jewish population in the United States.Japanese farmers began arriving in California at the beginning of the 20th century, and since the 1980s a lot more have settled there. People from Africa have been living in California since the 1800s, when they moved north from Me某ico. However, even more arrived between 1942 and 1945to work in the ship and aircraft industries. MOST RECENT ARRIVALSCalifornia. THE FUTUREPeople from different parts of the world, attracted by the climate and the lifestyle, still immigrate to California. It is believed that before long the mi某 of nationalities will be so great that there will be no distinct major racial or cultural groups, but simply a mi某ture of many races and cultures.加利福尼亚加利福尼亚是美国的第三大州，而且是人口最多的州。

Unit 1 Women of achievement-Reading TaskELIZABETH FRYWhen the Quaker Elizabeth married Joseph Fry, it seemed as if her life would be comfortable and peaceful. However, Elizabeth was not content with her easy life and her growing family. She saw many poor people living near her and she wanted to help them.One day she was asked to visit a prison. At first the prison officers did not want to let her visit the women prisoners because they feared the prisoners would attack her, but Elizabeth was not afraid. She realized that the prisoners behaved badly because they were being treated like animals. They had no beds, clean clothes, food or heating. Any child born in prison had to stay there and had no chance of an education. This meant they would probably have to beg or steal when they grew up and then would return to prison. So the first thing Elizabeth did was to provide food, clean clothes and straw for beds. Later she began a prison school for the children and taught the women to sew(缝纫),knit(编织) and make goods to sell. In this way they were able to make a little money for themselves and gain some self-respect. Her kindness helped her gain the friendship of the prisoners and they began to try to improve their conditions for themselves. Later Elizabeth was asked to go to the leaders of Britain to discuss how to improve the conditions for prisoners.Of course she did not do all the work on her own. Other Quaker women helped her and went around the country raising money for her work. Somepeople did not like her ideas and quarrelled with her. They said that she should spend more time with her family. Other people said she enjoyed being famous too much. However, her husband, Joseph, supported and encouraged her, so she continued working to help improve the lives of poor prisoners till she died. Her ideas did not disappear after her death and her work was remembered in 1947 when the Quakers were given the Nobel Peace Prize.Unit 2 Working the land-Reading TaskAN EARLY FARMER PIONEERSome people thought Jia Sixie was a lucky man. He had worked for the emperor and when he got old, he was able to go to his hometown to relax. Jia Sixie, however, had other plans. He had always been interested in agriculture and intended to do something to make Chinese farming even better.Jia Sixie lived in the sixth century AD.He was born in Yidu in Shandong Province and worked in Gaoyang, which is also in Shandong. As he rode through the countryside on his journeys for his work he looked out at the fields. Some of them were greener and had more crops than others. Some cows and sheep looked healthier than others too. He was lost in thought. What could a farmer do to get good crops from his fields? Surely there must be rules that would help them. He thought he could use his knowledge to find out the best ways for farmers to grow crops and then write a book to help them. In doing sohe collected information from farmers who did well, studied it and did experiments to find the best way.For example, he studied ways of keeping seeds and advised farmers to choose seed-heads which had the best colour. Then he told them to hang them up to dry all winter. The next spring the seeds should be knocked out of their seed-heads and planted. He studied how to improve the soil. He advised farmers to clear weeds from the ground before planting crops. They could either let the animals eat the weeds or turn the soil over so that the weeds were covered and would rot. Then he gave advice on turning over the soil. The first time each year, farmers should dig deeply, but the second time should be less deep. Therefore the autumn ploughing of the soil should be deeper than the spring ploughing. He suggested changing crops in the field every year: rice one year and wheat the next so that they would always get good harvests. They should also grow different plants next to each other in the field. He also gave advice on how to fish, keep a garden and even make wine.He wrote down his advice in a book called “Qi Min Yao Shu”, which was considered an important summary of the knowledge of fanning. For centuries after Jia Sixie died, it was studied by Chinese farmers and students of agriculture.Unit 3 A taste of English humour-Reading TaskApril Fool's Day, or April 1st, is known in many. countries as a day for playing jokes on others. It is usually a time when children make fun of each other, but sometimes other people can get caught in the fun too.One of the most famous jokes in England took place on British television in 1957. It was a Monday night when there were always many serious programmes on the television. One of them was called Panorama, This show explored problems and progress all over the world, so nobody was surprised when it began with a report on the excellent noodle harvest in south Switzerland. The programme mentioned two reasons for the good crop: an unusually warm winter and the disappearance of the insect that attacked the noodle crop every year. The reporter showed many noodle trees with the farmers pulling noodles off them and putting them into baskets. The people watching were told that they may not have heard of noodles from this part of the world because noodles were grown as part of small family businesses.The programme makers realized that people might wonder why noodles were always the same size so they explained that "it was the result of many years' patient research with the trees to produce noodles of exactly the same length." But even so they explained, the life of a noodle farmer was not easy. "The last two weeks of March are an anxious time for noodle farmers. There is always a chance of very cold weather spoiling their crop. Then it is difficult for them to get top prices on the world markets."Many people in England believed this story. They rang the BBC to find out how to grow their own noodle tree. They were told to "place a piece of noodle in a tin of tomato sauce and hope for the best." This may seem very silly, but in the 1950s very few British people travelled abroad for their holidays and even fewer of them ate noodles. So it seemed possible to imagine that noodles grew on trees like apples, pears and nuts. People also trusted the Panorama programme for its careful research and serious information. So they were shocked to find the next day that they had all believed an April Fool's joke. Even today the report of the noodle harvest is remembered as one of the best April Fool's jokes ever!Unit 4 Body language-Reading TaskTHE OPEN HAND — A UNIVERSAL SIGNWhen meeting people at the airport, most people smile and shake hands with people they meet. We know that a smile is usually a sign that people feel friendly and happy, but what if we don't know who the new person is? What if we are not introduced by a friend? What if we are meeting a stranger in an unfamiliar place? Sometimes people are dangerous and humans have to find ways to protect themselves. We have to make sure we can trust people we do not know, and we have to show that we are not dangerous. Showing Our hands means that we are not armed. In many cultures today, the Western custom of shaking hands is used. We use our right hand, which is usually stronger than theleft one. If we are using our hand this way, it cannot be holding a knife or a gun. It shows that we trust the other person, and that the other person can trust us.Not all cultures use the handshake, and people in many Asian cultures do not always touch another person. The traditional greeting in China was to cover the left hand with the right and bow. Japanese people might cover one hand with the other and, depending 0n whom they are greeting, bow slightly or quite low. In India, Hindu people join their hands in front of their faces and bow their heads. A Muslim will touch his heart, mouth and forehead(额) to show respect. Even young people in the West now give each other the "high five", when they slap(拍) each other's hands high in the air. They are all keeping their hands busy. In almost all cultures, to smile and show an open right hand means, "Welcome, you are safe with me."Unit 5 Theme parks-Reading TaskTHE POLYNESIAN CULTURAL CENTERSome theme parks are not only amusing but also educational. Take the Polynesian Cultural Center (PCC) in Hawaii for example. It not only shows visitors the Polynesian way of life but also protects their skills and culture for the future. Polynesia is the name given to the many groups of small islands that are spread about the Pacific Ocean.The PCC is set in 42 acres of beautiful countryside where visitors can see seven different traditional Polynesian island villages. Villagers from many island communities(社团) come to show visitors their styles of dress and different customs. For example, you can see different skills of the villagers. You can learn how they make clothes from bark (树皮) and how they climb very tall trees with their bare feet or see what kind of wedding ceremonies (庆典) they have. They also tell you about their social customs and show you their cooking methods and their dances.Their most important skill is boat-building, which allowed the islanders to explore all the islands in the Polynesian Triangle. We know that in their history they were sea travellers moving from island to island. They were able to find their way using the smell of the wind, the movements of the fish and seaweed, and the height and direction of the waves. They were very clever sailors. Now they use those boat-building skills to make long boats and show the races and battles that they took part in long ago. All this helps keep the skills and technology of the island people alive.。