Reference for TeachingⅠ.异域风情1.Cats in EgyptIt seems that there is no middle ground when it comes to cats.People either love them or hate them.These feelings are not new either.All through history,cats have been worshiped or hated.A study of ancient writings and evidence found in tombs indicates that for the past 5000 years,cats have been kept as pets in China,Arabia,Egypt,and India.This may not seem very long compared to the fact that dogs have been domesticated for 50 000 years.The period in which cats have been domesticated may be quite short,but it has definitely had its high and low points.Cats were at their highest position of domesticated life in ancient Egypt.There were more cats living in Egypt during the time of the pharaohs than in any other place in the world since that time.This high concentration of cats was probably due to the laws protecting the animal.Cats were associated with the moon goddess,Bast,so the Egyptians worshiped them as holy animals.If anyone was caught killing a cat,the person could be put to death.Families in Egypt also mourned the death of a cat and had the body of the dead cat wrapped in cloth before it was finally laid to rest.This respect for cats carried over to the Roman Empire where cats were the only animals allowed into temples.This fact was probably due to the ability of cats to keep the temples free of mice and rats.With the coming of the Dark Ages in Europe,the place of cats in society took a turn for the worse.Because they were associated so closely with the “old religions” in Eg ypt and in the Roman Empire,christians began to associate cats with pagan beliefs.Cats had a reputation as helpers ofwitches.When a person was accused of being a witch,a cat would often be put on trial with the person.The cat would be tortured to try and make the person tell the truth,and usually the cat and the person would end up being burned in a bonfire or drowned.Bonfires of collected cats were not uncommon during this time.The days of hunting witches have ended,but a few myths about cats still hold out.For a while,people in some places used to bury live cats in cement under new buildings for good luck.As well,many people today continue to believe that black cats are bad luck.If a black cat walks in front of a person,that person must take extra care in the near future to watch out for dangerous situations.Regardless of superstition,cats remain a popular pet today.Some authorities on cats maintain that a cat can never truly be domesticated because it may turn wild and run away at any time.However,this claim has not deterred people from keeping cats in their homes.One-third of homes in the United States have cats,and one out of every three of these homes keeps both a dog and a cat living.In large cities,many people in apartments have found that cats make much better pets than dogs.2.American Black BearsAmerican black bears appear in a variety of colors despite their name.In the eastern part of their range,most of these bears have shiny black fur,but in the west they grow brown,red,or even yellow coats.To the north,the black bear is actually gray or white in color.Even in the same litter(一胎所生的小动物),both brown and black furred bears may be born.Black bears are the smallest of all American bears,ranging in length fromfive to six feet,weighing from three hundred to five hundred pounds.Their eyes and ears are small and their eyesight and hearing are not as good as their sense of smell.Like all the other bears,the black bear is timid,clumsy and rarely dangerous,but if attacked,most can climb trees and cover ground at great speed.When angry or frightened,it is a formidable(可怕的) enemy.Black bears feed on leaves,herbs,roots,fruit,beries,insects,fish and even larger animals.One of the most interesting characteristics of bears,including the black bear,is their winter sleep.Unlike squirrels,woodchucks,and many other woodland animals,bears do not actually hibernate.Although the bear does not eat during the winter months,sustaining itself from body fat,its temperature remains almost normal,and it breathes regularly four or five times per minute.Most black bears live alone,except during mating(交配) season.They prefer to live in caves,hollow logs,or dense thickets(灌木丛).A litter of one to four cubs is born in January or February after a gestation(怀孕) period of six to nine months,and they remain with their mother until they are fully grown or about one and a half years old.Black bears can live as long as thirty years in the wild,and even longer in preserves（禁猎地) set aside for them.3.The BuffaloThe buffalo is the largest North American animal.It weighs as much as 2000 pounds.It lives with other buffalo in groups or herds.Two hundred years ago,there were 60 million buffalo.They lived all over the center of North America.There were thousands of herds.One herd was twenty miles long and twenty miles wide.The buffalo followed the grass and the Indians followed the buffalo.The Indians used the buffalo for many things.They used it formeat.Sometimes they ate fresh meat.Sometimes they dried the meat in the sun.Then they ate it later.The Indians also used the skin,or hide of the buffalo.From the hide they made tents,clothes,shoes,hats,and rope.They wasted nothing.But times changed.People from other lands came to America.These immigrants crossed the country in wagon trains(货车).They killed the buffalo for food and hides.More and more people came.And everyone wanted leather.Hunters with guns killed the buffalo only for their hides.They wasted everything else.These hunters were very good at their job.By 1900,there were fewer than thirty buffalo alive.Today,there are about 30 000 buffalo in America.But herds are very small.You can see them in states like Wyoming.Sometimes you can buy buffalo meat at a restaurant.But you will never see a herd of buffalo as big as a city.Ⅱ.知识归纳1.强调句型强调句型的结构形式为“It+be的适当形式+被强调成分+that/who+其他”。
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