上海外语教育出版社——新世纪英语高二课文高二第一学期1. Food in the United StatesMany changes are taking place in food styles in the United States. The United States is traditionally famous for its very solid and unchanging diet, chiefly made up of meat and potatoes. Now people in America have many different choices: ethnic food, health food, and fast food, in addition to the traditional home-cooked meal.Ethnic restaurants and supermarkets are common in the United States. Being a country of immigrants, the United States enjoys a wide variety of ethnic food. Most American cities and towns are filled with restaurants serving international cooking. Many even have ethnic sections: Chinatown, Little Italy, or Germantown. Having vast ethnic choices, Americans can enjoy food from all over the world. Besides sections of cities, there are ethnic regions, which are well-known for certain food because of the people who have settled there. For example, in southern California, there are many Mexican restaurants.Health food became popular when people began to think more seriously about their physical well-being. Health food is fresh, natural, and unprocessed food, which does not contain preservatives to make it last longer or chemicals to make it taste or look better. People who are keen on health food are usually vegetarians. They don’t eat meat, but live on beans, cheese, and eggs.Fast food restaurants are now expanding rapidly all over the country. In the United States, speed is a very important concept. People usually have a short lunch break because they just do not want to waste their time eating. Fast food restaurants are places that take care of hundreds of people in a short time. There is usually very little waiting, and the food is always cheap. Burger and pizza places are just two examples.Americans’attitude toward food is changing, too. The traditional big breakfast is no longer popular. However, coming to rediscover the social importance of food, Americans find that dinner with family and friends is a very special of enjoying time together. Like so many people in other cultures, many Americans are taking time to relax and enjoy a wider variety of tastes at dinner, even if they still rush through lunch at a hamburger stand.2. The world’s best ethnic foodHow can you travel the world without leaving your own country? Visit an ethnic restaurant! Trying foods from other countries is a great way to experience different cultures. People around the world have unique and creative ways of preparing food. The ingredients they use may surprise you.So what are the world’s best ethnic foods? Everyone has his or her own personal favourites, and so do we. The following are the world’s three best ethnic foods---other than Chinese food, of course!ITALIAN When you visit an Italian restaurant, order a pasta dish. The Italians have hundreds of ways of preparing this food. Pastas usually come with flavourful tomato or cream sauces, which give the dishes a powerful, rich flavour. There are also different kinds of cheese.When ordering Italian food, you choose one main dish for yourself. You may, however, order an appetizer to share with everyone at the table.MEXICAN What’s great about Mexican food? Most of it you can pick up and eat with your hands!One major Mexican food is the tortilla. Mexican chefs mold this corn or flour-based material into round, flat shapes. The tortilla then gets filled with ingredients such as cheese, meat, sour cream, beans and other vegetables. Tortilla dishes can be fried, baked or toasted. Don’t forget to add hot sauce---Mexican food is great with a bit of spice!INDIAN India is the land of curries and strong flavours. You can smell a good Indian restaurant even before you walk through the door!The eating method of Indian food also takes a bit of getting used to. Peal off some flat fried bread and use this “spoon”to get food from a shared dish. You can finish the meal with Indian-style milk tea.While Chinese food is great, try something new and expand your horizons. After all, variety is the spice of life!3. The global drinkTea, the global drink, is consumed around the world more than any other drink except water. Originating in China, tea has long established itself as the national drink of this country, the nation with the biggest population on earth.A century before the birth of Christ, tea was described in Chinese texts as a health drink that made one live longer. Tea is still being regarded as such. Scientific studies have suggested that drinking five cups of tea a day can be compared to having two servings of vegetables. Both green and black teas are claimed to be effective for preventing cancer, heart disease, and many other deadly disease. There is only one point people need to be aware of when they drink tea---it should not be drunk along with meals. This is because an element contained in tea can interfere with the body’s absorption of iron.Tea, a popular drink in China and many other countries, is carefully prepared according to local customs. The Chinese put loose tea in teapots, add boiling water, and serve it in teacups. The strong tea from China’s Fujian Province is drunk in tiny cups before dinner. Lighter teas with jasmine, rose or other flowers, are special to China’s Changjiang River regions. These are usually served after dinner to help digestion.In England people use teabags and mugs. Many English people, travelling away from home, feel at a loss if their favourite teabags are not available. Afternoon tea in England is still a time-honoured tradition. It’s a good opportunity for people to socialize or discuss business matters, though now more young people prefer a cola.In Japan, a tea ceremony is often held while people are drinking tea. The ceremony, usually held in a teahouse, dates back to the sixteenth century. Guests follow strict rules set up then and the tea used is a powdered green tea. Though still practised today, the tea ceremony may not be as popular as it used to be. Young Japanese tend to favour other drinks.4. CoffeeWhen coffee was first introduced in Europe in the 1600s, there was a great deal of controversy about it. Many doctors said that coffee was a strong poison and should be forbidden. Others, however, insisted it was good to drink coffee. Then, “coffee houses”sprang up everywhere. Today, coffee has become a global drink and it is consumed by one third of the world’s population.Tests show that when coffee is given in large doses to animals, it can actually act as a poison. Coffee can also produce negative or even poisonous effects on small children. But for adults who drink it moderately, it is by no means a poison.Coffee contains caffeine. Most people believed that it is the caffeine that produces all the effects that coffee has on thebody. Of course, the other elements in coffee have a role to play.Here are some of the things that happen when people drink coffee. The smell of coffee itself produces stimulating effects in various parts of the body. The blood vessels in the brain open wider so that the flow is improved, and this removes some of the poisonous substances from the brain. Coffee increases the pulse rate(脉搏), which means it stimulates the heart, and the muscles can thus work harder. Coffee makes the stomach work more actively, which is worthwhile for healthy people, especially when drunk after a heavy meal.Coffee actually produces different effects on the body at different times of the day! The morning coffee, for instance, helps the body get rid of waste products produced during the night. Coffee after lunch helps digestion. Afternoon coffee acts on the muscles and helps us feel less tired. And coffee taken in the evening seems to stimulate the mind and the imagination!However, there always two sides to everything. Caffeine is stimulating, so a lot of people avoid drinking coffee at night, which is the time when people want to go to bed instead of feeling stimulated. Furthermore, some people get hooked on coffee because of the caffeine, and that has always been considered negative.5. The Mexican (Adapted from The Mexican Jack London)Rivera was determined to help his people at the cost of his life. he fought against stronger and tougher boxers in the ring to make money for his people. He often lost at the beginning, but he grew more experienced.One day he was engaged in a very tough fight against a champion boxer, Danny. Rivera didn’t match Danny in height, weight, or skills. And he was not half as popular. However, “The winner takes all!”And Rivera stubbornly asked for all---all he had on his mind was making the money for his people.The fight was going on and on. The whole stadium was cheering for Danny; there were few on Rivera’s side. However, Rivera survived on blow after another; his excellent defence was frightening.Danny rushed, forcing Rivera to give him a clinch. Was it a trick? Rivera thought to himself.Yes, it was. But Rivera was smart enough to avoid it. He backed and circled away.He pretended to clinch with Danny’s next rush. Instead, at the last instant, just as their bodies should have come together,Rivera went quickly back. He had fooled him!While Rivera was dancing away, Danny kept challenging him openly. Having run after him for two rounds, Danny found the boy not even daring to come near him. He started to throw all caution to the winds. Rivera was struck again and again. He took blows by the dozen---just to avoid the deadly clinch.In the seventeenth round, Rivera, blown heavily, bent down. His hands dropped helplessly. Danny thought it was his chance---the boy was at his mercy. He decided to strike the deadly blow. But before he could do that, Rivera caught him off his guard and hit him in the mouth. Danny went down. When he rose, Rivera gave him another blow on the neck and jaw. He repeated this three times.Danny did not rise again. The audience shouted for him to stand up. But the miracle did not happen.“Count!”Rivera cried to the referee. When the count was finished, Danny, gathered up by his assistants, was carried to his corner.“Who wins?”Rivera demanded.Unwillingly, the referee caught his gloved hand and held it high up.Rivera, unattended, walked to his corner, where his assistants had not yet placed his stool. He didn’t care. All he could remember was that he had got the $5000 he needed. “The winner takes all!”What mattered to him was that his people could use the money to buy guns.6. PelePele was born in Brazil in 1940. Like many other Brazilian kids, Pele loved football and often played the game in the streets. He also went to school and did odd jobs to help bring in money for the family. However, what he loved best was to play football in the streets or practise kicking the ball with his father (also a great football player).Pele gained the attention of some coaches, first in the neighbourhood contests and later as he led his team to win the junior league tournament two years in a row. At the age of fourteen, Pele was playing for one of the first professional football teams in Brazil. As Pele became the most popular game everywhere in the world, except for North America. What had begun as a Britishsport became the favourite sport of people all around the world. Football became a truly international sport.Pele was in the Brazilian team in the World Cup matches of 1958. Before 1958, the Brazilian ream had failed in the finals three times in a row. Some sports writers said the Brazilians, though gifted, had no discipline. In the 1958 finals against Sweden, Pele kicked the winning goal, and he returned home a hero.However, he never forgot his poor fellow men. Pele owned dozens of apartment houses, in which he often allowed poor families to live without paying rent. He bought his mother the home he had promised her when he signed his first professional contract. But the most exciting moment of all was in 1969, when Pele scored his thousandth goal. As football fans stormed onto the field and reporters begged for a speech, all he said was, “Remember the poor children.”Today, Pele is one of the most famous athletes in the world. He retired in 1975. however, soon after that, he decided to play for three years with the New York team. He could not resist the challenge of trying to make football popular in the United States, one of the few countries in the world where football had not become the national sport. In 1977, Pele retired for good at the age of thirteen-seven.7. The OlympicsThe Olympics are the most important international competition in terms of scale, skills, and number of athletes.The games are divided into two parts---the Summer Games and the Winter Games. The two parts are held in such a way that there are two years in between but four years before one is repeated.The Olympics were first celebrated in 776 BC in Olympia, Greece, and were held every four years until 393 AD. Then, they were brought to an end by the Roman emperor. It was not until the 1890s that the world saw the modern summer games. In 1896 the first modern Summer Olympics were held in Greece because that was where the tradition started. After that the Olympics would move to a different city every four years. In 1924, the Winter Olympics were added to the schedule. The Games were to take place in a separate, colder place. The event was cancelled during World War Ⅰand World War Ⅱfor reasons known to all.Examples of modern Summer Olympic events are track and field events, ball games, diving, gymnastics, swimming. TypicalWinter Olympic events are skating and skiing.The Olympic records are the world ones. An Olympic gold medal carries as much weight as, or even more than, any other gold medal won at other international competitions. The skills and determination demonstrated at the Olympics have come to stand for the peak of human physical strength and will power.It was not until the late twentieth century that Chinese athletes began to amaze the world with their excellent performance at the Olympics. Coming out number one many times in the Olympic events, Chinese athletes have brought home one gold medal after another in swimming, diving, gymnastics, weight lifting, and a number of ball games. At the turn of the twenty-first century, the world witnesses Beijing being selected by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as the host city for the 2008 Olympics. This has added a brilliant touch to the picture of modern Chinese sport history.Though once marked as “the Weaklings of East Asia”, the Chinese have always been looking forward to achieving the dream of becoming a sports giant. After continuous efforts for years the dream is gradually coming true, and it is understandable why the Chinese let out cries of joy the night Beijing’s bid to host the 2008 Olympics was approved!8. Stars from the southThe summer of 2001 saw Australians win the Cycling Tour de France, beat the world at cricket(板球) and rugby, and have a player in the final of the Wimbledon Tennis Tournament for the eighteenth time.Many countries would be amazed at that kind of success. For Australia, it was just a typical sporting summer. At the 2000 Olympics, Australia came fourth in the medals table. That does not sound so great, yet Australia has a population of only 19 million. There are more Olympic medal winners per head of population in Australia than in any other country.What is it that makes Australians a sporting people? This is a question that many people involved in sports have asked themselves over the years.Some of the answers are simple. Sport needs space. Australians have 7.4 million square kilometres of space to play sports in. many other countries are either too crowded or too small to encourage everybody to take part. Besides that, Australia is a warm, dry country. This encourages people to go outdoors to enjoy themselves. Furthermore, since 85 per cent of Australianslive near the sea, they learn water sports early; and since sharks swim off the coasts of Australia, they also learn to swim very fast.However, it is not just the environment. The Australian government invests heavily in sports. Instead of just looking for the gifted people and training them, the emphasis is on trying to get everyone to join in. So Australia has a small population, but a large number of sports-loving people to choose from.Other reasons go deep into the history and culture of the country. When the British first found Australia they decided that it would be a great place to send criminals to. Life for the first Australians was very tough, so they had to be independent and develop a will to win just to survive. Yet they also had to be able to trust each other and be willing to help each other out. In order countries, coaches train people in mental toughness and team building. In Australia, these qualities are part of the general social environment.Being far away from Europe also meant that Australians were far away from the centres of Western arts and cultures. As a result, sport itself has become a way of cultural expression and part of the Australian nationality. An English football fan wants to see the national team do well, but really cares more about his local club. For an Australian, representing the nation is the most important thing of all. Everything else is just good practice. Being good at sports is part of what it means to be an Australian.9. Why did I quit hunting?Why did I quit hunting?Well, it isn’t a long story, but I wonder if you will really understand.I used to be crazy about the hunting season. I could hardly wait for those dry, cold mornings, that cup of hot coffee and then the walk over fresh-fallen snow, a fine rifle(步枪) in my hand.There’s a thrill in hunting, an excitement that comes over you when a deer crashes out of the bush. You are waiting for him with death. After hunting, you also feel great. There’s the bit of showing off with the boys---the fine head of the deer hung high up on the wall---sure, there’s a thrill in all of it.There’s beauty in the woods, too, especially late in the fall. Sometimes you walk among the huge trees, where the sunlightfilters through. It’s quiet and big, with touches of white and green and gold. And the silence is like that of a church.It was like that the last time I was in the woods. I was alone, packing a rifle, a thermos of coffee and three thick sandwiches.I went up into the hills, heading for a well-used deer trail. Sure enough there were fresh tracks in the snow. I turned over a few rocks to clear the snow and settled down behind a little bush. It was pretty cold, but I was dressed for it and didn’t mind.I sat there for about an hour. It was then that I saw him. A deer, a big beautiful deer! He was off to my left. There was no cover nearer to him than 30 yards. Surely I couldn’t miss! I waited for him to realize I was there. I waited for him to be shocked and run away. But he fooled me completely. He came towards me! He was curious, I suppose, or maybe he was stupid---how else can you explain it?He was not quite young, but a deer in his prime. He must have known about men and guns. But he came closer, putting one foot before the other, slowly and purposefully. His big eyes never moved from my face. Well, that deer walked right up to where I was sitting. Then he stopped and looked at me!What happened next is hard to believe, but it’s true. And it all seemed quite natural. Just as when a friendly puppy comes near you, I reached up and scratched his head, right between the horns. And he liked to be scratched. That big, wild, beautiful deer bent his head like a young horse. In fact, he practically asked for more. I scratched his head and his nose poked at my shoulder. He didn’t even tremble. I fed him my sandwich! Yes, I know what a deer eats, but that deer ate my sandwich. Well, he finally went his way, down the hill and up the deer trail. Shoot him? Not me. You wouldn’t have either, not after that. I just watched him go.There’s very little more to tell. I picked up my thermos and the wrapping for the sandwiches, and started walking back. I was about half way back when I heard two shots, followed by a dull slam a few seconds later. Those two shoots usually mean a kill. I had forgotten there were other hunters that day.Those hunters would never know they could have scratched his head…10. Jane GoodallIn 1960, the twenty-six-year-old scientist Jane Goodall risked entering the thick bush. She intended to discover howchimpanzees(缩写为chimp) were like human beings. She found out, instead, how much we are like them. Goodall broke new ground with her active involvement with some chimpanzees. She lived among them, ate and played with them and earned their trust by simply observing how they lived. Before Goodall, most visitors had frightened the chimps back into their rain forests. As a result, very little was actually known about them. Goodall, who insisted on going into the bush alone for longer periods of time, collected more information about apes than all other scientists put together.Born in London to a writer and an engineer with a passion for car racing, Goodall received their daring and imagination---qualities that, along with her curiosity, would serve her well in her future occupation. She was inspired at seven by the stories of Dr Dolittle, the scientist who could talk to animals. And with her stuffed toy chimpanzee by her side, the young girl spent hours studying worms in the garden, hens in the henhouse, and whatever insects she could find.After she graduated from high school in 1952, Goodall worked as a secretary at Oxford University. Even then she knew she wanted to go to Africa.In 1957 she was invited to Kenya to visit a friend, where she met the world-renowned anthropologist Louis S.B. Leakey. Goodall’s enthusiasm impressed him and he hired her as an assistant. Leakey later recommended her to a two-year research project studying chimpanzees in Gombe.It was a difficult decision to send a young woman, with neither a college degree nor scientific training, on such a demanding task. Leakey had trust in her, but his colleagues predicted the young woman would fail. Goodall proved them wrong. Goodall tried hard to observe the chimpanzees and to be observed in return. Eventually, the chimps grew to regard “this white-skinned ape”as their friend. Goodall made a number of surprising discoveries.She found that chimps used tools to dig ants out of their hills for food. Goodall found that chimps experience a wide range of emotions like anger and grief as humans do. Her discovery was a significant breakthrough. Among her famous works are: My Friends: the Wild Chimpanzees (1967), and In the Shadow of Man (1971). These, along with her numerous films, TV specials and articles, made her one of the best-known scientists of the 20th century.11. Oceans under threatPeople use oceans for trade, travel, tourism, and recreation. We also take food and resources from oceans. All these activities can have harmful effects on the oceans and the creatures that live in them. Overfishing and pollution are the most common problems. Oceans link countries all over the world; seawater circulates around the globe, so what we do in one part of the ocean can affect another.OVERFISHING In parts of the world, fishing boats with huge nets sometimes take too many of the same species of fish from a small area, causing some ocean waters to be overfished. As a result, there are not enough fish left to breed in these areas. This affects other fish in the food chain, and it affects people because there eventually may not be enough fish left to eat. In some parts of the world, limits have been set for the number of fish to be caught at one time.THREATS TO MARINE LIFE Some species of marine creatures are now rare because too many have been killed for food or sport. Tropical islands and coasts with coral reefs also attract large numbers of tourists every year. Indeed, this helps people develop an understanding of marine life. however, coral and shellfish can be destroyed by heavy boats. Divers, who stay under water just for fun or to hunt for souvenirs, are disturbing the natural cycles of marine life.POLLUTION One of the biggest threats to oceans is pollution from industry. Most pollution happens in coastal areas. In fact, many coastal cities and ports are reported to have long been polluted by chemicals and other harmful things from heavy industries. The industries dump these materials into the nearby rivers, which then wash them into the sea. Once they settle on a continental shelf, pollutants pile up. We do not know a great deal about the long-term effects of pollution. However, we do know that the North and Black Seas in Europe have been polluted so much that the marine life is poisoned and may never recover. POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS All countries of the world need to work together to share ocean resources fairly. Laws are to be made and regulations are to be enforced to prevent overfishing and pollution. It is also hard to make people obey laws when our oceans are so vast and difficult to patrol. However, we should all learn to understand how important it is to manage the world’s oceans now and in the future.12. What is forestry?Anyone who travels across the US sees so many forests everywhere that he might well wonder why the Americans have toworry about protecting them. Don’t they have too many forests with so many trees right now?Actually, about a third of all the land area in the US is forestland. Yet, one of the most important things Americans can do for the future of their country is to see that these forests are properly cared for! This is being done in Britain and elsewhere.First, just imagine all the products we obtain from trees. Fruits, nuts, and sugar are only some of the foods. Buildings, tables, and boats come from trees. Also coming from trees are paper and toys---the list is almost endless.Second, forests reduce the danger of damaging floods and help control our water supplies. It is believed that the floods in China in the 1990s were closely related to the illegal cutting down of trees along the banks of the rivers. Under a good forest, there is rich soil, which easily absorbs heavy rains or melting snow. And, of course, our forests provide wonderful vacation spots for millions of people.Having benefited from all that forests provide, mankind has started to take good care of forests. The care of forests is called forestry, which is considered to be one of the many new sciences of our time. In fact, forestry has been practised in some European countries for hundreds of years.In most forests, it is important to harvest trees when they are mature. Otherwise, the old trees would take up space that could be better used for fast-growing younger trees. A large area of mature trees, having been cleared, is replanted by hand or nature. Great care and skill are needed in harvesting and replanting trees to make sure that there will be a good new growth of the right kinds of trees. This is why forestry has now become a science.The country with the largest forest area is Russia. Brazil ranks second, Canada third and the United States fourth. Did you know that despite all the efforts to prevent them, about 200,000 forest fires occur each year in the US? And in Australia forest fires break out simply because the weather is too dry. Thus there is still a lot more for us to learn about our forests and our nature.13. Shopping in the StatesI love shopping, even if it is just window-shopping. Shopping in the States is always a pleasant experience. There are different types of shops catering to your particular needs. To buy groceries, you can go to the convenience store, the。
