S1B Unit 1The Phantom of the OperaRead this short story adapted from the novel The Phantom of the Opera.The Paris Opera House was a huge building. Beneath the building there was a strange, dark lake. On this lake was an island. On that island, one hundred years ago, lived the Phantom.At birth he was so ugly that his own mother made him wear a mask. She forced him to leave home while he was still a child. He then spent years wandering the Earth until he found his home on the island. Yet, this monster of a man loved singing, and had a wonderful voice.The phantom fell in love with Christine, a beautifulyoung singer at the Opera. He often sang to her late at night, hiding behind a secret wall in her room because he was afraid of letting her see his face. He taught her how to sing and helped her get better roles in the Opera. Christine enjoyed listening to his voice, too.However, the Phantom wanted Christine for himself.He kidnapped her from the stage in front of the whole audience. Then, he took her down to his secret home on the lake. Only one man was brave enough to follow. He was Raoul, a young man who loved Christine. Raoul tried to rescue Christine, but the Phantom captured him and put him in a prison.In the Phantom’s house,Christine pulled off his mask and saw the real man. At first, she was shocked at his horrible face with yellow eyes and no nose, but then she felt sorry about his suffering. She understood how lonely his life had been. She gently kissed his face.No woman had ever touched the Phantom before. Christine’s kiss made him crywith joy. He released Raoul, and told him to take Christine to safety. By now, a group of people had reached the Phantom’s house. They burst in, ready to kill him. At that moment the Phantom disappeared and was never seen again.S1B Unit 1 More reading The Concert Hall which moved Reading this cutting from acity guide for Shanghai to see how one concert hall was kept from destruction.In April 20003, the Shanghai Concert Hall was lifted into the air, and then moved 66.46 meters away.The 5,650-tonne building was deigned and built in 1930 by Chinese architects Zhao Shen and Fan Wenzhao. Originally, the building wasused for showing films. In 1959, it was changed into a concert hall. Some of the world’s top musicians, including the famous cellist Yo-Yo Ma and the violinist Isaac Stern, played there.By 2002, however, the Shanghai Concert Hall faced some difficulties. The building was old and needed repair. Also, an elevated road hadbeen built nearby. The noise of the traffic from the road drowned out the concerts. One way of saving the concert hall was moving it. So, over an eight-day period, workers used machinery to lift the concert hall into the air. They then pushed it along rails to a new location away from the elevated road.The Shanghai ConcertHall was completely restored after being moved. It was also made larger to seat more people. On 1 October 2004 it reopened with a concert by the British Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. With new paint and a new location, the charm of the concert hall was brought back to life.S1B Unit 2Two GeniusesAlbert Einstein was a very famous scientist in the twentieth century. Read this legend about him in a magazine article.Many people regard Albert Einstein (1879-1955) as a genius. His attempt to explain the working of the universe led to the development of nuclear energy.Einstein used to say thatthe only gift he had was curiosity, but this story about him shows that he also had a sense of humour.As a young man with a growing reputation, Einstein received many invitations to go to universities to explain his theories at different universities. On these trips his driver was always the same—a man called Hans. Hans oftensaid to him, 'It's a pleasure to drive a genius like you, Dr Einstein.”One evening, on their way to a distant university, Einstein said 'I wish I didn't have to give my lecture tonight, Hans. I'm so tired, but I don’t want to let my audience down.“You don't need to give the lecture.” said Hans. 'I cangive it for you. I've listened to your lecture so many times that I’ve learnt it by heart. No one knows you at this university, so they won’t find out.”Einstein agreed with Hans, so they changed places. At the university, Hans was guided to a platform, where he stood surrounded by professors and students. Einstein took a seatin the audience, listened to Hans give his lecture perfectly, and joined in the applause at the end.However, before Hans left the platform, a professor shouted from the audience, “I’d like to ask you a difficult question.”He then asked a question so complex that Hans had no idea what he was talking about.Einstein thought, “Oh no! Now we’re in trouble.”But Hans just laughed and said, “That’s not a difficult question. In fact, it’s so easy that even my driver knows how to answer it. Hans, please…”Einstein stood up and answered the question perfectly.They left the university,with Einstein driving. A little later, Hans offered to drive. “No, my friend,”said Einstein. “It’s a pleasure to drive a genius like you, Hans.”S1B Unit 2 More readingThe Nobel PrizeRead this leaflet about the Noble Prize.Alfred Nobel was an inventor born in Sweden. When he died in 1896, he left alot of money and property. This was then worth about nine million US dollars, and later became the original source of the world-famous Nobel Prize.Nobel believed that the spread of knowledge would make the world a better place. The yearly-awarded prizes are given to honour those who help mankind. Nobel said thatthe prizes should honour ‘the most important discoveries or inventions’ in physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine and ‘the most outstanding works’ in literature.Since 1901. the Nobel Prize has been presented to the winners on 10 December, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death. At the awardceremony in the Stockholm Concert Hall, the king of Sweden hands each winner a diploma and a medal. The ceremony is followed by a large banquet for about 1,300 people Among the guests of honour are the Nobel Prize winners and their families, the King and the Queen, and many well-known leaders in science and culture. Two hundred andfifty young students are also honoured with invitations to this grand occasion.S1B Unit 3The interesting world ofplantsPlants can be much more interesting than you think. Read this transcript from a nature film to find out why.Water lilies can often be seen in China, with their roundleaves, or pads, floating in ponds. In Hangzhou, there is a kind of water lily whose pads are so huge that a person can stand on them. This is a Victoria lily, the largest kind of water lily in the world. Its pads are more than two meters wide and its white or purple flowers can grow as large as 45 centimeters across.Some flowering plantscan also be eaten. The lotus, a near relative of the water lily, is such a plant. It has a long white root, in which there are many holes. In Asian countries, lotus roots and seeds are often cooked and served in meals. In the West, eating lotus roots or seeds is not as popular as it is in Asia.The banyan tree is an interesting tree with manyroots growing down from its branches. It can be found in South China and other parts of Asia. When its roots reach the ground, they plant themselves and grow bark. Eventually they either become part of the original tree trunk or become separate tree trunks. Using this method, banyan trees can cover an enormous area. The world's largest banyan tree, inIndia, covers an area larger than a football pitch. Even though it is only one tree, it looks like a whole forest!Speaking of trees, a gingko tree believed to be around 2800 years old was recently discovered in Hebei Province, China. Many gingko trees have been around for more than 1000 years---that is the reason why they areknown as 'longevity trees' in China. While gingko trees can live for a long time, they are not even near being the oldest trees. Bristlecone pine trees in America are among the oldest living trees. One bristlecone pine tree in Nevada is over 4600 years Old!S1B Unit 3 More readingLearn to care for plantsRead this article from anewspaper to get some new ideas about what plants you can grow this year.Spring is in the air, so it is time to go outside and do some gardening. Here are three plants which can decorate your home.Why not grow common white jasmine/ You can raise it as either a bush or a vine. Jasmine vines produce moreflowers than jasmine bushes, but they need a frame to grow on. If you grow them on a frame over a path, the path will soon have a cover of whit, sweet-smelling flowers. Jasmine is not just for tea.Of course, if you like blossoms, do not ignore the Yulan magnolia. These trees can grow to be over 12 meters tall. In early spring, they arecovered with white blossoms which are more than 12 centimeters wide. After the blossoms fall off, green leaves cover the trees all summer. In autumn, these leaves change to red and orange before they litter the ground with color. The Yulan magnolia is ideal for cool, moist climates.If you have no idea what to grow, you could plant agolden ball cactus. You could keep it in your house, or plant it outside where it can grow to be more than 60 centimeters tall. While it prefers the sun, it tolerates temperatures of below zero degrees centigrade.Unit 4Friend or Enemy? Read the excerpt from the play Winston and the Spider to learnabout one kind of small creature. The scene begins with Winston and his wife Betty standing in their kitchen.Betty: (jumping in fright, and then shouting) Kill it! Winston: (calmly) Certainly not.Betty: Why? You're not frightened of it, Winston, are you? It's only an insect. Winston: It isn't an insect,Betty. It’s a spider.Actually, spiders arevery usefulcreatures. I watcheda TV programmelast night thatcompletely changedmy views aboutspiders. Do youwant to hear aboutit?Betty: Not really, (Shesighs.) but I suppose you're going to tell me anyway. Winston: Spiders are theenemies of insectsand the friends ofhumans. Chinesefarmers realizedthat years ago. Doyou know that inparts of China, inautumn, farmersbuild shelters forspiders and putthem all over theirfields?Betty: No, I didn’t knowthat.Winston: (ignoring herremarks) Theshelters are like littletents. Survivingwinter in them, thespiders emergehealthy and hungrywhen spring comes. At the same time, millions of insects arrive to attack the farmers' crops. The spiders fill their empty stomachs, and the farmers become happy because their fields have been protected.Betty: So everyone'shappy except theinsects.Winston: Right, and nowthis natural methodof pest control isbeing copied allover the world. Betty: (looking bored) Interesting, but now I must go and...Winston: (becoming excited)Wait! There's more.What’s strongerthan steel, lighterthan a feather andas elastic as a rubberband?Betty: What? Winston: It's the silk thatspiders make theirwebs with.Scientists are tryingto develop amaterial havingsimilar properties.They plan to use it inspacecraft, artificialorgans like hearts,and to make reallybullet-proof vests. Betty: I still think spidersare nasty andshould be killed.Their bites arepoisonous, aren'tthey?Winston: To insects, yes, butto people, rarely.But even theirpoison is useful.Doctors think itmight be used totreat brain disordersin humans.' Betty: That's good newsfor you, then. (shelaughs)Butseriously, I get yourpoint, Winston. Weshould try tounderstand thingsin nature and notdestroy them.'S1B Unit 4 More ReadingThe mystery of hibernationNo human has experienced hibernation, and yet many creatures experience it every year. Read the followingarticle from a science magazine to see what hibernation is all about.What do bears, bats and frogs have in common? They all hibernate. Hibernation is a state often compared to sleep. It often occurs in winter, when a creature does not move for weeks or months continuously. Creatures hibernate to survive the cold weather and theabsence of food.A typical example of a hibernating creature is the bat. When winter comes, bats find a safe place in a cave. Looking like they a dead, they hang upside down. Their pulse and breathing rates greatly slow down. Their body temperatures drop as well. These things help them save energy during long winterswhen it is difficult to find food.Frogs, like many amphibians, also hibernate when it gets cold. After digging deep into the mud at the bottom of a pond, they do not stir again until it is warm. During hibernation, they breathe through their skins, not their mouths.Another hibernatingcreature is the bear. In contrast to other creatures, hibernating bears do not appear as though they are dead, but seem as though they are very sleepy. If they are disturbed during hibernation, they can get up very quickly. While hibernating, bears stay in their dens, which are filled with leaves to make their stay more comfortable and warmer. Inspring, having awakened, they leave their dens, thin and hungry.S1B Unit 5What should I do? Letters from students asking for advice are published anonymously in a school newspaper as a part of the “counselor’s corner.”Read excerpts from the letters below. 1One evening last month, I was visiting a close friend in her new high-rise flat when she accidentally knocked a flower pot from her window. It smashed to the ground below, narrowly missing some children at play. On our way out, we stopped to take a look, but no one was hurt, so we said nothing and left for the cinema as planned.Returning home later that evening, my friend learned that the police had been to the flats and questioned everyone. They had even taken a neighbor’s son to the police station. After questioning him, they let him go temporarily. Frightened, my friend has said nothing to the police.Though no one was hurt,I have a guilty conscience and ...2Last night, while traveling home on the ground, I saw three tough guys enter my almost empty carriage.They sat down beside a young boy who was travelling alone and began to tease and bully him. Their behavior was so bad that it made him moveto another seat, but that did no good. They just followed him and continued their bullying. The boy was obviously frightened. At this point, I stopped looking and got off at my station, feeling sorry for the boy. I regret not helping him, but not being Superman and hating violence, what could I do? Should I...3The checkout assistant at my usual supermarket is always rude and unhelpful. A few days ago, I gave her a fifty pound note to pay for a six-pound purchase, but she was so busy grumbling that she accidentally gave me an extra ten-pound note in my change.On discovering the error, I went back and tried to tell her.。
