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Unit 1 A new startPassage 1My first day at senior highAfter I had pictured it over and over again in my mind, the big day finally arrived: my first day at senior high! I woke up early and rushed out of the door in my eagerness to get to know my new school.The campus was still quiet when I arrived, so I decided to explore a bit. I was looking at the photos on the noticeboard when I heard a voice behind me. “New here?” Turning around, I saw an older man. "Yes," I replied. “I’m wondering what life is going to be like here. " "Don't worry,” he gave me a smile. "You'll soon find out.”How true these words were! When my English teacher stepped into the classroom, I was surprised to see the same older man I had met earlier.“Good morning, everyone. Before we start, please come to the front one by one and introduce yourself to the class. I'll go first…”“What?!" I tried to turn on my brain but the engine just wouldn't start. “I should say my name, of course. But what else? What could I say to make a good first impression? Something about my insect collection, perhaps. “I was organising my words in my head when the girl next to me gave me a nudge. “It' s your turn!”With butterflies in my stomach, I breathed deeply. “Hi, I’m Meng Hao.” Everyone started laughing.I looked at them in panic. Nice to know we share the same name,” said my new teacher. I had been too nervous to pay attention when he introduced himself! Although I was embarrassed, his words made me a lot more relaxed!When we had all introduced ourselves, Mr Meng said, “ Well done, everyone! I know this isn't easy for many of you. But this is just the kind of thing you are going to face at senior high. Challenges like this might sometimes put you under pressure. But it all depends on what you do. Keep calm and be prepared. That way, you'll make the most of your time at senior high.”People say, "Well begun, half done.” I guess this was a good beginning to my new school life.Passage 2High school hintsInterviewer: Hello and welcome to School Talk! Today I'm joined by Lisa Osborne. Lisa graduated from our school last June and is about to go to college. Lisa, thank you for coming to share your suggestions for high school with us.Lisa: Hi, everybody. I'm very glad to be back. I feel as if high school was only yesterday. Interviewer: So what helped when you first started high school?Lisa: Orientation Day was really helpful. It's a fantastic opportunity for new students to get to know the school and the other students. I even made some new friends! Just keep an open mind and take part in as much as possible.Interviewer: That's sound advice for sure. But how did you deal with new challenges, like starting a new course?Lisa: I had a chemistry test right at the end of the first week. I was frightened at the sight of the test paper. But then I figured I'd better just go all out and see what happens. If you fail, no problem --next time you can fail better!Interviewer: So, hold your head up, then. But life is not always easy. You must have had some moments when you were disappointed. If so, how did you deal with them?Lisa: As a member of the school volleyball team, I wasn’t selected for the end-of-year competition. At first I was really sad, but later I realised that I joined the team for the love of the sport. It wasn't just about winning. So I kept working hard to support my teammates during our training. There's always a way to be part of something you love, isn't there?Interviewer: Yes, I totally agree. Is there anything else in particular that you'd like to share with us? Lisa: Looking back at my high school life, the most important advice I'd give are these wonderful words from the writer Maya Angelou. She said, “Try to be a rainbow in someone's cloud.” So, give your friends a hand when they need it. And this will make you feel good, too.Interviewer: Awesome! Well, thanks again for coming to speak to us, Lisa. And good luck with college. Lisa: Thank you.Unit 2 Exploring EnglishPassage 1Neither Pine nor Apple in PineappleHave you ever asked yourself why people often have trouble learning English? I hadn't, until one day my five-year-old son asked me whether there was ham in a hamburger. There isn't. This made me realise that there's no egg in eggplant either. Neither is there pine nor apple in pineapple. This got me thinking how English can be a crazy language to learn.For example, in our free time we can sculpt a sculpture and paint a painting, but we take a photo. And when we are travelling we say that we are in the car or the taxi, but on the train or bus! While we're doing all this travelling, we can get seasick at sea, airsick in the air and carsick in a car, but we don't get homesick when we get back home. And speaking of home, why aren't homework and housework the same thing?If “hard" is the opposite of “soft”, why are “hardly" and “softly" not an opposing pair? If harmless actions are the opposite of harmful actions, why are shameless and shameful behaviours the same?When we look out of the window and see rain or snow, we can say "it's raining" or “It's snowing”. But when we see sunshine, we can't say “it's sunshining”.Even the smallest of words can be confusing. When you see the capitalized "WHO" in a medical report, do you read it as the "who" in “Who's that?" What about “IT" and “US”?You also have to wonder at the unique madness of a language in which a house can burn up as it burns down, in which you fill in a form by filling it out, and in which an alarm is only heard once it goes!English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects the creativity of the human race.That is why when the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible. And that is why when I wind up my watch, it starts, but when I wind up this passage, it ends.Passage 2(Mis)adventures in EnglishLast week, our forum asked if you had any funny or strange stories about using English. We didn't expect to get so many posts! Here are some of our favourites, to remind us that some of the English we learn in the classroom is rather different from the English in the outside world!AlbaPeople say that the British always play safe with what they eat. Not true! I went to a summer school in Manchester and my English teacher was called Maggie. One day, a different teacher took our class. He told us that Maggie couldn't teach that day because she had a frog in her throat. Poor Maggie-but why did she try to eat such a big frog?YancyWhen I first visited New York, I went to a shopping centre to buy some winter boots. At the information desk I asked a lady where the shoe section was. She said that it was on the first floor. So I went up to the first floor, but couldn't find any shoes. When I was about to leave, I saw that shoes were actually sold on the ground floor, not the first floor. How confusing!JulienI've got an English pen friend, who I finally got to meet in London this summer. He had told me that his grandfather was "really wicked". But when I met his grandfather, I liked him a lot. I was very confused. Why did my friend use a negative word about such a nice man?Zheng XuThe British must have really high standards. I was part of a student exchange between a university in England and my university in China. I spent days preparing and writing my first English paper. I knew I had done a good job and was looking forward to getting a good grade. When I got the paper back, I found my teacher had written the comment "Not bad!" Not bad? I was a bit disappointed.Unit 3 Family mattersPassage 1Like Father Like Son(The living room, Friday night. A table and two chairs at front centre. Grandfather and Father, seated at the table, are playing chess.)Grandfather: And... I win! (enter Son)Father: Not again! Oh look, here comes my boy. How are you, son?Son: (nervously approaching the table) Erm... Dad, can we talk?Father: Sure! You know you can always turn to your dad for a chat.Son: OK. Here it is. I've decided not to go to university. I want to focus my band and have a career in music when I leave school.Father: (raising his voice in surprise) You can't be serious! What about your future career as a lawyer?!Son: I knew you'd say that. You just assume I want to be a lawyer, but that's only because you are a lawyer.Father: What's wrong with being a lawyer? People respect lawyers and you can have a good income.Son: Yes, but I'm not interested in law, I want to work in a studio, not a court.Grandfather: (looking at Father) Calm down, OK?Father: (ignoring Grandfather's words) Stop daydreaming! Playing in a band is not a job.Son: Of course it is! The music industry is developing fast now. Making music is a job.Grandfather: (stepping between Father and Son and raising his voice) Hey! I told you to calm down, both of you!Father: But I told him to study something useful at university!Grandfather:(laughing) Easy, son! I remember when you were his age you said that you wanted to be a professional soccer player.Father: And you wanted to be an engineer.Grandfather: I just wanted you to be happy, and an engineer-a happy engineer.Father: But in the end, you just advised me to think carefully.Grandfather: Yes, and you found the career that suited your talents. I'm so proud of you. Your son is proud of you, too.Son: Of course I am, but I have different talents.Grandfather: (turning to Son)Why don’t you also take my advice and think carefully before jumping in with both feet?Son: Well, I could try…Grandfather: If you go to university and play music at the same time, you will have two options for you future. And I’m sure playing in a band will help you make lots of new friends at university.Father: Yes, lots of new lawyer friends!Son: (with a sigh) Dad… (curtain.)Passage 2Just a BrotherIt was the final part of the 2016 Triathlon World Series in Mexico. With just 700 metres to go, Alistair Brownlee was in third place and his younger brother, Jonny, was in the lead. Alistair pushed himself towards the finish line in the burning heat, but as he came round the corner, he saw his brother about to fall onto the track. Alistair had to choose--brotherly love, or a chance to win the race?For Alistair, the choice was clear. His brother was in trouble. He had to help. Alistair ran towards Jonny, caught him and started pulling him towards the finish line. Alistair then pushed his brother over the line. The move put Jonny in second place and Alistair himself in third. It was an unexpected end to the race, but Alistair did not want to discuss it with the media. He just wanted to see his younger brother who had been rushed to the medical area.The Brownlee brothers have been doing triathlons since they were children. "Obviously, when your older brother is doing it, you think it's a cool thing to do,” says Jonny. Alistair says that they encourage each other as much as they can when they train. Despite arguments over "stupid things” now and then, Alistair agrees that having a brother is an advantage. “Throughout my entire life, I've had my brother trying to beat me at everything I do. It has been an enormously positive force.”Watched by millions, the ending to the race has divided opinions: should the brothers have been disqualified or highly praised for their actions? But for Alistair, his decision was easy to explain: "Mum wouldn't have been happy if I'd left Jonny behind.” At that moment, he was no longer an athlete aiming for a medal—he was just a brother.Unit 4 Friends foreverPassage 1Click for a Friend?How would you feel if moving to a new town meant losing track of your friends? What if the only way of getting news from faraway friends was writing letters? This was how things worked not so very long ago. Thanks to advances in technology, how we make friends and communicate with them has changed significantly.Nowadays, we can move around the world and still stay in touch with the people that we want to remain friends with. Social media tools let us see what our friends are up to and maintain friendships without missing a beat.The digital age also enables us to find people who share our interests, such as collecting model cars or playing an unusual instrument. Whatever our hobbies, the Internet can connect us with others who also enjoy doing them, even if they live on the other side of the world.But when you "friend" people online, does this mean that they really are your friends?It depends.If people always exchange true personal information online, then yes, these friendships can be real and meaningful. But we need to keep in mind that what we see on social media is often not the whole truth about a person.On social media sites, people tend to post only good things that make them appear happy and friendly. But smiling photos can hide real problems. Remember the saying: on the Internet, nobody knows you're a dog. A young person could be old; a woman could be a man; we could even be sharing our information with criminals.But this doesn't mean we should throw the baby out with the bathwater. Although technology has changed the way we are connected, the meaning of friendship and our longing for friends remain the same. As Aristotle said, no one would choose to live without friends, even if he had all other goods.Passage 2After Twenty Years (excerpts)The short story "After Twenty Years" is set in New York on a cold, dark night. Most people have left work to go home, and this part of the city is now quiet. A police officer who is checking the area sees a man outside a shop. He goes up to the man and finds the man has a scar on his face. They have a chat. The man starts to tell his story.“Twenty years ago to-night,” said the man, "I dined here at 'Big Joe’ Brady's with Jimmy Wells, my best chum, and the finest chap in the world. He and I were raised here in New York, just like two brothers, together. I was eighteen and Jimmy was twenty. The next morning I was to start for the West to make my fortune. You couldn't have dragged Jimmy out of New York; he thought it was the only place on earth. Well, we agreed that night that we would meet here again exactly twenty years from that date and time, no matter what our conditions might be or from what distance we might have to come. We figured that in twenty years each of us ought to have our destiny worked out and our fortunes made, whatever they were going to be.”It sounds pretty interesting, "said the policeman." Rather a long time between meets, though, it seems to me. Haven't you heard from your friend since you left?”Well, yes, for a time we corresponded, said the other. "But after a year or two we lost track of each other. You see, the West is a pretty big proposition, and I kept hustling around over it pretty lively. But I know Jimmy will meet me here if he's alive, for he always was the truest, stanchest old chap in the world. He'll never forget. I came a thousand miles to stand in this door to-night, and it's worth it if my old partner turns up.”Unit 5 Into the wildPassage 1The Monarch’ s JourneyMany animals move from one place to another at certain times of the year. This movement is called migration. They migrate to find food, find a partner or search of warmer weather. Of all the mass migrations, that of the North American monarch butterflies is one of the most wonderful.Every autumn, millions of these beautiful insects with delicate black and orange wings begin a long and difficult journey. Somehow they manage to travel around 4, 000 kilometers south and find their way to places where they will spend the winter. However, until recently no one knew how they do this.A team of scientists led by Professor Eli Schlizerman at the University of Washington has now found the answer. They have discovered that the monarch is able to tell the time of day. It then uses its eyes to measure the position of the sun. These two pieces of information —the time of day and the point where the sun is in the sky—allow the butterfly to determine which way it needs to go and change its direction when necessary. Eventually, it manages to reach California or Mexico.The solution to the mystery of the monarch's amazing ability comes at a time when it is in serious trouble. Its population has crashed by as much as ninety per cent in the last few years. Unfortunately, human activity is the main reason why the monarch numbers are falling. In many of the places where monarchs can be found, people are destroying the natural environment by cutting down trees and using chemicals that kill the plants that monarch caterpillars eat.A better understanding of the monarch's behaviour has however led to a greater awareness and appreciation of this creature. Volunteers have been working together to record their migration and make sure that there are enough plants for them to feed on. If this work is successful, there may come a time when monarch numbers increase once again. The more we know about the delicate creatures, the greater the chance they will survive. By doing more research, the monarch butterfly can keep its place in the human imagination for a long time to come.Passage 2An Encounter with NatureAs a nature photographer, I have to brave the elements. But despite the wind and the rain, I still enjoy working outside in the wild. One of the best things about this job is that you can observe animals in their natural environment.My favorite place to take photos is Yellowstone National Park. As the world's first national park, Yellowstone is famous for the variety of its wildlife, but it is probably best known for its bears. These huge, strong animals can live for up to thirty years. Despite an average weight of over 180 kilograms, they can run at a speed of 72 kilometres per hour and are also excellent swimmers.Last spring in Yellowstone, I followed a path that took me through a dark forest. When I finally stepped out of the trees, the view was breathtaking. An eagle flew over the snowcapped mountains, which were reflected in the still lake below. While I was concentrating on photographing this amazing scene, I suddenly had a feeling that I was being watched. Slowly, and with the camera still held to my eye, I turned… and froze. Only metres away from me was a bear. With water falling off its thick, brown hair, the bear stared back at me. Time stood still as the bear and I both waited to see who would move first. My legs started shaking. Somehow, I forced my finger to press the button. A second later, the bear turned and ran back into the forest. When I recovered from the shock, I looked at my camera. My most frightening but magical experience was now captured forever in a single image.From time to time I look at the photo as a reminder to show respect to all animals. It is after all we who are the visitors to their world.Unit 6 At one with naturePassage 1Longji Rice TerracesImagine mountains wrapped in silver water, shining in the spring sun. Summer sees the mountains turn bright green with growing rice. During autumn, these same mountains are flash gold, and in winter they are covered in sheets of white frost. These are the colours of the Longji Rice Terraces.These terraces were built by the local Zhuang and Yao people, to whom Guangxi is home. Starting in the Yuan Dynasty, work on the terraces took hundreds of years, until its completion in the early Qing Dynasty. Reaching as far as the eye can see, these terraces cover tall mountains, often from the bottom to the very top.So why did these people go to so much trouble to turn entire mountains into terraces? Firstly, there are few large, flat areas of land in the region. Building the terraces therefore meant that they could increase the areas in which they could grow rice. Secondly, although the region has plenty of rain, the mountains are steep and the earth is shallow. The flat terraces catch the rainwater and prevent the soil from being washed away.But perhaps what is most significant is the way in which people have worked in harmony with nature to make these terraces and grow rice. The terraces are cleverly designed, with hundreds of waterways that connect with each other. During the rainy season, it is along these waterways that rainwater moves down the mountains and into the terraces. The sun heats the water and turins it into gas. This forms clouds from which rain falls down onto the mountain terraces once again. These terraces also provide a perfect environment for birds and fish, some of which feed on insects that can harm the rice crops.Although modern technology could help produce more crops, the rice growers are people for whom traditions hold much value. This knowledge is passed down through families, which means that new generations continue to use ancient methods of agriculture to maintain the terraces. Today, the Longji rice Terraces attract thousands of visitors who come to admire this great wonder created by people and nature working together.Passage 2A Love of Gardening“If you look the right way, you can see that the whole world is a garden.” These words come from the book The Secret Garden, first published in 1911. At that time, only the very rich in Britain had gardens. Very soon after this, homes started to be built with gardens. Since then, the British love of gardening began! Today, millions of Brits like to say that they have “green fingers", with around half the population spending most of their free time gardening.For many people in the UK, their garden is their own private world. Each spring, children plant sunflowers and wait to see which one is the tallest. Expert gardeners know just the right corner for roses, and others spend hours trying to grow perfect vegetables to enter into competitions. And while many Brits like nothing better than spending their Sunday cutting the grass, some are happy just to sit and enjoy the beauty of their small world.But in cities, limited space has led to people looking for new solutions. Those without outside space can rent small pieces of land on which to grow things. Today, there are over 4, 000 people in London waiting for such pieces of land. One recent idea has been to turn rooftops and walls into private gardens. These gardens have helped make the cities greener and improve air quality.As well as being good for the environment, gardening is also good for the soul. What other free-time activity allows you to be at one with nature and create more beautiful living things? And if you’re in any doubt about this, take a moment to reflect on this line from The Secret Garden: "Where you tend a rose... A thistle cannot grow.”。
新外研版新教材高中英语选择性必修一全册课文及翻译（中英Word精编）Unit 1 Laugh out loud!Understanding ideasThe Best Medicine最佳妙药1 As I approach the hospital wearing my white coat, I look just like any other doctor. That is until I put on my curly rainbow wig, big red nose, and add my name badge “Doctor Larry Laugh-Out-Loud”. I walk through the doors into the waiting area, where there’s a familiar atmosphere of boredom and tension. People sit uncomfortably on plastic chairs, looking through old magazines, all of which have been read hundreds of times previously. Anxious parents do what they can to comfort nervous and crying children.当我穿着白大褂走进医院时，我看起来和其他医生没什么两样——直到我戴上卷曲的彩虹色假发和大红鼻子，别上我的名牌“拉里，笑哈哈医生”。
我穿过一道道门进入候诊区，这里充斥着常见的厌烦和紧张情绪。
人们别扭地坐在塑料椅上，翻阅着那些已经被读过数百遍的旧杂志。
焦虑的父母们正尽其所能安抚紧张哭闹的孩子。
2 In the middle of this particular scene I spot a small girl whose ankle is twice its normal size. I speak with the on-duty nurse, who tells me that Lara’s parents rushed her to the hospital after she fell off her bicycle. Since getting here, Lara has spent her time crying in pain. Although it’s the doctors and nurses who will treat her injury, it’s my job to make her feel better.在这个特别的场景里，我注意到一个小女孩，她的脚踝肿成了原来的两倍。
Module 1 ReadingThe City of the FutureWhat will the city of the future look like? No one knowsfor sure, and making predictions is a risky business. But onething is certain—they are going to get bigger before they getsmaller. In the future, care for the environment will becomevery important as earth's natural resources run out. We will use lots of recycled materials, such as plastic, aluminium, steel, glass, wood and paper, and we will waste fewer natural resources. We will also have to rely more on alternative energy, such as solar and wind power. All this seems certain, but there are plenty of things about city life in the future which are not certain.To find out what young people think about the future of urban life, a teacher at a university in Texas in the United States asked his students to think how they would run a city of 50,000 people in the year 2025. Here are some of the ideas they had:Garbage ships To get rid of garbage problems, the city willload huge spaceships with waste materials and send them towardsthe sun, preventing landfill and environmental problems.Batman Nets Police will arrest criminals by firing nets instead of guns.Forget smoking No smoking will be allowed within a future city's limits. Smoking will be possible only outside cities, and outdoors.Forget the malls In the future all shopping will be done online, and catalogues will have voice commands to place orders.Telephones for life Everyone will be given a telephone number at birth that will never change no matter where they live.Recreation All forms of recreation, such as cinemas, bowling, softball, concerts and others, will be provided free of charge by the city.Cars All cars will be powered by electricity, solar energy or wind, and it will be possible to change the colour of cars at the flick of a switch.Telesurgery Distance surgery will become common as doctors carry out operations from thousands of miles away, with each city having its own telesurgery outpatient clinic.Holidays at home Senior citizens and people with disabilities will be able to go anywhere in the world using high-tech cameras attached to their head.Space travel Travelling in space by ordinary citizens will be common. Each city will have its own spaceport.Cultural CornerFamous Last WordsNot all predictions come true. Many of them are wrong, and some are very wrong. Here are just a few of the bad predictions people made in the twentieth century about the twenty-first century:AIRPLANES"No flying machine will ever fly from New York to Paris."Orville Wright, 1908.COMPUTERS"I think there is a world market for maybe five computers."CLOTHES"Thirty years from now people will be wearing clothes made of paper which they will be able to throw away after wearing them two or three times."Changing Times Magazine, 1957. MEN ON THE MOON"With the first moon colonies predicted for the 1970's, work is now in progress on the types of building required for men to stay in when they're on the moon."Arnold B. Barach in The Changes to Come, 1962. THE BEATLES"We don't like their sound, and guitar music is on the way out."Decca Recording Co. rejecting the Beatles, 1962. ROBOTS IN THE HOUSE"By the year 2000, housewives will probably have a robot shaped like a box with one large eye on the top, several arms and hands, and long narrow pads on the side for moving about."New York Times, 1966. KEYS"By the mid-1980's no one will ever need to hide a keyunder the doormat again, because there won't be anykeys."Computer scientist Christopher Evans,Module 2 ReadingGetting Around in BeijingTaxisTaxis are on the streets 24 hours a day. Simply raise yourhand, and a taxi appears in no time. They are usually red, andthey display the price per kilometre on the window. Youshould check the cab has a business permit, and make sure you ask for a receipt.Buses and trolleybusesPublic transport provides a cheap way to get around in Beijing. There are 20,000 buses and trolleybuses in Beijing, but they can get very crowded. It's a good idea to avoid public transport during the rush hour (6:30 a.m.–8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.–6:30 p.m.). Fares are cheap, starting at 1 yuan. Air-conditioned buses cost more.Buses numbered 1 to 100 are limited to travel within the city centre. Higher numbers have destinations in the suburbs. Tourists shouldn't miss the 103 bus which offers one of the most impressive routes, past the Forbidden City and the White Pagoda in Beihai Park. If you get on a double-decker bus, make sure you sit upstairs. You'll have a good view of the rapidly changing city.Most buses run from about 5:00 a.m. to midnight. However, there is also a night bus service, provided by buses with a number in the 200s.MinibusesMinibuses with seats for 12 passengers offer an alternative to expensive taxis andUndergroundThere are four underground lines in Beijing, and several lines are under construction. Trains are fast and convenient, but rush hours can be terrible. A one-way trip costs 3 yuan. Station names are marked in pinyin. The underground is open from 5:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.PedicabsTourists like these human-pedalled "tricycle taxis", but they can be expensive. You should talk to the driver, and make sure you know the price before you begin the journey, for example, if it is per person, single or return. Tricycles are worth using if you want to explore the narrow alleys (hutong) of old Beijing.Cultural CornerThe London Congestion ChargeBeijing isn't the only city with traffic problems. You can get stuck in a traffic jam anywhere in the world. The worst problems occur in cities which are growing fast, such as Sao Paolo in Brazil and Lagos in Nigeria. But even cities in developed countries such as the US suffer. Los Angeles, which was built with the motor car in mind, and is famous for its six-lane highways, is now the USA's most congested city.In Europe most capital cities were planned and builtbefore cars, and city centre traffic jams have been part ofdaily life for a long time. The situation in central London,where drivers spent fifty percent of their time in queues,became so bad that the local government decided to do something about it. In February 2003 the Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, introduced a "congestion charge"—a tax for cars entering the centre of the city.The idea is simple: every car coming into the centre has to pay £5 a day. Drivers can pay the charge at any of 10,000 pay points in the capital before 10 p.m. As the cars come into the centre, video cameras record their registration numbers, and these are checked with a list of drivers who have paid the charge for that day. People who do not pay the charge will face a fine of £80.Most Londoners are not happy with the idea. They agree that London has a traffic problem, but the congestion charge is expensive, and limits their freedom ...But does the congestion charge work? A survey carried out at the end of 2003 suggests it does. After only six months, traffic coming into central London was reduced by about 30 percent, and journey times by 15 percent. More people used public transport to get to work, and bicycles were suddenly very popular. What's more, central London shops did not lose business even though there were fewer cars.But there are a few people who think the charge should be much higher, for example rich businessmen who work in the city centre and can easily afford it. This would keep even more cars out of central London, and the roads would be nearly empty. However, there are no plans to increase the charge.Module 3 ReadingGreetings Around the WorldIf you say the word "communication", most people thinkof words and sentences. Although these are very important,we communicate with more than just spoken and writtenwords. Indeed, body positions are part of what we call "bodylanguage". We see examples of unconscious body languagevery often, yet there is also "learned" body language, whichWe use "learned" body language when we are introduced to strangers. Like other animals, we are on guard until we know it is safe to relax. So every culture has developed a formal way to greet strangers, to show them we are not aggressive. Traditionally, Europeans and Americans shake hands. They do this with the right hand—the strongest hand for most people. If our right hand is busy greeting someone, it cannot be holding a weapon. So the gesture is saying, "I trust you. Look, I'm not carrying a threatening weapon." If you shake hands with someone, you show you trust them. We shake hands when we make a deal. It means, "We agree and we trust each other."Greetings in Asian countries do not involve touching the other person, but they always involve the hands. Traditionally in China, when we greet someone, we put the right hand over the left and bow slightly. Muslims give a "salaam", where they touch their heart, mouth and forehead. Hindus join their hands and bow their heads in respect. In all of these examples, the hands are busy with the greeting and cannot hold a weapon.Even today, when some people have very informal styles of greeting, they still use their hands as a gesture of trust. American youths often greet each other with the expression, "Give me five!" One person then holds up his hand, palm outwards and five fingers spread. The other person raises his hand and slaps the other's open hand above the head in a "high five". Nowadays, it is quite a common greeting.Body language is fascinating for anyone to study. People give away much more by their gestures than by their words. Look at your friends and family and see if you are a mind reader!Cultural CornerClappingWhy do we clap? To show we like something, of course. But we don't clap at the end of a television programme or a book, however good they are. We clap at the end of a live performance, such as a play, or a concert, to say thank you to the performers. First they give, and then we give. Without us—the audience—the performance would not be complete.The custom of clapping has early beginnings. In classical Athens, applause meant judgement and taking part. Plays were often in competition with each other, and prolonged clapping helped a play to win. The theatre was large—it could hold 14,000 people, half the adult male population of the city, which meant that the audience could make a lot of noise.Applause was a sign of being part of the community, andof equality between actors and audience. The important thingwas to make the noise together, to add one's own smallhandclap to others. Clapping is social, like laughter: you don'tvery often clap or laugh out loud alone. It is like laughter inanother way, too: it is infectious, and spreads very quickly. Clapping at concerts and theatres is a universal habit. But some occasions on which people clap change from one country to another. For example, in Britain people clap at a wedding, but in Italy they sometimes clap at a funeral.Module 4 ReadingThe Student Who Asked QuestionsIn a hungry world rice is a staple food and China is theworld's largest producer. Rice is also grown in many otherAsian countries, and in some European countries like Italy. Inthe rice-growing world, the Chinese scientist, Yuan Longping, is a leading figure.Yuan Longping was born and brought up in China. As a boy he was educated in many schools and was given the nickname, "the student who asks questions".From an early age he was interested in plants. He studied agriculture in college and as a young teacher he began experiments in crop breeding. He thought that the key to feeding people was to have more rice and to produce it more quickly. He thought there was only one way to do this—by crossing different species of rice plant, and then he could produce a new plant which could give a higher yield than either of the original plants.First Yuan Longping experimented with different types of rice. The results of his experiments were published in China in 1966. Then he began his search for a special type of rice plant. It had to be male. It had to be sterile. Finally, in 1970 a naturally sterile male rice plant was discovered. This was the breakthrough. Researchers were brought in from all over China to develop the new system. The research was supported by the government.As a result of Yuan Longping's discoveries Chinese rice production rose by 47.5 percent in the 1990's. There were other advantages too. 50 thousand square kilometres of rice fields were converted to growing vegetables and other cash crops. Following this, Yuan Longping's rice was exported to other countries, such as Pakistan and the Philippines.In Pakistan rice is the second most important crop after wheat and will be grown in many parts of the country. The new hybrid rice has been developed by the Yuan Longping Hightech Agricultural Company of China. Its yield is much greater than the yield of other types of rice grown in Pakistan.Cultural CornerRocketsToday rockets are very advanced machines which we can use to send astronauts into space. They are also used in firework displays to celebrate great events, such as the end of the Olympic Games or the beginning of the new millennium in the year 2000.Rockets were probably invented by accident about 2,000 years ago. The Chinese had a form of gunpowder which was put in bamboo tubes and thrown into fires to make explosions during festivals. Perhaps some of the tubes jumped out of the fire instead of exploding in it. The Chinese discovered that the gas escaping from the tube could lift it into the air. The idea of the rocket was born.The first military use of rockets was in 1232. The Song Dynasty was at war with the Mongols. During the battle of Kaifeng, the Song army shot "arrows of flying fire". The tubes were attached to a long stick which helped keep the rocket moving in a straight direction. Soon the Mongols learned how to make rockets themselves and it is possible that they introduced them to Europe. Between the 13th and 15th centuries there were many rocket experiments in England, France and Italy. They were used for military purposes. One Italian scientist even invented a rocket which could travel over the surface of water and hit an enemy ship.But not everybody wanted to use rockets in battles. Wan Hu, a Chinese government official, invented a flying chair. He attached two big kites to the chair, and 47 rockets to the kites. The rockets were lit, there was a huge explosion and clouds of thick smoke. When the smoke cleared Wan Hu and his chair had disappeared. No one knows what happened. Did Wan Hu die in the explosion? Or was he carried miles into space, becoming the world's first astronaut?Module 5 ReadingA Trip Along the Three GorgesIn August 1996, Peter Hessler, a young American teacher of English, arrived in the town of Fuling on the Yangtze River. He and a colleague were to spend two years there teaching English at a teacher training college. They were the only foreigners in the town. The first semester finished at the end of January and they had four weeks off for the Spring Festival. They could go anywhere they wished. They decided to take a boat downstream.We decided to buy tickets for the Jiangyou boat. Our colleagues said, "You shouldn't go on those ships. They are very crowded. They are mainly for goods andother foreigners." That sounded fine to me. We just had to show our passports and they let us get on the boat.We left the docks on a beautiful afternoon. The sun was shining brightly as we sailed downstream through a hilly region. Men rode bamboo rafts along the river's edge and coal boats went past. As the sun set we docked at Fengdu. We could see the sun setting behind the white pagoda. It was beautiful.We slept through the first gorge, which is called the Qutang Gorge. The gorge narrows to 350 feet as the river rushes through the two-mile-high mountains. "Oh, well," my friend said, "at least we have two more left."At Wushan we made a detour up the Daning River to see some of the smaller gorges. The next day we went through the big gorges on the Yangtze River. It was a lovely morning as we went through the Wu Gorge. We passed the Xiang River, home of Qu Yuan, the 3rd century BC poet. There was so much history along the Yangtze River. Every rock looked like a person or animal, every stream that joined the great river carried its legends, every hill was heavy with the past.As we came out of the third gorge, the Xiling Gorge, we sailed into the construction site of the dam. All the passengers came on deck. We took pictures and pointed at the site, but we weren't allowed to get off the boat. The Chinese flag was blowing in the wind. On a distant mountain was a sign in 20-foot characters. "Build the Three Gorges Dam, Exploit the Yangtze River," it said.Cultural CornerPostcards to MyselfIn 50 years of travelling Colin McCorquodale has visitedevery country in the world, except three. And everywhere hepostcard with a beautiful view, and sticks on an interesting stamp. Usually he writes just a short message to himself. His latest one, from the Malvinas islands, reads Good fishing.On a wall in his home in London there is a large map of the world. There are hundreds of little red pins stuck in it. "It's good to get a pin in the map," says Mr McCorquodale, "but I follow the rules. I'm allowed to stick one in only if I've been in a place for more than 24 hours." Naturally, Mr McCorquodale has his favourite places. New Zealand he describes as "wonderful". In Europe, Italy is a favourite place. "There's a saying in the travel trade that all tourists are ripped off. Well, at least the Italians rip you off with a smile." Of China he says,"This is one country in the world which is completely different. There's no European influence. It's been around for 6,000 years, yet it's a country of the future."Wherever he goes, Mr McCorquodale takes with him aphoto of his wife, a candle, a torch, a shirt with a secretpocket, and a pen for writing his postcards.So why does he do it? For the postcards or the travel? MrMcCorquodale laughs. "I do it for the journey," he says. "Iget a kick out of travelling. And all the planning."Module 6 ReadingThe Monster of Lake TianchiThe "Monster of Lake Tianchi" in the Changbai Mountains in Jilin province, northeast China, is back in the news after several recent sightings. The director of a local tourist office, Meng Fanying, said the monster, which seemed to be black in colour, was ten metres from the edge of the lake during the most recent sighting. "Itsaw it," he said. Although no one really got a clear look at the mysterious creature, Xue Junlin, a local photographer, claimed that its head looked like a horse.In another recent sighting, a group of soldiers claim theysaw an animal moving on the surface of the water. Thesoldiers, who were walking along the side of the lake,watched the creature swimming for about two minutes. "Itwas greenish-black and had a round head with 10-centimetrehorns", one of the soldiers said.A third report came from Li Xiaohe, who was visiting the lake with his family. He claims to have seen a round black creature moving quickly through the water. After three or four hundred metres it dived into the water. Ten minutes later the monster appeared again and repeated the action. Mr Li Xiaohe said that he and his family were able to see the monster clearly because the weather was fine and the lake was calm.There have been reports of monsters in Lake Tianchi since the beginning of the last century, although no one has seen one close up. Some photos have been taken but they are not clear because it was too far away. Many people think the monster may be a distant cousin of the Loch Ness monster in Scotland. They also think that there might be similar creatures in other lakes around the world. Scientists, however, are sceptical. They say that the low-temperature lake is unlikely to be able to support such large living creatures.Lake Tianchi is the highest volcanic lake in the world. It is 2,189 metres high and covers an area of about ten square kilometres. In places it is more than 370 metres deep.Cultural CornerThe Universal DragonDragons can be friendly or fierce, they can bring goodluck or cause death and destruction, but one thing is sure—people talk about them almost everywhere in the world. For acreature that doesn't actually exist, that's quite something.In Chinese culture, dragons are generous and wise, although they can be unpredictable. The dragon was closely connected to the royal family: the emperor's robes have a symbol of a gold dragon with five claws. Other members of the royal family were allowed to wear dragon symbols, too, but with fewer claws and of a different colour. According to popular belief, if you were born in the year of the dragon, you are intelligent, brave, and a natural leader.But in the west, dragons had a different reputation. The very first text in English, the Anglo-Saxon poem Beowulf, tells the story of a Scandinavian hero, Beowulf, who fights and kills a dangerous dragon but is himself killed in the fight. However, across the border in Wales, the red dragon which appears on the Welsh flag is a positive symbol, indicating strength and a sense of national identity.Why should the dragon have a different character indifferent parts of the world? Some experts believe it is due tothe animals the myths grew out of. In the west, the idea of thedragon probably came from the snake—an animal which people hated and were afraid of.But in China, the idea of the dragon may have come from the alligator—a shy animal which lives in rivers, but which is usually only seen when there is plenty of water—a good sign for agriculture. So the Chinese dragon was a bringer of good fortune .。
Module 1 ReadingThe City of the FutureWhat will the city of the future look like? No one knows forsure, and making predictions is a risky business. But one thing iscertain—they are going to get bigger before they get smaller. Inthe future, care for the environment will become very important as earth's natural resources run out. We will use lots of recycled materials, such as plastic, aluminium, steel, glass, wood and paper, and we will waste fewer natural resources. We will also have to rely more on alternative energy, such as solar and wind power. All this seems certain, but there are plenty of things about city life in the future which are not certain.To find out what young people think about the future of urban life, a teacher at a university in Texas in the United States asked his students to think how they would run a city of 50,000 people in the year 2025. Here are some of the ideas they had: Garbage ships To get rid of garbage problems, the city will loadhuge spaceships with waste materials and send them towards the sun,preventing landfill and environmental problems.Batman Nets Police will arrest criminals by firing nets instead of guns.Forget smoking No smoking will be allowed within a future city's limits. Smoking will be possible only outside cities, and outdoors.Forget the malls In the future all shopping will be done online, and catalogues will have voice commands to place orders.Telephones for life Everyone will be given a telephone number at birth that will never change no matter where they live.Recreation All forms of recreation, such as cinemas, bowling, softball, concerts and others, will be provided free of charge by the city.Cars All cars will be powered by electricity, solar energy or wind, and it will be possible to change the colour of cars at the flick of a switch.Telesurgery Distance surgery will become common as doctors carry out operations from thousands of miles away, with each city having its own telesurgery outpatient clinic.Holidays at home Senior citizens and people with disabilities will be able to go anywhere in the world using high-tech cameras attached to their head.Space travel Travelling in space by ordinary citizens will be common. Each city will have its own spaceport.Cultural CornerFamous Last WordsNot all predictions come true. Many of them are wrong, and some are very wrong. Here are just a few of the bad predictions people made in the twentieth century about the twenty-first century:AIRPLANES"No flying machine will ever fly from New York to Paris."Orville Wright, 1908. COMPUTERS"I think there is a world market for maybe five computers."Thomas Waston, chairman of IBM, 1943. CLOTHES"Thirty years from now people will be wearing clothes made of paper which they will be able to throw away after wearing them two or three times."Changing Times Magazine, 1957. MEN ON THE MOON"With the first moon colonies predicted for the 1970's, work is now in progress on the types of building required for men to stay in when they're on the moon."Arnold B. Barach in The Changes to Come, 1962. THE BEATLES"We don't like their sound, and guitar music is on the way out."Decca Recording Co. rejecting the Beatles, 1962. ROBOTS IN THE HOUSE"By the year 2000, housewives will probably have a robot shaped like a box with one large eye on the top, several arms and hands, and long narrow pads on the side for moving about."New York Times, 1966. KEYS"By the mid-1980's no one will ever need to hide a keyunder the doormat again, because there won't be any keys."Computer scientist Christopher Evans,The Micro Millennium, 1979.Module 2 ReadingGetting Around in BeijingTaxisTaxis are on the streets 24 hours a day. Simply raise yourhand, and a taxi appears in no time. They are usually red, andthey display the price per kilometre on the window. You shouldcheck the cab has a business permit, and make sure you ask for a receipt.Buses and trolleybusesPublic transport provides a cheap way to get around in Beijing. There are 20,000 buses and trolleybuses in Beijing, but they can get very crowded. It's a good idea to avoid public transport during the rush hour (6:30 a.m.–8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.–6:30 p.m.). Fares are cheap, starting at 1 yuan. Air-conditioned buses cost more.Buses numbered 1 to 100 are limited to travel within the city centre. Higher numbers have destinations in the suburbs. Tourists shouldn't miss the 103 bus which offers one of the most impressive routes, past the Forbidden City and the White Pagoda in Beihai Park. If you get on a double-decker bus, make sure you sit upstairs. You'll have a good view of the rapidly changing city.Most buses run from about 5:00 a.m. to midnight. However, there is also a night bus service, provided by buses with a number in the 200s.MinibusesMinibuses with seats for 12 passengers offer an alternative to expensive taxis and crowded public transport in some areas. They run regular services and follow the same routes as large public buses. And in a minibus you always get a seat even in rush hours. UndergroundThere are four underground lines in Beijing, and several lines are under construction. Trains are fast and convenient, but rush hours can be terrible. A one-way trip costs 3 yuan. Station names are marked in pinyin. The underground is open from 5:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.PedicabsTourists like these human-pedalled "tricycle taxis", but they can be expensive. You should talk to the driver, and make sure you know the price before you begin the journey, for example, if it is per person, single or return. Tricycles are worth using if you want to explore the narrow alleys (hutong) of old Beijing.Cultural CornerThe London Congestion ChargeBeijing isn't the only city with traffic problems. You can get stuck in a traffic jam anywhere in the world. The worst problems occur in cities which are growing fast, such as Sao Paolo in Brazil and Lagos in Nigeria. But even cities in developed countries such as the US suffer. Los Angeles, which was built with the motor car in mind, and is famous for its six-lane highways, is now the USA's most congested city.In Europe most capital cities were planned and built beforecars, and city centre traffic jams have been part of daily life for along time. The situation in central London, where drivers spentfifty percent of their time in queues, became so bad that the local government decided todo something about it. In February 2003 the Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, introduced a "congestion charge"—a tax for cars entering the centre of the city.The idea is simple: every car coming into the centre has to pay £5 a day. Drivers can pay the charge at any of 10,000 pay points in the capital before 10 p.m. As the cars come into the centre, video cameras record their registration numbers, and these are checked with a list of drivers who have paid the charge for that day. People who do not pay the charge will face a fine of £80.Most Londoners are not happy with the idea. They agree that London has a traffic problem, but the congestion charge is expensive, and limits their freedom ...But does the congestion charge work? A survey carried out at the end of 2003 suggests it does. After only six months, traffic coming into central London was reduced by about 30 percent, and journey times by 15 percent. More people used public transport to get to work, and bicycles were suddenly very popular. What's more, central London shops did not lose business even though there were fewer cars.But there are a few people who think the charge should be much higher, for example rich businessmen who work in the city centre and can easily afford it. This would keep even more cars out of central London, and the roads would be nearly empty. However, there are no plans to increase the charge.Module 3 ReadingGreetings Around the WorldIf you say the word "communication", most people think ofwords and sentences. Although these are very important, wecommunicate with more than just spoken and written words.Indeed, body positions are part of what we call "body language".We see examples of unconscious body language very often, yetthere is also "learned" body language, which varies from culture to culture.We use "learned" body language when we are introduced to strangers. Like other animals, we are on guard until we know it is safe to relax. So every culture has developed a formal way to greet strangers, to show them we are not aggressive. Traditionally, Europeans and Americans shake hands. They do this with the right hand—the strongest hand for most people. If our right hand is busy greeting someone, it cannot be holding a weapon. So the gesture is saying, "I trust you. Look, I'm not carrying a threatening weapon." If you shake hands with someone, you show you trust them. We shake hands when we make a deal. It means, "We agree and we trust each other."Greetings in Asian countries do not involve touching the other person, but they always involve the hands. Traditionally in China, when we greet someone, we put the right hand over the left and bow slightly. Muslims give a "salaam", where they touch their heart, mouth and forehead. Hindus join their hands and bow their heads in respect. In all of these examples, the hands are busy with the greeting and cannot hold a weapon.Even today, when some people have very informal styles of greeting, they still use their hands as a gesture of trust. American youths often greet each other with theexpression, "Give me five!" One person then holds up his hand, palm outwards and five fingers spread. The other person raises his hand and slaps the other's open hand above the head in a "high five". Nowadays, it is quite a common greeting.Body language is fascinating for anyone to study. People give away much more by their gestures than by their words. Look at your friends and family and see if you are a mind reader!Cultural CornerClappingWhy do we clap? To show we like something, of course. But we don't clap at the end of a television programme or a book, however good they are. We clap at the end of a live performance, such as a play, or a concert, to say thank you to the performers. First they give, and then we give. Without us—the audience—the performance would not be complete.The custom of clapping has early beginnings. In classical Athens, applause meant judgement and taking part. Plays were often in competition with each other, and prolonged clapping helped a play to win. The theatre was large—it could hold 14,000 people, half the adult male population of the city, which meant that the audience could make a lot of noise.Applause was a sign of being part of the community, and ofequality between actors and audience. The important thing wasto make the noise together, to add one's own small handclap toothers. Clapping is social, like laughter: you don't very oftenclap or laugh out loud alone. It is like laughter in another way, too: it is infectious, and spreads very quickly. Clapping at concerts and theatres is a universal habit. But some occasions on which people clap change from one country to another. For example, in Britain people clap at a wedding, but in Italy they sometimes clap at a funeral.Module 4 ReadingThe Student Who Asked QuestionsIn a hungry world rice is a staple food and China is theworld's largest producer. Rice is also grown in many other Asiancountries, and in some European countries like Italy. In therice-growing world, the Chinese scientist, Yuan Longping, is a leading figure.Yuan Longping was born and brought up in China. As a boy he was educated in many schools and was given the nickname, "the student who asks questions".From an early age he was interested in plants. He studied agriculture in college and as a young teacher he began experiments in crop breeding. He thought that the key to feeding people was to have more rice and to produce it more quickly. He thought therewas only one way to do this—by crossing different species of rice plant, and then he could produce a new plant which could give a higher yield than either of the original plants.First Yuan Longping experimented with different types of rice. The results of his experiments were published in China in 1966. Then he began his search for a special type of rice plant. It had to be male. It had to be sterile. Finally, in 1970 a naturally sterile male rice plant was discovered. This was the breakthrough. Researchers were brought in from all over China to develop the new system. The research was supported by the government.As a result of Yuan Longping's discoveries Chinese rice production rose by 47.5 percent in the 1990's. There were other advantages too. 50 thousand square kilometres of rice fields were converted to growing vegetables and other cash crops. Following this, Yuan Longping's rice was exported to other countries, such as Pakistan and the Philippines.In Pakistan rice is the second most important crop after wheat and will be grown in many parts of the country. The new hybrid rice has been developed by the Yuan Longping Hightech Agricultural Company of China. Its yield is much greater than the yield of other types of rice grown in Pakistan.Cultural CornerRocketsToday rockets are very advanced machines which we can use to send astronauts into space. They are also used in firework displays to celebrate great events, such as the end of the Olympic Games or the beginning of the new millennium in the year 2000.Rockets were probably invented by accident about 2,000 years ago. The Chinese had a form of gunpowder which was put in bamboo tubes and thrown into fires to make explosions during festivals. Perhaps some of the tubes jumped out of the fire instead of exploding in it. The Chinese discovered that the gas escaping from the tube could lift it into the air. The idea of the rocket was born.The first military use of rockets was in 1232. The Song Dynasty was at war with the Mongols. During the battle of Kaifeng, the Song army shot "arrows of flying fire". The tubes were attached to a long stick which helped keep the rocket moving in a straight direction. Soon the Mongols learned how to make rockets themselves and it is possible that they introduced them to Europe. Between the 13th and 15th centuries there were many rocket experiments in England, France and Italy. They were used for military purposes. One Italian scientist even invented a rocket which could travel over the surface of water and hit an enemy ship.But not everybody wanted to use rockets in battles. Wan Hu, a Chinese government official, invented a flying chair. He attached two big kites to the chair, and 47 rockets to the kites. The rockets were lit, there was a huge explosion and clouds of thick smoke. When the smoke cleared Wan Hu and his chair had disappeared. No one knows whathappened. Did Wan Hu die in the explosion? Or was he carried miles into space, becoming the world's first astronaut?Module 5 ReadingA Trip Along the Three GorgesIn August 1996, Peter Hessler, a young American teacher of English, arrived in the town of Fuling on the Yangtze River. He and a colleague were to spend two years there teaching English at a teacher training college. They were the only foreigners in the town. The first semester finished at the end of January and they had four weeks off for the Spring Festival. They could go anywhere they wished. They decided to take a boatdownstream.We decided to buy tickets for the Jiangyou boat. Our colleagues said, "You shouldn't go on those ships. They are very crowded. They are mainly for goods and people trading along the river. They don't stop at the temples and there won't be any other foreigners." That sounded fine to me. We just had to show our passports and they let us get on the boat.We left the docks on a beautiful afternoon. The sun was shining brightly as we sailed downstream through a hilly region. Men rode bamboo rafts along the river's edge and coal boats went past. As the sun set we docked at Fengdu. We could see the sun setting behind the white pagoda. It was beautiful.We slept through the first gorge, which is called the Qutang Gorge. The gorge narrows to 350 feet as the river rushes through the two-mile-high mountains. "Oh, well," my friend said, "at least we have two more left."At Wushan we made a detour up the Daning River to see some of the smaller gorges. The next day we went through the big gorges on the Yangtze River. It was a lovely morning as we went through the Wu Gorge. We passed the Xiang River, home of Qu Yuan, the 3rd century BC poet. There was so much history along the Yangtze River. Every rock looked like a person or animal, every stream that joined the great river carried its legends, every hill was heavy with the past.As we came out of the third gorge, the Xiling Gorge, we sailed into the construction site of the dam. All the passengers came on deck. We took pictures and pointed at the site, but we weren't allowed to get off the boat. The Chinese flag was blowing in the wind. On a distant mountain was a sign in 20-foot characters. "Build the Three Gorges Dam, Exploit the Yangtze River," it said.Cultural CornerPostcards to MyselfIn 50 years of travelling Colin McCorquodale has visitedevery country in the world, except three. And everywhere hegoes, he sends himself a postcard. He always chooses a postcardwith a beautiful view, and sticks on an interesting stamp. Usually he writes just a short message to himself. His latest one, from the Malvinas islands, reads Good fishing.On a wall in his home in London there is a large map of the world. There are hundreds of little red pins stuck in it. "It's good to get a pin in the map," says Mr McCorquodale, "but I follow the rules. I'm allowed to stick one in only if I've been in a place for more than 24 hours." Naturally, Mr McCorquodale has his favourite places. New Zealand he describes as "wonderful". In Europe, Italy is a favourite place. "There's a saying in the travel trade that all tourists are ripped off. Well, at least the Italians rip you off with a smile." Of China he says,"This is one country in the world which is completely different. There's no European influence. It's been around for 6,000 years, yet it's a country of the future."Wherever he goes, Mr McCorquodale takes with him aphoto of his wife, a candle, a torch, a shirt with a secret pocket,and a pen for writing his postcards.So why does he do it? For the postcards or the travel? MrMcCorquodale laughs. "I do it for the journey," he says. "I get akick out of travelling. And all the planning."Module 6 ReadingThe Monster of Lake TianchiThe "Monster of Lake Tianchi" in the Changbai Mountains in Jilin province, northeast China, is back in the news after several recent sightings. The director of a local tourist office, Meng Fanying, said the monster, which seemed to be black in colour, was ten metres from the edge of the lake during the most recent sighting. "It jumped out of the water like a seal—about 200 people on Changbai's western peak saw it," he said. Although no one really got a clear look at the mysterious creature, Xue Junlin, a local photographer, claimed that its head looked like a horse.In another recent sighting, a group of soldiers claim they sawan animal moving on the surface of the water. The soldiers,who were walking along the side of the lake, watched thecreature swimming for about two minutes. "It was greenish-black and had a round head with 10-centimetre horns", one of the soldiers said.A third report came from Li Xiaohe, who was visiting the lake with his family. He claims to have seen a round black creature moving quickly through the water. After three or four hundred metres it dived into the water. Ten minutes later the monster appeared again and repeated the action. Mr Li Xiaohe said that he and his family were able to see the monster clearly because the weather was fine and the lake was calm.There have been reports of monsters in Lake Tianchi since the beginning of the last century, although no one has seen one close up. Some photos have been taken but they are not clear because it was too far away. Many people think the monster may be a distant cousin of the Loch Ness monster in Scotland. They also think that there might be similarcreatures in other lakes around the world. Scientists, however, are sceptical. They say that the low-temperature lake is unlikely to be able to support such large living creatures.Lake Tianchi is the highest volcanic lake in the world. It is 2,189 metres high and covers an area of about ten square kilometres. In places it is more than 370 metres deep.Cultural CornerThe Universal DragonDragons can be friendly or fierce, they can bring good luckor cause death and destruction, but one thing is sure—peopletalk about them almost everywhere in the world. For a creaturethat doesn't actually exist, that's quite something.In Chinese culture, dragons are generous and wise, although they can be unpredictable. The dragon was closely connected to the royal family: the emperor's robes have a symbol of a gold dragon with five claws. Other members of the royal family were allowed to wear dragon symbols, too, but with fewer claws and of a different colour. According to popular belief, if you were born in the year of the dragon, you are intelligent, brave, and a natural leader.But in the west, dragons had a different reputation. The very first text in English, the Anglo-Saxon poem Beowulf, tells the story of a Scandinavian hero, Beowulf, who fights and kills a dangerous dragon but is himself killed in the fight. However, across the borderin Wales, the red dragon which appears on the Welsh flag is a positive symbol, indicatingstrength and a sense of national identity.Why should the dragon have a different character indifferent parts of the world? Some experts believe it is due tothe animals the myths grew out of. In the west, the idea of thedragon probably came from the snake—an animal which people hated and were afraid of.But in China, the idea of the dragon may have come from the alligator—a shy animal which lives in rivers, but which is usually only seen when there is plenty of water—a good sign for agriculture. So the Chinese dragon was a bringer of good fortune.。
Great European CitiesPARISParis is the capital and largest city of France, situated on River Seine. It is one of the most beautiful cities in the world and is visited by more than eight million tourists every year. The most popular place for tourists is the Eiffel Tower, the famous symbol of Paris. One of the world’s largest art galleries, the Louvre, is also located in Paris. The city is also located in Paris. The city is also famous for its restaurants, cafes and theatres. About two-thirds of France’s artists and writers live in Paris.BARCELONABarcelona is the second largest city of Spain and is situated on the northeast coast, about five hundred kilometres east of the Spanish capital, Madrid. One of Barcelona’s most famous landmarks is the Church of Sagrada Familia, which was designed by an architect called Antonio Gaudi. Gaudi worked on the project from 1882 until his death in 1926. The church hasn’t been finished yet!FLORENCEFlorence is an Italian city which became famous because of the Renaissance, a great artistic movement which began in the 1300s and lasted for three hundred ears. During the Renaissance, some of the greatest painters of all time lived and worked in Florence. Many of Florence’s most beautiful paintings and sculptures were produced by great artists such as Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. Florence is visited each year by about a million tourists who come to see the art galleries, churches and museums. The Uffizi Palace is the most famous art galleryin the city.ATHENSAthens, the capital of Greece, is known as the birthplace of western civilization. Two thousand four hundred years ago, it was the world’s most powerful city. Buildings such as the Parthenon on the Acropolis Hill were built during this period. Greece’s best writers lived in ancient Athens. Their work has influenced other writers ever since.The Human Development ReportIn the year 2000, 147 world leaders agreed to work together to reduce poverty by 2015 or earlier. From this agreement came the Human Development Report.One of the most important sections of this report is the Human Development Index. This examines the achievements of 175 countries. The Index measures a country’s achievements in three ways: life expectancy (how long people usually live), education and income. The index has some surprises. Norway is at the top of the list, while the US is at number 7. The other top five countries are: Iceland(2), Sweden(3), Australia(4), the Netherlands(5). The UK is in the thirteenth position, while China is in the middle of the list. The bottom ten countries are all African countries, with Sierra Leone(in West Africa) at the bottom of the list.The report describes eight Development Goals. The most important goals are to:Reduce poverty and hunger;Make sure that all children have education up to the age of 11;Fight AIDS and other diseases;Improve the environment of poor people, e.g. make sure they have safe drinking water;Encourage developed countries to give more help to other countries.The 2003 Human Development Report gives examples of successful development. For example, in nine years, China increased life expectancy by 13 years. In the last ten years in China, 150 million people moved out of poverty. However, the challenges are still great. Every day 799 million people in developing countries are hungry. Over half of these are in South Asia or Africa. Although more than 80% of children in developing countries go to primary school, about 115 million children are not being educated. More than 1 billion people in developing countries do not drink safe water. However, in other regions of the world, e.g. Eastern Europe, water is now mostly safe to drink.The report shows that we are making some progress but that we need to make greater efforts. Although developed countries give some financial help, they need to give much more. Interestingly, the countries that give the most money are the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden. These are among the five richest countries in the world , so it is right that they should do so.The Violence of NatureWhat is a Tornado?A tornado is a rotating column of air from a thunderstorm to the ground. The most violent have winds of more than 400 kilometres per hour. Almost all of them occur in the US, in the area from Texas in the southeast to South Dakota in the north.Tornadoes can pick up cars, trains and even houses and put them down in the next street—or even in the next town. They can tale the fur off the back of a cat and the feathers off a chicken. They can destroy houses, but leave the furniture inside exactly where it was.On average, there are 800 tornadoes in the us each year, causing about 80 deaths and 1500 injuries. The worst tornado of all time occurred in 1925, affecting three US states: Missouri, Illinois and Indiana. By the time it ended, more than 700 people had been killed and 2700 had been injured.What Is a Hurricane?Hurricanes are strong tropical storms, and they usually occur in the southern Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. There are violent winds of 120 kilometres per hour or more, which cause huge waves, heavy rain and floods. There are on average six Atlantic hurricanes each year and they usually affect the east coast of the US from Texas to Maine.The worst hurricane disaster of all time occurred on the 8th September 1900 in Galveston, Texas. Winds of 200 kilometres per hour and five-metre-high waves hit the city. The disaster killed 6000 people in a population of 37000 and destroyed 3600 buildings.An Extraordinary EventThis is a story about the 1900 Galveston hurricane. Charles Coghlan was a nineteenth-century Irish actor who went to live in Canada. He then moved to New York, where he became famous. By the late 1890s, he had moved to Galveston, where he died in 1899, a year before the hurricane struck. The cemetery where Goghlan was buried was destroyed by the hurricane and Goghlan’s coffin ended up in the sea.Eight years later, the coffin was found by fishermen in the sea near his home on Prince Edward Island in the east of Canada. The Gulf Stream had carried it 3000 kilometres up the eastern US coast to Prince Edward Island. Coghlan traveled back to Canada—after he had been buried in Texas!Sandstorms in AsiaSandstorms have been a major disaster for many Asian countries for centuries. Scientists have tried many ways to solve this problem and in China, a mass campaign has been started to help solve it.Sandstorms are strong, dry winds that carry sand. They are often so thick that you cannot see the sun, and the wind is sometimes strong enough to move sand dunes. The four main places in the world where there are sandstorms are Central Asia, North America, Central Africa and Australia. Ren Jianbo, from Inner Mongolia described a terrible sandstorm he experienced as a child in the desert. “To h ave been caught in a sandstorm was a terrible experience,” he said. “There was nothing to be done. It was the most frightening and the most dangerous situation I’ve ever been in. You just had to hope you’d survive. I thought I was going to disappear under the sand.”Northwest China is part of the sandstorm centre in Central Asia. Sandstorms begin in desert areas. Sandstorms in China appear to have increased in recent years as a result of “destertification”. This is a process that happens when land becomes desert because of climate changes and because people cut down trees and dig up grass. Sandstorms sometimes affect Beijing. Citizens wake up to an orange sky and strong winds that cover the city in a thick, brown-yellow dust. The storms sometimes continue all day and traffic moves very slowly because the thick dust makes it difficult to see.The Chinese Central Weather Station can forecast a sandstorm some weeks before it arrives in Beijing, but the strength of the storm sometimes surprises people. When a sandstorm arrives in the city, weather experts advise people not to go out. Huang Xiaomei, who lives in Beijing says, “To be cycling in a sandstorm is frightening. The winds are very strong. It’s difficult to breathe and the dust makes me ill. So if you want to go out, you’d better wear a mask.”The desert is only 250 kilometres away to the west of Beijing. To prevent it coming nearer, the government is planting trees. Already the government has planted more than 30 billion trees and plans to continue planting for the next five years.Philosophers of Ancient ChinaAncient China was a place where states were often at war with each other. But it was also a time when there were many great philosophers. Confucius is the philosopher whose influence has been the greatest. He stressed the importance of kindness, duty and order in society. Chinese society was influenced by these ideas for more than 2000 years.Mencius was a thinker whose teachings were very similar to those of Confucius. Mencius was born in 372 BC. His father died when he was young, and he was brought up by his mother. He became a student of Confucius’s ideas, and was then given an important position in the government of a state. However, when he saw that the ruler was not following his advice, he resigned. For many years he traveled from state to state, teaching the principles of Confucius. He then became an adviser to another ruler. He spent his last years preparing a book of his teachings called the Book of Mencius. Mencius believed that the reason why man is different from animals is that man is good. He taught that if the government was kind, then people would be good. He believed that people were more important than rulers, and hated the state when it treated people badly.Mozi was another teacher who was very influential. Born in 476 BC, he came from a family which was very poor. He became famous for his unusual clothes and behaviour. Mozi founded the philosophy called Mohism. In some ways, his beliefs were similar to those of Confucius. For example, he considered that government was most important. As a result, he spent many years trying to find a state where people would follow his teachings. Mozi believed that all men were equal. His ides of love was different from the Confucian idea of kindness. Mozi taught that we should love all human beings and look after those who are weaker than ourselves. He hated the idea of war. Mozi died in 390 BC.The Three Gorges Dam“Walls of stone to hold back clouds and rain”Mao Zedong wrote a poem in which he dream of “walls of stone to hold back clouds and rain till a smooth lake rises in the narrow gorges”. Now his dream has come true. The power of the Yangtze River, which is the world’s third longest river, has been harnessed by the Three Gorges Dam.The Three Gorges Dam, which is the biggest construction project in China since the building of the Great Wall and the Grand Canal, has been built to control flooding and provide hydro-electric power for the central region of China. The dam is nearly 200 metres high and 1.5 kilometres wide. It is the largest hydro-electric power station and dam in the world and has cost more than any other construction project in history.Sun Yan-sen, who was the leader of the 1911 Revolution, first suggested the idea of a dam across the Yangtze River in 1919. Three quarters of China’s energy is produced by burning coal. In 1993, China used 1.2 billion tons of coal for heating and generating electricity. Unfortunately, burning coal causes serious air pollution and increases global warming. The dam will generate electricity equal to about 40 million tons of coal without causing so much air pollution.The reservoir has flooded 2 cities, 11 counties, 140 towns and more than 4000 villages. More than a million people who lived in the region have moved from their homes. Now they’re living a happy new life in different areas.The Three Gorges area is one of the most beautiful areas of China and the project has flooded some of China’smost famous historical sites, including the Qu Yuan Temple, the Han Watchtower and the Moya Cliff carvings. About 800 historical relics have been submerged. Some of them are being removed and some are being put into museums.。
Great European CitiesPARISParis is the capital and largest city of France, situated on River Seine. It is one of the most beautiful cities in the world and is visited by more than eight million tourists every year. The most popular place for tourists is the Eiffel Tower, the famous symbol of Paris. One of the world’s largest art galleries, the Louvre, is also located in Paris. The city is also located in Paris. The city is also famous for its restaurants, cafes and theatres. About two-thirds of France’s artists and writers live in Paris.BARCELONABarcelona is the second largest city of Spain and is situated on the northeast coast, about five hundred kilometres east of the Spanish capital, Madrid. One of Barcelona’s most famous landmarks is the Church of Sagrada Familia, which was designed by an architect called Antonio Gaudi. Gaudi worked on the project from 1882 until his death in 1926. The church hasn’t been finished yet!FLORENCEFlorence is an Italian city which became famous because of the Renaissance, a great artistic movement which began in the 1300s and lasted for three hundred ears. During the Renaissance, some of the greatest painters of all time lived and worked in Florence. Many of Florence’s most beautiful paintings and sculptures were produced by great artists such as Leonardo da V inc i and Michelangelo. Florence is visited each year by about a million tourists who come to see the art galleries, churches and museums. The Uffizi Palace is the most famous art galleryin the city.A THENSAthens, the capital of Greece, is known as the birthplace of western civilization. Two thousand four hundred years ago, it was the world’s most powerful city. Buildings such as the Parthenon on the Acropolis Hill were built during this period. Greece’s best writers lived in ancient Athens. Their work has influenced other writers ever since.The Human Development ReportIn the year 2000, 147 world leaders agreed to work together to reduce poverty by 2015 or earlier. From this agreement came the Human Development Report.One of the most important sections of this report is the Human Development Index. This examines the achievements of 175 countries. The Index measures a country’s achievements in three ways: life expectancy (how long people usually live), education and income. The index has some surprises. Norway is at the top of the list, while the US is at number 7. The other top five countries are: Iceland(2), Sweden(3), Australia(4), the Netherlands(5). The UK is in the thirteenth position, while China is in the middle of the list. The bottom ten countries are all African countries, with Sierra Leone(in West Africa) at the bottom of the list.The report describes eight Development Goals. The most important goals are to:Reduce poverty and hunger;Make sure that all children have education up to the age of 11;Fight AIDS and other diseases;Improve the environment of poor people, e.g. make sure they have safe drinking water;Encourage developed countries to give more help to other countries.The 2003 Human Development Report gives examples of successful development. For example, in nine years, China increased life expectancy by 13 years. In the last ten years in China, 150 million people moved out of poverty. However, the challenges are still great. Every day 799 million people in developing countries are hungry. Over half of these are in South Asia or Africa. Although more than 80% of children in developing countries go to primary school, about 115 million children are not being educated. More than 1 billion people in developing countries do not drink safe water. However, in other regions of the world, e.g. Eastern Europe, water is now mostly safe to drink.The report shows that we are making some progress but that we need to make greater efforts. Although developed countries give some financial help, they need to give much more. Interestingly, the countries that give the most money are the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden. These are among the five richest countries in the world , so it is right that they should do so.The Violence of NatureWhat is a T ornado?A tornado is a rotating column of air from a thunderstorm to the ground. The most violent have winds of more than 400 kilometres per hour. Almost all of them occur in the US, in the area from Texas in the southeast to South Dakota in the north.Tornadoes can pick up cars, trains and even houses and put them down in the next street—or even in the next town. They can tale the fur off the back of a cat and the feathers off a chicken. They can destroy houses, but leave the furniture inside exactly where it was.On average, there are 800 tornadoes in the us each year, causing about 80 deaths and 1500 injuries. The worst tornado of all time occurred in 1925, affecting three US states: Missouri, Illinois and Indiana. By the time it ended, more than 700 people had been killed and 2700 had been injured.What Is a Hurricane?Hurricanes are strong tropical storms, and they usually occur in the southern Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. There are violent winds of 120 kilometres per hour or more, which cause huge waves, heavy rain and floods. There are on average six Atlantic hurricanes each year and they usually affect the east coast of the US from Texas to Maine.The worst hurricane disaster of all time occurred on the 8th September 1900 in Galveston, Texas. Winds of 200 kilometres per hour and five-metre-high waves hit the city. The disaster killed 6000 people in a population of 37000 and destroyed 3600 buildings.An Extraordinary EventThis is a story about the 1900 Galveston hurricane. Charles Coghlan was a nineteenth-century Irish actor who went to live in Canada. He then moved to New Y ork, where he became famous. By the late 1890s, he had moved to Galveston, where he died in 1899, a year before the hurricane struck. The cemetery where Goghlan was buried was destroyed by the hurricane and Goghlan’s coffin ended up in the sea.Eight years later, the coffin was found by fishermen in the sea near his home on Prince Edward Island in the east of Canada. The Gulf Stream had carried it 3000 kilometres up the eastern US coast to Prince Edward Island. Coghlan traveled back to Canada—after he had been buried in Texas!Sandstorms in AsiaSandstorms have been a major disaster for many Asian countries for centuries. Scientists have tried many ways to solve this problem and in China, a mass campaign has been started to help solve it.Sandstorms are strong, dry winds that carry sand. They are often so thick that you cannot see the sun, and the wind is sometimes strong enough to move sand dunes. The four main places in the world where there are sandstorms are Central Asia, North America, Central Africa and Australia. Ren Jianbo, from Inner Mongolia described a terrible sandstorm he experienced as a child in the desert. “To h ave been caught in a sandstorm was a terrible experience,” he said. “There was nothing to be done. It was the most frightening and the most dangerous situation I’ve ever been in. Y ou just had to hope you’d survive. I thought I was going to disappear under the sand.”Northwest China is part of the sandstorm centre in Central Asia. Sandstorms begin in desert areas. Sandstorms in China appear to have increased in recent years as a result of “destertification”. This is a process that happens when land becomes desert because of climate changes and because people cut down trees and dig up grass. Sandstorms sometimes affect Beijing. Citizens wake up to an orange sky and strong winds that cover the city in a thick, brown-yellow dust. The storms sometimes continue all day and traffic moves very slowly because the thick dust makes it difficult to see.The Chinese Central Weather Station can forecast a sandstorm some weeks before it arrives in Beijing, but the strength of the storm sometimes surprises people. When a sandstorm arrives in the city, weather experts advise people not to go out. Huang Xiaomei, who lives in Beijing says, “To be cycling in a sandstorm is frightening. The winds are very strong. It’s difficult to breathe and the dust makes me ill. So if you want to go out, you’d better wear a mask.”The desert is only 250 kilometres away to the west of Beijing. To prevent it coming nearer, the government is planting trees. Already the government has planted more than 30 billion trees and plans to continue planting for the next five years.Philosophers of Ancient ChinaAncient China was a place where states were often at war with each other. But it was also a time when there were many great philosophers. Confucius is the philosopher whose influence has been the greatest. He stressed the importance of kindness, duty and order in society. Chinese society was influenced by these ideas for more than 2000 years.Mencius was a thinker whose teachings were very similar to those of Confucius. Mencius was born in 372 BC. His father died when he was young, and he was brought up by his mother. He became a student of Confucius’s ideas, and was then given an important position in the government of a state. However, when he saw that the ruler was not following his advice, he resigned. For many years he traveled from state to state, teaching the principles of Confucius. He then became an adviser to another ruler. He spent his last years preparing a book of his teachings called the Book of Mencius. Mencius believed that the reason why man is different from animals is that man is good. He taught that if the government was kind, then people would be good. He believed that people were more important than rulers, and hated the state when it treated people badly.Mozi was another teacher who was very influential. Born in 476 BC, he came from a family which was very poor. He became famous for his unusual clothes and behaviour. Mozi founded the philosophy called Mohism. In some ways, his beliefs were similar to those of Confucius. For example, he considered that government was most important. As a result, he spent many years trying to find a state where people would follow his teachings. Mozi believed that all men were equal. His ides of love was different from the Confucian idea of kindness. Mozi taught that we should love all human beings and look after those who are weaker than ourselves. He hated the idea of war. Mozi died in 390 BC.The Three Gorges Dam“Walls of stone to hold back clouds and rain”Mao Zedong wrote a poem in which he dream of “walls of stone to hold back clouds and rain till a smooth lake rises in the narrow gorges”. Now his dream has come true. The power of the Y angtze River, which is the world’s third longest river, has been harnessed by the Three Gorges Dam.The Three Gorges Dam, which is the biggest construction project in China since the building of the Great Wall and the Grand Canal, has been built to control flooding and provide hydro-electric power for the central region of China. The dam is nearly 200 metres high and 1.5 kilometres wide. It is the largest hydro-electric power station and dam in the world and has cost more than any other construction project in history.Sun Y an-sen, who was the leader of the 1911 Revolution, first suggested the idea of a dam across the Y angtze River in 1919. Three quarters of China’s energy is produced by burning coal. In 1993, China used 1.2 billion tons of coal for heating and generating electricity. Unfortunately, burning coal causes serious air pollution and increases global warming. The dam will generate electricity equal to about 40 million tons of coal without causing so much air pollution.The reservoir has flooded 2 cities, 11 counties, 140 towns and more than 4000 villages. More than a million people who lived in the region have moved from their homes. Now they’re living a happy new life in different areas.The Three Gorges area is one of the most beautiful areas of China and the project has flooded some of China’smost famous historical sites, including the Qu Y uan Temple, the Han Watchtower and the Moya Cliff carvings. About 800 historical relics have been submerged. Some of them are being removed and some are being put into museums.。
---------------------------------------------------------------最新资料推荐------------------------------------------------------ 外研社高中英语必修-课文原文(翻译)(精品) 必修一必修一 Module 1 My First Day at Senior High My name is Li Kang. I live in Shijiazhuang, a city not far from Beijing. It is the capital city of Hebei Province. Today is my first day at Senior High school and Im writing down my thoughts about it. My new school is very good and I can see why. The teachers are very enthusiastic and friendly and the classrooms are amazing. Every room has a computer with a special screen, almost as big as a cinema screen. The teachers write on the computer, and their words appear on the screen behind them. The screens also show photographs, text and information from websites. Theyre brilliant! The English class is really interesting. The teacher is a very enthusiastic woman called Ms Shen. Were using a new textbook and Ms Shens method of teaching is nothing like the teachers at my Junior High school. She thinks that reading comprehension is important, but we speak a lot in class, too. And we have fun. I dont think I will be bored in Ms Shens class! Today we introduced ourselves to each other. We did this in groups. Some students were embarrassed at first but everyone was very friendly and it was really nice. Ms Shen gave us instructions and then we worked by ourselves. Ms Shen wants to1 / 2help us improve our spelling and handwriting. We do this in a fun way, with spelling games and other activities. I like her attitude very much, and the behaviour of the other students shows that they like her, too. There are sixty-five students in my class more than my previous class in Junior High. Forty-nine of them are girls. In other words, there are three times as many girls as boys. They say that girls are usually more hard-working than boys, but in this class, everyone is hard-working. For our homework tonight, we have to write a description of the street where we live. Im looking forward to doing it! My After-school Activities .As the students of modern times, we have colorful school life. Everyday, we learn plenty of knowledge on different subjects in class. And our ...。
The City of the FutureWhat will the city of the future look like? No one knows for sure, and making predictions is a risky business. Butone thing is certain-they are going to get bigger before they get smaller. In the future, care for the environment will become very important as earth ’s natural resources run out. We will use lots of recycled materials, such as plastic, aluminum, steel, glass, wood and paper, and we will waste fewer natural resources. We will also have torely more on alternative energy, such as solar and wind power. All this seems certain, but there are plenty ofthings about city life in the future which are not certain.To find out what young people think about the future of urban life, a teacher at a university in Texas in the United States asked his students to think how they would run a city of 50000 people in the year 2025. Here are some of the ideas they had:Garbage ships To get rid of garbage problems, the city will load huge spaceships with waste materials and send them towards the sun, preventing landfill and environmental problems.Batman Nets Police will arrest criminals by firing nets instead of guns.Forget the malls In the future all shopping will be done online, and catalogues will have voice commands toplace orders.Telephones for life Everyone will be given a telephone number at birth that will never change no matter wherethey live.Recreation all forms of recreation, such as cinemas, bowling, softball, concerts and others, will be provided freeof charge by the city.Cars All cars will be powered by electricity, solar energy or wind, and it will be possible to change the colour ofcars at the flick of a switch.Telesurgery Distance surgery will become common as doctors carry out operations from thousands of miles away, with each city having its own telesurgery outpatient clinic.Holidays at home Senior citizens and people with disabilities will be able to go anywhere in the world usinghigh-tech cameras attached to their head.Space travel Travelling in space by ordinary citizens will be common. Each city will have its own spaceport.Getting Around in BeijingTaxisTaxis are on the streets 24 hours a day. Simply raise your hand, and a taxi appears in no time. They are usually red, and they display the price per kilometer on the window. You should check the cab has a business permit, and make sure you ask for a receipt.Buses and trolleybusesPublic transport provides a cheap way to get around in Beijing . There are 20000 buses and trolleybuses in Beijing, but they can get very crowded. It ’s a good idea to avoid public transport during the rush hour. Fares are cheap, staring at 1 yuan. Air-conditioned buses cost more.Buses numbered 1 to 100 are limited to travel within the city centre. Higher numbers have destinations in the suburbs. Tourists shouldn ’tmiss the 103 bus which offers one of the most impressive routes, past the ForbiddenCity and the White Pagoda in Beihai Park. If you get on a double-decker bus, make sure you sit upstairs. You ’ll have a good view of the rapidly changing city.Most buses run from about 5:00 am to midnight. However, there is also a night bus service, provided bybuses with a number in the 200s.MinibusesMinibuses with seats for 12 passengers offer an alternative to expensive taxis and crowded public transport insome areas. They run regular services and follow the same routes as large public buses. And in a minibus you always get a seat even in rush hours.UndergroundThere are four underground lines in Beijing, and several lines are under construction. Trains are fast and convenient, but rush hours can be terrible. A one-way trip costs 3 yuan. Station names are marked in pinyin. The underground is open from 5:00 am to 11:00 pm.PedicabsTourists like these human-pedalled “tricycle taxis ”, but they can be expensive. You should talk to the driver, and make sure you know the price before you begin the journey, for example, if it is per person, single or return. Tricycles are worth using if you want to explore the narrow alleys (hutong) of old Beijing.Body Language and Non-verbal CommunicationIf you say the word “communication ”, most people think of words and sentences. Although these are very important, we communicate with more than just spoken and written words. Indeed, body positions are part of whatwe call “body language ”. We see examples of unconscious body language very often, yet there is also“learned”body language, which varies from culture to culture.We use “learned”body language when we are introduced to strangers. Like other animals, we are on guard untilwe know it is safe to relax. So every culture has developed a formal way to greet strangers, to show them we arenot aggressive. Traditionally, Europeans and Americans shake hands. They do this with the right hand— the strongest hand for most people. If our right hand is busy greeting someone, it cannot be holding a weapon. So the gesture is saying, “Itrust you. Look , I ’m not carrying a threatening weapon. ”If you shake hands with someone, you show you trust them. We shake hands when we make a deal. It means, “We agree and we trust each other.” Greetings in Asian countries do not involve touching the other person, but they always involve the hands. Traditionally in China, when we greet someone, we put the right hand over the left and bow slightly. Muslims givea “salaam”, where they touch their heart, mouth and forehead. Hindus join their hands and bow their heads in respect. In all of these examples, the hands are busy with the greeting and cannot hold a weapon.Even today, when some people have very informal styles of greeting, they still use their hands as a gesture of trust. American youths often greet each other with the expression, “Give me five! ”One person then holds up his hand, palm outwards and five fingers spread. The other person raises his fingers spread. The other person raises hishand and slaps the other’s open hand above the head in a“high five ”.Nowadays, it is quite a common greeting.Body language is fascinating for anyone to study. People give away much more by their gestures than by their words. Look at your friends and family and see if you are a mind reader!The Student Who Asked QuestionsIn a hungry world rice is a staple food and China is the world’s largest producer. Rice is also grown in many other Asian countries, and in some European countries like Italy. In the rice-growing world, the Chinese scientist, Y uan Longping, is a leading figure.Yuan Longping was born and brought up in China. As a boy he was educated in many schools and was given the nickname, “the student who asks questions”.From an early age he was interested in plants. He studied agriculture in college and as a young teacher he began experiments in crop breeding. He thought that the key to feeding people was to have more rice and to produce it more quickly. He thought there was only one way to do this — by crossing different species of rice plant, and then he could produce a new plant which could give a higher yield than either of the original plants.First Yuan Longping experimented with different types of rice. The results of his experiments were published in China in 1966. then he began his search for a special type of rice plant.It had to be male.It had to be sterile. Finally, in 1970 a naturally sterile male rice plant was discovered. This was the breakthrough. Researchers were brought in from all over China to develop the new system. the research was supported by the government.As a result of Yuan Longping ’s discoveries Chinese rice production rose by 47.5 percent in the 1990 ’s. There were other advantages too. 50 thousand square kilometres of rice fields were converted to growing vegetables and other countries, such as Pakistan and the Philippines.In Pakistan rice is the second most important crop after wheat and will be grown in many parts of the country. Thenew hybrid rice has been developed by the Yuan Longping Hightech Agricultural Company of China. Its yieldis much greater than the yield of other types of rice grown in Pakistan.A Trip Along the Three GorgesIn August 1996, Peter Hessler, a young American teacher of English, arrived in the town of Fuling on the Yangtze River. He and a colleague were to spend two years there teaching English at a teacher training college. They were the only foreigners in the town. The first semester finished at the end of January and they had four weeks off forthe Spring Festival. They could go anywhere they wished. They decided to take a boat downstream.We decided to buy tickets for the Jiangyou boat. Our colleagues said,“You shouldn’tgo on those ships. They are very crowded. They are mainly for goods and people trading along the river. They don’tstop at the temples and there won ’tbe any other foreigners. ”That sounded fine to me. We just had to show our passports and they let us get on the boat.We left the docks on a beautiful afternoon. The sun was shining brightly as we sailed downstream through a hilly region. Men rode a bamboo rafts along the river ’s edge and coal boats went past. As the sun setting behind the white pagoda. It was beautiful.We slept through the first gorge, which is called the Qutang Gorge. The gorge narrows to 350 feet as the river rushes through the two-mile –high mountains. “Oh,well, ”my friend said, “at least we have two more left. ”At Wushan we made a detour up the Daning River to see some of the smaller gorges. The next day we wentrdthrough the big gorges on the Yangtze River,home of Qu Yuan, the 3century BC poet. There was so much history along the Yangtze River. Every rock looked like a person or animal, every stream that joined the greatriver carried its legends, every hill was heavy with the past.As we came out of the third gorge, the Xiling Gorge,we sailed into the construction site of the dam. All the passengers came on deck. We took pictures and pointed at the site, but we weren ’tallowed to get off the boat. The Chinese flag was blowing in the wind. In a distantmountain was a sign in 20-foot characters. “Build the Three Gorges Dam, Exploit the Yangtze River, ”It said.The Monster of Lake TianchiThe “Monster of Lake Tianchi ”in the Changbai Mountains in Jilin province, northeast China , is back in the news after several recent sightings. The director of a local tourist office, ,Meng Fanying, said the monster, which seemed to be black in colour, was ten metres from the edge of the lake during the most recent sighting. “Tt jumped out of the water like a seal — about 200 people on Changbai ’s western peak saw it, ”he said, Although noone really got a clear look at the mysterious creature, Xue Junlin, a local photographer, claimed that its head looked like a horse.In another recent sighting, a group of soldiers claim they saw an animal moving on the surface of the water. The soldiers, who were walking along the side of the lake, watched the creature swimming for about two minutes.“It was greenish— black and had a round head with 10 —centimetre horns ”, one of the soldiers said.A third report came from Li Xiaohe, who was visiting the lake with his family. He claims to have seen a roundblack creature moving quickly through the water. After three or four hundred meters it dived into the water. Ten minutes later the monster appeared again and repeated the action. Mr Li Xiaohe said that he and his familywere able to see the monster clearly because the weather was fine and the lake was calm.There have been reports of monsters in Lake Tianchi since the beginning of the last century, although no one has seen one close up. Some photos have been taken but they are not clear because it was too far away. Many people think the monster may be a distant cousin of the Loch Ness monster in Scotland. They also think that there mightbe similar creatures in other lakes around the world.Scientists, however, are skeptical. They say that thelow-temperature lake is unlikely to be able to support such large living creatures.Lake Tianchi is the highest volcanic lake in the world. It is 2189 metres high and covers an area of about ten square kilometres. In places it is more than 370 metres deep.。
新外研社高中英语必修一Reading原文Unit 1 A new start（新的开始）Understanding ideasMy First Day at Senior High我在高中的第一天After I had pictured it over and over again in my mind, the big day finally arrived: my first day at senior high!我在脑海里一遍又一遍地想象它之后，那个重要的日子终于到来了：我上高中的第一天！●I woke up early and rushed out of the door in my eagerness to get to know my new school．我早早地就醒了，迫不及待地跑出门去了解我的新学校。
The campus was still quiet when I arrived, so I decided to explore a bit．当我到达的时候，校园还很安静，所以我决定去探索一下。
●I was looking at the photos on the noticeboard when I heard a voice behind me．当我正在看布告栏上的照片，这时听到身后有个声音。
“New here？”“新来的？”Turning around, I saw a white－haired man．我转过身来，看见一位白发老人。
“Yes，” I replied．“是的。
”我回答。
“I'm wondering what life is going to be like here．”“我想知道这儿的生活将会是什么样子的。
”“Don't worry，” he gave me a smile．“别担心。
”他给了我一个微笑。
“You'll soon find out．”“你很快就会明白的。
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外研版高中英语课文文本必修一
Module 1
My Name is Li Kang. I live in Shijiazhuang, a city not far from Beijing. It is the capital city of Hebei Province. Today is my first day at Senior High school and I'm writing down my thoughts about it. My new school is very good and I can see why. The teachers are very enthusiastic and friendly and the classrooms are amazing. Every room has a computer with a special screen, almost as big as a cinema screen. The teachers write on the computer, and their words appear on the screen behind them. The screens also show photographs, text and information from websites. They're brilliant! The English class is really interesting. The teacher is a very enthusiastic woman called Ms Shen. We're using a new textbook and Ms Shen's method of teaching is nothing like that of the teachers at my Junior High school. She thinks that reading comprehension is important, but we speak a lot in class, too. And we have fun. I don't think I will be bored in Ms Shen's class! Today we introduced ourselves to each other. We did this in groups. Some students were embarrassed at first but everyone was very friendly and it was really nice. Ms Shen gave us instructions and then we worked by ourselves. Ms Shen wants to help us improve our spelling and handwriting. We do this in a fun way, with spelling games and other activities. I like her attitude very much, and the behaviour of the other students shows that they like her, too. There are sixty-five students in my class—more than my previous class in Junior High. Forty-nine of them are girls. In other words, there are three times as many girls。
