八六版高中英语课文全集

必修二课文完整版Unit 1In search of the ambe r roomFrederick William I, the king of Prussia, coul d never ha ve imagi ned that this greatest gif t to the Russia pe ople would ha ve such an ama zing history. Thi s gift was the Amber Room, w hich was given this name beca use seve ral tons of amber were used to m ake i t. The am ber w hi ch was selected ha d a bea utif ul yellow-br own col our l ike honey. The design of the room was i n the f ancy style popular in those days. It w as also a tr easure decora ted wi th gol d and jewels, w hich took the country's bes t artis ts about te n years to make.In fact, the r oom w as not ma de to be a gif t. It was desi gne d f or the pal ace of Frederick I. However, the next ki ng of Pruss ia, Frederick William I, to whom the am ber bel onge d, decided not to keep it. In 1716 he ga ve it to Pe ter the Great. In return, the Czar sent him a troop of his best s oldiers. S o the Am ber Room became par t of the Czar's wi nter pala ce in S t Peters burg. About four meters long, the room served as a small recepti on hall for important visit ors. Later, Ca therine II had the Amber Room move d to a pal ace outside S t Petersburg w here she spent her summers. She tol d her artists to a dd m ore details to it. In 1770 the room was com pleted the way she wa nte d. Alm ost six hundre d candles lit the r oom, a nd i ts mirrors and pic tures shone like gold. Sadly, although the Amber Room was consi dered one of the w onders of the world, i t is now missi ng.In Se ptem ber 1941, the Na zi arm y was nea r St Petersburg. This was a time when the tw o countries were at war. Bef ore the Na zi c old get to the summer palace, the Russians were able to remove some furniture and small art objects fr om the Amber Room. However, some of the Na zi secretl y stole the room itself. In less than tw o da ys 100,000pieces were put insi de twenty-se ven w ooden boxes. There is no doubt tha t the boxes were then put on a train for Koni gsberg, which was at that time a German city on the Balti c Sea. After tha t, what happened to the Ambe r Room remai ns a m ys tery. Recentl y, the Russia ns and Germans have buil t a n ew Am ber Room at the summer palace. By studying old photos of the former Am ber Room, the y have made the new one l ook like the old one. In 2003 it was ready for the pe ople of St Pe tersbur g whe n the y celebra ted the 300th birthday of their cityUni t 3Who am IOver time I have been changed quite a lot. I began as a calculating machine in France in 1642. Although I was young I could simplify difficult sums. I developed very slowly and it took nearly two hundred years before I was built as an analytical machine by Charles Babbage. After I was programmed by an operator who used cards with holes, I could "think" logically and produce an answer quicker than any person. At that time it was considered a technological revolution and the start of my "artificial intelligence". In 1936 my real father, Alan Turing, wrote a book about how I could be made to work as a "universal machine" to solve any difficult mathematical problem. From then on, I grew rapidly both in size and inbrainpower. By the 1940s I had grown as large as a room, and I wondered if I would grow any larger. However, this reality also worried my designers. As time went by, I was made smaller. First as a PC(personal computer) and then as a laptop, I have been used in offices and homes since the 1970s.These changes only became possible as my memory improved. First it was stored in tubes, then on transistors and later on very small chips. As a result I totally changed my shape. As I have grown older I have also grown smaller. Over time my memory has developed so much that, like an elephant, I never forget anything I have been told! And my memory became so large that even I couldn't believe it! But I was always so lonely standing there by myself, until in the early 1960s they gave me a family connected by a network. I was able to share my knowledge with others through the World Wide Web.Since the 1970s many new applications have been found for me. I have become very important in communication, finance and trade. I have also been put in robots and used to make mobile phones as well as help with medical operations. I have even been put into space rockets and sent to explore the Moon and Mars. Anyhow, my goal is to provide humans with a life of high quality. I am now truly filled with happiness that I am a devoted friend and helper of the human race!Unit 4How Daisy learned to help wil dlifeDaisy had alwa ys longed to help enda ngered species of wildlife. O ne da y she woke up and f ound a f lying car pet by her be d. "Where do you want to go?" it asked. Dais y responded immediately. "I'd like to see some e ndangered wildlife." s he said. "Please take me to a di stant land where I ca n find the animal tha t ga ve fur to ma ke this sweater." At once the carpet fle w awa y and took her to Ti bet. T he re Daisy saw a n a ntel ope l ooking sa d. It sa id, "We're being kille d f or the wool be neath our stomachs. O ur fur is bei ng used to make sweaters for people like you. As a re sult, we are now a n e ndangered species." At that Dais y cried, "I'm sorr y I di dn't know that. I w onder wha t is being done to hel p you. Flying carpet, pleas e show me a place w here there's some wildlife protecti on."The flyi ng carpet tra velled so f ast that next minute the y were i n Zimba bwe. Daisy turned ar ound a nd f ound that s he was being w atche d by a n elepha nt. "Ha ve you come to take my photo?"i t as ked. In relief Daisy burst i nto laughter. "Don't laugh," s aid the ele phant, "We used to be a n e ndangered species. Farmers hunted us wi thout mercy. The y sai d we des troye d their farms, a nd money fr om tourists onl y we nt to the large tour com panies. S o the government deci ded to help. They allow ed tourists to hunt onl y a cer tain number of a nimals if they pai d the farmers. Now the farmers are happy and our numbers are incre asing. S o good thi ngs are being done here to save l ocal wildlife."Daisy smile d. "T hat's good news. It shows the importance of wildlife protection, but I'd like to hel p as the WWF sugges ts." T he carpe t rose a gai n and almos t at once they were in a thic k rai nforest. A m onke y wa tched them as it rubbed i tsel f. "Wha t are you doing?"asked D aisy. "I'm protecti ngmyself from mos quitoes," it replie d. "Whe n I find a millipede i nsect, I rub it over my body. It contains a powerful dr ug which affects m osquitoes. You shoul d pa y m ore a ttention to the rainf orest where I live and appreciate how the a nimals li ve toge ther. N o rai nforest, no animals, no dr ugs."Daisy was ama zed. "F lying carpet, please take me home so I c an tell WWF and we ca n begin producing this new drug. Monkey, please c ome and help." The monkey agreed. T he carpet flew home. As they la nded, things bega n to disappear. Two minutes later everything ha d gone-the m onke y, too. S o Daisy was not able to ma ke her new drug. But wha t an experience! She had learne d so much! And there w as always WWFUnit 5The band that wasn'tHave you ever wanted to be part of a band as a famous singer or musician? Have you ever dreamed of playing in front of thousands of people at a concert, at which everyone is clapping and appreciating your music? Do you sing karaoke and pretend you are a famous singer like Song Zuying or Liu Huan? To be honest, a lot of people attach great importance to becoming rich and famous. But just how do people form a band?Many musicians meet and form a band because they like to write and play their own music. They may start as a group of high-school students, for whom practising their music in someone's house is the first step to fame. Sometimes they may play to passers-by in the street or subway so that they can earn some extra money for themselves or to pay for their instruments. Later they may give performances in pubs or clubs, for which they are paid in cash. Of course they hope to make records in a studio and sell millions of copies to become millionaires!However, there was one band that started in a different way. It was called the Monkees and began as a TV show. The musicians were to play jokes on each other as well as play music, most of which was based loosely on the Beatles. The TV organizers had planned to find four musicians who could act as well as sing. They put an advertisement in a newspaper looking for rock musicians, but they could only find one who was good enough. They had to use actors for the other three members of the band.As some of these actors could not sing well enough, they had to rely on other musicians to help them. So during the broadcasts they just pretended to sing. Anyhow their performances were humourous enough to be copied by other groups. They were so popular that their fans formed clubs in order to get more familiar with them. Each week on TV, the Monkees would play and sing songs written by other musicians. However, after a year or so in which they became more serious about their work, the Monkees started to play and sing their own songs like a real band. Then they produced their own records and started touring and playing their own music. In the USA they became even more popular than the Beatles and sold even more records. The band broke up about 1970, but happily they reunited in the mid-1980s. They produced a new record in 1996, with which they celebrated their former time as a real band.必修三Unit1FESTIV ALSANDCELEBRATIONS Festivals and celebrations of all kinds have been held everywhere since ancient times. Most ancient festivals wouldcelebrate the end of cold weather, planting in spring and harvest in autumn. Sometimes celebrations would be held after hunters had caught animals. At that time people would starve if food was difficult to find, especially during the cold winter months. Today's festivals have many origins, some religious, some seasonal, and some for special people or events. Festivals of the DeadSome festivals are held to honour the dead or to satisfy the ancestors, who might return either to help or to do harm. For the Japanese festival Obon, people should go to clean graves and light incense in memory of their ancestors. They also light lamps and play music because they think that this will lead the ancestors back to earth. In Mexico, people celebrate the Day of the Dead in early November. On this important feast day, people eat food in the shape of skulls and cakes with "bones" on them. They offer food, flowers and gifts to the dead. The Western holiday Halloween also had its origin in old beliefs about the return of the spirits of dead people. It is now a children's festival, when they can dress up and go to their neighbours' homes to ask for sweets. If the neighbours do not give any sweets, the children might play a trick on them. Festivals to Honour PeopleFestivals can also be held to honour famous people. The Dragon Boat Festival in China honours the famous ancient poet, Qu Yuan.In the USA, Columbus Day is in memory of the arrival of Christopher Columbus in the New World. India has a national festival on October 2 to honour Mohandas Gandhi, the leader who helped gain India's independence from Britain. Harvest FestivalsHarvest and Thanksgiving festivals can be very happy events. People are grateful because their food is gathered for the winter and the agricultural work is over. In European ountries, people will usually decorate churches and town halls with flowers and fruit, and will get together to have meals. Some people might win awards for their farm produce, like the biggest watermelon or the most handsome rooster. China and Japan have mid-autumn festivals, when people admire the moon and in China, enjoy mooncakes. Spring FestivalsThe most energetic and important festivals are the ones that look forward to the end of winter and to the coming of spring. At the Spring Festival in China, people eat dumplings, fish and meat and may give children lucky money in red paper. There are dragon dances and carnivals, and families celebrate the Lunar New Year together. Some Western countries have very exciting carnivals, which take place forty days before Easter, usually in February. These carnivals might include parades, dancing in the streets day and night, loud music and colourful clothing of all kinds. Easter is an important religious and social festival for Christians around the world. It celebrates the return of Jesus from the dead and the coming of spring and new life. Japan's Cherry Blossom Festival happens a little later. The country, covered with cherry tree flowers, looks as though it is covered with pink snow.People love to get together to eat, drink and have fun with each other. Festivals let us enjoy life, be proud of our customs and forget our work for a little whileUnit2 COME AND EAT HERE (1)Wang Peng sat in his empty restaurant feeling very frustrated. It had been a very strange morning. Usually he got up early and prepared his menu of barbecued mutton kebabs, roast pork, stir-flied vegetables and fried rice. Then by lunchtime they would all be sold. By now his restaurant ought to be full of people. But not today! Why was that? What could have happened? He thought of his mutton, beef and bacon cooked in the hottest, finest oil. His cola was sugary and cold, and his ice cream was made of milk, cream and delicious fruit. "Nothing could be better," he thought. Suddenly he saw his friend Li Chang hurrying by. "Hello, Lao Li," he called. "Your usual?" But Li Chang seemed not to hear. What was the matter? Something terrible must have happened if Li Chang was not coming to eat in his restaurant as he always did. Wang Peng followed Li Chang into a new small restaurant. He saw a sign in thewindow. Tired of all that fat? Want to lose weight? Come inside Yong Hui’s slimming restaurant. Only slimming foods served here. Make yourself thin again!Curiosity drove Wang Peng inside. It was full of people. The hostess, a very thin lady, came forward. "Welcome," she said. "My name is Yong Hui. I'll help you lose weight and be fit in two weeks if you eat here every day." Then she gave a menu to Wang Peng. There were few choices of food and drink on it: just rice, raw vegetables served in vinegar, fruit and water. Wang Peng was amazed at this and especially at the prices. It cost more than a good meal in his restaurant! He could not believe his eyes. He threw down the menu and hurried outside. On his way home he thought about his own menu. Did it make people fat? Perhaps he should go to the library and find out. He could not have Yong Hui getting away with telling people lies! He had better do some research! At the library Wang Peng was surprised to find that his restaurant served far too much fat and Yong Hui’s far too little. Even though her customers might get thin after eating Yong Hui’s food, they were not eating enough ener gy-giving food to keep them fit. They would become tired very quickly. Wang Peng felt more hopeful as he drove back home. Perhaps with a discount and a new sign he could win his customers back. So he wrote: Want to feel fit and energetic? Come and eat here! Discounts today! Our food gives you energy all day! The competition between the two restaurants was on!Unit4No one knows exactly how the earth began, as it happened so long ago. However, according to a widely accepted theory, the universe began with a "Big Bang" that threw matter in all directions.After that, atoms began to form and combine to create stars and other bodies. For several billion years after the "Big Bang", the earth was still just a cloud of dust. What it was to become was uncertain until between 4.5 and 3.8 billion years ago when the dust settled into a solid globe. The earth became so violent that it was not clear whether the shape would last or not. It exploded loudly with fire and rock. They were in time to produce carbon, nitrogen, water vapour and other gases, which were to make the earth's atmosphere. What is even more important is that as the earth cooled down, water began to appear on its surface. Water had also appeared on other planets like Mars but, unlike the earth, it had disappeared later. It was not immediately obvious that water was to be fundamental to the development of life. What many scientists believe is that the continued presence of water allowed the earth to dissolve harmful gases and acids into the oceans and seas. This produced a chain reaction, which made it possible for life to develop. Many millions of years later, the first extremely small plants began to appear on the surface of the water. They multiplied and filled the oceans and seas with oxygen, which encouraged the later development of early shellfish and all sorts of fish. Next, green plants began to grow on land. They were followed in time by land animals. Some were insects. Others, called amphibians, were able to live on land as well as in the water. Later when the plants grew into forests, reptiles appeared for the first time. They produced young enerally by laying eggs. After that, some huge animals, called dinosaurs, developed. They laid eggs too and existed on the earth for more than 140 million years. However, 65 million years ago the age of the dinosaurs ended. Why they suddenly disappeared still remains a mystery. This disappearance made possible the rise of mammals on the earth. These animals were different from all life forms in the past, because they gave birth to young baby animals and produced milk to feed them. Finally about 2.6 million years ago some small clever animals, now with hands and feet, appeared and spread all over the earth. Thus they have, in their turn, become the most important animals on the planet. But they are not looking after the earth very well. They are putting too much carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, which prevents heat from escaping from the earth into space. As a result of this, many scientists believe the earth may become too hot to live on. So whether life will continue on the earth for millions of years to come will depend on whetherthis problem can be solved.Unit5Li Daiyu and her cousin Liu Qian were on a trip to Canada to visit their cousins in Montreal on the Atlantic coast. Rather than take the aeroplane all the way, they decided to fly to Vancouver and then take the train west to east across Canada. The thought that they could cross the whole continent was exciting. Their friend, Danny Lin, was waiting at the airport. He was going to take them and their baggage to catch "The True North", the cross-Canada train. On the way to the station, he chatted about their trip. "You're going to see some great scenery. Going eastward, you'll pass mountains and thousands of lakes and forests, as well as wide rivers and large cities. Some people have the idea that you can cross Canada in less than five days, but they forget the fact that Canada is 5,500 kilometres from coast to coast. Here in Vancouver, you're in Canada's warmest part. People say it is Canada's most beautiful city, surrounded by mountains and the Pacific Ocean. Skiing in the Rocky Mountains and sailing in the harbour make Vancouver one of Canada's most popular cities to live in. Its population is increasing rapidly. The coast north of Vancouver has some of the oldest and most beautiful forests in the world. It is so wet there that the trees are extremely tall, some measuring over 90 metres." That afternoon aboard the train, the cousins settled down in their seats. Earlier that day, when they crossed the Rocky Mountains, they managed to catch sight of some mountain goats and even a grizzly bear and an eagle. Their next stop was Calgary, which is famous for the Calgary Stampede. Cowboys from all over the world come to compete in the Stampede. Many of them have a gift for riding wild horses and can win thousands of dollars in prizes. After two days' travel, the girls began to realize that Canada is quite empty. At school, they had learned that most Canadians live within a few hundred kilometres of the USA border, and Canada's population is only slightly over thirty million, but now they were amazed to see such an empty country. They went through a wheat-growing province and saw farms that covered thousands of acres. After dinner, they were back in an urban area, the busy port city of Thunder Bay at the top of the Great Lakes. The girls were surprised at the fact that ocean ships can sail up the Great Lakes. Because of the Great Lakes, they learned, Canada has more fresh water than any other country in the world. In fact, it has one-third of the world's total fresh water, and much of it is in the Great Lakes. That night as they slept, the train rushed across the top of Lake Superior, through the great forests and southward towards Toronto.。

(完整版)人教版高中英语必修2各单元课文原文必修 2 unit1IN SEARCH OF THE AMBER ROOMFrederick William Ⅰ， the King of Prussia , could never have imagined that his greatest gift to the Russian people would have such an amazing history . This gift was the Amber Room , which was given this name because severaltons of amber were used to make it . The amber which was selected had a beautiful yellow-brown colour like honey . The design of the room was in the fancy style popular in those days . It was also a treasure decorated with gold and jewels , which took the country's best artists about ten years to make .In fact , the room was not made to be a gift . It was designed for the palace of Frederick Ⅰ. However, the next King of Prussia , Frederick William Ⅰ ,to whom the amber room belonged, decided not to keep it. In 1716 he gave it to Peter the Great. In return , the Czar sent him a troop of his best soldiers. So the Amber Room because part of the Czar's winter palace in St Petersburg.About four metres long, the room served as a small reception hall for important visitors .Later,Catherine Ⅱ had the Amber Room moved to a palace outside St Petersburg where she spent her summers. She told her artists to add more details to it .In 1770 the room was completed the way she wanted . Almost six hundred candles lit the room ,and its mirrors and pictures shone like gold. Sadly , although the Amber Room was considered one of the wonders of the world , it is now missing .In September 1941, the Nazi army was near St Petersburg . This was a time when the two countries were at war . Before the Nazis could get to the summer palace , the Russians were able to remove some furniture and small art objects from the Amber Room . However , some of the Nazis secretly stole the room itself . In less than two days 100,000 pieces were put inside twenty-seven woooden boxs . There is no doubt that the boxs were then put on a train for Konigsberg, which was at that time a German city on the Baltic Sea . After that, what happened to the Amber Room remains a mystery .Recently , the Russians and Germans have built a new Amber Room at the summer palace . By studying old photos of the former Amber Room , they have made the new one look like the old one .In 2003 it was ready for the people of St Petersburg when they celebrated the 300th birthday of their city .A FACT OR AN OPINION?What is a fact? Is it something that people believe? No. A fact is anything that canbe proved. For example, it can be proved that China has more people than any othercountry in the world. This is a fact.Then what is an opinion? An opinion is what someone believes is true but has notbeen proved. So an opinion is not good evidence in a trial. For example, it is anopinion if you say “ Cats are better pets than dogs ” . It may be true, but it is difficult to prove. Some people may not agree with this opinion but they also cannot prove thatthey are right.In a trial, a judge must decide which eyewitnesses to believe and which not to believe.The judge does not consider what each eyewitness looks like or where that personlives or works. He/she only cares about whether the eyewitness has given trueinformation, which must be facts rather than opinions. This kind of information iscalled evidence.Unit 2AN INTERVIEWPausanias,who was a Greek writer about 2,000 years ago, has come on a magicaljourney on March 18th 2007 to find out about the present-day Olympic Games. Heis now interviewing Li Yan, a volunteer for the 2008 Olympic Games.P: My name is Pausanias.I lived in what you call “ AncientGreece ”and I used towrite about the Olympic Games a long time ago. I’ ve come to your time to find out about the present-day Olympic Games because I know that in 2004 they were heldin my homeland. May I ask you some questions about the modern Olympics?L:Good heavens! Have you really come from so long ago? But of course youcan 103fask any questions you like. What would you like to know?P: How often do you hold your Games?L:Every four years. There are two main sets of Games-the Winter and SummerOlympics, and both are held every four years on a regular basis. The Winter Olympicsare usually held two years before the Summer Games. Only athletes who havereached the agreed standard for their event will be admitted as competitors. Theymay come from anywhere in the world.P:Winter Games? How can the runners enjoy competing in winter? And whatabout the horses?L: Oh no! There are no running races or horse riding events. Instead there arecompetitions like skiing and ice skating which need snow and ice. That’ s why they called the Winter Olympics. It’ s in the Summer Olympics that you have the running races, together with swimming, sailing and all the team sports.P:I see. Earlier you said that athletes are invited from all over the world. Do you meanthe Greek world? Our Greek cities used to compete against each other just for thehonour of winning. No other countries could join in, nor could slaves or women!L: Nowadays any country can take part if their athletes are good enough. There areover 250 sports and each on has its own standard. Women are not only allowed, butplay a very important role in gymnastics, athletics, team sports and⋯P:Please wait a minute! All those events, all those countries and even womentaking part! Where are all the athletes housed?L:For each Olympics, a special village is built for them to live in, a mainreception building, several stadiums for competitions, and a gymnasium as well.P: That sounds very expensive. Does anyone want to host the Olympic Games?L: As a matter of fact, every country wants the opportunity. It ’ s a great responsib but also a great honour to be chosen. There ’ s as much competition among countries to host the Olympics as to win Olympic medals. The 2008 Olympics will be held in Beijing, China. Did you know that?P: Oh yes! You must be very proud.L:Certainly. And after that the 2012 Olympics will be held in London. They havealready started planning for it. A new village for the athletes and all the stadiums willbe built to the east of London. New medals will be designed of course and⋯P:Did you say medals? So even the olive wreath has been replaced! Oh dear! Doyou compete for prize money too?L: No, we don further. That ’i t. ’still all about being able to run faster, jump higher and throw ’s the motto of the Olympics, you-“knowSifter, Higher and Stronger.”(完整版)人教版高中英语必修2各单元课文原文P: Well, that’ s good news. How interesting! Thank you so much for your time.THE STORY OF ATLANTAAtlanta was a Greek princess. She was very beautiful and could run faster than any man in Greece. But she was not allowed to run and win glory for herself in the Olympic Games. She was so angry that she said to her father that she would not marry anyone who could not run faster than her. Her father said that she must marry, so Atlanta made a bargain with him. She said to him,"These are my rules. When a man says he wants to marry me, I will run against him. If he cannot run as fast as me, he will be killed. No one will be pardoned."Many kings and princes wanted to marry Atlanta, but when they heard of rules they knew it was hopeless. So many of them sadly went home, but others stayed to run the race. There was a man called Hippomenes who was amazed when he heard of Atlanta's rules,"Why are these men so foolish?" he thought. "Why will they let themselves be killed because they cannot run as fast as this princess?" However, when she saw Atlanta come out of her house to run, Hippomenes changed his mind."I will marry Atlanta--or die!" he said.The race started and although the man ran very fast, Atlanta ran faster. As Hippomenes watched he thought, "How can I run as fast as Atlanta?" He went to ask the Greek Godness of Love for help. She promised to help him and gave him three golden apples. She said," Throw an apple in front of Atlanta when she is running past. When she stops to pick it up, you will be able to run p103fast her and win."Hippomenes took the apples and went to the King. He said," I want to marry Atlanta ." The King was sad to see another man die, but Hippomenes said," I will marry her------ or die!" So the race began.Unit 3WHO AM I?Over time I have been changed quite a lot. I began as a calculating machine in Francein 1642. Although I was young I could simplify difficult sums. I developed veryslowly and it took nearly two hundred years before I was built as an analyticalmachine by Charles Babbage. After I was programmed by an operator who used cardswith holes, I could“ think” logically and produce an answer quicker than any person.At that time it was considered a technological revolution and the start of my“intelligence” . In 1936 my real father, Alan Turing, wrote a book about how I could bemade to work as a“ universal machine” to solve any difficult mathematical problem.From then on, I grew rapidly both in size and in brainpower. By the 1949s I hadgrown as large as a room, and I wondered if I would grow any larger. However, thisreality also worried my designers. As time went by, as was make smaller. First as aPC(personal computer) and then as a laptop, I have been used in offices andhomes since the 1970s.These changes only became possible as my memory improved. First it was stored intubes, then on transistors and later on very small chips. As a result I totally changed myshape. As I have grown older I have also grown smaller. Over time my memory hasdeveloped so much that, like an elephant, I never forget anything I have been told!And my memory became so large that even I couldn ’ t believe it! But I was always so lonely standing there by myself, until in early 1960s they gave me a family connectedby a network. I was able to share my knowledge with others through the WorldWide Web.Since the 1970s many new applications have been found for my. I have become veryimportant in communication, finance and trade. I have also been put into robots andused to make mobile phones as well as help with medical operations. I have evenbeen put into space rockets and sent to explore the Moon and Mars. Anyhow, my goalis to provide humans with a life of high quality. I am now truly filled with happiness thatI am a devoted friend and helper of the human race!ANDY– THE ANDROIDI ’ m part of an android football team. About once a year we are allowed to get togetherto play a game of football. I’ m as big as a human. It fact, I look like one too. On the football team I ’ m a striker so I have to be able to run very fast. My computer ships helpme to move and think like a human. For example, I have learned to signal to myteammates in computer language to give me the ball when I am open and have agood for a goal.My first football competition was in Nagoya, Japan several years ago. Last year ourteam went to Seattle, Washington in the USA. We won second place. Personally, Ithink the team that won first place cheated. They had developed a new type of programjust before the competition. So we need to encourage our programmer to improve ourintelligence too. We are determined to create an even better system. In a way ourprogrammer is like our coach. She programs us with all the possible moves she hasseen while watching human games. Then she prepares reliable moves to use if a newsituation arises. In this way I can make up new moves using my “ artificialintelligence ” . I could like to play against a human team, for I have been programmed toact just like them. After all, with the help of my electronic brain which never forgetsanything, using my intelligence is what I ’ m all about!Unit 4HOW DAISY LEARNED TO HELP WILDLIFEDaisy had always longed to help endangered species of wildlife. One day she woke upand found a flying carpet by her bed.“ Where youdo want to go?” it asked. Daisyresponded immediately.“ I’ d like to see some endangered wildlife,” she said. take me to a distant land where I can find the animal that gave fur to make thissweater. ” At once the carpet flew away and took her to Tibet. There d103faisy saw and antelope looking sad. It said,“ We’ re being killed for the wool beneath our stomachs. Our fur is being used to make sweaters for people like you. As a result,we are now an endangered species.” At that Daisy cried,“ I’ m sorry I didn’ t k I wonder what is being done to help you. Flying carpet, please show me a place wherethere ’ s some wildlife protection.”The flying carpet traveled so fast that next minute they were in Zimbabwe. Daisyturned around and found that she was being watched by and elephant. “ Haveyoucome to take my photo?” it asked. In relief Daisy burst into laughter.“ Don’ t said the elephant,“ We used to be an endangered species. Farmers hunted us without mercy. They said we destroyed their farms, and money from tourists only went to thelarge tour companies. So the government decided to help. They allowed tourists tohunt only a certain number of animals if they paid the farmers. Now the farmers arehappy and our numbers are increasing. So good things are being done here to savelocal wildlife.”Daisy smiled,“ That’ s good news. It shows the importance of wildlife protection, butI ’ d like to help as the WWF suggests.” The carpet rose again and almost at once they were in a thick rainforest. A monkey watched them as it rubbed itself.“ What are doing? ”asked Daisy. “ I ’protectingm myself from mosquitoes, it”replied. When Ifind a millipede insect, I rub it over my body. It contains a powerful drug whichaffects mosquitoes. You should pay more attention to the rainforest where I live theappreciate how the animals live together. No rainforest, no animals, no drugs.”Daisy was amazed. “ Flying carpet, please take me home so I can tell WWF and wecan begin producing this new drug. Monkey, please come and help. ”The monkeyagreed. The carpet flew home. As they landed, things began to disappear. Twominutes later everything had gone-the monkey, too. So Daisy was not able to make hernew drug. But what an experience! She had learned so much! And there was alwaysWWF⋯ANIMAL EXTINCTIONMany animals have disappeared during the long history of the earth.The most famousof these animals are dinosaurs.They lived on the earth tens of millions of years ago,long before humans came into being and their future seemed secure at that time.There were many different kinds of dinosaur and a number of them used to live inChina.The eggs of twenty-five species have been found in Xixia,County,Nanyang,Henan Province.Not long ago a rare new species of bird-like dinosaur was discoveredin Chaoyang County,Liaoning Province.When scientists inspeacted the bones,theywere surprised to find that these dinosaurs could not only run like the others but alsoclimb trees.They learned this from the way the bones were joined together.Dinosaurs died out suddenly about 65 million years ago. Some scientists think itcame after an unexpected incident when a huge rock from space hit the earth and puttoo much dust into the air.Others think the earth got too hot for the dinosaursto live on any more.Nobody knows for sure why and how dinosaurs disappearedfrom the earth in such a short time.We know many other wild plants, animals,insects and birds have died out morerecently.According to a UN report,some 844 animals and plants have disappeared inthe last 500 years.The dodo is one of them.It lived on the Island of Mauritius andwas a very friendly animal.Please listen to a story of the dodo and how itdisappeared frome the earth.Unit 5THE BAND THAT WASN’THave you ever wanted to be part of a band as a famous singer or musician? Haveyou ever dreamed of playing in front of thousands of people at a concert, at which everyone is clapping and appreciating your music? Do you sing karaoke and pretendyou are a famous singer like Song Zuying or Lin Huan? To be honest, a lot of peopleattach great importance to becoming rich and famous. But just how do people form a band?Many musicians meet and form a band because they like to write and play theirown music. They may start as a group of high-school students, for whbacom practicing their music in someone ’ s hours is the first step to fame. Sometimes they may play to passers-by in the street or subway so that they can earn some extra moneyfor themselves or to pay for their instruments. Later they may give performances inpubs or clubs, for which they are paid in cash. Of course they hope to make recordsin a studio and sell millions of copies to become millionaires!However, there was one band hat started in a different way. It was called theMonkees and began as a TV show. The musicians were to play jokes on each otheras well as play music, most of which was based loosely on the beatles. The TVorganizers had planned to find four musicians who could act as well as sing. They putan advertisement in a newspaper looking for rock musicians, but they could only findone who was good enough. They had to use actors for the other three members of the band.As some of these actors could not sing well enough, they had to rely on othermusicians to help them. So during the broadcasts they just pretended to sing.Anyhow their performances were humorous enough to be copied by clubs in order toget more familiar with them. Each week on TV, the Mondees would play and singsongs written by other musicians. However, after a year or so in which they becamemore serious about their work, the Monkees started to play and sing their own songslike a real band. Then they produced their own records and started touring and playtheir own music. In the USA they became even more popular than the Beatles andsold even more records. The band broke up about 1970, but happily the reunited inthe mid-1980s. they produced a new record in 1996, with which they celebrated their former time as a real band.FREDDY THE FROG(II)Not long after Freddy and the band became famous,they visited Britain on a brief tour.Fans showed their devotion by waiting for hours to get tichkets for their concerts.Freddy was now quite confident when he went into a concert hall.He enjoyed singing and all the congratulations afterwards!His most exciting invitation was to perform on a programme called "Top of the Pops."He had to go to London,wear an expensive suit and give a performance to a TV camera.It felt very strange.But as soon as the programme was over,the telephones which were in the same room started ringing.Everybody was asking when they could see Freddy and his band again. They were truly stars.Then things went wrong.Freddy and his band could not go out anywhere without being followed.Even when they wore sunglasses or beards people recognized them. Fans found them even when they went into the toilet.They tried to hide in thereading rooms of libraries,but it was useless.Someonewas always there!Their personal life was regularly discussed by people who did not know them but talked as if they were close friends. At last feeling very upset and sensitive,Freddy and his band to which they were never to return,and went back to the lak 5e.。

Unit 1 Great scientistsJOHH SHOW DEFEATS “KING CHOLERA”John Snow was a famous doctor in London - so expert, indeed, that he attended Queen Victoria as her personal physician. But he became inspired when he thought about helping ordinary people exposed to cholera. This was the deadly disease of its day. Neither its cause nor its cure was understood. So many thousands of terrified people died every time there was an outbreak. John Snow wanted to face the challenge and solve this problem. He knew that cholera would never be controlled until its cause was found.He became interested in two theories that possibly explained how cholera killed people. The first suggested that cholera multiplied in the air. A cloud of dangerous gas floated around until it found its victims. The second suggested that people absorbed this disease into their bodies with their meals. From the stomachthe disease quickly attacked the body and soon the affected person died.John Snow suspected that the second theory was correct but he needed evidence. So when another outbreak hit London in 1854, he was ready to begin his enquiry. As the disease spread quickly through poor neighbourhoods, he began to gather information. In two particular streets, the cholera outbreak was so severe that more than 500 people died in ten days. He was determined to find out why.First he marked on a map the exact places where all the dead people had lived. This gave him a valuable clue about the cause of the disease. Many of the deaths were near the water pump in Broad Street (especially numbers 16, 37, 38 and 40). He alsonoticed that some houses (such as 20 and 21 Broad Street and 8 and 9 Cambridge Street) had had no deaths. He had not foreseen this, so he made further investigations. He discovered that these people worked in the pub at 7 Cambridge Street. They had been given free beer and so had not drunk the water from the pump. It seemed that the water was to blame.Next, John Snow looked into the source of the water for these two streets.He found that it came from the river polluted by the dirty water from London. He immediately told the astonished people in Broad Street to remove the handle from the pump so that it could not be used. Soon afterwards the disease slowed down. He had shown that cholera was spread by germs and not in a cloud of gas.In another part of London, he found supporting evidence from two other deaths that were linked to the Broad Street outbreak. A woman, who had moved away from Broad Street, liked the water from the pump so much that she had it delivered to her house every day. Both she and her daughter died of cholera after drinking the water. With this extra evidence John Snow was able to announce with certainty that polluted water carried the virus.To prevent this from happening again, John Snow suggested that the source of all the water supplies be examined. The water panies were instructed not toexpose people to polluted water any more. Finally "King Cholera" was defeated.COPERNICUS’ REVOLUTIONRRY THEORYNicolaus Copernicus was frightened and his mind was confused. Although he had tried to ignore them, all his mathematical calculations led to the same conclusion: that the earth was not the centre of the solar system. Only if you put the sun theredid the movements of the other planets in the sky make sense. Yet he could not tell anyone about his theory as the powerful Christian Church would have punished him for even suggesting such an idea. They believed God had made the world and for that reason the earth was special and must be the centre of the solar system.The problem arose because astronomers had noticed that some planets in the sky seemed to stop, move backward and then go forward in a loop. Others appeared brighter at times and less bright at others. This was very strange if the earth wasthe centre of the solar system and all planets went round it.Copernicus had thought long and hard about these problems and tried to find an answer. He had collected observations of the stars and used all his mathematical knowledge to explain them. But only his new theory could do that. So between 1510and 1514 he worked on it, gradually improving his theory until he felt it was plete.In 1514 he showed it privately to his friends. The changes he made to theold theory were revolutionary. He placed a fixed sun at the centre of the solar system with the planets going round it and only the moon still going round the earth. Healso suggested that the earth was spinning as it went round the sun and this explained changes in the movement of the planets and in the brightness of the stars. His friends were enthusiastic and encouraged him to publish his ideas, but Copernicus was cautious. He did not want to be attacked by the Christian Church, so he only published it ashe lay dying in 1543.Certainly he was right to be careful. The Christian Church rejected his theory, saying it was against God's idea and people who supported it would be attacked. Yet Copernicus' theory is now the basis on which all our ideas of the universe are built.His theory replaced the Christian idea of gravity, which said things fell to earth because God created the earth as the centre of the universe. Copernicus showed this was obviously wrong. Now people can see that there is a direct link between his theory and the work of Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking.Unit 2 The United KingdomPUZZLES IN GEOGRAPHYPeople may wonder why different words are used to describe these four countries: England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. You can clarify this question if you study British history.First there was England. Wales was linked to it in the thirteenth century.Now when people refer to England you find Wales included as well. Next England and Wales were joined to Scotland in the seventeenth century and the name was changedto "Great Britain". Happily this was acplished without conflict when King Jamesof Scotland became King of England and Wales as well. Finally the English governmenttried in the early twentieth century to form the United Kingdom by getting Ireland connected in the same peaceful way. However, the southern part of Ireland was unwillingand broke away to form its own government. So only Northern Ireland joined with England, Wales and Scotland to bee the United Kingdom and this was shown to the world in a new flag called the Union Jack.To their credit the four countries do work together in some areas (eg, the currency and international relations), but they still have very differentinstitutions. For example, Northern Ireland, England and Scotland have different educational and legal systems as well as different football teams for petitionslike the World Cup!England is the largest of the four countries, and for convenience it is divided roughly into three zones. The zone nearest France is called the South of England, the middle zone is called the Midlands and the one nearest to Scotland is known as the North. You find most of the population settled in the south, but most of theindustrial cities in the Midlands and the North of England. Although, nationwide,these cities are not as large as those in China, they have world-famous football teams and some of them even have two! It is a pity that the industrial cities built in the nineteenth century do not attract visitors. For historical architecture you have togo to older but smaller towns built by the Romans. There you will find out more about British history and culture.The greatest historical treasure of all is London with its museums, art collections, theatres, parks and buildings. It is the centre of national governmentand its administration. It has the oldest port built by the Romans in the first century AD, the oldest building begun by the Anglo-Saxons in the 1060s and the oldest castle constructed by later Norman rulers in 1066. There has been four sets of invaders ofEngland. The first invaders, the Romans, left their towns and roads. The second, the Anglo-Saxons, left their language and their government. The third, the Vikings, influenced the vocabulary and place-names of the North of England, and the fourth,the Normans, left castles and introduced new words for food.If you look around the British countryside you will find evidence of all these invaders. You must keep your eyes open if you are going to make your trip to the United Kingdom enjoyable and worthwhile.SIGHTSEEING IN LONDONWorried about the time available, Zhang Pingyu had made a list of the sites she wanted to see in London. Her first delight was going to the Tower. It was builtlong ago by the Norman invaders of AD 1066. Fancy! This solid stone, square towerhad remained standing for one thousand years.Although the buildings had expanded around it, it remained part of a royal palace and prison bined. To her great surprise, Zhang Pingyu found the Queen's jewels guarded by special royal soldiers who, on special occasions, still wore the four-hundred-year-old uniform of the time of Queen Elizabeth I.There followed St Paul's Cathedral built after the terrible fire of Londonin 1666. It looked splendid when first built! Westminster Abbey, too, was very interesting. It contained statues in memory of dead poets and writers, such as Shakespeare. Then just as she came out of the abbey, Pingyu heard the famous soundof the clock, Big Ben, ringing out the hour. She finished the day by looking at the outside of Buckingham Palace, the Queen's house in London. Oh, she had so much totell her friends!The second day the girl visited Greenwich and saw its old ships and famous clock that sets the world time. What interested her most was the longitude line. It is an imaginary line dividing the eastern and western halves of the world and is very usefulfor navigation. It passes through Greenwich, so Pingyu had a photo taken standingon either side of the line.The last day she visited Karl Marx's statue in Highgate Cemetery. It seemed strange that the man who had developed munism should have lived and died in London. Not only that, but he had worked in the famous reading room of the Library of the British Museum. Sadly the library had moved from its original place into anotherbuilding and the old reading room was gone. But she was thrilled by so many wonderful treasures from different cultures displayed in the museum. When she saw many visitors enjoying looking at the beautiful old Chinese pots and other objects on show, shefelt very proud of her country.The next day Pingyu was leaving London for Windsor Castle. "Perhaps I will see the Queen?" she wondered as she fell asleep.Unit 3 Life in the futureFIRST IMPRESSIONSSpacemall: liqiang299AGreatAdventureSpaceStation. 15/11/3008 (Earthtime)Dear Mum and Dad,I still cannot believe that I am taking up this prize that I won last year. I have to remind myself constantly that I am really in AD 3008. Worried about the journey, I wasunsettled for the first few days. As a result, I suffered from “Time lag”. This is similar to the “jet lag” you get from flying, but it seems you keep getting flashbacks from your previous time period. So I was very nervous and uncertain at first. However, my friend and guide, Wang Ping, was very understanding and gave me some green tablets which helped a lot. Well-known for their expertise, his parents' pany, called "Future Tours", transported me safely into the future in a time capsule.I can still remember the moment when the space stewardess called us all to the capsule and we climbed in through a small opening. The seats were fortableand after a calming drink, we felt sleepy and closed our eyes. The capsule began swinging gently sideways as we lay relaxed and dreaming. A few minutes later, the journey was pleted and we had arrived. I was still on the earth but one thousandyears in the future. What would I find?At first my new surroundings were difficult to tolerate. The air seemed thin, as though its bination of gases had little oxygen left. Hit by a lack of freshair, my head ached. Just as I tried to make the necessary adjustment to this new situation, Wang Ping appeared. "Put on this mask," he advised. "It'll make you feelmuch better." He handed it to me and immediately hurried me through to a small room nearby for a rest. I felt better in no time. Soon I was back on my feet again and following him to collect a hovering carriage driven by puter. These carriages floatabove the ground and by bending or pressing down in your seat, you can move swiftly. Wang Ping fastened my safety belt and showed me how to use it. Soon I could fly asfast as him. However, I lost sight of Wang Ping when we reached what looked like a large market because of too many carriages flying by in all directions. He was sweptup into the centre of them. Just at that moment I had a "time lag" flashback and sawthe area again as it had been in the year AD 2008. I realized that I had been transported into the future of what was still my hometown! Then I caught sight of Wang Ping again and flew after him.Arriving at a strange-looking house, he showed me into a large, bright clean room. It had a green wall, a brown floor and soft lighting. Suddenly the wall moved- it was made of trees! I found later that their leaves provided the room withmuch-needed oxygen. Then Wang Ping flashed a switch on a puter screen, and a table and some chairs rose from under the floor as if by magic. "Why not sit down and eat a little?" he said. "You may find this difficult as it is your first time travel trip.Just relax, since there is nothing planned on the timetable today. Tomorrow you'llbe ready for some visits." Having said this, he spread some food on the table, and produced a bed from the floor. After he left, I had a brief meal and a hot bath. Exhausted, I slid into bed and fell fast asleep.More news later from your loving son,Li QiangI HAVE SEEN AMAZING THINGSMy first visit was to a space station considered the most modem in space. Described as an enormous round plate, it spins slowly in space to imitate the pullof the earth's gravity. Inside was an exhibition of the most up-to-date inventionsof the 31 st century. A guide (G) showed us around along a moveable path.G: Good morning to all our visitors from 2008. First we're going to examine oneof the latest forms of munication among our space citizens. No more typists working on a typewriter or puter! No more postage or postcodes! Messages can now be sent using a "thoughtpad". You place the metal band over your head, clear your mind, press the sending button, think your message and the next instant it's sent. It's stored on the "thoughtpad" of the receiver. It's quick, efficient and environmentallyfriendly. The only limitation is if the user does not think his or her message clearly,an unclear message may be sent. But we cannot blame the tools for the faults of the user, can we?During the explanation I looked at the pair of small objects called "thoughtpads" on a table. They just looked like metal ribbons. So ordinary but so powerful! While I was observing them, the path moved us on.G: And now ladies and gentlemen, we are in the "environment area". People used to collect waste in dustbins. Then the rubbish was sent to be buried or burned, am I fight? (We nodded.) Well, now there's a system where the waste is disposed of usingthe principles of ecology. A giant machine, always greedy for more, swallows all the waste available. The rubbish is turned into several grades of useful material, suchas "fertilizer" for the fields and "soil" for deserts. Nothing is wasted, andeverything, even plastic bags, is recycled. A great idea, isn't' it?I stared at the moving model of the waste machine, absorbed by its efficiency. But again we moved on.G: Our third stop shows the changes that have happened to work practices. Manufacturing no longer takes place on the earth but on space stations like this one.A group of engineers programme robots to perform tasks in space. The robots producegoods such as drugs, clothes, furniture, hovering carriages, etc. There is no waste,no pollution and no environmental damage! However, the panies have to train their representatives to live and work in space settlements. They have to monitor the robots and the production. When the goods are ready they're transported by industrial spaceship back to earth.My mind began to wander. What job would I do? My motivation increased as I thought of the wonderful world of the future.Unit 4 Making the newsMY FIRST WORK ASSIGNMENT"Unforgettable", says new journalistNever will Zhou Yang (ZY) forget his first assignment at the office of a popular English newspaper. His discussion with his new boss, Hu Xin (HX), was to strongly influence his life as a journalist.HX: Wele. We're delighted you're ing to work with us. Your first job here will be an assistant journalist. Do you have any questions?ZY: Can I go out on a story immediately?HX: (laughing) That' s admirable, but I' m afraid it would be unusual ! Wait till you' re more experienced. First we'll put you as an assistant to an experienced journalist. Later you can cover a story and submit the article yourself.ZY: Wonderful. What do I need to take with me? I already have a notebook and camera.HX: No need for a camera. You'll have a professional photographer with you to take photographs. You'll find your colleagues very eager to assist you, so you may be able to concentrate on photography later if you' re interested.ZY: Thank you. Not only am I interested in photography, but I took an amateur course at university to update my skills.HX: Good.ZY: What do I need to remember when I go out to cover a story?HX: You need to be curious. Only if you ask many different questions will you acquire all the information you need to know. We say a good journalist must have a good "nose" for a story. That means you must be able to assess when people are not telling the whole troth and then try to discover it. They must use research to inform themselves of the missing parts of the story.ZY: What should I keep in mind?HX: Here es my list of dos and don'ts: don't miss your deadline, don't be rode, don't talk too much, but make sure you listen to the interviewee carefully.ZY: Why is listening so important?HX: Well, you have to listen for detailed facts. Meanwhile you have to prepare the next question depending on what the person says.ZY: But how can I listen carefully while taking notes?HX: This is a trick of the trade, If the interviewee agrees, you can use a recorderto get the facts straight. It's also useful if a person wants to challenge you. Youhave the evidence to support your story.ZY: I see! Have you ever had a case where someone accused your journalists of getting the wrong end of the stick?HX: Yes, but it was a long time ago. This is how the story goes. A footballer was accused of taking money for deliberately not scoring goals so as to let the otherteam win. We went to interview him. He denied taking money but we were sceptical.So we arranged an interview between the footballer and the man supposed to bribe him. When we saw them together we guessed from the footballer's body language that he was not telling the truth. So we wrote an article suggesting he was guilty. It was a dilemma because the footballer could have demanded damages if we were wrong. He tried to stop us publishing it but later we were proved right.ZY: Wow! That was a real "scoop". I'm looking forward to my first assignment now. Perhaps I'll get a scoop too!HX: Perhaps you will. You never know.GETTING THE "SCOOP""Quick," said the editor. "Get that story ready. We need it in this editionto be ahead of the other newspapers. This is a scoop." Zhou Yang had just e back into the office after an interview with a famous film star. "Did he really do that?"asked someone from the International News Department. "Yes, I' m afraid he did," ZhouYang answered. He set to work.His first task was to write his story, but he had to do it carefully. Althoughhe realized the man had been lying, Zhou Yang knew he must not accuse him directly. He would have to be accurate. Concise too! He knew how to do that. Months of training had taught him to write with no wasted words or phrases. He sat down at his puter and began to work.The first person who saw his article was a senior editor from his department. He checked the evidence, read the article and passed it on to the copy-editor. She began to edit the piece and design the main headline and smaller heading. ¡°This will look very good on the page,¡± she said. "Where is a good picture of this man?" Then as the article was going to be written in English Zhou Yang also took a copy to the native speaker employed by the newspaper to polish the style. She was also very happy with Zhou Yang's story. "You are really able to write a good front page article," she said. Zhou Yang smiled with happiness. Last of all, the chief editor read it and approved it. "Well done," he said to Zhou Yang. "But please show me your evidence so we're sure we've got our facts straight.¡±¡°I¡¯ll bring it to you immediately," said Zhou Yang excitedly.The news desk editor took the story and began to work on all the stories and photos until all the pages were set. All the information was then ready to be processed into film negatives. This was the first stage of the printing process. They needed four negatives, as several colours were going to be used on the story. Each of the main colours had one negative sheet and when they were bined they made a coloured page for the newspaper. After one last check the page was ready to be printed. Zhou Yang waited excitedly for the first copies to be ready. "Wait 611 tonight," his friend whispered. "I expectthere will be something about this on the television news. A real scoop!"Unit 5 First aidFIRST AID FOR BURNSThe skin is an essential part of your body and its largest organ. You have three layers of skin which act as a barrier against disease, poisons and the sun'sharmful rays. The functions of your skin are also very plex: it keeps you warmor cool; it prevents your body from losing too much water; it is where you feel cold, heat or pain and it gives you your sense of touch. So as you can imagine, if yourskin gets burned it can be very serious. First aid is a very important first stepin the treatment of bums.Causes of burnsYou can get burned by a variety of things: hot liquids, steam, fire, radiation (by being close to high heat or fire, etc), the sun, electricity or chemicals.Types of burnsThere are three types of burns. Burns are called first, second or third degree burns, depending on which layers of the skin are burned.●First degree burns These affect only the top layer of the skin. These burnsare not serious and should feel better within a day or two. Examples include mildsunburn and burns caused by touching a hot pan, stove or iron for a mordent.●Second degree burns These affect both the top and the second layer of the skin.These bums are serious and take a few weeks to heal. Examples include severesunburn and bums caused by hot liquids.●Third degree burns These affect all three layers of the skin and any tissue andorgans under the skin. Examples include burns caused by electric shocks,burning clothes, or severe petrol fires. These burns cause very severe injuries and the victim must go to hospital at once.Characteristics of burnsFirst degree burns●dry, red and mildly swollen●mildly painful●turn white when pressedSecond degree burns●rough, red and swollen●blisters●watery surface●extremely painfulThird degree burns●black and white and charred●swollen; often tissue under them can be seen●little or no pain if nerves are damaged; maybe pain around edge of injured area.First aid treatment1Remove clothing using scissors if necessary unless it is stuck to the burn. Take off other clothing and jewellery near the burn.2 Cool burns immediately with cool but not icy water. It is best to place burnsunder gently running water for about 10 minutes. (The cool water stops the burning process, prevents the pain being unbearable and reduces swelling.) Do not put cold water on third degree burns.3 For first degree burns, place cool, clean, wet cloths on them until the painis not so bad. For second degree burns, keep cloths cool by putting them back ina basin of cold water, squeezing them out and placing them on the burned area overand over again for about an hour until the pain is not so bad.4 Dry the burned area gently. Do not rob, as this may break any blisters and thewound may get infected.5 Cover the burned area with a dry, clean bandage that will not stick to the skin.Hold the bandage in place with tape. Never put butter, oil or ointment on bums as they keep the heat in the wounds and may cause infection.6 If bums are on arms or legs, keep them higher than the heart, if possible. Ifbums are on the face, the victim should sit up.7 If the injuries are second or third degree bums, it is vital to get the victimto the doctor or hospital at once.HEROIC TEENAGER RECEIVES AWARDSeventeen-year-old teenager, John Janson, was honoured at the Lifesaver Awards last night in Rivertown for giving lifesaving first aid on his neighbour after a shocking knife attack.John was presented with his award at a ceremony which recognized the bravery of ten people who had saved the life of another.John was studying in his room when he heard screaming. When he and his father rushed outside, a man ran from the scene. They discovered that Anne Slade, mother of three, had been stabbed repeatedly with a knife. She was lying in her front garden bleeding very heavily. Her hands had almost been cut off.It was John's quick action and knowledge of first aid that saved Ms Slade's life. He immediately asked a number of nearby people for bandages, but when nobody could put their hands on any, his father got some tea towels and tape from their house. John used these to treat the most severe injuries to Ms Slade's hands. He slowed the bleeding by applying pressure to the wounds until the police and ambulance arrived."I'm proud of what I did but I was just doing what I'd been taught," John said.John had taken part in the Young Lifesaver Scheme at his high school. When congratulating John, Mr Alan Southerton, Director of the Young Lifesaver Scheme said, "There is no doubt that John's quick thinking and the first aid skills he learned at school saved Ms Slade's life. It shows that a knowledge of first aid can make a real difference."Before receiving their awards last night, John and the nine other Life Savers attended a special reception yesterday hosted by the Prime Minister.。

86版高中英语课文Unit 1 FriendshipIn this unit, we will explore the theme of friendship. Friendship is a special bond between people that is based on mutual trust, understanding, and support. Friends are there for each other through good times and bad, offering a shoulder to lean on and a listening ear when needed.Friendship is an important part of our lives, as it enriches our experiences and provides us with companionship and emotional support. It is said that a true friend is someone who knows all about you and still loves you.In the following lessons, we will examine different aspects of friendship through various texts and activities. We will learn how to be a good friend, how to resolve conflicts in friendships, and how to appreciate the friends we have in our lives.Let's embark on this journey of exploration and discovery together, as we delve into the world of friendship and all the joys and challenges it brings.Unit 2 LoveLove is another powerful theme that we will explore in this unit. Love comes in many forms, whether it's the love between family members, romantic love between partners, or the love of a hobby or passion.Love has the ability to bring people together, to create lasting connections, and to inspire acts of kindness and generosity. It is often said that love makes the world go round, and indeed, it is a force that has the power to transform lives and bring happiness to those who embrace it.In the upcoming lessons, we will delve into the complexities of love, examining its highs and lows, its joys and sorrows. We will learn how love can be both beautiful and challenging, how it can lift us up and also break our hearts.Through the texts and activities in this unit, we will gain a deeper understanding of the nature of love and how it shapes our relationships and our lives. Let's open our hearts to this exploration and see where it takes us.Unit 3 DreamsDreams are the focus of our third unit. Dreams are the hopes and aspirations that drive us forward, that inspire us to reach for the stars and achieve our goals. Whether big or small, dreams give us something to strive for and a reason to keep moving forward.In this unit, we will explore the power of dreams and the importance of pursuing them. We will learn how to set goals for ourselves, how to overcome obstacles on the way to achieving our dreams, and how to stay motivated even when the going gets tough.Through the stories and activities in this unit, we will gain insight into the dreams of others and reflect on our own dreams and ambitions. We will see that dreams have the power to change our lives and the world around us, and that by following our dreams, we can create a brighter future for ourselves and others.Let's embrace the power of dreams and work towards making them a reality in our lives. Together, we can conquer our fears, break down barriers, and make our dreams come true.。

Unit 1 Great scientistsJOHH SHOW DEFEATS “KING CHOLERA”John Snow was a famous doctor in London - so expert, indeed, that he attended Queen Victoria as her personal physician. But he became inspired when he thought about helping ordinary people exposed to cholera. This was the deadly disease of its day. Neither its cause nor its cure was understood. So many thousands of terrified people died every time there was an outbreak. John Snow wanted to face the challenge and solve this problem. He knew that cholera would never be controlled until its causewas found.He became interested in two theories that possibly explained how cholerakilled people. The first suggested that cholera multiplied in the air. A cloud ofdangerous gas floated around until it found its victims. The second suggested thatpeople absorbed this disease into their bodies with their meals. From the stomachthe disease quickly attacked the body and soon the affected person died. John Snow suspected that the second theory was correct but he needed evidence. So when another outbreak hit London in 1854, he was ready to begin his enquiry. As the disease spread quickly through poor neighbourhoods, he began to gather information. In two particular streets, the cholera outbreak was so severe that more than 500 people died in ten days. He was determined to find out why.First he marked on a map the exact places where all the dead people had lived. This gave him a valuable clue about the cause of the disease. Many of the deaths were near the water pump in Broad Street (especially numbers 16, 37, 38 and 40). He also noticed that some houses (such as 20 and 21 Broad Street and 8 and 9 Cambridge Street) had had no deaths. He had not foreseen this, so he made further investigations. He discovered that these people worked in the pub at 7 Cambridge Street. They had been given free beer and so had not drunk the water from the pump. It seemed that the water was to blame.Next, John Snow looked into the source of the water for these two streets.He found that it came from the river polluted by the dirty water from London. Heimmediately told the astonished people in Broad Street to remove the handle from thepump so that it could not be used. Soon afterwards the disease slowed down. He hadshown that cholera was spread by germs and not in a cloud of gas.In another part of London, he found supporting evidence from twoother deathsthat were linked to the Broad Street outbreak. A woman, who had moved away from Broad Street, liked the water from the pump so much that she had it delivered to her house every day. Both she and her daughter died of cholera after drinking the water. With this extra evidence John Snow was able to announce with certainty that polluted water carried the virus.To prevent this from happening again, John Snow suggested that the sourceof all the water supplies be examined. The water companies were instructed not toexpose people to polluted water any more. Finally "King Cholera" was defeated.COPERNICUS’ REVOLUTIONRRY THEORYNicolaus Copernicus was frightened and his mind was confused. Although he had tried to ignore them, all his mathematical calculations led to the same conclusion:that the earth was not the centre of the solar system. Only if you put the sun theredid the movements of the other planets in the sky make sense. Yet he could not tellanyone about his theory as the powerful Christian Church would have punished him foreven suggesting such an idea. They believed God had made the world and for that reason the earth was special and must be the centre of the solar system. The problem arose because astronomers had noticed that some planets in thesky seemed to stop, move backward and then go forward in a loop. Others appearedbrighter at times and less bright at others. This was very strange if the earth wasthe centre of the solar system and all planets went round it.Copernicus had thought long and hard about these problems and tried to findan answer. He had collected observations of the stars and used all his mathematicalknowledge to explain them. But only his new theory could do that. So between 1510and 1514 he worked on it, gradually improving his theory until he felt it was complete.In 1514 he showed it privately to his friends. The changes he made to theold theory were revolutionary. He placed a fixed sun at the centre of the solar systemwith the planets going round it and only the moon still going round the earth. Healso suggested that the earth was spinning as it went round the sun and this explainedchanges in the movement of the planets and in the brightness of the stars. His friendswere enthusiastic and encouraged him to publish his ideas, but Copernicus was cautious. He did not want to be attacked by the Christian Church, so he only published it ashe lay dying in 1543.Certainly he was right to be careful. The Christian Church rejected his theory, saying it was against God's idea and people who supported it would be attacked. YetCopernicus' theory is now the basis on which all our ideas of the universe are built.His theory replaced the Christian idea of gravity, which said things fell to earthbecause God created the earth as the centre of the universe. Copernicus showed thiswas obviously wrong. Now people can see that there is a direct link between his theoryand the work of Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking.Unit 2 The United KingdomPUZZLES IN GEOGRAPHYPeople may wonder why different words are used to describe these four countries: England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. You can clarify this question if you study British history.First there was England. Wales was linked to it in the thirteenth century.Now when people refer to England you find Wales included as well. Next England andWales were joined to Scotland in the seventeenth century and the name was changedto "Great Britain". Happily this was accomplished without conflict when King Jamesof Scotland became King of England and Wales as well. Finally the English governmenttried in the early twentieth century to form the United Kingdom by getting Irelandconnected in the same peaceful way. However, the southern part of Ireland was unwilling and broke away to form its own government. So only Northern Ireland joined with England, Wales and Scotland to become the United Kingdom and this was shown to the world in a new flag called the Union Jack.To their credit the four countries do work together in some areas (eg, thecurrency and international relations), but they still have very different institutions. For example, Northern Ireland, England and Scotland have differenteducational and legal systems as well as different football teams for competitionslike the World Cup!England is the largest of the four countries, and for convenience it is divided roughly into three zones. The zone nearest France is called the South of England, the middle zone is called the Midlands and the one nearest to Scotland is known as the North. You find most of the population settled in the south, but most of theindustrial cities in the Midlands and the North of England. Although, nationwide,these cities are not as large as those in China, they have world-famous football teamsand some of them even have two! It is a pity that the industrial cities built in thenineteenth century do not attract visitors. For historical architecture you have togo to older but smaller towns built by the Romans. There you will find out more aboutBritish history and culture.The greatest historical treasure of all is London with its museums, artcollections, theatres, parks and buildings. It is the centre of national governmentand its administration. It has the oldest port built by the Romans in the first centuryAD, the oldest building begun by the Anglo-Saxons in the 1060s and the oldest castleconstructed by later Norman rulers in 1066. There has been four sets of invaders ofEngland. The first invaders, the Romans, left their towns and roads. The second, theAnglo-Saxons, left their language and their government. The third, the Vikings,influenced the vocabulary and place-names of the North of England, and the fourth,the Normans, left castles and introduced new words for food.If you look around the British countryside you will find evidence of all theseinvaders. You must keep your eyes open if you are going to make your trip to the UnitedKingdom enjoyable and worthwhile.SIGHTSEEING IN LONDONWorried about the time available, Zhang Pingyu had made a list of the sitesshe wanted to see in London. Her first delight was going to the Tower. It was builtlong ago by the Norman invaders of AD 1066. Fancy! This solid stone, square towerhad remained standing for one thousand years.Although the buildings had expandedaround it, it remained part of a royal palace and prison combined. To her great surprise,Zhang Pingyu found the Queen's jewels guarded by special royal soldiers who, on special occasions, still wore the four-hundred-year-old uniform of the time of Queen Elizabeth I.There followed St Paul's Cathedral built after the terrible fire of Londonin 1666. It looked splendid when first built! Westminster Abbey, too, was veryinteresting. It contained statues in memory of dead poets and writers, such asShakespeare. Then just as she came out of the abbey, Pingyu heard the famous soundof the clock, Big Ben, ringing out the hour. She finished the day by looking at theoutside of Buckingham Palace, the Queen's house in London. Oh, she had so much totell her friends!The second day the girl visited Greenwich and saw its old ships and famous clockthat sets the world time. What interested her most was the longitude line. It is animaginary line dividing the eastern and western halves of the world and is very usefulfor navigation. It passes through Greenwich, so Pingyu had a photo taken standingon either side of the line.The last day she visited Karl Marx's statue in Highgate Cemetery. It seemedstrange that the man who had developed communism should have lived and died in London. Not only that, but he had worked in the famous reading room of the Library of the British Museum. Sadly the library had moved from its original place into anotherbuilding and the old reading room was gone. But she was thrilled by so many wonderfultreasures from different cultures displayed in the museum. When she sawmany visitorsenjoying looking at the beautiful old Chinese pots and other objects on show, shefelt very proud of her country.The next day Pingyu was leaving London for Windsor Castle. "Perhaps I willsee the Queen?" she wondered as she fell asleep.Unit 3 Life in the futureFIRST IMPRESSIONSSpacemall: liqiang299A@ 15/11/3008 (Earthtime)Dear Mum and Dad,I still cannot believe that I am taking up this prize that I won last year. I have to remind myself constantly that I am really in AD 3008. Worried about the journey, I was unsettled for the first few days. As a result, I suffered from “Time lag”. This is similar to the “jet lag” you get from flying, but it seems you keep getting flashbacks from your previous time period. So I was very nervous and uncertain at first. However, my friend and guide, Wang Ping, was very understanding and gave me some green tablets which helped a lot. Well-known for their expertise, his parents' company, called "Future Tours", transported me safely into the future in a time capsule.I can still remember the moment when the space stewardess called us all tothe capsule and we climbed in through a small opening. The seats were comfortableand after a calming drink, we felt sleepy and closed our eyes. The capsule beganswinging gently sideways as we lay relaxed and dreaming. A few minutes later, thejourney was completed and we had arrived. I was still on the earth but one thousandyears in the future. What would I find?At first my new surroundings were difficult to tolerate. The air seemed thin,as though its combination of gases had little oxygen left. Hit by a lack of freshair, my head ached. Just as I tried to make the necessary adjustment to this newsituation, Wang Ping appeared. "Put on this mask," he advised. "It'll make you feelmuch better." He handed it to me and immediately hurried me through to a small roomnearby for a rest. I felt better in no time. Soon I was back on my feet again andfollowing him to collect a hovering carriage driven by computer. These carriages floatabove the ground and by bending or pressing down in your seat, you can move swiftly.Wang Ping fastened my safety belt and showed me how to use it. Soon I could fly asfast as him. However, I lost sight of Wang Ping when we reached what lookedlike alarge market because of too many carriages flying by in all directions. He was sweptup into the centre of them. Just at that moment I had a "time lag" flashback and sawthe area again as it had been in the year AD 2008. I realized that I had been transportedinto the future of what was still my hometown! Then I caught sight of Wang Ping againand flew after him.Arriving at a strange-looking house, he showed me into a large, bright cleanroom. It had a green wall, a brown floor and soft lighting. Suddenly the wall moved- it was made of trees! I found later that their leaves provided the room withmuch-needed oxygen. Then Wang Ping flashed a switch on a computer screen, and a table and some chairs rose from under the floor as if by magic. "Why not sit down and eat a little?" he said. "You may find this difficult as it is your first time travel trip.Just relax, since there is nothing planned on the timetable today. Tomorrow you'llbe ready for some visits." Having said this, he spread some food on the table, andproduced a bed from the floor. After he left, I had a brief meal and a hot bath. Exhausted, I slid into bed and fell fast asleep.More news later from your loving son,Li QiangI HAVE SEEN AMAZING THINGSMy first visit was to a space station considered the most modem in space.Described as an enormous round plate, it spins slowly in space to imitate the pullof the earth's gravity. Inside was an exhibition of the most up-to-date inventionsof the 31 st century. A guide (G) showed us around along a moveable path.G: Good morning to all our visitors from 2008. First we're going to examine one of the latest forms of communication among our space citizens. No more typists working on a typewriter or computer! No more postage or postcodes! Messages can now be sent using a "thoughtpad". You place the metal band over your head, clear your mind, press the sending button, think your message and the next instant it's sent. It's stored on the "thoughtpad" of the receiver. It's quick, efficient and environmentallyfriendly. The only limitation is if the user does not think his or her message clearly,an unclear message may be sent. But we cannot blame the tools for the faults of theuser, can we?During the explanation I looked at the pair of small objects called "thoughtpads" on a table. They just looked like metal ribbons. So ordinary but so powerful! While I was observing them, the path moved us on.G: And now ladies and gentlemen, we are in the "environment area". People used to collect waste in dustbins. Then the rubbish was sent to be buried or burned, am Ifight? (We nodded.) Well, now there's a system where the waste is disposed of usingthe principles of ecology. A giant machine, always greedy for more, swallows all thewaste available. The rubbish is turned into several grades of useful material, suchas "fertilizer" for the fields and "soil" for deserts. Nothing is wasted, andeverything, even plastic bags, is recycled. A great idea, isn't' it?I stared at the moving model of the waste machine, absorbed by its efficiency.But again we moved on.G: Our third stop shows the changes that have happened to work practices.Manufacturing no longer takes place on the earth but on space stations like this one.A group of engineers programme robots to perform tasks in space. The robots producegoods such as drugs, clothes, furniture, hovering carriages, etc. There is no waste,no pollution and no environmental damage! However, the companies have to train theirrepresentatives to live and work in space settlements. They have to monitor the robotsand the production. When the goods are ready they're transported by industrialspaceship back to earth.My mind began to wander. What job would I do? My motivation increased as Ithought of the wonderful world of the future.Unit 4 Making the newsMY FIRST WORK ASSIGNMENT"Unforgettable", says new journalistNever will Zhou Yang (ZY) forget his first assignment at the office of a popular English newspaper. His discussion with his new boss, Hu Xin (HX), was to strongly influence his life as a journalist.HX: Welcome. We're delighted you're coming to work with us. Your first job here will be an assistant journalist. Do you have any questions?ZY: Can I go out on a story immediately?HX: (laughing) That' s admirable, but I' m afraid it would be unusual ! Wait tillyou' re more experienced. First we'll put you as an assistant to an experiencedjournalist. Later you can cover a story and submit the article yourself.ZY: Wonderful. What do I need to take with me? I already have a notebook and camera.HX: No need for a camera. You'll have a professional photographer with you to take photographs. You'll find your colleagues very eager to assist you, so you may be able to concentrate on photography later if you' re interested.ZY: Thank you. Not only am I interested in photography, but I took an amateur course at university to update my skills.HX: Good.ZY: What do I need to remember when I go out to cover a story?HX: You need to be curious. Only if you ask many different questions will you acquire all the information you need to know. We say a good journalist must have a good "nose" for a story. That means you must be able to assess when people are not telling the whole troth and then try to discover it. They must use research to inform themselves of the missing parts of the story.ZY: What should I keep in mind?HX: Here comes my list of dos and don'ts: don't miss your deadline, don't be rode, don't talk too much, but make sure you listen to the interviewee carefully.ZY: Why is listening so important?HX: Well, you have to listen for detailed facts. Meanwhile you have to prepare thenext question depending on what the person says.ZY: But how can I listen carefully while taking notes?HX: This is a trick of the trade, If the interviewee agrees, you can use a recorderto get the facts straight. It's also useful if a person wants to challenge you. Youhave the evidence to support your story.ZY: I see! Have you ever had a case where someone accused your journalists of getting the wrong end of the stick?HX: Yes, but it was a long time ago. This is how the story goes. A footballer wasaccused of taking money for deliberately not scoring goals so as to let the otherteam win. We went to interview him. He denied taking money but we were sceptical.So we arranged an interview between the footballer and the man supposed to bribe him.When we saw them together we guessed from the footballer's body language that he was not telling the truth. So we wrote an article suggesting he was guilty. It was a dilemmabecause the footballer could have demanded damages if we were wrong. He tried to stop us publishing it but later we were proved right.ZY: Wow! That was a real "scoop". I'm looking forward to my first assignment now. Perhaps I'll get a scoop too!HX: Perhaps you will. You never know.GETTING THE "SCOOP""Quick," said the editor. "Get that story ready. We need it in this editionto be ahead of the other newspapers. This is a scoop." Zhou Yang had just come back into the office after an interview with a famous film star. "Did he really do that?"asked someone from the International News Department. "Yes, I' m afraid he did," ZhouYang answered. He set to work.His first task was to write his story, but he had to do it carefully. Althoughhe realized the man had been lying, Zhou Yang knew he must not accuse him directly.He would have to be accurate. Concise too! He knew how to do that. Months of traininghad taught him to write with no wasted words or phrases. He sat down at his computer and began to work.The first person who saw his article was a senior editor from his department.He checked the evidence, read the article and passed it on to the copy-editor. She began to edit the piece and design the main headline and smaller heading. ¡°This will look very good on the page,¡± she said. "Where is a g ood picture of this man?" Then as the article was going to be written in English Zhou Yang also took a copy to the native speaker employed by the newspaperto polish the style. She was also very happy with Zhou Yang's story. "You are really able to write a good front page article," she said. Zhou Yang smiled with happiness. Last of all, the chief editor read it and approved it. "Well done," he said to Zhou Yang. "But please show me your evidence so we're sure we've got our facts straight.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll bring it to you immediately," said Zhou Yang excitedly.The news desk editor took the story and began to work on all the stories and photos until all the pages were set. All the information was then ready to be processed into film negatives. This was the first stage of the printing process. They needed four negatives, as several colours were going to be used on the story. Each of the main colours had one negative sheet and when they were combined they made a coloured page for the newspaper. After one last check the page was ready to be printed. Zhou Yang waited excitedly for the first copies to be ready. "Wait 611 tonight," his friend whispered. "I expect there will be something about this on the television news. A real scoop!"Unit 5 First aidFIRST AID FOR BURNSThe skin is an essential part of your body and its largest organ. You havethree layers of skin which act as a barrier against disease, poisons and the sun'sharmful rays. The functions of your skin are also very complex: it keeps you warmor cool; it prevents your body from losing too much water; it is where you feel cold,heat or pain and it gives you your sense of touch. So as you can imagine, if yourskin gets burned it can be very serious. First aid is a very important first stepin the treatment of bums.Causes of burnsYou can get burned by a variety of things: hot liquids, steam, fire, radiation (by being close to high heat or fire, etc), the sun, electricity or chemicals.Types of burnsThere are three types of burns. Burns are called first, second or third degreeburns, depending on which layers of the skin are burned.●First degree burns These affect only the top layer of the skin.These burnsare not serious and should feel better within a day or two. Examples include mild sunburn and burns caused by touching a hot pan, stove or iron for a mordent.●Second degree burns These affect both the top and the second layerof the skin.These bums are serious and take a few weeks to heal. Examples include severe sunburn and bums caused by hot liquids.●Third degree burns These affect all three layers of the skin andany tissue and organs under the skin. Examples include burns causedby electric shocks, burning clothes, or severe petrol fires. Theseburns cause very severe injuries and the victim must go to hospitalat once.Characteristics of burnsFirst degree burns●dry, red and mildly swollen●mildly painful●turn white when pressedSecond degree burns●rough, red and swollen●blisters●watery surface●extremely painfulThird degree burns●black and white and charred●swollen; often tissue under them canbe seen●little or no pain if nerves aredamaged; may be pain around edge ofinjured area.First aid treatment1Remove clothing using scissors if necessary unless it is stuck to the burn.Take off other clothing and jewellery near the burn.2 Cool burns immediately with cool but not icy water. It is best to place burnsunder gently running water for about 10 minutes. (The cool water stops the burning process, prevents the pain becoming unbearable and reduces swelling.) Do not put cold water on third degree burns.3 For first degree burns, place cool, clean, wet cloths on them until the painis not so bad. For second degree burns, keep cloths cool by putting them back ina basin of cold water, squeezing them out and placing them on the burnedarea over and over again for about an hour until the pain is not so bad.4 Dry the burned area gently. Do not rob, as this may break any blisters and thewound may get infected.5 Cover the burned area with a dry, clean bandage that will not stick to the skin.Hold the bandage in place with tape. Never put butter, oil or ointment on bums asthey keep the heat in the wounds and may cause infection.6 If bums are on arms or legs, keep them higher than the heart, if possible. Ifbums are on the face, the victim should sit up.7 If the injuries are second or third degree bums, it is vital to get the victimto the doctor or hospital at once.HEROIC TEENAGER RECEIVES AWARDSeventeen-year-old teenager, John Janson, was honoured at the Lifesaver Awards last night in Rivertown for giving lifesaving first aid on his neighbour after a shocking knife attack.John was presented with his award at a ceremony which recognized the bravery of ten people who had saved the life of another.John was studying in his room when he heard screaming. When he and his father rushed outside, a man ran from the scene. They discovered that Anne Slade, mother of three, had been stabbed repeatedly with a knife. She was lying in her front garden bleeding very heavily. Her hands had almost been cut off.It was John's quick action and knowledge of first aid that saved Ms Slade'slife. He immediately asked a number of nearby people for bandages, but when nobodycould put their hands on any, his father got some tea towels and tape from their house.John used these to treat the most severe injuries to Ms Slade's hands. He slowed thebleeding by applying pressure to the wounds until the police and ambulance arrived."I'm proud of what I did but I was just doing what I'd been taught," John said.John had taken part in the Young Lifesaver Scheme at his high school. When congratulating John, Mr Alan Southerton, Director of the Young Lifesaver Scheme said, "There is no doubt that John's quick thinking and the first aid skills he learned at school saved Ms Slade's life. It shows that a knowledge of first aid can make a real difference."Before receiving their awards last night, John and the nine other Life Savers attended a special reception yesterday hosted by the Prime Minister.（注：可编辑下载，若有不当之处，请指正，谢谢!）。

高中英语必修五课文(总9页)--本页仅作为文档封面，使用时请直接删除即可----内页可以根据需求调整合适字体及大小---必修5Unit 2 The United KingdomReadingPUZZLES IN GEOGRAPHYPeople may wonder why different words are used to describe these four countries: England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. You can clarify this question if you study British history. First there was England. Wales was linked to it in the thirteenth century. Now when people refer to England you find Wales included as well. Next England and Wales were joined to Scotland in the seventeenth century and the name was changed to "Great Britain". Happily this was accomplished without conflict when King James of Scotland became King of England and Wales as well. Finally the English government tried in the early twentieth century to form the United Kingdom by getting Ireland connected in the same peaceful way. However, the southern part of Ireland was unwilling and broke away to form its own government. So only Northern Ireland joined with England, Wales and Scotland to become the United Kingdom and this was shown to the world in a new flag called the Union Jack.To their credit the four countries do work together in some areas (eg, the currency and international relations), but they still have very different institutions. For example, Northern Ireland, England and Scotland have different educational and legal systems as well as different football teams for competitions like the World Cup!England is the largest of the four countries, and for convenience it is divided roughly into three zones. The zone nearest France is called the South of England, the middle zone is called the Midlands and the one nearest to Scotland is known as the North. You find most of the population settled in the south, but most of the industrial cities in the Midlands and the North of England. Although, nationwide, these cities are not as large as those in China, they have world-famous football teams and some of them even have two! It is a pity that the industrial cities built in the nineteenth century do not attract visitors. For historical architecture you have to go to older but smaller towns built by the Romans. There you will find out more about British history and culture.The greatest historical treasure of all is London with its museums, art collections, theatres, parks and buildings. It is the centre of national government and its administration. It has the oldest port built by the Romans in the first century AD, the oldest building begun by the Anglo-Saxons in the 1060s and the oldest castle constructed by later Norman rulers in 1066. There has been four sets of invaders of England. The first invaders, the Romans, left their towns and roads. The second, the Anglo-Saxons, left their language and their government. The third, the Vikings, influenced the vocabulary and place-names of the North of England, and the fourth, the Normans, left castles and introduced new words for food.If you look around the British countryside you will find evidence of all these invaders. You must keep your eyes open if you are going to make your trip to the United Kingdom enjoyable and worthwhile.Using LanguageSIGHTSEEING IN LONDONWorried about the time available, Zhang Pingyu had made a list of the sites she wanted to see in London. Her first delight was going to the Tower. It was built long ago by the Norman invaders of AD 1066. Fancy! This solid stone, square tower had remained standing for one thousand the buildings had expanded around it, it remained part of a royal palace and prison combined. To her great surprise, Zhang Pingyu found the Queen's jewels guarded by special royal soldiers who, on special occasions, still wore the four-hundred-year-old uniform of the time of Queen Elizabeth I.There followed St Paul's Cathedral built after the terrible fire of London in 1666. It looked splendid when first built! Westminster Abbey, too, was very interesting. It contained statues in memory of dead poets and writers, such as Shakespeare. Then just as she came out of the abbey, Pingyu heard the famous sound of the clock, Big Ben, ringing out the hour. She finished the day by looking at the outside of Buckingham Palace, the Queen's house in London. Oh, she had so much to tell her friends!The second day the girl visited Greenwich and saw its old ships and famous clock that sets the world time. What interested her most was the longitude line. It is an imaginary line dividing the eastern and western halves of the world and is very useful for navigation. It passes through Greenwich, so Pingyu had a photo taken standing on either side of the line. The last day she visited Karl Marx's statue in Highgate Cemetery. It seemed strange that the man who had developed communism should have lived and died in London. Not only that, but he had worked in the famous reading room of the Library of the British Museum. Sadly the library had moved from its original place into another building and the old reading room was gone. But she was thrilled by so many wonderful treasures from different cultures displayed in the museum. When she saw many visitors enjoying looking at the beautiful old Chinese pots and other objects on show, she felt very proud of her country.The next day Pingyu was leaving London for Windsor Castle. "Perhaps I will see the Queen" she wondered as she fell asleep.Task2: Read the passage and answer these questions:1. Who built the Tower of London When was it built2. Who guarded the Queen’s jewels What kind of clothes did they wear3. When was St Paul’s Cathedral built4. What did Westminster Abby contain5. Did she visit the Big Ben?6. How did Zhang Pingyu finish the first day in London7. What could Pingyu see in Greenwich?8. What interested her most in Greenwich What kind of line is it9. Which places did she visit on the third day?10. What seemed strange to her?11. What made her thrilled?Unit 3 Life in the futureReadingFIRST IMPRESSIONSSpacemall 15/11/3008 (Earthtime)Dear Mum and Dad,I still cannot believe that I am taking up this prize that I won last year. I have to remind myself constantly that I am really in AD 3008. Worried about the journey, I was unsettled for the firstfew days. As a result, I suffered from “Time lag”. This is similar to the “jet lag” you get from flying, but it seems you keep getting flashbacks from your previous time period. So I was very nervous and uncertain at first. However, my friend and guide, Wang Ping, was very understanding and gave me some green tablets which helped a lot. Well-known for their expertise, his parents' company, called "Future Tours", transported me safely into the future in a time capsule.I can still remember the moment when the space stewardess called us all to the capsule and we climbed in through a small opening. The seats were comfortable and after a calming drink, we felt sleepy and closed our eyes. The capsule began swinging gently sideways as we lay relaxed and dreaming. A few minutes later, the journey was completed and we had arrived. I was still on the earth but one thousand years in the future. What would I find?At first my new surroundings were difficult to tolerate. The air seemed thin, as though its combination of gases had little oxygen left. Hit by a lack of fresh air, my head ached. Just as I tried to make the necessary adjustment to this new situation, Wang Ping appeared. "Put on this mask," he advised. "It'll make you feel much better." He handed it to me and immediately hurried me through to a small room nearby for a rest. I felt better in no time. Soon I was back on my feet again and following him to collect a hovering carriage driven by computer. These carriages float above the ground and by bending or pressing down in your seat, you can move swiftly. Wang Ping fastened my safety belt and showed me how to use it. Soon I could fly as fast as him. However, I lost sight of Wang Ping when we reached what looked like a large market because of too many carriages flying by in all directions. He was swept up into the centre of them. Just at that moment I had a "time lag" flashback and saw the area again as it had been in the year AD 2008. I realized that I had been transported into the future of what was still my hometown! Then I caught sight of Wang Ping again and flew after him. Arriving at a strange-looking house, he showed me into a large, bright clean room. It had a green wall, a brown floor and soft lighting. Suddenly the wall moved - it was made of trees! I found later that their leaves provided the room with much-needed oxygen. Then Wang Ping flashed a switch on a computer screen, and a table and some chairs rose from under the floor as if by magic. "Why not sit down and eat a little" he said. "You may find this difficult as it is your first time travel trip. Just relax, since there is nothing planned on the timetable today. Tomorrow you'll be ready for some visits." Having said this, he spread some food on the table, and produced a bed from the floor. After he left, I had a brief meal and a hot bath. Exhausted, I slid into bed and fell fast asleep.More news later from your loving son,Li QiangUsing LanguageI HAVE SEEN AMAZING THINGSMy first visit was to a space station considered the most modem in space. Described as an enormous round plate, it spins slowly in space to imitate the pull of the earth's gravity. Inside was an exhibition of the most up-to-date inventions of the 31 st century. A guide (G) showed us around along a moveable path.G: Good morning to all our visitors from 2008. First we're going to examine one of the latest forms of communication among our space citizens. No more typists working on atypewriter or computer! No more postage or postcodes! Messages can now be sentusing a "thoughtpad". You place the metal band over your head, clear your mind, press the sending button, think your message and the next instant it's sent. It's stored on the "thoughtpad" of the receiver. It's quick, efficient and environmentally friendly. The only limitation is if the user does not think his or her message clearly, an unclear message may be sent. But we cannot blame the tools for the faults of the user, can we?During the explanation I looked at the pair of small objects called "thoughtpads" on a table. They just looked like metal ribbons. So ordinary but so powerful! While I was observing them, the path moved us on.G: And now ladies and gentlemen, we are in the "environment area". People used to collect waste in dustbins. Then the rubbish was sent to be buried or burned, am I fight (Wenodded.) Well, now there's a system where the waste is disposed of using the principles of ecology. A giant machine, always greedy for more, swallows all the waste available.The rubbish is turned into several grades of useful material, such as "fertilizer" for the fields and "soil" for deserts. Nothing is wasted, and everything, even plastic bags, isrecycled. A great idea, isn't' itI stared at the moving model of the waste machine, absorbed by its efficiency. But again we moved on.G: Our third stop shows the changes that have happened to work practices. Manufacturing no longer takes place on the earth but on space stations like this one. A group ofengineers programme robots to perform tasks in space. The robots produce goodssuch as drugs, clothes, furniture, hovering carriages, etc. There is no waste, no pollution and no environmental damage! However, the companies have to train theirrepresentatives to live and work in space settlements. They have to monitor the robots and the production. When the goods are ready they're transported by industrialspaceship back to earth.My mind began to wander. What job would I do My motivation increased as I thought of the wonderful world of the future.Unit 4 Making the newsReadingMY FIRST WORK ASSIGNMENT"Unforgettable", says new journalistNever will Zhou Yang (ZY) forget his first assignment at the office of a popular English newspaper. His discussion with his new boss, Hu Xin (HX), was to strongly influence his life as a journalist.HX: Welcome. We're delighted you're coming to work with us. Your first job here will be an assistant journalist. Do you have any questions?ZY: Can I go out on a story immediately?HX: (laughing) That' s admirable, but I' m afraid it would be unusual ! Wait till you' re more experienced. First we'll put you as an assistant to an experienced journalist. Later you can cover a story and submit the article yourself.ZY: Wonderful. What do I need to take with me I already have a notebook and camera. HX: No need for a camera. You'll have a professional photographer with you to take photographs. You'll find your colleagues very eager to assist you, so you may be able to concentrate on photography later if you' re interested.ZY: Thank you. Not only am I interested in photography, but I took an amateur course at university to update my skills.HX: Good.ZY: What do I need to remember when I go out to cover a story?HX: You need to be curious. Only if you ask many different questions will you acquire all the information you need to know. We say a good journalist must have a good "nose" fora story. That means you must be able to assess when people are not telling the wholetroth and then try to discover it. They must use research to inform themselves of the missing parts of the story.ZY: What should I keep in mind?HX: Here comes my list of dos and don'ts: don't miss your deadline, don't be rode, don't talk too much, but make sure you listen to the interviewee carefully.ZY: Why is listening so important?HX: Well, you have to listen for detailed facts. Meanwhile you have to prepare the next question depending on what the person says.ZY: But how can I listen carefully while taking notes?HX: This is a trick of the trade, If the interviewee agrees, you can use a recorder to get the facts straight. It's also useful if a person wants to challenge you. You have the evidence to support your story.ZY: I see! Have you ever had a case where someone accused your journalists of getting the wrong end of the stick?HX: Yes, but it was a long time ago. This is how the story goes. A footballer was accused of taking money for deliberately not scoring goals so as to let the other team win. Wewent to interview him. He denied taking money but we were sceptical. So we arranged an interview between the footballer and the man supposed to bribe him. When wesaw them together we guessed from the footballer's body language that he was nottelling the truth. So we wrote an article suggesting he was guilty. It was a dilemmabecause the footballer could have demanded damages if we were wrong. He tried to stop us publishing it but later we were proved right.ZY: Wow! That was a real "scoop". I'm looking forward to my first assignment now. Perhaps I'll get a scoop too!HX: Perhaps you will. You never know.Using LanguageGETTING THE "SCOOP""Quick," said the editor. "Get that story ready. We need it in this edition to be ahead of the other newspapers. This is a scoop." Zhou Yang had just come back into the office after an interview with a famous film star. "Did he really do that" asked someone from the International News Department. "Yes, I' m afraid he did," Zhou Yang answered. He set to work.His first task was to write his story, but he had to do it carefully. Although he realized the man had been lying, Zhou Yang knew he must not accuse him directly. He would have to be accurate. Concise too! He knew how to do that. Months of training had taught him to write with no wasted words or phrases. He sat down at his computer and began to work.The first person who saw his article was a senior editor from his department. He checked the evidence, read the article and passed it on to the copy-editor. She began to edit the piece and design the main headline and smaller heading. “This will look very good on t he page,” she said. "Where is a good picture of this man" Then as the article was going to be written in English Zhou Yang also took a copy to the native speaker employed by the newspaper to polish the style. She was also very happy with Zhou Yang's story. "You are really able to write a good front page article," she said. Zhou Yang smiled with happiness. Last of all, the chief editor read it and approved it. "Well done," he said to Zhou Yang. "But please show me your evidence so we're sure we've got our fa cts straight.” “I’ll bring it to you immediately," said Zhou Yang excitedly.The news desk editor took the story and began to work on all the stories and photos until all the pages were set. All the information was then ready to be processed into film negatives. This was the first stage of the printing process. They needed four negatives, as several colours were going to be used on the story. Each of the main colours had one negative sheet and when they were combined they made a coloured page for the newspaper. After one last check the page was ready to be printed. Zhou Yang waited excitedly for the first copies to be ready. "Wait 611 tonight," his friend whispered. "I expect there will be something about this on the television news. A real scoop!"Unit 5 First aidReadingFIRST AID FOR BURNSThe skin is an essential part of your body and its largest organ. You have three layers of skin which act as a barrier against disease, poisons and the sun's harmful rays. The functions of your skin are also very complex: it keeps you warm or cool; it prevents your body from losing too much water; it is where you feel cold, heat or pain and it gives you your sense of touch. So as you can imagine, if your skin gets burned it can be very serious. First aid is a very important first step in the treatment of bums.Causes of burnsYou can get burned by a variety of things: hot liquids, steam, fire, radiation (by being close to high heat or fire, etc), the sun, electricity or chemicals.Types of burnsThere are three types of burns. Burns are called first, second or third degree burns, depending onwhich layers of the skin are burned.◎ First degree burns These affect only the top layer of the skin. These burns are not serious and should feel better within a day or two. Examples include mild sunburn and burns caused by touching a hot pan, stove or iron for a mordent.◎ Second degree burns These affect both the top and the second layer of the skin. These bums are serious and take a few weeks to heal. Examples include severe sunburn and bums caused by hot liquids.◎ Third degree burns These affect all three layers of the skin and any tissue and organs under the skin. Examples include burns caused by electric shocks, burning clothes, or severe petrol fires. These burns cause very severe injuries and the victim must go tohospital at once.Characteristics of burnsFirst degree burns◎ dry, red and mildly swollen◎ mildly painful◎turn white when pressedSecond degree burns◎ rough, red and swollen◎ blisters◎ watery surface◎ extremely painfulThird degree burns◎ black and white and charred◎ swollen; often tissue under them can be seen◎ little or no pain if nerves are damaged; may be pain around edge ofinjured area.First aid treatment1 Remove clothing using scissors if necessary unless it is stuck to the burn. Take off other clothing and jewellery near the burn.2 Cool burns immediately with cool but not icy water. It is best to place burns under gently running water for about 10 minutes. (The cool water stops the burning process, prevents the pain becoming unbearable and reduces swelling.) Do not put cold water on third degree burns.3 For first degree burns, place cool, clean, wet cloths on them until the pain is not so bad. For second degree burns, keep cloths cool by putting them back in a basin of cold water, squeezing them out and placing them on the burned area over and over again for about an hour until the pain is not so bad.4 Dry the burned area gently. Do not rob, as this may break any blisters and the wound may get infected.5 Cover the burned area with a dry, clean bandage that will not stick to the skin. Hold the bandage in place with tape. Never put butter, oil or ointment on bums as they keep the heat in the wounds and may cause infection.6 If bums are on arms or legs, keep them higher than the heart, if possible. If bums are on the face, the victim should sit up.7 If the injuries are second or third degree bums, it is vital to get the victim to the doctor or hospital at once.Using LanguageHEROIC TEENAGER RECEIVES AWARDSeventeen-year-old teenager, John Janson, was honoured at the Lifesaver Awards last night in Rivertown for giving lifesaving first aid on his neighbour after a shocking knife attack.John was presented with his award at a ceremony which recognized the bravery of ten people who had saved the life of another.John was studying in his room when he heard screaming. When he and his father rushed outside, a man ran from the scene. They discovered that Anne Slade, mother of three, had been stabbed repeatedly with a knife. She was lying in her front garden bleeding very heavily. Her hands had almost been cut off.It was John's quick action and knowledge of first aid that saved Ms Slade's life. He immediately asked a number of nearby people for bandages, but when nobody could put their hands on any, his father got some tea towels and tape from their house. John used these to treat the most severe injuries to Ms Slade's hands. He slowed the bleeding by applying pressure to the wounds until the police and ambulance arrived."I'm proud of what I did but I was just doing what I'd been taught," John said.John had taken part in the Young Lifesaver Scheme at his high school. When congratulating John, Mr Alan Southerton, Director of the Young Lifesaver Scheme said, "There is no doubt that John's quick thinking and the first aid skills he learned at school saved Ms Slade's life. It shows that a knowledge of first aid can make a real difference."Before receiving their awards last night, John and the nine other Life Savers attended a special reception yesterday hosted by the Prime Minister.11。

《高中英语课文文本》一、课文内容概述1. 《The Gift of the Magi》：讲述了一对年轻夫妇为了给对方买礼物，不惜卖掉自己最珍贵的东西。

这个故事传递了爱与牺牲的精神，让学生在阅读中感受人性的美好。

2. 《The Old Man and the Sea》：海明威的经典作品，讲述了一个老渔夫与一条大马林鱼搏斗的故事。

课文通过描绘老渔夫的坚韧不拔，传递了勇敢面对困难、永不放弃的精神。

3. 《The Million Pound Bank Note》：讲述了一个美国人如何在英国凭借一张百万英镑的钞票，赢得尊重和信任的故事。

课文揭示了金钱与道德的关系，引导学生正确看待金钱。

4. 《Robinson Crusoe》：丹尼尔·笛福的经典之作，讲述了主人公鲁滨逊漂流到一个荒岛，独自生活28年的故事。

课文展示了人类在面对困境时的顽强生存意志。

5. 《A Tale of Two Cities》：查尔斯·狄更斯的著名小说，以法国大革命为背景，讲述了两个城市、两个家庭的故事。

课文通过对比，展现了人性的善恶与命运的无常。

二、课文特点1. 语言地道：高中英语课文文本选材广泛，涉及不同国家的文化背景，为学生提供了地道的英语表达。

2. 贴近生活：课文内容与学生的生活实际紧密相关，便于学生理解和运用。

3. 寓教于乐：课文故事性强，情节引人入胜，让学生在轻松愉快的氛围中学习英语。

4. 思想性强：课文蕴含丰富的人生哲理，有助于培养学生正确的价值观和人生观。

5. 难度适中：课文难度循序渐进，符合学生的认知规律，助力学生提高英语水平。

《高中英语课文文本》三、课文教学目标1. 提升语言能力：通过学习课文，使学生能够熟练运用英语词汇和语法，提高英语表达能力。

2. 增强文化意识：让学生在了解不同文化背景的基础上，培养跨文化交际能力，拓宽国际视野。

3. 培养思维品质：引导学生深入剖析课文内容，锻炼批判性思维和创造性思维，提升问题解决能力。

八六版高中英语课文第一册LESSON 1 HOW MARX LEARNED FOREIGN LANGUAGES马克思怎样学习外语LESSON 2 AT HOME IN THE FUTURE未来的家LESSON 3 THE BLIND MEN AND THE ELEPHANT 盲人和象LESSON 4 GALILEO AND ARISTOTLE伽利略和亚里斯多德LESSON 5 THE LOST NECKLACE丢失的项链LESSON 6 ABRAHAM LINCOLN 亚伯拉罕·林肯LESSON 7 THE EMPEROR'S NEW CLOTHES皇帝的新装LESSON 8 THE EMPEROR'S NEW CLOTHES(Continued)皇帝的新装（续）LESSON 9 LADY SILKWORM蚕花娘子LESSON 10 THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA中国的万里长城LESSON 11 AT A TAILOR'S SHOP在服装店（选自《百万英镑》）LESSON 12 POLLUTION污染LESSON 13 THE FOOTPRINT脚印（选自《鲁滨逊漂流记》）LESSON 14 WATCHING ANTS观蚁LESSON 15 NAPOLEON'S THREE QUESTIONS拿破仑的三个问题LESSON 16 CONTINENTS AND OCEANS大陆和海洋LESSON 17 THE STORY OF WILLIAM TELL 威廉·泰尔的故事LESSON 18 A LITTLE HERO小英雄阅读：Merry Christmas圣诞快乐1. HOW TO USE AN ENGLISH DICTIONARY2. GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND3. THAT CRAZY TOWER IN PISA4. THE BEST ADVICE I EVER HAD5. THE FIRST TELEVISION6.THE BOYS BUILD A BRIDGELESSON 1 PORTRAIT OF A TEACHER一位教师的写照LESSON 2 THE TALLEST GRASS最高的草LESSON 3 ALL THESE THINGS ARE TO BE ANSWERED FOR所有这一切都是要偿还的（选自《双城记》）LESSON 4 ALL THESE THINGS ARE TO BE ANSWERED FOR(Continued)所有这一切都是要偿还的（续）LESSON 5 WINTER SLEEP冬眠LESSON 6 ALBERT EINSTEIN阿尔伯特·爱因斯坦LESSON 7 ALBERT EINSTEIN(Continued)阿尔伯特·爱因斯坦（续）LESSON 8 THE PROFESSOR AND HIS INVENTION教授和他的发明LESSON 9 SPORTS AND GAMES体育运动LESSON 10 THE LAST LESSON最后一课LESSON 11 THE LAST LESSON(Continued)最后一课（续）LESSON 12 WALKING IN SPACE太空行走LESSON 13 MADAME CURIE AND RADIUM居里夫人和镭LESSON 14 THE GIFTS礼物LESSON 15 THE GIFTS(Continued)礼物（续）LESSON 16 ADVENTURE ON HIGHWAY 6666号公路历险记VOCABULARYSUPPLIMENTARY READINGS1. THE LAST LEAF2. ESCAPE FROM THE ZOO3. ROBIN HOOD AND HIS MERRY MEN4. THE IMPORTANCE OF ENGLISH5. A THIRSTY WORLD6. HOW THE BODY CELLS LIVELESSON 1 PERSEVERANCE毅力LESSON 2 A GERMAN STAMP一张德国邮票LESSON 3 ON READING谈读书LESSON 4 THREE GOLD MEDALS FOR WILMA威尔玛的三枚金牌LESSON 5 THE SNAKE IN THE SLEEPING BAG睡袋里的蛇LESSON 6 MY TEACHER我的老师（选自海伦·凯勒《我的一生》）LESSON 7 THE TRIAL审判（选自《威尼斯商人》）LESSON 8 CHARLES DARWIN查尔斯·达尔文LESSON 9 THE LANGUAGE OF THE BEES蜜蜂的语言LESSON 10 THE SIXTH DIAMOND 第六颗钻石LESSON 11 A SPEECH BY NORMAN BETHUNE诺尔曼·白求恩的演讲LESSON 12 FROM THE JAWS OF DEATH绝处逢生VOCABULARYSUPPLIMENTARY READINGS1. FACE TO FACE WITH DANGER2. PAPER AND ITS USES3. STICK-UP4. THE EARTHWORM5. A GIFT FOR MOTHER'S DAY6. MYSTERIES OF MIGRATION7. SING FOR ME8. THE DOG THAT SET ME FREE9. TWO POEMS1、HOW MARX LEARNED FOREIGN LANGUAGESKarl Marx was born in Germany, and German was his native language. When he was still a young man, he was forced to leave his homeland for political reasons. He stayed in Belgium for a few years; then he went to France. Before long he had to move on again. In 1849, he went to England and made London the base for his revolutionary work.Marx had learned some French and English at school. When he got to England, he found that his English was too limited. He started working hard to improve it. He made such rapid progress that before long he began to write articles in English for an American newspaper. In fact, his English in one of these articles was so good that Engels wrote him a letter and praised him for it. Marx wrote back to say that Engels' praise had greatly encouraged him. However, he went on to explain that he was not too sure about two things--the grammar and some of the idioms.These letters were written in 1853. In the years that followed, Marx kept on studying English and using it. When he wrote one of his great works, The Civil War in France, he had mastered the language so well that he was bale to write the book in English.In the 1870's, when Marx was already in his fifties, he found it important to study the situation in Russia, so he began to learn Russian. At the end of six months he had learned enough to read articles and reports in Russian. In one of his books, Marx gave some advice on how to learn a foreign language. He said when a person is learning a foreign language; he must not always be translating everything into his own language. If he does this, it shows he has not mastered it. He must be able to use the foreign language, forgetting all about his own. If he can not do this, he has not really grasped the spirit of the foreign language and can not use it freely.2、AT HOME IN THE FUTUREA medical examination without a doctor or nurse in the room? Doing shopping at home? Borrowing books from the library without leaving your home?These ideas may seem strange to you. But scientists are working hard to turn them into realities.Let us suppose we can visit a home at the end of this century. We will visit a boy named Charlie Green. He is not feeling well this morning. His mother, Mrs Green, wants the doctor to see him. That is, she wants the doctor to listen to him. She brings a set of wires to Charlie's room. These wires are called sensors. She places one sensor in his mouth and one on his chest. She puts another one around his wrist and one on his forehead. Then she plugs the sensors into a wall outlet. She says the code "TCP". This means "telephone call placed." A little light flashes on the wall. The Green's wireless telephone is ready for a call.Mrs Green says "2478", the doctor's telephone number. From a speaker on the wall comes the doctor's voice: "Good morning.""Good morning, Dr Scott," answers Mrs Green. "Charlie isn't feeling too well this morning. I've put the sensors on him. I wonder if you can examine him now.""Sure," the doctor's voice says. "Well, he doesn't have a fever. And his pulse is fine. Now, breathe deeply, Charlie."Charlie does so."Just a little cold," says the doctor. "Better stay inside today, Charlie. And take it easy.""Thank you, Doctor," says Mrs Green. "TCC (telephone call completed)." The light on the wall turns off. The phone call and the examination are finished."Charlie," says Mrs Green," since you have to stay at home, why don't you do some shopping? You can pick out your new bicycle. After all, your birthday is only two weeks away.""Great," Charlie answers.Charlie and his mother sit in front of one of the vision phones. There are several in their house."TCP," says Charlie. The word ready appears on the screen of the vision phone."New Forest Bicycle Shop," a voice says. "May I help you?"Charlie answers, "I'd like to see your ten-speed bicycles."In the next few minutes, pictures of many models of the bicycles are flashed on the screen. The price of each model is also shown.Then the voice asks, "Are you interested in any of these models?""Yes, I'm interested in model 6.""Do you wish to place an order at this time?""Not just yet," answers Mrs Green. "My son's birthday is in two weeks' time. Thank you. TCC."The vision phone shuts off.Such would be our home in the future.2-1、A VISIT TO THE LIBRARY IN THE FUTUREThe shopping is finished. Charlie's parents tell him they have to go out for a little while. "Why don't you visit the library while we're out?" says Charlie's dad. "I know they have some new books on basket-ball, your favourite game."Charlie goes to one of the visionphones. He places a call to the library. He asks to see one of the new books on basket-ball.Basket-ball Giant, the name of the book, is flashed on the screen. "Turn," says Charlie. The first page of the book is shown on the screen. Then the second, and the third. Charlie has read about fifty pages of it. Then he hears his mother's voice coming through a speaker on the wall. Charlie turns off the visionphone. He says hello to his mother."Where are you?" he adds."We're driving on the freeway," Mrs Green says. "This is taking a little more time than we thought. We won't be back until two o'clock. Better get some lunch for yourself.""What are you doing?" Charlie asks."We'll explain later," she says."O.K." says Charlie.3、The Blind Men and the ElephantOnce upon a time there were six blind men who lived in a village in India. Every daythey went to the road nearby and stood there begging. They had often heard of elephants, but they had never seen one, for, being blind, how could they?One morning an elephant was led down the road where they stood. When they heard that an elephant was passing by, they asked the driver to stop the beast so that they could have a "look".Of course they could not look at him with their eyes, but they thought they might learn what kind of animal he was by touching and feeling him. For, you see, they trusted their own sense of touch very much.The first blind man happened to place his hand on the elephant's side. "Well, well," he said. "This beast is exactly like a wall."The second grasped one of the elephant's tusks and felt it. "You're quite mistaken," he said. "He's round and smooth and sharp. He's more like a spear than anything else."The third happened to take hold of the elephant's trunk. "You're both completely wrong," he said. "This elephant is like a snake, as anybody can see."The fourth opened both his arms and closed them round one of the elephant's legs. "Oh, how blind you are!" he cried. "It's very clear that he's round and tall like a tree."The fifth was a very tall man, and he caught hold of one of the elephant's ears. "Even the blindest person must see that this elephant isn't like any of the things you name," he said. "He's exactly like a huge fan."The sixth man went forward to feel the elephant. He was old and slow and it took him quite some time to find the elephant at all. At last he got hold of the beast's tail. "Oh, how silly you all are!" cried he. "The elephant isn't like a wall, or a spear, or a snake, or a tree; neither is he like a fan. Any man with eyes in his head can see thathe's exactly like a rope."Then the driver and the elephant moved on, and the six men sat by the roadside all day, quarrelling about the elephant. They could not agree with one another, because each believed that he knew just what the beast looked like.It is not only blind men who make such stupid mistakes. People who can see sometimes act just as foolishly.4、GALILEO AND ARISTOTLEAbout 2300 years ago, there lived in Greece a great thinker named Aristotle. He observed that feathers fell to the ground slowly, while stones fell much faster. He thought it over carefully and concluded that heavy objects always fell faster than light ones. His conclusion certainly sounded reasonable. But we now know that it is not true.In those days people seldom did experiments to test their ideas. When they observed anything that happened, they thought about it and then drew a conclusion. Once Aristotle made up his mind that heavy objects always fell faster than light objects, he taught it as a truth to his students. And because he was Aristotle, the great thinker, no one questioned his idea for almost 2000 years.Then, almost 400 years ago, an Italian scientist named Galileo began to question Aristotle's theory of falling objects. He was not ready to believe something just because Aristotle said so. He decided to do some experiments to test Aristotle's theory.Galileo lived in the city of Pisa, where there is a leaning tower about 180 feet high. From the top of the tower Galileo dropped a light ball and a heavy ball at exactly the same time. They both fell at about the same speed and hit the ground together. He tried the experiments again and again. Every time he got the same result. At last, he decided that he had found the truth about falling objects. As we know now, heavy objects and light objects fall at the same speed unless air holds them back. A feather falls slower than a stone only because the air holds the feather back more than it does the stone.When Galileo told people of his discovery, no one would believe him. But Galileo was not discouraged. He went on doing experiments to test the truth of other old ideas. He built a telescope through which he could study the skies. He collected facts that proved the earth and all the other planets move around the sun.Today we praise Galileo and call him one of the founders of modern science. He observed things carefully and never took anything for granted. Instead, he did experiments to test and prove an idea before he was ready to accept it.An experiment was done on the moon in July, 1971. One of the US astronauts who made the first deep space walk on the moon dropped a hammer and a feather together. They both landed on the surface of the moon at the same time. This experiment proved that Galileo's theory of falling objects is true.4-1、PENICILLINIf you leave a piece of bread in a warm damp place, mould will soon grow on it. When this happens, we say the bread "has gone mouldy". Mould can grow on all kinds of things besides food. It grows from spores which are in the air. If the conditions are right, a spore can quickly get around and form a mould. This happens quite commenly. We have all probably seen it.In 1928, Sir Alexander Fleming found that mould had killed some germs he was trying to grow in his lab. If he had not noticed this, the world would have lost one of the greatest discoveries of the century. Fleming called the substance "penicillin".Because penicillin can kill germs, doctors use it to treat diseases. It has saved millions oflives. Scientists grow large quantities of common mould so that they can get penicillin from it in order to make antibiotics, that is, substances that kill germs. Next time you see some mould on a piece of bread, remember that it is one of man's greatest friends!5、The Lost NecklacePlace: a park in ParisTime: a summer afternoon in 1870People: Mathilde Loisel, wife Pierre Loisel, husband(Jeanne is sitting in the park. Mathilde walks towards her, she stops and speaks to Jeanne.) Mathilde: Good afternoon, Jeanne.Jeanne : (Looking at the other woman) I’m sorry, but I don，t think I know you. Mathilde: No, you wouldn’t but many years ago you knew me well. I，m Mathilde Loisel.Jeanne : Mathilde! My old school friend. Is it possible? But yes, of course it is .Now I remember. Where have you been all these years, Mathilde? I hope you were n’t ill . Mathilde: No, Jeanne, I was n’t ill . You see here an old woman. But it’s because of hard work—ten years of hard work.Jeanne : But I don，t understand, Mathilde . There，s only one year between us ; I’m thirty-five and you’re thirty-four. Can hard work change a person that much?Mathilde : Yes, it can . Years of hard work, little food, only a cold room to live in and never, never a moment to rest. That has been my life for these past ten years.Jeanne : Mathilde! I did n’t know. I’m sorry. But what happened?Mathilde: Well, I would rather not tell you.Jeanne : Oh , come, Mathilde. Surely you can tell an old friend.Mathilde: Well, …Well, it was all because of that neckla ce . Your necklace.Jeanne : My necklace ?Mathilde: Do you remember one afternoon ten years ago when I came to your house and borrowed a diamond necklace?Jeanne : Let me think . Ten years ago … Oh, yes, I remember. You were going to the palace with your husband, I think.Mathilde: Right. Pierre was working in a government office, and for the first time in our lives we were invited to an important ball.(The scene changes to that evening in the home of Pierre and Mathilde Loisel.)Pierre : Yes , Mathilde, we，re going to the ball, the palace ball !Mathilde: I can，t believe it!Pierre : But it，s true.Mathilde: Oh, Pierre, how wonderful! But I haven，t got a dress for the ball !Pierre : What does a new evening dress cost?Mathilde: About four hundred francs.Pierre : Four hundred ! That，s a lot of money . But perhaps, just this once, we’ll use what we have to get a new dress for you. This ball is very important to me. I was the onlyperson in my office who was invited.Mathilde: Thank you, Pierre, you，re so kind. Oh! But there，s one other thing…Pierre : What is it, Mathilde?Mathilde: I…I have no jewelry .Pierre ：Jewelry? Do you need jewelry? Why not just a flower?Mathilde: To go to the palace with just a flower is to say “I’m poor . I haven’t got any jew elry.”Pierre : Can’t you borrow some jewelry from a friend , Mathilde ?Mathilde: Which friend ? My friends are all poor, too.Pierre : Let me think . How about Jeanne? She married well. Perhaps she has some. Mathilde: Ah, yes, Jeanne. She married a ma n with a lot of money. I’ll go and see her on Friday, after I get the new dress.Pierre : I，m sure she has something you can borrow.(The scene changes back to the park. Mathilde continues to tell Jeanne her story.)Mathilde: One Friday I came to see you, Jeanne. Remember?Jeanne : Yes , Mathilde, I remember.Mathilde: You were very kind. You brought out your jewelry and told me to take anything I wanted.Jeanne : (Smiling) You were like a little girl. Your eyes became so big.Mathilde: There were so many things and they were all beautiful. It was hard to choose. Jeanne : Until you saw the diamond necklace.Mathilde: Yes, and then I knew I wanted to borrow the necklace. I didn’t want anything else , only the necklace.Jeanne : I，m sure you looked beautiful that evening, Mathilde. You were always a very pretty girl.Mathilde: Perhaps in those days I was, but everything changed after that night at the palace. Jeanne : Didn’t you have a good time at the ball ?Mathilde: Yes, a very good time, but that was the last time…the last happy evening for the next ten years.Jeanne : But why , Mathilde?Mathilde: On the way home I looked down at my dress and saw that the necklace was gone. I told Pierre. We returned to the palace and looked in every room, but couldn’t find it.I never saw your necklace again, Jeanne.Jeanne : But Mathilde, you brought it back to me the next afternoon. I remember very well. Mathilde: Yes, Jeanne, I brought a necklace to you. It was exactly like your necklace but it wasa different one. I hope it was as good as the one you lent me. It cost us thirty-sixthousand francs.Jeanne : Thirty-six thousand !Mathilde: Yes, Pierre and I borrowed the money and bought it. During the next ten years we both worked night and day to pay for it. That is why you see this old woman beforeyou now, Jeanne. Well, after all these years we’ve at last paid off all our debts. Jeanne : But Mathilde, my dear friend, that wasn’t a real diamond necklace you borrowed from me. It was made of glass. It was worth five hundred francs at the most.5-1、THE VAIN STAGOne hot day a big stag that had a pair of very large antlers stood on the bank of a river. He was thirsty and went down to the water to drink. Suddenly he saw his reflection in the water. He was very pleased with what he saw. “Oh,” he said. “What a beautiful pair of antlers I’ve got! How fine my head is! How proud I look! Nobody has such beautiful antlers as I have. Perhaps some people will say that my antlers are too b ig, but I don’t think so. I like them very much.” And the vain stag looked again at his reflection in the water.Suddenly he heard the barking of dogs. Three hunters and their dogs came out of the forest. The stag ran across the field into the forest. He was already far from the dogs, but he caught hisantlers in the branches of some low trees and could not get away.The dogs ran up to him and pulled him to the ground. Then the hunters came up and killed him.6、ABRAHAM LINCOLNAbraham Lincoln, the son of a poor family, was born in Kentucky on February 12, 1809. He spent his childhood in hard work, helping his father on their small farm. His mother, who he loved dearly, died in 1818. Happily for him, his father' s second wife was kind to him too. When she saw that Abraham liked reading, she did all she could to help him. But the family was poor and the boy could not get many books. Abraham Lincoln later said himself that he only went to school a little now and little then. His whole school education added up to no more than one year.As a young man he was a storekeeper and later a postmaster. He studied law in his spare time and became a lawyer. He was active in politics and strongly against slavery. In all his political life, he thought of building a free state for all the people.In 1860, Abraham Lincoln was elected President of the United States. Then he worked still harder for freedom for the slaves. Soon the Southern states rebelled. They set up a state of their own, where they would be free to keep Negroes as slaves. Lincoln said that it was not right for the south to break away from the Union. Fighting broke out between the North and the South. This was the American Civil War. The war lasted four years before the North won in the end. The nation was reunited and the slaves were set free.In 1864, Lincoln was elected President of the United States for the second time. But his enemies, the slave owners in the South and the bankers in big cities, who had grown rich on the work of the slaves, could not let Lincoln continue his work. He, who led the United States through these years, was shot on April 14, 1865, at a theatre in Washington, D.C. and died early the next morning. The whole nation was in deep sorrow at this news, for the people had come to love him as an inspiring leader, and a wise, warm-hearted, honest man.About seventeen months before his death, at the opening of a memorial to the many men who lost their lives fighting for the freedom of the Negroes, Abraham Lincoln told his people that the living must finish the work of those dead; that they must fight for freedom forall-Negroes and whites; that America must strengthen government of the people, by the people and for the people.Today, Abraham Lincoln is regarded as one of the greatest of all American presidents.6-1、GEORGE WASHINGTON AND HIS HATCHETWhen George Washington was quite a little boy，his father gave him a hatchet. It was bright and new，and George took great delight in going about and chopping things with it.He ran into the garden，and there he saw a tree which seemed to say to him，“Come and cut me down！”George had often seen his father's men chop down great trees in the forest，and he thought that it would be fine sport to see this tree fall with a crash to the ground. So he set to work with his little hatchet，and，as the tree was a very small one，it did not take long to chop it down.Soon after that，his father came home.“Who cut my fine young cherry tree？”he cried.“It was the only tree of this kind in this country，and it cost me a great deal of money.”He was very angry when he came into the house.“If only I knew who killed that cherry tree，”he cried，“I would ... yes，I would ...”“Father！”cried little George.“I chopped the tree down with my hatchet.”His father forgot his anger.“George，”he said，and he took the little fellow in his arms，“George，I am glad that you told me about it. I would rather lose a dozen cherry trees than that you should tell one lie.”7、8、THE EMPEROR'S NEW CLOTHESMany years ago there lived an Emperor, who cared more for fine new clothes than for anything else. He had different clothes for every hour of the day.One day two cheats came to see the Emperor. They called themselves weavers and said that they knew how to weave cloth of the most beautiful colors and designs in the world. They also said that the most interesting thing about the cloth was that clothes made of it would be invisible to anyone who was either stupid or unfit for his office."Ah, what splendid clothes!" thought the Emperor. "They are just what I shall have. When I put them on, I shall be able to find out which men in my empire are unfit for their offices. And I shall be able to tell who are wise and who are foolish. This cloth must be woven for me right away."The Emperor gave the cheats some gold in order that they might begin their work at once.So the two men set up two looms and pretended to be working very hard. They asked for the most beautiful silk and the best gold thread. This they kept for themselves. And then they went on with their work at the empty looms until late into the night.After some time had passed, the Emperor said to himself, "I wonder how the weavers are getting along with my cloth." Then he remembered that those who were either fools or unfit for their offices could not see the cloth. Though he believed that he ought to have nothing to fear for himself, he wanted someone else to look at the cloth first.The Emperor thought a while and decided to send his old Prime Minister to see the cloth. He thought the Prime Minister a wise, honest man who was more fit for his office than anyone else.So the old Prime Minister went into the hall where the cheats were working at the empty looms."God save me!" thought the old man, opening his eyes very wide. "I can't see anything atall." But he was careful not to say so.The men who were pretending to weave asked him to come closer. They pointed to the empty looms and asked him if he liked the design and the colors.The poor old Prime Minister opened his eyes wider, but he could see nothing on the looms."Dear me," he said to himself, "Am I foolish or unfit for my office? I must never tell anyone that I could not see the cloth.""Oh! it's most beautiful!" said the Prime Minister quickly. "The design and the colors! I will tell the Emperor how wonderful they are."The Emperor was pleased by what the Prime Minister told him about the cloth. Soon after, he sent another official to find out how soon the cloth would be ready. The same thing happened. The official could see nothing, but he sang high praise for the cloth. When he got back, he told the Emperor that the cloth was beautiful indeed.All the people in the city were now talking about this wonderful cloth which the Emperor had ordered to be woven for so much money. And they were eager to know how wise or foolish their friends and neighbors might be.Now at last the Emperor wished to go himself and see the cloth while it was still on the looms. He took with him a few of his officials, including the old Prime Minister and the official who had already been there.As soon as the weavers heard the Emperor coming, they pretended to work harder than ever, though they were not weaving a single thread through the empty looms."Isn't the cloth magnificent?" said the official and the Prime Minister. "What a splendid design! And what colors!" they said, while pointing to the empty looms. They thought that everyone else could see the wonderful work of the weavers though they could not see it themselves."What on earth can this mean?" said the Emperor to himself. "I don't see anything. This is horrible! But I mustn't let anyone know.""The cloth is beautiful," he cried out loud. "Beautiful! I am very pleased with it."The officials could see no more than the Emper or, but they all shouted, ‘Beautiful! Excellent! Magnificent!" and other such expressions. They told the Emperor that he should have new clothes made of this splendid cloth for the coming great procession.。

THE BLIND MEN AND THE ELEPHANTOnce upon a time, there were six blind men who lived in a village in India. Every day they went to the road nearby and stood there begging. They had often heard of elephants, but they had never seen one, for , being blind, how could they?One morning an elephant was led down the road where they stood. When they heard that an elephant was passing by, they asked the driver to stop the beast (野兽) so that they could have a "look".Of course, they could not look at him with their eyes, but they thought they might learn what kind of animal he was by touching and feeling him. For, you see, they trusted their own sense of touch very much.The first blind man happened to place his hand on the elephant's side. "Well, well, “he said. "This beast is exactly like a wall."The second grasped one of the elephant's tusks and felt it. "You're quite mistaken," he said. "He's round and smooth and sharp. He's more like a spear (矛) than anything else."The third happened to take hold of the elephant's trunk. "You're both completely wrong," he said. "This elephant is like a snake, as anybody can see."The fourth opened both his arms and closed them around one of the elephant's legs. "Oh, how blind you are!" he cried. "It's very clear that he's round and tall like a tree."The fifth was a very tall man, and he caught one of the elephant's ears. "Even the blindest person must see that this elephant isn't like any of the things you name." he said. "He's exactly like a huge fan."The sixth man went forward to feel the elephant. He was old and slow and it took him quite some time to find the elephant at all. At last he got hold of the beast's tail. "Oh, how silly you all are!" cried he. "The elephant isn't like a wall, or a spear, or a snake, or a tree; neither is he like a fan. Any man with eyes in his head can see that he's exactly like a rope."Then the driver and the elephant moved on, and the six men sat by the roadside all day, quarrelling about the elephant. They could not agree with one another, because each believed that he knew just what the beast looked like.It is not only blind men who make such stupid mistakes. People who can see sometimes act just as foolishly.THE EMPEROR'S NEW CLOTHES (Ⅰ)Many years ago, there lived an Emperor, who cared more for fine new clothes thanfor anything else. He had different clothes for every hour of the day.One day two cheats came to see the Emperor. They called themselves weavers (织布工) and said that they knew how to weave cloth of the most beautiful colors and designs in the world. They also said that the most interesting thing about the cloth was that clothes made of it would be invisible (看不见的) to anyone who was either stupid or unfit for his office."Ah, what splendid (辉煌的) clothes!" thought the Emperor. "They are just what I shall have. When I put them on, I shall be able to find out which men in my empire (帝国) are unfit for their offices. And I shall be able to tell who are wise and who are foolish. This cloth must be woven for me right away."The Emperor gave the cheats some gold in order that they might begin their work at once. So the two men set up two looms (织布机) and pretended to be working very hard. They asked for the most beautiful silk and the best gold thread. This they kept for themselves. And then they went on with their work at the empty looms until late into the night.After some time had passed, the Emperor said to himself, "I wonder how the weavers are getting along with my cloth." Then he remembered that those who were either fools or unfit for their offices could not see the cloth. Though he believed that he ought to have nothing to fear for himself, he wanted someone else to look at the cloth first.The Emperor thought a while and decided to send his old Prime Minister to see the cloth. He thought the Prime Minister a wise, honest (诚实的) man who was more fit for his office than anyone else.So the old Prime Minister went into the hall where the cheats were working at the empty looms.” God save me!" thought the old man, opening his eyes very wide. "I can't see anything at all." But he was careful not to say so. The men who were pretending to weave asked him to come closer. They pointed to the empty looms and asked him if he liked the design and the colors.The poor old Prime Minister opened his eyes wider and wider, but he could see nothing on the looms.” Dear me," he said to himself, "Am I foolish or unfit for my office?I must never tell anyone that I could not see the cloth.""Oh! it's most beautiful!" said the Prime Minister quickly. "The design and the colors! I will tell the Emperor how wonderful they are."The Emperor was pleased by what the Prime Minister told him about the cloth. Soon after, he sent another official to find out how soon the cloth would be ready. The same thing happened. The official could see nothing, but he sang high praise for the cloth. When he got back, he told the Emperor that the cloth was beautiful indeed. All the people in the city were now talking about this wonderful cloth which the Emperor had ordered to be woven for so much money. And they were eager to know how wise orfoolish their friends and neighbors might be.单词助手1.emperor n. 皇帝2.care vi.&vt. 关心，留心3.cheat n. 骗子vt. 骗vi.欺诈4.weave vt. 织；编weaver n. 织布工；编织者5.cloth n. 布；布料6.design n. 图案；花样7.invisible adj. 看不见的8.unfit adj. 不合适的be unfit for 不合适；不胜任9.office n. 职务；职责10.splendid adj. 灿烂的；辉煌的11.empire n. 帝国12.right away 立刻13.gold n.黄金；金色14.in order that 为了15.loom n. 织布机16.pretend vt.&vi. 假装17.silk n. (蚕)丝；丝织品，绸18.thread n. 线19.get along with 进展20.ought v.aux. 应当，应该21.prime adj. 首要的；基本的22.minister n. 大臣；部长23.the Prime Minister 首相，丞相；总理24.fit adj. 适合的；能胜任的be fit for 适合；胜任25.hall n. 会堂，大厅，礼堂26.god n.神；(God)上帝God save me! 天哪！27.wide adv. 广阔地；充分地28.point vi.指，指向vt.指出point to 指着...29.Dear me. 呵！哎呀！30.soon after 不久以后31.sing high praise for 高度赞扬...32.get back 回来；取回33.eager adj. 渴望的，热切的34.disease n. 疾病35.bad-tempered adj. 脾气坏的36.cure vt.&n.治愈37.poison vt. 使中毒38.nonsense n.胡说39.stomachache n.胃痛The Emperor's New Clothes(Ⅱ)Now at last the Emperor wished to go himself and see the cloth while it was still on the looms. He took with him a few of his officials, including the old Prime Minister and the official who had already been there.As soon as the weavers heard the Emperor coming, they pretended to work harder than ever, thou gh they were not weaving a single thread through the empty looms.” Isn't the cloth magnificent (华丽的)?" said the official and the Prime Minister. "What a splendid design! And what colors!" they said, while pointing to the empty looms.They thought that everyone else could see the wonderful work of the weavers though they could not see it themselves.” What on earth can this mean?" said the Emperor to himself. "I don't see anything. This is horrible! But I mustn't let anyone know.""The cloth is beautiful," he cried out loud. "Beautiful! I am very pleased with it.” The officials could see no more than the Emperor, but they all shouted, ‘Beautiful! Excellent! Magnificent!" and other expression. They told the Emperor that he should have new clothes made of this splendid cloth for the coming great procession (游行). They Emperor nodded. He cried hard to pretend to share in the pleasure of his officials and gave each of the weavers a medal.The night before the procession, the two men had their lights burning all night long. They wanted everyone to see how hard they were working on the Emperor's new clothes. At last they cried, "Finished! The Emperor's new clothes are now ready!" Then the Emperor arrived with his hi gh officials.” Now if you take off your clothes, Your Majesty, we will fit the new clothes on you in front of the mirror," said the cheats.The Emperor was then undressed, and the cheats pretended to dress him in his new clothes. The Emperor turned from side to side in front of the mirror.” How splendid the Emperor looks in his new clothes!" everyone cried. "And how well they fit! What a splendid design! And what colors!” Well, I suppose I'm ready for the procession," said the Emperor. "Don't you think they are a nice fit?" And he turned again in front of the mirror, in order to make the others think he was looking at his new clothes.” Yes, perfectly wonderful!" cried his officials.And so the procession began. The Emperor walked in the middle of the procession, through the streets of the city. And all the people standing by and those at the windows cried out, "On, how splendid our Emperor's new clothes are! What a perfect fit!” No onedared say that he could not see the Emperor's new clothes.Suddenly a little child's voice was heard:" But he has nothing on!” G ood heavens! Listen to that silly child!" said the father.” Did you hear what the child said?" some people nearby asked each other. What the child had said was whispered from one to the other."I can't see anything at all on the Emperor," cried one or two of the braver ones. The cry was taken up and soon everyone was nodding and saying," BUT HE HAS NOTHING ON!” The Emperor heard the cries. He felt very silly, for he knew that the people were right. But he thought, "The procession has started, and it must go on!” So the Emperor held his head higher than ever. And the two officials who were following him took great trouble to hold up higher the train (裙裾)of the robe that wasn't there at all.The FootprintOne day, walking along the sands towards his boat, Crusoe saw in the sand the mark of a man's foot. He was terrified at the sight. He looked round, but could see nobody. He listened, but could hear nothing. There were no other marks. Who had made the footprint? Was there someone else on this lonely island? Was it a savage (野人)? Crusoe stared at the footprint, full of fear.He hurried home, looking behind from time to time as he went. For some days he stayed in this cave, behind his wall. He was afraid to go out, even for food.But no savages came and after a time he began to go out again. His dog, which was now very old, became ill and died. This made Crusoe very sad. He now felt even more lonely without his friend, the dog.He often thought about the footmark. Perhaps he had made it himself? He decided to go back and look again. The footprint was still there. He tried his foot in it, but it was much larger than his own. So there must be someone else on the island. Full of fear again, Crusoe returned home. He built another fence (篱笆) round his cave. Now he made holes in the wall and placed his guns in them, pointing outwards.But he still did not feel safe enough. He decided to look for another cave, where he could hide if savages came. He found a good place in the rocks, more than twelve feet high, with a narrow entrance. He stepped into the cave. Suddenly he saw two eyes glaring at him out of the darkness. Was it a man, or a wild animal? He hurried out into the daylight.Crusoe lit a fire and from it took a burning stick. He stepped back into the cave, holding the stick high above his head. He heard a noise, as if someone was breathing. Hestopped. Nothing happened. He went farther into the cave.On the ground lay an old sick goat, which had gone into the cave to die. It was the goat's eyes that he had seen in the darkness. As he looked at it, the goat rolled over and died.Crusoe looked about the cave. The ground and the sides were quite dry. Inside, the top of the cave was nearly twenty feet high. It was a good hiding place.Crusoe had eleven guns altogether. He brought five of them to his new cave and a great deal of gun-powder(火药). The cave was quite dark inside, so he made some candles (蜡烛) to give light. Now he had a safe place if the savages came. Every day he climbed to a high rock near his cave to keep watch. And so the months and years went by.It was autumn, the time for Crusoe to gather his small harvest of corn. Early one morning, before starting work, he climbed up to his lookout.There, on the shore, were nine savages, sitting round a fire. Nearby were two canoes in which they had came to the island. They seemed to be eating something they had cooked on the fire. Crusoe watched, full of fear.As soon as the savages had gone, Crusoe returned home for two guns. Then he made his way down to the shore. He looked out to sea. The two canoes were almost out of sight.He went towards the fire, which was still smoking. Among the ashes he found bones. They were not the bones of an animal, but of a human being!Crusoe knew that the savages killed their enemies and ate them. He made up his mind to shoot them if they came again. But many months went by and no one visited the island.The Story of William TellA long time ago，the tiny country of Switzerland was ruled by Austria. But the Swiss did not take their fate lying down. Every week there was a rebellion (反抗) somewhere, and the Austrian soldiers were kept busy hurrying from one town to another in order to put down the rebellions. The town of Altorf was particularly troublesome.The emperor of Austria finally decided to teach the Swiss a lesson. He sent a special governor to Altorf, a man named Gessler, who would rule with a firm hand.One of Gessler's orders required all Altorfers to bow (鞠躬) before him. Anyone who refused to bow was thrown into prison. Although most of the people bowed to Gessler, they spat into the dirt as they did so. So Gessler decided to get even tougher. He placed his hat on a pole in the marketplace and ordered the Altorfers to bow before itwhenever they passed.One day, William Tell, a famous hunter, came to Altorf with his little son. He saw that ten soldiers were standing beside the pole. He knew about the order, and he knew why the soldiers were there, but he would have none of it.Holding his head high, he walked past the pole and the soldiers as if they didn't exist. Immediately the soldiers surrounded him and his son, saying:" You must bow before the hat!" "Why?""It's an order!""It's your order," said William Tell, "not mine.""We'll show you whose order it is," said the soldiers, and they led the father and son to Gessler. Even before the cruel governor himself William Tell did not bow. He held his son's hand firmly to be sure that the boy did not bow either."You broke the law," said Gessler."That is not my law," said William Tell. "I am a citizen (公民) of Switzerland, not Austria." Gessler turned red with anger. He then thought of a plan to punish William Tell."You're a hunter," he said. "We'll see how good you are." Picking an apple from a tree overhead, he turned to a soldier and said, "Take the boy one hundred paces down the street and place this apple on his head." Then he ordered William Tell to shoot at the apple with one of his arrow. The people who had gathered around were shocked at the cruelty of the order.Without saying a word, William Tell drew two arrows. He looked at his son, one hundred paces away with an apple on his head. The soldiers had him stand with his back to his father. "Turn around," William Tell called to his son. "Look this way."The boy turned around and faced his father. William Tell studied the two arrows, selected one, and placed it in his bow. Slowly he raised the bow, pulled back the cord, and after taking careful aim, let the arrow fly.It split the apple in half! The people raised a shout of joy. William Tell turned and looked calmly at Gessler. "Congratulations!" said Gessler, sneering. "Now tell me why you took a second arrow." "If I had missed," said William Tell, "and had shot too low, I was going to use this arrow on you."The story of the bravery of William Tell and his son quickly got round throughout Switzerland. It filled the hearts of the Swiss with pride and courage, and it was not long before the whole country rose up and drove the Austrian soldiers from their homeland.Watching AntsIf you go into the fields and turn over a few big stones, you may uncover a city ofant "people". You will see the workers, who gather food for themselves and for all the others. You will see the nurses, who care for the baby ants. And you will see some of the babies, too.While ants grow, they change their form three times. They start as tiny white eggs, and when these hatch, out come little fat white worms (蠕虫). These worms then weave silk cocoons (蚕茧) around themselves, inside which they change from fat worms into ants. When the time comes, the cocoons are torn open by the ant nurses, and the new ants with their tender legs and bodies are very gently helped out. You may see some of these new ants, still very pale in colour.A lucky visitor to the ant city may see the queen. She is much larger than the others and her hind (后部的) half is very big because it is full of eggs. Laying eggs (产卵) is her full-time jobs. She may have tens of thousands of babies in one summer. The nurses keep her very clean, washing her with their tongues. From the outside, the workers bring her food. As the mother of many children, she is respected and taken good care of.Not all the ants go out for food. Some have extra powerful jaws. These act as guards and soldiers in time of trouble. Some workers keep the tunnels and rooms clean. All rubbish (垃圾) is carried out.Ants are fond of sweet food. They often milk little bugs called ant cows (蚜虫). You can see ant cows on the leaves and flowers of many plants. These cow bugs drink much more sap (树液) than they can use. It passes right through their bodies, only getting a little thicker and sweeter. The ant knows how to milk them. It strikes a cow bug's back with its forelegs and feelers. The cow bug seems to enjoy this, and soon a tiny drop of honeydew milk appears. The ant taps (拍打) it up and goes to the next cow bug for more.The ant is not gathering this food for itself alone. It has two stomachs in its body, one for itself and one for carrying food for "the folks back home". When it returns, a nurse ant which has been busy indoors all day is sure to ask for honeydew (蜜汁). The two ants place their mouths together. The one which has the honeydew brings up a drop from its public stomach and passes it into the nurse ant's mouth; later, the nurse will give some of her drop to the babies, or to the queen. This is how the city is fed.When one ant wants food from another, it taps on the other's head with its feelers, using a kind of telegraph code. They "talk" a great deal by this means. If you watch long enough, you will see many problems settled by this "tap-talking" with the feelers.The Great Wall of ChinaThe Great Wall of China, the longest wall in the world, runs across north China like a huge dragon. It winds its way from west to east: across deserts, over mountains, through valleys, till at last it reaches the sea. It is one of the wonders of the world.And it was said that it was one of the few man-made objects on the earth that could be seen by the astronauts (宇航员) who landed on the moon. The Great Wall has a history of over twenty centuries. The first part of it was built during the Spring and Autumn Period (770BC—476BC). During the Warring States Period (475BC—221BC), more walls were put up to defend (保卫) the borders of the different kingdoms.In 221BC, the Kingdom of Qin united (统一) the different parts of China into one empire. To keep the enemy out of his empire, Emperor Qin Shi Huang had all the walls joined up. Thus the Great Wall came into being. Since then, it has often been added to, rebuilt and repaired, especially during the Ming Dynasty (1368—1644).The Great Wall, which is called in Chinese “T he Ten-Thousand-Li Great Wall”, is actually more than 6,000 kilometers long, 6 ~ 7meters high and 4 ~ 5 meters wide. In most places it is wide enough for five horses or ten men to walk side by side along the top. It has great gateways (门户) which connect the main roads of north China.Every few hundred meters along the wall there are watch towers, where soldiers used to keep watch. When the enemy came, fires were lit and at the same time guns were fired to warn soldiers at other towers. One column of smoke with one gunshot meant an enemy troop of about 100, two columns with two shots meant 500. In this way, a warning message could be sent 500 kilometers within a few hours.It was very difficult to build and rebuild such a great wall over wild and distant country without any modern machines. All the work had to be done by hand. Many people were forced to work on the wall far away from their homes. They lifted earth in baskets, passed bricks from hand to hand and dragged (拖、拉) heavy stones with ropes over their shoulders. Their living conditions were terrible. Thousands of men died and were buried under the wall they built. The Great Wall was made not only of stones and earth, but of the flesh and blood of millions of men.After the Great Wall was rebuilt hundreds of years ago, no more work was done on it until the People's Republic of China was founded. After that, parts of the Great Wall were repaired. On both sides of it new cities appeared, trees were planted, and deserts became grasslands. The old Great Wall took on a new look.Today the Great Wall has become a place of interest not only to the Chinese People, but also to the people from all over the world. Many of them have come to know the famous Chinese saying: “He who does not reach the Great Wall is not a true man.”THE LOST NECKLACE(项链)Place: a park in ParisTime: a summer afternoon in 1870People: Mathilde Loisel, wifePierre Loisel, husbandJeanne Forrestier, their friendScene 1(Jeanne is sitting in the park. Mathilde walks towards her, she stops and speaks to Jeanne.)Mathilde: Good afternoon, Jeanne.Jeanne: (Looking at the other woman) I'm sorry, but I don't think I know you. Mathilde: No, you wouldn't, but many years ago you knew me well. I'm Mathilde Loisel.Jeanne: Mathilde! My old school friend. Is it possible? But yes, of course it is. Now I remember. Where have you been all these years, Mathilde? I hope you weren't ill. Mathilde: No, Jeanne, I wasn't ill. You see here an old woman. But it's because of hard work —ten years of hard work.Jeanne: But I don't understand, Mathilde. There's only one year between us; I'm thirty-five and you're thirty-four. Can hard work change a person that much? Mathilde: Yes, it can. Years of hard work, little food, only a cold room to live in and never, never a moment to rest. That has been my life for these past ten years. Jeanne: Mathilde! I didn't know. I'm sorry. But what happened?Mathilde: Well, I would rather not tell you.Jeanne: Oh, come on, Mathilde. Surely you can tell an old friend.Mathilde: Well, ... Well, it was all because of that necklace. Your necklace.Jeanne: My necklace?Mathilde: Do you remember one afternoon ten years ago when I came to your house and borrowed a diamond (钻石) necklace?Jeanne: Let me think. Ten years ago... Oh, yes, I remember. You were going to the palace with your husband, I think.Mathilde: Right. Pierre was working in a government office, and for the first time in our life we were invited to an important ball.Scene 2(The scene changed to that evening in the home of Pierre and Mathilde Loisel.) Pierre: Yes, Mathilde, we're going to the ball(舞会), the palace ball!Mathilde: I can't believe it!Pierre: But it's true.Mathilde: Oh, Pierre, how wonderful! But I haven't got a dress for the ball!Pierre: What does a new evening dress cost, Mathilde?Mathilde: About four hundred francs.Pierre: Four hundred! That's a lot of money. But perhaps, just this once, we'll use what we have to get a new dress for you. This ball is very important to me. I was the only person in my office who was invited.Mathilde: Thank you, Pierre, you're so kind. Oh, but there's one other thing... Pierre: What is it, Mathilde?Mathilde: I ... I have no jewelry (珠宝).Pierre: Jewelry? Do you need jewelry? Why not just a flower?Mathilde: To go to the palace with just a flower is to say "I'm poor. I haven't got any jewelry."Pierre: Can't you borrow some jewelry from a friend, Mathilde?Mathilde: Which friend? My friends are all poor, too.Pierre: Let me think. How about Jeanne? She married well. Perhaps she has some. Mathilde: Ah, yes, Jeanne. She married a man with a lot of money. I'll go and see her on Friday, after I get the new dress.Pierre: I'm sure she has something you can borrow.Scene 3(The scene changes back to the park. Mathilde continues to tell Jeanne her story.) Mathilde: One Friday I came to see you, Jeanne. Remember?Jeanne: Yes, Mathilde, I remember.Mathilde: You were very kind. You brought out your jewelry and told me to take anything I wanted.Jeanne: (Smiling) You were like a little girl. Your eyes became so big.Mathilde: There were so many things and they were all beautiful. It was hard to choose.Jeanne: Until you saw the diamond necklace.Mathilde: Yes, and then I knew I wanted to borrow the necklace. I didn't want anything else, only the necklace.Jeanne: I'm sure you looked beautiful that evening, Mathilde. You were always a very pretty girl.Mathilde: Perhaps in those days I was, but everything changed after that night at the palace.Jeanne: Didn't you have a good time at that ball?Mathilde: Yes, a very good time, but that was the last time... the last happy evening for the next ten years.Jeanne:But why, Mathilde?Mathilde:On the way home I looked down at my dress and saw that the necklace was gone. I told Pierre. We returned to the palace and looked in every room, but couldn't find it. I never saw your necklace again, Jeanne.Jeanne:But Mathilde, you brought it back to me the next afternoon. I remember very well.Mathilde:Yes, Jeanne, I brought a necklace to you. It was exactly like your necklace but it was a different one. I hope it was as good as the one you lent me. It cost us thirty-six thousand francs.Jeanne:Thirty-six thousand!Mathilde:Yes, Pierre and I borrowed the money and bought it. During the next ten years we both worked night and day to pay for it. That is why you see this old woman before you now, Jeanne. Well, after all these years we've paid off all our debts(偿清债务).Jeanne:But Mathilde, my dear friend, that wasn't a real diamond necklace you borrowed from me. It was made of glass. It was worth five hundred francs at the most.。

80年代高中英语经典课文精选DRIVER LAOL LILao Li, our senior hospital driver, died yesterday. Today at the back of the hospital, in the open air, we held a memorial meeting, at which the hospital director, a young driver and Lao Li’s second son made speeches. They told of his past, of his devotion to duty, of his revolutionary optimism in the face of fatal illness. They spoke of his fine qualities as a worker of New China.Lao Li came from a poor peasant family. He had hardly any schooling. Before liberation he was a cart-driver who could barely keep body and soul together, let alone support his family. So he came to Beijing to try to find work. He became an apprentice truck driver, living a life of grinding poverty. It was liberation that brought about a complete change in his life, and his gratitude and devotion to the Party was boundless.Lao Li had been a good friend of mine. He had driven me to and from work for many years and we always had much to say to each other. His attitude to me was that of a comrade. He had five children and never tired of telling me about them. All were at school and he was proud of them and loved them dearly. I once asked him if he had any difficulty in keeping five children in school. He said he had no difficulty at all, and he had never been so well off in his life.A few years ago, while Lao Li was out with the hospital truck collecting supplies from a town several hundred miles away, North China was hit by an unexpected heavy rain, which caused severe flooding. We were not surprised that he returned three days later than expected. He just said that the roads were flooded and some bridges had been washed away. We would have thought nothing more about it if we had not received a letter from a people’s commune asking for the name of our driver.As Lao Li was driving through the rain, the roof of a roadside granary fell in. the harvest had just been gathered and the food for hundreds of families was in danger. Without hesitation Lao Li stopped his truck and helped to carry the sacks of grain to safety. When all the grain had been removed, he set about helping homeless women and children to places of safety. For twenty-four hours he worked without food or rest and then, without saying a word to anyone, went on with his journey back to Beijing. A villager had noted the number of the truck. The commune found out that it belonged to our hospital and now wished to write a letter of thanks to the driver.That’s the sort of man Lao Li was, unselfish, modest, always putting the interests of the people before his own.Lao Li died of cancer. For months it had been difficult for him to move about, but he insisted that he felt well enough for light work. He said he was fed up with resting at home and wanted to do something useful. So he was given a job in the inquiry office, where he set a good example to all by his deep concern for patients.Today we all felt that we had lost a comrade, a man we loved and respected, a man to learn from, a man whose death was weightier than Mount Tai.Helen KellerHelen Keller was a very special girl who needed a superb teacher. By the time she was seven years old, she still couldn’t speak, read or write. This was because Helen couldn’t see or hear. With these severe restrictions on her communication, Helen’s behavior was often unbearable. She was stubborn and angry, and often broke things when she wasn’t understood.Anne Sullivan was brought in to help Helen. Anne was a teacher and former student at a school for the blind in Boston. She had had eyesight problems early in life as well so she could relate to Helen’s difficulties. Her first goal was to stop Helen’s troublesome behaviour. Helen would need this valuable preparation in order to learn language. She would also need lots of love. When Anne and Helen first met, Anne gave Helen a big hug.Helen would have to learn to understand words spelled on her hand. Anne’s technique was simple and straightforward. She would put an object into one of Helen’s hands and spell the word into her other hand. She started with dolls. She would let Helen play with the doll, and then spell the letters “D-O-L-L” into her hand. Helen thought this was a game. She had a precise description of her excitement in her book, The Story of My Life: “Running downstairs to my mother, I held up my hand and made the letters for doll. I did not know that I was spelling a word or even that words existed; I was simply making my fingers go in monkey-like imitation.”Then one day, Anne took Helen out to the well. Anne put Helen’s hand under th e water. As the water flowed over one hand, Anne spelled “w-a-t-e-r” into the other hand. Then suddenly, Helen had a burst of understanding; the movement of the fingers meant the cool water flowing over her hand. This precious knowledge gave her hope and joy. Finally, the world of words was opening up to her.Now that Helen understood the key to language, she was very eager to learn more and use it as much as she could. Children who can see and hear learn language easily but for Helen, it was a gradual and sometimes painful process. However, the results were amazing.As Helen’s knowledge and vocabulary expanded, she asked more and more questions. This soon led her to discover more complex words and changed her thinking processes. Trying to learn the word “love” was an experience that she remembered well. This is how she described it in her book, The Story of My Life:“I remember the morning that I first asked the meaning of the word ‘love’. This was before I knew many words. I had found a few early violets in the garden and brought them to my teacher … Miss Sullivan put her arm gently round me and spelled into my hand, ‘I love Helen.’ ‘What is love?’ I asked. She drew me closer to her and said, ‘It is here,’ pointing to my heart … Her words puzzled me very much because I did not then understand anything unless I touched it.”The meaning of love was still not apparent to Helen but she kept on trying to understand. “I smelt the violets in her hand and asked, half in words, half in signs, a question which mean t, ‘Is love the sweetness of flowers?’ ‘No,’ said my teacher.”Helen then felt the warmth of the sun shining on them. She pointed up and asked if that was love. When her teacher said that it wasn’t, she was confused and disappointed. “I thought it strange that my teacher could not show me love.”The word “think” was also a difficult one for Helen but she had a breakthrough while working on a simple task. She was making necklaces with the help of Miss Sullivan when she noticed that she had made some mistakes. Uncertain about how to fix them, she stopped to think carefully. As she did this, Miss Sullivan touched Helen’s head and spelled the word “think” into her hand. “In a flash I knew that the word was the name of the process that was going on in my head.”It was the first time Helen understood such a complex word –a word for something she couldn’t touch. At that moment, her mind returned to the word “love”. As she thought about its meaning again, the sun came out. She pointed to the sun and asked her teacher again if that was love. Anne answered Helen by explaining that love was like the sun and clouds in a way.“You cannot touch the clouds, you know; but you feel the rain … You cannot touch love either; but you feel the sweetness that it pours into everything. Without love you would not be happy or want to play.” In that vivid moment, Helen finally understood the beautiful truth of word “love”.HOW MARX LEARNED FOREIGN LANGUAGESKarl Marx was born in Germany, and German was his native language. When he was still a young man, he was forced to leave his homeland for political reasons. He stayed in Belgium for a few years; then he went to France. Before long he had to move on again. In 1849, he went to England and made London the base for his revolutionary work.Marx had learned some French and English at school. When he got to England, he found that his English was too limited. He started working hard to improve it. He made such rapid progress that before long he began to write articles in English for an American newspaper. In fact, his English in one of these articles was so good that Engels wrote him a letter and praised him for it. Marx wrote back to say that Engel’s praise had greatly encouraged him. However, he went on to explain that he was not too sure about two things -- the grammar and some of the idioms.These letters were written in 1853. In the years that followed, Marx kept on studying English and using it. When he wrote one of his great works, The Civil War in France, he had mastered the language so well that he was able to write the book in English.In the l870s, when Marx was already in his fifties, he found it important to study the situation in Russia, so he began to learn Russian. At the end of six months he had learned enough to read articles and reports in Russian.In one of his books, Marx gave some advice on how to learn a foreign language. He said when a person is learning a foreign language, he must not always be translating everything into his own language. If he does this, it shows he has not mastered it. He must be able to use the foreign language, forgetting all about his own. If he can not do this, he has not really grasped the spirit of the foreign language and can not use it freely.LADY SILWWORMLong long ago, there lived in Hangzhou a girl called Aqiao. When Aqiao was nine years old, her mother died. Her father remarried and the stepmother was cruel to Aqiao and her brother.One winter morning, the stepmother told Aqiao to go out and cut some grass for the sheep. The poor girl, with a basket on her back, searched all day from the riverside to the foot of the mountain. But where could she find any green grass in winter? She was tired, cold and hungry, but she was afraid to go home and face her stepmother.As she walked along, she noticed an old pine tree ahead at the entrance to a valley. Aqiao pushed the branches aside. She saw a brook with red flowers and green grass on both sides. She bent down immediately to cut the grass. She went on cutting and cutting until she came to the end of the brook. She stood up to wipe the sweat off her face. Suddenly she saw a lady all in white standing in front of her. The lady was smiling.“Little girl, how nice to see you! Won’t you come and stay with us for a while?”Aqiao looked around. To her surprise, she found herself in a different world. There were rows of white houses with trees in front of them. The leaves on the trees were green and large. And there were many other ladies in white, who were singing and picking the leaves from the trees.Aqiao liked what she saw and decided to stay.After that, she worked together with the ladies in white. They picked leaves from the trees, and fed them to some little white worms. Slowly, the little worms would grow up and spit out silk to form snow-white cocoons. The lady in white taught Aqiao how to reel the shining silk from these cocoons and how to dye the silk different colors. She told Aqiao that these white worms were called silkworms and the leaves they ate were called mulberry leaves. And all this beautiful silk, she said, would be used to weave colorful clouds in heaven.Time passed quickly and three months went by before Aqiao knew it.One day, Aqiao thought of her brother: “Why not ask my brother to come here too?”Early next morning, without telling the lady in white, she hurried back home. When she left, Aqiao took some silkworm eggs and a bag of mulberry seeds with her. As she walked, she dropped the seeds along the road so that she would know the way back.When Aqiao reached home, she found that her father had grown old and her brother had become a young man. The cruel stepmother had died.It had been fifteen years since she left!“Aqiao! Why didn’t you come home all these years? Where have you been?” her father asked.Aqiao told her father all that had happened. Her father thought that she must have met a fairy.The next day Aqiao decided to go back to the valley with her brother. But when she opened the door, she found things had changed. The road was lined with mulberry trees. All the seeds she had dropped had grown into trees. She walked along the trail of mulberry trees until she came to the valley. The old pine tree still stood there like an umbrella covering the entrance, but she could no longer find a way to get into the valley. So all she could do was to go back home.When Aqiao returned home, she found that the silkworm eggs had hatched. She fed mulberry leaves to the silkworms, and started to raise more of them.It was said that that was how the Chinese first raised silkworms. The lady in white whom Aqiao met in the valley was Lady Silkworm, the fairy in charge of the harvesting of silk.NAPOLEONS THREE QUESTIONSA story is told about a Swede who wanted to join Napoleon’s Grand Army. One evening so me of Napoleon’s soldiers were drinking together when a young Frenchman brought a friend to their table. He explained that his friend was a Swede and knew no French；but this Swede admired Napoleon so much that he wanted to join the French army and fight for him.The soldiers looked up and saw a tall young man with blue eyes, a friendly face, strong arms and broad shoulders. They like him at once.The officers saw that he was just the right sort of man, so they accepted him and he became one of Napoleons soldiers. His new friends smoothed away the difficulties. He fought bravely in many battles and gained their respect. However, his knowledge of French remained very weak, because he was not good at learning languages, but this did not prevent him from fighting hard.Several years later, word came that Napoleon himself was coming to inspect them, and the Swede was warned that the great man would probably ask him some question. There was some difficulty in explaining this to the Swede, but when at last he understood he became very anxious.“The Swede won’t understand the questions，” one of the Frenchmen said, “What can he do?”It was well known that Napoleon always asked the same three questions, and usually in the same order. The first question wa s, “How old are you?” The second was, “How long have you been in my army?” And the third was, “Did you serve in either of my last two campaigns?”The Swede could not possibly remember all these words and so his friends decided to teach him only the answers in their proper order. They gave him a lot of practice. Whenever possible, one of them would stop him, make him stand at attention, and ask him the three questions. “How old are you?” he would demand, and the Swede would answer, “Twenty-three, sir.” Th en his friend would ask, “How long have you been in my army?” and the Swede would answer, “Three years, sir.” To the third question, “Did you serve in either of my last two campaigns?” the Swede would answer with pride, “Both, sir!”For many days this practice continued. The Swede would walk about, saying to himself, “Twenty-three, sir. Three years, sir. Both, sir!” Before the day of the inspection, his friends were satisfied. He knew his answer. There ought to be no trouble.Napoleon arrived. Standing in front of the straight lines of soldiers, he looked at them with great satisfaction. Then he began to walk along the lines, smiling sometimes, and saying a few words here and there. The Swede stood quite still, except that his lips moved slightly. He was still practicing.Napoleon suddenly caught sight of the tall soldier and realized at once that he had never seen him before. He stopped in front of the Swede. For some reason, this time the great man began with the second question.“How many years have you been in my army?”he demanded.“Twenty-Three, sir,” said the Swede clearly and well.Napoleon was surprised. He look at the tall man and asked, “How old are you then?”“Three years, sir,” replied the Swede quickly.Napoleon was astonis hed. “Either you are mad, or I am,” he declared.“Both, sir!” cried the Swede proudly.THE BLIND MEN AND THE ELEPHANTOnce upon a time there were six blind men who lived in a village in India. Every day they went to the road nearby and stood there begging. They had often heard of elephants, but they had never seen one, for , being blind, how could they?One morning an elephant was led down the road where they stood. When they heard that an elephant was passing by, they asked the driver to stop the beast so that they could have a "look".Of course they could not look at him with their eyes, but they thought they might learn what kind of animal he was by touching and feeling him. For, you see, they trusted their own sense of touch very much.The first blind man happened to place his hand on the elephant's side. "Well, well, “he said. "This beast is exactly like a wall."The second grasped one of the elephant's tusks and felt it. "You're quite mistaken," he said. "He's round and smooth and sharp. He's more like a spear than anything else."The third happened to take hold of the elephant's trunk. "You're both completely wrong," he said. "This elephant is like a snake, as anybody can see."The fourth opened both his arms and closed them around one of the elephant's legs. "Oh, how blind you are!" he cried. "It's very clear that he's round and tall like a tree."The fifth was a very tall man, and he caught one of the elephant's ears. "Even the blindest person must see that this elephant isn't like any of the things you name." he said. "He's exactly like a huge fan."The sixth man went forward to feel the elephant. He was old and slow and it took him quite some time to find the elephant at all. At last he got hold of the beast's tail. "Oh, how silly you all are!" cried he. "The elephant isn't like a wall, or a spear, or a snake, or a tree; neither is he like a fan. Any man with eyes in his head can see that he's exactly like a rope."Then the driver and the elephant moved on, and the six men sat by the roadside all day, quarrelling about the elephant. They could not agree with one another, because each believed that he knew just what the beast looked like.It is not only blind men who make such stupid mistakes. People who can see sometimes act just as foolishly.THE GREAT WALL OF CHINAThe Great Wall of China, the longest wall in the world, runs across north China like a huge dragon. It winds its way from west to east, across deserts, over mountains, through valleys, till at last it reaches the sea. It is one of the wonders of the world. And it was one of the few man-made objects on earth that could be seen by the astronauts who landed on the moon.The Great Wall has a history of over twenty centuries. The first part of it was built during the Spring and Autumn Period (770 B.C.- 476 B.C.). During the Warring States Period (475 B.C. - 221 B.C.), more walls were put up to defend the borders of the different kingdoms.In 221 B.C., the kingdom of Qin united the different parts of China into one empire. To keep the enemy out of his empire, Emperor Qin Shi Huang had all the walls joined up. Thus the Great Wall came into being. Since then, it has often been added to, rebuilt and repaired, especially during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).The Great Wall, which is called in Chinese "The Ten-thousand-li Great Wall", is actually more than 6,000 kilometres long, 6-7 metres high and 4-5 metres wide. In most places it is wide enough for five horses or ten men to walk side by side along the top. It has great gateways which connect the main roads of north China.Every few hundred meters along the Wall there are watchtowers, where soldiers used to keep watch. When the enemy came, fires were lit and at the same time guns were fired to warn soldiers at other towers. One column of smoke with one gunshot meant an enemy troop of about 100, two columns with two shots meant 500. In this way, a warning message could be sent 500 kilometres within a few hours.It was very difficult to build and rebuild such a great wall over wild and distant country without any modern machines. All the work had to be done by hand. Many people were forced to work on the wall far away from their homes. They lifted earth in baskets, passed bricks from hand to hand and dragged heavy stones with ropes over their shoulders. Their living conditions were terrible. Thousands of men died and were buried under the wall they built. The Great Wall was made not only of stone and earth, but of the flesh and blood of millions of men.After the Great Wall was rebuilt hundreds of years ago, no more work was done on it until the People's Republic of China was founded. After that, parts of the Wall were repaired. On both sides of it new cities appeared, trees were planted, and deserts became grasslands. The old Great Wall took on a new look.Today the Great Wall has become a place of interest not only to the Chinese people, but also to people from all over the world. Many of them have come to know the famous Chinese saying:" He who does not reach the Great Wall is not a true man."A LITTLE HEROA group of Italian soldiers led by a captain were advancing slowly toward the position of the enemy. They were expecting to see in the distance some signs of the enemy. They arrived at a farmhouse, in front of which sat a small boy. The boy was cutting a branch of a tree with his knife to make a cane.When the boy saw the soldiers, he stopped working on the branch, stood up, and took off his cap. He was a handsome boy with large, bright eyes and fair hair."What are you doing here?" asked the captain. “Why didn't you leave with your family?""I don't have any family," said the boy. "I'm an orphan. I used to work for the family that lived here. They've gone, but I stayed in order to see the fighting.""Have you seen any Austrians pass by here?""Not within the last three days."The captain got off his horse, and went into the house. His head soon appeared out of one of the second storey windows, from where he could see nothing but trees. In front of the house was a tall tree, its top well above the tops of the other trees. The captain came out and asked the boy: "Do you have good eyesight, young man?""Me? "asked the boy.”I can see a sparrow two hundred paces away.""Do you think you could climb that tree and tell me whether you see anything of the Austrians in the distance?""Sure," said the boy eagerly, jumping up, kicking off his shoes, and throwing aside his cap."How much do you want for that?" asked the captain."I don't want anything," said the boy, already starting to climb. "I would do anything for our soldiers."In a few minutes the boy was at the top of the tree."Look straight ahead," cried the captain, "and tell me what you see.""Two men on horseback - nothing else.""How far away?""About a mile and a half. They're standing still.""What else do you see?" asked the captain after a moment of silence.The boy looked to the right. after a while he said:"Near the cemetery, between the trees, there's something shining, perhaps bayonets.""Do you see any soldiers?""No, if there are any, they must be hidden among the trees."Just then there was the sharp whistle of a bullet which passed near the boy."Get down!" said the captain.Another bullet whistled by."They're shooting at me," said the boy. "but don't worry. Let me tell you what's to the left. Well, there's a church and I think I see..."A third bullet passed, and at almost the same moment the boy was seen to fall suddenly from the tree. He struck the ground heavily. Blood was trickling from his mouth. The captain ran to him and tore open the boy's shirt. A bullet had passed through his chest on the left. The boy opened his eyes for a moment, looked at the captain, and then died."Poor boy!" said the captain over and over. He looked at the boy for a minute. He ordered a soldier to bring a national flag and covered the boy's body with it, leaving only his face exposed. The captain collected the boy's cap, shoes, knife, and the branch he had been cutting, and placed them near the boy's body."We'll send someone to pick him up," said the captain. "He died like a soldier and we must bury him like a soldier."The captain and his group moved on, but the story of the little boy spread quickly. Later that afternoon other groups of soldiers moved up to the front. When they passed the place where the dead boy lay, each soldier saluted. Some of them placed flowers on the boy's body. Soon it was covered with flowers. On the boy's pale face there was a half-smile that seemed to suggest that hewas happy to have given his life to his country.A LITTLE HEROA group of Italian soldiers led by a captain were advancing slowly toward the position of the enemy. They were expecting to see in the distance some signs of the enemy. They arrived at a farmhouse, in front of which sat a small boy. The boy was cutting a branch of a tree with his knife to make a cane.When the boy saw the soldiers, he stopped working on the branch, stood up, and took off his cap. He was a handsome boy with large, bright eyes and fair hair."What are you doing here?" asked the captain. “Why didn't you leave with your family?""I don't have any family," said the boy. "I'm an orphan. I used to work for the family that lived here. They've gone, but I stayed in order to see the fighting.""Have you seen any Austrians pass by here?""Not within the last three days."The captain got off his horse, and went into the house. His head soon appeared out of one of the second storey windows, from where he could see nothing but trees. In front of the house was a tall tree, its top well above the tops of the other trees. The captain came out and asked the boy: "Do you have good eyesight, young man?""Me? "asked t he boy.”I can see a sparrow two hundred paces away.""Do you think you could climb that tree and tell me whether you see anything of the Austrians in the distance?""Sure," said the boy eagerly, jumping up, kicking off his shoes, and throwing aside his cap."How much do you want for that?" asked the captain."I don't want anything," said the boy, already starting to climb. "I would do anything for our soldiers."In a few minutes the boy was at the top of the tree."Look straight ahead," cried the captain, "and tell me what you see.""Two men on horseback - nothing else.""How far away?""About a mile and a half. They're standing still.""What else do you see?" asked the captain after a moment of silence.The boy looked to the right. after a while he said:"Near the cemetery, between the trees, there's something shining, perhaps bayonets.""Do you see any soldiers?""No, if there are any, they must be hidden among the trees."Just then there was the sharp whistle of a bullet which passed near the boy."Get down!" said the captain.Another bullet whistled by."They're shooting at me," said the boy. "but don't worry. Let me tell you what's to the left. Well, there's a church and I think I see..."A third bullet passed, and at almost the same moment the boy was seen to fall suddenly from。