北师大版高中英语课文Unit 16 Stories

第一篇：北师大版高中英语课文Unit 16 Stories

Unit 16 Stories

Warm-up Tapescript It was a dark and foggy night.We drove and drove.At midnight, just as we thought we were lost, we saw a light behind some trees.As we got nearer, we could see a house.It looked abandoned.We knocked on the heavy door.It opened slowly.A tall man dressed entirely in black stood there.―Good evening,‖ he said in a slow, deep voice.―I've been expecting you.‖ We were travelling through deep space at the speed of light.Suddenly, the spaceship slowed down and immediately the system came into view – a bright star with twenty or more planets.One of these would be our new home, five light years from our own planet.One of my earliest memories is of my father running along the beach with our dog, Tess.I must have been about three years old.I remember the dog jumping up on me and knocking me over into the water.The man lay on the ground next to a white truck.There was no doubt.He was dead.I quickly looked in the pockets of his jacket – some money, a handkerchief and a theatre ticket with a Chicago phone number written on it.Three murders in three weeks and the victims all killed in the same way.Once upon a time, there lived a beautiful princess.She was an only child and her father and mother, the king and queen, loved her very much.One day, an old woman came to the castle.When she saw the princess, she smiled and laughed in a strange and horrible way.Lesson 1 Stories from History

Pompeii: The city that became a time capsule

Around the end of the first century AD, a Roman writer called Pliny wrote about a terrible volcanic eruption that he had witnessed as a young man.The eruption had occurred on August 24th, 79 AD.The earth began to tremble and a volcano named Vesuvius, near Pompeii, Italy, erupted.Pliny described a cloud coming down the mountain, blocking out the sun and burying everything in its path, including whole villages and towns.This particularly sad event left a deep impression on Pliny who had lost an uncle in the eruption.Yet, over the centuries, there was a greater loss.The people, towns and villages that had disappeared under the ashes were entirely forgotten by the world.However, more than 1,600 years later, some scientists found the lost towns that had been buried under the ashes.By 1748, they had found an awesome historical site.They had started to dig out the ancient city of Pompeii.In a way, Pompeii is like a ―time capsule‖ preserving a frozen moment in history.Before the eruption occurred, it had been a booming Roman city with temples, markets, restaurants and theatres.Now as you walk along the streets of the city, time rewinds.You can admire the ancient architecture, statues, decorated walls and authentic objects characteristic of the time.However, much more than buildings and objects, it is the forms of the people who were caught in the disaster that have made the city a monument to human history.The bodies of people who had died in Pompeii left impressions in the ash that showed their exact shapes.As you walk, you will pass people gathered together for protection in their last hours of life.One person, sitting alone, looks like he is praying.Another man, lying on his side, looks as if he is trying to get up.One can only feel sorrow and deep sympathy for these once-living statues.Today, more than 250 years after scientists found the city, thousands of tourists and hundreds of scientists visit Pompeii every year to learn more about the ancient world.In this way, the city, which the world had once forgotten, lives on nearly 2,000 years after its loss.Lesson 2 Name Stories

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Wang Jiannan: My name is Wang Jiannan and like many Chinese names, Jiannan doesn't have just one specific meaning.When my parents were looking for a name for me, they came across the character ―Nan‖.―Nan‖ is a type of wood that is used to hold up the roof in the construction of traditional Chinese houses.Therefore my parents chose this character for me because they wanted me to grow up to be a ―pillar of society‖ – someone who helps to build a better future.But, as well as having meaning from the characters that are used for writing, Chinese names can also have significance according to their sounds.In my case, Jiannan sounds like ―healthy boy‖.Some people think it's abnormal to name a girl ―healthy boy‖, but I don't.My parents gave me this name because they wanted me to be as strong as any boys.I guess you think that's enough significance for one name but there's more.―Jiannan‖ sounds like another set of characters that stand for ―built in the south‖ and we come from the southern part of our province.So my name tells me where I am from and it tells me what to aim for!Heather Smith: My name is Heather Smith.―Smith‖ is one of the most common names in Britain.A smith is somebody who works with metal.Other family names with the same origin include Smithers and Smythe.I guess there were lots of smiths in Europe in the days when horses were the fastest form of land transport and riders counted on the services of smiths for metal horse shoes.Well there are very few of them these days and no one in my family can figure out which ancestor was a smith but I suppose we must have had one sometime in the past.My first name is easier to explain.―Heather‖ is a purple flower that grows a lot in certain parts of the country.My mother comes from a place in northern England where heather turns whole hills a vivid purple every July.But when she had me, she was living in London and although she was delighted to have a new baby girl, she was also discouraged because she missed her home in northern England, and because her mother, my grandmother, was ill at that time and couldn't come to London to see us.So my mother named me Heather to remind her of home and so my grandmother would think of me every time she saw the beautiful heather covering all the hills surrounding her home.Now my mother says I look like my grandma.Isaac Evans: My name is Isaac Evans.It's a very conventional name that doesn't stand out anywhere and you wouldn't think it had a story to it, but I believe that when you dig deep enough, every name has a story to it.―Evans‖ is a very common Welsh name and I'm not sure exactly what it means, only that there are many ―Evans‖ in Wales and all around Britain.My grandfather left his farm in northern Wales to look for work when he was seventeen and he ended up in Manchester.There's a lot of industry there.He put up with a lot of hardship and suffering all his life to provide a good future for his family and I'm grateful for that.―Isaac‖ is a fairly common boy's name.You might think that

I got called ―Isaac‖ because my parents couldn't think of anything else to call me!But you'd be wrong.My parents are classical musicians and they named me after a famous violinist called Itzhak Perlman.They admired him because he was a great musician and he wasn't afraid to try out new ideas in his music.I don't play a musical instrument, but I am a painter and I often listen to classical music when I paint.When I listen to Itzhak Perlman's music, it inspires me.Tapescript

Guo Jiangsheng: My name is Guo Jiangsheng.Jiangsheng means ―born on the river‖, and guess what? I was born on a boat!My family lives in a small mountain village.My parents needed to travel by boat to Chongqing where my mother was going to stay in a hospital for my birth.They were still on the boat outside Chongqing when suddenly my mother started to feel some pain.Then I was born.My parents got off the boat with their new baby and then went to the hospital to see if everything was OK.The doctors and nurses were very surprised and said my mother and I were both very healthy.After that my parents decided I should be called Jiangsheng!

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Amazing But True!

One day, a fisherman on the Arral Sea was sailing home after a day's work.It was raining and he didn't feel very happy.He hadn't had a very good day and hadn't caught very many fish.Suddenly, he heard a strange noise.A cow was flying towards his boat!The cow hit the boat and nearly destroyed it.When the fisherman got back home, people didn't believe his story.Then, some time later, the US Air Force showed that the fisherman had told the truth.While one of their transport planes was flying over the Arral Sea, a cow on the plane had gone mad and the pilot had thrown it out into the sea!

Lesson 3 Life Stories

Helen Keller

Helen 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 behaviour 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 the 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 meant, ‗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 had 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 the word ―love‖.Communication Workshop

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Once upon a time, hundreds of years ago, there was a king called Orpheus and his queen, Eurydice.They loved each other very much.King Orpheus loved playing the harp and he played it beautifully.Queen Eurydice loved nature and used to go out into the country every day.One day in spring, she went walking in the fields.After a while she felt tired.She sat down under an apple tree and soon fell asleep.While she was sleeping, the king of the fairies came past and saw her.The king thought she was beautiful and decided to take her away with him.He took her on his horse to his palace in a beautiful green valley.When King Orpheus heard that his wife had gone, he was very sad.He had loved Eurydice so much.He didn't want to live in the place which reminded him of his queen.He left it and went to look for Eurydice.Orpheus went to live in the woods.He took only his harp with him.For months and months he searched for Eurydice.His only pleasure was his harp.When he played it, all the birds and animals in the forest would come and listen to the music.One day, when he was in the woods, he saw a group of people.It was the king of the fairies!He followed them until they came to the palace of the king of the fairies.Orpheus knocked on the door.He said he was a musician and he had come to play for the king of the fairies.He went into the palace and saw lots of people – among them was his wife Eurydice!He tried to speak to her, but she couldn't speak to him and she couldn't go away with him.She needed permission from the king of the fairies.Orpheus started playing his harp.Everybody in the palace listened.―Your music is so beautiful that I will give you anything you wish,‖ said the fairy king to Orpheus.―Thank you, my lord.I will take my wife Eurydice away with me.‖ The fairy king gave him permission to leave the fairy palace.Then, Orpheus took Eurydice back to his kingdom and they both lived happily ever after.

第二篇：高中英语课文

Unit 1

ANNE’S BEST FRIEND

Do you want a friend whom you could tell everything to, like your deepest feelings and thoughts? Or are you afraid that your friend would laugh at you, or would not understand what you are going through? Anne Frank wanted the first kind, so she made her best friend.你是不是想有一位无话不谈能推心置腹的朋友呢？或者你是不是担心你的朋友会嘲笑你，会不理解你目前的困境呢？安 妮•弗兰克想要的是第一种类型的朋友，于是她就把日记当成了她最好的朋友。

Anne lived in Amsterdam in Netherlands during Would WarⅡ.Her family was Jewish so they had to hide or they would be caught by the German Nazi.She and her family hid away for nearly twenty-five months before they were discovered.During that time the only true friend was her diary.She said ,”I don’t want to set down a series of facts in a diary as most people do ,but I want this diary itself to be my friend, and I shall call my friend Kitty.”Now read how she felt after being in the hiding place since July 1942.安妮在第二次世界大战期间住在荷兰的阿姆斯特丹。她一家人都是犹太人，所以他们不得不躲藏起来，否则他们就会被 德国纳粹抓去。她和她的家人躲藏了两年之后才被发现。在这段时间里，她唯一的忠实朋友就是她的日记了。她说，“我不 愿像大多数人那样在日记中记流水账。我要把这本日记当作我的朋友，我要把我这个朋友称作基蒂”。安妮自从 1942年 7月 起就躲藏在那儿了，现在，来看看她的心情吧。

Thursday 15 Dear Kitty，th

June 1944 I wonder if it’s because I haven’t been able to be outdoors for so long that I’ve grown so crazy about everything to do with nature.I can well remember that there was a time when a deep blue sky, the song of the birds, moonlight and flowers could never have kept me spellbound.That’s changed since I was here.我不知道这是不是因为我长久无法出门的缘故，我变得对一切与大自然有关的事物都无比狂热。我记得非常清楚，以前，湛蓝的天空、鸟儿的歌唱、月光和鲜花，从未令我心迷神往过。自从我来到这里，这一切都变了。

…For example, one evening when it was so warm, I stayed awake on purpose until half past eleven in order to have a good look at the moon by myself.But as the moon gave far too much light, I didn’t dare open a window.Another time five months ago, I happened to be upstairs at dusk when the window was open.I didn’t go downstairs until the window had to be shut.The dark, rainy evening, the wind, the thundering clouds held me entirely in their power;it was the first time in a year and a half that I’d seen the night face to face….……比方说，有天晚上天气很暖和，我熬到 11点半故意不睡觉，为的是独自好好看看月亮。但是因为月光太亮了，我不 敢打开窗户。还有一次，就在五个月以前的一个晚上，我碰巧在楼上，窗户是开着的。我一直等到非关窗不可的时候才下楼 去。漆黑的夜晚，风吹雨打，雷电交加，我全然被这种力量镇住了。这是我一年半以来第一次目睹夜晚……

…Sadly…I am only able to look at nature through dirty curtains hanging before very dusty windows.it’s no pleasure looking through these any longer because nature is one thing that really must be experienced.……令人伤心的是……我只能透过脏兮兮的窗帘观看大自然，窗帘悬挂在沾满灰尘的窗前，但观看这些已经不再是乐趣，因为大自然是你必须亲身体验的。

Your, Anne

Friday, 10 July 1942 When we arrived at Prinsengracht, we went quickly upstairs and the hiding place.We closed the door behind us and we were alone.Margot had come faster on her bicycle and already waiting for us.All the rooms were full of boxes.They lay on the floor and the beds.The little room was filled with bedclothes.We had to start clearing up at once, if we wished to sleep in comfortable beds that night.Mummy and Margot were not able to help.They were tired and lay down on their beds.But Daddy and I, the two “helper” of the family, started at once.The whole day we unpacked the boxes, filled the cupboards and tidied, until we were extremely tired.We did sleep in clean beds that night.We hadn’t had any warm food to eat all day, but we didn’t care.Mummy and Margot were too tired and worried to eat, and Daddy and I were too busy.Every culture has its own ways to show friendship.On the islands of Hawaii, friendship is part of the “aloha spirit”.InthelanguageoftheHawaiianswhofirstsettledtheislandslongago,alohahadaveryspecialmeaning.That is “to be with happiness”.Hawaiians believe that once somebody loves the land, they are ready to love their people or community.This is the second most import sign of friendship.It is called lokahi in Hawaiian language, which means “oneness with all people”.To enjoy the land you should not be selfish.The land is for everyone who lives on it.Today many different people call Hawaii their home.Indeed, Hawaii is a place where people make one big community from many smaller communities.Each person gives kokua(help)to other people so that all fell stronger.It’s believed that the islands can be a paradise when the people live in peace.People are told that their actions should be as gentle as the wind that blows from the sea.When problems happen, people are asked to solve them with understanding.So when people of Hawaii talk about ohana(family), they are really talking about all those who live on the islands.Living in peace, Hawaiians have developed a third sign of friendship.This personal friendship is shown by giving leis to one another.The lie, a string of flowers, is put over a friend’s neck.Then the friend is given a kiss on cheek.Visitors to the islands are also given lies.When they hear aloha, visitors begin to feel at home.Aloha also means “goodbye”, so visitors will hear it again when they leave.It can also mean “our hearts singing together”.Perhaps this is how most visitors will remember their new friendship.Unit 2

THE ROAD TO MODERN ENGLISH At the end of the 16 century, about five to seven million people spoke English.Nearly all of them lived in England.Later in the next century, people from England made voyages to conquer other parts of the world and because of that, English begin to be spoken in many other countries.Today, more people speak English as their first, second or a foreign language than ever before.16世纪末期大约有 5百万到 7百万人说英语，几乎所有这些人都生活在英国。后来，在 17世纪英国人开始航海征服了 世界其它地区。于是，许多别的国家开始说英语了。如今说英语的人比以往任何时候都多，他们有的是作为第一语言来说，有的是作为第二语言或外语。

Native English speakers can understand each other even if they don't speak the same kind of English.Look at this kind of example: 以英语作为母语的人，即使他们所讲的语言不尽相同，也可以互相交流。请看以下例子： British Betty: Would you like to see my flat? 英国人贝蒂：“请到我的公寓（flat）里来看看，好吗？” American Amy: Yes.I’d like to come up to your apartment.美国人艾米：“好的。我很乐意到你的公寓（apartment）去。

So why has English changed over time? Actually all languages change and develop when cultures meet and communicatewitheachother.AtfirsttheEnglishspokeninEnglandbetweenaboutAD450and1150wasverydifferent the English spoken today.It was based more on German than the English we speak at present.Then gradually between about AD800 to 1150, English became less like germen because those who ruled England spoke first Danish and later French.These new settlers enriched the English language and especially its vocabulary.So by the 1600’s Shakespeare was able to make use of a wider vocabulary than ever before.In 1620 some British settlers moved to American.Later in the 18 century some British people were taken to Australia too.English began to be spoken th th in both countries.那么，英语在一段时间里为什么会起变化呢？事实上，当不同文化互相交流渗透时，所有的语言都会有所发展，有所变 化。首先，在公元 450年到 1150年间，人们所说的英语跟今天所说的英语就很不一样。当时的英语更多地是以德语为基础的，而现代英语不是。然后，渐渐地，大约在公元 800年到 1150年期间，英语不那么像德语了。因为那时的英国的统治者起初讲 丹麦语后来讲法语。这些新的定居者大大丰富了英语语言，特别是在词汇方面。所以到 17 世纪，莎士比亚所用的词汇量比 以前任何时期都大。在 1620年，一些英国人搬迁到美洲定居。后来，到了 19世纪，有些英国人也被送往澳大利亚，两个国 家的人都开始说英语了。

first Samuel Johnson wrote his dictionary and later Noah Webster wrote The American Dictionary of the English Language.The latter gave a separate identity to American English spelling.最后，到 20世纪，英语才真正定形。那时，英语在拼写上发生了两大变化：首先，塞缪尔•约翰逊编写了词典，后来，诺厄 •韦伯斯特编纂了《美国英语词典》，后者体现了美国英语拼写的不同特色。

English now is also spoken as a foreign or second language in South Asia.For example, India has a very large number of fluent English speakers because Britain ruled India from 1765 to 1947.during that time English became the language for government and education.English is also spoken in Singapore and Malaysia and countries in Africa such as South Africa.Today the number of people learning English in China is increasing rapidly.In fact, China may have the largest number of English learners.Will Chinese English develop its own identity? Only time will tell.现在，英语在南亚也被当作外语或第二语言来说。比如说，印度拥有众多讲英语很流利的人，这是因为英国于 1765年到 1947 年统治过印度。在那期间，英语成了官方语言和教育用语。在新加坡、马来西亚和非洲其它国家，比如南非，人们也说英语。目前在中国学习英语的人数正在迅速增长。事实上，中国可能拥有世界上最多的英语学习者。中国英语会发展出自己的特色 吗？这只能由时间来回答了。

STANDARD ENGLISH AND DIALECTS What is standard English? Is it spoken in Britain, the US, Canada, Australia, India and New Zealand? Believe it or not, there is no such thing as standard English.Many people believe the English spoken on TV and the radio is standard English.This is because in the early days of radio, those who reported the news were expected to speak excellent English.However, on TV and the radio you will hear differences in the way people speak.什么是标准英语？是在英国、美国、加拿大、澳大利亚、印度、新西兰所说的英语吗？信不信由你，（世界上）没有什么标 准英语。许多人认为，电视和收音机里所说的就是标准英语，这是因为在早期的电台节目里，人们期望新闻播音员所说的英 语是最好的英语。然而，在电视和收音机里，你也会听出人们在说话时的差异。When people use words and expressions different from the “standard language”, it is called a dialect.American English has many dialects, especially the Midwestern, southern, African American and Spanish dialects.Even in some parts of the USA, two people from neighbouring towns speak a little differently.American English has so many dialects because people have come from all over the world.当人们用不同于“标准语言”的词语时，那就叫做方言。美国英语有许多方言，特别是中西部和南部地区的方言，以及黑 人和西班牙人的方言。在美国有些地区，即使是相邻城镇的两个人所说的语言都可能稍有不同。美国英语之所以有这么多的 方言是因为美国人是来自世界各地的缘故。

Geography also plays a part in making dialects.Some people who live in the mountains of the eastern USA speak with an older kind of English dialect.When Americans moved from one place to another, they took their dialects with them.So people from the mountains in the southeastern USA speak with almost the same dialects as people in the northwestern USA.The USA is a large country in which many different dialects are spoken.Although many Americans move a lot, they still recognize and understand each other’s dialects.地理位置对方言的产生也有影响。住在美国东部山区的一些人说着比较古老的英语方言。当美国人从一个地方搬到另一个地 方时，他们也就把他们的方言随着带去了。因此，美国东南部山区的人同美国西北部的人所说的方言就几乎相同。美国是一 个使用多种方言的大国。虽然许多美国人经常搬迁，但是他们仍然能够辨别、理解彼此的方言。

THE OXFORD ENGLISH DICTIONARY You may think that English dictionaries have been used for many, many centuries.The spelling of English has always been a problem but it was more of a problem in the days before a dictionary.Then people could spell word in different ways which you might find it interesting.But it made reading English much more difficult.So dictionaries were invented to encourage everybody to spell the same.In fact, an English dictionary like the kind you use today wasn’t made until the time of the late Qing Dynasty.There men did most of the important early work on dictionaries: Samuel Johnson, Noah Webster, and James Murray.These men spent nearly all of their lives trying to collect words for their dictionaries.For them, it wasn’t only a job;it was a wonderful journey of discovery.The largest dictionary in the world is the Oxford English Dictionary, or OED for short.The idea for this dictionary came from an important meeting in Britain in 1857.Twenty-two years later, Oxford University th

Murray had never been to college.At the age of fourteen, he left his village school in Scotland and taught himself while working in a bank.Later he became a great teacher.After Oxford gave him the job, Murray had a place built in the garden behind his house to do his work.Part of it was one meter underground.In winter it felt like a barn, he had to wear a heavy coat and put his feet in a box to keep warm.Every morning, Murray got out of bed at five o’clock and worked several hours before breakfast.Often he would work by the candle light into the evening.Murray hoped to finish the new dictionary in ten years.But after five years, he was still adding words for the letter A!then others went to work with Murray, including his two daughters.He worked on the dictionary until he was very old.Forty-four years later, in1928, other editors finished it.It included more than 15,000 pages in twelve books.And you thought your dictionary was big!Unit 3

JOURNEY DOWN THE MEKONG PART 1 THE DREAM AND THE PLAN My name is Wang Kun.Ever since middle school, my sister Wang Wei and I have dreamed about taking a great bike trip.Two years ago she bought an expensive mountain bike and then she persuaded me to buy one.Last year, she visited our cousins, Dao Wei and Yu Hang at their college in Kunming.They are Dai and grew up in western Yunnan Province near the Lancang River, the Chinese part of the river that is called the Mekong River in other countries.Wang Wei soon got them interested in cycling too.After graduating from college.we finally got the chance to take a bike trip.I asked my sister, “Where are we going?” It was my sister who first had the idea to cycle along the entire Mekong River from where it begins to where it ends.Now she is planning our schedule for the trip.我的名字叫王坤。从高中起，我姐姐王薇和我就一直梦想作一次伟大的自行车旅行。两年前，她买了一辆昂贵的山地自行车，然后还说服我买了一辆（山地车）。去年她去看望了我们的表兄弟——在昆明读大学的刀卫和宇航。他们是傣族人，在云南 省西部靠近澜沧江的地方长大，湄公河在中国境内的这一段叫澜沧江，在其他国家（境内）叫湄公河。很快，王薇使表兄弟 也对骑车旅游产生了兴趣。大学毕业以后，我们终于有了机会骑自行车旅行。我问我姐姐：“我们要去哪儿？”首先想到要 沿湄公河从源头到终点骑车旅游的是我的姐姐。现在她正在为我们的旅行制定计划。I am fond of my sister but she has one serious shortcoming.She can be really stubborn.Although she didn't know the best way of getting to places, she insisted that she organize the trip properly.Now, I know that the proper way is always her way.I kept asking her, “When are we leaving and when are we coming back?” I asked her whether she had looked at a map yet.Of course, she hadn't;my sister doesn't care about details.So I told her that the source of the Mekong is in Qinghai Province.She gave me a determined look—the kind that said she would not change her mind.When I told her that our journey would begin at an altitude of more than 5,000 metres, she seemed to be excited about it.When I told her the air would be hard to breathe and it would be very cold, she said it would be an interesting experience.I know my sister well.Once she has made up her mind, nothing can change it.Finally, I had to give in.我很喜欢我姐姐，但是她有一个很严重的缺点。她有时确实很固执。尽管她对去某些地方的最佳路线并不清楚，她却坚持要 自己把这次旅游安排得尽善尽美。于是，我就知道这个尽善尽美的方式总是她的方式。我不停地问她，“我们什么时候出发？ 什么时候回来？”我还问她是否看过地图。当然她并没有看过——我的姐姐是不会考虑细节的。于是，我告诉她，湄公河的 源头在青海省。她给了我一个坚定的眼神——这种眼神表明她是不会改变主意的。我说，我们的旅行将从 5, 000多米的高地 出发，这时她似乎显得很兴奋。当我告诉她那里空气稀薄，呼吸困难，而且天气很冷时，她却说这将是一次有趣的经历。我 非常了解我的姐姐，她一旦下了决心，什么也不能使她改变。最后，我只好让步了。Several months before our trip,Wang Wei and I went to the library.We found a large atlas with good maps that showed details of world geography.From the atlas we could see that the Mekong River begins in a glacier on a Tibetan mountain.At first the river is small and the water is clear and cold.Then it begins to move quickly.It becomes rapids as it passes through deep valleys, travelling across western Yunnan Province.Sometimes the river becomes a waterfall and enters wide valleys.We were both surprised to learn that half of the river is inChina.AfteritleavesChinaandthehighaltitude,theMekongbecomeswide，brownandwarm.AsitentersSoutheast

Asia, its pace slows.It makes wide bends or meanders through low valleys to the plains where rice grows.At last, the river delta enters the South China Sea.在我们旅行前的几个月，王薇和我去了图书馆。我们找到一本大型地图册，里面有一些世界地理的明细图。我们从图上可以 看到，湄公河发源于西藏一座山上的冰川。起初，江面很小，河水清澈而冷冽，然后它开始快速流动。它穿过深谷时就变成 了急流，流经云南西部。有时，这条江形成瀑布，进入宽阔的峡谷。我们俩惊奇地发现这条河有一半是在中国境内。当流出 中国，流出高地之后，湄公河就变宽了，变暖了，河水也变成了黄褐色。而当它进入东南亚以后，流速减缓，河水蜿蜒缓慢 地穿过低谷，流向生长稻谷的平原。最后，湄公河三角洲的各支流流入中国南海。

PART2 A NIGHT IN THE MOUNTAINS Although it was autumn,the snow was already beginning to fall in Tibet.Our legs were so heavy and cold that they felt like blocks of ice.Have you ever seen snowmen ride bicycles?That’s what we looked like!Along the way children dressed in long wool coats stopped to look at us.In the late afternoon we found it was so cold that our water bottles froze..However,the lakes shonelike glass in the setting sun and looked wonderful.Wangwei rode in front of me as usual.She is very reliable and I knew I didn’t need to encourage her.To climb the mountains was hard work but as we looked around us, we were surprised by the view.We seemed to be able to see for miles.At one point we were so high that we found ourselves cycling through clouds.Then we began going down the hills.It was great fun especially as it gradually became much warmer.In the valleys colourful butterflies flew around us and we saw many yaks and sheep eating green grass.At this point we had to change our caps, coats,gloves and trousers for T-shirts and shorts.虽然是秋天，但是西藏已经开始下雪了。我们的腿又沉又冷，感觉就像大冰块。你看到过雪人骑自行车吗？我们看上去就像 那样。一路上，一些身着羊毛大衣的孩子们停下来看着我们。下午晚些时候，我们发现由于天冷我们的水壶都冻上了。然而，湖水在落日的余晖下闪亮如镜，景色迷人。像往常一样，王薇在我的前面，她很可靠，我知道我用不着给她鼓劲儿。上山很 艰难，但是当我们环顾四周，（眼前的）景色让我们感到惊奇，我们似乎能看到几百里以外的地方。在某个时刻，我们发现 自己置身高处，彷佛骑车穿越云层。然后我们开始下山，这非常有趣，特别是天气逐渐变得暖和多了。在山谷里，五彩斑斓 的蝴蝶翩翩飞舞在我们身旁，我们还看到牦牛和羊群在吃草。这时，我们不得不把帽子、外衣、手套和长裤脱掉，换成 T恤 衫和短裤。

In the early evening we always stop to make camp.We put up our tent and then we eat.After supper Wang Wei put her head down on her pillow and went to sleep but I stayed awake.At midnight the sky became clearer and the stars grew brighter.It was so quiet.There was almost no wind—only the flames of our fire for company.As I lay beneath the stars I thought about how far we had already travelled.一到傍晚，我们通常就停下来宿营，（于是），我们先把帐篷支起来，然后吃饭。晚饭后，王薇把头放在枕头上就睡觉了，而 我却醒着。半夜里，天空变得清朗了，星星更亮了。（夜晚）非常安静——几乎没有风，只有篝火的火焰和我们做伴。当我 躺在星空下，我想着我们已经走了多远。

We will reach Dali in Yunnan Province soon, where our cousins Dao Wei and Yu Hang will join us.We can hardly wait to see them!我们很快就要到达云南的大理。在那里，我们的表兄弟刀卫和宇航将加入我们的行列。我们迫不及待地想要见到他们！

PART 6 THE END OF OUR JOUNEY Cambodia was in many ways similar to Laos, although it has twice the population.At another inn, we talked with a teacher who told us that half of the people in her country couldn’t read or write.Her village couldn’t even afford to build a school, so she had to teach outside under a large tent.When we said goodbye, we all felt very lucky to have studied in college.Back on the road, we passed between many hills and forests.Then we came to the plains and entered Phnom Penh,the capital of Cambodia.In many ways it looked like Vientiane and Ho Chi Minh City;it also had wide streets with trees in rows and old French houses.Unlike Vientiane, ships could travel the Mekong River here.In the center of the city we visited the palace and a beautiful white elephant.It can only be seen outside the palace on special days.We ate an early supper and went to see a great temple with floors made of sliver.The next morning our group slept late.We were very tired from the long bike ride the day before.Cycling in the hills had been diffcuilt.Now our couins had the chance to make jokes about Wangwei and me.Perhaps,they said,they were the strong ones!We had lunch at a nice outdoor cafe,then rode out of the city.Two days later we crossed the border into Vietnam.We began to see many more people,but I wasn’t surprised.I

第三篇：高中英语课文

Maybe it is true that we don't know what we have got until we lose it, but it is also true that we don't know what we have been missing until it arrives.Giving someone all your love is never an assurance that they will love you back, Don't expect love in return;but if it does not, be content it grew in yours.It takes an hour to like someone, and a day to love someone, but it takes a lifetime to forget someone.Don't rely on one's appearance;it can deceive.Don't rely on wealth;even that fades away.Rely on someone who makes you smile, because it takes only a smile to make a dark day seem bright.There are moments in life when you miss someone so much that you just want to pick them from your dreams and hug them.Dream what you want to dream;go where you want to go;be what you want to be, because you have only one life and one chance to do all the things you want to do.May you have enough happiness to make you sweet enough trials to make you strong enough sorrow to keep you human, enough hope to make you happy.Always put yourself in others' shoes.If you feel that it hurts you, it probably hurts others, too.The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything;they just make the most of everything that comes along their way.Happiness waits for those who cry, those who have been hurt, those who have searched, and those who have tried, for only they can appreciate the importance of people who have touched their lives.The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past.You can't go on well in life until you let your past failures and heartaches go off.When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling.Live your life so that when you die, you are the one who is smiling and everyone around you is crying。

也许这是真的，我们不知道我们拥有什么，直到我们失去它，但它也是真实的我们不知道什么我们已经失踪，直到它到达。给一个人你所有的爱是没有保证，他们会爱你回来，不要指望爱的回报；但如果它不这样做，是它的内容在你的成长。喜欢一个人需要一小时，爱上一个人需要一天，但是忘记一个人却需要一辈子。不要相信人的外表；它可以欺骗。不依赖财富；甚至消失了。依赖能让你微笑的人，因为只有微笑才能使黑暗的日子变得光明。人生中有很多时刻，你非常想念某个人，你想把他们从您的梦想和拥抱他们。做你想做的梦；去你想去的地方；做你想做的人，因为你只有一次生命，一个机会去做所有你想做的事。愿你有足够的幸福让你甜蜜足够的考验使你坚强，足够的悲伤让你保持人性，足够的希望让你快乐。

总是把自己在别人的鞋。如果您认为它伤害了你，它可能伤害别人，太。最快乐的人不一定拥有最好的一切；他们只是让大部分事情顺其自然。幸福属于那些会哭泣的人，那些受过伤害的人，那些探索的人，以及那些尝试过的人，因为只有他们懂得珍惜自己的生活有影响的人。最光明的未来往往基于一个被遗忘的过去。你不能活得，直到你让过去的失败和痛心离开。当你出世，你在哭，你周围的人是微笑的。因此请活出你的生命，当你死的时候，你是唯一微笑的人，你周围的人在哭。

第四篇：高中英语课文阅读材料

The old man and the sea On the coast of Cuba lived an old fisherman.He was thin and had many deep lines in the back of his neck.His skin was very brown, and his hands were marked by pulling heavy fish at the end of ropes.But all these marks were old.Every part of him seemed old except his eyes.These were cheerful and the same color as the sea.For eighty days he did not catch any fish.People said that the old man was unlucky.But the old man still loved the sea.He was still strong and a good fisherman.On the eighty—fifth day the old man sailed farther out to sea than any of the other boats.He sailed to where the water was very deep.Then he felt fishing—line being pulled gently by a big fish which was swimming very deep in the water.The fish was so powerful that it pulled the boat after it.It took the small boat far out to sea.The old man could no longer see the land.“Fish,” he said softly, aloud, “I'll stay with you until I am dead.”

The old man pulled the line a little tighter, but he did not dare to pull it suddenly.The fish might jump and escape.Or it might dive down into the sea and pull the boat after it.But the fish was strong and brave.It pulled the boat on and on.When the fish rose at last to the top of the water, the old man saw that it was two feet longer than his boat.The old man had seen many great fish, but this one was the greatest fish he had ever seen.It was also the most beautiful.On the morning of the third day, the end came.Tired and full of pain, the old man threw his harpoon into the heart of the great fish.The fish rose high out of the water, showing all its power and beauty.The next moment it was dead.Slowly and painfully, the old man tied the fish to the side of the boat.Then he turned back and sailed toward the distant shore.He sailed well and he looked often at the huge fish.Then the first shark came.The old man killed it, but he lost his harpoon and all his rope.Two hours later two more sharks came.The old man fought them with his oar and his knife.Then he used a stick.Then the tiller.But he knew he was beaten.When he sailed into the little harbour and pulled his boat on shore, no fish was left.Only the giant white backbone.The next morning the fishermen in the village gathered round the small boat.They measured the big bone of the fish.It was eighteen feet long.“what a fish it was,” someone said."there has never been such a fish.

第五篇：高中英语课文解读

“The key to a lock”, this is my understanding of learning method.The high school curriculum more, different subjects have different characteristics, learning methods may not follow the same pattern.It is best to follow the teacher's thinking to identify the subject law, way to get started, and constantly enrich and improvethe formation of different disciplines, different learning styles.As I said before, wemust continue to induce improvement in the learning process, find out a most suitable method.The following is my own learning experience.?

Some people say that the language test to luck, also some people said to feel.Good luck or feel about it, you can achieve high scores, even may burst awinner.At the beginning I also hold a half-believe in attitude, each will be“brewing” a language test before, hoping to find the so-called “feeling”.Later,with a few classmates exchange, plus oneself also saw some brothers and sistersthe learning experience of the book, I began to feel, to learn the language, is the need for a set of scientific method.?

First of all, to read more books, this is everyone has experience.By looking at some literary classics, or newspapers and magazines, can cultivate the sense of language, but also learn a lot of knowledge of literature, and some new and interesting ideas.Now the Chinese test, reading accounted for a considerable proportion.Not only has the classical Chinese reading, science and technology,the modern article reading.Succeed in the classroom all these abilities werecultured is simply impossible, can only rely on the extra effort.