人教版高中英语选修九课文word文档5则范文

第一篇：人教版高中英语选修九课文word文档

选修9 Unit 1 Breaking records-Reading “THE ROAD IS ALWAYS AHEAD OF YOU” Ashrita Furman is a sportsman who likes the challenge of breaking Guinness records.Over the last 25 years, he has broken approximately 93 Guinness records.More than twenty of these he still holds, including the record for having the most records.But these records are not made in any conventional sport like swimming or soccer.Rather Ashrita attempts to break records in very imaginative events and in very interesting places.Recently, Ashrita achieved his dream of breaking a record in all seven continents, including hula hooping in Australia, pogo stick jumping under water in South America, and performing deep knee bends in a hot air balloon in North America.While these activities might seem childish and cause laughter rather than respect, in reality they require an enormous amount of strength and fitness as well as determination.Think about the fine neck adjustments needed to keep a full bottle of milk on your head while you are walking.You can stop to rest or eat but the bottle has to stay on your head.While Ashrita makes standing on top of a 75 cm Swiss ball look easy, it is not.It takes a lot of concentration and a great sense of balance to stay on it.You have to struggle to stay on top especially when your legs start shaking.And what about somersaulting along a road for 12 miles? Somersaulting is a tough event as you have to overcome dizziness, extreme tiredness and pain.You are permitted to rest for only five minutes in every hour of rolling but you are allowed to stop briefly to vomit.Covering a mile in the fastest time while doing gymnastically correct lunges is yet another event in which Ashrita is outstanding.Lunges are extremely hard on your legs.You start by standing and then you step forward with the fight foot while touching the left knee to the ground.Then you stand up again and step forward with the left foot while touching the fight knee to the ground.Imagine doing this for a mile!Yet this talented sportsman is not a natural athlete.As a child he was very unfit and was not at all interested in sports.However, he was fascinated by the Guinness Book of World Records.How Ashrita came to be a sportsman is an interesting story.As a teenager, he began searching for a deeper meaning in life.He studied Eastern religions and, aged 16, discovered an Indian meditation teacher called Sri Chinmoy who lived in his neighbourhood in New York City.Since that time in the early 1970s, Ashrita has been one of Sri Chinmoy's students.Sri Chinmoy says that it is just as important for people to develop their bodies as it is to develop their minds, hearts and spiritual selves.He believes that there is no limit to people's physical abilities.When Ashrita came third in a 24-hour bicycle marathon in New York's Central Park in 1978, he knew that he would one day get into the Guinness Book of World Records.He had been urged by his spiritual leader to enter the marathon even though he had done no training.So, when he won third place, he came to the understanding that his body was just an instrument of the spirit and that he seemed to be able to use his spirit to accomplish anything.From then on, Ashrita refused to accept any physical limitation.With this new confidence, Asharita broke his first Guinness record with 27,000 jumping jacks in 1979.The motivation to keep trying to break records comes through his devotion to Sri Chinmoy.Every time Ashrita tries to break a record, he reaches a point where he feels he cannot physically do any more.At that moment, he goes deep within himself and connects with his soul and his teacher.Ashrita always acknowledges his teacher in his record-breaking attempts.In fact, he often wears a T-shirt with Sri Chinmoy's words on the back.The words are: “There is only one perfect road.It is ahead of you, always ahead of you.”

FOCUS ON...Lance Armstrong Date of Birth: 8th September, 1971 Country: USA Lance Armstrong's Guinness record for the fastest average speed at the Tour de France was set in 1999 with an average speed of 40.27 km/hr.In his teens he was a triathlete but at 16 he began to concentrate on cycling.He was an amateur cyclist before the 1992 Olympic Games but turned professional after he had competed in the Games.In the following few years, he won numerous titles, and by 1996 he had become the world's number one.However, in October 1996, he discovered he had cancer and had to leave cycling.Successfully fighting his illness, Armstrong officially returned to racing in 1998.In 1999 he won the Tour de France and in 2003 he achieved his goal of winning five Tours de France.Michellie Jones Date of Birth: 9th June, 1969 Country: Australia In 1988 Michellie Jones helped establish the multi-sport event, the triathlon, in Australia.After completing her teaching qualifications in 1990, she concentrated on the triathlon.In 1991, she finished third at the world championships.In 1992 and 1993, she was the International Triathlon Union World Champion.Since then, she has never finished lower than fourth in any of the world championships she has competed in.At the Sydney Olympics in 2000 she won the silver medal in the Women's Triathlon, the first time the event had been included in the Olympic Games.Recently, for the first time in 15 years, Jones was not selected as part of the national team and therefore did not compete in the 2004 Olympics in Athens.Fu Mingxia Date of Birth: 16th August, 1978 Country: China Fu Mingxia first stood on top of the 10-metre diving platform at the age of nine.At 12 years old she won a Guinness Record when she became the youngest female to win the women's world title for platform diving at the World Championships in Australia in 1991.At the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games, she took the gold medal in the women's 10-metre platform, becoming the youngest Olympic diving champion of all time.This was followed by great success at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games where she won gold for both the 10-metre platform and the three-metre springboard.This made her the first woman in Olympic diving history to win three gold medals.She retired from diving after Atlanta and went to study economics at university.While there she decided to make a comeback and went on to compete at the Sydney Olympic Games, where she won her fourth Olympic gold, again making Olympic history.Martin Strel Date of Birth: 1st October, 1954 Country: Slovenia Strel was trained as a guitarist before he became a professional marathon swimmer in 1978.He has a passion for swimming the world's great rivers.In 2000, he was the first person ever to swim the entire length of the Danube River in Europe504.5 kilometres in the Danube River in 84 hours and 10 minutes.Martin won his third entry in the Guinness Book of World Records in 2002 when he beat his own record for long distance swimming by swimming the length of the Mississippi River in North America in 68 days, a total of 3,797 kilometres.Then in 2003 he became the first man to have swum the whole 1,929 kilometres of the difficult Parana River in South America.In 2004, Strel again broke his own Guinness record by swimming the length of the dangerous Changjiang River(4,600 km), the third longest fiver in the world.选修9 Unit 2 Sailing the oceans-Reading

SRILING THE OCERNS We may well wonder how seamen explored the oceans before latitude and longitude made it possible to plot a ship's position on a map.The voyages of travellers before the 17th century show that they were not at the mercy of the sea even though they did not have modern navigational aids.So how did they navigate so well? Read these pages from an encyclopedia.Page 1: Using nature to help Keeping alongside the coastline This seems to have been the first and most useful form of exploration which carried the minimum amount of risk.Using celestial bodies North Star At the North Pole the North Star is at its highest position in the sky, but at the equator it is along the horizon.So accomplished navigators were able to use it to plot their positions.Sun On a clear day especially during the summer the sailors could use the sun overhead at midday to navigate by.They can use the height of the sun to work out their latitude.Clouds Sea captains observed the clouds over islands.There is a special cloud formation which indicates there is land close by.Using wildlife Seaweed Sailors often saw seaweed in the sea and could tell by the colour and smell how long it had been them.If it was fresh and smelled strongly,then the ship was close to land.Birds Sea birds could be used to show the way to land when it was nowhere to be seen.In the evening nesting birds return to land and their nests.So seamen could follow the birds to land even if they were offshore and in the open sea.Using the weather Fog Fog gathers at sea as well as over streams or rivers.Seamen used it to help identify the position of a stream or river when they were close to land.Winds Wise seamen used the winds to direct their sailing.They could accelerate the speed, but they could also be dangerous.So the Vikings would observe the winds before and during their outward or return journeys.Using the sea Certain tides and currents could be used by skillful sailors to carry ships to their destination.These skills helped sailors explore the seas and discover new lands.They increased their ability to navigate new seas when they used instruments.Page 2: Using navigational instruments to help Finding longitude There was no secure method of measuring longitude until the 17th century when the British solved this theoretical problem.Nobody knew that the earth moved westwards 15 degrees every hour, but sailors did know an approximate method of calculating longitude using speed and time.An early method of measuring speed involved throwing a knotted rope tied to a log over the side of the ship.The rope was tied to a log which was then thrown into the sea.As the ship advanced through the water the knots were counted as they passed through a seaman's hands.The number of knots that were counted during a fixed period of time gave the speed of the ship in nautical miles per hour.Later, when seamen began to use the compass in the 12th century they could calculate longitude using complicated mathematical tables.The compass has a special magnetic pointer which always indicates the North Pole, so it is used to help find the direction that the ship needs to go.In this way the ship could set a straight course even in the middle of the ocean.Finding latitude The Bearing Circle It was the first instrument to measure the sun's position.A seaman would measure the sun's shadow and compare it with the height of the sun at midday.Then he could tell if he was sailing on his correct rather than a random course.A Bearing Circle The Astrolabe The astrolabe, quadrant and sextant are all connected.They are developments of one another.The earliest, the astrolabe, was a special all-in-one tool for telling the position of the ship in relation to the sun and various stars which covered the whole sky.This gave the seamen the local time and allowed them to find their latitude at sea.However, it was awkward to use as one of the points of reference was the moving ship itself.The Quadrant This was a more precise and simplified version of the astrolabe.It measured how high stars were above the horizon using a quarter circle rather than the full circle of the astrolabe.It was easier to handle because it was more portable.Its shortcoming was that it still used the moving ship as one of the fixed points of reference.As the ship rose and plunged in the waves, it was extremely difficult to be accurate with any reading.The sextant The sextant was the updated version of the astrolabe and quadrant which reduced the tendency to make mistakes.It proved to be the most accurate and reliable of these early navigational instruments.It works by measuring the angle between two fixed objects outside the ship using two mirrors.This made the calculations more precise and easier to do.THE GREATEST NAVIGATIONAL JOURNEY:A LESSON IN SURVIVAL

I am proud to have sailed with Captain Bligh on his journey of over 40 days through about 4,000miles in an open boat across the Pacific Ocean in 1789.Our outward voyage in the “Bounty” to Tahiti had been filled with the kind of incidents that I thought would be my stories when I returned home.But how wrong I was!On our departure from Tahiti, some of the crew took over the ship.They deposited the captain into a small boat to let him find his own way home.But who else was to go with him? Those of us on board the “Bounty” were caught in a dilemma.Was it better to risk certain death by sitting close together on a small, crowded open boat with very little food and water? Or should one stay on the “Bounty” with the crew and face certain death from the British Navy if caught? The drawback of staying on the ship seemed to grow as I thought about how wrong it was to treat Captain Bligh in this way.So I joined him in the small boat.As dusk fell, we seemed to face an uncertain future.We had no charts and the only instruments the captain was allowed to take with him were a compass and a quadrant.Once we were at sea, our routine every day was the same.At sunrise and sunset the captain measured our position using the quadrant and set the course using the compass.It was extremely difficult for us to get a correct reading from the quadrant as the boat moved constantly.The captain used a system called “dead reckoning”.He knew there was land directly northwest of our original position.So his task was to make sure we stayed on that course.As you can see from the map we kept to a straight course pretty well.In addition, the captain kept us all busy reading the tables to work out our position.Although this took a great deal of time, it didn't matter.Time was, after all, what we had a lot of!Our daily food was shared equally among us all: one piece of bread and one cup of water.It was starvation quantities but the extreme lack of water was the hardest to cope with psychologically.Imagine all that water around you, but none of it was safe to drink because the salt in it would drive you mad!All the time the captain tried to preserve our good spirits by telling stories and talking hopefully about what we would do when we got back to England.We only half believed him.The tension in the boat got worse as the supply of food and water gradually disappeared.We could foresee that we would die if we could not reach land very soon and we sank gradually into a sleepy, half-alive state.The captain was as weak as the rest of us, but he was determined not to give up.He continued his navigational measurements every day.He kept us busy and tried to take our minds off our stomachs and our thirst.He kept us alive.You could not imagine a more disturbing sight than what we looked like when arriving in Timor over forty days after being set loose in our small boat.Our clothes were torn, we had fever and our faces showed the hardships we had suffered.But after a rest, some good meals and some new clothes, everything changed.We couldn't stop talking about our voyage and everybody wanted to hear about it.We were the heroes who had escaped the jaws of death by completing the greatest navigational feat of all time!

选修9 Unit 3 Australia-Reading

GLIMPSES OF AUSTRALIA AUSTRALIA Capital: Canberra

Offcial name: Commonwealth of Australia Area: 7,686,850 km2

Population: 20 million Highest point: Mount Kosciuszko, 2,228 metres above sea level Lowest point: Lake Eyre, 15 metres below sea level Australia is the only country that is also a continent.It is the sixth largest country in the world and is in the smallest continentfrom the rolling hills surrounding Adelaide to the rusty reds of Australia's centre and the tropical splendour of Darwin.For more information, timetables and fares go to www.xiexiebang.com Catholic missionaries who, by the middle of the 18th century, were beginning to set themselves up in China.One such missionary, Father d'Incarville, was sent to Beijing in the 1740s.He collected seeds of trees and bushes including those of the Tree of Heaven.Just before he died, he sent some Tree of Heaven seeds to England.They arrived in 1751 and plants from these seeds were grown throughout Europe and later, in 1784, the species was introduced in North America.Sir Joseph Banks was a very famous British plant collector, who accompanied James Cook on his first voyage from England to Oceania.The purpose of the trip for Banks was to record the plant and animal life they came across.He and his team collected examples whenever they went onto dry land.In 1769, Banks collected vast quantities of plants in the land now known as Australia.None of these plants had been recorded by Europeans before.Cook called the bay where the Endeavour had anchored Botany Bay.Keeping plants alive during long land or sea voyages was an enormous challenge.Large numbers of seeds failed to grow after long sea voyages or trips across land between Asia and Europe.One plant explorer lost several years' work when his plants were mined with seawater.The world of plant exploration was completely changed with Dr Nathaniel Ward's invention of a tightly sealed portable glass container.This invention, called the Wardian case, allowed plants to be transported on long journeys.In 1833, Ward shipped two cases of British plants to Sydney, Australia.All the plants survived the six-month journey.In 1835, the cases made a return trip with some Australian species that had never been successfully transported before.After eight months at sea, they arrived safely in London.A British man called Robert Fortune was one of the earliest plant collectors to use Wardian cases.He made several trips to China between 1843 and 1859.At that time, there were restrictions on the movement of Europeans and so, in order to travel unnoticed, he developed his fluency in Chinese and dressed as a Chinese man, even shaving his head in the Chinese style.He experienced many adventures including huge thunderstorms in the Yellow Sea and pirates on the Yangtze River.Not only did Fortune introduce over 120 species of plants to Western gardens but he also shipped 20,000 tea plants from Shanghai to India, where a successful tea industry was established.The second half of the nineteenth century was a very important period of plant exploration.During this time many Catholic missionaries were sent to China from France.They valued the study of the natural sciences and many of the missionaries knew a lot about plants and animals.Their expeditions resulted in huge plant collections, which were sent back to France.One of the collectors was Father Farges, who collected 37 seeds from a tree that had appealed to him.This tree was later called the Dove Tree.He sent the seeds back to France in 1897 but only one seed grew.Although the missionaries collected large numbers of soecimens.there was not enough material for growing particular species in Western gardens.However, European botanists were very excited with the knowledge that China had a vast variety of plants, so many plant collectors were sent on collecting trips to China.One of these collectors was E H Wilson who, in 1899, was able to collect a large quantity of seeds of the Dove Tree that Father Farges had discovered.Wilson and other plant collectors introduced many new plants to Western gardens.Reading and discussing

Before you read the text on page 38, have a quick glance at it.What is the text about? What do the pictures show you? What is the chart about?

FLOWERS AND THEIR ANIMAIL POLLINATORS Over time, many flowering plants and their animal pollinators have evolved together.The plant needs the animal to pollinate it and the animal is rewarded with food called nectar when it visits the flowers.Pollen becomes attached to the animal during its visit to a flower and is then passed on to another plant's blossom on its next visit.So pollination takes place, therefore increasing the chances of the survival of the plant species.Through evolution, most flowers have adapted to attract specific types of pollinators.Bees, moths and butterflies are the most important pollinators.Flies, wasps, beetles and other animals such as birds and bats are less common.The type of pollinator depends on the characteristics of the flower such as its colour, shape, size and smell.For example, yellow flowers attract bees, while red flowers attract butterflies.The nectar in some flowers can only be reached by a bird with a long bill or a long-tongued moth or butterfly.The chart below describes some features of flowers that attract certain kinds of pollinators.Pollinator Typical flower characteristics Bees Colour: bright yellow, blue;the flower often has a special pattern to guide the bees to the nectar inside.Shape: the petals are wide enough for bees to land on;usually the nectar is at the end of a small, narrow tube whose length is the same as the tongue of a particular species.Smell: delicate, fragrant.Butterflies Colour: red, orange.Shape: the petals form a tube of a suitable length for butterflies.Tiny flowers are often in tight bunches that provide a place for butterflies to land on, eg daisies.Smell: odourless.Moths Colour: white, light-coloured so moths can see them at night.Shape: the petals form a deep tube to match the length of a specific moth's tongue.The petals lie fiat or bend back so the moth can get close to the flower.Smell: strong, sweet perfume, typically only given out at night.Flies Colour: dull-coloured, brownish red.Smell: strong like rotting meat.Humming-birds Colour: brightly coloured, especially red and orange.Shape: tube-shaped;petals bent back so birds can get close.Smell: no odour.Bats Colour: white, light-coloured so bats can see them at night.Shape: open at night;large, strong with wide mouths for long tongues.Smell: musty, fruity smell.选修9 Unit 5 Inside advertising-Reading HOW ADVERTISINC WORKS Do you know how many advertisements you are exposed to in your daily life? Every day, we pass by advertisements on buses and billboards, on trains and in train stations, in shop windows, outside restaurants and on public notice boards.At home, we see advertisements in magazines and newspapers and in the middle of our favourite television programmes.We hear advertisements on the radio and come across them on the Internet.Even some of the casual garments we wear have brand names attached to them which turn us into walking advertisements.With so many messages from advertisers filling our daily lives, it is important to understand how advertisements work.Then we can avoid being controlled by them.What is an advertisement? An advertisement is a message or announcement that informs or influences people.It can use words, pictures, music or film to communicate its message.Adverts are not only made and paid for by business, but also by individuals, organizations and associations that wish to inform or educate the public.How do advertisers make effective advertisements? Identify your target Advertisers must pay the media for displaying their ads.Their money would be wasted if the message didn't reach its target audience, in other words the people the advertisement intends to persuade.For example, adolescent boys are more likely to buy computer games than any other group, so it makes sense to make computer game ads that appeal to this group.Having identified the target group, researchers find out as much as possible about those in the target group, such as their likes and dislikes, and how the product would fit into their lives.This information then forms the basis for decisions about what type of advertising techniques to use with this group.Appeal to your target In order to persuade people to do something, advertisements often appeal to our hopes and dreams or our emotions.For example, the one on the right, which advertises sports shoes, shows young people doing exciting things.The colours and the flames also suggest excitement.The message it is sending is: “Buy our shoes and you'll live an exciting life in the 'fast lane'.” The ad above, with the star in it, is for a new radio station.It appeals to people's desire to “fit in” and be part of the group.The message is: “Everyone else is listening and if you want to be part of the group, you'd better listen too.”

Some advertisements appeal to people's desire to save money.Others are more likely to be noticed if they are funny.Ads that feature rich and famous people will grab the attention of those who admire people like that.Some adverts, like the environmental protection advertisement below, appeal to our conscience or our desire to be worthy citizens.Use a suitable medium As well as reaching the fight audience with the fight technique, advertisers must also place their ads in the right medium.Obviously, cost will play a.big part in this decision.Television adverts are expensive to make and to show.You have to be a big corporation with a big budget to afford television ads.Advertisements in newspapers, on the other hand, are much cheaper.As well as worrying about the expense, advertisers must also consider which media are most appropriate for their product and which their target audience is most likely to see or hear.Because most cars have radios, ads broadcast via radio can reach a lot of drivers very easily.For this reason, it would be appropriate to use radio to advertise goods and services relating to cars.However, it would be no use advertising products on radio if the ad relies on visual effects.Television adverts are great for generating emotional responses to a product, but magazines and newspapers can give more detail.How effective are advertisements? However good an advertisement is, people are unlikely to be persuaded if the product is unsuitable for them.For example, no matter how good an ad for a car stereo system is, people who don't own cars are unlikely to run out and buy one.Look at the advertisements in this unit.How many of the goods or services suit your interests or lifestyle? Would really good advertising persuade you to buy products and services you are not interested in or have no use for? On the other hand, being constantly exposed to advertisements can help to change our opinions over time.This is why governments all over the world pay a lot of money for ads on such things as road safety.They believe these adverts will affect the way people think about their driving habits and will subsequently reduce the number of road accidents.KEEPING ADVERTISEDRS HONEST

Organizations and individuals advertise because they want to persuade people to behave in certain ways, for example to buy a certain brand of rice, stop speeding or see a movie at their cinema.Advertisers go, to a lot of trouble and expense to make adverts and so they want to make sure they achieve their purpose.Unfortunately, not all advertisers are good or honest people.Unless we have ways to protect ourselves, these dishonest advertisers will tell lies or use methods that may mislead us.Fortunately, most countries have developed ways to control advertising and prevent false or unsuitable advertising.The law One way to control advertising is to make laws that prevent advertisers doing the wrong thing.Many countries have laws that forbid ads being shown at inappropriate times or in unsuitable places.For example, an ad that has an adult theme cannot be shown during children's television programmes.In some countries advertising alcoholic drinks or tobacco is banned altogether.There are also laws in most places that prevent advertisers making false statements about their products or from promoting immoral or harmful behaviour.Advertising organizations Most advertisers are decent and honest, and they are as interested as everyone else in making sure ads are ethical.For this reason, most advertisers belong to advertising organizations that not only educate and support their members, but also make rules for everyone in the organization to follow.They are called a code of ethics and include such rules as: Advertisements must not be untruthful or misleading;Advertisements must not say bad things about other people's products.If well-known people are used in advertisements, they must be honest and truthful about products they advertise.Complaints organization Even though there are laws and advertisers' codes of conduct, some bad ads do get made.This is why many countries have a government organization which examines complaints about ads.A consumer can complain to the organization, giving reasons for their complaint, and if the complaint is correct, the organization can make the company stop using the offending advertisement.The consumer You may have heard the saying: “Buyer Beware”.This means that the consumer is responsible for checking the product before buying.When it comes to advertising, consumers need to be educated about techniques used by advertisers so they can judge the claims for themselves and not blindly accept everything that is said in advertisements.As we are flooded with advertisements in our modem world, many schools believe it is their duty to educate students about advertising.

第二篇：高中英语选修6课文逐句翻译(人教新课标)

1.选修六Unit1 A SHORT HISTORY OF WESTERN PAINTING 西方绘画艺术简史

Art is influenced by the customs and faith of a people.艺术是受着人民生活习俗和信仰的影响的。Styles in Western art have changed many times.西方的艺术风格经历了多次变革。As there are so many different styles of Western art, it would be impossible to describe all of them in such a short text.由于西方的艺术风格多种多样，在短短的一篇课文里不可能进行全面的描述。Consequently, this text will describe only the most important ones, starting from the sixth century AD.因此,本文只谈及从公元6世纪以来最主要的几种艺术风格。

The Middle Ages(5th to the 15th century AD)中世纪(公元5世纪到15世纪)

During the Middle Ages, the main aim of painters was to represent religious themes.在中世纪,画家的主要任务是把宗教的主题表现出来。A conventional artist of this period was not interested in showing nature and people as they really were.一个传统的艺术家无意于如实地展现自然和人物。A typical picture at this time was full of religious symbols, which created a feeling of respect and love for God.那个时期的典型的绘画充满了宗教的(象)特征,体现出了对上帝的爱戴与敬重。But it was evident that ideas were changing in the 13th century when painters like Giotto di Bondone began to paint religious scenes in a more realistic way.但是,很显然到了13世纪时,观念发生变化,像乔托这样的画家开始以一种比较现实的风格来画宗教场景。The Renaissance(15th to 16th century)文艺复兴时期(15世纪到16世纪)

During the Renaissance, new ideas and values gradually replaced those held in the Middle Ages.在文艺复兴时期,新的思想和价值观逐渐取代了中世纪的思想和价值观。People began to concentrate less on religious themes and adopt a more humanistic attitude to life.人们开始较少关注宗教主题而采取一种更人性化的生活态度。At the same time painters returned to classical Roman and Greek ideas about art.同时画家们回到了罗马、希腊的古典艺术理念上。They tried to paint people and nature as they really were.他们力争如实地画出人物和自然。Rich people wanted to possess their own paintings, so they could decorate their superb palaces and great houses.富人们想拥有自己的艺术品并用来装饰自己的高级宫殿和豪宅They paid famous artists to paint pictures of themselves, their houses and possessions as well as their activities and achievements.,他们出价聘请著名艺术家来为自己画像,画自己的房屋和其他财物,以及他们的活动和成就。

One of the most important discoveries during this period was how to draw things in perspective.在此期间,最重要的发现之一就是如何用透视法来画出事物。This technique was first used by Masaccio in 1428.这一手法是1428年由马赛其奥第一次使用的。When people first saw his paintings, they were convinced that they were looking through a hole in a wall at a real scene.当人们第一次看到他的画时,还以为是透过墙上的小洞来观看真实的场景,并对此深信不疑。If the rules of perspective had not been discovered, no one would have been able to paint such realistic pictures.如没有发现透视法,人们就不可能画出如此逼真的画。By coincidence, oil paints were also developed at this time, which made the colours used in paintings look richer and deeper.巧合的是这一时期油画颜料也得到了发展,它使得绘画的色彩看上去更丰富、更深沉。Without the new paints and the new technique, we would not be able to see the many great masterpieces for which this period is famous.没有新的颜料和新的(绘画)手法,我们就不能看到很多使这一时代著名的杰作。Impressionism(late 19th to early 20th century)印象派时期(19世纪后期到20世纪初期)

In the late 19th century, Europe changed a great deal from a mostly agricultural society to a mostly industrial one.19世纪后期,欧洲发生了巨大的变化,从以农业为主的社会变成了以工业为主的社会。Many people moved from the countryside to the new cities.许多人从农村迁入到新城市。There were many new inventions and social changes.有着许多新发明,还有许多社会变革。Naturally, these changes also led to new painting styles.这些变革也自然而然地促成了新的绘画风格。Among the painters who broke away from the traditional style of painting were the Impressionists, who lived and worked in Paris.在那些突破传统画法的画家中有生活和工作在法国巴黎的印象派画家。

The Impressionists were the first painters to work outdoors.印象派画家是第一批室外写景的画家。They were eager to show how light and shadow fell on objects at different times of day.他们急切地想把一天中不同时间投射到物体上的光线和阴影呈现出来。However, because natural light changes so quickly, the Impressionists had to paint quickly.然而由于自然光的变化很快,印象派画家们必须很快地作画,Their paintings were not as detailed as those of earlier painters.因此,他们的画就不像以前那些画家们的画那样细致了。At first, many people disliked this style of painting and became very angry about it.起初,许多人都不喜欢这种画法,甚至还怒不可遏。They said that the painters were careless and their paintings were ridiculous.他们说这些画家作画时漫不经心、粗枝大叶,而他们的作品更是荒谬可笑。Modern Art(20th century to today)现代艺术(20世纪至今)

At the time they were created, the Impressionist paintings were controversial, but today they are accepted as the beginning of what we call “modern art”.在印象派作品的创建初期,它们是存在着争议的,但是如今己被人们接受而成为现在我们所说的“现代艺术”的始祖了。This is because the Impressionists encouraged artists to look at their environment in new ways.这是因为印象派鼓励画家用一种崭新的视角看待他们的环境。There are scores of modern art styles, but without the Impressionists, many of these painting styles might not exist.如今,现代艺术风格有好几十种,然而如果没有印象派,那么这许多不同的风格就不可能存在。On the one hand, some modern art is abstract;that is, the painter does not attempt to paint objects as we see them with our eyes, but instead concentrates on certain qualities of the object, using colour, line and shape to represent them.一方面,有些现代艺术是抽象的,也就是说,画家并不打算把我们眼睛看到的东西如实地画出来,而是集中展现物体的某些品质特性,用色彩、线条和形状把它们呈现出来。On the other hand, some paintings of modern art are so realistic that they look like photographs.而另一方面,有些现代派的艺术作品却是那么写实,看上去就像是照片。These styles are so different.这些风格如此不同。Who can predict what painting styles there will be in the future?谁能预言将来会有什么样的绘画艺术风格?

2.选修六Unit 1 THE BEST OF MANHATTAN’S ART GALLERIES曼哈顿艺术画廊荟萃 The Frick Collection(5th Avenue and E.70th Street)弗里克收藏馆(第5大道和第70街大道之间)

Many art lovers would rather visit this small art gallery than any other in New York.在纽约,比起其他艺术馆许多艺术爱好者都更乐意参观这家小型艺术陈列馆。Henry Clay Frick, a rich New Yorker, died in 1919, leaving his house, furniture and art collection to the American people.亨利·克莱·弗里克是纽约的一位富豪,于1919年去世,把他的房子、家具和艺术收藏品全部留给了美国人民。Frick had a preference for pre-twentieth century Western paintings, and these are well-represented in this excellent collection.弗里克对20世纪以前的西方绘画有偏爱,而在这个陈列馆的珍藏品里这些绘画得以很好展出。You can also explore Frick's beautiful home and garden which are well worth a Visit.你还可以好好考察一下弗里克美丽的故居和花园,它们是很值得一看的。Guggenheim Museum(5th Avenue and 88th Street)古根海姆博物馆(第5大道和第88街交汇处)

This museum owns 5,000 superb modern paintings, sculptures and drawings.这家博物馆拥有5000幅非常好的现代油画、雕塑和素描。These art works are not all displayed at the same time.The exhibition is always changing.这些艺术品并不是同时展出的,展品总是在不断地更换。It will appeal to those who love Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings.展览将吸引印象派和后印象派作品的爱好者。The Guggenheim Museum building is also world-famous.古根海姆博物馆的大楼也是世界闻名的。When you walk into gallery, you feel as if you were inside a fragile, white seashell.当你走进画廊的时候,你会觉得你进入了一个易碎的白色贝壳之中。The best way to see the paintings is to start from the top floor and walk down to the bottom.看画展最好是从顶层看起,一直往下看到底层。There are no stairs just a circular path.The museum also has an excellent restaurant.展厅里没有楼梯,只有一条环形的小道。博物馆里还有一家极好的餐馆。

Metropolitan Museum of Art(5th Avenue and 82nd Street)大都会艺术博物馆(第5大道与第82街交汇处)

The reputation of this museum lies in the variety of its art collection.这家博物馆以收藏艺术品种类繁多而享有盛名。This covers more than 5,000 years of civilization from many parts of the world, including America, Europe, China, Egypt, other African countries and South America.它的艺术品收藏涵盖了5000多年来世界上众多国家的文明史,其中包括美洲、欧洲、中国、埃及、其他非洲国家和南美洲。The museum displays more than just the visual delights of art.It introduces you to ancient ways of living.这家博物馆展出的不只是可以看得见的艺术之美,它还向你介绍了古代的生活方式。You can visit an Egyptian temple, a fragrant Ming garden, a typical room in an 18th century French house and many other special exhibitions.你可以看到埃及的寺庙,馥郁的明朝花园,18世纪法国住宅中的典型房间,以及许多其他特殊展品。Museum of Modern Art(53rd Street, between 5th and 6th Avenues)现代艺术博物馆(第53街,位于第5和第6大道之间)

It is amazing that so many great works of art from the late 19th century to the 21st century are housed in the same museum.令人惊奇的是,在同一家博物馆里竟能容纳下19世纪后期到21世纪的如此众多的名家巨作。The collection of Western art includes paintings by such famous artists as Monet, Van Gogh, Picasso and Matisse.西方艺术的收藏包括有莫奈、凡高、毕加索和马蒂斯等著名艺术家的作品。A few words of warning: the admission price is not cheap and the museum is often very crowded.有几句话需要提醒你注意:博物馆票价不菲,而且常常十分拥挤。

Whitney Museum of American Art(945 Madison Avenue, near 75th Street)惠特尼美国艺术博物馆(麦迪逊大道945号,靠近第75街)

The Whitney holds an excellent collection of contemporary American painting and sculpture.惠特尼博物馆藏有极好的当代美国绘画和雕塑品。There are no permanent displays in this museum and exhibitions change all the time.馆内没有永久性的展出,展品都是随时更换的。Every two years, the Whitney holds a special exhibition of new art by living artists.惠特尼博物馆每两年有一次特殊的展览,展品是仍然在世的艺术家们的新作。The museum also shows videos and films by contemporary video artists.这家博物馆还展出当代影视艺术家的录像和电影作品。

3.选修六Unit 2 A FEW SIMPLE FORMS OF ENGLISH POEMS 简体英文诗

There are various reasons why people write poetry.人们写诗有着各种各样的理由。Some poems tell a story or describe something in a way that will give the reader a strong impression.有些诗是为了叙事，或者说是描述某件事并给读者以强烈的印象。Others try to convey certain emotions.而有些诗则是为了传达某种感情。Poets use many different forms of poetry to express themselves.诗人用许多不同风格的诗来表达自己的情感。In this text, however, we will look at a few of the simpler forms.本文只谈了几种格式比较简单的诗。

Some of the first poetry a young child learns in English is nursery rhymes.孩子们最早学习的英文诗是童谣。These rhymes like the one on the right(A)are still a common type of children's poetry.像右边的这首童谣（A）至今仍然是常见的。The language is concrete but imaginative, and they delight small children because they rhyme, have strong rhythm and a lot of repetition.童谣的语言具体但富有想象力，这使得小孩子们快乐，因为它们押韵，节奏感强，并较多重复。The poems may not make sense and even seem contradictory, but they are easy to learn and recite.童谣不一定有什么意义，甚至有的看来自相矛盾，但是它们容易学，也容易背诵。By playing with the words in nursery rhymes, children learn about language.通过童谣中的文字游戏，孩子们学习了语言。（A）

Hush, little baby, don't say a word,小宝宝，别说话，Papa's going to buy you a mockingbird.爸爸给你买个小嘲鸟。If that mockingbird won't sing,小嘲鸟，不会唱，Papa's going to buy you a diamond ring.爸爸给你买个钻石戒。If that diamond ring turns to brass,钻石戒，变成铜，Papa's going to buy you a looking-glass.爸爸给你买个小镜子。If that looking-glass gets broke,小镜子，打破了，Papa's going to buy you a billy-goat.爸爸给你买个小山羊。If that billy-goat runs away,小山羊，跑掉了。

Papa's going to buy you another today.爸爸今天再去给你买一只。

One of the simplest kinds of poems are those like B and C that list things.像（B）和（C）这样的列举事物的清单诗是诗歌中最简单的一种。List poems have a flexible line length and repeated phrases which give both a pattern and a rhythm to the poem.清单诗可长可短，可以重复一些短语，较为灵活。形成固定句型和诗的节奏。Some rhyme(like B)while others do not(like C).有些清单诗有韵脚（如B）,但有一些没有（如C）。（B）

I saw a fish-pond all on fire我看到鱼塘在燃烧 I saw a fish-pond all on fire,我看到鱼塘在燃烧，I saw a house bow to a squire,我看到房子向地主哈腰，I saw a person twelve-feet high,我看到人高一丈八，I saw a cottage in the sky,我看到茅屋在天郊。I saw a balloon made of lead,我看到气球用铅做，I saw a coffin drop down dead,我看到棺材把死人抛。I saw two sparrows run a race,我看到两只麻雀在赛跑，I saw two horses making lace,我看到两匹马儿绣花包。I saw a girl just like a cat,我看到姑娘像只猫，I saw a kitten wear a hat,我看到小猫带花帽。I saw a man who saw these too,我看到有人在一旁瞄，And said though strange they all were true.虽奇怪，但也把实情报。（C）

Our first football match我们的第一场球赛 We would have won...我们本来会得冠军…… if Jack had scored that goal,如果杰克踢进了那个球，if we'd had just a few more minutes,如果我们还有几分钟，if we had trained harder,如果我们训练的更严格，if Ben had passed the ball to Joe,如果本把球传给了乔，if we'd had thousands of fans screaming,如果有大批球迷助威，if I hadn't taken my eye off the ball,如果我死死盯住球，if we hadn't stayed up so late the night before,如果我们头晚不熬夜，if we hadn't taken it easy,如果我们没有放松警惕，if we hadn't run out of energy.如果我们没有精疲力竭，We would have won...我们本来是会的冠军的…… if we'd been better!如果我们能干的更好！

Another simple form of poem that students can easily write is the cinquain, a poem made up of five lines.另外一种学生容易写的简体诗是由五行组成的，叫做五行诗。With these, students can convey a strong picture in just a few words.用五行诗，学生可以用少量的词语传递一幅动人的画面。Look at the examples(D and E)on the top of the next page.请看下一页上端的D和E两个例子。（D）Brother兄弟

Beautiful, athletic爱美，又爱运动

Teasing, shouting, laughing爱闹，爱叫，又爱笑 Friend and enemy too是我的朋友 Mine也是我的敌人（E）Summer夏天

Sleepy, salty困乏，咸涩

Drying, drooping, dreading干涸，枯萎，恐怖 Week in, week out周而复始 Endless永无止境

Haiku is a Japanese form of poetry that is made up of 17 syllables.俳句诗（Haiku）是一种日本诗，由17个音节组成。It is not a traditional form of English poetry, but is very popular with English writers.它不属于英诗的传统形式，但是在用英语写作的人们中间，这种诗也是很流行的。It is easy to write and, like the cinquain , can give a clear picture and create a special feeling using the minimum of words.它容易写，而且像五行诗一样，它可以用最少的词语呈现出一幅清晰的画面，表达出一种特殊的感情。The two haiku poems(F and G)above are translations from the Japanese.下面两首俳句诗（右边的F和G）就是从日文翻译过来的。（F）

A fallen blossom落下的花朵

Is coming back to the branch.回到了树枝上。Look, a butterfly!瞧啊，是只蝴蝶！(by Moritake)（作者：Moritake）（G）

Snow having melted,雪儿融化了，The whole village is brimful整个村庄充满着 Of happy children.欢乐的儿童。(by Issa)（作者：Issa）

Did you know that English speakers also enjoy other forms of Asian poetryall of which will make life for human beings better." 汉布利实际上是这样说的： “二氧化碳含量的增加实际上是件好事，它使植物成长更快，庄稼产量更高，还会促进动物的生长——所有这些都能改善人类的生活。”

Greenhouse gases continue to build up in the atmosphere.温室气体继续在大气层中聚集。Even if we start reducing the amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, the climate is going to keep on warming for decades or centuries.即使我们开始减少二氧化碳和其他温室气体的含量，在（未来）几十年或几个世纪内，气候仍会持续转暖。No one knows the effects of global warming.没有人知道全球变暖带来什么样的影响。Does that mean we should do nothing? 这是不是意味着我们就不必采取任何措施呢？Or, are the risks too great? 还是说，这样不采取任何措施危险性会很大呢？

8.选修六Unit4 WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT GLOBAL WARMING? 关于全球变暖，我们能干些什么呢？ Dear Earth Care, 亲爱的“关爱地球”组织：

I am doing a project on behalf of my school about global warming.我正代表学校做一项关于全球变暖的课题研究。Sometimes I feel that individuals can have little effect on such huge environmental problems.有时候我觉得，像这样一个巨大的环境问题，个人是起不了什么作用的。However, I still think people should advocate improvements in the way we use energy today.然而我仍然认为人们应该支持改善日常能源的消耗方式。As I'm not sure where to start with my project, 由于我还不清楚我该从哪里着手开始我的研究。I would appreciate any suggestions you may have.我希望能得到你们的建议。Thank you!谢谢！Ouyang Guang欧阳光

Dear Ouyang Guang, 亲爱的欧阳光：

There are many people who have a commitment like yours, but they do not believe they have the power to do anything to improve our environment.有许多人承担你这样的义务，而他们不相信自己有能力来影响环境。That is not true.这种想法是不正确的。Together, individuals can make a difference.众人拾柴火焰高。We do not have to put up with pollution.我们不必去忍受污染。

The growth of the greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide in the air actually comes as a result of many things we do every day.空气中的温室气体，二氧化碳的增长的确是来自我们许多的日常活动。Here are a few suggestions on how to reduce it.这儿有几条关于减少空气中二氧化碳含量的建议。They should get you started with your project.这些建议应当能够促进你的研究。1 We use a lot of energy in our houses.It is OK to leave an electrical appliance on so long as you are using itthis includes cars as well as smaller things like fridges and microwaves.4.劝你的父母去买那些节约能源的产品，包括汽车和像冰箱、微波炉之类的小件物品。5 Plant trees in your garden or your school yard, as they absorb carbon dioxide from the air and refresh your spirit when you look at them.5.在你的花园或校园里栽种树木，它们能吸收空气中的二氧化碳，还能在你观赏的时候使你感觉清爽。Finally and most importantly, be an educator.Talk with your family and friends about global warming and tell them what you have learned.6.最后，也是最重要的是，做一个教育者。同你的家人和朋友谈一谈全球变暖的问题，并把你学到的东西告诉他们。Rememberthe volcano.然而，最重要的是，通过我的工作能保护普通百姓免遭火山的威胁——这是世界上最大的自然威力之一。

I was appointed as a volcanologist working for the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory(HVO)twenty years ago.作为一名火山学家，我被派到夏威夷火山观测站（HVO）工作。My job is collecting information for a database about Mount Kilauea, which is one of the most active volcanoes in Hawaii.我的任务是收集有关基拉韦厄火山的数据资料，这是夏威夷最活跃的火山之一。Having collected and evaluated the information, I help other scientists to predict where lava from the volcano will flow next and how fast.收集和评估了这些信息之后，我就帮助其他科学家一起预测下次火山熔岩将往何处流去，流速多少。Our work has saved many lives because people in the path of the lava can be warned to leave their houses.我们的工作拯救了许多人的生命，因为熔岩要流经之地，老百姓都可以得到离开家园的通知。Unfortunately, we cannot move their homes out of the way, and many houses have been covered with lava or burned to the ground.遗憾的是，我们不可能把他们的家搬离岩浆流过的地方，因此，许多房屋被熔岩淹没，或者焚烧殆尽。

When boiling rock erupts from a volcano and crashes back to earth, it causes less damage than you might imagine.当滚烫的岩石从火山喷发出来并撞回地面时，它所造成的损失比想象的要小些，This is because no one lives near the top of Mount Kilauea, where the rocks fall.这是因为在岩石下落的基拉韦厄火山顶附近无人居住。The lava that flows slowly like a wave down the mountain causes far more damage because it buries everything in its path under the molten rock.而顺着山坡下流的火山熔岩所造成的损失却大得多，这是因为火山岩浆所流经的地方，一切东西都被掩埋在熔岩下面了。However, the eruption itself is really exciting to watch and I shall never forget my first sight of one.然而火山喷发本身的确是很壮观的，我永远也忘不了我第一次看见火山喷发时的情景。It was in the second week after I arrived in Hawaii.那是在我抵达夏威夷后的第二个星期。Having worked hard all day, I went to bed early.那天我辛辛苦苦等干了一整天，很早就上床睡觉了。I was fast asleep when suddenly my bed began shaking and I heard a strange sound, like a railway train passing my window.我在熟睡中突然感到床铺在摇晃，接着我听到一阵奇怪的声音，就好像有列火车在我的窗外行驶一样。Having experienced quite a few earthquakes in Hawaii already, I didn't take much notice.因为我在夏威夷曾经经历过多次地震，所以对这种声音我并不在意。I was about to go back to sleep when suddenly my bedroom became as bright as day.我刚要再睡，突然我的卧室亮如白昼。I ran out of the house into the back garden where I could see Mount Kilauea in the distance.我赶紧跑出房间，来到后花园，在那儿我能远远地看见基拉韦厄火山。There had been an eruption from the side of the mountain and red hot lava was fountaining hundreds of metres into the air.在山的一边有火山喷发，红色发烫的岩浆像喷泉一样，朝天上喷射达几百米高。It was an absolutely fantastic sight.真是绝妙的奇景！

The day after this eruption I was lucky enough to have a much closer look at it.就在这次火山喷发的第二天，我有幸做了一次近距离的观察。Two other scientists and I were driven up the mountain and dropped as close as possible to the crater that had been formed during the eruption.我和另外两位科学家驱车上山，到最靠近这次火山喷口的地方才下车。Having earlier collected special clothes from the observatory, we put them on before we went any closer.早先从观测站出发时就带了一些特别的安全服，于是我们穿上安全服再走近火山口。All three of us looked like spacemen.我们三个人看上去就像宇航员一样，We had white protective suits that covered our whole body, helmets, big boots and special gloves.我们都穿着白色的防护服遮住全身，戴上了头盔和特别的手套，还穿了一双大靴子。It was not easy to walk in these suits, but we slowly made our way to the edge of the crater and looked down into the red, boiling centre.穿着这些衣服走起路来实在不容易，但是我们还是缓缓往火山口的边缘走去，并且向下看到了红红的沸腾的中央。The other two climbed down into the crater to collect some lava for later study, but this being my first experience, I stayed at the top and watched them.另外两人攀下火山口去收集供日后研究用的岩浆，我是第一次经历这样的事，所以留在山顶上观察他们。

Today, I am just as enthusiastic about my job as the day I first started.如今，我和当初从事这项工作时一样满怀热情。Having studied volcanoes now for many years, I am still amazed at their beauty as well as their potential to cause great damage.虽然我从事火山研究很多年了，但是我对火山的壮丽景色以及它那潜在的巨大破坏力至今仍然感到惊愕不已。

10.选修六Unit5 THE LRKE OF HERVEN天上的湖（天池）

Changbaishan is in Jilin Province, Northeast China.Much of this beautiful, mountainous area is thick forest.长白山在东北的吉林省，这个美丽的山区大部分是茂密的林区。Changbaishan is China's largest nature reserve and it is kept in its natural state for the people of China and visitors from all over the world to enjoy.长白山是中国最大的自然保护区，保持着它的原始状态，以供中国人民和世界各地的游客欣赏。The height of the land varies from 700 metres above sea level to over 2,000 metres and is home to a great diversity of rare plants and animals.这里地面的高度从海拔700米到2000多米不等，是多种多样动物植物的生长地。Among the rare animals are cranes, black bears, leopards and tigers.珍稀动物有白鹤、黑熊、豹子和虎。Many people come to Changbaishan to study its unique plants and animals.许多人到长白山来研究珍奇的动植物。Others come to walk in the mountains, to see the spectacular waterfalls or to bathe in the hot water pools.另外一些人则是到山里来走一走，看看那些蔚为壮观的瀑布，或者在温水池里泡个澡。However, the attraction that arouses the greatest appreciation in the reserve is Tianchi or the Lake of Heaven.然而保护区里最令人欣赏的地方则是天池，或者说是天上的湖。

Tianchi is a deep lake that has formed in the crater of a dead volcano on top of the mountain.天池是一个深水湖，是由山顶的一个死火山的火山口形成的。The lake is 2,194 metres above sea level, and more than 200 metres deep.In winter the surface freezes over.海拔高度为2194米，水的深度超过200米，到冬天湖面就全部结冰了。It takes about an hour to climb from the end of the road to the top of the mountain.从路的尽头到山顶约需一个小时。When you arrive you are rewarded not only with the sight of its clear waters, but also by the view of the other sixteen mountain peaks that surround Tianchi.你一到达山顶就会得到回报——你不仅可以看到天池那清澈如镜的湖水，而且还可以看到四周的16座山峰。

There are many stories told about Tianchi.The most well-known concerns three young women from heaven.天池有着许多传说故事，其中最著名的是关于从天上下凡的三位少女的故事。They were bathing in Tainchi when a bird flew above them and dropped a small fruit onto the dress of the youngest girl.她们在天池洗澡时，突然有一只鸟飞到她们的上方，把一个小小的水果扔在最年轻的姑娘的衣服上。When she picked up the fruit to smell it, it flew into her mouth.当她拿起来闻的时候，它飞进了她的嘴里。Having swallowed the fruit, the girl became pregnant and later gave birth to a handsome boy.姑娘吞食了这个果子，后来就怀孕了。过了一段时间，她生下了一个漂亮的男孩。It is said that this boy, who had a great gift for languages and persuasion, is the father of the Manchu people.据说这个男孩就是满族人的祖先，具有语言天赋和很强的说服力。

If you are lucky enough to visit the Lake of Heaven with your loved one, don't forget to drop a coin into the clear blue water to guarantee your love will be as deep and lasting as the lake itself.如果你有幸同你所爱的人去游天池，别忘了投一枚硬币到清澈碧蓝的水中，以确保你们的爱情像湖水一样深厚、持久。

第三篇：高中英语选修八课文及翻译

选修8 Unit 1 A land of diversity-Reading

CALIFORNIA California is the third largest state in the USA but has the largest population.It also has the distinction of being the most multicultural state in the USA, having attracted people from all over the world.The customs and languages of the immigrants live on in their new home.This diversity of culture is not surprising when you know the history of California.Unit1 加利福尼亚

加利福尼亚是美国的第三大州，而且是人口最多的州。加州与众不同之处在于它也是美国最具多元文化的一个州，它吸引了来自世界各地的人们。这些移民的风俗习惯以及语言在他们的新家都得以延续。当你了解了加利福尼亚的历史后，你就不会对此感到惊讶了。NATIVE AMERCANS

Exactly when the first people arrived in what we now know as California, no one really knows.However, it is likely that Native Americans were living in California at least fifteen thousand years ago.Scientists believe that these settlers crossed the Bering Strait in the Arctic to America by means of a land bridge which existed in prehistoric times.In the 16th century, after the arrival of the Europeans, the native people suffered greatly.Thousands were killed or forced into slavery.In addition, many died from the diseases brought by the Europeans.However, some survived these terrible times, and today there are more

Native Americans living in California than in any other state.美洲土著人

最早的一批人具体是在什么时候来到我们现在所知道的加利福尼亚地区的，谁也说不清楚。然而，很可能至少在15 ,000年以前美洲土著人就住在加利福尼亚了。科学家们认为，这些迁居者通过一条史前时代曾经存在的大陆桥穿越北极地区的白令海峡到达美洲。欧洲人在16世纪来到这儿后，土著人遭受了极大的苦难，成千上万的人被杀害或被迫成为奴隶。此外，欧洲人带来了疾病，使许多人染病而死，不过，还是有一些人在经历了这些恐怖时期后活下来了。今天住在加利福尼亚的美洲土著人比任何其他州的都要多。

THE SPANISH In the 18th century California was ruled by Spain.Spanish soldiers first arrived in South America in the early 16th century, when they fought against the native people and took their land.Two centuries later, the Spanish had settled in most parts of South America and along the northwest coast of what we now call the United States.Of the first Spanish to go to California, the majority were religious men, whose ministry was to teach the Catholic religion to the natives.In 1821, the people of Mexico gained their independence from Spain.California then became part of Mexico.In 1846 the United States declared war on Mexico, and after the war won by the USA, Mexico had to give California to the USA.However, there is still a strong Spanish influence in the state.That is why today over 40 of

Californians speak Spanish as a first or second language.西班牙人

在18世纪的时候，加利福尼亚是由西班牙统治的西班牙士兵最早是在1 6世纪初期来到南美洲的，他们同土著人打仗，并夺去了他们的土地3两个世纪以后，西班牙人在南美洲的大部分地区定居下来，而且还在我们现在称之为美国的西北沿海地区住下来c在首批移

居加州的西班牙人中，大部分是宗教人士，他们的职责是向原住民传授天主教。1821年，墨西哥人从西班牙获得了独立-加利福尼亚于是成了墨西哥的一部分。1846年美国向墨西哥宣战，美国赢得战争胜利后，墨西哥被迫把加利福尼亚割让给美国。但是，这个州至今仍然保留着很强的西班牙的影响。这就是为什么今天还有40%的加利福尼亚人仍然把西班牙语作为第一或第二语言的缘故。

RUSSIANS In the early 1800s, Russian hunters, who had originally gone to Alaska, began settling in California.Today there are about 25,000 Russian-Americans living in and around San Francisco.俄罗斯人

19世纪初期，一批最初到阿拉斯加的俄罗斯猎人开始在加利福尼亚定居下来。今天，住在圣弗朗西斯科（旧金山）及其周边地区的美籍俄罗斯人约有25,000人。GOLD MINERS In 1848, not long after the American-Mexican war, gold was discovered in

California.The dream of becoming rich quickly attracted people from all over the world.The nearest, and therefore the first to arrive, were South Americans and people from the United States.Then adventurers from Europe and Asia soon followed.In fact, few achieved their dream of becoming rich.Some died or returned home, but most remained in California to make a life for themselves despite great hardship.They settled in the new towns or on farms.By the time California elected to become the thirty-first federal state of the USA in 1850, it was already a multicultural society.淘金矿工

1848年，在美国同墨西哥开战之后不久，在加利福尼亚发现了金矿。发财梦很快就吸引了世界各地的人。距离最近因而来得最早的是南美洲人和美国人。随后跟着来的有欧洲和亚洲的探险家。事实上很少有人圆了发财梦。一些人死了或回家了，但是尽管条件十分艰苦，多数人还是留在了加利福尼亚劳作谋生，并在新的城镇或农场里定居下来。到1850年加利福尼亚成为美国第31个州的时候，它已经是一个有着多种文化的社会了。

LATER A RRIVALS Although Chinese immigrants began to arrive during the Gold Rush Period, it was the building of the rail network from the west to the east coast that brought even larger numbers to California in the 1860s.Today, Chinese-Americans live in all parts of California, although a large

percentage have chosen to stay in the “Chinatowns” of Los Angeles and San Francisco.Other immigrants such as Italians, mainly fishermen but also wine makers, arrived in California in the late 19th century.In 1911 immigrants from Denmark established a town of their own, which today still keeps up their Danish culture.By the 1920s the film industry was well established in Hollywood, California.The industry boom attracted Europeans including many Jewish people.Today California has the second largest Jewish population in the United States.Japanese farmers began arriving in California at the beginning of the 20th century, and since the 1980s a lot more have settled there.People from Africa have been living in California since the 1800s, when they moved north from Mexico.However, even more arrived between 1942 and 1945 to work in the ship and aircraft industries.后来的移民

虽然中国移民在淘金热时期就开始到来了，但是更大批量的移民却是在1 9世纪60年代为了修建贯穿美国东西海岸的铁路而来的。今天，加利福尼亚州各地都有美籍华人，尽管有很大比例的华人还是选择住在洛杉矶和圣弗朗西斯科（旧金山）的“中国城”里。

19世纪后期，其他国家的移民，比如意大利人来到了加利福尼亚，他们主要是渔民，也有制酒工人。1911年，丹麦的移民建立了自己的城镇，至今仍然保留着丹麦文化。20世纪20年代，电影业在加州的

好莱坞建立了起来。这个行业吸引了大量的欧洲人，包括许多犹太人。今天，加利福尼亚的犹太人口在美国占第二位。

日本农民是在20世纪初期开始到加利福尼亚来的，而从20世纪80年代以来就有更多的日本人在加利福尼亚定居了。非洲人从1 9世纪就在加利福尼亚住下来，他们是从墨西哥向北迁来的。然而，更多的非洲人是在1942年至1945年期间来到加利福尼亚的，当时他们是到船厂和飞机厂工作。

MOST RECENT ARRIVALS In more recent decades, California has become home to more people from Asia, including Koreans, Cambodians, Vietnamese and Laotians.Since its beginning in the 1970s, the computer industry has attracted Indians and Pakistanis to California.最近期的移民

在最近的几十年里，加利福尼亚成了更多的亚洲人的家，包括朝鲜人、柬埔寨人、越南人和老挝人。从20世纪70年代以来，计算机工业吸引了印度人和巴基斯坦人来到加州。

THE FUTURE People from different parts of the world, attracted by the climate and the lifestyle, still immigrate to California.It is believed that before long the mix of nationalities will be so great that there will be no distinct major racial or cultural groups, but simply a mixture of many races and cultures.未来展望

世界各地的人，由于受到气候条件和生活方式的吸引，仍然在继续迁入加利福尼亚。人们认为，要不了多久，多种国籍的混合将会非常之大，以致不可能存在一种主要的种族或文化群体，而是多种族、多文化的混合体。

GEORGE’S DIARY 12TH—14TH JUNE Monday 12th, June Arrived early this morning by bus.Went straight to hotel to drop my luggage, shower and shave.Then went exploring.First thing was a ride on a cable car.From top of the hill got a spectacular view of San Francisco Bay and the city.Built in 1873, the cable car system was invented by Andrew Hallidie, who wanted to find a better form of transport than horse-drawn trams.Apparently he'd been shocked when he saw a terrible accident in which a tram's brakes failed, the conductor could not control the situation and the tram slipped down the hill dragging the horses with it.Had a late lunch at Fisherman's What.This is the district where Italian fishermen first came to San Francisco in the late 19th century and began the fishing industry.Now it's a tourist area with lots of shops, sea food restaurants and bakeries.It's also the place to catch the ferry to Angel Island and other places in the Bay.Did so much exploring at Fisherman's What.Am exhausted and don't feel like doing anything else.Early bed tonight!

Tuesday 13th, June

Teamed up with a couple from my hotel(Peter and Terri)and hired a car.Spent all day driving around the city.There's a fascinating drive marked out for tourists.It has blue and white signs with seagulls on them to show the way to go.It's a 79km round-trip that takes in all the famous tourist spots.Stopped many times to admire the view of the city from different angles and take photographs.Now have a really good idea of what the city's like.In evening, went to Chinatown with Peter and Terri.Chinese immigrants settled in this area in the 1850s.The fronts of the buildings are decorated to look like old buildings in southern China.Saw some interesting temples here, a number of markets and a great many restaurants.Also art galleries and a museum containing documents, photographs and all sorts of objects about the history of Chinese immigration, but it is closed in the evening.Will go back during the day.Had a delicious meal and then walked down the hill to our hotel.Wednesday 14th, June

In morning, took ferry to Angel Island from the port in San Francisco Bay.On the way had a good view of the Golden Gate Bridge.From 1882 to 1940 Angel Island was a famous immigration station where many Chinese people applied for right to live in USA.The cells in the station

were very small, cold and damp;some did not even have light but the immigrants had nowhere else to go.Their miserable stay seemed to be punishment rather than justice and freedom to them.They wrote poems on the walls about their loneliness and mourned their former life in China.In 1940 the civil authorities reformed the system so that many more Chinese people were able to grasp the opportunity of settling in the USA.Made me very thoughtful and thankful for my life today.选修8 Unit 2 Cloning-Reading CLONING: WHERE IS IT LEADING US? Cloning has always been with us and is here to stay.It is a way of making an exact copy of another animal or plant.It happens in plants when gardeners take cuttings from growing plants to make new ones.It also happens in animals when twins identical in sex and appearance are produced from the same original egg.The fact is that these are both examples of natural clones.Unit2 克隆：它将把我们引向何方？

克隆一直与我们同在，而如今它还要持续下去。这是一种用来生产与原型完全相同的动植物的方法。当园艺师从生长着的植物上剪下枝条来培植新植物时，就会产生这种现象。这种现象也发生在动物身上，从同一个原生卵子产生性别和相貌相同的双胞胎也是克隆。实际上，这些都是自然克隆现象。

Cloning has two major uses.Firstly, gardeners use it all the

time to produce commercial quantities of plants.Secondly, it is valuable for research on new plant species and for medical research on animals.Cloning plants is straightforward while cloning animals is very complicated.It is a difficult task to undertake.Many attempts to clone mammals failed.But at last the determination and patience of the scientists paid off in 1996 with a breakthroughthe telephone in 1876.Bell never

set out to invent the telephone and what he was trying to design was a multiple telegraph.This original telegraph sent a message over distances using Morse code(a series of dots tapped out along a wire in a particular order).But only one message could go at a time.Bell wanted to improve it so that it could send several messages at the same time.He designed a machine that would separate different sound waves and allow different conversations to be held at the same time.But he found the problem difficult to solve.One day as he was experimenting with one end of a straw joined to a deaf man's ear drum and the other to a piece of smoked glass, Bell noticed that when he spoke into the ear, the straw drew sound waves on the glass.Suddenly he had a flash of inspiration.If sound waves could be reproduced in a moving electrical current, they could be sent along a wire.In searching to improve the telegraph,Bell had invented the first telephone!Bell was fully aware of the importance of his invention and wrote to his father: “The day is coming when telegraph wires will be laid on to houses just like water or gas – and friends will talk to each other without leaving home.” The patent was given in 1876, but it was not until five days later that Bell sent his first telephone message to his assistant Watson.The words have now become famous:

“Mr WatsonI want to see you.” Alexander Graham Bell was not a man to rest and he interested himself in many other areas of invention.He experimented with helicopter designs and flying machines.While searching for a kite strong enough to carry a man into the air, Bell experimented putting triangles together and discovered the tetrahedron shape.Being very stable, it has proved invaluable in the design of bridges.Bell was an inventor all his life.He made his first invention at eleven and his last at seventy-five.Although he is most often associated with the invention of the telephone, he was indeed a continuing searcher after practical solutions to improve the quality of everybody's life.选修8 Unit 4 Pygmalion-Reading

PYGMALION MAIN CHARACTERS: Eliza Doolittle(E): a poor flower girl who is ambitious to improve herself Professor Higgins(H): an expert in phonetics, convinced that the quality of a person's English decides his/her position in society Colonel Pickering(CP): an officer in the army and later a friend of Higgins' who sets him a task

Unit4 皮格马利翁

主要人物：

伊菜扎·杜利特尔（伊）：穷苦的卖花姑娘，立志要改善自己的生活 希金斯教授（希）：语音学专家，坚信一个人的英语水平决定这个人的社会地位皮克林上校（皮）：陆军军官，后来成了希金斯教授的朋友，并给他安排了一项任务

Act One FATEFUL MEETINGS 11 :15 pm in London, England in 1914 outside a theatre.It is pouring with rain and cab whistles are blowing in all directions.A man is hiding from the rain listening to people's language and watching their reactions.While watching, he makes notes.Nearby a flower girl wearing dark garments and a woollen scarf is also sheltering from the rain.A gentleman(G)passes and hesitates for a moment.E: Come over’ere, cap’in, and buy me flowers off a poor girl.G: I'm sorry but I haven't any change.E: I can giv’ou change, cap’in.G:(surprised)For a pound? I'm afraid I've got nothing less.E:(hopefully)Oah!Oh, do buy a flower off me, Captain.Take this for three pence.(holds up some dead flowers)G:(uncomfortably)Now don't be troublesome, there's a good girl.(looks in his wallet and sounds more friendly)But, wait, here's some small change.Will that be of any use to you? It's raining heavily now, isn't it?(leaves)E:(disappointed at the outcome, but thinking it is better than nothing)

Thank you, sir.(sees a man taking notes and feels worried)Hey!I ain’t done nothing wrong by speaking to that gentleman.I've a right to sell flowers, I have.I ain’t no thief.I'm an honest girl I am!(begins to cry)H:(kindly)There!There!Who's hurting you, you silly girl? What do you take me for?(gives her a handkerchief)E: I thought maybe you was a policeman in disguise.H: Do I look like a policeman? E:(still worried)Then why did 'ou take down my words for? How do I know whether 'ou took me down right? 'ou just show me what 'ou've wrote about me!H: Here you are.(hands over the paper covered in writing)E: What's that? That ain't proper writing.I can't read that.(pushes it back at him)H: I can.(reads imitating Eliza)“Come over' ere, cap'in, and buy me flowers off a poor girl.”(in his own voice)There you are and you were born in Lisson Grove if I'm not mistaken.E:(looking confused)What if I was? What's it to you? CP:(has been watching the girl and now speaks to Higgins)That's quite brilliant!How did you do that, may I ask? H: Simply phonetics studied and classified from people's own speech.That's my profession and also my hobby.You can place a man by

just a few remarks.I can place any spoken conversation within six miles, and even within two streets in London sometimes.CP: Let me congratulate you!But is there an income to be made in that? H: Yes, indeed.Quite a good one.This is the age of the newly rich.People begin their working life in a poor neighbourhood of London with 80 pounds a year and end in a rich one with 100 thousand.But they betray themselves every time they open their mouths.Now once taught by me, she'd become an upper class lady...CP: Is that so? Extraordinary!H:(rudely)Look at this girl with her terrible English: the English that will condemn her to the gutter to the end of her days.But, sir,(proudly)once educated to speak properly, that girl could pass herself off in three months as a duchess at an ambassador's garden party.Perhaps I could even find her a place as a lady's maid or a shop assistant, which requires better English.E: What's that you say? A shop assistant? Now that's sommat I want, that is!H:(ignores her)Can you believe that? CP: Of course!I study many Indian dialects myself and...H: Do you indeed? Do you know Colonel Pickering? CP: Indeed I do, for that is me.Who are you?

H: I'm Henry Higgins and I was going to India to meet you.CP: And I came to England to make your acquaintance!E: What about me? How'll you help me? H: Oh, take that.(carelessly throws a handful of money into her basket)We must have a celebration, my dear man.(leave together)E:(looking at the collected money in amazement)Well, I never.A whole pound!A fortune!That'll help me, indeed it will.Tomorrow I'll find you, Henry Higgins.Just you wait and see!All that talk of(imitates him)“authentic English”...(in her own voice)I'll see whether you can get that for me...(goes out)第一幕

决定性的会面

1914年的某日晚上11点15分，在英国伦敦某剧场夕。正下着倾盆大雨，四处响着出租车的鸣笛声。有一位男士在躲雨，边听人们谈话边观察着人们的反应。他一边观察，一边作记录。附近一个穿着黑色衣裙围着羊毛围巾的卖花姑娘也在躲雨。这时有位先生（先）从这儿路过，他迟疑了片刻。

伊：长官，过这边来呀，买我这个苦命的孩子一束花吧！先：对不起，我没有零钱，伊：长官，我可以给你找零钱呀。

先：（惊奇地）一个英镑你找得开吗？没有再小的钱了。

伊：（带有希望的神色）啊！好啦，从我这买一束吧。拿这一束，只要三个便士o（举起一些已经枯萎的花）

先：（不舒服地）现在别烦我，好姑娘。（在他的口袋里找什么，这时语气好些了）等一等，这儿有几个零钱。这点钱对你有用吗？雨下大了，不是吗？（说完就走了）

伊：（对先生付的钱表现出失望的样子，但是有总比没有好）先生，谢谢了。（看到有人在记什么，感到担心）嗨，我跟那位先生讲话，又没做错什么事。我有权卖花吧，我有权嘛！我不是小偷，我是个老实姑娘，老老实实的！（开始哭起来）

希：（友善地）好啦，好啦！谁伤害你了，傻姑娘？你把我当成什么人了？（递给她一条手帕）

伊：我还以为你是一个便衣警察呢。希：我像警察吗？

伊：（仍在担心）那你为啥要把我说的话记下来呢？我怎么知道你是不是写对了呢？那你把你写的关于我的东西给我看看。希：你看吧！（把写满字的纸递给她）

伊：这是什么呀？不像规规矩矩的字，我看不懂。（把纸退回给他）希：我懂。（模仿伊的声音读）长官，过这边来呀，买我这个苦命孩子一束花吧！（改用自己的声音）好了吧，你呀，如果我没有弄错的话，你出生在里森格罗佛：

伊：（困惑不解的）如果我是又怎样呢？跟你有什么关系呢？ 皮：（本来是一直望着这个姑娘的，这时跟希金斯说话了）太棒了！请问你是怎么知道的呢？

希：对人的发音进行研究、分类，如此而已。这是我的专业，也是我 的业余爱好。你可以根据几句话判定是哪个地方的人。我可以根据任何谈话来判定他们是哪个地方的人，差距不过六英里，有时候在伦敦甚至不超过两个街区呢。

皮：恭喜你了！不过，你这样做有收入吗？

希：当然有哆，还挺高呢。这是个致富的年代

人们从伦敦的穷人区开始工作，年收入才80英镑，最后到了富人区工作，年收入就是10万英镑了，但是他们一张嘴就会露出马脚（暴露自己的身份）。如今如果让我一教，她就会变成一个上层阶级的淑女…… 皮：是吗？那太妙了！

希：（粗鲁地）你瞧这个姑娘，英语说得那样糟糕，使她注定要在贫民窟里待上一辈子。不过，先生，（高傲地）要是一旦有人教她把英语说好了，她就可以在三个月以内冒充公爵夫人出席大使主办的花园晚会了。说不定我还可 以给她找份工作，当一名贵夫人的侍女或商店的店员。这些工作都要求英语说得好呢。

伊：你说啥来着？店员？这正是我想要做的，真的！希：（不理睬她）你相信我说的话吗？

皮：当然相信。我自己就学了好多种印度方言，而且…… 希：真的吗？那你认不认得皮克林上校呢？ 皮：当然认得，皮克林就是我。那么请问您是谁？ 希：我是亨利·希金斯。我还打算要去印度见你呢： 皮：我也正是到英国来找你的！伊：我呢？你们怎么帮助我呢？

希：啊，拿去吧！（漫不经心地朝她的篮子里扔去一把钱）好老兄，我们该美美地庆祝一番了。（一道离去）

伊：（惊奇地看着收集起来的钱）啊，我还从来没有见过！整整一个英镑呢！一笔财富呀！这的确给我帮大忙了，真的。明天我一定去找你，亨利·希金斯。等着瞧吧！你那口（模仿他的声音）“真正的英语”……（用自己的声音）我倒要看看你能不能帮我找到……（离去）

Act Two, Scene 1 MAKING THE BET It is 11am in Henry Higgins' house the next day.Henry Higgins and Colonel Pickering are sitting deep in conversation.H: Do you want to hear any more sounds? CP: No, thank you.I rather fancied myself because I can pronounce twenty-four distinct vowel sounds;but your one hundred and thirty beat me.I can't distinguish most of them.H:(laughing)Well, that comes with practice.There is a knock and Mrs Pearce(MP), the housekeeper, comes in with cookies, a teapot, some cream and two cups.MP:(hesitating)A young girl is asking to see you.H: A young girl!What does she want? MP: Well, she's quite a common kind of girl with dirty nails.I thought perhaps you wanted her to talk into your machines.H: Why? Has she got an interesting accent? We'll see.Show her in, Mrs Pearce.MP:(only half resigned to it)Very well, sir.(goes downstairs)H: This is a bit of luck.I'll show you how I make records on wax disks...MP:(returning)This is the young girl, sir.(Eliza comes into the room shyly following Mrs Pearce.She is dirty and wearing a shabby dress.She curtsies to the two men.)H:(disappointed)Why!I've got this girl in my records.She's the one we saw the other day.She's no use at all.Take her away.CP:(gently to Eliza)What do you-want, young lady? E:(upset)I wanna be a lady in a flower shop 'stead o' selling flowers in the street.But they won't take me 'less I speak better.So here I am, ready to pay him.I'm not asking for any favourswhy, it's the best offer I've had!(to Eliza)But if I teach you, I'll be worse than a father.CP: I say, Higgins.Do you remember what you said last night? I'll

say you're the greatest teacher alive if you can pass her off as a lady.I'll be the referee for this little bet and pay for the lessons too...E:(gratefully)Oh, yer real good, yer are.Thank you, Colonel.H: Oh, she is so deliciously low.(compromises)OK, I'll teach you.(to Mrs Pearce)But she'll need to be cleaned first.Take her away, Mrs Pearce.Wash her and burn her horrible clothes.We'll buy her new ones.What's your name, girl? E: I'm Eliza Doolittle and I'm clean.My clothes went to the laundry when I washed last week.MP: Well, Mr Higgins has a bathtub of his own and he has a bath every morning.If these two gentlemen teach you, you'll have to do the same.They won't like the smell of you otherwise.E:(sobbing)I can't.I dursn't.It ain't natural and it'd kill me.I've never had a bath in my life;not over my whole body, neither below my waist nor taking my vest off.I'd never have come if I'd known about this disgusting thing you want me to do...H: Once more, take her away, Mrs Pearce, immediately.(Outside Eliza is still weeping with Mrs Pearce)You see the problem, Pickering.It'll be how to teach her grammar, not just pronunciation.She's in need of both.CP: And there's another problem, Higgins.What are we going to do once the experiment is over?

H:(heartily)Throw her back.CP: But you cannot overlook that!She'll be changed and she has feelings too.We must be practical, mustn't we? H: Well, we'll deal with that later.First, we must plan the best way to teach her.CP: How about beginning with the alphabet.That's usually considered very effective...(fades out as they go offstage together)

选修8 Unit 5 Meeting your ancestors-Reading A VISIT TO THE ZHOUKOUDIAIN CAVES A group of students(S)from England has come to the Zhoukoudian caves for a visit.An archaeologist(A)is showing them round.A: Welcome to the Zhoukoudian caves here in China.It is a great pleasure to meet you students from England, who are interested in archaeology.You must be aware that it's here that we found evidence of some of the earliest people who lived in this part of the world.We've been excavating here for many years and...S1: I'm sorry to interrupt you but how could they live here? There are only rocks and trees.A: Good question.You are an acute observer.We have found human and animal bones in those caves higher up the hill as well as

tools and other objects.So we think it is reasonable to assume they lived in these caves, regardless of the cold.S2: How did they keep warm? They couldn't have mats, blankets or quilts like we do.It must have been very uncomfortable.A: We've discovered fireplaces in the centre of the caves where they made fires.That would have kept them warm, cooked the food and scared wild beasts away as well.We have been excavating layers of ash almost six metres thick, which suggests that they might have kept the fire burning all winter.We haven't found any doors but we think they might have hung animal skins at the cave mouth to keep out the cold during the freezing winter.S3: What wild animals were there all that time ago? A: Well, we've been finding the bones of tigers and bears in the caves, and we think these were their most dangerous enemies.Now what do you think this tells us about the life of these early people?(shows picture of a sewing needle)S2.: Gosh!That's a needle.Goodness, does that mean they repaired things? A: What else do you think it might have been used for? S4: Let me look at it.It's at most three centimetres long.Ah yes, it seems to be made of bone.I wonder how they made the hole for the...S2:(interrupting)Do you mean that they made their own clothes? Where did they get the material? A: They didn't have material like we have today.Can you guess what they used? Sl: Wow!Did they wear clothes made entirely of animal skins? How did they prepare them? I'm sure they were quite heavy to cut and sew together.A: Our evidence suggests that they did wear clothes made from animal skins.We continue discovering tools that were sharpeners for other tools.It seems that they used the sharpened stone tools to cut up animals and remove their skin.Then smaller scrapers were probably used to remove the fat and meat from the skin.After that they would rub an ample amount of salt onto the skin to make it soft.Finally, they would cut it and sew the pieces together.Quite a difficult and messy task!Now look at this.(shows a necklace)S2:Why, it's a primitive necklace.Did early people really care about their appearance like we do? It's lovely!A:Yes, and so well preserved.What do you think it's made of?.S4:Let me see.Oh, I think some of the beads are made of animal bones but others are made of shells.A:How clever you are!One bone is actually an animal tooth and the shells are from the seaside.Can you identify any other bones?

S1:This one looks very much like a fish bone.Is that reasonable? A:Yes, indeed, as the botanical analyses have shown us, all the fields around here used to be part of a large shallow lake.Probably there were fish in it.S3:But a lake is not the sea.We are miles from the sea, so how did the seashells get here? A:Perhaps there was trade between early peoples or they travelled to the seaside on their journeys.We know that they moved around, following the herds of animals.They didn't grow their own crops, but picked fruit when it ripened and hunted animals.That's why they are called hunters and gatherers.Now, why don't we go and visit the caves?

Unit5 周口店洞穴参观记

一群英国学生（学）来到周口店洞穴参观。有一位考古学家（考）正领着他们参观。

考：欢迎到中国来参观周口店洞穴。很高兴见到你们这些从英国来的对考古学感兴趣的学生。你们想必都很清楚，正是在这个地方，我们找到了世界上居住在这个地方最早人类的证据。我们在这儿进行的挖掘工作已经很多年了，而且…… 学1：

对不起，打断一下你的讲话，请问他们是怎么住在这个地方的呢？这儿只有石头和树木。考：问得好。你是个敏锐的观察者，在高山上的那些洞穴里我们找到了人骨和兽骨，还有工具和其他物品因此，我们有理由认为他们不顾严寒，就住在这些洞穴里。

学2：那他们是怎样取暖的呢？他们不可能像我们现在这样有垫子、毯子和被子。想必是很不舒服的了。

考：我们发现在洞穴中央有生火用的地炉。他们用地炉里的火来取暖、做饭，还可以用火来吓跑野兽。我们一直在挖掘一层层的积灰，几乎有六米厚，这意味着他们可能整个冬天都在烧火。我们还没有找到门，但我们认为在天寒地冻的冬季他们可能是用兽皮挂在洞口来防寒的。学3：在那以前有些什么野兽吗？考：嗯，我们在洞里发现了老虎和熊的骨头。我们认为这些野兽对他们来讲是最危险的敌人了。现在，你们看这个东西能告诉我们有关早期人类生活的什么情况呢？（指着一张有针线的照片让大家看）

学2：哎呀，那是一根针！天哪，难道他们还会修补东西吗？ 考：除此之外，你认为还可能派别的什么用场吗？

学4：让我看看。这个东西最多三厘米长，看起来像是用骨头做的。我不知道他们是怎样做成针眼的……

学2：（插话）你是不是说他们自己做衣服穿？他们又是从哪里得到衣料的呢？

考：他们没有像我们今天穿的这种衣料。你能猜出他们用的是什么吗？ 学1：哇，他们穿的衣服全都是用兽皮做的吗？他们那些衣服是怎样做

成的？我确信它们裁剪并缝起来又厚又重。

考：我们有证据表明，他们的确穿的是用兽皮制的衣服。我们不断发现一些磨削其他工具用的工具。看样子他们可能是用磨尖的石器来切割野兽并剥皮，再用小一些的刮子把皮上的脂肪和肉去掉。然后，他们可能在兽皮上擦上大量的盐，使皮变柔软。最后进行剪裁，缝起来就成了。确实是既难又脏的活！现在来看看这个吧。（指着一串项链）考：你真聪明！有块骨头实际上是野兽的牙齿，贝壳是从海边捡来的。你还认得别的骨头吗？ 学1：这根很像鱼骨头，对吗？

考：很对。植物学的分析结果明确地告诉我们，这儿四周曾经是一个很．大的浅水湖。毫无疑问，当时湖里是有鱼的。

学3：不过，湖并不是海呀，我们离海还远着呢¨眷客，更壳又是怎么来的呢？

考：早期人类之间也许有贸易来往，或者他们也可能旅行到海边去。我们知道，他们跟着兽群四处走。他们并不种植谷物，而是在野果熟了的时候采摘它们并捕杀野兽来充饥。这就是他们被称之为猎人和采摘者的缘故。现在，咱们去参观洞穴好吗？ THE FEAST: 18,000 BC Worried about the preparations for her feast, Lala quickly turned for home with her collection of nuts, melons and other fruit.It was the custom of family groups to separate and then gather again at different sites for reunions as they followed the animal herds across

the grasslands.A wrinkle appeared on her forehead.If only it could be just like last year!At that time she had been so happy when Dahu chose her as the future mother of his children.He was the best toolmaker in the group and it was a great honour for her to be chosen.She remembered the blood pulsing through her veins.She had felt so proud as the group shouted loudly to applaud his choice.If only she had looked ahead and planned better this year!Then she wouldn't have been feeling so worried now.Having heard wolves howling in the forest, Lala accelerated her walk up the path to the caves fearing that there might be wild beasts lying in wait for her.She had no man with his spear to protect her.She had almost reached her destination when a delicious smell arrested her progress and she stopped.So the men had brought home the meat for the feast!The smell of cooking meat filled the air surrounding her, and her senses became dizzy with hunger.She could see her mother and the older children preparing the deer and pig meat over the fire.Her aunts were making clothes with animal skins.Abruptly she sat down, only to be scooped up by her laughing, shouting sister, Luna.Lala smiled with relief.It was good to have her family around her.Just then a tall man came up behind her.He had a large, square face, with strongly pronounced eyebrows and cheekbones.Over his

shoulder he carried several fish and some pieces of wood under his arm.Lala smiled and handed some stone scrapers over to Dahu, who smiled and went outside the cave to begin his task.First he looked carefully at the scrapers and then went to a corner of the cave and pulled out some more tools.They were in a pile with other sharp arrowheads and stone axe-heads.He chose one large stone and began to use it like a hammer striking the edge of the scraper that needed sharpening.Now and then Dahu would stop, look at it and try it against his hand before continuing his task.He stopped when he felt the scrapers were sharp enough to cut up the meat and scrape the fish.As he passed them to Lala, the first of the guests from the neighbouring caves began to arrive for dinner.Lala's spirits rose.Yes, it was going to be just as wonderful as last year!She smiled to herself gaily and went out of the cave to welcome her friends and neighbours.

第四篇：高中英语选修六课文原文

高中英语选修6 Unit 1 A SHORT HISTORY OF WESTERN PAINTING

Art is influenced by the customs and faith of a people.Styles in Western art have changed many times.As there are so many different styles of Western art, it would be impossible to describe all of them in such a short text.Consequently, this text will describe only the most important ones.Starting from the sixth century AD.The Middle Ages(5th to the 15th century AD)During the Middle Ages, the main aim of painters was to represent religious themes.A conventional artist of this period was not interested in showing nature and people as they really were.A typical picture at this time was full of religious symbols, which created a feeling of respect and love for God.But it was evident that ideas were changing in the 13th century when painters like Giotto di Bondone began to paint religious scenes in a more realistic way.The Renaissance(15th to 16th century)During the Renaissance, new ideas and values gradually replaced those held in the Middle Ages.People began to concentrate less on religious themes and adopt a more humanistic attitude to life.At the same time painters returned to classical Roman and Greek ideas about art.They tried to paint people and nature as they really were.Rich people wanted to possess their own paintings, so they could decorate their superb palaces and great houses.They paid famous artists to paint pictures of themselves, their houses and possessions as well as their activities and achievements.One of the most important discoveries during this period was how to draw things in perspective.This technique was first used by Masaccio in 1428.When people first saw his paintings, they were convinced that they were looking through a hole in a wall at a real scene.If the rules of perspective had not been discovered, no one would have been able to paint such realistic pictures.By coincidence, oil paints were also developed at this time, which made the colours used in paintings look richer and deeper.Without the new paints and the new technique, we would not be able to see the many great masterpieces for which this period is famous.Impressionism(late 19h to early 20th century)In the late 19th century, Europe changed a great deal, from a mostly agricultural society to a mostly industrial one.Many people moved from the countryside to the new cities.There were many new inventions and social changes also led to new painting styles.Among the painters who broke away from the traditional style of painting were the Impressionists, who lived and worked in Paris.The Impressionists were the first painters to work outdoors.They were eager to show how light and shadow fell on objects at different times of day.However, because natural light changes so quickly, the Impressionists had to paint quickly.Their paintings were not as detailed as those of earlier painters.At first, many people disliked this style of painting and became very angry about it.They said that the painters were careless and their paintings were ridiculous.Modern Art(29th century to today)At the time they were created, the Impressionist paintings were controversial, but today they are accepted as the beginning of what we call “modern art”.This is because the Impressionists encouraged artists to look at their environment in new ways.There are scores of modern art styles, but without the Impressionists, many of these painting styles might not exist.On the one hand, some modern art is abstract;that is, the painter does not attempt to paint objects as we see them with our eyes, but instead concentrates n certain qualities of the object, using colour, line and shape to represent them.On the other hand, some paintings of modern art are so realistic that they look like photographs.These styles are so different.Who can predict what painting styles there will be in the future?

Unit 3 It is a beautiful day here and I am sitting under the big tree at the end of the garden.I have just returned from a long bike ride to an old castle.It seems amazing that at my age I am still fit enough to cycle 20 kilometres in an afternoon.It's my birthday in two weeks' time and I’ll be82years old!I think my long and active life must be due to the healthy life I live.This brings me to the real reason for my letter, my dear grandson.Your mother tells me that you started smoking some time ago and how you are finding it difficult to give it up.Believe me, I know how easy it is to begin smoking and how tough it is to stop.You see, during adolescence I also smoked and became addicted to cigarettes.By the way, did you know that this is because you become addicted in three different ways.First, you can become physically addicted to nicotine, which is one of the hundreds of chemicals in cigarettes.This means that after a while your body becomes accustomed to having nicotine in it.So when the drug leaves our body, you get withdrawal symptoms.I remember feeling bad-tempered and sometimes even in pain.Secondly, you become addicted through habit.As you know, if you do the same thing over and over again, you begin to do it automatically.Lastly, you can become mentally addicted.I believed I was happier and more relaxed after having a cigarette, so I began to that I could only feel good when I smoked.I was addicted in all three ways, so it was very difficult to quit.But I did finally manage.When I was young, I didn't know much about the harmful effects of smoking.I didn't know, for example, that it could do terrible damage to your heart and lungs or that it was more difficult for smoking couples to become pregnant.I certainly didn't know their babies may have a smaller birth weight or even be abnormal in some way.Neither did I know that my cigarette smoke could affect the health of non-smokers.However, what I did know was that my girlfriend thought I smelt terrible.She said my breath and clothes smelt, and that the ends of my fingers were turning yellow.She told me that she wouldn't go out with me again unless I stopped!I also noticed that I became breathless quickly, and that I wasn't enjoying sport as much.When I was taken off the school football team because I was unfit, I knew it was time t quit smoking.I am sending you some advice I found on the Internet It might help you to stop and strengthen your resolve.I do hope so because I want you to live as long and healthy a life as I have.Love from Grandad

Unit 4 THE EARTH IS BECOMIG WARMER-BUT DOES IT MATTER? During the 20th century the temperature of the earth rose about one degree Fahrenheit.That probably does not seem much to you or me, but it is a rapid increase when compared to other natural changes.So how has this come about and does it matter? Earth care's Sophie Armstrong explores these questions.There is no doubt that the earth is becoming warmer(see Graph 1)and that it is human activity that has caused this global warming rather than a random but natural phenomenon.All scientists subscribe to the view that the increase in the earth's temperature is due to the burning of fossil fuels like coal, natural gas and oil to produce energy.Some byproducts of this process are called “greenhouse” gases, the most important one of which is carbon dioxide.Dr Janice Foster explains: “There is a natural phenomenon that scientists call the ”greenhouse effect“.This is when small amounts of gases in the atmosphere, like carbon dioxide, methane and water vapour, trap heat from the sun and therefore warm the earth.Without the greenhouse effect he earth would be about thirty-three degrees Celsius cooler than it is.So, we need those gases.The problem begins when we add huge quantities of extra carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.It means that more heat energy tends to be trapped in the atmosphere causing the global temperature to go up.We know that the levels of carbon dioxide have increased greatly over the last 100 to 150 years.It was a scientist called Charles Keeling, who made accurate measurements of the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere from 1957 to 1997.He found that between these years the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere went up from around 315 parts to around 370 parts per million(see Graph 2)All scientists accept this data.They also agree that it is the burning of more and more fossil fuels that has resulted in this increase in carbon dioxide.So how high will the temperature increase go? Dr Janice Foster says that over the next 100 years the amount of warming could be as low as 1 to 1.5 degrees Celsius, but it could be as high as 5 degrees.However, the attitude of scientists towards this rise in completely different.On the one hand, Dr Foster thinks that the trend which increases the temperature by 5 degrees would be a catastrophe.She says, ” We can't predict the climate well enough to know what to expect, but it could be very serious.“ Others who agree with her think there may be a rise of several metres in the sea level, or predict severe storms, floods, droughts, famines, the spread of diseases and the disappearance of species.On the other hand, there are those, like George Hambley, who are opposed to this view, believe that we should not worry about high levels of carbon dioxide in the air.They predict that any warming will be mild with few bad environmental consequences.In fact, Hambley states, ”More carbon dioxide is actually a positive thing.It will make plants grow quicker;crops will produce more;it will encourage a greater range of animals-all of which will make life for human beings better." Greenhouse gases continue to build up in the atmosphere.Even if we start reducing the amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, the climate is going to keep on warming for decades or centuries.No one knows the effects of global warming.Does that mean we should do nothing? Or, are the risks too great?

Unit 5

AN EXCITING JOB I have the greatest job in the world.I travel to unusual places and work alongside people from all over the world.Sometimes working outdoors, sometimes in an office, sometimes using scientific equipment and sometimes meeting local people and tourists, I am never bored.Although my job is occasionally dangerous, I don't mind because danger excites me and makes me feel alive.However, the most important thing about my job is that I help protect ordinary people from one of the most powerful forces n earth-the volcano.I was appointed as volcanologist information for a database about Mount Kilauea, which is one of the most active volcanoes in Hawaii.Having collected and evaluated the information, I help other scientists to predict where lava from the volcano will flow next and how fast.Our work has saved man lives because people in the path of the lava can be warned to leave their houses.Unfortunately, we cannot move their homes out of the way, and many houses have been covered with lava or burned to the ground.When boiling rock erupts from a volcano and crashes back to earth, it causes less damage than you might imagine.This is because no one lives near the top of Mount Kilauea, where the rocks fall.The lava that flows slowly like a wave down the mountain causes far more damage because it buries everything in its path under the molten rock.However, the eruption itself is really exciting to watch and I shall never forget my first sight of one.It was in the second week after I arrived in Hawaii.Having worked hard all day, I went to bed early.I was fast asleep when suddenly my bed began shaking and I heard a strange sound, like a railway train passing my window.Having experienced quite a few earthquakes in Hawaii already, I didn't take much notice.I was about to go back to sleep when suddenly my bedroom became as bright as day.I ran out of the house into the back garden where I could see Mount Kilauea in the distance.There had been an eruption from the side of the mountain and red hot lava was fountaining hundreds of metres into the air.It was an absolutely fantastic sight.The day after this eruption I was lucky enough to have a much closer look at it.Two other scientists and I were driven up the mountain and dropped as close as possible to the crater that had been formed during the eruption.Having earlier collected special clothes from the observatory, we put them on before we went any closer.All three of us looked like spacemen.We had white protective suits that covered our whole body, helmets, big boots and special gloves.It was not easy to walk in these suits, but we slowly made our way to the edge of the crater and looked down into the red, boiling centre.The other two climbed down into the crater to collect some lava for later study, but this being my first experience, I stayed at the top and watched them.Today, I am just as enthusiastic about my job as the day I first started.Having studied volcanoes now for many years, I am still amazed their beauty as well as their potential to cause great damage.

第五篇：高中英语选修7课文翻译

第一单元篮球

迈克尔 乔丹——篮坛超人

20世纪90年代，迈克尔 乔丹可能是狮山最著名的运动员，他是NBA的顶尖邱yuan1984nean到1993年间效力于芝加哥公牛队，他曾5次荣膺最有价值的球员的称号。身着著名的23号球衣，迈克尔 乔丹成为篮球运动史上最成功的球员。

乔丹出生于纽约，在北卡罗来纳州长打在加入芝加哥公牛队之前，他在北卡罗来纳大学习了一年。在第一赛季（1984-1985），他就以平均每场28.2分的成绩成为联盟得分最高的球员之一。

1987年，乔丹成为在一个笑傲江湖重点额分超过3000分的第二个球员。以后连续七个赛季（1987-1993），他都是NBA的得分王。这期间，他每场比赛的平均分都超过30分。有了他的参与，公牛队在1991年首次获得NBA总冠军。在这段日子里，捷报频传，他们在1992年和1993年偶蝉联了总冠军。驰奥迪也是人称“梦之队”的美国奥林匹克篮球队的成员。这支球队在1992年西班牙巴塞罗那奥运会上夺去了金牌。

1993-1994赛季前乔丹退役，举世震惊。但后来他有回到了芝加哥公牛队，并和队友们一起在1996年到1998年间有获得了三次冠军。2003年40岁的驰奥迪在最终退出体坛前，还曾效力于华盛顿奇才队。数百万的球迷们都很钦佩乔丹的运动才能，动力和信心。他们可以讲述很多管用迈克尔 乔丹的传奇故事，例如一次他在比赛的关键时刻拯救了公牛队，从而避免达成平局。他走向罚球线发了两次球，每次他都把球直接投进了篮球——每次都是闭着眼睛投进去的。

离开篮坛，迈克尔 乔丹开了一家自己的牛排馆，因为他很爱吃牛排。在和著名卡通人物宾尼兔一起演出的影片《空中大灌篮》中，他也获得了成功！

对于这位世界上最优秀的球员，只有一个词能用来形容他——令人敬佩。

高跷威尔特——神力之巅

迈克尔 乔丹是一个赛季中得分超过３０００分的第二人，第一人是威尔特 张伯伦。张伯伦于１９３６年８月２１日出生于费城。他是家里１１个孩子中唯一一个长得很高的。父亲威廉在造船厂干活，母亲奥利维亚是一名清洁工。孩童时的张伯伦有各种各样的健康问题。他１０岁时得过肺炎，差点儿死去。

张伯伦是整个赛季中平均每场得分超过５０分的唯一一个ＮＢＡ球员。曾几何时，张伯伦比起他所有运动员都优秀得多，以至于他们改变了比赛规则来试图限制他！

１９５９－１９６０赛季间，这位篮坛巨人加盟NBA费城勇士队并立即获得成公在为四支不同球队效力的14个赛季期间，张伯伦四次被评联盟最有价值的球员。1962年3月2日，他单场比赛得了100分——迄今为止还没有人打破那一记录！最后的比分是勇士169对纽约尼克斯147！

在加盟洛杉矶湖人队度过五个美好的赛季后，威尔特结束了他职业生涯。一直到退役，威尔特还保持着多项NBA记录：118次单场比赛得50分或50分以上，32次得60分或60分以上。

威尔特 张伯伦比迈克尔 乔丹还要优秀吗？谁知道呢？但是毫无疑问，他无愧于“一代杰出球员”这一称号。

学校篮球令人眩晕的高度

篮球是在安全的体育运动之一。不想摔跤和拳击，通常它是没有危险的。原因之一是球员的力量部分是向上的，与地面形成90度的角，而且在其他人的头上方。所以两个球员之间碰撞的风险是很小的。

在其他的运动中，比如棒球和美式足球，球员的力量运行方向与地面是平行的，并且朝着他们的对手，所以他们带着头盔来给他们的头部以充分的保护。