高一英語模塊三課文

1、FogFog warningWhen Polly left home that morning, the city was already covered in a grey mist. At lunch, the radio forecast that the mist would become a thick fog in the afternoon. At four o'clock, Polly leftwork and stepped out into the fog .She wondered if the buses would still be running.No bu

2、ses to King StreetOnce out in the street, she walked quickly towards her usual bus stop.How far are you going? the bus conductor asked her before he took her fare.King Street. said Polly.Sorry，Miss replied the man, the truth is that it is too foggy for the bus to run that far. Take the Underground t

3、o Green Park. The weather might be better there and you might be able to get a taxi.A tall manAs Polly observed the passengers on the train, she had a feeling that she was being watched by a tall man in a dark overcoat. At last the train arrived at Green Park station. While the rest of the passenger

4、s were getting out, she glanced at the faces around her. The tall man was nowhere to be soon.FootstepsWhen Polly got to the station entrance, it was empty. Outside, wherever she looked the fog lay like a thick, grey cloud. There was no one in sight. Polly set off towards Park Street. As she heard a

5、mans voice in her ear saying Sorry. The man moved away. She could feel her heart beating with fear.The helpful strangerThen she heard the sound again-soft footsteps behind her. A minute before, she had wished for someone to come along. Now she wanted to run, but fear held her still. The footsteps se

6、emed close now. Then a mans voice came out of the darkness. Is anybody there?Polly hesitated. At last she answered, Hello, I think Im lost. A few seconds later, a hand reached out and grasped her arm. Polly found herself staring up at the face of an old man with a beard.Maybe I can help you. Which r

7、oad do you want? he asked.I live at 86 King Street. Polly replied. Just take my hand. said the man. Come with me. Youll be all right. He took Pollys hand. Watch out for the step here.In his other hand the man carried a stick. Polly heard it hit the step. I can remember some terrible fogs, but maybe

8、that was before your time. I cant see your face, but you sound young. How old are you? Just twenty. answered Polly.Ah, twenty ! A nice age to be. I was young once. Now were at the crossroads. Turn left here.Im quite lost now. Are you sure you know the way? Polly was beginning to feel frightened agai

9、n. Of course. You really shouldnt feel anxious, He held her hand more firmly.The grateful helperHere we are. King Street. He stopped. Thank you so much for coming to my aid. said Polly in relief. Would you like to come in and rest for a while?Its very nice of you. said the man, but Ill be off. There

10、 may be more people lost today, and Id like to help them. You see, a fog this bad is rare. It gives me the chance to pay back the help that people give me when its sunny. A blind person like me cant get across the road without help, except in a fog like this. All through history, people from many di

11、fferent countries and cultures have lived together in Britain. The English language is made up of the grammar and vocabulary these people brought to Britain. That is why English has so many difficult rules that confuse people.Old English Old English is very different from the English we speak nowada

12、ys. In fact, we would not be able to understand it if we heard it today. Before the 5th century, people in Britain all spoke a language called Celtic. Then two Germanic groups from the European mainlandthe Angles and the Saxonsoccupied Britain. Old English consisted of a mixture of their languages.

13、(Both the English language and the English people are named after the Angles; the word Angle was spelt Engle in Old English.) Aside from place names such as London, very few Celtic words became part of Old English. At the end of the 9th century, the Vikings, people from Northern European countries s

14、uch as Denmark and Norway, began to move to Britain. They brought with them their languages, which also mixed with Old English. By the 10th century, Old English had become the official language of England. When we speak English today, we sometimes feel puzzled about which words or phrases to use. Th

15、is is because English has many words and phrases from different languages, but with similar meanings. For example, the word sick came from a word once used by the Angles and the Saxons, while ill came from a word once used by the Norwegians.Middle EnglishMiddle English is the name given to the Engli

16、sh used from around the 12th to the 15th centuries. Many things played a part in the development of this new type of English. The most important contribution was from the Normans, a French-speaking people who defeated England and took control of the country in 1066. However, the Norman Conquest did

17、not affect English as mush as the Angles and the Saxons victory about 600 years earlier, which led to Old English replacing Celtic. Even though the Normans spoke French for the entire 250 years they ruled England, French did not replace English as the first language. On the other hand, the English l

18、anguage did borrow many words from French. This resulted in even more words with similar meanings, such as answer (from Old English) and reply (from Old French). It is interesting to learn how the words for most animals raised for food, such as cow, sheep and pig, came from Old English. However, the

19、 words for the meat of these animals, which was served to the Normans, came from Old French: beef, mutton, pork and bacon. Old French made other contributions to Middle English as well. In Old English, the Germanic way of making words plural was used. For example, they said housen instead of houses,

20、 and shoen instead of shoes. After the Normans took control, they began using the French way of making plurals, adding an -s to house and shoe. Only a few words kept their Germanic plural forms, such as man/men and child/children. After the Norman Conquest, high-class people spoke French while commo

21、n people spoke English. However, by the latter half of the 14th century, English had come into widespread use among all classes in England. In 1399, Henry became King of England. His mother tongue was English, and he used English for all official events. Modern English Modern English appeared during

22、 the Renaissance in the 16th century. Because of this Modern English includes many Latin and Greek words. Pronunciation also went through huge changes during this period. Of course, this was not the end of the changes in the English language. The question of whether English will keep on changing in

23、the future is easy to answer. It is certain that this process will continue, and people will keep inventing new words and new ways of saying things.Lost civilizationsDay 1,15 JulyI feel lucky to have won a place on this trip. We are in Italy now, and tomorrow we are visiting Pompeii. Next week we ar

24、e flying to China, and going to Loulan, which is known as Chinas Pompeii in the desert. Both Pompeii and Loulan became lost civilizations long ago.Day 2,16 JulyThis morning we attended a lecture about Pompeii. The city was founded in the 8th century BC. In 89 BC, the Romans took over Pompeii. It the

25、n became a rich and busy city. Near the city was a volcano. On 24th August AD 79, the volcano erupted and lava, ash and rocks poured out of it onto the surrounding countryside. It continued to erupt for the next two days. Many people were buried alive, and so was the city. How unfortunate!Day 3,17 J

26、ulyToday I saw the ancient Roman city of Pompeii as it was 2,000 years ago. How amazing! The city was forgotten for many years until the 18th century when a farmer discovered a stone with writing on it. People started to dig in the area for treasure, which caused much damage. Thus, in 1860, the area

27、 was put under government protection so it could be preserved and studied.When I walked around the city, I saw streets just as they had been, with stepping stones along the road so you did not have to step in the mud on rainy days! I saw several houses which were decorated with wall paintings. I als

28、o saw the people who had been buried alive. It turns out that after the ash covered the people who failed to feel the city, their bodies nearly completely broke down and disappeared, leaving empty spaces to produce true-to-life figures of the people who had died in the disaster. You can see them today in Pompeii , in the same place where the people feel. The volcano is still there, but looks very quiet now. Its hard to imagine how this peaceful volcano destroyed the whole city!Day10,24 JulyFinally, we arrived in Loulan after several days of travelling. This