外研社必修五課文reading-原文

1、Module1BritishandAmericanEnglishWords,words,wordsBritishandAmericanEnglisharedifferentinmanyways.Thefirstandmostobviouswayisinthevocabulary.TherearehundredsofdifferentwordswhicharenotusedontheothersideoftheAtlantic,orwhichareusedwithadifferentmeaning.SomeofthesewordsarewellknownAmericansdriveautomob

2、ilesdownfreewaysandfillupwithgas;theBritishdrivecarsalongmotorwaysandfillupwithpetrol.Asatourist,youwillneedtousetheundergroundinLondonorthesubwayinNewYork,ormaybeyouwillprefertogetaroundthetownbytaxi(British)orcab(American).ChipsorFrenchfries?Butotherwordsandexpressionsarenotsowellknown.Americansus

3、eaflashlight,whilefortheBritish,itsatorch.TheBritishqueueup;Americansstandinline.Sometimesthesamewordhasaslightlydifferentmeaning,whichcanbeconfusing.Chips,forexample,arepiecesofhotfriedpotatoinBritain;intheStateschipsareverythinandaresoldinpackets.TheBritishcallthesecrisps.ThechipstheBritishknowand

4、loveareFrenchfriesontheothersideoftheAtlantic.Haveorhavegot?Thereareafewdifferencesingrammar,too.TheBritishsayHaveyougot.?whileAmericanspreferDoyouhave.?AnAmericanmightsayMyfriendjustarrived,butaBritishpersonwouldsayMyfriendhasjustarrived.Prepositions,too,canbedifferent:compareontheteam,ontheweekend

5、(American)withintheteam,attheweekend(British).TheBritishuseprepositionswhereAmericanssometimesomitthem(IllseeyouMonday;Writemesoon!).Colourorcolor?Theothertwoareasinwhichthetwovarietiesdifferarespellingandpronunciation.Americanspellingseemssimpler:center,colorandprograminsteadofcentre,colourandprogr

6、amme.ManyfactorshaveinfluencedAmericanpronunciationsincethefirstsettlersarrivedfourhundredyearsago.Theaccent,whichismostsimilartoBritishEnglish,canbeheardontheEastCoastoftheUS.WhentheIrishwriterGeorgeBernardShawmadethefamousremarkthattheBritishandtheAmericansaretwonationsdividedbyacommonlanguage,hew

7、asobviouslythinkingaboutthedifferences.Butaretheyreallysoimportant?Afterall,thereisprobablyasmuchvariationofpronunciationwithinthetwocountriesasbetweenthem.ALondonerhasmoredifficultyunderstandingaScotsmanfromGlasgowthanunderstandingaNewYorker.TurnontheTVSomeexpertsbelievethatthetwovarietiesaremoving

8、closertogether.FormorethanacenturycommunicationsacrosstheAtlantichavedevelopedsteadily.Sincethe1980s,withsatelliteTVandtheInternet,ithasbeenpossibletolistentoBritishandAmericanEnglishattheflickofaswitch.Thisnon-stopcommunication,theexpertsthink,hasmadeiteasierforBritishpeopleandAmericanstounderstand

9、eachother.ButithasalsoledtolotsofAmericanwordsandstructurespassingintoBritishEnglish,sothatsomepeoplenowbelievethatBritishEnglishwilldisappear.However,ifyouturnonCNN,theAmericanTVnetwork,youfindnewsreadersandweatherforecastersallspeakingwithdifferentaccentsAmerican,British,Australian,andevenSpanish.

10、Oneofthebest-knownfaces,MonitaRajpal,wasborninHongKong,China,andgrewupspeakingChineseandPunjabi,aswellasEnglish.Thisinternationaldimensionsuggeststhatinthefuture,therearegoingtobemanyEnglishes,notjusttwomainvarieties.ButthemessageisDontworry.UsersofEnglishwillallbeabletounderstandeachotherwhereverth

11、eyare.Module2TheHumanTrafficSignalTheroadAt3,500metres,LaPaz,inBolivia,isthehighestcapitalintheworld.Lifeishardathighaltitude,andthemountainsmakecommunicationsdifficult.Manyroadsareinbadconditionandaccidentsarefrequent.Oneroadinparticular,whichgoesnorthfromLaPaz,isconsideredthemostdangerousroadinthe

12、world.Ononesidethemountainsrisesteeply;ontheothersidethereisasheerdrop,whichinplacesishundredsofmetresdeep.Althoughthereisnotalotoftraffic,onaverage,onevehiclecomesofftheroadeverytwoweeks.Thedropissogreatthatanyoneinsidethevehicleisluckytosurvive.Intheory,theroadcanonlybeusedbytrafficgoinguphillfrom

13、8inthemorning,andbytrafficcomingdownhillfrom3intheafternoon.Butinpractice,fewdriversrespecttherules.ThemanButthankstooneman,thedeathtollhasfallen.TimoteoApazaisagentle46-year-oldmanwholivesinavillagenearthemostdangerouspartoftheroad,knownlocallyaslacurvadeldiablo(theDevilsBend).Timoteohasanunusualjo

14、bheisahumantrafficsignal.Everymorningheclimbsuptothebendwithalargecircularboardinhishand.Theboardisredononesideandgreenontheother.Timoteostandsonthebendanddirectsthetraffic.Whentwovehiclesapproachfromoppositedirectionstheycantseeeachother,buttheycanseeTimoteo.Timoteoisavolunteer.Nooneaskedhimtodothe

15、job,andnoonepayshimforit.Sometimesdriversgivehimatip,sothathehasjustenoughmoneytoliveon.Butoftentheyjustpassby,takingthehumantrafficsignalforgranted.ThereasonwhyhedoesitSowhydoeshedoit?Beforehevolunteeredtodirectthetraffic,Timoteohadhadlotsofjobs.Hehadbeenaminerandasoldier.Thenonedaywhilehewasworkin

16、gasalorrydriverhehadacloseencounterwithdeath.Hewasdrivingalorryloadofbananaswhenhecameofftheroadatabendandfellthreehundredmetresdownthemountain.Somehowhesurvived.Hewasinhospitalformonths.Then,afewyearslater,hewascalledoutinthenighttohelppullpeopleoutofabuswhichhadcrashedatlacurvadeldiablo.Thislastex

17、periencehadaprofoundeffectonTimoteo.Herealisedthathewasluckytobealivehimself,andfeltthatitwashismissioninlifetohelpothers.Andsoeverymorning,weekin,weekout,fromdawntodusk,Timoteotakesuphisplaceonthebendanddirectsthetraffic.Therewasabigstormaftermidnightandtherainpoureddown.Westayedinsidetheshelterweh

18、adbuiltandlettheraftsaildowntheriver.Suddenly,bythelightofthelightning,wesawsomethinginthemiddleoftheriver.Itlookedlikeahouseatfirst,butthenwerealizeditwasasteamboat.Ithadhitarockandwashalfinandhalfoutofthewater.Weweresailingstraighttowardsit.Itlooksasifitllgoundersoon,Jimsaid,afteracoupleofminutes.

19、Letsgoandtakealook,Isaid.Idontwanttoboardasinkingship,saidJim,butwhenIsuggestedthatwemightfindsomethingusefulontheboat,heagreedtogo.Sowepaddledoverandclimbedontothesteamboat,keepingasquietasmice.Toourastonishment,therewasalightinoneofthecabins.Thenweheardsomeoneshout,Ohpleaseboys,dontkillme!Iwonttel

20、lanybody!Amansangryvoiceanswered,Yourelying.Yousaidthatlasttime.Weregoingtokillyou.Whenheheardthesewords,Jimpanickedandrantotheraft.ButalthoughIwasfrightened,Ialsofeltverycurious,soIputmyheadroundthedoor.Itwasquitedark,butIcouldseeamanlyingonthefloor,tiedupwithrope.Thereweretwomenstandingoverhim.One

21、wasshort,withabeard.Theotherwastallandhadsomethinginhishandthatlookedlikeagun.Ivehadenoughofyou.Imgoingtoshootyounow,thismansaid.Hewasobviouslytheonewhohadthreatenedthemanonthefloor.Anditwasagunhehadinhishand.No,dontdothat,saidtheshortman.Letsleavehimhere.Thesteamboatwillsinkinacoupleofhoursandhellg

22、odownwithit.Whenheheardthat,thefrightenedmanonthefloorstartedcrying.Hesoundsasifhesgoingtodieoffright!Ithought.Ihavetofindawaytosavehim!Icrawledalongthedeck,foundJim,andtoldhimwhatIhadheard.Wemustfindtheirboatandtakeitaway,thentheyllhavetostayhere,Isaid.Jimlookedterrified.Imnotstayinghere,hesaid.But

23、Ipersuadedhimtohelpme,andwefoundthemensboattiedtotheothersideofthesteamboat.Weclimbedquietlyinandaswepaddledawayweheardthetwomenshouting.Bythenwewereasafedistanceaway.ButnowIbegantofeelbadaboutwhatwehaddone.Ididntwantallthreementodie.Thinkofcarnival,andyouthinkofcrowds,costumes,andconfusion.Thesound

24、sandsightschangefromonecountrytoanotherbuttheexcitementisthesameeverywhere.CarnivalcomesfromtwoLatinwords,meaningnomoremeat.InEurope,whereitbegan,carnivalwasfollowedbyfortydayswithoutmeat,aspeoplepreparedfortheChristianfestivalofEaster.PeoplesawCarnivalasalastchancetohavefunattheendofthewinterseason

25、.Havingfunmeanteating,drinking,anddressingup.ThemostfamouscarnivalinEuropewasinVenice.Atthebeginning,itlastedforjustoneday.Peopleate,drank,andworemasks.Astimepassed,however,thecarnivalperiodwasextended,sothatitbeganjustafterChristmas.Forweeksonendpeoplewalkedroundthestreetswearingmasks,doingwhatthey

26、wantedwithoutbeingrecognised.Ordinarypeoplecouldpretendtoberichandimportant,whilefamouspeoplecouldhaveromanticadventuresinsecret.Manycrimeswentunpunished.Thegovernmentrealisedthatwearingmaskshadbecomeaproblem.Theirusewaslimitedbylaws,thefirstofwhichdatesbacktothefourteenthcentury.Menwerenotallowedto

27、wearmasksatnight;andtheywerenotallowedtodressupaswomen.Inlatertimesmorelawswerepassed.Peoplewhoworemaskscouldnotcarryfirearms;andnoonecouldenterachurchwearingamask.Iftheybrokethelaws,theywereputintoprisonforuptotwoyears.Finally,whenVenicebecamepartoftheAustrianempire,attheendoftheeighteenthcentury,m

28、askswerebannedcompletely,andcarnivalbecamejustamemory.Butinthelate1970sthetraditionwasrevivedbystudents.Theybeganmakingmasksandorganisingparties,andthrewbitsofbrightlycolouredpaper(calledcoriandoli)attourists.Thetowncouncilrealisedthatcarnivalwasgoodforbusiness,andthefestivalwasdevelopedfortourists.

29、Today,carnivalinVeniceiscelebratedforfivedaysinFebruary.PeoplearrivefromalloverEuropetoenjoythefun.Hotelsarefullybookedandthenarrowstreetsarecrowdedwithwonderfulcostumes.German,FrenchandEnglishseemtobethemainlanguages.ButthespiritofVenicecarnivalisnotquitethesameasthegreatAmericancarnivals.Ifthekeyt

30、oRioismusicandmovement,theninVeniceitisthemysteryofthemask.Asyouwanderthroughthestreets,youseethousandsofmaskselegantorfrightening,sadoramusing,traditionalormodernbutyouhavenoideawhatthefacesbehindthemlooklike.Nobodytakesthemoff.Ifthemaskscomeoff,themagicislost.Theycalledhimtheprinceofgymnasts.Whenh

31、eretiredattheageof26,hehadwon106goldmedalsinmajorcompetitionsacrosstheworld.Theyincludedsixoutofsevengoldmedalsatthe1982WorldChampionship,andthreeatthe1984OlympicsinLosAngeles(aswellastwosilverandabronze).LiNingwasthebest.Whensportsjournalistsmetin1999tomakealistofthegreatestsportsmenandsportswomeno

32、fthetwentiethcentury,LiNingsnamewasonit,togetherwithfootballerPeleandboxerMuhammadAli.Buteventhoughhehadwoneverythingitwaspossibletowininhissport,LiNingretiredwiththefeelingthathehadfailed.Hewasdisappointedbecausehehadnotperformedwellinthe1988SeoulOlympics.Butitwasthissenseoffailurethatmadehimdeterm

33、inedtosucceedinhisnewlife.Ayearafterhisretirement,LiNingbegananewcareerasabusinessman.Buthedidntforgethissportingbackground.Hedecidedtolaunchanewbrandofsportswear,competingwithglobalgiantslikeNikeandAdidas.Hemadetheunusualchoice,foraChineseperson,ofchoosinghisownnameasthebrandmark.Thebrightredlogois

34、madeupofthefirsttwopinyinlettersofLiNingsname,LandN.LiNingssportsclothescameontothemarketatjusttherighttime.Thenumberofyoungpeoplewithmoneytospendwasontheincrease一andsporthadneverbeensopopular.LiNingdesignswereattractive,andtheyhadamajoradvantageovertheirbetter-knowrivals一theywerecheaper.ApairofNike

35、trainers,forexample,couldcostuptofivetimesasmuchasasimilarLiNingproduct.SuccessforLiNingwasguaranteed,anditcamequickly.Injustafewyears,LiNingwonmorethanfiftypercentofthenationalmarket.TodayaLiNingproductispurchasedeverytenseconds.Buttheclothesarenotonlywornontheathleticstrackorthefootballpitch.Ifyou

36、gointoaschoolouniversityanywhere,thechancesareyouwillseestudentsinLiNingtracksuitswiththefamiliarlogo.Thecompanyhasalsogrowninternationally.TheSpanishandFrenchgymnasticsteamswearLiNingclothes,whileItaliandesignersareemployedbythecompanytocreatenewstyles.WheneverChineseathletesstepoutontothetrackduri

37、ngthe2008Olympics,theywillbewearingLiNingtracksuits.ButLiNingsgoalwhenheretiredwasnottomakemoney.Hisdreamwastoopenaschoolforgymnasts.Hewasabletodothisin1991.Sincethen,hehascontinuedtohelpyoungpeopletoachievetheirsportingambitions.LikePeleandMuhammadAlibeforehim,whohaveworkedwiththeUnitedNationsforch

38、ildrensrightsandpeace,LiNinghasdiscoveredthattheworkofagreatsportsmandoesnotfinishwhenheretiresfromthesport.Itstarts.Andifyouareagreatsportsperson,anythingispossible,asLiNingsadvertisingslogansays.OnafreezingcolddayinJanuary1994,JiesangSuonandajiefoundwhathewaslookingforagroupofpoacherswhowerekillin

39、gtheendangeredTibetanantelope.Jiesangknewhehadtomovequickly.Heshoutedtothepoacherstoputdowntheirguns.Althoughsurprised,thepoachershadanadvantagethereweremoreofthem.InthebattlewhichfollowedJiesangwasshotandkilled.Whenhisfrozenbodywasfoundhourslater,hewasstillholdinghisgun.HehadgivenhislifetosavetheTi

40、betanantelope.AtthebeginningofthetwentiethcenturythereweremillionsofantelopesontheQinghai-TibetanPlateau.Bythe1990sthenumberhadfallentoabout50,000.Thereasonissimple:thewooloftheTibetanantelopeisthemostexpensiveintheworld.Itissoft,light,andwarmtheidealcoatforananimalwhichhastosurviveathighaltitudes.A

41、shawlmadefromthewool(knownasshahtoosh,orkingofwoolsinPersian)cansellforfivethousanddollars.Forpoacherstheprofitscanbehuge.Oftenworkingatnight,thepoachersshootwholeherdsofantelopesatatime,leavingonlythebabies,whosewoolisnotworthsomuch.TheanimalsareskinnedonthespotandthewooltakentoIndia,whereitismadei

42、ntotheshawls.Fromthere,itisexportedtorichcountriesinNorthAmericaandEurope.Thebusinessiscompletelyillegaltherehasbeenabanonthetradesince1975.Butinthe1990stheshawlscameintofashionamongrichpeople.ApoliceraidonashopinLondonfound138shawls.About1,000antelopesor2percentoftheworldspopulationhadbeenkilledtom

43、akethem.Inthe1990stheChinesegovernmentbegantotakeanactivepartinprotectingtheantelopesintheHohXilNatureReservethehugenationalparkontheQinghai-TibetanPlateau,whichisthemainhabitatoftheantelopes.Overthenexttenyearsabout3,000poacherswerecaughtand300vehiclesconfiscated.Sometimesthereweregunfights,likethe

44、oneinwhichJiesangSuonandajiewaskilled.Buttodaythegovernmentseemstobewinningthebattle.Thenumberofpoachershasfallen.Thesmallgroupofofficialswhoworkinthereservearehelpedbyvolunteerswhocomefromalloverthecountry,andwhoarereadyforthedifficultconditionsoflifeat5,000metres.Meanwhile,inthosecountrieswherethe

45、shawlsaresold,policearegettingtoughwiththedealers.Internationalco-operationseemstobeworking.Since1997theantelopepopulationhasslowlybeguntogrowagain.CulturalcornerModule1:TheManWhoMadeSpellingSimpleCulturalcornerModule1:TheManWhoMadeSpellingSimpleInEnglishthespellingofwordsdoesnotalwaysrepresenttheso

46、und.Sopeoplesay/raIt/butspellitright,orwrite,orevenrite.Combinationsofletters(likeough)maybepronouncedinanumberofways.Andsomewordsjustseemtohavetoomanyletters.ForAmericansthingsarealittlebiteasier,thankstotheworkofNoahWebster,ateacherwhograduatedfromYaleUniversityin1778.Asayoungmanhehadfoughtagainst

47、theBritishintheAmericanWarofIndependence,andhefeltthatwrittenEnglishinthenewlyindependentUnitedStatesshouldhaveadistinctiveAmericanlook.SohebeganhisworkonAmericanEnglish.Hisfirstbook,TheElementarySpellingBook,suggestedsimplifyingthespellingofEnglishwords.Thebookwasextremelypopular.Bythe1850sitwassel

48、lingonemillioncopiesayear,makingitoneofthemostpopularschoolbooksever.Manyofthesuggestionswerequicklyadopted.Centerinsteadofcentre,programinsteadofprogramme,andflavorinsteadofflavour.Others,however,suchasremovingsilentletterslikethesinislandorthefinaleinexamine,werenot.WebsterisbestknownforhisAmerica

49、nDictionaryoftheEnglishLanguage,whichfirstappearedin1828.ItintroducedlotsofnewAmericanwords,withinformationabouttheirpronunciationanduse,and,ofcourse,thenewspelling.TheBritishcriticisedthedictionary,butitquicklybecameastandardreferencebookintheStates.Today,Webstersdictionaryisstillthenumberonedictio

50、naryforAmericanstudents.CulturalcornerCulturalcornerModule2GrowingJobsWhatsortofjobswillpeoplebedoingtenyearsfromnow?AccordingtoasurveypublishedbyanAmericanuniversity,thetenfastestgrowingjobswillberelatedtocomputersandhealth.Theyincludecomputersystemsanalysts,dataanalystsanddatabasemanagers.Butthere

51、willalsobeariseinthedemandforhealthcareprofessionals.Someofthesewillbenewjobs,suchasbioinformaticians,whocombinecomputerskillswithknowledgeofbiology.Otherswillbemoretraditional.Forexample,morehomecarenurseswillbeneededtolookaftertherapidlyageingpopulation.Butmanyyoungsterswillneedprofessionalcare,to

52、o:14millionAmericanssufferfromspeechorlanguageproblems,andsixmillionofthemareundertheageof18.Thenumberofspeechpathologists(whohelppeoplewhohaveproblemsspeaking)isexpectedtodoublebytheyear2012.Andsocialworkerswillcontinuetobeindemand.Ofcoursetherewillbeplentyofothernewjobs,someofwhichweprobablycantev

53、enguess.Butforthosewholovetheoutdoorlife,agoodbetcouldbetheleisureindustry.Asmoreandmorecountriesopenuptotourism,moretravelagentswillbeneeded,buttherealdemandwillbeforguidestotakegroupsandevenindividualsonadventureholidays.Forpeopledoingthisjob,commonsense,physicalfitnessandanoutgoingpersonalityarel

54、ikelytobemoreimportantthancomputerskills.Module3TheLifeofMarkTwainOftenthelivesofwritersresemblethelivesofthecharacterstheycreate.MarkTwain,whowroteTheAdventuresofHuckleberryFinnandTheAdventuresofTomSawyer,wasnoexception.Tostartwith,theauthorsname,MarkTwain,isitselfaninvention,orpenname.Twainsrealna

55、mewasSamuelClemens.MarkTwain,whichmeanswatermarktwo,wasacallusedbysailorsontheMississippitowarnshipmatesthattheywerecomingintoshallowwater.LikeHuck,MarkTwainledanadventurouslife.Heleftschoolearly,andasanadolescent,determinedtomakehisfortuneinSouthAmerica,setofffromhishomeinHannibal,Missouri,forNewOr

56、leans.HewantedtotakeaboattotheAmazon,wherehethoughthecouldgetrichquickly.HearrivedinNewOrleanswithoutapennyinhispocketonlytofindthattherewerenoboatsforSouthAmerica.Forcedtochangehisplans,heworkedforseveralyearsasapilotonasteamboat,takingpassengersupanddowntheMississippi,thegreatriverwhichflowsfromth

57、enorthoftheUSneartheCanadianborder,downtotheGulfofMexico.Laterhebecameajournalistandbeganwritingstoriesaboutlifeontheriver.Twainsvividandoftenamusingdescriptionsoflifeontheriverquicklybecamepopular,andestablishedthereputationhestillenjoystodayasoneofAmericasgreatestwriters.CulturalcornerCulturalcorn

58、erModule5Marathon:theUltimateOlympicEventModule4TheMeaningofCarnivalCarnivaltodayisaninternational,multiculturalexperience.Buthowdiditbecomeso?Tounderstandwhatcarnivalisallabout,weneedtolookatthehistoryofAmericaandthemeetingoftwoculturesEuropeanandAfrican.ThearrivalofEuropeansinAmerica,andtheopening

59、ofhugefarmsandplantationstogrowcotton,fruitandvegetables,meanttherewasanimmediateneedforpeopletoworkonthem.Thismarkedthebeginningoftheslavetrade.Formorethantwohundredyears,untilthebeginningofthe19thcentury,whenthetradewasfinallystopped,millionsofpeopleweretakenbyforcefromtheirhomesinAfricaandtranspo

60、rtedtotheNewWorldtoworkasslaves.SixmillionweretakentotheCaribbeanislandswheretherewereBritishandFrenchlandowners.Naturally,theEuropeansalsoimportedtheirownfestivals.Sotheslaveswereforcedtowatchastheirmasterscelebratedcarnivalwithfood,drink,andmaskeddances.InTrinidad,theslavesbegantoholdtheirowncarni