高中英语：人教版必修电子课本版

普通高中课程标准实验教科书《英语》电子课本

Book 3

Unit 1 Festivals around the world

B3U1P1-3

FESTIVALS AND CELEBRATIONS

Ancient Festivals

Festivals and celebrations of all kinds are held everywhere. The most ancient festivals would celebrate the end of the cold weather, planting in spring and harvest in autumn. Other celebrations were held when hunters could catch animals. They would starve if food was difficult to find, so they celebrated when they had food. They lit fires and made music because they thought these festivals would bring a year of plenty.

Festivals of the Dead

Some festivals are held to honour the dead, or satisfy and please the ancestors, who could return either to help or to do harm. In Japan the festival is called Obon, when people should go to clean the graves and light incense in memory of their ancestors. They light lamps and play music because they think that this will lead the ancestors back to earth. In Mexico they have the Day of the Dead in early November. On this important

feast day, people might eat food in shape of skulls, and cakes with “bones” on them. They offer food, flowers and gifts to the dead. The festival of Halloween had its origin as an event in memory of the dead. It is now a children’s festival, when they can go to their neighbours’ homes and ask for sweets. They dress up and try to frighten people. If they are not given anything, the children might play a trick.

Festivals to Honour People

Festivals can be held as an honour to famous people or to the gods. One of these is the Dragon Boat Festival in China, which honours the famous ancient poet, Qu Yuan. Another is Columbus Day in the USA, in memory of the arrival of Christopher Columbus in America. In India there is a national festival on October 2 to honour Mahatma Gandhi, the leader who helped gain India’s independence from Britain.

Harvest Festivals

Harvest and Thanksgiving festivals can be very happy events. People are grateful because their food is gathered for the winter ,and because a season of agricultural work is over. In European countries it is the custom to decorate churches and town halls with flowers and fruit, and people get together to have meals. Some people might win awards for their animals, flowers, fruits and vegetables, like the biggest watermelon or the most handsome rooster. In China and Japan there are mid-autumn festivals, when people admire the moon and give gift of mooncakes.

Spring Festivals

The most energetic and important festivals are the ones that look forward to the end of winter and to the coming of spring. At the Spring Festival in China, people eat dumplings, fish and meat, and may give children lucky money in the red paper. There are dragon dances and carnivals, and families celebrate the lunar New Year together. In some Western countries there are very exciting carnivals, which take place forty days before Easter, usually in February. They might include parades, dancing in the streets day and night, loud music and colourful clothing of all kinds. Easter is an important religious and social festival in Christian countries. It celebrates the return of Jesus for Christians and it also celebrates the coming of spring. In Japan, the Cherry Blossom Festival happens a little later. The country is covered with cherry tree flowers so that it looks as though it might be covered with pink snow.

People love to get together to eat, drink and have fun with each others. Festivals let us enjoy life, be proud of our customs and forget our daily life for a little while.

B3U1P4

We think it has always been the custom for people to have festivals. They are a time to enjoy each other’s company and have fun with our friends. We think that long ago people looked forward to the celebrations. Our ancestors would sit round a fire and cook plenty of meat to eat. Then they would be satisfied with their festival.

B3U1P7

A SAD LOVE STORY

Li Fang was heart-broken. It was Valentine’s Day and Hu Jin had said she would meet him at the coffee shop after work. But she didn’t turn up. She could be with her friends right now laughing at him. She said she would be there at seven o’clock, and he thought she would keep her word. He had looked forward to meeting her all day, and now he was alone with his roses and chocolates, like a fool. Well, he was not going to hold his breath for her apologise. He would drown his sadness in coffee.

It was obvious that the manager of the coffee shop was waiting for Li Fang to leave－he wiped the tables, then sat down and turned on the TV－just what Li Fang needed! A sad Chinese story about lost love.

The seventh daughter of the Goddess of Heaven visited the earth. Her name was Zhinu, the weaving girl, and she was the most lovely of the daughters. While she was on earth she met the herd boy Niulang and they fell in love. (“Just like me and Hu Jin, ”thought Li Fang.) They got married secretly, and they were very happy. (“We could be like that, ” thought Li Fang.) When the Goddess of Heaven knew that her daughter was married to a human, she became very angry and made the weaving girl return to Heaven. Niulang tried to follow her, but the river of stars, the Milky Way, stopped him. Finding that Zhinu was heart-broken, her mother finally decided to let the couple cross the Milky Way to meet once a year. This happens when the stars Vega and Altair meet in the Heaven. Magpies make a bridge of their wings so the couple can cross the river to meet on the seventh lunar month. people in China hope that the weather will be fine on that day, because if it is raining, it means that Zhinu is weeping and the couple won’t be able to meet.

The announcer said, “this is the story of Qiqiaojie. When foreigners hear about the story, they call it a Chinese Valentine’s story. It’s a fine day today, so I hope you can all meet the one you love.’’

As Li Fang set off for home, he thought, “I guess Hu Jin doesn’t love me. I’ll just throw these flowers and chocolates away. I don’t want them to remind me of her.’’ So he did.

As he sadly passed the tea shop on the corner on his way home, he heard a voice calling him. There was Hu Jin waving at him and calling, “Why are you so late? I’ve been waiting for you for a long time! And I have a gift for you!”

What would he do? He had thrown away her Valentine gifts! She would never forgive him. This would not be a happy Valentine’s Day!

B3U1P44&45

Winter carnival in Quebec

We are sitting in a café in old Quebec, drinking hot coffee to try to warm up. The temperature is 32 degrees below freezing. The windows are covered with steam from the heat inside. Outside, the snow covers the streets and is piled up along the sidewalks and in parking lots. The music and lights of the carnival continue, but we have been watching the parades, riding in horse carriages and listening to the music all day. Our feet are freezing and our noses are red.

Quebec carnival is the biggest winter festival in the world – every year, hundreds of thousands of people come to Quebec to take part in a week of activities. If you come, you must be prepared to keep moving, as it is too cold to stand and watch for long.

Early in the morning, you can watch the snowboarding competitions on the hill overlooking the river. The competitions speed down the track and through the air though they could fly.

If you are brave enough, you can try the canoe race. Five or six men paddle in each canoe across the great St Lawrence River, which is partly frozen. Of course, the river is full of big pieces of ice, and if you were to fall in, you would freeze in less than two minutes.

One of the favourite events is the dog-sled race, in which teams of about 6 Husky dogs pull long sleds at great speeds along a snowy track. One person runs behind the sled, shouting to the dogs to encourage them. The sound of the dogs barking, the calls of the drivers and the shouts of the crowd make an exciting Northern experience. The dogs are beautiful strong animals, with long, thick fur. Many of them have blue eyes.

After admiring the ice sculptures everywhere in the city, much like those in Harbin in China, you can have a cup of tae or coffee in an igloo. It is amazing how warm these ice houses can be!

Late in the evening, you can go to the snow palace, where Bonhomme the snowman is king, and join the crowd. You can dance outside to the music of a band, who are all

dressed in heavy clothes – even some of their instruments are dressed up for winter.

Finally we sit down in our café to warm up and to plan tomorrow – perhaps we’ll join the snowmobile races – or perhaps we’ll just sleep in.

Book 3 Unit 2 Healthy eating

B3U2P10

COME AND EAT HERE (1)

Wang Peiwei sat in his empty restaurant feeling very frustrated. It had been a very strange morning. Usually he got up early and prepared his menu of mutton kebabs, roast pork and fried rice. Then by lunchtime they would all be sold. His restaurant ought to be full of people. But not today! Why was it so? What could have happened? He thought of his mutton kebabs and fatty pork cooked in the hottest, finest oil. His fried rice was hot but did not taste of fat. His cola was sugary and cold and his ice cream was made of eggs, milk, cream and fruit. “Nothing could have been better,” he thought. Suddenly he saw his friend Li Maochang hurrying by. “Hello, Maochang,”he called, “Your usual?” But Maochang seemed not to hear. What was the matter? Something terrible must have happened if Maochang was not coming to eat with him as he always did.

Pengwei followed Li Maochang into a newly-opened small restaurant at the end of the street. There was a sign in the window.

Tired of all that fat? Want to be thinner? Come inside to Yong Hui’s slimming restaurant. Only slimming foods served here. Make yourself thin again. Curiosity drove Wang Pengwei inside. It was full of people. A very thin lady came forward. “Welcome!” she said, “My name is Yong will take all that fat off you in two weeks if you eat here every day.” Then she gave a menu to Wang Peiwei. There were only two kinds of food and one drink on it: raw vegetables, fruit and water. Wang Peiwei was amazed at this and especially at the prices. It cost more than a good meal in his own restaurant. He could not believe his eyes! He threw away the menu and hurried outside. On his way home he thought about his own menu. Did it make people fat? He wondered if he should go to the library to find out. He couldn’t have Yong Hui getting away with telling people lies! He had better do some research!

After reading, he realised what was wrong with Yong Hui’s restaurant. It was not giving its customers energy-giving food! After eating in her restaurant people would become tired very quickly. Perhaps this was a way to win his customers back! Peng Wei wrote his own sign. It said:

Want to feel fit?

Come and eat here! Our food gives you energy all day! The competition between the two restaurants was on!

B3U2P12

Daisy wished to be ＿＿＿so that she could wear all the latest, cool clothes designed for the young. She decided to do some ＿＿＿into what foods should be eaten to become thinner. She learned that one of the ＿＿＿of not eating enough was to become very tired quickly. When she went to the doctor, he told her she could be thinner as well as healthy if she ate more vegetables like beans,＿＿＿ and ＿＿＿.So she did. She felt very fit when she started eating more ＿＿＿ foods as well as her usual energy–giving foods. She even began to enjoy eating all the vegetables＿＿＿ rather than cooked. She soon looked like a model!

B3U2P14&P15

COME AND EAT HERE (2)

The next day Wang Pengwei’s restaurant was nearly full and he felt happier. Perhaps he would be able to earn his living after all and not have to close his restaurant. He did not look forward to being in debt because his restaurant was no longer popular. He smiled .But the smile left his face when he saw Yong Hui walking in. She did not look

happy but glared at him as she moved round the customers. “May I ask what you were doing in my restaurant yesterday? I thought you were a new customer and now I find you came only to spy on me and my menu,” she shouted. “Please excuse me,” he calmly explained,“I wanted to know where all my customers had gone yesterday. I followed one of them and found them in your restaurant. I don’t want to upset you but I found your menu so limited that I stopped worrying and started advertising the benefits of my food. Why don’t you sit down and try a meal?”

Yong Hui agreed to stay and soon they were both enjoying the dumplings, fatty pork and cola.

When they were served the ice cream Yong Hui began to look ill. “I feel sick with all this fat and heavy food,”she said,“I miss my vegetables and fruit.”Wang Pengwei was just enjoying a second plate of dumplings so he sighed.“yes,”he added,“and I would miss my dumplings and fatty pork. But don’t you tired quickly?” “Well, now you mention it. I do have to rest a lot, ”

admitted Yong Hui. “But don’t you think it would be better if you were a bit thinner?” she asked Wang Pengwei. “I’m sure you would feel much healthier.”

They began chatting about menus and balanced diets. “My research has shown me that neither your restaurant nor mine offers a balanced diet,”explained Pengwei,“I don’t offer enough fibre and you don’t offer enough body–building or energy–giving foods. Perhaps we ought to combine our menus and provide a balanced menu with foods full of energy and fibre. ”So that is what they did ,They served raw vegetables

with the hamburgers and boiled the potatoes rather than fried them .Then they served fresh fruit with ice cream. In this way they cut down the fat and increased the fibre in the meal. Their balanced menus became such a success that before long Wang Pengwei became slimmer and Yong Hui heavier. After some time the found that their business cooperation had turned into a personal one .Finally they got married and lived happily ever after!

B3U2P52-53

THE TOWN HAS TO DECIDE

(At the meeting that evening there are two speakers: one for and one against building a McDonald’s restaurant.)

FOR BUILDING A MCDONALD’S

I was excited when I heard that our community(社区) was to have its own McDonald’s restaurant. I thought about all those young people who would not have to go to the next town to buy their favourite burgers and chips. McDonald’s cares about healthy eating too and works with scientists to provide food that is of high quality,safe and healthy. It is also cheap .They often provide salads as well as burgers and chips. You can also choose between cola and milk shakes(奶昔). Of course it also means more work for our area that needs jobs badly. McDonald’s say they are interested in doing what is right for the community and being a good neighbour. So I think they will be concerned about providing parking for the cars in our main street. Many of our young people will

be only too happy to work for it. They make a promise to the people that work for them. They say,“We value you, your growing skills and your help to the company.”I can see nothing but good if this company comes to build its restaurant in our town.

AGAINST BUILDING A MCDONALD’S

I am very worried about McDonald’s building a restaurant in our hometown. We are a small community and we enjoy our local dishes. I am not sure if McDonald’s food is as healthy as they say in their advertisements. When scientists look at it carefully they find high levels of fat, sugar and salt. This is very worrying. Too many young people are getting fat through eating too much fatty food. McDonald’s is not giving young people a good idea of what a healthy diet should be. Local Chinese food ,on the other hand, is full of fresh vegetables and fresh meat and fish. The food at a McDonald’s restaurant is always the same so I wonder if it is made or brought in from elsewhere. Although it is freshly cooked ,it must be less healthy than our own locally grown and cooked Chinese food.

I also worry about all those cars bringing people to buy food in McDonald’s. First, there would be petrol fumes(气体),which would make our clean air dirty. Second, there’s the problem of all those cars that try to park and prevent other cars from moving quickly through our town. Third, what will happen to all the food containers if people decide to eat on the side of the road just out of town? Will they just throw them on the ground?

I’m sure many young people would be happy to work for McDonald’s but will

they be treated fairly(公平地)？In American, McDonald’s does not allow Unions to operate in its restaurants and these are people who speak up for the workers. If ,as they say, the workers are happy with them why should they fear some workers joining a Union?

So when I consider the food, the cars and the jobs, I think we should not allow McDonald’s to build their restaurant in our town.

Book 3 Unit 3 The Million Pound Bank-note

B3U3P17-18

ACT ONE

Note: Scenes 1 and 2 are provided in the Teacher’s Book.

Scene 3

NARRATOR Now ladies and gentlemen , you’re about to hear the most incredible tale. It is the summer of 1903, and Henry Adams, an American business, has had some very bad luck. He is lost in London. He has no money and does not know what he should do. Walking down the street, he hears someone calling him.

RODERICK Young man, would you step inside a moment, please?

HENRY Who? Me, sir?

RODERICK Yes, you.

OLIVER Through the front door on your left.

HENRY (a servant opens the door for him) Thanks.

SERVANT way ,sir.

OLIVER RODERICK HENRY OLIVER HENRY RODERICK HENRY RODERICK HENRY Good morning, sir, would you please come in? Permit meto lead the Thank you, James. That will be all.

How do you do, Mister－er－?

Adams, Henry Adams.

Come and sit down, Mr Adams.

Thank you.

You’re an American?

That’s right, from San Francisco.

How well do you know London

Not at all. It’s my first trip here.

RODERICK I wonder, Mr Adams, if you’d mind us asking a few questions.

HENRY Go right ahead.

RODERICK May we ask what you’re doing in this country and what your plans are?

HENRY Well, I can’t say that I have any plans. I’m hoping to find work. As a matter of fact, I landed in Britian by accident.

OLIVER How is that possible?

HENRY Well, you see, back home I had my own boat. About a month ago I was sailing out of the bay－(his eyes stare at what is left of the brother’s dinner on the table)

RODERICK Well, go on.

HENRY Oh, yes. Well, towards nightfall I found myself carried out to sea by a strong wind. I did not know whether I could survive until morning. The next morning I’d just about given myself up for lost when I was spotted by a ship.

OLIVER And it was the ship that bought you to England.

HENRY I earned my passage by working as an unpaid hand, which accounts for my appearance. (the brothers smile at each other)

RODERICK Well, you mustn’t worry about that. It’s an advantage.

HENRY I’m afraid I don’t quite follow you, sir.

RODERICK Tell us, Mr Adams, what sort of work did you do in America?

HENRY I worked for a mining company. Could you offer me some kind of work here?

RODERICK Patience, Mr Adams. If you don’t mind, may I ask you how much money you have?

HENRY Well, to be honest, I have none.

OLIVER (happily) What luck! Brother, what luck!(claps his hands together)

HENRY Well, it may seem lucky to you but not to me. If this is your idea of some kind of joke, I don’t think it’s very funny. (Henry stands up to leave)Now, if you’ll excuse me, I think I’ll be on my way.

RODERICK Please don’t go, Mr mustn’t think we don’t care about you. Oliver, give him the letter.

OLIVER Yes, the letter.(gets it from a desk and gives it to Henry like a gift) The letter.

HENRY (taking it carefully) For me?

RODERICK For you. (Henry starts to open to it) Oh, no, you mustn’t open it. Not yet. You can’t open it until two two o’clock.

HENRY Oh, this is silly.

RODERICK Not silly. There’s money in it. (calls to the servant) James.

HENRY Oh, no, I don’t want your charity. I just want an honest job.

RODERICK We know you’re hard-working. That’s why we’ve given you the letter. James, show Mr Adams out.

OLIVER Good luck, Mr Adams.

HENRY Well, why don’t you explain what this is all about?

RODERICK You’ll soon know. In exactly an hour and a half.

SERVANT This way, sir.

RODERICK Mr Adams, not until 2 o’clock. Promise?

HENRY Promise. Good-bye.

B3U3p20

One day my uncle told me a about a man who made a that he would be able to walk to the foot of a mountain by .The mountain was over 100 kilometres away from his home so people were happy to take the bet because they thought it was that anybody could walk so far in one day. But they did not realise that the man had a plan ready. He got his

to drive a large truck which would meet him on the road as if . The truck would give the man a ride and he would continue to pretend to walk as the truck moved along. In this way the man made his at the foot of the mountain before nightfall and he won his bet. He said he had walked all the way though not always on the road!

B3U3P21&22

Reading and acting

Act one, Scene 4

(Outside a restaurant Henry looks at the envelope with the letter and decides to go in. He sits down at a table next to the front windows.)

OWNER (seeing Henry’s poor appearance)

That’s one’s reserved. This way, please.

(to the waiter) take this gentleman’s order, Horace.

HENRY (after sitting down and putting the letter on the table) I’d like some ham and eggs and a nice big steak. And make it extra thick.

WAITER it’ll cost a tiny bit.

HENRY the kitchen)

I understand. And I’ll have a nice glass of beer. (the waiter leaves foe

HOSTESS my goodness! He eats like a wolf.

OWNER we’ll see if he’s clever as a wolf, eh?

HENRY (having just finished every bit of food) Ah, waiter. (waiter returns) same things again, please. Oh, and another beer.

WAITER Again, everything?

HENRY Yes, that’s right. (sees the look on the waiter’s face) Anything wrong?

WAITER (to the restaurant owner) He’s asked for more of the same.

OWNER it is well-known that many Americans like to eat a lot. Well, we have to take a chance. Go ahead and let him have it.

WAITER (reading the bill after the meal) all right. That’s two orders of ham and eggs, two extra thick steaks, two tall glasses of beer, two cups of coffee and two desserts.

HENRY would you mind waiting just a few minutes?

WAITER (in a rude manner) what’s there to wait for?

OWNER all right, Horace, I’ll take care of this.

HENRY (to owner) That was a wonderful meal. It’s amazing how much pleasure you get out of the simple things in life, especially if you can’t have them for a while.

OWNER Yes, very interesting. Now perhaps if you pay the bill I can help the

other customers.

HENRY (looking at the clock on the wall) Well, I see it’s two o’clock. (he opens the letter and holds a million pound bank-note in his hands. Henry is surprised but the owner and the waiter are shocked, and nervous) I’m very sorry. But … I ... I … I don’t have anything smaller.

OWNER (still shocked and nervous) Well, er- er-just one moment. Maggie, look! (the hostess screams, the other customs look at her and she put a hand to her mouth).

HOSTESS oh, dear, I don’t know. I simply don’t know. Ask Mr. Clemens. (the

owner goes to a gentleman sitting near the window)

OWNER Mr. Clemens, Mr. Clemens! Could you –er- look at this? (hands him the bank–note) do you think it’s genuine?

CLEMENS (looking at it very carefully) Two notes in this amount have been issued by the Bank of England this year. Any way, it can’t be fake.

OWNER Why not?

CLEMENS People will give too much attention to a bank-note of this amount. No thief would want that to happen.

HOSTESS (joining them) But look at the owner, Mr. Clemens. He’s in rags.

CLEMENS Hmm, yes. I see. Well, I can only say that he must be a very strange but very rich man.

OWNER must be it!

(as if he has discovered something for the first time) Why, yes! That

HOSTESS (hit her husband’s arm) And you put him in the back of the restaurant!

Go and see him at once!

OWNER I’m so sorry, sir, so sorry, but I cannot change this bank-note.

HENRY But it’s all I have on me.

OWNER Oh, please, don’t worry, sir. Doesn’t matter at all. We are so very glad that you even entered our little eating place. Indeed, sir, I trust that you’ll come here whenever you like.

HENRY Well, that’s very kind of you.

OWNER Kind, sir? No, it’s kind of you, sir. You must come whenever you want and have whatever you like. Just having you sit here is a great honour!

HENRY I may not return for some time.

OWNER It would be wrong of me not trust a gentleman such as yourself, sir, (now the other customs are watching them) even if you do dress in a rather unusual way. As for the bill, sir, please forget it.

HENRY Forget it? Well … thank you very much. That’s very nice of you.

OWNER Oh, it’s for us to thank you, sir and I do, sir, from my heart. (the owner, hostess and waiter all bow together as Henry leaves)

B3U3P23

ABOUT MARK TWAIN

Mark Twain was born in Florida and spent his boyhood in Hannibal,Missouri,along the Mississippi River. Three of his most famous books describe people on this great river. They are The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Life on the Mississippi. Indeed, this author loved the river so much that even his pen name is about the river. “Twain” is an old word for “two.” So, to “mark twain,” is to say that the water is two fathoms deep. A fathom is equal to six feet or metres. Twain left school at school at the age of twelve to look for work. Over the next two decades he was a printer, a riverboat pilot, a soldier, a good miner, a businessman and a newspaper reporter. His first successful story was about a jumping frog contest. His writing became famous for its description of common people and the way they talked, but especially for his humour. He became rich from the many novels, short stories and travel journals he wrote and was very popular at public readings. Yale and Oxford Universities honoured him for his writing. However, the last years of his life were filled with sad events, loneliness and the loss of much money. His writing lost most of its humour and became sad like him. Yet he is still one of the most popular writers in the world today.

B3U3P59—60

ACT TWO

Scene 4

NARRATOR At the end of month, Henry was very rich and didn’t fear jail. Dressed in the finest clothes, he drove by the brothers’ house in Portland Place and, seeing they were back, went to get Portia at her friend’s home.

HENRY My dear, the way you look today, it would be a crime not to ask for a good salary for the job they’ll give to me.

PORTIA Oh , please remember that if we ask for too much we may get no salary at all; and then what’ll happen to us, with no way in the world to earn a living?

(at the brothers’ home , the servant lets them in. The two brother are seated ,waiting )

HENRY Good morning, gentlemen. (Roderick seems very surprised to see Portia ) Portia ,these are the men who helped me .

PORTIA So very nice to meet you, kind sirs . ( she gives Oliver a wink of the eye )

RODERICK Er…Portia ,I---

OLIVER We’re both glad to hear it , for now we can decide the bet which Roderick and I made .If you’ve won for me ,you shall have any job as my gift . Have you got the million pound bank-note ?

HENRY I’ve won! Now what do you say , Roderick ?

RODERICK I say that I’ve lost twenty thousand pounds .I never would have believed it. Why, that is amazing, man!

HENRY Come, let’s be going now, Portia .

OLIVER But wait, wait! The job, you know .I must give you a job, as I promised.

HENRY Well, thank you very much, but I really don’t want one now.

PORTIA Henry, I’m disappointed in you . You didn’t thank the gentlemen properly . May I do it for you ?

HENRY Let me see you try.

(Portia walks over to Roderick and gives him a hug. Then she sits in Oliver’s lap, puts her arms around his neck and kisses him on the cheek . Oliver begins laughing.)

PORTIA Papa, he says he doesn’t want anything else from you .

HENRY (shocked)My dear ,is that your papa?!

PORTIA He’s my stepfather ,and the dearest one that ever was .

HENRY Oh, my dearest dear sir , I regret what I said . You have got a job open that I want .

OLIVER Name it.

HENRY Son-in law.

OLIVER Well , well, well! But you’ve never had such a job before .How can I be

sure you can do it successfully?

HENRY Try me—oh ,do . I beg of you ! Give me 30or 40 years ,and—

OLIVER Oh ,well ,all right.

NARRATOR Are Portia and Henry happy ? There are not enough words in the biggest dictionary to describe it . Did the people of London have a good time with this bit of news ? Yes . Portia’s stepfather took that friendly bank-note back to the Bank of England and cashed . The bank-note was then useless for money but was his wedding gift to the young couple .Yes , the bank-note was worth millions of dollars , but not worth one-tenth as much as how Henry felt about Portia .

Book 3 Unit 4 Astronomy: the science of the stars

B3U4P25-26

HOW LIFE BEGAN ON THE EARTH

After the “Big Bang ”, the earth was just a cloud of energetic dust. What it was to become was a mystery until the dust began to slowly combine into a ball moving around the sun. The problem was that the earth became violent because it was not clear whether the solid shape was to last or not. It exploded loudly with fire and rock, which in time to produce the water vapour, carbon dioxide, oxygen, nitrogen and other gases, which were to make the earth’s atmosphere. As the earth cooled down, water began to

appear on its surface. Nobody knew that it was going to be different from other planets going round the sun. water had already disappeared from planets like Mars or satellites like the moon, but it stayed on the earth. This is how the earth began to show its special qualities. Many people think this was important for the beginning of life. It allowed the earth to dissolve harmful gases, which had become part of the earth’s atmosphere, into oceans and seas. That made it possible for life to begin to develop.

What scientists think is that the earth was different because of the arrival of small plants growing in the water on its surface. Nobody understood that these plants were the start of many changes. They multiplied and filled the first oceans and seas with oxygen. This encouraged the development of early shellfish and all sorts of fish.

Many millions of years later the first green plants began to appear on land. Scientists believe that taking carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and filling the air with oxygen helped life to develop. Later land animals appeared. Some were insects. Others, called amphibians, were able to live on and as well as in the sea. When the plants grew into forests, reptiles appeared for the first time. They produced young generally by laying eggs. Later, some huge animals, called dinosaurs, developed. They laid eggs too. They became the most important animals on the earth for millions of years. But when they disappeared, mammals became more important. They were the last group of animals and they were different because they produced their young from within their bodies.

Small clever animals, now with hands and feet, appeared and spread all over the earth. They developed new methods of growing food, hunting and moving around. As

time went by they covered the earth and have become the most important animals on the planet. But they are not taking care of the earth very well. They are putting too much carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, which prevents heat from escaping from the earth into space. The earth may become too hot for the lives on it. Whether life will continue on the earth for millions of years to come will depend on whether this problem can be solved.

B3U4P28

My friend Li Yanping was really very interested in__.

He liked to watch changes in the moon, the only natural satellite of the earth through his telescope. One evening he thought he saw a huge comet__ as it hit the moon. The__ of the moon produced a lot of dust that became__ like a large ball. It seemed as if it would multiply and become a new__. Li Yanping thought He was seeing the__ of the universe until he noticed some dirt on his telescope! He was very disappointed.

B3U4P30-31

A VISIT TO THE MOON

Last month I was lucky enough to have a chance to make a trip into space with my friend Li Yanping, an astronomer. We visited the moon in our spaceship!

Before we left ,Li Yanping explained to me that the force of gravity would change three times on our journey and that the first change would be the most powerful. Then we were off. As the rocket rose slowly into the air we began to feel the pull of the earth, which is what we call gravity. At first it pushed us so hard back into our seats that we could not say anything to each other. Gradually the weight lessened and I was able to talk to him. \"Why is the spaceship not falling back to the earth? On the earth if I fall from a tree I will fall to the ground. \"I asked.\" We are too far

from the earth now to feel its pull,\" he explained. \"So we feel as if there is no gravity at all. When we get closer to the moon, we shall feel its gravity pulling us but it will not be as strong a pull as the earth's. \"I cheered up immediately and floated weightlessly around in our spaceship cabin watching the earth become smaller and the moon larger.

When we got there, I wanted to explore immediately. \"Come on,\" I said. \"If you are right, my mass will be less than on the earth because the moon is smaller and I will be able to move more freely. I might even grow taller if I stay here long enough. I shall certainly weigh less!\" I laughed and climbed down the steps from the spaceship. But when I tried to step forward I found I was carried twice as far as on the earth and fell over. \"Oh dear,\" I cried, \"walking does need a bit of practice now that gravity has changed.\" After a while I got the hang of it and we began to enjoy ourselves.

Leaving the moon's gravity was not as painful as leaving the earth's. But returning to the earth was very frightening. We watched, amazed as fire broke out on the outside of the spaceship as the earth's gravity increased. Again we were pushed hard into our seats as we came back to land.\" That was very exhausting but very exciting too,\" I exclaimed.

\"Now I know much more about gravity! \"Do you think we could visit some stars next time?\" \"Of course,\" he smiled, \"which star would you like to go to?\"

B3U4P64

Where do we come from

“Where do we come from? How did the universe begin? Why is the universe the way is? How will it end? All my life, I have been attracted by the big question that face us, and have tired to find scientific answers to them. If, like me, you have looked at the stars, and tired to make sense of what you see, you will also have started to wonder why the universe exists. The questions are clear and simple. But the answers have always seemed well beyond our reach, until now.

“The idea which had grown over two thousand year of observation have had to be revised. In less than a hundred years, we have found a new way think of ourselves. From sitting at the centre of the universe, we now find ourselves moving around an average-sized sun, which is just one of millions of the stars in our own Milky Way galaxy. And our galaxy itself is just one of billions of galaxies, in a universe that is infinite and expanding. But this is far from the end of a long history of inquiry. Huge question remain to be answered, before we can hope to have a complete picture of the universe we live in.

“I want you to share my excitement at the discoveries, past and present, which have revolutionized the way we think. From the Big Bang to black holes, from dark

matter to a possible Big Crunch, our image of the universe today is full of strange sounding ideas, and remarkable truths. The story of how we arrive at this picture is the story of learning to understand what we see.”

B3U4P66

Caught in a black hole

The spaceship warned Li Yanping and me to be ready as we were approaching(靠近)the “black hole”. There seemed to be a large circle of lights going round an empty space. Li Yanping called out, “That empty hole is like a mouth always needing to be fed. The lights are large stars being slowly sucked(吸吮)into it.” We watched in shock and amazement as a large sun suddenly disappeared into the hole. Just then the lights on our spaceship went out and the computer stopped working. What was happening? I tried to turn the spaceship away from the hole but it would not move. Would it eat us too?

Suddenly the spaceship jumped and began to move round the edge of the outside of the hole. The gravity of the “black hole” was pulling us slowly into its “mouth”. As the spaceship moved round the hole, it began to go faster and faster. I felt sick. My watch moved slower and slower and time seemed almost to stop. My mouth went dry and I closed my eyes. All the stories about what happened when you were caught by the gravity of a “black hole” seemed to be true.

But then the spaceship jumped again. This time it moved sideways from the “black

hole. It began to increase its speed until it seemed to be going as fast as light. I was bumped (撞开)and banged (猛击)as the spaceship flew like a bird away from the “black hole”. What was happening? At last we slowed almost to a stop and we were able to look around us. The sky certainly looked different but this would not be a problem as the computer started working again. We realized that we had discovered something new about “black holes”. They “eat” some objects but “spit” other objects out. How exciting!

B3U4P66&68

Going into space

Scientist spends two years training to mend the space telescope

Li Yanping, the great astronomer, always wanted to work in space. So he was trained to be repairs on spaceships and telescopes. He had to learn how to use the tools safely and how to walk in space. He was lucky enough to be chosen to repair the Hubble space telescope. He learned how to clean it on the earth and practised a lot. Then he went up in a spaceship to the telescope. He did a good job and the telescope works fine. He is very happy in his work!

Book 3 Unit 5 Canada—“The True North”

B3U5P34—35

A trip on “the true north”

Li Daiyu and her cousin Liu Qian were on a trip to Canada to visit their cousins on her Atlantic coast. Rather than take the aeroplane all the way, they decided to fly from China to Vancouver and to take the train from west to east across Canada in September. The idea that they would cross the whole continent was exciting.

Their cousins’ friend, Danny Lin, was waiting for them at the airport. He was going to take them to the train station to catch “The True North” the cross-Canada train. On the way to the station, he told them, “You’re going to see great scenery on your trip. Canada is bigger than the United States. It is the second biggest country in the world and as you go eastward, you will see mountains, and pass thousands of lakes, forests and wide rivers as well as cities. The idea that you can cross Canada in less than five days is just wrong. It is 5500 kilometres from coast to coast. Here in Vancouver, you are in the warmest part of Canada. Many people think it is the most beautiful city in Canada, as it is surrounded by mountains on the north and east and the Pacific Ocean on the west. Its population is increasing very rapidly, because people from the rest of Canada and those from many Asian countries want to live here. They can ski in the Rocky Mountains and sail in the harbour. On the coast north of Vancouver some of the oldest and most beautiful forests in the world still remain. It is so wet there that the trees are extremely tall.”

That afternoon in the train the cousins settled down in their seats. They crossed the Rocky Mountains earlier that day and looked out of the windows at the wild scenery. They saw mountain goats and even a grizzly bear. Their next stop would be Calgary. The

Calgary Stampede is a famous Western festival. Cowboys come from all over North America to compete in riding wild horses. Many of them have a gift for working with animals and they can win thousands of dollars in prizes.

Two days later they began to realize that Canada is quite empty. Most Canadians live within 320 kilometres of the USA border, and in fact, the population of Canada is only slightly over thirty million. They went through a wheat-growing province and saw farms that were thousands of square kilometres in size. After dinner, the cousins arrived in Thunder Bay. This city is at the top and end of the Great Lakes, and it is a very busy port, although it is close to the centre of the country. The fact that ocean ships can go there surprises many people. Canada has one-third of the world’s fresh water, and much of it is in the five Great Lakes. There is more fresh water in Canada than in any other country in the world.

That night, they slept the train rushed through the night across the top of Lake Superior, through the great forests and southward towards Toronto.

B3U5P38&39

“THE TRUE NORTH” FROM TORONTO TO MONTREAL

The next morning the maple trees outside their windows were red and gold and orange, and there was frost on the ground----fall had arrived in Canada.

Around noon they arrived in Toronto, the most wealthy and biggest city in Canada.

They were not leaving for Montreal until later, so they went on a tour of the city. They went up the tall CN Tower, and looked across the lake. In the distance, they could see the misty cloud that rose from the great Niagara Falls, which is on the south side of the lake. The water flows into the Niagara River and over the falls on its way to the sea.

They saw the covered stadium, home of several famous basketball teams. As they walked north from the harbour area, Li Daiyu said, “One of my mother’s friends lives here. I should phone her from a telephone booth.”

The cousins were invented to have dinner in downtown Chinatown, one of the three in Toronto. Lin Tao, who had moved to Canada many years earlier, met them at The Pink Pearl and said, “We can get good Cantonese food here, because most of the Chinese people here come from South China , especially Hong Kong .It’s too bad you can’t go as far as Ottawa, Canada’s capital. It’s about four hundred kilometres northeast of Toronto, so it would take too long.”

The train left late that night and arrived in Montreal at dawn the next morning. At the train station, people everywhere were speaking French. There were signs and ads in French, but some of them had English words in smaller letters. “We don’t leave until this evening ,”said Liu Qian. “Let’s go downtown .Old Montreal is close to the water.” They spent the afternoon in the lovely shops and visiting the artists in their workplaces beside the water. As they sat in a café looking over the broad St Lawrence River, a young man sat down with them. “Hello, my name is Henri, and I’m a student at the university here,” he said, “and I was wondering where you are from.” The girl told him they were on a train trip across Canada and that they had only one day in

Montreal. “That’s too bad,” he said, “Montreal is a city with wonderful restaurants and clubs. Most of us speak both English and French ,but the city has a French culture. We love good coffee, good bread and good music.”

That night as the train was speeding along the St Lawrence River toward the Gulf of St Lawrence and down to the East Coast ,the cousins dreamed of French restaurants and red maple leaves.

B3U5P73

IQALUIT –THE FROZEN TOWN

The reporter, Beth Allen, arrived in a northern community called Iqaluit in Nunavut. Nunavut. Nunavut was created in 1999 as a special area for Inuit people. Its name means “Our Land” in their language. It is in the farthest northeastern area of Canada, north of the Arctic Circle, and is very cold--the average winter temperature in Nunavut is –35 degrees.

Beth said, “I knew it would be cold in January, but not this cold! Maybe there is a dog sled here that can take me into town.”

The quiet men who had been on the plane with her said, “I will take you into town, but I do not have a dog sled. Most people only use the dogs for competitions. Why are you visiting Iqaluit?”

Beth answered, “I’m writing a story for my newspaper about Iqaluit—we’d like to advertise it as a holiday place, but I think it’s too cold.”

The man laughed. “My name is Simon and I am Inuit,” he said. “I think it’s too far north here for holidays but more and more tourists are coming. They like ice fishing and photographing polar bears. I stay as far away from polar bears as possible. I like my warm office and my warm house.”

Beth asked, “What do you do in an office? Don’t you hunt animals for a living? I thought you lived in ice houses.”

“I’m a business man. My grandfather would live in ice houses when he hunted in winter, but not so many people do that now. The old men used to make one in a few hours. They used to live in skin tents in summer—the tents were easy to move so the people could follow the animals.”

A few minutes later they arrived in Iqaluid, a town with a population of 6000,on Simon’s snowmobile. It was two o’clock in the afternoon, but it was already dark, and all the houses shone with bright lights. Beth said, “Why is it so dark? It’s the middle of the day!”

Simon replied, “It’s dark in the day because we are so far north. You should come in June. The sun shines all night in the north then. That’s why it’s called ‘The Land Of the Midnight Sun’.”

There were people on the streets and snowmobiles everywhere. There were even a few dog teams.

B3learningtip

Book 3 Learning tip

B3Unit1

Collect information about festivals and events around the world from CCTV International and newspapers. In this way you can increase your vocabulary and knowledge. To find out what festivals there are in different countries, it is better to look in an encyclopedia and then search the Internet for more information. Remember that the information on the Internet may not be correct so always check it

B3Unit2

When you buy items in packets or tins, you need to look at the side of the packet or tin. It will tell you how much energy-giving good, body-building food and fibre there is in your tin or packet. You will also learn more words and expressions connected with food. You can use this information to help you have a healthier diet as increase your vocabulary.

B3Unit3

Try writing a play so you can practise your oral English. Get together with your friends classmates and write dialogues for a short play. It can be about anything of interest to all of you. Everyone should have a part or role to speak.

You can use one of the reading passages from your textbook to make a short play. And acting out the play will help improve your pronunciation.

B3Unit4

Use encyclopedias and the Internet to find out more about space. Try to discover how many plants there are round our sun and how many satellites they each have. Make notes in journal or diary and watch the news to add interesting new ideas on space. Look into the sky at night and try to find out the names of some of the stars.

B3Unit5

Knowing some prefixes and suffixes can help guess the meaning of words. Prefixes are small groups of words to give them different meanings.

Suffixes are groups of letters placed after a word its modify meaning or change it into a different part of speech.

Examples:

You can put the prefix multi— in front of many words to give them the meaning of

“many”.

multicultural multimedia multichannel multinational

You can change some adjectives into adverbs by adding the suffix--ly slightly extremely officially broadly