附 录
译文助读
Module 1 British and American English
Reading and Speaking
Words，words，words
British and American English are different in many ways.The first and most obvious way is in the vocabulary.There are hundreds of different words which are not used on the other side of the Atlantic，or which are used with a different meaning.Some of these words are well known—Americans drive automobiles down freeways and fill up with gas；the British drive cars along motorways and fill up with petrol.As a tourist，you will need to use the underground in London or the subway in New York，or maybe you will prefer to get around the town by taxi(British)or cab(American)．
Chips or French fries?
But other words and expressions are not so well known.Americans use a flashlight，while for the British，it’s a torch.The British queue up；Americans stand in line.Sometimes the same word has a slightly different meaning，which can be confusing. Chips，for example，are pieces of hot fried potato in Britain；in the States chips are very thin and are sold in packets.The British call these crisps.The chips the British know and love are French fries on the other side of the Atlantic.
Have or have got?
There are a few differences in grammar，too.The British say Have you got...? while Americans prefer Do you have...? An American might say My friend just arrived，but a British person would say My friend has just arrived.Prepositions, too，can be different：compare on the team, on the weekend(American)with in the team, at the weekend(British)．The British use prepositions where Americans sometimes omit them(I’ll see you Monday；Write me soon！)．
Colour or color?
The other two areas in which the two varieties differ are spelling and pronunciation.American spelling seems simpler：center，color and program instead of centre，colour and programme.Many factors have influenced American pronunciation since the first settlers arrived four hundred years ago.The accent，which is most similar to British English，can be heard on the East Coast of the US.When the Irish writer George Bernard Shaw made the famous remark that the British and the Americans are two nations divided by a common language，he was obviously thinking about the differences.But are they really so important？After all，there is probably as much variation of pronunciation within the two countries as between them.A Londoner has more difficulty understanding a Scotsman from Glasgow than understanding a New Yorker.
,词，词，词
英式英语和美式英语在很多方面都有所不同。首先最明显的是在词汇方面。有数百个不同的单词在大西洋彼岸是不使用的，或者是有不同的意思。其中有些单词是熟悉的——美国人在 freeways 上驾驶 automobiles，给 automobiles 加 gas；英国人在 motorways 上驾驶 cars，给 cars 加 petrol。作为游客，在伦敦你要乘坐 underground，而在纽约则是 subway，或者你更愿乘坐 taxi (英式) 或者 cab (美式)游览城市。
Chips 还是 French fries?
但是其他一些单词和表达方式没有这么广泛地为人所知。美国人把手电筒称为 flashlight，而英国人叫它 torch。英国人排队用 queue up，而美国人用 stand in line。有时，同一个单词在意义上有一点细微的差别，这会让人感到很困惑。比如 chips 这个词在英国是油炸的薯条，在美国却指小包装出售的非常薄的薯片。英国人把这种东西称为 crisps。英国人知道而且喜欢的薯条在大西洋对岸被称为 French fries。
Have 还是 have got?
在语法上，英式英语和美式英语也有一些区别。英国人说 Have you got...？而美国人却更喜欢说 Do you have...？美国人可能会说 My friend just arrived，但是英国人会说 My friend has just arrived。介词的用法也有所不同：比较一下 on the team，on the weekend (美式)和 in the team，at the weekend (英式)。英国人用介词的地方美国人有时侯可能会省略(I’ll see you Monday；Write me soon！)。
Colour 还是 color?
另外两个不同之处是拼写和发音。美式英语的拼写好像更简单一些：用 center，color 和 program 代替 centre，colour 和 programme。自从 400 年前第一批移民的到来，很多因素影响了美式英语的发音。在美国东海岸能够听到跟英式英语非常接近的口音。当爱尔兰作家萧伯纳讲那句名言——英国和美国是被同一种语言分开的两个国家的时候，他显然想到了它们的差别。但是这些真的是那么重要吗？不管怎么说，在这两个国度里，语音也肯定存在着许多音变。伦敦人要听懂来自格拉斯哥的苏格兰人说话，比听纽约人说话更难。,Turn on the TV
Some experts believe that the two varieties are moving closer together. For more than a century commu nications across the Atlantic have developed steadily. Since the 1980s, with satellite TV and the Internet, it has been possible to listen to British and American English at the flick of a switch. This non-stop communication, the experts think, has made it easier for British people and Americans to understand each other. But it has also led to lots of American words and structures passing into British English, so that some people now believe that British English will disappear.
However，if you turn on CNN，the American TV network，you find newsreaders and weather forecasters all speaking with different accents—American, British, Australian, and even Spanish. One of the best-known faces, Monita Rajpal, was born in Hong Kong, China, and grew up speaking Chinese and Punjabi, as well as English.
This international dimension suggests that in the future, there are going to be many “Englishes”， not just two main varieties. But the message is “Don’t worry.” Users of English will all be able to understand each other—wherever they are.,打开电视
很多专家认为这两种语言变体越来越接近，一个多世纪以来，大西洋两岸的交流稳步发展。自从20世纪80年代以来，随着卫星电视和因特网的使用，非常便捷地听到英式英语和美式英语已经成为可能。专家们认为，这种不间断的交流使得英国人和美国人相互理解起来更加容易。但是这也致使许多美式英语单词和结构传人英式英语，以至于现在有一些人相信英式英语将要消失。
然而，如果你打开美国电视网络节目CNN，你会发现新闻播报员和天气预报员都操着不同的口音——美国的，英国的，澳大利亚的，甚至西班牙的。其中最熟悉的脸孔之一，慕妮塔·让治派出生于中国香港，从小到大说的是汉语、一种印度土语和英语。
这种国际性的广泛使用表明，在未来将有很多种英语，不仅仅是两种。但其实大家不用担心！无论在哪里，英语的使用者们都会彼此理解。
Cultural Corner
The Man Who Made Spelling Simple
In English the spelling of words does not always represent the sound.So people say/raIt/but spell it right，or write，or even rite.Combinations of letters (like ough) may be pronounced in a number of ways.And some words just seem to have too many letters.
For Americans things are a little bit easier，thanks to the work of Noah Webster，a teacher who graduated from Yale University in 1778.As a young man he had fought against the British in the American War of Independence，and he felt that written English in the newly independent United States should have a distinctive “American” look.
So he began his work on American English.His first book，The Elementary Spelling Book，suggested simplifying the spelling of English words.The book was extremely popular.By the 1850s it was selling one million copies a year，making it one of the most popular school books ever.
Many of the suggestions were quickly adopted.Center instead of centre，program instead of programme，and flavor instead of flavour.Others，however，such as removing silent letters like the s in island or the final e in examine，were not.
Webster is best known for his American Dictionary of the English Language，which first appeared in 1828.It introduced lots of new American words，with information about their pronunciation and use，and，of course，the new spelling.The British criticised the dictionary，but it quickly became a standard reference book in the States.Today，Webster’s dictionary is still the number one dictionary for American students.
,简化拼写的人
在英语里单词的拼写不总是代表单词的发音。因此人们说/raIt/但是拼写为 right，write，甚至是 rite。字母组合(比如 ough)可能有许多种方式的发音。而且一些单词似乎是字母过多。
对美国人来说，事情(单词拼写)稍微简单些，这多亏了一位叫诺亚·韦伯斯特的人，他是一位教师，于1778年毕业于耶鲁大学。他年轻的时候曾在美国独立战争中与英国人交过战，而且认为在刚独立的美国，书面英语应该有与众不同的美国人的特色。
因此他开始从事他的美式英语的工作。他的第一本书，《初级拼写书》，提出了简化英语单词的拼写。这本书相当受欢迎。到19世纪50年代为止，该书以每年一百万册的速度销售，成为有史以来最受欢迎的学校用书之一。
其中许多建议很快被采纳。center 代替了 centre，program 代替了 programme，flavor 代替了 flavour。然而其他的都没有被采纳，比如直接删掉不发音的字母，像 island 中的 s 或 examine 中最后的 e。
韦伯斯特因为他编的《美式英语词典》而闻名，这本书最初在1828年问世。书中介绍了许多新的美国单词，有其相关的发音和用法，当然也有新的拼写法。英国人批判了这本字典，但是在美国，它很快成为标准参考书。如今，韦伯斯特词典仍然是美国学生的首选词典。
Module 2 A Job Worth Doing
Vocabulary and Reading
The Human Traffic Signal
At 3,500 metres，La Paz，in Bolivia，is the highest capital in the world.Life is hard at high altitude，and the mountains make communications difficult.Many roads are in bad condition and accidents are frequent.One road in particular，which goes north from La Paz，is considered the most dangerous road in the world.On one side the mountains rise steeply；on the other side there is a sheer drop，which in places is hundreds of metres deep.Although there is not a lot of traffic，on average，one vehicle comes off the road every two weeks.The drop is so great that anyone inside the vehicle is lucky to survive.In theory，the road can only be used by traffic going uphill from 8 in the morning，and by traffic coming downhill from 3 in the afternoon.But in practice，few drivers respect the rules.
But thanks to one man，the death toll has fallen.Timoteo Apaza is a gentle 46yearold man who lives in a village near the most dangerous part of the road，known locally as la curva del diablo(the Devil’s Bend)．Timoteo has an unusual job—he is a human traffic signal.Every morning he climbs up to the bend with a large circular board in his hand.The board is red on one side and green on the other.Timoteo stands on the bend and directs the traffic.When two vehicles approach from opposite directions they can’t see each other，but they can see Timoteo.Timoteo is a volunteer.No one asked him to do the job，and no one pays him for it.Sometimes drivers give him a tip，so that he has just enough money to live on.But often they just pass by，taking the human traffic signal for granted.
So why does he do it？Before he volunteered to direct the traffic，Timoteo had had lots of jobs.He had been a miner and a soldier.Then one day while he was working as a lorry driver he had a close encounter with death.He was driving a lorry load of bananas when he came off the road at a bend and fell three hundred metres down the mountain.Somehow he survived.He was in hospital for months.Then，a few years later，he was called out in the night to help pull people out of a bus which had crashed at la curva del diablo.This last experience had a profound effect on Timoteo.He realised that he was lucky to be alive himself，and felt that it was his mission in life to help others.And so every morning，week in，week out，from dawn to dusk，Timoteo takes up his place on the bend and directs the traffic.
,人体交通标志
位于海拔3500米的玻利维亚首府拉巴斯是世界上最高的首都。在高海拔地区的生活很艰苦，高山使得地区交通非常困难。许多路路况很差而且事故频发，尤其是从拉巴斯通向北边的一条路被认为是世界上最危险的路。在路的一边，山体高耸险峻，另一边悬崖陡峭，很多地方足有几百米深。尽管这条路上交通量不大，但是平均每两周就有一辆车冲出公路，掉下悬崖。悬崖落差如此之大，在掉下去的车里任何一个幸存者都是幸运的。按理，这条路上从早晨8点开始只准许上山的车通行，下午3点以后下山的车通行。但实际上，几乎没有司机遵守这些规则。
但是多亏了一个人，使事故死亡率下降了。46岁的铁穆特欧·安迫赛是个性格温和的人，他住在这条路最危险的一段附近的村庄，这段路被当地人称为 la curva del diablo(魔鬼弯道)。铁穆特欧有个不同寻常的工作——他是人体交通标志。每天早晨，他都拿着一个大圆板爬上弯道。圆板一面是红色的，一面是绿色的。铁穆特欧站在转弯处指挥着交通。当两辆车相对开来的时候，他们彼此看不到，但都能看到铁穆特欧。铁穆特欧是个志愿者。没有人要他做这个工作，也没有人为此付钱给他。有时司机们会给他点小费，这样他能够维持生活。但是大多数情况下，司机们开着车就过去了，把人体交通标志视为理所当然。
但他为什么要这样做呢？他在志愿指挥交通之前，做过很多工作。他曾是矿工，还当过兵。他做卡车司机的时候，有一次跟死神打了个照面。当正开着装满香蕉的卡车要驶过一个弯道的时候，他连人带车翻到了300多米深的山崖下。万幸的是，他活了下来。他住院住了好几个月。几年后的一天夜里，他被叫出来帮忙拉出在魔鬼弯道坠毁的公共汽车里的人。最后的这次经历对铁穆特欧产生了重大影响。他意识到他能活下来是很幸运的，而且感觉到帮助别人是他人生的使命。于是每天早晨，铁穆特欧都来到路的拐弯处站好自己的位置，开始指挥来往车辆，从拂晓到黄昏，一周又一周。
Cultural Corner
Growing Jobs
What sort of jobs will people be doing ten years from now？According to a survey published by an American university，the ten fastest growing jobs will be related to computers and health.They include computer systems analysts，data analysts and database managers.But there will also be a rise in the demand for health care professionals.Some of these will be new jobs，such as bioinformaticians，who combine computer skills with knowledge of biology.Others will be more traditional.For example，more home care nurses will be needed to look after the rapidly ageing population.But many youngsters will need professional care，too：14 million Americans suffer from speech or language problems，and six million of them are under the age of 18.The number of speech pathologists(who help people who have problems speaking)is expected to double by the year 2012.And social workers will continue to be in demand.
Of course there will be plenty of other new jobs，some of which we probably can’t even guess.But for those who love the outdoor life，a good bet could be the leisure industry.As more and more countries open up to tourism，more travel agents will be needed，but the real demand will be for guides to take groups and even individuals on adventure holidays.For people doing this job，common sense，physical fitness and an outgoing personality are likely to be more important than computer skills.
,日益增长的职业
从现在开始的十年以后，人们将从事什么类型的工作？根据美国一所大学发布的调查报告，增长速度最快的十种职业将与电脑和健康有关。它们包括计算机系统分析师、数据分析师和数据管理员。而对健康护理专家的需求也将会增长。这些职业中有一些将会是新兴职业，比如生物信息学研究者，把计算机技能和生物知识结合起来。其他的职业将更传统些。例如，需要更多的家庭护理员来照顾快速高龄化的人口。但是许多年轻人也需要专业护理：1400万的美国人有语言问题，其中的600万是在18岁以下。语言病理学家的数量(帮助有语言障碍的人)预计到2012年将翻一番。而对社会工作者的需求量仍会很大。
当然也会有许多其他新兴的职业，其中一些我们很可能猜不出来。但是对于那些喜欢室外生活的人来说，休闲娱乐业应该是个很好的主意。随着越来越多的国家开放旅游业，将需要更多的旅行社，但真正需要的将是那些为旅游团，甚至为冒险度假的个人做导游的人。对从事这项工作的人来说，常识、健康的身体和外向的性格将很可能比计算机技能更重要。
Module 3 Adventure in Literature and the Cinema
Reading and Vocabulary
The Steamboat
There was a big storm after midnight and the rain poured down. We stayed inside the shelter we had built and let the raft sail down the river.Suddenly，by the light of the lightning，we saw something in the middle of the river.It looked like a house at first，but then we realized it was a steamboat.It had hit a rock and was half in and half out of the water.We were sailing straight towards it.
“It looks as if it’ll go under soon，”Jim said，after a couple of minutes.
“Let’s go and take a look，”I said.
“I don’t want to board a sinking ship，”said Jim，but when I suggested that we might find something useful on the boat，he agreed to go.So we paddled over and climbed on to the steamboat，keeping as quiet as mice.To our astonishment，there was a light in one of the cabins.Then we heard someone shout，“Oh please boys，don’t kill me！I won’t tell anybody！”
A man’s angry voice answered，“You’re lying. You said that last time.We’re going to kill you.”
When he heard these words，Jim panicked and ran to the raft.But although I was frightened，I also felt very curious，so I put my head round the door.It was quite dark，but I could see a man lying on the floor，tied up with rope.There were two men standing over him.One was short，with a beard.The other was tall and had something in his hand that looked like a gun.
“I’ve had enough of you.I’m going to shoot you now，”this man said.He was obviously the one who had threatened the man on the floor.And it was a gun he had in his hand.
“No，don’t do that，”said the short man.“Let’s leave him here.The steamboat will sink in a couple of hours and he’ll go down with it.”
When he heard that，the frightened man on the floor started crying.“He sounds as if he’s going to die of fright！”I thought.“I have to find a way to save him！”
I crawled along the deck，found Jim，and told him what I had heard.“We must find their boat and take it away，then they’ll have to stay here.”I said.
Jim looked terrified.“I’m not staying here，”he said.But I persuaded him to help me，and we found the men’s boat tied to the other side of the steamboat.We climbed quietly in and as we paddled away we heard the two men shouting.By then we were a safe distance away.But now I began to feel bad about what we had done.I didn’t want all three men to die.
,汽船
后半夜来了一场暴风雨，大雨倾盆而下。我们躲进了自己搭起来的避雨棚，让木筏顺流而下。突然间，借着闪电的光亮，我们看到河中间有东西。它一开始看上去像座房子，但后来我们意识到那是艘蒸汽船。它触礁了，一半沉在水里，一半露在水面上。我们的木筏正朝着它驶去。
“看起来它快沉了，”过了一会儿，吉姆说。
“我们去看看怎么回事儿。”我接着说。
“我可不想上一条要沉的船。”吉姆不同意，但当我提出我们可能会在上面找到些有用的东西时，他还是同意了。于是我们划了过去，蹑手蹑脚地，悄无声息地爬上了汽船。令我们大吃一惊的是，有间船舱还亮着一盏灯。接着我们听到人的嚎叫声，“哦，哥们儿，别杀我！我跟谁也不会说的！”
一个男人生气的声音回应道：“你在撒谎。上次你也是这么说的。我们要杀了你！”
吉姆听到了这些后，恐惧万分，向木筏跑了过去。而我尽管害怕，但也感到十分好奇，于是就把头凑向了那扇门。四周都很黑，但我能看见一个人被绳子捆着，躺在地板上。有两个人围着他站着。其中一个是矮个，留着络腮胡子。另外一个是高个，手里拿着什么东西，看起来像是把枪。
“我受够你了！我现在就要毙了你，”那个高个说道。显然他就是刚才威胁躺在地上的人的那个人。握在他手中的确实是把枪。
“不，别这么干，”那个矮个说：“我们把他扔在这儿。这船过几小时就沉了，他也就跟船一起沉了。”
听到这话，那个在地上已被吓傻的人开始嚎哭。“听起来他就要吓死了，”我想。“我得设法去救他！”
我沿着甲板爬行，找到了吉姆，并告诉他我所听到的一切。我说：“我们必须找到他们的船并弄走它，然后他们就不得不呆在这儿了。”
吉姆看上去很害怕。“我不想呆在这儿，”他说。但我说服他帮我的忙，找到了他们拴在沉船另一边的小船。我们悄悄爬进了小船，当划着小船离开时，我们听到了两个人的吼叫声。而那时我们已安全地离开了。但现在我开始后悔那么做了。我不想让那三个人都死掉。Cultural Corner
The Life of Mark Twain
Often the lives of writers resemble the lives of the characters they create.Mark Twain，who wrote The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer，was no exception.To start with，the author’s name，Mark Twain，is itself an invention，or“pen name”. Twain’s real name was Samuel Clemens.“Mark Twain”，which means “watermark two”，was a call used by sailors on the Mississippi to warn shipmates that they were coming into shallow water.
Like Huck，Mark Twain led an adventurous life.He left school early，and as an adolescent，determined to make his fortune in South America，set off from his home in Hannibal，Missouri，for New Orleans.He wanted to take a boat to the Amazon，where he thought he could get rich quickly.He arrived in New Orleans without a penny in his pocket only to find that there were no boats for South America.Forced to change his plans，he worked for several years as a pilot on a steamboat，taking passengers up and down the Mississippi，the great river which flows from the north of the US near the Canadian border，down to the Gulf of Mexico.
Later he became a journalist and began writing stories about life on the river.Twain’s vivid and often amusing descriptions of life on the river quickly became popular，and established the reputation he still enjoys today as one of America’s greatest writers.
, 马克·吐温的生活
作家的生活往往和他们塑造的人物很相似。写了《哈克贝利·费恩历险记》和《汤姆·索亚历险记》的马克·吐温也不例外。首先，作者的名字，马克·吐温，本身就是创造的，或者说是“笔名”。吐温的真名是塞缪尔·克莱门斯。“马克·吐温”意思是“水深两英尺”，这是密西西比河上的水手们用来警告正在进入浅水区(安全通行)的同船水手们的口号。
像哈克一样，马克·吐温过着一种冒险的生活。他很早离开学校，青少年的时候，怀着到南美去发财致富的决心，从密苏里州的汉尼拔出发去新奥尔良。他想乘船去亚马逊，他认为在那里很快就会富起来。他身无分文，到达了新奥尔良之后却发现没有开往南美的船了。迫不得已他只好改变了计划，在一艘汽船上当了好几年领航员，主要是带着乘客进入或离开密西西比河，这条大河从美国北部的加拿大边界附近流向墨西哥湾。
后来他成了一名记者开始写有关河上生活的故事。吐温对河上生活生动形象的描写很快受到欢迎，这也确立了今天他仍然享有美国最伟大的作家之一的美誉的地位。
Module 4 Carnival
Reading and Vocabulary
The Magic of the Mask
Think of carnival，and you think of crowds，costumes，and confusion.The sounds and sights change from one country to another but the excitement is the same everywhere.
“Carnival” comes from two Latin words，meaning “no more meat”．In Europe，where it began，carnival was followed by forty days without meat，as people prepared for the Christian festival of Easter.People saw Carnival as a last chance to have fun at the end of the winter season.Having fun meant eating，drinking，and dressing up.
The most famous carnival in Europe was in Venice.At the beginning，it lasted for just one day.People ate，drank，and wore masks.As time passed，however，the carnival period was extended，so that it began just after Christmas.For weeks on end people walked round the streets wearing masks，doing what they wanted without being recognised.Ordinary people could pretend to be rich and important，while famous people could have romantic adventures in secret.Many crimes went unpunished.
The government realised that wearing masks had become a problem.Their use was limited by laws，the first of which dates back to the fourteenth century.Men were not allowed to wear masks at night；and they were not allowed to dress up as women.In later times more laws were passed.People who wore masks could not carry firearms；and no one could enter a church wearing a mask.If they broke the laws，they were put into prison for up to two years.Finally，when Venice became part of the Austrian empire，at the end of the eighteenth century，masks were banned completely，and carnival became just a memory.
But in the late 1970s the tradition was revived by students.They began making masks and organising parties，and threw bits of brightly coloured paper (called coriandoli) at tourists.The town council realised that carnival was good for business，and the festival was developed for tourists.
Today，carnival in Venice is celebrated for five days in February.People arrive from all over Europe to enjoy the fun.Hotels are fully booked and the narrow streets are crowded with wonderful costumes.German，French and English seem to be the main languages.But the spirit of Venice carnival is not quite the same as the great American carnivals.If the key to Rio is music and movement，then in Venice it is the mystery of the mask.As you wander through the streets，you see thousands of masks—elegant or frightening，sad or amusing，traditional or modern—but you have no idea what the faces behind them look like.Nobody takes them off.If the masks come off，the magic is lost.,面具的魔力
想到狂欢节，你就会想到人群、各式各样的服装和热闹非凡的场面。热闹的场面在不同的国家会有所不同，但人们的兴奋程度在各地都是相同的。
“狂欢节”这个词是由两个拉丁词演变而来的，意思是“禁肉食”。在欧洲，狂欢节的起源地，狂欢节过后会有40天不吃肉的日子，因为人们准备迎接基督教的节日——复活节。人们把狂欢节视为冬天结束前的最后一次享乐的机会。尽情地享乐意味着吃、喝和乔装打扮。
欧洲最著名的狂欢节是在威尼斯。最初，狂欢节只持续一天。人们吃啊，喝啊，并戴上面具。随着时间的推移，庆祝狂欢节的时间长了，圣诞节一过狂欢节就开始了。接连几个星期，人们戴着面具走街串巷，为所欲为而不会被认出来。普通人可以装阔佬和要人，而名人也可以偷偷地体验浪漫的奇遇。很多罪行都逃脱了惩罚。
政府意识到戴面具已成了一个问题。于是面具的使用就受到了法律条文的限制，这最早可以追溯到14世纪。男子不准在夜间戴面具，并且不能假扮女性。之后，更多法律条文出台。戴面具者不得携带火器，不得进入教堂。如果违反这些法律将被判入狱，刑期可长达两年。最后，在18世纪末，当威尼斯成为奥地利帝国的一部分时，面具被完全禁止了，狂欢节变成了一种记忆。
但在20世纪70年代后期，这个传统又被学生恢复了。他们开始制作面具，并组织聚会，向游人扔许多小片的彩色纸屑。市镇议会觉得狂欢节创造了一定商机，因此，狂欢节得以发展，以吸引更多的游客。
如今，威尼斯狂欢节的庆祝活动在二月进行，历时五天。来自欧洲各国的人们在此尽情娱乐。旅店被订满，狭窄的街道挤满了身着各种华美服饰的人们。德语、法语和英语似乎成了主要语言。但威尼斯狂欢节的本质与美洲狂欢节有所不同。在里约热内卢，狂欢节主要是音乐和游行，而在威尼斯，则是神秘的面具。走在街上，你能看到成千上万的面具——高雅的或可怕的，忧伤的或有趣的，传统的或时尚的——你并不知道面具后面的那张面孔长得怎样。没人把面具摘下。如果面具摘掉了，其魔力也就消失了。
Cultural Corner
The Meaning of Carnival
Carnival today is an international，multicultural experience.But how did it become so？To understand what carnival is all about，we need to look at the history of America and the meeting of two cultures—European and African.
The arrival of Europeans in America，and the opening of huge farms and plantations to grow cotton，fruit and vegetables，meant there was an immediate need for people to work on them.This marked the beginning of the slave trade.For more than two hundred years，until the beginning of the 19th century，when the trade was finally stopped，millions of people were taken by force from their homes in Africa and transported to the New World to work as slaves.Six million were taken to the Caribbean islands where there were British and French landowners.
Naturally，the Europeans also imported their own festivals.So the slaves were forced to watch as their masters celebrated carnival with food，drink，and masked dances.In Trinidad，the slaves began to hold their own carnival celebrations：they painted their faces white，imitating their masters and making fun of them.But at the same time they were continuing their own African traditions—such as walking round a village wearing masks and singing—a custom which they thought would bring good luck.
When the slave trade was abolished in 1838 the former slaves took over the carnival.It became more colourful and more exciting than it had been before.Magnificent costumes were made and musical bands created.Carnival became a celebration of freedom.
With the passing of time，the white inhabitants of the island began to take part in the carnival，too—and they were welcomed by their former slaves.Carnival became a way to unite different communities，as people forgot their everyday problems and enjoyed themselves eating，drinking，and dancing.Today，visitors from all over the world come to this small state in the Caribbean to join in the fun.Carnival has become a celebration of life itself.
,狂欢节的意义
今天的狂欢节是一种国际性的多元文化的体验。但它是如何变化成这样的呢？为了理解有关狂欢节的情况，我们需要看看美国的历史和两种文化——欧洲文化和非洲文化的融合。
欧洲人到了美洲，开辟了栽种棉花、水果和蔬菜的大农场与大种植园，这意味着急需干活的人手。这也标志着奴隶贸易的开始。直到19世纪初奴隶贸易被最终禁止的时候有二百多年了，这期间上百万的人被迫离开非洲老家，被运送到新大陆当奴隶。六百万人被带到加勒比岛上，在那里有英国和法国地主。
自然，欧洲人也引进了他们自己的节日。因此当奴隶们的主人用食物、饮料和戴面具的舞蹈来庆祝狂欢节的时候，奴隶们也被迫观看。在特立尼达岛，奴隶们开始举行自己的狂欢节庆祝活动：他们把他们的脸涂白，模仿他们的主人来取笑他们。但同时，他们也继续他们自己的非洲传统——比如戴面具绕村子行走和唱歌——他们认为这是一个能带来好运的传统。
当奴隶贸易在1838年被废除的时候，以前的奴隶延续了这个节日。它变得比以前更丰富更让人兴奋。耀眼的服装被做出来，乐队也建立起来。狂欢节变成一种自由的庆祝。
随着时间的推移，岛上的白人也开始加入到这个活动中——并且他们也受到先前奴隶的欢迎。狂欢节变成一种联合不同社区团体的方式，因为人们忘记了日常问题而尽情享受着吃、喝、舞蹈的乐趣。今天，世界各地的参观者都来到加勒比海的这个小国家来享受这份乐趣。狂欢节本身已经变成一种对生命的庆祝。
Module 5 The Great Sports Personality
Reading and Vocabulary
A Life in Sport
They called him the prince of gymnasts.When he retired at the age of 26，he had won 106 gold medals in major competitions across the world.They included six out of seven gold medals at the 1982 World Championship，and three at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles (as well as two silver and a bronze)．Li Ning was the best.When sports journalists met in 1999 to make a list of the greatest sportsmen and sportswomen of the twentieth century，Li Ning’s name was on it，together with footballer Pele and boxer Muhammad Ali.But even though he had won everything it was possible to win in his sport，Li Ning retired with the feeling that he had failed.He was disappointed because he had not performed well in the 1988 Seoul Olympics.
But it was this sense of failure that made him determined to succeed in his new life.A year after his retirement，Li Ning began a new career—as a businessman.But he didn’t forget his sporting background.He decided to launch a new brand of sportswear，competing with global giants like Nike and Adidas.He made the unusual choice，for a Chinese person，of choosing his own name as the brand mark.The bright red logo is made up of the first two pinyin letters of Li Ning’s name，L and N.
Li Ning’s sports clothes came onto the market at just the right time.The number of young people with money to spend was on the increase—and sport had never been so popular.Li Ning’s designs were attractive，and they had a major advantage over their better-known rivals—they were cheaper.A pair of Nike trainers，for example，could cost up to five times as much as a similar Li Ning product.Success for Li Ning was guaranteed，and it came quickly.
In just a few years，Li Ning won more than fifty percent of the national market.Today a Li Ning product is purchased every ten seconds.But the clothes are not only worn on the athletics track or the football pitch.If you go into a school or university anywhere，the chances are you will see students in Li Ning tracksuits with the familiar logo.The company has also grown internationally.The Spanish and French gymnastics teams wear Li Ning clothes，while Italian designers are employed by the company to create new styles.Whenever Chinese athletes step out onto the track during the 2008 Olympics，they will be wearing Li Ning tracksuits.
But Li Ning’s goal when he retired was not to make money.His dream was to open a school for gymnasts.He was able to do this in 1991.Since then，he has continued to help young people to achieve their sporting ambitions.Like Pele and Muhammad Ali before him，who have worked with the United Nations for children’s rights and peace，Li Ning has discovered that the work of a great sportsman does not finish when he retires from the sport.It starts.And if you are a great sportsperson，anything is possible，as Li Ning’s advertising slogan says.,体育人生
人们称他为体操王子。26岁退役时，他已在世界重大比赛中获得了106枚金牌。其中包括1982年世界锦标赛总共七枚金牌中的六枚，1984年洛杉矶奥运会上的三枚金牌(以及两枚银牌和一枚铜牌)。李宁是最优秀的。1999年，当体育记者们在评选20世纪最杰出的运动员时，李宁和球王贝利、拳王穆罕默德·阿里一起名列其中。但即使他已经赢得了自己在体操运动项目上所能赢得的一切，李宁还是带着一种失败感退了役。他在1988年首尔奥运会上表现不佳，这使他感到很失望。
但正是这种失败感使他决心在新的生活中取得成功。退役一年后，李宁开始了他新的事业——从商。但是，他并没有忘记他的运动生涯。他决定推出一种新品牌的运动服，和全球大公司耐克、阿迪达斯等竞争。对一个中国人而言，他作出了异乎寻常的选择，那就是用自己名字做商标。那个鲜红色的标识是由“李宁”拼音的两个首字母L和N组成的。
李宁运动服进入市场正当其时。有钱消费的年轻人的数量在增加，而体育运动也得到前所未有的普及。李宁运动服不仅设计吸引人，而且比起那些著名的商业对手，它拥有一个主要优势——价格便宜。比如，一双耐克运动鞋的价格可能是一双李宁牌同类产品价格的五倍之多。李宁的成功有了保证，并且来势迅猛。
短短几年时间，李宁赢得了超过百分之五十的国内市场。现在每十秒钟就有一款李宁牌产品被售出。李宁牌运动服不仅仅出现在田径赛场和足球场上。如果你走进任何一个地方的中学或大学校园，你很有可能看到身着印有那个熟悉标志的李宁运动服的学生们。公司也有了国际化的发展。西班牙和法国的体操队员也穿李宁牌服装，同时，公司还雇用意大利设计师设计新的款式。当中国体育健儿步入2008年奥运会赛场时，他们将身穿李宁牌运动服。
但是，李宁退役时的目标并不是赚钱。他的梦想是开办一所体操学校。1991年，他如愿以偿。从那时起，他不断地帮助年轻人实现他们的体育梦想。在他之前，球王贝利和拳王穆罕默德·阿里在联合国为儿童权利及世界和平工作多年。与他们一样，李宁发现：当一个杰出的运动员退出体坛时，工作并没有结束，而是开始。正如李宁广告标语所言，如果你是一位杰出的运动员，“一切皆有可能”。
Cultural Corner
Marathon：the Ultimate Olympic Event
The final event in the Olympics is the marathon.It is also usually the most exciting.As the leader comes into the stadium to run the last few metres of the 42-kilometre race，the crowd rises to its feet to shout and cheer.The name of the race comes from a battle in Ancient Greece.According to the story，a soldier ran from the scene of the battle，Marathon，to Athens，to bring the news of a Greek victory against the Persians.He died just after arriving.
The marathon has been an Olympic event since the modern games started in 1896.At first the distance was 40 kilometres—the distance between Marathon and Athens.In 1908，however，at the London Olympics，it was changed.The King of England wanted the runners to leave from his castle in Windsor and arrive in a new stadium in central London.The distance was 26 miles—about 42 kilometres.In fact，the 1908 marathon ended dramatically.When the leader，an Italian，entered the stadium he turned the wrong way and fell onto the ground.Officials picked him up and helped him to the finishing line，just as the second runner，an American，entered the stadium.The Americans protested and in the end the American runner was declared the winner.Since then，there have been many more exciting marathons.
In fact，you don’t have to wait for the Olympic Games to run or watch a marathon，as there are marathons in over sixty countries and hundreds of cities around the world today.One of the most famous marathons is in New York，and is watched by two million people around the streets and across the bridges of the city’s five boroughs，and past New York’s famous landmarks.But perhaps one of the most beautiful and extraordinary marathons ever is the Great Wall Marathon，which most competitors find is the toughest course to run.
The marathon is the final Olympic event because it is thought to be the hardest.But experts believe that most people—even people who are not particularly good at sport—can run a marathon，if they train for it.,
马拉松：最后进行的奥运会比赛项目
在奥林匹克运动会中的最后一项比赛是马拉松。它通常也是最激动人心的。每当领先的运动员进入体育馆来跑那全程42千米的最后几米时，全场观众都会站起来欢呼喝彩。比赛的名字是来自古代希腊的一次战斗。故事是这样的，一个士兵从马拉松战斗中的地点跑到希腊并带来希腊打败波斯人的胜利消息。他就在到达之后死去了。
自从1896年现代奥运比赛开始以来，马拉松就一直是奥运会的比赛项目。起初距离是40千米——马拉松和希腊之间的距离。然而，在1908年的伦敦奥运会中，距离被改变了。英国国王想让比赛者从他的温莎城堡开始，到达伦敦中心的新体育馆。这个距离是26英里——大约42千米。事实上，1908年的马拉松赛戏剧性地结束了。当领先的那位运动员——一位意大利选手——跑进体育馆时，他转错了方向并摔倒在地。官员们把他扶起来并帮他到了终点线，而此时作为第二名的美国选手，进入了体育馆。美国人提出抗议，最终那位美国选手被宣布获胜。从那以来，就有许多更精彩的马拉松比赛。
事实上，你不必非等着在奥运会时参加或观看马拉松比赛，因为今天全世界有六十多个国家和几百个城市都有马拉松比赛。其中，最著名的马拉松比赛之一是在纽约，两百万人观看这项比赛，这些人绕着街道，穿过城市的五个区的架桥并通过纽约著名的路标。但是也许最漂亮最特别的马拉松比赛还是在长城的马拉松比赛，大部分参赛者都认为它有最难跑的跑道。
马拉松是奥运会的最后一项赛事，因为它被认为是最难的项目。但是专家相信如果进行专门的训练，大部分人——甚至是不擅长体育运动的人——都能参加马拉松比赛。
Module 6 Animals in Danger
Reading
Saving the Antelopes
On a freezing cold day in January 1994，Jiesang Suonandajie found what he was looking for—a group of poachers who were killing the endangered Tibetan antelope.Jiesang knew he had to move quickly.He shouted to the poachers to put down their guns.Although surprised，the poachers had an advantage—there were more of them.In the battle which followed Jiesang was shot and killed.When his frozen body was found hours later，he was still holding his gun.He had given his life to save the Tibetan antelope.
At the beginning of the twentieth century there were millions of antelopes on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.By the 1990s the number had fallen to about 50,000.The reason is simple：the wool of the Tibetan antelope is the most expensive in the world.It is soft，light，and warm—the ideal coat for an animal which has to survive at high altitudes.A shawl made from the wool (known as “shahtoosh”，or “king of wools” in Persian) can sell for five thousand dollars.For poachers the profits can be huge.
Often working at night，the poachers shoot whole herds of antelopes at a time，leaving only the babies，whose wool is not worth so much.The animals are skinned on the spot and the wool taken to India，where it is made into the shawls.From there，it is exported to rich countries in North America and Europe.The business is completely illegal—there has been a ban on the trade since 1975.But in the 1990s the shawls came into fashion among rich people.A police raid on a shop in London found 138 shawls.About 1,000 antelopes—or 2 percent of the world’s population—had been killed to make them.
In the 1990s the Chinese government began to take an active part in protecting the antelopes in the Hoh Xil Nature Reserve—the huge national park on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau，which is the main habitat of the antelopes.Over the next ten years about 3,000 poachers were caught and 300 vehicles confiscated.Sometimes there were gunfights，like the one in which Jiesang Suonandajie was killed.
But today the government seems to be winning the battle.The number of poachers has fallen.The small group of officials who work in the reserve are helped by volunteers who come from all over the country，and who are ready for the difficult conditions of life at 5,000 metres.Meanwhile，in those countries where the shawls are sold，police are getting tough with the dealers.International co-operation seems to be working.Since 1997 the antelope population has slowly begun to grow again.,拯救藏羚羊
在1994年1月的一个滴水成冰的寒冷日子，杰桑·索南达杰发现了他一直在寻找的目标——正在猎杀濒临灭绝的藏羚羊的一群偷猎者。杰桑知道，他必须迅速行动。他大声地喊叫着，要偷猎者放下武器。偷猎者虽然感到惊慌，但他们占着人多的优势。在接下来的枪战中，杰桑被击中身亡。几小时后，人们发现了他冻僵的尸体，手中仍然紧握着枪。他为拯救藏羚羊而献出了生命。
20世纪初期，青藏高原上有数百万只藏羚羊。截止到20世纪90年代，藏羚羊只剩下约50万只。原因很简单：藏羚羊毛是世上最昂贵的毛皮。它又软又轻又暖和——是高海拔地区的动物赖以生存的理想皮毛。一条藏羚羊毛织成的披肩(名为“沙图什”，即波斯语中的“众毛之王”)，能卖到5000美元。这对偷猎者来说利润是丰厚的。
那些偷猎者常常是夜里出动，一次就捕杀掉整群的藏羚羊，只留下那些毛不怎么值钱的幼崽。这些被猎杀的藏羚羊被就地剥皮，羊毛被运送到印度，在那里，藏羚羊毛被织成披肩。然后出口到北美和欧洲的富裕国家。这种贸易是完全违法的——自1975年以来一直被禁止。但到20世纪90年代，这种披肩在有钱人中间流行并成为时尚。在伦敦，警察在对一家商店的搜查中发现138条披肩，是有大约1000只藏羚羊——约占全球总数的2%被猎杀而制成。
20世纪90年代，中国政府开始积极开展可可西里自然保护区的保护工作——可可西里自然保护区是青藏高原的一个大型国家公园，是藏羚羊的主要栖息地。在接下来的十年中，大约有3000多名偷猎者被抓获，300辆汽车被没收。有时，还会发生枪战，杰桑·索南达杰就牺牲在这类枪战中。
如今，政府似乎正在赢得这场战争。偷猎者的数量下降了。工作在保护区的政府官员们得到了来自全国各地的、愿意忍受海拔5,000米以上恶劣生活环境的志愿者们的支持。同时，在那些出售藏羚羊毛披肩的国家，警方开始严厉打击藏羚羊毛披肩的贩卖者。国际合作也见成效。自1997年以来，藏羚羊的数目已开始慢慢增多。
Cultural Corner
WWF
The WWF is the world’s largest organisation for nature conservation.It was founded in the UK in 1961 and opened an international office in Switzerland in the same year.Its aim was to protect the natural habitats of wild animals in danger of extinction.One of the founders, the painter and naturalist Peter Scott，designed the famous panda logo.The initials，WWF，stand for World Wide Fund for Nature.Originally the name was World Wildlife Fund.Today the organisation has branches in 90 countries in all five continents.It has thousands of volunteers and more than five million supporters who help by giving money.Since 1985 it has spent more than $1,000 million on 11,000 projects in 130 countries.
The focus of attention has changed，too.In the 1980s the WWF became interested in all activities which have an effect on the environment，such as pollution and the way we use energy.The WWF believes that our world has a future only if people learn to conserve nature and not waste energy.As a result，it started working with governments to introduce environmental education into schools.
The WWF has worked with the Chinese government since 1980，when Dr George Shaller arrived to work with Chinese scientists on the panda project.For fifteen years WWF China staff had been based in Switzerland but came to China to monitor the project.Then，in 1995，the organisation set up an office in Beijing.Today there are more than thirty staff working on twenty projects all over the country.They include work in forests，energy，and in environmental education for China’s primary and secondary schools as well as saving the panda，of course.
世界自然保护基金组织
世界自然保护基金组织是世界上最大的自然保护组织。它是1961年在英国建立的并于同年在瑞士开办了一家国际分部。它的目标是保护濒临灭绝的野生动物的自然栖息地。其中之一的创建者，画家及自然主义者彼特·斯科特，设计了著名的熊猫标识。缩略词WWF代表“世界自然保护基金组织”。最初，这个名字是世界野生动物基金组织。今天，这个组织在五大洲的九十个国家里有它的分支机构。它有成千上万的志愿者和超过五百万通过募捐来帮助的支持者。 自从1985年以来，它已经在130个国家的11,000个项目中花费了超过十亿美元。
关注的焦点也已经改变了。20世纪80年代，世界自然保护基金组织开始关注所有对环境造成影响的活动，比如污染和我们利用能源的方式。该组织相信，只有我们学会保护自然，不浪费能源，我们的世界才会有未来。所以，它开始和政府部门一起把环境教育引入学校。
1980年，乔治·山勒博士来和中国科学家们一起从事有关熊猫的工程项目，从那以后，世界自然保护基金组织就开始和中国政府联合工作。15年来，该组织的中国成员一直住在瑞士但是来中国负责项目。接着，1995年，该组织在北京建立了分支机构。目前，全国有30多个该组织成员正从事着20个项目的工作。它们包括森林、能源、中国初等和中等中学的环境教育，当然还有救助熊猫的工作。
版权所有：高考资源网(www.ks5u.com)
【点此下载】