第1个回答 2014-04-13
M3U1 reading
Fog
Fog warning
When Polly left home that morning, the city was already covered in a grey mist. At lunch, the radio forecast that the mist would become a thick fog in the afternoon. At four o'clock, Polly left work and stepped out into the fog .She wondered if the buses would still be running.
No buses to King Street
Once out in the street, she walked quickly towards her usual bus stop.
‘How far are you going?’ the bus conductor asked her before he took her fare.
‘King Street.’ said Polly.
‘Sorry，Miss’ replied the man, ‘the truth is that it is too foggy for the bus to run that far. Take the Underground to Green Park. The weather might be better there and you might be able to get a taxi.’
A tall man
As Polly observed the passengers on the train, she had a feeling that she was being watched by a tall man in a dark overcoat. At last the train arrived at Green Park station. While the rest of the passengers were getting out, she glanced at the faces around her. The tall man was nowhere to be soon.
Footsteps
When Polly got to the station entrance, it was empty. Outside, wherever she looked the fog lay like a thick, grey cloud. There was no one in sight. Polly set off towards Park Street. As she heard a man’s voice in her ear saying ‘Sorry.’ The man moved away. She could feel her heart beating with fear.
The helpful stranger
Then she heard the sound again-soft footsteps behind her. A minute before, she had wished for someone to come along. Now she wanted to run, but fear held her still. The footsteps seemed close now. Then a man’s voice came out of the darkness. ‘Is anybody there?’
Polly hesitated. At last she answered, ‘Hello, I think I’m lost. ’
A few seconds later, a hand reached out and grasped her arm. Polly found herself staring up at the face of an old man with a beard.‘Maybe I can help you. Which road do you want?’ he asked.
‘I live at 86 King Street.’ Polly replied. ‘Just take my hand.’ said the man. ‘Come with me. You’ll be all right.’ He took Polly’s hand. ‘Watch out for the step here.’
In his other hand the man carried a stick. Polly heard it hit the step. ‘I can remember some terrible fogs, but maybe that was before your time. I can’t see your face, but you sound young. How old are you?’ ‘Just twenty.’ answered Polly.
‘Ah, twenty ! A nice age to be. I was young once. Now we’re at the crossroads. Turn left here.’
‘I’m quite lost now. Are you sure you know the way?’ Polly was beginning to feel frightened again.’ ‘Of course. You really shouldn’t feel anxious,’ He held her hand more firmly.
The grateful helper
‘Here we are. King Street.’ He stopped.
‘Thank you so much for coming to my aid.’ said Polly in relief. ‘Would you like to come in and rest for a while?’
‘It’s very nice of you.’ said the man, ‘but I’ll be off. There may be more people lost today, and I’d like to help them. You see, a fog this bad is rare. It gives me the chance to pay back the help that people give me when it’s sunny. A blind person like me can’t get across the road without help, except in a fog like this.’
M3U2 reading
All through history, people from many different countries and cultures have lived together in Britain. The English language is made up of the grammar and vocabulary these people brought to Britain. That is why English has so many difficult rules that confuse people.
Old English
Old English is very different from the English we speak nowadays. In fact, we would not be able to understand it if we heard it today. Before the 5th century, people in Britain all spoke a language called Celtic. Then two Germanic groups from the European mainland—the Angles and the Saxons—occupied Britain. Old English consisted of a mixture of their languages. (Both the English language and the English people are named after the Angles; the word Angle was spelt Engle in Old English.) Aside from place names such as London, very few Celtic words became part of Old English. At the end of the 9th century, the Vikings, people from Northern European countries such as Denmark and Norway, began to move to Britain. They brought with them their languages, which also mixed with Old English. By the 10th century, Old English had become the official language of England.
When we speak English today, we sometimes feel puzzled about which words or phrases to use. This is because English has many words and phrases from different languages, but with similar meanings. For example, the word sick came from a word once used by the Angles and the Saxons, while ill came from a word once used by the Norwegians.
Middle English
Middle English is the name given to the English used from around the 12th to the 15th centuries. Many things played a part in the development of this new type of English. The most important contribution was from the Normans, a French-speaking people who defeated England and took control of the country in 1066. However, the Norman Conquest did not affect English as mush as the Angles and the Saxons’ victory about 600 years earlier, which led to Old English replacing Celtic. Even though the Normans spoke French for the entire 250 years they ruled England, French did not replace English as the first language. On the other hand, the English language did borrow many words from French. This resulted in even more words with similar meanings, such as answer (from Old English) and reply (from Old French). It is interesting to learn how the words for most animals raised for food, such as cow, sheep and pig, came from Old English. However, the words for the meat of these animals, which was served to the Normans, came from Old French: beef, mutton, pork and bacon. Old French made other contributions to Middle English as well. In Old English, the Germanic way of making words plural was used. For example, they said housen instead of houses, and shoen instead of shoes. After the Normans took control, they began using the French way of making plurals, adding an -s to house and shoe. Only a few words kept their Germanic plural forms, such as man/men and child/children.
After the Norman Conquest, high-class people spoke French while common people spoke English. However, by the latter half of the 14th century, English had come into widespread use among all classes in England. In 1399, Henry Ⅳ became King of England. His mother tongue was English, and he used English for all official events.
Modern English
Modern English appeared during the Renaissance in the 16th century. Because of this Modern English includes many Latin and Greek words. Pronunciation also went through huge changes during this period. Of course, this was not the end of the changes in the English language. The question of whether English will keep on changing in the future is easy to answer. It is certain that this process will continue, and people will keep inventing new words and new ways of saying things.
M3U3 Lost civilizations
Day 1,15 July
I feel lucky to have won a place on this trip. We are in Italy now, and tomorrow we are visiting Pompeii. Next week we are flying to China, and going to Loulan, which is known as China’s Pompeii in the desert. Both Pompeii and Loulan became lost civilizations long ago.
Day 2,16 July
This morning we attended a lecture about Pompeii. The city was founded in the 8th century BC. In 89 BC, the Romans took over Pompeii. It then became a rich and busy city. Near the city was a volcano. On 24th August AD 79, the volcano erupted and lava, ash and rocks poured out of it onto the surrounding countryside. It continued to erupt for the next two days. Many people were buried alive, and so was the city. How unfortunate!
Day 3,17 July
Today I saw the ancient Roman city of Pompeii as it was 2,000 years ago. How amazing! The city was forgotten for many years until the 18th century when a farmer discovered a stone with writing on it. People started to dig in the area for treasure, which caused much damage. Thus, in 1860, the area was put under government protection so it could be preserved and studied.
When I walked around the city, I saw streets just as they had been, with stepping stones along the road so you did not have to step in the mud on rainy days! I saw several houses which were decorated with wall paintings. I also saw the people who had been buried alive. It turns out that after the ash covered the people who failed to feel the city, their bodies nearly completely broke down and disappeared, leaving empty spaces to produce true-to-life figures of the people who had died in the disaster. You can see them today in Pompeii , in the same place where the people feel. The volcano is still there, but looks very quiet now. It’s hard to imagine how this peaceful volcano destroyed the whole city!
Day10,24 July
Finally, we arrived in Loulan after several days of travelling. This commercial city was busy and wealthy about 2,000 years ago. It was a stopping point on the famous Silk Road between the East and the west. It is believed to have been gradually covered over by sandstorms from AD200 to AD400. I am so excited to be here!
Day11,25 July
An scholar from the local cultural institute, Professor Zhang, told us that around the year 1900 the European explorer Sven Hedin discovered the ruins of the Loulan Kingdom. Seven found the remains of buildings buried beneath the sand, together with a lot of treasures, including coins, painted pots, materials such as silk, documents and wall paintings. When we went to the city, we saw the city walls, palaces, temples, workshops and towers. We found the ruins most interesting. There was an ancient water system that ran through the middle of the city. The desert was once a green land with huge trees, but they were cut down and that resulted in the city from being buried by sand—what a pity!