第一篇：人教版高中英语必修4课文原文Unit1--5

必修4 Unit 1

A STUDENT OF AFRICAN WILDLIFE

It is 5:45 am and the sun is just rising over Gombe National Park in East Africa.Following Jane's way of studying chimps, our group are all going to visit them in the forest.Jane has studied these families of chimps for many years and helped people understand how much they behave like humans.Watching a family of chimps wake up is our first activity of the day.This means going back to the place where we left the family sleeping in a tree the night before.Everybody sits and waits in the shade of the trees while the family begins to wake up and move off.Then we follow as they wander into the forest.Most of the time, chimps either feed or clean each other as a way of showing love in their family.Jane warns us that our group is going to be very tired and dirty by the afternoon and she is right.However, the evening makes it all worthwhile.We watch the mother chimp and her babies play in the tree.Then we see them go to sleep together in their nest for the night.We realize that the bond between members of a chimp family is as strong as in a human family.Nobody before Jane fully understood chimp behaviour.She spent years observing and recording their daily activities.Since her childhood she had wanted to work with animals in their own environment.However, this was not easy.When she first arrived in Gombe in 1960, it was unusual for a woman to live in the forest.Only after her mother came to help her for the first few months was she allowed to begin her project.Her work changed the way people think about chimps.For example, one important thing she discovered was that chimps hunt and eat meat.Until then everyone had thought chimps ate only fruit and nuts.She actually observed chimps as a group hunting a monkey and then eating it.She also discovered how chimps communicate with each other, and her study of their body language helped her work out their social system.For forty years Jane Goodall has been outspoken about making the rest of the world understand and respect the life of these animals.She has argued that wild animals should be left in the wild and not used for entertainment or advertisements.She has helped to set up special places where they can live safely.She is leading a busy life but she says: “Once I stop, it all comes crowding in and I remember the chimps in laboratories.It's terrible.It affects me when I watch the wild chimps.I say to myself, 'Aren't they lucky?” And then I think about small chimps in cages 1 though they have done nothing wrong.Once you have seen that you can never forget...“

She has achieved everything she wanted to do: working with animals in their own environment, gaining a doctor's degree and showing that women can live in the forest as men can.She inspires those who want to cheer the achievements of women.WHY NOT CARRY ON HER GOOD WORK? I enjoyed English, biology, and chemistry at school, but which one should I choose to study at university? I did not know the answer until one evening when I sat down at the computer to do some research on great women of China.By chance I came across an article about a doctor called Lin Qiaozhi, a specialist in women's diseases.She lived from 1901 to 1983.It seemed that she had been very busy in her chosen career, travelling abroad to study as well as writing books and articles.One of them caught my eye.It was a small book explaining how to cut the death rate from having and caring for babies.She gave some simple rules to follow for keeping babies clean, healthy and free from sickness.Why did she write that? Who were the women that Lin Qiaozhi thought needed this advice? I looked carefully at the text and realized that it was intended for women in the countryside.Perhaps if they had an emergency they could not reach a doctor.Suddenly it hit me how difficult it was for a woman to get medical training at that time.That was a generation when girls' education was always placed second to boys'.Was she so much cleverer than anyone else? Further reading made me realize that it was hard work and determination as well as her gentle nature that got her into medical school.What made her succeed later on was the kindness and consideration she showed to all her patients.There was story after story of how Lin Qiaozhi, tired after a day's work, went late at night to deliver a baby for a poor family who could not pay her.By now I could not wait to find out more about her.I discovered that Lin Qiaozhi had devoted her whole life to her patients and had chosen not to have a family of her own.Instead she made sure that about 50,000 babies were safely delivered.By this time I was very excited.Why not study at medical college like Lin Qiaozhi and carry on her good work? It was still not too late for me to improve my studies, prepare for the university entrance examinations, and….必修4 Unit 2

A PIONEER FOR ALL PEOPLE

Although he is one of China's most famous scientists, Yuan Longping considers himself a farmer, for he works the land to do his research.Indeed, his sunburnt face and arms and his slim, strong body are just like those of millions of Chinese farmers, for whom he has struggled for the past five decades.Dr Yuan Longping grows what is called super hybrid rice.In 1974, he became the first agricultural pioneer in the world to grow rice that has a high output.This special strain of rice makes it possible to produce one-third more of the crop in the same fields.Now more than 60% of the rice produced in China each year is from this hybrid strain.Born into a poor farmer's family in 1930, Dr Yuan graduated from Southwest Agricultural College in 1953.Since then, finding ways to grow more rice has been his life goal.As a young man, he saw the great need for increasing the rice output.At that time, hunger was a disturbing problem in many parts of the countryside.Dr Yuan searched for a way to increase rice harvests without expanding the area of the fields.In 1950, Chinese farmers could produce only fifty million tons of rice.In a recent harvest, however, nearly two hundred million tons of rice was produced.These increased harvests mean that 22% of the world's people are fed from just 7% of the farmland in China.Dr Yuan is now circulating his knowledge in India, Vietnam and many other less developed countries to increase their rice harvests.Thanks to his research, the UN has more tools in the battle to rid the world of hunger.Using his hybrid rice, farmers are producing harvests twice as large as before.Dr Yuan is quite satisfied with his life.However, he doesn't care about being famous.He feels it gives him less freedom to do his research.He would much rather keep time for his hobbles.He enjoys listening to violin music, playing mah-jong, swimming and reading.Spending money on himself or leading a comfortable life also means very little to him.Indeed, he believes that a person with too much money has more rather than fewer troubles.He therefore gives millions of yuan to equip others for their research in agriculture.Just dreaming for things, however, costs nothing.Long ago Dr yuan had a dream about rice plants as tall as sorghum.Each ear of rice was as big as an ear of corn and each grain of rice was as huge as a peanut.Dr Yuan awoke from his dream with the hope of producing a kind of rice 3 that could feed more people.Now, many years later, Dr Yuan has another dream: to export his rice so that it can be grown around the globe.One dream is not always enough, especially for a person who loves and cares for his people.CHEMICAL OR ORGANIC FARMING? Over the past half century, using chemical fertilizers has become very common in farming.Many farmers welcomed them as a great way to stop crop disease and increase production.Recently, however, scientists have been finding that long-term use of these fertilizers can cause damage to the land and, even more dangerous, to people's health.What are some of the problems caused by chemical fertilizers? First, they damage the land by killing the helpful bacteria and pests as well as the harmful ones.Chemicals also stay in the ground and underground water for a long time.This affects crops and, therefore, animals and humans, since chemicals get inside the crops and cannot just be washed off.These chemicals in the food supply build up in people's bodies over time.Many of these chemicals can lead to cancer or other illnesses.In addition, fruit, vegetables and other food grown with chemical fertilizers usually grow too fast to be full of much nutrition.They may look beautiful, but inside there is usually more water than vitamins and minerals.With these discoveries, some farmers and many customers are beginning to turn to organic farming.Organic farming is simply farming without using any chemicals.They focus on keeping their soil rich and free of disease.A healthy soil reduces disease and helps crops grow strong and healthy.Organic farmers, therefore, often prefer using natural waste from animals as fertilizer.They feel that this makes the soil in their fields richer in minerals and so more fertile.This also keeps the air, soil, water and crops free from chemicals.Organic farmers also use many other methods to keep the soil fertile.They often change the kind of crop in each field every few years, for example, growing corn or wheat and then the next year peas or soybeans.Crops such as peas or soybeans put important minerals back into the soil, making it ready for crops such as wheat or corn that need rich and fertile soil.Organic farmers also plant crops to use different levels of soil, for example, planting peanuts that use the ground's surface followed by vegetables that put down deep roots.Some organic farmers prefer planting grass between crops to prevent wind or water from carrying away the soil, and then leaving it in the ground to become a natural fertilizer for the next year's crop.These many different organic farming methods have the same goal: to grow good food and avoid damaging the environment or people's health.必修4 Unit 3

A MASTER OF NONVERBAL HUMOUR

As Victor Hugo once said, ”Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face“, and up to now nobody has been able to do this better than Charlie Chaplin.He brightened the lives of Americans and British through two world wars and the hard years in between.He made people laugh at a time when they felt depressed, so they could feel more content with their lives.Not that Charlie's own life was easy!He was born in a poor family in 1889.His parents were both poor music hall performers.You may find it astonishing that Charlie was taught to sing as soon as he could speak and dance as soon as he could walk.Such training was common in acting families at this time, especially when the family income was often uncertain.Unfortunately his father died, leaving the family even worse off, so Charlie spent his childhood looking after his sick mother and his brother.By his teens, Charlie had, through his humour, become one of the most popular child actors in England.He could mime and act the fool doing ordinary everyday tasks.No one was ever bored watching him-his subtle acting made everything entertaining.As time went by, he began making films.He grew more and more popular as his charming character, the little tramp, became known throughout the world.The tramp, a poor, homeless man with a moustache, wore large trousers, worn-out shoes and a small round black hat.He walked around stilly carrying a walking stick.This character was a social failure but was loved for his optimism and determination to overcome all difficulties.He was the underdog who was kind even when others were unkind to him.How did the little tramp make a sad situation entertaining? Here is an example from one of his most famous films, The Gold Rush.It is the mid-nineteenth century and gold has just been discovered in California.Like so many others, the little tramp and his friend have rushed there in search of gold, but without success.Instead they are hiding in a small hut on the edge of a mountain during a snowstorm with nothing to eat.They are so hungry that they try boiling a pair of leather shoes for their dinner.Charlie first picks out the laces and eats them as if they were 5 spaghetti.Then he cuts off the leather top of the shoe as if it were the finest steak.Finally he tries cutting and chewing the bottom of the shoe.He eats each mouthful with great enjoyment.The acting is so convincing that it makes you believe that it is one of the best meals he has ever tasted!

Charlie Chaplin wrote, directed and produced the films he starred in.In 1972 he was given a special Oscar for his outstanding work in films.He lived in England and the USA but spent his last years in Switzerland, where he was buried in 1977.He is loved and remembered as a great actor who could inspire people with great confidence.ENGLISH JOKES 1 There are thousands of jokes which use ”play on words“ to amuse us.One person asks a question which expects a particular reply.Instead, what he gets is another kind of answer which makes the situation funny.Now read some of these customer and waiter jokes.Can you match the joke with the explanation?

C: What's that fly doing in my soup?

W: Swimming, I think!2

C: What's that?

W: It's bean soup.C: I don't want to know what it's been.I want to know what it is now.3

C: Waiter, will the pancakes be long?

W: No, sir.Round.2

Some jokes are longer and tell a short, funny story.The following is one of those jokes about the famous detective Sherlock Holmes and his friend Doctor Watson.Read it and decide which of these two kinds of jokes you like better.Give your reasons.Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson went camping in a mountainous area.They were lying in the open air under the stars.Sherlock Holmes looked up at the stars and whispered, ”Watson, when you look at that beautiful sky, what do you think of?“ Watson replied, ”I think of how short life is and how long the universe has lasted.“ ”No, no, Watson!“ Holmes said.”What do you really think of?.“ Watson tried again.”I think of how small I am and how vast the sky is.“ ”Try again, Watson!“ said Holmes.Watson tried a third time.”I think of how cold the universe is and how warm people can be in their beds.“ Holmes said, ”Watson, you fool!You should be thinking that someone has stolen our tent!“

必修4 Unit 4

COMMUNICATION: NO PROBLEM?

Yesterday, another student and I, representing our university's student association, went to the Capital International Airport to meet this year's international students.They were coming to study at Beijing University.We would take them first to their dormitories and then to the student canteen.After half an hour of waiting for their flight to arrive, I saw several young people enter the waiting area looking around curiously.I stood for a minute watching them and then went to greet them.The first person to arrive was Tony Garcia from Colombia, closely followed by Julia Smith from Britain.After I met them and then introduced them to each other, I was very surprised.Tony approached Julia, touched her shoulder and kissed her on the cheek!She stepped back appearing surprised and put up her hands, as if in defence.I guessed that there was probably a major misunderstanding.Then Akira Nagata from Japan came in smiling, together with George Cook from Canada.As they were introduced, George reached his hand out to the Japanese student.Just at that moment, however, Akira bowed so his nose touched George's moving hand.They both apologizednot all members of a culture behave in the same way.In general, though, studying international customs can certainly help avoid difficulties in today's world of cultural crossroads!

SHOWING OUR FEELINGS

Body language is one of the most powerful means of communication, often even more powerful than spoken language.People around the world show all kinds of feelings, wishes and attitudes that they might never speak aloud.It is possible to ”read“ others around us, even if they do not intend for us to catch their unspoken communication.Of course, body language can be misread, but many gestures and actions are universal.The most universal facial expression is, of course, the smile – its function is to show happiness and put people at ease.It does not always mean that we are truly happy, however.Smiles around the world can be false, hiding other feelings like anger, fear or worry.There are unhappy smiles, such as when someone ”loses face" and smiles to hide it.However, the general purpose of smiling is to show good feelings.From the time we are babies, we show unhappiness or anger by frowning.In most places around the world, frowning and turning one's back to someone shows anger.Making a fist and shaking it almost always means that someone is angry and threatening another person.There are many ways around the world to show agreement, but nodding the head up and down is used for agreement, almost worldwide.Most people also understand that shaking the head from side to side means disagreement or refusal.How about showing that I am bored? Looking away from people or yawning will, in most cases, make me appear to be uninterested.However, if I turn toward and look at someone or something, people from almost every culture will think that I am interested.If I roll my eyes and turn my head away, I most likely do not believe what I am hearing or do not like it.Being respectful to people is subjective, based on each culture, but in general it is probably not a good idea to give a hug to a boss or teacher.In almost every culture, it is not usually good to stand too close to someone of a higher rank.Standing at a little distance with open hands will show that I am willing to listen.With so many cultural differences between people, it is great to have some similarities in body language.We can often be wrong about each other, so it is an amazing thing that we understand each other as well as we do!

必修4 Unit 5 THEME PARKS — FUN AND MORE THAN FUN

Which theme park would you like to visit? There are various kinds of theme parks, with a different park for almost everything: food, culture, science, cartoons, movies or history.Some parks are famous for having the biggest or longest roller coasters, others for showing the famous sights and sounds of a culture.Whichever and whatever you like, there is a theme park for you!

The theme park you are probably most familiar with is Disneyland.It can be found in several parts of the world.It will bring you into a magical world and make your dreams come true, whether traveling through space, visiting a pirate ship or meeting your favourite fairy tale or Disney cartoon character.As you wander around the fantasy amusement park, you may see Snow White or Mickey Mouse in a parade or on the street.Of course Disneyland also has many exciting rides, from giant swinging ships to terrifying free-fall drops.With all these attractions, no wonder tourism is increasing wherever there is a Disneyland.If you want to have fun and more than fun, come to Disneyland!

Dollywood, in the beautiful Smoky Mountains in the southeastern USA, is one of the most unique theme parks in the world.Dollywood shows and celebrates America's traditional southeastern culture.Although Dollywood has rides, the park's main attraction is its culture.Famous country music groups perform there all year in indoor and outdoor theatres.People come from all over America to see carpenters and other craftsmen make wood, glass and iron objects in the old-fashioned way.Visit the candy shop to try the same kind of candy that American southerners made 150 years ago, or take a ride on the only steam-engine train still working in the southeast USA.You can even see beautiful bald eagles in the world's largest bald eagle preserve.And for those who like rides, Dollywood has one of the best old wooden roller 9 coasters, Thunderhead.It is world-famous for having the most length in the smallest space.Come to Dollywood to have fun learning all about America's historical southeastern culture!

If you want to experience the ancient days and great deeds of English knights and ladies, princes and queens, then England's Camelot Park is the place for you.Every area of the park is modelled after life in the days of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.In one place, you can watch magic shows with Merlin the Wizard.If you want to see fighting with swords or on horseback, then the jousting area is a good place to visit.If you do well there, King Arthur may choose you to fight in the big jousting tournament.Do you like animals? Then visit the farm area, and learn how people in ancient England ran their farms and took care of their animals.To enter a world of fantasy about ancient England, come to Camelot Park!

FUTUROSCOP —EXCITEMENT AND LEARNING

Last week I took a journey deep into space, to the end of the solar system, and was pulled into a black hole.Then I took a trip to Brazil and experienced surviving an airplane crash in the jungle.After that, I joined some pers and went to the bottom of the ocean to see strange blind creatures that have never seen sunlight.For a break, I took part in some car racing and then skied down some of the most difficult mountains in the world.I ended my travels by meeting face to face with a dinosaur, the terrible T-Rex, and survived the experience!

I did all this in one great day at Futuroscope.Opened in 1987, Futuroscope is one of the largest space-age parks in the world.This science and technology-based theme park in France uses the most advanced technology.Its 3-D cinemas and giant movie screens provide brand new experiences of the earth and beyond.Visitors can get close to parts of the world they have never experienced, going to the bottom of the ocean, flying through the jungle or visiting the edges of the solar system.The amazing, up-to-date information together with many opportunities for hands-on learning makes the world come to life in a completely new way for visitors.Learning centres throughout the park let visitors try their own scientific experiments, as well as learn more about space travel, the undersea world and much mote.I bought tickets for myself and my friends at the park's entrance, but tickets are also available online.Futuroscope is not only for inpiduals, but is also the perfect mix of fun and learning for class outings.Classes or other large groups that let Futuroscope know their plans in advance can get the group admission rate.For anyone coming from out of town, Futuroscope has many excellent hotels nearby, most of which provide a shuttle service to the park.If driving, Futuroscope is within easy reach of the freeway.Plan your trip well before starting, since Futuroscope has so many shows, activities and great souvenir shops that it is difficult to see them all.Come ready to walk a lot-be sure to wear some comfortable sneakers or other walking shoes!

第二篇：高中英语必修2课文及原文

高中英语必修2（人教版）

Unit1 Cultural relics IN SEARCH OF THE AMBER ROOM Frederick William I, the King of Prussia, could never have imagined that his greatest gift to the Russian people would have such an amazing history.This gift was the Amber Room, which was given this name because several tons of amber were used to make it.The amber which was selected had a beautiful yellow-brown colour like honey.The design of the room was in the fancy style popular in those days.It was also a treasure decorated with gold and jewels, which took the country's best artists about ten years to make.In fact, the room was not made to be a gift.It was designed for the palace of Frederick I.However, the next King of Prussia, Frederick William I, to whom the amber room belonged, decided not to keep it.In 1716 he gave it to Peter the Great.In return, the Czar sent him a troop of his best soldiers.So the Amber Room became part of the Czar's winter palace in St Petersburg.About four metres long, the room served as a small reception hall for important visitors.Later, Catherine II had the Amber Room moved to a palace outside St Petersburg where she spent her summers.She told her artists to add more details to it.In 1770 the room was completed the way she wanted.Almost six hundred candles lit the room, and its mirrors and pictures shone like gold.Sadly, although the Amber Room was considered one of the wonders of the world, it is now missing.In September 1941, the Nazi army was near St Petersburg.This was a time when the two countries were at war.Before the Nazis could get to the summer palace, the Russians were able to remove some furniture and small art objects from the Amber Room.However, some of the Nazis secretly stole the room itself.In less than two days 100,000 pieces were put inside twenty-seven wooden boxes.There is no doubt that the boxes were then put on a train for Konigsberg, which was at that time a German city on the Baltic Sea.After that, what happened to the Amber Room remains a mystery.Recently, the Russians and Germans have built a new Amber Room at the summer palace.By studying old photos of the former Amber Room, they have made the new one look like the old one.In 2003 it was ready for the people of St Petersburg when they celebrated the 300th birthday of their city.A FACT OR AN OPINION? What is a fact? Is it something that people believe? No.A fact is anything that can be proved.For example, it can be proved that China has more people than any other country in the world.This is a fact.Then what is an opinion? An opinion is what someone believes is true but has not been proved.So an opinion is not good evidence in a trial.For example, it is an opinion if you say “Cats are better pets than dogs”.It may be true, but it is difficult to prove.Some people may not agree with this opinion but they also cannot prove that they are right.In a trial, a judge must decide which eyewitnesses to believe and which not to believe.The judge does not consider what each eyewitness looks like or where that person lives or works.He/she only cares about whether the eyewitness has given true information, which must be facts rather than opinions.This kind of information is called evidence.第一单元

文化遗产 阅读一 寻找琥珀

普鲁士国王腓特烈·威廉一世从未想过他送个普鲁士人民伟大的礼物会有一点如此惊奇的历史。这个礼物是因为由几吨琥珀制成而命名的琥珀屋。这些被挑选的琥珀都有着像蜂蜜一样漂亮的黄棕色。这间屋的设计是当时最流行的奇特的风 格。这同样是一件花了当时最好的艺术家大约十年用黄金和珠宝修饰制成的宝物。

事实上，这间屋不是制来当礼物的。这是为腓特烈一世的领土而设计的。然而，普鲁士下一任国王同样是琥珀屋的拥有者，腓特烈威廉一世决定不保留琥珀屋。在1716年他把琥珀屋送给了彼得大帝。作为报答，沙皇给了腓特烈一队他最好的士兵。因此琥珀屋成为了沙皇避寒圣地圣彼得堡的一部分。琥珀屋作为一个大概四米长的只为重要访客的小接待处。

后来，叶卡捷琳娜二世把琥珀屋在圣彼得堡之外的一个她避暑的地方。她让她的艺术家加了跟多的细节在里面。在1770年琥珀屋完全成了她想要的样子。接近600只蜡烛在屋内燃烧着，把镜子和图画都照得像金子一样。令人伤心的，虽然被誉为是世界奇迹之一的琥珀屋现在丢失了。

在1941年9月，纳粹军队在圣彼得堡附近。这正是两个国家在交战的时候。在纳粹去到避暑地方之前，俄国人民能够从琥珀屋里搬走一些家具和小的艺术品。然而，一些纳粹神秘的偷走了琥珀屋。至少两天内100000多片琥珀被放进27个木箱里。这些箱子无疑会被放进一艘去往当时德军驻扎的菠萝的海的哥尼斯堡的船上。之后，琥珀屋发生了神马仍然是个迷。

最近，俄国和德国人民在避暑的地方制造了一座新的琥珀屋。通过研究之前的琥珀屋的照片，他们制造了一座新的琥珀屋像旧的那座一样。在2003年它被圣彼得堡的人民用来庆祝这座城市的300岁生日。阅读二

一个事实还是一个观点

神马是事实？是一些人们相信的东西吗？不！事实是可以被证明的任何事。例如，可以证明中国人口比世界上任何其他国家的人口都要多。这是一个事实。那么神马是一个观点？一个观点是人们相信那是真的但还没有被证明的。所以一个观点在一个审判中不是一个好的证据。例如，如果你说“猫是比狗好的宠物”这会是一个观点。这可能是真的，不过很难去证明。一些人可能不同意这个观点不过他们也不能去证明他们是对的。

在一场审批中，一个审判官一定要去决定相信哪个目击者哪个目击者不应该相信。这个审判官不会去考虑每个目击者的长相或人们在哪里居住或工作。他/她 只关心目击者是否会提供真是的信息，信息一定是事实而不是观点。这类的信息被称为证据。

Unit 2 The Olympic Games

AN INTERVIEW Pausanias, who was a Greek writer about 2,000 years ago, has come on a magical journey on March 18th 2007 to find out about the present-day Olympic Games.He is now interviewing Li Yan, a volunteer for the 2008 Olympic Games.P: My name is Pausanias.I lived in what you call “Ancient Greece” and I used to write about the Olympic Games a long time ago.I’ve come to your time to find out about the present-day Olympic Games because I know that in 2004 they were held in my homeland.May I ask you some questions about the modern Olympics? L: Good heavens!Have you really come from so long ago? But of course you can ask any questions you like.What would you like to know? P: How often do you hold your Games? L: Every four years.There are two main sets of Games-the Winter and Summer Olympics, and both are held every four years on a regular basis.The Winter Olympics are usually held two years before the Summer Games.Only athletes who have reached the agreed standard for their event will be admitted as competitors.They may come from anywhere in the world.P: Winter Games? How can the runners enjoy competing in winter? And what about the horses? L: Oh no!There are no running races or horse riding events.Instead there are competitions like skiing and ice skating which need snow and ice.That’s why they’re called the Winter Olympics.It’s in the Summer Olympics that you have the running races, together with swimming, sailing and all the team sports.P: I see.Earlier you said that athletes are invited from all over the world.Do you mean the Greek world? Our Greek cities used to compete against each other just for the honour of winning.No other countries could join in, nor could slaves or women!L: Nowadays any country can take part if their athletes are good enough.There are over 250 sports and each on has its own standard.Women are not only allowed, but play a very important role in gymnastics, athletics, team sports and …

P: Please wait a minute!All those events, all those countries and even women taking part!Where are all the athletes housed? L: For each Olympics, a special village is built for them to live in, a main reception building, several stadiums for competitions, and a gymnasium as well.P: That sounds very expensive.Does anyone want to host the Olympic Games? L: As a matter of fact, every country wants the opportunity.It’s a great responsibility but also a great honour to be chosen.There’s as much competition among countries to host the Olympics as to win Olympic medals.The 2008 Olympics will be held in Beijing, China.Did you know that? P: Oh yes!You must be very proud.L: Certainly.And after that the 2012 Olympics will be held in London.They have already started planning for it.A new village for the athletes and all the stadiums will be built to the east of London.New medals will be designed of course and …

P: Did you say medals? So even the olive wreath has been replaced!Oh dear!Do you compete for prize money too? L: No, we don’t.it’s still all about being able to run faster, jump higher and throw further.That’s the motto of the Olympics, you know-“Swifter, Higher and Stronger.”

P: Well, that’s good news.How interesting!Thank you so much for your time.第二单元

奥林匹克运动会 阅读一 一个采访

大约2000年前的一个希腊作者帕萨尼亚斯(P)，在2007年3月18日踏上了一段魔幻的旅程去查明关于现代的奥林匹克运动会。他正在采访一个2008年奥林匹克运动会志愿者李岩(L)。P:我是帕萨尼亚斯。我住在你们所说的“古希腊”而且在很久之前我常常写以一些关于奥林匹克运动会的事情。我来到你的时代是为了解关于现代奥林匹克运动会因为我知道2004年奥林匹克运动会会在我家乡举办。我可以问你一些关于现代奥林匹克运动会的问题么？ L:真是极为愉快的事!你真的来自那么久远的时代么？不过当然你可以问你想问的问题。你想知道神马？

P:你们多久会举办一次运动会？

L:四年一次。有两种主要的运动会形式--冬季和夏季奥运会，并且在一个有规律的基础上他们都是四年举办一次的。冬季奥运会一般会在夏季奥运会前两年举办。只有达到该项目既定的标准的运动员才会被容许成为竞争者。他们可以来自世界各地。P:冬季奥运会？田径运动员如何在冬季享受比赛？还有马术又怎样？

L:哦不!冬季奥运会没有赛跑和骑马的项目。反而会有一些像滑雪和溜冰这些需要雪和冰的项目。这就是为神马他成为冬季奥运会。只有在夏季奥运会会有你说赛跑，同时还有游泳，帆船运动和所有团队运动。

P:我懂了。之前你说那些运动员都被邀请来自世界各地。你了解希腊世界么？我们希腊城过去互相竞赛只为胜利的荣誉。没有其他的地区可以参加，奴隶和妇女也不可以。L:现在只要他们的运动员够好的话任何国家都可以参加。有超过250种项目并且每一种都有它自己的标准。妇女不仅允许参加比赛，并且她们在体操比赛，竞技比赛，团队比赛和其他各种比赛中都扮演着重要的角色。

P:麻烦稍等一下！所有的这些项目，所有的国民甚至妇女都可以参加！那么这些运动员们居住在哪里？

L:在每一场奥运会前，一座特别的村庄会被建来给他们居住，还有一座主要的接待建筑，几个用来比赛的体育场和一座体育馆等

P:那听起来很贵。有哪个国家会想要举办奥运会么？

L:事实上，每个国家都想要这个机会。这是一个很大的责任同样是一个很大的荣誉如果被挑选到。在国家之间有很多竞争去为举办奥运会就像去赢得奥林匹克奖牌一样。2008年的奥运会将会在北京举行。这你知道么？ P:哦是的！你一定非常自豪。

L:当然。之后的2012年奥运会将在伦敦举行。他们早就开始为这个做准备了。一座让运动员居住的村庄和所有的运动场将会被建在东伦敦。当然新的奖牌会被设计......P:你是说奖牌么？所以甚至是橄榄花圈也已经被取代了！哦亲爱的！你们比赛也为了奖金么？

L:不我们不。现在仍然想要跑得更快跳的更高扔得更远。正如你知道的奥运会的格言-“更快更高更强”。

P:好吧，那是个好消息。多么有趣啊！耽搁你的时间，谢谢了。

THE STORY OF ATLANTA Atlanta was a Greek princess.She was very beautiful and could run faster than any man in Greece.But she was not allowed to run and win glory for herself in the Olympic Games.She was so angry that she said to her father that she would not marry anyone who could not run faster than her.Her father said that she must marry, so Atlanta made a bargain with him.She said to him, “These are my rules.When a man says he wants to marry me, I will run against him.If he cannot run as fast as me, he will be killed.No one will be pardoned.” Many kings and princes wanted to marry Atlanta, but when they heard of her rules they knew it was hopeless.So many of them sadly went home, but others stayed to run the race.There was a man called Hippomenes who was amazed when he heard of Atlanta's rules, “Why are these men so f