高中英语必修课文人教版完整版

2024年1月20日发(作者：万里)

高中英语必修课文人教版

HUA system office room 【HUA16H-TTMS2A-HUAS8Q8-HUAH1688】

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 becau veral tons of

amber were ud to make it. The amber which was lected had a beautiful

yellow-brown colour like honey. The design of the room was in the fancy style

popular in tho 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 nt 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 rved 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 cretly stole the room itlf. In less

than two days 100,000 pieces were put inside twenty-ven 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 eyewitness 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.

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 prent-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

ud to write about the Olympic Games a long time ago. I’ve come to your time

to find out about the prent-day Olympic Games becau 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 cour 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 ts 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 hors

L: Oh no! There are no running races or hor 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 e. Earlier you said that athletes are invited from all over the world.

Do you mean the Greek world Our Greek cities ud 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: Plea wait a minute! All tho events, all tho countries and even women

taking part! Where are all the athletes houd?

L: For each Olympics, a special village is built for them to live in, a main

reception building, veral 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 chon. 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 cour 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.

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 herlf 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, "The 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 the men so foolish" he thought. "Why

will they let themlves be killed becau they cannot run as fast as this

princess" However, when he saw Atlanta come out of her hou to run,

Hippomenes changed his mind. "I will marry Atlanta - or die!" he said.

The race started and although the men ran very fast, Atlanta ran faster. As

Hippomenes watched he thought, "How can I run as fast as Atlanta" He went to

ask the Greek Goddess of Love for help. She promid to help him and gave him

three golden apples. She said, "Throw an apple in front of Atlanta when she is

running past. When she stops to pick it up, you will be able to run past her

and win." Hippomenes took the apples and went to the King. He said, "I want to

marry Atlanta." The King was sad to e another man die, but Hippomenes said,

"I will marry her - or die!" So the race began.

Unit 3 Computers

WHO AM I?

Over time I have been changed quite a lot. I began as a calculating machine

in France in 1642. Although I was young I could simplify difficult sums. I

developed very slowly and it took nearly two hundred years before I was built

as an analytical machine by Charles Babbage. After I was programmed by an

operator who ud cards with holes, I could "think" logically and produce an

answer quicker than any person. At that time it was considered a technological

revolution and the start of my "artificial intelligence". In 1936 my real

father, Alan Turing, wrote a book about how I could be made to work as a

"universal machine" to solve any difficult mathematical problem. From then on,

I grew rapidly both in size and in brainpower. By the 1940s I had grown as

large as a room, and I wondered if I would grow any larger. However, this

reality also worried my designers. As time went by, I was made smaller. First

as a PC (personal computer) and then as a laptop, I have been ud in offices

and homes since the 1970s.

The changes only became possible as my memory improved. First it was stored

in tubes, then on transistors and later on very small chips. As a result I

totally changed my shape. As I have grown older I have also grown smaller.

Over time my memory has developed so much that, like an elephant, I never

forget anything I have been told! And my memory became so large that even I

couldn't believe it! But I was always so lonely standing there by mylf,

until in the early 1960s they gave me a family connected by a network. I was

able to share my knowledge with others through the World Wide Web.

Since the 1970s many new applications have been found for me. I have become

very important in communication, finance and trade. I have also been put into

robots and ud to make mobile phones as well as help with medical operations.

I have even been put into space rockets and nt to explore the Moon and Mars.

Anyhow, my goal is to provide humans with a life of high quality. I am now

truly filled with happiness that I am a devoted friend and helper of the human

race!

ANDY – THE ANDROID

I’m part of an android football team. About once a year we are allowed to

get together to play a game of football. I’m as big as a human. In fact, I

look like one too. On the football team I’m a striker so I have to be able to

run very fast. My computer chips help me to move and think like a human. For

example, I have learned to signal to my teammates in computer language to give

me the ball when I am open and have a good shot for a goal.

My first football competition was in Nagoya, Japan veral years ago. Last

year our team went to Seattle, Washington in the USA. We won cond place.

Personally, I think the team that won first place cheated. They had developed

a new type of program just before the competition. So we need to encourage our

programmer to improve our intelligence too. We are determined to create an

even better system. In a way our programmer is like our coach. She programs us

with all the possible moves she has en while watching human games. Then she

prepares reliable moves to u if a new situation aris. In this way I can

make up new moves using my “artificial intelligence”. I could like to play

against a human team, for I have been programmed to act just like them. After

all, with the help of my electronic brain which never forgets anything, using

my intelligence is what I’m all about!

Unit 4 Wildlife protection

HOW DAISY LEARNED TOHELP WLDLIFE

Daisy had always longed to help endangered species of wildlife. One day she

woke up and found a flying carpet by her bed. "Where do you want to go"

it asked. Daisy responded immediately. "I'd like to e some endangered

wildlife," she said. "Plea take me to a distant land where I can find the

animal that gave fur to make this sweater." At once the carpet flew away and

took her to Tibet. There Daisy saw an antelope looking sad. It said, "We're

being killed for the wool beneath our stomachs. Our fur is being ud to make

sweaters for people like you. As a result, we are now an endangered species."

At that Daisy cried, "I'm sorry I didn't know that. I wonder what is being

done to help you. Flying carpet, plea show me a place where there's some

wildlife protection."

The flying carpet travelled so fast that next minute they were in Zimbabwe.

Daisy turned around and found that she was being watched by an elephant. "Have

you come to take my photo"

it asked. In relief Daisy burst into laughter. "Don't laugh,” said the

elephant, "We ud to be an endangered species. Farmers hunted us without

mercy. They said we destroyed their farms, and money from tourists only went

to the large tour companies. So the government decided to help. They allowed

tourists to hunt only a certain number of animals if they paid the farmers.

Now the farmers are happy and our numbers are increasing. So good things are

being done here to save local wildlife."

Daisy smiled. "That's good news. It shows the importance of wildlife

protection, but I'd like to help as the WWF suggests." The carpet ro again

and almost at once they were in a thick rainforest. A monkey watched them as

it rubbed itlf. "What are you doing"

asked Daisy. ” I’m protecting mylf from mosquitoes," it replied. "When I

find a millipede inct, I rub it over my body. It contains a powerful drug

which affects mosquitoes. You should pay more attention to the rainforest

where I live and appreciate how the animals live together. No rainforest, no

animals, no drugs."

Daisy was amazed. "Flying carpet, plea take me home so I can tell WWF and

we can begin producing this new drug. Monkey, plea come and help." The

monkey agreed. The carpet flew home. As they landed, things began to disappear.

Two minutes later everything had gone - the monkey, too. So Daisy was not able

to make her new drug. But what an experience! She had learned so much! And

there was always WWF…

ANIMAL EXTINCTION

Many animals have disappeared during the long history of the earth. The

most famous of the animals are dinosaurs. They lived on the earth tens of

millions of years ago, long before humans came into being and their future

emed cure at that time.

There were many different kinds of dinosaur and a number of them ud to

live in China. The eggs of twenty-five species have been found in Xixia,

County, Nanyang, Henan Province. Not long ago a rare new species of bird-like

dinosaur was discovered in Chaoyang County, Liaoning Province. When scientists

inspected the bones, they were surprid to find that the dinosaurs could

not only run like the others but also climb trees. They learned this from the

way the bones were joined together.

Dinosaurs died out suddenly about 65 million years ago. Some scientists

think it came after an unexpected incident when a huge rock from space hit the

earth and put too much dust into the air. Others think the earth got too hot

for the dinosaurs to live on any more. Nobody knows for sure why and how

dinosaurs disappeared from the earth in such a short time.

We know many other wild plants, animals, incts and birds have died out more

recently. According to a UN report, some 844 animals and plants have

disappeared in the last 500 years. The dodo is one of them. It lived on the

Island of Mauritius and was a very friendly animal. Plea listen to a story

of the dodo and how it disappeared from the earth.

Unit 5 Music

THE BAND THAT WASN'T

Have you ever wanted to be part of a band as a famous singer or musician Have

you ever dreamed of playing in front of thousands of people at a concert, at

which everyone is clapping and appreciating your music

Do you sing karaoke and pretend you are a famous singer like Song Zuying or

Liu Huan

To be honest, a lot of people attach great importance to becoming rich and

famous. But just how do people form a band?

Many musicians meet and form a band becau they like to write and play their

own music. They may start as a group of high-school students, for whom

practicing their music in someone's hou is the first step to fame. Sometimes

they may play to pasrs-by in the street or subway so that they can earn some

extra money for themlves or to pay for their instruments. Later they may

give performances in pubs or clubs, for which they are paid in cash. Of cour

they hope to make records in a studio and ll millions of copies to become

millionaires!

However, there was one band that started in a different way. It was called

the Monkees and began as a TV show. The musicians were to play jokes on each

other as well as play music, most of which was bad looly on the Beatles.

The TV organizers had planned to find four musicians who could act as well as

sing. They put an advertiment in a newspaper looking for rock musicians, but

they could only find one who was good enough. They had to u actors for the

other three members of the band.

As some of the actors could not sing well enough, they had to rely on

other musicians to help them. So during the broadcasts they just pretended to

sing. Anyhow their performances were humorous enough to be copied by other

groups. They were so popular that their fans formed clubs in order to get more

familiar with them. Each week on TV, the Monkees would play and sing songs

written by other musicians. However, after a year or so in which they became

more rious about their work, the Monkees started to play and sing their own

songs like a real band. Then they produced their own records and started

touring and playing their own music. In the USA they became even more popular

than the Beatles and sold even more records. The band broke up about 1970, but

happily they reunited in the mid-1980s. They produced a new record in 1996,

with which they celebrated their former time as a real band.

FREDDY THE FROG (II)

Not long after Freddy and the band became famous, they visited Britain on a

brief tour. Fans showed their devotion by waiting for hours to get tickets for

their concerts. Freddy was now quite confident when he went into a concert

hall. He enjoyed singing and all the congratulations afterwards! His most

exciting invitation was to perform on a programme called "Top of the Pops."He

had to go to London, wear an expensive suit and give a performance to a TV

camera. It felt very strange. But as soon as the programme was over, the

telephones which were in the same room started ringing. Everybody was asking

when they could e Freddy and his band again. They were truly stars.

Then things went wrong. Freddy and his band could not go out anywhere

without being followed. Even when they wore sunglass or beards people

recognized them. Fans found them even when they went into the toilet. They

tried to hide in the reading rooms of libraries, but it was uless. Someone

was always there! Their personal life was regularly discusd by people who

did not know them but talked as if they were clo friends. At last feeling

very upt and nsitive, Freddy and his band to which they were never to

return, and went back to the lake.