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人教版高中英语必修2各单元课文原文
必修 2 unit1
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 severaltons 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
because 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,CatherineⅡ 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 wooodenboxs . There is no doubt
that the boxs 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 dogsay be true, ”but.Ititmis 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.
Unit 2
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 li ved in what you call “ AncientGreece ”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 103f
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 ic e skating which need snow and ice. That ’ s why they called the Winter
’ re
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 responsib 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’it ’still all about being able to run faster, jump higher and throw ’
further. That”
⋯
s
P:
Well, that ’ 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 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 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 foolish?
" he thought. "Why will they let
themselves be killed because they cannot run as fast as this princess?
" However, when
she saw Atlanta come out of her house to run, Hippomenes changed his mind."I will
marry Atlanta--or die!
" he said.
The race started and although the man 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 Godness of Love for help. She promised 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 p 103f
ast her and win."
Hippomenes took the apples and went to the King. He said," I want to marry
Atlanta ." The King was sad to see another man die, but Hippomenes said," I will
marry her------or die!
" So the race began.
Unit 3
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 difficultsums. 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 used cards
with holes, I could“ think ” logicallyduceandanproanswer quicker than any person.
At that time it was considered a technological revolution and the start of my
intelligence” . In 1936 my real father, Alan Turing, wrote a book about how I could be
made to work as a“ universal machinesolve”anyto difficult mathematical problem.
From then on, I grew rapidly both in size and in brainpower. By the 1949s 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, as was make smaller. First as a
PC（personal computer） and then as a laptop, I have been used in offices and homes
since the 1970s.
These 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 Icouldn ’ t believe it!
But I was always so
lonely standing there by myself, until in early 1960s they gave me a family connected
by a network. I was able to share my know
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