1、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 manAs Polly observed the passengers on the train, she had a feeling that
2、 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.FootstepsWhen Polly got to the station entrance, it was empty. Outside
3、, 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 mans voice in her ear saying Sorry. The man moved away. She could feel her heart beating with fear.The helpful strangerThen she heard the sound again-soft footstep
4、s 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 mans voice came out of the darkness. Is anybody there?Polly hesitated. At last she answered, Hello, I think Im lost. A few seconds later, a
5、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. Youll be all right. He took Pollys hand. Watch out
6、 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 cant 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. N
7、ow were at the crossroads. Turn left here.Im quite lost now. Are you sure you know the way? Polly was beginning to feel frightened again.Of course. You really shouldnt feel anxious, He held her hand more firmly. The grateful helperHere we are. King Street. He stopped. Thank you so much for coming to
8、 my aid. said Polly in relief. Would you like to come in and rest for a while?Its very nice of you. said the man, but Ill be off. There may be more people lost today, and Id 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 its s
9、unny. A blind person like me cant get across the road without help, except in a fog like this. P18ProjectShark attacksThere are nearly 400 different types of sharks, but only about 30 types are known to have attacked human beings. Many people know that the most dangerous shark is the great white sha
10、rk, probably because they have seen the film Jaws. However, two other sharks are also rather dangerous: the tiger shark and the bull shark. Contrary to what many people might assume, evidence shows that sharks seldom attack humans. There are three types of sharkattacks. In the main type, the shark a
11、ttacks you because it mistakes you for a fish, but when it tastes human flesh it decides to give up and swims away. In the second type, the shark pushes you with its nose to find out if you are fit to be eaten, and then bites you if it thinks you are. In the third type, the shark waits for you to sw
12、im by, and then attacks you suddenly. The last two types of attack more often result in the death of humans.To reduce the risk of a shark attack, you should follow these suggestions.Do not swim in the dark. Sharks can still see you but you cannot see them.Do not go swimming in the ocean if you have
13、a fresh wound. Sharks can smell blood over a long distance.Do not wear bright clothing or jewellery, because sharks are attracted to the flash of, colours and bright objects. Stay in groups, as sharks usually avoid large numbers of people.Recently, shark attacks have been increasing as water sports
14、are becoming more popular. If a shark attacks you, follow the advice below.Keep calm. Do not panic.Hit the shark on the nose with your fist.Stick your finger in the sharks eye.Dont be frightened by sharks: youare 3o times more likely to be hit by lightning than be attacked by a shark. The wonderful
15、world of pigeonsIt is night. All is quiet. The soldiers are asleep while a guard watches for theenemy. There is a flash, and the sound of guns! They are being attacked!Hundreds of enemy soldiers rush towards them. They are all going to bekilled unless they get help. What should they do?An officer wr
16、ites a short message quickly on a small piece of paper: Beingattacked! Hurry!He rolls up the paper and puts it into a small case, and then reaches into acage and gets a bird. Attaching the message to its leg, he sets the bird loose. Itimmediately flies into the air and disappears in the dark.Will th
17、e bird arrive in time? Will they be saved?Though it may seem hard to believe, the bird the officer uses is the same birdoften seen in public parks-the pigeon. Pigeons have a wonderful sense ofdirection and can find their way home over long distances. Indeed, pigeonshave been known to fly home from a
18、s far away as 1,800 kilometres. That iswhy pigeons have been used since ancient times to carry the news or eventhe mail. However, it was in war that they found their greatest use. Duringboth World War I and II, pigeons were employed by armies to carry messagesto and from the front lines, saving the
19、lives of many soldiers and evenhelping win some important victories.How do pigeons find their way? Pigeons appear to have a compass insidethem that tells them which way is north. How this compass works remains amystery. Of course, since a compass alone is not enough to find ones way,they also appear
20、 to use their sight and even their sense of smell to tell themwhich way they should go. Unlike humans, they never get lost and canalways find their way home.Unit 2English and its history All through history, people from many different countries and cultures have lived together in Britain. The Englis
21、h 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.
22、Before the 5th century, people in Britain all spoke a language called Celtic. Then two Germanic groups from the European mainlandthe Angles and the Saxonsoccupied Britain. Old English consisted of a mixture of their languages. (Both the English language and the English people are named after the Ang
23、les; 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 th
24、em 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
25、, 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 EnglishMiddle English is the name given to the English used from around the 12th to the 15th centuries. Many things played a
26、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
27、 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 wor
28、ds 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, ca
29、me 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 us
30、ing 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 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 th
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