中学生科普英语趣味阅读低年级阅读材料

1、I. Life Science 生命科学The Five Senses视觉、听觉、味觉、嗅觉和触觉是人类最基本的五种感觉，即五官感觉。我们通过它们感知外界物体，获取与机体生存紧密相关的重要信息，从而对所处环境作出分析判断。五感在我们的日常生活中扮演了至关重要的角色。Sport injuries肌肉是支撑人体活动的重要部分，我们要小心保护，防止肌肉受伤。 Warm-upDo you know any kind of sport injuries? Have you suffered from any of them? Big question to think about while you r

2、eadWhat are sprains and fractures?Content Vocabulary1. sprain n. a painful injury to a joint caused by a sudden wrenching of its ligaments扭伤2. break n. the place where a bone in your body has broken 破裂3. ligament n. a band of strong material in your body+ similar to muscle, that joins bones or holds

3、 an organ in its place 韧带4. fracture n. a crack or broken part in a bone or other hard substance 断裂5. swell v. to become larger and rounder than normal 肿胀Sprains occur when a muscle is pulled too far. The result can be a break or a tear of a ligament. Sprains can sometimes happen as the result of an

4、 injury, such as a fall.Sprains can also happen when you do not warm up your muscles before you exercise.A broken bone often occurs as the result of an accident. A broken bone is called a fracture. How can you tell if a bone is broken? The pain in the area is very strong. You cannot move the part th

5、at is broken. The part that is broken begins to swell or grow bigger.In most cases, you should not move because a bone may be broken Get someones help to call an ambulance immediately. You will be taken to a hospital nearby to check whether or not you have a broken bone. To check this, you will norm

6、ally get an X-ray. An X-ray is a black and white picture of the bones taken with a special machine. It lets a doctor see if a bone is broken. (178 words) Reflection questions on what you read1. What are the differences between sprains and fractures?2. How can a doctor tell whether theres a broken bo

7、ne or not?3. What should you do if a sprain occurs?4. Which one do you think is more serious, a sprain or a broken bone?Measuring speed优异的骨骼结构和强健的肌肉使人和动物在运动时拥有较高的速度，下面的文章会告诉你什么动物运动速度最快。 Warm-up Do you notice that some animals move faster than others? Have you ever thought about why they can move fas

8、ter? Big question to think about while you readHow do you define the word fast? Content Vocabulary1. distance n. the amount of space between two places or things 距离2. motor n. the basic unit for measuring length 米3. kilometer n. a unit for measuring distance, equal to 1,000 meters 公里4. athlete n. so

9、meone who competes in sports competitions, especially running, jumping, and throwing 运动员5. compare v. to examine and note the similarities or differences of 比较The movements of our bodies help us to go from one place to another. For example, when you go to school, you can walk, run,ride a bike, or ri

10、de in a car or a bus. You must cover a certain distance. Distance is the amount of space between two places. Did you know that the distance from one place to another can be measured in meters? But if you need to measure distances that are longer than 1,000 meters, then it is usual to measure them in

11、 kilometers. Sometimes we measure the time it takes to travel a certain distance. This is called speed. Speed is measured in hours, minutes, and seconds. When an athlete covers a distance of 100 meters in ten seconds, we know that the athlete can run very fast. It takes an average person around twen

12、ty seconds to run 100 meters. The athlete runs the distance much faster than the average person. How fast can you run 100 meters?Which are the fastest animals?Animals move at different speeds. Some animals move faster than others. Compares how fast or slow different animals move.Which athletes are t

13、he fastest?Athletes spend many hours in training and practice in different sports. Coaches teach athletes how to improve their speed and strength. As a result, athletes develop strong bodies and muscles. Some athletes move very fast. They take part in races to see who is the fastest at certain sport

14、s. The Olympic Games is the largest sports competition in the world. (254 words)Reflection questions on what you read1. How can we calculate a moving objects speed?2. What units of measurement do people use to measure distance?3. What units of measurement do people use to measure speed?4. Why do ath

15、letes have to spend many hours in training and practice in different sports?5. Please name at least 3 Olympics sports where athletes take part in to compete for speed.The locomotive system 人体有着复杂的组织结构，正因为这样，我们能够行走、奔跑、跳跃。下面让我们一起来探索其中的奥妙吧！Warm-upHow much do you know about your body? Do you know whats

16、happening in your body when youre walking, jumping and running?Big question to think about while you read What exactly is the locomotive system?Content Vocabulary1. locomotive system a system related to movement 运动系统2. voluntary adj. voluntary movements of your body are controlled by your conscious

17、mind 自发的3. involuntary adj an involuntary movement, sound, reaction etc is one that you make suddenly and without intending to because you cannot control yourself 无意识的4. digestive system a system connected with the process of digestion 消化系统5. fiber n. the thin pieces of flesh that form the nerves or

18、 muscles in your body 纤维6. joint n. a part of your body that can bend because two bones meet there 关节We have learned how receptors on our sense organs send messages to the brain, which then responds to the signals. The response from the brain can be a movement of the body. Most of the movements of o

19、ur bodies occur because we want them to happen. These are called voluntary movements. If we want to kick a ball, we have to think about doing it. Our brain receives the message, and immediately our foot kicks the ball. Other movements are called involuntary3 movements. Certain muscles in our bodies

20、work without us having to think about them. For example, the muscles that move food through our digestive system4 are involuntary. They work even while we are sleeping.Bones and musclesBones make up the skeleton and support the body. But bones do not move on their own. They need muscles to move. Mus

21、cles move every part of the body, such as the head, fingers, legs, and toes, and even our eyes and tongue. Muscles are made out of many stretchy, elastic cells and fibers. Muscles function like rubber bands that stretch and relax in the body. Muscles work in pairs. One muscle pulls the bone forward,

22、 and another muscle pulls the bone back. When one muscle is working (contracting), the other muscle is relaxing. Your muscle pairs work together to move. The place where one bone joins another is called a joint6. Joints allow movement and give the skeleton its ability to bend, twist, and turn.Tissue

23、s called ligaments hold bones together at joints. Bones, muscles, and ligaments make up the locomotive system. This system gives the body its form and allows it to move. (274 words)Reflection questions on what you read l. Whats the difference between voluntary and involuntary movements? 2. Please gi

24、ve 3 more examples of involuntary movements. 3. How do the muscles help you to move? 4. Whats a joint? Please give an example. 5. There are many athletes who suffer from ligament injuries and cannot take part in competitions anymore. What will happen if there is a broken ligament?The ear and the hea

25、ring听觉是仅次于视觉的重要感官通道，它在人的生活中起着重要作用。Warm-up We hear a lot of sounds every day. Have you ever wondered how we can hear sounds? Whats the nature of sounds?Big question to think about while you read How do vibrations help to carry sounds?Content Vocabulary1. vibration n. a continuous slight shaking movem

26、ent 振动2. medium n. a substance through which a force travels 介质3. eardrum n. a tight thin piece of skin over the inside of your ear which allows you to hear sound 耳膜4. ossicle n. a small bone, especially one of those in the middle ear5. cochlea n. a part of the inner ear 耳蜗We hear many different sou

27、nds in our everyday life. We hear the wind blowing through the trees, rain hitting our roofs, people talking, babies crying, cars moving, and birds singing, among many other sounds.What makes sound?A movement is needed to produce a sound. This movement is called a vibration.When a guitar string is p

28、ulled, the string begins to vibrate. This means it moves quickly back and forth. This vibration creates the guitar sound that we hear. The vibration passes through the air until it reaches the receptors in our ears.The vibrating object is the source that emits sound. Air is one example of a medium t

29、hrough which sound can travel.Sound can travel through different media. It can travel through a solid, a liquid, and a gas. Sound travels more quickly through solids and liquids than gas.How do we hear?We hear sounds through our ears, which are our sound receptors. Our ears are divided into three pa

30、rts: the outer ear, the middle ear, and the inner ear.Sounds that travel through the air enter our outer ear. The outer ear catches the sound and moves it to the eardrum3. The eardrum is a very thin membrane that covers the middle part of the ear. When sound hits the eardrum, it begins to vibrate. T

31、he vibrations reach three tiny bones called ossicles4, which then begin to vibrate. From these bones, the sound reaches the cochlea, which is filled with liquid. The liquid begins to vibrate in the inner ear. It is this liquid that carries sound to a special nerve that transports messages to the bra

32、in. Your brain then helps you understand the sound you hear.Sounds are useful in helping us become aware of things around us. For example, a school bell tells us that school is starting. A fire alarm warns us of a fire. (312 words) Reflection questions on what you read1. Please give 3 more examples

33、of how sounds help people become aware of things around.2. How many objects are there vibrating before we hear the guitar sound according to the text? Please list them out in order.3. Can we hear the sound if we play the guitar in space? Why or why not?4. What is a medium? How does it work to carry

34、sound?5. In what way can the cochlea and ossicles help to carry sound?The eyes and the vision视觉是人和动物最重要的感觉。通过视觉，人和动物感知外界物体，获得对有机体生存具有重要意义的信息。Warm-upHave you ever wondered why we can see things? Why can we tell different colors apart?Big question to think about while you readHow do our eyes enable us

35、 to see things around us?Content Vocabulary1, artificial (adj.): not real or not made of natural things but made to be like something that is real or natural 人造的2. crystalline lens: a biconvex transparent elastic structure in the eye situated behind the iris, serving to focus images on the retina 晶状

36、体3. retina (n. ): the area at the back of your eye that receives light and sends an image of what you see to your brain 视网膜4, optic nerve: the second cranial nerve, which provides a sensory pathway from the retina to the brain 视神经5. register (v.): to put someones or somethings name on an official li

37、st 纪录6. ultraviolet ray: ultraviolet light cannot be seen by people, but is responsible for making your skin darker when you are in the sun 紫外线7. surgery (n.): medical treatment in which a surgeon cuts open your body to repair or remove something inside 手术8. Braille (n.): form of printing for blind

38、people, with raised parts that they can read by touching the paper with their fingers 盲人用点字法We see with our eyes. In order to see, human beings need light from a natural source like the sun, or from an artificial one, such as an electric light, a candle, or a flashlight.In the picture, you can see t

39、he inside of an eye. Light enters our eyes through the small black circle, which is called the pupil. When it is dark, the pupil becomes larger so that it can get more light to see. When there is a lot of light, the pupil gets smaller to prevent too much light from coming into the eye. Behind the pu

40、pil, there is a lens called the crystalline lens. This lens changes its shape so that objects that are near or far away can be seen clearly. From the lens, the light rays then travel to the light receptors on the inner part of theeye called the retina. From there, signals go tothe brain through the

41、optic nerve. The brain thenregisters what you see. Our eyes are in constant contact with dirt andgerms in the air. Tears help to clean our eyes andkeep them moist. However, you should followthese points to take proper care of your eyes. Do not rub your eyes with dirty hands. Wash your hands often. W

42、ear sunglasses outdoors to protect your eyes from the suns ultraviolet rays. Do not spend long periods of time in front of a TV or a computer screen. This strains your eyes. Look away from the screen often and blink your eyes.To function well, our eyes need vitamin A. This vitamin is found in foods

43、such as carrots, spinach, broccoli, and liver. Nowadays, if a person cannot see well, there are ways to correct poor vision. It can be helped in most cases by wearing glasses or contact lenses or from eye surgery.People who cannot see are called blind. Many blind people develop a strong sense of tou

44、ch to make up for the loss of their eyesight. Many of them learn to read a special system called Braille8. They feel the different letters of this alphabet with their fingers in order to read. A Braille alphabet is shown below. (368 words)Reflection questions on what you readl. What is the function

45、of a pupil? 2. According to the text, if a person is short-sighted, then which part of his eyes is not working properly? 3. Where can we find vitamin A? 4. What can help us to correct poor vision? 5. What is Braille? How does it help blind people to read? Our brain and our sensesWarm-upDo you know t

46、he brain helps us to hear, feel and see things? How does the brain help us to do these?Big question to think about while you read What does the brain do when we taste, touch and smell things?Content Vocabulary1. control (v.): to make someone or something do what you want, or make something happen in

47、 the way that you want 控制2. data (n.): information or facts 数据3. analyze (v.): to examine or think about something carefully, in order to understand it 分析4. memory (n.): something that you remember from the past about a person, place or experience 信息5. information (n.): facts or details that tell yo

48、u something about a situation, person, event etc 信息6. sensation (n.): a feeling that you get from one of your five senses, especially the sense of touch 感觉7. olfactory nerve: either one of the first pair of cranial nerves, supplying the mucous membrane of the nose 嗅觉神经8. tasteless (adj.): lacking fl

49、avor 无味的Our brain controls what our bodies do. We use our brain to move, think, feel, and remember, among many other actions. Our brain is in charge of registering facts and data from the outside world. Our brain quickly analyzes a situation and relates the data to similar experiences within our mem

50、ory. It then sends an immediate response to the body. Our brain sends and receives messages through our nerves. The nerves are the pathways that lead to and from our brain. They go through our whole body. When we see, hear, smell, taste, or touch something, this information travels through our nerve

51、s to our brain. Our brain then sends messages to other parts of our bodies. This information passes back and forth very quickly. For example, if you are walking and you hear your name, you will quickly turn around. Your sense of hearing received a message and sent it to the brain. The brain processe

52、d the information, and it sent a message to your body to respond.What is our sense of touch?Skin covers all of the body, and it is in direct contact with the outside world. Through our skin, we can feel pleasant or unpleasant sensations6. We feel if something is hot, cold, smooth or rough. We can al

53、so feel if the weather is warm, cold, wet, or dry. The skin protects the organs inside the body and helps to maintain the bodys temperature. Human skin provides good protection because it is quite strong and waterproof, and it acts as an insulating shield for the body. Our skin is in constant contac

54、t with the world around us. It can protect us from bright sunlight and extremes of temperature. We can protect our skin from cold, heat, or rain by wearing proper clothing. The suns rays can harm our skin, but we can protect it by wearing a hat and using sunscreen. We should also protect our skin fr

55、om germs by washing often with soap and water.How does our sense of taste work?Our sense of taste mainly comes from our tongue. Our tongue allows us to enjoy the different foods that we eat. There are many small taste buds on our tongue that connect to our nervous system. When the taste buds come into contact with different foods, they register how a food tastes. They send messages to the brain. People used to think that groups of taste buds-sweet, sour, salty, or bitter-were located on certain parts of our tongue. However, we now know that this