外研版高中英语必修四课文文本

外研版高中英语必修四课文文本外研版高中英语必修四课文文本/NUMPAGES29外研版高中英语必修四课文文本外研版高中英语必修四课文文本Module1ReadingTheCityoftheFutureWhatwillthecityofthefuturelooklike?Nooneknowsforsure,andmakingpredictionsisariskybusiness.Butonethingiscertain—theyaregoingtogetbiggerbeforetheygetsmaller.Inthefuture,carefortheenvironmentwillbecomeveryimportantasearth'snaturalresourcesrunout.Wewilluselotsofrecycledmaterials,suchasplastic,aluminium,steel,glass,woodandpaper,andwewillwastefewernaturalresources.Wewillalsohavetorelymoreonalternativeenergy,suchassolarandwindpower.Allthisseemscertain,butthereareplentyofthingsaboutcitylifeinthefuturewhicharenotcertain.Tofindoutwhatyoungpeoplethinkaboutthefutureofurbanlife,ateacheratauniversityinTexasintheUnitedStatesaskedhisstudentstothinkhowtheywouldrunacityof50,000peopleintheyear2025.Herearesomeoftheideastheyhad:GarbageshipsTogetridofgarbageproblems,thecitywillloadhugespaceshipswithwastematerialsandsendthemtowardsthesun,preventinglandfillandenvironmentalproblems.BatmanNetsPolicewillarrestcriminalsbyfiringnetsinsteadofguns.ForgetsmokingNosmokingwillbeallowedwithinafuturecity'slimits.Smokingwillbepossibleonlyoutsidecities,andoutdoors.ForgetthemallsInthefutureallshoppingwillbedoneonline,andcatalogueswillhavevoicecommandstoplaceorders.TelephonesforlifeEveryonewillbegivenatelephonenumberatbirththatwillneverchangenomatterwheretheylive.RecreationAllformsofrecreation,suchascinemas,bowling,softball,concertsandothers,willbeprovidedfreeofchargebythecity.CarsAllcarswillbepoweredbyelectricity,solarenergyorwind,anditwillbepossibletochangethecolourofcarsattheflickofaswitch.TelesurgeryDistancesurgerywillbecomecommonasdoctorscarryoutoperationsfromthousandsofmilesaway,witheachcityhavingitsowntelesurgeryoutpatientclinic.HolidaysathomeSeniorcitizensandpeoplewithdisabilitieswillbeabletogoanywhereintheworldusinghigh-techcamerasattachedtotheirhead.SpacetravelTravellinginspacebyordinarycitizenswillbecommon.Eachcitywillhaveitsownspaceport.CulturalCornerFamousLastWordsNotallpredictionscometrue.Manyofthemarewrong,andsomeareverywrong.Herearejustafewofthebadpredictionspeoplemadeinthetwentiethcenturyaboutthetwenty-firstcentury:AIRPLANES"NoflyingmachinewilleverflyfromNewYorktoParis."OrvilleWright,1908.COMPUTERS"Ithinkthereisaworldmarketformaybefivecomputers."ThomasWaston,chairmanofIBM,1943.CLOTHES"Thirtyyearsfromnowpeoplewillbewearingclothesmadeofpaperwhichtheywillbeabletothrowawayafterwearingthemtwoorthreetimes."ChangingTimesMagazine,1957.MENONTHEMOON"Withthefirstmooncoloniespredictedforthe1970's,workisnowinprogressonthetypesofbuildingrequiredformentostayinwhenthey'reonthemoon."ArnoldB.BarachinTheChangestoCome,1962.THEBEATLES"Wedon'tliketheirsound,andguitarmusicisonthewayout."DeccaRecordingCo.rejectingtheBeatles,1962.ROBOTSINTHEHOUSE"Bytheyear2000,housewiveswillprobablyhavearobotshapedlikeaboxwithonelargeeyeonthetop,severalarmsandhands,andlongnarrowpadsonthesideformovingabout."NewYorkTimes,1966.KEYS"Bythemid-1980'snoonewilleverneedtohideakeyunderthedoormatagain,becausetherewon'tbeanykeys."ComputerscientistChristopherEvans,

TheMicroMillennium,1979.Module2ReadingGettingAroundinBeijingTaxisTaxisareonthestreets24hoursaday.Simplyraiseyourhand,andataxiappearsinnotime.Theyareusuallyred,andtheydisplaythepriceperkilometreonthewindow.Youshouldcheckthecabhasabusinesspermit,andmakesureyouaskforareceipt.BusesandtrolleybusesPublictransportprovidesacheapwaytogetaroundinBeijing.Thereare20,000busesandtrolleybusesinBeijing,buttheycangetverycrowded.It'sagoodideatoavoidpublictransportduringtherushhour(6:30a.m.–8:00a.m.and5:00p.m.–6:30p.m.).Faresarecheap,startingat1yuan.Air-conditionedbusescostmore.Busesnumbered1to100arelimitedtotravelwithinthecitycentre.Highernumbershavedestinationsinthesuburbs.Touristsshouldn'tmissthe103buswhichoffersoneofthemostimpressiveroutes,pasttheForbiddenCityandtheWhitePagodainBeihaiPark.Ifyougetonadouble-deckerbus,makesureyousitupstairs.You'llhaveagoodviewoftherapidlychangingcity.Mostbusesrunfromabout5:00a.m.tomidnight.However,thereisalsoanightbusservice,providedbybuseswithanumberinthe200s.MinibusesMinibuseswithseatsfor12passengersofferanalternativetoexpensivetaxisandcrowdedpublictransportinsomeareas.Theyrunregularservicesandfollowthesameroutesaslargepublicbuses.Andinaminibusyoualwaysgetaseateveninrushhours.UndergroundTherearefourundergroundlinesinBeijing,andseverallinesareunderconstruction.Trainsarefastandconvenient,butrushhourscanbeterrible.Aone-waytripcosts3yuan.Stationnamesaremarkedinpinyin.Theundergroundisopenfrom5:00a.m.to11:00p.m.PedicabsTouristslikethesehuman-pedalled"tricycletaxis",buttheycanbeexpensive.Youshouldtalktothedriver,andmakesureyouknowthepricebeforeyoubeginthejourney,forexample,ifitisperperson,singleorreturn.Tricyclesareworthusingifyouwanttoexplorethenarrowalleys(hutong)ofoldBeijing.CulturalCornerTheLondonCongestionChargeBeijingisn'ttheonlycitywithtrafficproblems.Youcangetstuckinatrafficjamanywhereintheworld.Theworstproblemsoccurincitieswhicharegrowingfast,suchasSaoPaoloinBrazilandLagosinNigeria.ButevencitiesindevelopedcountriessuchastheUSsuffer.LosAngeles,whichwasbuiltwiththemotorcarinmind,andisfamousforitssix-lanehighways,isnowtheUSA'smostcongestedcity.InEuropemostcapitalcitieswereplannedandbuiltbeforecars,andcitycentretrafficjamshavebeenpartofdailylifeforalongtime.ThesituationincentralLondon,wheredriversspentfiftypercentoftheirtimeinqueues,becamesobadthatthelocalgovernmentdecidedtodosomethingaboutit.InFebruary2003theMayorofLondon,KenLivingstone,introduceda"congestioncharge"—ataxforcarsenteringthecentreofthecity.Theideaissimple:everycarcomingintothecentrehastopay£5aday.Driverscanpaythechargeatanyof10,000paypointsinthecapitalbefore10p.m.Asthecarscomeintothecentre,videocamerasrecordtheirregistrationnumbers,andthesearecheckedwithalistofdriverswhohavepaidthechargeforthatday.Peoplewhodonotpaythechargewillfaceafineof£80.MostLondonersarenothappywiththeidea.TheyagreethatLondonhasatrafficproblem,butthecongestionchargeisexpensive,andlimitstheirfreedom...Butdoesthecongestionchargework?Asurveycarriedoutattheendof2003suggestsitdoes.Afteronlysixmonths,trafficcomingintocentralLondonwasreducedbyabout30percent,andjourneytimesby15percent.Morepeopleusedpublictransporttogettowork,andbicyclesweresuddenlyverypopular.What'smore,centralLondonshopsdidnotlosebusinesseventhoughtherewerefewercars.Butthereareafewpeoplewhothinkthechargeshouldbemuchhigher,forexamplerichbusinessmenwhoworkinthecitycentreandcaneasilyaffordit.ThiswouldkeepevenmorecarsoutofcentralLondon,andtheroadswouldbenearlyempty.However,therearenoplanstoincreasethecharge.Module3ReadingGreetingsAroundtheWorldIfyousaytheword"communication",mostpeoplethinkofwordsandsentences.Althoughtheseareveryimportant,wecommunicatewithmorethanjustspokenandwrittenwords.Indeed,bodypositionsarepartofwhatwecall"bodylanguage".Weseeexamplesofunconsciousbodylanguageveryoften,yetthereisalso"learned"bodylanguage,whichvariesfromculturetoculture.Weuse"learned"bodylanguagewhenweareintroducedtostrangers.Likeotheranimals,weareonguarduntilweknowitissafetorelax.Soeveryculturehasdevelopedaformalwaytogreetstrangers,toshowthemwearenotaggressive.Traditionally,EuropeansandAmericansshakehands.Theydothiswiththerighthand—thestrongesthandformostpeople.Ifourrighthandisbusygreetingsomeone,itcannotbeholdingaweapon.Sothegestureissaying,"Itrustyou.Look,I'mnotcarryingathreateningweapon."Ifyoushakehandswithsomeone,youshowyoutrustthem.Weshakehandswhenwemakeadeal.Itmeans,"Weagreeandwetrusteachother."GreetingsinAsiancountriesdonotinvolvetouchingtheotherperson,buttheyalwaysinvolvethehands.TraditionallyinChina,whenwegreetsomeone,weputtherighthandovertheleftandbowslightly.Muslimsgivea"salaam",wheretheytouchtheirheart,mouthandforehead.Hindusjointheirhandsandbowtheirheadsinrespect.Inalloftheseexamples,thehandsarebusywiththegreetingandcannotholdaweapon.Eventoday,whensomepeoplehaveveryinformalstylesofgreeting,theystillusetheirhandsasagestureoftrust.Americanyouthsoftengreeteachotherwiththeexpression,"Givemefive!"Onepersonthenholdsuphishand,palmoutwardsandfivefingersspread.Theotherpersonraiseshishandandslapstheother'sopenhandabovetheheadina"highfive".Nowadays,itisquiteacommongreeting.Bodylanguageisfascinatingforanyonetostudy.Peoplegiveawaymuchmorebytheirgesturesthanbytheirwords.Lookatyourfriendsandfamilyandseeifyouareamindreader!CulturalCornerClappingWhydoweclap?Toshowwelikesomething,ofcourse.Butwedon'tclapattheendofatelevisionprogrammeorabook,howevergoodtheyare.Weclapattheendofaliveperformance,suchasaplay,oraconcert,tosaythankyoutotheperformers.Firsttheygive,andthenwegive.Withoutus—theaudience—theperformancewouldnotbecomplete.Thecustomofclappinghasearlybeginnings.InclassicalAthens,applausemeantjudgementandtakingpart.Playswereoftenincompetitionwitheachother,andprolongedclappinghelpedaplaytowin.Thetheatrewaslarge—itcouldhold14,000people,halftheadultmalepopulationofthecity,whichmeantthattheaudiencecouldmakealotofnoise.Applausewasasignofbeingpartofthecommunity,andofequalitybetweenactorsandaudience.Theimportantthingwastomakethenoisetogether,toaddone'sownsmallhandclaptoothers.Clappingissocial,likelaughter:youdon'tveryoftenclaporlaughoutloudalone.Itislikelaughterinanotherway,too:itisinfectious,andspreadsveryquickly.Clappingatconcertsandtheatresisauniversalhabit.Butsomeoccasionsonwhichpeopleclapchangefromonecountrytoanother.Forexample,inBritainpeopleclapatawedding,butinItalytheysometimesclapatafuneral.Module4ReadingTheStudentWhoAskedQuestionsInahungryworldriceisastaplefoodandChinaistheworld'slargestproducer.RiceisalsogrowninmanyotherAsiancountries,andinsomeEuropeancountrieslikeItaly.Intherice-growingworld,theChinesescientist,YuanLongping,isaleadingfigure.YuanLongpingwasbornandbroughtupinChina.Asaboyhewaseducatedinmanyschoolsandwasgiventhenickname,"thestudentwhoasksquestions".Fromanearlyagehewasinterestedinplants.Hestudiedagricultureincollegeandasayoungteacherhebeganexperimentsincropbreeding.Hethoughtthatthekeytofeedingpeoplewastohavemorericeandtoproduceitmorequickly.Hethoughttherewasonlyonewaytodothis—bycrossingdifferentspeciesofriceplant,andthenhecouldproduceanewplantwhichcouldgiveahigheryieldthaneitheroftheoriginalplants.FirstYuanLongpingexperimentedwithdifferenttypesofrice.TheresultsofhisexperimentswerepublishedinChinain1966.Thenhebeganhissearchforaspecialtypeofriceplant.Ithadtobemale.Ithadtobesterile.Finally,in1970anaturallysterilemalericeplantwasdiscovered.Thiswasthebreakthrough.ResearcherswerebroughtinfromalloverChinatodevelopthenewsystem.Theresearchwassupportedbythegovernment.AsaresultofYuanLongping'sdiscoveriesChinesericeproductionroseby47.5percentinthe1990's.Therewereotheradvantagestoo.50thousandsquarekilometresofricefieldswereconvertedtogrowingvegetablesandothercashcrops.Followingthis,YuanLongping'sricewasexportedtoothercountries,suchasPakistanandthePhilippines.InPakistanriceisthesecondmostimportantcropafterwheatandwillbegrowninmanypartsofthecountry.ThenewhybridricehasbeendevelopedbytheYuanLongpingHightechAgriculturalCompanyofChina.ItsyieldismuchgreaterthantheyieldofothertypesofricegrowninPakistan.CulturalCornerRocketsTodayrocketsareveryadvancedmachineswhichwecanusetosendastronautsintospace.Theyarealsousedinfireworkdisplaystocelebrategreatevents,suchastheendoftheOlympicGamesorthebeginningofthenewmillenniumintheyear2000.Rocketswereprobablyinventedbyaccidentabout2,000yearsago.TheChinesehadaformofgunpowderwhichwasputinbambootubesandthrownintofirestomakeexplosionsduringfestivals.Perhapssomeofthetubesjumpedoutofthefireinsteadofexplodinginit.TheChinesediscoveredthatthegasescapingfromthetubecouldliftitintotheair.Theideaoftherocketwasborn.Thefirstmilitaryuseofrocketswasin1232.TheSongDynastywasatwarwiththeMongols.DuringthebattleofKaifeng,theSongarmyshot"arrowsofflyingfire".Thetubeswereattachedtoalongstickwhichhelpedkeeptherocketmovinginastraightdirection.SoontheMongolslearnedhowtomakerocketsthemselvesanditispossiblethattheyintroducedthemtoEurope.Betweenthe13thand15thcenturiesthereweremanyrocketexperimentsinEngland,FranceandItaly.Theywereusedformilitarypurposes.OneItalianscientisteveninventedarocketwhichcouldtraveloverthesurfaceofwaterandhitanenemyship.Butnoteverybodywantedtouserocketsinbattles.WanHu,aChinesegovernmentofficial,inventedaflyingchair.Heattachedtwobigkitestothechair,and47rocketstothekites.Therocketswerelit,therewasahugeexplosionandcloudsofthicksmoke.WhenthesmokeclearedWanHuandhischairhaddisappeared.Nooneknowswhathappened.DidWanHudieintheexplosion?Orwashecarriedmilesintospace,becomingtheworld'sfirstastronaut?Module5ReadingATripAlongtheThreeGorgesInAugust1996,PeterHessler,ayoungAmericanteacherofEnglish,arrivedinthetownofFulingontheYangtzeRiver.HeandacolleagueweretospendtwoyearsthereteachingEnglishatateachertrainingcollege.Theyweretheonlyforeignersinthetown.ThefirstsemesterfinishedattheendofJanuaryandtheyhadfourweeksofffortheSpringFestival.Theycouldgoanywheretheywished.Theydecidedtotakeaboatdownstream.

WedecidedtobuyticketsfortheJiangyouboat.Ourcolleaguessaid,"Youshouldn'tgoonthoseships.Theyareverycrowded.Theyaremainlyforgoodsandpeopletradingalongtheriver.Theydon'tstopatthetemplesandtherewon'tbeanyotherforeigners."Thatsoundedfinetome.Wejusthadtoshowourpassportsandtheyletusgetontheboat.Weleftthedocksonabeautifulafternoon.Thesunwasshiningbrightlyaswesailed