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牛津高中英语模块三原文
牛津高中英语模块三原文
13. M3U1.
Reading
—
Fog
Fog warning
When Polly left home that
morning, the city was already
covered
in a grey mist. At lunch, the radio forecast that
the
mist would become a thick fog in
the afternoon. At four
o
’
clock,
Polly
left
work
and
stepped
out
into
the
fog.
She
wondered if the buses would still be
running.
No
buses to King Street
Once
out
in
the
street,
she
walked
quickly
towards
her
usual
bus stop.
‘
How
far
are
you
going?
’
the
bus
conductor
asked
her
before
he took her fare.
‘
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 man
As Polly observed the
passengers on the train, she had a
1
feeling that 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 seen.
Footsteps
When Polly got to the
station entrance, it was empty.
Outside, 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 walked along the narrow
street, she heard the
sound
of
footsteps
approaching,
but
by
the
time
she
reached
the
corner of the street, the footsteps
were gone. Suddenly Polly
felt
a
rough
hand
brush
her
cheek,
and
she
heard
a
man
’
s
voice
in
her
ear
saying
‘
Sorry.
’
The
man
moved
away.
She
could
feel
her heart beating with fear.
The helpful
stranger
Then
she
heard
the
sound
again
-
soft
footsteps
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
man
’
s voice came out of the
darkness.
‘
Is
anybody there?
’
Polly
hesitated.
At
last
she
answered,
‘
Hello,
I
think
I
’
m
lost.
’
2
A
few
seconds
later,
a
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,
’
Poly replied.
‘
Just
take
my
hand,
’
said
the
man.
‘
Come
with
me.
You
’
ll be all
right.
’
He took
Polly
’
s hand.
‘
Watch out 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
can
’
t
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. Now
we
’
re at the crossroads.
Turn left here.
’
‘
I
’
m
quite
lost
now.
Are
you
sure
you
know
the
way?
’
Polly
was beginning to feel frightened again.
‘
Of
course.
You
really
shouldn
’
t
feel
anxious.
’
He
held
her hand more firmly.
The grateful
helper
‘
Here we are. King
Street.
’
He stopped.
‘
Thank you so much for
coming to my aid,
’
said
Polly in
3
relief.
‘
Would
you like to come in and rest for a
while?
’
‘
It
’
s
very nice of you,
’
said the
man,
‘
but
I
’
ll be
off.
There
may
be
more
people
lost
today,
and
I
’
d
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
it
’
s sunny. A
blind person like me
can
’
t get across the road
without help,
except in a fog like
this.
’
14. M3U1. Project
(1)
—
Shark attacks
There 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
shark, mainly because they have seen
the movie 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
shark
attacks. In the main type, the shark
attacks you because it
mistakes you for
a fish, but when it tastes human flesh it
decides
to
give
up
and
swim
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 swim
by,
and
then
attacks
you suddenly.
4
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.
n
Do
not
swim
in
the
dark.
Sharks
can
still
see
you
but
you
cannot see them.
n
Do
not
go
swimming
in
the
ocean
if
you
have
a
fresh
wound.
Sharks can smell blood over a long
distance.
n
Do
not
wear
bright
clothing
or
jewellery,
because
sharks
are attracted to the flash of colors
and bright objects.
n
Stay
in
groups,
as
sharks
usually
avoid
large
numbers
of
people.
Recently,
shark
attacks
have
been
increasing
as
water
sports
are
becoming
more
popular.
If
a
shark
attacks
you,
follow
the
advice below.
n
Keep calm. Do not panic.
n Hit the shark on the nose with your
fist.
n Stick
your finger in the shark's eye.
Don't
be
frightened
by
sharks:
you
are
30
times
more
likely
to be hit by
lightning than be attacked by a shark.
15. M3U1. Project
(2)
—
The wonderful world of
pigeons
It is
night. All is quiet. The soldiers are asleep while
5
a guard
watches for the enemy. 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 be killed unless they
get
help. What should they do?
An
officer
writes
a
short
message
quickly
on
a
small
piece
of
paper: 'Being attacked! Hurry!'
He rolls up the paper and
puts it into a small case, and
then
reaches
into
a
cage
and
gets
a
bird.
Attaching
the
message
to
its leg, he sets the bird loose. It immediately
flies into
the air and disappears in
the dark.
Will
the bird arrive in time? Will they be saved?
Though it may
seem hard to believe, the bird the officer
uses is the same bird often seen in
public parks
—
the pigeon.
Pigeons
have
a
wonderful
sense
of
direction
and
can
find
their
way home over long distances. Indeed,
pigeons have been known
to fly home
from as far away as 1,800 kilometres. That is why
pigeons have been used since ancient
times to carry the news
or even the
mail. However, it was in war that they found their
greatest use. During both World War I
and II, pigeons were
employed
by
armies
to
carry
messages
to
and
from
the
front
lines,
saving the lives of many soldiers and
even helping win some
important
victories.
6
How do pigeons find their
way? Pigeons appear to have a
compass
inside
them
that
tells
them
which
way
is
north.
How
this
compass
works remains a mystery. Of course, since a
compass
alone is not enough to find
one's way, they also appear to use
their sight and even their sense of
smell to tell them which
way they
should
go.
Unlike
humans, they never
get lost
and can
always find their way home.
16. M3U2.
Reading
—
English and its
history
All
through
history, people
from many different
countries
and
cultures
have
lived
together
in
Britain.
The
English
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. Before the middle of
the 5th century, people
in
Britain
all
spoke
a
language
called
Celtic.
Then
two
Germanic
groups from the
European mainland
—
the angles
and the Saxons
—
occupied
Britain.
Old
English
consisted
of
a
mixture
of
their
languages. (Both the English language
and the English people
are named after
the angles; the word Angle was spelt Engle in
7
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 them 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, 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 English
Middle English
is the name given to the English used from
around
the
12th
to
the
15th
centuries.
Many
things
played
a
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
much
as the Angles and the
Saxons
’
victory about 600
years
earlier,
which
led
to
old
English
replacing
Celtic.
Even
though
8
the Normans spoke French for the entire
250 years they ruled
English,
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
words with similar
meanings,
such
as
answer
(from
Old
English)
and
reply
(from
Old
French). It is interesting to learn how
the words for animals
and meat
developed. After the Norman Conquest, many English
people worked as servants who raised
animals. Therefore, the
words
we
use
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, came
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
using
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
9