Rocky neighbours
Avebury is near the far more famous Stonehenge (巨石阵). What is interesting about it is that a village has grown up around a collection of stones, unlike Stonehenge, which stands alone. Avebury and Stonehenge are just two of about 1,300 stone circles all over the UK. Many of them are in fantastic locations.
Stone circles through history
Some of them are UNESCO World Heritage (遗产) sites, and several have local stories connected to them. For example, the Merry Maidens in West Cornwall is a group of 19 stones. According to the story, they were young women maidens who became stones for dancing on a Sunday. This story shows some of the effects of Christianity (基督教) in the fourth and fifth centuries AD.
When and why?
Early historians thought that the stone circles were temples (寺庙) for the Druids, the priests (牧师) of people who arrived in the UK in about 500 BC. Later research has shown that they are far older than that-at least 4, 000 years old. Stonehenge could have been built 5,000 years ago. Some experts believe they acted like calendars and have shown that some stones line up with sunrise or sunset on the longest and shortest days of the year. Others believe they were places for the dead bodies of the local rich and powerful.
Can I see one?
We may never know their original purpose, but each one leaves the visitor with a strong sense of the shortness of our existence in the sea of history. There are groups of stone circles and other prehistoric monuments (历史遗迹) throughout the British Isles, so wherever you are staying, you must make at least one to be part of your tour.
Title: Stone Circles in the UK
| Avebury VS Stonehenge | Avebury is far A village has developed around the stones in Avebury |
| Cultural background | Some are UNESCO World Heritage sites. Several are related to local stories. For example, the Merry Maidens — a group of 19 girls were |
| Time and | Early historians: They were temples for the Druids in about 500 BC. Later research: over 4000 years old; Some believe they acted like calendars, others think they were tombs of the local rich and powerful. |
| Conclusion | They show the shortness of our existence in the history. You should |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Learning to communicate well is a skill you will use all your life. You need this skill in your personal life to express your feelings to friends and family members. You need to be able to communicate well in school, too. Your future job success may also depend on your ability to communicate.
Kinds of Communication
There are two main kinds of communication. The first kind is verbal communication(语言交流). It includes the use of words to send information. Speaking and writing are both forms of verbal communication.
Go Green—Green Technology
Have you ever considered computers to be green technology? Think about all the trees needed to make paper for books and your written activities. The ability to transfer (转移) the written tasks to a computer makes it quite an environmentally friendly invention.
Nonverbal communication(非语言交流) includes any means of sending a message that does not use words. Your appearance, body language and the way you react are all forms of nonverbal communication.
Global(全球的) Connections—Communication Differences
Western cultures value direct eye contact(交流) and train kids to "look people in the eye". But Japanese, African, and many Latin American cultures avoid eye contact to show respect.
Community Connections—Good Manners
It is easy to have good manners if you try to think of others first. If someone new joins your group of friends or moves into your neighborhood. Make a self-introduction first. Make him or her feel welcome. Help someone who needs a hand. Hold the door open for the person behind you.
Being an Active Listener
Communication is a two-way process. Sometimes you are the sender and sometimes you are the receiver. To receive the messages clearly, it helps to be an active listener. Active listening is a communication skill in which the listener shows a clear understanding of what a person is saying. You can do this in several ways.
Repeat what you think the speaker is saying.
Let the speaker know you are listening by nodding or shaking your head.
If the message you receive is not clear, ask questions.
Listen before answering.
Do not interrupt(打断). Allow the speaker to finish what he or she has to say.
1. Please translate the underlined(划线的) sentence into Chinese. (将文中划线句子译成汉语）2. Why are computers mentioned when talking about verbal communication?(根据文章内容回答问题）
3. Which good nonverbal communication behaviors are given in the passage? (列两条即可)
4. In the passage, the underlined word "this" refers to(指)
5. After reading the passage, what do you think of your communication skills? Why do you think so?
Britons are well known for drinking tea. The average (典型的) person in the UK drinks around 1.9 kg of tea every year. That’s around 876 cups of tea. Tea is drunk by all levels of society. But tea does not grow in Britain. Most tea grows in India and China. So, how did it become an important part of British culture?
Tea arrived in London in the 1600s. At this time, British ships were exploring the world and came across the drink in China. It was not long before green tea could be bought from the market. However, it was only for the rich people.
At the beginning of the 1700s, the amount（数量）of tea arriving in Britain increased rapidly . Black tea arrived at this time. At first this tea served exactly as it was in China. They soon discovered that it mixed really well with a little milk and sugar, giving the drink a special British colour.
In the 1800s, tea was still a product enjoyed only by people with money. At this time they began to have “afternoon tea”. They drank tea with a snack around 4 pm to avoid feeling hungry between lunch and dinner. It is a still going today but has become less popular in recent times.
Title:
| Important facts | Drinking tea is an important part of British culture. The average British drinks about 1.9 kg of tea every year. Tea is not |
| Big events | British ships discovered tea in China while exploring the world and it arrived in London in the 1600s. Black tea arrived at the beginning of the 1970s and Britons first drank it exactly the same way as the A little milk and sugar were found to be a perfect Britons began to have ‘afternoon tea’ in the 1800s and it has |
Wild land of romance
What are the best words to describe Latin America? It could be called a “wild” and “happy” land.
Latin America has a lot of natural beauty. There are volcanoes, high mountains and large grasslands in Latin America. It also has the world’s biggest rainforest － the Amazon. The rainforest is home to many of the world’s strangest plants and animals. There are books and movies that tell exciting stories about the Amazon.
People in Latin America have open and romantic hearts. They are usually easy-going. They like to happily sing and dance.
Dances like the samba, rumba, cha cha and tango all come from Latin America. The music is cheerful and the dancers hold each other tightly. People become closer to each other by dancing together.
Singing is also a talent for many Latin Americans. Many singers there are internationally famous. Shakira from Colombia and Rihanna from Barbados are famous Latin American musicians. Their music usually has strong rhythms, which is a tradition in Latin music.
Would you like to go to Latin America and enjoy its sights and sounds?
Carnivals
Latin Americans know how to have fun. They hold world-famous carnivals. From late January to early March is the carnival season. People dress in colorful clothes, hold parades, and have a good time. Brazil’s Carnival is the biggest carnival in the world. Lots of people join it every year.
Xi in Latin America
From Nov 30 to Dec 1, the 13th Group of 20 summit took place in Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina. Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Argentina and took part in the summit. Later, he went to Panama, another country in Latin America.
Xi spoke highly of the rich culture of Latin America. He encouraged Chinese teenagers to go to Argentina for soccer training. He also said that he hopes China, Argentina and Panama can work together more in the future.
Quick facts
Latin America includes more than 30 countries and areas. They are all in the south of the United States in the American continent. Latin America starts from Mexico in North America. Then, it goes through the Caribbean and down into South America.
Many people in Latin America are mixed-blood. Natives, Africans and Europeans have lived together in Latin America for more than 400 years.
Most Latin American countries speak Spanish, but people in Brazil speak Portuguese. A few of the smaller countries speak some other languages as well.
1. What kinds of natural beauty are there in Latin America?
2. Which dance genres come from Latin America according to the passage?
3. What is the time period of the carnival season?
4. Where did the 13th Group of 20 summit take place?
5. What language do Brazilians speak?
【推荐1】Many Chinese students are good at English grammar, but their spoken English is so poor that they can’t speak in class or have a talk with others. There may be some reasons for their problems with spoken English.
First, they fail to express themselves clearly because of a limited (有限的) vocabulary. The useful way is to enlarge their vocabulary. However, you can still communicate with others with a limited vocabulary, if you are active. Others will understand you with the help of your body language.
Second, they are worried about making mistakes. Because they are shy and nervous, sometimes they may make mistakes easily. Yet we should know what we aim at is FLUENCE (流利) not ACCURACY (精确) when speaking. So we should speak as quickly and well as we can, even though sometimes we may use a wrong word or tense (时态), but it doesn’t matter because others will still understand you.
The third reason is that they don’t pay enough attention to listening to what others are saying. So while you are speaking, you can’t find the suitable topic or words to say. You have one mouth but two ears! What you hear is necessary for you to start speaking.
Fourth, most Chinese students are passive (被动的) language learners. They just sit there waiting for speaking chances, and don’t actively look for chances to improve their spoken English. All they can get is to accept the fact that their English remains poor.
So please be active from now on, try to catch every chance to speak wherever you go.
1.2. If students have a wide vocabulary, they will
3. Students needn’t
4. They should pay attention to listening to others’
5. Few Chinese students are active to learn languages in class. They’d better look for chances to improve their spoken English
【推荐2】Is an earthquake dangerous? Yes, of course. But this doesn't mean you can't do anything about it. If you know what to do in an earthquake, you can be safe.
Keep a cool head. Worry may cause (引起) bad decisions. Don' t follow others blindly(盲目地). Think about what you should do. The first several minutes are important.
When you are indoors during an earthquake, quickly move to a safe place in the room such as under a desk or table. Take care of your head. Stay away from windows.
When you are in a busy room and far away from the door, don't rush to it. You will find too many people trying to escape at the same time. Instead, stay under a desk or table.
Don't use an elevator. You may not get out of it.
Stay in a safe place until you are sure it's OK to leave. Some aftershocks (余震) may follow an earthquake. These are as dangerous as the earthquake.
If you are in debris(废墟), try to free your hands and legs. You may make much noise by hitting (打击) stones. Shouting will make you tired. Try to find some water and food. They are important for you if you aren't found in a short time. Wait patiently for help.
1. An earthquake is2. When there is an earthquake,
3. When you are indoors during an earthquake, taking care of
You can stay away from windows or
4. Aftershocks are
5. If you are in debris, you can
【推荐3】It’s always said that reading is good for teenagers. Have you ever really thought why that’s true? Here are some advantages (优点) of reading.
Improving language skills.
Reading can help you study grammar, vocabulary and so on. It’s very helpful for you to build up the knowledge of the language. Besides, the more you read, the more quickly you’ll find the information you want in the books.
Providing fun and relaxation.
Reading books takes you to a new world where you can forget tiredness and fear. You can give a new ending to the story, or even imagine you’re the main character of the story. That will give you much relaxation and improve your imagination.
Improving computer skills.
Reading through the computer is becoming more and more popular. You can find any kind of information on the Internet. Surfing the Internet can help you develop computer skills that you'll need at school and in the future life.
Knowing the outside world.
Books can tell you about people from other parts of the world. Through books, you can learn what happened in the past and what is happening around the world.
Increasing social skills.
Books are good teachers, so reading good books can teach you how to be successful and how to deal with problems. It’s easier for you to find your ways.
阅读以上短文，用恰当的词完成下面的表格，每空一词。
Title: Advantages of
| Improving language skills. | ● Helping you learn grammar, vocabulary and so on. ● Helping you build up the |
| Providing fun and relaxation. | ● Taking you to a new world where you can forget tiredness and fear. ● Making you |
| Improving computer skills. | Helping you develop computer skills that you’ll need. |
| Knowing the outside world. | Helping you learn about the |
| Increasing social skills. | ● Teaching you how to be successful. ● Making you find ways to solve problems more |
High ‘five’, national parks!
What do you like to do at the park – fly kites, have a picnic, play sports?
National parks are large areas of public (公共的) land. They give a safe home to plants and animals. They help keep the air and water clean. They are also great places to travel to. You can see colorful plants and wild animals, as well as amazing views (景色).
China now has five national parks. They protect nearly 30 percent of the important wildlife species (野生物种) in China. Let’s take a look at three of them.
Three-River-Source National Park 三江源国家公园
Location: Qinghai and Tibet
Three-River-Source National Park is the largest national park in China. Covering 190,700 square kilometers, it is about 14 times the area of Yellowstone National Park in the United States. People call it “China’s water tower” because it is home to the sources (源头) of the Yangtze, Yellow and Lancang rivers. It is also home to hundreds of animal species. Many of them are under state protection, such as wild yaks (牦牛) and snow leopards (雪豹).
Giant Panda National Park 大熊猫国家公园
Location: Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu
More than 70 percent of China’s giant pandas live there! There are more than 1,600 wild giant pandas in total (总共). The park connects (连接) 82 small panda homes in these three provinces. Pandas and their “neighbors” can live and play together. Besides pandas, leopards and wolves also live in the park.
Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park 海南热带雨林国家公园
Location: Hainan
As big as 4,269 square km, it has the largest tropical forest in China. The forest covers nearly 74 percent of the park. More than 400 kinds of plants grow only in Hainan. There are 35 Hainan gibbons (长臂猿). They are the only surviving (幸存的) members of the species in the world. What’s more, Hainan’s three highest mountains are in the park.
Other two national parks
Wuyi Mountain National Park 武夷山国家公园
Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park 东北虎豹国家公园
Win-win situation
People living in the national parks don’t have to move out. They can start eco-friendly (环境友好的) businesses or work for the parks. This helps improve their lives.
In 2018, a local group in Three-River-Source National Park held a nature observation (观察) activity. Travelers got to look at how animals live there.
Since 2016, the park has helped make jobs for more than 17,000 local herdsmen (牧民). Their yearly family incomes (收入) have grown by an average (平均) of 21,600 yuan, China Daily reported.
【回答问题】
1. What is the largest national park in China?
2. Why do people call Three-River-Source National Park “China’s water tower”?
3. Where is Giant Panda National Park?
4. How many kinds of plants grow only in Hainan?
5. How many Hainan gibbons are there in Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park?
