1 . 【课文原文】

WELCOME TO CHINATOWN!

The Chinatown in San Francisco is the biggest in America, and also the oldest. It is a very popular tourist draw that receives more visitors each year than even the Golden Gate Bridge. The climate is mild all year round, meaning it is always a good time to visit.

Historically, Chinese immigrants settled in the area during the railroad construction and gold rush period. What started as a residential area for Chinese immigrantsthen turned into a centre for Chinese culture. The majority of residents in Chinatown are still ethnic Chinese, many of whom do not speak English fluently. This allows visitors to experience a real taste of China.

Most of Chinatown was destroyed in the 1906 earthquake, but the city and residents rebuilt it, taking care to include lots of Chinese architecture. Traditionally, visitors enter Chinatown through the legendary Dragon Gate, which was built using materials donated from China. Other famous sites include the Tin How Temple and Bank of Canton, to name but a few. Visitors can also spend hours just exploring the interesting sights, smells, and sounds of China. Portsmouth Square is also a key site, being the centre of Chinatown.

It has a long and famous history, with the author Robert Louis Stevenson having spent much time writing there. These days, the square is a great place to see traditional Chinese culture in real life, such as games of Chinese chess, and people practising tai chi.

The stores in the Chinatown offer a unique range of souvenirs, goods, and clothing. All kinds of traditional Chinese herbal medicine can be found, too, and there are Chinese tea stores, where visitors can taste and buy varieties of Chinese tea.

But perhaps what many tourists and San Franciscans treasure most about Chinatown is its food. There is Chinese food to suit everyone’s taste, with traditional dishes from all over China.

Chinatowns are an important part of the diverse culture of the USA. They allow visitors who have never been to China to experience traditional Chinese culture first hand.

1. Fast reading
The text is mainly about the profile of ____________ in California, which focuses on its ____________.
2. Careful reading
True or False
1. The weather in the Chinatown in San Francisco is very changeable all year round. ______
2. The residents in the Chinatown are all Chinese. ______
3. After the 1906 earthquake, the Dragon Gate in Chinatown was built using materials donated from China. ______
4. The Portsmouth Square is now a great place to see traditional Chinese culture in real life. ______
5. All kinds of traditional Chinese herbal medicine can be bought in the Chinatown. ______
6. Many tourists and San Franciscans treasure the stores most about Chinatown. ______
3. Post­reading
Analyse the sentences
1. The climate is mild all year round, meaning it is always a good time to visit.
[分析]　meaning it is always a good time to visit是现在分词短语作______。
[翻译]_______________________________________________________________________________
2. What started as a residential area for Chinese immigrants then turned into a center for Chinese culture.
[分析]　What started as a residential area for Chinese immigrants是______从句。
[翻译] _______________________________________________________________________________
3. Traditionally visitors enter Chinatown through the legendary Dragon Gate, which was built using materials donated from China.
[分析]　which was built using materials donated from China是______从句；using materials donated from China是现在分词短语作方式______；donated from China是过去分词短语作materials的______。
[翻译] _______________________________________________________________________________

2 . Paraphrase the underlined words in the passage

Yosemite is a national park in California. It is very beautiful and big. The park includes more than 760,000 acres in the California Mountains. Most of the park is wilderness.

The part of Yosemite that everyone likes is Yosemite Valley. It is a tiny valley that is 7 miles long and less than 1 mile wide. It has tall rock walls and streams that splash down in waterfalls. More than two million visitors come to the valley each year.

One ranger says that the number of visitors is more than the land can handle. The valley has 4,500 camping spots. It has a hotel that can hold 4,000 families. This is still not enough to serve all of the visitors. The valley has grown so big that it has a lot of traffic and crime.

A worker says the park is trying to keep the beauty of the park and let everyone visit. Some areas have been fenced off from keep people away and planted with seeds to try to keep them beautiful.

A former worker thinks Yosemite should get more money to take better care of the park. He would also like to teach people what the park service is trying to do.

Some people are trying to save Yosemite Valley. A plan has been made to get rid of some buildings. There will be fewer cars allowed inside the park. More buses will help get people around.

1. wilderness ___________________________________________________
2. splash down _________________________________________________
3. handle______________________________________________________
4. spots _____________________________________________________
5. fenced off from______________________________________________
6. get rid of __________________________________________________