英语选修6课文(reading)

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1、word选修6 Unit 1 Art-ReadingA SHORT HISTORY OF WESTERN PAINTING Art is influenced by the customs and faith of a people. Styles in Western art have changed many times. As there are so many different styles of Western art, it would be impossible to describe all of them in such a short text. Consequently

2、, this text will describe only the most important ones, starting from the sixth century AD.The Middle Ages (5th to the 15th century AD) During the Middle Ages, the main aim of painters was to represent religious themes. A conventional artist of this period was not interested in showing nature and pe

3、ople as they really were. A typical picture at this time was full of religious symbols, which created feeling of respect and love for God. But it was evident that ideas were changing in the 13th century when painters like Giotto di Bondone began to paint religious scenes in a more realistic way.The

4、Renaissance (15th to 16th century) During the Renaissance, new ideas and values graduallv replaced those held in the Middle Ages.People began to concentrate less on religious themes and adopt a more humanistic attitude to life. At the same time painters returned to classical Roman and Greek ideas ab

5、out art. They tried to paint people and nature as they really were. Rich people wanted to possess their own paintings, so they could decorate their superb palaces and great houses. They paid famous artists to paint pictures of themselves, their houses and possessions as well as their activities and

6、achievements. One of the most important discoveries during this period was how to draw things in perspective. This technique was first used by Masaccio in 1428. When people first saw his paintings, they were convinced that they were looking through a hole in a wall at a real scene. If the roles of p

7、erspective had not been discovered, no one would have been able to paint such realistic pictures. By coincidence, oil paints were also developed at this time, which made the colours used in paintings look richer and deeper. Without the new paints and the new technique, we would not be able to see th

8、e many great masterpieces for which this period is famous.Impressionism (late 19th to early 20th century) In the late 19th century, Europe changed a great deal. from a mostly agricultural society to a mostly industrial one. Many people moved from the countryside to the new cities. There were many ne

9、w inventions and social changes. Naturally, these changes also led to new painting styles. Among the painters who broke away from the traditional style of painting were the Impressionists, who lived and worked in Paris. The Impressionists were the first painters to work outdoors. They were eager to

10、show how light and shadow fell on objects at different times of day. However, because natural light changes so quickly, the Impressionists had to paint quickly. Their paintings were not as detailed as those of earlier painters. At first, many people disliked this style of painting and became very an

11、gr about it. They said that the painters were careless and their paintings were ridiculous.Modern Art (20th century to today) At the time they were created, the Impressionist paintings were controversial, but today they are accepted as the beginning of what we call modem art. This is because the Imp

12、ressionists encouraged artists to look at their environment in new ways. There are scores of modern art styles, but without the Impressionists, many of these painting styles might not exist. On the one hand, some modem art is abstract; that is, the painter does not attempt to paint objects as we see

13、 them with our eyes, but instead concentrates on certain qualities of the object, using colour, line and shape to represent them. On the other hand, some paintings of modern art are so realistic that they look like photographs. These styles are so different. Who can predict what painting styles ther

14、e will be in the future?THE BEST OF MANHATTANS ART GALLERIES The Frick Collection (5th Avenue and E.70th Street) Many art lovers would rather visit this small art gallery than any other in New York. Henry Clay Frick, a rich New Yorker, died in 1919, leaving his house, furniture and art collection to

15、 the American people. Frick had a preference for pre-twentieth century Western paintings, and these are well-represented in this excellent collection. You can also explore Fricks beautiful home and garden which are well worth a Visit.Guggenheim Museum(5th Avenue and 88th Street) This museum owns 5,0

16、00 superb modern paintings, sculptures and drawings. These art works are not all displayed at the same time. The exhibition is always changing. It will appeal to those who love Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings. The Guggenheim Museum building is also world-famous. When you walk into gal

17、lery, you feel as if youwere inside a fragile, white seashell. The best way to see the paintings is to start from the top floor and walk down to the bottom. There are no stairs just a circular path. The museum also has an excellent restaurant.Metropolitan Museum of Art (5th Avenue and 82nd Street) T

18、he reputation of this museum lies in the variety of its art collection. This covers more than 5,000 years of civilization from many parts of the world, including America, Europe, China, Egypt, other African countries and South America. The museum displays more than just the visual delights of art. I

19、t introduces you to ancient ways of living. You can visit an Egyptian temple, a fragrant Ming garden, a typical room in an 18th century French house and many other special exhibitions.Museum of Modern Art (53rd Street, between 5th and 6th Avenues) It is amazing that so many great works of art from t

20、he late 19th century to the 21st century are housed in the same museum. The collection of Western art includes paintings by such famous artists as Monet, Van Gogh, Picasso and Matisse. A few words of warning: the admission price is not cheap and the museum is often very crowded.Whitney Museum of Ame

21、rican Art (945 Madison Avenue, near 75th Street) The Whitney holds an excellent collection of contemporary American painting and sculpture. There are no permanent displays in this museum and exhibitions change all the time. Every two years, the Whitney holds a special exhibition of new art by living

22、 artists. The museum also shows videos and films by contemporary video artists.选修6 Unit 2 Poems-Reading A FEW SIMPLE FORMS OF ENGLISH POEMS There are various reasons why people write poetry. Some poems tell a story or describe something in a way that will give the reader a strong impression. Others

23、try to convey certain emotions. Poets use many different forms of poetry to express themselves. In this text, however, we will look at a few of the simpler forms. Some of the first poetry a young child learns in English is nursery rhymes. These rhymes like the one on the right (A) are still a mon ty

24、pe of childrens poetry. The language is concrete but imaginative, and they delight small children because they rhyme, have strong rhythm and a lot of repetition. The poems may not make sense and even seem contradictory, but they are easy to learn and recite. By playing with the words in nursery rhym

25、es, children learn about language.A Hush, little baby, dont say a word, Papas going to buy you a mockingbird. If that mockingbird wont sing, Papas going to buy you a diamond ring. If that diamond ring turns to brass, Papas going to buy you a looking-glass. If that looking-glass gets broke, Papas goi

26、ng to buy you a billy-goat. If that billy-goat runs away, Papas going to buy you another today. One of the simplest kinds of poems are those like B and C that list things. List poems have a flexible line length and repeated phrases which give both a pattern and a rhythm to the poem. Some rhyme (like

27、 B) while others do not (like C).B I saw a fish-portal all on fire I saw a fish-pond all on fire, I saw a house bow to a squire, I saw a person twelve-feet high, I saw a cottage in the sky, I saw a balloon made of lead, I saw a coffin drop down dead, I saw two sparrows run a race, I saw two horses m

28、aking lace, I saw g girl just like a cat, I saw a kitten wear a hat, I saw a man who saw these too, And said though strange they all were true.C Our first football match We would have won . if Jack had scored that goal, if wed had just a few more minutes, if we had trained harder, if Ben had passed

29、the ball to Joe, if wed had thousands of fans screaming, if I hadnt taken my eye off the ball, if we hadnt stayed up so late the night before, if we hadnt taken it easy, if we hadnt run out of energy. We would have won . if wed been better! Another simple form of poem that students can easily write

30、is the cinquain, a poem made up of five lines. With these, students can convey a strong picture in just a few words. Look at the examples (D and E) on the top of the next page.D Brother Beautiful, athletic Teasing, shouting, laughing Friend and enemy too MineE Summer Sleepy, salty Drying, drooping,

31、dreading Week in, week out EndlessF A fallen blossom Is ing back to the branch. Look, a butterfly! ( by Moritake)G Snow having melted, The whole village is brimful Of happy children. (by Issa) Haiku is a Japanese form of poetry that is made up of 17 syllables. It is not a traditional form of English

32、 poetry, but is very popular with English writers. It is easy to write and, like the cinquain , can give a clear picture and create a special feeling using the minimum of words. The two haiku poems (F and G) above are translations from the Japanese. H Where she awaits her husband On and on the river

33、 flows. Never looking back,Transformed into stone.Day by day upon the mountain top,wind and rain revolve.Should the traveller return,this stone would utter speech., (by Wang Jian) Did you know that English speakers also enjoy other forms of Asian poetry - Tang poems from China in particular? A lot o

34、f Tang poetry has been translated into English. This Tang poem (H) is a translation from the Chinese. With so many different forms of poetry to choose from, students may eventually want to write poems of their own. It is easier than you might think and certainly worth a try! IVE SAVED THE SUMMERIve

35、saved the summer And I give it all to you To hold on winter mornings When the snow is new.Ive saved some sunlightIf you should ever need A place away from darkness Where your mind can feed.And for myself Ive kept your smile When you were but nineteen,Till youre older youll not knowWhat brave young s

36、miles can mean.I know no answers To help you on your way The answers lie somewhere At the bottom of the day.But if youve a need for loveIll give you all l ownIt might help you down the roadTill youve found your own. (by Rod McKuen)选修6 Unit 3 A healthy life-ReadingADVICE FROM GRANDADDear James,It is

37、a beautiful day here and I am sitting under the big tree at the end of the garden. I have just returned from a long bike ride to an old castle. It seems amazing that at my age I am still fit enough to cycle 20 kilometres in an afternoon. Its my birthday in two weeks time and Ill be 82 years old! I t

38、hink my long and active life must be due to the healthy life I live. This brings me to the real reason for my letter, my dear grandson. Your mother tells me that you started smoking some time ago and now you are finding it difficult to give it up. Believe me, I know how easy it is to begin smoking a

39、nd how tough it is to stop. You see, during adolescence I also smoked and became addicted to cigarettes.By the way, did you know that this is because you bee addicted in three different ways? First, you can bee physically addicted to nicotine, which is one of the hundreds of chemicals in cigarettes.

40、 This means that after a while your body bees accustomed to having nicotine in it. So when the drug leaves your body, you get withdrawal symptoms. I remember feeling bad-tempered and sometimes even in pain. Secondly, you bee addicted through habit. As you know, if you do the same thing over and over

41、 again, you begin to do it automatically. Lastly, you can bee mentally addicted. I believed I was happier and more relaxed after having a cigarette, so I began to think that I could only feel good when I smoked. I was addicted in all three ways, so it was very difficult to quit. But I did finally ma

42、nage.When I was young, I didnt know much about the harmful effects of smoking. I didnt know, for example, that it could do terrible damage to your heart and lungs or that it was more difficult for smoking couples to bee pregnant. I certainly didnt know their babies may have a smaller birth weight or

43、 even be abnormal in some way. Neither did I know that my cigarette smoke could affect the health of non-smokers. However, what I did know was that my girlfriend thought I smelt terrible. She said my breath and clothes smelt, and that the ends of my fingers were turning yellow. She told me that she

44、wouldnt go out with me again unless I stopped! I also noticed that I became breathless quickly, and that I wasnt enjoying sport as much. When I was taken off the school football team because I was unfit, I knew it was time to quit smoking.I am sending you some advice I found on the Internet. It migh

45、t help you to stop and strengthen your resolve. I do hope so because I want you to live as long and healthy a life as I have. Love fromGrandadReading and discussingBefore you read the poster below, discuss what you know about HIV/AIDS with your classmates. Make a list of words that you might e acros

46、s in this poster.HIV/AIDS:ARE YOU AT RISK? HIV is a virus. A virus is a very small living thing that causes disease. There are many different viruses, for example, the flu virus or the SARS virus. HIV weakens a persons immune system; that is, the part of the body that fights disease. You can have HI

47、V in your blood for a long time, but eventually HIV will damage your immune system so much that you body can no longer fight disease. This stage of the illness is called AIDS. If you develop AIDS, your chances of survival are very small. HIV is spread through blood or the fluid that the body makes d

48、uring sex. For a person to bee infected, blood or sexual fluid that carries the virus, has to get inside the body through broken skin or by injection. One day scientists will find a cure for HIV/AIDS.Until that happens, you need to protect yourself. Here are some things you can do to make sure you s

49、tay safe.If you inject drugs:do not share your needle with anyone else. Blood from another person can stay on or in the needle. If a person has HIV and you use the same needle, you could inject the virus into your own blood.do not share anything else that a person has used while injecting drugs.Bloo

50、d could have spilt on it.If you have sex with a male or a female:use a condom. This will prevent sexual fluid passing from one person to another. The following statements are NOT true.A person cannot get HIV the first time they have sex.WRONG. If one sexual partner has HIV, the other partner could b

51、ee infected.You can tell by looking at someone whether or not they have HIV.WRONG. Many people carrying HIV look perfectly healthy. It is only when the disease has progressed to AIDS that a person begins to look sick.Only homosexuals get AIDS.WRONG. Anyone who has sex with a person infected with H1V

52、/AIDS risks getting the virus. Women are slightly more likely to bee infected than men.If you hug, touch or kiss someone with AIDS or visit them in their home, you will get HIV/AIDS.WRONG.You can only get the disease from blood or sexual fluid.Unfortunately, people with HIV sometimes lose their frie

53、nds because of prejudice.Many people are afraid that they will get HIV/AIDS from those infected with HIV!AIDS. For the same reason, some AIDS patients cannot find anyone to look after them when they are sick. You can get HIV/AIDS from mosquitoes.WRONG. There is no evidence of this.选修6 Unit 4 Global

54、warming-ReadingTHE EARTH IS BEING WARMER-BUT DOES IT MATTER? During the 20th century the temperature of the earth rose about one degree Fahrenheit. That probably does not seem much to you or me, but it is a rapid increase when pared to other natural changes. So how has this e about and does it matte

55、r? Earth Cares Sophie Armstrong explores these questions. There is no doubt that the earth is being warmer (see Graph 1) and that it is human activitythat has caused this global warming rather than a random but natural phenomenon. All scientists subscribe to the view that the increase in the earths

56、temperature is due to the burning of fossil fuels like coal, natural gas and oil to produce energy. Some byproducts of this process are called greenhouse gases, the most important one of which is carbon dioxide. Dr Janice Foster explains: There is a natural phenomenon that scientists call the greenh

57、ouse effect. This is when small amounts of gases in the atmosphere, like carbon dioxide, methane and water vapour, trap heat from the sun and therefore warm the earth. Without the greenhouse effect, the earth would be about thirty-three degrees Celsius cooler than it is. So, we need those gases. The

58、 problem begins when we add huge quantities of extra carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. It means that more heat energy tends to be trapped in the atmosphere causing the global temperature to go up. We know that the levels of carbon dioxide have increased greatly over the last 100 to 150 years. It w

59、as a scientist called Charles Keeling, who made accurate measurements of the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere from 1957 to 1997. He found that between these years the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere went up from around 315 parts to around 370 parts per million(see Graph 2). All scientists

60、 accept this data. They also agree that it is the burning of more and more fossilfuels that has resulted in this increase in carbon dioxide. So how high will the temperature increase go? Dr Janice Foster says that over the next 100 years the amount of warming could be as low as 1 to 1.5 degrees Cels

61、ius, but it could be as high as 5 degrees. However, the attitude of scientists towards this rise is pletely different. On the one hand, Dr Foster thinks that the trend which increases the temperature by 5 degrees would be a catastrophe. She says, We cant predict the climate well enough to know what

62、to expect, but it could be very serious. Others who agree with her think there may be a rise of several metres in the sea level, or predict severe storms, floods, droughts, famines, the spread of diseases and the disappearance of species. On the other hand, there are those, like George Hambley, who

63、are opposed to this view, believe that we should not worry about high levels of carbon dioxide in the air. They predict that any warming will be mild with few bad environmental consequences. In fact, Hambley states, More carbon dioxide is actually a positive thing. It will make plants grow quicker; crops will produce more; it will encourage a greater range of animals - all