高中外研版英语教材选修9课文

Module 1

Part 1: Pygmalion －the Play

There is a classical Greek myth in which a king, Pygmalion, carves a statue of a beautiful woman. The statue comes to life, and the king falls in love with the woman he has created and marries her. Shaw?s most famous play, Pygmalion, is based on this myth.

Pygmalion is a comedy about a pronunciation expert called Professor Henry Higgins. Higgins, as a kind of experiment, tries to make a lady out of an uneducated girl called Eliza Doolittle, who sells flowers in the street. He bets a friend called Pickering, that he can not only teach the girl to speak well, but also to behave in a refined way, so that those who meet her believe she is a real lady. He decides to do this because he wants to prove that social class is about “appearanc e” only. Higgins believes that class is not connected with your true character, it is connected with how you appear to others, how you talk and behave. Eliza goes to stay with Higgins and his friend Pickering, and helps to look after the house while receiving lessons from Higgins in how to speak correctly. She slowly changes, becoming a beautiful and charming young woman. Higgins introduces Eliza to polite society, which accepts that is a “body”, and the professor wins his bet.

However, Higgins is domineering in behaviour towards Eliza, and does not treat her well. The girl is half in love with Higgins, but to the professor, Eliza is more like a daughter or servant whom he needs and has become fond of. Eliza rebels against Higgins, who finally has to accept that she has become a strong and independent young woman. Realising that Higgins will never really love her, Eliza leaves the house and marries a young man who she knows cares a lot for her. They start a flower shop, helped by Higgins and Pickering, with whom she remains good friends.

As well as the theme of class. Shaw explores relationships between men and women. It is clear that Higgins treats women as objects. Eliza, however, insists that Higgins respect her and the story ends with her winning his respect. A famous film called My Fair Lady was made from the play in 1964.

Part 2: Extract from Pygmalion

PICKERING: [gently] What is it you want, my girl?

ELIZA: I want to be a lady in a flower shop instead of selling on a street corner. But they won?t take me unless I can talk better. He said he could teach me. Well, here 1 am ready to pay him－ and he treats me as if I was dirt.

MRS PEARCE: How can you think you could afford to pay Mr Higgins?

El IZA: Why shouldn?t I? I know what lessons cost as well as you do; and I?m ready to pay.

HIGGINS: How much do you suggest you pay me for the lessons?

ELIZA: Oh, I know what?s right. I won?t give more than a shilling. Take it or leave it. HIGGINS: You know, Pickering, if you consider a shilling, not as a simple shilling, but as a percentage of this girl?s income, it?s a great deal of money. It?s enormous! It?s the biggest offer 1 ever had.

PICKFRING: Higgins, I?m interested. What about the ambassador?s party? I?ll say you?re the greatest teacher alive if you can take her to it, and make people believe she?s a lady. I?ll bet you that you can?t do it. And I?ll pay for the lessons.

ELIZA: Oh, you are real good. Thank you, sir.

HIGGINS: She?s so wonderfully dirty!

ELIZA: Ah-oooo!!! I m not dirty! I washed my face and hands before I come, 1 did. I?m a good girl, I am.

PICKFRING: You?re not exactly polite to her, Higgins.

HIGGINS: [becoming excited]What is life but one challenge after another? The difficulty is finding them. Never lose a chance: it doesn?t come every day. I shall make a queen out of this street girl!

ELIZA: Ah-oo!

HIGGINS: Yes, in six months I?ll take her anywhere and pass her off as anything. We?ll start today－ now! This moment! Take her away and clean her, Mrs Pearce.

Bernard Shaw, perhaps more than most dramatists, used the characters in his plays to express his ideas. However, he often succeeded in creating very real characters, and Eliza Doolittle and Professor Henry Higgins are two of Shaw?s most delightful

creations.

What is most interesting about Eliza is the way that she develops, both in appearance and personality. In his first description of her, Shaw describes her as “not at all an attractive person”. He says that “she needs ... a dentist”, and that “compared to the ladies she is very dirty”. Six months later, she looks very different. Her pretty complexion and sophisticated clothes make her appearance so beautiful that when she enters a room, everyone stands up!

Eliza, taught by Henry Higgins, learns to speak correctly and to act like a lady. But what Higgins does not expect is the deep changes that take place in Eliza. When we first meet Eliza she has no manners, but says whatever comes into her head, without thinking. At the same time, she is unable to express herself. For example, when Higgins is rude lo her, she cries “Aa-oo” rather than make an actual reply. However, by the time of the ambassador?s party, Eliza is a very different creature, able to express her deepest feelings. She has become strong and independent, a young woman who is able to ask for what she needs and wants.

Shaw describes Professor Higgins as a well-built, lively man in his early forties. He has a beard and a moustache and a high forehead, “the scientific type ... careless about himself and other people, including their feelings”. Higgins does not change in the way that Eliza does. He learns to respect Eliza, but it is clear that he will never love her the way that she could love him, if he allowed it. However, the professor is extremely honest, amusing and confident, with no real unkindness, and as a result he is very likeable. We recognise Higgins as a certain type of person who we all know, the insensitive but brilliant professor who is interested in ideas rather than people.

ELIZA: [crushed by superior strength and weight] What?s to become of me? What?s to become of me?

HIGGINS: How t he devil do I know what?s to become of you? What does it matter what becomes of you?

ELIZA: You don?t care. I know you don?t care. You wouldn?t care if I was dead. I?m nothing to you －not so much as them slippers.

HIGGINS:[thundering] Those slippers.

ELIZA: [with bitter submission] Those slippers. I didn?t think it made any difference now.

A pause. Eliza hopeless and crushed. Higgins a little uneasy.

HIGGINS: [in his loftiest manner] Why have you begun going on like this? May I ask whether you complain of your treatment here?

ELIZA: No.

HIGGINS: Has anybody behaved badly to you? Colonel Pickering? Mrs Pearce? Any of the servants?

ELIZA: No.

HIGGINS: I presume you don?t pretend that I have treated you badly.

ELIZA: No.

HIGGINS: I am glad to hear it. [He moderates his tone.] Perhaps you?re tired after the strain of the day. Will you have a glass of champagne? [He moves towards the door.] ELIZA: No. [recollecting her manners] Thank you.

HIGGINS: [good-humoured again] This has been coming on you for some days. I suppose it was natural for you to be anxious about the garden party. But that?s all over now. [He pats her kindly on the shoulder. She writhes.] There?s nothing more to worry about.

ELIZA: No. Nothing more for you to worry about. [She suddenly rises and gets away from him by going to the piano bench, where she sits and hides her face.] Oh God! I wish I was dead.

HIGGINS: [starting after her in sincere surprise] Why? In heaven?s name, why? [reasonably, going to her] Listen to me, Eliza. All this irritation is purely subjective. ELIZA: I don?t understand. I?m too ignorant.

HIGGINS: It?s only imagination. Low spirits and nothing else. Nobody?s hurting you. Nothing?s wrong. You go to bed like a good girl and sleep it off. Have a little cry and say your prayers: that will make you comfortable.

ELIZA:I heard your prayers. “Thank God it?s all over!”

HIGGINS:[impatiently]Well, don?t you thank God it?s all over? Now you ar e free and can do what you like.

ELIZA: [pulling herself together in desperation] What am I fit for? What have you

left me fit for? where am I to go? What am I to do? What?s to become of me? HIGGINS:[enlightened but not at all impressed] Oh, That?s what?s worrying you, is it? [He thrusts his hands into his pockets, and walks about in his usual manner, rattling the contents of his pockets, as if condescending to a trivial subject out of pure kindness.] I shouldn?t bother about it if I were I should imagine you won?t have much difficulty in settling yourself somewhere or other, though I hadn?t quite realised that you were go away. [She looks quickly at him: he does not look at her, but examines the dessert stand on the piano and decides that he will eat an apple.] You might marry, you know. [He bites a large piece out of the apple, and munches it noisily.] You see, Eliza, all men are not confirmed old bachelors like me and the Colonel. Most men are the marrying sort (poor devils!); and you?re not bad-looking; it?s quite a pleasu re to look at you sometimes－not now, of course, because you?re crying and looking as ugly as the very devil; but when you?re all right and quite yourself, you?re what I should call attractive. That is, to the people in the marrying line, you understand. You go to bed and have a good nice rest: and then get up and look at yourself in the glass; and you won t feel so cheap.

Eliza again looks at him, speechless, and doers not stir.

The look is quite lost on him: he eats his apple with a dreamy expression of happiness, as it is quite a good one.

HIGGINS: [a genial afterthought occurring to him] I dare say my mother could find some chap or other who would do very well.

ELIZA: We were above that at the corner of Tottenham Court Road.

HIGGINS: [waking up] What do you mean?

ELIZA: I sold flowers. I didn?t sell myself. Now you?ve made a lady of me. I?m not fit to sell anything else. I wish you?d left me where you found me.

Doolittle’s Monologue

Eliza Doolittle?s father is a poor, dishonest but very amusing man. A s a result of a meeting with Henry Higgins, he becomes a rich man. In the monologue below, he complains amusingly about the problems of having money. Doolittle is a working-

class man and speaks working-class English. See the notes below for expressions that are hard to understand.

Doolittle: It ain?t1 the lecturing I mind, It?s making a gentleman of me that I object to. Who asked him to make a gentleman of me? I was happy. I was free. Now I am worried, tied neck and heels; and everybody touches2 me for mone y. It?s a fine thing for you, says my solicitor. Is it? says31. You mean it?s a good thing for you,I says4. When I was a poor man and had a solicitor once, he got shut of me5 as quick as he could. Same with the doctors: used to shove me out of the hospital before I could hardly stand on my legs, and nothing to pay. Now they finds6 out that I?m not a healthy man and can?t unless they looks7 after me twice a day. In the house I?m not let do a hand?s turn for myself: somebody else must do it and touch me for it. A year ago I hadn?t a relative in the world except one or two that wouldn?t speak to me. Now I?ve fifty, and not a decent week?s wages among the lot of them. I have to live for others and not for myself: that?s middle class morality. You talk of losing Eliza. Don?t you be anxious: I bet she?s on my doorstep by this evening: she that could support herself easy by selling flowers if I wasn?t respectable. And the next one to touch me will be you, Enry Iggins8. I?ll have to learn to speak middle class langu age from you, instead of speaking proper English. That?s where you?ll come in; and I dare say that?s what you done9 it for.

1 isn’t

2 Asks for money

3 said

4 Said

5 Got rid of me

6 find

7 look

8 Henry Higgins

9 did

A The musical My Fair Lady D Prizes won by the film

B The film of the musical E Why the musical was a success

C The original play Pygmalion

1_____________________

George Bernard Shaw always believed that women were far more sane and loving than men. His most famous play, pygmalion, shows the hero, Professor Higgins, as selfish and rather cold, and the heroine, Eliza Doolittle ,as strong and loving. This did not stop the play from being hugely successful when it first appeared on the stage in 1912. Its popularity continued and in 1938 the play was made into a film, with Shaw himself writing the screenplay.

2_____________________

At this point writer Alan Jay Lerner and composer Frederick Loewe started work on a musical version of the play. It took them several years, but finally in 1956, they had a new script, a new title－My Fair Lady－and 13 songs. The show opened in New York and stayed open until 1962, a theatrical record, It won every theatrical award and made musical theatre history because it was produced in 11 languages and 21 countries. The role of Eliza Doolittle was considered one of the greatest stage roles in the theatre.

3_____________________

Part of the success of the musical was due to the fact that Lerner had changed the story. In the original story, the drama came from the fact that a professor was trying to change a street girl into a “l ady”. However, the musical My Fair Lady is above all an enchanting love story in which the heroine falls in love, the hero is not interested, she is transformed, he falls in love, she leaves but returns to him. The songs, which were both clever and witty, also played a large part in the musicals success. Songs such as “The Rain in Spain”and “I Could Have Danced All Night”are still immensely popular today, many years later.

4_____________________

Eventually, a film based on the musical was made. Director George Cukor kept many elements of the musical, including the songs and the new ending. It was expensive to produce, costing 17 million US dollars, but was one of the top five most successful films of 1964. Film star Rex Harrison, who had starred in the musical, played

Professor Higgins, and the established film star Audrey Hepburn played Eliza. It was generally agreed that the famously slim and elegant Hepburn was perfect in the role of Eliza. However, the star herself was most disappointed that despite months of singing practice, the producers decided that her voice was not good enough for the songs, and in the film it is the voice of Marni Nixon that we hear.

5_____________________

The film, which was wonderful to look at, won eight Academy awards including Best Picture, Best Actor (for Rex Harrison), Best Director and Best Costume Design. Would Bernard Shaw have been pleased? We will never know.

Module 2

DNA－the Secret of Life

Part 1

On February 28,1953,two scientists named James Watson and Francis Crick astonished the scientific community by saying, “We have discovered the secret of life.” It was true. Crick and Watson had found the answer to one of the most important questions of biology － how do living things reproduce themselves?

The answer is in a chemical in the human body called DNA. Every cell in our bodies contains our genes, which pass hereditary characteristics on to our children. Genes are made of the chemical DNA. Watson and Crick had succeeded in understanding the structure of DNA and how genes are able to reproduce themselves. The discovery of DNA has been called the most important biological work of the last 100 years. It has already had and will continue to have an enormous influence on our lives. We have already experienced the benefits in many areas.

Part 2

Story A

Ten years ago John Waters killed a man. Although the police questioned him, they did not arrest him. As a result, until recently Waters was a free man. But when he committed the murder, Waters left some of his own cells on his victim. Two months

ago, scientists decided to examine these cells. They compared the DNA from these cells with the DNA of people they had questioned. John Waters?s DNA matched exactly. Waters is now in prison. Should DNA testing be made a standard procedure in criminal investigations?

Story B

Mike Heathers is a young, successful businessman. He and his wife, Julia, decided to have children. Mike and Julia visited a surgeon and told him they wanted a good-looking, very intelligent child. Two months later Julia had a small but very expensive operation, using a technology called genetic engineering. Nine months later, a highly intelligent, good-looking baby was born. But what about all those who cannot afford to pay for this operation?

Story C

Mark Sawyer is a top athlete, and he wants to stay that way. About six months ago, Mark secretly visited a surgeon, who performed an operation on him. During the operation, the surgeon inserted an animal gene into Mark that would make him run faster. After that Mark won all his race s. He?s a world champion again－but should he be?

Story D

Damian Peterson and his wife Clara are another couple that want to have children. But it is very likely that their child will be born with a terrible, inherited illness. If so, the child will not live long. When Clara became pregnant, hospital tests showed that her child would have this illness. The couple decided to get rid of the unborn baby. Should this be allowed?

Part 3

Wat son and Crick?s discovery about DNA was the beginning of enormous advances in the field of genetics. We can see the results in the world today. Stories A and D have actually happened, many times. Stories B and C will become possible in the near future.

The new technology of genetic engineering means that scientists will soon be able to insert new genes into unborn babies, children or adults. These new genes will create new characteristics. The unborn baby will be cleverer. The adult will be able to run faster. A new future is approaching. But do we want it? Where are these scientific

developments taking us?

If we start choosing the characteristics of our babies, we are altering nature in a very direct way. What might the consequences be? It is possible that we will create two kinds of people, genetically engineered people and ordinary people. And do we want to get rid of unborn babies because they have certain diseases or characteristics? On the other hand, we may soon be able to get rid of the disease － but keep the baby! Wouldn?t that be wonderful?But what about the athlete who secretly changes his genes? How will we know if someone has done this?

Genetics is a science that has already caused and will cause great changes in our lives. As a result, there are many important issues to discuss. Let us hope that we can find the right answers.

Your Genes, Your Future

How would you feel if someone gave you an envelope with a description of every one of your genes? Supposing this information could tell you what illnesses you were likely to get, or even what illness you might die of, would you open the envelope?

It?s a difficult question to answer. But the fact is that scientists have already begun to discover how certain genes influence us. And in the next decade, they will learn a lot more.

We have known for a long time that many of our physical characteristics are inherited. For example, our eye colour and certain diseases are decided by our genes. As long as you have a good diet, scientists can predict your height by looking at your parents?heights. And we now know that the need to wear glasses has a genetic cause. Our eating habits also appear to be decided by our genes!

With other characteristics, things are not so clear. Certainly, scientists have now shown that some traits are strongly influenced by our genes. Do you prefer getting up early or late? To a great extent, it?s your genes that decide. Do you enjoy dangerous sports such as car racing? There is a gene that influences how much excitement we need.

But with most psychological characteristics, scientists are learning that both our genes and our environment affect us. This is true of things such as how violent we are, and how well we get on with other people. So, even though scientists may soon be able to

describe our genes in detail, it does not mean they will be able to predict our future with any real success.

Nonetheless, the fact is that scientists will be able to “read”our genes in the near future. This will create new problems. To give a few examples, insurance companies may not want to insure people whose genes predict certain illnesses. Employers may not want to employ people who have a gene for violence. One thing is already clear－with these new developments, life is going to become even more complicated!

GM Food － Good or Bad?

Is genetically modified (GM) food bad for you? recently China Consumers?Association called on regulatory departments and merchants to put labels on GM food.

The Secretary-General of the Consumers? Association said that GM food is already common the United States while China does not produce much GM food. As a result, Chinese consumers often cannot tell the difference between regular and GM food. Peking University biologist Xu Chongren explains molecular biology techniques are used to take gene from one organism and put it into another, a gene for resistance to drought is put into wheat or maize, then a crop highly resistant to drought n be produced.

Scientists have found that a crop with a gene that kills pests can leave a poison in the soil that kills helpful as well as harmful insects. Yet reducing the amount of insecticides needed by using GM crops can reduce the amount of cancer producing chemicals － or carcinogens － that are found. Scientists also say it is hard to predict how GM crops will affect the environment. If a gene produces an allergic reaction is transferred into another crop, then a person who usually avoids food containing this gene may not know that it is present in the modified food.

Up to now the US Food and Drug Administration already approved 43 types of GM food. 30 percent of the maize and 50 percent of the soybeans in the USA is genetically modified. 90 percent US cattle are raised on growth factors that enter beef. 50 percent of the potatoes and tomatoes sold in the US are genetically modified. The value of these products runs into tens of billions of US dollars.

The unpredictable consequences and the very large sales of GM products leave consumers with differing altitudes. In Canada and the United States, 27 percent of consumers fear that GM food could be dangerous.

In Europe, a majority of consumers are in favour of banning them, and 79 percent of the UK public opposes GM food. The European Community has placed a temporary ban on the planting and sales of transgenic foods.

In 2005, there were six types of GM products on the Chinese market － but only two varieties of tomato and pimento are edible. Unfortunately, the “Agricultural Organisms Transgenic Engineering Safely Implementation Measures”issued by the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture do not apply to imported agricultural products. Chinese customs do not list transgenic products as an item requiring inspection. Therefore GM products may enter the country from abroad.

During a survey of big marketplaces in Beijing no imported transgenic products were found. Labels on fruit, chocolate, and cereals imported from the US did not show any genetically modified origin. People interviewed had different reactions. Neither young nor old people feared possible side effects from GM foods, while some parents of children said that they would now pay more attention to food labelling.

From now on, China Consumers?Association states that GM products should be labelled, so as to give consumers the right to know and to choose.

Two Creatures in The Time Machine

One of the earliest and most famous science fiction novels is The Time Machine by Englishman H.G.Wells. First published in 1895, it tells the story of a man who travels into the year 802000 in a time machine. The Time Traveller, as he is called, finds that human beings have evolved into two completely different kinds of creatures. The first type, called the Eloi, lives above the ground. They are small and beautiful, and unable to do any physical work. All physical work is done by the second type that lives under ground. These creatures, called the Morlocks, are strong and wicked. They live by catching and eating the Eloi...

Here is the Time Traveller?s description of the Eloi:

He was a slight creature －perhaps four feet high. His legs were bare to the knees. He struck me as being a very beautiful and graceful creature, but indescribably frail. He came straight up to me and laughed into my eyes. The absence from his bearing of any kind of fear struck me at once. Then he turned to the two others that were following him and spoke to them in a strange and very sweet and liquid tongue. Their hair came to a sharp end at the neck and cheek. Their mouths were small, with bright red, rather thin lips. Their eyes were large and mild － I fancied even then that there was a lack of the interest I might have expected in them.”

This is the Time Traveller?s description of the Morlocks:

“Something white ran past me. I turned and saw a queer little ape-like figure, its head

held down in a peculiar manner, running across the sunlit space behind me.I know it was a dull white and had strange, large greyish-red eyes; also there was flaxen hair on its head and down its back. A sudden thought came to me. Could this thing have vanished down the shaft? I lit a match, and looking down, saw a small, white, moving creature, with large bright eyes. It made me shudder. It was so like a human spider!”“Gradually the truth dawned on me. Man had not remained one species, but had differentiated into two distinct animals...”

The Jim Twins

James Arthur Springer and James Edward Lewis were American twins who had been given up at birth by their mother in 1940, and separately adopted when they were one month old. They did not see one another again until the age of 39 when they were reunited. They then discovered that there were some remarkable similarities in their life stories.

Their adoptive parents had both given their adopted child the same name, Jim. The favourite school subject of both the boys had been Maths and their least favourite subject Spelling. They were both interested in mechanical drawing and carpentry. Both twins had married and then divorced a woman named Linda. The name of both of their second wives was Betty. Jim Springer named his son James Allen while Jim Lewis named his son James Alan. They both had dogs called Toy, smoked the same number of cigarettes each day and drove the same type of car.

There are two types of twins, identical twins and fraternal twins, and Springer and Lewis were identical twins. Identical twins have exactly the same heredity－their chromosomes are 100% alike. Fraternal on the other hand, only share up to half their genes, just 50%, the same as siblings who are not twins.

Scientists studying genetics are very interested in studying identical twins because of the fact that their genes are identical. When identical twins have separated at birth, this gives scientists the perfect opportunity to discover the influence of heredity, since a high degree of similarity between the separated twins is almost certainly the result of heredity rather than environment.

The “Jim” twins, as they were known, were part of a famous scientific study begun in 1979 at the University of Minnesota by psychologist Thomas Bouchard. Bouchard

and his colleagues studied the lives of about 60 pairs of identical twins who had been brought up separately. The astonishing fact was that even though some of the pairs had hardly met one another, psychological tests showed that their personalities and behaviour were often very similar.

When the results of the Minnesota University study was first published, interviews with the “Jim” twins were in all the papers. However, there were only a few of these really similar twins in the study. Most of the twins weren?t nearly as alike. Bouchard, the psychologist, concluded that “on average, identical twins raised separately are about 50% similar”. In other words, heredity is important, but our environment has an important part to play, too.

Module 3

An Underground Army

Part 1

I?m tired and covered in dust. I?ve been digging all day and I?ll be doing the same tomorrow－ and the next day and the next. Sounds awful, doesn?t it? But I?ve never had so much fun in my life. Why? Because I?m an archaeology student from London, England, and here I am in northwest China?s Shaanxi Province, 36 kilometres east of Xi?an. I?m working on one of the most famous archaeological sites in the world. Recognise the location? Yes, it?s where the Emperor Qin Shihuang, more than 2,000 years ago, built an enormous tomb, and where, in 1974, 7,400 terracotta warriors made of clay were discovered. What am I doing here? I was chosen from about 600 students to come and work here during the summer holidays. Now you understand why I describe myself as lucky!

As an archaeology student, I already knew something about the Qin Tomb and the terracotta warriors. Most Chinese children will be able to tell you that Qin Shihuang was the emperor first unified China over 2,000 years ago. He was a brilliant ruler, but he was also a cruel man who killed thousands of people. When he became king of the state of Qin at the age of 13, he immediately ordered workers to construct an underground tomb for him. It took 700,000 workers 37 years to build the tomb, which was said to contain great treasures. However, archaeologists believe it may have been robbed long ago. The actual entrance to the tomb has never been found, nor has the

tomb been opened. There are rather worrying ancient descriptions of crossbows hidden at the tomb?s entrance. It?s said that if anyone steps across the entrance, the crossbows will fire.

It?s interesting the way the terracotta warriors were discovered. In 1974 some peasants were digging a well when one of them dug up the head of a clay warrior. Can you imagine their astonishment? When they found more clay soldiers, archaeologists arrived from Beijing to investigate. As the whole world knows, when the archaeologists started digging, they found 6,000 clay warriors buried in an underground pit. Eventually they also found Emperor Qin Shihuang?s Tomb, located about 1.5 kilometres away from the pit. In 1976 another pit s found, this one containing another 1,400 warriors. It seems that Emperor Qin Shihuang had ordered the soldiers to be made in order to protect him in the next life. I wonder if they were any help? No one knows why the site was buried and forgotten for so very long, but today, the site is visited by tourists from all over the world. As I?ve said, I feel so lucky working here.

Part 2

Undoubtedly, my greatest pleasure is being able to enter the underground pits and see the soldiers. It?s so strange to see them standing there in columns, all dressed and ready for battle. They were made to look as real as possible and are as tall as most soldiers today. In the half light it?s easy to imagine that they are a real army. T he warriors carry weapons, and wear different uniforms depending on their position in the army. The uniforms were painted many different colours－red, blue, green, yellow, brown. Each soldier has a different facial expression, and there are many different hairstyles and types of caps.

Constructing over 7,400 warriors was the most extraordinary achievement. All the soldiers were built using the same methods. The legs were made of solid clay. However, the other body parts were all made separately and were hollow inside. The different parts were then glued together. The ears, nose, hair and other facial features were then made and glued on.

Another interesting fact － the name of the man who made each soldier is inscribed somewhere on the warrior. Every time I see one of these names, I think of the men who made these figures over 2,000 years ago. They must have been very proud. I am

only here for six weeks before I return home, but I too feel so proud to be connected in some small way with Qin Shihuang?s great army.

The Great Wall of China, one of the great wonders of the world, has a history of more than 2,000 years, and is approximately 6,700 kilometres long. The Wall was originally built of bricks, stone, wood, grass and earth. In the 7th and 6th centuries BC, individual sections were built by different states in order to protect themselves from warrior tribes from the north. The individual sections weren’t connected until the Qin Dynasty. Work continued through the different dynasties and it was during the Ming Dynasty that the Wall was built in its present form.

Unsurprisingly, there are many legends about the Wall. One of the most famous tells the story of Meng Jiangnü and the legend of the Jiayuguan Pass. The story took place during the Qin Dynasty. Meng Jiangnü’s husband Fan Xiliang was forced to work on the Great Wall. When Meng Jiangnü did not get any news from her husband, she set off to visit him. On arriving there, she discovered that her husband had died. She cried so long and so loudly that she caused part of the Great Wall to collapse. The walk from Jinshanling to Simatai along the Great Wall is unforgettable. The walk will take about five hours (not including lunch) and you will have a lot of time to stop and admire the magnificent scenery and views. Every 40 minutes we will take a 20-minute break, during which time your guide will give a short talk on different aspects of the Wall, such as its history, construction, legends, etc.

?Water, snacks and lunch will be provided by your guide.

?Please wear good walking shoes and take sun lotion.

Secrets of the Terracotta Army

People from all over the world who know even a little about Chinese culture all admit that Emperor Qin Shihuang was one of the most famous emperors in the 5,000-year history of China. He ruled during a period of political reform and cultural prosperity in China. On becoming Emperor, he threw himself into unifying China, which until then was divided into several rival states. He first turned Qin into a state of great prosperity and strength. Then, he led his powerful military forces in a series of wars. The Qin Dynasty was the first feudal dynasty in Chinese history to rule the entire country and had capital, Xianyang, in Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, There he constructed the luxurious Epang Palace.

It was a firm belief among the ancient Chinese that there was life after death. In order to have a better life in the next world after his death, Qin Shihuang started the construction of a mausoleum－a project that took 37 years to complete. He was fully aware the importance of armed forces, and in order to protect him in the afterlife, he had images made his troops, which were buried near him to guard his soul. The terracotta army was thus formed.

When these warriors and horses were shown to the world, everybody was impressed by the fact that they were life-size as well as by their huge number. Subsequent excavation of the first, second and the third vaults made clear their formation battle array. These magnificent vaults serve as reproductions of the Qin army of ancient China.

Most western people wonder at the great numbers of the Qin warriors, and they are puzzled by their shapes. In fact, the Qin figures are of high artistic value as sculptures of human figures, and are a landmark in the historical development of ancient sculpture in China. They emphasise the revelation of the subject s’inner world through their facial expressions. The large numbers reflect the centralised authority in China’s feudal society, serving as a typical example of the different styles of sculpture between East and West.

The Qin warrior figures show distinctive individual personalities, with different facial expressions. For instance, a face with a broad forehead, high cheekbones, thick brows, large eyes and stiff beard is the face of a strong and fearless man, whereas a round face with regular features reveals an honest and open-hearted character. An oval face with fine features shows a gentle disposition. Then there is a square face with honest simplicity clearly written all over it. The young soldiers generally have chubby faces, and are smiling naively. The older soldiers, with lined foreheads, appear to be weather-beaten veterans who have seen much of the world. Different costumes and hair accessories serve as distinctions of rank and position, including those of senior, intermediate and junior officers, as well as of soldiers with various arms and duties. In addition, the stances assumed by the men of different branches of the army are also different: Some are standing infantrymen, some kneeling archers, some standing archers, and some cavalrymen. All in all, they portray the military power of the Qin Dynasty, and are invaluable material for the study of the history, military affairs and culture of China over 2,000 years ago.

The Life and Poems of Qu Yuan

The ancient Chinese poet Qu Yuan is still remembered today, both for the love of his country and for his beautiful poems. He was once an important government official in the state of Chu. At that time, the King of the state of Qin was attempting to become the ruler of Chu. Wrongly believing that the poet was against him, the King

of Chu banished Qu Yuan from the capital. Eventually Qin invaded Chu and captured the capital. When the poet heard the news, he jumped into a river, ending his life. Hundreds of people set out in boats, searching for the body, but in vain. In memory of the poet, the Dragon Boat Festival is still held every year on the anniversary of his death. Below is a part of one of Qu Yuan’s most famous poems.

Crossing the River

Since I was young I have worn gorgeous dress

And still love raiment rare,

A long gem-studded sword hangs at my side,

And a tall hat I wear.

Bedecked with pearls that glimmer like the moon,

With pendant of fine jade,

Though there are fools who cannot understand,

I ride by undismayed.

Then give me green-homed serpents for my steed,

Or dragons white to ride,

In paradise with ancient kings I’d roam.

Or the world's roof bestride.

My life should thus outlast the universe.

With sun and moon supreme.

By southern savages misunderstood,

At dawn I ford the stream.

I gaze my last upon the river bank,

The autumn breeze blows chill.

I halt my carriage here within the wood.

My steeds beside the hill.

In covered vessel travelling upstream.

The men bend to their oars;

The boat moves slowly, strong the current sweeps,

Nearby a whirlpool roars.

I set out from the bay at early dawn,

And reach the town at eve.

Since I am upright, and my conscience clear,

Why should I grieve to leave?

The Tomb of Tutankhamen

It was November 1922, and the British archaeologist Howard Garter was in despair. He had been excavating for some years in Eg ypt’s Valley of t he Kings, so called because it was the burial place for the ancient kings of Egypt. He was searching for the tomb of a longdead pharaoh called Tutankhamen. The reason for Carter’s despair was that his employer, Lord Carnarvon, wanted to give up the search. Carter persuaded him that they should continue for a few more months. Within days of starting work again. Carter found the tomb, and on November 26 he and Carnarvon became the first people to enter Tutankha men’s t omb in over 3,000 years.

It was immediately obvious that they had made one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of the 20th century. The inside of the tomb held treasures beyond belief. The Egyptians believed that life continued after death, and over 3,000 treasures had been placed in the tomb to help Tutankhamen in his journey after death. Inside the burial room were three coffins, one inside the other. The last coffin was made of solid gold. Inside it lay Tutankhamen’s mummy. Over his head lay an extraordinarily beautiful gold mask.

When the men succeeded in entering a second room, known as the Treasury room, they found yet more treasures. In his book. The Discovery of the Tomb of Tutankhamen,Car ter described the moment: “Facing the doorway, on the farther side, stood the most beautiful monument that I have ever seen－so lovely that it made one gasp with wonder and admiration.”

Carter was describing a chest, covered in gold, surrounded by four statues. These were goddesses of the dead － graceful, lifelike figures with their arms stretched out to protect the king.

Besides the many treasures, the walls of the tombs were covered with murals, pictures that were painted directly onto the wall, showing Tutankhamen at various stages of his journey after death. Because the tomb had remained unopened for thousands of years, the beautifully coloured murals were in perfect condition.

The treasures, including Tutankhame n’s mummy, were moved to the Cairo museum, where visitors have queued to see them. The discovery created enormous interest in Tutankhamen himself, and although he was not an important king, he is nonetheless the pharaoh that every schoolchild knows about. We have some information about him. but not a great deal. We know that he ruled from 1334 BC to 1325 BC, and that he was nine years old when he became Pharaoh, dying at the age of about 18. It was suspected that he had been murdered but it is now believed that he died from natural causes. It is a curious thing that an unimportant boy king, ruling for only nine years, has become, in the eyes of the world, immortal.

Module 4

The World’s Top Ten Languages

1 Putonghua (Chinese Mandarin) － more than one billion

The language with the most native speakers is spoken in the country with the biggest population. Chinese Mandarin, or putonghua,to give it its real name, is spoken by the vast majority of the population of China. Although the ethnic minorities of China have their own languages, Chinese putonghua is the national common language. Westerners called it Mandarin, as it was the language used by the imperial mandarins, or officials. Chinese putonghua is one of the six official languages of the United Nations.

2 English －750 million

It is estimated that more than 375 million people speak English as a first language, with possibly another 375 million speaking it as a second language. This does not include the people who speak it as a foreign language.

The United States has the largest number of native English speakers － more than 226 million Americans speak it as a mother tongue. It is the official language, or has special status, in more than 75 countries, more than any other language. Apart from the UK and the USA, there are native English speakers in a great number of countries of the world, including Australia, South Africa, Canada, New Zealand and many islands in the Caribbean Sea.

3 Hindustani － nearly 500 million

Hindustani is India’s main language, and it includes a huge number of dialects, of which the most commonly spoken is Hindi. It is predicted that the population of India could one day overtake the population of China, but the importance of English in India would prevent Hindustani from becoming the most spoken language of the world.