北师大版高中英语自打课文

The Spirit of Explorers
VIKING VOYAGES TO AMERICA
The Vikings were the first Europears to reach America. They achieved this long before Columbus ever set sail.
The Vikings were a group of people whose ancestors came from Scandinavia. They controlled the seas and coasts of Northern Europe between the 8th and 10th centuries AD. By around 900 AD, there were many places in Northern Europe where the Vikings chose to live. In 982 AD, when a man called Eric the Red decided to set sail further west, there were as many as 10,000 Vikings living in Iceland.
According to the old stories of Iceland and Norway, Eric the Red was forced to leave Iceland because he had committed a murder, for which he got into trouble. Eric reached Greenland and discovered that people could live in the place where he landed. He returned to Iceland and told people there about Greenland. He persuaded some people to go back with him to Greenland. Eric set sail once again, this time with 25 ships, of which only 14 made it to Greenland.
Not long after Eric the Red had landed in Greenland, a man called Biarniset sail from Iceland in search of Eric's party.
Biarni was hoping to join his father who was with Eric , but he was blown offcourse and found himself in an unknown land, from where he eventually reached Greenland.
In the year 1002, when Eric the Red's son Leif was planning a trip further west, Biarni was the man with whom Leif discussed his plans. Leif followed Biarni's directions and saild to what is believed to be the coast of present-day Canada. He then sailed further south to an island which is now known as Newfoundland.
We know about Eric the Red and Leif's deeds through stories which were written down centuries later in Norway and Iceland. They are the first records we have of Europeans sailing to the Americas.

The Sea World
Underwater World
The best place to see sea creatures
Polar World
We have polar bears and a real iceberg too! You can only see a small part of it above the water. It's three times as big underwater. Watch the acrobatic seals at feeding time. Meet our less energetic but more friendly penguins. You'll love them!
Ocean Floor
See some of the most beautiful coral and the most unusual fish in the world. Watch some fish "flying" through the water. Tehy are less colourful than some other fish but they move beautifully.
Sea Theatre
See our intelligent dolphins. There are fantastic shows every two hours.
Discovery Pool
Especially for younger children. They can touch crabs and other smaller creatures. They can be educated about daily life on the beach in this exciting area.
Virtual Reality Voyage
Our most up-to -date attraction. Come with us on a "virtual reality" trip to the ocean floor and see some of the strangest fish in the world.
·Noisiest Fish. Some fish can produce sounds almost twice as loud as your speaking voice! You certainly won't find a noisier fish.
·Prettiest Fish. Some fish attract other fish with a light on

their body.-and then eat them! They have a huge mouth and can eat fish as big as themselves. Watch out!
·Tiniest Fish. Look carefully for the tiniest fish in the world. It is not as big as a fly in your house!
·Swim with dolphins and face an attack by the most dangerous creature in the sea- the great white shark!
See these and many more ! Special discount before the 22nd so the sooner the better! We're open every day from 10:00 till 19:00.

Sea stories
About three years ago, something terrible happened to me. Those six hours of terro have broken my body and soul. You think I am a very old man - but I am not. It took less than a single day to change my hair from black to white. One day, my two brothers and I were coming back from the islands, our boat full of fish. All at once, the sky was covered with dark clouds and in less than a minute we were in a terrible storm. An enormous wave covered our boat and my younger brother fell into the sea. Our boat survived and I was trying to recover when my elder brother put his mouth close to my ear, and screamed out the terrifying word "Whirlpool!" With the wind and waves we were going in the direction of the whirlpool, and nothing could save us!
It may seem strange, but at that moment, when we were on the edge of the whirlpool, I felt calmer than when we were moving towards it. We went round and round, nearer and nearer to the horrible edge of the whirlpool. Suddenly, we went over the edge. I thought my life was over. But moment after moment passed, and I was still safe. The boat was on the inside of the huge whirlpool and we were going round in circles at great speed. I saw clearly that there were other objects in the whirlpool - trees and barrels. I noticed that the heavier objects went down more quickly than the smaller, leghter ones. So I tied myself to a barrel to help me float. I tried to make my brother understand, but he was terrified and stayed in the heavy boat. Without waiting, I dived into the sea to try and escape.
As you can see, I did escape. I will bring my story quickly to a conclusion. Some time after I left the boat, with my brother in it, it sank into the bottom of the whirlpool. Soon afterwards, the whirlpool became less violent. Then the sky was clear, the wind calmer and the moon was shining. I was still tied to the barrel and the waves soon carried me to an area where the other fishermen were. In the end, a boat picked me up. I was very tired. The fishermen were my old friends, but they were unable to recognise me. When I told them my story, they did not believe it. Now I have told you, and i cannot expect you to believe me more than the fishermen did.
( Adapted from A Descent into the Maelstrom by Edgar Allan Poe)

Communication Workshop
To: Mrs Brodman
From: Amanda Bartok
Date: 3rd August

Subject : Underwater World

The Underwater World is a new park. It is located on a beautiful part of the front, ten kilometres from the city centre. On th

e one hand, there are several good things about Underwater World.
a- It has modern buildings and some of the latest technology.
b- It also has some exciting things to see like the man-made iceberg and some beautiful coral.
c- It has an excellent picnic area.
On the other hand, some things are not so good:
a- The pool for the dolphins is very small and generally there are too many animals in a small area.
b- The discovery pool is good but you have to wait a long time to get in.
c- There are problems with the sound in the vitual reality show.
Go to Underwater World, especially to see the coral and iceberg. However, don't go to the dolphin pool. And take your own food, and use the picnic area.

Dolwyn Bay is a small fishing town (population 8,000).It is in a beautiful area on the coast where there is a wildlife park. Most people work in the fishing industry which is unfortunately no longer successful. The population is getting older - many young people have left the area to look for work in the big cities. They have just discovered oil under the sea near Dolwyn Bay and there are plans to build a big oil factory.

Culture Corner
Zheng He and His Seven Voyages
Zheng He (1371-1435) was one of China's most famous explorers. Towards the end of the fourteenth century, his fleet sailed to countries very far away.
Zheng He had over 300 ships, some of which were over 150 metres long and could carry up to 1,000 people. In addition to the supplies for the long journeys, the ships carried gold, silver, silk, china and other treasures to give as gifts to the rulers of the neighbouring countries. Some of the ships even had earth on board so that the sailors could grow their own crops for food.
On Zheng He's first voyage, he set sail across the Indian Ocean. His fleet travelled for many days far away from land. One day, they were hit by a storm. All the sailors thought the fleet was going to sink. Then astrange light appeared at the top of the ships'masts, and after that, the storm passed. The strange light that appeared on the masts was probably electricity from the thunderstorm. Many sailors today see such lightning on the masts of their ships during a storm. But the sailors in Zheng He's fleet believed it was a sign of protection from the gods. From then on, they were happy to follow Zheng He wherever he led them. Zheng He completed seven famous voyages between 1405 and 1433. He visited many countries in Asia and Africa. Zheng He also brought back many gifts from the countries he visited, such as medicines, pearls and strange animals. The most famous of these gifts were a giraffe and zebra.
When Zheng He came back from his seventh voyage in 1433, he was sixty-two years old. In 28 years of travelling, he had managed to share the glory of China with many different countries. When he died in 1435, the stories of his travels made him one of China's most famous sailors.

Sea Animals
Hi, I've got a great idea of our school's Wild Animal

Day. We can make a Sea Animal Show for it! Wouldn't it be great if we could put together some pictures and information of sea animals? If you think this is a good idea, we can make a start now!
Name: Starfish. It's called a fish but it seems more like a plant. It has no front or back . The starfish moves so slowly that it's difficult to tell if it is moving or not. Rather than using muscles to move its hundreds of tiny legs, the starfish uses a hydraulic system to move around or cling to rocks. It has stiff skin. And if it breaks off an arm in an accident, the starfish grows the arm back again.
Name: Penguin. Penguins usually live in Antarctica,but they can also be found in places such as Australia. The male penguin is a good father. To keep an egg safe, he keeps it on his feet for 60 days until the baby penguin hatches out of the egg. During this entire time, he doesn't eat a thing. Most father penguins lose about 25 pounds while they wait for their babies to hatch. When the mother penguin returns to care for the young, the father goes to sea to eat and rest.