1、必修二Unit 1In search of the amber roomFrederick William I, the king of Prussia, could never have imagined that his greatest gift to the Russian people would have such an amazing history. This gift was the Amber Room, which was given this name because several tons of amber were used to make it. The amb
2、er which was selected had a beautiful yellow-brown color like honey. The design of the room was in the fancy style popular in those days. It was also a treasure decorated with gold and jewels, which took the countrys best artists about ten years to make.In fact, the room was not made to be a gift. I
3、t was designed for the palace of Fredrick I. However, the next King of Prussia, Fredrick William I, to whom the amber room belonged, decided not to keep it. In 1716 he gave it to Peter the Great. In return, the Czar sent him a troop of his best soldiers. So the Amber Room became part of the Czars wi
4、nter palace in St Petersburg. About four meters long, the room served as a small reception hall for important visitors. Later, Catherine had the Amber Room moved to a palace outside St Petersburg where she spent her summers. She told her artists to add more details to it. In 1770 the room was comple
5、ted the way she wanted. Almost six hundred candles lit the room, and its mirrors and pictures shone like gold. Sadly, although the Amber Room was considered one of the wonders of the world, it is now missing.In September 1941, the Nazi army was near St Petersburg. This was a time when the two countr
6、ies were at war. Before the Nazis could get to the summer palace, the Russians were able to remove some furniture and small art objects from the Amber Room. However, some of the Nazis secretly stole the room itself. In less than two days 100000 pieces were put inside twenty-seven wooden boxes. There
7、 is no doubt that the boxes were then put on a train for Konigsberg, which was at a time a German city on the Baltic Sea. After that, what happened to the Amber Room remains a mystery.Recently, the Russians and Germans have built a new Amber Room at the summer palace. By studying old photos of the f
8、ormer Amber room, they have made the new one look like the old one. In 2003 it was ready for the people of St Petersburg when they celebrated the 300th birthday of their city.寻找琥珀屋普鲁士国王腓特烈威廉一世绝不可能想到他送给俄罗斯人民的厚礼会有一段令人惊讶的历史。这件礼物就是琥珀屋, 它之所以叫这个名字,是因为建造这间房子用了好几吨琥珀,被选择的琥珀色彩艳丽, 呈黄褐色像蜜一样。屋子的设计采用当时流行的奇特风格。琥珀屋
9、也是用金银珠宝装饰的珍品，这花费了全国最优秀的艺术家大约十年的时间才完成。事实上, 琥珀屋并不是作为礼物而建造的。它是为腓烈特一世的宫殿而建造。然而,下一位普鲁士国王,腓烈特威廉一世, 这个琥珀屋的主人却决定不再保留它了。1716 年, 他把它送给了彼得大帝。作为回馈, 沙皇则送给他一队自己最好的士兵。所以, 琥珀屋就成了沙皇在圣彼得堡东宫的一部分。琥珀屋长约 4 米, 被用作接待重要来宾的小型会客室。后来、叶卡捷琳娜二世派人把琥珀屋搬到了圣彼得堡郊外避暑的宫殿中。她让艺术家们给它增添了更多的装饰。1770 年,这间琥珀屋按她要求的方式完工了。将近 600 支蜡烛照亮了这个房间,里面的镜子和图
10、画就像金子一样闪闪发光。不幸的是,虽然琥珀屋被认为是世界奇迹之一,可是现在它却消失了。1941 年 9 月, 纳粹德国的军队逼近圣彼得堡，这是两国交战的时期。在纳粹分子能够到达夏宫之前,俄国人只来得及把琥珀屋里的一些家具和小件艺术饰品搬走。可是琥珀屋本身却被一些纳粹分子秘密地运走了。在不到两天的时间里, 琥珀屋被拆成 10 万块装进了 27个木箱里。毫无疑问, 这些箱子后来被装上火车运往哥尼斯堡, 哥尼斯堡当时是波罗的海的海边的一个城市。从那以后, 琥珀屋怎么样便成了一个谜。最近俄国人和德国人已经在夏宫建立起了一个新的琥珀屋,通过研究以前琥珀屋的老照片, 他们使得新的琥珀屋的样子与原来的非常相
11、像。2003 年,在圣彼得堡人民用它来庆祝他们的城市建立 300 周年。A fact or an opinionWhat is a fact? Is it something that people believe? No. A fact is anything that can be proved. For example, it can be proved that China has more people than any other country in the world. This is a fact.Then what is an opinion? An opinion is
12、what someone believes is true but has not been proved. So an opinion is not good evidence in a trail. For example, it is an opinion if you say “Cats are better pets than dogs”. It may be true, but it is difficult to prove. Some people may not agree with this opinion but they also cannot prove that t
13、hey are right.In a trail, a judge must decide which eyewitnesses to believe and which not to believe. The judge does not consider what each eyewitness looks like or where that person lives or works. He/She only cares about whether the eyewitness has given true information, which must be facts rather
14、 than opinions. This kind of information is called evidence.一个事实还是一个观点什么是事实？是一些人们相信的东西吗？不！事实是可以被证明的任何事。例如，可以证明中国人口比世界上任何其他国家的人口都要多。这是一个事实。那么什么是一个观点呢？一个观点是人们相信那是真的但还没有被证明的。所以一个观点在一个审判中不是一个很好的证据。例如，如果你说“猫是比狗好的宠物”这会是一个观点。这可能是真的，不过很难去证明。一些人可能不同意这个观点，不过他们也无法证明他们是对的。在一场审判中，一个法官一定要去决定相信还是不相信哪个目击者。这个法官不会去考虑
15、每个目击者的长相或人们在哪里居住或工作。他/她只关心目击者是否会提供真实的信息，这一定是事实而不是观点。这种信息被称之为证据。Unit 2An interviewPausanias, who was a Greek writer about 2000 year ago, has come on a magical journey on March 18th ,2007 to find out about the present-day Olympic Games. He is now interviewing Li Yan, a volunteer for the 2008 Olympics
16、Games.P: My name is Pausanias. I lived in what you call “ Ancient Greece” and I used to write about the Olympic Games a long time ago. Ive come to your time to find out about the present-day Olympic Games because I know that in 2004 they were held in my homeland. May I ask you some questions about t
17、he modern Olympics?L: Good heavens! Have really come from so long ago? But of course you can ask any questions you like. What would you like to know?P: How often do you hold your Games?L: Every four years. There are two main sets of Gamesthe Winter and the Summer Olympics, and both are held every fo
18、ur years on a regular basis. The Winter Olympics are usually held two years before the Summer Games. Only athletes who have reached the agreed standard for their event will be admitted as competitors. They may come from anywhere in the world.P: Winter Games? How can the runners enjoy competing in wi
19、nter? And what about the horses?L: Oh no! There are no running races or horse riding events. Instead there are competitions like skiing and ice skating which need snow and ice. Thats why theyre called the Winter Olympics. Its in the Summer Olympics that you have the running races, together with swim
20、ming, sailing and all the team sports.P: I see. Earlier you said that athletes are invited from all over the world. Do you mean the Greek world? Our Greek cities used to compete against each other just for the honor of winning. No other countries could join in, nor could slaves or women!L: Nowadays
21、any country can take part if their athletes are good enough. There are over 250 sports and each one has its own standard. Women are not only allowed, but play a very important role in gymnastics, athletics, team sports and P: Please wait a minute! All those events, all those countries and even women
22、 taking part! Where are all the athletes housed?L: For each Olympics, a special village is built for them to live in, a main reception building, several stadiums for competitions, and a gymnasium as well.P: Thats sounds very expansive. Does anyone want to host the Olympic Games?L: As a matter of fac
23、t,every country wants the opportunity. Its a great responsibility but also a great honor to be chosen. Theres as much competitions among countries to host the Olympics as to win Olympic medals. The 2008 Olympics will be held in Beijing.P: Oh yes! You must be very proud. L: Certainly. And after that
24、the 2012 Olympics will be held in London. They have already started planning for it. A new village for the athletes and all the stadiums will be built to the east of London. New medals will be designed of course and P: Did you say medals? So even the olive wreath has been replaced! Oh dear! Do you c
25、ompete for prize money too?L: No, we dont. Its still all about being able to run faster, jumper higher and throw further. Thats the motto of the Olympics, you know“ Swifter, Higher and Stronger.”P: Well, thats a good news. How interesting! Thank you so much for your time.一个采访大约 2000 年前的一个希腊作者帕萨尼亚斯(P
26、) ，在 2007 年 3 月 18 日踏上了一段魔幻的旅程去查明关于现代的奥林匹克运动会。他正在采访一个 2008 年奥林匹克运动会志愿者李岩(L) 。P:我是帕萨尼亚斯。我住在你们所说的“古希腊” 而且在很久之前我常常写一些关于奥林匹克运动会的事情。我来到你的时代是为了解关于现代奥林匹克运动会，因为我知道 2004 年奥林匹克运动会会在我家乡举办。我可以问你一些关于现代奥林匹克运动会的问题么？L:真是极为愉快的事!你真的来自那么久远的时代么？不过当然你可以问你想问的问题。你想知道什么？P:你们多久会举办一次运动会？L:四年一次。有两种主要的运动会形式- 冬季和夏季奥运会，并且在一个有规律的
27、基础上他们都是四年举办一次的。冬季奥运会一般会在夏季奥运会前两年举办。只有达到该项目既定的标准的运动员才会被容许成为竞争者。他们可以来自世界各地。P:冬季奥运会？田径运动员如何在冬季享受比赛？还有马术又怎样？L:哦不 !冬季奥运会没有赛跑和骑马的项目。反而会有一些像滑雪和溜冰这些需要雪和冰的项目。这就是为什么他成为冬季奥运会。只有在夏季奥运会会有你说赛跑，同时还有游泳，帆船运动和所有团队运动。P:我懂了。之前你说那些运动员都被邀请来自世界各地。你了解希腊世界么？我们希腊城过去互相竞赛只为胜利的荣誉。没有其他的地区可以参加，奴隶和妇女也不可以。L:现在只要他们的运动员够好的话任何国家都可以参加。
28、有超过 250 种项目并且每一种都有它自己的标准。妇女不仅允许参加比赛，并且她们在体操比赛，竞技比赛，团队比赛和其他各种比赛中都扮演着重要的角色。P:麻烦稍等一下！所有的这些项目，所有的国民甚至妇女都可以参加！那么这些运动员们居住在哪里？L:在每一场奥运会前，一座特别的村庄会被建来给他们居住，还有一座主要的接待建筑，几个用来比赛的体育场和一座体育馆等P:那听起来很贵。有哪个国家会想要举办奥运会么？L:事实上，每个国家都想要这个机会。这是一个很大的责任同样是一个很大的荣誉如果被挑选到。在国家之间有很多竞争去为举办奥运会就像去赢得奥林匹克奖牌一样。2008 年的奥运会将会在北京举行。这你知道么？P
29、:哦是的！你一定非常自豪。L:当然。之后的 2012 年奥运会将在伦敦举行。他们早就开始为这个做准备了。一座让运动员居住的村庄和所有的运动场将会被建在东伦敦。当然新的奖牌会被设计.P:你是说奖牌么？所以甚至是橄榄花圈也已经被取代了！哦亲爱的！你们比赛也为了奖金么？L:不我们不。现在仍然想要跑得更快跳的更高扔得更远。正如你知道的奥运会的格言-“更快更高更强”。P:好吧，那是个好消息。多么有趣啊！耽搁你的时间，谢谢了。The story of AtlantaAtlanta was a Greek princess. She was very beautiful and could run fast
30、er than any man in Greece. But she was not allowed to run and win glory for herself in the Olympic Games. She was so angry that she said to her farther that she would not marry anyone who could not run faster than her. Her father said that she must marry, so Atlanta made a bargain with him. She said
31、 to him, “ These are my rules. When a man says he wants to marry me, I will run against him. If he cannot run as fast as me, he will be killed. No one will be pardoned.”Many kings and princes wanted to marry Atlanta, but when they heard of her rules they knew it was hopeless. So many of them sadly w
32、ent home, but others stayed to run the race. There was a man called Hippomenes who was amazed when he heard of Atlantas rules, “ Why are these men so foolish?” he thought. “ Why will they let themselves be killed because they cannot run as fast as this princess?” However, when he saw Atlanta come ou
33、t of her house to run, Hippomenes changed his mind. “ I will marry Atlantaor die !“ he said.The race started and although the man ran very fast, Atlanta ran faster. As Hippomenes watched he thought, “ How can I run as fast as Atlanta?” He went to ask the Greek Goddess of Love for help. She promised
34、to help him and gave him three golden apples. She said, “ Throw an apple in front of Atlanta when she is running past. When she stops to pick it up, you will be able to run past her and win.” Hippomenes took the apples and went to the King. He said, “ I want to marry Atlanta.” The King was sad to se
35、e another man die, but Hippomenes said, “ I will marry her or die!” So the race began.亚特兰大的故事亚特兰大是一个希腊公主。她很漂亮并且可以跑得比希腊的任何一个男人都快。不过她不被允许在奥运会上跑步去为她自己赢得荣誉。她很生气因此她跟她父亲说她不会嫁任何跑不过她的男人。她父亲说她必须要嫁，所以亚特兰大与她父亲定下一个条件。她对她父亲说， “这是我的原则。如果有男人说想要嫁我，我会跟她赛跑。如果他跑不赢我，他会被杀。没有人能被例外。 ”很多国王和王子想要娶亚特兰大，不过当他们听到这个规定的时候他们就知道自己没希
36、望了。所以他们当中的很多人都伤心地回家了，不过其他的人都留着去赛跑。一个叫做希波墨涅斯的男人听到亚特兰大的消息后感到非常惊奇，他想“为什么这些男的都这么愚蠢呢？”“ 为什么他们会因为跑不过这个公主而让自己被杀呢？ ”然而，当他看到亚特兰大从她的房子出来跑步的时候，希波墨涅斯改变了他的心意。他说， “我会娶亚特兰大或者死！”赛跑开始的时候虽然男人们都跑得很快，但是亚特兰大总是会更快。希波墨涅斯边看边想， “我要怎样才能赢过亚特兰大呢？”他去向希腊的爱神求助。爱神答应帮他并给了他三个金苹果。她说， “在亚特兰大跑过你的时候扔一个在亚特兰大面前。当亚特兰大停下来去捡苹果的时候，你就可以跑过她并赢得比
37、赛。 ”希波墨涅斯拿着苹果并跑去找国王。他说，“我想娶亚特兰大。 ”国王伤心地看着又一个男人要死，不过希波墨涅斯说， “我会娶她或者死！”然后赛跑开始了。Unit 3WHO AM I?Over time I have changed quite a lot.I began as a calculating machine in France in 1642.Although I was young I could simplify difficult sums.I developed very slowly and it took nearly two hundred years before
38、 I was built as an analytical machine by Charles Baggage.After I was programmed by an operator who used cards with holes,I could “thing”logically and produce an answer quicker than any person.At that time it was considered a technological revolution and the start of my “artificial intelligence”.In 1
39、936 my real father,Alan Turing,wrote a book about how I could be made to work as a “universal machine”to solve any difficult mathematical problem.From then on,I grew rapidly both in size and in brainpower.By the 1940s I had grown as large as a room , and I wonders if I would grow any longer.However,
40、this reality also worried my designers. As time went by,I was made smaller .First as a PC(personal computer)and then as a laptop,I have been used in offices and homes since the 1970s.These changes only became possible as my memory improved. First it was stored in tubes,then on transistors and later
41、on very small chips.As a result I totally changed my shape .As I have grown older I have also grown smaller .Over time my memory has developed so much that ,like an elephant,I never forget anything I have been told !And my memory became so large that even I couldnt believe it!But I was always so lon
42、ely standing there by myself,until in the 1960s they gave me a family connected by a network .I was able to share my knowledge with others through the World Wide Web.Since the 1970s many new applications have been found for me .I have become very important in communication,finance and trade I have a
43、lso been put into robots and used to make mobile phones as well as help with medical operations.I have even been put into space rockets and sent to explore the Moon and Mars .Anyhow, my goal is to provide humans with a life of high quality.I am now truly filled with happiness that I am a devoted fri
44、end and helper of the human race !我是谁随着时间的推移我被改变了很多。在 1642 年的法国，我是作为一个计算机器而开始的。虽然我很年轻我可以简化一些计算题。我很慢的发展了将近两百年之后我才被 Charles Babbage 改造成分析机器。之后我被一个使用带洞的卡得操作员编程可以逻辑地思考并且比任何人都快地得出答案。那是一个被成为技术改革的时候并且开始了我的人造智能。在1936 年我真正的父亲 Alan Turing 写了一本关于我如何像通用机器一样去解决任何困难的数学问题的书。从那起，我在体积和智能方面快速的发展。在 1940 年我变得像一个房间一样大，并
45、且我想知道我是否还能变得更大。然而，事实也在困扰着我的设计者。随着时间的推移，我被制的更小。首先是个人电脑再到后来的手提电脑，在 1970 年我已经开始被用在办公室和家里。这些变化变成了可能是随着我的内存的改善。开始记忆被存放于电子管里，然后是晶体管和后来更小的晶片。因此我改变了我的整个外型。随着我慢慢变老我也慢慢的变小。随着时间推移我的记忆力发展的那么快，像头大象，我不会忘记任何我曾被告知的东西！而且我的记忆力变得如此的大以至于我都不敢相信!不过我总是自己那么孤单的站在那里，直到 1960 年他们通过网络给了我一个家庭关系。我能够通过万维网和其他的电脑分享我的知识。从 1970 年起很多新的
46、应用为我而被发明。我在交流，金融和贸易方面变得重要。我同样被放进遥控装置中被用来制造移动电话也帮助医学手术。我已经被放进太空火箭并被送去探测月亮和火星。即使如此，我的目的是为人们提供高质量的生活。我现在充满快乐因为我成为了人类的一个忠心的朋友和帮助者。ANDYTHE ANDROIDIm part of an an android football team .About once a year we are allowed to get together to play a game of football.Im as big as a human .In fact ,I look like
47、one too.On the footballteam Im a striker so I have to be able to run very fast .My computer chips help me to mova and think like a human .For example ,I have learned to signal to my teammates in computer languages to give me the ball when I am open and have a good shot for a goal.My firat football c
48、ompetition was in Nagoya ,Japan several years ago .Last year our team went to Seattle ,Washington in the USA.We won tsecong place .Personally ,I think the team that won firsy place cheated .They had developed a new type of program just before the competition.So we need to encourage our programer to
49、improve our intelligence too.We are determined to create an even better system.In a way our programmet is like our coach.She programs us with moves to use if a new sitation arises.In this way I can make up new moves using my “artifical intelligence “.I would really like to play against a human team,for I have been programmed to act just like them.After all,with the help of my electronic brain which never forgets anything , using my intelligence is what Im all about!机器人-Andy我是一个机器人球队的一份子。我们被允许在一齐踢足球大约一年了。我像一个人类一样高大。事实上，我长得也像人类。在球队里我是前锋因此我要跑得非常快。我的电脑芯片帮助我移
