高中英语阅读

The Flags Of Midnight

The moment was 13 years in the making, the culmination( 告终) of more than a decade of tense jockeying( 谈判) between the British and Chinese governments, of promises, name-calling, and of nervous anticipation in Hong Kong. British and Chinese dignitaries( 显要) watched stiffly from a stage before some 4,000 guests. As the British military band , dressed in red uniforms, launched \"God Save the Queen, \" the Union Jack slowly dropped for the last time a few seconds before mid-night. Ten seconds later the red and yellow flag of the People's Republic of China rose. It was July l , and the richest British colony was suddenly transformed into Hong Kong, China.

After so much Sino-British wrangling, it was hard to believe that China was finally in charge. But if anyone was unclear, the announcer instantly reversed the order of the ceremony's languages, presenting Chinese President Jiang Zemin first in Mandrin Chinese, then in English. \"The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China is established! \" Jiang proclaimed, interrupted by applause from the Hong Kong tycoons( 巨头 ), conservative and democratic legislators, international dignitaries and mainland Chinese officials in the hall. For that one moment, they all had left their differences behind. It was the end of 156 years of British rule---and for Chinese in Hong Kong and around the world, the closing of what many view as the most shameful chapter in China's history.

The buildup to the handover(移交 ) was especially emotional for Gov. Chris

Patten( 前总督彭定康) and his family. On his last Sunday in office, Patten gave a rousing speech at a Roman Catholic mass. \"Here's the contract,\"' Patten said, \"I'Il pray for Hong Kong, that it flies like a bird to the heavens, and you say a prayer for us.\" As the Union Jack was lowered a final time at Government House, Patten bit his lip to keep the tears back. Then, at sunset, 10,000 Hong Kong people and digitaries huddled( 挤成一团 ) in the colonial masters at East Tamar, the former British naval headquarters.

Hoping to soothe( 平息) all fears, Hong Kong's new Chinese leaders sent out strong, positive messages on the first day of Chinese rule. In the celebration ceremony, Jiang stated several times the need for China to stay out of Hong Kong affairs. Officials in Beijing told University of Michigan political scientist Kenneth Lieberthal that the speech was aimed at reassuring the people of Hong Kong---and also warning Chinese ministries to keep their hands off. Various Chinese agencies already are pressuring Beijing to allow them to administer their own policies in Hong Kong. Jiang included representatives from every ministry in his delegation---so they could hear first-hand his \"Don' t touch\" message.

In his turn, Tung （董建华） talked in Cantonese(白话 ) this time---despite of the fact that visiting Chinese leaders couldn't understand a word. He gave a bold speech mapping out his agenda(议程 ) , including plans to revamp (改进 ) Hong Kong's disastrous education system, promote housing development and care for the elderly. After stressing Hong Kong's ties to Beijing and laying plans to trim individual rights for most of his six-month transition, on his first day in power Tung emphasized what people want to hear: Democracy is the hallmark(特征 ) of

a new era for Hong Kong.\"

In the Beijng streets beyond the square, the celebration was sincere. Families moved dinner tables onto the sidewalk to enjoy the festival evening. Couples gathered on overpasses( 天桥) to watch the fireworks. Nobody saw much, but that didn't seem to matter. \"China is great, and we feel proud,\" said Lui Weishen, a Ministry of Finance official who cut short a trip to the U.S. to organize celebrations. Most people stayed home---and watched TV. Many Beijingers watched Hong Kong's Phoenix cable( 凤凰有线电视台) , instead of official CCTV-be-cause Phoenix showed the British as well as the Chinese festivities. \"We order take-out, got a bottle of champagne( 香槟洒), and watched all night,\" said one Beijing intellectual.

Notes

1. The moment...Hong Kong. 这一刻经过了13年。 中英间10多年的紧张谈判终于有了结果，许多的承诺、诽谤、以及有关的紧张预测也终于得以了解。

2. Union Jack: 英国国旗。有时也用此指代英国。

3. Mandrin Chinese: 普通话

4. Nobody saw...seem to matter. 人们看见的不多， 但那似乎并不重要。

Exercises

I. Reading Comprehension

1. Answer the following questions in the fewest possible words.

1) What is the name of the British national flag?

2) What is the full name of Hong Kong now?

2. Decide whether the following statements are TRUE (T) or FALSE (F) according to the article.

1) For that one moment, they all had left their difference behind.

2) The British rule of Hong Kong is viewed as the most shameful chapter in China's history.

II. Vocabulary

Fill in the blanks with the following phrases in their proper forms.

in charge, in the making, pray for, send out

1) The sun ______ light and heat.

2) A great social transformation was __________.

3) Who is _______ here?

4) He got what he had ________.

Lesson 50 Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln, the son of a poor family was born in Kentucky, USA, on

February l2th, l809. As a child he used to work hard and help his father on the

small farm where they lived. His mother who loved him very much, died

in 1818. Happly for him, his father's second wife was kind to him too. When

she saw that Abraham liked reading, she did all she could to help him. But the

family was so poor that the boy could not get many books. He spent very littie

time at school, perhaps no more than a year in all.

As a young man he worked in a store and later in a post office. He studied

law in his spare time and became a lawyer.This was a time when there were

still slaves in the USA. Lincoln became very interested in politics. He was

against slavery. In all his political life, he worked hard to build a free state for

all the people.

In l860, Abralam Lincoln became President of the United States. Then he

worked still harder for the freedom of the slaves. But the Southern states

wanted to set up a country of their own, where they would be free to keep black

slaves. Lincoln said that it was not right for the South to break away from the

Union. Fighting broke out between the two. This was the American Civil War

Which lasted four years. In the end the North won. Northern and Southern states

joined up again as one country and the slaves were set free.

In l8, Lincoln became President of the United States for the second

time. But he had many enemies -- slave owners in the South and rich people in

big cities who had grown rich on the work of s1aves. They hated Lincoln be-

cause he fough for the freedom of all people. On April 14th, l865 Lincoln was

shot at a theatre in Washington, D.C. He died early the next morning. The

whole country was very sad at the news of his death; the people had considered

him to be a great leader, and a wise, kind and honest man.

Today, Abraham Lincoln is considered as one of the greatest of all Ameri-

can Presidents.

Lesson 14 A Travel Diary (1)

Tuesday October 5th, l99-- fine

I'm sitting on a rock near the river with my friends. Our guide is cookin sup-

per -- I can smell it.

We are having a wonderful time. I am in the midddle of this great forest in

South America. We can't travel through the forest by road, because there

aren't

any roads. So we have to travel by air or boat. We are enjoying our boat trip

very much. At night we tie the boat to a big tree by the river bank near a viL

lage. Our guide buys some food from the villagers and we cook it ourselves

Sometimes we eat chicken, eggs, birds or monkeys. I think it is wrong to eat

monkeys, so I don't. Most of the time we eat fish.

All nigh long we can hear the strange sounds of wild birds and animals.

There are parrots,too. We can see them flying along the river In the evening I

love sitting by the fire and Playing my guitar.

It is dangerous to swim in the river. This afternoon I was just about to go

swimming when luckily our guide saw me and shouted at me, \"Stop! Don't

swim!\" He explained that there are dangerous fish in the river. The fish have

very sharp teeth; they can eat a person in two minutes, leaving ouly the bones.

Last week we started our trip across this country. After spending the week

end in the capital we took a taxi to the airport. Then we took off and flew over

a part of the forest. What a sad sight it was! For miles and miles I could see

notheng except a great fire and lots of smoke.

There is not enough land by the sea. The population of the country is grow-

ing every minute. Many people cannot find work in the capital. They are

moving into the forests. They travel until they come to a wild part of the forest.

Then they burn the forest and plant crops for their cows. They can sell their

beef at a high price in the capital.

Read the second part of the diary in the next lesson.

Lesson 15 A Travel Diary (2)

The farmers don't stay long in the same place. They move on to a new

place every two or three years. I asked,\" Why don't they stay? Isn't it

easier to stay in the same place? Why do they move and burn more of the

forest?\"

The answer is this: you can only grow crops in the forest for one or two

years. The soil is vny thin in the forest. It is only about 20 centimetres

thick. It can easily be destroyed by the burning and by the cows.

The soil is made from the dead leaves of the trees above. Under the

soil there is nothing but sand. When this soil is destroyed, the forest land

will become sand again. But this time there will be no trees to make new

soil from their leaves.

A Brief Introduction

Tropical rain forests grow near the equator, where the weather is warm and

humid all year round.

Over half of all the species of plants and animals in the world live here. Most

animals live in the tops of the trees, the canopy, which lies19.8-39.6m(65-130ft)

above the forest floor.

Large portions of rain forest are being cleared for farming and mining, and

many animals and plants are threatened with destruction.

Tropical Rain Forests

More kinds of animals live in tropical forests than any other habitat (生活环境, 栖息地, 居留地). Scientists estimate (估计) that perhaps as many as 30,000,000 species (种类) of tropical animals have not even been discovered.

Click here to watch and listen. 205kb

Insects make up of the largest single group of animals that live in tropical forests. They include brightly colored butterflies, mosquitoes (蚊子), spiders (蜘蛛), ...stick insects (竹节虫), and a huge colony (群体)of ants. Many tropical birds , such as quetzals (绿咬鹃), and parrots, are spectacularly (壮丽, 引人注目) colored.

Click here to watch and listen.294kb

The block of leaves of the trees in tropical forest form a thick overhead covering called a canopy (天篷, 遮篷). The canopies block (防碍, 阻塞) nearly all sunlight from reaching the forest floor. Many animals live in the canopies of the tropical forests.

Click here to watch and listen.217kb

They include tree frogs, flying dragons(龙), spider (蜘蛛) monkeys, ......, gibbons(长臂猿), orangutans (猩猩), sloths (懒猴), loris (懒猴), ......, bats (蝙蝠), wasps (黄蜂), beetles (甲虫), and leave-cutting ants.

Click here to watch and listen.303kb

Jaguars (美洲虎)and tapirs (貘) live on the ground in the tropical forest. Chimpanzees (黑猩猩)and lowland gorillas (大猩猩) alternate (交替, 轮流, 改变) between the ground and the trees. Crocodiles and fish and tortoises in habit of rivers and ponds.

Fast Reading The land of Dripping Water

High overhead, monkeys swing by their tails and parrots call out. Nearer the ground, birds fly through the air. Climbing cats and other animals hunt for food. Snakes slide along the ground. A thousand insects go about their work. Trees

seem to reach up to the sky. Their big green leaves are 200 feet above the ground. This is a rain forest.

The rain forest is hot and wet. About 90 inches of rain fall each year. Even in the \"dry season\" three or four inches of rain fall each month. The large leaves of the trees catch the rain as it falls. The water drips slowly to the ground. It keeps on dripping long after the rain has stopped. But wind and sun never reach the forest floor.

The big trees protect the life living under them. Their flowers are food for insects. Birds and small animals stay under the leaves where they are safe from high-flying eagles. The monkeys live on nuts and fruit from the trees.

Notes:

1. drip vi. 滴，滴下 2. overhead adv. 在头顶上 3. swing vi. 摇摆，摇荡

4. parrot n. 鹦鹉 5. nut n. 坚果

Tropical forests stay warm all year and receive the abundant rainfall. These forests are found in Asia, Australia, central and south America and the Pacific Islands.

A subtropical rainforest in the San Carlos Valley of Costa Rica fits the strictest

definition of a jungle because it has a thick, tangled growth of small trees, vines, and other low-lying plants. -- Giles

The dense jungle on the west coast of New Zealand's South Island yields most of the native timber. The rain forest in Yunnan Province, in China

Tropical Rain Forests

People are rapidly destroying tropical forests for wood or for farming. The continuing destruction of these environments means the animals will disappear forever. Scientists believe countless of species have already been wiped out.

点击画面, Realplayer会自动播放一段影片，影片大小 240KB

Never to be seen again

Hundreds of mammal and bird species are in danger of extinction, due to being hunted by man of by destruction of their habitat. About half the rain forests in the world have been destroyed. If the current rate of destruction continues, most rain forests could disappear in the next 50 years.

Tropical forest fire

Teeth Like Razors

Piranhas have razor (剃刀)-sharp, triangular (三角形) teeth that lock together

like the teeth on the gears (齿轮) of a clock when the fish bites. The piranha can rush up to its prey (被掠食者) (usually another fish), neatly slice (切) off a mouthful of flesh or fin(鳍, 鱼翅), and then dash (猛冲) away before its victim knows what's happened!

A single piranha is not much of a threat (威胁) to a swimming animal, but a hungry school (鱼群) of piranhas. Each fish arms with razor(剃刀)-sharp (锋利) teeth. They

can quickly make their victim (牺牲品) disappear.

An orca (逆戟鲸) stalks (追踪，

接近）its prey （被掠食者）not only in the sea, but sometimes on the shore. After snagging (迅速抓住）

a seal, an orca may play with it like a cat and a mouse.

Seafood platter, please

Click here to listen. 25KB

An orca dining in a seafood restanurant could pretty much order anything on the menu. They feed on fish, sea turtles (海龟), squid,penguins (企鹅), dolphins (海豚), sea lions, seals (海豹), and occasionally even large whales. A pod (密集小群) of orcas will often herd (驱赶成群) its prey (被捕食者) with loud noises before

moving in for the kill.

\"Head-Foot\" Animals

Imagine that your arms grew out of your head. Then your

life would be a little like a squid's! Squies, octopuses (章鱼), and cuttlefish (乌贼) all have tentacles (触须) growing from

their heads. That's why they're called cephalopods,

or \"head-foot\" animals. This school of average-sized

squids has come together not to exchange ideas

but rather to mate (交配)..

Click here to listen. 44KB

Quick-Change Artist

Of the few animals that can change their color, none can change as fast as squids and their relatives. This is because their color cells (细胞) are operated by muscles (肌肉) directly controlled by the nervous (神经) system. The animals change color and pattern both to blend (混和) in with the environment (环境) and to communicate. For instance, when two squids meet and one turns dark, it may

be saying,

'I'm a boy---are you a girl?'

Click here to listen. 44KB

In delicious demand

If you were a squid, you would really be in demand---

by big fish, whales, dolphins (海豚), seals (海豹), sharks (鲨鱼), and sea birds---as well as humans, who might prefer you swimming in tomato sauce (沙司) to swimming in the sea.

Click here to listen. 44KB

Sea Monsters?

Most squids are gentle creatures that pose (形成) no threat (威胁) to anything

larger than a small fish. Although stories of giant (巨大的) squids attacking

(攻击) boats have been told for years, not one has have ever been proved

true. It is more likely that the boats were overtuned by bad

weather or bumped (撞破) by whales, or that the tales were made up

by the tellers to explain the accident at sea.

Click here to watch and listen. 256KB

(Right) This giant squid was caught off

the west coast of Tasmania (塔斯马尼亚, 澳大利亚).

A live specimen (标本) would be about eight metres long,

including two very long clasping (扣紧的) tentacles (触须).

Photo by David Paul

Squid Hunter

The sperm whale does not feed on small fish like other

whales. Instead it has teeth and feeds on spuid. it can dive to

a depth of 1,000 metres. On one ship which had equipment

for measuring the depth of the water, the captain noticed a

sperm whale diving to a depth of nearly 2,250 metres.

How does the sperm whale mamage to do sthis?

When it dives, its heart slows to half its normal speed.

By doing this the animal can hold its breath for a longer time.

At the bottom of the ocean it is completely dark. The sperm

whale therefore has to look for the squid using

sound waves.

An underwater photo shows a sperm whale diving from the

surface of the Gulf of Mexico. The whales feed several hundred

meters deep, in the gulf‘s “ocean oases（绿洲）.” When Texas

A&M scientists surveyed (调查) the gulf during the GulfCet I study,

underwater microphones detected (探察到)273 sperm whales, and

observers (观察者)spotted (认出, 发现) more than three hundred.

Battle of Giants

Do giant (巨人，巨大的) squids attack whales?

Male sperm whales, which are about the same length as

giant squids and pursue (追击，追踪) them into the cold Atlantic

depth, often carry scars (伤痕) from squid suckers (吸管).

It is not likely, though, that the squid starts any fight ---

for while many squids have been found inside

the bellies (胃) of the whales, a whale has never been

found inside the belly of a squid.

Marine Ecosystems

The two main types of marine ecosystems (生态系统) are the open sea and the coastal waters.

A giant kelp (海藻) forest

off the southern California coast teaming with a variety (多样性) of organisms (生物体), such as this gorgonian coral and garibaldi (Hypsypops rubicunda).

Flip Nicklin--Minden Pictures

Zonation of the ocean. Encyclopidia Britannica, Inc.

COASTAL ECOSYSTEMS

The coastal (沿海的) zone (地区, 环带)extends from the rocks or sand dunes (沙丘) above the high-tide (潮汐) mark on land through the relatively warm, nutrient (营养)-rich, shallow neritic (浅海的),waters that cover the gently sloping (倾斜的) shallow edge of the continental shelf (架). Ecosystems in this division include the following: estuaries, places where a freshwater river merges (融合) with the saline (盐的) waters of the ocean; coral reefs, habitats (栖息地) found in the warm tropical (热带的) or subtropical (亚热带的) waters of the neritic zone; salt-water wetlands, such as bays, lagoons (礁湖), salt flats, mud flats, salt marshes (沼泽), and, in tropical waters, mangrove (红树林) swamps(沼泽); and beaches and dunes.

Copyright ® 1994-1998 Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc.

OPEN OCEANS

The open ocean includes all marine waters throughout the globe beyond the continental shelf, as well as the benthic (深海底的), or bottom, environment that

lies below them. Nutrient concentrations (浓度) are low in most areas of the open ocean and as a result this

great expanse (宽阔) of water contains only a small percentage of marine organisms (生物体). Far below the surface in the midocean ridges

(山脊) of the abyssal (深海的) zone, deep-sea hydrothermal (热水的) vents of volcanic origin occur, which support an unusual assemblage

(集合) of organisms, including chemoautotrophic

(化能自养的) bacteria (细菌), the producers of

this ecosystem.

Copyright ® 1994-1998 Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc.

What is happening?

Click here to read more.

Many marine animals are with the mercy (仁慈, 怜悯)

of human activity. But the demand for sea food has

let to over-fishing of halibut（庸鲽）, herring（鲱）,

salmon（鲑), and some other sea creatures.

Click here to watch and listen. 166KB

Millions of dolphins（海豚） have drowned in

fishing nets that were intended to catch cod（鳕）,

tuna（金鱼）, and other fish.

Click here to watch and listen. 112KB

In addition, spill (溢出，流出) of toxic (有毒的) materials

and other forms of pollution have reduced the number

of some ocean species (种类).

Lesson 14 A Travel Diary (1)

Tuesday October 5th, l99-- fine

I'm sitting on a rock near the river with my friends. Our guide is cookin sup-

per -- I can smell it.

We are having a wonderful time. I am in the midddle of this great forest in

South America. We can't travel through the forest by road, because there aren't

any roads. So we have to travel by air or boat. We are enjoying our boat trip

very much. At night we tie the boat to a big tree by the river bank near a viL

lage. Our guide buys some food from the villagers and we cook it ourselves

Sometimes we eat chicken, eggs, birds or monkeys. I think it is wrong to eat

monkeys, so I don't. Most of the time we eat fish.

All nigh long we can hear the strange sounds of wild birds and animals.

There are parrots,too. We can see them flying along the river In the evening I

love sitting by the fire and Playing my guitar.

It is dangerous to swim in the river. This afternoon I was just about to go

swimming when luckily our guide saw me and shouted at me, \"Stop! Don't

swim!\" He explained that there are dangerous fish in the river. The fish have

very sharp teeth; they can eat a person in two minutes, leaving ouly the bones.

Last week we started our trip across this country. After spending the week

end in the capital we took a taxi to the airport. Then we took off and flew over

a part of the forest. What a sad sight it was! For miles and miles I could see

notheng except a great fire and lots of smoke.

There is not enough land by the sea. The population of the country is grow-

ing every minute. Many people cannot find work in the capital. They are

moving into the forests. They travel until they come to a wild part of the forest.

Then they burn the forest and plant crops for their cows. They can sell their

beef at a high price in the capital.

Read the second part of the diary in the next lesson.