外研版（2019） 选择性必修第二册 Units 1

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新外研（2019年）高中英语选择性必修第二册课文及参考译文Unit1 Growing upUnderstanding Idea--The Age of MajorityThe Age of Majority In most countries, turning 18 marks the start of adulthood. But what does reaching this milestone, the age of majority, really mean Will you be completely in charge of your own life and able to express yourself in new and exciting ways What new responsibilities will this freedom bring Here, three young people tell us what turning 18 means, or meant, to them. Bethany 16, Victoria, Australia I can't wait to be 18. One reason is that although I've been working ever since leaving school, I won't be voting in the next general election. Why Because I still won't be old enough Surely, if you're old enough to earn a wage and pay taxes, you should be allowed to have a say on how the government spends them! I've also been taking driving lessons, and in fact I will be taking my driving test on the very day I turn 18. My mum worries about me being behind the wheel. As an ambulance driver, shes seen a lot of car accidents involving teenagers and thinks the legal age for getting a driving licence should be 21. But I think I'm already mature enough understand that driving a car also means taking responsibility for my life and the lives of other people Lin Ning 19. Shanghai China I celebrated my 18th birthday just before I went to university. I expected to feel instantly different, as if I had closed the door on my childhood and stepped into a whole new adult world. But it wasn't like that. When I woke up the next day, there were still rules to obey and lessons to attend. In fact. the change has been more subtle and gradual than I imagined. Instead of being the selfish teenager I used to be, I have begun to feel more aware of other people and to develop a stronger sense of social responsibility. To give an example, I will be signing an organ donation agreement this time tomorrow. This was a big decision for me and I made it without asking my parents (although I knew they would approve). Turning 18 also changed the way that society viewed me. I was really surprised when a bank contacted me with a credit card offer. Of course. I would like to have more freedom with money and no doubt I will be getting a credit card at some point, but I currently don’t have a stead income, so getting a credit card might tempt me to spend more money than I have Morgan 20, Florida, the US People say that 18 marks a new chapter in our lives, and that we should become more independent. I used to believe this, but the reality for me has been very different. I assumed I'd already have a well-paid job and that I'd be moving into a rented apartment as soon as I turned 18, but how wrong I was My librarians salary means that I'll be living at home with my parents for a while longer. Because I contribute to the household bills and my commute to work is quite expensive, I find it hard to save any money. I'll be starting a new job next month, however, so maybe things will get easier. I know I could get a bank loan to pay the deposit on my very own apartment, but I don’t feel ready to make that kind of commitment, and I do like my mom's cooking I guess some responsibilities are more about attitude than age. 成年 在大多数国家,进入18岁便意味着成年。但是到达成年这里程碑到底意味着什么呢 你将完全主宰自己的生活吗 你能够用新奇的、激动人心的方式来表达自己吗 获得这种自由又会带来什么新的责任呢 接下来,有三位年轻人会为我们讲述年满18岁对他们意味着什么,或是曾经意味了什么。 贝萨妮16岁,澳大利亚维多利亚州 我简直等不及想要到18岁了。其中一个原因是虽然我一毕业就工作了,但是我依然不能在下一届大选中投票。为什么 因为我依然不满18岁。但是我认为如果一个人已经工作并且交税了,那他应该对政府在支配税收方面有一定的话语权。我也一直在学习驾驶,并且我会在18岁当天就去考驾照。妈妈十分担心我开车,作为一名救护车司机,她目睹过太多涉及青少年的车祸,她认为考驾照的法定年龄应该推迟到21岁。但是我觉得自己已经足够成熟,知道开车也意味着要对自己和他人的生命负责。 林宁19岁,中国上海 上大学前我刚满18岁。我曾经期待马上会有不一样的感觉,就好像自己关闭了童年的大门,踏进一个全新的成人世界。但是事实并非如此。第二天我醒来时,仍然有需要遵守的规则,需要参加的课程。事实上,这种变化比我想象的更微小,更平缓。相比自己之前那个自私的青少年角色,我已经开始更多地关注别人,并且去培养更强烈的社会责任感。比如说明天这个时候我将会签署器官捐赠意向书。这对我来说是个重大的决定,做出这个决定我并未征求父母的意见(虽然我知道他们会同意的)。满18岁后,社会对待我的方式也改变了。有家银行给我打电话让我办理信用卡的时候,我非常惊讶。虽然我想在花钱方面更为自由,而且毫无疑问我将在未来的某个时间获得一张信用卡,但是我现在还没有稳定的收入,所以现在办理的话可能会让我透支! 摩根20岁,美国佛罗里达州 人们都说18岁意味着翻开人生的新篇章,我们应该变得更独立。我曾经也这样认为,但是事实并非如此。我以为我到18岁就能有一份新水不错的工作,能搬进自己租的公寓,我是多么异想天开呀!作为一个图书管理员,我的工资只够我继续长时间和父母住在一起。因为我要分担家庭账单,而且我的通勤费用很高,所以我发现攒钱非常困难。下个月我会开始一份新工作,也许情况能有所好转。我知道我可以通过货款来支付购买自己公寓的订金,但我还无法向银行做出这种重大的承诺,而且我真的很喜欢吃妈妈做的饭。我觉得要想负起一些责任,更多的是关乎态度,而不是年龄。The Little Prince Once when I was six years old I saw a magnificent picture in a book, called True Stories from Nature, about the primeval forest.It was a picture of a boa constrictor In the act of swallowing an animal. Here is a copy of the drawing. In the book it said: ＂Boa constrictors swallow their prey whole,without chewing it. After that they are not able to move， and they sleep through the six months that they need for digestion I pondered deeply,then,over the adventures of the jungle. And after some work with a colored pencil I succeeded in making m first drawing. My Drawing Number One. It looked like this: I showed my masterpiece to the grown-ups, and asked them whether the drawing frightened them. But they answered: Frighten Why should anyone be frightened by a hat ” My drawing was not a picture of a hat. It was a picture of a boa constrictor digesting an elephant. But since the grown-ups were not able to understand it, I made another drawing: I drew the inside of the boa constrictor, so that the grown-ups could see it clearly. They always need to have things explained. My Drawing Number Two looked like this. The grown-ups' response, this time, was to advise me to lay aside my drawings of boa constrictors. whether from the inside or the outside, and devote myself instead to geography, history arithmetic and grammar. That is why, at the age of six, I gave up what might have been a magnificent career as a painter. I had been disheartened by the failure of my Drawing Number One and my Drawing Number Two. Grown-ups never understand anything by themselves, and it is tiresome for children to be always and forever explaining things to them. So then I chose another profession, and learned to pilot airplanes I have flown a little over all parts of the world: and it is true that geography has been very useful to me. At a glance I can distinguish China from Arizona. If one gets lost in the night, such knowledge is valuable In the course of this life, I have had a great many encounters with a great many people who have been concerned with matters of consequence. I have lived a great deal among grown-ups .I have seen them intimately, close at hand. And that hasn't much improved my opinion of them. Whenever I met one of them who seemed to me at all clear-sighted, I tried the experiment of showing him my Drawing Number One, which I have always kept. I would try to find out, so, if this was a person of true understanding. But, whoever it was, he, or she, would always say: Then I would never talk to that person about boa constrictors, or primeval forests, or stars. I would bring myself down to his level I would talk to him about bridge, and golf, and politics and neckties. And the grown-up would be greatly pleased to have met such a sensible man (Excerpt from The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery) 小王子 我六岁的时候在一本书里看到了一张非常震撼的图。书的名字是《大自然的真实故事》，讲的是原始森林。那张图片上有一条蟒蛇正在吞掉一只动物。这是那张图的摹本: 书上写着:“蟒蛇把猎物整个吞下，完全不咀嚼。吞下以后蟒蛇就动不了了。消化食物需要六个月，因此蟒蛇就睡六个月。 那个时候，我深深地思考着原始丛林里的奇遇。我用一支彩色铅笔，成功画出了我的第一幅画作。我的“一号画作”是这样的: 我把我的杰作给大人看，问他们有没有被我的画吓到。但他们回答:“吓到 为什么有人会被一顶帽子吓到 我画的不是帽子，而是一条正在消化一头大象的蟒蛇。但由于大人们没有看懂，我又画了一幅:我画出了蟒蛇身体的内部，这样大人就能看清楚了。所有事情都非要你跟他们解释清楚，他们才能懂。我的“二号画作”是这样的。 这次，大人的回答是建议我把不管是蟒蛇内部还是外部的画都放到一边，然后转而专心学习地理、历史、算术和语法。所以，六岁的时候，我放弃了可能会十分辉煌的画家职业道路。“一号画作”和二号画作”的失败使我心灰意冷。大人从来没法自己弄慬任何事情，小孩永远要给他们解释是很辛苦的。 所以后来我选了另一个职业，我开始学习驾驶飞机。世界上每个地方我差不多都去过;地理对我确实很有用。我一眼就能分辨中国和亚利桑那州。如果晚上迷路了，这样的知识很有价值。 在生命历程中，我多次遇到过很多关心大事的人。我在大人之中生活了很久。我密切地观察过他们，近在咫尺地看过。然而我对他们的看法还是没有改观。 然后我就不再跟那个人聊任何有关蟒蛇、原始森林或是星星的事情了。我就会把自己降低到他的层次，跟他聊桥梁、高尔夫、政治、领带。而这个大人就会很高兴能遇到这样一个明智的人 每一次我遇到一个看上去头脑完全清楚的大人，我都会给他看我一直带着的“一号画作”，想看看这个人是不是能真正地理解。但是，不论这个人是谁，他(她)总是会说: 那是顶帽子。 节选自安托万 德 圣埃克苏佩里的《小王子》Unit 2 Improving yourselfUnderstanding ideas-Social Media DetoxSocial Media Detox Moderator Today marks the last day of the Social Media Detox, Brenton High’s fundraising campaign for new sports equipment. At the start of the detox, over 100 students had been persuaded to stop using social media, in ANY form, for seven days. This meant no messaging friends, no posting photos, no blogging----nothing. They had been promised money by family and friends for each day spent without using social media. They were nervous. But could they do it With the detox finished, they’ve switched on their devices and they’re back online. I bet you’re as eager as I am to find out just how many have been motivated enough to last the full seven days! And what, if anything, have been learnt from the experience Anna 17 I lasted two days. The detox was more difficult to tolerate than I had expected. I felt like I had lost an arm! Not eating for two days would have been easier! But on reflection, I can see how much of my time had been occupied with checking my phone. I’m now trying to spend less time online and more time picking up my hobbies. Devon 16 I lasted four days. On Monday, our classmate and I spoke about what we did at the weekend—it felt strange not to already know what he had done. We would have posted pictures and updated our profiles. Doing the detox meant we had to talk and explain what we were ding and thinking! It made me realise the value of real contact that I hand forgotten. Cindy 18 I managed the whole week! At first, I really felt I was missing out. Then,instead of messaging my friend, I went around to her house. Without our phones, we had a proper conversation for over two hours. Without being distracted by messages from other people, it felt so good! Then i decided to visit a different friend every day. By the fifth day, I wondered—was I really missing out by not constantly checking my phone to see what everyone else was up to Gorge 16 I did all seven days, too! To be honest, I didn’t find the detox too difficult, but I did give my phone to my father to avoid giving in! My brother thought I should make full use of the time without my phone; so he took me to check out our local sports centre. An hour’s sport each day left me tired out and sent me early to bed. The detox made me healthier! Max 17 I’m embarrassed to say that I threw in the towel on the first day! I knew there was a party happening that evening, but without access to social media I couldn’t remember where it was! In the end, I turn on my phone to check, but couldn’t resist having a quick look at my social media accounts. What’s worse, I then spent so much time catching up on news, I almost missed the party. Moderator The detox raised a total of $1,632.82 for new school sports equipment! Well done,everyone who took part! After reading the posts on this forum, it seems that something rather than money has also been raised through the detox. Awareness of just how much we rely on social media can help us step away from it and communicate with each other better. 社交媒体排毒 主持人 主持人:布伦顿高中为给购置新的体育设备筹款，举办了一项名为“社交媒体脱瘾”的活动。今天是活动的最后一天。脱瘾活动初期，我们成功说服100多名学生连续七天不得使用任何形式的社交媒体。这就意味着他们在这段时间内不能给朋友发短信,不能上传照片，不能发博客，与社交媒.体相关的任何形式的活动都不行。脱离社交媒体的每-天，他们都能收到来自家人和朋友的奖励金。对此，他们很兴奋，也很紧张。但他们真的能做到吗 如今，脱瘾活动已结束，他们纷纷开启电子设备，重返网络。相信你和我一样，迫切想知道多少人有足够的动力坚持了整整七天!而他们，又从此次经历中学到了什么 安娜17我坚持了两天。社交媒体脱瘾比我预期的更加难以忍受。没了社交媒体，就像缺少-只胳膊一般。让我饿两天可能还更轻松些!但一番反思后，我也意识到平日花在看手机上的时间太多了。现在，我正试图减少上网时间，把更多精力用于重拾自己的爱好。 戴文16我坚持了四天。周一，我和同学讨论了周末各自的活动——我并不知道他都做了些什么，这感觉太奇怪了。因为平时我们都会上传照片，更新各自的动态。参与这次脱瘾活动，意味着我们不得不互相交流并向对方解释自己的所做所想。这也让我意识到已经遗忘了的真正沟通的重要性。辛迪18我坚持了整整一周!最初，我真的感觉自己错过了无数消息。但我忍住没给朋友发消息，而是直接去了她家。没有手机的我们，好好地聊了两个多小时，没有被其他人的消息干扰，这感觉真棒!接下来我决定每天去见一位不同的朋友。到第五天时我在想，当我不再忙于查看手机关注他人生活的时候，我真的错过了很多吗 乔治16我也坚持了整整七天!说实话，我觉得社交媒体脱瘾没那么难，但为了让自己不要半途而废，我还是把手机上交给爸爸了。哥哥觉得我应该充分规划好没有手机的日子,因此他带我去了我们当地的体育中心。每天一小时的运动让人筋疲力尽，想早点上床休息。脱瘾活动让我更健康了! 马克斯17我都不好意思说自己第-天就打了退堂鼓。脱瘾活动开始的当晚有个聚会，但如果不靠社交媒体的话，我怎么也想不起地点在哪儿!最后我还是打开手机查看了一下，结果没忍住,偷看了一眼我的社交媒体账户。更糟的是，我花了大把时间刷新动态，差点错过了本该要去的聚会! 主持人此次脱瘾活动总共为学校募集了1,632.82英镑，用于购置新的体育设备!每位参与者都做得很棒!看了论坛上的各个帖子，这次活动对人们的影响似乎远远不止通过活动筹集到的钱。脱瘾活动还让我们意识到自己对社交媒体的依赖程度，从而帮助我们摆脱它的束缚，更好地互相沟通。Developing ideas- Valuable valuesValuable Values The spending power of young people varies from person to person. Each, however, is faced with the same question: what to do with the money Some handle this less well than others. Recent headlines have seen more and more teens maxing out their parents’ credit cards on games and other online activities. In contrast to these big spenders, there are also teens that prove age is no barrier to making good use of money. With the help of her grandfather, eight-year-old Khloe Thompson started making “Kare Bags” for the homeless people in her district. Inside the bags are necessities such as toothpaste, soap and socks,bought first with her pocket money and then through crowd funding. These items helped to make the lives of the poor and homeless people a little bit easier. On receiving a Kare bag, one woman said, “You make me feel like a human being.” However people intend to use their money, managing it seems to be unprecedentedly important to younger generations. A 2016 study said 17 states of the US require high school students to take course in personal finance. For those who have no access to courses, help might be at hand thanks to Jerry Witkovsky and his method of using four jars to teach teenagers how to spend their money wisely. When Jerry’s grandchildren turned 13, his present to each of them were three jars: one for spending, one for saving, and another for giving—he has since added a fourth jar for investing. It was from then on that his grandchildren started to be in control of what to do with the money they receive: spend, save, invest, or give Jerry’s birthday present to his grandparents is, however, much more than money and a few jars—he is giving them an opportunity to learn lifelong values. The value taught with the Spending jar is that you are responsible for your own happiness. Money gives you independence and the opportunity to buy something you like. After all, it’s OK to be nice to yourself! While spending jar is about here and now, the saving jar gives you a vision for future. This could involve saving for university, but it could also mean saving for that special something you’ve seen in the stores— it’s up to you. The Investing jar not only represents a vision for the the future, but gives the opportunity to build for the future. Although this could likewise involve putting aside money for your university education, it also means investing in yourself. The Giving jar is all about kindness and helping. Whether you want to help out a friend, give money to an animal charity or to children in another country, it’s your money to give to whatever cause you believe in. The wider aim of the jars is to encourage teenagers to think more objectively about money and the things that it can do, so that they grow up understanding, if you like, the value of the valuable. In this way, they will be better equipped in their adult lives to make informed choices about how they use the money they have. Indeed, the small change inside their jars could mean a big change in how they manage their money. 价值的价值 年轻人的消费能力因人而异。然而，每个人都面临一个同样的问题:该如何对待自己的钱 有些人并不那么擅长理财。最近的新闻头条中报道了越来越多的青少年刷爆了父母的信用卡，将钱肆意挥霍在网络游戏或其他网络活动中。 与这些花钱大手大脚的人相比，也有一些青少年证明了年龄并非善于利用金钱的障碍。年仅八岁的科洛.汤普森在祖母的帮助下，开始为她所在区的流浪者们制作“爱心包包”。包里面装着-些生活必需品，比如牙膏、肥皂和袜子等。最初购买这些物品用的都是她自己的零花钱,后来则是通过众筹购买。这些物品让贫穷和无家可归的人生活得稍微轻松了一些。在收到“爱心包包”时，一位女士说:“你让 我觉得自己活得像个人。 无论人们打算怎样使用自己的钱，理财对于年轻-代来说似乎变得前所未有地重要。2016年的一项研究表明，美国有17个州要求高中生修个人理财的课程。对于那些无法接触理财课程的人来说，多亏杰里.维特科夫斯基和他的理财方法——他用四个罐子教青少年如何智慧理财。 当杰里的孙子孙女们年满13岁时，杰里给他们每个人的礼物都是三个罐子:一个用于消费，一个用于储蓄，另一个用于给予——之后他还增加了第四个罐子，用于投资。从那时起，他的孙子孙女们就开始自己掌控如何处理所得的钱:用于消费、储蓄、投资还是给予他人 然而，杰里送他们生日礼物的价值远远不止金钱和这几个罐子-一他为他们提供了终身树立正确价值观的机会。 “消费”罐子传递的价值是:你要为自己的幸福负责。金钱让你独立，并给你购买自己所爱之物的机会。毕竟，对自己好一点是可以的! “消费”罐子关注的是眼前和当下,而“储蓄”罐子则为你提供了未来的愿景。它可以是为大学教育准备的存款，也可以是为自己在商店里看到的心仪之物而攒的钱——这都取决于你。 “投资”罐子不仅代表着对未来的愿景，还为未来的发展提供了机会。虽然它同样包括为大学教育而把钱存起来，但它同时还意味着对自身的投资。 “给予”罐子其实就是指善良与帮助。无论你是想要接济朋友，为动物慈善机构捐款，或是救助另一个国家的孩子，这都是你的钱，你可以把它捐给任何你相信的事业。 介绍这四个罐子，更深远的目的在于鼓励青少年以一种更客观的方式思考金钱以及用钱能做的事情,让他们在成长的过程中逐渐理解重要事物的真正价值。这样，他们在步入成人社会时才会更加得心应手，并且能够对如何管理金钱做出明智的选择。事实上，他们罐子中的细微变化可能意味着日后他们理财方式的巨大变化。Unit 3 Time changesUnderstanding ideas-A New ChapterA New Chapter The day I heard that the Rainbow Bookstore was closing after 50 years of business, I was heartbroken. The bookstore, which was a legendary fixture in the neighbourhood, was a place where anyone could drop in and connect through their love of books. When I hurried to the store. I saw that the books were already being packed into boxes. I had a long chat with Casey, the stores elderly owner. Sighing deeply, he told me how becoming difficult to run an independent bookstore. Most people preferred reading e-books on tablets. More and more customers were being attracted by chain stores and online discounts. I tried to think of some words of sympathy, but I had to admit that the Rainbow Bookstore couldn't stay in business much longer. Childhood memories came back to me so clearly, as if the events had happened only yesterday. A bunch of us kids would frequently drop by the store after school. We'd look at the new books, or just chat with Old Casey. He knew every book in the store and would always pick the perfect one for us from a dusty shelf. We spent hours reading, seated on the stores old but comfortable furniture. Casey encouraged us to share our ideas and comments on the books, by writing them on a large board in one corner of the store. When I left the bookstore. it was becoming cold and dark outside. I turned to wave goodbye to Casey, but both he and his bookstore were already hidden in a thick mist. It made me realise that the bookstore and all that Old Casey had given to the community could soon disappear for good. A few months later, I was back in the neighbourhood during my spring break vacation and was surprised to see that the Rainbow Bookstore was still there and open for business. Its old brick exterior hadn't changed but inside it was like a different world. In one area, a book reading was being delivered. Nearby, customers were poring over shelves selling stationery, posters and other best-seller-themed gifts. The large board in the corner had been replaced by a big screen, where customers' comments on the month's best-seller were being displayed. Clearly, the Rainbow Bookstore was in good, creative hands. I was told that the community had decided to work together on a campaign to save the Rainbow Bookstore. The campaign had been led by Jennifer Oakley, a saleswoman who had grown up the neighbourhood and who had now taken over the bookstore from Case. Under Jennifer’s leadership, the bookstore was being turned into a place for literature-loving members of the community to get together. It had a cafe selling organic food, and there were now more community events such as book readings, poetry recitals and even jazz concerts and movie nights, where people could gather to share an experience that couldn't be downloaded. I Joined Casey, who was looking up at the screen on which readers comments kept popping up. "Well, as you can see, corporate knowledge combined with creativity has brought my humble bookstore into the 2lst century! I'm so pleased to see that everything I wanted it to offer to the community is still here.” 新的篇章 听说经营了50年的彩虹书店要停业的那天,我的心都要碎了。这家书店是这片社区鼎鼎大名、永远不变的一家店,谁都可以来这里逛逛,因为热爱书籍而互相认识。 我匆匆赶到书店,看到那些书已经装箱了。我和老店主凯西聊了很久。他深深地叹了口气,告诉我经营独立书店越来越难。大多数年轻人更喜欢用平板电脑读电子书。越来越多的顾客被连锁店和网店的折扣吸引。我想要说些同情的话,却发现自己不得不承认彩虹书店的确开不下去了。 童年的回忆清晰地浮现在我的脑海里,好像那些事就发生在昨天。我们这群孩子放学后经常去书店。我们会看看新书或者只是与老凯西聊几句。他对店里每本书都了如指掌,总能从落了灰的架子上挑一本最好的书给我们。我们会坐在店里陈旧而舒适的家具上,读上好几个钟头的书。凯西鼓励我们把对书的想法和评论分享出来,写在书店一角的大板子上。 我离开书店的时候,外面已又冷又黑。我转身向凯西挥手告别,但他和书店都已经消失在浓雾中。这让我意识到,书店和老凯西给社区带来的一切都将很快消失殆尽。 几个月后,我在春假期间回到了社区,却惊奇地发现彩虹书店仍然伫立在那里,并且还在营业。它外面的旧砖瓦丝毫未变,但里面却像一个不同的世界。店里开辟了一片阅读区在阅读区附近,顾客们在货架前仔细地挑选着文具、海报和其他畅销主题的礼品。之前书店角落里的大板子换成了一个大屏幕,顾客对本月畅销书的评论展现在上面。显然,彩虹书店经营有方,富有创意。 我听说是社区决定发起团结协作拯救彩虹书店的活动。这次活动由珍妮弗 奥克利领导,她是一位售货员,从小在社区长大,现在已经从凯西手中接手了书店。 在珍妮弗的领导下,这家书店变成了社区文学爱好者聚会的地方。书店里有咖啡馆,出售有机食品;现在还在这里举行更多的社区活动,比如读书会、诗歌朗诵会甚至是爵士音乐会和电影之夜。在这里,人们可以聚在一起分享体验,这种体验是无法从网上下载到的。 我湊到凯西旁边,他正看着大屏幕上不断出现的读者评论。嗯,正如你所看到的,集体的智慧和创意把我这个简陋的书店带进了21世纪!我很高兴,我想让书店奉献给社区的一切都还在。”Emojis: a new language While waiting outside the cafeteria, I received the following message from my friend It took me a minute before I realised what it meant. The signs he used were to say that he’d be running late and would be there soon. Instead of replying with a simple"OK, don’t rush searched for emojis on my phone that would express the same Message: This was my attempt to follow the trend of communicating with emojis. Emojis are used everywhere, from text messages to emails, blogs and other social media networks. With the rapid development of social media, emojis are becoming an integral component of the language we use to express ourselves. The word"emoj1"comes from Japanese, literally meaning picture character". Emojis are small symbols representing ideas emotions or feelings. They come in different categories, such as faces and people, plants and animals, and food and drink“ Emoji” When first introduced in Japan in 1999, emojis were limited to 176 simple designs. Now there are more than 3, 000 emojis that expand upon the way in which we communicate. Due to their popularity, the Oxford Dictionaries Word of the Year in 2015 was for the first time ever, a pictograph( )instead of a traditional word. In today's world, emojis have become more and more popular. It seems that emojis have clear advantages over written language People like them because they add emotional meaning, and are quick and easy to use. In fact, this is similar to the gestures we use when we speak. With a smiling or sad face added to a message or post, your reader can"see "your facial expression while reading your words. Emojis can also help people express their feelings when they cannot find the appropriate words. For instance. if your friend is moving across the country. you may just send them a string of crying faces to express your sadness over your separation. The use of emojis has even spread to classical literature. A Shakespeare series for young readers has taken William Shakespeare's popular plays and replaced some words with textspeak and emoiis. The intention of these adaptations is to make the classics more accessible to young readers. Some people, however, believe that these new versions have taken away the heart and soul of Shakespeare's plays. As we can see, emojis have a tendency to pop up all over the place. Users of emojis say that they facilitate the way in which we communicate and express ourselves. But this makes others especially educators, worry that we are losing the ability to communicate properly using the written word, or even the spoken word. After all, how many of us today would rather send a message packed with emojis than make a telephone call Perhaps people will one day choose to communicate in pictures and forget how to write properly. On that day, emojis will have become a real pictorial"language". But, for now, maybe it's best that we just enjoy using them. 表情符号:一门新语言 在自助餐厅外等待的时候,我收到了朋友发来的信息。 我花了一分钟才理解这条消息的意思,这些符号是想说他要迟到了,会尽快过来。我没有简单地回复“好,别着急。而是从手机上搜索了几个表达相同意思的表情符号: 这是我追随使用表情符号交流这一潮流的一次尝试。表情符号无处不在,从短信到电子邮件、博客以及其他社交媒体网络都会使用表情符号。随着社交媒体的飞速发展,表情符号正在成为我们用于表达自我的语言不可或缺的一部分。 一词源于日语,字面意思是“图画文字”。表情符号是表示想法、情绪或感受的小图标。它们可分为不同类别,比如面部表情和人物、动植物、食品饮料等。 1999年,表情符号首次在日本推出,当时只有176个简单的图案。但现在我们能使用3,000多个表情符号来拓宽我们的交流渠道。由于表情符号的风靡,牛津词典2015年的年度词汇是(哭的表情符号),这是图画文字首次替代了传统意义上的单词。 在当今世界,表情符号越来越受欢迎。表情符号似乎比书面语言更具明显优势。人们喜欢它们,因为它们增添了语言的情感含义,使用方便快捷。事实上,这就像我们说话时用的手势一样。当在信息或帖子中加一个微笑表情或悲伤表情时,你的读者在读你写的内容时就能“看到”你的面部表情。表情符号还能帮助人们在找不到合适的词汇时表达他们的感受。举个例子,假如你的朋友将要搬去另一个国家,你可以发给他们一串哭脸,来表达自己对于你们将要分离的忧伤之情。 表情符号的使用甚至蔓延到经典文学之中。一套为年轻读者写的、内容取材于威廉 莎士比亚流行戏剧的系列丛书,就把书中一些词语更換为短信简写语和表情符号。这些改写的目的是为了使经典著作更容易被年轻读者接受。然而,也有人认为这些新版本剥夺了莎士比亚戏剧的精髓。 正如我们所见，表情符号的趋势是变得越来越随处可见。表情符号的使用者声称它们更便于我沟通交流、表达自我。但是这使得一些人，尤其是教育工作者，担心我们正在失去使用书面语甚至语来正确沟通的能力。毕竟，现如今，我们当中有多少人宁愿发送一条满是表情符号的短信，也不愿意打电话 或许有一天，人们会选择用图片来交流，忘记怎样正确书写。到那一天，表情符号将成为真正的图画“语言”。但是现在，或许我们最好还是享受使用它们的乐趣吧!Unit 4 Breaking boundariesUnderstanding ideas-MY 100 DAYS WITH MSFMY 100 DAYS WITH MSF 22 March 2015 Today we celebrate. It's exactly one month since the last reported case. But it is vital not to take any chances. So. 20 health care workers from almost as many countries, comrades in arms, raise virtual glasses to each other. I arrived in Liberia with MSF almost three months ago. When I saw the tragic scenes on the news, I felt it was my duty as a doctor to go there and offer my help. I knew I was putting my life at risk. but I thought. If I don’t do it. who will It is important to remember that Ebola doesn't respect national boundaries. There are no borders for doctors, for patients or for anyone else involved in combating this terrible disease. My mission was to relieve Emma, a Canadian specialist in infectious diseases at the end of her posting. Emma spent an hour with me in the staff room talking me through the daily routine. As she talked I could hear at least three different languages being spoken at the tables around us. Later, Emma introduced me to one of the others working for or alongside MSF: Wilton, a young local man, who helped carry the very sick into the treatment clinic and who disinfected clothing and surfaces; Maisy, a retired public health official from Darwin, Australia, whose local team of volunteers educated people on preventing infection; Alfonso, a soft-spoken Argentinian doctor in his 50s, who had previously worked on Ebola outbreaks in Sierra Leone and Guinea. The list went on. I found that I was the only Chinese doctor among people of all ages, colours and beliefs, from every continent except Antarctica. With each person I met, I felt a growing sense of pride as part of this extraordinary team, whose devotion to the cause shone from their eyes. In the few weeks since then, I have come to know these people very well. We have worked together, surrounded by blood vomit and death. But, although the death rate is very high, we will never give up on a patient, and our efforts do sometimes end in miracles. Just after my arrival, a family of six were brought here in the back of a van. All of them were infected. The twin girls and their parents soon died. We knew there was little hope for the brothers but we did everything we could to save them. When we visited the ward the next morning, we were amazed to see that against all odds, both boys were still alive. Pascal and Daniel have since made a full recovery. This small but unexpected success compensated for many other less fortunate cases. To be caught up in such a crisis creates powerful bonds between people, not only between carers and patients, but also between all those who have come from different parts of the world and joined together in a common cause. It is so inspiring to have colleagues like Wilton, Maisy, and Alfonso, not to mention all the others I have worked with. Now my time is almost up. In a few days, someone else will arrive to step into my shoes, and the tireless work that the MSF members do in more than 70 countries and regions around the world will go on. In a world still facing so many problems, it is absolutely essential for us all to collaborate to create a global community with a shared future of peace and prosperity. 我在无国界医生组织的100天 2015年3月22日 今天我们要庆祝。距离上次报告的病例正好一个月。但最重要的是不要掉以轻心。所以，来自几乎同样多国家的20名医疗工作者，战友们，举起虚拟的眼镜互相祝福。 大约三个月前，我和无国界医生一起来到了利比里亚。当我在新闻上看到悲惨的场景时，我觉得作为一个医生，我有责任去那里提供帮助。我知道我在拿自己的生命冒险。但我觉得。如果我不这么做。谁会呢？重要的是要埃博拉病毒不会不跨越国界。医生、病人或任何参与抗击这种可怕疾病的人都没有国界。 我的任务是在 Emma 任期结束时接替她，她是一名加拿大传染病专家。艾玛花了一个小时和我在员工室里跟我讲述每天的日常工作。当她说话的时候我能听到我们周围的桌子上至少有三种不同的语言在说话。后来，艾玛把我介绍给无国界医生组织的一些同事: 威尔顿，一个年轻的当地男子，他帮助把重病患者抬进治疗诊所，为他们消毒衣物和接触面; 梅西，一个来自澳大利亚达尔文的退休公共卫生官员，他的当地志愿者团队教导人们如何预防感染; 阿方索，一个50多岁的阿根廷医生，说话温和，曾在塞拉利昂和几内亚的埃博拉疫情中工作过。这个名单还在继续。我发现在所有的年龄，肤色和信仰的人中，除了南极洲，我是唯一的中国医生。我遇到每一个人，他们对事业的奉献从他们的眼中闪耀出来，而作为这个非凡团队的一员，我感到越来越强烈的自豪。 在那之后的几个星期里，我已经非常了解这些人。我们在周围都是血腥的呕吐物和死亡的环境里一起工作。但是，尽管死亡率非常高，我们永远不会放弃一个病人，我们的努力有时会以奇迹收场。 就在我到达之后，一家六口被一辆面包车带到了这里，他们都被感染了。这对双胞胎女儿和她们的父母很快就去世了。我们知道这对兄弟几乎没有希望，但我们竭尽全力去救他们。第二天早上我们去病房的时候，我们惊奇地发现两个男孩子都还活着。帕斯卡和丹尼尔从那时逐渐恢复到完全康复。这种微小但意想不到的成功弥补了许多其他不幸的情况。 陷入这样的危机会在人与人之间建立强有力的纽带，不仅只是在护理者和病人之间，而且也在所有来自世界不同地区并为共同事业而团结在一起的人们之间。能有像威尔顿、梅西和阿方索这样的同事，真是鼓舞人心，更不用说还有其他与我一起工作过的其他人。 现在我的时间快到了。再过几天，就会有其他人来接替我的位置，无国界医生组织成员在全世界70多个国家和地区所做的不懈努力将继续下去。在一个仍然面临如此多问题的世界上，我们大家绝对有必要进行合作，以建立一个拥有和平与繁荣的共同未来的全球社会。Developing ideas --The Words That Changed A NationThe Words That Changed A Nation On a grey afternoon on 19 November 1863, a tall, thin man mounted a platform in a field in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and began to speak. The place was the site of a recent battle where thousands of soldiers had died. The man was Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States of America, and he was there in memory of the soldiers who had died. The speech he gave was just 268 words long and lasted two minutes. But this address to the crowd changed the minds of his people and helped shape a nation. At that time, America was bitterly divided. For two years, its people had been deep in a civil war between the slave-owning Confederate Southern States and the "free" Northern States of the Union. The worst battle lasted three days and took place at Gettysburg in 1863. The Union side won, but at a great cost. Over 50,000 soldiers were killed or wounded, and people lost hope and purpose. What was all this suffering for Lincoln understood the feelings of the civilian people. His speech gave them hope, belief and a reason to look to the future. He gave them a new vision of what the United States of America should be, based on the ideals set down by its Founding Fathers 87 years before. It was what the soldiers had died for. Now it was up to the living to remove not only the divisions between North and South, but the boundaries between black and white, and work step by step towards the equality of humankind. Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth, upon this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation, so conceived, and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met here on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of it as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this. But in a larger sense, we can not dedicate - we can not consecrate - we can not hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember, what we say here, but can never forget what they did here. It is for us, the living, rather to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they have, thus far, so nobly carried on. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us - that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they here gave the last full measure of devotion - that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain; that this nation shall have a new birth of freedom; and that this government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth. ("The Gettysburg Address" by Abraham Lincoln) 改变一个国家的演讲 1863年11月19日，一个灰蒙蒙的下午，一个高瘦的男人在宾夕法尼亚州葛底斯堡的一块田野上登上讲台，开始讲话。这个地方最近发生了一场战斗，数千名士兵阵亡。这个人就是亚伯拉罕 · 林肯，美利坚合众国的总统，他在那里纪念那些牺牲的士兵。他的演讲只有268个字，持续了两分钟。但是这次演说改变了他的人民的想法，帮助塑造了一个国家。 在那时，美国分崩离析。两年来,美国人民深陷内战之中，一方是拥护奴隶制的南部邦联，另一方是拥护“自由”的北方联盟。最残酷的战斗持续了三天，就发生在1863年的葛底斯堡。北方联盟取得了胜利，但代价惨重。五万多名士兵死伤，人们失去了希望和目标。所有这些痛苦是为了什么？ 林肯理解民众的感受。他的演说给了民众希望、信念以及展望未来的理由。他给予了美国人民一个新的愿景，那就是依照87年前开国元勋的理念，美利坚合众国本应成为的样子。那也是已故的将士为之献出生命的原因。现在，责任落到了生者身上，不仅要消除南北之间的分歧，还要打破黑人与白人之间的界限，一步一步朝着实现人类平等而努力。 八十七年前，我们的先辈们在这个大陆上建立了一个全新的国家，它受孕于自由的理念，并献身于人人生而平等的理想。 如今我们正在从事一场伟大的内战，以考验我们或任何一个受孕于自由并献身于上述理想的国家是否能够长久生存下去。现在，我们聚集在战争中的一个重要的战场上，我们来到这里，是要把这个战场土地的一部分奉献给那些为使这个国家能够生存下去而献出了自己宝贵生命的烈士们作为最后安息之所。我们这样做是完全应该而且是非常恰当的。 但是，从更广泛的意义上来说，不是我们奉献、圣化或神化了这块土地，而是那些活着的或者已经死去的、曾经在这里战斗过的英雄们使得这块土地成为神圣之土，其神圣远非我们的渺小之力可增减。世人不会注意，也不会记住我们在这里说过什么，但是他们永远无法忘记那些英雄们的行为。这更要求我们这些活着的人去继续那些英雄们所为之战斗的未尽事业。我们应该在这里把自己奉献于仍然留在我们面前的伟大任务——要从这些光荣的死者身上汲取更多的献身精神，来完成他们已经完全彻底为之献身的事业；我们要在这里下定最大的决心，不让这些死者白白牺牲——要使这个国家在上帝保佑下得到新生——要使这个民有、民治、民享的政府永世长存。 (林肯的葛底斯堡演讲)Unit 5 A delicate worldUnderstanding ideas-MACQUARIE ISLAND: from Chaos to ConservationMACQUARIE ISLAND: from Chaos to Conservation I am standing on Macquarie Island, in the South-west Pacific Ocean, halfway between Australia and Antarctica. Strong winds and stormy seas have helped sculpt its long, thin shape. The green grass and bare rock of its landscape contrast dramatically, giving it a wild and natural beauty. No visitor would think it surprising that the island is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.Nor would they fail to imagine how its native inhabitants including royal penguins, king penguins, and elephant seals existed in perfect harmony with their natural habitat for thousands of years. But the islands more recent history tells a different story. It a tragic story that began in 1810 when humans arrived on the island. In their ships they unknowingly brought rats and mice.These small animals quickly took over the island, eating the birds’ eggs and attacking baby birds. Cats were brought to the island to control the rats and mice. Unfortunately, the cats subsequently developed an appetite for the birds, too. Meanwhile rabbits were introduced to the island as a source of food for humans. Loose on the island, they did what rabbits do best -they multiplied rapidly and began eating the native vegetation and digging holes, which caused soil erosion. The exploding rabbit population provided plentiful food for the cats,meaning that the number of cats also increased. This in turn led to more cats hunting the birds. The end result was that parakeets once large in number and native to the island. died out in 1891. Even after Macquarie Island became an official nature reserve in the 1970s, the rabbits remained out of control. Experts felt it necessary to come up with a plan to remove all the rabbits from the island. With this goal in mind, a virus was released onto the island. But although the virus caused the rabbit population to decrease from 130.000 to around 10.000. it also meant less food for the cats. The cats in consequence turned their attention-and their stomachs -back to the native birds, killing up to 60,000 each year. In the 1980s traps and dogs were used to catch the cats. The last Macquarie Island cat was caught in 2000. But as the saying goes, "While the cat's away, the mice will play. " With the departure of the cats from the island, the mouse and rat population started to increase. And remember those 10,000 or so rabbits It turned out that they developed an immunity to the virus, and their numbers exploded once again.Then, in 2006, the rabbits digging caused some land to collapse and killed a substantial number of penguins. This incident made it clear that the rat, mouse and rabbit problem needed solving once and for all. So, I am here on Macquarie Island to participate in the programme to tackle this very problem. The first step involved poison being dropped from helicopters. The next step is to remove the last remaining invading species. and that’s where I come in=with my dogs. They have been trained to find every last one. without harming the native animals. This intervention is a long, much-delayed ending to a sad story, but we humans owe it to the island to give it a happy ending. Postscript: In 2014, Macquarie Island was declared pest-free and the island's ecology is finally on the road to recovery. 麦夸里岛:从混乱不堪到精心保护 我正站在麦夸里岛上,这里位于太平洋的西南部,澳大利亚和南极洲的中间。强风和惊涛骇浪将海岛塑成现在狭长的形状。绿草和光禿的岩石形成的景观反差巨大,使海岛呈现出一种狂野和天然的美。这座岛是联合国教科文组织确立的世界遗产,游客们都认为其名副其实。他们也不难想象出,数千年来,包括帝企鹅、王企鹅和象海豹在内的当地动物是如何与其自然栖息地完美地和谐共存的。 但是,这座岛近些年的遭遇则是截然不同的故事。悲剧从人类1810年来到这座岛屿开始。他们不经意间随船带来了大鼠和小鼠。这些小动物很快就占领了岛屿,它们吃鸟蛋并攻击幼鸟。为控制鼠患,人们带来了猫,但不幸的是,猫随后也开始以鸟为食。 此同时,人们把兔子引进岛上作为食物。由于在岛上放任其生存,兔子做了自己最擅长的事一一飞快地繁殖,它们开始吃当地植被并挖洞,造成了土壤侵蚀。爆炸式增长的兔子数量给猫提供了充足的食物,这意味着猫的数量也增加了,相应地就有更多猫捕食鸟类。最终结果是,曾经数量众多的当地物种长尾小鹦鹉在1891年灭绝。 即使在20世纪70年代麦夸里岛成为官方自然保护区后,兔子仍然不受控制。专家认为,必须想办法清除岛上所有的兔子。怀着这个日标,人们投放了一种病毒到岛上。然而,虽然病毒使得兔子的数量从130,000降到约10,000只,但这也意味着猫的食物变少了。因此,猫把注意力和胃口重新转向了当地鸟类,每年捕食多达60,000只。20世纪80年代,人们利用捕猎夹和狗来抓猫。2000年,麦夸里岛上的最后一只猫被抓。 但正如俗语所说,“山中无老虎,猴子称大王”。猫从岛上消失了,小鼠和大鼠的数量便开始增加。还记得那10,000只左右的兔子吗 它们最终对病毒产生了免疫,数量又一次激增。随后,在2006年,兔子挖的洞造成一些土地坍塌,导致大量企鹅死亡。这一事件清楚地表明,大鼠、小鼠和兔子泛溢的问题需要一次彻底的解决。 所以,正是为了解决这个问题,我来到麦夸里岛,上参与一项行动。行动的第一步利用了直升机向岛上投放毒药。下一步是清除最后残存的入侵物种,这就是我的工作了---和我的狗一起。这些狗受训去寻找剩下的每一只老鼠和兔子,同时又不伤害当地动物。这次干预行动是这场悲剧漫长而屡被贻误的大结局,但这是我们人类应该做的,我们亏欠这座岛屿一个美好的结局。 附言:2014年麦夸里岛正式宣布已无有害生物,岛上的生态环境终于走上了恢复之路。Developing ideas -WHY SHENNONGJIA WHY SHIENNONGJIA Good morning, everyone. It is my great pleasure to give a lecture here on behalf of the Be at One with Nature Association. As we know, in 2016, Shennongjia made it onto the UNESCO World Heritage List. But there are so many important places not yet on this list. So you might ask: why Shennongjia Is it its forests that stretch on and on like great green seas Is it the legendary father of Chinese herbal medicine, Shennong, after whom the park is named Or is it the mysterious creature called Yeren(wild man )that has captured the imagination of the world. UNESCO awarded Shennongjia this status because it meets two criteria required by the list. It contains a naturally-balanced environment that allows the many and various species to live and prosper. It is also one of the rare locations in the world where scientists can observe in real time the ecological and biological processes that occur as the plants and animals develop and evolve. For the first criterion, Shennongjia is apparently one of the most complete " natural areas in the world. The region rises from about 400 metres to over 3,000 metres above sea level, giving it the name the"Roof of Central China. The vast range in altitude results in a great variation in climatic conditions. This allows a wide variety of species to thrive. Some of the plants and animals have survived millions of years, and are regarded as living fossils. For the second criterion, we can see that Shennongjia has incredible biodiversity. Look at this slide. According to official statistics, over 3,000 plant species have been recorded there.This represents more than ten per cent of China’s total floral richness. Shennongjia supports more than 600 vertebrate species including the Golden Snub-nosed Monkey and the Clouded Leopard. Additionally, around 4, 300 insect species have been recorded. It is a challenge to look after so many species. In winter, scientists brave heavy snow and freezing temperatures to supply food to the Golden Snub-nosed Monkey. Thanks to their efforts the monkey's population has doubled since the 1980s. Their number reached over 1,300 in 2015 and continues to grow. But the most impressive aspect of Shennongjia is the local people, who take things from nature without causing damage. I visited a local village which is known for its home-made honey.What is special about the honey is that it is produced by the earliest species of Chinese bee. Every spring, the villagers place beehives around their houses to attract these wild bees from the forest. Although endangered elsewhere in China due to the invasion of foreign species, the bees of Shennongjia have coexisted with the local people for centuries. By providing the bees with a secure home, the villagers collect their honey in return. This is just one of the ways in which people of Shennongjia live and work in harmony with nature. All of this explains why Shennongjia earned-and deserves-its place on the UNESCO World Heritage List, as well as highlighting how understanding, awareness and hard work have contributed towards protecting a unique and wonderful part of our natural world Thank you for listening. Now, does anyone have any questions 为什么是神农架 大家早上好。我很开心能代表人与自然和谐相处协会在这里发表演讲。 众所周知,神农架在2016年正式入选联合国教科文组织的《世界遗产名录》。世界上重要的地方那么多,但许多都没有被列入该名单。所以你可能会问:为什么是神农架 是因为它拥有像绿色海洋般广袤的森林吗 还是因为它是以中国草药之父神农命名 抑或是因为神秘的“野人”吸引了全世界的目光。 联合国教科文组织令神农架入选是因为它符合入选名录的两项标准:第它拥有一个自然平衡的环境,使许多不同的物种得以生存和繁衍。第二,它也是世界上人迹罕至之地,科学家们可以实时观察到植物和动物发展和进化过程中的生态学和生物学过程。 就第一项标准而言,我们可以自豪地说神农架是世界上最“完整”的自然区域之一。该地区的海拔从大约400米上升到3,000多米,被称为“华中屋脊”。海拔的巨大差异导致了迥然不同的气候环境,使得大量不同的物种得以繁衍生息。一些动植物生存了数百万年,被视为活化石。 对于第二个标准,我们可以看到神农架有着极丰富的生物多样性。请看这张幻灯片。根据官方统计,在神农架内有记录的植物物种超过3,000种,占到了中国全部开花植物的10%以上。神农架还有600多种脊椎动物,包括川金丝猴和云豹。此外,有记录的昆虫物种也达到了4,300种左右。 照顾如此多的物种是一项挑战。冬季,科学家们不畏暴雪和严寒为川金丝猴提供食物。也正是因为他们的付出,川金丝猴的数量相比于20世纪80年代增加了一倍,到2015年达到1,300多只,而且其数量还在持续増长。 不过神农架给人印象最深的地方还在于当地人的生活方式，他们从大自然中索取,但不会破坏生态平衡。我去了一个以自制蜂蜜而闻名的当地村庄参观。这种蜂蜜的独特之处在于它是由最古老的一种中华蜜蜂产的。每年春天,村民们就会在自家周围放置些蜂箱,吸引森林中的野生蜜蜂。虽然在中国的其他地区,由于外来物种入侵,这种蜜蜂濒临灭绝,但是神农架的人们和这种蜜蜂已经共存了几个世纪,村民为它们提供安全住所,蜜蜂为人们提供蜂蜜。这只是神农架的村民与自然和谐相处的方式之一。 以上这些解释了为什么神农架能够并理应入选联合国教科文组织的《世界遗产名录》,同时也强调了人们的理解、认识和付出是如何促进对这一自然界独特且美好区域的保护的。 感谢大家的聆听。现在大家有什么问题吗 Unit 6 SurvivalUnderstanding ideas-The wild withinThe wild within The crime took place in a seaside suburb of Cape Town Spotting the car with its window left open, the greedy thief didn't hesitate. Within seconds, he had reached inside and run away with a bag of shopping.No matter how many crimes he committed, the police were powerless to arrest him. You see, this was no ordinary criminal: it was a chacma baboon. Once almost unheard of, scenes like this one in Cape Town are now common all over the world. With foxes in London, mountain lions in San Francisco and wild pigs in Hong Kong, it is almost as if our cities are being taken over by wild animals. Most of us would assume that urban development and climate change are responsible for pushing the animals out of their natural habitats. However true this is, we also need to consider that some of these so-called “urban animals" have never moved at all - it's we humans who have moved into their territory. Wherever they go, animals find towns and cities in their way. With nowhere else to make their homes, they have no choice but to move in with us. As our cities become greener, they offer increasingly appealing spaces to animals looking for new habitats. Out of reach from many of their natural predators, these newcomers often flourish in their new city lives. Today, foxes can be seen all over London - one even being found living on the 72nd floor of the Shard building when it was under construction! What's more, hungry animals are finding plenty to eat in our gardens and in the leftovers we throw away. There is evidence that urban racoons are more intelligent than their wild cousins, as they frequently have to figure out difficult problems such as how to open rubbish bins and other containers which they would not find in the wild. Some animals have even changed their living habits to fit in with their new homes. Although naturally active at night, urban foxes come out in daylight if the reward is good enough. Their city location also means that they are getting a taste for the multicultural cuisine on offer from the garbage, such as hamburgers, lamb kebabs and routes that take them through cities with even garlic bread! Unable to distinguish between blue sky and living, it's important that we get a better glass, birds crash into windows at speeds of about 50 kilometres per hour. Recent studies estimate that between 400 million and 1 billion birds die from window impacts each year in the US alone. Shockingly, these deaths amount to around ten per cent of the total US bird population. Some species are more affected than others. One theory behind this is that these birds have yet to change their migratory routes that take them through citities with high-rise buildings. However they adapt to our ways of urban living, it’s important that we get a better understanding of and even learn to appreciate our wild neighbours. Only then can we look towards harmoniously sharing our urban habitats. Whatever the reasons behind these species entering our cities, one thing is for sure-as it’s often a means of their survival, they could be with us to stay. 城中的野生动物 在开普敦的一个海滨郊区发生了一起犯罪活动。贪婪的窃贼在发现有辆车的车窗未关后，没有丝毫犹豫。几秒之间，他把手伸进车窗，抓出一袋东西逃之夭天。不论他犯罪多少次，警方都无法抓捕到他。要知道，这可不是普通的罪犯:它是一只大狒狒。以前，在开普敦发生的这种事几乎闻所未闻，但现在这种事在世界各地都时有发生。伦敦出现了狐狸，旧金山出现了美洲狮，香港出现了野猪，我们的城市就像是被野生动物给占领了。 人们总想知道这种大规模城市迁徙背后的原因。我们大多数人会认为，城市发展和气候变化是造成这些动物离开其自然栖息地的原因。无论事实如何，我们必须得明白，在这些所谓的“城市动物”中，有一些根本就没有迁徙过--是我们人类搬到了它们的领地里。动物不论走到哪里，都发现有城镇拦路。既然没有别处可以安家，它们别无选择，只好搬来和我们一起住。 不过，城市可以给这些最新的也是最野生的居民以许多好处。随着我们的城市绿化越来越好，它们越来越吸引着寻找新栖息地的动物。由于远离自然界中的许多天敌，这些新来者往往在新城市生活中蓬勃发展。现在，伦敦随处都可以见到狐狸--有一只甚至生活在当时在建的夏德大厦72楼!而且，饥饿的动物们从我们的花园里和我们扔掉的垃圾中找寻到大量的食物。 对这些越来越多的“城市动物”来说，适应能力是关键。有证据显示，和野生的浣熊相比，城市里的浣熊更聪明，因为它们时常要想办法解决难题，比如怎么打开垃圾桶以及其他它们在野外不会见到的容器。为了适应新的家园，有些动物甚至改变了习性。尽管狐狸天生昼伏夜出，但如果回报足够丰厚，城市里的狐狸会在白天出来。城市的位置也意味着，它们可以吃到来自垃圾里的多元文化的菜肴，比如汉堡包、烤羊肉串甚至香蒜面包! 对无法适应环境的动物来说，城市是个危险甚至致命的地方。无法分辨蓝天和玻璃的鸟类会以每小时50千米的速度撞向窗户。近期研究估计，仅在美国，每年就有4亿到10亿只鸟因撞向窗户而亡。令人震惊的是，这一死亡数量约占全美鸟类总量的 10%。有些种类的鸟受此影响更大。一种理论认为，这些鸟类的迁徙路线让它们穿过这些有高楼大厦的城市，而它们还没有调整路线。 不论它们如何适应我们的城市生活，更好地理解甚至学会欣赏我们的野生邻居是非常重要的。只有那时，我们才能展望与它们和谐分享城市栖息地的未来。无论这些物种为什么进人我们的城市，有一件事是肯定的--既然它们这么做通常是为了生存，那么它们就可以留下来和我们一起生活。Developing ideas-Life on Mars Life on Mars In the 1960s and 1970s, the greatest fear was that the human race, and possibly all advanced life forms on the planet, could be wiped out by nuclear missiles, just at the push of a button. Today, however, environmental problems have taken over as the greatest risk to life on Earth. Scientists are thinking of ways to lower this risk, such as replacing coal and oil with forms of renewable energy. But they are also preparing for the worst: what can we do if the terrifying scenes in films such as The Day After Tomorrow happen in real life What is our Plan B for Earth One option is to explore other planets to see if we could live on them. The most likely choice is Mars, which is relatively close to Earth and has an environment less hostile than that of other planets. Mars has fascinated people since ancient times, and today our interest in Martian exploration is greater than ever before. Films such as The Martian enjoy worldwide popularity. More governments and organisations are making efforts to educate the public on the Red Planet, for example, the Mars Desert Research Station in the Utah desert of the US and the Mars Village in North-west China's Qinghai Province. Since the 1960s, we have been sending unmanned spacecraft to Mars. Our probes have orbited the planet, sending back valuable data and stunning images. Our robots have explored the Martian surface, testing the soil and searching for resources, water and signs of life. Encouraged by discoveries over the years, space agencies of various countries are planning manned missions to Mars that could take place within the next 25 years. There is no doubt that humankind is drawn towards Mars, with dreams of making it our second home. However, sending people there will require all the skill, courage and intelligence of the human race. While the Moon can be reached within days, it would take months to reach Mars, travelling through dangerous solar radiation. And even if the first settlers do reach Mars safely, they may not be able to return to Earth -ever. Staying alive will be a daily challenge, but as proved by the Biosphere 2 experiment, not impossible. As early as the 1980s, scientists were building Biosphere 2 in the Arizona desert. It consisted of a closed space in which people, animals and plants could live together. The“closed” concept meant that the space was designed to function with its own oxygen, food and water, needing nothing from the outside world. Although the two-year experiment was not a success,it did provide us with a better understanding of how humans might be able to live on another planet. More recently, scientists have succeeded in growing a variety of plants in an environment similar to that on Mars.That definitely is a big step forward. For now, human settlement of Mars is still decades away. In the meantime, scientific research shows that the planet Earth is getting warmer. This change is being caused by human activity and is having a terrible effect on the biosphere. Until we are finally able to live on another planet, we need to take much better care of our own. Right now, it's the only one we have! B计划:在火星上生活 在20世纪6070年代，最大的恐惧是，只需按下一个按钮，人类--甚至可能是地球上所有的高级生命体--就可能被核导弹彻底毁灭。然而今天，环境问题已经变成地球上的生命面临的威胁。科学家们正在思考降低这一风险的方法，例如用各种可再生能源替代煤炭和石油。但他们也在做最坏的打算:如果《后天》等电影中的恐怖场景发生在现实生活中，我们该怎么办 对地球，我们的B计划是什么 一种选择是探索其他星球，看看我们能否在上面生活。最有可能的选择是火星，它离地球相对较近，环境不像其他行星那么恶劣。火星自古以来就吸引着人们，我们现在对探索火星的兴趣比以往任何时候都更浓厚。像《火星救援》这样的电影在全世界都很受欢迎。越来越多的政府和组织正在努力对公众进行有关“红色星球”的教育，例如美国犹他州的火星沙漠研究站和中国西北部青海省的火星村。 自20世纪60年代以来，我们一直在向火星发射无人飞船。我们的探测器已经绕火星轨道运行并发回了宝贵的数据和令人惊叹的图像。我们的机器人已经探索了火星表面，测试了土壤并且在寻找资源、水和生命的迹象。受到多年来这些发现的鼓舞，各国航天机构正计划在未来25年内进行载人飞船登陆火星的任务。 毫无疑问，人类被火星所吸引，梦想着把它作为我们的第二家园。然而，把人类送上火星将要求人类具备所有的技能、勇气和智慧。到达月球只需要几天的时间，而到达火星却需要数月的时间，并且其间要经历危险的太阳辐射。而且即使第一批开拓者安全抵达火星，他们可能永远无法再回到地球。活着将会成为一个日常挑战，但正如“生物圈2号”实验所证明的，这也并非完全不可能。早在20世纪80年代，科学家们就在亚利桑那州的沙漠中建造了“生物圈2号”。它包括一个封闭的空间，人、动物和植物可以生活在一起。“封闭”的概念意味着这个空间被设计成依靠自身的氧气、食物和水来运作，而不需要外界的任何东西。尽管为期两年的实验并不成功，但它确实让我们更好地了解了人类如何能够在另一个星球上生活。最近，科学家们成功地在类似火星的环境中种植了各种各样的植物。这无疑是向前迈出的一大步。 到目前为止，人类要在火星上定居还需要几十年的时间。同时，科学研究表明地球正在变暖。这种变化是由人类活动引起的，而且对生物圈产生了严重的影响。在我们最终能够生活在另一个星球上之前，我们需要更好地保护好我们自己的星球。现在，它是我们唯一一个赖以生存的星球!

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