中学生百科英语2.docx

中学生百科英语2.docx

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中学生百科英语2

中学生百科英语2:

Thoughts&Notions

01TheZipper

02ThePostageStamp

03PencilsandPens

04TheUmbrella

05TheMetricSystem

06ThaiBoxing

07SumoWrestling

08TarahumaraFootRaces

09OlympicSports

10Greatathletes

11ThePufferFish

12FoodsfromAroundtheWorld

13Chocolate

14TheBlueRevolution

15Twenty-OneDaysWithoutFood

16TheMarieCeleste

17TheRoanokeSettlement

18TheEasterIslandStatues

19TheTunguskaFireball

20MysteryoftheMonarchs

21TheHistoryofMoney

22MassMarketing

23Inflation

24DoingBusinessAroundtheWorld

25CreditCards

1TheZipper

Thezipperisawonderfulinvention.Howdidpeopleeverlivewithoutzippers?

Theyareverycommon,soweforgetthattheyarewonderful.Theyareverystrong,buttheyopenandcloseveryeasily.Theycomeinmanycolorsandsizes.

Inthe1890s,peopleintheUnitedStatesworehighshoeswithalongrowofbuttons.Clothesoftenhadrowsofbuttons,too.Peoplewishedthatclotheswereeasiertoputonandtakeoff.

WhitcombL.Judson,anengineerfromtheUnitedStates,inventedthezipperin1893.However,hiszippersdidn'tstayclosedverywell.Thiswasembarrassing,andpeopledidn'tbuymanyofthem.ThenDr.GideonSundbackfromSwedensolvedthisproblem.Hiszipperstayedclosed.

Azipperhasthreeparts:

1.Therearedozensofmetalorplastichooks（calledteeth）intworows.2.Thesehooksarefastenedtotwostripsofcloth.Theclothstripsareflexible.Theybendeasily.3.Afastenerslidesalongandjoinsthehookstogether.

Whenitslidestheotherway,ittakesthehooksapart.

Dr.Sundbackputthehooksonstripsofcloth.Theclothholdsallthehooksinplace.Theydon'tcomeapartveryeasily.Thissolvedtheproblemofthefirstzippers.

（212words）

2ThePostageStamp

Beforetheinventionofthepostagestamp,itwasdifficulttosendalettertoanothercountry.Thesenderpaidforthelettertotravelinhisorherowncountry.

Thenthepersonintheothercountrypaidfortherestofthetrip.Ifalettercrossedseveralcountries,theproblemwasworse.

RowlandHill,aBritishteacher,hadtheideaofapostagestampwithglueontheback.TheBritishpostofficemadethefirststampsin1840.TheywerethePennyBlackandtheTwopenceBlue.Apersonboughtastampandputitonaletter.Thepostofficedeliveredtheletter.Whenpeoplereceivedletters,theydidn'thavetopayanything.Thepostagewasprepaid.

PostagestampsbecamepopularinGreatBritainimmediately.Othercountriesstartedmakingtheirownpostagestampsveryquickly.

Therewerestillproblemswithinternationalmail.Somecountriesdidnotwanttoacceptletterswithstampsfromothercountries.Finally,in1874,aGermanorganizedtheUniversalPostalUnion（UPU）.EachcountryintheUPUagreedtoacceptletterswithprepaidpostagefromtheothermembers.Today,theofficesoftheUPUareinSwitzerland.Almosteverycountryintheworldisamemberofthisorganization.Ittakescareofanyinternationalmailproblems.

Today,postofficesineverycountrysellbeautifulstamps.Collectingstampsisoneofthemostpopularhobbiesintheworld,andeverystampcollectorknowsaboutthePennyBlackandtheTwopenceBlue.

3PencilsandPens

Nooneknowswhoinventedpencilsorwhenithappened.ASwissdescribedapencilinabookin1565.Hesaiditwasapieceofwoodwithleadinsideit.（Leadisaveryheavy,soft,darkgraymetal.）Pencilsweren'tpopular,andpeoplecontinuedtowritewithpens.Theyusedbirdfeathersaspens.

Then,in1795,someonestartedmakingpencilsfromgraphite,andtheybecameverypopular.Graphiteislikecoal.（Coalisblack,andweburnitforheatandenergy.）Today,peoplemakepencilsinthesameway.Theygrindthegraphite,makeitintotheshapeofastick,andbakeit.Thentheyputitinsideapieceofwood.Onepencilcanwrite50,000Englishwordsormakealine55kilometerslong.

Peoplewrotewithfeatherpensandthenusedpenswithmetalpoints.Theyhadtodipthepointintoinkaftereveryfewletters.Next,someoneinventedafountainpenthatcouldholdinkinsideit.Afountainpencanwriteseveralpagesbeforeyouhavetofillitagain.

TwoHungarianbrothers,LadislaoandGeorgBiro,inventedtheballpointpen.

TheyleftHungaryandstartedmakingballpointpensinEnglandin1943,duringWorldWarII.Englishpilotslikedthepens.Theycouldn'twritewithfountainpensinairplanesbecausetheinkleakedout.Later,aFrenchcompanycalledBicboughttheBiros'company.

Somepeoplecallballpointpens"Bics."Australianscallthem"biros."Whateverwecallthem,weusethemeveryday.

4TheUmbrella

Theumbrellaisaveryordinaryobject.Itkeepstherainandthesunoffpeople.

Mostumbrellasfoldup,soitiseasytocarrythem.

However,theumbrellahasnotalwaysbeenanordinaryobject.Inthepast,itwasasignofroyaltyorimportance.SomeAfricantribesstilluseumbrellasinthisway.

Someonecarriesanumbrellaandwalksbehindthekingorimportantperson.

Umbrellasareveryold.TheChinesehadthemmorethan3,000yearsago.Fromthere,umbrellastraveledtoIndia,Persia,andEgypt.InGreeceandRome,menwouldn'tusethem.Theybelievedumbrellaswereonlyforwomen.

WhentheSpanishexplorerswenttoMexico,theysawtheAzteckingsusingumbrellas.EnglishexplorerssawNativeAmericanprincescarryingumbrellasontheeastcoastofNorthAmerica.Itseemsthatpeopleindifferentpartsoftheworldinventedumbrellasatdifferenttimes.

EnglandwasprobablythefirstcountryinEuropewhereordinarypeopleusedumbrellasagainsttherain.Englandhasarainyclimate,andumbrellasareveryusefulthere.

Everybodyusesumbrellastoday.Thenexttimeyoucarryone,rememberthatforcenturiesonlygreatmenandwomenusedthem.Perhapsyouarereallyakingorqueen,aprincessorprince.

5TheMetricSystem

Peopleallovertheworldusegrams,kilograms（kilos）,meters,andliters.Theseareallwaystomeasurethings.Theyareallpartofthemetricsystem.

DuringtheFrenchRevolution（1789-1799）againsttheking,therevolutionarygovernmentstartedthemetricsystem.Beforethat,everypartofFrancehadadifferentsystemformeasuringthings.Also,clothmakersmeasuredclothwithonesystem.Jewelersusedanothersystem.Carpentersusedanother.Othercountriesuseddifferentsystems.Therevolutionarygovernmentwantedonescientificsystemofmeasurement.Theyaskedagroupofscientistsandmathematicianstoinventasystem.

Themathematiciansandscientistsdecidedtousethenumbersten,hundred,andthousandfortheirsystem.

Next,theyhadtodecideona"natural"length.Theychoseoneten-millionth（1/10,000,000）ofthedistancefromtheequatortotheNorthPole.Theycalledthisdistancethemeter.Thentheychosethegramforweighingthings.Acubiccentimeterofwaterweighs1gram.

Mathematiciansandscientistsworkedfor20yearsuntiltheyfinallyhadacompletemeasuringsystem.Thebiggestproblemwasmeasuringthemeter.

Themetricsystemwasawonderfulgifttotheworld.Thereareonlyafewcountriesthatdon'tuseit.TheUnitedStatesisone.Themetricsystemistrulyaninternationalsystem.

6ThaiBoxing

Boxingispopularinmanycountries.Twofighterswearboxingglovesontheirhands.Theboxershiteachotheruntiloneisknockedoutoruntilthefinalbellrings.

Eachpartofthefightisthreeminuteslong.Itiscalledaround.

Thaiboxingisdifferent.

Theboxingmatchbeginswithmusic.ThenthetwofighterskneelandpraytoGod.Next,theydoaslowdancethatcopiesthemovementsofThaiboxing.Duringthisdance,eachfightertriestoshowtheotherthatheisbest.

Thenthefightbegins.InThaiboxing,thefighterscankickwiththeirfeetandhiteachotherwiththeirelbowsandknees.Ofcourse,theyhitwiththeirhands,too.

Eachroundisthreeminuteslong.Thentheboxershaveatwo-minuterest.Mostboxerscanfightonlyfiveroundsbecausethiskindoffightingisverydifficult.

Thaiboxingbeganover500yearsago.Ifasoldierlosthisweaponsinabattle,heneededtofightwithjusthisbody.Thesoldierslearnedhowtouseallthepartsoftheirbodies.In1560,theBurmesearmycapturedNaresuen,theKingofThailand,inawar.KingNaresuenwasaverygoodboxer.HewonhisfreedomfromBurmabydefeatingallthebestBurmesefighters.WhenhereturnedtoThailand,hispeoplewereveryproudofhim.Thaiboxingbecameapopularsport.

7SumoWrestling

SumowrestlingisanationalsportinJapan.Everyyeartherearesixtournaments,andmillionsofJapanesewatchthemontelevision.Atournamentisaseriesofmatches.

SumoisalmostasoldasthenationofJapanitself.Storiessaythattherewassumowrestlingover2,000yearsago.Therearewrittenrecordsofnationalsumotournamentsinthe8thcentury.

Inmanysports,athletesarethinandcanmoveveryquickly.However,sumowrestlersweighfrom100to160kilos（kilograms）.Onefamouswrestlerweighed195kilos.Sumowrestlersdonotmovequickly,andsumowrestlingisaveryslowsport.

Sumowrestlersstarttrainingwhentheyareboys.Theyexercisetomaketheirbodiesstrong.Theyalsoeatalot.

Theywrestleinaroundringwithasandfloor.Awrestlerlosesthematchifheleavesthering.Heisalsotheloserifanypartofhisbodyexcepthisfeettouchesthefloor.Eachwrestlertriestopushtheotherdownonthefloororoutofthering.

Sometimesonewrestlerjuststepsasidewhentheotherwrestlerrushestowardhim.

Then,thewrestlerwhoisrushingfallsdownormovesoutofthering.

Sumoisnotverypopularinothercountries,buttheJapanesethinkthatitisaveryexcitingsport.

8TarahumaraFootRaces

TheTarahumaraliveinthemountainsinthestat