高中课文 高中英语必修4.docx

高中课文 高中英语必修4.docx

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高中课文高中英语必修4

Unit1Womenofachievement

Reading

WHYNOTCARRYONHERGOODWORK?

IenjoyedEnglish,biology,andchemistryatschool,butwhichoneshouldIchoosetostudyatuniversity?

IdidnotknowtheansweruntiloneeveningwhenIsatdownatthecomputertodosomeresearchongreatWomenofChina.

BychanceIcameacrossanarticleaboutadoctorcalledLinQiaozhi,aspecialistinwomen’sdiseases.Shelivedfrom1901to1983.Itseemedthatshehadbeenverybusyinherchosencareer,travellingabroadtostudyaswellaswritingbooksandarticlel.Oneofthemcaughtmyeye.Itwasasmallbookexplaininghowtocutthedeathratefromhavingandcaringforbabies.Shegavesomesimplerulestofollowforkeepingbabiesclean,healthyandfreefromsickness.Whydidshewritethat?

whowerethewomenthatLinQiaozhithoughtneededthisadvice?

Ilookedcarefullyatthetextandrealizedthatitwasintendedforwomeninthecountryside.Perhapsiftheyhadanemergencytheycouldnotreachadoctor.

Suddenlyithitmehowdifficultitwasforawomantogetmedicaltrainingatthattime.Thatwasagenerationwhengirls’educationwasalwaysplacedsecondtoboy’s.Wasshesomuchclevererthananyoneelse?

Furtherreadingmademerealizethatitwashardworkanddeterminationaswellashergentlenaturethatgotherintomedicalschool.Whatmadehersucceedlateronwasthekindnessandconsiderationsheshowedtoallherpatients.TherewasstoryafterstoryofhowLinQiaozhi,tiredafteraday’swork,wentlateatnighttodeliverababyforapoorfamilywhocouldnotpayher.

BynowIcouldnotwaittofindoutmoreabouther.IdiscoveredthatLinQiaozhihaddevotedherwholelifetoherpatientsandhadchosennottohaveafamilyofherown.Insteadshemadesurethatabout50,000babiesweresafelydelivered.BythistimeIwasveryexcited.WhynotstudyatmedialcollegelikeLinQiaozhiandcarryonthegoodwork?

Itwasstillnottoolateformetoimprovemystudies,preparefortheuniversityentranceexaminations,and…

Unit2Workingtheland

Reading

APIONEERFORALLPEOPLE

AlthoughheisoneofChina’smostfamousscientists,YuanLongpingconsidershimselfafarmer,forheworksthelandtodohisresearch.Indeed,hissunburntfaceandarmsandhisslim,strongbodyarejustlikethoseofmillionsofChinesefarmers,forwhomhehasstruggledforthepastfivedecades.DrYuanLongpinggrowswhatiscalledsuperhybridrice.In1974,hebecamethefirstagriculturalpioneerintheworldtogrowricethathasahighoutput.Thisspecialstrainofricemakesitpossibletoproduceone-thirdmoreofthecropinthesamefields.Nowmorethan60%ofthericeproducedinChinaeachyearisfromthishybridstrain.

Bornintoapoorfarmer’sfamilyin1930,DrYuangraduatedfromSouthwestAgriculturalCollegein1953.Sincethen,findingwaystogrowmorericehasbeenhislifegoal.Asayoungman,hesawthegreatneedforincreasingthericeoutput.Atthattime,hungerwasadisturbingprobleminmanypartsofthecountryside.DrYuansearchedforawaytoincreasericeharvestswithoutexpandingtheareaofthefields.In1950,Chinesefarmerscouldproduceonlyfiftymilliontonsofrice.Inarecentharvest,however,nearlytwohundredmilliontonsofricewasproduced.Theseincreasedharvestsmeanthat22%oftheworld’speoplearefedfromjust7%ofthefarmlandinChina.DrYuanisnowcirculatinghisknowledgeinIndia,Vietnamandmanyotherlessdevelopedcountriestoincreasetheirriceharvests.Thankstohisresearch,theUNhasmoretoolsinthebattletoridtheworldofhunger,Usinghishybridrice,farmersareproducingharveststwiceaslargeasbefore.

DrYuanisquitesatisfiedwithhislife.However,hedoesn’tcareaboutbeingfamous.Hefeelsitgiveshimlessfreedomtodohisresearch.Hewouldmuchratherkeeptimeforhishobbies.Heenjoyslisteningtoviolinmusic,playingmah-jong,swimmingandreading.Spendingmoneyonhimselforleadingacomfortablelifealsomeansverylittletohim.Indeed,hebelievesthatapersonwithtoomuchmoneyhasmoreratherthanfewertroubles.Hethereforegivesmillionsofyuantoequipothersfortheirresearchinagriculture.

Justdreamingforthings,however,costsnothing.LongagoDrYuanhadadreamaboutriceplantsastallassorghum.Eachearofricewasasbigasanearofcornandeachgrainofricewasashugeasapeanut.DrYuanawokefromhisdreamwiththehopeofproducingakindofricethatcouldfeedmorepeople.Now,manyyearslater,DrYuanhasanotherdream:

toexporthisricesothatitcanbegrownaroundtheglobe.Onedreamisnotalwaysenough,especiallyforapersonwholovesandcaresforhispeople.

Unit2Workingtheland

Reading

CHEMICALORORGANICFARMING？

Overthepasthalfcentury,usingchemicalfertilizershasbecomeverycommoninfarming.Manyfarmerswelcomedthemasagreatwaytostopcropdiseaseandincreaseproduction.Recently,however,scientistshavebeenfindingthatlong-termuseofthesefertilizerscancausedamagetothelandand,evenmoredangerous,topeople’shealth.

Whataresomeoftheproblemscausedbychemicalfertilizers?

First,theydamagethelandbykillingthehelpfulbacteriaandpestsaswellastheharmfulones.Chemicalsalsostayinthegroundandundergroundwaterforalongtime.Thisaffectscropsand,therefore,animalsandhumans,sincechemicalsgetinsidethecropsandcannotjustbewashedoff.Thesechemicalsinthefoodsupplybuildupinpeople’sbodiesovertime.Manyofthesechemicalscanleadtocancerorotherillnesses.Inaddition,fruit,vegetablesandotherfoodgrownwithchemicalfertilizersusuallygrowtoofasttobefullofmuchnutrition.Theymaylookbeautiful,butinsidethereisusuallymorewaterthanvitaminsandminerals.

Withthesediscoveries,somefarmersandmanycustomersarebeginningtoturntoorganicfarming.Organicfarmingissimplyfarmingwithoutusinganychemicals.Theyfocusonkeepingtheirsoilrichandfreeofdisease.Ahealthysoilreducesdiseaseandhelpscropsgrowstrongandhealthy.Organicfarmers,therefore,oftenpreferusingnaturalwastefromanimalsasfertilizer.Theyfeelthatthismakesthesoilintheirfieldsricherinmineralsandsomorefertile.Thisalsokeepstheair,soil,waterandcropsfreefromchemicals.

Organicfarmersalsousemanyothermethodstokeepthesoilfertile.Theyoftenchangethekindofcropineachfieldeveryfewyears,forexample,growingcornorwheatandthennextyearpeasorsoybeans.Cropssuchaspeasorsoybeansputimportantmineralsbackintothesoil,makingitreadyforcropssuchaswheatorcornthatneetrichandfertilesoil.Organicfarmersalsoplantcropstousedifferentlevelsofsoil,forexample,plantingpeanutsthatusetheground’ssurfacefollowedbyvegetablesthatputdowndeeproots.Someorganicfarmerspreferplantinggrassbetweencropstopreventwindorwaterfromcarryingawaythesoil,andthenleavingitinthegroundtobecomeanaturalfertilizerforthenextyear’scrop.Thesemanydifferentorganicfarmingmethodshavethesamegoal:

togrowgoodfoodandavoiddamagingtheenvironmentorpeople’shelth.

Unit3AtasteofEnglishhumour

Reading

AMASTEROFNONVERBALHUMOUR

AsVictorHugooncesaid,“Laughteristhesunthatdriveswinterfromthehumanface”,anduptonownobodyhasbeenabletodothisbetterthanCharlieChaplin.HebrightenedthelivesofAmericansandBritishthorughtwoworldwarsandthehardyearsinbetween.Hemadepeoplelaughatatimewhentheyfeltdepressed,sotheycouldfeelmorecontentwiththeirlives.

NowthatCharlie’sownlifewaseasy!

Hewasborninapoorfamilyin1899.Hisparentswerebothpoormusichallperformers.YoumayfinditastonishingthatCharliewastaughttosingassoonashecouldspeakanddanceassoonashecouldwalk.Suchtrainingwascommoninactingfamiliesatthistime,especiallywhenthefamilyincomewasoftenuncertain.Unfortunatelyhisfatherdied,leavingthefamilyevenworseoff,soCharliespenthischildhoodlookingafterhissickmotherandhisbrother.Byhisteens,Charliehad,throughhishumour,becomeoneofthemostpopularchildactorsinEngland.Hecouldmimeandactthefooldoingordinaryeverydaytasks.Noonewaseverboredwatchinghim-hissubtleactingmadeeverythingentertaining.

Astimewentby,hebeganmakingfilms.Hegrewmoreandmorepoularashischarmingcharacter,thelittletramp,becameknownthroughouttheworld.Thetramp,apoor,homelessmanwithamoustache,worelargetrousers,worn-outshoesandasmallroundblackhat.Hewalkedaroundstifflycarryingawalkingstico.Thischaracterwasasocialfailurebutwaslovedforhisoptimismanddeterminationtoovercomealldifficulties.Hewastheunderdogwhowaskindevenwhenotherswereunkindtohim.

Howdidthelittletrampmakeasadsituationentertaining?

Hereisanexamplefromoneofhismostfamousfilms,TheGoldRush.Itisthemid-nineteenthcenturyandgoldhasjustbeendiscoveredinCalifornia.Likesomanyothers,thelittletrampandhisfriendhaverushedthereinsearchofgold,butwithoutsuccess.Insteadtheyarehidinginasmallhutontheedgeofamountainduringasnowstormwithnothingtoeat.Theyaresohungrythattheytryboilingapairofleatheshoesfortheirdinner.Charliefirstpicksoutthelacesandeatsthemasiftheywerespaghetti.Thenhecutsofftheleathertopoftheshoeasifitwerethefineststeak.Finallyhetriescuttingandchewingthebottomoftheshoe.Heeatseachmouthfulwithgreatenjoyment.Theactingissoconvincingthatitmakesyoubelievethatitisoneofthebestmealshehasevertasted!

CharlieChapinworth,directedandproducedthefilmshestarredin.In1972hewasgivenaspecialOscarforhisoutstandingworkinfilms,HelivedinEnglandandtheUSAbutspenthislastyearsinSwitzerland,wh