2. Answer the following questions. 1) Why does no life exist on Mars?
_______________________________________________________________ 2) What happened in 1996 that made scientists think there might be life on Mars? _______________________________________________________________
VENUS
At first, scientists thought that Venus was the planet most likely to have other living creatures. They made some discoveries which made them think this. Venus is the closest in size to the Earth. It seemed to be made in a similar way. It was covered by a layer of ?cloud‘.
Later, scientists made more discovered, which made them think there has never been life on the planet. The layer of cloud is made from sulphuric acid droplets. The surface of the planet is so hot it can melt metal. Any water on the surface would boil away in the heat.
Now, once again scientists are beginning to think that there was once life on Venus, and that maybe some still exists. About 50 km above the surface of the planet, it is cooler and there is some evidence of water droplets in the clouds, as well as acid. The chemicals in the atmosphere of the planet are different from what scientists had expected. Some scientists say the difference can only be explained by living things changing the atmosphere. Other scientists are less certain. They say it is too soon to understand chemical reactions on another planet.
So, is there life on other planets? We still don‘t know! WORD BANK likely 很可能的 layer 层
sulphuric acid 硫酸 droplet 小滴 melt 熔化 metal 金属 boil away 汽化 chemical 化学物质 atmosphere 大气(层) reaction 反应 EXERCISES
1. Fill in the blanks according to the text. 1) Venus is the closest in _________ to Earth. 2) It was covered by a layer of _____________.
3) About 50 km above the surface of the planet, it is ___________. 2. Decide whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F).
1) From the passage, we know scientists have different opinions(观点) on life on other planets. ( ) 2) The surface of Venus is hot and water would boil away in the heat. ( ) 3) There are no water droplets in the cloud. ( )
A TRIP TO LONDON ZOO
Last week, Class 1 went on a trip to London Zoo. They had a wild day out! Almost everyone had a favorite animal. But they were almost all different! Many people liked soft, furry animals like pandas. Some people liked funny animals like monkeys which jump around and play with each other. But almost every animal was somebody‘s favorite – even the snake!
The trip to the zoo was for study, as well as a day out. But Class 1 didn‘t go there to learn about science, they were there for an art lesson! Their art teacher, Mr. Hall, takes the class on a trip to the zoo every year.
―It‘s good for the students to get out of the classroom and do art,‖ he said. ―It helps them see that you can draw and sketch anything, anywhere. Many students do their best work on this trip.‖
The trip gave Class 1 something else to talk about. They argued about whether zoos were cruel. The zoo animals were from all around the world. How could they all be comfortable? How could they be happy fenced in and watched by lots of people? What do you think? What did Class 1 think? One of our reporters is in Class 1 and she interviewed two students while she was there. WORD BANK soft 软的,温柔的 furry 有皮毛的 sketch (给…)画素描 cruel 残酷的
fence 用栅栏围起 interview 采访 EXERCISES
1. Try to find the correct meaning of the underlined word in each sentence. A. exciting and enjoyable B. not raised by people
C. bad weather, with heavy rain and strong winds 1) He never forgets his wild students days. 2) I was born on a wild night.
3) Don‘t get close to wild animals. 2. Answer the following questions.
1) What animals are soft and furry? Give an example. __________________________________________ 2) Why did Class 1 take a trip to London Zoo?
__________________________________________
WHAT IS BETH’S FAVORITE ANIMAL?
What’s your favorite animal, Beth?
I love penguins. I went to draw them at once. They look so cute! So what do you know about penguins?
Well, they all live south of the equator. Most live in Antarctica. The penguins there live on the ice, but they go in the water too. They are good swimmers.
Well, it can get cold in London. But not as cold as the Antarctica! Don’t you think it is cruel to bring penguins to England?
No. Penguins can live in all sorts of climates. They are one of the best animals in the world at adapting to do this. There are penguins living in Africa and Australia, as well as Antarctica! Wow! That’s amazing! But do they like living in zoos, rather than in the wild?
That is more of a problem. In the wild, penguins move around much more. They eat fish and other sea creatures and they often move around to catch them. Here in the zoo, they are fed so they don‘t have to catch their food. And there is less space for them to move around. So do you think this is cruel?
Well, being in a zoo just isn‘t the same as being in the wild. But then, there are problems with the wild. Here they are safe from being hunted. Their lives are different. Penguins are vey good at adapting. So maybe zoo penguins are happy, although they live differently from wild penguins! WORD BANK penguin 企鹅
cute 可爱的 equator 赤道
Antarctica 南极洲 Adapt 适应 EXERCISES
1. Match the country with the continent(大陆) it is in.
China North America America Oceania
England Asia Australia Europe
2. Choose the correct answer.
1) Penguins eat _________________.
A. sea grass B. fish C. meat
2) Penguins can live in Antarctica as well as Africa and Australia because _____________ . A. they like warm water
B. they are very good at adapting to climates C. they can find more food there
WHAT IS TOM’S FAVORITE ANIMAL?
What’s your favorite animal, Tom?
I like lots of animals. I like lions, tigers, monkeys and giraffes. All for different reasons.
We’ve had lots of people say that they like lions, tigers and monkeys! But you’re the first to say giraffes. Why giraffes?
They look so strange, don‘t you think? They have such long, long necks! And they have really long legs too. It’s true. They do look strange. How tall do they grow?
About 18 feet tall. They can run fast too, because their legs are so long. They can run up to 35 miles an hour. That’s pretty fast! They must need to eat a lot to be able to run that fast. Do they eat a lot of meat? No, they don‘t eat any meat. They eat leaves. That‘s the only thing they eat. Beth says penguins live in lots of places. Do giraffes live all over the world too? No, they don‘t. They live only in Africa.
But Africa is a lot hotter than Europe! Do you think it is cruel to bring giraffes over from Africa all the way to London Zoo? Do you think it is cruel to put them in zoos?
Yes, I do. I have enjoyed seeing them today. But in Africa they would have miles and miles of grassland to live on and here they only have the giraffe house. I‘m sure the zoo looks after them very well. But I don‘t think they should be in zoos. WORD BANK reason 原因
feet 英尺 mile 英里 EXERCISES
1. Match the following words with their Chinese meanings. leaf 草原
Pretty(adv.) 不同的
grassland 叶子
different 非常,很
2. Answer the following questions. 1) How fast can giraffes run?
_______________________________________________ 2) Does Tom think it is cruel to put them in zoos?
_______________________________________________ A NEW COMPUTER
Grandma: Tom, it‘s Grandma. I have a problem. Tom: Hi, Grandma! What‘s the matter?
Grandma: I bought a computer. But now I‘ve taken it home I don‘t know what to do. It isn‘t like your
computer.
Tom: What‘s different?
Grandma: It‘s all in one piece. The monitor is like a lid over the keyboard. There isn‘t a separate keyboard. Tom: I think you have bought a laptop computer, Grandma! It‘s a lot smaller than my computer, isn‘t it?
That‘s OK- it works the same way.
Grandma: Yes, it‘s smaller and lighter than yours. I‘ve plugged it in and found the power button, but where‘s
the mouse? I can‘t do anything without a mouse!
Tom: It won‘t have a mouse like my computer. Look at the front part. Can you see a pad under the
keyboard, with two large keys under it?
Grandma: Where? Under the keyboard? Yes, I‘ve found that. What do I do now?
Tom: You move your finger around the pad and that moves the cursor around the screen. You click the
keys under the pad like the keys on a mouse.
Grandma: Where am I? I can‘s see where I am on the screen! Oh, now I can. I understand now. Thanks, Tom! Tom: You‘re welcome, Grandma. Send me an e-mail when you get it going. WORD BANK monitor 显示器 lid 盖子
keyboard 键盘 separate 分开的 laptop 手提电脑 plug 插上
power button 电源开关
pad (也作 touch pad)触摸板 cursor 光标 click点击
EXERCISES
1. Choose the correct words to complete each sentence.
printer laptop website click
1) Please _________ here to find out how to download (下载) the music. 2) A ________ is so small that you can carry it with you.
3) I can‘t print the article at home because I haven‘t got a _________ yet.
4) For more information, please log on(登录) our __________ at http:// www.nse.cn. 2. Decide whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F).
1) Grandma had never seen a computer before she bought her laptop. ( ) 2) A laptop is smaller and lighter than a computer. ( ) 3) Grandma switched on the computer by herself. ( )
GRANDMA’S PROBLEM
Grandma: Tom, it‘s Grandma. I have a problem. Tom: Hi, Grandma! What‘s the matter?
Grandma: Grandpa‘s got my laptop. He won‘t give it back! He thinks it is wonderful! But I want to use it too!
What can I do?
Tom: Where is he now?
Grandma: In the garden. He‘s playing games on the laptop. Tom: Just ask him to give it back. It‘s your laptop. Grandma: He won‘t give it back. Tom: Why not?
Grandma: He‘s having too much fun. He says that I can use it later!
Tom: Ok, Grandma. I have an idea. Tell Grandpa I‘m on the phone and want to talk to him about what
games there are on the laptop.
Grandma: That‘s a good idea, Tom. He always likes talking to you. Let‘s see if it works. Dear Tom,
Your idea worked! I have my laptop back. Grandpa and I have talked about the laptop. We both like it and we both like it and we both want to use it. So we have an agreement(协议) now. He can use the laptop in the morning and I can use it in the afternoon. We don‘t want to argue about it all the time! Thank you for telling me how it worked.
Love Grandma EXERCISES
1. Match the following words with their Chinese meanings.
达成协议 on the phone
返还,归还 give back
在通电话 have an agreement
2. Answer the following questions. 1) Why did Grandma call Tom?
_______________________________________________ 2) How did Tom help Grandma?
_______________________________________________