人 教 版 新 教 材 高二（上） Unit 1 Making a difference A
Imagine this：you are twenty-one years old and a promising graduate student at one of the top universities in the world．One day, your doctor tells you that you have an incurable disease and may not have more than twelve months to live．How would you feel? What would you do? Most of us would probably feel very sad and give up our dreams and hopes for the future．Here is what Stephen Hawking thought：
(There did not seem) much point in working on my PhD—I did not expect to survive that long．Yet two years had gone by and I was not that much worse．In fact, things were going rather well for me and I had got engaged to a very nice girl, Jane Wilde．But in order to get married, I needed a job，and in order to get a job，I needed a PhD．
Instead of giving up，Hawking went on with his research，got his PhD and married Jane．Nor did he let the disease stop him from living the kind of life he had always dreamt of．He continued his exploration of the universe and traveled around the world to give lectures．In 2002，Hawking visited China and spoke to university students in Hangzhou and Beijing．As his disease has disabled him，Hawking has to sit in his now-famous wheelchair and speak through a computer．He told the students about his theories and thoughts on some of the greatest questions：What is time，how did the universe begin，and what exactly are black holes?
Hawking became famous in the early 1970s，when he and American Roger Penrose made new discoveries about the Big Bang and black holes．Since then，Hawking has continued to seek answers to questions about the nature of the universe．In 1988，he wrote A Brief History of Time，which quickly became a best-seller．Readers were pleased and surprised to find that a scientist could write about his work in a way that ordinary people could understand．
In the book．Hawking explains both what it means to be a scientist and how science works．He tells readers how discoveries are made and how they change the world．Science，according to Hawking，is often misunderstood：people often think that science is about “true” facts that never change．Scientists，on the other hand，Hawking writes，know that their job is never finished and that even the best theory can turn out to be wrong．
A scientific theory is the result of the scientific method．Scientists look at the world and try to describe and explain what they see．First，they carefully observe what they are interested in．To explain what they have seen，they build a theory about the way in which things happen and the causes and effects．Finally，the scientists test the theory to see if it matches what they have seen and if it can predict future events．If what they are observing Can be tested in a practical way，scientists will use experiments．But if, like Hawking，they are studying something that is too large or too difficult to observe directly，they will use a model to test the theory． People who listen to Hawking’s lectures sometimes find it difficult to understand him，because his thoughts and ideas often seem as large as the universe he is trying to describe．The speech computer is not the problem．In fact，people who hear it often say it sounds just like a human voice．Hawking is happy with it, too．“The only trouble，” says Hawking，who is British, “is that it gives me an American accent．”
Ⅰ. Choose the best answer to each question．
1. Read the quote in the text again．When was Stephen Hawking told about his disease?
A. Twelve months earlier. B. When he was getting married. C. Two years earlier. D. When he met Jane Wilde.
2. According to Hawking，science is________________． A. never true B. always changing C. always true 3. A scientific theory is good if_______________．
A. it is difficult B. it Can be tested C. it Can predict future events Ⅱ. Answer the following questions．
1. According to Hawking，how do people misunderstand science? 2. What are the basic steps of the scientific method?
3. What is it that Hawking does not like about his speech computer? B
Making a difference
It is not necessary to be a great scientist to make a difference，but there are things we can learn from the best minds in this world．Great scientists like Stephen Hawking always want to know more．They are never satisfied with a simple answer and are always looking for new questions．The Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei was so curious that he used a microscope and a telescope in order to be able to take a closer look at things both great and small．By asking why，how and what if, curious minds find new ideas and solutions．
If knowledge is power, as Sir Francis Bacon wrote in 1597，then perhaps creativity can be described as the ability to use that power．Scientists must be creative and use their imagination all the time．When Zhang Heng，the Chinese astronomer and geographer, wanted to draw a map of the heavens，he was not satisfied with a simple paper map．Instead，he built a model that could move in order to show how the position of the stars changed from season to season．
We must believe in what we do，even when others do not．Both Galileo and Zhang Heng found it difficult to make people believe that their theories were correct．People laughed at Zhang Heng when he first introduced his seismograph, and it was only later that the world recognised his greatness．Galileo’s observations show that Copernicus，another great astronomer, was right and that the earth moves around the sun，not the other way around．At that time，the church said that the earth was the centre of the universe and Galileo was not allowed to publish or discuss his observations．Today, both Zhang Heng and Galileo are known as scientific pioneers who helped us better understand the world．
Perhaps the most important thing if we want to make a difference is to find something that we like to do and that we are good at．Knowing who we are means knowing how we think and what we like to do．Everyone has his or her special skills and interests，and only by discovering what we do best can we hope to reach our goals and truly make a difference． C
Integrating Skills ALBERT EINSTEIN
When Stephen Hawking was writing A Brief History of Time，his editors told him that he would lose half of his readers for each equation (方程式) he put in the book．Despite this warning，Hawking found it necessary to include one equation．His choice was the world’s most famous equation. Albert Einstein’s E = mc2．As simple as the equation may seem, it represents a theory so important that it changed science and physics completely．In fact，Einstein’s discoveries made
such a big difference that he felt he had to apologise to Newton．“Forgive me，”Einstein wrote，“you found the only way which，in your age，was just about possible for a man of highest thought and creative power. ” Einstein had replaced Newton’s theories with his own and changed our understanding of the universe． Before Einstein，scientists believed that light traveled through space in a straight line．But Einstein was able to prove that light coming from the stars was bent as it passed the sun．As a result，it appeared to scientists on earth that the stars had moved. He worked out just how much the light would be bent；he could also work out how far the stars would appear to have moved.
His discovery was completely new；it was said that only three people could understand it at the time．The difficulty was how he could prove his ideas to other scientists．Many of them did not accept his scientific ideas．But Einstein went on with his research. By 1919，scientists who had been watching the stars believed in his work and he quickly became world-famous．From that time on Einstein was greatly respected as the leading scientist of the century.
The First World War (1914-1918) had brought him great sadness．He had taken Swiss nationality in 1901 and therefore did not have to join the army, as Switzerland did not take sides in the war．Einstein thought that War was a terrible thing and believed that fighting and killing in Wars was wrong．He did urge the United States to build an atomic bomb to defeat the Nazis，but when Einstein saw the effect of the bomb，he regretted his actions．What he wanted to see was an end to all the armies of the world．
When Hitler came into power in the early 1930s，Einstein，who was a Jew, found it impossible to continue living in Germany．His friends were beaten，or taken away, or their homes were destroyed. While he was doing research in America，Einstein wrote a letter to a newspaper to say that these acts were wrong．It meant that he would never be able to visit Germany again．That is why Einstein and his family left Europe for the USA in 1933．
Unit 2 News media A
BEHIND THE HEADLINES
Newspapers and other media do more than simply record what happens．Experienced editors and reporters make informed decisions about what events to report and how to report them．They also make sure that readers Can relate to the stories．We asked two of China’s many talented journalists，Chen Ying and Zhu Lin，to tell us more about news and newspapers．The two reporters agreed to switch roles for once and be the interviewees rather than the interviewers in order to let us know about their work and how the news we read is made． Q：How do you decide what you are going to write?
ZHU LIN：Before I decide what I’m going to write．I have to discuss the article with my editor．He listens to my ideas and gives me his suggestions．For long and important articles，for example a feature story，the editor will tell me how I should develop the story．The editor’s job is to keep the newspaper balanced and interesting to the readers．
CHEN YING：Much of a reporter's work is done before he or she actually starts writing．A reporter begins by contacting the people to be interviewed and then prepares questions．Interviewing someone is difficult．A reporter must know how to ask the right questions and how to get people to talk about the topic．After the interview，the reporter must present the material in an organised way and make sure that the article reflects events and opinions truthfully．
Q: Which of the articles that you have written do you like best?
CHEN YING：My favourite article is the one I wrote about the efforts to bring stolen cultural relics back to China．To write this story．I had to contact famous museums around the world and interview both Chinese and international experts in the field．I like the article because it's both news and an interesting story．
ZHU LIN：Even though I have interviewed many famous people，the story I like best is about an ordinary young woman who tried to adapt to her new life after having studied abroad．I like the story because it was the first time that I had written with real passion and because it made me realise that everyone’s life is different．
Q: If you could write any article you want, what would you write about and why?
ZHU LIN：I Want to explore the mysteries in life．I would like to write about music, art, nature and the importance of spiritual fulfillment．
CHEN YING：I want to write about people you seldom read about，for example people who have AIDS or who are addicted to drugs．Their stories must be told if we want to solve difficult social problems and help those who suffer from them．For a reporter，the basic task is to report an event truthfully．We shouldn’t ignore what happens even if it is difficult for people to accept some stories.
The media can often help solve problems and draw attention to situations where help is needed．For example, newspapers like China Daily or The People’s Daily help us understand what life is like in other parts of China and the rest of the world．Carefully written articles can help people become interested in important questions around the world．TV programmes and printed articles also help people in other countries learn about China and the Chinese people．The result is a better understanding of the world on all sides, leading to a future world where people from all countries are respected and different views and opinions are tolerated． B
1. Read the two reports of the same event below．How are the reports different? Who do you think wrote each
report? What do you think are facts and what are opinions?
2. What would be a good headline for each story? What pictures would you use? Why? C
Integrating Skills IN THE PUBLIC EYE
She is one of China’s fifty most successful business leaders and she has been described as being“bigger than Oprah”．Well known to one billion viewers，Yang Lan is among China’s most popular TV personalities．Born in Beijing in 1968，Yang Lan began her career as the host for the popular“Zheng Da TV show”．She was only 21 at the time and had just graduated from Beijing Foreign Studies University．Becoming the host of a show with an audience of 200 million at such a young age was a big challenge，but Yang Lan was ready for it and quickly became popular． Many of us would probably have stayed on to enjoy the fame and money that come with being a TV star, but Yang Lan had more important plans．She left the show after four years and went to New York City to get a Master’s degree at Columbia University．Her experience abroad inspired her and she made up her mind to create a new kind of TV station for Chinese viewers．When Yang Lan returned to China，she decided to develop her interest in business．Together with her husband，she started her own media company，Sun Media．
When Yang Lan grew up，her family did not have a television．She remembers how she and the other children in her neighbourhood would sit in front of a small black and white TV owned by one of the other families in her building．TV was a new thing at the time，but Yang Lan thought that the powerful medium could be used in a different way．She wanted to make shows that were both entertaining and educational．When she was studying abroad，she produced a feature show (专题片) called“Horizon”．The show introduced American popular culture to Chinese viewers．Viewers liked the first season of“Horizon”, but Yang Lan wanted to do something more serious and meaningful．The following year, she began interviewing important people，such as Dr Henry Kissinger, and discussing social issues．Her viewers were pleased and the show became even more popular．She later developed“Yang Lan One on One”，having interviewed more than 300 opinion leaders around the world．
Despite the incredible success of her media company, she has not forgotten what made her want to be a journalist in the first place．One of Yang Lan’s goals is to create a distinctly Chinese show that can act as a positive force in real life．Chinese people today，Yang tan notes, want to watch shows that deal with problems they may experience in their own life．such as how to fit in the fast-changing society．Her mesa company’s goal，she says，is“to educate through entertainment，and to illuminate (启发) through information．”
1. What does ??bigger than Oprah” mean?
2. What kind of TV show does Yang Lan want to create?
3. What does “to educate through entertainment，and to illuminate through information” mean?
Unit 3 Art and architecture A
Architecture looks at the man-made living environment．Every great culture in the past had its own ideas of beauty expressed in art and architecture．When you look around at buildings, streets，squares and parks．you will find them designed，planned and built in different styles.
Modernism was invented in the 1920s by a group of architects who wanted to change society with buildings that went against people’s feeling of beauty．They wanted their buildings constructed in a way to look unnatural．
While in traditional architecture materials such as earth，stone，brick and wood are used，the materials of modern architecture are steel, glass and concrete. To many people modern