初二英语阅读电子讲义(上).doc

初二英语阅读电子讲义（上）UNIT 1 Social Focus (社会热点)Article 1 Wealthy people There are really two classes of wealthy people. Millionaires are rich. Billionaires are super rich! However, it is not always easy to determine a persons wealth. The wealth of a king or queen, for example, is based on the wealth and property of the nation instead of the personal wealth and property of the king or queen. For some kings and queens, it is difficult to tell these two kinds of wealth apart. It can only be guessed, but many people believe that His Majesty the Sultan of Brunei is the wealthiest man in the world. In 1993, a magazine reported that he was worth $37 billion. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II is the second wealthiest person with $11.7 billion. However, when the national wealth of England is ruled out of Her Majestys wealth, the queens personal money seems very little. Queen Elizabeth IIs personal wealth is guessed to be only between $270 to $900 million. In the United States, there were 101 billionaires in 1996. The youngest of these billionaires was Bill Gates. He is one of the two men who had the bright idea to create the company Microsoft. Mr. Gates was only 20 years old when he first helped to set up the company in 1976. He was a billionaire by the time he was 31. Mr. Gates may seem young to be so rich, but other people have made a lot of money at even younger ages. Other young people who became rich include Jackie Coogan (1914-1984) and Shirley Temple (1928-). Both of these child actors made over a million dollars acting in movies before they were 14 years old. Jackie Coogan acted in the movie The Kid with Charlie Chaplin, and Shirley Temple starred in a dozen movies in the 1930s. (297 words)Key Sentences: 1 For some kings and queens, it is difficult to tell these two kinds of wealth apart. 2 However, when the national wealth of England is ruled out of Her Majestys wealth, the queens personal money seems very little.1. Who is the richest person in the world according to the passage? A. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II B. His Majesty the Sultan of Brunei C. Bill Gates D. Shirley Temple2. Which of the followings is not true? A. A king or a queen may not be very rich. B. Billionaires are richer than millionaires. C. Bill Gates is the youngest person to make a lot of money. D. In the United States, there were 101 billionaires in 1996.3. Which of the following statements supports the passage? A. Bill Gates became a billionaire when he was only twenty years old. B. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has personal property of $11.7 billion. C. Some people might not be as rich as they seem to be. D. Shirley Temple starred in the movie The Kid with Charlie Chaplin4. Which of the followings has the nearest meaning as the word property? A. money B. friendship C. land D. healthKey: 1-4 BCCAARTICLE 2 Letter writingDear Ms. Reader, Think about an 11-year-old child spending her days washing clothes, looking after a baby brother, doing hard work on the farm. Think about a little girl, she knows there will not be enough food for dinner, and has no water to drink because it is not clean. She has watched her father, brother and sister lose their lives because the family has no money to send for a doctor. Hard to believe? For Maria Pastora, these are the facts of life. Maria would gladly walk to school, but her mother, now alone, needs her badly at home. Maria had to leave school because of her poor family. But for just 52 pennies a day, you can help out a child like Maria. Show her that somewhere, someone will help her. Through Save the Children, you can help Marias mother get better crops from their farm, and make the money so that she can buy clothes and things for school. To help Maria most, your money is to put together with other helpers, so hardworking people can help themselves. Build a school, a hospital . make their farm better . bring in clean water. This is what Save the Children has been doing since 1932. For you there are many returns. You can write letters to each other, get photos, and study reports. Know you are helping and saving another human being. Thats why Save the Children works. But without you, it cant work. Please take a moment to fill out the paper below to help a child like Maria and her village. It can make such a difference . in her life and yours. (271 words)Key Sentences: 1 Through Save the Children, you can help Marias mother get better crops from their farm, and make the money so that she can buy clothes and things for school. 1 It can make such a difference.in her life and yours.1. What is the letter about? A. To know about poor people B. To make some money for them C. To show out pity to them D. To make people help them2. Marias father, brother and sister died because _ A. they were too sad B. they were too tired C. they did not know where the doctor was D. they were too poor to send for a doctor3. How can we help Maria? A. By writing to her B. Through Save the Children C. By visiting her D. By asking her to come to our house4. If you help Maria, it will _ A. do no harm to you B. change Marias life, but not yours C. change not only Marias life, but yours D. do a little harmKey: 1-4 DDBCUNIT 2 History and Culture (历史文化)Article 1 Easter In Britain and the US, Children enjoy two weeks off school in Easter. And most adults get Good Friday (the Friday before Easter) and Easter Monday off work. With all fun, its easy to forget the reason for Easter. Its a Christian festival. Good Friday remembers the day Jesus Christ died, and Easter Sunday celebrates his resurrection. The date of Easter changes each year, but it is always in March or April. Easter is also a family time. Families come together to enjoy foods, such as hot buns, roast lamb and roast duck. Easter is a holiday enjoyed by all, especially by children. As 8-year-old Kieran Mann, from the north of England, says, I love Easter because I love holidays and I love chocolate. (132 words)Key Sentences: 1 In Britain and the US, Children enjoy two weeks off school in Easter 2 With all fun, its easy to forget the reason for Easter.1. How long is the Easter holiday in Britain and the US? A. 10 days B. 14 days C. 20 days D. 24 days2. What is the reason for Easter? A. Jesus Christ died on this day. B. Jesus Christ came to life again on the day. C. People want to eat together. D. Children want to have a rest.3. Which is not true according to the article? A. People can have chocolate in Easter. B. People can eat roast lamb and roast duck in Easter. C. Easter is sometimes in March. D. Unlike children, adults dont have holidays in Easter.Key: 1-3 BBDArticle 2 Development of photography In 1826, a Frenchman named Niepce needed pictures for his business. But he was not a good artist. So he invented a very simple camera（照相机）. He put it in a window of his house and took a picture of his garden. That was the first photo. The next important date in the history of photography（摄影术）was in 1837. That year, Daguere, another Frenchman, took a picture of his reading room. He used a new kind of camera in a different way. In his picture you could see everything very clearly, even the smallest thing. This kind of photo was called a Daguerreotype. Soon, other people began to use Daguerres way. Travelers brought back wonderful photos from all around the world. People took picture of famous buildings, cities and mountains. In about 1840, photography was developed. Then photographers could take picture of people and moving things. That was not simple. The photographers had to carry a lot of film and other machines. But this did not stop them, for example, some in the United States worked so hard. Mathew Brady was a famous American photographer. He took many picture of great people. The picture were unusual because they were very lifelike（栩栩如生的）. Photographers also became one kind of art by the end of the 19th century. Some photos were nor just copies of the real world. They showed and feelings, like other kinds of art.(247 Words)1. The first photo taken by Niepce was a picture of _. A. his business B. his house C. his garden D. his window2. The Daguerrotype was _. A. a Frenchman B. a kind of picture C. a kind of camera D. a photographer3. If a photographer wanted to take pictures of moving things in the year of 1840, he had to _. A. watch lots of films B. buy an expensive camera C. stop in most cities D. take many films and something else with him.4. Mathew Brady _. A. was very lifelike B. was famous for his unusual pictures C. was quite strong D. took many pictures of moving people5. This passage tells us _. A. how photography was developed B. how to show your ideas and feelings in pictures C. how to take pictures in the world D. how to use different camerasKey:1-5 CBDBAArticle 3 Favorite Telephone numbers The Japanese pay much attention to the luck of telephone numbers. The bathhouses, for example, like to use 4626, because when read in Japanese, it has the same pronunciation as have a good bath. Both the clothes shops and the butchers like 4129 better than any other numbers because this number can either be read as good dress or good meat. Since these numbers are connected with something nice, people can remember them very easily. So they have become advertisements for the shops. On the other hand, there are also telephone numbers that are regarded as forbidden by the Japanese people. 1564, for example, has the sound of kill people while the number 4219 has the sound of people die. At present, there are about 44 million telephones in Japan, yet it is almost impossible for everyone to get a lucky telephone number. So these numbers have become commodities and can be sold as goods. The price can reach as expensive as 222,000 Japanese yen. (165 words)Key Sentences: 1 Since these numbers are connected with something nice, people can remember them very easily. 2 On the other hand, there are also telephone numbers that are regarded as forbidden by the Japanese people.1. The Japanese people pay much attention to some numbers because these numbers _. A. are linked with something nice B. are connected with something interesting C. are easy to remember D. both A and C2. The number 4626 sounds in Japanese like _. A. good dress B. have a good bath C. kill people D. people die3. The clothes shops like _. A. 4626 B. 4129 C. 1564 D. 88884. It is possible for _ to get a lucky telephone number. A. many B. everyone C. only a few D. quite a few5. Some telephone numbers can be sold as goods because they _. A. are interesting B. can bring good luck C. are easy to get D. are difficult to getKey:1-5 DABCDArticle 4A history of baths Read the text to get a general idea.1. Which of the experiences in the text would you like to try? Write marks at the side of the text while you read. nice not very nice2. What are the ways of baths of the following countries? Which do you think were the best baths? Give marks to the countries from 0 (worst bath) to 10 (best bath)COUNTRRIES BATHS MARKJapan _Turkey _Britain (16th century) _Scandinavia _The Roman Empire _ The Romans were the first great engineers of the western world. Over a period of about 500 years, from 100BC to 410 AD, they built an empire around the Mediterranean Sea. Wherever they went, they built public baths for themselves. They dislike the cold, wet winters in England. Luckily, they found a hot spring, just hot enough for baths, in southwest England. So they built some baths. Roman baths were very brand. They were steam rooms and hot rooms for sitting around and talking. There were hot baths as big as swimming pools, warms ones, cool ones and cold ones. Servants kept fires burning outside the building. After the Romans left Britain, baths were little used, even by rich people. One ruler said in the 16th century, I have a bath once every six months, whether I need it or not. Towns in those days were dirty and smelly. Different countries have different bathing habits. In Japan you must first stand outside the bathtub(浴桶) and wash yourself with soap. Then you take a shower to wash off the soap. Finally, you sit in the bath of hot water without using any soap. In Turkey, many baths were built near hot springs, like Roman baths. After you bath, you can ask an assistant to give you a massage (按摩). After a good massage, most people want to have a little sleep. In Scandinavia, saunas (桑拿浴室)are very popular. Saunas are little rooms made of wood. There is a hot stove in the middle of the room. You can sit on benches, or you can lie on them. The room gets very hot, up to 50-60 degrees Centigrade! Water runs down your body in small rivers. At the end of half an hour your body is so hot that you can run outside into the cold air. (292 words)Key Sentences: 1 Wherever they went, they built public baths for themselves. 2 Luckily, they found a hot spring, just hot enough for baths, in southwest England 3 There were hot baths as big as swimming pools, warms ones, cool ones and cold ones. 4 At the end of half an hour your body is so hot that you can run outside into the cold air.UNIT 3 Science（科普知识）Article 1 protect our environment It is important to learn about protecting our environment. Here is a 5R rule for us: 1. Reduce If you want to reduce waste, you should use things cleverly. A lot of trees are being cut down to make paper. If everyone uses a little paper carelessly and throw it out, soon we would not have any trees left. Other things are also being wasted, and people dont know what to do with the waste in big cities. So it is necessary to reduce the waste. 2. Reuse You should always think of reusing the usable things before throwing them out. Give your clothes you do not use or the ones that are too small to the poor. In a family, you may pass on such clothes to younger brothers or sisters. 3. Recycle Bottles, cans and paper can easily be recycled. By doing so we save lots of time and money. For example, coke cans are sent to a factory, where they are made for new ones. 4. Recover When you buy a box of apples, there may be few rotten apples, you have two choices: one is to throw the whole apples away, or you could cut off the rotten parts and use the good parts. In this way, you are recovering the eatable parts of food. 5. Repair If one of the legs of your table is broken, you can repair it. If you want to change for better ones, it is better for you sell the old things or give them to others who can use them after doing some repair. It is true that North America is a throw-away society, but the time has come to change our way of life so that we can protect our environment. Every one of us should try our best.(300 words)Key Sentences:1 A lot of trees are being cut down to make paper.2 But the time has come to change our way life so that we can protect our environment.1. The Reduce rule mainly asks us to _ A. use things wisely B. cut down many trees C. use a lot of paper D. throw away your old clothes2. Which is the best way to do with your broken tables? A. Throwing them away B. Repairing them C. Selling them D. Putting them away3. The Recover rule mainly asks us to _ A. throw waste things away B. cover waste things with earth C. get back the useful parts D. throw the whole things awayKey:1-5 ABCArticle 2 Mobile phones A mobile phone (手机) is in fact a small radio. A radio sends a persons voice over a long way to another radio. A voice that is sent by radio is called a signal (信号). A radio signal travels very quickly. Only a few years ago, mobile phones were very large. They needed large batteries (电池). They had to be powerful (功率高的) to send their signal to faraway places. This was because most cities had only one antenna tower (中继站) for mobile phones. Todays mobile phones are small and easy to use. Now most cities have a lot of antenna towers, not just one. This means that each mobile phone doesnt have to send its signal far away, so they dont need to be so powerful. Mobile phones today use small batteries. A large city, where lots of mobile phones are used, can have hundreds of towers. Do you know wh