九年级新目标8-10课本原文

Unit 7Unit 8 Section AWe live in a small town and almost everyone knows each other. It used to be very quiet and nothing much ever happened around here. However, these days, something unusual is happening in our town. Victor, a teacher at my school, is really nervous. When he was interviewed by the town newspaper, he said, “Every night we hear strange noises outside our window. My wife thinks that it could be an animal, but my friends and I think it must be teenagers having fun. My parents called the policemen, but they couldnt find anything strange. They think it might be the wind. I dont think so!” Victors next-door neighbor Helen is worried, too. “At first, I thought that it might be a dog, but I couldnt see a dog, or anything else, either. So I guess it cant be a dog. But then, what could it be?” One woman in the area saw something running away, but it was dark so she is not sure. “I think it was too big to be a dog,” she said. “Maybe it was a bear or a wolf.” Everyone in our town is feeling uneasy, and everyone has his or her own ideas. There must be something visiting the homes in our neighborhood, but what is it? We have no idea. Most people hope that this animal or person will simply go away, but I do not think that is going to happen. The noise-maker is having too much fun creating fear in the neighborhood.Unit 8 2bStonehenge-Can Anyone Explain Why It Is There?Stonehenge, a rock circle, is not only one of Britains mostfamous historical places but also one of its greatest mysteries.Every year it receives more than 750,000 visitors. People liketo go to this place especially in June as they want to see thesun rising on the longest day of the year.For many years, historians believed Stonehenge was a templewhere ancient leader tried to communicate with the gods.However, historian Paul Stoker thinks this cant be truebecause Stonehenge was built so many centuries ago. “Theleaders arrived in England much later, ”he points out.Another popular idea is that Stonehenge might be a kind ofcalendar. The large stones were put together in a certain way.On midsummers morning, the sun shines directly into thecenter of the stones. Other people believe the stones have amedical purpose. They think the stones can prevent illnessand keep people healthy. “As you walk there, you can feel theenergy from your feet move up your body,” said one visitor.No one is sure what Stonehenge was used for, but mostagree the position of the stones must be for a special purpose.Some think it might be a burial place or a place to honorancestors. Others think it was built to celebrate a victory overan enemy.Stonehenge was built slowly over a long period time. Mosthistorians believe it must be almost 5,000 years old. One ofthe greatest mysteries is how it was built because the stonesare so big and heavy. In 2001, a group of English volunteerstired to build another Stonehenge, but they couldnt. “We dontreally know who built Stonehenge,” says Paul Stoker. “Andperhaps we might never know, but we do know they musthave been hard-workingand great planners!”Unit9 Section A While some people stick to only one kind of movie, I like to watch different kinds depending on how I feel that day. When Im down or tired, I prefer movie that can cheer me up. Comedies like Men In Blank or cartons like Kung Fu Panda have funny dialogues and usually have a happy ending. The characters may not be perfect, but they try their best to solve their problems. After watching them, the problems suddenly seem less serious and I feel much better again. Laughing for two hours is a good way to relax！ I dont watch dramas or documentaries when Im sad or tired. Dramas like Titanic make me feel even sadder. Documentaries like March of the Penguins which provide plenty of information about a certain subject can be interesting, but when Im tired I dont want to think too much. I dont mind action movies like Spider-Man when Im too tired to think. I can just shut off my brain, sit back and enjoy watching an exciting superhero who always saves the world just in time. Once in while, I like to watch movies that are scary. They can be fun, but Im too scared to watch them alone. I always bring a friend who isnt afraid of these kinds of movies, and it doesnt feel so scary anymore.Section B Last night one of my Chinese friends took me to a concert of Chinese folk music. The piece which was played on the erhu especially moved me. The music was strangely beautiful, but under the beauty I sensed a strong sadness and pain. The piece had a simple name, Erquan Yingyue (Moon Reflected on Second Spring), but it was one of the most moving pieces of music that Ive ever heard. The erhu sounded like someone crying, and I almost cried along with it as I listened. Later I looked up the history of Erquan Yingyue, and I began to understand the sadness in the music. The music was written by Abing, a folk musician who was born in the city of Wuxi in 1893. His mother died when he was very young. Abings father taught him to play many musical instruments, such as the drums, dizi and erhu, and by age 17, Abing was known for his musical ability. However, after his father died, Abings life grew worse. He was very poor. Not only that, he developed a serious illness and became blind. For several years, he had no home. He lived on the streets and played music to make money. Even after Abing got married and had no home again, he continued to sing and play on the streets. He performed in this way for many years. Abings amazing musical skills made him very popular during his lifetime. By the end of his life, he could play over 600 pieces of music. Many of these were written by Abing himself. It is a pity that only six pieces of music in total were recorded for the future world to hear, but his popularity continues to this day. Today, Abings Erquan yingyue is a piece which all the great erhu masters play and praise. It has become one of Chinas national treasures. Its sad beauty not only paints a picture of Abings own life but also makes people recall their deepest wounds from their own sad or painful experiences.Unit 10 Section BDear Laura, Thanks for your message .yes , Im having a great time on my student exchange program in France .I was a bit nervous before I arrived here, but there was no reason to be. my host family is really nice .they go out of their way to make me feel at home .The grandmother knows that I miss Chinese food a lot. So she actually learned how to make Chinese food! She also has a teenage granddaughter about my age who is really kind. She always talks to me in French to help me practice.You wouldnt believe how quickly my French has improved because of that. Im very comfortable speaking French now. although I still make lots of mistakes, it doesnt worry me as it used to.My biggest challenge is learning how to behave at the dinner table. As you can imagine, things are different from the way they are at home.