北师大版高中英语值得诵读的课文

北师大版高中英语值得诵读的课文

离2015高考只有50天左右的时间，许多教学专家强调要回归课本。可是高三北师大有

11个模块，这么多的课文叫考生从第一课读到最后一课，这显然不太现实。笔者经过多年的

教学实践，从北师大版高中英语模块1至模块8课本中遴选出一些课文供广大考生诵读。

为何要诵读课文呢？因为课文是英语专家千挑万选出来的，质量很高，并且课文含有几

乎所有考点。以模块1中的一篇课文"AWorkaholic”为例，其中有一句话“Iamalwaysthefirst

persontogettotheoffice."。而2015年3月福州市质检英语试题中的第27题

27.LiNa,thefirstarankingofworldNo.2inAsia,retiredfromtennisinSeptember,2014.

A.toachieveB.achievingC.tohaveachievedD.achieved

只要考生对课文有印象的话，就会毫不费力地选A答案。

望考生们不要迷惘于各种各样的模拟题，抽出一些时间回归课本吧。诵读课文，获得语

感，定能在考试中得心应手，取得高分。

（注：本文末尾谈了跟高考英语书面表达相关的话题，请大家仔细阅读。）

Module1Unit1Lesson1APerfectDay?

ACouchPotato

Forty-three-year-oldBrianBlakeyfromBirminghamissittingonhissofaandtellingmeabout

hisperfectday.

"WhenIwakeupIdon'tgetupimmediately.Iturnonthetelevisionandwatchthechildren's

programmesandoldmoviesuntilabouthalf-pastten.ThenIgetup,godownstairsandswitchon

theTVinthelivingroom.Forlunch,Ihavebiscuitsandaglassofmilk,andIwatchthenews.In

theafternoon,Ioftenwatchanotheroldfilm-they'reshowingsomegoodonesatthemoment.In

theevenings,IoftenwatchTVseriesorsportandthenewsagain.Ilikethemainnewsatsix

o'clock.Atninethirty,ifthereisagoodplayonBBC2,1switchoverandwatchit.Thenatnight,I

watchmorefilmsandIusuallyswitchofftheTVatabouttwoo'clock.IneverwatchTVallnight.

IwatchTVforsixteenorseventeenhoursaday.Ialsodosomeexerciseeveryday.ItakeTina,

thedog,forawalkeveryafternoon.Idon'tgofar,ofcourse.Iwalktothewalloutsidemyhouse.I

alwaystakemyportableTVandIsitonthestonewallwhilethedogwalksroundinacircle.

Ofcourse,Icouldn'tlivethislifestylewithoutagoodwife.She'snotherenowbecauseshe's

working,butshealwaysmakesmymeals.Wehaven'tgotmuchmoney,youknow,butwe'rehappy.

SitdownandwatchTV.Here'stheremotecontrol.You'vegottheworldatyourfeet.Andinyour

hand.Great!'

AWorkaholic

Thirty-six-year-oldBobBlackissittingathisdeskandworkinghiswaythroughhis

paperwork.

’Inormallywakeupaboutfiveminutesbeforemyalarmclockgoesoff.AssoonasIhearmy

alarmclock,Ijumpoutofmybed.Ittakesmelessthanfifteenminutestowash,getchanged,have

breakfast,leavehomeandgetonabus.

Iamalwaysthefirstpersontogettotheoffice.Themorningsarealwaysverybusyandthe

afternoonsareevenbusier!Meetingsandphonecallstakeupalargepartoftheday.Everyminute

ofthedayisfilledwithurgentmatters.Byaroundeighto'clock,Iusuallyfindsometimetodomy

ownpaperworkandanswersomepersonale-mails.

WhenIgethomeataboutten,IlookatsomedocumentsthatIbringbackfromtheofficeso

thatIcanbereadyforthenextday'swork.Igettobedaroundmidnightwhenmywifeandchildren

arealreadyasleep.

Iseldomhavetimeforfunandotheractivitieswithmyfamily.Myfamilycomplainsaboutit.

ButItrytoworkhardsothatIcanmakemoremoneyfbrthem.Besides,Igetboredifthere's

nothingtodo.Ilikebeingbusy.'

Module1Unit1Lesson4CityandCountry

DebbieisanaccountantinalargecompanyinthecentreofLondon.

Ineedtobeinmyofficebynineo'clocksoIusuallygetupatseveno'clock.Itraveltowork

on“thetube”.That'swhatpeoplecalltheundergroundinLondon.Ittakesaboutfiftyminutes.

Usually,it'ssocrowdedthatIcan'tfindanywheretosit.Ijuststand.I'malwaystiredbeforeI

arriveatwork.Idon9tliketheunderground!

Ispendallmorningcheckingnumbers.Lunchisalwayssimple.Ioftengetasandwichina

nearbysandwichshoporIjusthavesomebiscuitsandacupofcoffee.Thenintheafternoon,I

returntothepaperworkintheoffice.

OnMondaynights,Ihavedanceclasses,andonWednesdaynights,Igotothegym.Ineedto

dothatbecauseIdon'tgetenoughexerciseotherwise.OnTuesdayandThursdaynights,Ihave

Frenchclasses.IworkfbraFrenchcompanysoIthinkstudyingFrenchwillhelpmeinmyjob.

Igotothecinemaalmosteveryweekend.Sometimes,iftheweatherforecastisgood,my

friendsandIdrivetothecountrysideforaweekendbreak.Weliketovisitnice,quietplacesfar

awayfromthecityandgowalkingwheretherearenoshops,crowdsorthetube.Thatfreshairisso

goodfbrmylungs.Iloveit.

PaullivesinasmallvillageinthenorthofEngland.

Iusuallygetupatfouro'clockeverymorningwhenit'sstilldark.Iliveandworkonthefarm

soIdon'tneedtotravel.Afterabigbreakfastinmyhouse,IwalkoutofthefrontdoorandI'm

alreadyatwork.

Therearemanythingstodoonthefarmallday.Wedon'thavethesameworkhoursthatoffice

workersinthecityhave.Wedojobswhentheyneedtobedoneandthatcouldbeearlyinthe

morningorlateatnight.Ihavecows,sheep,pigsandchickensonmyfarm.Ihavetomakesure

theyarefreeofsickness.Ialsogrowwheatandvegetablessotherearemanythingstolookafter.

Intheevening,Iliketoplaywithmychildren.Ihavetwochildren,aboyandagirl.Theyare

sixandeightyearsold.Ialsoliketostudy.RightnowIamstudyingChinesebydistancelearning.I

amveryinterestedinChinaandit'smydreamtoseetheGreatWalloneday.

Ilovemovies.Mywifecallsmea“moviefen”.Butthereisn'tacinemainmyvillagesoI

don'tgetthechancetogoveryoften.Igoabouttwiceayear,usuallywhenIgotoLondonwithmy

family.WetakeaweekendbreaktherewhenIamnottoobusyonthefarm.Mywifeloveslooking

intheclothesshopsandIlikeallthecrowdsandthenoise.Ialsoliketobuyafewcigars.

Unfortunately,mywifeisn'tasfbndofthemasIam.MysonanddaughterlovetorideonLondon9s

redbusesandtheyespeciallylovetogoonthetube!

Module2Lesson1ModernHeroesNationalHero

YangLiweireturnssafelytoearthafter21hoursinspace

China'sfirstmannedspaceshipliftedoffat9a.m.onWednesday,October15th,2003in

Jiuquan,GansuProvince.Thespaceship,calledShenzhouV,wascarryingChina'sfirstastronaut,

YangLiwei.Yang,whowasapilotinthearmy,waschosenfrom1,500otherarmypilotsand

startedtrainingforhisspaceflightin1998.

Thelaunchwasverysuccessful."Whenthespaceshipwasliftingoff,Icouldreallyfeelthe

highgravity”,saidYangLiwei,"Whenthespaceshipseparatedfromtherocket,Isuddenlygota

feelingofsoaringintotheskybecauseofthezerogravity/9

Duringthe21-hourspaceflight,theShenzhouVcircledtheearth14times.Whilethe

spaceshipwascirclingtheearthforthesixthtime,YangLiweispokewithgroundcontrolinGansu.

Hewasalsoabletospeakwithhiswifeand8-year-oldson.YangLiweihadseveraltasksto

completeduringtheflightandonlysleptinthespaceshipforabout3hours.Whilehewassleeping,

thespaceshipcircledtheearthtwice.

Whenthespaceshipwasdoingitsseventhcircle,YangLiweishowedtheflagsofChinaand

theUnitedNations,expressingthewishesoftheChinesepeopletoexploreandusespace

peacefully.

At6:23a.m.onOctober16th,YangLiweilandedinInnerMongoliasafely.Hetoldreporters

later,"Thesurfaceofthespaceshipwasglowingredwhenitcamebackintotheearth9satmosphere.

WhenShenzhouVletoutitsparachute,Ifelttheshipwasshaking.^^AsYangLiweireturnedinto

theearth'satmosphere,helicopterswereflyingtowherehewouldland,readytocollecthim.

MillionsofpeoplealloverChinawerewatchingTVwhenthespaceshiplandedsafely.When

YangLiweiclimbedoutofthespaceship,hesmiledandwavedtothecrowdswaitingforhim.Yang

Liweiwashappytobehomebuthesaid,"Ithought21hourswastooshorttostayinspace.”

Module1Unit2Lesson4SuperheroChristopherReeve

"Aftertheaccident,Danawastoldtosaygoodbyeandpeopleweretalkingaboutmyfuneral.

ChristopherReevewasborninSeptember,1952.Hewasinhisfirstschoolplaywhenhewas

eightandhestartedtoactinTVshowsandfilmswhilehewasstillincollege.Hemademany

successfulfilmsandTVshowsbutheismostfamousforhisSupermanfilms.

Unfortunately,disastercamein1995whenhefellfromhishorseandbrokehisback.The

doctorsdidnotexpecthimtolive.However,hemadeamazingprogress.Atfirst,hecouldn't

breathewithoutamachine,buthelearnttobreatheonhisown.Hewouldneverwalkagainbuthe

startedanewlifewithgreatcourage.

Thesecondyearafterhisaccident,Christopherreturnedtofilmmaking.Healsoraisedalotof

moneytopromotemedicalresearchintobackinjuries.HemadespeechesallovertheUSAabout

hisexperiences.Thisnotonlydrewpublicattentiontoresearchintobackinjuriesbutalso

encouragedalotofpeoplelivingwithallkindsofproblems.

Fromtheirhome,ChristopherandhiswifeDanaspokeabouttheirlifeaftertheaccident.

Haveyouthoughtofgivingupaftertheaccident?

"No.Fourdaysaftertheinjury,Icametounderstandmysituation.MywifeDanaandIwerein

thehospital.ThedoctorsaidIwasnotgoingtopullthrough.Danasaid:4Butyou'restillyou,andI

loveyou.'Andthatsavedmylife.SincethatmomentIhaveneverthoughtofgivingup.Ofcourse,

I'vehadmomentsoffeelingsorryformyself,butI'veneverhadanythoughtsofcommitting

suicide.”

Didyouthinkthatyourmarriagewassostrong?

“Yes,becauseDana'ssowonderful.Wehavealwaysgotonreallywell.Ourrelationshiphas

alwaysbeenfantastic79

Howdidyourparentsreacttotheaccident?

“TheydivorcedwhenIwasfour.They'vegotclosersincetheaccident.^^

Howdidyougetinvolvedwithcharitywork?

“Iknowalotofdisabledpeopleneedmyhelp.ThisishowIgotinvolvedwithmycharity

worktoimprovethequalityoflifeforalldisabledpeople.^^

“Withtheprogressofnewmedicalresearch,I'mconfidentthatpeoplelikemewouldbeable

towalkagainoneday.Soyoucansee,Tmfartoobusywithlivingtothinkofgivingup!”

ChristopherReevediedonOctober10,2004.Butpeopleallovertheworldwillalways

rememberhimasasuperhero.

Module1Unit3Lesson1Festivals

Autumn

EveryyearinSeptemberorOctober,theMid-AutumnFestivaliscelebratedbytheChinese

peopleallovertheworld.Onthisday,themoonissaidtobeitsbiggestandbrightest.Peopleliketo

meetintheeveningandwatchthemoon.

TheMid-AutumnFestivalisimportantbecauseitisaspecialoccasionforfamily.Itisalsoa

dayforspecialfoodslikemooncakes.Thereareallkindsofmooncakes.Traditionalmooncakes

areusuallymadewithbeanpaste,butnowadays,therearemanydifferentkindsofmooncakes

includingfruit,coffee,chocolateandevenice-creammooncakes.

Winter

TheLanternFestivalfallsonthefifteenthdayofthefirstlunarmonth.Itmarkstheendofthe

ChineseNewYearcelebrations.

TherearemanystoriesabouthowtheLanternFestivalstarted.Inonestory,lanternswerelitto

celebratethepoweroflightoverdarkness.Inanotherstory,atownwasalmostdestroyedbutthe

lightfrommanylanternssavedit.Thestorywasaboutagodwhowantedtoburndownthetown.

Hewasfooledwhenhesawthousandsoflanterns.Hethoughtthetownwasalreadyburning.

Inthepast,lanternswereusuallylitbycandlesanddecoratedwithpicturesofbirds,animals

andflowers,etc..Nowadays,mostlanternsaremadewithlightbulbsandbatteries,andtheycome

inmanyshapesandsizes.Inthenorth-easternpartofChina,thereareevenice-lanterns.

ThespecialfoodfortheLanternFestivalisthesweetdumpling.Sweetdumplingsareboiled

andservedinhotwater.

Summer

TheDragonBoatFestivalfallsonthefifthdayofthefifthmonthofthelunaryear.Asitisin

earlysummer,itmarksthebeginningofthehottestseasonoftheyear.

ThetraditionoftheDragonBoatFestivalstartedmorethan2,000yearsago.Intheolddays,

dragonboatraceswereorganisedonlybyChinesepeople.However,inrecentyears,peoplefrom

othercultureshavealsotakenpartintheracesandenjoyedthefun.

Thereisaspecialfoodforthefestival.Itiscalledzongzi,whichisstickyriceinfreshbamboo

leaves.

Module2Unit4CyberspaceLesson1Tomorrow'sWorld

TheFutureofCyberspace

PeterTaylorfindsouthowcomputersandtheInternetaregoingtoaffectourlives.

Inthelastthirtyyears,theInternethasgrownrapidly.In1983,therewereonly200computers

connectedtotheInternet;nowtherearearound50millionandthisgrowthisclearlygoingto

continue.

Someexpertsarepessimisticaboutthefuture.Oneworryiscrimeincyberspace.Evennow,

younghackerscangetintothecomputersofbanksandgovernments.Inthefuture,terroristsmay

“attack“theworld'scomputers,causechaos,andmakeplanesandtrainscrash.

However,manypeopleareoptimisticaboutthefutureoftheInternet.Already,userscanbuy

books,findoutaboutholidayoffers,booktickets,andgetallsortsofinformationfromtheInternet.

“Inthenextfewyears,“saysAngelaRossettoofCyberiamagazine,caitisclearthatwearegoingto

seeahugegrowthinshoppingontheInternet.^^Shealsobelievesthat,inthefuture,wewillget

entertainmentfromtheNetandthattelevisionwillprobablydisappear.Themailservicemayalso

disappearwiththeincreasinguseofe-mail.

Someexpertsseeourfutureinvirtualreality-theuseofcomputerswithsoundsandpictures

thatmakeyoufeelasifyouareinarealsituation."Personally,Ithinkvirtualrealitywillbecomea

partofmodernlifb,“saysAustralianexpertPeterAnderson.“Iseepeoplelivingandworkingina

virtualworld.Wewillworkinvirtualoffices,shopinvirtualsupermarkets,andwewillevenstudy

invirtualschools.^^

Module2Unit6Lesson3ChinesePaperArt

TheArtofPaper

ChenZijiangisapaper-cuttingexpertwhomIinterviewedformyarticleonChineseArt.

Paper-cuttingissomethingthathelearnedtodofromanearlyage.

“ItisaChinesefolkartwithalonghistory,"MrChentoldme,"Papercutsofanimalshave

beenfoundintombswhichdatebacktothetimeoftheNorthernandSouthernDynasty!,9Headded

thatbytheSouthernSongDynasty,paper-cuttinghadbecomeanimportantpartofeverydaylife.

youngfarmerwhowantedawifewouldlookatayoungwoman'spaper-cuttingskillsbefore

marryingher!^^explainedMrChen,laughingatthelookofsurpriseonmyface.

MrChenwentontoexplainthattherearethreetypesofpapercutswhichpeoplestillmake

today:papercutsfordecoration,forreligiouspurposesandfordesignpatterns.

Papercutsusedfordecorationareoftenseenonwindowsandgates.Theyareusuallyputup

duringholidaystobringgoodluck.Theyarealsousedonpresents.Apresentforparentswhose

childhasrecentlybeenbommightshowapapercutofchildren,forexample.Papercutswhich

showtheChinesecharacterfordoublehappinessareoftenusedtocelebrateweddings.

Papercutsusedforreligiouspurposesareoftenfoundintemples.Theyarealsousedas

offeringstothedead.Peopletowhomthedeadpersonwasrelatedwouldmaketheseofferingson

specialdaysandduringfestivals.

Thethirdkindofpapercutsarethoseusedtomakepatternsonclothing.Theyarealso

sometimesusedtodecoratejewelleryboxes.Dragonsareverypopularpatternsfbrthesedesigns.

TheinterviewwasveryusefulasIgotalotofinterestinginformationformyarticle.Iwasalso

readytotryoutpaper-cuttingfbrmyself."Seeyounextweek,“IsaidasIwavedgoodbyetoMr

Chen.Iwasgoingtomeethimagainsothathecouldhelpmemakemyfirstpapercut!

Module3Unit7Lesson1VikingVoyagestoAmerica

TheVikingswerethefirstEuropeanstoreachAmerica.Theyachievedthislongbefore

Columbuseversetsail.

TheVikingswereagroupofpeoplewhoseancestorscamefromScandinavia.Theycontrolled

theseasandcoastsofNorthernEuropebetweenthe8thand10thcenturiesAD.Byaround900AD,

thereweremanyplacesinNorthernEuropewheretheVikingschosetolive.In982AD,whena

mancalledErictheReddecidedtosetsailfurtherwest,therewereasmanyas10,000Vikings

livinginIceland.

AccordingtotheoldstoriesofIcelandandNorway,ErictheRedwasforcedtoleaveIceland

becausehehadcommittedamurder,forwhichhegotintotrouble.EricreachedGreenlandand

discoveredthatpeoplecouldliveintheplacewherehelanded.HereturnedtoIcelandandtold

peoplethereaboutGreenland.HepersuadedsomepeopletogobackwithhimtoGreenland.Eric

setsailonceagain,thistimewith25ships,ofwhichonly14madeittoGreenland.

NotlongafterErictheRedhadlandedinGreenland,amancalledBiarnisetsailfromIceland

insearchofEric'sparty.BiarniwashopingtojoinhisfatherwhowaswithEric,buthewasblown

offcourseandfoundhimselfinanunknownland,fromwhereheeventuallyreachedGreenland.

Intheyear1002,whenErictheRed'ssonLeifwasplanningatripfurtherwest,Biarniwasthe

manwithwhomLeifdiscussedhisplans.LeiffollowedBiarni'sdirectionsandsailedtowhatis

believedtobethecoastofpresent-dayCanada.Hethensailedfurthersouthtoanislandwhichis

nowknownasNewfoundland.

WeknowaboutErictheRedandLeif'sdeedsthroughstorieswhichwerewrittendown

centurieslaterinNorwayandIceland.TheyarethefirstrecordswehaveofEuropeanssailingtothe

Americas.

Module3Unit8Lesson1AdventureintheHimalayas

Justimagine.YouarewalkingalongamountainpathintheHimalayas.Youarefeelingtired.

Youarethinkingabouthowfarthereistogo.Then,suddenlyyouarethere!Andtheamazing

MountQomolangmaisonthehorizon.Itlooksgreat.Afewminuteslater,youarriveatthecamp.

Thefoodcookingonthefiresmellsgreatandwhileyouarehavingahotcupoftea,yourelaxand

watchthesungodown.Atdinner,thefoodtastesfantastic.Youtalkwithotherpeopleinthegroup

abouteverythingyouhaveseenanddoneduringyourday'shiking.Ifyouarelookingfor

experienceslikethis,Adventure2000istheorganisationforyou.

Alotofhikingholidayssoundexciting,buttherealityisoftenverydifferent.Hikingtripscan

beuncomfortableandevendangerous.However,atAdventure2000wefeelthatweunderstandthe

needsofhikers.Allourguideshaveseveralyearsofexperienceinleadinghikingtripsinthe

Himalayas.Theyknowallthebestroutesandbestplacestocamp.Wealsorealisethathikingcan

behardworkandbelievethathikersneedallourhelp.Aswellasthegroupguide,allteamshave

cooksandporters.Whileonahikingtrip,ourcookspreparedeliciousmeals.Andourporterscarry

yourluggage,whichmeansthatyoucansimplyenjoytheexperience.

AtAdventure2000wealsothinkthatgoodtravelarrangementsareimportant.Weorganiseall

theflightsforyou:fromLondontoBeijing,fromBeijingtoLhasaandbustravelinTibet.

AccommodationisincomfortablehotelsinBeijingandLhasa,hostelsonthehikingtrip,and

one-ortwo-persontentsforcamping.

Therearealsospecialoffersforpeoplewhodon'twanttogostraighthomeafterwards.Ifyou

likehistory,thereisatriptoWesternChina.Forpeoplewhoprefertospendsometimeonthecoast,

wecanorganiseyourtravelandaccommodationtoo.

ThisisaClassAhike—youhavetobefit.Therearewalksof6-8hoursmostdays,witha

maximumaltitudeof5,545metres.ClassBandChikesareeasier,soyoudon'tneedtobesofit.

Thehikecosts£2,500includingallflightsandaccommodation.Maximumgroupsizeis15

people.HikesarebetweenOctoberandMay.

Module3Unit9Lesson1Returnofthewhitebikes!

PeoplehavebeenenjoyingthebenefitsofcyclinginAmsterdamfbryears.Itisagoodcityfor

cyclingbecauseitisflatandthereforeisconvenientforbikes.Therearealsoplentyofplacesfor

bicycleparkingandmoststreetsinthecitycentrehaveabicyclepath.Todaysomepeoplecall

Amsterdamthe“CityofBicycles^^becauseoftheconveniencefbrbicyclesthere.

Inthe1960s,agroupofcyclingfanshadanidea.Theybelievedthatitwouldbebetterfbr

everybodyifcarsweren'tallowedinthecitycentreandonlybicycleswere.Theywerehopefulthat

thiswouldhelptosaveenergy,reducepollutionandprovidefreepublictransport.Thegroup

paintedhundredsofbicycleswhiteandplacedtheminlotsofneighbourhoodsaroundAmsterdam

fbrpeopletouse.Anyonewasallowedtotakethemandusethemforshortjourneys.Wherever

someonefinishedajourneytheywouldleavethebikethereforsomeoneelsetouse.Theproblem

wasthatitdidn'twork-thievestookallthebicycleswithinweeks!

However,morethanthirtyyearslater,the“whitebike“isbackintown-thistimewitha

computerchiptorecorditseverymove!Totakeabicycle,youhavetoinsertaspecialcard.The

new“whitebike"isnotactuallywhitebutisanunusualdesignwithbrightcolours.Thebikesare

parkedatspecialparkingplacesandpeoplewhowanttousethemhavetotakethemtoanother

specialparkingplacethathasenoughroom.

ThereisalreadylesstrafficincentralAmsterdam,becausebothlocalsandtouristshavebeen

usingthewhitebikes.Indeed,thankstothegoodideasoflotsofpeople,likethecyclingfansinthe

1960s,manypeoplearoundtheworldhavebeenenjoyingcitycentrestreetswithoutcarsformany

years.

Module4UnitlOLesson1AMaterialWorld

“WhowantstobeaMillionaire?Idon't,"saysCharlesGray

AngusDeaytoninterviewsex-millionaireCharlesGrayAlotofpeoplearedeterminedto

becomeamillionaire.Theyspendhalftheirtimedreamingupwaysofgettingrich,andtherestof

theirtimethinkingaboutalltheenjoyablethingstheywoulddooncetheygotrich.Butdoall

millionairesfindthehappinessthattheythoughttheywouldgetwhentheyachievetheirgoals?

Somemillionairescontinuetobeconcernedaboutmoneywhentheybecomemillionaires.Theyare

hardworkingtogetallthatmoney.Thentheyarehardworkingtomakesuretheyneverloseit!

Buttherearepeoplewhohaveturnedtheirbacksontheirmillionsandfounddifferentwaysto

behappyintheirlives.CharlesGrayisoneexample.Sixteenyearsago,Charleswasacollege

professorwithahugesix-bedroomhouseand$2million.

Todayhelivesinasmalldormitoryroomwherethereisonlysecond-handfurniture.Thereare

certainlynosignsthatCharleswasarichman!Thereisasmallgardenoutsidewithafewfruittrees.

Charlesgrowssomevegetablesandafewflowers.Hegetshisclothesandalotofotherthingsfrom

charityshops.

ButCharlesappreciatesthischange.Hewaspleasedtogiveupthelifestyleofarichman.He

wastiredofbeingapersonwhohadeverythinginaworldwheremanypeoplehadnothing.He

madethechoicetogiveallhismoneyaway.Andthis,hesaid,broughthimhappiness."Afewyears

ago,“saysCharles,“Iwasamillionaire,butwasawaretherewerealotofhungrypeopleinthe

world."Thereforehegaveawayallhismoneytocharities.Whenhehadtwothousanddollarsleft,

hegaveawaysmallbanknotesinthestreetsoflocalpoorareas.DidhefeellikeFatherChristmas?

“Itwasalotoffun/9saysCharles.

Charlesbelievesthatmanypeoplewanttoearnalotofmoneysothattheywillnothaveany

worries.However,mostpeoplenevermakemuchmoney.CharlesGraydecidedtodropoutandhas

discoveredthathavingonlyalittlemoneymakesyoufree.Arethereanythingshemisses?"No,I'm

muchhappiernow.Iwouldn'tgobacktobeingrichforanything-noway.”

Module4UnitlOLesson3YourMoney

Whenlessismore

Whatcanyoudowith5yuan?Notalot,youmaythink.Well,ifbuyingabagofcandiesor

cookiesdoesn'tappealtoyou,howaboutbuyingatreeinstead?Yes,atreealongthebanksofthe

YellowRivertobeexact.

Everyyear,approximately1.6billiontonsofsoilflowsintotheYellowRiver,China'ssecond

longestriver.Thesoilcontainsmaterialstokeepthenaturalbalanceofthearea.Overtime,alotof

soilhasbeenremoved,whichhascausedseriouserosionofthelandalongtheRiver.Insomeareas

inShanxiProvince,thishasdestroyedalmostalltheland,andhasforcedmanylocalfarmersto

movetootherareas.

ItisahugejobtocontrolYellowRivererosion.Manypeoplebelievethiskindofworkisbest

donebygovernmentorinternationalorganisations.Youmayagreewiththispointofview.Ifso,it

istimeforyoutothinkagain.

Infact,itisyouwhohavethemostimportantroletoplayinstoppingYellowRivererosion.

Didyouknowtheimportanceofyour5yuan?Forastart,itcanbuyyouatree,whichwillhelp

makesoilstayontheland.Onlandwithrichsoil,localfarmerscangrowcropstomakealiving.

Withthemoneytheyearnfromtheircrops,farmersbuygoodsorservices.Thishelpstodevelop

localeconomies.

Stillpuzzledhowyour5yuancanhavesomucheffect?Well,justtakealookatthefactbelow.

Since1997,atree-plantingprogrammehaschangedtheJiuchengongValleyinInnerMongoliainto

agreenhomeland.Visitorsfromallovertheworldnowcometoadmirethisgreatachievement.

Whatismore,thesuccessoftheprogrammehasgreatlyimprovedthelivesofthelocalpeople.Just

think:allthisstartedwith5yuan!

Sowhenyouhave5yuaninyourpocketnexttime,thinktwiceabouthowtousethemoney.

Rememberyoucanuseittobuyatreeandcreateagreenfutureforourmotherland,ourpeopleand

yourself.

Module4Unit11Lesson44WhafsinthePapers?

AccordingtoaresearchpublishedbyLeedsUniversityyesterday,peopledon*tmindbad

languageontelevisionaslongasitisnotusedinprogrammeswatchedbychildren.

Thestudyfoundtherewas“amazingagreement“aboutwhenbadlanguagewasseriousand

whenitwasnot.Evenagroupofmothersagreedthatacertainamountofbadlanguageinthe

well-knownfilm