2020新译林版高中英语选修第二册课本课文及单词表

UnitlBewareandtakecare

Reading

Fightingthehiddenenemy

——awarwemustwin

Anenemyappearedwithoutwarning,attackingitsunsuspectingvictimswithefficiency.Thissilent

andinvisibleenemymovedswiftlythroughcommunitiesandsecretlycrossedborders.Theworld

soonlearntthattheenemywefacedwasCovid-19.

Covid-19iscausedbyanewstrainofcoronavirus.Onceenteringthebody,thevirusmultiplies

insidethecellquicklyandinfectsneighbouringcells.Commonsymptomscanincludefever,

tiredness,adrycough,aheadache,lossoftasteorsmell.However,insomecases,theviruscauses

thebody'sownimmunesystemtooverreact,resultinginthebodykillingitsownhealthycells.

Consequently,thediseasecanbecomeworse,causingdamagetothebody'sorgansandtissues.

Covid-19isahighlyinfectiousdiseasethatcanbetransmittedeasilyandswiftlyfrompersonto

person.Thistypicallyhappenswhenpeopletakeinrespiratorydropletsandparticlesfroman

infectedperson.TheycanalsocatchCovid-19bytouchingasurfaceoranobjectcontaminatedwith

thevirus,andthentouchingtheirownmouth,noseoreyes.Researchshowsthattherearecertain

settingsthatallowthevirustospreadmoreeasily.Forinstance,itfavourscool,dryconditionsand

crowdedindoorspaceswithpoorventilation.Whatmakesthisdiseaseevenmoredangerousisthat

infectedpeoplewhoshownosymptomsmaybecomeunknowingcarriersandspreadersofthevirus.

Inearly2020,thethreatposedbyCovid-19cametobefullyrecognizedonaglobalscale.Itspread

rapidlyacrosstheworld,affectingmillionsofpeople.Moredangerously,newandevenmore

infectiousvariantsofthevirus,suchastheDeltaandOmicronvariants,graduallybegantoevolvein

variouspartsoftheworld,presentinganincreasedthreattothehealthoftheworld'spopulation.

Tobeatthissilentenemy,theworldpulledtogether.Governmentsjoinedforceswithleading

pharmaceuticalandbiotechnologycompaniessothatvaccinescouldbeproduced,distributedand

administeredinrecordtime.Doctorsandnursessteppedforwardtojointhefightandwentwherever

theywereneeded,riskingtheirownlivestotirelesslyserveandcareforpatients.Community

workersandvolunteersworkedroundtheclocktodeliverfoodandmedicinestoresidents.Ordinary

peoplefromallwalksoflifeunitedinhelpingthoseaffectedbythepandemic.Simpleactsof

kindnessandgenerositywereeverywhere.InthedarkestdayswhenCovid-19wasdoingitsworst,

thehumanspiritshoneatitsbrightest.

WhilethefightagainstCovid-19isaglobaleffort,therearepreventivemeasuresthateveryonecan

taketohelpcontrolthespreadofthedisease.Firstly,personalhygieneiskey.Cleanyourhandswith

soapandwaterthoroughly.Useanalcohol-basedhandsanitizerifsoapandwaterarenot

available,andavoidtouchingyourmouth,noseandeyeswithunwashedhands.Athomeoratwork,

cleananddisinfectfrequentlytouchedsurfacesandobjects.Secondly,wheninpublicplaces,

remembertowearafacemask,practisesocialdistancingandavoidlargecrowds.Thirdly,receivea

Covid-19vaccinetohelpyourbodybuildupimmunityagainstthevirus.Finally,seekmedical

attentionifyoushowanyofthesymptomsorhavereasontobelievethatyouhavebeenexposedto

thevirus.Bystayingalertandfollowinggovernmentadviceandregulations,wenotonlyprotect

ourselves,butalsohelpprotectourfellowcitizens.

OurfightagainstCovid-19hasshownusthatwearenowlivinginahumancommunitywitha

sharedfuture.Onlybyworkingtogether,whileacceptingourindividualresponsibilities,canwe

solvebothnationalandglobalproblems.Weneedtosupporteachothersothatwecanmarch

confidently,arminarm,intoabetterandmoresecurefuture.

Extendedreading

Saynotodrugs

Goodmorning,everyone.Asapoliceofficerwhohasspentmanyyearsworkinginthefrontlineof

thefightagainstdrugs,Ihavewitnessed,alltoooften,thedestructiveimpactthatdrugscanhaveon

individuals,familiesandthewidercommunity.Ihaveseenhowdrugscandestroypeople'sphysical

andmentalwell-beingandruinyounglivesbeforetheyevenbegin.Ihaveseenhowfamiliesaretorn

apartafterafamilymemberhasbecomeaddictedtodrugs.Ihavealsoseenhowtirelesslytheforces

oflawandorderworktogetherinfightingagainstdrugs.Iwillnotexaggeratethescaleofthe

problem,asthefactsspeakforthemselves.Accordingtothe2021WorldDrugReport,itisestimated

thataround275millionpeopleuseddrugsworldwideandover36millionpeoplesufferedfromdrug

usedisordersinthelastyear.Theseshockingfiguresindicatethatdrugabuseisaveryseriousglobal

problem.Therefore,itiseveryone'sresponsibilitytosaynotodrugs.

Drugabusehurtsanindividualdruguserbothphysicallyandmentally.Themostserioushealth

conditionsassociatedwithdrugabuseincludeheartproblems,respiratoryproblems,kidneyfailure,

liverdamageandaweakenedimmunesystem,increasingtheriskofillnessandinfection.Moreover,

drugsinterferewithaperson'sabilitytomakesensibledecisions.Consequently,peopleunderthe

influenceofdrugsarenolongerincontroloftheirownmindandlikelytoputthemselvesorothers

ingreatdanger.Theyalsosufferfrommemorylossandmooddisorderslikedepressionoranxiety.

Apartfromitsharmtoindividuals,drugabusealsodestroysfamiliesandimpactssocietyasawhole.

Druguserssometimeslieandstealtofueltheirhabit,whileignoringtheresponsibilitiestheyhaveto

theirfamilies.Thiscanleadtonotonlyfinancialhardshipbutalsothebreakdownofoncestrong

familyrelationshipsandthelossofstabilitywithinthefamily.Theimpactdrugabusehasonsociety

isalsoenormous.Undertheinfluenceofdrugs,drugusersmayexhibitviolentbehaviourand

sometimesevencommitcriminalacts,threateningpublicsafety.Theyarewillingtodoanythingto

gettheirhandsondrugs.Also,becausedrugusersneedaregularsupplyofdrugs,thecriminal

underworldquicklydevelops,eatingawayatthefabricofsociety.

Knowingtheseriousdamagethatcanbecausedthroughtheuseofdrugs,youmaybeasking

yourself:whywouldanybodybefoolishenoughtostarttakingdrugs?Thereisnosimpleanswerto

thisquestion,buttherearewell-identifiedriskfactorsfordrugabuse.Somepeopleexperimentwith

drugssimplyoutofcuriosity,someregarddruguseasanescapefromthestressesofeverydaylife,

andothersstarttousedrugsjustbecausepeoplearoundthemaredrugusers.

Fortunately,therearethingsyoucandotoprotectyourselffromdruguse.Firstofall,drugeducation

isofvitalimportance.Youshouldlearnmoreaboutdrugs,especiallynewdesignerdrugs,whichare

incrediblydangerous.Themoreyouknowabouttheterribleconsequencesoftakingdrugs,themore

likelyyouaretostayawayfromthem.Secondly,youneedtochoosewhereyougoandwhoyou

spendtimewithverycarefully.Makesureyousurroundyourselfwithfriendswhoyoucanreally

countonandturntoforsupport.Lastbutnotleast,shouldyouevercomeunderpressuretousedrugs,

youmustimmediatelyseekassistancefromanadultwhoyoulookupto,suchasafamilymember,a

teacheroradoctor.

Inconclusion,Ihopemymessageisclear——saynotoanykindofdrug.Themosteffectivewayto

avoidalltheproblemscausedbytheuseofdrugsisnottousetheminthefirstplace.

Unit2Buildingthefuture

Reading

Renewableenergy:agiftforthefuture

Therewasonceavillagesurroundedbyfertilefieldswithfarmerstendingtheircropsandfarm

animalsgrazinglazilybelowamightymountain.Thencoalwasdiscovered,andsoontitanic-sized

earth-diggingmachinescircledthevillage.Villagerseagerlyacceptedthehigh-paidjobsthemining

companyprovided,bringingatemporaryeconomicboom.Meanwhile,themachinescutthrough

everythingintheirpathtoaccessthecoalburiedbeneath.Manyyearslater,allthatremainedwasa

desertedvillageandanenormoushole.

Thescenarioistragic,butitonlypartlydescribesthedamagingeffectsfossilfuelshaveonthe

environmentwhentheyaremined.Actually,onceburnt,theyproducealargequantityofcarbon

dioxide,whichinturntrapsheatandcausesglobalwarming.Humansareclearlyfacingacritical

moment,soamovetowardsclean,renewableenergyisinevitable.Renewableenergysources,which

includesolar,wind,hydroelectric,tidal,biomassandgeothermalenergy,areperfectalternativesto

fossilfuels.Oneofthereasonsisthattheircarbondioxideemissionstendtobelower.Astudyfound

thatrenewableenergysourcesemitabout50gorlessofcarbondioxideperkilowatt-hourovertheir

lifetime,comparedtoabout1,000gforcoal.Besides,fossilfuelsarenon-renewable,whosereserves

areestimatedtodryuponedayinthefuture.Incontrast,renewableenergysourcesarebasically

inexhaustibleandwillbeavailabletousforafewbillionmoreyearsifourplanetremainssafeand

healthy.

Countriesaroundtheworldareracingtowardsalow-carbonfuturebyinvestinginrenewableenergy

sources.Renewableenergyisnowgraduallybeingintegratedintoinfrastructures,suchas

transport,communicationandpowersupplysystems.Chinaisoneofthecountriesembracingthe

renewableenergyrevolution.Chinamanufacturesstate-of-the-artsolarpanelsandwindturbines,and

isthegloballeaderintheproductionofbatteriestopowerelectricvehiclesandstorerenewable

energyonpowergrids.Renewableenergyconsumptionaccountsformorethan20percentofits

totalenergyconsumption,andthisfigureisincreasing.Overthepastdecade,Chinahasbeenahead

inthedevelopmentandapplicationofcleanenergytechnologies.

So,withtheseadvantagesanddevelopments,whynotcompletelyreplacefossilfuelswithrenewable

energy?Thetruthisthatproducingpowerfromrenewableenergysourcescanbechallenging.

Renewableenergysourcesarenotavailableeverywhereandatanygivenmoment.Forinstance,tidal

energyisonlyavailableincoastalareas;solarandwindenergycannotproducepower24/7.Agreater

challengeisstoringanyextraenergyinbatteriesforlateruse.Mostcurrentbatteriesdonothavea

storagecapacitylargeenoughtomeetourdailypowerdemands.Certainhigh-capacitybatteries

presentproblems,suchashighmanufacturingcostsandrelatedenvironmentaldamage.Forinstance,

miningfortheraremetalsusedinthebatteriesisexpensive,andwhennotproperlyrecycled,the

batteriesleakdangerouschemicalsintotheenvironment.

Withthesechallengesinmind,afuturewithrenewableenergymaybedifficulttopredict.However,it

ispossible.Renewableenergysourcesexistinallkindsofplaces,includingspace.Space-basedsolar

powerprojectsaimtocollectsolarenergyinouterspaceanddistributeiteverywhereitisneededon

theEarth.Asolarcollectorwouldbeplacedinalocationwherethereisconstantsunlighttocapture

higherlevelsofsolarenergyforlongerperiods.Scientistsarealsoworkinghardtosolvetheenergy

storageproblems.Thermalbatteries,forinstance,canstoretheextrarenewableenergyasheatupto

theextremelyhightemperatureofl,000℃inaninexpensivestoragemediumlikesandorwater.

Comparedwithcommonbatteries,thesethermalbatteriesareconsiderablycheaper,andhavea

longerlifeaswellasahigherstoragecapacity.Betterstill,theyarecompletelyrecyclable.

Withoutdoubt,renewableenergywillformabigpartofourfuture.Lookingforward,weshould

investinnewtechnologiesandinnovativethinkingthatopenthedoortoawholenewworldwhere

wedecreaserelianceonfossilfuels.Renewableenergy——awelcomegiftforourfuture——willhelpus

buildagreenerandhealthierworld.

Extendedreading

Globalwarming:islandsinhotwater

ThePacificOceancoversaroundonethirdoftheEarth'ssurface.Scatteredacrossthisoceanare

thousandsofislands.Inrecentyears,thepeopleoftheseislandshavenoticedtidesgettinghigherand

stormsgettingworse.Andtheywonder-istheirworldabouttochange?Sadly,thefactisthatthe

islandsinthePacific,especiallylow-lyingcoralones,aresufferingtheseriouseffectsofglobal

warming.

Asglobaltemperaturesincrease,sodosealevels.Increasingtemperaturescausesicesheetsand

glaciersattheNorthandSouthPolestomelt,releasingadditionalwaterintotheocean.Warmwater

alsotakesupmoreroomthancoolwater,soastheoceanwarms,sealevelsrisefurther.Scientists

expectsealevelsworldwidemayriseby0.6to1.1metresormoreby2100iftheplanetcontinuesto

warm.OnthePacificislands,themostobvioussignofrisingsealevelsisthatathightide,water

movesfurtherinlandtoflowintohousesandoverroads.Infact,beachesorevenwholeislandsare

disappearing:fiveoftheSolomonIslandshavealreadyvanishedbeneaththewavessince1947!

Increasingsealevelsalsocontaminatetheislands9freshwatersupplies.Whensaltyseawaterseeps

throughthegroundandgetsintowells,thewaterbecomesuselessfordrinkingandirrigation.

Besides,growingsealevelsinterferewithsomeislands9naturalreshapingprocesses.Usually,waves

graduallyremovesandfromonesideofanislandanddumpnewsandontheotherside.

Unfortunately,however,risingwavesacceleratetheprocess,andthiscertainlycausesproblemsfor

anyonewholivesonthesidethatisbeingwashedaway.

Meanwhile,increasingglobaltemperaturescanhavedisastrousconsequencesinotherways.Extreme

temperaturesgenerateextremerainfallpatterns.Consequently,theislandsgowithoutlife-sustaining

rainfallformonths,leadingtocropfailureandreducedfreshwaterreserves.Thensuddenlytoomuch

comesatonce,andprecioussoilandhomesarewashedawaybythefloods.Forexample,onthe

hillyCookIslands,stormshavegivenrisetolandslidesthatcarryislanders9homesdownthehillsides.

Additionally,theannualtropicalcyclonesarebecomingstrongerandhappeningmorefrequently,

resultinginmoreseverefloodingandlandslides.Whatismore,astheoceanwarms,manycoralreefs,

whichactasnaturalbarrierandarehometoarichdiversityofoceanspecies,aredying.Heatand

extracarbondioxideintheatmospherehurtthecoralsthatbuildthereefs.Withouthealthyreefs,fish

moveaway,andtheislandershavelesstoeat.

Despitethechallenges,theislandersarenotgivingupwithoutafight.Formanyislandcommunities,

fightingclimatechangeisnotachoice;itisamatterofsurvival.Theyareworkingwithscientists

andlearningtoprotecttheirhomesfromfloodingandstormsurgesbybuildingseawallsfromold

bitsofcoralreefs.Theyarecuttingdownfewertrees,sincetreesholdontosoil.Theyarealso

plantingmangrovetreestoprotectthecoastalareas.Tokeepthedamagingsaltawayfromtheircrops,

theyaregrowingcropsincontainers.Theyarelookingforcropsthatdonotmindsaltywater.

Hopefully,theycanfindawaytostayontheirislands,atleastforawhile.

However,someislandershavemadealife-changingdecision-movingawayfromtheocean.Itisby

nomeanseasyastheoceanhasbeenpartoftheirlivesforgenerations.Anentirevillageontheisland

ofVanuaLevuinFijiabandonedtheircoastalhomestomoveupintothehills.Fortunately,they

couldbeginanewlife:buyingland,buildingnewhousesandgrowingpineapples.Somemisstheir

oldlifebythesea,butatleastthehillsproviderefugefromtherisingsea,andtheyarestilltogether.

Manyofthosewhoseislandshavenohillsarelookingforhomesonnewislands,oreveninnew

countries.Mostdonotwanttoleave,butwiththeoceanmovingin,theyfeeltheyhavenochoice.

Nomatterwhatsolutionstheislandersdevelop,theirislandsarestillinhotwater.Globalwarming

requiresnotonlyislanderstofightback.Afterall,wearelivinginahumancommunitywithashared

future.Maybewecantakealessonfromtheoceans.MeltingiceintheArcticmakeshigherwavesin

Fijibecausealltheoceansareconnected-therearenowallsbetweenthem.Changeone,changeall.

Ifweneedtotackletheproblemofclimatechange,wewillhavetoworktogetherasone.

Unit3Helpingpeople

Reading

TheUnitedNations-bringingpeopletogether

In1945,theworldwasonitsknees.Citieslayinruins,economiesweredestroyed,tensofmillions

ofpeoplewerekilled,andfamiliesacrosstheglobewerehomelessandmourningthelossofloved

ones.WorldWarII,thedeadliesthumanconflictofalltime,hadshatteredpeople'sliveseverywhere.

FromtheashesofthisutterdestructionrosetheorganizationthatwenowknowastheUnited

Nations(UN),offeringhopetoaworlddesperateforlastingpeaceandsecurity.Itismyprivilege

andpleasuretostandbeforeyoutodayandsharewithyoualittlebitaboutthiswonderful

organization.

TheUNwasofficiallyestablishedon24October1945,whentheUNCharter,thefounding

documentoftheorganization,cameintoforce.Thefollowingyear,thefirstmeetingoftheUNwas

heldinLondonandwasattendedbyrepresentativesof51countries.Currently,theUNismadeupof

over190MemberStates.Allofthemworktogethertomaintaininternationalpeaceandsecurity,

protecthumanrights,deliverhumanitarianaid,promotesustainabledevelopmentanduphold

internationallaw.Overtheyears,theUNhasbeencommittedtofulfillingitsambitionofbeingthe

oneplacewherealltheworld'snationscangathertogether,discusscommonproblems,andfind

sharedsolutionsthatbenefitallofhumanity.InthewordsoftheUNSecretary-GeneralAntonio

Guterres,"Wheninternationalcooperationworks,theworldwins."TheUNbelievesthat

internationalcooperationplaysanessentialroleinaddressingmanyissues,suchascleanwater,

povertyandeducation.

Canyoubelievethatnearlyonethirdofthepopulationaroundtheworlddidnothaveaccesstosafe

drinkingwateraboutadecadeago?TheUNhasrecognizedthecriticalimportanceoffreshwaterto

lifeonourplanetandrecommendedthateveryhumanbeingshouldhavebetween50and100litres

ofwaterperday,forbothpersonalanddomesticuses.Withthisendinview,theUNhascalledfor

transboundarywatercooperationthroughalegalframeworkforwaterresourcesmanagement.

Moreover,variouswaterprojectsmanagedbytheUNanditspartnersaimtoprovidecleanwaterfor

needycommunities.Therehasbeenremarkableprogressoverthepastyears.Accordingtoa2021

UNreport,thepercentageoftheglobalpopulationwitheasyaccesstosafelymanageddrinking

waterservicesincreasedto74.3%.Increaseshavebeenseeninbothruralandurbanareas,

motivatingtheUNtocontinueitstirelessworkofprovidingcleandrinkingwatertothosewhoneed

it.

Withregardtopoverty,theUNestimatesthataround10%oftheworld'spopulation,includingone

insixchildren,liveinextremepoverty,unabletofulfiltheirmostbasicneeds.Thesefiguresareboth

depressinganddistressing.Notsurprisingly,therefore,endingpovertyistheUN'snumberone

SustainableDevelopmentGoal.Toeffectivelyfightpoverty,theUNfocusesonunderstandinghow

peopleexperiencepovertyinotherwaysbesidesincome.Health,educationandstandardoflivingare

threekeydimensionsthatcanreflectwhetherpeoplearebeingleftbehind.Thesedimensions

comprisetenindicators,suchasnutrition,yearsofschoolingandhousing.Withthisdata,theUNcan

identifytherootcausesofpovertyandworkwithgovernmentsandcommunitiestoensurethatthose

causesareefficientlyaddressed.

ItisthebeliefoftheUNthateducationisthemostbasicbuildingblockofeverysocietyandthe

singlebestinvestmentcountriescanmaketobuildprosperous,healthyandfairsocieties.However,

duetovariouscircumstanceslikeinadequatelearningmaterialsorpoorschoolfacilities,learningis

oftendifficultformanychildren.TheUnitedNationsChildren'sFund(UNICEF),whichisapartof

theUNsystem,hasmanyongoingeducationprogrammes.Oneofthese,theReimagineEducation

initiative,usestechnologytocreateonlinelearningopportunities,whichareaccessibletochildren

anywhereandanytime.Additionally,UNICEFsparesnoefforttoensuremorechildrenhaveaccess

totheireducationprogrammes.Theseprogrammeshelpremovelong-standingbarrierstolearning,

supportingeverychild'srighttolearn.

Toconclude,IdohopeyouhavefoundthisbriefinsightintotheworkoftheUNbothinspiringand

stimulating.WhiletheUNisahugeglobalorganization,everyoneofuscandosomethingtomakea

positivedifference.ToquotethefamoushistorianandphilosopherHowardZinn,"Smallacts,when

multipliedbymillionsofpeople,cantransformtheworld.99SoIurgeyoualltofindoutmoreabout

howyoucanmakeadifferencetooneperson,onesocietyortheworld,nomatterhowsmall.

Extendedreading

Thechainofkindness

Therainwascomingdownsohardthateachdropseemedtoexplodeasithittheroofofthecar.Tom

strainedhiseyesandlookedoutintothecoal-blacknight,strugglingdesperatelytokeephiscaron

theroad.Thewindscreenwipersworkedfuriouslytocleartheglass,buttheywerenotdoingmuch

good.Therainbeatdowncontinuously,itwascompletelydarkoutside,andtheroadwasdeserted

exceptforhimandhiscar.

Tomglancedinhisrear-viewmirror.Hecouldseehiswheelchairinthebackseatandquicklylooked

downathisthin,brokenlegs.Hecouldfeelafamiliarwaveofdespairstarttowashoverhim.The

rainwasstillpoundingontheroofofthecarandhefeltasifhehadbeentrappedinsideadrum.As

theworldoutsidebegantocloseinonhim,Tomgaspedforbreath.Suddenly,aloudnoiseshook

Tomoutofhismomentofhopelessnessasthecarbegantobumpdowntheroad."Great,“hethought,

“aflattyre.”

Withaheavysigh,Tombroughtthecartoastop,restinghisheadonthesteeringwheel,defeated!

Afterafewseconds,helookedupandpeeredoutofthewindow.Therainseemedtohaveeaseda

little,andinthedistance,hecouldseealighttwinklingintheblackness.Withasenseofhopeful

anticipation,Tomgentlyeasedthecartowardsthelight.Ashegotcloser,hecouldseealong

drivewayleadingtoasolitaryhouse.

WhenTomapproachedthehouse,ayounggirlaroundtenyearsoldwasstandinginthedoorway.He

pulledupascloseashecouldandrolleddownthewindow."Areyourparentsathome?^^heshouted

overthewindandrain."IhaveaflattyreandIneedhelp,“Tomadded.

“Waitaminute,“thegirlreplied.Sheturnedandwentintothehouse.Afewminuteslater,she

returnedwithanoldman.Thegirlheldhisarmandsmiledlovinglyupathim.

“HowcanIhelp?"theoldmanaskedwithasmileonhisface.

Tomexplainedtheproblemandadded,“Ineedhelpbecausemylegsareparalysed."Thewords

cameoutflat.Buthedidn'tknowhowelsehecouldconveythefactthatheneededhelpfromthis

weakoldmaninthemiddleoftherainstorm.TheoldmansimplynoddedhisheadandaskedTomto

openthebootofhiscar.Withthehelpofhisyoungassistant,theoldmanquicklygottowork.

Occasionally,Tomleanedoutofthewindowtoseehowtheyweredoingwiththerepairs.Thetwo

wereconcentratingontheirwork,andtherainwassoakingthem.Onceagain,Tomcouldn'thelpbut

feelhewasuseless.

Soontheoldmansteppedtothewindow."You'reallset,“hesaid.Tomhadmoneyreadyandhanded

ittotheman,buthemadenomovetotakeit.

Finally,theyounggirlsaid,"Grandfatherisblind.”

Tomdidn'tknowwhattosay.Hejustgesturedtowardsthegirlandtheoldmanhelplesslyashe

stumbledthroughanexplanationthathewouldliketopaythemfortheirhelp.

Thegrandfatherwavedahandinfrontofhisfaceandsaid,“Thereisnoneed.Justbecarefulabout

gettinghomeandcontinuethechainofkindness."

Tomeasedhiscardownthedrivewayandbackontotheroad.Therainwasnowonlyalightmist,

revealingtheroadahead.Ashedrovethroughthenight,hefoundhimselflookingforwardtothe

journeyahead.

WhenTomeventuallyarrivedhome,heparkedhiscarinfrontofthehouseasusual.Helookedatthe

wheelchairrampthatledtohisfrontdoor.Beforetoday,thatramphadbeenaconstantreminderof

hisowndisability,andeveryday,hecouldfeelitlaughingathim.However,achanceencounterona

rainynightandanactofkindnessfromacompletestrangercametomakeTomseeeverything

differently.

Overthenextfewdays,hekeptreplayingtheincidentoverandoverinhismind.Inspired

bythis,hecontactedhisdoctortoseeiftherewassomethinghecoulddotoincreasehismobility,he

pursuedhislong-lostdreamofbecomingateacher,andhereconnectedwithhisfamily.PerhapsTom

wasdisabledinoneway,buthedecidedthathewouldnotletthisdefinewhohewasorwhathe

couldaccomplish.Mostimportantly,hebegantolookforwardtoeachnewdayandviewitasan

opportunitytohelpotherssothathecouldcontinuethechainofkindness.

Unit4Lawandorder

Reading

Therulesoflaw

Haveyoueverwonderedwhenandwherethelaworiginated?Around12,000yearsagointhe

MiddleEast,smallpermanentfarmingcommunitieswereestablished,changingtraditionalnomadic

hunter-gathererlifestyles.Differentgroupswerecloselylivingtogetheranddealingwithunfamiliar

behaviours,beliefsandattitudes.Topreventchaosandresolveconflicts,therulesofconductand

consequencesforunacceptablebehaviourswerecreated.Hence,theconceptoflawwasborn.

ManyancientcivilizationsaroseintheMiddleEast,soitisnotsurprisingthatlawcodes

firstappearedthere.Theoldestdiscovered,theCodeofUr-Nammu,datesbacktoabout4,000years

ago.Thecodepresentedlawsinthecause-and-effectformat,astyleusedinnearlyalllatercodes.

Anotheronediscovered,theCodeofHammurabi,wascomposedaround300yearslater,whichis

oneofthelongest,best-organizedandbest-preservedlegaltexts.Thiscodewasamongthefirstto

implementtheconcept“innocentuntilprovenguilty^^.Bothcodeshavefeaturesincommon.For

instance,theytreatedavarietyofmatters,butoftenignoredsomeimportantrules,becausesuchrules

weredeeplygroundedincustom.

Overtime,laws