高中英语课本文章阅读

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　　知识经济和全球化的飞速发展已经不可避免的成为当代社会的显著特征,英语在全球一体化的趋势下逐渐成为人们交流的重要工具。

　　高中英语课本文章阅读篇一

　　TABLE MANNERS AT A DINNER PARTY

　　People who go to a formal Western dinner party for the first time may be surprised by table manners in Western culture. Knowing them will help you make a good impression. Having good table manners means knowing, for example, how to use knives and forks, when to drink a toast and how to behave at the table. Beside your napkin you will find a small bread roll and three glasses - one for white wine, one for red wine, and one for water. There are two pairs of knives and forks on the table. Fork on the left and knives on the right of the plate. When you see two spoons, the big one is for the soup and the small one for the dessert. The knife and fork that are closest to your plate are a little bit bigger than the ones beside them. When you sit down at the table, you can take your napkin, unfold it and put it on your lap. In China, you sometime get a hot, damp cloth to clean your face and hands, which, however, is not the custom in Western countries.

　　Dinner starts with a small dish, which is often called a starter. Some people pray before they start eating, and other people may keep silent for a moment. Then you can say “Enjoy your meal” to each other and everybody starts eating. For the starter, which you eat with the smaller pair, you keep the knife in your right hand and the fork in your left. After the starter you will get a bowl of soup - but only one bowl of soup and never ask for a second serving.

　　The next dish is the main course. Many Westerners think the chicken breast with its tender white flesh is the best part of the bird. Some people can use their fingers when they are eating chicken or other birds, but never touch beef or other meat on bones. It is polite to finish eating everything on your plate, so don’t take more food than you need.

　　At table, you should try to speak quietly and smile a lot, but do not laugh all the time.

　　Most Westerners like soft drinks if they will drive home. Many of them drink white or red wine with the food. When drinking to someone’s health, you raise your glasses, but the glasses should not touch. The custom of toasting in some parts of China is to finish the drink at once, but Westerners usually take only a sip. For drinking during a dinner, the best advice is never to drink too much.

　　Table manners change over time. They follow the fashion of the day. Besides, table manners are only important at formal dinner parties. If you’re not sure what to do, you can always follow your hosts. Although good manners always make you look good, you do not need to worry about all these rules while having dinner with your friends or family.

　　高中英语课本文章阅读篇二

　　THEME PARKS — FUN AND MORE THAN FUN

　　Which theme park would you like to visit? There are various kinds of theme parks, with a different park for almost everything: food, culture, science,

　　cartoons, movies or history. Some parks are famous for having the biggest or longest roller coasters, others for showing the famous sights and sounds of a culture. Whichever and whatever you like, there is a theme park for you!

　　The theme park you are probably most familiar with is Disneyland. It can be found in several parts of the world. It will bring you into a magical world and make your dreams come true, whether traveling through space, visiting a

　　pirate ship or meeting your favourite fairy tale or Disney cartoon character. As you wander around the fantasy amusement park, you may see Snow White or Mickey Mouse in a parade or on the street. Of course Disneyland also has

　　many exciting rides, from giant swinging ships to terrifying free-fall drops. With all these attractions, no wonder tourism is increasing wherever there is a Disneyland. If you want to have fun and more than fun, come to Disneyland! Dollywood, in the beautiful Smoky Mountains in the southeastern

　　USA, is one of the most unique theme parks in the world. Dollywood shows and celebrates America"s traditional southeastern culture. Although Dollywood has rides, the park"s main attraction is its culture. Famous country music groups perform there all year in indoor and outdoor theatres. People come

　　from all over America to see carpenters and other craftsmen make wood, glass and iron objects in the old-fashioned way. Visit the candy shop to try the same kind of candy that American southerners made 150 years ago, or take a ride on the only steam- engine train still working in the southeast USA. You can even see beautiful bald eagles in the world"s largest bald eagle preserve. And for those who like rides, Dollywood has one of the best old wooden roller coasters, Thunderhead. It is world-famous for having the most length in the smallest space. Come to Dollywood to have fun learning all about America"s historical southeastern culture!

　　If you want to experience the ancient days and great deeds of English knights and ladies, princes and queens, then England"s Camelot Park is the place for you. Every area of the park is modelled after life in the days of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. In one place, you can watch magic shows with Merlin the Wizard. If you want to see fighting with swords or on horseback, then the jousting area is a good place to visit. If you do well there, King Arthur may choose you to fight in the big jousting tournament. Do you like animals? Then visit the farm area, and learn how people in ancient England ran their farms and took care of their animals. To enter a world of fantasy about ancient England, come to Camelot Park!

　　高中英语课本文章阅读篇三

　　COPERNICUS’ REVOLUTIONRRY THEORY

　　Nicolaus Copernicus was frightened and his mind was confused. Although he had tried to ignore them, all his mathematical calculations led to the same conclusion: that the earth was not the centre of the solar system. Only if you put the sun there did the movements of the other planets in the sky make sense. Yet he could not tell anyone about his theory as the powerful Christian Church would have punished him for even suggesting such an idea. They believed God had made the world and for that reason the earth was special and must be the centre of the solar system.

　　The problem arose because astronomers had noticed that some planets in the sky seemed to stop, move backward and then go forward in a loop. Others appeared brighter at times and less bright at others. This was very strange if the earth was the centre of the solar system and all planets went round it.

　　Copernicus had thought long and hard about these problems and tried to find an answer. He had collected observations of the stars and used all his mathematical knowledge to explain them. But only his new theory could do that. So between 1510 and 1514 he worked on it, gradually improving his theory until he felt it was complete. In 1514 he showed it privately to his friends. The changes he made to the old theory were revolutionary. He placed a fixed sun at the centre of the solar system with the planets going round it and only the moon still going round the earth. He also suggested that the earth was spinning as it went round the sun and this explained changes in the movement of the planets and in the brightness of the stars. His friends were enthusiastic and encouraged him to publish his ideas, but Copernicus was cautious. He did not want to be attacked by the Christian Church, so he only published it as he lay dying in 1543.

　　Certainly he was right to be careful. The Christian Church rejected his theory, saying it was against God"s idea and people who supported it would be attacked. Yet Copernicus" theory is now the basis on which all our ideas of the universe are built. His theory replaced the Christian idea of gravity, which said things fell to earth because God created the earth as the centre of the universe. Copernicus showed this was obviously wrong. Now people can see that there is a direct link between his theory and the work of Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking.