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`必修1第一单元 Reading阅读 ANNE’SBESTFRIEND Doyouwantafriendwhomyoucouldtelleverythingto,likeyourdeepestfeelingsandthoughts?Orareyouafraidthatyourfriendwouldlaughatyou,orwouldnotunderstandwhatyouaregoingthrough?AnneFrankwantedthefirstkind,soshemadeherdiaryherbestfriend. 安妮最好的朋友 你想不想有一位无话不谈能推心置腹的朋友?或者你会不会担心你的朋友会嘲笑你,会不理解你目前的困境呢?安妮?弗兰克想要的是第一种类型的朋友,所以她把的日记视为自己最好的朋友。 AnnelivedinAmsterdamintheNetherlandsduringWorldWarII.HerfamilywasJewishsothehadtohideortheywouldbecaughtbytheGermanNazis.Sheandherfamilyhideawayfortwoyearsbeforetheywerediscovered.Duringthattimetheonlytruefriendwasherdiary.Shesaid,“Idon’twanttosetdownaseriesoffactsinadiaryasmostpeopledo,butIwantthisdiaryitselftobemyfriend,andIshallcallmyfriendKitty.”NowreadhowshefeltafterbeinginthehidingplacesinceJuly1942. 在第二次世界大战期间,安妮住在荷兰的阿姆斯特丹。她一家人都是犹太人,所以他们不得不躲藏起来,否则就会被德国的纳粹分子抓去。她和她的家人躲藏了25个月之后才被发现。在那段时期,她的日记成了她唯一忠实的朋友。她说:“我不愿像大多数人那样在日记中记流水账。我要把我的日记当作自己的朋友,我把我的这个朋友叫做基蒂。”现在,来看看安妮自1942年7月起躲进藏身处后的那种心情吧。 Thursday15,June,1944 Dearkitty,`\n` Iwonderifit’sbecauseIhaven’tbeenabletobeoutdoorsforsolongthatI’vegrownsocrazyabouteverythingtodowithnature.Icanwellrememberthattherewasatimewhenadeepbluesky,thesongofthebirds,moonlightandflowerscouldneverhavekeptmespellbound.That’schangedsinceIwashere. …Forexample,whenitwassowarm,Istayedawakeonpurposeuntilhalfpastelevenoneeveninginordertohaveagoodlookatthemoonforoncebymyself.Butasthemoongavefartoomuchlight,Ididn’tdareopenawindow.Anothertimesomemonthsago,Ihappenedtobeupstairsoneeveningwhenthewindowwasopen.Ididn’tgodownstairsuntilthewindowhadtobeshut.Thedark,rainyevening,thewind,thethunderingcloudsheldmeentirelyintheirpower;itwasthefirsttimeinayearandahalfthatI’dseenthenightfacetoface… …Sadly…Iamonlyabletolookatnaturethroughdirtycurtainshangingbeforeverydustywindows.It’snopleasurelookingthroughtheseanylongerbecausenatureisonethingthatreallymustbeexperienced. Yours, Anne1944年6月15日,星期四 亲爱的基蒂: 我不知道这是不是因为我太久无法出门的缘故,我变得对一切与大自然有关的事物都无比狂热。我记得非常清楚,以前,湛蓝的天空、鸟儿的歌唱、月光和鲜花,从未令我心迷神往过。自从我来到这里之后,这一切都变了。`\n` ……比如说,有一天晚上天气很暖和,我故意熬到晚上11点半都不睡觉,为的就是能独自好好地看看月亮。但是因为月光太亮了,我都不敢打开窗户。还有一次,就在五个月以前的一个晚上,我碰巧在楼上,窗户是开着的,我一直呆到非关窗不可的时候才下楼去。漆黑的雨夜,刮着大风,电闪雷鸣,乌云滚滚,我完全被这种景象镇住了。这是我一年半以来第一次亲眼目睹的夜晚…… ……不幸的是……我只能透过那满是灰尘的窗帘下那脏兮兮的窗户看看大自然。只能隔着窗户看那大自然实在没意思,因为大自然是需要真正体验的东西。 你的安妮 UsingLanguage 语言运用 Readingandlistening 读与听 1 ReadtheletterthatLisawrotetoMissWangofRadioforTeenagersandpredictwhatMissWangwillsay.Afterlistening,checkanddiscussheradvice. DearMissWang, Iamhavingsometroublewithmyclassmatesatthemoment.I’mgettingalongwellwithaboyinmyclass.Weoftendohomeworktogetherandweenjoyhelpingeachother.Wehavebecomereallygoodfriends.Butotherstudentshavestartedgossiping.TheysaythatthisboyandIhavefalleninlove.Thishasmademeangry.Idon’twanttoendthefriendship,butIhateothersgossiping.WhatshouldIdo? Yours, Lisa`\n` 1 读读琳达为青少年写给电台王小组的这封信,然后王小姐可能会怎么说。听完录音之后,核对并讨论她的建议。 亲爱的王小姐: 现在我同班上的同学有些麻烦事。我跟我们班里的一位男同学一直相处的很好。我们常常一起做家庭作业,而且很乐意互相帮助。我们成了真正好朋友。可是,其他同学却在背后议论起来,他们说我和这位男同学在谈恋爱,这使我很生气。我不想中断这段友谊,但是,我又讨厌人家背后说闲话。我该怎么办呢? 你的莉萨 Readingandwriting 读与写 MissWanghasreceivedaletterfromXiaodong.Heisalsoaskingforsomeadvice.ReadtheletterontherightcarefullyandhelpMissWanganswerit. 王小姐收到小冬的一封来信。小冬是要征求一些意见。仔细阅读右边的信,然后帮王小姐回复。 DearMissWang, I’mastudentfromHuzhouSeniorHighSchool.Ihaveaproblem.I’mnotverygoodatcommunicatingwithpeople.AlthoughItrytotalktomyclassmates,Istillfindithardtomakegoodfriendswiththem.SoIfeelquitelonelysometimes.Idowanttochangethissituation,butIdon’tknowhow.Iwouldbegratefulifyoucouldgivemesomeadvice. Yours, Xiaodong`\n` 亲爱的王小姐: 我是湖州高中的一名学生,我有一个难题,我不大善于与人们交际。虽然我试着和班上的同学交谈,但是,我还是很难跟他们成为好朋友。因此,有时候我感到十分的孤独。我确实想改变这种现状,但是我却不知道怎么办。如果您能给我提些建议,我会非常感谢的。 你的小东 2 Decidewhicharethebestideasandputthemintoanorder.Thenwritedownyouradviceandexplainhowitwillhelp.Eachideacanmakeoneparagraph.Thefollowingsampleandtheexpressionsmayhelpyou DearXiaodong, I’msorryyouarehavingtroubleinmakingfriends.However,thesituationiseasytochangeifyoufollowmyadvice.Herearesometipstohelpyou. First,whynot…? Ifyoudothis,… Secondly,youcould/can… Then/Thatway,… Thirdly,itwouldbeagoodideaif… Bydoingthis,… Ihopeyouwillfindtheseideasuseful. Yours`\n` MissWang 2 决定哪些是最好并把它们按顺序组织起来。然后把你的建议写出来,并解释它为什么会有所帮助。每个想法可以自成一个段落。下面的例子和表达可能对你有所帮助。 亲爱的小冬: 很遗憾听说你在交朋友的过程中遇到了困难。但是,如果你听听我的建议,这种情况是很容易改变的。这些建议会对你有所帮助。 第一,为什么不……呢? 如果你这样做…… 第二,你可以…… 这样的话…… 第三,如果……那将是个不错的主意。 通过做…… 我希望你会发现这些想法对你有所帮助。 你的王小姐 LEARNINGTIP学习建议 It’sagoodhabitforyoutokeepadiary.Itcanhelpyourememberpastevents.Youcanexpressyourfeelingsandthoughtsinit.ItwillhelpyouimproveyourEnglishifyouwriteyourdiaryinEnglish.Whynothaveatry?`\n` 写日记对你来说是一个好习惯。它可以帮你记住一些过去发生的事件。你还可以在日记中表达你的情感和思想。如果你用英语写日记的话,还可以帮助你提高英语水平。为什么不试一试呢?第二单元 Reading 阅读 THEROADTOMODERNENGLISH Attheendofthe16thcentury,aboutfivetosevenmillionpeoplespokeEnglish.NearlyallofthemlivedinEngland.Laterinthenextcentury,peoplefromEnglandmadevoyagestoconquerotherpartsoftheworldandbecauseofthat,Englishbegantobespokeninmanyothercountries.Today,morepeoplespeakEnglishastheirfirst,secondorforeignlanguagethaneverbefore. 通向现代英语之路 在16世纪末,大约有五至七百万人讲英语。几乎所有这些讲英语的人都住在英格兰。在其后的一个世纪中,英格兰人为征服世界航海到了世界其他一些地方,结果世界的其他地方的人们也开始说英语了。今天,把英语作为自己的第一语言、第二语言或外语来使用的人比以往任何时候都多。 NativeEnglishspeakerscanunderstandeachothereveniftheydon’tspeakthesamekindofEnglish.Lookatthisexample: BritishBetty:Wouldyouliketoseemyflat? AmericanAmy:Yes,I’dliketocomeuptoyourapartment. 以英语作为母语的人,即使他们所讲不是同一种英语,他们也能彼此听懂。请看看这个例子: 英国人贝蒂:来看看我的公寓吗?`\n` 美国人艾米:好的,我来看看你的公寓吧。 SowhyhasEnglishchangedovertime?Actuallyalllanguageschangeanddevelopwhenculturesmeetandcommunicatewitheachother.AtfirsttheEnglishspokeninEnglandbetweenaboutAD450and1150wasverydifferentfromtheEnglishspokentoday.ItwasbasedmoreonGermanthantheEnglishwespeakatpresent.ThengraduallybetweenaboutAD800and1150,EnglishbecamelesslikeGermanbecausethosewhoruledEnglandspokenfirstDanishandlaterFrench.ThesenewsettlersenrichedtheEnglishlanguageandespeciallyitsvocabulary.Sobythe1600’sShakespearewasabletomakeuseofawidervocabularythaneverbefore.In1620someBritishsettlersmovedtoAmerica.Laterinthe18thcenturysomeBritishpeopleweretakentoAustraliatoo.Englishbegantobespokeninbothcountries. 那么,随着时间的推移英语为什么发生了变化呢?实际上,当不同文化相互交流渗透时,所有的语言都会有所发展和变化。开始,英格兰人在大约公元450年到1150年之间所说的英语与我们今天所说的英语很不一样。当时的英语更多的是以德语为基础的,不像我们现在说的英语。后来,大约在公元800年至1150年之间,英语慢慢变得不那么像德语,因为统治英格兰的那些人开始是说丹麦语,后来说法语。这些新来的定居者丰富了英语语言,尤其是丰富了英语词汇。所以到17世纪初的时候,莎士比亚能够得以使用比以往任何时候都丰富的词汇。1620年一些英国定居者来到了美洲,后来到了18世纪的时候,一些英国人还被带到了澳大利亚。英语也就开始在这两个国家使用。 Finallybythe19thcenturythelanguagewassettled.AtthattimetwobigchangesinEnglishspellinghappened:firstSamuelJohnsonwrotehisdictionaryandlaterNoahWebsterwroteTheAmericanDictionaryoftheEnglishLanguage.ThelattergaveaseparateidentitytoAmericanEnglishspelling.`\n` 最后到19世纪的时候,英语这种语言就变得稳定了。当时,英语的拼写发生了两个很大的变化:先是塞缪尔?约翰逊编写了他的英语词典,后是诺亚?韦伯斯特出版了《美国英语词典》。后者使得美式英语的拼写有了其独特的个性。 EnglishnowisalsospokenasaforeignorsecondlanguageinSouthAsia.Forexample,IndiahasaverylargenumberoffluentEnglishspeakersbecauseBritainruledIndiafrom1765to1947.DuringthattimeEnglishbecamethelanguageforgovernmentandeducation.EnglishisalsospokeninSingaporeandMalaysiaandcountriesinAfricasuchasSouthAfrica.TodaythenumberofpeoplelearningEnglishinChinaisincreasingrapidly.Infact,ChinamayhavethelargestnumberofEnglishlearners.WillChineseEnglishdevelopitsownidentity?Onlytimewilltell. 现在英语在南亚地区也被作为外语或第二语言使用。比如,印度就有很多人说英语说得很流利,因为在1765年到1947年之间英国统治着印度。在此期间,英语成了印度政府和教育所用的语言。在新加坡和马来西亚以及像非洲的南非,人们现在也说英语。当今,在中国学英语的人数正在快速增加,事实上,中国可能是学英语人数最多的国家。中国式英语是否也能发展成一种具有自己独特个性的语言?这还有待时间去证明。 UsingLanguage 语言运用 STANDARDENGLISHANDDIALECTS WhatisstandardEnglish?IsitspokeninBritain,theUS,Canada,Australia,IndiaandNewZealand?Believeitornot,thereisnosuchthingasstandardEnglish.ManypeoplebelievetheEnglishspokenonTVandtheradioisstandardEnglish.Thisisbecauseintheearlydaysofradio,thosewhoreportedthenewswereexpectedtospeakexcellentEnglish.However,onTVandtheradioyouwillheardifferencesinthewaypeoplespeak.`\n` Whenpeopleusewordsandexpressionsdifferentform“standardlanguage”,itiscalledadialect.AmericanEnglishhasmanydialects,especiallythemidwestern,southern,AfricanAmericanandSpanishdialects.EveninsomepartsoftheUSA,twopeoplefromneighbouringtownsspeakalittledifferently.AmericanEnglishhassomanydialectsbecausepeoplehavecomefromallovertheworld. Geographyalsoplaysapartinmakingdialects.SomepeoplewholiveinthemountainsoftheeasternUSAspeakwithanolderkindofEnglishdialect.WhenAmericansmovedformoneplacetoanother,theytooktheirdialectswiththem.SopeoplefromthemountainsinthesoutheasternUSAspeakwithalmostthesamedialectaspeopleinthenorthwesternUSA.TheUSAisalargecountryinwhichmanydifferentdialectsarespoken.AlthoughmanyAmericansmovealot,theystillrecognizeandunderstandeachother’sdialects. 什么是标准英语?是在英国、美国、加拿大、澳大利亚、印度、新西兰所说的英语吗?信不信由你,(世界上)没有什么标准英语。许多人认为,电视和收音机里所说的英语就是标准英语,这是因为在早期的电台节目里,人们期望新闻播音员所说的英语是最好的英语。然而,在电视和收音机里,你也会听出人们在说话时的差异。 当人们使用不同于“标准语言”的词语和表达时,那就叫做方言。美国英语有许多方言,特别是中西部地区和南部地区的方言,以及美国黑人和西班牙人的方言。即使在美国有些地区,两个相邻城镇的人所说的方言也可能稍有不同。美国英语之所以有这么多的方言是因为美国人是来自世界各地的缘故。 地理位置对方言的形成也有所影响。住在美国东部山区的一些人说着比较古老的英语方言。当美国人从一个地方搬到另一个地方时,他们也就把他们的方言随着带去了。因此,美国东南部山区的人同美国西北部的人所说的方言就几乎相同。美国是一个大国,有着许许多多彼此不同的方言。虽然许多美国人经常搬家,但是他们仍然能够辨别和理解彼此的方言。`\n` Readingandspeaking 读与说 1 AmyandherAmericanfriendsarevisitingLondon.TheyplantovisitAmy’sauntanddecidetogotherebyunderground,butcannotfindthenearestundergroundstation.Sosheasksdirectionsandthentellsherfriends.Readthedialogueandcirclethewordsthatmeanthesame. 1 艾米和她的美国朋友正在参观伦敦。她们计划去拜访艾米的姑妈,并决定乘地铁去,但是她们找不到最近的地铁站。所以她问问了路,然后告诉她的朋友。读对话,然后圈出意思相同的词。 AMY:Excuseme,Ma’ma.Couldyoutellmewherethenearestsubwaysis? LADY:Er...theunderground?Well,goroundthecorneronyourleft-handside,straightonandcrosstwostreets.It’llbeonyourright-handside. AMY:Thankssomuch. FRIENDS:Whatdidshesay,Amy? AMY:Shetoldustogoaroundthecornerontheleftandkeepgoingstraightfortwoblocks.Thesubwaywillbeonourright. 艾米:对不起,夫人,你能告诉我去最近的地铁站怎么走吗? 夫人:呃……地铁?哦,往左边拐过去,一直往前走,走过两条街,地铁就是右边。 艾米:多谢了。 朋友:艾米,她说什么? 艾米:她叫我们往左边拐过去,一直往前走,走过两条街,地铁就是右边。`\n` 【意思相同的词】 subway←→underground(地铁) right-handside←→right(右边) street←→block街道,街区第三单元 Traveljournal JOURNEYDOWNTHEMEKONG PART1THEDREAMANDTHEPLAN MynameisWangKun.Eversincemiddleschool,mysisterWangWeiandIhavedreamedabouttakingagreatbiketrip.Twoyearsagosheboughtanexpensivemountainbikeandthenshepersuadedmetobuyone.Lastyear,shevisitedourcousins,DaoWeiandYuHangattheircollegeinKunming.TheyareDaiandgrewupinwesternYunnanProvinceneartheLancangRiver,theChinesepartoftheriverthatiscalledtheMekongRiverinothercountries.WangWeisoongottheminterestedincyclingtoo.Aftergraduatingfromcollege.wefinallygotthechancetotakeabiketrip.Iaskedmysister,"Wherearewegoing?"ItwasmysisterwhofirsthadtheideatocyclealongtheentireMekongRiverfromwhereitbeginstowhereitends.Nowsheisplanningourscheduleforthetrip. Iamfondofmysisterbutshehasoneseriousshortcoming.Shecanbereallystubborn.Althoughshedidn'tknowthebestwayofgettingtoplaces,sheinsistedthatsheorganizethetripproperly.Now,Iknowthattheproperwayisalwaysherway.Ikeptaskingher,"Whenareweleavingandwhenarewecomingback?"Iaskedherwhethershehadlookedatamapyet.Ofcourse,shehadn't;mysisterdoesn'tcareaboutdetails.SoItoldherthatthesourceoftheMekongisinQinghaiProvince.Shegavemeadetermined`\n`look—thekindthatsaidshewouldnotchangehermind.WhenItoldherthatourjourneywouldbeginatanaltitudeofmorethan5,000metres,sheseemedtobeexcitedaboutit.WhenItoldhertheairwouldbehardtobreatheanditwouldbeverycold,shesaiditwouldbeaninterestingexperience.Iknowmysisterwell.Onceshehasmadeuphermind,nothingcanchangeit.Finally,Ihadtogivein. Severalmonthsbeforeourtrip,WangWeiandIwenttothelibrary.Wefoundalargeatlaswithgoodmapsthatshoweddetailsofworldgeography.FromtheatlaswecouldseethattheMekongRiverbeginsinaglacieronaTibetanmountain.Atfirsttheriverissmallandthewaterisclearandcold.Thenitbeginstomovequickly.Itbecomesrapidsasitpassesthroughdeepvalleys,travellingacrosswesternYunnanProvince.Sometimestheriverbecomesawaterfallandenterswidevalleys.WewerebothsurprisedtolearnthathalfoftheriverisinChina.AfteritleavesChinaandthehighaltitude,theMekongbecomeswide,brownandwarm.AsitentersSoutheastAsia,itspaceslows.Itmakeswidebendsormeandersthroughlowvalleystotheplainswherericegrows.Atlast,theriverdeltaenterstheSouthChinaSea. 沿湄公河而下的旅行 第一部分梦想与计划 我的名字叫王坤。从高中起,我姐姐和我就一直梦想作一次伟大的自行车旅行。两年前,她买了一辆价钱昂贵的山地自行车,然后她还说服我也买了一辆。去年她去看望了我们的表兄弟—在昆明读大学的刀伟和宇航。他们是傣族人,在云南省西部靠近澜沧江的地方长大,湄公河在中国境内的这一段叫澜沧江,流经其他国家后就叫湄公河。很快,王薇使表兄弟也对骑车旅行产生了兴趣。到大学毕业后,我们终于有了作一次骑车旅行的机会。我问姐姐:“我们要去哪里?”首先想到要沿湄公河从源头到终点骑车旅行的是我的姐姐。现在,她正为这次旅行制订计划。`\n` 我很喜欢我姐姐,但是她有一个严重的缺点,她有时确实很固执。尽管她对到某些地方的最佳路线并不清楚,她却坚持要把这次旅行安排的尽善尽美。现在我知道了这个尽善尽美的方式总是她的方式。我老是问她:“我们什么时候动身?什么时候回来?”我问她是否已经看过地图。当然她并没有看过,我的姐姐是不会考虑细节的。于是我告诉她湄公河的源头在青海省。她给了我一个坚定的眼神—这种眼神表明她是不会改变主意的。当我告诉她我们的旅行将从5000多米的的高地出发时,她似乎显得很兴奋。当我告诉她那里空气稀薄,呼吸会很困难,而且天气会很冷时,她却说这将是一次很有趣的经历。我非常了解我的姐姐,她一旦下了决心,就什么也不能使她改变。最后,我只好让步了。 在我们旅行前的几个月,王薇和我去了图书馆。我们找到了一本大型的地图册,里面有一些世界地理的明细图。我们从图上可以看到,湄公河源于西藏一座山上的冰川。起初,河很小,河水清澈而冷冽,然后它开始快速流动。它穿过深谷时就变成了急流。流经云南西部。有时,这条河形成瀑布进入宽阔的峡谷。我们惊奇的发现这条河有一半是在中国境内。当流出中国,流出高地后,湄公河就变宽,变暖了。河水也变成了黄褐色。而当它进入东南亚以后,流速减慢,河水变宽慢慢地穿过低谷,到了长着稻谷的平原。最后,湄公河三角洲的各支流流入中国南海。 Readinganddiscussing JOURNEYDOWNTHEMEKONG PART2ANIGHTINTHEMOUNTAINS Althoughitwasautumn,thesnowwasalreadybeginningtofallinTibet.Ourlegsweresoheavyandcoldthattheyfeltlikeblocksofice.Haveyoueverseensnowmenridebicycles?That'swhatwelookedlike!Alongthewaychildrendressedinlongwoolcoatsstoppedtolookatus.Inthelateafternoonwefounditwassocoldthatourwaterbottlesfroze.However,thelakesshonelikeglassinthesettingsunandlookedwonderful.Wang`\n`Weirodeinfrontofmeasusual.SheisveryreliableandIknewIdid'tneedtoencourageher.Toclimbthemountainswashardworkbutaswelookedaroundus,weweresurprisedbytheview.Weseemedtobeabletoseeformiles.Atonepointweweresohighthatwefoundourselvescyclingthroughclouds.Thenwebegangoingdownthehills.Itwasgreatfunespeciallyasitgraduallybecamemuchwarmer.Inthevalleyscolourfulbutterfliesflewaroundusandwesawmanyyaksandsheepeatinggreengrass.Atthispointwehadtochangeourcaps,coats,glovesandtrousersforT-shirtsandshorts. Intheearlyeveningwealwaysstoptomakecamp.Weputupourtentandthenweeat.AftersupperWangWeiputherheaddownonherpillowandwenttosleepbutIstayedawake.Atmidnighttheskybecameclearerandthestarsgrewbrighter.Itwassoquiet.Therewasalmostnowind-onlytheflamesofourfireforcompany.AsIlaybeneaththestarsIthoughtabouthowfarwehadalreadytravelled. WewillreachDaliinYunnanProvincesoon,whereourcousinsDaoWeiandYuHangwilljoinus.Wecanhardlywaittoseethem!Unit4Earthquakes Reading ANIGHTTHEEARTHDIDN'TSLEEP StrangethingswerehappeninginthecountrysideofnortheastHebei.Forthreedaysthewaterinthevillagewellsroseandfell,roseandfell.Farmersnoticedthatthewellwallshaddeepcracksinthem.Asmellygascameoutofthecracks.Inthefarmyards,thechickensandeventhepigsweretoonervoistoeat.Miceranoutofthefieldslookingforplacestohide.Fishjumpedoutoftheirbowlsandponds.Atabout3:00amonjuly28,1976,somepeoplesawbrightlightsinthesky.ThesoundofplanescouldbeheardoutsidethecityofTangshanevenwhennoplaneswereinthesky.Inthecity,thewaterpipesinsomebuildingscrackedandburst.buttheonemillionpeopleofthecity,whothiughtlittleoftheseevents,wereasleepasusualthatnight.`\n` At3:42ameverythingbegantoshake.Itseemedasiftheworldwasatanend!Elevenkilometresdirectlybelowthecitythegreatestearthquakeofthe20thcenturyhadbegun.ItwasfeltinBeijing,whichismorethantwohundredkilometresaway.One-thirdofthenationfeltit.Ahugecrackthatwaseightkilometreslongandthirtymetreswidecutacrosshouses,roadsandcanals.Steamburstfromholesintheground.Hardhillsofrockbecameriversofdir.Infifteenterriblesecondsalargecitylayinruins.Thesufferingofthepeoplewasextreme.Two-thirdsofthemdiedorwereleftwithoutparents.Thenumberofpeoplewhowerekilledorinjuredreachedmorethan400,000. Buthowcouldthesurvivorsbelieveitwasnatural?Everywheretheylookednearlyeverythingwasdestroyed.Allofthecity'shospitals,75%ofitsfactoriesandbuildingsand90%ofitshomesweregone.Brickscoveredthegroundlikeredautumnleaves.Nowind,however,couldblowthemaway.Twodamsfellandmostofthebridgesalsofellorwerenotsafefortravelling.Therailwaytrackswerenowuselesspiecesofsteel.Tensofthousandsofcowswouldnevergivemilkagain.Halfamillionoigsandmillionsofchickensweredead.Sandnowfilledthewellsinsteadofwater.Peoplewereshocked.Then,laterthatafternoon,anotherbigquakewhichwasalmostasstrongasthefirstoneshookTangshan.Someoftherescueworkersanddoctorsweretrappedundertheruins.Morebuildingsfelldown.Water,food,andelectricitywerehardtoget.peoplebegabtowonderhowlongthedisasterwouldlast. Allhopewasnotlost.Soonafterthequakes,thearmysent150,000soldierstoTangshantohelptherescueworkers.Hundredsofthousandsofpeoplewerehelped.Thearmyorganizedteamstodigoutthosewhoweretrappedandtoburythedead.Tothenorthofthecity,mostofthe10,000minerswererescuedfromthecoalminesthere.Workersbuiltsheltersforsurvivorswhosehomeshadbeendestroyed.Freshwaterwastakentothecitybutrain,truckandplane.Slowly,thecitybegantobreatheagain.`\n` OfficeoftheCityGovernment Tangshan,Hebei China July5,2007 Dear____, Congratulations!WearepleasedtotellyouthatyouhavewonthehighschoolspeakingcompetitionaboutnewTangshan.Yourspeechwasheardbyagroupoffivejudges,allofwhomagreedthatitwasthebestonethisyear.Yourparentsandyourschoolshouldbeveryproudofyou! Nextmonththecitywillopenanewparktohonourthosewhodiedintheterribledisaster.Theparkwillalsohonourthosewhohelpedthesurvivors.OurofficewouldliketohaveyouspeaktotheparkvistorsonJuly28at11:00am.Asyouknow,thisisthedaythequakehappenedthirty-____yearsago. Weinviteyoutobringyourfamilyandfriendsonthatspecialday. Sincerely, ZhangShaUnit5 ELIAS’STORY MynameisElias.IamapoorblackworkerinSouthAfrica.ThetimewhenIfirstmetNelsonMandelawasaverydifficultperiodofmylife.Iwastwelveyearsold.Itwasin1952andMandelawastheblacklawyertowhomIwentforadvice.Heoffered`\n`guidancetopoorblackpeopleontheirlegalproblems.Hewasgenerouswithhistime,forwhichIwasgrateful. IneededhishelpbecauseIhadverylittleeducation.Ibeganschoolatsix.TheschoolwhereIstudiedforonlytwoyearswasthreekilometersaway.Ihadtoleavebecausemyfamilycouldnotcontinuetopaytheschoolfeesandthebusfare.Icouldnotreadorwritewell.Aftertryinghard,Igotajobinagoldmine.However,thiswasatimewhenonehadgottohaveapassbooktoliveinJohannesburg.SadlyIdidnothaveitbecauseIwasnotbornthere,andIworriedaboutwhetherIwouldbecomeoutofwork. ThedaywhenNelsonMandelahelpedmewasoneofmyhappiest.HetoldmyhowtogetthecorrectpaperssoIcouldstayinJohannesburg.Ibecamemorehopefulaboutmyfuture.IneverforgothowkindMandelawas.WhenheorganizedtheANCYouthLeague,IjoineditassoonasIcould.Hesaid: “Thelastthirtyyearshaveseenthegreatestnumberoflawsstoppingourrightsandprogress,untiltodaywehavereachedastagewherewehavealmostnorightsatall.” Itwasthetruth.Blackpeoplecouldnotvoteorchoosetheirleaders.Theycouldnotgetthejobstheywanted.Thepartsoftowninwhichtheyhadtoliveweredecidedbywhitepeople.TheplacesoutsidethetownswheretheyweresenttolivewerethepoorestpartsofSouthAfrica.Noonecouldgrowfoodthere.InfactasNelsonMandelasaid: “…wewereputintoapositioninwhichwehadeithertoacceptwewerelessimportantorfightthegovernment.Wechosetoattackthelaws.Wefirstbrokethelawinawaywhichwaspeaceful;whenthiswasnotallowed…onlythendidwedecidetoanswerviolencewithviolence.`\n` Asamatteroffact,Idonotlikeviolence…butin1963Ihelpedhimblowupsomegovernmentbuildings.ItwasverydangerousbecauseifIwascaughtIcouldbeputinprison.ButIwashappytohelpbecauseIknewitwouldhelpusachieveourdreamofmakingblackandwhitepeopleequal. THERESTOFELIAS'STORY YoucannotimaginehowthenameofRobbenIslandmadeusafraid.Itwasaprisonfromwhichnooneescaped.ThereIspentthehardesttimeofmylife.ButwhenIgotthereNelsomMandelawasalsothereandhehelpedme.MrMandelabeganaschoolforthoseofuswhohadlittlelearning.Hetaughtusduringthelunchbreaksandtheeveningswhenweshouldhavebeenasleep.Wereadbooksunderourblanketsandusedanythingwecouldfindtomakecandlestoseethewords.Ibecameagoodstudent.IwantedtostudyformydegreebutIwasnotallowedtodothat.Later,MrMandelaallowedtheprisonguardstojoinus.Hesaidtheyshouldnotbestoppedfromstudyingfortheirdegrees.Theywerenotclevererthanme,buttheydidpasstheirexams.SoIknweIcouldgetadegreetoo.Thatmademefeelgoodaboutmyself. WhenIfinishedthefouryearsinprison,Iwenttofindajob.SinceIwasbettereducated,Igotajobworkinginanoffice.However,thepolicefoundoutandtoldmybossthatIhadbeeninprinsonforblowingupgovernmentbuildings.SoIlostmyjob.IdidnotworkagainfortwentyyearsuntilMrMandelaandtheANCcametopowerin1994.Allthattimemywifeandchildrenhadtobegforgoodandhelpfromrelativesorfriends.LuckilyMrMandelarememberedmeandgavemeajobtakingtouristsaroundmyoldprisononRobbenIslannd.IfeltbadthefirsttimeItalkedtoagroup.Alltheterrorandfearofthattimecamebacktome.Irememberedthebeatingsandthecrueltyoftheguardsandmyfriendswhohaddied.IfeltIwouldnotbeabletodoit,butmyfamilyencouragedme.TheysaidthatthejobandthepayfromthenewSouthAfrican`\n`governmentweremyrewardafterworkingallmylifeforequalrightsfortheBlacks.Sonowat51Iamproudtoshowvisitorsovertheprison,forIhelpedtomakeourpeoplefreeintheirownland.`