附教学材料：
（译林版《英语》选择性必修三第一单元拓展阅读板块）
An Adventure in Africa
30 June, Morocco
My parents and I had just driven down the narrow mountain road from Marrakesh, with all its sharp bends, and had finally arrived at Merzouga. Before us stretched the unending sand dunes that marked the beginning of the Sahara. A small boy walked past with a group of noisy goats as I took a long look at the yellow roadside sign that told us we were entering a “fragile natural environment”. I made a resolution to respect and protect this unique landscape while I was here. We set off, our vehicle quietly running over the sand and small stones. It wasn't long before we were surrounded by enormous sand dunes towering above us on all sides. The wind was blowing grains of sand from the tops of the dunes, the sun was beating down hard and bright, and the sky was a deep shade of blue that I had never seen before. The wild beauty of the desert was about to reveal itself. There was not a plant to be seen. The desert appeared completely empty, which was calming and threatening at the same time. The colours of the dunes contrasted strikingly with the blue of the cloudless sky.
Eventually, as the last rays of sunlight were falling on the sand, we arrived at our desert camp. Stars were already shining brightly in the darkening sky and it was getting cold with the approach of the night. Three camels, slowly chewing, were resting on their knees and watching our arrival with interest. “So, which one of you lucky animals will be my ride tomorrow?” I said out loud as I grabbed my bag and headed towards the warm campfire. I was starving and rushed to put a steak on the barbecue.
3 July, Kenya
A few days after our departure from the camp, our car was well and truly stuck in the mud. We were very near to our rest camp in Amboseli National Park located on the border of Kenya when my father, against my mother's advice, decided to drive through a large pool of water that stretched across the dirt road. Two tall slim local people were standing by the roadside watching us with amusement. They must have realized that we were totally helpless, for after a few moments, they wandered over and pushed us free. My father smiled weakly and we drove on as my mother and I waved from the car window.
We found a parking space next to our hut, which was round and made from brick. The walls, painted brilliant white, reflected the afternoon sun. There were five similar huts, all lined up facing Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa. The mountain rose up over the plains before us. Tall grasses and trees dotted the plains, which were alive with the African wildlife we had come to see. Giraffes, with their long necks, were pulling leaves from the highest branches. In the distance, elephants were eating grass, ears flapping lazily as they moved slowly over the plains. I had never seen anything like this before. It was indeed the greatest show on the Earth.
We got out of the car, carrying our suitcases and boxes of food into the hut. I placed ham sandwiches, sausages and a bunch of bananas on a small wooden table. I returned to the car and fetched more possessions. It was then that I noticed a small grey monkey sitting on a tree a few metres away and eating a banana. “So cute,” I thought to myself, until I realized it was my banana that he was eating! He was looking at me intently as he enjoyed the final mouthful. I was sure he was saying, “Thank you.” “You're welcome,” I replied.
（必修三第二单元拓展阅读板块）
The Last Days of Pompeii (Excerpt)
Edward Bulwer-Lytton (1803-1873) was a talented British writer who left his mark on the English language. His classic novel The Last Days of Pompeii imagines life in the ancient Roman city of Pompeii in the year 79, when Mount Vesuvius erupted. This terrible natural disaster destroyed Pompeii completely, but it also kept the ancient city as it was for future ages. Since 1748, Pompeii has been systematically unearthed. Today it is an international tourist destination.
Pompeii was a typical Roman city. In its little shops, its tiny palaces, its forum, its wine bars, its theatre—in the energy and skill of its people, you saw a model of the whole Roman Empire. Trading ships bringing imports to the city or carrying exports overseas, along with golden pleasure boats for the rich, were crowded together in the glassy water of the port. The boats of the fishermen moved rapidly in all directions. Above all, the cloud-capped top of Mount Vesuvius appeared. Its ashy rocks, now dark, now light, told a story of past eruptions that might have warned the city what was to come!
The awful night rolled slowly away, and the dawn greyly broke on THE LAST DAY OF POMPEII! The crowd looked upwards, and saw, with unspeakable fear, a huge cloud shooting from the top of the volcano. It took the form of a huge tree: the trunk, blackness, the branches, fire! This fire moved and changed in colour with every moment: now it was wildly bright, now of a pale and dying red, and now again it burnt with an unbearable light!
The cries of women broke out; the men looked at each other, but were silent. At that moment, they felt the earth shaking beneath their feet; beyond in the distance, they heard the crash of falling roofs. A moment later, the mountain-cloud seemed to roll towards them, dark and rapid, like a river; at the same time, it threw out a shower of ashes and huge pieces of burning stone! Over the empty streets—over the forum—far and wide—with many a noisy crash in the stormy sea—fell that awful shower!
Each turned to fly—each running, pressing, pushing against the other. If, in the darkness, wife was separated from husband, or parent from child, there was no hope of their meeting again. Each hurried blindly and fearfully on. So came the earthquake ... and so ended life in Pompeii.
Nearly seventeen centuries had rolled away before the city of Pompeii was dug from its silent resting place. Its walls were fresh as if painted yesterday; not a single colour changed on the rich pattern of its floors. In its forum, the half-finished columns seemed as if just left by the workman's hand. Long after fire and ash came for the people of Pompeii, the remains of their beautiful city survive to remind us that human lives burn bright and short.
（选择性必修四第二单元拓展阅读板块）
Borrowed Words
“The restaurant's fried tofu is delicious.” Is there anything special about this sentence? Well, all the words except “the” and “is” are borrowed from other languages! This comes as no surprise, given that English has borrowed words from more than 300 different languages, including Latin, Greek, French and Chinese. However, English is not alone in borrowing words from other languages—borrowed words can be found in almost all languages. For example, English words that are borrowed into the Chinese language include “bacon”, “tank” and “golf”.
Word borrowing comes about when two cultures with different languages interact. This tends to happen when there is no suitable word for an object or idea in the native tongue. This phenomenon has been occurring for thousands of years. In the current age of globalization, when communications technology brings different cultures closer together, words are even more likely to be borrowed straight from the source language at a faster pace than ever before, especially those related to technological developments such as “email” and “Internet”.
Though borrowing words has become faster, the process is still complex, and it takes time before new words are integrated into everyday speech. At first, the borrowed word is only used by bilingual speakers. It then spreads to people who do not know the original language, and they will change the pronunciation to fit the way they speak, almost unknowingly. An example of this is the word “kung fu”, which refers to Chinese martial arts. This word comes from Chinese gongfu. Over time, the sounds that are difficult to pronounce have been replaced with more familiar ones. The longer a borrowed word has been in use, the more it sounds and even looks like the native language.
Borrowed words are an outcome of language development that can hardly be avoided, but some language communities oppose adopting words from other cultures. There are countries that make interventions to keep their native language pure in order to defend their identity. The French specifically have an official organization that creates new words in order to avoid borrowed words. Some languages have an extremely small number of speakers, such as the Native American Navajo language, used only by the members of the tribe. Under this circumstance, it becomes a matter of survival for the native language to reject outside influences.
While some communities are pessimistic about the exchange between languages, there are also other communities that readily welcome borrowed words. English, especially, is based on a mix of Latin, Greek and Germanic languages. The English-speaking community does not hesitate about absorbing foreign words into its daily vocabulary. In fact, there have never been any formal academic restrictions on new borrowed words. Borrowing words allows the language to continue to develop, enabling the community to have a more efficient language which makes it possible for them to share their experiences with new-found ease. It is also through those words that novel ideas are spread and different beliefs are exchanged more conveniently and quickly.
According to the linguist Edward Sapir, “It would be difficult to point to a completely isolated language ...” For better or for worse, the tendency to borrow words has never gone out of style. The more international and globalized the world becomes, the more language characteristics will be shared between nations and cultures.
（选择性必修一第一单元拓展阅读板块）
Read the following entries from the blog of a food critic who is eating his way through traditional Chinese foods.
Eating in China
7 March, Sichuan hot pot
The mouth-watering hot pots of Sichuan are as famous overseas as they are in China, and the hot flavour is enough to heat up a cold midwinter evening or to let loose rivers of sweat on a summer afternoon. I gave it my first try last night, together with a few local friends. As the soup bubbled slowly over a gas burner in the middle of the table, its surface was covered with a beautiful layer of chillies, Sichuan peppers, spring onions and red oil. Slowly at first, and then faster and faster, we tipped plates of fresh meat, fish and vegetables into the pot. The hot flavour quickened our laughter and conversation, making the meal the perfect way to relax with friends.
Sichuan hot pots are perfect for the damp, foggy climate in which they were invented. They are believed to have started off in the late Qing Dynasty as a way for boatmen on the Yangtze River to keep warm during the cold and wet winters. In the beginning, the delicious dish was made simply by boiling vegetables, chillies and Sichuan peppers in water. Over time, it has expanded to include multiple options of soups, vegetables, meats and sauces, appealing to people of different tastes. What I love best about Sichuan hot pots is that they offer a great opportunity to socialize with friends since a meal can last for hours. I instantly became a big fan of Sichuan hot pots and I'll soon be back for more!
12 August, Nanjing salted duck
Salted duck is Nanjing's most famous food export. Served plain in thin, white slices, the meat is juicy and salty. Each Nanjing salted duck takes several days to prepare, and the process includes salting, drying, boiling and cooling. As I finished my first helping on a recent afternoon in Nanjing, my host, Chef Zhang, told me a little more about the dish.
The countryside around Nanjing has been famous for its ducks for centuries; its countless waterways make the area perfect for raising waterbirds. A local history book from the late Qing Dynasty praised salted duck in particular, saying it was without equal. Traditionally, duck is considered to have cooling properties, so it is appropriate for the hot summer months. Nowadays, people eat salted duck all year round and it is estimated that tens of thousands of ducks are consumed every day in Nanjing! It definitely hit the spot when I tried it, and it has become one of my personal favourites.
8 December, Cantonese dim sum
In Guangzhou, morning tea is such an essential part of the daily routine that “Have you had your tea?” has become the local version of “Good morning.” Though teahouses have been common in China since the Tang Dynasty, the Cantonese innovation of the mid-19th century was to serve tea together with a variety of light dishes, or dim sum. The concept took off, and today Guangzhou's restaurants stimulate customers' appetite with over a thousand offerings, each more delicate and delicious than the last.
The Cantonese do not hurry over their breakfasts, as I found when I visited a restaurant in Guangzhou's old city centre this morning. The emphasis is rather on conversation about business, family or pleasure, and locals can spend hours together chatting, drinking tea and working their way through the menu. From beef balls to rice noodle rolls, there are various dishes that have been baked, boiled, steamed or fried. A single visit is not enough to appreciate everything, and I have a long list of dim sum I still need to try.
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