泛读2 Unit1 课外阅读材料.docx

泛读2 Unit1 课外阅读材料.docx

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泛读2Unit1课外阅读材料

UnitOne

1.AloneintheArcticCold

（ReadingTime:

51/2minutes）

Dayhadbrokenexceedinglycoldandgray,whenthemanturnedasidefromthemainYukontrailandclimbedtheslope,whereadimandlittle-traveledtrailledeastwardthroughthepineforest.Theslopewassteep,andhepausedforbreathatthetop.Therewasnosunnorhintofsun,thoughtherewasnotacloudinthesky.Itwasaclearday,andyetthereseemedtobeamistoverthefaceofthings,thatmadethedaydark.Thisfactdidnotworrytheman.Hewasusedtothelackofsun.

Themanlookedbackalongthewayhehadcome.TheYukonRiverlayamilewideandhiddenunderthreefeetofice.Ontopofthisicewereasmanyfeetofsnow.Itwasunbrokenwhite,saveforadarkhairlinethatwasthetrailthatledsouthfivehundredmilestotheChilcootPass.

Butallthis—themysterious,far-reachinghairlinetrail,theabsenceofsunfromthesky,thetremendouscold,andthestrangenessandweirdnessofitall—madenoimpressionontheman.Hewasanewcomerinthelandandthiswashisfirstwinter.Thetroublewithhimwasthathewaswithoutimagination.Hewasquickandalertinthethingsoflife,butonlyinthethings,andnotinthesignificances.Fiftydegreesbelowzeromeanteighty-odddegreesoffrost.Suchfactimpressedhimasbeingcoldanduncomfortable,andthatwasall.Itdidnotleadhimtothinkaboutman'sweaknessingeneral,ableonlytolivewithincertainnarrowlimitsofheatandcold.Fiftydegreesbelowzerostoodforabitoffrostthathurtandthatmustbeguardedagainstbytheuseofthick,warmclothing.Fiftydegreesbelowzerowastohimjustpreciselyfiftydegreesbelowzero.Thatthereshouldbeanythingmoretoitthanthatwasathoughtthatneverenteredhishead.

Asheturnedtogoon,hespatspeculatively.Therewasasharp,explosivecracklethatstartledhim.Hespatagain.Andagain,intheair,beforeitcouldfalltothesnow,thespittlecrackled.Heknewthatatfiftybelowspittlecrackledonthesnow,butthisspittlehadcrackledintheair.Undoubtedlyitwascolderthanfiftybelow—howmuchcolderhedidnotknow.Butthetemperaturedidnotmatter.HewasboundfortheoldmineontheleftforkofHendersonCreekwheretheboyswerealready.TheyhadcomeoverthehillfromtheIndianCreekcountry,whilehehadcometheroundaboutwaytotakealookatthepossibilitiesofgettingoutlogsinthespringfromtheislandsintheYukon.Hewouldbeintocampbysixo'clock;abitafterdark,itwastrue,buttheboyswouldbethere,afirewouldbegoing,andahotsupperwouldbeready.

Heplungedinamongthebigpinetrees.Thetrailwasfaint.Hewasgladhewaswithoutasled,travelinglight.Infact,hecarriednothingbutthelunchwrappedinthehandkerchief.Hewassurprised,however,atthecold.Itcertainlywascold,heconcluded,asherubbedhisnumbnoseandcheekboneswithhisglovedhand.

ComprehensionExercise

A.Selectthemostappropriateanswerforeachofthefollowingquestions.

1.Whenthestorybegan,_______.

A）itwasearlyinthemorningwhenanewdayhadjuststarted

B）itwasapproachingnoonbutthesunwasnotshinning

C）itwasturningdarkandgrayasnightwouldsoonfall

D）thesunwascoveredbyalayerofmistinthesky

2.TheYukontrail_______.

A）wasentirelycoveredbysnowandice

B）wasanarrowpathalongsidetheYukonRiver

C）was500milesawayinthesouth

D）wasapathleadingtotheChilcootPass

3.Welearnfromthepassagethatthemaninthestory_______

A）reactedtoeverythinginamatter-of-factway

B）likedtothinkaboutthemeaningoflife

C）wastroubledwiththestrangenessandweirdnessoftheplace

D）couldnotcopewiththeextremecoldsinceitwashisfirstwinterinthearea

4.Themanwasaloneinthisareabecause______.

A）hetookaroundaboutrouteinordertohaveabetterlookattheplace

B）theothernumbersofhisteamwantedtoreachtheirdestinationearlier

C）theothersdecidedtotakeanotherroutenearHendersonCreektoexploreanoldmine

D）hewantedtoexploretheareatoseeiflogsbetakenoutinthespring

5.Themaninthestory_______.

A）believedhecouldtravelmuchfasterwithoutasled

B）wasluckyinnottravelingonasledforthetrailwastoonarrowforasled

C）hadtotravelbyfootsincethepinetreesmadetravelingonasledverydifficult

D）tooknothingwithhimexceptsomefoodinordertotravellight

B.TranslatetheunderlinedsentencesintoChinese

2．MemoriesofAfghanistan

（ReadingTime:

7minutes）

Afghanistan—acountryonthebrinkofahumanitariandisaster,alandfilledwithfleeingrefugees,starvingpeople,andturbanedterroristsintrainingcamps.TVpicturestellthestoryofacountryinruinandpoverty,acountrybroughtalmosttototaldestructionbytwentyyearsofwarandstruggle.Yetonce—thoughpoor—thiswasaproudnation,andabeautifulcountry,andonethathadsurvivedmanycenturiesofharshhistory.Nottoolongago,itwasacountryinpeace,andonewitharichculturalheritage...

ApartfromthenationsofEurope,therearefewcountriesintheworldthathaveneverbeenundercolonialrule—oratleastneverinrecenttimes:

Afghanistanwasoneofthem.Manycenturiesago,GenghisKhan'stroopsrodedownfromMongolia,mercilesslykillingthemountaintribesmenofAfghanistanwhodaredtoresisttheinvader;butapartfromthishumiliatingperiodintime,theAfghans—whoareinfactamixtureofthreeseparateethnicgroups—haveheldtheirheadshighinthefaceofinvasion.

Thecountrythatisnowatthecentreoftheworld'sattentionwasonceoneoftheworld'sproudestnations,andanationthatothercountriesinvadedattheirownrisk.Inthe19thcenturythearmiesoftheBritishEmpireknewthatAfghanistanwasnotacountrytointerferewith.

Ahundredandtwentyyearsago,in1881,BritishsoldierswerenonethelessstationedintheAfghancapital,Kabul.Theyweretherefortworeasons,firstlytohelpstoptheRussiansfrominvadingthecountry,andsecondlytoensuretheexistenceofanindependentbuffer-statebetweentheRussianEmpiretothenorth,andtheBritishEmpireinIndia（modernPakistan）tothesoutheast.

QueenVictoriawouldhavelikedtoaddAfghanistantoherempire,buthersoldiersneversucceededinthismission,thoughtheytried,andfailed.In1879,thewholeBritishMission（embassy）inKabul,includingservants,wasmassacredbyagroupofrebelAfghansoldiers,furiousbecausetheyhadnotbeenpaidbytheirownking,MohammedYacoub.YacoubwasfriendlytotheBritish,sotheBritishgottheblame.ThestoryoftheKabulMassacrewasrememberedforalongtimebytheBritishinIndia,andrecordedbyseveralVictorianwritersandpoets.

OtherbloodyeventsalsomarkedtherelationshipbetweentheBritishandtheAfghansinthe19thcentury.In1842,inthenotoriousbattleoftheKhyberPass,acompleteBritisharmywasmassacredbyAfghansastheyreturnedfromashortraidintothecountry.Justoneman,adoctor,managedtosurvivethemassacre,andmakehiswaybacktothesafetyofIndia,totellthestoryoftheterribleevent.

ThoughtheworldhaschangedalotsinceVictoriantimes,Afghanistanhaschangedlittle.Inmanyways,theTalibanhaveevenmovedthecountrybackintime,toadarkageofignorance,intoleranceandrepression;butevenwithouttheTaliban,Afghanistanwouldstill,today,beoneoftheworld'smostundevelopednations.Land-locked,asidefrommostmodernroutesofcommunication,andbrokenupbythemightyHinduKushmountainsandbyvastdeserts,Afghanistan,likethe"tribalterritory"ofnorthwestPakistan,hasremainedfiercelyindependentfromoutsideinterference,andstronglyattachedtoitstraditionalways.

Forthelasttwenty-fiveyears,theAfghanpeoplehavesufferedfromwaranddestruction:

theoverthrowofthemonarchy,thentheinvasionbytheSovietUnionin1978,thenthewaragainsttheSoviets,thenthestruggleforcontrolofthecountrybetweentheTalibanandthesupportersofGeneralMassoud,nowthemassivedepartureofapeopleonthevergeofstarvation,drivenfromtheirhomesasmuchbyfearoftheTalibanasbythethreatofmilitaryinvasion.

Yetinspiteofallthis,despitethedestructionofalargepartoftheircountry,theAfghanpeopleremainkindandhospitable.OlderAfghansrememberbacktoapast,whentheylivedinpeaceandrelativesecurity;youngerAfghans,whohaveneverknownaneraofpeace,lookforwardtothedaywhenanewageofpeacewillcome.Hopefully,thatnewdawnwillnotbetoofaraway.

ComprehensionExercises

A.DecidewhetherthefollowingstatementsareTrueorFalse.

______1.AfghanistanisoneofthefewcountriesoutsideofEuropethathaveneverundercolonialrule.

______2.IntheentirehistoryofAfghanistan,theonlyarmiesthateverconqueredtheAfghansweretheMongols.

______3.In1888,BritishsoldierswerestationedinAfghanistaninordertohelptheAfghansdriveawaytheRussianinvaders.

______4.TheBritishhadbeguntoshowinterestinAfghanistanasearlyas1809.

______5.TheentireBritishMissioninKabulwaskilledbyrebelAfghansoldiersbecausetheyhatedtheirkinganddecidedtokillhisBritishallies.

theunderlinedsentencesintoChinese

3.TheConquestofMt.JolmoLungma

（ReadingTime:

51/2minutes）

Itwas11:

30a.m.Myfirstsensationwasoneofrelief—reliefthatthelongclimbwasover;thatthesummithadbeenreachedbeforeouroxygensupplieshaddroppedtoacriticallevel;andthereliefthatintheendthemountainhadbeenkindtousinhavingapleasantlyroundedconeforitssummitinsteadofafearsomeandunapproachablesteepcliff.Butmixedwiththereliefwasavaguesen