The street on the western side of the park, Central Park West, has large and unusual apartment buildings. When the first one was being built, people laughed. They said nobody with money would live in an apartment house, especially when it was so far from the center of town that it might as well be in the Dakotas. The builder had the last laugh; he named his building the Dakota, and when it opened, every apartment was occupied.

The Dakota has had many famous residents, including actress Lauren Bacail and conductor/ composer Leonard Bernstein. But, above all, the building makes people think of John Lennon, who lived there and was killed right outside on December 8th, 1980.

Task 2

【答案】

A.

1) twelve miles; several hundred; eight hundred thousand

2) over a thousand

3) far; grander; bigger

B.

1) F

2) T

3) T

【原文】

Constantinople and the Medieval Society

In the ninth and tenth centuries Constantinople was one of the biggest, richest and most sophisticated cities in the world. The city was surrounded by about twelve miles of walls, and inside were several hundred churches and chapels and about eight hundred thousand inhabitants. The river and harbor were crowded with sailing ships from all over the Black Sea and the Mediterranean. Above it all was the dome of Sancta Sophia. At night, lit by over a thousand lamps hanging from its dome and arches, the whole building glowed.

Paris and the Leisure Society

The crowds of fashionable people going around in coaches or walking in the Tuileries gardens were a new development in the European city. They formed what was called "society": a group of people who did things together, entertained each other and behaved in a certain way. Society became an extremely important element in cities: theatres, opera houses, pleasure gardens, racecourses, cof-fee houses, shops, entire neighbourhoods and finally entire towns grew up as a result of it.

Manchester and the Industrial Society

Out of the Industrial Revolution grew Manchester and other industrial cities. For a newcomer the first view of Manchester and its smoking chimneys must have been as amazing as the first view of Constantinople in the tenth century. In Manchester factory chimneys far outnumbered church towers, and warehouses were grander and bigger than the town hall.

Task 3

【答案】

【原文】

Well, I love Greece and I'd really love to go back to Greece. It's so nice, and so warm, and the people are lovely, and I love swimming.

Nepal. I like the purity of soul of the people there. They're the nicest, most direct, most unneurotic people that I've ever met anywhere in the world.

Gee, I don't know, I mean I like Turkey. I liked Austria, but I wasn't there long enough to really enjoy it. Switzerland, Switzerland, Switzerland was it. Yeah, I was hiking in Switzerland. Switzerland was grand.

Cyprus. The food was wonderful. The people were wonderful. The sun was wonderful, and the sea was wonderful. Cyprus is a lovely placa.

It has to be Brazil. I was lucky enough to go there a couple of years ago. The thing that impressed me most of all were the people and how friendly they were.

Task 4

【答案】

A.

1) The majority of Australians are of English, Irish, Italian, Greek, Dutch, and Polish descent. Over the past 50 years, a large number of Asian and African immigrants have poured in. Besides, about one percent of the population is Aborigine.

2) Because much of the land in Australia, particularly in the Outback, is so arid that people are unable to live there.

B.

1) T

2) T

C.

1) Make friends with; Explore; Marvel at; be awed by

2) vast; amazing; peaceful; unique

3) relax on our beautiful beaches; thousands of years ago; meet interesting people

【原文】

Is Australia the world's largest island or its smallest continent? Actually, it's both. In fact, Australia is the only country that is also a continent. Although roughly the size of the United States mainland, Australia has a population of about 16.5 million people. That makes this island nation one of the least densely populated countries.

What ethnic groups make up the Australian population? The majority of Australians are of English, Irish, Italian, Greek, Dutch, and Polish descent. However, over the past 50 years, some 4 million people from more than 120 countries have made Australia their home. This includes a large number of Asian and African immigrants. About 1 percent of the population is Aborigine. The Aboriginal people were the first settlers in Australia. They came from Asia about 40,000 years ago.

In addition to being the smallest continent, Australia is also the driest inhabited continent, Lush green pastures may be typical in sheep farming areas (there are, by the way, more sheep than people in Australia). However, much of the land, particularly in the Outback, is so arid that people are unable to live there. That explains why most Australians live in metropolitan areas, many of which line the coast, and why Australia is considered one of the world's more urbanized countries.

Make friends with a koala at one of our wildlife parks. Explore the lush, green bush land areas of the Blue Mountains. Marvel at the coral of our magnificent Great Barrier Reef. Or be awed by our ancient landscapes and strange land formations. Whatever your interests are, Australia has what you're looking for.

Lining our coast are some of the world's most sophisticated cities like Melbourne, Brisbane, and Sydney. There you can enjoy all the best in food, fashion, the arts, theater, and sports. But you won't want to miss the wonders of the vast and amazing Outback or the peaceful beauty of the bush. Australia has a variety of unique trees, plants, and wildlife. Discover them at any of our magnificent wildlife reserves and parks.

No matter where you go in Australia, you'll find something to delight you. So surf or ski, relax on our beautiful beaches, see Aboriginal rock art painted thousands of years ago, and meet interesting people. Don't wait. It's always a good time to visit Australia.

Task 5

【答案】

A.

B.

1) Columbus thought he had arrived in the Indies (the name then used for Asia) when he arrived in the Bahamas.

2) It was named after another Italian explorer, Amerigo Vespucci, who was a friend of Columbus's and who later explored the coastline of the New World.

C. T

【原文】

For many years, people believed that the Italian explorer Christopher Columbus discovered America. But, in fact, others had reached America before him. Thousands of years ago, Asians crossed the Bering Strait to Alaska and then moved through North America and on to South America. Others have claimed that travelers from Europe and China also visited America. According to some people, sailors from China crossed the Pacific to Mexico in A.D. 459. Irish explorers also may have visited America in the ninth and tenth centuries. Irish people reached Iceland in the ninth century before the Norsemen, who came from Scandinavia. They may have sailed from Iceland to America after the Norsemen arrived.

The Norsemen themselves may also have visited America. They were used to sailing long distances in their ships. Some Norse stories tell of a Norseman called Bjarni Herjolfsson who visited America in A.D. 986. Another Norseman named Leif Ericsson probably lived for a time in Newfoundland in Canada but then returned to Greenland. However, the first Western explorer we can be sure about was Christopher Columbus. He left Spain on August 3rd, 1492, and on October 12th, he arrived in the Bahamas. Columbus thought he had arrived in the Indies (the name then used for Asia). That is why he called the people Indians. He spent many weeks sailing around the Caribbean and then went back to Spain. He made several more voyages to the New World, though he never actually landed in North America.

So, who was America named after? It was named after another Italian explorer, Amerigo Vespucci, who was a friend of Columbus's and who later explored the coastline of the New World.

Task 6

【答案】

A.

1) a few hundred metres off the coast of

2) 64,000; 8,000

B.

1) Because the population of Skye is getting smaller. Its young people are being tempted by mainland life and the chance of better jobs and better pay.

2) His plan is to build a bridge linking Skye with the mainland. He thinks this will bring new work to the island, and stop people from going away from their homes.

3) Because they think that the bridge will bring in too many tourists and take away the island's independence and character.

C. c

【原文】

The island of Skye is one of the most romantic places in the British Isles, but it is suffering a crisis and a local businessman has got an idea to save it. The island of Skye stands just a few hundred metres off the coast of Western Scotland and it is one of the most beautiful parts of the British Isles. In the summer it is bathed in sunshine, and in the winter it is covered in mists. There is mystery in its hills and valleys, and a strange, almost dream like beauty.

Like so many other rural communities, however, Skye is in danger. The population is getting smaller. A hundred years ago there were 64,000 inhabitants on the island; now there are only 8,000. Skye's young people are being tempted by mainland life and the chance of better jobs and better pay.

"If you come back in twenty years," says Skye businessman Colin Stuart, "there'll be nobody here." That is why he is trying to get support for a new scheme — a bridge linking Skye with the mainland. He thinks this will bring new work to the island, and stop people from “going over the water" and away from their homes.

But Colin Stuart's scheme has not been popular with many of the islanders. "They have not been persuaded yet," says Stuart. "They think that the bridge will bring in too many tourists and take away the island's independence and character. I tell them that unless we bring new business to Skye there will be nobody here to enjoy our independence." Colin Stuart has been to Norway and seen how islands there are joined by sea bridges; and that's what he wants to do in Skye. "If enough money can be raised by interested people, the decline of Skye can be stopped." Only time will tell if Colin Stuart's idea will be accepted.

Task 7

【答案】

A.

1) parks; museums and shops; in the centre of; further out

2) 450

3) in the 16th century; in 1835

B.

【原文】

London is famous for its parks, as well as its museums and shops. These parks are both in the centre of the city and further out. It is the central parks which are the most famous.

St. James's Park was first opened 450 years ago. It is very close to Buckingham Palace, and to the government offices in Whitehall. Unlike Green Park, which is also very close to the Palace, St. James's Park is very attractive, with a long, narrow lake, which is occupied by ducks and other water birds. Green Park, on the other hand, is very bare. There is a story it was once used by a leper colony, and since then no flowers and plants have grown.

Hundreds of years ago, deer, bears and wild bulls were kept in Hyde Park, and for centuries the Kings and Queens of England went there to hunt. Now it's famous for the Serpentine — the lake, and for Speaker's Comer, where people can, and do, say anything about almost every subject under the sun. Now there are still deer in one of London's parks--Richmond Park in the southwest of London.

Kensington Gardens is next to Hyde Park, and it is very popular with both the old and the young. On warmer days there are always people at the Round Pond, where they come to sail their model boats.

The last of the large central parks is Regent's Park. This was used by Henry VIII in the 16th century as a hunting park, but it was first opened as Regent's Park in 1835. Today, the park is famous for its lake and its flowers, as well as for London Zoo, which is in the northeast comer. There is also an open-air theatre, where the public can see many of Shakespeare's plays in the summer months.

Task 8

【答案】

A.

1) They are in the desert in southern Peru near the Nazca city

2) The lines were discovered in the early 1930s.

3) Because the forms were so big, they were difficult to see from the ground, only visible from the air. They were not discovered until aircraft flew over this region.

B.

37 miles long; 1 mile wide; straight lines; parallel; strange symbols; on a giant scale; 200 B.C.; 600 A.D.

【原文】

In the southern desert of Peru, about 200 miles south of Lima, there lies a plain near the Nazca city. Across this plain, in an area measuring 37 miles long and 1 mile wide, is an assortment of perfectly straight lines, many running parallel, others intersecting, forming a grand geometric form. In and around the lines there are also strange symbols, and pictures of birds and beasts all etched on a giant scale that can only be appreciated from the sky. They are called the Nazca Lines, made some-time between 200 B.C. and 600 A.D.

The forms are so difficult to see from the ground that they were not discovered until aircraft, being used to survey for water, spotted them in the early 1930s.

The Nazca Lines are an enigma. No one knows who had built them or indeed why. Since their discovery, the Nazca Lines have inspired fantastic explanations from ancient gods, a landing strip for returning aliens, a celestial calendar, used for rituals probably related to astronomy, to a map of underground water supplies. These lines still remain a mystery to this day.

Task 9

【答案】

A.

1) It erupted on August 24th, 79 A.D.

2) 2,000

3) In Pompeii, there are lots of shops for clothes and shoes, and all kinds of food. The city is also full of workshops. People make many things like tables, chairs and pots. There are hotels, restaurants and bars for all the summer visitors. There are theaters too.

B.

1) F

2) T

3) F

【原文】

In the year 79 A.D. the volcano Vesuvius erupted. A Roman writer, Pliny, was near Vesuvius at the time. Many years later he wrote a letter to a friend about it.

"... My mother and I were at my uncle's house in Misenum. On August 24th, after lunch, my mother said to my uncle, 'Look at that cloud! Look at the shape!' It came from one of the mountains. It was like a giant umbrella, white in some places, black in others. My uncle was very interested in the cloud. He wanted to take a boat and go close to the mountain. He invited me, but I said no. I wanted to study. Then a message came from one of his friends whose house was at the foot of Vesuvius. She wanted to leave, but she hadn't got a boat, so my uncle immediately went to her. But the sea near Vesuvius was full of stones from the volcano. My uncle spent the night at Stabiae, south of Pompeii. The next morning, suddenly, he died by the sea. I was 17 at the time..."

Most people left Pompeii on that day. But 2,000 didn't — and they all died. Between 3 and 5 meters of stone and ash fell on the city. It was dark for two days: Then the sun came back, but no one could see Pompeii.

1,700 years later people found the ancient city of Pompeii. So now you can visit Pompeii and see a city from the past. It's not very different from our cities today. There were lots of shops for clothes and shoes, and all kinds of food. The city was also full of workshops. People made many things like tables, chairs and pots. There were hotels, restaurants and bars for all the summer visitors. There were theaters too. Life was good in ancient Pompeii — before August 24th 79!

Task 10

【答案】

How did New York become America’s largest city; geography; history; economics

1) northeast; heavily; seaports

2) raw materials; finished goods

3) 1815; the ports; the central regions of the country

4) the best solution; 1825

5) were cut to about one-tenth of what they had been; the leading city of the coast

6) the railroads; tied; even more closely

7) Exports; imports; were eager to; as a result; receiving people from European countries; homes; goods; services; labor

【原文】

In the 18th century New York was smaller than Philadelphia and Boston. Today it is the largest city in America. How can the change in its size and importance be explained？

To answer this question we must consider certain facts about geography, history, and economics. Together these three will explain the huge growth of America's most famous city.

The map of the Northeast shows that four of the most heavily populated areas in this region are around seaports. At these points materials from across the sea enter the United States, and the product of the land are sent there for export across the sea.

Economists know that places where transportation lines meet are good places for making raw materials into finished goods. That is why seaports often have cities nearby. But cities like New York needed more than their geographical location in order to become great industrial centers. Their development did not happen simply by chance.

About 1815, when many Americans from the east coast had already moved toward the west, trade routes from the ports to the central regions of the country began to be a serious problem． The slow wagons of that time，drawn by horses or oxen, were too expensive for moving heavy freight very far. Americans had long admired Europe's canals. In New York State a canal seemed the best solution to the transportation problem. From the eastern end of Lake Erie all the way across the state to the Hudson River there is a long strip of low land. Here the Erie Canal was constructed. After several years of work it was completed in 1825.

The canal produced an immediate effect. Freight costs were cut to about one-tenth of what they had been. New York City, which had been smaller than Philadelphia and Boston, quickly became the leading city of the coast. In the years that followed, transportation routes on the Great Lakes were joined to routes on the Mississippi River. Then New York City became the end point of a great inland shipping system that extended from the Atlantic Ocean far up the western branches of the Mississippi.

The coming of the railroads made canal shipping less important，but it tied New York even more closely to the central regions of the country. It was easier for people in the central states to ship their goods to New York for export overseas.

Exports from New York were greater than imports. Consequently, shipping companies were eager to fill their ships with passengers on the return trip from Europe. Passengers could come from Europe very cheaply as a result.

Thus New York became the greatest port for receiving people from European countries. Many of these people remained in the city. Others stayed in New York for a few weeks, months, or years, and then moved to other parts of the United States. For these great number of new Americans New York had to provide homes, goods, and services. Their labor helped the city be come great.

Task 11

【原文】

London is one of the biggest cities in the world. It has a population of over 8 million. Some people like it very much because there is a lot to do there and it is very interesting. There are hundreds of cinemas, theatres, museums and restaurants there. But other people don't like it because there is so much traffic and noise everywhere.

Brighton is a medium-sized town with a population of around 300,000. It is on the coast, about 50 miles from London. Of course it isn't as interesting as London, but the air is a lot cleaner and better. There are a few factories, but not many. It isn't very easy to find a good job there. But there are a lot of hotels and language schools in the town, and in the summer the town is full of tourists.