1、Unit 1 A new start U1 Section A My First Day at Senior High After I had pictured it over and over again in my mind, the big day finally arrived: my first day at senior high! I woke up early and rushed out of the door in my eagerness to get to know my new school. The campus was still quiet when I arr
2、ived, so I decided to explore a bit. I was looking at the photos on the noticeboard when I heard a voice behind me. “New here?” Turning around, I saw a white-haired man. “Yes,” I replied. “Im wondering what life is going to be like here.” “Dont worry,” he gave me a smile. “Youll soon find out.” How
3、true these words were! When my English teacher stepped into the classroom, I was surprised to see the same man I had met earlier. “Good morning, everyone. Before we start, please come to the front one by one and introduce yourself to the class. Ill go first.” “What?!” I tried to turn on my brain but
4、 the engine just wouldnt start. “I should say my name, of course. But what else? What could I say to make a good first impression? Something about my insect collection, perhaps.” I was organising my words in my head when the girl next to me gave me a nudge. “Its your turn!” With butterflies in my st
5、omach, I breathed deeply. “Hi, Im Meng Hao.” Everyone started laughing. I looked at them in panic. “Nice to know we share the same name,” said my new teacher. I had been too nervous to pay attention when he introduced himself! Although I was embarrassed, his word made me a lot more relaxed! When we
6、had all introduced ourselves, Mr Meng said, “Well done, everyone! I know this isnt easy for many of you. But this is just the kind of thing you are going to face at senior high. Challenges like this might sometimes put you under pressure. But it all depends on what you do. Keep calm and be prepared.
7、 That way, youll make the most of your time at senior high.” People say, “Well begun, half done.” I guess this was a good beginning to my new school life. U1 Section C High School Hints School Talk Subscribed 3,101 +Add to Share .More 1,231 views Published on 10 July 2017 998 Interviewer:Hello and w
8、elcome to School Talk! Today Im joined by a former student of our school, Lisa Osborne.Lisa graduated from our school last June and is about to go to college in New York. Lisa, thank you for coming to share your suggestions for high school with us. Lisa: Hi,everybody. Im very glad to be back. I feel
9、 as if high school was only yesterday! Interviewer:So what helped when you first started high school? Lisa: Orientation Day was really helpful. Its a fantastic opportunity for new students to get to know the school and the other students. I even made some new friends! Just keep an open mind and take
10、 part in as much as possible. Interviewer:Thats sound advice for sure. But how did you deal with new challenges, like starting a new course? Lisa: I had a chemistry test right at the end of the first week. I was frightened at the sight of the test paper. But then I figured Id better just go all out
11、and see what happens. If you fail, no problem - next time you can fail better! Interviewer:So, hold our head up, then. But life is not always easy. You must have had some moments when you were disappointed. If so, how did you deal with them? Lisa: As a member of the school volleyball team, I wasnt s
12、elected for the end-of-year competition. At first I was really sad, but later I realized that I joined the team for the love of the sport. It wasnt just about winning. So I kept working hard to support my teammates during our training. Theres always a way to be part of something you love, isnt there
13、? Interviewer:Yes, I totally agree. Is there anything else in particular that youd like to share with us? Lisa: Looking back on my high school life, the most important advice Id give is these wonderful words from the writer Maya Angelou. She said, “Be a rainbow in somebody elses cloud.” So, give you
14、r friends a hand when they need it. And this will make you feel good, too. Interviewer:Neat! Well, thanks again for coming to speak to us, Lisa. And good luck with college! Lisa: Thank you.Unit 2 Exploring English U2 Section A Neither Pine nor Apple in Pineapple Have you ever asked yourself why peop
15、le often have trouble learning English? I hadnt, until one day my five-year-old son asked me whether there was ham in a hamburger. There isnt. This make me realize that theres no egg in eggplant either. Neither is there pine nor apple in pineapple. This got me thinking how English can be a crazy lan
16、guage to learn. For example, in our free time we can sculpt a sculpture and paint a painting, but we take a photo. And when we are traveling we say that we are in the car or the taxi, but on the train or bus! While were doing all this traveling, we can get seasick at sea, airsick in the air and cars
17、ick in a car, but we dont get homesick when we get back home. And speaking of home, why arent homework and housework the same thing? If “hard” is the opposite of “soft”, why are “hardly” and “softly” not an opposing pair? If harmless actions are the opposite of harmful actions, why are shameless and
18、 shameful behaviors the same? When we look out of the window and see rain or snow, we can say “its raining” or “its snowing”. But when we see sunshine, we cant say “its sunshining”. Even the smallest words can be confusing. When you see the capitalized “WHO” in a medical report, do you read it as th
19、e “who” in “Whos that?” What about “IT” and “US”? You also have to wonder at the unique madness of a language in which a house can burn up as it burns down, in which you fill in a form by filling it out, and in which an alarm is only heard once it goes off! English was invented by people, not comput
20、ers, and it reflects the creativity of the human race. That is why when the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible. And that is why when I wind up my watch, it starts, but when I wind up this passage, it ends. U2 Section C Misadventures in English Last week,
21、 our forum asked if you had any funny or strange stories about using English. We didnt expect o get so many posts! Here are some of our favourites, to remind us that some of the English we learn in the classroom is rather different from the English in the outside world! People say that the British a
22、lways play sage with what they eat. Not true! I went to a summer school in Manchester and my English teacher was called Maggie. One day, a different teacher took our class. He told us that Maggie couldnt teach that day COZ she had a frog in her throat. Poor Maggie - but why did she try to eat such a
23、 big frog? 135 comments When I first visited New York, I went to a downtown shopping centre to buy some winter boots. At the information desk at the entrance, I asked a lady where the shoe section was. She said that it was on the first floor. So I went up to the first floor, but couldnt find any sho
24、es. I decided to leave. When I was looking for the exit, I saw that shoes were actually sold downstairs on the ground floor, not the first floor. Why did she give me the wrong information? X-( 128 comments Ive got an English penfriend, who I finally got to meet in London this summer. He had told me
25、that his grandfather was “really wicked”. But when I met his grandfather, I liked him a lot. I found it very odd. Why did my friend use a negative word about such a nice man? 63 comments The British must have really high standards. I was part of a student exchange programme between a university in E
26、ngland and my university in China.I spent days preparing and writing my first English paper. I knew I had done a good job and was looking forward to getting a positive comment. When I got the paper back, I found my teacher had written the comment “Not bad!” Not bad? But there werent any errors in my
27、 paper. :-( 85 commentsUnit 3 Family matters U3 Section A Like Father, Like Son ( The living room. Friday night. A table and two chairs at front centre. Grandfather and Father, seated at the table, are playing chess.) Grandfather:And . I win! (Son enters room.) Father:Not again! Oh look, here comes
28、my boy. How are you, son? Son:(nervously approaching the table) Erm . Dad, can we talk? Father:Sure! You know you can always turn to your dad for a chat. Son:OK. Here it is. Ive decided not to go to university. I want to focus on my band and have a career in music when I leave school. Father:(raisin
29、g his voice in surprise) You cant be serious! What about your future career as a lawyer?! Son:I knew youd say that. You just assume I want to be a lawyer, but thats only because you are a lawyer. Father:Whats wrong with being a lawyer? Lawyers help people and are respected by others. Son:Yes, but Im
30、 not interested in law. I want to work in a studio, not a court. Grandfather:(looking at Father) Calm down. OK? Father:(ignoring Grandfathers words) Stop daydreaming! Playing in a band is not a job. Son:Of course it is! The music industry is developing fast now. Making music is a job. Grandfather:(s
31、tepping between Father and Son and raising his voice) Hey! I told you to calm down, both of you! Father:But I told him to study something useful at university! Grandfather:(laughing) Easy, son! I remember when you were his age, you said that you wanted to be a professional football player. Father:An
32、d you wanted me to be an engineer! Grandfather:I just wanted you to be happy, and an engineer - a happy engineer. Father:But in the end, you just advised me to think carefully. Grandfather:Yes, and you have found the career that suits your talents. Im so proud of you. Your son is proud of you, too.
33、Son:Of course I am, but I have different talents. Grandfather:(turning to Son) Why dont you also take my advice and think carefully before jumping in with both feet? Son:Well, I could try. Grandfather:If you go to university and play music at the same time, you will have two options for your future.
34、 And Im sure playing in a band will help you make lots of new friends at university. Father:Yes, lots of new lawyer friends! Son:(with a sigh) Dad . (Curtain) U3 Section C Just a Brother It was the final part of the 2016 World Triathlon Series in Mexico. With just 700 metres to go, Alistair Brownlee
35、 was in third place and his younger brother, Jonny, was in the lead. Alistair pushed himself towards the finish line in the burning heat, but as he came round the corner, he saw his brother about to fall onto the track. Alistair had to choose - brotherly love, or a chance to win the race? For Alista
36、ir, the choice was clear. His brother was in trouble. He had to help. Alistair ran towards Jonny, caught him and started pulling him towards the finish line. Alistair then pushed his brother over the line. The move put Jonny in second place and Alistair himself in third. It was an unexpected end to
37、the race, but Alistair did not want to discuss it with the media. He just wanted to see his younger brother, who had been rushed to the medical area. The Brownlee brothers have been doing triathlons since they were children. “Obviously, when your older brother is doing it, you think its a cool thing
38、 to do,” says Jonny. Alistair says that they encourage each other as much as they can when they train. Despite arguments over “stupid things” now and then, Alistair agrees that having a brother is an advantage. “Throughout my entire life, Ive had my brother trying to beat me at everything I do. It h
39、as been an enormously positive force.” Watched by millions, the ending to the race has divided opinions : should the brothers have been disqualified or highly praised for their actions? But for Alistair, his decision was easy to explain : “Mum wouldnt have been happy if Id left Jonny behind.” At tha
40、t moment, he was no longer an athlete aiming for a medal - he was just a brother.Unit 4 Friends forever U4 Section A Click for a Friend? How would you feel if moving to a new town meant losing track of your friends? What if the only way of getting news from faraway friends was writing letters that t
41、ook ages to be delivered? This was how things worked not very long ago. Thanks to advances in technology, how we make friends and communicate with them has changed significantly. Nowadays, we can move around the world and still stay in touch with the people that we want to remain friends with. Socia
42、l media tools let us see what our friends are up to and maintain friendships. All you need is a wi-fi connection. The digital age also enables us to find people who share our interests, such as collecting model cars or playing an unusual instrument. Whatever our hobbies, the Internet can connect us
43、with others who also enjoy doing them, even if they live on the other side of the world. But when you “friend” people online, does this mean that they really are your friends? It depends. If people always exchange true personal information online, then yes, these friendships can be real an meaningfu
44、l. But we need to keep in mink that what we see on social media is often not the whole truth about a person. On social media sites, people tend to psst only positive updates that make them appear happy and friendly. But smiling photos can hide real problems. Remember the saying : on the Internet, no
45、body knows youre a dog. A young person could be old; a woman could be a man; we could even be sharing our information with criminals. But this doesnt mean that we should throw the baby our with the bathwater. Although technology has changed the way we acquire friends, the meaning of friendship and o
46、ur longing for friends remain the same. As Aristotle said, no one would choose to live without friends, even if he had all other goods. U4 Section C After Twenty Years The short story “After Twenty Years” is set in New York on a cold, dark night. Most people have left work to go home, and this part
47、of the city is now quiet. A policeman who is checking the area sees a man outside a shop. He goes up to the man and finds he has a scar on his face. They have a chat and the man starts to tell his story. “Twenty years ago tonight,” said the man, “I dined here at Big Joe Bradys with Jimmy Wells, my b
48、est chum, and the finest chap in the world. He and I were raised here in New York, just like two brothers, together. I was eighteen and Jimmy was twenty. The next morning I was to start for the West to make my fortune. You couldnt have dragged Jimmy out of New York; he thought it was the only place
49、on earth. Well, we agreed that night that we would meet here again exactly twenty years from that date and time, no matter what our conditions might be or from what distance we might have to come. We figured that in twenty years each of us ought to have our destiny worked out and our fortunes made,
50、whatever they were going to be.” “It sounds pretty interesting,” said the policeman. “Rather a long time between meets, though, it seems to me. Havent you heard from your friend since you left?” “Well, yes, for a time we corresponded, ” said the other. “But after a year or two we lost track of each
