外研版八年级下册英语背景材料：Module 2 Experiences（打包10份）.zip

How Americans travel 美国人通常是如何出行的呢？他们的乘车付费方式和我们有哪些不同呢？ 让我们来了解一下吧！ In the U.S.A., if people only need to travel a short distance, the quickest way in most cities is walking. During working hours (between about 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., from Monday to Friday), the traffic is very heavy on most city streets. So many people prefer to walk. However, it is the bus that people often take to go from place to place in the city. Passengers must have the exact change in many cities. This means that they must have the exact amount of the fare as they get on the bus. In many areas, people may buy tokens, which are small coins used instead of money. People may buy them at several places around the city. For many years, bus drivers had two main duties. They not only drive their buses through the heavy city traffic but also give passengers change. Now people have the exact change, and it makes drivers job easier and they can provide quicker service for all passengers. Usually, the bus fare depends on distance: the farther you travel, the higher the fare is. In some cities, people must pay a small extra fare if they need to change from one bus to another in the course of their ride.The Gifts of the Nile 尼罗河是埃及人民的万物之母，尼罗河水滋养了埃及悠久灿烂的文化，哺 育了世代埃及人民。古希腊著名历史学家希罗多德曾说过：“埃及是尼罗河的赠 礼”。 The Nile River shaped the civilization of ancient Egypt. The river was so important to the Egyptians that the ancient Greek historian Herodotus called Egypt “the gift of the Nile.” The Nile gave the ancient Egyptians many gifts. People of the River The Niles most important gift to the Egyptians was food. Egypt does not get enough rainfall to farm. Yet the Nile Valley became one of the greatest food-producing regions of the ancient world. This was possible because each summer, heavy rains in the highlands of Africa, far to the south, caused the Nile to overflow its banks and spread over the surrounding countryside. This annual flooding left behind a fertile layer of mud called silt (淤泥) on Egypts fields, renewing the soil. At its mouth, the Nile fans out into a delta (三角洲), forming a vast triangle of marshland (沼泽地). The Nile Delta was the home of millions of wild birds, another source of food. More important, these marshes were full of tall reeds (芦苇) called papyrus (纸莎草). In ancient times, the Egyptians used the soft material inside the stems of these reeds to make a type of paper also called papyrus which the Egyptians used for all kinds of writing, from legal documents to hymns (赞美诗). The Nile River also helped to unify and organize Egyptian society. Egyptian farmers still needed water after the Nile flood receded (退去) each year. So the ancient Egyptians dug canals to bring river water to their fields. Digging these canals and keeping them working forced the ancient Egyptians to develop the beginnings of government. A complex project such as building a canal required the organization of groups of laborers. An ancient Egyptian poem says, “The waters flow north, the wind blows south, and each man meets his fate.” These lines reveal another of the Niles gifts to ancient Egypt transportation and trade. The river flows north, so northbound ships simply traveled with the current. The prevailing winds blow from north to south, so southbound boats would hoist (升起) a wide sail to travel upstream. In this way, the Nile became Egypts great highway. It was the fastest way to travel through the country. Grain and other goods traveled up and down the river. Egypts rulers depended on the river to transport the huge stones that were used to build their great tombs and temples. The Nile was so important to the ancient Egyptians that they worshiped (崇拜) the river as a god, Osiris (古埃及冥神俄赛里斯). Osiris died and was reborn, like the Nile, whose waters brought new life to Egypt each year. Why it matters today From ancient times to the present, the life of Egypt has depended on the Nile. In modern times, the Egyptian government built the Aswan High Dam to control the Niles flooding and produce electric power. So today the Nile brings another gift to Egypt energy.The pyramids in Egypt 埃及金字塔是世界著名的建筑奇迹之一，它是用巨大石块修砌成的方锥形 建筑物，因形似中文“金”字，故称作“金字塔”。 The pyramids in Egypt (埃及) were built thousands of years ago. The pyramids were the kings tombs. The kings thought they would come back to life (复活) after they died. They hoped their bodies would be kept well in the pyramids when they came back to life. The pyramids lie on the west bank of the Nile River not far from Cairo. The old Egyptians compared (对比) the rising of the sun to the beginning of life and the setting of the sun to the end of life, so nearly all the pyramids were built on the west bank along the Nile. People have found about 110 pyramids in Egypt. The biggest one is the Great Pyramid. It took about 100,000 men 30 years to build the Great Pyramid. It was made with over 2,300,000 big stones. Each stone is about 2.5 tons, some even weigh fifteen tons.Tourist destinations Great Barrier Reef 大堡礁大堡礁 This is the worlds largest coral reef ecosystem (珊瑚礁生态系统). It is one of the top beautiful places to visit in the world. You can see it from outer space and it is the worlds largest single structure made of living organisms (生物体). The reef supports 10,000 species of life which consists of 1,500 types of fishes and over 200 kinds of birds. Its beauty inspires many travelers to visit there every year. Sydney 悉尼悉尼 As one of the most beautiful places in the world, Sydney is the economic powerhouse (发电站) of Australia. Its full of sun-drenched (阳光普照的) natural attractions, daring restaurants, dizzying skyscrapers (摩天楼), friendly people and wonderful shopping malls, so most travel addicts (上瘾的人) want to visit this city. You can take a trip to Sydney at any time of the year. Hong Kong 香港香港 One of the most beautiful places in the world, Hong Kong is simply amazing. It will be very hard for you to find a more exciting city than Hong Kong. The most interesting thing about being in Hong Kong is getting confused and amazed by the confluences (融合) and contradictions (矛盾) of a Chinese city with multi-Asian and Western elements. The best time to take a vacation to Hong Kong is during the months of October, November and most of December. Grand Canyon 大峡谷大峡谷 One of the most beautiful places in the world, the Grand Canyon is a steep-sided (陡 峭的) canyon in Arizona State of the United States carved (雕刻) by the Colorado River. Nearly 5 million people visit the one-mile-deep Grand Canyon every year. Having a vacation to the Grand Canyon National Park will provide great joy for you and your family. The best time to visit the Grand Canyon is during the summer, fall and spring, but most locals agree that winter is a great time to visit. Taj Mahal 泰姬陵泰姬陵 The Taj Mahal, the most beautiful building in India, is one of the great wonders of the world. This is a hybrid (混合) of many artistic styles. When you visit the Taj Mahal, you can enjoy various places near it. The river behind the Taj Mahal provides a wonderful environment to relax and enjoy yourself. You and your family will love it. Cape Town 开普敦开普敦 Cape Town is situated at the tip of the African Continent. The only way to understand and enjoy Cape Town is by experiencing the unique range of multicultural (多文化的) lifestyles and scenic surroundings for yourself. During the summer season, Cape Town is filled with holiday makers enjoying the hot weather, sunny beaches and beautiful scenery. So, if you want to spend your time there during the holiday season, it is better to make reservations (预定) in advance. Before getting there, have a rough idea about the places around Cape Town that you want to visit. The Pyramids 金字塔金字塔 The Pyramids and wonderful temples are great places to enjoy in Egypt. Traveling to Egypt offers you desert treks (徒步旅行), fishing, golfing, scuba diving and birding groups. You can choose the places like Mount Sinai and the Red Sea to relax. Winter is the best season to go for a vacation to Egypt. March-May and September - November are the best time to enjoy the warm days of Egypt. Niagara Falls 尼加拉瓜瀑布尼加拉瓜瀑布 Niagara Falls can be accessed (进入) from both the American and Canadian side, but the best view facing the falls is completely from the Canadian side. When you take a trip to Niagara Falls, dont forget to take a ride on the famous maid-of-the-mist (“雾 中少女”号) boats. You wont get the entire experience of Niagara Falls until you ride one of these boats. It is the foundation for many interesting places to see and things to do. If you love beautiful landscapes, family adventures and vibrant (充满活力的) nightlife, then Niagara Falls is a great place to visit. Venice 威尼斯威尼斯 Venice is one of Italys beautiful cities. You will be surprised by how the city is built up. The city is built on 117 small islands and has over 150 canals (运河) which are connected through 409 bridges. During the spring time, Venice is completely filled with tourists. Maldives 马尔代夫马尔代夫 The Maldives is a great place to experience tranquil (安静的) tropical islands, palm trees, white beaches and brilliant turquoise lagoons (绿松石色的礁湖). The Maldives is a group of 1,190 coral islands. This place is also a great destination for scuba divers. If you visit the Maldives between December and April, you will be able to experience some extra hours of sunshine. Also this is the main season for tourism. 【Task for you】 What is your dream tourist destinationTravel precautions 外出旅游安全为上！以下几种方法让你远离危险。 Youve saved for years to visit Africa. And now, just weeks before your departure date, violence breaks out after the Kenyan elections. Should you take the risk of going or not? Even travelers who think theyre going to a safe place should stay alert (警惕的). Here are ways to make an informed (明智的) decision, keep yourself safe and possibly keep your savings intact (完好无损的) if the worst happens. 1. Find on-the-ground reports Obviously the most effective way to really know whats happening is talking to people who are there. The key here is geography. Tourism bureaus can be useful. While its in their interest to attract visitors, its also in their interest to make sure tourists arent traveling into harms way. For more elaborate (精心计划的) trips, do the research before you book. 2. Check government warnings The first source to try is travel.state.gov, the U.S. State Departments website. Travel alerts tell you about short-term problems. Travel warnings are for ongoing danger. 3. Peruse (浏览浏览) web forums As with any web search, you need to be selective about whats reliable and whats not. Try , an online visa and passport service that lists countries alphabetically and links to sources of information newspaper websites, the State Department, web forums about safety and a large number of other topics. You can get information from forums that may help you evaluate, but you cant reliably get the whole picture here. 4. Get travel insurance Most policies (保险单) will cover some costs associated with canceling a trip, but vacations in a potentially dangerous place may need evacuation (撤出) insurance as well. Remember that the plan may not cover you if your destination is under a warning before you buy a policy. 5. Use common sense If you do decide to go ahead with your plans, pay attention. Dont take flashy jewelry, dont get drunk, and dont hang out in dangerous places at night. Make copies of your passport and other important documents, and leave them with someone at home. Plan ahead to call relatives or friends at home on specific days, so that theyll know if youre not available when you should be. 选自 空中英语教室 Help 1: State Department: （美国）国务院 Help 2: departure n. an act of leaving a place, especially at the start of a journey 出发，离开 evaluate v. to judge how good, useful, or successful something is 评估