【单词】
man-made ['mæn'med] adj. 人造的
natural [ˈnætʃrəl] adj. 大自然的
wonder [ˈwʌndə] n. 奇观，奇迹
discussion [dɪˈskʌʃn] n. 讨论，商讨
eastern [ˈiːstən] adj. 在东边的，来自东边的
though [ðəʊ] conj. 虽然，但是
loud [laʊd] adj. （声音）响亮的
wow [waʊ] int. 呀，哇（用于表示惊讶或赞叹）
opinion [əˈpɪnjən] n. 看法，主张
in one's opinion 按某人的意见，据某人看来
more than 超过
electricity [ɪˌlekˈtrɪsəti] n. 电
millions of 大量的，无数的
below[bɪˈləʊ]prep. 在下面，在……以下
shine (shone /shined, shone /shined) [ʃaɪn] v. 照耀
sign [saɪn] n. 迹象，标志，招牌
silent [ˈsaɪlənt] adj. 寂静的
silver [ˈsɪlvə] adj. 银灰色的，银制的
sky [skaɪ] n. 天，天空
grey [ɡreɪ] adj. 灰色的，（天气）阴沉的
go through 穿过
beside [bɪˈsaɪd] prep. 在……旁边，在……附近
reply [rɪˈplaɪ] v. 回答，答复
clear [klɪə] v.（烟雾等）开始消失
fall away 突然向下倾斜
stream [striːm] n. 小河，小溪
nearly [ˈnɪəli] adv. 几乎，差不多
on top of 在……上面，盖住
canyon [ˈkænjən] n. 峡谷
remain [rɪˈmeɪn] v. 逗留，留下
by [baɪ] prep. 在……旁边，靠近
【课文】
Unit 1
Activity 2
In Wonders of the World today, we’re talking about four wonders: two natural wonders and two man-made wonders. The two natural wonders are the Giant’s Causeway and Victoria Falls. The two man-made wonders are the Terracotta Army and the Three Gorges Dam.
The Terracotta Army was built in the Qin Dynasty, so it’s ancient. It’s said to be Qinshihang’s personal army. The Three Gorges Dam is a modern wonder. So far, it’s the largest dam in the world. Please call and tell us what you think.
Activity 3
Tony: Let's call Wonders of the World and join in the discussion. I think natural wonders are more interesting than man-made ones. And I think the Giant's Causeway is tne most fantastic natural wonder.
Lingling: Hmm, I've never seen it, so I'm not sure I agree with you. Why do you like it, Tony?
Tony: Well, I visited the Giant's Causeway two years ago. It's huge. There are about 40,000 rocks, most of them with six sides. It runs for several hundred metres on the eastern coast of Northern Ireland.
Lingling: That sounds great, though I think Victoria Falls in Africa is even more fantastic. It's about 1,700 metres wide and 100 metres high. You can hear the loud noise a few kilometres away.
Betty: Wow, that's huge! But in my opinion, man-made wonders are more exciting than natural ones. Look at the Terracotta Army. It's more than 2,000 years old.
Daming: I agree with you, Betty. And I think the Three Gorges Dam is fantastic too. It's about 2,300 metres long, 185 metres high and 15 metres wide at the top. It produces electricity for millions of people in China.
Betty: Now, who'd like to call first?
Activity 6
1. I've never seen it, so I'm not sure I agree with you.
2. That sounds great, though I think Victoria Falls in Africa is even more fantastic.
3. In my opinion, man-made wonders are more exciting than natural ones.
Unit 2
Activity 2
A great wonder of the natural world
When I arrived, it was early morning and it was raining. I looked to the east-the sky was becoming grey. I got out of the car, went through a gate and walked along a dark path. There was nothing to see, but knew it was there.
After about a mile, a stranger appeared beside the path. "Am I going the right way?" I asked. He knew where I was going. "Yes," he replied , "you'll get there in five minutes." Finally, I came to some rocks and stopped. I looked over them, but it was silent and there was no sign of it.
Suddenly, the rain stopped and the clouds cleared. The sun rose behind me and shone on the rocks. Far below me, the ground fell away and down to a river. I was looking across one of the wonders of the natural world-the Grand Canyon.
I looked down to the Colorado River, a silver stream nearly one mile below me. If you put the two tallest buildings in the world on top of each other at the bottom of the canyon, they still would not reach the top. Then I looked across to the other side of the canyon. It was about fifteen miles away, maybe more. Finally, I looked to my left and to my right, and on both sides the canyon went far away for more than 200 miles. The Grarid Canyon was not just big. It was huge!
I remained by the canyon for about half an hour, and I asked myself, "Is the Grand Canyon the greatest wonder of the natural world?" I certainly know the answer. What do you think?
Unit 3
Activity 7
One of the natural wonders of the world is Mount Qomolangma, between China and Nepal. It is the highest mountain in the world, at 8,844.43 metres. The first people to climb to the top were Sir Edmund Hillary, of New Zealand, and Tenzing Norgay, of Nepal, in 1953.
The Empire State Building in New York in the US is one of the tallest buildings in the world. And it’s also one of the modern wonders. It is 381 metres to the top, and it has 102 floors.
Much smaller, although thousands of years older, is the Great Pyramid at Giza in Egypt. It was about 146 metres tall when it was first built. But over the years, it has lost about 9 metres, so it is now about 137 metres tall. It’s about 4,500 years old, and is one of the ancient wonders of the world.