作者：韦恩·埃弗里特
出版社：天津人民出版社
格式: AZW3, DOCX, EPUB, MOBI, PDF, TXT
Smart Reading：跟美国学生同步练阅读(英文原版)(同步导学 Grade 6)试读：
Lesson 1
The Big Five of the SafariWould you like to go on safari? The word means “journey” in Swahili, the language of east Africa. This word was later borrowed by wealthy travellers from Europe, who liked going to hunt animals in Africa. Over time, the word safari became part of the English language, and the term “big five” came about. It refers to the five most dangerous animals to hunt on safari. So, what are the big five? The answers might surprise you.
Elephants
They are very big animals, weighing up to 6,000 kilograms. However, they can run up to 40 kilometres per hour! Although they have poor eyesight, they must always be approached with caution.
Rhinoceros
These animals can be as heavy as 1,000 kilograms. They are shy and like to be left alone. If you bother them, they can get really grumpy and unpredictable. Rhinos cannot see well, but they have excellent hearing and a good sense of smell.
Leopards
At around 80 kilograms, leopards are smaller than lions, but they are very fierce and intelligent. Leopards can leap 3 metres in the air, and can carry animals that weigh 3 times more than they do! They have a keen sense of smell and hearing, and can see well in the dark. They like to wander alone, most often at night.
Lions
These are the largest carnivores in Africa. A male lion can weigh up to 230 kilograms, and its loud roar can be heard up be 10 kilometres away. This is why we call the lion the “King of the Beasts”. Unlike leopards, lions like to spend their days sleeping with their “pride” or group, when they are not looking for food.
Water Buffalo
These are considered the most dangerous of all African animals. They are intelligent and cunning and work together to fight against enemies and protect the weaker members of their group. They can weigh up to 600 kilograms.
Fortunately, when we talk about going on safari these days, we mean we are going to visit Africa to look at the lovely beasts on this continent. We shoot them only with our cameras. And let’s not forget the other amazing animals of Africa, such as the giraffe, the hippopotamus, and the wildebeest. Can you think of some more?I. Word list
grumpy: angry
intelligent: very smart
keen: very good
carnivores: meat eaters
cunning: trickII. Draw lines to match the descriptions of the animals.
1. leopards sleep with their “pride”
2. elephants can get grumpy
3. water buffalo approach with caution
4. rhinoceros wander alone at night
5. lions most dangerous African animalIII. Short answers—Find the important information in the reading.
1. another word for animals: b _ _ _ _ _
2. the language “safari” comes from: S _ _ _ _ _ _
3. what “safari” means: j _ _ _ _ _ _
4. a word meaning “meat eaters”: c _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
5. the largest African animal: e _ _ _ _ _ _ _IV. Write T (true) or F (false) for each sentence.
___ 1. The rhinoceros is not a dangerous animal.
___ 2. Leopards are larger than lions.
___ 3. Water buffalo are more dangerous than elephants.
___ 4. Leopards are very smart.
___ 5. Giraffes do not live in Africa.
___ 6. The “big five” usually live together.
Lesson 2
Seven or Eight Summits?Everyone knows that the world’s tallest mountain is Mount Everest. Mountain climbers all over the world dream of climbing this great mountain. Ever since Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hilary first reached its summit in 1953, over 2,250 people have done so themselves. Where do these people go for their next challenge?
Many climbers think about conquering “The Seven Summits”—that is, to climb the highest mountain on each of the seven continents. Take a look at the chart below:
MountainHeight (metres) Location
Everest 8,848 Nepal and Tibet of China, Asia
Aconcagua 6,962Argentina, South America
McKinley Alaska, North America
Kilimanjaro 5,963Tanzania, Africa
Elbrus 5,633Russia, Europe
Vinson Massif 4,897Ellsworth, Antarctica
Kosciusko2,228Australia
Carstensz Pyramid 4,884Irian Jaya, Indonesia
You’re right! There are eight mountain peaks listed here. Some people think that Australia is not a continent by itself, but should include the Indonesian archipelago (group of islands) to its north. We call this area of water and land Australasia. So, if we consider Australasia instead of Australia a continent, then Carstensz Pyramid is the seventh summit.
There is another reason why some people think that Mount Kosciusko should not be on the list: it is too easy to climb! In fact, you can even ride a bicycle all the way to the top!
Up to now, about 100 people have climbed to the top of all eight summits. Pat Morrow, a Canadian mountaineer, author, explorer, and filmmaker, was the first person to do it. A British man, Andrew Salter, completed it in 297 days—the shortest time recorded so far.I. Word list
summit: the highest point of a mountain
conquering: doing something successfullyII. Vocabulary skills—Find the correct words in the reading.
1. a group of islands: a _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
2. land and water to Australia’s north: A _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
3. the world’s tallest mountain: E _ _ _ _ _ _
4. the easiest summit to climb: K _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
5. the first to climb all eight summits: P _ _ M _ _ _ _ _III. What do you think? Give your opinions about these questions.
1. Some people like to climb mountains, but others like to take pictures of them. Do you think mountains are there to be conquered, or to be admired? Explain.
__________________________________________________________.
2. Why do you think so many people have climbed to the top of Mount Everest?
__________________________________________________________.
3. Do you think the list should have seven or eight summits? Explain.
__________________________________________________________.
4. Which would you rather do–climb the eight summits, or take pictures of them? Explain.
__________________________________________________________.
5. What are some mountains in your country that many people like to climb?
__________________________________________________________.IV. Write T (true) or F (false) for each sentence.
___ 1. Kilimanjaro is higher than McKinley.
___ 2. Carstensz Pyramid is in Indonesia.
___ 3. People can ride a bicycle to the top of Everest.
___ 4. Vinson Massif is in Russia.
___ 5. Pat Morrow and Andrew Salter climbed the eight summits together.
Lesson 3
Global Climate ChangeTemperatures around the world are getting warmer. Scientists say that the Earth is heating up. There is evidence to support this. Polar ice shelves are breaking into small pieces. Glaciers all over the world are melting. Polar bears are drowning because the ice floes they walk on are melting away. Areas of dry land are expanding, and drought occurs more often now. Some people say that strange weather patterns are caused by global warming.
Some say that what is happening now is part of a natural cycle, but a more popular belief is that the Earth is heating up because human activity is increasing the greenhouse effect. The greenhouse effect occurs naturally. Our Earth has a layer of atmosphere around it. The Sun’s rays pass through this layer. Some of this radiation bounces off the Earth back into outer space, but most stays around the Earth. This makes the Earth about 16 degrees warmer than it would otherwise be. However, human activities are putting greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, blocking most of the radiation from leaving. So the Earth is getting warmer.
There is a lot we can do to slow down global warming. First, we must demand that our governments make better choices. We have to make our governments lessen our need for fossil fuels such as coal and oil (they create greenhouse gases) by developing alternative sources of energy such as solar, tidal, hydroelectric, and geothermal power. Governments must also provide more mass transit options, make more parks, create more recycling programs, and plant more trees.
We can also do things with our own families. We can share car rides, take public transportation, and ride our bikes more. We can plant trees and recycle things, too. We can turn off the lights and our computers when we don’t need them. We can try to live a greener life. It’s not too late, but we must act now!I. Word List
glaciers: large ice fields at the top of mountains
expanding: getting bigger
drought: extreme dryness for a long time
recycling: using materials numerous timesII. Good or bad? Write G if this is good for the Earth, or B if this is bad for the Earth.
___ 1. Some people burn coal to generate electricity.
___ 2. More people are riding bicycles.
___ 3. Glaciers all over the world are melting.
___ 4. There are more and more cars on the roads.
___ 5. Radiation is being blocked from leaving the Earth’s atmosphere.III. What’s the word? Find the correct words in the reading.
1. a kind of wild animal: p _ _ _ _ b _ _ _
2. energy from the Sun: s _ _ _ _
3. other choices: a _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
4. a fossil fuel: c _ _ _
5. things that happen over and over again: p _ _ _ _ _ _ _IV. Fill in the blanks—Choose words from the reading to complete the sentences.
1. The Earth is getting w _ _ _ _ _.
2. Governments must create more p _ _ _ _.
3. We should turn off l _ _ _ _ _ when we aren’t using them.
4. The g _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ effect occurs naturally.
5. Hydroelectric power is an a _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ energy source.
Lesson 4
Writing–The Greatest InventionWriting is fun, but it can also be a serious endeavor. Writing can be art or science and is a great way to communicate information and feelings. Writing can inform and entertain. It can incite and reassure. It can change people’s lives. It can change the world. Writing is humankind’s greatest invention.
Evidence of man’s earliest attempt to communicate by “writing” things down can be found in caves. The 30,000 year old hunting journals of cavemen have been found on the walls in caves near Avignon, France.
Egyptian civilization also had their own form of picture art/communication, called hieroglyphics. The ancient Assyrians (in what is now northern Iraq) had a system called cuneiform. The Chinese pictograph system of writing began thousands of years ago. Over time, all of these pictographic systems incorporated phonetic elements as well. The Korean and Japanese alphabets, developed later, are phonetic in nature. Other Asian languages, such as Thai, are also phonetic, meaning that the written symbols are based on sounds, not pictures or ideas.
The western alphabet was first developed in the Middle East, by the Phoenicians, in the area that is now Lebanon and Greece. With this phonetic system, we need only a small number of symbols, which can be combined in an unlimited number of ways, to write all the words we need. It is generally agreed that pictograph-based languages such as Chinese, are harder to master, but not impossible. For example, there are 130,000 Chinese characters in existence, but the average Chinese person only needs to know about 2,000 to be able to read a newspaper.
From cave-wall art to the printing press and the World Wide Web, the expression of ideas through writing has become accessible to so many people. Through blogs, for example, we can know what people are thinking and feeling on the other side of the world! We are truly living in a global village.I. WordList
endeavour: something important that someone tries to do
incite: to cause strong feelings
phonetic: a system of soundsII. Facts—Write one true thing about each of these terms.
1. hieroglyphics: ____________________________________________
2. the Thai language: ________________________________________
3. cuneiform: ______________________________________________
4. phonetic-based language: __________________________________
5. pictograph-based language: ________________________________
6. the Chinese system of writing: _______________________________
7. Phoenicians: _____________________________________________III. Answer the following questions.
1. What was the earliest attempt by humans to communicate by writing?
__________________________________________________________.
2. Where did the western alphabet begin?
__________________________________________________________.
3. Which is easier to learn—phonetic-based or pictograph-based language?
__________________________________________________________.
4. What, according to the writer, is the most important use of writing?
__________________________________________________________.
5. What can we learn from blogs?
__________________________________________________________.IV. What’s the word? Find the correct words in the reading.
1. big holes in rocks used as shelter: c _ _ _ _
2. languages that are based on sounds: p _ _ _ _ _ _ _
3. a country in Europe: G _ _ _ _ _
4. an Asian language: C _ _ _ _ _ _
5. something new made by people: i _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
6. something that many people read every day: n _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Lesson 5
Review(Lessons 1- 4)I. Fill in the blanks—Complete the sentences with the correct words from Lessons 1-4.1. My aunt is so i _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _. She can speak many languages.
2. Many g _ _ _ _ _ _ _ are melting because of global warming.
3. The s _ _ _ _ _ of Mount Everest is the highest point on Earth.
4. Lions are c _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ —they eat meat.
5. Many people really enjoy c _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ mountains.II. Answer the following questions.
1. Tell about a person who is very intelligent. What amazing things can this person do?
__________________________________________________________.
2. Why can droughts be dangerous?
__________________________________________________________.
3. What is an important endeavour in your future?
__________________________________________________________.
4. Why is recycling important?
__________________________________________________________.
5. What is something that makes you feel grumpy?
__________________________________________________________.III. Circle the sentences that are true.
1. Most glaciers in the world are expanding.
2. Leopards are very cunning animals.
3. Carnivores eat mostly vegetables.
4. Many wild animals have a keen sense of smell.
5. All languages in the world are phonetic.
Lesson 6
BonsaiIn Japan, the word bonsai means tray plant. It refers to the interesting combination of art and cultivation of miniature trees and plants. Bonsai originated in China more than 2,000 years ago. The tradition spread to Japan about 700 years ago, and it is still popular there today.
Some people believe that small, or dwarf, plants must be used in bonsai, but this is not true. Nearly any type of tree or plant can be used, as long as it is grown from a seed or small cutting. The owner must then prune, trim, and shape the plant as it grows so that it resembles a much larger tree. He or she must do this skillfully, however, because the plant must appear to have grown naturally, untouched by humans. It takes a great deal of care and patience to achieve this balance.
A bonsai is more than just a plant. It holds a special and significant place in Japanese culture. According to Japanese tradition, three elements are needed to create a successful bonsai: truth, goodness, and beauty. When these three elements come together, a bonsai can live for hundreds of years! It may be passed down from one generation of a family to the next as a prized possession.
In Japan, bonsais are grown in containers outdoors, but are brought into the home for special occasions. Inside, they are often placed in the tokonoma. This is a small area in traditional Japanese rooms intended for the display of artistic objects. In a Japanese garden, other items may be added to the bonsai. The addition of rocks, small buildings, and miniature people is called bon-kei. Sai-kei is is a related art form in which entire landscapes are reproduced in miniature.
There are five basic styles of bonsai: the formal upright, informal upright, slanting, cascade, and semi-cascade. In the formal upright, the trunk of the tree should be perfectly straight, and the branches should be balanced. In informal upright, the trunk should bend slightly to one side, but never toward the viewer. The trunk of a slanting tree leans to one side and may look similar to the informal upright.
Cascade and semi-cascade are similar because in both styles the leaves and the branches cascade down towards the base of the plant. The main difference is that in the cascade style, the leaves actually extend down below the bottom of the container.
If you are interested in raising a bonsai of your own, there is no need to go all the way to Japan to find one. Today bonsais are available in many countries.I. Word List
dwarf: very small
prune: cut shorter
resembles: looks similar to
prized: very important
miniature: very small
reproduced: copied
trunk: the main part of a treeII. Vocabulary skills—Find the correct words in the reading.
1. growing and caring for something: c _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
2. to trim away unwanted parts of a tree: p _ _ _ _
3. copied, made again: r _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
4. the bottom part: b _ _ _
5. something you own: p _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _III. Reading skills—Answer the following questions.
1. What are the three elements needed for a successful bonsai?
__________________________________________________________.
2. How are cascade and semi-cascade bonsais similar?
__________________________________________________________.
3. What are three things you learned about bonsai from this reading?
__________________________________________________________.
4. Would you like to try growing a bonsai? Why or why not?
__________________________________________________________.
5. Do you grow plants outside your house? If so, what kinds?
__________________________________________________________.IV. Word groups—Find words in the reading that are similar to these ones.
1. bigger, greater, l _ _ _ _ _
2. look, seem, a _ _ _ _ _
3. cut, trim, p _ _ _ _
4. started, began, o _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
5. stones, pebbles, r _ _ _ _
6. tiny, small, d _ _ _ _
Lesson 7
Night FlyersHave you ever heard a hooting or screeching sound at night and wondered if you were hearing an owl? It’s more likely that you have heard an owl in the wild rather than seen one. Owls are nocturnal, which means that they are active mostly at night. Owls feed on live prey, and the darkness makes it harder for them to be seen by the small animals they hunt.
There are more than 175 species of owls, but they are generally divided into two categories—common owls and barn owls. Barn owls have a light-coloured, heart-shaped face. Common owls are a diverse group with many different patterns and colourings, but all have a round face. The largest owls are as big as eagles. The smallest is the elf owl, which lives in Mexico and the southwestern United States. It is only about 13 centimetres tall and makes its home in the holes woodpeckers create in large cacti.
One thing all owls have in common is their sharp sense of hearing. Because they hunt at night, hearing is very important to their survival. Owls can hear a rodent’s movements hundreds of metres away!
Owls are farsighted, which means they cannot see well at close distances. However, they can see well in dim light, which enhances their hunting skills. Unlike most animals, an owl’s eyes do not move. Instead, the owl must turn its entire head to see anything that is not directly in front of it. For this reason, the owl has an extremely flexible neck. It is able to turn its head about 270 degrees. That is three quarters of a circle!
Another thing owls can do is fly silently. This keeps the owl’s prey from hearing it approach, but it also permits the owl to use its hearing to locate the exact position of the animal. Owls’ wings are a very soft, downy type of feather that muffles the sound in flight. A fringe of feathers along the edges of the wings is also thought to quiet the flapping sound of the owls’ wings.
Owls are found in the stories of many cultures. In France, archaeologists discovered cave paintings between 15,000 and 20,000 years old that contain images of owls. Mummified owls have also been found in Egyptian tombs, which indicates they were respected in ancient Egyptian culture.
Owls symbolize wisdom in some cultures. In others, they are feared and thought to bring bad luck. It is likely that the negative associations with owls came about because they are nocturnal creatures. Things associated with night and darkness have often been feared throughout history.I. Word List
screeching: a loud noise that sounds like screaming
rodent: a small animal such as a mouse or rat
flexible: able to move a lot
muffle: to reduce soundII. Vocabulary skills—Find the correct words in the reading.
1. different, unlike others: d _ _ _ _ _ _
2. quality or characteristic: a _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
3. sharp, sensitive: k _ _ _
4. makes better or stronger: e _ _ _ _ _ _ _
5. dulls the sound: m _ _ _ _ _ _
试读结束[说明：试读内容隐藏了图片]