2019-2020年高中英语Unit1Theworldofoursenses-Section2Backgroundination.doc

2019-2020年高中英语Unit1Theworldofoursenses-Section2BackgroundinformationI. The London fogLondon used to be famous for its heavy fog. This was because people in London burned coal which gave out heavy smoke, a polluted form that actually is called smog. In 1873, a coal-smoke smog, thicker and more persistent than natural fog, covered the city for days and caused 268 deaths. Another fog in 1879 lasted from November to March and caused four long months of sunshineless darkness. In 1952, a four-day fog killed about 4,000 Londoners. It was not until then that some measures were taken to stop the heavy fog. In 1956, Parliament enacted the Clean Air Act, Which effectively reduced the burning of coal. It was the beginning of a series of air-pollution reforms in England. Now the air in London is quite cleanthough the city still sometimes is covered in a clean, ordinary fog.II. Understanding fog and cloudsFog is a cloud based on the ground, rather than in the atmosphere. Fog forms when there is a lot of moisture near the ground, or when the air near the ground cools to the dew point. The temperature to which air must be cooled in order for the water vapor in the air to condense into liquid water is known as the dew point. If air near the ground cools to this temperature, water vapor from the air will bee visible as dew on the ground or fog in the air.Clouds are usually the most obvious feature of the sky. They both reflect weather patterns and play a role in what the weather does. The links below take you to a great deal of information about clouds.Locations of cloudsLow-level clouds: (generally found below 6,500 feet) Low-level clouds are usually posed of liquid water droplets, but they can have snow and ice crystals in cold weather. Mid-level clouds: (generally found between 6,500 and 23,000 feet) Most mid-level clouds are posed of liquid water droplets during summer and a liquid droplet-ice crystal mix during winter. Mid-level cloud names are preceded by an alto prefix. High-level clouds: (generally found above 20,000 feet) High-level clouds are posed of ice crystals and tend to be very thin and wispy. High-level cloud names are preceded by a cirro prefix. Different kinds of fog, where fog formsAdvection fog forms when humid air flows over cold ground or water. Radiation fog forms on generally clear, cool nights. Steam fog forms over water, often in the fall. Overnight rain can enhance fog that forms in the morning. Precipitation fog forms when rain or snow falls. As precipitation falls into drier air below the cloud, the liquid drops or ice crystals evaporate or sublimate directly into water vapor. The water vapor increases the moisture content of the air while cooling the air. This often saturates the air below the cloud and allows fog to form. Upslope fog is very mon along large hills and mountains. It forms when winds blow up the side of a hill or mountain, which cools the air. Valley fog forms in mountain valleys during winter and can be more than 1,500 feet thick. Often, the winter sun is not strong enough to evaporate the fog during the day. When the air cools again the following night, the fog often bees thicker, which makes it even harder for the sun to burn it off the following day. These fogs can last for several days until strong winds blow the moist air out of the valley. The tendency for cool, dense air to pool at the bottom of valleys also enhances valley fog. III. The introduction of sharksSharks are amazing fish that have been around since long before the dinosaurs existed. They live in waters all over the world, in every ocean, and even in some rivers and lakes. Unlike bony fish, sharks have no bones; their skeleton is made of cartilage, which is a tough, fibrous substance, not nearly as hard as bone. Sharks also have no swim bladder (unlike bony fish).Size There are many different species of sharks that range in size from the size of a persons hand to bigger than a bus. Fully-grown sharks range in size from 7 inches (18cm) long (the Spined Pygmy shark), up to 50 feet (15m) long (the Whale shark). Most sharks are intermediate in size, and are about the same size as people, 5-7 feet (1.5-2.1m) long. Half of the 368 shark species are under 39 inches (1m) long.Body Sharks have a variety of body shapes. Most sharks have streamlined, torpedo-shaped bodies that glide easily through the water. Some bottom-dwelling sharks have flattened bodies that allow them to hide in the sand of the ocean bed. Some sharks have an elongated body shape. Varieties of sharks There are about 368 different species of sharks, which are divided into 30 families. These different families of sharks are very different in the way they look, live, and eat. They have different shapes, sizes, color, fins, teeth, habitat, diet, personality, method of reproduction, and other attributes. Some types of shark are very rare (like the great white shark and the megamouth) and some are quite mon (like the dogfish shark and bull shark). The Tiger sharks They are not native to Hawaii and can be found swimming in tropical and subtropical waters world wide and in some temperate seas. Tiger sharks go from the surface to 131 feet.( 40m) They inhabit both the shoreline and open waters, ranging perhaps up to 500 miles. The tiger shark is in deep coastal waters in the day and near the shore at night. Scientists now believe that tiger sharks are constantly swimming over larger distances in search of prey rather than being territorial. They are most responsible for the shark attacks in Hawaii which averages two to three attacks a year. It is known as one of the three main sharks known to attack humans. It is very aggressive to humans. In Hawaii, the tiger shark is known as the Auma Kua or ancestor spirits. The Great White SharkIt is one of the seas paramount predators and a creature of deep fascination to many people. As sharks go, the Great White is huge and particularly beautiful, featuring bold pigmentation, dark eyes, and a built-in smile. It also gives an impression of having a charming personality, a strange mix of curiosity and timidity that belies its enormity and power.The Great White is among the most widely distributed of sharks, owing - in part - to its ability to maintain its body temperature up to 27F (15C) warmer than the surrounding seawater.Great White Sharks often prey upon seals and sea lions in areas where they are locally abundant. The Great White is unusual among sharks in that it sometimes raises its head out of the water, apparently to observe activity above the surface.Due to its curiosity about floating objects and predation upon marine mammals (which are air-breathing and must surface to ventilate their lungs), the Great White is more likely to be observed by surface-bound people than are most sharks.Divers occasionally encounter solitary Great Whites underwater. Usually, the shark seems to check them out visually, bees disinterested after a few passes, and swims away. However, one must not count on it: this is a potentially very dangerous wild animal and divers who encounter one while diving would be wise to leave the water immediately.IV. Translation of reading 雾 比尔洛 大雾警报 那天早晨波莉离开家的时候，整个城市就已笼罩在一片灰雾中了。午餐时分，收音机里气象员报告说，到下午就会变成浓雾。四点钟，波莉下了班，踏进浓雾之中。她不知道这个时候公交车是不是还照常运行。 没有公交车前往国王街 一到街上，波莉就急匆匆地向往常乘车的车站走去。 “你要去哪里?”售票员问。 “国王街，”波莉说。 “对不起，小姐，售票员答道，“现实情况是雾太大了，公交车开不了那么远。你不妨乘地铁去格林公园吧。那里的天气说不定会好一些，你在那里也许能够搭乘上一辆出租车。” 高个子男人 正当波莉打量地铁里的乘客时，她感觉到有一个穿黑色外套的男人在注视着她。终于，地铁到达格林公园站。当其他乘客陆续下车的时候，波莉扫视了一下周围的面孔。这时，高个子男人不见了。 脚步声 等波莉到达地铁入口处时，那里已空无一人。外面，大雾就像片浓密的灰云在笼罩着。什么人也看不见。于是，波莉向花园街走去。走着走着，波莉听到了一阵脚步声，可等她到街道拐角处，脚步声又消失了。忽然，波莉觉得有一只粗糙的手拂了一下她的睑，随即就有个男人的声音在她耳边响起：“对不起。”男人走开了。她能感到由于害怕自己的心脏在砰砰乱跳。 热心的陌生人 接着，她又听到了那种声音-在她身后响起的轻柔的脚步声。刚才她还盼望着能有什么人朝她这里走过来，然而现在她想到的是逃跑，只是由于恐惧她站在那里一动也不能动。脚步声这会儿好像近了。接着，黑暗中传来了一个男人的声音。“有人吗?” 波莉等了等。最后，她还是说话了：“你好，我想我是迷路了。” 没过几秒钟，有一只手伸了过来，碰了碰她的胳膊。波莉发现自己身边站着个男人，他的手搭在她的胳膊上。她仰头凝视对方，看到的是一张老人的脸。 “也许我能帮你。你要去哪条路?”他问。 “我住在国王街86号。”波莉答道。 “握住我的手，”老人说，“跟我来，不用担心。”老人牵着波莉的手。“当心，这儿有台阶。”老人的另一只手里拄着一根拐杖。波莉听到了拐杖敲击台阶的声音。“我至今还记得有几次厉害的大雾，可那也许是你还没有出生前的事了。我看不见你的脸，但你的声音听上去很年轻。你多大了?” “刚二十，”波莉说道。 “啊，二十!多好的年龄啊。我也曾年轻过呢。我们到拐角了。这里左转弯。” “我现在是彻底迷路了。您肯定认识路吗?”波莉又开始觉得恐惧了。“当然了。你真的不必担心的。”他更加坚定地握住了她的手。知恩图报的热心人 “我们到国王街了。”他停下脚步。 “非常感谢您，”波莉说，“您愿意进屋休息一会儿吗?” “谢谢你的热心肠，”老人说，“但我该走了。今天说不定还有更多的人会迷路呢，我想去帮帮他们。你知道，像这样糟糕的大雾是很罕见的。但是这却给了我一个机会，我可以回报在晴天里人们所给予我的帮助了。像我这样的瞎子没人帮助是无法过街的，除非是在像这样的大雾里。” V. Translation of project鲨鱼的攻击 将近有400种不同种类的鲨鱼，但据报道仅有大约30种鲨鱼攻击过人类。大多数人都知道最危险的鲨鱼是大白鲨，那主要是因为他们看过电影大白鲨的缘故。可是，除此之外还有其他两种凶猛的鲨鱼，它们分别是虎鲨和公牛鲨。 相对于其他危险而言，人类遭受鲨鱼攻击的机率其实是很小的。每年溺海的人数就比遭到鲨鱼咬噬的人数多得多。鲨鱼攻击人类的事件每年并不多见，这就证明，如果有机会选择，鲨鱼并不以人为食。 鲨鱼攻击人类有三种方式。最主要的方式就是俗称的“打了就跑”：鲨鱼之所以发起攻击，是因为它觉得你是一条鱼，但当它尝到的是人的味道时就决定不吃了。第二种方式叫“先撞后咬”：鲨鱼首先碰撞你，以探明你是不是适合作为食物，接着，如果它觉得你适合作为食物的话就要咬食你了。第三种方式叫做“伺机偷袭”：采用这种方式攻击时，鲨鱼只等你游到身边，随即猛地发起攻击。后两种攻击方式对人类来说更可能致命。 但是，如果你谨遵以下建议，遭遇鲨鱼攻击的机率就会大大减小： 不在暗处游泳。在黑暗处，鲨鱼照样可以看见你，而你却无法看见它们。 如果你身上有什么地方被割破了，或是有尚未愈合的新鲜伤口时，不要下海游泳。即使隔着很远的距离，鲨鱼仍能嗅到血腥味。 不穿鲜亮的服装或者佩戴珠宝首饰，因为色彩和光亮物件对鲨鱼很有吸引力。 尽量结伴出游，因为鲨鱼通常会避开人群。 最近，随着水上运动越来越受人们青睐，鲨鱼袭击事件也持续增长。如果遭到鲨鱼袭击，请尝试以下建议进行自我救护： 不要惊慌失措。 击打鲨鱼的鼻子。 用手指戳鲨鱼的眼睛。 不要惧怕鲨鱼，因为人类被闪电击中的机率要比遭受鲨鱼攻击的机率大30倍。