高二级英语课外阅读2

高二级英语课外阅读第二期编辑：Keith 班级：姓名：Enjoy ReadingHow to Speak English FluentlyCommunication is the string that holds the world together. Thanks to the concept of a universal language, now, communicating with anyone in any part of the world is relatively easier. This globally universal language is English. English is a language that has aspects of other languages in it as well, making it easier to learn and follow the language. Let us, today, see how to speak English fluently.Speaking English fluently is a very easy task, if and only if, you put your mind to it. Actually, it has a lot to do with psychology. If you keep the notion in your mind that you will not be able to know how to speak the language fluently, you might face problems.How to be Fluent in EnglishTip 1 –First and foremost, to be fluent in English, you need to learn English. Realize that conversational English and written English do vary from each other to quite an extent. Nonetheless, just like any other language, you need to master its syntax and grammar first. To that end, it is most essential to read the language and learn it in written style first. Read the newspaper everyday. This will help you learn the regular conversational words as well.Tip 2 –Once you have started to get a grasp on the English language in general, you can proceed to speaking it. It does not matter if it is not fluent at the beginning. But you need to start making the attempt. Tell your English-speaking friends to talk to you in English and respond to them in English as far as possible. Fluency is a matter of habit. You need to build that habit. Watch English movies and programs on TV and try to follow them as far as possible. Yes, it will take time for the familiarity to build up, but you need to start somewhere. So, start now. Many people find watching talk shows in English helpful. This is because there is a response time in your mind and since you have listened to English, your mind starts responding in English as well.Tip 3 –There are several software available online that can help you out in this task as well. These software come with audio tutorials (辅导课) for pronunciations and intonations（语调）. They will help you speaking English fluently. You can get accent specific tutorials as well. Many people migrating to USA often feel the need to know how to speak American English fluently, so these software help them out as well.These three tips are the secrets that'll aid you in being fluent in the English language. But, even if it is some other language that you need to learn, understanding these tips will help you learn that language and speak it fluently as well. This is where I sign off; do feel free to ask me for more on the English language! Take care! Task:Are you having problems with speaking English fluently?Famous Places in ChinaChina is now one of the most sought-after destinations for tourists. With some of the best World Heritage sites and places of attractions that have a fine blend of traditional and modern Chinese civilizations, one can understand why tourists from all over the world flock to this beautiful place. Traveling within China itself has become more convenient with the improvement of transport facilities. There are many famous places in this country, which are a must-visit for any tourist. Here, we shall take a look at some of these popular sites in China.The Great Wall of China:The Great Wall of China continues to attract millions of visitors from around the world. Many parts of this wall have been restored recently. Even then, certain parts are in a dilapidated condition. This wall was mainly built to prevent attacks from the Xiongnu dynasty. It was continuously rebuilt and underwent maintenance particularly during the 6th century B.C. to the 16th century. This wall extends to a length of over 6,400 km! There are many areas of interest along the Great Wall of China such as the North Pass, the West Pass, etc.Forbidden City:he Forbidden City is yet another famous place in China. This imperial place was built during the period of 1406 to 1420. Today, the Forbidden City holds the Palace Museum. This place also has some collections that are highly prized and valuable. The Palace Museum has a beautiful collection of over 340,000 pieces of ceramics as well as porcelain. Apart from this, there are some exquisite（精美的）artworks and bronze work that dates back to the Shang Dynasty. It also includes over 30,000 pieces in jade from the Ming and Qing Dynasty.Dazu Rock Carvings:Listed as one of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Dazu rock carvings are a series of some exquisite works of religious significance. These exquisitely carved sculptures were carved in the 7th century A.D. The Dazu rock carvings are located in the Dazu County on a steep hillside. This place includes 75 sites and it contains over 50,000 beautiful statues. All these works have a deep meaning and are influenced by various cultural beliefs.Summer Palace:The Summer Palace is a beautiful palace that is located in Beijing, China. The Summer Palace is also on the UNESCO World Heritage Site list! The beautiful landscape（风景）design and the exquisite architecture are a fewreasons why this place is so popular and revered. This beautiful structure can be accessed from various areas of Beijing.Mount Tai:Mount Tai has great significance. It is located on the northern side of Tai'an. This place is known to have beautiful species of trees that are also of religious significance. At the foot of Mount Tai, one can see the Temple of the God of Mount Tai. This is also known as the Dai Miao or the Dai Temple built during the Qin Dynasty.These are some of the most famous places in China that attract visitors from all over. Tourism in China is thus flourishing to new heights!The function of rainforestA rainforest is an area covered by tall trees with the total high rainfall spreading quite equally through the year and the temperature rarely dipping below l6℃．Rainforests have a great effect on the world environment because they can take in heat from the sun and adjust the climate. Without the forest cover, these areas would reflect more heat into the atmosphere, warming the rest of the world. Losing the rainforests may also influence wind and rainfall patterns, potentially causing certain natural disasters all over the world.In the past hundred years, humans have begun destroying rainforests in search of three major resources(资源)：land for crops, wood for paper and other products, land for raising farm animals. This action affects the environment as a whole．For example，a lot of carbon dioxide (二氧化碳)in the air comes from burning the rainforests．People obviously have a need for the resources we gain from cutting trees but we will suffer much more than we will benefit.There are two main reasons for this. Firstly, when people cut down trees, generally they can only use the land for a year or two. Secondly, cutting large sections of rainforests may provide a good supply of wood right now, but in the long run it actually reduces the world’s wood supply．Rainforests are often called the world’s drug store. More than 25％of the medicines we use today come from plants in rainforests．However, fewer than l％of rainforest plants have been examined for their medical value．It is extremely likely that our best ch ance to cure diseases lies somewhere in the world’s shrinking rainforests．Thinking：1. What is the meaning of the underlined word?2. What can we do to protect the rainforests after reading this?Reducing emission of carbon dioxideWe already know the fastest, least expensive way to slow climate change: Use less energy. With a little effort, and not much money, most of us could reduce our energy diets by 25 percent or more—doing the Earth a favor while also helping our wallets.Not long age. My wife, PJ, and I tried a new diet—not to lose a little weight but to answer an annoying question about climate change. Scientists have reported recently that the world is bending up even faster than predicted only a few years ago, and that the consequences could be severe if we don’t keep reducing emissions（排放）of carbon dioxide（CO2）and other greenhouse gases that are trapping heat in our atmosphere.We decided to try an experiment. For one month we recorded our personal emissions of CO2. . We wanted to see how much we could cut back, so we went on a strict diet. The average US household（家庭）produces about 150 pounds of CO2 a day by doing common-place things like turning on air-conditioning or driving cars. Tha t’s more than twice the European average and almost five times the global average, mostly because Americans drive more and have bigger houses. But how much should we try to reduce?For an answer, I checked with Tim Flannery, author of The Weather Makers: How Man Is Changing the Climate and What It Means for Life on Earth. In his book, he had challenged readers to make deep cuts in personal emissions to keep the world from reaching extremely important tipping points, such as the melting（融化）of the ice sheets in Greenland or West Antarctica. “To stay below that point, we need to reduce CO2 emissions by 80 percent,” he said.Good advice, I thought. I’d opened our bedroom windows to let in the wind. We’d gotten so used to keeping our air-c onditioning going around the clock. I’d almost forgotten the windows even opened. We should not let this happen again. It’s time for us to change our habits if necessary.Thinking:1. What does the underlined words “tipping points” most probably mean?2. What we students can do to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide ?If wind had colorsIf wind had colors, the world would be more beautiful and lively.If it matched with the natural scene, it would be a most beautiful picture.If wind had colors, in spring it should be green. Flowers come out in spring.When green wind blew around, all the flowers seemed to be surrounded by green leaves. What a beautiful sight!The wind in summer should be light blue, because it is too hot. When the light blue wind blew over, you would seem to be in a swimming pool. How cool!The wind in autumn should be golden because autumn is harvest time, and golden color makes us have harvest feelings.The wind in winter should be light yellow.When light ye llow wind blew on white snow, it was very warm, wasn’t it?If wind had colors, the world would be a riot of colors.。