牛津上海版高二下More Reading

牛津上海版高二下More ReadingUnit 1 More reading P12-13For health and beautyRead the article below from a website on exercise.Aerobics is one of the most beneficial and also one of the most beautiful forms of exercise. Any physical activity that makes your pulse get quicker and your breathing get deeper is a kind of aerobic exercise. The word 'aerobic' means 'with oxygen' or 'having oxygen'. Aerobic exercise therefore aims at making the heart and lungs work at a higher rate so as to supply more oxygen to the muscles. The benefits of aerobic exercise include having a stronger heart, lower blood pressure, stronger bones, better sleep, less body fat, more energy and less stress.It is suggested that you do aerobic exercise for twenty to forty minutes, three to four times a week. Only then will you begin to reach your optimal level of general fitness. When you exercise, the speed at which your heart beats, or your pulse rate, tells you how intense your workout is. People who are not fit but want to lose weight should keep their pulse rates low and do moderate exercise for a longer time. People who are quite fit can do exercises that require large amounts of energy. They can even compete in marathons. There are many forms of aerobic exercise, including running, swimming, cycling and skiing. Walking is the most common form of aerobic exercise. Most people do it every day! It is low intensity and is recommended for beginners. Running is suitable for almost everyone, but it is important to remember not to overdo it.You must pace yourself and always wear good quality shoes. By doing this type of balanced, relaxing exercise, our responses get quicker, our mind sharper, and we become more efficient and productive.To sum up, aerobic exercise is good for everyone. It can lead to a better quality of life!Unit 2 More reading P26A smile a day keeps the doctor awayRead the following leaflet about the benefits of laughter in our lives.Have you ever heard the proverb 'laughter is the best medicine'? Everyone knows that it is fun to laugh and that laughing makes you feel good. Now doctors and researchers aretelling us that laughter is good for our health and may even prevent illnesses such as heart disease. Laughter helps reduce stress and lower blood pressure and pulse rates. It strengthens the immune system and helps us deal with pain just like real medicine does. In fact, laughter is so good for our health that laughing 100 times a day is equivalent to exercising for ten minutes on a rowing machine!Laughter is also good for our minds. When people are stressed, they watch funny films to laugh away emotions such as anger, sadness and fear. This is why laughter is increasingly being used in hospitals as a form of therapy. More and more hospitals are encouraging patients to laugh. They have started showing comedies on hospital TVs and, on the advice of doctors, clowns visit some hospitals to bring laughter to the patients.One group who arranges such visits is the Humour Foundation, an Australian charity. Set up in 1997, it runs the Clown Doctor programme. This programme uses clown doctors to help children who are ill or who have undergone surgery feel better. They cheer these children up with jokes, magic shows, songs and balloons.You cannot deny the truth that laughter is good for you. The city's hospitals are now starting their own clown doctor programme and are looking for your help. Anyone with a sense of humour and a desire to help others can apply. If you would like to volunteer, please contact the Public Health Bureau for more details. Remember a smile a day keeps the doctor away!Unit 3 More reading P42-43Different cultures, different coloursFind out how people in different cultures think about colour by reading this leaflet for business travellers published by an international business magazine.Different cultures do not always agree on their colour associations. Depending on the country, it can make a big difference whether you wear red or white to a wedding, or what colour you wrap presents in. Therefore, it is essential that you should remember which colours are used in different circumstances in different places. In this way, you will not offend anyone or embarrass yourself.● Want to impress your host on that business trip to China? Red is the perfect colour for wrapping gifts. It is used on red packets and red lanterns during the Spring Festival, and is even the colour of wedding dresses, symbolizing happiness and prosperity.● Avoid using black for gifts in the USA! Black is the colour worn to funerals in the USA and Europe, as it is the colour of darkness and night.● You could ruin a party in many Asian countries by dressing completely in white. Since it is the colour of winter, the time when plants shed their leaves and die, it is considered to be a colour of death and mourning in some countries.● Don't wear white to a wedding in Europe! Only the bride should wear white, as it is a colour of virtue and purity. Stick to a formal suit and tie for men, and a smart dress for women.● Travelling to Spain, Italy or Brazil? Then forget about wearing purple clothes, as purple is the colour of mourning in these countries.● Unpack that white coat if you're going to the USA, unless you want to be mistaken fora doctor or a nurse. They wear white in many countries because it is a calming and relaxing colour.Unit 4 More reading P57-58The origins of artRead about the origins of art from an article in a journal on archaeology.Some of the oldest artwork yet discovered was found in 1879 in Altamira, Spain. Amateur archaeologist Marcelino de Satuola and his nine-year-old daughter were investigating a cave on his property. As the father dug in the cave floor looking for ancient artefacts, his daughter Maria explored another room in the cave. Suddenly, she shouted, 'Look, Father! Bulls!' The father hurried to take a peek. On the low ceiling of the cave he found colourful paintings of a kind of bison that Satuola knew to be extinct, along with images of horses, deer and wild boar.Based on his knowledge as an archaeologist, Satuola maintained that the paintings dated from the Stone Age. However, his claims were greeted with ridicule by the scientific community. Other archaeologists thought the colours seemed too bright and the images too lifelike to have been created by ancient man. Even though other discoveries of cave paintings soon followed, it was not until 1902 that any of these finds were accepted as genuine. Researchers now believe that these cave paintings are between 10,000 and 20,000 years old.We may now know the age of the paintings, but the reason why they were created is yet a mystery. The painters may have wanted to record past hunts or tell a story, or they could have used the paintings for some kind of magical or religious purpose. We simply do not know. However, we do know that, at least in one way, Stone Age people were not so different from ourselves--they found inspiration and pleasure in art.Unit 5 More reading P74-75A Helping the environmentRead this leaflet describing one way in which you can help the environment.We are all aware of the many threats to the environment and the need to act in a responsible manner to protect the world which we all share. Many people say that they are in favour of the 'green movement'. However, it is often difficult to find anything practical which you can do to help, and you may feel that you cannot take any action to support the cause. One thing you can do is to try to buy 'green' products.For example, let us consider the problem of the ozone layer. Around the Earth, there is a thin layer of ozone, a kind of gas protecting us from many of the harmful rays of the Sun.A few years ago, scientists in the Antarctic became aware of holes growing in the ozone layer. As these holes get bigger, harmful rays from the Sun are increasingly reaching us, causing crop damage and cancer. This is a big problem in countries near the polar regions, like Australia, where skin cancer caused in part by ozone depletion is now considered a national epidemic.Further research into the problem showed that the ozone layer is being destroyed by gases called CFCs. These gases are released into the atmosphere by the chemicals used in aerosol cans, refrigerators and air conditioners. To help save the ozone layer, many manufacturers have stopped producing aerosol cans that use CFCs. They have switched to other less harmful chemicals, and labelled their cans 'ozone-friendly' or 'no CFCs'.The problem of refrigerators and air conditioners has been more difficult to solve. However, more and more manufacturers are now producing refrigerators and air conditioners that do not use CFCs. Therefore, when you go shopping you should choose ozone-friendly products. Then you will be doing something to help the environment. Unit 6 More reading P88A The problem of packagingRead this magazine article to find out how even small things can make a difference when it comes to the environment.A large source of rubbish is packaging material. It often makes up more than 30 per cent of the total. To understand why this is true, think of the packaging commonly used for a simple product, such as toothpaste. The packaging includes not only the tube for thetoothpaste, but also the box for the tube. This box is put into a plastic wrapper. Then, the boxes are transported in a cardboard container.Most packaging material ends up in a landfill after it is thrown away. Though necessary, landfills take up valuable space, often stink, and can leak harmful substances into the soil.Landfills not included, the production of packaging material itself is a major source of air and water pollution.People are now trying to solve the problems caused by packaging materials. In 1991, Germany took the lead by requiring companies to recycle the packaging used for their goods. To do this, thecompanies set up recycling bins in every neighbourhood. Consumers now separate their rubbish into three categories--metal, plastic and paper cartons. They then put it into the appropriate bin. The rubbish sorted, it is transported to a recycling company for processing.The programme worked well at first. However, the amount of rubbish has begun to increase again. One reason for this is that many consumers no longer reduce waste because they think the problem is solved. It seems that to properly deal with the problem of rubbish, everyone must remain vigilant and do their part.。