九年級英語課外閱讀材料.docx

Search to find truthCrew of Xue Long, an ice breaker of China, are looking for the plane in Indian Ocean.XINHUA馬航飛機失聯(lián)，“黑匣子”成解謎關(guān)鍵。ON March 8, a Boeing 777 from Malaysia to Beijing disappeared. It has become perhaps the biggest mystery in modern aviation (航空) history.The Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 lost contact shortly after taking off. It carried 239 people on board, including 154 Chinese.Where did the plane go? More than 25 countries have joined the effort to look for it.On March 24, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said that the plane “ended in the southern Indian Ocean”. Everyone on the plane died.But the mystery is still not solved.Normally, a plane is believed to have crashed after debris (殘骸) is found. But when Razak made the announcement, no debris had been found. The conclusion was based on analysis of satellite data (衛(wèi)星數(shù)據(jù)).To find out what happened to the flight, we must find one small object: the black box.It is a recording device kept in a plane. It records the flight data and conversations in the cockpit (駕駛艙).The black box has an underwater beacon (信標(biāo)) which sends signals for 30 days after falling into water. The signals can be detected up to around 3 km away.While the search for the plane is going on, countries with black box detecting equipment, including the US, the UK and Australia, are joining forces.Its a race against time. The battery is running low.But nobody is giving up. China has said it will work hard to find out the truth at all costs.Just as Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said: “If this mystery is solvable, we will solve it.”Black box factsThe term “black box” was first used by the British Royal Air Force.A black box is not black, but orange. The word “black” here refers to the boxs inside, which is dark and filled with information.Earth faces huge dangerGlobal warming is affecting everyone on the planet.XINHUA全球變暖帶來八大危機。GLOBAL warming often makes headlines these days. Why is it so important?A group of scientists attended a UN meeting in Japan late March, and listed the “eight reasons to worry about global warming”.Both coastal (臨海的) and inland flooding are a major threat (威脅) to peoples lives. Meanwhile, in rural (農(nóng)村的) areas, water shortages will make the poor even poorer.Farming is affected. Because of warming, drought (干旱) and heavy rain, more people will go hungry.Some fish and other animals could be in trouble. Thats not good for people who depend on them.There are also some relatively new risks. Extreme weather, like storms, can damage some of the things we need every day, like electricity, running water and emergency services. Heat waves, especially in cities, are a huge risk to the elderly and very young.Scientists made the list to warn people that Earth is at a turning point (轉(zhuǎn)折點). If governments act now, some of the risks could be cut, but only if “strong actions” are taken, said a report by the scientists.Change font to save money美國中學(xué)生為政府支招：換個字體能省錢。LOOK at the books around you. Have you ever thought of how much ink they used? Can you think of a way to save ink?Suvir Mirchandani, 14, had a clever idea: change the fonts (字體) that the English words use.Since the new term, the student from Pittsburgh, US, found that there were many printed handouts (散發(fā)的文字材料) at his school. He wanted to cut waste and save money.While many people focused on paper use, Suvir set his eyes on cutting down ink usage.He picked five of the most commonly used letters: e, t, a, o and r. First, he made a chart to show how often each letter was used in four different fonts: Garamond, Times New Roman, Century Gothic and Comic Sans. Then he measured (測量) how much ink was used for each letter using a software program.Next he enlarged the letters, printed them and cut them out on paper to weigh them to check his findings.Suvir found that by using Garamond with its thinner strokes (筆畫), his school district could reduce its ink usage by 24 percent (百分之).After he applied his project to the US government, he found it could help the government use 25 percent less ink and save $400 million (2.48 billion yuan)!So far the government has not said whether it will make the change. But Suvir wasnt disappointed.“Its difficult to change someones behavior,” he told CNN. “Id be happy to go as far as possible to make that change possible.”Trust friends when fallingONE day, our teacher said that he had an exercise for us to try. We were to stand, facing away from our classmates, and fall backward, relying (依賴) on another student to catch us. Most of us were uncomfortable with this. We couldnt fall back for more than a few inches before stopping ourselves.Finally, Judy stood out. She is a thin, quiet, dark-haired girl who always wears big, white fisherman sweaters. Judy crossed her arms over her chest, closed her eyes, leaned back, and did not flinch (退縮). She looked like one of those Lipton tea commercials (廣告) where the model jumps into the pool.uFor a moment, I was sure she was going to thump (重重砸到) on the floor. At the last moment, her partner grabbed her head and shoulders and pulled her up immediately.v“Whoa!” several students yelled. Some clapped their hands. Our teacher finally smiled. “You see,” he said to the girl. “You closed your eyes. That was the difference. Sometimes you cannot believe what you see. You have to believe what you feel. And if you are ever going to have other person trust you, you must feel that you can trust them too even when youre in the dark. Even when youre falling.”我們常常被眼睛看到的困難嚇倒，卻忘記了心靈的力量。內(nèi)心的堅毅，別人的信任，都可能幫助我們增強信心，走出困境。Can robots write news stories?MCT機器人寫新聞，靠譜嗎？EVERYONE knows that robots can do a lot of things humans can do. They can make machines, explore underwater and even go into outer space.But did you know that robots can also write news reports?On March 17, the Los Angeles Times newspaper published a report about an earthquake that was written by a robot called Quakebot.Quakebot is the creation of Los Angeles Times reporter and programmer Ken Schwencke. Two years ago, he made an algorithm (計算程序) that could report on earthquakes without human help. An algorithm is a method of solving problems and sorting information by following a series of steps and rules.In the case of Quakebot, Schwencke had put in a set of steps that were used to sort through information sent to the robot from a US Geological Survey report.The report included information such as the size, strength and location of the earthquake. Quakebot read the report and took out the relevant (相關(guān)的) information by following its set of rules. It then displayed it in the form of a news report using a pre-written template (模板).The template was designed so that the sentence structure and grammar were already correct. All the robot had to do was fill in the blanks with numbers, places and times.Schwencke told Slate magazine that all this happened in less than three minutes, much faster than any human reporter.However, robots like Quakebot can only deal with facts, numbers and data. For interviews, opinions or anything slightly more human, the writing still needs to come from someone with a brain for now at least.Caring for Mother Earth建造綠色城市，呵護地球家園。WE humans live in different parts of the world, but we have the same “mother”. She gives us everything we need in our daily life. She is our Mother Earth.April 22 is Earth Day. The theme of this year is “Green Cities”.A green city is a healthy and pleasant place for people to live, according to the United Nations.A green city can get its energy from renewable (可再生的) sources like solar (太陽能的) and wind power. Also, it is connected by clean public transportation. Moreover, a green city is made up of facilities (設(shè)施) that can save energy and reduce waste.uAround the world, many cities and countries have done well to build themselves in a green way.Chicago is well known for its green roof (屋頂) program. These roofs are covered with plants. The plants get a great amount of rainwater. Later, the water evaporates (蒸發(fā)) to help make the air cool and clean. So far, there are about 360 green roofs in Chicago, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency.Curitiba, Brazil, has great transportation. It opened the worlds first bus rapid transit (BRT) system in 1974. BRT runs on special lanes. This makes sure that buses are on time even in traffic jams. With the help of BRT, the city has the lowest level of air pollution in Brazil. Today, many other countries have copied BRT, including China and Mexico.Singapore is home to the first zero-energy building in Southeast Asia. Zero energy means a building is able to create more energy than it uses. Zero-energy buildings work with solar panels (板) mainly on roofs. These panels can make electricity which powers the buildings. By 2030, Singapore plans to build 80 percent of its buildings like this.Color code your trashSome middle school students in Sichuan province are picking up trash in April 2013.XINHUA保護環(huán)境，從垃圾分類做起。詞數(shù) 270 建議閱讀時間 6分鐘WHEN your pen is broken, you think thats the end of its life. You throw it away. It then joins tons of other garbage that is becoming a big problem in cities.Each day, about 10,000 tons of waste is produced in Guangzhou, and 17,000 tons of household waste is produced in Beijing.In other countries, the case is similar.“If youre like most of us, most Americans, youre making seven pounds (3.17kg) of trash a day,” US writer Edward Humes told CNN. So, an American makes 102 tons of trash in a lifetime.If you simply throw away that broken pen, it goes to a landfill and is buried together with many other trash. To prevent polluting the groundwater, workers cover the trash with soil and keep it dry. And your pen will stay there for a long, long time, without having further use.uBut it could have a better destination: the recycling bin.Have you ever noticed the different colors of trash bins in the street? Many cities in China have been running a waste-sorting (垃圾分類) campaign. They divide trash into “recyclable waste” and “unrecyclable waste”.Recycling waste can save energy, reduce greenhouse gas, and keep landfill space free for the unrecyclable trash.Take your pen as an example. At the recycling factory, its metal parts could be taken out and reused to make other things.But recycling is not enough, experts say. Making less waste in the first place is the way forward.“The best thing to do is just keep using your stuff for as long as you can,” US writer Adam Minter told Time Out magazine.Bonus points廚余垃圾: kitchen waste生活垃圾: household garbage/trash可回收垃圾: recyclable garbage/trash不可回收垃圾: unrecyclable garbage/trashA YOUNG boy was hungry for success. For him, winning was everything.One day, the boy was preparing himself for a running competition in his small village. He was to compete with two other young boys. A large crowd gathered there to watch, including a wise old man.The race began. With strength (力量) and power, the boy easily took the lead. The crowd cheered and waved (揮手). The little boy felt proud and important. However, the wise man remained still and calm. “Another race, another race!” yelled the little boy. The wise old man stepped forward and presented the little boy with two new challengers: an old lady and a blind man.The race started and the boy was the only one to cross the line. The little boy raised his arms happily. The crowd, however, was silent.“Race again,” said the wise man. “This time, all three of you finish together.”The little boy thought a little, stood in between the blind man and the old lady, and then took them by the hand. The race began and the little boy walked slowly to the finishing line and crossed it. The crowd cheered and waved. The wise man smiled, too.“Which one of us three are the crowd cheering for?” asked the little boy.“For this race, you have won much more than in any other race youve ever run before,” said the wise man. “For this race, the crowd cheered not for any winner!”Do angry people see red?FILE PHOTO喜歡紅色的人更具有攻擊性。詞數(shù) 300 建議閱讀時間 7分鐘IN English, when someone is very angry we say this person “sees red”, like a bull goes wild after seeing a red cloth. Now it turns out that “seeing red” is not just an expression for angry people, but also a scientific fact.Researchers at North Dakota State University in the US found that there is a connection between the color red and anger. Angry people really do “see red” where others dont. And a preference for red over blue may even suggest a more hostile (懷有敵意的) personality.vThe study includes a number of experiments. In the first, researchers asked a group of people which color they preferred, red or blue. Participants (參加者) then did personality tests. Results showed that those who chose red tended to be more hostile.During a second test, participants looked at faded images that could be regarded either red or blue. Those who saw red scored 25 percent higher on hostility in the personality test.“Hostile people have hostile thoughts; hostile thoughts are connected with the color red, and therefore hostile people see this color more frequently,” the researchers told The Independent.Finally, the participants were told about imaginary situations in which they could take different actions. Results showed that in these situations, red-preferring people were more likely to show that they would harm another person than those who preferred blue.“An important message from this research is that color can send psychological (心理的) meaning,” the researchers said.Where does this connection between the color red and anger come from? Scientists said it might be a matter of evolution (進化). In ancient times, poisonous plants and insects could cause wounds and bleeding. So it may have become instinctive (本能的) for our ancestors (祖先) to link the color red with danger and threats.Driving down CO2揪出氣候變化的“元兇”二氧化碳。A power plant in Shanghai is letting out waste gases into the air in July 2011. XINHUAWE all know that climate change is mainly caused by too much CO2 in the air. What should we do to release less CO2 and lessen (減輕) the damage?uIn early April, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC, 政府間氣候變化專門委員會), a UN organization, worked out a report on this question.The key is to produce electricity without creating CO2, said the report.Water and nuclear power can do this. They now provide 30 percent of electricity across the world. That must rise to 80 percent by 2050, with solar and wind power playing a bigger role.We can also help by using energy more efficiently (高效地).Drive and fly less, and take more high-speed trains, said the report.We have 10 to 20 years to control global warming at moderate (適中的) costs, said Professor Ottmar Edenhofer from the IPCC.“Im not saying climate policy is a free lunch. But its a lunch worthwhile to buy,” he said.But if we delay, the world will have to try risky methods, said Edenhofer, who is a scientist from Germany.One method mentioned in the IPCC report is to grow crops that suck CO2 from the air. Then we burn the crops for electricity. Finally, we collect CO2 produced during the burning and bury it underground.We can also plant trees, which soak up greenhouse gases.But buried CO2 is seen as almost as bad as nuclear waste, said Jochen Flasbarth, state secretary (國務(wù)秘書) at Germanys federal environment ministry.If we plant trees, they need large areas of land, displacing crops and pushing up food prices.Books light our minds走進書店，體會文字散發(fā)的別樣馨香。Eslite Bookstore is the most famous bookstore that runs 24 hours in Taiwan. FILE PHOTOIT is 10:30 pm and getting late. But the Beijing Sanlian Taofen Bookstore is still shining brightly. Hundreds of people are staying inside for one thing: to read!Earlier this month, the Sanlian Taofen Bookstore started a trial (試運行) to run 24 hours a day. If everything goes well, it will become the first 24-hour bookstore in Beijing.“We welcome everyone who loves to read books at any time,” Zhang Zuozhen, the general manager of the store told China Youth Daily.Although many people can now buy their favorite books online, the experience of immersion (沉浸) in physical books still attracts readers.“There is no other choice to replace the touch of different qualities of paper and the smell of print,” Qian Xiaohua, the founder of Librairie Avant-Garde (先鋒書店) in Nanjing told Xinhua.Its true. A great bookstore can encourage people to read in many ways.uSome attract readers with their huge stock (庫存) of literature. Foyles in the UK was once listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the worlds largest bookshop in terms of shelf area (50 km). You can find books with 56 subjects from fiction (小說) to law and philosophy at its flagship store (旗艦店). Foyles also offers coffee and desserts to readers.Other bookstores make themselves a cultural hub by holding lots of reading-related activities. Eslite Bookstore (誠品書店), a well-known 24-hour bookstore in Taiwan provides activities including talks with famous writers as well as holding exhibitions. Their topics range from literature (文學(xué)) and arts to opera and the environment. At Eslite, people not only read but also socialize (社交) and care about broader issues.In many countries, secondhand bookstores have made reading more available to everyone. Strand Bookstore in the US sells used books for $2-3 (12-18 yuan) each. It helps to keep old books being read and make reading cheaper. Sometimes you can find very old, rare (罕見的) or simply out-of-print books at