中学生考典

Unit 4 The earth Section 1 Experiencing and understanding language Reading Page 53 The amazing planet The Earth is an amazing planet! Some places are very hot, like the areas near the equator. Some are freezing cold, like the North and South Poles. There are fields and mountains, rivers and seas, forests and deserts. The highest mountain on Earth is over 8, 800 meters above sea level. And the deepest part of the sea is more than 10, 000 meters down. The plants on Earth are wonderful in many different ways. The tallest trees in the world can reach over 100 meters in height. The smallest plant is as small as a grain of rice. The Earth is home to millions of animals. Some, like tigers and lions, live on land. Other animals, like birds, enjoy the wide-open sky. Big blue whales call the sea home, along with many amazing fish. From bears to birds, from butterflies to seahorses, animals make our planet lovely and interesting. And what's more, the Earth provides us with all the things we need, such as food, water, air and energy. It is our home and the only planet we know that supports life. Let's explore, learn about and take care of our home. 神奇的星球 地球是一颗神奇的星球！ 有些地方非常炎热，比如赤道附近地区。有些地方则严寒无比，例如南北两极。地球上有田野和山脉、河流与海洋、森林和沙漠。地球上最高的山海拔超过8800米。而海洋最深处则在海平面以下10000多米。 地球上的植物在很多方面都很奇妙。世界上最高的树能长到100多米高。最小的植物小得像一粒米。 地球是数以百万计动物的家园。有些动物，如老虎和狮子，生活在陆地上。其他动物，如鸟类，在广阔的天空翱翔。巨大的蓝鲸与许多神奇的鱼类一起以海洋为家。从熊到鸟，从蝴蝶到海马，动物们让我们的星球变得可爱又有趣。 而且，地球为我们提供了我们所需的一切，比如食物、水、空气和能源。它是我们的家园，也是我们所知道的唯一有生命存在的星球。让我们探索、了解并爱护我们的家园吧。

Listening A quiz about the sea Page 56

Section 3 Expressing and communicating ideas Speaking Talking about the problems the Earth is facing Page 59 Look at the photos below. Work in pairs and take turns asking and answering questions about the problems the Earth is facing. S1: What problem is the Earth facing? S2: People catch a lot of fish. There are fewer and fewer fish in the sea each year.

Section 4 Extending and developing competencies Focusing on cultures Page 62 Do you wonder when and how Chinese people first began to mark the changing seasons? 1. Read the article to find out how ancient Chinese people divided up the year. Saihanba: turning desert into forest Saihanba is a forest park in the north of Hebei. It is about 400 km from Beijing. For hundreds of years, the emperors went there to hunt. But in the 1800s, things began to change. There were forest fires and wars, and people cut down many trees. Saihanba slowly turned into a desert. When the forest disappeared, there were terrible sandstorms in the Beijing area. In the early 1960s, a group of scientists travelled to Saihanba to find a solution. They found an old tree in the middle of the desert. “Maybe we can still plant trees here,” they thought. In 1962, the first tree planters arrived in Saihanba. The cold and dry weather made their work very difficult, and strong winds blew away many young trees. In winter, it got as cold as -40℃. Three generations of forest workers continued the hard work. Thanks to them, Saihanba is green again. It is today the world's biggest man-made forest. There are hundreds of millions of trees there. The forest helps provide the capital with clean water, and there are fewer sandstorms in the Beijing area now. 塞罕坝：沙漠变森林 塞罕坝是河北北部的一个森林公园。它距离北京约400千米。数百年来，皇帝们都到那里狩猎。但到了19世纪，情况开始发生变化。发生了森林火灾，爆发了战争，人们砍伐了许多树木。塞罕坝慢慢变成了一片沙漠。 当森林消失后，北京地区出现了严重的沙尘暴。20世纪60年代初，一群科学家前往塞罕坝寻找解决办法。他们在沙漠中央发现了一棵古树。他们想： “也许我们仍然可以在这里种树。”1962年，第一批植树者到达塞罕坝。寒冷干燥的天气使他们的工作非常艰难，强风刮走了许多小树苗。冬天，气温低至零下40摄氏度。 三代林业工作者继续着这项艰苦的工作。多亏了他们，塞罕坝又变绿了。如今它是世界上最大的人造森林。那里有成亿棵树。这片森林有助于为首都提供清洁的水源，现在北京地区的沙尘暴也减少了。

Cross-curricular connection: Earth science Page 64 Air surrounds the Earth. All living things on Earth need air to survive. What is air like? Read the poem about air and the text about wind. Then complete the sentences below. Air Air has no smell. Air has no taste. But when the wind blows, You feel it on your face. Look at that kite, Or the plane over there. How do they stay up? They ride on the air. How does that balloon, Float in the sky? Well, it's simply hot air, That makes balloons fly! We need air to breathe. We need air to survive. And when we breathe it, It keeps us alive. Wind Clouds move across the sky, and it's all thanks to the wind.These clouds bring in rain for thirsty trees and flowers. There are weathercocks like this one on top of some buildings. A weathercock gives us the answer to this question, “Where is the wind blowing from?” We can use the wind to produce clean energy. Windmills provide people with electricity.