Module 1 Wonders of the world
Unit1 What is a wonder of the world?
OK, come and sit down!
What's happening?
We're having a meeting.
That's news to me! I'm doing my homework. What's it about?
The school magazine.
What school magazine?
Right, listen up, everyone. Did anyone watch television yesterday evening? Did you see the interview with Becky Wang?
She sings with the band Crazy Feet. She's my favourite singer.
Yes, I saw it. She went to our school!
Well, she started a school magazine called New Standard when she was a pupil here. So why don't we start a school magazine, too? I've written down some ideas. We'll write a diary of school events, and tell everyone about the school concert and the dance club.
And school basketball matches.
But who will write the articles?
We'll write the articles. Any more ideas?
I know! I'll do some reviews about our favourite bands and movies!
And I'll do an interview with Becky Wang!
Brilliant! Anyone else?
How about "Homework Help"?
Yes, some ideas on how to get good grades!
What's your homework, Daming?
I'm writing a composition called "What is a wonder of the world?" I'm reading about the ancient pyramids in Egypt.
"Homework Help". I think that's a fantastic idea, Daming.
贝蒂：好吧，进来坐下！
大明：什么事？
玲玲：我们在开会。
大明：我一点都不知道，我在做作业。这个会是关于什么的？
玲玲；校园杂志。
大明：什么校园杂志？
贝蒂：好吧，大家请注意。昨晚有人看电视了吗？你们看到对贝基·王的采访了吗？
玲玲：她和Crazy Feet 乐队一起演唱。她是我最喜欢的歌手。
托尼：是的，我看了，她去过我们学校！
贝蒂：噢，当她还在这儿上学的时候，创办了一份叫做《新标准》的校园杂志。那么我们为什么不也创办一份校园杂志呢？我已经写下了一些想法。我们要记录下学校每天发生的事，还要告诉大家校园音乐会以及舞蹈俱乐部的事情。
托尼：还有校园篮球比赛。
玲玲：但是谁写文章呢？
贝蒂：我们来写文章，还有什么想法吗？
托尼：我知道了，我要就我们喜爱的乐队和电影写一些评论！
玲玲：我要采访贝基·王！
贝蒂：太好了，还有别人吗？
大明：“家庭作业小助手”怎么样？
托尼：是的，一些关于如何取得好成绩的想法！
玲玲：大明，你的作业呢？
大明：我在写出一篇叫做《什么是世界奇观？》的作文。我在读有关埃及古老的金字塔的事情。
贝蒂：“家庭作业小助手“。大明，我想那是一个极好的主意。
Unit 2 I was on the edge of the Gran Canyon.
The greatest wonder of the natural world
When I arrived, it was early morning and it was raining. I got out of the car, went through a gate and walked along a path. In the east, the sky was becoming light, but beside the path, it was still very dark. I knew it was there, but there was nothing to see.
After about a kilometre, a stranger appeared in front of me. "Am I going the right way?" I asked. He knew where I was going. "Yes," he replied, "you'll get there in five minutes." Finally, I came to some rocks, and stopped. I looked carefully over them, but it was still too dark to see anything.
Suddenly, the clouds cleared and the rain stopped. The sun rose behind me and beyond the rocks. I saw that the ground fell away and down to a river, far below me. I was on the edge of the Grand Canyon, one of the wonders of the natural world.
I looked down to the Colorado River about 2 k ilometres below me. If you put the three tallest buildings in the world at the bottom of the canyon, they still won't reach the top. Then I looked across to the other side of the canyon. How far is it? It's 20 kilometres, maybe more. Finally, I looked to my left and to my right, and on both sides the canyon disappeared into the distance…over 400 kilometres long. The Grand Canyon is not just big. It's huge!
That morning on the edge of the canyon, I asked myself a question. It's not "How deep is it?" or "How wide is it?" or "How long is it?" but "Is the Grand Canyon the greatest wonder anywhere in the natural world?" I know the answer. But what do you think?
自然界最伟大的奇观
我到达的时候是一大早，天正在下雨。我走出汽车，穿过一个门口，沿着一条小路前行。在东方，天空正在变亮，但路边仍然很黑。我知道，它就在那里，但什么也看不见。
大约过了1000米，一个陌生人出现在我面前。我问：“我走的路对吗？他知道我要去哪里。他回答：“对，5分钟后你就会到那里。”最后，我来到一些岩石旁边停下。我仔细地从这些岩石上面看，但是天仍然太黑，我看不见任何东西。
突然，云散了，雨停了。太阳从我身后升起，它离那些岩石很远。我看见地面沉降到下面深谷中的一条河里，离我特别遥远。我站在自然界的奇观之一 ——大峡谷的边缘。
我俯视着距我大约2000米之遥的科罗拉多河。如果你把世界上最高的三座建筑物放在峡谷的底部，它们也不能达到顶部。然后，我眺望峡谷的另一边，它多远？20000米或许更远。最后，我向左右遥望，在两边，大峡谷消失在远方……400多千米长。大峡谷不仅是大。它是巨大！
那天早上在大峡谷的边缘，我问了自己一个问题。它不是“它多深？”或者“它多宽？”或者“它多长？”而是“大峡谷是自然界最伟大的奇观吗？”我知道答案。但是你怎样认为？
Module 2 Great books
Unit1 Confucius’ works are read by many people.
Hello, Betty. What's up? What are you doing in the library?
I was looking for some old copies of the school magazine. If I've got it right, it was called New Standard.
That's right. As far as I remember, it was started by Becky Wang.We don't have a school magazine any more. It's a pity.
Well, I'm thinking about starting it again.
Sounds like a good idea! Go on.
I was also looking for something by Confucius and by Shakespeare.
Really? That's a bit difficult for the school magazine.
Well, I'd like a monthly article called "Great Books"--- you know, someone reads a favourite work of literature and writes an article about it.
I see. Confucius' works are still read by many people today, and we're still influenced by his thoughts. And Shakespeare's plays are seen by millions of people every year. But how about an American writer, Mark Twain, for example.
I don't know. Mark Twain was an important writer, but he isn't known as a great thinker like Confucius.
No, but his books are still popular. In fact, he wrote my favourite book The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Perhaps that's what makes "Great Books" --- they're still read today.
So why don't you write the first article on "Great Books"?
杰克逊先生：你好，贝蒂，什么事？你在图书馆里做什么？
贝蒂：我在找一些学校杂志的旧册子。如果我没记错的话，经叫《新标准》。
杰克逊先生：对。凭我记忆，这本杂志是由贝基·王创办的。我们不再有学校杂志了。这很遗憾。
贝蒂：噢，我在考虑再创办校园杂志。
杰克逊先生：听起来像个好主意，继续吧。
贝蒂：我也在找一些孔子和莎士比亚写的东西。
杰克逊先生：真的吗？对于校园杂志来说它有点难。
贝蒂：噢，我想每月登一篇叫“名著欣赏”的文章。你知道，有的人读最喜欢的文学作品并且写关于它的文章。
杰克逊先生：我明白了。今天，仍然有许多人在读孔子的论著，我们也仍然受他的思想的影响。每年，数百万人看莎士比亚的戏剧。但是，美国作家呢？例如，马克·吐温？
贝蒂：我不知道，马克·吐温一位重要的作家，但他并不像孔子那样作为伟大的思想家而闻名于世。
杰克逊先生：不，但他的书仍然很受欢迎，其实，他写了我最喜欢的书《汤姆·索亚历险记》。也许，这正是能入选“名著欣赏“的关键——它们至今仍被广泛阅读。
贝蒂：那么你为什么不写关于“名著欣赏“的第一篇文章呢？
Unit 2 It’s still read and loved.
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Here is our monthly article on a favourite great book. This month, our guest writer is Mr Jackson.
My favourite great book is The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain. Tom lives with his aunt Polly in the quiet streets of St Petersburg, Missouri. He's a lively and clever young boy, and he finds himself in many exciting adventures. He runs away with his two friends, Huck Finn and Joe, to an island in the middle of the Mississippi River for several days. With Huck he goes looking for treasure, with Becky he gets lost in a cave and finally, they find a box of gold.
My favourite scene in the book is when everyone thinks Tom is dead. He decides to go to his own funeral. He hides and watches for a time, and then suddenly he appears. Everyone is surprised to see him but they're also pleased to see him alive.
Tom is the hero of the story, but there are other important characters. Huck is an outsider and everyone is afraid of him. Becky is pretty with fair hair, Joe is Tom's best friend, and Injun Joe is the bad man of the story.
The themes of the story are to do with children growing up and becoming more serious. It describes how strangers are seen in small towns of America. Finally, it talks about freedom, social rules and how people are punished for bad behaviour.
Why do I think Tom Sawyer is a great book? Mark Twain wrote the story in 1876, but it's still read and loved by people all over the world today. And although it's only a story, Twain wrote it in the everyday English of the southern states of America in the 19th Century, so it sounds very real. Today it's thought to be one of the greatest books in American literature. Go on --- read it! I know you'll enjoy it, too.
名著：《汤姆·索亚历险记》
我们每月关于最喜欢的名著的文章。这个月，我们邀请的作家是杰克逊先生。
我最喜欢的名著是马克·吐温写的《汤姆·索亚历险记》。汤姆和他的波莉阿姨住在密苏里州圣彼得斯堡的僻静的街上。他是一个活泼聪明的小男孩，他发现自己陷入了许多令人兴奋的冒险之中。他和他的两个朋友哈克·费恩和乔逃跑到密西西比河中部的一个岛上呆发许多天。他和哈克去寻宝，和贝基在山洞之中迷路，最后，他们找到了个盒金子。
书中我最喜欢的情景是当每个人都认为汤姆死了，他决定去参加他自己的葬礼。他藏起来看了一会儿，然后突然出现，每个人看到他都很惊讶，但是他们看到他还活着也很高兴。
汤姆是故事里的主人，但是也有其他重要的角色，哈克是一个局外人，但是每个人都怕他。贝基长着金发，非常可爱。乔是汤姆最好的朋友，印第安·乔是故事里的坏人。
故事的主题和孩子们的成长以及变得更加成熟稳重有关。它描述了在美国的小城镇陌生人是怎样被看见。最后，它谈论自由，社会规章制度和人们是怎样因为做坏事而被惩罚。
为什么我认为《汤姆·索亚历险记》是名著？马克·吐温是在1876年写的这个故事，但它今天仍被全世界的人们阅读和喜爱。虽然它仅仅是个故事，但是马克·吐温用19世纪美国南部各州的日常英语写成，所以它听起来非常真实。今天它被认为是美国文学中最伟大的著作之一。去读它吧，我知道你会喜欢它的。
Module 3 Sporting life
Unit 1 When will the match be held?
Hi, Tony. You look tired.
Yes. I'm training with BIG, the Beijing International Globetrotters, for the School Basketball Competition. It's the big match next week.
Who's it against?
HAS.
What does HAS stand for?
Haidian All Stars.
Oh, yes. You were defeated last time.
What was the score?
All Stars 98 points to Globetrotters 52. So when will the match be held?
Next Saturday. Are you coming?
Yes. It's going to be a tough match. I'm going to write a report for New Standard.
I agree. Are you in the team, Daming?
No, I wasn't chosen this time. Why are you smiling, Betty?
Well, I've seen HAS play several times this season, and they're brilliant! And if you want my opinion…
No, I don't…
…you've got no chance! What do you reckon, Lingling?
I think you're right, Betty.
Well, you won't be allowed to watch with our fans if that's what you think!
It's true, Daming.
Well, I don't agree. We're playing really well this season. I think we're so good that we'll be asked to play in the Olympic Games.
Don't let them get to you, Tonny!
(They leave)
Hee hee! Nice work, Betty!
Of course. They're so mad with us that they'll try harder to win, just to show we're wrong!
玲玲：你好，托尼。你看上去很累。
托尼：是的。我正和BIG—北京国际环球者为学校的篮球赛训练。那时下周的一个大赛。
贝蒂：和谁比赛？
大明：HAS
玲玲：HAS代表什么？
托尼：代表海淀之星
贝蒂：哦，是的。上次你们被打败了。
玲玲：比分是多少？
贝蒂：海淀之星和环球者的比分是98比52。那么，比赛什么时候举行？
大明：下周六，你来吗？
贝蒂：是的。那将是一场艰苦的比赛。我打算为《新标准》写一篇报道。
玲玲：我同意。大明，你参加比赛吗？
大明：不参加，我这次没有被选上。贝蒂，你为什么笑？
贝蒂：哦，这个赛季我看过HAS大的几场比赛，他们太棒了！如果你想知道我的看法……
托尼：不，我不……
贝蒂：……你们没有机会了！玲玲，你认为呢？
玲玲：我认为你是对的贝蒂。
大明：哦，如果你那么想，不允许你和我们的球迷一起看比赛！
贝蒂：大明，那是事实。
托尼：哦，我不同意。这个赛季我们打得确实很好。我认为我们如此棒，以至于会被邀请去奥运会打比赛。
大明：不要让他们影响你，托尼！
玲玲：嘿嘿，贝蒂，做得好！
贝蒂：当然，他们如此生我们的气，以至于他们会努力去获胜，来证明我们错了。