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13. M3U1. Reading—Fog

Fog warning

When Polly left home that morning, the city was already covered in a grey mist. At lunch, the radio forecast that the mist would become a thick fog in the afternoon. At four o’clock, Polly left work and stepped out into the fog. She wondered if the buses would still be running.

No buses to King Street

Once out in the street, she walked quickly towards her usual bus stop. ‘How far are you going?’ the bus conductor asked her before he took her fare. ‘King Street,’ said Polly.

‘Sorry, Miss,’ replied the man, ‘the truth is that it is too foggy for the bus to run that far. Take the Underground to Green Park. The weather might be better there and you might be able to get a taxi.’

A tall man

As Polly observed the passengers on the train, she had a feeling that she was being watched by a tall man in a dark overcoat. At last the train arrived at Green Park station. While the rest of the passengers were getting out, she glanced at the faces around her. The tall man was nowhere to be seen.

Footsteps

When Polly got to the station entrance, it was empty. Outside, wherever she looked the fog lay like a thick, grey cloud. There was no one in sight. Polly set off towards Park Street. As she walked along the narrow street, she heard the sound of footsteps approaching, but by the time she reached the corner of the street, the footsteps were gone. Suddenly Polly felt a rough hand brush her cheek, and she heard a man’s voice in her ear saying ‘Sorry.’ The man moved away. She could feel her heart beating with fear.

The helpful stranger

Then she heard the sound again - soft footsteps behind her. A minute before, she had wished for someone to come along. Now she wanted to run, but fear held her still. The footsteps seemed close now. Then a man’s voice came out of the darkness. ‘Is anybody there?’

Polly hesitated. At last she answered, ‘Hello, I think I’m lost.’

A few seconds later, a hand reached out and grasped her arm. Polly found herself staring up at the face of an old man with a beard.

‘Maybe I can help you. Which road do you want?’ He asked.

‘I live at 86 King Street,’ Poly replied.

‘Just take my hand,’ said the man. ‘Come with me. You’ll be all right.’ He took Polly’s hand. ‘Watch out for the step here.’

In his other hand the man carried a stick. Polly heard it hit the step. ‘I can remember some terrible fogs, but maybe that was before your time. I can’t see your face, but you sound young. How old are you?’

‘Just twenty,’ answered Polly.

‘Ah, twenty! A nice age to be! I was young once. Now we’re at the crossroads. Turn left here.’

‘I’m quite lost now. Are you sure you know the way?’ Polly was beginning to feel frightened again.

‘Of course. You really shouldn’t feel anxious.’ He held her hand more firmly. The grateful helper

‘Here we are. King Street.’ He stopped.

‘Thank you so much for coming to my aid,’ said Polly in relief. ‘Would you like to come in and rest for a while?’

‘It’s very nice of you,’ said the man, ‘but I’ll be off. There may be more people lost today, and I’d like to help them. You see, a fog this bad is rare. It gives me the chance to pay back the help that people give me when it’s sunny. A blind person like me can’t get across the road without help, except in a fog like this.’

14. M3U1. Project (1)—Shark attacks

There are nearly 400 different types of sharks, but only about 30 types are known to have attacked human beings. Many people know that the most dangerous shark is the great white shark, mainly because they have seen the movie Jaws. However, two other sharks are also rather dangerous: the tiger shark and the bull shark.

Contrary to what many people might assume, evidence shows that sharks seldom attack humans. There are three types of shark attacks. In the main type, the shark attacks you because it mistakes you for a fish, but when it tastes human flesh it decides to give up and swim away. In the second type, the shark pushes you with its nose to find out if you are fit to be eaten, and then bites you if it thinks you are. In the third type, the shark waits for you to swim by, and then attacks you suddenly. The last two types of attack more often result in the death of humans.

To reduce the risk of a shark attack, you should follow these suggestions.

? Do not swim in the dark. Sharks can still see you but you cannot see them.

? Do not go swimming in the ocean if you have a fresh wound. Sharks can smell blood

over a long distance.

? Do not wear bright clothing or jewellery, because sharks are attracted to the flash of

colors and bright objects.

? Stay in groups, as sharks usually avoid large numbers of people. Recently, shark attacks have been increasing as water sports are becoming more popular. If a shark attacks you, follow the advice below.

? Keep calm. Do not panic.

? Hit the shark on the nose with your fist. ? Stick your finger in the shark's eye.

Don't be frightened by sharks: you are 30 times more likely to be hit by lightning than be attacked by a shark.

15. M3U1. Project (2)—The wonderful world of pigeons

It is night. All is quiet. The soldiers are asleep while a guard watches for the enemy. There is a flash, and the sound of guns! They are being attacked! Hundreds of enemy soldiers rush towards them. They are all going to be killed unless they get help. What should they do?

An officer writes a short message quickly on a small piece of paper: 'Being attacked! Hurry!' He rolls up the paper and puts it into a small case, and then reaches into a cage and gets a bird. Attaching the message to its leg, he sets the bird loose. It immediately flies into the air and disappears in the dark.

Will the bird arrive in time? Will they be saved?

Though it may seem hard to believe, the bird the officer uses is the same bird often seen in public parks—the pigeon. Pigeons have a wonderful sense of direction and can find their way home over long distances. Indeed, pigeons have been known to fly home from as far away as 1,800 kilometres. That is why pigeons have been used since ancient times to carry the news or even the mail. However, it was in war that they found their greatest use. During both World War I and II, pigeons were employed by armies to carry messages to and from the front lines, saving the lives of many soldiers and even helping win some important victories.

How do pigeons find their way? Pigeons appear to have a compass inside them that tells them

which way is north. How this compass works remains a mystery. Of course, since a compass alone is not enough to find one's way, they also appear to use their sight and even their sense of smell to tell them which way they should go. Unlike humans, they never get lost and can always find their way home.

16. M3U2. Reading—English and its history

All through history, people from many different countries and cultures have lived together in Britain. The English language is made up of the grammar and vocabulary these people brought to Britain. That is why English has so many difficult rules that confuse people.

Old English

Old English is very different from the English we speak nowadays .In fact, we would not be able to understand it if we heard it today. Before the middle of the 5th century, people in Britain all spoke a language called Celtic. Then two Germanic groups from the European mainland—the angles and the Saxons—occupied Britain. Old English consisted of a mixture of their languages. (Both the English language and the English people are named after the angles; the word Angle was spelt Engle in old English.) Aside from place names such as London, very few Celtic words became part of old English. At the end of the 9th century, the Vikings, people from Northern European countries such as Denmark and Norway, began to move to Britain. They brought with them their languages, which also mixed with Old English. By the 10th century, Old English had become the official language of England.

When we speak English today, we sometimes feel puzzled about which words or phrases to use. This is because English has many words and phrases from different languages, but with similar meanings. For example, the word sick came from a word once used by the Angles and the Saxons, while ill came from a word once used by the Norwegians.

Middle English

Middle English is the name given to the English used from around the 12th to the 15th centuries. Many things played a part in the development of this new type of English. The most important contribution was from the Normans, a French-speaking people who defeated England and took control of the country in 1066. However, the Norman Conquest did not affect English as much as the Angles and the Saxons’ victory about 600 years earlier, which led to old English replacing Celtic. Even though the Normans spoke French for the entire 250 years they ruled

English, French did not replace English as the first language. On the other hand, the English language did borrow many words from French. This resulted in even more words with similar meanings, such as answer (from Old English) and reply (from Old French). It is interesting to learn how the words for animals and meat developed. After the Norman Conquest, many English people worked as servants who raised animals. Therefore, the words we use for most animals raised for food such as cow, sheep and pig, came from Old English. However, the words for the meat of these animals, which was served to the Normans, came from Old French: beef, mutton, pork and bacon.

Old French made other contributions to Middle English as well. In Old English, the Germanic way of making words plural was used. For example, they said housen instead of houses, and shoen instead of shoes. After the Normans took control they began using the French way of making plurals, adding an –s to house and shoe. Only a few words kept their Germanic plural forms, such as man/men and child/children.

After the Norman Conquest, high-class people spoke French while common people spoke English. However, by the latter half of the 14th century, English had come into widespread use among all classes in England. In 1399, Henry IV became King of England. His mother tongue was English, and he used English for all official events.

Modern English

Modern English appeared during the Renaissance in the 16th century. Because of this, modern English includes many Latin and Greek words. Pronunciation also went through huge changes during this period. Of course, this was not the end of the changes in the English language. The question of whether English will keep on changing in the future is easy to answer. It is certain that this process will continue, and people will keep inventing new words and new ways of saying things.

17. M3U2. Project (1)—The development of Chinese characters

The Chinese language differs from Western languages in that instead of an alphabet, it uses characters which stand for ideas, objects or deeds. Chinese words are formed by putting together different characters. In many cases, a single character can also make up a word. The history of the Chinese language can be examined by looking at how these characters developed.

Chinese writing began thousands of years ago. According to an ancient story, a man named Cang Jie invented Chinese writing. One winter day while he was hunting, he saw the tracks of