参考答案 - 选修第四册第一单元
UNIT 1 SCIENCE FICTION
Reading and Writing
① Look at the picture. What do you think is inside the cave? Do some research about our planet to find the answers to the following questions.
● How old is the earth?
● What is the structure of the earth?
● How deep is the earth's crust?
● What is at the centre of the earth?
● What is the deepest cave ever found?
② Read part of a story about an amazing journey to the centre of the earth by famous writer Jules Verne. Underline the words that describe the unusual environment the explorers discover. What natural environments does it remind you of?
JOURNEY TO THE CENTRE OF THE EARTH
At first I could hardly see anything. After so long descending deep into the earth through dark, narrow caves, my eyes were not used to the light. But when I could focus again, I stood amazed.
"It's a ... sea!" I cried.
"Yes," my uncle replied, "and I shall give it my name, as it was discovered by me!"
A vast lake or even an ocean, spread far beyond where the eye could see. The shore was lined with shining sand, and was being softly lapped by waves. It was covered with small
shells which were once inhabited by the first living beings. Around this sea stood a huge rock wall that was being worn away by the endless action of the waves.
I could see far over this great sea because it was being lit up by a strange light. Not sunlight, of course, as we were deep below the surface. No; with its bright, clear whiteness, the light must have been electric. Under the "sky", if it could be called so, being made of rock, were also vast clouds. They were being illuminated by this light, but the light gave no heat, so the place felt rather gloomy. Here we were, shut up inside a cave of a size that could not be estimated. It must have been several miles high.
Human words cannot describe the discoveries of those who have been deep into the earth. My imagination was powerless before such wonders. I felt like I was on some distant planet, and was both amazed and rather scared. However, I was energised by the breezy salty air supplying more oxygen to my lungs. After many days in much narrower spaces, it was a great relief.
"Ready to walk a little now?" asked my uncle.
"Yes, certainly."
"Well, let us follow the shore then," he said, and we began to explore.
Soon in front of us appeared a tall, dense forest, composed of trees formed like umbrellas. "Mushrooms!" said my uncle. And he was right! There were mushrooms in their thousands, and each at least thirty feet high.
"Wonderful!" cried my uncle. "A botanist never had such a feast as this! Now look under your feet."
"Oh yes!" I exclaimed.
I hadn't noticed the many bones, which were being crushed under our feet as we walked. Suddenly I thought, if once these monsters lived here, might some still roam through these gloomy forests? I anxiously surveyed the landscape, but we were the only living creatures in this subterranean world. Thankfully!
Eventually we returned to the cave we had entered from, and I fell asleep with strange thoughts. Where did this underground sea end? Where did it lead to?
③ Read the text again and answer the questions below.
1 Why could the narrator not see anything at first?
2 Why was the light in the cave strange?
3 Why was the narrator unable to describe what he saw in human words?
4 Why was the narrator scared by the bones?
④ What can you remember of the story? Note down as many things as you can recall, and then retell the story using your notes.
⑤ Write a summary of the text in your own words.
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⑥ Imagine you are a reporter. Write a newspaper article reporting on the journey to the centre of the earth.
1 Find the most interesting things worth reporting from the extract.
2 Imagine what happens before and later in the journey and how you want the story to end. Take notes of your ideas.
3 Decide whether to include:
● Facts about the earth, for example, its size, age, composition, etc.
● Pictures of what the underground world looks like.
4 Think of an interesting headline to get the readers' attention.
5 Write your article. Use language similar to what journalists use. Look at other news reports and articles to help you.
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第一单元 科幻作品
Suggested Answers
Activity 1
I think the cave is probably empty, but it is really hard to tell without going in and exploring it.
The earth is thought to be 4.5 billion years old. It has five layers: crust, outer mantle, inner mantle, outer core, and inner core. The crust is 8 km to 70 km thick and made mostly from rocks. The mantle is both solid and fluid. At the very centre of the earth, there is the inner core, which is thought to be made up mostly of iron and nickel, and which is solid. The deepest cave on the earth is the Veryovkina Cave in the country of Georgia, which is at least 2,212 metres deep.
Activity 2
Vast lake or even an ocean; shore was lined with shining sand; a huge rock wall that was being worn away by the endless action of the waves; lit up by a strange light; vast clouds; a tall, dense forest, composed of trees formed like umbrellas; mushrooms in their
thousands, and each at least thirty feet high.
The scene reminds me of a strange beach in the far north, where it is not cold enough to have ice or snow in the summer, but where there is very little life.
Activity 3
1 His eyes were not used to the light.
2 It was not sunlight; with its bright, clear whiteness, the light must have been electric.
3 His imagination was powerless.
4 He was worried about monsters.
Activity 4
a large ocean; trees like mushrooms; the strange light in the cave, bones on the beach; high walls of rock; a rock "sky"; vast clouds; bones, etc.
Activity 5
A man and his uncle travelled down into a cave. The cave opened up in a large room that contained a vast ocean of salt water. High above them was a light which must have been electric in nature. Along the shore were tall trees which looked like umbrellas. These were mushrooms. As they walked along the beach, they found many bones. However, they could see no living animals.
Activity 6
Giant Underground Ocean Found!
Today, explorers Peter David and his uncle Steven Winston announced that they had discovered a huge underground ocean while they were exploring Krubera Cave in the country of Georgia. David and Winston were on an expedition to find the bottom of Krubera Cave. It took them three weeks to pass the previous lowest point in the cave, which is 2,197 metres below the entrance. The two climbers then found a small side passage which they had to crawl through on their stomachs. After more than 200 metres, this passage opened up to a large room that contained a vast ocean of salt water. High above them was a light which must have been electric in nature. Along the shore were tall trees which looked like umbrellas. These were actually mushrooms. As they walked along the beach, they found many bones. However, they could see no living animals. After exploring the shores of the ocean for some time, they had to return to the surface as their supplies were running low. When asked how old the ocean was, Winston replied that it looked nearly as old as the earth itself, which is 4.5 billion years in age. Winston then went on to say that they intended to go back to the cave next year with more supplies and some small boats. "We are far from done with exploring this cave," Winston said. "The earth's crust is anywhere from 5 to 70 kilometres deep, but we've only gone down two kilometres. There is much more left to discover down there."
