1、Unit1 IN SEARCH OF THE AMBER ROOMFrederick William I, the King of Prussia, could never have imagined that his greatest gift to the Russian people would have such an amazing history. This gift was the Amber Room, which was given this name because several tons of amber were used to make it. The amber

2、which was selected had a beautiful yellow-brown colour like honey. The design of the room was in the fancy style popular in those days. It was also a treasure decorated with gold and jewels, which took the countrys best artists about ten years to make.In fact, the room was not made to be a gift. It

3、was designed for the palace of Frederick I. However, the next King of Prussia, Frederick William I, to whom the amber room belonged, decided not to keep it. In 1716 he gave it to Peter the Great. In return, the Czar sent him a troop of his best soldiers. So the Amber Room became part of the Czars wi

4、nter palace in St Petersburg. About four metres long, the room served as a small reception hall for important visitors.Later, Catherine II had the Amber Room moved to a palace outside St Petersburg where she spent her summers. She told her artists to add more details to it. In 1770 the room was comp

5、leted the way she wanted. Almost six hundred candles lit the room, and its mirrors and pictures shone like gold. Sadly, although the Amber Room was considered one of the wonders of the world, it is now missing.In September 1941, the Nazi army was near St Petersburg. This was a time when the two coun

6、tries were at war. Before the Nazis could get to the summer palace, the Russians were able to remove some furniture and small art objects from the Amber Room. However, some of the Nazis secretly stole the room itself. In less than two days 100,000 pieces were put inside twenty-seven wooden boxes. Th

7、ere is no doubt that the boxes were then put on a train for Konigsberg, which was at that time a German city on the Baltic Sea. After that, what happened to the Amber Room remains a mystery.Recently, the Russians and Germans have built a new Amber Room at the summer palace. By studying old photos of

8、 the former Amber Room, they have made the new one look like the old one. In 2003 it was ready for the people of St Petersburg when they celebrated the 300th birthday of their city.Unit3 WHO AM I?Over time I have been changed quite a lot. I began as a calculating machine in France in 1642. Although

9、I was young I could simplify difficult sums. I developed very slowly and it took nearly two hundred years before I was built as an analytical machine by Charles Babbage. After I was programmed by an operator who used cards with holes, I could think logically and produce an answer quicker than any pe

10、rson. At that time it was considered a technological revolution and the start of my artificial intelligence. In 1936 my real father, Alan Turing, wrote a book about how I could be made to work as a universal machine to solve any difficult mathematical problem. From then on, I grew rapidly both in si

11、ze and in brainpower. By the 1940s I had grown as large as a room, and I wondered if I would grow any larger. However, this reality also worried my designers. As time went by, I was made smaller. First as a PC (personal computer and then as a laptop, I have been used in offices and homes since the 1

12、970s.These changes only became possible as my memory improved. First it was stored in tubes, then on transistors and later on very small chips. As a result I totally changed my shape. As I have grown older I have also grown smaller. Over time my memory has developed so much that, like an elephant, I

13、 never forget anything I have been told! And my memory became so large that even I couldnt believe it! But I was always so lonely standing there by myself, until in the early 1960s they gave me a family connected by a network. I was able to share my knowledge with others through the World Wide Web.S

14、ince the 1970s many new applications have been found for me. I have become very important in communication, finance and trade. I have also been put into robots and used to make mobile phones as well as help with medical operations. I have even been put into space rockets and sent to explore the Moon

15、 and Mars. Anyhow, my goal is to provide humans with a life of high quality. I am now truly filled with happiness that I am a devoted friend and helper of the human race!Unit4 HOW DAISY LEARNED TO HELP WLDLIFEDaisy had always longed to help endangered species of wildlife. One day she woke up and fou

16、nd a flying carpet by her bed. Where do you want to go? it asked. Daisy responded immediately. Id like to see some endangered wildlife, she said. Please take me to a distant land where I can find the animal that gave fur to make this sweater. At once the carpet flew away and took her to Tibet. There

17、 Daisy saw an antelope looking sad. It said, Were being killed for the wool beneath our stomachs. Our fur is being used to make sweaters for people like you. As a result, we are now an endangered species. At that Daisy cried, Im sorry I didnt know that. I wonder what is being done to help you. Flyin

18、g carpet, please show me a place where theres some wildlife protection.The flying carpet travelled so fast that next minute they were in Zimbabwe. Daisy turned around and found that she was being watched by an elephant. Have you come to take my photo? it asked.In relief Daisy burst into laughter. Do

19、nt laugh,said the elephant, We used to be an endangered species. Farmers hunted us without mercy. They said we destroyed their farms, and money from tourists only went to the large tour companies.So the government decided to help. They allowed tourists to hunt only a certain number of animals if the

20、y paid the farmers. Now the farmers are happy and our numbers are increasing. So good things are being done here to save local wildlife.Daisy smiled. Thats good news. It shows the importance of wildlife protection, but Id like to help as the WWF suggests. The carpet rose again and almost at once the

21、y were in a thick rainforest. A monkey watched them as it rubbed itself. What are you doing? asked Daisy. ” Im protecting myself from mosquitoes, it replied. When I find a millipede insect, I rub it over my body. It contains a powerful drug which affects mosquitoes. You should pay more attention to

22、the rainforest where I live and appreciate how the animals live together. No rainforest, no animals, no drugs.Daisy was amazed. Flying carpet, please take me home so I can tell WWF and we can begin producing this new drug. Monkey, please come and help. The monkey agreed. The carpet flew home. As the

23、y landed, things began to disappear. Two minutes later everything had gone - the monkey, too. So Daisy was not able to make her new drug. But what an experience! She had learned so much! And there was always WWF .THE BAND THAT WASNTHave you ever wanted to be part of a band as a famous singer or musi

24、cian? Have you ever dreamed of playing in front of thousands of people at a concert, at which everyone is clapping and appreciating your music? Do you sing karaoke and pretend you are a famous singer like Song Zuying or Liu Huan? To be honest, a lot of people attach great importance to becoming rich

25、 and famous. But just how do people form a band?Many musicians meet and form a band because they like to write and play their own music. They may start as a group of high-school students, for whom practicing their music in someones house is the first step to fame. Sometimes they may play to passers-

26、by in the street or subway so that they can earn some extra money for themselves or to pay for their instruments. Later they may give performances in pubs or clubs, for which they are paid in cash. Of course they hope to make records in a studio and sell millions of copies to become millionaires!How

27、ever, there was one band that started in a different way. It was called the Monkees and began as a TV show. The musicians were to play jokes on each other as well as play music, most of which was based loosely on the Beatles. The TV organizers had planned to find four musicians who could act as well

28、 as sing. They put an advertisement in a newspaper looking for rock musicians, but they could only find one who was good enough. They had to use actors for the other three members of the band.As some of these actors could not sing well enough, they had to rely on other musicians to help them. So dur

29、ing the broadcasts they just pretended to sing. Anyhow their performances were humorous enough to be copied by other groups. They were so popular that their fans formed clubs in order to get more familiar with them. Each week on TV, the Monkees would play and sing songs written by other musicians. H

30、owever, after a year or so in which they became more serious about their work, the Monkees started to play and sing their own songs like a real band. Then they produced their own records and started touring and playing their own music. In the USA they became even more popular than the Beatles and so

31、ld even more records. The band broke up about 1970, but happily they reunited in the mid-1980s. They produced a new record in 1996, with which they celebrated their former time as a real band.尋找琥珀廳弗雷德里克威廉我,普魯士國王,從未想像過這恩賜與俄羅斯人會令人驚喜的歷史。這個禮物,琥珀屋的,賜給這個名字,因為好幾噸的琥珀被用來制造它。琥珀被選有一個美麗的黃棕色的顏色就像蜂蜜。房間的設計是別致的流行的日

32、子。這也是一種珍惜用金子來裝飾和珠寶,將國家的最好的藝術家們大約10年了。事實上,這個房間沒有是作為禮物送人的。它是設計出用于弗雷德里克的宮殿。然而,普魯士的下一任國王弗雷德里克威廉我、就是琥珀屬于,決定不去保持它。在1716他給了彼得最重要的東西。作為回報,沙皇送給他一群他最好的士兵。所以琥珀房成了沙皇的一部分在圣彼得堡冬宮。大約四米長,房間作為一個小接待大廳為重要的游客。后來,凱瑟琳二世琥珀屋的搬到一座宮殿外面圣彼得堡她在她的夏天。她告訴她的藝術家添加更多的細節。在1770年房間是完成了她想要的。幾乎六百蠟燭照亮了房間,它的鏡子,圖片閃閃發光。遺憾的是,盡管琥珀廳被認為是世界奇跡之一,現在

33、不見了。在1941年9月期間,納粹軍隊近了圣彼得堡。這是一段時間,兩國處于交戰狀態。在納粹寒得赴頤和園,俄國人能夠取消一些家具和小藝術品從琥珀廳。然而,一些的納粹暗中偷了房間本身。在不到兩天的時間內擺放了10萬件27木箱里。毫無疑問,這些箱子然后穿上了Konigsberg的火車在那時波羅的海邊的一個德國城市。在那之后,琥珀屋的發生了什么仍然是個謎。我是誰長期以來,我已經改變很多。我剛開始的時候只是一個機器在法國1642年的計算。雖然我年輕的時候,我能夠簡化困難的總結。我養成了非常緩慢,它花了近兩百年以前,我建造機器,作為一種分析查爾斯巴貝奇。我由操作員可使用卡片上,我可以“思考”的答案,并且產

34、生一個合乎邏輯的速度比任何人。那時,人們認為技術革命,開始準備我的“人工智能”。1936年我真正的父親,艾倫圖靈,寫了一本關于我怎么能夠正常運做“通用機器”來解決任何困難的數學問題。從那以后,我保持快速增長無論大小和智力。在1940年代我成長一樣大的房間,我懷疑是否能有更大的增長。然而,這個實相也擔心我的設計師。隨著時間的推移,我叫小。首先作為一個PC(個人電腦,然后又成為了一名筆記本電腦,我被使用在20世紀70年代以來,辦公室和家庭。這些變化是有可能的,因為我的記憶中提高。首先是儲存在管,然后在晶體管和后來非常小的芯片。結果完全改變了我的形狀。隨著我的年齡增長我也變得渺小。隨著時間的推移,我

35、的記憶中進展得如此之多,就像大象,我永遠都不會忘記告訴我該做的事情!和我的記憶變得如此大,即使我真不敢相信!不過我還是太孤獨了站在那里我自己,直到20世紀60年代初他們給了我一個家庭網絡連接。我能分享我的知識與另一些是通過萬維網上。20世紀70年代以來,許多新的應用了我。我成了非常重要的通信、金融和貿易。我也被推到機器人和用于制造手機以及幫助與醫療操作。我也被向太空發射火箭和派去探索月球和火星。總之,我的目標是給人類提供了高質量的生活。我現在真正充滿幸福的,我是一個忠實的朋友和幫手人類!安迪-機器人我的第一個足球比賽是在日本名古屋幾年以前的事了。去年,我們的團隊去西雅圖,華盛頓在美國。我們獲得

36、第二名。我個人認為,球隊贏得了第一名騙了。他們已經開發了一種新型的節目就在競賽。所以我們需要鼓勵我們的程序員來提高我們的智力也一樣。我們決心要創造更好的系統。在某種程度上我們的程序員是喜歡我們的教練。她計劃我們的所有可能的移動,看她已經看過了人類的游戲。然后她準備可靠的移動到使用如果出現新情況。我用 這種方式可以使新動作使用“我的人工智能” 。我真希望能夠與其他人類的隊伍,為我有程 序來行動和他們一樣。畢竟,在同學的幫助下,我電子腦過目不忘的,用我的智慧就是我的一 切。 戴西學會了如何幫助野生動植物 戴西一直渴望幫助種瀕臨絕種的野生動物。有一天,她醒來時,發現一飛行的地毯上被她的 床上,“你想

37、去哪里?”這問。戴西回答。 “我想立刻喜歡看一些瀕危野生動物。 ”她說。 “請 載我到遙遠的地方我在哪里可以找到動物讓皮毛上,讓這件毛衣。 “在一旦地毯飛走,并帶她 到西藏去。戴西有看到羚羊面帶愁容。它說,“我們被殺死在我們獨羊毛胃。我們的毛皮是 被用于制造件毛衣像你這樣的人。因此,我們現在正在瀕臨滅絕的物種。 ”黛西喊道,“對不 起,我不知道。我不知道是什么也沒有采取什么措施來幫助你。飛行地毯,請給我一個地方, 有一些野生動物保護。 ” 飛行地毯旅行了如此之快,下一分鐘,他們在津巴布韋。戴西轉身看見她是在注視著大象。 “你來接受我的照片嗎?”它問道。救助戴西哄堂大笑。 “不要笑,”大象驕傲地

38、說,:“我們 曾經是瀕臨滅絕的物種。農民在我們不施憐憫。他們說我們摧毀了他們的農場,和金錢的游 客潮只去了大型旅游公司。所以政府決定的幫助。他們允許游客去打獵只有一定數量的動 物如果他們付這個農民。現在農民們快樂,我們的人數正在增加。如此美好的事物是正在做 的來拯救當地野生動物。 ” 戴西微笑著說:“那是好消息。它顯示的重要性,野生動物保護,但我想幫你同世界自然基金 會建議。 “地毯復活了,立刻在濃密雨林。一只猴子看到他們,因為它擦本身。 “你在干什么? 問黛絲。 “我保護自己免受蚊子,“這回答道,“當我找到了一個蜈蚣昆蟲,我碰一下我的身 體。它包含了一種影響的藥物的蚊子。你應該多注意雨林在我

39、住的地方和欣賞這些動物是 如何生活在一起。沒有雨林、任何動物和任何藥物。 ” 黛西是驚訝。 “會飛的地毯,請帶我回家所以我能告訴世界自然基金會,然后我們就開始制造 這個新的藥物。猴子,請過來幫助。猴子同意了。地毯飛回家。當他們著陸后,事情開始消 失。兩分鐘后一切都gone-the猴子了。所以黛西是不能使她的新藥物。但是體驗!她已經學 了那么多!世界自然基金會,總有 動物滅絕 許多動物都有自己的歷史長河中消失了地球。最著名的這些動物的恐龍。他們居住在地球 上成千上萬的年前,早在人類會笑之前形成、他們的未來卻似乎安全。有許多不同種類的恐 龍和許多隨后被用于生活在中國。25物種的卵子中發現了西夏縣、南陽、河南省。不久前, 一罕見的新種類的問題似乎永遠被發現在北京朝陽縣,遼寧省。當科學家們檢查了的骨頭, 他們吃驚地發現這些恐龍不但能跑得他人,而且爬樹。他們意識到這一點的離開骨頭就在一 起了。 關于恐龍突然滅絕了65million年前。一些科學家認為這是出乎意料的事件當一塊巨大的巖 石上撞到了地球,從太空里放了太多的塵土變成了空中。其他人認為,地球沒有太熱為恐龍 推向了住在了。沒人確切知道為何及如何從地球上滅絕了恐龍在這么短的時間。 我們知道有很多其它的野生植物、動物、昆蟲和鳥類已經滅絕了最近。根據一份聯合國報