2022春八年级英语下册 Module 2 Experiences文化背景资料（新版）外研版.doc

1、The pyramids in Egypt埃及金字塔是世界著名的建筑奇迹之一，它是用巨大石块修砌成的方锥形建筑物，因形似中文“金”字，故称作“金字塔”。The pyramids in Egypt (埃及) were built thousands of years ago. The pyramids were the kings tombs. The kings thought they would come back to life (复活) after they died. They hoped their bodies would be kept well in the pyramids

2、 when they came back to life. The pyramids lie on the west bank of the Nile River not far from Cairo. The old Egyptians compared (对比) the rising of the sun to the beginning of life and the setting of the sun to the end of life, so nearly all the pyramids were built on the west bank along the Nile.Pe

3、ople have found about 110 pyramids in Egypt. The biggest one is the Great Pyramid. It took about 100,000 men 30 years to build the Great Pyramid. It was made with over 2,300,000 big stones. Each stone is about 2.5 tons, some even weigh fifteen tons. How Americans travel美国人通常是如何出行的呢？他们的乘车付费方式和我们有哪些不同

4、呢？让我们来了解一下吧！In the U.S.A., if people only need to travel a short distance, the quickest way in most cities is walking. During working hours (between about 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., from Monday to Friday), the traffic is very heavy on most city streets. So many people prefer to walk.However, it is the

5、 bus that people often take to go from place to place in the city. Passengers must have the exact change in many cities. This means that they must have the exact amount of the fare as they get on the bus. In many areas, people may buy tokens, which are small coins used instead of money. People may b

6、uy them at several places around the city. For many years, bus drivers had two main duties. They not only drive their buses through the heavy city traffic but also give passengers change. Now people have the exact change, and it makes drivers job easier and they can provide quicker service for all p

7、assengers.Usually, the bus fare depends on distance: the farther you travel, the higher the fare is. In some cities, people must pay a small extra fare if they need to change from one bus to another in the course of their ride.Travel precautions外出旅游安全为上！以下几种方法让你远离危险。Youve saved for years to visit Af

8、rica. And now, just weeks before your departure date, violence breaks out after the Kenyan elections. Should you take the risk of going or not? Even travelers who think theyre going to a safe place should stay alert (警惕的).Here are ways to make an informed (明智的) decision, keep yourself safe and possi

9、bly keep your savings intact (完好无损的) if the worst happens.1. Find on-the-ground reportsObviously the most effective way to really know whats happening is talking to people who are there. The key here is geography.Tourism bureaus can be useful. While its in their interest to attract visitors, its als

10、o in their interest to make sure tourists arent traveling into harms way. For more elaborate (精心计划的) trips, do the research before you book.2. Check government warningsThe first source to try is travel.state.gov, the U.S. State Departments website. Travel alerts tell you about short-term problems. T

11、ravel warnings are for ongoing danger.3. Peruse (浏览) web forumsAs with any web search, you need to be selective about whats reliable and whats not. Try , an online visa and passport service that lists countries alphabetically and links to sources of information newspaper websites, the State Departme

12、nt, web forums about safety and a large number of other topics. You can get information from forums that may help you evaluate, but you cant reliably get the whole picture here.4. Get travel insuranceMost policies (保险单) will cover some costs associated with canceling a trip, but vacations in a poten

13、tially dangerous place may need evacuation (撤出) insurance as well. Remember that the plan may not cover you if your destination is under a warning before you buy a policy.5. Use common senseIf you do decide to go ahead with your plans, pay attention. Dont take flashy jewelry, dont get drunk, and don

14、t hang out in dangerous places at night.Make copies of your passport and other important documents, and leave them with someone at home.Plan ahead to call relatives or friends at home on specific days, so that theyll know if youre not available when you should be.选自 空中英语教室Help 1:State Department: （美

15、国）国务院Help 2: departure n. an act of leaving a place, especially at the start of a journey 出发，离开evaluate v. to judge how good, useful, or successful something is 评估Tourist destinationsGreat Barrier Reef大堡礁This is the worlds largest coral reef ecosystem (珊瑚礁生态系统). It is one of the top beautiful places

16、 to visit in the world. You can see it from outer space and it is the worlds largest single structure made of living organisms (生物体).The reef supports 10,000 species of life which consists of 1,500 types of fishes and over 200 kinds of birds. Its beauty inspires many travelers to visit there every y

17、ear.Sydney 悉尼 As one of the most beautiful places in the world, Sydney is the economic powerhouse (发电站) of Australia. Its full of sun-drenched (阳光普照的) natural attractions, daring restaurants, dizzying skyscrapers (摩天楼), friendly people and wonderful shopping malls, so most travel addicts (上瘾的人) want

18、 to visit this city. You can take a trip to Sydney at any time of the year.Hong Kong 香港One of the most beautiful places in the world, Hong Kong is simply amazing. It will be very hard for you to find a more exciting city than Hong Kong. The most interesting thing about being in Hong Kong is getting

19、confused and amazed by the confluences (融合) and contradictions (矛盾) of a Chinese city with multi-Asian and Western elements.The best time to take a vacation to Hong Kong is during the months of October, November and most of December.Grand Canyon大峡谷One of the most beautiful places in the world, the G

20、rand Canyon is a steep-sided (陡峭的) canyon in Arizona State of the United States carved (雕刻) by the Colorado River.Nearly 5 million people visit the one-mile-deep Grand Canyon every year. Having a vacation to the Grand Canyon National Park will provide great joy for you and your family.The best time

21、to visit the Grand Canyon is during the summer, fall and spring, but most locals agree that winter is a great time to visit.Taj Mahal泰姬陵The Taj Mahal, the most beautiful building in India, is one of the great wonders of the world. This is a hybrid (混合) of many artistic styles. When you visit the Taj

22、 Mahal, you can enjoy various places near it.The river behind the Taj Mahal provides a wonderful environment to relax and enjoy yourself. You and your family will love it.Cape Town开普敦Cape Town is situated at the tip of the African Continent. The only way to understand and enjoy Cape Town is by exper

23、iencing the unique range of multicultural (多文化的) lifestyles and scenic surroundings for yourself.During the summer season, Cape Town is filled with holiday makers enjoying the hot weather, sunny beaches and beautiful scenery. So, if you want to spend your time there during the holiday season, it is

24、better to make reservations (预定) in advance. Before getting there, have a rough idea about the places around Cape Town that you want to visit.The Pyramids 金字塔The Pyramids and wonderful temples are great places to enjoy in Egypt. Traveling to Egypt offers you desert treks (徒步旅行), fishing, golfing, sc

25、uba diving and birding groups. You can choose the places like Mount Sinai and the Red Sea to relax.Winter is the best season to go for a vacation to Egypt. March-May and September - November are the best time to enjoy the warm days of Egypt.Niagara Falls 尼加拉瓜瀑布Niagara Falls can be accessed (进入) from

26、 both the American and Canadian side, but the best view facing the falls is completely from the Canadian side. When you take a trip to Niagara Falls, dont forget to take a ride on the famous maid-of-the-mist (“雾中少女”号) boats. You wont get the entire experience of Niagara Falls until you ride one of t

27、hese boats.It is the foundation for many interesting places to see and things to do. If you love beautiful landscapes, family adventures and vibrant (充满活力的) nightlife, then Niagara Falls is a great place to visit.Venice 威尼斯Venice is one of Italys beautiful cities. You will be surprised by how the ci

28、ty is built up. The city is built on 117 small islands and has over 150 canals (运河) which are connected through 409 bridges. During the spring time, Venice is completely filled with tourists.Maldives 马尔代夫The Maldives is a great place to experience tranquil (安静的) tropical islands, palm trees, white b

29、eaches and brilliant turquoise lagoons (绿松石色的礁湖). The Maldives is a group of 1,190 coral islands. This place is also a great destination for scuba divers.If you visit the Maldives between December and April, you will be able to experience some extra hours of sunshine. Also this is the main season for tourism.【Task for you】What is your dream tourist destination?