北师大版英语教材课文
模块1 Unit 1
Lifestyles
Lesson 1 A Perfect Day?
A couch potato When I wake up I don’t get up immediately. I turn on the television and watch the children’s programs and old movies until about half-past ten. Then I get up, go downstairs and switch on the TV in the living room. For lunch, I have biscuits and a glass of milk, and I watch the news. In the afternoon, I often watch another old film – they’re showing some good ones at the moment. In the evenings, I often watch TV series or sport and the news again. I like the main news at six o’clock. At nine thirty, if there is a good play on BBC 2, I switch over and watch it. Then at night, I watch more films and I usually switch off the TV at about two o’clock. I never watch TV at night.
I watch TV for sixteen or seventeen hours a day. I also do some exercise every day. I take Tina, the dog, for a walk every afternoon. I don’t go far, of course. I walk to the wall outside my house. I always take my portable TV and I sit on the stone wall while the dog walks round in a circle.
Of course, I couldn’t live this lifestyle without a good wife. She’s not here now because she’s working, but she always makes my meals. We haven’t got much money, you know, but we’re happy. Sit down and watch TV. Here’s the remote control. You’ve got the world at your feet. And in your hand. Great!
A workaholic
I normally wake up about five minutes before my alarm clock goes off. As soon as I hear my alarm clock, I jump out of my bed. It takes me less than fifteen minutes to wash, get changed, have breakfast, leave home and get on a bus.
I am always the first person to get to the office. The mornings are always very busy and the afternoons are even busier! Meetings and phone calls take up a large part of the day. Every minute of the day is filled with urgent matters. By around eight o’clock, I usually find some time to do my own paperwork and answer some personal e-mails.
When I get home at about ten, I look at some documents that I bring back from the office so that I can be ready for the next day’s work. I get to bed around midnight when my wife and children are already asleep.
I seldom have time for fun and other activities with my family. My family complains about it. But I try to work hard so that I can make more money for them. Besides, I get bored if there’s nothing to do. I like being busy.
Lesson 4 City and country
Debbie is an accountant in a large company in the centre of London. 1
北师大版英语教材课文
I need to be in my office by nine o’clock so I usually get up at seven o’clock. I travel to work on “the tube”. That’s what people call the underground in London. It takes about fifty minutes. Usually, it’s so crowded that I can’t find anywhere to sit. I just stand. I’m always tired before I arrive at work. I don’t like the underground!
I spend all morning checking numbers. Lunch is always simple. I often get a sandwich in a nearby sandwich shop or I just have some biscuits and a cup of coffee. Then in the afternoon, I return to the paperwork in the office.
On Monday nights, I have dance classes, and on Wednesday nights, I go to the gym. I need to do that because I don’t get enough exercise otherwise. On Tuesday and Thursday nights, I have French classes. I work for a French company so I think studying French will help me in my job.
I go to the cinema almost every weekend. Sometimes, if the weather forecast is good, my friends and I drive to the countryside for a weekend break. We like to visit nice, quiet places far away from the city and go walking where there are no shops, crowds or the tube. That fresh air is so good for my lungs. I love it.
Paul lives in a small village in the north of England. I usually get up at four o’clock every morning when it’s still dark. I live and work on the farm
so I don’t need to travel. After a big breakfast in my house, I walk out of the front door and I’m already at work.
There are many things to do on the farm all day. We don’t have the same work hours that office workers in the city have. We do jobs when they need to be done and that could be early in the morning or late at night. I have cows, sheep, pigs and chickens on my farm. I have to make sure they are free of sickness. I also grow wheat and vegetables so there are many things to look after.
In the evening, I like to play with my children. I have two children, a boy and a girl. They are six and eight years old. I also like to study. Right now I am studying Chinese by distance learning. I am very interested in China and it’s my dream to see the Great Wall one day.
I love movies. My wife calls me a “movie fan”. But there isn’t a cinema in my village so I don’t get the chance to go very often. I go about twice a year, usually when I go to London with my family. We take a weekend break there when I am not too busy on the farm. My wife loves looking in the clothes shops and I like all the crowds and the noise. I also like to buy a few cigars. Unfortunately, my wife isn’t as fond of them as I am. My son and daughter love to ride on London’s red buses and they especially love to go on the tube!
Culture Corner
English Tea and Coffee Culture One thing that British and Chinese cultures share is a love for fine tea. Today, when we think of Western tea culture, we often think of the English and beautiful china tea cups.
Afternoon tea
2
北师大版英语教材课文
People believe that an English lady, Anna, first introduced the idea of afternoon tea. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the English ate only two main meals each day: breakfast and a heavy supper that would last for several hours in the evening. As a result, people often got very hungry during the long wait between these two meals. To solve this problem, Anna came up with the clever idea of inviting some friends to join her for an afternoon meal between four and five o’clock. This meal included cakes and sandwiches. And tea was served(供应 to wash down the food. In order to make this afternoon meal important, fine china cups and plates and silver teapots, knives, forks and spoons were used. Soon, afternoon tea parties became popular social occasions. Today, afternoon tea parties continue to play an important part in the social life in modern Britain. Will you come for coffee?
Coffee also has an important role in British culture. People often use the words “Will you come for coffee” to mean “Would you like to come to my home for a chat?” Normally, several different drinks such as tea, hot chocolate or a soft drink like orange juice will be served 