上海中学生英语报 SSP初中基础2019-01-11 2552

Bringing Dinosaurs to Life 赵闯——一个“复活”恐龙的艺术家。

MANY young children admire powerful things. So did Zhao Chuang. One day when he was in primary school, he read a book about dinosaurs. A T. rex (霸王龙) picture caught his fancy.Zhao lived in a small town. There weren’t many books to read. Almost all dinosaur books Zhao could find were in English. So the boy had a dream. “I wanted to draw more dinosaur books — in Chinese,” he said.And he has done just that. Now, at the age of 34, Zhao is a famous “dinosaur artist.” His works combine science and art. Through these works, children can easily learn more about dinosaurs.Every day, Zhao spends hours studying dinosaurs. Sometimes, the artist travels to places where fossils have been found. He wants to understand dinosaurs’ living environment better.In 2006, one of Zhao’s works appeared on the cover of the famous Nature magazine. Since then, his works have been sought after around the globe. Zhao has also held lots of exhibitions at home and abroad.●admire v. 欣赏，羡慕●artist n. 艺术家●combine v. 使……结合起来●fossil n. 化石●seek after寻求，追求●exhibition n. 展览，展出→exhibit v. 展览，展出n. 展览品●at home and abroad 在国内外●confident adj. 有自信心的⏹catch/take one’s fancy，吸引某人e.g. Did you see anything that caught your fancy?⏹put one’s heart into sth.，全身心地倾注于……中(花很多精力做某事)e.g. She puts her heart into her work.A Beach That Looks Good to Eat 新年假期，西班牙“爆米花”海滩成“网红打卡地”。

FUERTEVENTURA (富埃特文图拉岛) IN SPAIN is most famous for its fine white beaches. However, few people know that it also has one of the world’s most wonderful attractions: Popcorn Beach.As its name suggests, Popcorn Beach is covered with millions of white “popcorn” pieces. But don’t put them in your mouth! They are actually pieces of white coral (珊瑚). Although they look like popcorn, the pieces are as hard as stones.Popcorn Beach has been around for centuries. It has become popular in recent years. Walking on stones is not as comfortable as walking on sand. That’s why Popcorn Beach is not always people’s first choice for holidays. But no one can deny that it is interesting to visit.●attraction n. 吸引游客的事物(或地方)●as its name suggests 顾名思义●deny v. 否认Hiding From the VetChildren may cry when they are taken to the hospital. What about cats? This kitten hides his head in a trash hole at the vet’s office! It seems he doesn’t like seeing a doctor, either.Delicious ArtBelieve it or not, you can use food to create art! A Japanese food artist made pictures of famous people with melted (融化了的) chocolate.Hello, Sally!You might remember Sally in the movie Cars (《赛车总动员》). Look at the picture below. A blue car “makes a face” like Sally after a heavy snow. How cute!●seem v. 似乎，仿佛●create v. 创作●make a face 做鬼脸The Nutcracker 冬日来临，一起去欣赏芭蕾舞剧《胡桃夹子》吧。

WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS for the coming winter holiday? Going to see a ballet might be a good choice. The Nutcracker is one of the most popular ballets during the winter holidays.The Nutcracker tells the story of a young girl named Clara and her favorite Christmas toy, the Nutcracker. One Christmas Eve, the Nutcracker comes to life and beats the bad mice. Later, the Nutcracker turns into a prince. He takes Clara to the beautiful Land of Sweets (糖果王国). They have a wonderful time there.The Nutcracker did not start out as a ballet. It was based on a story called The Nutcracker and the Mouse King. The ballet was performed for the first time in 1892. Tchaikovsky’s (柴可夫斯基) music for the ballet made it even more famous.However, the ballet was not popular outside of Russia for many years. After it was performed in New York City in the 1950s, it became a huge hit. Today, many people consider it one of the most popular ballets in the world.I enjoy Tchaikovsky’s music very much. Which of his works do you love the most?I love The Nutcracker Suite (《胡桃夹子组曲》). It is made up of eight popular pieces from The Nutcracker. Every time I hear the music, I think of Christmas. It is a holiday classic and a favorite for many people.●be based on 基于……●hit n. 很受欢迎的人(或事物)●consider v. 认为What Was an Elephant Like? 盲人摸象。

Once upon a time, there were four blind men. They wanted to know what an elephant was like. They could not see the elephant. They could only feel it with their hands.The fat blind man touched the elephant’s tusk (长牙). He said, “The elephant is like a big radish (萝卜).”The tall blind man touched an ear of the elephant. He said, “No, you are wrong. It is like a big fan.”The short blind man touched a leg of the elephant with his hands. He said, “Both of you are wrong. The elephant is a tall pole.”The elder blind man touched the tail of the elephant. He said, “Well, the elephant is not that big. It is just as big as a rope.”In fact, the four blind men were all wrong. None of them knew what the elephant was really like.If we want to understand something clearly and completely, we should look at the whole thing, not just a part of it.Bumblebee Opens in Theaters 《大黄蜂》既出，谁与争“蜂”。