人教版高中英语必修2 Unit 1 Cultural Relics
人教版高中英语必修2 Unit 1 Cultural Relics
Step 1 Pre—reading
我用powerpoint分别展示三幅图片以及播放有关的三段介绍录音，并不需要学生详细记录细节，因为不是听力课，只是了解图片是什么地方，位于哪个国家等。
（look at three pictures and listen to three tourist guide describe each of them. ）
1、3 为学生所熟悉的
1.The Pyramids in Egypt
2.Machu Picchu in Peru
3.The Great Wall of China
然后问问题：
what do you think of them?
（They represent the culture of their countries ,so they are called______）
引导学生讲出cultural relics这个词组
接着分别说出cultural relics的定义（学生个人观点）
（引入部分使学生对本节课的话题有所了解，而且很有兴趣了解其它文物）
Step 2 While-reading
使学生了解Amber Room形成、发展, 经历了几个阶段
1、让学生解释文章的title--In Search of the Amber Room （Maybe it’s lost）
2、为了让学生知道琥珀屋是什么样子，帮助理解文章，教师展示多张图片，新旧琥珀屋对照、外观、以及里面摆设的琥珀，金碧辉煌的琥珀屋使学生大开眼界，叹为观止，并学会分辨新旧。
3、先给出一系列问题，让学生带着问题阅读课文（scanning）。
有目的性阅读是阅读训练一种技巧，并且提醒学生不用太多花大多注意力在人名、地名上面，而假设自己正在读一本侦探小说，集中精力探究事情的发生经过。
4、要求学生回答问题（大部分学生能找到答案）
5、在了解细节的基础上，再次阅读（skimming）。
全班分5个小组，分配任务给每一个组，文章共有5段，每组概括一个段落的大意，而且要求使用不超过3个单词来概括，既降低了难度又提高了学生归纳能力。
Step 3 Post-reading
学生掌握每段大意后，从总体上已经把握了文章结构和特点
1、找出与Amber Room有关的重要线索（3个人物、2个国家、1个组织）
2、分析写作手法（时间顺序及都用了一般过去时描述已发生的事情）：让学生将来进行写作训练描述某事经过时，可以模仿这篇文章.
3、复述课文，教师给出一段文字，中间有不少空格，学生根据课文内容填写空格（learn how to talk about cultural relics）
Fill in the blanks:
The Amber Room was made ________. Frederick WilliamⅠ________. It soon became part of the Czar’s winter palace in St. Petersburg. Later, Catherine Ⅱ________ and she told her artists to ________. In September, 1941the Nazi Germany army secretly ________. After that, what happened to the Amber Room ________. Now Russians and Germans have ________ much like the old one.
4、谈谈自己从中的收获（What can you learn from the text?）
学生都能说出要保护文物（完成本课教学目标）
5.布置作业：复习课文及写一篇如何保护家乡某一文物的文章。
Unit1 《Cultural relics》文本素材42(新人教版必修2)
Unit 1 Cultural relics备课素材I. What is a culture relic? 何谓“文化遗产”?Cultural relics are physical reminders of what different peoples valued in the past and continue to value now. Without these relics, we could not cherish cultural traditions as much or appreciate the lives of the people who practiced those traditions. Although we may not often consider it, cultural relics are not only the possession of one culture. In a larger sense, it can be said that they belong to all peoples. For these reasons, this unit describes cultural relics not from China but other places. Looking at it from another angle, it can also be said that cultural relics preserves some aspect of cultural heritage and each relic, regardless of whether the same hands created many examples of it, is still a unique cultural expression and contribution.2. The cultural relics of China in the world heritage site list《世界文化遗产名录》中的30处中国文化遗产本单元的主题是“文化遗产”，学生很可能已经亲身接触过当地的文化遗产，或是能过电视、报纸等媒体对此有了一定的了解，因此，在课前教师可让学生列举国内外著名的文化遗产，然后对“文化遗产”给出定义、分类或划分标准。
人教版高中英语必修二全册课件
高中英语 必修2 Unit 1 Cultural relics
单句写作 (6) ［词 汇 复 现］The man’s house lay in ruins in the earthquake. Luckily，he ___su_r_v_i_v_e_d_i_t ___ （幸免于难）. (7) She ___s_u_rv_i_v_e_d_h_e_r_s_i_st_e_r_b_y___ （比她姐姐活得长）ten years. (8) ［词汇复现］Some interesting customs __h_a_v_e_s_u_rv_i_v_e_d_f_r_o_m__ （留存下来）ancient times.
比……活得时间长【教Fra bibliotek原句】Is it enough to have survived for a long time? 存在了很长时间就足够了吗？（P1）
【要点必记】
survive the war/accident/flood/fire在战争 / 事故 / 洪水 / 火灾中幸免于难
survive the attack/earthquake在袭击 / 地震中幸免于难
高中英语 必修2 Unit 1 Cultural relics
词 汇二 in search of 寻找，搜寻 【教材原句】 IN SEARCH OF THE AMBER ROOM寻找琥珀屋（P1） 【要点必记】 carry out a search（for）进行（对……的）搜寻 search for sb./sth. 寻找某人 / 某物 search+ 搜查的范围 +for... 搜查……以寻找……
高中英语 必修2 Unit 1 Cultural relics
单句语法填空 (1) ［词汇复现］The policemen started at once in search ___o_f_____ the lost rare vase. (2) ［词汇复现］After the earthquake broke out，the rescue team was sent to search ___f_o_r ____ the survivors. (3) They carried out several searches ___f_o_r___ the missing boy who got lost near the river . 单句写作 (4) ［词汇复现］They removed the stones and bricks ___in__s_e_ar_c_h_o_f_/_to__s_ea_r_c_h_f_o_r__ （寻 找）some survivors in the earthquake. (5) The police _a_re__s_e_ar_c_h_i_n_g the house __f_o_r_ （正在搜查……以寻找）more evidence.
人教版高一英语必修二Unit 1课文翻译
人教版高一英语必修二Unit 1课文翻译Unit 1 Cultural relicsReadingIN SEARCH OF THE AMBER ROOM寻找琥珀屋Frederick William Ⅰ，the King of Prussia , could never have imagined that his greatest gift to the Russian people would have such an amazing history . 普鲁士国王腓特烈·威廉一世绝不可能想到他送给俄罗斯人民的厚礼会有这样一段令人惊讶的历史。
This gift was the Amber Room , which was given this name because several tons of amber were used to make it . 这件礼物就是琥珀屋，它之所以有这个名字，是因为造这间房子用了好几吨的琥珀。
The amber which was selected had a beautiful yellow-brown colour like honey . 选出来的琥珀色彩艳丽，呈现蜂蜜一样的黄褐色。
The design of the room was in the fancy style popular in those days . 琥珀屋的设计采用了当时流行的别致的建筑式样。
It was also a treasure decorated with gold and jewels , which took the country's best artists about ten years to make . 它也是用金银珠宝装饰起来的珍品。
一批国家最优秀的艺术家用了大约十年的时间才把它完成。
In fact , the room was not made to be a gift . 事实上，这个琥珀屋并不是作为礼物来建造的。
高中英语必修二教案
高中英语必修二教案【篇一：人教新课标高一英语必修2_unit_1教案】unit 1cultural relicsi. 单元教学目标ii. 目标语言ii. 教材分析与教材重组1. 教材分析本单元以cultural relics为话题，旨在通过单元教学使学生了解世界文化遗产，学会描述它们的起源，发展和保护等方面的情况，复习并掌握定语从句，能就如何保护和处理世界文化遗产给出自己的观点。
1.1 warming up 热身部分提供了四幅图片，设计了三个问题让学生交流对于cultural relic的了解，并就此进行讨论。
这部分的目的是呈现本单元的中心话题“文化遗产”。
1.2 pre-reading 是reading的热身部分，提供了ambers的图片并就此此设计了两个问题。
这两个问题极易引起学生对amber的兴趣，并能引导学生对课文进行prediction。
1.3 reading是关于寻找丢失了的普鲁士国王威廉一世送给俄罗斯沙皇的那个琥珀房子的建立、转让、被毁、重建的整个历史。
设计这篇文章的目的是让学生了解什么是文化遗产以及讨论保护和重建文化从文化遗产的重要性和必要性。
1.4 comprehending既有知识性的问题，同时又跳出了课文，对文章进行整体评价，由易到难，有较好的梯度，全面考查学生对文章的理解。
exercise 1将人物及相关事件匹配，检验学生对文章细节的理解；exercise 2 将所给的问题与段落匹配，是段落大意理解题；exercise 3安排了对于重建lost cultural relics的意义进行讨论，使得学生能对本单元的主题进行较为深入的探讨。
1.5 learning about language 分discovering useful words and expressions 和discovering useful structures两部分。
其中第一部分的exercise 1着重训练对英语单词解释的理解。
Unit1 Cultural-relics知识与要点-新人教版必修2
她觉得好像听到身后有脚步声。
Did anything take your fancy? 你看中了什么吗？
温馨提示 fancy用作动词，有时用于祈使句，表示惊奇、不相信、 震惊等，后加名词、代词作宾语，如Fancy meeting you here！ 想不到在这儿遇见你！
【链接训练】 He usually appears to be honest.Who can fancy ________ such a thing? A．his do C．his to do B．his doing D．doing
by
5.The broken ship s ank to the bottom of the
6.Rose was doubtful (怀疑) about the whole idea.
7.We have found further scientific evidence (证据) for this theory. 8.You can leave a message with reception (接
有许多古怪的习俗是从早年流传下来的。
归纳拓展 survivor n. 幸存者 survival n．[U] 幸存，存活；[C]过去时代留存下来的人、 物、风俗、信仰等；遗迹；遗风；旧思想 The Poland presidential plane crashed in an area of
dense jungle.There were n林茂密的地区。无人生还。
【链接训练】 ①The firefighter helped the old man ____ the big fire.
A．survive
C．survive in 【解析】 【答案】
Unit 1 Cultural relics(必修二)
Unit 1 Cultural relics(人教版必修二)一．重点词汇：cultural relic rare valuable survive vase dynasty ivory dragon amber amaze amazing select honey design fancy style decorate jewel artist belong troop reception remove wooden doubt mystery former worth rebuild local apart painting castle trial eyewitness evidence explode entrance sailor sink maid informal debate in search of belong to in return at war less than take apart think highly of二．单元重点词汇讲解1. survive vi.幸免；幸存；生还vt.幸免于难；艰难度过；比……活得长(1) survive sth.在……之后仍然生存survive sb.(by ...)比某人活得长(……)survive on 靠(很少钱)继续维持生活(2) survival n. 生存；幸存survivor n. 生还者；幸存者e.g. Is it enough to have survived for a long time?Some interesting customs have survived from ancient times. 2．amazing adj.令人吃惊的(1) amaze vt.使吃惊；使惊讶(2) amazed adj. 惊奇的；惊讶的be amazed at/by sth. 对……感到惊讶be amazed to do sth. 因做某事而感到惊讶e.g. Frederick William Ⅰ，the King of Prussia, could never have imagined that his greatest gift to the Russian people would have such an amazing history.It was amazing that he knew no-thing about the event. 3．design n．[U，C]设计；图案；构思vt.设计；计划；构思(1) by design ＝on purpose有意；故意(2) be designed for ... 为……而设计be designed to do sth. 目的是；被设计用于做某事e.g. The design of the room was in the fancy style popular in those days.Can anyone design a better timetable?The programme is designed to help the orphans. 4．decorate v．装饰；装修(1) decorate ... with ... 用……装饰(某物、某处)be decorated with ... 用……来装饰(2) decoration n. 装饰；装饰物e.g. It was also a treasure decorated with gold and jewels, which took the country’s best artists about ten years to make.Decorated with different lights, the living room looks very beautiful.5．remove vt.移动；搬开；脱下；摘掉；开除remove into ...搬入……remove sth. to ... 把某物搬到……remove sb. from ... 从……开除某人e.g. The good news removed all doubts about the company’s future.Please remove your shoes before entering the room when you are in Japan.6．in search of寻找；搜寻in one’s search for寻找……；搜寻……search ... for ... 搜查……；寻找……search for ... 搜寻……；寻找……search sb. 搜身e.g. After graduation, he went to Beijing in search of a job.He turned on his computer in search of the information he wanted.7．belong to属于e.g. However, the next King of Prussia, Frederick William Ⅰ，towhom the amber room belonged, decided not to keep it.As we all know, Taiwan belongs to China.Do you know whom this dictionary belongs to?8．in return作为报答；回报in return for作为对……的报答in turn 依次地；轮流地；反过来；转而e.g. In return, the Czar sent him a troop of his best soldiers.He is always helping people without expecting anything in return.9．at war 在交战；处于交战状态at dawn在黎明；在破晓at work 在上班；在工作at peace 处于和平中；平静at table 在吃饭e.g. This was a time when the two countries were at war.The two countries have been at war for many years. People there are suffering a lot.10．evidence n．[U]根据；证据(1) in evidence可看见的；明显的；显眼的There is some evidence that ... 有证据显示/证明……(2) evident adj. 明显的；明白的It is/was evident that ……很明显e.g. This kind of information is called evidence.We found further scientific evidence for this theory. 11．explode vi.爆炸；(感情)迸发(1)explode with anger勃然大怒explode into laughter突然大笑(2)explosion n．爆裂(声)；爆炸(声)；迸发e.g. In April 1945 I heard something explode at midnight.At last his anger exploded, but he calmed down after a while. 12．entrance n．入口the entrance to＋地点……的入口make an entrance 进入e.g. To my surprise the entrance to the mine was closed.He passed the College Entrance Examination, which made his parents very proud.13．debate n．争论；辩论vi.&vt.争论；辩论(1) have a heated debate进行激烈的辩论under debate在讨论中；在辩论中beyond/without debate无可争议(2) debate sth. with sb.与某人辩论某事e.g. Read the following tips for organizing an informal class debate.After a heated debate, we all agreed on the plan.14．take apart 拆卸；拆开(1) tell ...apart 把……区别开来fall apart 崩溃；土崩瓦解(2) apart from ⎩⎪⎨⎪⎧ 除……以外别无＝ except 除……之外还有＝ besidese.g. The old man saw some Germans taking apart the Amber Roomand removing it.How dare you take apart your manager ’s letter?Let ’s take the machine apart and see what ’s wrong with it.15．rather than 与其……倒不如；而不是⎭⎪⎬⎪⎫would do ... rather than do ...would rather do ... than do ...prefer to do ... rather than do ... 宁愿做……也不愿做……e.g. We will have the meeting in the classroom rather than in thegreat hall.In my opinion, he rather than you is to blame.16．think highly of 看重；器重；对……评价高think much/well of ...(＝ think highly of ...)看重；器重；对……评价高think ill/poorly/badly of 认为……不好think little/nothing of ...轻视；认为……不足为奇e.g. I think highly of those who are searching for the Amber Room.Judging from his expression, he doesn ’t think highly of yourplan.I feel that the boss seems to think highly of you.17. however 与while的区别⑴however意为“然而，可是”，表转折，后又逗号隔开；e.g. I feel a bit tired. However, I can hold on.⑵while意为“然而”，表对比，其后不用逗号隔开。
人教版高中【必修二】英语课文原文和翻译
Book2 Unit1 Cultural relicsIN SEARCH OF THE AMBER ROOM寻找琥珀屋Frederick 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 wasgiven this name because several tons of amber were used to make it. The amber 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 country's best artists about ten years to make.普鲁士国王腓特烈·威廉一世绝不可能想到他送给俄罗斯人民的厚礼会有一段令人惊讶的历史。
这件礼物就是琥珀屋 ,它之所以有这个名字 ,是因为造这间房子用了近几吨琥珀 ,被选择的琥珀色彩艳丽 ,呈黄褐色 ,像蜜一样。
屋子的设计当时流行的极富艺术表现力的建筑风格。
琥珀屋这件珍品还镶嵌著黄金和珠宝 ,全国最优秀的艺术家用了是年的时间才完成它。
In fact, the room was not made to be a gift. It 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 Czar's winter palace in St Petersburg. Aboutfour metres long, the room served as a small reception hall for important visitors.事实上 ,琥珀屋并不是作为礼物而建造的。
人教版新课标必修2Unit1精讲讲义（附练习答案）
人教版新课标必修2Unit1精讲讲义（附练习答案）Unit 1 Cultural relics知识精讲Ⅰ阅读一、知识点精讲：1. survive v.“幸存，生还”eg: Only 12 of the 140 passengers survived.(1) vi.“生存，存活”eg: I don’t know how you all manage to survive on Jack’s salary.(2) vt.“比(某人)长寿”eg: Harry survived his wife by three months.2. amazing adj. “令人吃惊的”eg: Frederick WilliamⅠ, the King of Prussia, could never have imagined that his greatest gift to the Russian people would have such an amazing history.amaze v.“使大为惊奇”eg: Dave amazed his friends by suddenly getting married.amazed adj.“感到惊奇的”eg: We were amazed at his rapid recovery.3. select (1) vt.“挑选”eg: The amber which was selected hada beautiful yellow-brown colour like honey.(2) adj.“挑选的”eg:The information was only given to a select group of reporters.4. design (1) n.“设计，图案”eg: The design of the room was in the fancy style popular in those days.(2) v.“设计，计划”be designed for…“打算给……用”eg: The coursebooks are designed for the students.be desig ned to do“为了做……而设计”eg: These exercises are designed to develop and strengthen muscles.5. fancy (1) adj.“奇特的，异样的”eg: That is a very fancy pairof shoes!(2) vt.“想象；设想”fancy sth / sb (to be) sth / sb或fancy sth / sb as sth / sb“想象……”eg: I can’t fancy him as (to be) an actor.fancy doing sth“想要，想做”eg: Do you fancy going out this evening?6. decorate v.“装饰，装修”eg: It was also a treasure decorated with gold and jewels, which took the country’s best artists about ten years to make.decorate sth with“用……装饰”eg: We decorated the Christmas trees with tinsel and lights.7. troop (1) n. “群，大群”eg: In return, the Czar sent him a troop of his best soldiers.“军队，部队”(常用复数形式) eg: The troops were drawn up and ready for inspection.(2) v. “成群结队地移动”eg: Children trooped out of s chool.8. reception n. (1) “接待”eg: They gave the Prime Ministera cool reception.(2) “接收；欢迎”eg: Reception of TV programmes is unsatisfactory here.9. wonder (1) n. “奇迹”eg: The Great Wall is one of the wonders in the world.“惊奇，怀疑”eg: The sight of the T aj Mahal filled us with wonder.(2) v.“对……感到惊奇；想知道”eg: Sometimes I wonder about his behaviour.It’s a wonder that…“难得/ 奇怪的是……”It’s no wonder that…“难怪……”wonder at / about“对……感到奇怪/ 惊讶”10. doubt(1) n.“疑问，怀疑”eg: There’s no doubt that hewill win the match.(2) vt. “怀疑，不确信”(在否定句及疑问句中跟that引导的从句) eg: I don’t doubt that he is telling the truth.“怀疑，不确信”(在肯定句中跟whether或if引导的从句) eg: I doubt whether he will come.11. remove vt. (1) “搬开，搬走”eg: Let’s remove the cloth from the table.(2) “开除，免职”eg: The governor was removed from office, pending an investigation.(3) “迁移，移居”eg: They have removed into a new house.(4) “脱掉，摘掉”eg: He removed his hat and gloves.12. in search of (= to look for)“寻找”eg: They all started off at once in search of the missing boy.in search for“寻找”eg: They went out to Australia in search for gold.search for“搜寻，寻找”eg: For a whole day she searched for the missing child.search a place for sth / sb“在某地搜寻某物或某人”eg: We searched the woods for the lost girl13. belong to“属于”eg: The book belongs to you.belong to不用于进行时态和被动语态，但也用belonging to作后置定语eg: The garden belonging to me is large.14. in return“作为报答，作为回赠”eg: She gave us food and clothing and asked for nothing in return.in return for“作为……的回报/ 交换”eg: I’d like to invite youa meal in return for all your hospitality.15. serve as“充当，适合作……用”eg: The old couch had to serve as a guest bed.“担任”eg: Martin served as ambassador to Burma in the1960s.serve in“供职，服兵役”eg: He returned to Greece to serve in the army.16. at war“处于交战状态”eg: This was a time when the two countries were at war.go to war“开战”；declare war“宣战”；fight a war“打仗”17. less than“不到，少于”，它是形容词或副词的比较级结构，修饰名词、形容词、副词或动词，用以加强语气。
人教版高中英语必修2《Unit 1 Cultural relice》教案.doc
人教版高中英语必修2《Unit1Culturalrelice人教版高中英语必修2《Unit1Culturalrelice》教案【一】教学准备教学目标Tolearnthe knowledge ofthe cultural relics.2). Discuss howto protect our cultural3).Reading and understanding, catchingthehistoryand informationoftheAmber Room.4). FunctionalhowtotellthestoryabouttheAmberRoom5). Finishthe comprehending exercisesafterreading passage.6). Use scanning; skimming and careful reading tolearnthestoryoftheRoom.教学重难点Key pointsTo understand cultural relics.HowtotelltheabouttheAmberRoomDifficultiesTalk aboutculturalrelicsathomeandabroadinEnglish freely.To learnthestoryoftheamber room.教学工具课件教学过程导入1). Guessing:Teacher present some pictures and statements ,letthe students guess whtatwhereitis.The GreatWall;The Pyramid;TajMahal2)Teacher showsomepictures. They areallvery famous places in China orinthe world. Askthe students tothese over:A. Canyou name them out?Who havetherighttoownconfirmthem?(Theshownpictures:Group1;①Yuanmingyuan;②ForbiddenCityGroup2:③MingDynastyvaseMahal;⑤ivory dragon boatand Mogao Caves)Step I:Pre-reading1).Ok, youhavesomething about cultural relics, haveyoueverseenapieceof amber?And whatdoyouknowit?Show some pictures of amber. Let students know whatthe amberisanditscolor yellow- brownfeel likefeelashardasstoneAmber isthefossil(化石) formofresin(树脂) from trees.It takes millionsofyearstoform.2). Canimagineahousemadeofamber?Please preview“Insearchoftheamber room.”Step II:reading and thinking about the title:1). Teacher give students the following questions to think:When youseethis title, whatdoyouwantto know?What isthe AmberWhy wasitcalledthe Amber Room?What wasitmade for?Whattoit?Why to search forit?(Ask the students just remember these questionsintheir mind notfindthe answers.)2). Fast reading togetthe main idea:AmberRoom,which_________________sent totheRussianpeopleasa_____,was____bythe_____________.(Students readthe passage quicklyandfillintheblans)3). Now,letthe studentstrytoanswerthe questionsinpart1).(PPT7)(Teacher maygivesomenecessary help)Step III: ScanningAsk the students toscanallthe namesoftheperson appeared inthetextandfindout what did theydotothe amber room. Jointhe correct partsofthe sentences together. (exercise 1onpage2)After dothe aboveexercise ,teacher give students a picture ofthe people inthetext andletthe students trytotell theclueofthestory according tothe persons. (PPT9)Step IV: SkimmingAsk students toskim the passage and complete exercise 2on page2.(3)Howthe Amber Room become oneofthe wonders ofthe world?(5)Howanew Amber Room built?( 4) How did the Amber Room get lost?( 1) How was the Amber Room made?( 2) Why did theKingof Prussia givethe Amber Roomtothe Czarof Russia asagift?StepCareful readingLet the students readthetext carefully andtrytofind some detailscomplete theformonPPT 11.Step VI: Role playJust now you havelearnt the storyofThe Amber Room, now suppose you area guide ofThe Amber Room,will you intrduce the amber roomtothe visitors?( Give students about3 minuteshavea discussion ingroupoffour,thenask someof groupstomakearolebeforealltheclass.)Homework1.ReadthestoryofTheAmberRoomagainclass.2. Writethe introduction oftheAmber Roomyouhave discussed inclass.Preparefornextperiodbyunderlinethedifficultpointsinthetext.板书BlackboardUnit1Cultural relicsWarming up&pre-readingWhatiscultural relics?cultural relicis sth. that survived foralong timeB.a cultural relic maybepartofold thing has remained when therestofithad been destroyedC.culturalrelicissomethingratherrare人教版高中英语必修2《Unit 1Culturalrelice》教案【二】教学准备教学目标Knowledgeand ability: To help theSs know about the history ofthe Amber room and develop their。
(完整版)高中英语必修2课文及原文.doc
高中英语必修2（人教版）Unit1 Cultural relicsIN SEARCH OF THE AMBER ROOMFrederick William I, the King of Prussia, could never have imagined thathis greatest gift to the Russian people would have such an amazing history.This gift was the Amber Room, which was given this name because severaltons of amber were used to make it. The amber which was selected had abeautiful yellow-brown colour like honey. The design of the room was in thefancy style popular in those days. It was also a treasure decorated with goldand jewels, which took the country's best artists about ten years to make.In fact, the room was not made to be a gift. It 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 Peterthe Great. In return, the Czar sent him a troop of his best soldiers. So the Amber Room became part of the Czar's winter palace in St Petersburg. Aboutfour 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 completed 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 countries were at war. Before the Nazis could get to the summer palace, the Russians were able to remove some furniture and smallart objects from the Amber Room. However, some of the Nazis secretly stolethe room itself. In less than two days 100,000 pieces were put inside twenty-seven wooden boxes. There is no doubt that the boxes were then put1on a train for Konigsberg, which was at that time a German city on the BalticSea. After that, what happened to the Amber Room remains a mystery.Recently, the Russians and Germans have built a new Amber Room atthe summer palace. By studying old photos of the former Amber Room, theyhave made the new one look like the old one. In 2003 it was ready for thepeople of St Petersburg when they celebrated the 300th birthday of their city.A FACT OR AN OPINION?What is a fact? Is it something that people believe? No. A fact is anythingthat can be proved. For example, it can be proved that China has more peoplethan any other country in the world. This is a fact.Then what is an opinion? An opinion is what someone believes is true buthas not been proved. So an opinion is not good evidence in a trial. Forexample, it is an opinion if you say“ Cats are better pets than dogs” . It may be true, but it is difficult to prove. Some people may not agree with this opinion butthey also cannot prove that they are right.In a trial, a judge must decide which eyewitnesses to believe and which notto believe. The judge does not consider what each eyewitness looks like orwhere that person lives or works. He/she only cares about whether theeyewitness has given true information, which must be facts rather thanopinions. This kind of information is called evidence.第一单元文化遗产阅读一寻找琥珀普鲁士国王腓特烈·威廉一世从未想过他送个普鲁士人民伟大的礼物会有一点如此惊奇的历史。