高二英語(yǔ)外研版高中英語(yǔ)選擇性必修二課文文本(精編打印)

1、（外研版）選擇性必修二全冊(cè)課文（外研版）選擇性必修二全冊(cè)課文 Unit 6 Survival Understanding ideasThe Wild WithinThe crime took place in a seaside suburb of Cape Town. Spotting the car with its window left open , the greedy thief didn t hesitate. Within seconds , he had reached inside and run away with a bag of shopping. No matter

2、 how many crimes he committed , the police were powerless to arrest him. You see, this was no ordinary criminal : it was a chacma baboon. Once almost unheard of, scenes like this one in Cape Town are now common all over the world. With foxes in London , mountain lions in San Francisco and wild pigs

3、in Hong Kong : it is almost as if our cities are being taken over by wild animals.People often wonder about the reasons behind this mass urban migration. Most of us would assume that urban development and climate change are responsible for pushing the animals out of their natural habitats. However t

4、rue this is, we also need to consider that some of these so-called “ urban animals have never moved at all it s we humans who have moved into their territory. Wherever they go , animals find towns and cities in their way. With nowhere else to make their homes , they have no choice but to move in wit

5、h us.Yet, for its newest and wildest inhabitants , a city can offer many benefits. As our cities become greener , they offer increasingly appealing spaces to animals looking for new habitats. Out of reach from many of their natural predators , these newcomers often flourish in their new city lives.

6、Today , foxes can be seen all over London one even being found living on the 72nd floor of the Shard building when it was under construction! What s more, hungry animals are finding plenty to eat in our gardens and in the leftovers we throw away.One thing crucial to the increasing number of “ urban

7、animals is their ability to adapt. There is evidence that urban racoons are more intelligent than their wild cousins , as they frequently have to figure out difficult problems such as how to open rubbish bins and other containers which they would not find in the wild. Some animals have even changed

8、their living habits to fit in with their new homes. Although naturally active at night , urban foxes come out in daylight if the reward is good enough. Their city location also means that they are getting a taste for the multicultural cuisine on offer from the garbage , such as hamburgers , lamb keb

9、abs and even garlic bread!For those animals that don t adapt, the city can be a dangerous or even deadly place. Unable to distinguish between blue sky and glass , birds crash into windows at speeds of about 50 kilometres per hour. Recent studies estimate that between 400 million and 1 billion birds

10、die from window impacts each year in the US alone. Shockingly , these deaths amount to around ten per cent of the total US bird population. Some species are more affected than others. One theory behind this is that these birds have yet to change their migratory routes that take them through cities w

11、ith high-rise buildings.However they adapt to our ways of urban living, it s important that we get a better understanding of and even learn to appreciate our wild neighbours. Only then can we look towards harmoniously sharing our urban habitats. Whatever the reasons behind these species entering our

12、 cities , one thing is for sure as it s often a means of their survival , they could be with us to stay.Developing ideasPlan B： Life on Mars?In the 1960s and 1970s, the greatest fear was that the human race, and possibly all advanced life forms on the planet , could be wiped out by nuclear missiles

13、, just at the push of a button. Today , however, environmental problems have taken over as the greatest risk to life on Earth. Scientists are thinking of ways to lower this risk , such as replacing coal and oil with forms of renewable energy. But they are also preparing for the worst : what can we d

14、o if the terrifying scenes in films such as The Day After Tomorrow happen in real life? What is our Plan B for Earth?One option is to explore other planets to see if we could live on them. The most likely choice is Mars, which is relatively close to Earth and has an environment less hostile than tha

15、t of other planets. Mars has fascinated people since ancient times , and today our interest in Martain exploration is greater than ever before. Films such as The Martian enjoy worldwide popularity. More governments and organisations are making efforts to educate the public on the Red Planet , for ex

16、ample , the Mars Desert Research Station in the Utah desert of the US and the Mars Village in North- west China s Qinghai Province.Since the 1960s, we have been sending unmanned spacecraft to Mars. Our probes have orbited the planet, sending back valuable data and stunning images. Our robots have ex

17、plored the Martian surface , testing the soil and searching for resources , water and signs of life. Encouraged by discoveries over the years, space agencies of various countries are planning manned missions to Mars that could take place within the next 25 years.There is no doubt that humankind is d

18、rawn towards Mars , with dreams of making it our second home. However, sending people there will require all the skill , courage and intelligence of the human race. While the moon can be reached within days , it would take months to reach Mars, travelling through dangerous solar radiation. And even

19、if the first settlers do reach Mars safely, they may not be able to return to Earth ever. Staying alive will be a daily challenge , but as proved by the Biosphere 2 experiment , not impossible. As early as the 1980s , scientists were building Biosphere 2 in the Arizona desert. It consisted of a closed space in which people , animals and plants could live together. The “closed conameant that the space was designed to function with its own oxygen , food and water , needing nothing from the outside world. Although the two-year ex