人教高中英语高二下UNIT12-1

                                                             JULES VERNE:THE FATHER OF SCIENCE FICTION
         Jules Verne was born in 1828, in France. His father sent him to Paris to study law, but instead Verne developed his love for the theatre. To make a living, Verne had to write and sell stories. He spent many hours in Paris libraries studying botany, applied¹ science and many other subjects. He used the latest ideas and technical inventions of his day in his books. Many of the instruments in his novels will remind the reader of Dr Benjamin Franklin's experiments with electricity. By taking the scientific developments of his day one step further, Jules Verne laid the foundation² of modern science fiction. He also suggested how inventions could be used in the future to allow man to do things that were considered impossible in his own time. Jules Verne died in 1905, long before any of his dreams came true.
         At the beginning of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, one of Verne's most famous novels, ships are disappearing all over the world and it is believed to be caused by a sea monster. Dr Aronnax, his servant and a Canadian whale hunter set out to find the monster. After months of searching they find it and in the collision³ that follows, the three companions are thrown overboard. In their efforts to survive, they find themselves on the surface of the monster itself, which turns out to be a submarine⁴. They are taken on board and Captain Nemo decides not to kill them but make them his permanent guests. From that day on they start planning their escape.
         Captain Nemo takes Dr Aronnax and his friends on a voyage across the oceans. His submarine, the Nautilus, is an extraordinary ship. The furniture is precious and huge glass  windows that can be opened and closed give a view of the underwater world. The ship is also very strong and protected with thick iron plates. Electricity is used for light, heating⁵, power and to defend the ship against attacks. All that is needed for life on board comes from the ocean. The food aboard the Nautilus is all seafood⁶.
        Dressed in diving suits, Captain Nemo and his guests walk around in this magic world, lighted by the lamps of the ship. They find themselves surrounded by colourful rocks, fishes, seashells and plants, all waving and moving slowly in the blue waters.
        Readers have wondered about the character of Captain Nemo ever since the book was published.You could say he is someone you will neither like nor dislike. You might think that he is a cruel man because he keeps Aronnax and the others as prisoners and destroys ships. But at other moments you will find him gentle and weak, as when he cries about the lost lives of people drowned in ships that have sunk.
        Another wonderful story is that of Journey to the Centre of the Earth. The story begins with the discovery of an ancient document in an old book. The document explains how to find a secret road to the centre of the earth. Two men decide to go on this adventure and travel to Iceland, where they enter the earth through a chimney⁷ in a dead volcano⁸. Their guide leads them through a narrow passage deep into the earth.Passing through layers of coal and marble they go deeper and deeper. They drink the water from a boiling underground river and after many days they reach a huge lake or underground ocean. Walking along its shores they go through forests of mushrooms and plants that lived on the earth millions of years ago. They build a raft to cross the sea and are attacked by ancient sea creatures. In the end, their raft is drawn⁹ into a fast stream and with ever increasing speed they are shot out of a volcano in southern Italy.

1 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。

2 foundation   

n.[pl.]地基；基础；基金会；建立，创办

参考例句：

• The foundation of the university took place 600 years ago.这所大学是600年前创办的。
• The Foundation gives money to help artists.那家基金会捐款帮助艺术家。

3 collision   

n.碰撞；(利益，意见等的)冲突，抵触

参考例句：

• The car was wrecked by its collision with a big lorry.这辆小轿车是由于和大卡车相撞而碰毁的。
• This collision had a very unusual cause.这次冲突有着非同寻常的原因。

4 submarine   

n.潜水艇；adj.水底的，海底的；vt.用潜艇袭击；vi.滑入...底下

参考例句：

• Within a short time,everything on the submarine was buttoned up.不一会儿，潜水艇内所有的东西都扣紧了。
• The submarine signaled for help.潜水艇发出求救的信号。

5 heating   

n.加热，供暖，暖气装置；adj.加热的，供暖的

参考例句：

• They will install a heating and lighting system in our house.他们将在我们家装上供热供电系统。
• If the pressure is too low,the heating system will act up.如果压力太低，供暖系统就会出毛病。

6 seafood   

n.海产食品，海味，海鲜

参考例句：

• There's an excellent seafood restaurant near here.离这儿不远有家非常不错的海鲜馆。
• Shrimps are a popular type of seafood.小虾是比较普遍的一种海味。

7 chimney   

n.烟囱，烟筒；玻璃罩

参考例句：

• The chimney blew out a cloud of black smoke.烟囱里喷出一团黑烟。
• His father is a chimney sweeper.他的父亲是一位扫烟囱的工人。

8 volcano   

n.火山

参考例句：

• The volcano unexpectedly blew up early in the morning.火山一早突然爆发了。
• It is most risky to go and examine an active volcano.去探察活火山是非常危险的。

9 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。