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Every year thousands of tourists visit Pompeii, Italy. They see the sights that Pompeii is famous for ¨D its stadium (¶Ìì´óÐÍÔ˶¯³¡) and theatres, its shops and restaurants. The tourists do not, however, see Pompeii¡¯s people. They do not see them because Pompeii has no people. No one has lived in Pompeii for almost 2000 years. Once, Pompeii was a busy city of 22000 people. It lay at the foot of Mount Vesuvius, a grass-covered volcano . Mount Vesuvius had not erupted for centuries, so the people of Pompeii felt safe. But they were not.
In August of AD 79, Mount Vesuvius erupted. The entire top of the mountain exploded, and a huge black cloud rose into the air. Soon stones and hot ash began to fall on Pompeii. When the eruption ended two days later, Pompeii was buried under 20 feet of stones and ashes. Almost all of its people were dead.
For centuries, Pompeii lay buried under stone and ash. Then, in the year 1861, an Italian scientist named Ginseppe began to uncover Pompeii. Slowly, carefully, Ginseppe and his men dug. The city looked almost the same as it had looked in AD 79. There were streets and fountains£¨ÅçȪ£©, houses and shops. There was a stadium with 20000 seats. Perhaps the most important of all, there were everyday objects, which tell us a great deal about the people who lived in Pompeii. Many glasses and jars had some dark blue colour in the bottom, so we know that the people of Pompeii liked wine. They liked bread, too; metal bread pans were in every bakery. In one bakery there were 81 round, flat loaves of bread ¨D a type of bread that is still sold in Italy today. Tiny boxes filled with a dark, shiny powder tell us that women liked to wear eye makeup.
Ginseppe has died, but his work continues. One-fourth has not been uncovered yet. Scientists are still digging, still making discoveries that draw the tourists to Pompeii.
¡¾Ð¡Ìâ1¡¿Why do large numbers of people come to Pompeii each year?
A£®To visit the volcano | B£®To shop and eat there |
C£®To watch sports and plays | D£®To watch how Pompeiians lived |
A£®The city nearby offered all kinds of fun. |
B£®The area produced the finest wine in Italy. |
C£®Few people expected the volcano to erupt again. |
D£®The mountain was beautiful and covered with grass. |
A£®Because Ginseppe and his men dug it slowly and carefully. |
B£®Because the city was buried alive and remained untouched. |
C£®Because scientists successfully rebuilt the city with everyday objects. |
D£®Because nobody had lived in the city ever since the volcano erupted. |
A£®They lived more or less the same as Italians now do. |
B£®They liked women wearing all kinds of makeup. |
C£®They enjoyed a good life with drinking and eating. |
D£®They went back to Pompeii after the eruption in AD 79. |
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Everyday, 340 million people speak it. One billion people are learning it and it is said that by 2050, half of the world¡¯s population will be using it. What are we talking about? That is the global language¡ªEnglish.
The English language started in Britain in the 5th century. It is a mixed language. It was built up when German. Scandinavian and French invaders settled in England and created a common language for communication.
Today it is the official language of the UK, the USA, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa and Ireland as well as many islands in the Caribbean. Many other countries and regions use it for politics and business, for example, India. Pakistan, Nigeria and the Philippines. English is also one of the official languages of Hong Kong.
But global advertising and pop music mean that in most countries, you will see or hear some English. Thanks to McDonalds, we all know about ¡°burgers¡±. ¡°fries¡± and ¡°milkshakes¡±. Songs by Madonna, Britney Spears and Celine Dion are in English. We can sing along, even if we do not understand what we are singing!
English is a messy (ÔÓÂÒµÄ) language. Every year, dictionaries include new words that talk about popular culture, for example, computer-related words such as "blogging", "download" and "chartroom". Also included are words that teenagers use. Who does not know ¡°cool¡±, ¡°OK¡± and ¡°hello¡±?
Other languages also influence English. Many English words come from French. Words like ¡°caf¨¦¡± and expressions like ¡°c'est la vie¡± (that is life) are all part of the English language. On the other hand, the French language includes English words like "le weekend" and "le camping". German words are also part of English
. Words like "kindergarten" come from the German language.
Recently, British people have become interested in ¡°yoga¡±. But the word comes from an ancient Hindu language in India.
¡¾Ð¡Ìâ1¡¿The English language has a history of ______.
A£®over 2000 years | B£®over 500 years |
C£®over 1500 years | D£®over 1000 years |
A£®because of | B£®in order to | C£®as usual | D£®as if. |
A£®It has been changing all the time. |
B£®It has borrowed words from all the other![]() |
C£®French words are used by the En![]() |
D£®Singers and film stars have the greatest influence on language. |
A£®One billion people | B£®340 million |
C£®almost all the people in the world. | |
D£®not mentioned above, but the number is growing rapidly. |
A£®the USA | B£®Nigeria | C£®the Philippines | D£®Norway |