Unit1,Book1AnnesbestfriendDo you want a friend whom you could tell everything to, like your deepest feelings and thoughts? Or are you afraid that your friend would laugh at you, or would not understand what you are going through? Anne Frank wanted the first kind, so she made her diary her bestfriend.Annie lived in Amsterdam in the Netherlands during World War II. Her family was Jewish so they had to hide or they would be caught by the German Nazis. She and her family hid away for nearly twenty-five months before they were discovered. During that time the only true friend was her diary. She said, I dont want to set down a series of facts in a diary as most people do, but I want this diary itself to be my best friend, and I shall call my friend Kitty. Now read how she felt after being in the hiding place since July 1942.Dearkitty,I wonder if its because I havent been able to be outdoors for so long that Ive grown crazy about everything to do with nature. I can well remember that there was a time when a deep blue sky, the song of the birds, moonlight and flowers could never have kept me spellbound.ThatchangedsinceIwashere.For example, one evening when it was so warm, I stayed awake on purpose until half past eleven in order to have a good look at the moon by myself. But as the moon gave far too much light, I didnt dare open a window. Another time five months ago, I happened to be upstairs at dusk when the window was open. I didnt go downstairs until the window had to be shut. The dark, rainy evening, the wind, the thundering clouds held me entirely in their power; it was the first time in a year and a half that Id seen the night face to face.Sadly. I am only able to look at nature through dirty curtains hanging before very dusty windows. Its no pleasure looking through these any longer because nature is one thing thatreallymustbeexperienced.Yours,AnneUnit2TheroadtomodernEnglishAt the end of the 16th century, about five to seven million people speak English. Nearly all of them lived in England. Later in the next century, people from England made voyages to conquer other parts of the world and because of that, English began to be spoken in many other countries. Today, more people speak English as their first, second, or a foreign languagethaneverbefore.Native English speakers can understand each other even if they dont speak the same kind ofEnglish.Lookatthisexample:BritishBetty:Wouldyouliketoseemyflat?AmericanAmy:Yes.Idliketocomeuptoyourapartment.So why has English changed over time? Actually all languages change and develop when cultures meet and communicate with each other. At first the English spoken in England between about AD 450 and 1150 was very different from the English we spoke today. It was based more on German than the English we speak at present. Then gradually between about AD 800 and 1150, English became less like German because those who rules England spoke first Danish and later French. These new settlers enriched the English language and especially its vocabulary. So by the 1600s Shakespeare was able to make use of a wider vocabulary than ever before. In 1620 some British settlers moved to America. Later in the 18th century some British people were taken to Australia too. English begantobespokeninbothcountries.Finally by the 19th century the language was settled. At that time two big changes in English spelling happened: first Samuel Johnson wrote his dictionary and later Noah Webster wrote the American Dictionary of the English language. The latter gave a separate identitytoAmericanEnglishspelling.English now is spoken as a foreign or second language in South Asia. For example, India has a very large number of fluent English speakers because Britain ruled India from 1765 to 1947. During that time English became the language for government and education. English is also spoken in Singapore and Malaysia and countries in Africa such as South Africa. Today the number of people learning English in China is increasing rapidly. In fact, China may have the largest number of English learners. Will Chinese English develop its ownidentity?Onlytimewilltell.StandardEnglishanddialects.When people use words and expressions different from the standard language, it is called a dialect. . American English has so many dialects because people have come fromallovertheworld.Geography also plays a part in making dialects. Some people who live in mountains of the eastern USA speak with an older kind of English dialect.Although many Americans move a lot, they still recognize and understand each others dialects.Unit3JourneydowntheMekongMy name is Wang Kun. Ever since middle school, my sister Wang Wei and I have dreamed about taking a great bike trip. Two years ago she bought an expensive mountain bike then she persuaded me to buy one. Last year, she visited our cousins, Dao Wei and Yu Hang at their college in Kunming. They are Dai an