Unit 5 Into the Unknown Writing & Presenting ideas 课件-2022-2023学年高二下学期英语外研版（2019）选择性必修四册

Unit 5 Period 5 Writing & Presenting ideas 新 课 导 入 What unexplained phenomena do you know? 课 堂 学 习 1 Read the magazine article and answer the questions. A LONG LINE OF MYSTERIES Along a special line of latitude, known as the 30th parallel north, lie numerous sites of ancient civilisations and impressive natural features. Ancient civilisations appeared on the parallel, including Babylon, with its famous tower; Egypt, with its pyramids; China, with its Sanxingdui culture, etc. These civilisations appeared at a similar time, and all developed advanced bronze-making techniques. Were they part of a single super-civilisation, as some think? It's argued that the 30th parallel north is a line of great natural energy, with frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. This creates amazing natural features, including Mount Qomolangma, the Dead Sea, and rivers, such as the Nile, the Mississippi and the Yangtze. Lacking any concrete evidence, some even claim it was supernatural powers! Scientists, however, dispute these theories. It's more likely, they argue, that civilisations arose on the 30th parallel north because the climate there is generally warm and wet. Major tectonic plates meet at this latitude, causing earthquakes, which helped form the Himalayas. The rest, they say, is either coincidence or fantasy. 1. Why is the 30th parallel north mysterious? 2. What are some unusual explanations for it? 3. What are some possible scientific explanations? The 30th parallel north is mysterious because it is where numerous sites of ancient civilisations and impressive natural features lie. Some believe that the 30th parallel north is a line of great natural energy, with frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, and others even claim that its amazing natural features were caused by supernatural powers. Possible scientific explanations for the 30th parallel north include the generally warm and damp climate that made it a good place for civilisations to develop, and the fact that