UNIT2 单元话题阅读一（Word练习）-【拓展阅读】2024-2025学年高中英语选择性必修第二册（人教版2019）

 

 

 

(材料选自外研版新教材选择性必修第四册 Unit 3)

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WELCOME TO DUNHUANG!

Welcome to Dunhuang! [1]On the old Silk Road, this city was the gateway① to and from②Ancient China, a place where East met West, and a green island in the middle of the desert. You can only imagine how travellers felt when they saw the oasis③ of Dunhuang ahead of them.

Dunhuang's long and glorious④history represents⑤ its significance as a centre of cultural and commercial exchange⑥. Today, Dunhuang is a world­class tourist destination boasting⑦ sites with UNESCO⑧­protected heritage status. Now, we are going to enter some of the city's famous caves, of which there are more than 700. [2] Known as the Mogao Grottoes, these ancient caves were carved out of⑨ the rock over a period of 1，000 years. If you look up, you can see the paintings and other artworks that are testimony⑩ to how the Silk Road brought East and West together. Look at these statues⑪！You can see elements⑫ from Ancient Greece, India and Iran. Now look around the walls of the cave. Come a little bit closer so that you can get a better view. Look at them! The murals⑬ cover an astonishing⑭ area of⑮ 45，000 square metres.

[1]本句为复合句，the gateway to and from Ancient China和a place where East met West，还有a green island in the middle of the desert为并列表语；a place where East met West中又包含where引导的定语从句。

[2]本句为简单句，Known as the Mogao Grottoes为过去分词短语作状语，其逻辑主语为these ancient caves。

The subjects of the Dunhuang murals vary from religious⑯ stories to⑰ scenes of everyday life. But one type of mural that is unique⑱ to Dunhuang shows the Apsaras, or “Flying Immortals⑲”.Representations of these heavenly musicians, singers and dancers decorate the walls of many caves. Take a look at this mural. [3] The Apsaras are depicted⑳ sailing in the bright blue sky, with their scarves flying, as if they are about to fly down to meet us. And here is

another one. Move over here where you can see it in more detail. The Apsaras are holding lotuses, playing musical instrumentsB21, dancing and throwing flowers. The painting of Apsaras reached a peakB22 during the Tang Dynasty；these images are full of life, reflecting the confidence and optimism of people from that time.

[3]本句为复合句， with their scarves flying为with的复合结构作状语， as if 引导方式状语从句。

Now, something really extraordinaryB23 happened in 1900, when a Taoist priestB24 made one of the most important finds of the 20th century. In a sealed caveB25, now known as the famous Library Cave, were hidden thousands of manuscripts, paintings and scrollsB26, as well as silk embroideries. We'll have a chance to see some of them shortly — the Library Cave is only a stone's throwB27 from here. Dating fromB28 405 AD to 1002 AD, these hidden treasures give us a picture of Dunhuang when it was at the very centre of the Silk Road trade. Thanks to this ancient library, we now know that goods arrived in Dunhuang from as far away as North­east Europe, and that goods were also exported from Dunhuang across Asia and Europe. The scrolls are so detailed that they describe the vast range of goods that were imported and exported from Dunhuang, such as ceramicsB29, medicine, perfumes and fruit, to name just a few. The scrolls also reveal how many different communities lived side­by­side within this great city. However, the reason why the Library Cave was sealed upB30 all those years ago remains a mystery.

In the Ming Dynasty, trade routes changed and Dunhuang was not as prosperous as it used to be. [4] Gradually, it faded fromB31 memory, even though it was once such a great city.

[4]本句为复合句， even though 引导让步状语从句。

This century is bringing the Silk Road to lifeB32 once more through the Belt and Road Initiative. Dunhuang has once again become a global crossroadsB33 since it hosted hundreds of representatives from 51 countries for the Silk Road International Cultural Expo in 2017.Given thatB34 the theme of the Expo was to promote cultural exchange and strengthenB35 mutual cooperation between the countries along the Silk Road, Dunhuang was the ideal place.

Now let's move on to the next cave ...

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①gateway /'ɡeɪtweɪ/ n.通向……的门户

②to and from 往返；来回

③oasis /əʊ'eɪsɪs/ n.(沙漠中的)绿洲