Unit 2 Yuanmingyuan The ruins of Yuanmingyuan are

Unit 2

Yuanmingyuan

The ruins of Yuanmingyuan are located in the suburbs of Beijing to the north-west of Qinghua University. Yuanmingyuan dates back to the Qing Dynasty. It has the reputation of being “the garden of gardens”. Unfortunately, it was destroyed in a fire. Our government has taken measures to repair it and much restoration work still needs to be done.

With the fast development of the modern world, the problems of preserving cultural heritage sites are becoming more and more serious. Nowadays many historic sites have been damaged, leaving only part of the ruins. Do you think it is necessary to rebuild them?

Look at these pictures of some famous historic sites and discuss The Colosseum

When was the Colosseum built? In the 1 st century BC. What was it used for? It was an amphitheatre or arena that was used for displays of combat and wild-beast shows. How big is it? It was designed to hold 50, 000 spectators.

Classical gardens of Suzhou

What is Suzhou famous for? It is famous for its splendid scenery, especially its classical gardens. Have you visited the classical gardens there? If so, what did you see?

Angkor Wat

Where was the temple complex built? In Cambodia. When was it built? In the early years of the 12 th century. It. Why was built it tobuilt? honour the Hindu God Vishnu.

St Basil’s Cathedral

When and where was the Cathedral built? In Moscow between 1555 and 1560. Do you know anything special about The sonsists of nine individual the Cathedral? churches, each of which is crowned by a unique tower. The central tower is surrounded by eight towers, each topped with an eight-point star symbolizing the Christian Church as a guiding

Discuss 1. When we talk about Greece, what do you think of? 2. What do you know about Greece? 3. What do you know about Athens? 4. Do you know anything about Athens and the Olympic

the Acropolis

1. When was the Acropolis built? In the 5 th century BC. 2. What was the Acropolis made of? It was made of marble. 3. Who gave the Acropolis its World Heritage listing? UNESCO.

1. In which fields did the Greeks make contributions to Western civilization? In philosophy, science, mathematics, art, architecture, theatre, politics and sport.

2. Where was the Acropolis built? Why? On the hill called the Sacred Rock in the centre of the city. It was built there so that it was convenient for everyone to get to. Also, because it was on the hill, the Acropolis could be seen from every part of the city.

3. How have so many ancient monuments been damaged? They have been damaged partly by natural things like earthquakes, and partly by man.

4. What was the last major destruction done to the Acropolis by man? The last major destruction occurred with theft of many of the best sculptures in 1801, when an Englishman started to take them to London.

5. What is the aim of the committee set up in 1975? Its aim is to undertake the complete, professional restoration of the Acropolis.

6. Why is the committee undertaking educational work? Because they believe that the prevention of damage from ignorance and from people not caring about protecting the monument is very important.

7. What would happen if people did not learn about damage prevention? More important historic buildings would be damaged.

The article describes some of the cases of damage done to the Acropolis. List what being done to solve each problem.

Causes Chemical Biological Natural Details acid rain from air pollution plant roots and bird droppings Actions a steady cleaning programme earthquakes to be fixed Mechanical bad reconstruction to be fixed Human deliberate damage walking around the educational work ask for return Acropolis stealing stones

Find these new words and expressions in the article. Guess their meanings from the context. Then match each word or expression with the correct definition.

in particular (line 17) d--- especially, particularly altitude (line 21) a--- height smooth (line 44) j --- not rough

seized control of (lines 52 -53) c--- took over, controlled friction (line 69) b --- disagreement or conflict restore (line 76) f --- bring back to the original condition

unintentionally (line 85) e --- without intention, not deliberately, by accident reconstruction (line 99) i --- restoring, bringing to the original condition

steady (line 108) h --- regular consensus (line 117) g --- an opinion that all people agree with

Part D Answers: 1. Athens 3. people 2. 5. government undertake ignorance conservation monument 2. Athena 4. plant 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. sculptures

Read the text again and choose the best answers according to the text:

1. Which of the followings was not a Greek invention? A. The Western alphabet. B. Roman alphabet. C. Architecture. D. Marathon

2. Why was the Acropolis built on the hill called the Sacred Rock in the centre of the city? A. To associate ancient Greek civilization with the capital city of Athens. B. It was constructed at a high altitude above the city in honour of Athens. C. Because there are three main temples to Athens. D. Because it was convenient for everyone to get to and could be seen from every past of the city.

3. In which year did the Acropolis receive a World Heritage listing from UNESO? A. 1835 B. 1975 C. 1987 D. 2004

The Acropolis now Work in pairs or groups and fill in the form after reading the text. 2 Significance The ancient Greeks as well as the Acropolis have had a impact/effect greater (1) _______ on Western civilization.

26 History It was built about (2) _____ centuries ago on the hill so as to convenience to bring great (3) ______ every visitor. made of marble, the Though (4) ______ buildings of the Acropolis were unable to avoid damage. They were destroyed by many foreign invaders, such as the Turks and the Italians.

History From 1801 to 1816, many of the stolen best sculptures were (5) _______ and sold to the British government. During the period from 1835 to 1935, the Acropolis was being damaged because of the unsuccessful restoration, the visitors and the industrial pollution (6) ___________.

History In 1975, the Greek government established a committee to help preserve history. (7) _____ In 1987, the Acropolis was listed Heritage by as a (8) World _______ UNESCO. Before the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, great progress had been reconstructing made in (9) _______ /restoring ______ the monument.

Current The committee is continuing its work by undertaking the situation complete, professional restoration of the Acropolis as well as undertaking important 2 educational work by teaching damaging people how to avoid (10) _______ important historic buildings like the Acropolis.

Have you ever visited a World Heritage site? Discuss these questions with a partner. Use the following conversation as an example.

A: Have you ever been to a World Heritage site? B: Yes. Last year my parents took me to Mount Huangshan. A: Oh, I’ve always wanted to go there. What was it like? B: It was really beautiful. There were lots of pine trees, rocks and hot springs. Have you ever been to any famous sites? A: …