请问有没有短篇的英语短文,说外国文化的．大概能读两三分钟的．谢谢

请问有没有短篇的英语短文,说外国文化的．大概能读两三分钟的．谢谢

帮你找了两篇,一篇是有关埃及的文化的,另一篇是有关希腊的文化的,希望我的会德能对你有所帮助!^_^
Egypt
Pyramids and pharaohs, mummies and magic, picture writing on papyrus—ancient Egypt had all this, and much more. Rich, powerful, and peace-loving, this North African kingdom was home to a splendid civilization that lasted 3,000 years, from about 3300 bc to 30 bc.
RED LAND, BLACK LAND
Ancient Egypt was a vast territory, stretching 700 miles (1,100 kilometers) southward from the Mediterranean Sea. Most of it was hot, dry, and dusty. The Egyptians called it Deshret (red land). But the world’s longest river, the Nile, runs through this desert. Every year, the river flooded the surrounding land. The floods left sticky, smelly mud covering the land along the riverbanks. Egyptians called the riverside area Kemet (black land). This land was very fertile. About 5000 bc, the ancient Egyptians built some of the world’s first farms and villages there.
THE GIFT OF THE NILE
Egypt was sometimes called “the gift of the Nile.” All Egyptian life depended on the river. Farmers dug ditches to bring its water to fields of wheat, grapes, and onions. Rich nobles, town traders, and poor country families all built homes made of sun-dried river mud. Craftspeople shaped clay from the Nile into pottery, and wove cloth from the flax plant that grew on its banks. Families caught fish and river birds for food. Children played in riverside pools, but they had to watch out for killer crocodiles!
LIFE IN ANCIENT EGYPT
Most ancient Egyptian homes had just two or three rooms, with workspace on the roof. Rich people built larger houses, with painted walls, fine furniture, gardens, and pools. In poor families, women wore rough homemade dresses and men wore cloths tied around the hips. But the rich could afford curled wigs, makeup, colored clothes, and jewels. They had servants and slaves to work for them.
Rich or poor, all Egyptians valued family life. They married young and had many children. Families worked together and played together. Egyptian people liked games, stories, music, dancing, and holiday feasts and parades.
The ancient Egyptians believed in magic and many gods. People built little shrines to their favorite gods. They wore amulets (charms), and recited prayers and spells. They also built statues representing gods. The most famous is the Great Sphinx of Giza. This huge statue with the body of a lion and the head of a man still stands today.
HIEROGLYPHS AND PAPYRUS
The ancient Egyptians had a complex system of writing known as hieroglyphics. This form of writing looks like columns of little pictures. These picture-symbols are called hieroglyphs. Not everyone could read hieroglyphs. Reading and writing was the job of special scholars called scribes.
Scribes wrote in hieroglyphs on papyrus, a kind of paper made from reeds. This was some of the world’s first writing! Pages of poems, songs, stories, math, science, and astronomy have all been preserved.
POWERFUL PHARAOHS
Egyptian kings were known as pharaohs. Egyptians said the pharaohs were the children of a god. They were links between heaven and Earth. Pharaohs were the chief priests, lawmakers, and army commanders of the kingdom. They gave orders to governors, judges, tax collectors, and soldiers. They made treaties with foreign rulers and controlled trade with other countries. All Egyptians had to pay taxes to them or work on their building projects.
PYRAMID TOMBS AND MUMMIES
Some of the pharaohs had great pyramids constructed. A pyramid was an enormous stone tomb. Building a pyramid was a tremendous project. Thousands of people worked for many years to construct one. Some of the stone blocks that make up the pyramids weigh more than two elephants!
The ancient Egyptians believed that their bodies must survive for life after death. They had their bodies made into mummies. Mummies were preserved, dried, and wrapped in cloth. Egyptians hoped this would help their spirits survive after they died. Pharaoh mummies were placed in pyramids or great tombs surrounded by treasures to be used in the afterlife. Guides to the world of the dead written in hieroglyphs on papyrus have been found with mummies. Most royal mummies, and the treasures buried with them, were stolen by grave robbers long ago.
LASTING REMINDERS OF THE PAST
Egypt’s rich civilization attracted many invaders. But it survived for thousands of years. In 30 bc, Egypt’s last pharaoh—Queen Cleopatra—killed herself rather than surrender to Roman conquerors. That was 2,000 years ago. But ancient Egypt has not been forgotten. Some mummies were so well preserved that they are still around. Some of them are in museums. And many of ancient Egypt’s greatest monuments, including many pyramids, are still standing. You can visit them!
Greek
Without the Greeks, who would have given us science, technology, democracy, politics, drama, and history? All of these words, as well as the ideas they represent, originated in ancient Greece.
WHERE WAS ANCIENT GREECE?
Greece is a mountainous peninsula that juts into the Mediterranean Sea. It includes hundreds of rocky islands off the coast. But the people of ancient Greece settled over a much wider area, from southern France to Asia Minor (now Turkey). Everywhere they went, they brought their language and traditions with them.
WHEN DID GREEK CIVILIZATION BEGIN?
The first Greek civilization developed on the Mediterranean island of Crete around 2200 bc. This civilization was called Minoan after a legendary ruler of Crete named Minos. The Minoans lived by farming, fishing, and seafaring. Their rulers built huge, brightly painted palaces. A magnificent palace at Knossos may have belonged to King Minos. The Minoans invented a way of writing, but no one today can read it.
Soon after 1500 bc, Minoan civilization collapsed. Mycenae, a city on mainland Greece, rose to power. The Mycenaeans built palaces fortified with massive walls, and they rode in chariots. They must have been rich because beautiful objects of gold were found in their graves. The Mycenaeans were warriors. They fought each other, and they went to war in distant places, such as Troy in Asia Minor.
These wars were disastrous for Greece. From 1000 to 750 bc, farming, craftwork, and trade suffered. People even forgot how to write!
HOW DID GREECE REBUILD?
Slowly, Greece recovered. The Greek people organized themselves into self-governing communities called city-states. Each city had homes, workshops, temples devoted to the Greek gods, markets, schools, sports arenas, and meeting places.
A city-state also controlled the surrounding countryside. In villages and on farms, Greek families grew olives, grapes, and grain for food. They raised sheep and goats for hides and wool.
Along the coast, people lived by fishing or by trading with other Mediterranean lands. They sold olive oil, wine, timber, and craft products. The Greeks were especially known for their excellent metalwork and painted pottery.
The Greeks liked debating, questioning, and exploring new ideas. They admired logical arguments and scientific proof. They believed in justice and human dignity. But they were not all equal. Some Greeks were born free. Others were slaves with no rights. Greek men had freedom to work, study, and travel. Women spent their lives at home. They wove cloth, bore children, and cared for their families.
The Greeks also believed in gods who controlled human lives. They honored the gods and made offerings to them. In return, they hoped for blessings. To please the gods, city-states held religious festivals, with competitions in music, dance, drama, poetry, and sports. The Olympic Games began as a religious festival of this kind, probably in 776 bc.
WHICH WAS THE STRONGEST CITY-STATE?
By around 500 bc, two city-states were supreme. Sparta was famous for its fearsome fighting men. It had a powerful ruling council, secret police, and spies. All its citizens—including women and children—were trained to be tough and brave. Slaves grew food.
Athens was a democracy. All adult male citizens had the right to elect leaders, serve on juries, and debate government plans. Athenians prized learning and the arts. They asked the best artists, architects, philosophers, and writers to live and work in their city. From 480 to 359 bc, Athens collected tribute (payments) from smaller, weaker Greek cities. It used this money, and wealth from its silver mines, to buy warships. It also rebuilt the center of the city in magnificent style, with temples, statues, law courts, theaters, and strong walls.
From 490 to 479 bc, Athens and Sparta fought together against invaders from Persia. But then they became rivals. From 431 to 404 bc, they fought each other in a bitter war. The war severely weakened both powers.
HOW DID GREEK POWER END?
In 338 bc, Greece was conquered by Macedonia, a kingdom to the north. City-states lost their political power, but Greek civilization continued and spread to many distant lands. Under Macedonian rule, Greek philosophers, mathematicians, and scientists made discoveries that are still useful today.
In 146 bc, Roman armies invaded Greece. Roman leaders admired Greek achievements, and so Greek ideas and artistic styles spread still further, through the lands of the Roman Empire. In ad 395, Greece became part of the Byzantine Empire. It was ruled from the city of Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey). Greek language, knowledge, and technology remained important until the Byzantine Empire fell to Ottoman Turks in 1453.
THE INFLUENCE OF ANCIENT GREECE
Today, Greek civilization still shapes the way people think, speak, study, govern, design buildings, and spend their leisure time. Many words in the English language come from Greek roots. Questions raised by Greek philosophers are still debated. Greek plays are read and performed. The Olympic Games are held every four years, just as in ancient Greece. Many of our buildings—especially those with tall, round columns—are modeled after Greek buildings. The influence of ancient Greece is felt throughout Europe and in all the lands that European nations once ruled.