范文一:新编大学英语视听说教程一册答案(1)
Part 1 一、1. FTFTT
2. 776-2235,65,,11,loud quieter
二、1.ABBDA
2. old ,torn ,blue, by the hand, holiday, children
三、1.181st ,very tired, take hold of; for her trouble. never, again
四、1.CDBDB
Part 2
ACDEGIJ
in a mess, my turn, a hand, work on ,expectations of, how about, too much, what we have part 3
nicer,excited,promises,married,first,lasted,kids,enough,changes,loves,mad,care about, boy friend, get better, help
Part 4
一 1.CEFGKL
2.personality ,background, good sense of humor, terrible, different, environment, looks \二、1. FTFTT
gone by, no sign, taken over, enough, limits
三、1.TFFTT
2. seventies, selfish, unnatural, husband, surrounded
四、1.ABDCD
Unit 2
Part 1
一、1.TFTFT
二、1.TFFFT
2.far,away, lucky, forget, parked, over, route, miss, smile, drove, laughter, usual 三、1.FTTFF
2. ABDFGI
四2. records, figure out , organize, filing system, elaborate, broken up, see, loudly, forget Part 2
1. 1 4 6 7
2. turn in , worry about, growing up, gone, on the right side, last night, turned out to be,
take off, lately, fixing for, made a mistake, turn on
Part 3
3. randomly, repeats them, backwards, recall every detail, a year old, more forgetful,
families, heredity, environment, the brain, specific, genes, a vacation, a regular guy part 4.
一、1.FTFTT
二、1.BCA
2.1 3 4 6
三、1.CBDAA
2.1—C 2—A 3—B
四、1.BDF
2.her grandfather, a small area, a better sense, three or four ,by smell. Soap, perfume
Part1
一.
1. french, the united states, mushrooms, umbrella
German, Spain, milk, bullfight ticket
2、T T T F F
二.
1. lecture, teller, give a lecture, never even smiled, exhausted
2.C A B A D
三.
1.1 4 6
2. Love, unity, purity, happiness, desire, yellow rose, yellow tulip, carnation
四.
1. F T F T T
2. husband, made a awful mistake, full of love, for words
Part2
1. F F T T F T T T T
2. lack communication skills, take the initiative, first thing, becoming boring, non-verbal language, facial expression, annoying, elsewhere,
Change for the better
Part 3
2. examine, slight, intensity, contrast, relaxed, simplicity, confidence,
negotiation, cool, information, resolution, passion
Part3
一.
1.C A B C A B A C
三.
1.Make their space, spread your towels, coat, small bag, library,
One corner, chair, across from, briefcase, stiffened, head, invaded
2.F F T T T F
四.
2.B A C D
Unit 4
Part1
一.
1.A C C A C
2.T F T F F
二.
1. T F T T F T
2. this semester, need to know, different, the rules, use, do our homework, reading about, questions, answers
三.
1.2 3 1 4 5 6
2.history,major,not,2009,2010,title,computer,out,shelf,reserve
四.
1.A C B B A
2. competed, sang, laughed, children, turn, next, acting them out, demonstrated, ping your hands, posters, cards, stories, shut, music
Part 2
1.T F T F F F T T F T
2.what can I do, like sports, under construction, schoolwork, more about him, quit school, the tuition fee, in a rush, student loans, student center
Part3
1. disaster,picture,totally,unbelievable,review,consider,particular,
independently-minded, medicine, worth
Part 4
一.
1.A B C A D
2.T T T F F
二.
1.B C A A C
三.
1.B C B C B A B
四.
1. activity, information, writing, different, skills, position, Involves, you cannot possibly discover all that you need to know at once, Don’t be discouraged if your work is not perfect at first, You should expect progress, not perfection, from yourself
范文二:新编大学英语4视听说材料UNIT1
In one town, there were three longtime friends, Pat, Mike and Bob. Pat and Bob were quite bright, but Mike was rather dull.
One day as Pat and Mike were walking down the sidewalk together, Pat put his hand on a solid brick wall and said,
The following day Mike and Bob were walking in the town square. Mike decided to play the joke on Bob. He looked around, and seeing no solid object, he placed his hand over his face and said,
Questions:
1. Who was NOT clever?
2. What did Pat ask Mike to do?
3. Who was hurt finally?
4. On whom was Mike going to try this joke?
5. Where did Mike put his hand when he asked Bob to hit him?
6. What happened to Mike after Bob struck a hard blow with his fist?
If you like, you can do tricks at a party and be announced as,
A trick with a coin, a handkerchief and a friend:
Put the coin on your palm. Cover the coin with the handkerchief. Ask several people to put their hands beneath the handkerchief and feel the coin, to make sure that it is still there. Then take the corner of the handkerchief and pull it rapidly off your hand. The coin has gone! How? You must make sure the last friend knows the trick! Your last friend removes the coin when he or she seems to be just feeling it. And nobody knows where it has gone!
A trick with a piece of paper and a pencil:
Say that you can communicate your thoughts to people. Write on the piece of paper the word No . Don't let your friends see what you have written. Say,
A trick with an egg and some salt:
Ask your friends to stand the egg upright on the table. They won't manage to do it. Say that you can speak to the chicken inside. Say,
When you first get the egg back from your friends, pretend to kiss the egg at the base. Make the base wet. Then put the base into salt which is in your other hand. The salt will stick to the egg. Then put the egg on the table. Twist the egg around a few times as this will arrange the grains of salt. Then it will stand up. Don't forget to thank the chicken.
Questions:
1. What does the magician ask people to do in the first trick?
2. What happens to the coin?
3. How does the magician prove that he can communicate thoughts to the audience in the second trick?
4. What is the first step to make the egg stand?
5. What else is needed to make the egg stand?
John: Do you feel like going to the cinema, Liz?
Liz:Oh...yes...yes, let's do that, John.
John:Well, what shall we go and see?
Liz: What kind of film do you like?
John:Well, I like all sorts of films really... My favorite films are like Star Wars, you know, the...the fantasy, special effect ones that you can escape into another world with. Um...I also like mystery films. Do you like mystery films?
Liz:I really like mystery films, yes, but I don't like horror films because they give me nightmares.
John: Yes, I know. I don't like horror films either. I tell you, I just think they're sort of stupid and unbelievable. I do
like...um...crime films, you know, ones where you follow the detective and try to guess who the murderer is. Like...like Agatha
Christie stories, you know. And also where you take the side of the criminals. Do you know the ones I mean? You know, where you wonder if you're going to get...if they're going to get caught. You know, like a bank robbery or something like that.
Liz:Haha. Do you think there's a film with Robert Redford or Paul Newman in it?
John:Oh, I hope not.
Liz:'Cause I really... Oh, don't you like them?
John:Well, I tend to prefer people like Clint Eastwood and... Liz:Oh, no! I'm not keen on him at all!
John:Really?
Liz:No... What about a good comedy or a good musical, something like that?
John:No, no, I don't like films like that really.
Liz:The trouble is there are not many very good ones around these days...
John: Then what shall we go and see?
Liz:Why don't we ring up the ABC Cinema and find out what's on? Then we can decide.
John: That's a good idea...but I haven't got an evening paper. That's definitely the thing to do.
Gerry : I've just been to see Gone with the Wind. It was fantastic. Well worth seeing. Have you ever seen it?
Judy : No, but I've read the book. I don't think I would like to see the film really. It would spoil the story for me.
Gerry : Really? Oh, give me a film any day. Honestly, if I had to choose between the film of a story and the book of it, I'd go for the film.
Judy : Would you?
Gerry : Yes. It's much more real. You can get the atmosphere better. You know, the photography and location shots, period costumes, the right accents. All that. Don't you think so?
Judy : Not really, no. I much prefer to use my own imagination. I can imagine how I want it, rather than how someone makes me see it. Anyway, I think you get much more insight into the characters when you read a book. Part of a person's character is lost on film because you never know what he or she is thinking.
Gerry : True, but...well... I don't know. It's much easier going to the
cinema. It takes less time. I can get the whole story in two hours but it might take me a week to read the book.
Judy : I know, but it's so expensive to go to the cinema nowadays. Gerry : I know, but it's a social event. It's fun. You can go with your friends. When you read a book you have to do it on your own. Judy : All right. Let's agree to differ. I'll get some coffee...
(The following is an interview from a weekly sports program.)
Presenter:Good morning, listeners. Welcome to our
weekly sports program aimed at all those
under-active youngsters with time on
their hands! Listen to what our two guests
have to say about their own sporting
pursuits and how sport made a difference
to their lives. Debbie first, then,
Jonathan.
Debbie:I like doing something that gets you out
into the countryside. So I'm for
horse-riding whenever I can! It's quite
an expensive hobby, though. You have to
pay for the instruction and the hire of
the horse and the equipment — and there is
quite a lot of that, but I think it's a
great sport because you're out of doors
and working with animals. I used to be
actually scared of horses until I took up
riding; now I adore them! When I've saved
up enough money I'm going to buy a pony
of my own. Another advantage of riding is
that disabled people can enjoy it too.
It's great fun teaching them to ride; it
makes you feel you're doing something
really worthwhile. It's made me more
aware of other people's problems and now
I don't worry about my own so much.
Presenter:Thank you, Debbie. Now Jonathan.
Jonathan:The trouble with riding is that you can
injure yourself if you fall! I don't like
that at all! I prefer canoeing because
you've always got the water there for
support. If you're a good swimmer, have
a good sense of balance and strong arms,
you'll like canoeing! The main trouble is
transporting your canoe to the right
places — my father takes it on the roof of
the car — or sometimes I put it on the roof
of the Club Land Rover. What it's taught
me most is to be independent. It's just
you and the canoe against the wind, the
weather and the water. It gives you a lot
of self-confidence and it can be really
exciting as long as you don't mind getting
soaked, of course! It makes you feel close
to nature somehow. I hope to run my own
canoeing center when I'm qualified.
Questions:
1. How many guests are interviewed in the program?
2. How do sports affect the guests' life according to the presenter?
3. What sports does Debbie enjoy most?
4. What will Debbie do if she saves up enough money?
5. What does Jonathan think of horse-riding?
6. What is required for canoeing?
7. What is troublesome about canoeing?
8. What can you get from canoeing?
The game of football may have started in Roman times. It seems that the Romans played a game very much like our modern rugby but with a round ball.
English villagers played football in the 16th century and they often had almost a hundred players on each side. It was a very common game, which was very rough and even dangerous until the early part of the 19th century. In the 18th century a Frenchman who had watched a rough game of football in a village wrote,
From the mid 19th century, it was played in schools in England and soon spread all over Britain and Europe. Until in 1850, it was not possible
to have football matches between one school and another, because each school had different rules! So set rules had to be made. They were not formalized though until, in 1863, when those who preferred to play with hands as well as feet formed the Rugby Union while the others started the Football Association (F.A.). It was only in 1863 that the first set of rules for all football clubs was agreed upon.
Nearly 150 years later, football has become by far the most popular sport in the entire world. Would that 18th century Frenchman have believed it possible?
Questions:
1. According to the passage, when may the game of football have first started?
2. What does the speaker say about the earliest football game in England?
3. How many team members were often involved in the game when the English began to play the game?
4. Why was it NOT possible to have football matches between two schools until 1850?
5. What happened to football in 1863?
Receptionist:Good morning. Can I help you?
Cathy:Er...a friend told me that you have exercise and dance classes here.
Receptionist:That's right.
Cathy:Er...can you give me some information about days and times, please?
Receptionist: Yes, there are four classes a day, every day from Monday to Saturday— nothing on Sunday.
Cathy:Yeah.
Receptionist:The first one is an aerobics class from 8:30 to 9:30 in the morning. Then there's another aerobics class at lunchtime from 12:30 to 1:30.
Cathy:Right.
Receptionist:Then in the evening from 5:30 to 6:30— that's aerobics too. And there's a jazz dance class from 6:30 to 7:30. Cathy:Right. And what level are they for? I mean, would they be OK for a beginner?
Receptionist: The morning aerobics — 8:30 to 9:30— is advanced. All the others are kind of beginner to intermediate level. But let me give you an information sheet.
Cathy:Thanks. And how much does it cost for a class? Receptionist:You pay a £ 1 entrance fee and then the classes are £ 2.50 each and £ 3.50 for the jazz dancing. It's there on the sheet.
Cathy:Oh, yes, I see.
Receptionist:If you become a member, entrance is free and...
Cathy:Oh, no, it's OK. I'm only in London for two weeks. Receptionist: Oh, right. That's no good then.
Cathy: And I guess you have showers and everything? Receptionist:Yes, sure, and in the evenings you can use the sauna free, too.
Cathy:Oh, great. Right. So the next class is at 5:30? Well, I'll see you then.
Receptionist:Fine. See you later!
Questions:
1. Where does the dialog most probably take place?
2. How many classes are there everyday except Sunday?
3. At what time does the last class end?
4. How much is the entrance fee?
5. Which class will Cathy come for most probably?
6. What can we learn about Cathy from the dialog?
Woman: Why don't we go abroad for a change? I'd like
to go to France, Spain, or even Italy.
Man: Mm. I'm not all that keen on traveling really.
I'd rather stay at home.
Woman:Oh, come on, Steve. Think of the sun!
Man:Yes, but think of the cost! Going abroad is
very expensive.
Woman:Oh, it isn't, Steve. Not these days.
Man:Of course it is, Juliet. The best thing about
having a holiday here in Britain is that it's
cheaper. And another thing, traveling in
Britain would be easier. No boats, planes or
anything.
Woman:Even so, we've been to most of the interesting
places in Britain already. What's the point
in seeing them again? Anyway, we can travel
round Britain whenever we like. There's no
point in wasting our summer holiday here.
Man:Mm, I suppose you're right. Nevertheless,
what I can't stand is all the bother with
foreign currency, changing money and all that
when we go abroad. I hate all that. And it's
so confusing.
Woman:Oh, don't be silly, Steve.
Man:And what's more, I can't speak any of the
languages — you know that. It's all right for
you. You can speak foreign languages.
Woman:Exactly. You see, what I'd really like to do
is practice my French and Spanish. It would
help me a lot at work.
Man: Mm, but that's no use to me.
Woman:But just think of the new places we'd see, the
people we'd meet!
Man: But look, if we stayed here, we wouldn't have
to plan very much.
Woman: I'm sorry, Steve. No. I don't fancy another
cold English summer.
Questions:
1. Where does the man want to spend the summer holiday?
2. What is considered important in planning vacation according to the man?
3. What is confusing for the man to travel abroad?
4. What will help the woman in her work according to her?
5. What does the woman think of summer in Britain?
6. What can we learn about the man from the dialog?
Sally Marino gets married. After the wedding, there is a big party — a wedding reception. All the guests eat dinner. There is a band and, after
dinner, everyone dances. Sally's mother and father pay for everything. At the end of the reception, Sally and her new husband cut the wedding cake and all the guests get a piece.
Pete and Rose buy a new house. After moving in, they invite their friends and family to a party — a house-warming party. Everybody comes to see the new house. They look at the bedrooms, the dining room, even the garage. Pete and Rose serve drinks, sandwiches, and snacks. The party is on a Saturday afternoon.
It is Christmas time. Ted and Sarah Robinson want to see many of their friends over the holiday. So they invite their friends to an open house. The hours of the party are from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. The guests arrive and leave whenever they want. The Robinsons serve sandwiches, drinks, and snacks. Some guests stay for just 20 minutes, others stay for 3 hours. About fifty people come to the open house.
Mr. and Mrs. Todd ask their neighbors to come to an evening drinks party. They don't serve much food, just snacks — pretzels, chips, peanuts. No one dances. Conversation is important with people asking questions like
范文三:新编大学英语视听说第三版BOOK 2 UNIT 1
新编大学英语(第三版)视听说第二册答案+原文
Unit One Love
Part 1 Listening, Understanding and Speaking
Listening I
Exercise 1 1)gaze 2)sighs 3)touch 4)hugs 5)such 6)words 7)praises 8)understands 9)lends 10)holdsScripts:
A Mother's Love
You can see it in her eyes—
in her gaze and in her sighs.
It is a mother's love.
You can feel it in her touch—
in her tender hugs and such.
It is a mother's love.
You can hear it in her words—
in her praises and bywords.
It is a mother's love.
She cares. She understands.
She lends an ear and holds our hands.
She gives us a mother's love.
Listening II
Exercise 1 1)B 2)B 3)A 4)D 5)C
Exercise 2
a lot of garbage; came up all over the city; raw sewage and it smelled; became suburban sprawl with very little planning; the NRDC; Board of Trustees; New England; join the cause of protecting the environment
Scripts :
For more than four decades, John Adams has fought to defend the environment and empowered individuals in the U.S. and around the world to join the cause. Adams is cofounder of the National Resources Defense Council, the NRDC, the nation’s first law firm for the environment.
“Defending the environment,” John Adams says, “is personal.”
“When you care about something, like the environment, it does become a passion,” he says. “It becomes your life. I grew up on a small-town farm in the Catskill Mountains of New York. It was a wonderful place to grow up. I loved it.”
But by the 1960s, he didn’t love what he saw happening to the environment.
“We were a major industrial force with no pollution controls. So if you were in Pittsburgh or New York or the factory areas of New Jersey or California, you would be hit with air pollution that had virtually no pollution controls,” says Adams. “In New York, we burned a lot of our garbage right in the buildings. Fly ash would come up and it was really all over the city. The Hudson River was filled with raw sewage and it smelled because there were no requirements for sewage control.”
He also worried about the disappearing farmland around the big cities which became suburban sprawl with very little planning.
Adams turned his love for nature into action, leaving his job with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in New York in 1970 to help establish the Natural Resources Defense Council. The 33-year-old lawyer became its first director.
In their new book, A Force for Nature, John Adams and his wife, Patricia, also an environmental activist, chronicle the evolution of the NRDC from a homegrown advocacy group to a 1.3-million-member organization with international reach.
Adams led the NRDC for 36 years, and remains on its Board of Trustees. Today, he is chairman of the Open Space Institute, working to purchase scenic and natural land in New England to protect it from development.
Listening III
Exercise 2 1)unsuccessful marriages 2)failed relationships 3)dreamed of 4)words; action 5)men; natural
Scripts:
I grew up in a family with six sisters. In my lifetime I have seen all of them abused by various men in their lives. Even my mother has the scars from two unsuccessful marriages.
When I was a teenager, my mother shared some insights into all of their failed relationships. She
explained that they really weren't expecting to be treated as queens, but they did desire two things from the men in their lives: to be told frequently that they are loved and to be shown often that they are special. It was at that point that I decided I would be the sort of husband my mom and sisters had dreamed of but never had.
When I was dating my wife-to-be I remembered those two points my mother shared with me years earlier. I admit that I struggled trying to be able to express my love in words and in action. For most men, it isn't natural for us to be romantics. But then again, it isn't natural for us to be millionaires or sports superstars. It does take effort, practice and diligence. But the rewards are there.
Now we've been married for nine years. I really, truly, deeply love my wife and let her know it every day by what I say and what I do. Our friends and family members all admire us and want to know our secret. Listening IV
Exercise 2
1)the challenge of dating 2)security and survival 3)a good breadwinner 4)a nurturing woman
5)practice 6)supportive of 7)emotional and spiritual needs 8)a soul mate 9)no longer enough
10)increased closeness
Scripts:
In past generations, the challenge of dating was different. Men and women wanted a partner who could fulfill their basic needs for security and survival. Women looked for a strong man who would be a good bread-winner; men searched for a nurturing woman to make a home. This practice that worked for thousands of years has suddenly changed.
The new challenge of dating is to find a partner who not only will be supportive of our physical needs for survival and security but will support our emotional and spiritual needs. Today we want more from our relationships. Millions of men and women around the world are searching for a soul mate to experience lasting love, happiness, and romance.
It is no longer enough to just find someone who is willing to marry us, and we want partners who will love us more as they get to know us: We want to live happily ever after. To find and recognize partners who can fulfill our new needs for increased closeness, good communication, and a great love life, we need to update our dating skills.
Part 2 Viewing, Understanding and Speaking
Exercise 2 1)football; basketball; baseball 2)steady boyfriend 3)guess; realized 4)broke up
5)in a group 6)save up 7)here comes 8)happened to 9)not; at all 10)except for
Part 3 Video Appreciation and Singing for Fun
Exercise 1
1)happened 2)talking 3)girls 4)next 5)date 6)romance 7)a thousand 8)end 9)went out 10)pointExercise 2
1)She feels it inappropriate and awkward to meet her boyfriend’s family when she looks so dirty and clumsy.
2)Very surprised. At first she cannot believe he lives here.
3)His father owned a brake shop.
4)His father actually owns hundreds of brake shops.
5)She comes back early.
Part 4 Further Listening
Listening I 1)T 2)F 3)T 4)T 5)F 6)T 7)T 8)F
Scripts:
My son's primary school celebrates Valentine's Day in a wonderful way. Each day throughout the month of February, the school honors each student in informal ceremonies. At the ceremony, classmates, teachers and parents get together to deliver compliments to that particular child. They believe that a child's emotional and social skills should be developed alongside their intellectual skills. Learning to acknowledge qualities and strengths in others—and receiving that acknowledgment gracefully—is a very important learning lesson.
I know I compliment my son frequently, and certainly try to make sure he knows he is loved. But I realize that I have never actually pointed out, one by one, specific qualities that make him unique and so special to me. And how infrequently we really point out what is special in others. Sure, we say “I love you” or “thanks” regularly, but when do we take the opportunity to really and truly examine what makes a person special? What is unique and different about them?
This year, the time was scheduled for my son to receive more than 40 compliments from his peers,
teachers, parents, and himself. Each child had their day at the center of the circle, their friends coming up one by one to give a gift of powerful words. This year, my son heard that his thoughtfulness was
appreciated, his ideas important, his expressions inspiring. He was also expected to write and deliver a compliment to each of his classmates.
Listening II
1)learning 2)admire 3)vocabulary 4)loving 5)relationships 6)connections 7)experiences
8)remembering 9)proud 10)try 11)body 12)expressions 13)willingness 14)fears 15)pace 16)best
17)jokes 18)fondness 19)laugh 20)with
Scripts:
In the end, I had to ask my husband to read my Valentine compliment to our son. I was simply crying too hard to get the words out. Witnessing the tenderness of school-age children saying what they thought was special about my little boy proved too much for me. But I was not alone. When I warned my son I might get emotional, he said, “That's OK. Lots of parents cry.” He was right.
This is what my husband read to our son on my behalf:
Dear Cole:
Your love of language and information has always amazed me. I love learning from you and with you. I admire how new words are so easily incorporated into your vocabulary. I think you are fresh and eager and loving.
I admire that relationships are important to you. I like to listen to the connections you make with past experiences. I think you are good at remembering.
I love how you are proud of yourself when you try something new. I feel proud, too.
I like how your whole body tells a story, and your expressions make me feel good. I am proud of your willingness to express your fears and appreciate the reminder that you will grow at the pace that suits you best. I love your jokes and your fondness for telling them over and over—so I will laugh. I think you are fun to be with.
I love that you are my son.
I am really grateful to this school for creating a learning environment. These exercises benefit the parents as well as the kids. That, to me, is a Valentine worth giving.
Listening III 1)C 2)B 3)A 4)B 5)D 6)B 7)C
Scripts:
Hisham and I will have been married for twenty years this February. Everybody said it would not work. He is Jordanian, Muslim, and I am Italian, Catholic. We met in Florida twenty-two years ago. What we had in common was nothing except youth. He could barely speak the English language, and I thought Arabs were from India. Within a year I found out where Jordan was exactly and he could say “I love you” in broken English.
When we got married people actually placed bets at our small wedding in my family's dining room. They thought our relationship would not last a year. Hisham did not tell his parents he was married for almost five years. He felt that if he failed at school his family would blame the marriage. Of course everybody, from Arabs to Americans, thought he married me to get a green card. I knew he didn't.
I lived in his country for six years after graduation and had a son there. Through Hisham's eyes I saw the beauty of his culture and religion and the simple ways of his people. Being from New York and living in Amman, Jordan, I still had my Christmas tree each year, my Easter eggs and even a Halloween pumpkin in the window. I also took some of their ways—cooking, methods of mothering, socializing—and it enhanced my own character in the long run.
Throughout the years, I was not the Italian girl from New York, not the American married to the Arab; I was a beautiful blended person with two children and a man who loves me.
Listening IV
1)kind 2)gold 3)heartless 4)love 5)songs 6)says 7)touch 8)lifetime 9)gone 10)happens 11)feelings
12)speed
Scripts:
Traditionally the heart is the part of the body where emotions come from. If you are a warm-hearted person, for example, you are kind and thoughtful towards others. If you have a heart of gold, you are a very generous person. But if you are heartless, you are cruel and unfeeling.
Of all the emotions, it is love that is the most associated with the heart. In love songs, all over the world, love almost always goes together with the heart. As the song from Titanic says, “You are here in my heart and my heart will go on and on. Love can touch us one time and last for a lifetime, and never let go till we're gone.”
Perhaps the role of the heart in love comes from what happens to it when you feel really attracted to someone. The strong feelings of attraction make your breathing speed up and your heart beat faster.
范文四:新编大学英语4视听说原文
新编大学英语4 视听说原文
Unit 1
In one town, there were three longtime friends, Pat, Mike and Bob. Pat and Bob were quite bright, but Mike was rather dull.
One day as Pat and Mike were walking down the sidewalk together, Pat put his hand on a solid brick wall and said, "Mike, hit my hand as hard as you can." Mike struck a hard blow, but Pat pulled his hand away from the wall just before Mike's fist hit it. Of course, it hurt Mike's hand very much when he hit the wall, but Pat said, "That was a good joke on you, wasn't it?" Mike agreed, but was not too happy.
The following day Mike and Bob were walking in the town square. Mike decided to play the joke on Bob. He looked around, and seeing no solid object, he placed his hand over his face and said, "Bob, hit my hand as hard as you can." Bob agreed, and as he struck a hard blow with his fist, Mike quickly pulled his hand away and was knocked to the ground, unconscious. After a few minutes Mike recovered, and saw Bob worriedly looking down at him. Mike said, "That was a good joke on you, wasn't it?"
Questions:
1. Who was NOT clever?
2. What did Pat ask Mike to do?
3. Who was hurt finally?
4. On whom was Mike going to try this joke?
5. Where did Mike put his hand when he asked Bob to hit him?
6. What happened to Mike after Bob struck a hard blow with his fist?
If you like, you can do tricks at a party and be announced as, "The Magician". When everybody wants a bit of fun but nothing really happens, it could be the time to play one of these tricks. You won't need any special materials, nor will you need to practice them very much.
A trick with a coin, a handkerchief and a friend:
Put the coin on your palm. Cover the coin with the handkerchief. Ask several people to put their hands beneath the handkerchief and feel the coin, to make sure that it is still there. Then take the corner of the handkerchief and pull it rapidly off your hand. The coin has gone! How? You must make sure the last friend knows the trick! Your last friend removes the coin when he or she seems to be just feeling it. And nobody knows where it has gone!
A trick with a piece of paper and a pencil:
Say that you can communicate your thoughts to people. Write on the piece of paper the word No. Don't let your friends see what you have written. Say, "Now I will communicate this word into
your minds." Pretend to concentrate. Ask someone if he or she knows what is written on the paper. They will say, "No!" And you say, "Quite correct! I wrote on the paper No!"
A trick with an egg and some salt:
Ask your friends to stand the egg upright on the table. They won't manage to do it. Say that you can speak to the chicken inside. Say, "Chicken! Can you hear me? Get ready to balance your egg!" When you first get the egg back from your friends, pretend to kiss the egg at the base. Make the base wet. Then put the base into salt which is in your other hand. The salt will stick to the egg. Then put the egg on the table. Twist the egg around a few times as this will arrange the grains of salt. Then it will stand up. Don't forget to thank the chicken.
Questions:
1. What does the magician ask people to do in the first trick?
2. What happens to the coin?
3. How does the magician prove that he can communicate thoughts to the audience in the
second trick?
4. What is the first step to make the egg stand?
5. What else is needed to make the egg stand?
John: Do you feel like going to the cinema, Liz?
Liz: Oh...yes...yes, let's do that, John.
John: Well, what shall we go and see?
Liz: What kind of film do you like?
John: Well, I like all sorts of films really... My favorite films are like Star Wars, you know,
the...the fantasy, special effect ones that you can escape into another world with. Um...I also like mystery films. Do you like mystery films?
Liz: I really like mystery films, yes, but I don't like horror films because they give me
nightmares.
John: Yes, I know. I don't like horror films either. I tell you, I just think they're sort of stupid
and unbelievable. I do like...um...crime films, you know, ones where you follow the
detective and try to guess who the murderer is. Like...like Agatha Christie stories, you
know. And also where you take the side of the criminals. Do you know the ones I mean? You know, where you wonder if you're going to get...if they're going to get caught. You know, like a bank robbery or something like that.
Liz: Haha. Do you think there's a film with Robert Redford or Paul Newman in it?
John: Oh, I hope not.
Liz: 'Cause I really... Oh, don't you like them?
John: Well, I tend to prefer people like Clint Eastwood and...
Liz: Oh, no! I'm not keen on him at all!
John: Really?
Liz: No... What about a good comedy or a good musical, something like that?
John: No, no, I don't like films like that really.
Liz: The trouble is there are not many very good ones around these days...
John: Then what shall we go and see?
Liz: Why don't we ring up the ABC Cinema and find out what's on? Then we can decide.
John: That's a good idea...but I haven't got an evening paper. That's definitely the thing to do.
Gerry: I've just been to see Gone with the Wind. It was fantastic. Well worth seeing. Have you
ever seen it?
Judy : No, but I've read the book. I don't think I would like to see the film really. It would spoil
the story for me.
Gerry: Really? Oh, give me a film any day. Honestly, if I had to choose between the film of a
story and the book of it, I'd go for the film.
Judy : Would you?
Gerry: Yes. It's much more real. You can get the atmosphere better. You know, the
photography and location shots, period costumes, the right accents. All that. Don't you
think so?
Judy : Not really, no. I much prefer to use my own imagination. I can imagine how I want it,
rather than how someone makes me see it. Anyway, I think you get much more insight
into the characters when you read a book. Part of a person's character is lost on film
because you never know what he or she is thinking.
Gerry: True, but...well... I don't know. It's much easier going to the cinema. It takes less time. I
can get the whole story in two hours but it might take me a week to read the book.
Judy : I know, but it's so expensive to go to the cinema nowadays.
Gerry: I know, but it's a social event. It's fun. You can go with your friends. When you read a
book you have to do it on your own.
Judy : All right. Let's agree to differ. I'll get some coffee...
(The following is an interview from a weekly sports program.)
Presenter: Good morning, listeners. Welcome to our weekly sports
program aimed at all those under-active youngsters with
time on their hands! Listen to what our two guests have to
say about their own sporting pursuits and how sport made
a difference to their lives. Debbie first, then, Jonathan.
Debbie: I like doing something that gets you out into the
countryside. So I'm for horse-riding whenever I can! It's
quite an expensive hobby, though. You have to pay for
the instruction and the hire of the horse and the
equipment—and there is quite a lot of that, but I think it's
a great sport because you're out of doors and working
with animals. I used to be actually scared of horses until I
took up riding; now I adore them! When I've saved up
enough money I'm going to buy a pony of my own.
Another advantage of riding is that disabled people can
enjoy it too. It's great fun teaching them to ride; it makes
you feel you're doing something really worthwhile. It's
made me more aware of other people's problems and now
I don't worry about my own so much.
Presenter: Thank you, Debbie. Now Jonathan.
Jonathan: The trouble with riding is that you can injure yourself if
you fall! I don't like that at all! I prefer canoeing because
you've always got the water there for support. If you're a
good swimmer, have a good sense of balance and strong
arms, you'll like canoeing! The main trouble is
transporting your canoe to the right places—my father
takes it on the roof of the car—or sometimes I put it on
the roof of the Club Land Rover. What it's taught me most
is to be independent. It's just you and the canoe against
the wind, the weather and the water. It gives you a lot of
self-confidence and it can be really exciting as long as
you don't mind getting soaked, of course! It makes you
feel close to nature somehow. I hope to run my own
canoeing center when I'm qualified.
Questions:
1. How many guests are interviewed in the program?
2. How do sports affect the guests' life according to the presenter?
3. What sports does Debbie enjoy most?
4. What will Debbie do if she saves up enough money?
5. What does Jonathan think of horse-riding?
6. What is required for canoeing?
7. What is troublesome about canoeing?
8. What can you get from canoeing?
The game of football may have started in Roman times. It seems that the Romans played a game very much like our modern rugby but with a round ball.
English villagers played football in the 16th century and they often had almost a hundred players on each side. It was a very common game, which was very rough and even dangerous until the early part of the 19th century. In the 18th century a Frenchman who had watched a rough game of
football in a village wrote, "I could not believe that those men were playing a game. If this is what Englishmen call playing, I would not like to see them fighting!"
From the mid 19th century, it was played in schools in England and soon spread all over Britain and Europe. Until in 1850, it was not possible to have football matches between one school and another, because each school had different rules! So set rules had to be made. They were not formalized though until, in 1863, when those who preferred to play with hands as well as feet formed the Rugby Union while the others started the Football Association (F.A.). It was only in 1863 that the first set of rules for all football clubs was agreed upon.
Nearly 150 years later, football has become by far the most popular sport in the entire world. Would that 18th century Frenchman have believed it possible?
Questions:
1. According to the passage, when may the game of
football have first started?
2. What does the speaker say about the earliest football
game in England?
3. How many team members were often involved in the
game when the English began to play the game?
4. Why was it NOT possible to have football matches
between two schools until 1850?
5. What happened to football in 1863?
Receptionist: Good morning. Can I help you?
Cathy: Er...a friend told me that you have exercise and
dance classes here.
Receptionist: That's right.
Cathy: Er...can you give me some information about
days and times, please?
Receptionist: Yes, there are four classes a day, every day
from Monday to Saturday—nothing on
Sunday.
Cathy: Yeah.
Receptionist: The first one is an aerobics class from 8:30 to
9:30 in the morning. Then there's another
aerobics class at lunchtime from 12:30 to 1:30.
Cathy: Right.
Receptionist: Then in the evening from 5:30 to 6:30—that's
aerobics too. And there's a jazz dance class
from 6:30 to 7:30.
Cathy: Right. And what level are they for? I mean,
would they be OK for a beginner?
—8:30 to 9:30—is Receptionist: The morning aerobics
advanced. All the others are kind of beginner to
intermediate level. But let me give you an
information sheet.
Cathy: Thanks. And how much does it cost for a class?
Receptionist: You pay a £1 entrance fee and then the
classes are £2.50 each and £3.50 for the
jazz dancing. It's there on the sheet.
Cathy: Oh, yes, I see.
Receptionist: If you become a member, entrance is free and...
Cathy: Oh, no, it's OK. I'm only in London for two
weeks.
Receptionist: Oh, right. That's no good then.
Cathy: And I guess you have showers and everything?
Receptionist: Yes, sure, and in the evenings you can use the
sauna free, too.
Cathy: Oh, great. Right. So the next class is at 5:30?
Well, I'll see you then.
Receptionist: Fine. See you later!
Questions:
1. Where does the dialog most probably take place?
2. How many classes are there everyday except Sunday?
3. At what time does the last class end?
4. How much is the entrance fee?
5. Which class will Cathy come for most probably?
6. What can we learn about Cathy from the dialog?
Woman: Why don't we go abroad for a change? I'd like to go to France, Spain, or even Italy.
Man: Mm. I'm not all that keen on traveling really. I'd rather stay at home.
Woman: Oh, come on, Steve. Think of the sun!
Man: Yes, but think of the cost! Going abroad is very expensive.
Woman: Oh, it isn't, Steve. Not these days.
Man: Of course it is, Juliet. The best thing about having a holiday here in Britain is that
it's cheaper. And another thing, traveling in Britain would be easier. No boats,
planes or anything.
Woman: Even so, we've been to most of the interesting places in Britain already. What's the
point in seeing them again? Anyway, we can travel round Britain whenever we
like. There's no point in wasting our summer holiday here.
Man: Mm, I suppose you're right. Nevertheless, what I can't stand is all the bother with
foreign currency, changing money and all that when we go abroad. I hate all that.
And it's so confusing.
Woman: Oh, don't be silly, Steve.
Man: And what's more, I can't speak any of the languages—you know that. It's all right
for you. You can speak foreign languages.
Woman: Exactly. You see, what I'd really like to do is practice my French and Spanish. It
would help me a lot at work.
Man: Mm, but that's no use to me.
Woman: But just think of the new places we'd see, the people we'd meet!
Man: But look, if we stayed here, we wouldn't have to plan very much.
Woman: I'm sorry, Steve. No. I don't fancy another cold English summer.
Questions:
1. Where does the man want to spend the summer holiday?
2. What is considered important in planning vacation according to the man?
3. What is confusing for the man to travel abroad?
4. What will help the woman in her work according to her?
5. What does the woman think of summer in Britain?
6. What can we learn about the man from the dialog?
Sally Marino gets married. After the wedding, there is a big party—a wedding reception. All the guests eat dinner. There is a band and, after dinner, everyone dances. Sally's mother and father pay for everything. At the end of the reception, Sally and her new husband cut the wedding cake and all the guests get a piece.
Pete and Rose buy a new house. After moving in, they invite their friends and family to a party—a house-warming party. Everybody comes to see the new house. They look at the
bedrooms, the dining room, even the garage. Pete and Rose serve drinks, sandwiches, and snacks. The party is on a Saturday afternoon.
It is Christmas time. Ted and Sarah Robinson want to see many of their friends over the holiday. So they invite their friends to an open house. The hours of the party are from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. The guests arrive and leave whenever they want. The Robinsons serve sandwiches, drinks, and snacks. Some guests stay for just 20 minutes, others stay for 3 hours. About fifty people come to the open house.
Mr. and Mrs. Todd ask their neighbors to come to an evening drinks party. They don't serve much food, just snacks—pretzels, chips, peanuts. No one dances. Conversation is important with people asking questions like "What's new with you?".
2
My name is Atsuko Saeki. I work as a salesclerk in a big department store in Fuji, Japan. Six years ago when I was 21 years old, I went to California to attend college. Life in the United States was much more difficult than I had ever imagined. It wasn't like the descriptions I had read in my textbooks. People often seemed tense. I felt very alone.
One of my hardest classes was physical education. We often played volleyball. All the other students were good at it, but I wasn't. One afternoon, the teacher asked me to hit the ball to my classmates. For most people, this would be easy but I was terrified that I would make a fool of myself. One of the boys on my team saw how nervous I was. He walked up to me and whispered, "Come on, you can do that."
You can't imagine how those words of encouragement made me feel. I was so happy; I almost cried. I managed to hit the ball and I think I thanked the young man, but I'm not sure.
I have never forgotten his kind words of encouragement. He probably doesn't even remember what he said to me or how much his kindness meant to me. Whenever things aren't going well, I think of those simple words of encouragement: Come on, you can do that.
We often forget that our words can have a powerful impact on other people. Even a simple word—good or bad—can have a lasting effect.
The first part:
Dear Miss Austen,
I was so happy to receive your letter. It is a valuable letter of reply to me. I never expected such a detailed response. I am eighty years old and I am blind. There is little I can do except knit and that is why I knit so many caps, sweaters and scarves. Of course, I can't write, so my
daughter-in-law is writing this letter for me.
I know a little bit about the work you are doing. At the age of nineteen I married a man who was going as a missionary to China. For 40 years, with an occasional year at home in America, we worked in China. We had two sons, only one of whom is still alive. After 40 years, my husband's health began to fail. We moved back to the States where he took charge of a settlement house in Brooklyn, New York. When my husband died, I came to Toronto to live with my son and daughter-in-law.
The second part:
What I most wanted to say is this. For 60 years I have been making up missionary packages of clothing, food, medicine, or books. I have sent them to various parts of the world. Sometimes I have received a printed slip of acknowledgement, sometimes nothing. Never before in all these
years have I had a personal letter describing the village and telling me who is wearing the clothing and what they said. I never thought that in my lifetime I would receive a letter like that. May God bless you.
Two Belgians and two Dutchmen traveled regularly to work on the same train.
After a while the Dutchmen saw that the two Belgians only had one ticket between them and asked how they managed to achieve this. They explained that when they heard the conductor approaching from the other end of the carriage, the two of them left their seats, went into the toilet and locked the door. When the conductor knocked on the toilet door, saying, "Tickets, please!", they pushed one ticket under the door. It was then stamped and pushed back under the door again.
The Dutchmen thought this was a very good idea and the following morning bought one ticket between them. When they got to their carriage there was only one Belgian. They told him what they had done and asked the Belgian if he had a ticket as he was traveling on his own. He said he didn't have a ticket at all and when they asked him how he planned to travel for free, he told them they would have to wait and see until the conductor arrived, but he had no doubt that he would manage it without difficulty.
As soon as they heard the conductor coming, the two Dutchmen immediately went to the toilet and locked the door.
A few moments later the Belgian followed them down the corridor and knocked on the toilet door, saying, "Tickets, please!" One ticket appeared under the door.
Questions:
1. Where did the story take place?
2. What did the two Dutchmen want to know from the two Belgians?
3. How did the Dutchmen feel about the Belgians' behavior?
4. What did the Belgian do when asked if he had a ticket?
5. Who finally managed to travel free of charge?
My name is Jim Shelley, and I am an addict..." With these words I began to solve the problem, the problem of my telephone addiction.
It started socially I suppose—a few calls each day. It seemed harmless, just a quick chat.
Gradually though, the situation got worse. Soon it was frequent use, then compulsive calling, until, finally, addiction.
And it began to affect my work. I was spending all of my lunchtime phoning. During the day I would disappear for a quick call. I spent days waiting for the phone to ring. I got agitated. In the end, I would ring someone, then someone else, telling myself "just one more".
I was phoning people and leaving messages to guarantee enough calls to see me through the day. I used to arrive at friends' homes and before the door was closed, go straight for the phone with the words "Is it OK if I just use the phone..." One night I found it impossible to sleep, thinking the phone was ringing downstairs. I jumped out of bed and then discovered it hadn't rung at all.
Things were so bad I often rang people and asked them if they had been trying to ring me. I had a business line and a private line installed. I bought an answerphone, then borrowed money so I could buy a car and have a carphone. At work, I became hostile and violent when colleagues tried to stop me using the phone. And one day I hit my supervisor with the phone. I was dismissed. Finally the police caught me destroying a phone box that had taken my last £1 coin, and I was ordered to see a psychiatrist.
I haven't had a phone in the house for three weeks so far, and it's several days since I used a phone box. I also try not to watch TV because there are always people on it making phone calls. My name is Jim Shelley and I am an addict.
Our ability to speak language is an inborn characteristic of our species. We carry in our genes and our brains the capacity for spoken language. If the day ever arrives when we abandon spoken language and the sign language used by people with hearing and speaking disabilities, we will be waving goodbye to the species of human beings that we are.
In contrast to written language, spoken and sign languages are user-friendly. As very young children, we just start speaking or signing; we don't have to spend years in school learning to speak. Nor does spoken language divide humanity into those who can read and write and those who are nonliterate. Everyone who is mentally and physically able can speak a language.
Historically, spoken language came to humans before written language. Biologically, speech or sign language comes to each child before literacy. This is because written languages are symbolic representations of spoken languages. If we had no spoken language, we could not have created written language. Written language may have emerged as the primary method used to store and retrieve information in certain areas of the world, but it is based on and derived from spoken language.
In the 21st century, people with access to voice-in/voice-out computer technology will once again be able to use spoken language to access all stored information. Talking computers are going to make writing and reading obsolete.
The obituary for written language will not be written. It will be spoken by someone talking to a voice-in/voice-out computer in 2050.
Interviewer: You experienced a misunderstanding when you worked in Singapore, didn't you?
Carol: Mmm, yes—quite a few, actually.
Interviewer: Tell us about one, then.
Carol: Um, well, I had this red lump on my left leg. One night the pain was really bad
and I got so scared. Next day I went to the hospital and they cut out the lump and
stitched me up. Then I heard the doctor say to his assistant, "Get it to the lab for
tests right away." I was told to return in five days to have my stitches out and get
my result. On the day I was going to the hospital I realized I'd missed my
appointment! It had been on the day before!
Interviewer: Go on...
Carol: I phoned up the hospital and the receptionist said the doctor wasn't in, but she'd
put me through to his assistant. Oh, my heart was pounding by this time and my
mouth was all dry.
Interviewer: With stress?
Carol: Yes. I was really nervous. Anyhow, the assistant said "OK" and told me "Hold on"
while she got my card. When she got back to the phone she said, "I think you'd
better come in and talk to the doctor in person." I was really shocked.
Interviewer: Oh dear!
Carol: "Why?" I asked. "Is there something wrong?" "Well," she said. "The doctor'll tell
you about the treatment." So...there's me thinking: Oh my God, this is it. I've got
cancer. I felt literally sick. "So when can I talk to the doctor?" I asked. She said
she'd get him to call me when he got in later that morning.
Interviewer: Oh, no, poor you! What did you do?
Carol: Oh, I went to work. But I couldn't concentrate or work straight. Every time the
phone rang, I nearly passed out. I kept ringing the hospital, but the doctor was late.
Eventually, he rang me up. Oh, I was really shaking. He said, "Ms Smith?" I said,
"Yes?" "Oh, everything's fine," he said. "No further treatment necessary." What? I
made him say it three times. I said, "So why didn't your assistant tell me that? It
would have saved me all this worry!" "I don't know," he said. He did apologize,
though.
Interviewer: How scary!
Carol: Yeah. A couple of days later I got a letter from the hospital with the results of the
tests. It said that I'd had some kind of "tumor". I looked it up in a medical
dictionary and it explained that it was a benign kind of tumor. I think the assistant
must have seen the word "tumor" and immediately thought it meant cancer. That
was a day I'll never forget.
A group of frogs were traveling through the woods, and two of them fell into a deep pit. All the other frogs gathered around the pit. When they saw how deep the pit was, they told the two frogs that they were as good as dead.
The two frogs ignored the comments and tried to jump up out of the pit with all their might. The other frogs kept telling them to stop, that they were as good as dead.
Finally, one of the frogs took heed to what the other frogs were saying and gave up. He fell down and died.
The other frog continued to jump as hard as he could. Once again, the crowd of frogs yelled at him to stop the pain and just die. He jumped even harder and finally made it out.
When he got out, the other frogs said, "Did you not hear us?" The frog explained to them that he was deaf. He thought they were encouraging him the entire time.
Questions:
1. Where did the story take place?
2. What happened to two of the frogs?
3. What did the other frogs say to the two frogs?
4. What happened to the two frogs?
5. What made one of the frogs ignore the other frogs' advice?
All of us would like our friends to know our moods and our needs instinctively. That rarely happens and never happens regularly. No one will ever be able to meet your needs if they don't know what your needs are. It is true that you take risks when you let your needs be known. You may be turned down and hurt. However, when you are expecting your friends to read your mind and satisfy your needs without your input, you are going to be disappointed and hurt without your friends ever knowing why.
This is a common misconception of friendships and even marriages. When asked if he had told his wife he wanted her to ride bicycles with him, one husband said, "Of course I didn't tell her. After all these years of marriage, she should know!" The sad thing is she will probably never know unless he tells her. So, tell your friends what you want and what you need. Otherwise you will be stuck in relationships that can never grow to be "best friends".
I am an American English professor who has spent a lot of time in China. In fact, my husband and I have made sixteen trips to China since 1990. We have made many friends, especially since we started working on New College English with Chinese colleagues. These colleagues made me aware of a word I use in one particular situation. Let me tell you about it.
My husband and I have come to Hangzhou during the Spring Festival twice and worked on the English texts with our colleagues. During this time we have eaten all of our meals together, enjoying good food and conversation. The first year my friends noticed that when I seemed to think we had talked long enough and should go back to our work, I would say "Well?" and they understood I thought it was time to leave. I didn't realize I was giving this signal until later when they started teasing me about it. As a joke, I continued doing this.
After we returned to the United States, I noticed I did the same thing. I decided to stop saying "Well?". This year we returned for the Spring Festival. Again, the same group was eating meals together. At the end of the first lunch, I did not say "Well?". Everyone else just sat there until
finally someone said, "Aren't you going to say 'Well'?" Everyone laughed. After that, it was my word that signaled the end of each meal, always with laughter.
Recently my husband and I had dinner guests in our home in the U.S. Without meaning to, I said it again! However, I didn't want our guests to think I wanted them to leave, so I quickly continued, "Would you be more comfortable if we sat in the living room now?".
3
Three guys are out having a relaxing day fishing. Out of the blue, they catch a mermaid who begs to be set free in return for granting each of them a wish.
Now one of the guys just doesn't believe it, and says, "OK, if you can really grant wishes, then double my IQ." The mermaid says, "Done." Suddenly, the guy starts to recite flawless
Shakespeare followed by a short pause and an extremely insightful analysis of it. The second guy is so amazed that he says to the mermaid, "Hey, triple my IQ." The mermaid says, "Done." The guy begins pouring out all the mathematical solutions to problems that have puzzled scientists of varying fields: physics, chemistry and astronomy.
The last guy is so interested in the changes in his friends that he says to the mermaid, "Quintuple my IQ." The mermaid looks at him and says, "You know, I normally don't try to change people's minds when they make a wish, but I really wish you'd reconsider."
The guy says, "No, I want you to increase my IQ five times, and if you don't do it, I won't set you free." "Please," says the mermaid, "you don't know what you're asking... It'll change your entire view of the universe. Won't you ask for something else... A million dollars, anything?" But no matter what the mermaid says, the guy insists on having his IQ increased by five times its usual power. So the mermaid sighs and says, "Done." And he becomes a woman.
(Dr. Herring, author of a book on language and communication, is being interviewed by Bob White, a writer for an academic journal on communication.)
Bob White: Good morning, Dr. Herring! We both know that many communication
specialists believe that gender bias exists in language, culture and society. Do
you think this is really so?
Dr. Herring: Yes, I certainly do. How we talk and listen can be strongly influenced by
cultural expectations, and these begin during childhood. Children usually play
together with other children of the same gender, and this is where our
conversational style is learned.
Bob White: Can you give some specific examples?
Dr. Herring: Certainly. We find that girls use language mainly to develop closeness or
intimacy as a basis for friendship. Boys, on the contrary, use language mainly
to earn status in their group.
Bob White: But, in communication by electronic devices like email discussion groups,
there should be no gender distinction if writers' names are not used in the
messages.
Dr. Herring: One might think so, but in fact, email writing style is most comparable with
spoken language, so basic language styles are still evident.
Bob White: I thought email messages were gender neutral!
Dr. Herring: No. While theoretical gender equality exists for the Internet, in reality women
are not given equal opportunity because of different communication and
language styles between the sexes.
Bob White: How does that happen? Do you have any hard facts to back up this impression?
Dr. Herring: Yes. I've done a research project using randomly selected email messages from
online discussion groups. I found that females use language that is more
collaborative and supportive such as "Thanks for all your tips on...", "Good
point." and "Hope this helps!". Men tend to use more aggressive or competitive
language such as "Do you understand that?", "You should realize that...", "It is
absurd to think...".
Bob White: How great are these gender differences?
Dr. Herring: Males wrote messages using aggressive, competitive language more than twice
as often as females did, while females used collaborative and supportive
language three times as often as males did. In this study, it is clear that there is
a gender difference in email messages just as there is in other communication
styles.
Bob White: So the "battle of the sexes" is still with us, even online.
Questions:
1. Whom do children usually play together with?
2. Which of the following is most similar to email writing in the style?
3. Why are women not given equal opportunity on the Internet?
4. What comparison did Dr. Herring make in her research?
"Equal" does not always mean "the same". Men and women are created equal. But, boys and girls are not born the same.
You throw a little girl a ball, and it will hit her in the nose. You throw a little boy a ball, and he will try to catch it. Then it will hit him in the nose.
A baby girl will pick up a stick and look in wonder at what nature has made. A baby boy will pick up a stick and turn it into a gun.
When girls play with Barbie dolls, they like to dress them up and play house with them. When boys play with Barbie dolls, they like to tear their hair off.
Boys couldn't care less if their hair is untidy. But for girls, if their hair got cut a quarter-inch too short, they would rather lock themselves in their room for two weeks than be seen in public. Baby girls find mommy's makeup and almost instinctively start painting their faces. Baby boys find mommy's makeup and almost instinctively start painting the walls.
Boys grow their fingernails long because they're too lazy to cut them. Girls grow their
fingernails long—not because they look nice—but because they can dig them into a boy's arm. Girls are attracted to boys, even at an early age. At an early age, boys are attracted to dirt. Most baby girls talk before boys do. Before boys talk, they learn how to make machine-gun noises.
Girls turn into women. Boys turn into bigger boys.
In order to understand this story, you have to know the nursery rhyme Hickory Dickory Dock. In this nursery rhyme, the words in the title have no meaning. The rhyme goes like this:
Hickory Dickory Dock,
The mouse ran up the clock.
The clock struck one,
The mouse ran down!
Hickory Dickory Dock.
Here is the story:
One day I took my seven-year-old son with me to shop for an electric wall clock for the kitchen and found a whole counter full of them on sale at a discount store. I had trouble deciding which clock to buy. While I held one clock in my hand and looked at another, I asked my son which one he liked better.
"The one you're holding with the mouse in it, Mom," he said.
Before I understood his words, a real, live mouse jumped out onto the counter and ran away. I screamed so loud everyone turned to see what was wrong. I was so embarrassed. I tried to make my way quietly out of the store. Everyone was looking at me. On the way out the door, my delighted son recited Hickory Dickory Dock. What a naughty boy!
Questions:
1. Where did the story take place?
2. Why did the mother ask her son which clock he liked better?
3. Which clock did the boy like better?
4. Why did the mother feel embarrassed?
5. Why did the boy recite Hickory Dickory Dock?
John: Cathy, do you think it's appropriate for females to continuously expect guys to
behave in a standard gentlemanly fashion like opening the car doors?
Cathy: Well, I think it would be nice if men could do such things.
John: My side of the story is that we all have to admit that we are living in the world
of change. Right? Nowadays, sometimes the equation changes if the driver is
a girl and the passenger is a guy who doesn't drive. So what happens? Should
the girl open the door for the guy or should the guy open the door for the girl?
Maybe we should just adopt an "open your own door" policy.
Cathy: Yes, I agree, John. But...sometimes it's just a matter of courtesy. It doesn't
matter who opens the door for whom. Maybe females just should not expect
too much. Life isn't a fairy tale after all.
John: It's absolutely true. Sometimes I feel that there isn't any difference in the roles
both genders can perform. Of course I'm not saying that men can give birth.
Rather what I meant was except for the physical and natural differences
between both sexes, there isn't much difference between them.
Cathy: Well... But seriously, though I don't expect guys to open doors for me, or to
pull out a chair for me, I am usually quite impressed if they do so, as many
guys don't do it nowadays. If the guy was walking in front of me and went
through the door first, I'd appreciate it if he could hold the door and not let it
slam in my face.
John: Well, if I'm the one walking in front, I will open the door and hold it for the
people behind me, be it a girl or a boy. I actually had the door slam right in
my face a number of times though, when the person walking closely in front
of me didn't hold the heavy glass door and let it swing back in my face. Of
course, I tried to hold the door, but it was too heavy and too late. But I think it
was more embarrassing for him than me as everyone was looking at him,
while I was rubbing my squashed nose.
Cathy: So being a gentleman does not stop at opening doors. There are many other
aspects I believe.
Questions:
1. Why do the speakers think that females should not expect too much of men?
2. What does John think of the different roles that men and women can perform?
3. Why would Cathy like the person walking in front to hold the door for her?
4. How was John hurt by the door several times?
5. Who felt very embarrassed when John was hurt by the door?
How do we learn gender roles? Do you know how you learned to be a woman? Do you know how you learned to be a man? What makes the difference in terms of gender and our roles in society? Even when our physical structures are revealed to be really similar, women and men "tend" to
play different roles in society. In an article in the latest issue of Psychology Today, we find a study that reflects how parents of fifteen girl babies and fifteen boy babies differed in their descriptions of their babies. Despite the fact that objective data such as birth length, weight, irritability, etc. did not differ, when the parents were asked to describe their babies, they said that girl babies were softer, littler, more beautiful, prettier, cuter than boy babies. Based on these facts, we could conclude that parents' attitude is influencing their children.
Our parents and later our school, television and the Internet are showing us a whole set of expected behaviors that create our patterns. Thus, a simple cartoon can suggest to children how they are supposed to act. Male cartoon characters are not only more prominent than female
characters, but they also portray a broader range of masculine traits. Male characters are powerful, strong, smart and aggressive.
Of course roles have been changing over the past decades. Nowadays, women are not
necessarily expected to stay home raising their family and supporting their husbands. In the same way, men are no longer expected to be the only breadwinners like they used to be; now women and men share these responsibilities. But traditional roles still have a big influence.
Paul: Hey Gary! You've been standing here all night. Get out and dance with someone like that
girl over there.
Gary: No way! She's more of the intellectual type.
Paul: What kind of woman do you like?
Gary: I want a woman that fulfills my every need, and that girl is not the right type.
Paul: Hey. Where have you been? Times are changing, and you're never going to find a woman
that will shine your shoes and fill your beer mug all the time. Wake up.
Gary: Oh really? I've met a lot of women like that, just not at this party. I prefer women that
stay home, cook, clean, and watch the kids.
Paul: Okay, but where do you fit into this wonderful plan? I mean what are your household
responsibilities once you get home from work?
Gary: Hmm. Eat, watch TV, and throw out the trash.
Paul: Wait, wait, wait. I can't believe I'm hearing this. You're never going to get married. I
recently read a news report that says 40 percent of women don't think their husbands do their share around the house, and you seem to fit into that mold.
Gary: That's interesting, Paul, but that doesn't change my point of view. I guess I'll have to
settle for TV dinners and my dog, Bob.
Paul: I think so. Well, I like women who are open-minded and have something interesting to
say. And if I stick with you here, this is going to be a long, lonely night. Say hello to Bob for me.
Questions:
1. What was Gary doing at the beginning of the dialog?
2. What kind of women does Gary like?
3. Which of the following does Gary consider as part of household responsibilities?
4. What does Paul think of Gary's views on women?
5. What is Gary most likely to do for the rest of the evening according to the dialog?
It is my belief that gender stereotypes are very real gender characteristics that are exaggerated to the extreme ends with no gray areas. So in truth a woman is "weak" physically only because a man is in reality "stronger". A woman is "submissive" only because a man in reality is more "aggressive". A woman is "emotional" only because a man is "less emotional". All these are scientific facts.
Are there ways to avoid the stereotyping? This is a hard thing to do. We as males and females love to exaggerate our differences. It seems we love to do this in many ways. We love to
exaggerate gender traits as if to say "Look how female I am" or "Look how male I am". Do we go so far as to actually create differences that do not exist? Not from what I see. I think we like to exaggerate our differences because the more male we feel or the more female we feel the more attractive we feel.
So all in all I believe stereotypes are true differences that are exaggerated. I don't think
stereotypes should be avoided because they are real. I do think that we should not place extremes of a trait to a gender and most certainly not limit someone's potential abilities based on a
stereotype. Stereotypes should apply in general but not to an individual. They should serve to help make judgment but not as an absolute.
Men, it is said, are generally more aggressive than women and enjoy taking risks. They play fighting games and enjoy "dares". More men than women are convicted for crimes, especially crimes of violence.
Some say that this is simply a matter of biology; others suggest that it is a function of the way we organize the sex and gender roles in our society. In fact, many of the findings, in this area, have turned out to be unsatisfactory, and often there turns out to be very small differences with a large degree of overlap.
Biologically, men certainly seem to be the weaker sex. On average, men experience heart attacks 10 years earlier than women, but have a better rate of survival if they survive the first year after an attack. Symptoms also vary by sex: Women experience shortness of breath, fatigue, and chest pain; most male heart attacks come on as a sudden, striking pain in the chest. In adulthood, men are more likely to be infected with viruses and have a shorter average lifespan.
In recent years, a great many biological sex differences have been found throughout the body, including the brain. However, regardless of the findings that sex differences really do exist after all and despite the pressure to deny them, socially, we still expect women to behave like women and men like men.
4
Once Wealth and Poverty approached a merchant and introduced themselves as Goddesses. The merchant greeted both of them and said, "May I ask why you have come to my humble home?" The Goddess of Wealth said, "We want you to judge and tell us who is more beautiful between us two."
The merchant did not know what to do. He knew he was between the devil and the deep blue sea. If he said that Wealth was more beautiful than Poverty, Poverty would curse him. If he said that Poverty was more beautiful than Wealth, Wealth would abandon him. However, he kept calm and said, "I have great respect for you both. Would you please do what I ask of you? That is the only way I can judge properly." The Goddesses agreed. He said, "Mother Wealth, would you please go to the entrance and walk into the house? Mother Poverty! Would you please walk from here towards the entrance? That way I can see both of you better, from near and far." The two
Goddesses did walk as the merchant asked them to. Then the merchant happily declared, "Mother Wealth! You appear very beautiful when you enter the house. Mother Poverty! You look very beautiful when you leave the house!" The Goddesses appreciated the wit and wisdom of the merchant. The Goddess of Wealth happily stayed in his house while the Goddess of Poverty cheerfully walked away.
Whenever we have a serious problem, if we look within and think calmly, a solution will come in answer to the problem.
In China, education is considered a race. Students have to begin as early as possible and have to proceed as quickly as possible along the track. The education system is considered to be
successful when many students have reached the finish line as quickly as possible. In America, we recognize that education is a race too, but we feel that the students should have a chance to wander much more, even if they don't all reach the finish line. As a result of their wandering, some students may have more to offer by the end of the race.
The advantage of the Chinese way is that more students become proficient and reach the finish line. The disadvantage is that they may have less to say or to show once they get there. The disadvantage of the American way is that many students never finish the race. The advantage is that some who do go "all the way" have very interesting and original things to say when they get there.
Pottery has been found in the remains of every ancient civilization. The oldest known piece of pottery was found in China and dates back to 7,900 BC. That's almost 10,000 years ago! The first pots were large bowls, formed by taking a lump of clay and making a bowl shape. Pottery doesn't just include pots, but anything made from clay that can hold things, such as jugs, vases and cups. Pottery was used to hold water, milk, seeds and grains.
Later, people learned to mix different clays together to make stronger pottery and to put the pottery in a fire oven so that the clay would harden faster. The potter's wheel was invented in China around 3,100 BC. The wheel spins clay like a top. It allowed people to make pottery much
more quickly and make shapes that were perfectly symmetrical—bowls that were really round, rather than lumpy or uneven.
Pottery is not only considered one of the first inventions but also one of the first art forms. Most types of pottery have been painted with figures or designs; some even tell a story!
There is an old and common saying in the United States that "There is nothing new under the sun." I thought of that today when I read an article in a magazine. The article tells about the growing number of people who are building earth-sheltered homes, homes which are partly underground. I have known about modern earth-sheltered homes, but I have never thought about their roofs before. Instead of having metal or tiles on the roofs, many of these homes now have living roofs. The wooden top of the house is covered with a special waterproof plastic material. On top of this there is soil, in which grass and flowers are planted. Such a roof can be very beautiful. But this really is not a new idea. When early settlers came to the United States, they often made their first homes by digging into the ground. Their roofs were made of wood, and then covered by big pieces of soil with grass. They were warm, though not always waterproof. People replaced these homes and roofs as soon as they could with regular wooden homes with wooden or metal roofs. Now, two hundred years later, some people think of this as a new idea. But I think, "There is nothing new under the sun."
Questions:
1. What does the author mean by saying "There is nothing new under the sun"?
2. What makes the author think of "earth-sheltered homes"?
3. What is a living roof?
4. About how many years ago did the early settlers build earth-sheltered homes?
5. People soon replaced the earth-sheltered homes with regular wooden homes. Why?
In his 35 years with the United Nations system, Kofi Annan came to be known as an even-handed man with an ability to see the parts and the whole at the same time. It is this quality that makes the secretary general perhaps the most popular executive in the United Nations today. He recalls an unforgettable lesson learned in Ghana at age 17:
One day our headmaster walked into the classroom and put up a broad white sheet of paper with a small black dot in the corner. "Boys," he asked, "what do you see?" All of us shouted in unison, "A black dot!"
Then he said, "So not a single one of you saw the broad white sheet of paper? Don't go through life with that attitude."
Former Congressman Garry Franks also recalls one thing he learned in college that was not on the curriculum:
I remember taking copious notes and listening to everything the teacher had to say in preparation for my first test at Yale. I looked at the exam and saw it was everything I had studied. I wrote the answers to the three questions thinking: Boy, this is easy.
As we waited to get our tests back, I was positive I'd get an A. Instead my grade was a C. Under it, in big red letters, was written: "I know what I said. What do you think?" It was a valuable awakening. I realized that Yale did not simply want you to absorb ideas but to think about them and challenge them. It forced me to explore things from every possible angle, looking for aspects that might not be obvious at first but were helpful in developing a dialog on an issue.
Questions:
1. What kind of man is Kofi Annan known as?
2. What event changed Kofi Annan's attitude toward life at age l7?
3. What did the Yale professor actually want Garry Franks to do in the exam?
4. What grade did Garry Franks get?
5. What is the passage mainly about
In his 35 years with the United Nations system, Kofi Annan came to be known as an even-handed man with an ability to see the parts and the whole at the same time. It is this quality that makes the secretary general perhaps the most popular executive in the United Nations today. He recalls an unforgettable lesson learned in Ghana at age 17:
One day our headmaster walked into the classroom and put up a broad white sheet of paper with a small black dot in the corner. "Boys," he asked, "what do you see?" All of us shouted in unison, "A black dot!"
Then he said, "So not a single one of you saw the broad white sheet of paper? Don't go through life with that attitude."
Former Congressman Garry Franks also recalls one thing he learned in college that was not on the curriculum:
I remember taking copious notes and listening to everything the teacher had to say in preparation for my first test at Yale. I looked at the exam and saw it was everything I had studied. I wrote the answers to the three questions thinking: Boy, this is easy.
As we waited to get our tests back, I was positive I'd get an A. Instead my grade was a C. Under it, in big red letters, was written: "I know what I said. What do you think?" It was a valuable awakening. I realized that Yale did not simply want you to absorb ideas but to think about them and challenge them. It forced me to explore things from every possible angle, looking for aspects that might not be obvious at first but were helpful in developing a dialog on an issue.
Questions:
1. What kind of man is Kofi Annan known as?
2. What event changed Kofi Annan's attitude toward life at age l7?
3. What did the Yale professor actually want Garry Franks to do in the exam?
4. What grade did Garry Franks get?
5. What is the passage mainly about
Man: The first sandwich was made in 1762, by the Earl of Sandwich. He didn't want to take
time away from his card games to eat, so he ordered his butler to make sandwiches
instead.
Woman: Is that so? Hey, look at this: first beauty contest. Held in Belgium in 1888. Why
Belgium of all places?
Man: Why not? Oh, here's one I bet you're proud of. Electric chair was used for the first
time in 1890 in the United States. Yes, you're first for AIDS, too, first recorded case in
New York in 1977. Quite a country.
Woman: Plus and minus signs were used for the first time in 1514 in Holland. Yeah, there was
no way we could have guessed that one. And the equals sign, you'll be pleased to hear,
was first used in Oxford in 1557. You'd have thought they'd all have been invented at
the same time.
Man: Well, we both got this one—coffee in Arabia around 1,000 AD, and just before that,
playing cards in China.
Woman: Well, I got this one right. First diagram of a flying machine, was by Leonardo da
Vinci, as I said, in 1492.
Man: Yeah, but the first air flight wasn't until 1903, and it was in the United States, of
course!
Woman: But that wasn't the question, was it? And England was also the first to transmit
television.
Man: Garbage, it was the Italians.
Woman: No, it says here, first TV transmission, London, 1925. And here we are again, first
traffic lights, London, 1868.
Man: But they didn't even have cars then, so why would they have needed traffic lights
Juan comes up to the Mexican border on his bicycle. He's got two large bags over his shoulders. The guard stops him and says, "What's in the bags?"
"Sand," answered Juan.
The guard says, "We'll just see about that. Get off the bike." The guard takes the bags and rips them apart; he empties them out and finds nothing in them but sand.
He detains Juan overnight and has the sand analyzed, only to discover that there is nothing but pure sand in the bags.
The guard releases Juan, puts the sand into new bags, hefts them onto the man's shoulders, and lets him cross the border.
A week later, the same thing happens. The guard asks, "What have you got?"
"Sand," says Juan.
The guard does his thorough examination and discovers that the bags contain nothing but sand. He gives the sand back to Juan, and Juan crosses the border on his bicycle.
This sequence of events is repeated every week for three years. Finally, Juan doesn't show up and one day the guard meets him in a bar in Mexico.
"Hey, buddy," says the guard. "I know you are smuggling something. It's driving me crazy. It's all I think about... I can't sleep. Just between you and me, what are you smuggling?"
Juan sips his beer and says, "Bicycles."
(Students are in a classroom waiting for the teacher to arrive. Two are talking.)
Cathy: I've enjoyed talking about creativity in our English class. I wish I had been
encouraged more when I was in elementary school.
Michael: I know what you mean. I always liked drawing, but my teachers and parents
insisted I was just wasting my time with it. My father said I should work on
mathematics.
Cathy: Maybe you still will use your artistic talent some day.
Michael: Oh, I don't know. After all, I'm at university now. Perhaps I'm too old to be
creative.
Cathy: I don't think so. I read an interesting article about a lady who wanted to be an
artist but whose family wanted her to work in their candy business.
Michael: What happened?
Cathy: Well, Jean, the lady, knew painting was what she wanted and making candy
was what she didn't want. After graduating from college she tried various jobs
to support herself, though none of them were in the candy business. And she
kept painting in her spare time.
Michael: Then what?
Cathy: About twenty years ago a worker in the family candy business quit around
Valentine's Day, one of their busiest seasons. Her father needed Jean to come to
help with the business.
Michael: Did she?
Cathy: Yes, although she didn't like it.
Michael: So, how did she cope?
Cathy: She got an idea of putting art and candy together.
Michael: How?
Cathy: First she experimented with making an edible paint. She found that powdered
food coloring mixed with vodka would work.
Michael: That's quite a combination.
Cathy: Then, for her "canvas", she melted white chocolate and molded it flat. She even
learned how to make chocolate frames.
Michael: What kind of art did she create?
Cathy: She copied the works of famous painters. She displayed her candy art in the
candy shop and customers would come in just to look at the art.
Michael: What did her family think then?
Cathy: They didn't take her seriously until the Toledo Museum of Art heard about her
work and paid her to paint thirty-seven reproductions of works in their
collection. That was her first big job. Now she works full time with her candy
creations.
Michael: Does she do anything besides copying art masterpieces?
Cathy: Yes, she's done some portraits. However, people love her reproductions.
Michael: What is the price for one of her candy art creations?
Cathy: From $150 to $200 each.
Michael: Well, her creativity has brought her success.
Questions:
1. What does the man speaker like to do?
2. How did Jean make a living right after graduating from college?
3. Why did she begin to help with the family business?
4. How did she paint?
5. In which way was she successful
For over 30 years, "Sesame Street" has been the most popular TV program for young children in the United States. The characters on this show are mainly puppets, and probably the most loved of the puppets is a gigantic yellow bird called "Big Bird".
Caroll Spinney has played Big Bird during all the years of Big Bird's existence. Spinney's love of puppets and his own creativity led him into this career. When he was five years old, he saw his first puppet show. He loved the show and never forgot it. When he was seven he bought a used monkey puppet for five cents. His mother had made him a stuffed snake from green material, so he got the idea of making his own puppet show. He made a stage from wooden orange boxes and his mother's old curtains. He charged 2 cents admission and earned 32 cents for his first performance.
Spinney's family liked his creativity and encouraged him. For Christmas when he was nine, his older brother made him a better puppet theater and his mother secretly sewed eight colorful
puppets for him. Spinney later wrote, "The more I gave shows, the more I felt the power that one has when one is performing. All these people would sit in a room and listen to everything I said. I did all the character voices: little girl voices, an old lady voice, and a ghost voice. The audience listened, and clapped at the end, and paid me to do it. What could be a better way to make a living than to perform? I knew that I would wind up in the world of entertainment."
Spinney continued giving puppet shows. When he decided to go to art school, puppet shows helped him pay for his tuition. Even when he was in the army, he managed to continue giving puppet shows. He knew he wanted this as his life's work and that he wanted his audience to be children. When he was given the opportunity to create the character of Big Bird on "Sesame Street", he accepted it and over the years has made Big Bird one of the most loved characters on American television.
5
I'm Ted.
Well, I've been playing it since I was quite young because my father was very keen on it and he used to give me lessons. We didn't have to go far to play, so we used to play together quite a lot. Unless you have to join a club, it's not an expensive sport. You just need a racket and balls.
When I went to university, I played an hour or so every morning. Sometimes it was not easy for us to book a court because it was so popular. It was great exercise. It needs a lot of energy. Of course, you have to be fit since you do a lot of running and you have to be quick. It's not a lot of standing around, it's movement all the time. It's a sport I like to play and to watch.
I'm Mike.
I think I've been playing it now for nearly forty years, ever since I was a little kid, and it's always been one of my greatest interests in life.
When I watch a game I appreciate the athletic skill of the players, the strategies of the manager or coach, and the excitement of the uncertainty—just not knowing how the game's going to go, even when a very strong team's playing a very weak team. There's always that possibility of a surprise, of the unexpected moment changing the game.
I'm Lisa.
Well, I've been doing it every winter holiday since I can remember. I love doing it because you get better everytime you do it. It's fast and it's exciting and although it's really cold, you can still get a tan when you do it. Of course the scenery is beautiful and it's really nice when you're tired to go and have a hot drink afterwards. Of course the problem is that it's very expensive and it's really dangerous, you will always get hurt doing it, but apart from that, I really like it.
During the thirties and forties, when someone asked a kid who his role models were, he would often respond with names of baseball players. Advertisers trying to sell a product would often turn to baseball stars because the public knew them and loved them. Now looking at today's players, the only time you seem to hear about them is when they are complaining about their salaries. No longer is baseball the great national pastime, and kids are looking elsewhere for role models.
Back in the thirties and forties, money wasn't such an important issue. Players played baseball because they loved the game. They rarely complained about money. And they earned nothing in comparison with players today.
Most players back then were also positive role models both on and off the field. They did a lot of things for their neighborhood, from visiting sick children in hospitals to signing
autographs—not for the publicity, but just out of the kindness of their hearts. Parents then could be proud when their child said that he wanted to grow up and play major league baseball. Today, however, most baseball players visit hospitals only when they themselves need care, and some of them charge twenty dollars for an autograph.
In the past, players always tried to be positive role models for America's youth. It is a totally different story today. It seems that you can't get through a week without some baseball player doing something stupid or illegal.
If players today would just grow up and stop worrying about who's making the most money, they would start feeling better about themselves, the public would start respecting the game again, and kids could start finding some role models on the baseball field again.
People in tropical countries can read about winter sports but are unable to participate in them. They cannot build snowmen, throw snowballs, toboggan, or ice-skate. Above all, they cannot go skiing.
Someone defined skiing as gliding over the ground on two boards. The sport is popular in
America in the states which have snow in the winter months. The pleasure we take in this healthy outdoor activity is shared by the Finns, the Russians, the Swedes, the Norwegians, the Germans, the Italians, the Swiss, and the French, who also live in temperate zones with winter climates. But what must people from Egypt, Libya, and Nigeria think of this strange sport?
Skiing, unlike tennis and baseball, is not a city sport. Until recently, even in countries with snow, it was limited to mountainous regions. Now there is a new variation that can be enjoyed by everyone. It's called ski touring.
Sports World we have a special report from Karen Finch who is Announcer: And in today's
with the athletes in the Olympic Village in Atlanta. The line's clear. Can you hear
me, Karen?
Karen: Fine, Barry, just fine.
Announcer: Great. So here is Karen Finch with her report from the Olympic Village.
Karen: Well, I have two athletes with me in the studio. First, Bo Lundquist.
Bo: Hi!
Karen: Bo is a cyclist and he's here with the Swedish team. This is your first Olympics,
isn't it, Bo?
Bo: Yes, it is.
Karen: And how do you feel about it?
Bo: Happy, very happy.
Karen: Let's talk about your training schedule, Bo. I imagine it's pretty hard.
Bo: Yes, it is. I get up at five...
Karen: Five! And do you start training then?
Bo: Well, I have a cup of coffee first. I start training at about five thirty. You know, it's
quite cold then.
Karen: Right! I'm sure it is. When do you finish training, Bo?
Bo: Well, I practice cycling on the track for about two hours. Then I have a short break
for breakfast. After that, I do exercises for another few hours. I suppose I finish at
about midday.
Karen: So you're free after twelve. What do you do then?
Bo: You mean, what do I do in my spare time?
Karen: Right.
Bo: Well, we usually go swimming in the afternoon. That's all. I go to bed early. I want
to win a gold for Sweden.
Karen: Well, I hope you do. Thank you, Bo Lundquist. Next with me in the studio is Bob
Smith. Bob's a long distance runner—the American 3000-meter champion.
Bob: Hi!
Karen: Hello, Bob. How is your training going?
Bob: Fine, just fine. I have a really good program and I think I'm in first-class condition.
Karen: Tell me about it, Bob.
Bob: Well, I don't like training early in the morning. I don't know why. I just don't like
it. So I start around about ten.
Karen: Mmm. And what about lunch?
Bob: I don't have lunch. Lunch makes me tired. I train all through the day until about
five o'clock.
Karen: Really? Until five?
Bob: Yes! Then I shower and go home.
Karen: So you live right here in Atlanta, do you, Bob?
Bob: Yes. I'm married. We live on campus at the University.
Karen: What do you do in your spare time, Bob?
Bob: I don't have much spare time. I'm studying to be a doctor.
Karen: You don't have any free time?
Bob: Not much. But when I relax I like listening to music. Music is really special to me.
Karen: Well, thank you, Bob and Bo. Good luck! This is Karen Finch at the Olympic
Village in Atlanta.
Announcer: Thank you, Karen. And now for our other sports news. Tennis...
Building team spirit is always the focal point of what I try to do as a manager. When I first went to Crystal Palace, players would finish training and then go straight home. There was no atmosphere. We brought in a pool table and fruit machines. When players choose to spend time together, it generates a better atmosphere.
The team spirit's very important, but I don't believe in motivating the team as a team. I try to motivate the team as individuals. So I don't give team talks. I speak to the players individually. And I try not to put too much pressure on them. I believe players perform best when they are relaxed. If they're too tense, I can guarantee they won't play well.
I also believe in giving people autonomy. I like all the people who work for me to be
autonomous. I very rarely interfere. I feel people should be judged on their results. If they prove incompetent, then I'm incompetent if I keep on employing them.
It's like that with the team. I get criticized for not interfering during a game and for not making more substitutions. But I feel if I've chosen those eleven players to get a result, then I should leave them alone to get on with it.
If I'm dropping a player from the team, I don't feel I have to explain it to them. If they want to discuss it, I'll say, "Come back and talk about it in a couple of days' time." But I don't try to
remotivate them. It's up to them to have the character to fight back. I'm a great believer that almost everything you achieve in life is down to your attitude. If I have a player who is magnificently gifted but has a stinking attitude, I won't waste my time on them.
Ever since the modern Olympic Games began in 1896, they've had their critics. Every form of competitive activity attracts trouble. But part of the aim of the Games, when they were first held in ancient Greece, was to discourage war between states by engaging them in a friendlier kind of combat.
The spirit of competition in the Games uses up a lot of energy that could be harmfully employed. It does a lot of good, getting people to forget their differences in a communal activity. Any
competitor or spectator at the Games or in the Olympic Village will tell you that the atmosphere of friendship there is unforgettable; as if the world were one big family. And the hostilities that the press always likes to exaggerate only exist in a few places. What we suffer from is bad publicity, not bad sportsmanship.
These Games are the biggest international gathering of any kind in the world. Not only do they bring sportsmen together, but they unite a world public. Isn't this a sufficient reason for continuing them? Of course, a few people are going to use them as an occasion for propaganda, but this is no
reason why the Games should be canceled. Why should every harmless activity be spoiled for the majority by the minority?
No! As long as the majority wants it, these Games will continue. This is sport, not politics, and it should remain so.
Woman: On the matter of careers, a lot of the jobs that people go into are sort of lifetime
careers. What about baseball? Is it a career over one's full lifetime?
Man: Baseball's been my life so far...you know. I mean, I know someday—could be
tomorrow—that I'm going to be out of it...
Woman: But how long can you really expect to play, let's say, actively?
Man: I've set goals, and I made my first goal, which was to make it to the big leagues. And
now, my next goal is to make it through four years...to get my pension.
Woman: But how many years can you expect to play professional ball...?
Man: I'm a pitcher, and it's difficult, as a pitcher, to really say how many years...because you
never know whether you're going to have a sore arm, whether it's going to go out on
you, or what other problem might happen. But uh...as a pitcher, I guess the
prime—I'm 24 years old now, and this is my sixth year—and the prime time for a
pitcher is 27 to 30.
Woman: Well, is there any problem with a sort of feeling of insecurity and...
—my first year. I disciplined myself, and I Man: Yeah, there is. Especially, like I said
worked hard—and that's what got me here. And I realize that I have to work hard to
stay here. And there is the insecurity.
Woman: You're under contract...
—I mean, they could send me Man: Right, I'm under contract. But that doesn't necessarily
down tomorrow. They could do whatever they wanted with me.
Woman: What does it take to play professionally...? I'm thinking about the skill. Is it something
that you just work hard to get, or is there a natural sort of ability that...
Man: Well, there're people that have the natural ability, you know. I feel like I didn't have...
I just worked hard and that's what got me here.
Questions:
1. What is the possible relationship between the two speakers?
2. How old was the man when he began to play as a pitcher?
3. What is the prime time for a pitcher?
4. What makes the man successful in baseball, according to the dialog?
5. What can be inferred from the dialog?
6. Which of the following statements is false?
7. What kind of feeling does the man have now and then?
8. What does the man think of baseball as a career?
Learning to swim had been surprisingly easy, thanks to the Navy's policy of dealing with fear by ignoring it. My fear of deep water left after my Navy experience. On the first day in the pool an instructor with a voice like a bullhorn ordered fifty of us to climb a high board and jump in feet first. The board looked about two hundred feet high, though it may have been only twenty or twenty-five. A line was formed to mount the ladder and jump. I drifted to the end of the line, then stepped out when the splashing started and introduced myself to the instructor.
"I'm a non-swimmer," I said, "shall I go to the shallow end of the pool?" At City College I'd spent four years in the shallow end of the pool.
"This pool doesn't have a shallow end," the instructor said.
"Well, what am I going to do?"
"Get up on that platform and jump," he said.
The pool depth was marked as fifteen feet at that point.
"I'm not kidding. I can't swim at all."
"Up! Up!" he shouted.
"But I'll drown."
"This pool's got the best lifesaving equipment in the Navy," he said. "Don't worry about it." "Come on."
"I'm giving you an order, mister. Up!"
Quaking in every fiber, I climbed the ladder, edged out onto the board, took one look down, and unable to faint, stepped back.
"Jump!" the instructor roared.
I stepped to the edge, closed my eyes, and walked into space. The impact of the water was great, then I was sinking, then... My God!... I was rising irresistibly to the surface. My head broke water. The water was actually supporting me, just as everybody had always said it would. The instructor glared.
"You didn't keep your legs straight," he shouted. "Get back up there and do it again." Questions:
1. What does the speaker say about learning to swim in the Navy?
2. How high was the board?
3. What did the instructor do when he found the speaker's problem?
4. Why did the speaker eventually jump into the pool?
5. What is the best way to overcome fear, according to the speaker?
6. How much education did the speaker receive?
7. Which of the following can be used to describe the instructor?
8. Why did the speaker want to go to the shallow end of the pool?
9. Why did the instructor ask the speaker to do it again?
10. How did the instructor assure the speaker that he wouldn't drown?
For people interested in sports and the performance of athletes, the last half of the twentieth century has been an interesting time. In some competitive sports, it is clear that greater strength, more rigorous training regimes, and better coaching are the prime factors that have resulted in the
ever-increasing levels of performance. So in track and field events, the same distances are run in a shorter time and throwing and jumping events show greater distances and heights. The same
factors have produced superior athletic performance in other sports such as wrestling, table tennis and badminton.
However, in some instances, it is not merely stronger athletes, more vigorous training and
superior coaching which contribute to better and more frequent record-breaking performances, but rather the introduction of new and superior materials and technology that has been responsible for the rapid increase in performance.
Computer technology has been incorporated into sports communication and recording/timing equipment, and into the publication of educational and business items associated with sports activity. Even the engineering and construction involved in sports arenas are reaping the rewards of improved technology.
And finally, one should recognize that sports clothing itself has contributed to increased athletic performance. All of us are aware of the unique footwear available for each type of sports activity, and some of the claims made by the companies which produce these types of shoes may even be factually true! Lighter, more comfortable clothing of all types has contributed, along with other technologies, to vastly improved athletic performances.
So, when you join the growing numbers of fans who cheer their favorite athlete or athletic team to victory, it is worth remembering the technological input which has assisted them in reaching their present performance levels. While it is true that in the last 50 years athletes have pushed the limits of the human body and broken innumerable records, it is equally true that new materials have given them a distinct advantage.
7
( Justin is twenty, and is studying away from home in the north of England. He never writes home, but often rings his parents on Sunday evening.)
Mother: Hello. Bedford 21698.
Justin: Hello, Mum. It's me, Justin.
Mother: Hello, love. How are you?
Justin: I'm fine, but I'm really tired.
Mother: Oh—what have you been doing?
Justin: Well, we've just started exams, so I've been staying up late...erm...it was 3
o'clock last night...yeah, I've been studying really hard.
Mother: Of course, it's exam time. When did they start?
Justin: Last Thursday. We had our first one on Thursday morning. It was terrible. I
don't want to talk about it.
Mother: OK. What else have you been doing?
Justin: Not a lot. I've been working too hard. Sometimes I go round to Lucinda's place
and we study together.
Mother: Lucinda? I haven't heard about her before. Who is she?
—Lucinda—I'm sure I've told you about her. She's doing the same Justin: You know
course as I am. I've known her for ages. We often help each other with work.
Sometimes we go to the pub or cook a meal together. Today we've been testing
each other on economics and marketing. She's just gone out to get a Chinese
takeaway.
Mother: Oh, yes—when exactly are you coming home?
Justin: In two weeks. Term ends on the thirtieth. Oh—Mum, would it be OK if
Lucinda came to stay in the holiday? Erm...we have to do a project together.
Mother: That's fine, love. She's very welcome to stay. We'd like to meet her.
Justin: Thanks, Mum. Lucinda's just come back with the food. I'll ring again before I
come home. Love to Dad.
—and good luck in the exams. Mother: Bye, love
Justin: Thanks. I need all the luck I can get. Bye.
Mother: Take care of yourself and work hard. Bye.
The Bully Asleep
by John Walsh
One afternoon, when grassy
Scents through the classroom crept,
Bill Craddock laid his head
Down on his desk, and slept.
The children came round him:
Jimmy, Roger, and Jane;
They lifted his head timidly
And let it sink again.
"Look, he's gone sound asleep, Miss,"
Said Jimmy Adair,
"He stays up all the night, you see.
His mother doesn't care."
"Stand away from him, children."
Miss Andrews stooped to see.
"Yes, he's asleep; go on
With your writing and let him be."
"Now's a good chance!" whispered Jimmy;
And he snatched Bill's pen and hid it.
"Kick him under the desk hard;
He won't know who did it."
"Fill all his pockets with rubbish—
Paper, apple-cores, chalk."
So they plotted, while Jane
Sat wide-eyed at their talk.
Not caring, not hearing,
Bill Craddock he slept on;
Lips parted, eyes closed—
Their cruelty gone.
"Stick him with pins!" muttered Roger.
"Ink down his neck!" said Jim.
But Jane, tearful and foolish,
Wanted to comfort him.
( The following is a conversation between one woman, Grace and two men, Martin and Curtis.) Grace: Martin, what do you remember most about our college days?
Martin: What I remember most?
Grace: Curtis's hair...down to his waist.
Curtis: I remember how Grace looked. She always had a flower painted on her face, remember
that?
Martin: Oh, yes.
Grace: Now wait. Let's not forget about Martin and his air-conditioned blue jeans. I never saw
anybody with more holes in their jeans than Martin.
Martin: They're a classic. I still have those blue jeans!
Grace: Still have them? I don't believe it. That's incredible!
Martin: And I still wear them, too.
Curtis: You know, I was just thinking about the most important thing that happened in college. Martin: The most important thing? You mean, the time we got arrested?
Curtis: Mm.
Grace: Yeah. You know, that's my best memory. That peace demonstration. You know,
somehow getting arrested for something you believe in isn't...isn't scary at all.
Curtis: No, it isn't at all. But it did help that there were five hundred other students getting
arrested along with us.
Martin: That's true.
Curtis: That was a great day, though.
Grace: Hey, you all remember our last day of college?
Curtis: Graduation? What's to remember? None of us went to graduation.
Martin: Do you regret that...that after all these years you skipped the ceremony?
Grace: Not me. I don't think we missed anything that day.
Curtis: No, nothing at all. And that picnic that the three of us had by the stream, remember?
Grace: That was great.
Curtis: Drinking wine, playing the guitar, singing. Oh, that was worth more to me than any
graduation ceremony.
Martin: That was the best graduation ceremony there could have been.
Curtis: Mm-hmm.
1. Do you need a place where you can juggle without breaking furniture? Our club offers
a place to practice your skills and has equipment members can use. No experience is
necessary to join.
If you play or just love listening to jazz, this is the club for you. Membership includes
free entry to jazz concerts. The club also offers classes with well-known musicians for members who want to improve their playing.
A good cave exploration trip includes all those things your mother didn't like you
doing when you were small—getting wet and dirty, jumping off things, and swinging
on ropes. Our members explore dark and mysterious caves with underground rivers
and noisy waterfalls. The club explores new caves in Britain and travels to other
countries such as Spain.
The Food and Wine Club offers a variety of social events every year, including holiday parties, wine tastings, and our annual Oktoberfest trip to Munich. One of our past
dinners has been described as "the best meal I've ever had".
Man: So you were studying for, let me see, how long, four years altogether? Can you tell
me a little about that course?
Woman: Well, it was a very difficult...a very tough course. I did English for the whole four
years, of course, so at the end, well, I was quite good. And Business
Correspondence, which I did in the second year and third year, was really just
English too. Also I did a year of French, in the fourth year, learning to meet people
and answer the telephone. Then there were three years of Secretarial Practice,
starting in the second year, and three years of Shorthand that started from the
beginning —though even at the end of the third year, I wasn't very good at it. And,
well, I suppose the other subjects just fitted around that: Accounting in year three
and four, Economics in the first and second and Bookkeeping in the third...no, no,
in the second year before we started Accounting.
In 1980-1981 there was a total of 108,610 students from other countries studying in the UK. They were mainly from the Commonwealth countries, the countries belonging to the European 2. 3. 4.
Economic Community (otherwise known as the EEC or Common Market) and other foreign countries.
Just under one-third of all students who came to the UK in 1980 studied at a university, either as an undergraduate or as a postgraduate: Altogether there were 31,496 students. Just over one-third of these students studied at five English universities. Most were at London University where there were 6,778. Then came Leeds University where there were 1,220, while 1,130 were at Manchester University. At Oxford University there were 1,101 students, and, finally, at the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology, known as UMIST, there were 1,035.
Finally, the three most popular subject areas studied at university by undergraduate and
postgraduate students combined were first, engineering and technology, studied by 9,552 students; this was followed by social, administrative and business studies, studied by 6,951 students; and finally, science subjects, studied by 6,253.
Questions:
1. Where did the foreign students in UK universities mainly come from?
2. How many university students were from foreign countries in UK in 1980-1981?
3. How many students in total take courses in the three most popular subject areas?
Maria: Oh, hi, Dave. Long time no see!
Dave: Hi Maria. I was in the neighborhood, so I thought I'd drop by.
Maria: Come on in. Take a seat. Would you like anything to drink? I have Sprite and
orange juice.
Dave: Sprite would be fine. Uh, so, how have you been?
Maria: Oh, not bad. And you?
Dave: Oh, I'm doing okay, but school has been really hectic these days, and I haven't
had time to relax.
Maria: What's your major anyway?
Dave: Hotel management.
Maria: Well, what do you want to do once you graduate?
Dave: Uh...I haven't decided for sure, but I think I'd like to work for a hotel or travel
agency in this area. How about you?
Maria: Well, when I first started college, I wanted to major in French, but I realized I
might have a hard time finding a job using the language, so I changed to
computer science. With the right skills, landing a job in the computer industry
shouldn't be as difficult.
Dave: So, do you have a part-time job to support yourself through school?
Maria: Well, fortunately, I received a four-year academic scholarship that pays for all of
my tuition and books.
Dave: Wow. That's great.
Maria: Yeah. How about you? Are you working your way through school?
Dave: Yeah. I work three times a week at a restaurant near campus.
Maria: Oh. What do you do there?
Dave: I'm a cook.
Maria: How do you like your job?
Dave: It's okay. The other workers are friendly, and the pay isn't bad.
College students must be mature enough to assume responsibility for their own education. First, they must make themselves attend class. Many college instructors do not take roll, and many
others don't penalize students for not going to class. A student who would rather sit in the bar than attend class has the option to do so. A student must be mature enough to realize that he needs to go to class. Second, college students have to motivate themselves to do their assignments. Many students are away from home and the old enforcers, their parents, aren't there to ask if their
reading is finished. No college teacher hounds a student for his homework. He simply puts down a zero and says nothing. It's up to the student to get the work done. Finally, college students are responsible for taking the required exams. A student who misses a test can't expect a professor even to mention it. It is totally his responsibility to arrange to make up the exam. Only students mature enough to accept these responsibilities are ready for college.
Questions:
1. What is the passage mainly about?
2. Which of the following is relevant to the maturity of college students?
3. How would the professor respond if the student didn't do his assignment?
4. What are the three things college students should do?
Well, I think first of all for first-time students, coming and living on campus in dormitories can provide a certain level of security as well as convenience because it's close to campus facilities and commuting without a car can be quite an experience, especially when you have to commute long distances. And usually meals are provided on campus so students can devote time to their studies, rather than to housekeeping. But, of course, students should also be aware that they'll have to obey the rules and regulations relating to student conduct. This is part of the contract with the university for living on campus.
Another option is living off campus in apartments. Like living in dormitories, living in an
apartment requires little or no maintenance mainly because that is usually handled by the owner or someone else. Also, if you live off campus, there may be a greater amount of flexibility in
choosing roommates than you might have living on campus. But you should be aware that tenants are sometimes responsible for furnishing their own apartments.
Well, of course, the choice is up to you, but be careful to review both the advantages and disadvantages of living on campus and off campus. Good luck.
Questions:
1. Which of the following is mentioned as an advantage of living on campus?
2. What should students remember with on-campus living?
3. Which of the following is mentioned as an advantage of off-campus living?
4. What should students living off campus be prepared to do?
8
Around the Corner
by Henson Towne
Around the corner I have a friend,
In this great city that has no end.
Yet the days go by and weeks rush on,
And before I know it, a year is gone.
And I never see my old friend's face,
For life is a swift and terrible race,
He knows I like him just as well,
As in the days when I rang his bell,
And he rang mine.
If we were younger then,
And now we are busy, tired men.
Tired of playing a foolish game,
Tired of trying to make a name.
"Tomorrow," I say, "I will call on Jim
Just to show that I'm thinking of him."
But tomorrow comes and tomorrow goes,
And distance between us grows and grows.
Around the corner!—yet miles away.
"Here's a telegram sir—Jim died today."
And that's what we get and deserve in the end.
Around the corner, a vanished friend.
If you love someone, tell them. Remember always to say what you mean. Never be afraid to express yourself. Take this opportunity to tell someone what they mean to you. Seize the day and have no regrets. Most importantly, stay close to your friends and family, for they have helped make you the person that you are today and are what it's all about anyway.
Pass this along to your friends. Let it make a difference in your day and theirs, the difference between expressing love and having regrets which may stay around forever.
One day an expert on the subject of time management was speaking to a group of business
students and, to stress a point, used an illustration I'm sure those students will never forget. After I share it with you, you'll never forget it either.
As this man stood in front of the group of high-powered overachievers, he said, "Okay, time for a quiz." Then he pulled out a large, widemouthed jar and set it on a table in front of him. Then he produced about a dozen fist-sized rocks and carefully placed them, one at a time, into the jar.
When the jar was filled to the top and no more rocks would fit inside, he asked, "Is this jar full?" Everyone in the class said, "Yes."
Then he said, "Really?" He reached under the table and pulled out a bag of little stones. Then he dumped some of them in and shook the jar, causing the little stones to work themselves down into the spaces between the big rocks.
Then he smiled and asked the group once more, "Is the jar full?" By this time the class was onto him. "Probably not," one of them answered. "Good!" he replied. And he reached under the table and brought out a bag of sand. He started dumping the sand in and it went into all the spaces left between the rocks and the little stones. Once more he asked the question, "Is this jar full?" "No!" the class shouted. Once again he said, "Good!" Then he grabbed a bottle of water and began to pour it in until the jar was filled to the top. Then he looked up at the class and asked, "What is the point of this illustration?"
One eager beaver raised his hand and said, "The point is, no matter how full your schedule is, if you try really hard, you can always fit some more things into it!"
"No," the speaker replied, "that's not the point. The truth this illustration teaches us is: If you don't put the big rocks in first, you'll never get them in at all."
You are going to hear a passage of four sections talking about different aspects of life for children in Britain in the year 1927 and 1997.
Home
In 1927 families were larger, working hours longer and incomes lower. Most fathers worked full-time, but there was little work for women. Most people lived in houses without bathrooms, indoor toilets, electricity or hot water. But you could leave your home unlocked, and children were safe on the streets.
In 1997 homes are much more comfortable. All have an indoor bathroom and toilet. Mothers work full- or part-time. Children can't go out whenever and wherever they like because of the amount of traffic and the fear of violence.
Transport
In 1927 adults and teenagers used bicycles, but they were too expensive to give to ten-year-olds.
They walked to and from school, and came home for lunch—children often walked several miles a day. There were not many private cars, and many people couldn't afford to use public transport every day.
In 1997 children have new bicycles which they've bought or received as presents. But because of the dangers on the road, they can only use them to play in quiet streets and not as a means of transport. Almost every family has a car, and parents drive their children to school.
Daily Routine
In 1927 children got up at 6:30-7:30 a.m., ate breakfast and walked to school. After school, they played with brothers and sisters and helped at home. With no television, a cold house and poor light, bedtime was early—7:00-7:30 p.m.
In 1997 they get up later, sometimes at 8:30 a.m., and go to bed between 8:30 and 10:30 p.m. They do different after-school activities and watch a lot of television. They do not like looking after younger brothers and sisters.
Clothes
In 1927 children had three sets of clothes—best for church, second best for school and old clothes for playing. They wore dark colours, and the material was often uncomfortable. Most clothes were home-made and mended many times.
In 1997 kids have a lot of clothes in bright colours. No one wears hand-me-downs. There are clothes for special occasions, and children get new clothes throughout the year. T-shirts, jeans, sportswear are popular with ten-year-olds.
Throughout the day, energy rises and falls. At your peak, you're likely to perform 30 to 40 percent faster and more accurately than at your low, says Lynne Lamberg. Synchronize your schedule to use your natural energy supply efficiently.
Alertness is highest and concentration most focused between 9 a.m. and early afternoon—a good time to crunch numbers or write a report. Dive into the hardest tasks first.
Extend high-energy mornings with a late lunch. Many people are still going strong until one or two o'clock. Why break the momentum?
Use your mid-afternoon to attend to some routine tasks, such as paying bills or sorting through a pile of junk mail. Work that involves physical activity—running down the hall to photocopy a memo or talking to other people (that includes phone calls)—will keep your energy level from dropping way down.
When full alertness returns—around 4 p.m.—do a few small projects that give you a feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment. Send off an important letter. Plan and prioritize for the next day. The dark side of your cycle is equally important: For daylong energy you need a good night's sleep. On average, Americans get about seven-and-one-half hours, although some need more and others get by on less. You're getting enough sleep if you wake up without the help of an alarm clock and don't feel the urge to nap during the day.
Statements:
1. When your energy reaches its peak, you tend to work 13 to 14 percent faster.
2. The hardest tasks should be done in the morning.
3. Many people skip lunch and still feel energetic.
4. No matter what we do, our energy level will drop way down in the afternoon.
5. If we need the help of an alarm clock to wake up, we should get more sleep.
(Do you feel depressed when you read newspapers? Does the news always seem bad? To many people it does, but not to Alexander Dubois, a French scientist living in London. Unlike many scientists, he believes that the world will be a better place in the future. His book, What a
Wonderful Life, will be on sale, and Globe sent Reporter Catherine Brown to talk to him. Here is part of their conversation.)
Catherine Brown: What changes will we see in the next few years?
Alexander Dubois: Today, work is the most important part of many people's lives.
In the future, machines will do much of our work. This means
that we'll have more time to think about how to live happily.
Catherine Brown: What developments will there be in medical science?
Alexander Dubois: The day will come when we eliminate killer diseases such as
diphtheria and typhoid. Also, there will be fewer babies born
with birth defects because doctors will be able to operate on
children before they are born.
Catherine Brown: But what about natural resources? Will there be an adequate
supply of coal, oil and gas?
Alexander Dubois: Of course! Research shows that there are sufficient resources
for the next 20,000 years within one kilometer of the earth's
surface.
Catherine Brown: Will cities continue to grow and become more and more
overcrowded?
Alexander Dubois: No, they won't. People will return to smaller communities
where they can really know their neighbors and participate in
community life.
Catherine Brown: Aren't you worried about the possibility of nuclear war?
Alexander Dubois: Yes, I am. I expect there will be a nuclear war in the future, but
it won't end our world. Life will continue.
Statements:
1. Alexander Dubois holds an optimistic point of view for the world's future.
2. Alexander Dubois believes that, in the future, people's jobs will play the most important part in
their lives.
3. Alexander Dubois thinks that, in the future, some defects in babies will be treated before birth.
4. Alexander Dubois predicts that someday some people will move from big cities to smaller
communities.
5. Alexander Dubois believes that a nuclear war can be the end of the world.
(In the following recording, Isaac Asimov, a famous scientist, is being interviewed about the future of the world.)
Interviewer: You say the earth will probably last another 8 billion
years. Will mankind also survive that time or will we
blow ourselves up?
Asimov: That could happen at any time. We have had
opportunities for nuclear wars and we have avoided
them.
Interviewer: Could the earth be destroyed in a collision with another
planet?
Asimov: It is highly unlikely. Space is largely empty, and the
chance of our being the target for any sizeable body is
very small. For example, the average distance between
the stars in our own corner of the galaxy is nine light
years—about 50 million million miles. In fact, the stars
in our galaxy are in the same proportion as would be a
few grains of sand in the whole of New York's Central
Park.
Interviewer: What about a possible invasion by people from
elsewhere in the universe?
Asimov: That is a very well-known science-fiction situation, but
it seems to me unlikely. The nearest intelligence to us
is likely to be as much as 50 light years away, and that
is not an easy distance to cross. If a people could cross
it, they would be extremely advanced and I think that a
race far in advance of ourselves would probably also
have advanced in humanity and would be unlikely to
act like barbarians.
Interviewer: What then are the dangers that you see facing
mankind?
Asimov: Well, the primary problem is population. At the present
moment, the population of the world is higher by far
than it has ever been. It has doubled in the last 50
years, and is going to double again. So we are having
trouble feeding people.
Interviewer: Will feeding the world population become a major
problem?
Asimov: Definitely. A substantial proportion of mankind is in
constant danger of starvation. By the year 2009, we are
going to have somewhere between 7 and 8 billion
people on earth and we are not going to double our
food supply by then.
Interviewer: Will there be wars or general unrest?
Asimov: When a great many people have too little to eat, there
will be an increase in both civil unrest and disease.
There will be more general unrest in the world, for
even those nations which we do not usually associate
with famine will then have too little to eat. They are not
likely to become economically self-sufficient.
Interviewer: Do you see any hope for the future?
Asimov: Possibly. Human beings can change, given pressure.
Only 20 years ago, birth control was banned in many
countries, but now birth control is practiced in these
countries and is helping to keep the size of the
population under control.
Almost every American wears a watch, and, in nearly every room in an American home, there's a clock. "Be on time." "Don't waste time." "Time is money." "Time waits for no one." All of these familiar sayings reflect the American obsession with promptness and efficiency. Students and employees displease their teachers and bosses when they arrive late. This desire to get the most out of every minute often affects behavior, making Americans impatient when they have to wait. The pressure to make every moment count sometimes makes it difficult for Americans to relax and do nothing.
The desire to save time and handle work efficiently also leads Americans to buy many kinds of machines. These range from household appliances to equipment for the office, such as calculators, photocopy machines and computers. One popular machine is the videocassette recorder, which gives Americans a new kind of control over time. Fans of professional football don't have to miss the Sunday afternoon game on TV because of a birthday party. They simply videotape it. Then, for them, the Sunday afternoon game occurs on Sunday evening. What's more, they save actual time then by pushing buttons on the machine and avoiding all sales ads and commercials and so on. One man says he can see a three-and-a-half-hour game later in one and a half hours. What will life be like 100 years from now? Some experts are optimistic. Others are far more pessimistic. They think that by then the population will have doubled. We will have run out of essential materials like oil and coal. We may even have run out of water to drink. They believe that we will be living like chickens. We will be living in little boxes and eating artificial food.
But those who are more optimistic say that life in the future will be far better than it is today. We may be living in well-designed and systematic communities. We may be getting more sunlight,
breathing fresher air, living in a better environment and leading far more pleasant lives than we are today.
Life will certainly have become far more mechanized by the year 2100. It may even have
become too mechanized. Mechanization has already caused quite a few problems and will cause still more. For example, many jobs will have been “automated”. That is, machines will be doing many jobs that people do today. People will no longer be able to learn only one job in their
lifetime. They will have to learn several. Many of the jobs that young people are doing today will have become unnecessary by the time they are forty.
Questions:
1. What can definitely be said of life in the next century?
2. What does "many jobs will be 'automated'" mean according to the passage?
3. What will the influence of automation be upon people in terms of employment?
4. Is there any possibility hat some jobs will disappear in decades from now? Why or why not?
5. What would the future job market look like?
Starting in the early 1900s, Americans who lived and worked in large cities moved to the suburbs, or edges of cities, if they could. They wanted to live where they could have a large house and yard instead of a small apartment with no yard. The problem that this has brought is that as the cities have grown larger, people must travel a long way to their place of work. Often the trip takes as much as two hours each way. Thus they have very little time to enjoy their houses and yards. Therefore, during the last ten or fifteen years of the 20th century, some people became interested in moving back to the business areas of the cities. Many old buildings with businesses or factories on the first few floors have upper floors that are empty. Other old buildings are completely empty. Architects have been buying these buildings and changing them into attractive apartment buildings. Most have large comfortable rooms with big windows, which let in a lot of light. The apartments in these buildings are quickly bought by people who want to move back to the center of the city. As one new apartment owner said, "I don't have a yard any more, but I also don't have to sit in my car for over three hours a day. And there are nearby parks that I can visit now that I have more time."
Statements:
1. People in the early 1900s liked to live in the city.
2. The disadvantage of living in the suburbs is that there are very few shops nearby.
3. People living in the suburbs must spend a lot of time going to the workplace.
4. People living in the suburbs would have enjoyed their houses and gardens more if they had
had more time.
5. Many old buildings in the business areas of the cities have been changed into apartment
buildings.
6. Apartment buildings in the cities are not bright enough with small windows.
7. People are not interested in buying apartments in such business buildings.
8. The new apartment owner regrets buying it since it doesn't have a yard.
9
Part I
Mom: Well, there are no "ifs", "ands", or "buts" about it. Anna is completely at home
with all this technology.
Dad: Isn't it great? She doesn't have the fear of technology that so many of us have. It's
amazing to think that her generation has grown up with VCRs, answering
machines, cordless phones, computer games... They take all that stuff for granted.
Mom: That's for sure. To think there are kids her age who have never changed a TV
channel without a remote control! Can you imagine?
Dad: I'm sure you're right. Hey, remember our old computer?
Mom: How could I forget it? I don't ever want to see that old dinosaur again.
Dad: Oh, come on.
Mom: Really. It made me so frustrated.
Dad: Well, it's true that new computers are much, much better than the old ones. But
still, it's hard for me to learn how to use programs even on the new computers.
Mom: I know what you mean. You know, I've been thinking that maybe we should take
an evening class. What do you think? We could get a babysitter.
Dad: Wow...I'm really glad to hear you say that because I've thought a lot about taking
a class, but I've always dragged my feet. I don't know why, really.
Part II
Mom: Look at you! You're really working hard at that computer!
Dad: Nothing could tear me away. You know, if it weren't for our class, I'd be in a bind
right now trying to figure out what to do. But I'm doing OK. The class really
helps.
Mom: That's the truth. I prefer a teacher to an instruction manual. Hey, did I tell you that
I want to get a modem? I want to get online. Don't you think we've held off long
enough? I want to have email.
Dad: That teacher sure won you over. A few months ago you didn't even know what
email was!
Mom: Well, I have to admit, this whole world of computers is growing on me.
Dad: Sounds like you might go back to school and get some sort of degree in
computers.
Mom: You never know...
Questions:
1. What are the two speakers talking about?
2. What is the probable relationship between the two speakers?
3. What changed the two speakers' attitude toward computers?
My favorite question, lately, is why scientific research? The most basic answer is because I want to contribute something to the society that I have been taking from all my life, and I want to help animals somehow. But then the answers become the question. What could I possibly contribute, and how will my research help animals?
I had an experience last spring where I was involved in a research project in which we were trying to determine more about the gut size of lactating voles. Of course, I was really excited to be participating in something like that—that could possibly result in a publication. We all know how good it looks for an undergraduate to be published. Anyway everything went along very well until I realized that I was going to have to kill about 20 female voles and their pups. Every time I had to kill an animal, I felt the tears burning in my eyes. But I had to fight them back because scientists don't cry about silly things like that. After all, we're doing SCIENCE here! Well, I managed to get through the experiment, and, yes, my name will be on that publication, but the questions keep puzzling me. Was I helping animals or just killing them to obtain data we could use in our publication? And what about the publication—was it really going to contribute something, or would other scientists just use it as a reference for their publications?
Questions:
1. What is the speaker?
2. Why was the speaker excited to be involved in a research project?
3. What did the speaker have to do in the research project?
4. How did the speaker feel about his experience?
A traditional way of guarding against unwanted callers is to fit your door with a door chain. These chains are often hard to operate and can be broken by only a little force.
Yale Security Products have solved this problem with the "Checklock". Unlike ordinary door chains, the restraint on the "Checklock" operates automatically.
When the door is opened from the inside, a steel restraint bar automatically engages. The door can then be opened only about 8 cm. Callers can be identified safely from the inside. If it's
somebody you want to let in, you just close the door, move a lever around, and open the door as normal. If it's somebody you don't want to let in, just shut the door and it will lock automatically. For added security, the "Checklock" can be double-locked when you leave the house. This
means that even if intruders manage to break a brass panel, they still cannot open the door. Also, if intruders get into the house from elsewhere, they cannot open the door from the inside to get out. This deters them from stealing heavy or bulky items such as televisions and microwave ovens. In both these ways "Checklock" is better than a door chain.
The "Checklock" costs about 20 pounds in the UK and is available in a metallic, silver or brass finish.
Questions:
1. What is the traditional way of guarding against unwanted callers?
2. Which of the following is one disadvantage of the traditional way of guarding against
unwanted callers?
3. What is the "Checklock" used for?
4. Why is the "Checklock" double-locked when you leave the house?
5. Which of the following is mentioned as a function of the "checklock"?
About four million people in the United States wear soft contact lenses. These lenses, made of water-absorbing plastic, were developed in Czechoslovakia and were introduced into the United States in 1964. The first soft lenses were approved by the FDA in 1971. In recent years, soft lenses have become more popular than hard lenses. There are several reasons for this increasing
popularity. Many wearers find the soft lenses more comfortable. Also, unlike the case with hard lenses, no break-in period is necessary. But there are drawbacks as well. The soft lenses cost more than the hard lenses. In addition, the life of soft lenses is often measured in months compared to years for hard lenses. They tear easily and become worn by handling. Also, soft contact lenses correct only a limited range of visual problems. Nevertheless, for those who can afford them, soft contact lenses are a safe, simple, and attractive solution to the problem of poor vision. Questions:
1. Where were soft contact lenses first developed?
2. When did the first soft lenses win approval from the FDA?
3. What material are soft lenses made of?
4. What seems to be the biggest problem that hinders the popularization of soft lenses? Man: Good morning, Miss. Can I help you?
Woman: I'd like to buy a spirometer to detect illnesses like asthma and other lung problems. Man: Yes, we've got a portable micro-spirometer designed by Micro Medical Ltd.
Woman: Mm, it's really portable. Its rectangular box is pocket-sized, but what's the use of the
mouthpiece protruding from one end?
Man: It's for patients to blow the air in their lungs into the machine so that the machine can
measure how well the lungs are working.
Woman: How can a machine measure whether the lungs are working well?
Man: Just by measuring the volume of air that a person can breathe out.
Woman: Can you show me how to operate the machine?
Man: It's very easy. First, you turn the machine on. Second, you take a deep breath to fill
your lungs up completely. Then you place the mouthpiece in your mouth, blowing out
as long as possible. The digital display unit of the machine records the volume of air
that you blow out in one second. Then you simply move a switch on the machine and
the total volume of air that you have blown out will be shown. These two numbers
will provide a good indication of how well the lungs are working.
Woman: How much is the micro-spirometer?
Man: It's relatively inexpensive. It costs under 200 pounds. Since it's portable, it can be
taken home by a patient or carried around the hospital by a doctor.
Woman: Well, I'll take one.
If you give plants blue light from one side, they bend toward it, whereas all other colors of light elicit no response whatsoever. Another totally different photo-sensing system in plants causes the leaves to expand and the stem to grow at different rates. But leaves do not expand unless they are exposed to light. In this case red is the important color, not blue. So, according to Professor Wilkins, these two photo-receptors show that plants have effective color vision. Plants can also "count". One little plant, the Venus flytrap, has to catch insects in order to get enough nitrogen. There are a number of little sensory hairs on the surface of the trap. If you touch it once, it does not shut. However, if you touch it a second time, it shuts. The fact that it responds to two stimuli and not one shows it can distinguish between no stimulus, one stimulus and two stimuli. The plant cannot respond to a second stimulus unless it can remember that it had a first stimulus—so it must have a memory.
Many people believe that talking to plants makes them thrive. However, it is your breath, not your words, that makes them grow. Humans exhale carbon dioxide. So by breathing on your plants you give them more of the carbon dioxide they need for growth.
Unlike animals, plants are stuck where they grow. Unless they can respond to or anticipate adverse conditions they have no chance of survival.
Modern science and technology have changed our lives in many dramatic ways. Airplanes, automobiles, communication satellites, computers, plastics, and television are only a few of the scientific and technological inventions that have transformed human life. Research by nuclear physicists has led to the development of nuclear energy as a source of power. Agricultural output has soared as scientists have developed better varieties of plants and highly effective fertilizers. The development of antibiotics and other new drugs has helped control many infectious diseases. Studies in anatomy and physiology have led to amazing new surgical techniques and to the invention of lifesaving machines that can do the work of such organs as the lungs, kidneys, and heart.
Although scientific and technological achievements have benefited us in numerous ways, they have also created serious problems. The rapid growth of industrial technology, for instance, has resulted in such grave side effects as environmental pollution and fuel shortages. Breakthroughs in nuclear research have led to the development of weapons of mass destruction. Some people fear that advanced biological research will produce new disease-causing bacteria or viruses that resist drugs. People are also concerned that computerized information systems may destroy personal privacy.
The harmful effects of some technological applications of science have led some people to question the value of scientific research. But science itself is neither good nor bad. The uses that businesses, governments, and individuals choose to make of scientific knowledge determine whether that knowledge will help or harm society.
Jim: How's your toothache, Helen?
Helen: It's gone, thanks, Jim. I went to the dentist last night, and he took care of it.
Jim: I hate having my teeth filled. It's not just the pain I hate. I hate the sound of
drilling.
Helen: So do I. I'd rather have a tooth pulled than filled.
Jim: Have you ever had one of your teeth pulled?
Helen: No, but the one the dentist just filled will have to come out someday. He says it
can't be filled again.
Jim: Teeth keep causing trouble, and nobody really does anything about it. I can't
understand why.
Helen: They can put men on the moon, but they can't keep people from having trouble
with their teeth.
Jim: Why can't they transplant teeth the way they transplant hearts? They can give
somebody a different heart. Why can't they give him different teeth?
Helen: I've heard they're working on that. My dentist says they're working on tooth
transplants right now.
Jim: On second thought, I'm not sure I'd want to eat with someone else's teeth.
Helen: Well, that's not how it works. The idea is to develop a plastic tooth that can be put
into the hole where your own tooth came out.
Jim: Really? What makes it stay there? Do they hook the plastic tooth to the teeth
beside it?
Helen: No. The plastic tooth is made with plastic roots, and after a while the gums grow
around the roots, so the tooth can't fall out.
Jim: Are you making this up?
Helen: No! Seriously. Someone at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington has
been working on it. So far they've tried it on monkeys.
Jim: Well, it sounds like a good idea.
Questions:
1. When did Helen go to the dentist?
2. What did the dentist say about Helen's tooth that had just been filled?
3. What fact is Jim surprised at?
4. Which of the following is NOT true according to the dialog?
5. How does Jim feel about Helen's story of tooth transplants?
Presenter: Concorde took off in London and Paris more than a quarter of a century ago. But
today, on the 24th of October, 2003, the supersonic era is coming to an end. So, now
our correspondent Angus Corphey is at Heathrow Airport. First, Jane Stanley in New York where they are getting ready for the last day. Sad or celebrating, Jane? Jane: Many say this is a celebration, but of course everything is really tinged with sadness.
There have been lots of activities already going on since 5 o'clock this morning. The Concorde check-in is open. Celebrities are gathering. And we'll wave Concorde off in another couple hours of time.
Angus This is Angus Corphey. Here at Heathrow Airport, there are 40, 50, possibly 100 Corphey: people already gathering. And the overwhelming feeling among those who are
gathering is a great sadness of the passing of the Big Birds, the Speed Birds, the ending of Concorde and the ending of supersonic passenger travel today. Presenter: It has been said Concorde hasn't been universally loved. Some complained that it
was too expensive to develop, unacceptably noisy and environmentally harmful. But designers say it's beautiful and the speed is beyond comparison. It does look perfect. Designer Chris thinks the Concorde story actually is a mirror of recent British history. That's why people in this country have such an emotional attachment to it. But Concorde was let down by the future it was designed for. It turned out that the future wanted the planes to work like buses not rockets. In many ways Concorde was a British space program. It was the result of a huge government project based on a science fiction ideal. But anyway, it comes to an end.
范文五:新编大学英语视听说Unit6答案
Unit 6 Food
Part One Viewing, Understanding and Speaking
Video Script
Topic: Food Likes and Dislikes
Setting: In a restaurant
Characters: James, Laura, Charlie, Lisa and a Waitress
[Four young people are talking about food in a restaurant.]
Waitress: Good evening, sir. Good evening, madam.
James: Good evening. Do you have a table for four, please?
Waitress: Certainly. Would you like to sit by the window or further back?
James: By the window, please. I think it‘s much quieter.
Waitress: Sure. This way please.
James, Laura, Charlie, Lisa: Thank you.
(The Waitress shows the customers to a table by the window.)
…
Waitress: Is this all right?
James, Laura, Charlie, Lisa: All right. Wonderful, thank you. Thanks.
(After all are seated, the Waitress hands them each a menu.)
Waitress: Hello, I‘ll give you a few minutes to look at the menus.
James: Thank you. Yeah, we should be ready in a few minutes… Thank you.
Waitress: I‘ll be back then.
(The Waitress leaves.)
James: So, should I just order for every one? Is there anything particular that anyone does not
want to eat?
Laura: Well, yea, I don‘t eat lamb. My family influenced me. My parents never eat lamb. They
think it smells. So I don‘t eat it either. I don‘t even know how lamb tastes like. Maybe it doesn‘t taste so bad, but we won‘t just try it.
Charlie: Oh, I see. I thought that had something to do with religious beliefs.
Laura: Oh, no, not in my case. But you know religion plays an important role 多余,编辑时请去掉。) in people‘s choice of food. For example, Muslims don‘t eat pork. Charlie: Yeah, and in China devout Buddhists think it‘s sinful to eat animals.
James: Oh, Charlie, I almost forgot. You just got back from China. What was the food like in
Sichuan where you were working?
Charlie: It‘s very spicy. People in Sichuan won ‘t eat food without chilies and hot peppers. Lisa: Do you like spicy foods?
Charlie: I didn‘t at the very beginning. But I remember at first I could only eat a little bit of it.
Then gradually I got used to it and realized it‘s quite good, and now I like it.
James: Lisa, you were in China for several years. Which part were you in?
Lisa: The southeast part.
Charlie: I heard people there are brought up on sweet, not so spicy food. Is that so? Lisa: Yes, everything fixed there is sweet. People even add sugar to meat.
James: That sounds interesting. Were you worried about putting on weight when you were there?
Some women, in order to keep their figures slim, do not eat sweet food even though they like chocolate and dessert very much.
Lisa: No, I actually love eating sweet food. I don‘t care whether it‘s fattening or not. For me, taste
is more important than my figure.
Laura: Yeah. Sometimes, people‘s likes and dislikes of food are related to one‘s opinions about
health and nutrition. For instance, some people like rich food, while others prefer vegetables, green food and salads.
James: Sure, and nowadays with the development of sciences, people know more about food.
Something that used to be thought of as disgusting now seems delicious and nutritious. Charlie: I think it‘s also related to the cultures and traditions of the country. The Chinese people
like food with… that smells good good, tastes good, looks good. Oh, they also like food to have a pleasant, nice sounding name.
(The Waitress comes again.)
Waitress: Excuse me. Are you ready to order?
James: Yes. Erm…can I get the 24-ounce porterhouse? Try to get that done medium rare please. Waitress: Certainly.
James: And can I just get a Miller Light to go with that …
Waitress: Miller Light, that‘s right. OK.
…
(The voices fade away.)
Exercise 1
Directions: You’re going to watch a video in which a group of people talk about food likes and
dislikes. Read the following part carefully, which will make it easy for you to
understand the video.
Exercise 2
Directions: Now watch the video and pay attention to how the speakers talk about food likes and
dislikes and their relevant causes. Then decide whether the following descriptions
about food likes and dislikes are true. Put a tick in front of the letter you choose.
Food likes and dislikes are related to:
Key to Exercise 2: A, B, D, F, G, H
Exercise 3
Directions: Watch the video again and fill in the missing words in the incomplete lines of the
speakers’.
Key to Exercise 3:
1) plays an important role
2) eat animals
3) got used to, like it
4) brought up on
5) slim, even though
6) be thought of
7) with the development of
8) pleasant, nice sounding
Exercise 4
Directions: Watch the video a third time. This time you are required to repeat a few important
lines. What you have said will be recorded so that you can compare your
pronunciation and intonation with the speakers’. Try to imitate their pronunciation
and intonation.
Exercise 5
Directions: Now you know the food likes and dislikes discussed by the speakers in the video.
Please describe the foods YOU like and dislike. Your description will be recorded so
that your teacher will be able to know your performance. If you want to improve your
work, try again before you submit your recording.
Part Two Listening, Understanding and Speaking
Listening I
Words You Need to Know:
grapefruit 西柚 bacon 咸猪肉 toast 烤面包片 marmalade 柑橘酱 preserves 果酱
Tapescript
Guest: Hello, Room Service. This is Room 226. We‘d like to order breakfast for tomorrow. Floor Waitress: Yes, sir. What would you like?
Guest: We‘d like to start with fruit juice, orange for me and grapefruit for my wife. Fresh juice,
please. Not canned or frozen.
Floor Waitress: Right, sir. One fresh orange and one fresh grapefruit.
Guest: Good. And then bacon, eggs, and tomato for me and two soft-boiled eggs for my wife, and
toast, butter, and marmalade. Do you have different marmalades?
Floor Waitress: Yes, sir. We‘ll put a selection of preserves on your tray. And is it tea or coffee? Guest: Tea, please, but with lemon, not milk.
Floor Waitress: Very good. And when is it for?
Guest: Oh, about 7.30 would be fine.
Floor Waitress: Fine, and could you give me your name, sir?
Guest: It‘s Sands. Mr and Mrs Sands, Room 226.
Floor Waitress: Thank you, sir. (152 words)
Exercise 1
Key to Exercise 1: 1) B 2) D 3) A 4) C 5) B
Exercise 2
Directions: Listen to the dialogue again and fill in the order list below with the information you
get from it.
Key to Exercise 2:
1) 226 2) 7:30a.m. 3) orange 4) grapefruit 5) bacon, eggs, tomato
6) two soft-boiled eggs 7) toast, butter 8) lemon tea
Exercise 3
Directions: Work in groups of three. One will be the waiter or waitress and the other two
customers. Make up a dialogue ordering food for breakfast.
Sample:
Waitress: Can I help you?
Customer A: Yes, we‘d like to have a quick breakfast.
Waitress: What would you like to have?
Customer A: I‘d like to start with fruit juice, fresh orange juice.
Waitress: Right, sir. One fresh orange juice. (turning to Customer B) What would you like,
Madame?
Customer B: Well, I‘d like some apple juic e. Canned please. And then, bacon, eggs and some
toast with butter please.
Customer A: Oh, I‘d like to have some cornflakes with whole milk and two boiled eggs.
Waitress: So bacon, eggs and toast for you (to Customer B) and cornflakes, milk and eggs for
you (to Customer A). And is it coffee or tea?
Customer A: Coffee, with milk and sugar.
Waitress: For both?
Customer B: No, I‘d like some black coffee.
Waitress: All right. Please wait a moment. Your breakfast will soon be ready.
Customer A & Customer B: Thank you.
Listening II
Words You Need to Know: passion 爱好,热爱 counter 柜台 McDonald‘s 麦当劳 cardboard 硬纸板制的 plastic 塑料的 container 容器 tight-fitting 紧的 drive-in 可坐在车上享用的
microphone 传声器 trash 废物 Mexican 墨西哥的 Italian 意大利的 Debbie (人名) Tapescript
Part One
The American passion of speed has now hit the food business. Many restaurants, in particular the great chain restaurant company, McDonald‘s, specialize in ―fast food,‖ food which is served at the counter ready ―to go,‖ or ―to take out.‖ The food, cooked and hot, is packed into cardboard and plastic containers, and hot drinks go into plastic cups with tight-fitting lids. There are also drive-in fastfood restaurants, where the customer does not have to leave his or her car. They first stop at a board where the menu is displayed, give an order through a microphone and then drive another twenty yards, where a girl hands them the meal ready cooked and packed. People who prefer to eat at a table in the restaurant also receive their food in cardboard or plastic containers, and the knives, forks and spoons are plastic, too. When they have finished, customers throw everything except the tray into a trash can. (156 words)
Part Two
In most cities, large and small, you can eat Mexican or Italian food. And even small towns have a coffee shop serving simple meals, drinks of all kinds—and excellent, freshly made coffee. You sit at the counter, or are served at a table. Service in restaurants and coffee shops is efficient and friendly. Waiters and waitresses often introduce themselves: ―Hi! I‘m Don (or Debbie). What can I get you folks?‖ This friendliness is natural and not entirely influenced by the hope of a high tip. In any case, people usually tip 15% of the check. One of the most pleasant things about waiters and waitresses is that they refill your coffee cup several times for no extra charge. (119 words)
Exercise 1
Directions: Listen to the first part of the passage and complete the following sentences by filling
in the blanks.
Key to Exercise 1:
1) take out, cardboard, plastic, plastic, tight-fitting;
2) board, menu, order, microphone, twenty yards;
3) knives, forks, everything, tray.
Exercise 2
Directions: Listen to the second part of the passage and decide whether the following statements
are true or false. Write “T” for true and “F” for false in the space provided.
Key to Exercise 2:
1) F 2) T 3) F 4) F 5) T
Exercise 3
Directions: Listen to the whole passage and then choose one of the following two topics to say
something according to the information you get from the passage.
1) Fast-food restaurants in the U.S.
2) Coffee shops in the U.S.
Sample:
1) Fast-food restaurants are quite common and popular in the United States. Besides McDonald‘s, there are Burger King, Subway, Wendy‘s, Denny‘s, KFC, and many others. One thing that strikes people is that these fast-food restaurants offer really quick service and people in a hurry like to go to those restaurants. Customers choose their own drinks and can refill their cups when they feel like it. There are also drive-in fast-food restaurants where people don‘t have to leave their cars to get their food, which saves a lot of trouble in parking.
2) Coffee shops, rather than places to provide coffee, are shops that provide simple meals like sandwiches, bagels, bread of different kinds etc. There is also a great variety of drinks for people to choose from. Of course, there is freshly made coffee as well.
Listening III
Words You Need to Know:
Tapescript
1) The big baker bakes black bread.
2) ―The bun is better buttered,‖ Bill muttered.
3) Cheryl‘s cheap chip shop sells cheap chips.
4) You can have:
fried fresh fish,
fish fried fresh,
fresh fried fish,
fresh fish fried,
or fish fresh fried.
5) All I want is a proper cup of coffee
Made in a proper coffeepot.
You can believe it or not –
I want a cup of coffee
In a proper coffeepot.
Tin coffeepots or
Iron coffeepots,
They‘re no use to me.
If I can‘t have a
Proper cup of coffee
In a proper copper coffeepot
I‘ll have a cup of tea.
Exercise1
Directions: Listen to the tongue twisters and fill in the blanks with the words you hear. Listen
again to check your answers.
Key to Exercise 1:
1) The big, bakes black bread.
2) ―The, is better buttered,‖
3) cheap chip shop sells cheap chips
4) fish, fish fried fresh, fresh fried fish, fresh fish fried, fish fresh fried
5) proper cup of coffee, proper coffeepot, a cup of coffee, proper coffeepot, coffeepots, Iron
coffeepots, proper cup of coffee, proper copper coffeepot, cup of tea
Exercise2
Directions: Work in pairs and practice saying these tongue twisters to each other.
Part Three More Listening
Practice One Peanuts
Words You Need to Know:
jar 罐子 peanut 花生 guilty 内疚的 confess 承认 lick 舔 M&Ms 一种巧克力豆 Tapescript
An old man and a young man worked in office next to each other. The young man had noticed that the old man always seemed to have a jar of peanuts on his desk. The young man loved peanuts. One day while the old man was away from his desk the young man couldn‘t resist and went to the old man‘s jar and ate over half the peanuts. When the old man returned the young man felt guilty and confessed to taking the peanuts. The old man responded, ―That‘s OK since I lost my teeth. All I can do is lick the chocolate off the M&Ms.‖ (106 words)
Exercise 1
Directions: Listen to the short story about peanuts and then decide whether the following
statements are true or false. Write “T” for true and “F” for false in the space
provided.
Key to Exercise 1:
1) T 2) F 3) T 4) F 5) T 6) T
Exercise 2
Directions: Listen to the short story again and choose the best answer to each of the following
questions.
Key to Exercise 2:
1) B 2) C 3) C 4) A 5) C
Practice Two Chili
Words You Need to Know:
chili 辣椒 corn 玉米 pineapple 菠萝 athlete 运动员 carbohydrate 碳水化合物
Tapescript
Dan: Here ‘s a quiz on how much you know about chili. Are you ready?
Ellen: Okay, I‘m ready.
Dan: Question 1: Where did chilies come from originally?
Ellen: Easy! They came from Mexico.
Dan: That ‘s right. It came from Mexico and Central America 900 years ago. Question 2: Who
brought chilies to Spain in 1493?
Ellen: I‘ll make a guess… Christopher Columbus?
Dan: Well done. Question 3: What other foods did Columbus bring from Mexico to Spain? Ellen: I have no idea. Uh, maybe corn… or sweet potato?
Dan: Well done. Yes, corn, sweet potato and pineapple. Question 4: Do chilies make you fat? Ellen: Impossible! They are very hot and you can‘t eat many.
Dan: Actually, eating chilies makes some people eat more food. They don‘t realize their stomach
is already full. And the last question: Are chilies good for athletes?
Ellen: I have no idea. I‘ll say ?no ‘.
Dan: Wrong! A study has found that if you eat chilies before exercise, you ‘ll perform better
because you burn carbohydrates better. (170 words)
Exercise 1
Directions: Listen to a dialogue about chili and then decide whether the following statements are
true or false. Write “T” for true and “F” for false in the space provided.
Key to Exercise 1:
1) F 2) T 3) T 4) F 5) T
Exercise 2
Directions: Listen to the dialogue again and fill in the missing information.
Key to Exercise 2:
1) 900 2) 1493 3) corn, sweet potato, pineapple 4) realize, full
5) exercise, perform better, burns
Practice Three Fast Food
Words You Need to Know:
export 出口物品 hamburger 汉堡包 Bachelor of Hamburgerology汉堡包学学
fancy 想要 hang round呆着无所事事,逗留 could do with 需要,想要
Tapescript
In the past ten years or so, America‘s most popular export to Britain has been THE HAMBURGER. One very well-known American company, which has restaurants all over the world, even has its own ―university.‖ Here, if you fancy becoming an expert in the subject, you can take a ten-day course leading to the ―degree‖, Bachelor of Hamburgerology. If you get really interested in the subject, you can even go on to do your Master‘s degree—but that takes longer!
Hamburgers are, of course, fast food: they don‘t take long to cook and they take even less time to eat. Next time you are in one of those fast-food restaurants, look around. You‘ll notice that th ey aren‘t usually very comfortable (they don‘t want to encourage you to hang around for too long). And they are normally decorated in bright colors because psychological tests are supposed to show that this makes people hungrier.
Keen students of English should read the menus in these places. If you think you could do with improving your vocabulary, especially adjectives, study them with care. (178 words)
Exercise 1
Directions: Listen to the passage about hamburgers and choose the best answer to each of the
following questions.
Key to Exercise 1:
1) C 2) A 3) B 4) D
Exercise 2
Directions: Listen to the passage again and then decide whether the following statements are true
or false. Write “T” for true and “F” for false in the space provided.
Key to Exercise 2:
1) T 2) F 3) T 4) F 5) T
Practice Four My View on Health Food
Words You Need to Know:
junk food劣等食物 Popeye 连环画中的大力水手
spinach 菠菜 preservative 防腐剂 alternative 选择
protein 蛋白质 vegetarian 食素的
Tapescript
All right! Enough biscuits, cola, and chips! It seems that junk food is all that the children want to eat these days. Television controls their tastes. The kids see well-known personalities eating potato chips, candy, and other processed food, and they want to be like their heroes. How do they do it? They eat the same food. I wish there were more characters like old Popeye the sailor, who ate spinach and not chips.
Just because I like brown rice, beans, and fresh vegetables, I don‘t expect my children to eat thi s ―health food.‖ I‘m glad to cook traditional meals of meat and potatoes for them. I really can‘t be too upset with the kids because most adults aren‘t careful about what they eat. The other night, my wife and I went to a party where there was plenty to drink but very little for us to eat. They served hot dogs and hamburgers. I can‘t eat hot dogs, with all those preservatives, and hamburgers are filled with chemicals so that they look good. Besides the meat, they had sugar-filled biscuits and cake, and, of course, chips. Terrible! I don‘t want the world to change because of me, but I think that people should realize that there are alternatives to eating meat. They always tell me that I probably don‘t get my essential proteins. But I feel better than ever and I‘m sure that it‘s because I‘m vegetarian. I would really like to see more television advertisements which show the benefits of good, healthy, natural food. (256 words)
Exercise 1
Directions: Listen to the passage about a person’s view on health food and put a tick (√) before
each food item the speaker would like to have.
Key to Exercise 1: C) E) F)
Exercise 2
Directions: Listen again and then answer the following printed questions with as few words as
possible. Be sure to read the following questions carefully before your listening.
Key to Exercise 2:
1) Television.
2) A sailor.
3) Meat and potatoes.
4) Biscuits, cakes and chips.
5) To make them look good.
6) Excellent.
7) One can remain healthy without meat.
8) Opposed but tolerant.
Part Four Testing Yourself
Section I
Eating Out
Tapescript
M: What do you want to have for supper tonight?
W: Well, the refrigerator is empty, so we‘ll have to go to the supermarket.
M: Well, how about going out to eat to save the trouble? But… let‘s not go to t he French
restaurant on Broadway. Maybe it‘s the best in town but it‘s too expensive.
W: There‘s a new Mexican place called Tortilla Flat. I don‘t know about the prices, though. M: But we both love hot food. Why not take a chance? Where is the place?
W: It‘s on Hope Street, just past the High School.
M: Oh, we‘d better hurry. It‘ll take us a half hour to get there. It‘s already 8, and most restaurants
around here stop serving dinner by 9 or so.
W: Relax! I can be ready in 5 minutes. We‘ll get there in plenty of time.
(143 words)
Part A
Directions: Listen to the dialogue and decide whether the following statements are true or false.
Put “T ” for true and “F ” for false in the space provided.
Key to Part A:
1) T 2) F 3) F 4) T 5) T
Part B
Directions: Listen again and choose the best answer to each of the following questions. Key to Section B:
1) D 2) C 3) C 4) B 5) B
Section II
On a Diet
Tapescript
Dr. Young: Here‘s your diet, Simon. Remember to follow it carefully.
Simon: Is this all I can eat? One small glass of juice, one hard-boiled egg… That isn‘t enough!
I‘m going to be hungry all day! Can‘t I have any fried food?
Dr. Young: I‘m sorry, Simon . Not when you‘re on a diet.
Simon: Can‘t I even eat bread?
Dr. Young: You can have some bread, but you can‘t have any butter.
Simon: How about fruit?
Dr. Young: Fruit is OK, but don‘t eat too much because it‘s too sweet.
Simon: What about pizza and spaghetti?
Dr. Young: No pizza and no spaghetti.
Simon: How about potato? Can I have potato?
Dr. Young: No, potato is also a fattening food.
Simon: Oh, boy! It‘s going to be a long six weeks! (131 words)
Part A
Directions: Listen to the dialogue and put a tick (√) beside the types of food that are mentioned. Key to Part A: √ for 1), 2), 4), 6), 7), 9), 10), 11) and 12)
Part B
Directions: Listen to the dialogue again and put a tick (√) beside the types of food that Simon is
allowed to have.
Key to Part B: √ for 1), 2), 7) and 11)
Section III
Food
Tapescript
Visitors to Britain are always complaining about English food. But they do not really know what they are talking about because they rarely get a chance to eat it. Most of the restaurants in large towns have foreign owners and serve foreign food.
When visitors are invited to eat in an English home, their hosts often feel they must offer them something foreign and exotic. Those of us who do know English food are aware that at its best it can be really very good. On the other hand it is true to say that sometimes it is terrible. Part of the problem is that we are not really interested in food—we eat to live, we do not live to eat. So we don‘t generally spend the necessary time and effort needed to cook really good meals. We prefer food that is simple and easy to cook, or ready prepared food which only needs heating up before eating. You can find the best English food in the country away from the large towns, where life is slower and people are not in such a hurry. But, of course, most visitors come to London. They come because they are interested in shopping and sightseeing. They do not come because of food, so why should they complain about it? (218 words)
Part A
Directions:
or false. Put “T ” for true and “F ” for false in the space provided.
Key to Part A: 1) T 2) F 3) T 4) F 5) T 6) T
Part B
Directions: Listen to the passage again and complete the following sentences.
Key to Part B:
1) foreign owners, foreign food
2) aware, very good
3) time, effort
4) slower, a hurry
5) shopping, sightseeing
转载请注明出处范文大全网 » 新编大学英语视听说教程一册答