青岛观象台将大修

《现代大学英语听力2》听力原文及答案 Unit 1 Task 1 【答案】 A. 1) She wanted to see St. Paul‟s Cathedral. 2) She was so surprised because she saw so many Englishmen who looked alike. 3) They were all wearing dark suits and bowler hats, carrying umbrellas and newspapers. 4) Because she had often read about them and seen photographs of them, who all looked as if they were wearing a uniform. 5) No, he didn‟t. 6) He used the English saying “It takes all kinds to make a world” to prove his opinion. B. If all the seas were one sea, what a great sea it would be! And if all the trees were one tree, what a great tree it would be! And if this tree were to fall in the sea, what a great splash there would be! 【原文】 Yesterday morning Gretel went to the City of London. She wanted to see St. Paul's Cathedral. She was surprised to see so many Englishmen who looked alike. They were all wearing dark suits and bowler hats. They were all carrying umbrellas and newspapers. When she returned home she asked Mr clark about these strange creatures. "They must be typical English gentlemen," she said." I have often read about them and seen photographs of them. They all look as if they are wearing a uniform. Does the typical English gentleman still exist?" Mr. Clark laughed. "I've never thought about it," he answered." It's true that many of the men who work in the City of London still wear bowler hate and I suppose they are typical Englishmen. But look at this." Mr. Clark picked up a magazine and pointed at a photo of a young man. "He's just as typical, perhaps. It seems as if there is no such thing as a 'typical' Englishman. Do you know the English saying 'It takes all kinds to make a world'? That's true of all countries-including England." “Oh, just like the poem „If All the Seas Were One Sea‟,” Gretel began to hum happily. If all the seas were one sea, what a great sea that would be! If all the trees were one tree, what a great tree that would be! And if this tree were to fall in the sea, what a great splash that would be!” Task 2 【答案】 A. 1) people were much busier 2) colder than England; minus thirty degrees; last longer 3) much more mountainous; much higher and much more rocky; more beautiful 4) tend to be more crowded 5) the houses; smaller B. 1) T 2) T 3) F 4) F 5) F 【原文】 John is British but has worked in Japan. Etsuko is Japanese from Osaka, but she is studying in Britain. In the following passage you are going to hear, they are comparing life as they see it in the two countries. But before listening to it, think of the two countries and try to answer the following pre-listening questions. John: I found that living in Japan, people were busier. They seem to work the whole day. Etsuko: Yes, that‟s right. We work from Monday through Saturday, even in summer. You know, summer in Japan is just horrible. It‟s very, very humid and hot, and you need to shower three times a day. John: So you find it cooler in England? Etsuko: Yes, that‟s right. John: Where I was living in Japan, in the North, it was much colder than England, especially in winter, minus thirty degrees centigrade. Does the winter in Osaka last longer than the winter in England? Etsuko: No, I don‟t think so. December, January, February, March. John: Yes. It‟s a little bit shorter if anything. Etsuko: Ever since I came here, I noticed that the countryside here in England is very beautiful. John: It‟s much flatter than in Japan. Etsuko: Yes. Japan is a mountainous country and our cities are full of people. There are lots of people in a limited flat area. John: Yes, I found Japan much more mountainous than Britain, especially in the north. The mountains are much higher and much more rocky. I found it more beautiful than Britain, I think. Etsuko: Yes, if you like mountains. John: And therefore the towns and villages tend to be more crowded. Etsuko: Yes, that‟s right. John: Yes. So because the cities are more crowded, the houses tend to be smaller, don‟t they? Etsuko: Yes, they are very compact, and we don‟t have a lot of space. In big cities we have a lot of taller buildings now. John: Is this a problem because there are more earthquakes in Japan? Etsuko: Yes, that‟s right and… Task 3 【答案】 A. 1) In the US, people usually dance just to enjoy themselves; they don‟t invite other people to watch them. 2) Usually eight people dance together. 3) Because people form a square in dancing with a man and a woman on each side of the square. 4) He usually makes it into a song. 5) They wear old-fashioned clothes. B. 1) F 2) T 3) F 4) F 5) T C. 1) eight people form a square; on each side of the square 2) what they should do; makes it into a song; sings it 3) don‟t have much time to think 4) old-fashioned clothes 【原文】 Rosa: Why don‟t you have folk dances in the United States? Most countries have special dances that the people have done for many years. The dancers wear clothes from the old days. Everyone likes to watch them dance. Steve: We have folk dances, too. A lot of people belong to folk dancing groups. But when they dance, they usually do it just to enjoy themselves. They don‟t invite other people to watch them. Rosa: Is there a folk dancing group here? Steve: I think so. There must be. There‟s one in almost every city, and some big cities have several. Rosa: What are the dances like? Steve: Usually eight people dance together, four men and four women. When they start, they form a square, with a man and a woman on each side of the square. That‟s why it‟s called square dancing. Then there‟s a man who tells the dancers what they should do. He usually makes it into a song. He sings it while they dance. Rosa: Oh, that should make the dances easy! Steve: Yes, but they are very fast. They don‟t have much time to think. I like to watch them, though. The dancers wear old-fashioned clothes. That makes the dances pretty to watch. Rosa: I‟d like to watch a group dance. Steve: I‟ll take you sometime. Task 4 【答案】 1) It was a time to celebrate the end of winter and the beginning of spring. 2) They burned the picture of their kitchen god to bring good luck. 3) The custom said the brides must wear “something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue” to bring good luck. 4) Because they could not eat meat, eggs or dairy products during Lent, so they tried to use up these things before Lent began. 5) It was a straw man made by children in Czech; it was a figure of death. 6) People brought their animals to church. And before the animals went into the church people dressed them up in flowers and ribbons. 【原文】 1) On the evening of February 3rd, people in Japanese families took one dried bean for each year of their age and threw the beans on the floor, shouting "Good luck in! Evil spirits out!" This was known as "Setsubun", a time to celebrate the end of winter and the beginning of spring. 2) Before the Chinese Lunar New Year in the old days, many Chinese families burned the picture of their kitchen god to bring good luck. When Lunar New Year's Day came, they put ancw picture of the kitchen god on the wall. 3) When American women got married, they sometimes followed an old custom in choosing what to wear on their wedding day. The custom said the bride must wear "something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue". This was to bring good luck. 4) Before Lent (a time on the Christian calendar), the people of Ponti, Italy ate an omelet made with 1,000 eggs. People could not eat meat, eggs or dairy products during Lent, so they tried to use up these things before Lent began. 5) When winter ended in Czech, the children made a straw man called "Smrt", which was a figure of death. They burned it or threw it in the river. After they destroyed it, they carried flowers home to show the arrival of spring. 6) January 17th was St. Anthony's Day in Mexico. It was a day when people brought their animals to church. But before the animals went into the church, the people dressed them up in flowers and ribbons. This ceremony was to protect people's animals. Task 5 【答案】 A. 1) F 2) T 3) F 4) T 5) F 6) T 7) T B. Advantages Disadvantages Lots of servants to do the work Terrible life for servants beautiful clothes to wear very uncomfortable clothes lots of tea parties boring and formal tea parties — often no men being invited life being slower much more illness plenty of time to talk to each other children left with servants all day very poor education no freedom for women 【原文】 Man: Well, I think life used to be much more fun than it is now. I mean, look at the Victorians. They had lots of servants to do all the work; they never had to do any cooking or cleaning; they just wore those beautiful dresses and went to tea parties. Woman: You must be joking! Their clothes were terribly uncomfortable and their tea parties were very formal and boring. They used to wear their hats and long gloves even when they were eating cakes and biscuits. And men were not usually invited. Man: Really? Weren't they? Woman: And think of the poor servants. What a terrible life — just cleaning and cooking for other people all the time! Man: But you hate housework! Woman: Yes, I know, but there are lots of machines now to help you with the housework. People don't need servants. Man: Maybe they don't, but life then was much slower than it is now-people nowadays are always rushing, and they never have time to stop and enjoy themselves. Woman: Life then was fine for the rich, but it was dreadful for the poor. There was much more illness. They didn't have the money to pay doctors, and they often used to die of illnesses that don't exist in England now. Man: Maybe. But people used to talk to each other, play the piano or play cards together. Nowadays people just sit in front of the television for hours and never talk to each other. Woman: I agree with you about television; but what about their children? They left their Children with the servants all day. Children hardly ever saw their parents! And the clothes they had to wear! Horrible, tight, uncomfortable, grown-up clothes. Children have a much better life now than they used to, and schools and education are much better too. Man: I hate school. Woman: And look at opportunities for women. In those days, women used to stay at home, play the piano, change their clothes several times a day and have tea parties. What a life! They didn't have any freedom at all. I'm very happy living now. I can work, have a career, do what I want to. Man: You mean you can work hard all your life like a Victorian servant. Woman: Life isn't all tea parties, you know. Task 6 【答案】 A. 1) b 2) a 3) c 4) a B. 1) family unit; process; change; used to be; the extended; the nuclear 2) job patterns; progressed; agricultural; industrial; forced; job opportunities; split up 3) traditional; family; expanded; other living arrangements C. 1) mother, father, children, and some other relatives, such as grandparents, living in the same house or nearby 2) only the parents and the children 3) previously married men and women marry again and combine the children from former marriages into a new family 【原文】 The American family unit is in the process of change. There used to be mainly two types of families: the extended and the nuclear. The extended family most often included mother, father, children, and some other relatives, such as grandparents, living in the same house or nearby. Then as job patterns changed and the economy progressed from agricultural to industrial, people were forced to move to different parts of the country for job opportunities. These moves split up the extended family. The nuclear family became more prevalent; this consisted of only the parents and the children. Now besides these two types of traditional groupings, the word "family" is being expanded to include a variety of other living arrangements. Today's family can be made up of diverse combinations. With the divorce rate nearly one in two, there is an increase in single parent homes: a father or mother living with one or more children. "Blended families" occur when previously married men and women marry again and combine the children from former marriages into a new family. On the other hand, some couples are deciding not to have any children at all, so there is an increase in childless families. There are also more people who live alone: single, widowed, divorced. Now one in five Americans lives alone. Task 7 【答案】 A. Men Women Both Study subjects like history or English ? Study engineering ? Go to university to get good jobs ? Look for a good job because they want a good husband ? Look for a good job because they want to be successful ? Work for a lifetime ? Work up to ten years ? Get married by twenty-seven ? Cook the meals ? Look after the children ? Go out for a drink after work ? Come home by four o'clock in the afternoon ? B. 1) c 2) c 3) a 4) b 5) c 6) c 7) c 【原文】 In Japan both men and women go to university and both men and women study the arts such as history or English. But very few women study science, medicine or engineering. In engineering classes of thirty or forty students, there may be only one or two women. Men and women both go to university in order to get good jobs: men want to work for a big company, be successful, earn a lot of money and support a family; women, on the other hand, want to work for a big company because they have a better chance of meeting a successful man and getting married. This is changing, however, as Japanese women begin to think about their own careers. They have began to take jobs which they like rather than jobs in order to find a husband. Men work for their whole lives and usually stay with the same company. A woman may work up to ten years, but after that she usually gets married. Most women are married by the age of twenty seven, then they stay at home and look after the children. A man does not cook or look after the children. When he comes home, his meal must be ready. The woman may go out in the afternoon, shopping with her friends or having a chat, but she must go back home by four o'clock to prepare the meal. Then she may have to wait a long time for her husband to come home. Often he has to go out for a drink after work: if he doesn't he may not rise very high in the company. After her children grow up, a woman can go back to work, but it is not easy. If her former company takes older women back, she might be lucky. But most women find it difficult to find a job when they are older. Task 8 【答案】 A. 1) a 2) c 3) b 4) c 5) c 6) b 7) c 8) b B. 1) T 2) T 3) F 4) F 5) T 6) F 7) F 8) F 9) T 10) F 【原文】 Matthew: Geth, how do people set about getting married in England? Geth: I suppose the most common way is still for people to go home. For example, people who live in London now will go back to their homes in the provinces where they'll meet all their relatives and their parents, and they'll get married in a church, with the bride wearing white, the traditional white. Then they'll go off and have a booze-up with their relatives and friends and a jolly good time will be had by all. Otherwise you can get married in a registry office, which means you turn up with your bride-to-be or bridegroom-to-be with two witnesses only. The ceremony takes about five minutes, I suppose. You sign the form and that's it. Matthew: There are many today who say that marriage is a complete waste of time. What's your view of marriage in the twentieth century? Goth: Well, I live in London as you know. I think in London, the tendency is to... for a... boy and girl, man or woman to live together before marriage and often to live together without any prospect of marriage at all. I think this probably is... is true of London and the other big cities than elsewhere, because after all people in London are living in a big place where home ties are obviously less restrictive. They can do more or less as they please and I think this is the pattern. Matthew: But do you think it helps for people to live together before taking their vows? Geth: I think in a sense the habit of living together before marriage may, in a strange sort of way, make marriage stronger, because after all the people will know each other better when they do get married and it might be suggested that divorce would be less likely between such a couple. Matthew: Sue, you've been married for two or three years now. How's it working out? Sue: I think it's a successful marriage. It's... I mean, it's difficult to say why, because we basically suit each other very much. We have a good friendship, apart from anything else, and, you know, we just go together very well because we respect each other's freedom and individuality, but on the other hand we really need each other, you know, it's... Matthew: What about.., have you thought of having children? Sue: Well, obviously, like most young couples, we have thought about it, but, you know, we both feel rather, sort of, loath to lose our freedom just yet. I think we'll probably wait another few years. Matthew: Is it easy in England today to people to get divorced, or is that quite difficult? Chris: I think technically it's probably fairly easy, I think, because I'm not English but, I think technically it's fairly easy to be... to get divorced. But it's not just the technicality of it which is the problem. Divorce is... is a social stigma which people can probably Cope with to varying degrees, but it's also a lot easier for the man because the woman, after she is divorced is, in fact, frowned upon by... by a lot of people in society. She is... is... at a... a much more difficult social position in terms of... of meeting other men, or whatever, simply because she is a divorcee. Task 9 【原文】 Social customs and ways of behaving change. But they do not necessarily always change for the better. Things which were considered impolite many years ago are now acceptable. Just a few years ago, it was considered impolite behaviour for a man to smoke on the street. No man who thought of himself as being a gentleman would make a fool of himself by smoking when a lady was in the room. The important thing to remember about social customs is not to do anything that might make other people feel uncomfortable — especially if they are your guests. There is a story about a rich nobleman who had a very formal dinner party. When the food was served, one of the guests started to eat his peas with a knife. Other guests were amused or shocked, but the nobleman calmly picked up his knife and began eating in the same way. It would have been bad manners to make his guest feel foolish or uncomfortable. Unit 2 Task 1 【答案】 1) b 2) a 3) d 【原文】 Texas was the biggest state before Alaska became the forty-ninth state in 1959. One good way to understand the size of Texas is to learn about its weather. Different parts of the state have very different kinds of weather. Laredo is one of the hottest cities in the United States in summer. The best time to visit Laredo is in winter, when it is pleasantly warm. Amarillo gets very cold in winter. Sometimes there is more snow in Amarillo than in New York, which is a northern city. Summers are better, but sometimes it gets quite hot. The best time to visit Amarillo is in the autumn when it is cool. If anyone asks you about the weather in Texas, ask him, “What part of Texas do you mean,” Task 2 【答案】 A. 1) T 2) F 3) F B. 1) d 2) c 3) c C. climate, reputation, extraordinary, unreliable, dry, wet, clear, dull, hot, cold, bad, mild 【原文】 Our friend, Nick, whose English gets better and better, declared solemnly the other day that he thought that the British climate was wonderful, but the British weather was terrible. He went on to explain by pointing out that the British climate was a temperate one. This meant, he said, "that you could always be certain that the weather would never be extreme — at any rate not for any length of time — never very hot and never very cold." He quite rightly pointed out that the rainfall in Britain, according to the statistics, was not very heavy. "Why then," he asked, "has the British climate such a bad reputation?" He answered by saying it was because of the extraordinary, unreliable weather. There was no part of the year at which you could be certain that the weather would be dry or wet, clear or dull, hot or cold. A bad day in July could be as cold as a mild day in January. Indeed you could feel cold at almost any time of the year. Nick blamed drafty British houses for this, but agreed you could also blame the small amount of sunshine and a great amount of dampness. He advised every student coming to Britain to bring an umbrella and to understand the meaning of that splendid word "drizzle". Task 3 【答案】 I. the country; Trees, grass, lakes and steams II. A. 1. concrete, iron, steel 2. take in the heat during the day and throw off heat into the air at night B. Warmer winters, car engines; electrical appliance ?. A. air pollution may stop sunlight from reaching the earth B. 1. Ice near the North and South poles to melt 2. to be slowly flooded and people living in these cities to move to higher land 【原文】 Cities change the climate around you. In the country, there are trees, grass, lakes, and streams. In hot weather, the trees and grass cool the area around them. Lakes and rivers also cool the area around them. But cities are not cooled in these natural ways. Cities are built of asphalt, concrete, iron, and steel. There are few trees and usually not much grass. Rain falls onto the streets and into the sewers. When the summer sun shines, streets and buildings take in the heat; after the sun sets, the streets and buildings throw off heat into the street. Once the sun sets, the countryside cools off, but a city may stay hot all night. Cities are hotter than the countryside in winter, too. Standing near a car with its motor running, winter or summer, you will feel the heat thrown off by the engine. The heat comes from the gasoline burned by the engine. This heat warms the air and the ground around the car. Thousands of running cars are almost like thousands of small fires burning. Carefully put your hand near a light bulb or television set. As you can see, electricity creates a lot of heat. This heat from electricity warms the house and the outside air. The heat given off by cities can affect the climate. Some experts even believe that cities can change the climate of the whole world. They think that air pollution may stop sunlight from reaching the earth. If less sunshine reaches the earth, the earth may become cooler. Still other experts think the world will get warmer. If the world did get warmer, great changes would occur. Ice near the North and South poles would melt. This would make the oceans rise. Cities near oceans — like Los Angeles, Boston, and Miami — would slowly be flooded. People living in these cities would have to move to higher land. Task 4 【答案】 A. 1) b 2) c B. night, delight; morning, warning; gray, way, red, head C. 1) F 2) T 3) F 【原文】 A red sky at either dusk or dawn is one of the spectacular and beautiful weather predictors we have in nature. By closely observing this phenomenon, you can achieve short-range accuracy of the weather as good as, or better than your local weatherman. In the Bible, Jesus in Matthew 16, 2-3 is quoted as saying, “When it is evening, it will be fair weather: for the sky is red. And in the morning it will be foul weather today: for the sky is red” when speaking to the Pharisees. An old English weather proverb based on this passage is: Red sky at night, sailors delight. Red sky at morning, sailors take warning. Or Evening red and morning gray, Sends the traveler on his way. Evening gray, morning red, Brings the rain down on his head. At dusk, a red sky indicates that dry weather is on the way. This is due to the sun shining through dust particles being pushed ahead of a high pressure system bringing in dry air. A red sky in the morning is due to the sun again shining through dust. In this case however, the dust is being pushed on by an approaching low reassure system bringing in moisture. Don't confuse a red sky in the morning with a red sun in the morning. If the sun itself is red and the sky is a normal color, the day will be fair. Task 5 【答案】 1) c 2) b 3) d 4) c 5) c 【原文】 Mark: I am an avid fly fisherman and frequently find myself on the river in a raft during lightning storms. We always have a debate at these times on where we are safest — pulling into shore or staying on the water. Since I have heard one is safe in a car when lightning strikes I wonder if the raft floating on the water is insulated, and therefore the safest place to be. Meteorologist A: We spoke with some scientists about your question, and they all agreed that under no circumstances should you remain on the water during a lightning storm. If your raft is made of rubber, you might feel that you're .well insulated, but don't kid yourself. Typical lightning flashes travel 10 to 15 kilometers and can deliver as much as 100,000 amps of current. In comparison, a toaster uses about 10 amps of current. If lightning strikes the water near you, it will have no trouble traveling through a few extra centimeters of rubber. Meteorologist B: So, if you're on the water and a thunderstorm approaches, get to the shore and seek shelter on land. Try a building or car. If neither is available, look for a cave, cliff, wall, or a group of trees. Never take shelter under an isolated tree-it's also a good target for lightning. Task 6 【答案】A. 1) F 2) T 3) F 4) T 5) F 6) T B. Incredible, one minute, one kilometer, destroyed, lifted up, carried away, killed, injured 【原文】 Every spring and summer many inland areas are hit by tornados. A tornado is a kind of storm. It's a revolving, funnel-shaped column of air that moves through the sky at very high speeds. A tornado looks like a huge, black ice cream cone whirling through the sky. The speed of a tornado is very fast-it is believed to be between 200 and 700 kilometers per hour. Tornados form under very special weather conditions, and these special weather conditions occur most often in inland areas, such as the central United States. A tornado forms when a layer of warm, dry air is on top of a layer of cooler, moist air. This combination of dry, warm air above wet, cool air creates a condition that causes the lower layer of air to lift up. As the lower air rises, both layers of air begin to rotate, to turn around and around. The air begins to rotate faster and faster because of centrifugal force. The tornado has a center called an “eye” and the air rotates quickly around this eye. As the air begins to rotate faster and faster, the tornado cloud begins to grow downward; that is, it begins to form a funnel or cone, and this cone goes down toward the ground. The cone of air is dark because it develops from a dark rain cloud. As the cloud gets longer, as the cloud gets closer to the ground, it begins to pull up dirt from the ground. Then the funnel of rotating air becomes very dark because of the dirt in it. As the tornado funnel gets longer, it begins to drag along the ground. When the tornado touches the ground, it does incredible damage. It usually touches the ground for only about one minute, and it usually travels along the ground for only about one kilometer, but during that one minute, buildings are destroyed, trees are lifted up out of the ground, small objects are carried away, and sometimes people are injured or killed. Task 7 【答案】 A. 1) b 2) a 3) b B. 1) It has been nice weather during the day, but it is going to change at night. 2) Fine weather in southern Europe and not so nice in northern Europe For today Southeast England---26 degrees Celsius by mid-afternoon Southern Scotland---Maximum temperatures of around 21 degrees Brighton---15 hours of lovely sunshine Midlands---23 degrees Celsius by early afternoon Northwest of Scotland---Light showers around midday For the weekend Spain---34 degrees Celsius Greece---32 degrees Celsius France---Cloudy with rain, maximum temperatures of 22 degrees Northern Ireland---Heavy rain, 17 degrees Celsius Most of England---Cloudy but mainly dry with sunny periods, 23 degrees Celsius 【原文】 Radio Announcer: You‟re listening to Radio Metro. It‟s two minutes to nine, and time for the latest weather for cast from Dan Francis at the London Weather Centre. Francis: Hello. It's been another warm and fine day for most of us. Temperatures in southeast England reached 26 degrees Celsius by mid-afternoon, and Brighton had 15 hours of lovely sunshine. Further north it was a little cooler with maximum temperatures of around 21 degrees in southern Scotland, and in the far northwest of Scotland there were some light showers around midday. But the rest of the country, as I said, has been warm and dry with temperatures in the Midlands reaching 23 degrees Celsius by early afternoon though it was a little cooler along the west coast and in Northern Ireland. But already the weather is beginning to change, I'm afraid, and during the night showers will slowly move in from the Atlantic to reach south-west England and the southern coast of Wales by early morning. The rest of the country will have a very mild, dry night with minimum temperatures no lower than 15 degrees in the south, a little cooler — 11degrees or so — in the north. Any remaining showers in northwest Scotland will pass quickly to leave a mild, dry night there too. And now the outlook for Friday and the weekend. Well, southern Europe will, once again, get the best of the weekend weather, and if your holiday starts this weekend, then southern Spain is the place to go, with temperatures of 34 degrees along the Mediterranean coast. At the eastern end of the Med, too, you can expect uninterrupted sunshine and temperatures of up to 32 degrees Celsius in Greece and southeast Italy, but further north the weather's not so settled. Much of France, Belgium and the Netherlands will be cloudy with occasional rain, and maximum temperatures will be around 22 degrees — very disappointing for this time of the year. Scotland and Northern Ireland will have heavy rain for much of the weekend and temperatures will drop to a cool 17 degrees. Across most of England the weather will be cloudy but mainly dry with sunny periods. And when the sun does come out, temperatures could rise to a maximum of 23 degrees. Task 8 【答案】 Natural Phenomena Air Pressure Causes (Rise or Fall) Faraway objects are focused. Fall The dust particles begin to settle to the ground in thinner air and the air clears. Birds‟ calls become Sharper. Fall Instead of traveling upward and outward into the atmosphere they are bent back to the earth and their range extended. Swamp doesn‟t smell very Rise The methane is trapped in the bottom of the strong. swamp because of the thick air. Bird fly high. Rise Birds prefer to fly where the air is the densest and they can get greater lift with their wings Smoke rise high in the air Rise Smoke rises with thicker air. Elderly people‟s joints ache. Fall The gas in our bodies expands in lower air pressure. 【原文】 As the air pressure around you either rises or falls, many changes in nature occur. Most of these are very obvious changes while others are of a more subtle nature. Mountains and other far away objects will appear to be much closer and more sharply focused as wet weather approaches and the air pressure drops. The dust particles in the air begin to settle to the ground and the air clears, allowing you to see more details of faraway objects. As a high pressure front approaches and the air becomes “thicker,” more dust particles become suspended in air and things take on their normal somewhat hazy appearance. “Sharp horns on the moon threaten bad weather.” This and a bright, clear moon are good indicators that wet weather is on the way. As the air clears of dust particles ahead of a low pressure system, the moon appears to come closer and be more sharply focused due to the lack of dust. Sound also becomes sharper and more focused prior to stormy weather. Instead of traveling upward and outward into the atmosphere sound waves are bent back to the earth and their range extended. Bird calls sound sharper, and, at my house, we can hear the blowing of the train horn as it rumbles through the valley below. If you find yourself out in a marsh or swamp and the air really seems to stink more than normal, expect rainy weather. This happens when the pressure drops and the methane trapped on the bottom of the swamp is released in greater quantities. In reverse, as fair weather approaches and the pressure rises, things won't smell quite so strong. Birds and bats have a tendency to fly much lower to the ground right before a rain due to the “thinning” of the air. They prefer to fly where the air is the most dense and they can get greater lift with their wings. With high pressure and dry air, the atmosphere becomes denser and they can easily fly at higher altitudes. Smoke rising straight into the air means fair weather and smoke hanging low means rain is on the way. This is pretty much the same as with the birds and methane in the swamp. When high pressure approaches, smoke will rise whereas with low pressure it can't rise and tends to lay low. Remember a grandparent talking about how their corns, bunions, or joints ached right before a rain? Again, this is due to the decreasing atmospheric pressure allowing the gas in our bodies to expand. Task 9 【答案】 A. Statements 3, 6, 7 are true. B. f—c—a—d—b—e C. 1) F 2) T 3) F 4) F D. 1) d 2) b 【原文】 It was 1974. Richard Nixon was still president. Kidnapped heiress Patty Hearst was still missing. In Xenia, a pretty spot of 25,000 people amid fields of soybeans and corn, American Graffiti was held over at the Cinema. The Xenia Hotel offered a chicken and dumpling dinner for $2.25, but everyone flocked to the A&W drive-in for burgers and root beer floats. That's where five of the bodies were found after the storm. In all, 33 people died in Xenia's tornado, the deadliest of 148 storms that raged through 13 states during the infamous "Super Outbreak'' of tornadoes April 3 to 4, 1974. In 16 hours and 10 minutes, 330 people were killed and nearly 5,550 were injured from Illinois to Georgia. Though the Xenia death toll has been matched by other killer storms, the degree of devastation makes the city's tornado among U.S. history's most destructive. The storm still is studied in colleges by aspiring meteorologists, a textbook case of a rare Category F-5, the most intense of tornadoes. On that fateful day, I was a young boy of 8 years old. We lived in the Arrowhead Subdivision. That afternoon I was around the corner playing with some neighbor kids. I thought I could hear my father calling me, so I ran back to the house. Thinking back now, there is no way I would have been able to hear him. I was too far away for a voice to have traveled in the afternoon noise. Besides, Dad had a very bad case of tonsillitis that day. Like I was saying, I went back home and got through the door just in time to answer the ringing phone. On the other end of the phone was my Mother. Mom was working. She told me she heard a bad storm was on the way. She told me to make sure the garage door was shut and to stay inside. After I hung up the phone, I settled down to watch The Dennis Show. To this day I can vividly remember the electricity going out. I looked out the large window in the living room and didn't have a clue as to what I was looking at. Dad was asleep on the couch, so I woke him up to look. Dad looked and said to get into the bathroom. We sat on the floor. Dad had his back to the door and his feet pushing against the wall opposite the door. I remember that as soon as we sat down, the windows broke. Glass blew under the door, and the sound was tremendous. I know it really didn‟t take too long for the tornado to go past, but I do remember the conversation we had in the process. I could feel the cool air rushing under the floor through the crawlspace vents. I asked if we were flying. He said he wasn't sure, but he didn't think we were. He said the house was tearing apart. I asked him how he knew. He said he just knew it was. When things calmed down, we opened the door. The odd feeling I had, looking up the street from inside what once was my hallway, is still with me today. I think back often to that day. I think back and wonder what would have happened if my Dad hadn't been sick that day. Like a lot of kids, I stayed home by myself after school back then. I seriously doubt I would be able to tell you my story, if I had been alone that day. I still live in Xenia and wouldn‟t trade this town for any other. Task 10 【原文】 Undoubtedly, Tibet is one of the harshest places for human existence. It is cool in summer but freezing cold in winter. In Lhasa, the mildest city temperature may exceed 29C in summer while plummeting to -16C in winter! Sun radiation is extremely strong in Tibet. The sunlight in Lhasa is so intense that the city is called Sunlight City. The thin air can neither block off nor retain heat so that the temperature extremes can be met in daytime and the same night respectively in Tibet. However it is not impossible to visit the holy snow land. April to October is the best time to visit Tibet, out of the coldest months, which are from December to February usually. The average temperature in north Tibet is subzero and winter arrives in October until the following May or June. July and August are the best time to visit the area, enjoying warm temperature, intense sunshine, beautiful scenery and festive events. May, June and September is the tourist season in east Tibet. In winter, roads are all blocked by heavy snow. Landslides and rock falls frequently occur, which will make travel difficult. Unit 3 Task 1 【答案】 A. 1) Stress on the job costs American companies as much as $150 billion a year in lower productivity, unnecessary employee sick leave, and higher medical costs. 2) The most stressful professions are those that involve danger and extreme pressure and those that carry a lot of responsibility without much control. 3) The best way to deal with stress is through relaxation, but sometimes the only answer is to fight back or walk away. B. 1) Three-quarters 2) psychologists, doctors 3) nervousness, anger, frequent illness, forgetfulness, mental problems 【原文】 Stress on the job costs American companies as much as $150 billion a year in lower productivity, unnecessary employee sick leave, and higher medical costs. Three-quarters of the office workers today say they suffer from stress at work. Recently, psychologists and doctors have begun to study the problem more closely. They have discovered that the most stressful professions are those that involve danger, extreme pressure and those that carry a lot of responsibility without much control. The sign of stress range from nervousness, anger, and frequent illness to forgetfulness or even mental problems. The best way to deal with stress is through relaxation, but sometimes the only answer is to fight back or walk away. Task 2 【答案】 A. 1) give in so easily to hijackers‟ demands a) threaten to blow up a plane, commit some other outage b) hold out against this kind of blackmail, always have terrorists, Start executing terrorists automatically c) be prepared to face the consequences of evil 2) a) It‟s the lesser of two evils. Terrorists have proven often enough that they really mean business. b) Innocent lives, threatening the innocent will achieve its ends. B. She implies that if the first speaker was one of the victims of terrorism, she would want the government to give in to the demands so that she wouldn‟t die. 【原文】 Margaret: Governments give in so easily to hijackers‟ demands. A hijacker only has to threaten to blow up a plane or commit some other outrage, and a government gives in to his demands. Valerie: Naturally. It‟s the lesser of the two evils. What government would risk innocent lives just to see if terrorists will really do what they threaten to do? Terrorists have proven often enough that they really mean business. Margaret: Yes, but if a government doesn‟t hold out against this kind of blackmail, we will always have terrorists. Governments are afraid to punish these people. They almost always let them go free. Start executing terrorists automatically wherever they land, and terrorism will stop. Valerie: And what about the innocent lives that will be lost in the process? Terrorism is based on the simple idea that threatening the innocent will achieve its ends. Margaret: You can‟t get rid of evil without being prepared to face the consequences of evil. Valerie: So long as you‟re not one of the victims! Task 3 【答案】 A. 1) thirty-five, natural light, a small window, hot, airless, very noisy 2) Mexico 3) ought to, shouldn‟t B. 1) It is located in a narrow street with five-and six-storey buildings eight kilometers from downtown Los Angeles. 2) This factory makes shirts and jeans 3) She‟s already been working for ten hours, but won‟t stop for another two hours. 4) She can‟t complain about those things because she is an illegal immigrant. 【原文】 Eight kilometers from downtown Los Angeles there is a narrow street with five- and six-storey buildings. Inside one of these buildings there is a small factory making shirts and jeans. The women working in the factory sit close together, each with a small table, each with their own sewing machine. The women say nothing, and work hard. In one of the rooms there are thirty-five women. There is only a little natural light, and this comes from a small window in the roof. The room is hot, airless, and very noisy. On the left-hand side of the room there is a young girl sitting next to the wall. Every now and again she closes her eyes, and her fingers stop working. She's already been in her chair for ten hours, but she'll be here until the bell rings — and that won't be for another two hours. Her name is Maria, and she comes from Mexico. She won't complain about her work. She won't say that the working hours ought to be changed; she won't say that the working conditions shouldn't be permitted. Task 4 【答案】 A. Every year the British government publishes statistics about social trends. Their findings show definite patterns in the British way of life. 1) marked differences a) one hour more every day, three hours more every week b) 1 percent, cleaning and ironing, keep household accounts, do repairs or improvements c) 30 percent 2) leisure activities, watching television, 20 hours a week, going for walks, Swimming, British women B. Unlike the other couples, Carla has always kept her won accounts and Adrian has always done his own housework. Neither of them like watching television very much and they both like swimming. 【原文】 When Adrian Hutton and Carla Leone get married they will move into a new house that they have bought. But what sort of life will they have? What can they expect in modern Britain? Every year the British government publishes statistics about social trends. Their findings show definite patterns in the British way of life. In most marriages there are some marked differences between husbands and wives. Working wives, for example, sleep (on average) one hour more a day than working husbands. Housewives, on the other hand, sleep only about three hours more every week than their working husbands. And what about housework? The government survey showed that only 1% of men do the household chores — like cleaning and ironing. But they do usually keep household accounts and it is always men who do repairs or improvements in the house. 30% of all marriages end in divorce. The government survey also looked at leisure activities. They found that the two most popular leisure activities in Britain are watching television (the average family spends 20 hours a week in front of the TV set) and going for walks. Swimming is an especially popular activity among British women. Carla and Adrian's life, though, will probably be different from the average marriage. In the first place Carla has always kept her own accounts and Adrian has always done his own housework. Neither of them like watching television very much and they both like swimming. Task 5 【答案】 A. Topic: How a city in Japan solve the problem of garbage disposal. Supporting details: 160 million, every year, 10 percent, 10 percent, the rest, public cooperation 1) garbage that can be easily burned, kitchen and garden trash 2) electrical appliances, plastic tools, plastic toys 3) are poisonous, cause pollution, batteries 4) bottles and glass containers that can be recycled 5) metal containers that can be recycled 6) furniture and bicycled on different days, on request, fertilizer, to produce electricity, recycled, cleaned, repaired, resold cheaply, give away B. 1) The garbage will be taken to a center that looks like a clean new office building or hospital. Inside the center, special equipment is used to sort and process the garbage. 2) Official from cities around the world visit Machida to see whether they can use some of these ideas and techniques to solve their own garbage disposal problems. 【原文】 Disposing of the garbage we produce every day is a major problem in cities around the world. In the United States, over 160 million tons of garbage are produce every year. Ten percent is recycled, ten percent is burned, and the rest is put in landfills. But finding land for new landfills is becoming more difficult. A city that has solved this problem in an unusual way is Machida, in Tokyo, Japan. They have developed a totally new approach to garbage disposal. The key to the operation is public cooperation. Families must divide their garbage into six categories: 1. garbage that can be easily burned (that is, combustible garbage) such as kitchen and garden trash
; 2. noncombustible garbage, such as small electrical appliances, plastic tools, and plastic toys
; 3. products that are poisonous or that cause pollution, such as batteries and fluorescent lights
; 4. bottles and glass containers that can be recycled
; 5. metal containers that can be recycled
; 6. large items, such as furniture and bicycles. The items in categories1 to 5 are collected on different days. Large items are only collected upon request. Then the garbage is taken to a center that looks like a clean new office building or hospital. Inside the center, special equipment is used to sort and process the garbage. Almost everything can be reused: garden or kitchen trash becomes fertilizer; combustible garbage is burned to produce electrical; metal containers and bottles are recycled; and old furniture, clothing, and other useful items are cleaned, repaired, and resold cheaply or given away. The work provides employment for handicapped person and gives them a chance to learn new skills. Nowadays, officials from cities around the world visit Machida to see whether they can use some of these ideas and techniques to solve their own garbage disposal problems. Task 6 【答案】 1) They were talking about Mrs. Carter. 2) She was a tall, handsome woman who used to come into the shop at least twice a week. 3) She lived alone in a large house on an old farm---about three miles from the shop. 4) He was absolutely certain, otherwise he would never call the police. His evidence was this: First, he saw her do it; second, he found the things in her bag; third, she had done it before. 5) Because two young people saw her. The shopkeeper believed that if they didn‟t punish her, young people would think that stealing didn‟t matter. 6) The judge thought that it was difficult case from a humanitarian point of view. The excuses her found for her were: First, the woman was old and she lived alone---she was lonely. Second, she wasn‟t poor---she was well-known for her generosity to charities and she didn‟t need to steal. Te items were only worth a pound or two. Third, she pleaded not guilty and she didn‟t know that she had done it. 【原文】 Shopkeeper: I knew Mrs. Carter very well. She was a tall, handsome woman who used to come into the shop at least twice a week. She lived alone in a large house on an old farm — about three miles from here. People ask me if I am certain she did it. The answer is yes. I was absolutely certain, otherwise I would never have called the police. In the first place, I saw her do it. I watched her put the things into her bag and I watched her walk out of the store. In the second place, we found the things in her bag, and finally, she had done it before. It wasn't the first time. I think she was in such a confused state that she didn‟t know what she was doing, but two other people say her — two young people. We had to punish her, otherwise young people would think that stealing didn‟t matter. Judge: It was a difficult case from a humanitarian point of view. The woman was old and she lived alone — she was lonely. She wasn‟t poor — she was well-known for her generosity to charities and she didn‟t need to steal. The items were only worth a pound or two. She pleaded not guilty and said she didn‟t know that she had done it. From the legal point of view the case was straightforward. The woman stole; she was caught and reported. There were witnesses. She had to be punished or else no one could be punished for stealing. Task 7 【答案】 A. not all modern cities are alike; modern city. 1) a single high-density center, skyscrapers, motorways, as far as you can see 2) the low-density multi-center city, a large collection of a number of small centers, shopping centers, factories, businesses, skyscrapers B. 1) He thinks that the second type( the Los Angeles model) is more sensible. 2) He considers it highly likely that the kind of city we know now will completely disappear. 【原文】 Interviewer: Would you say then that all modem cities are pretty much alike? Urban Planner: Quite definitely not. There seem to be two types of modem city. In type one there is a single high-density centre, and that's where you'll find the skyscrapers. This is surrounded by motorways. And all around this centre, low-density suburbs stretch as far as you can see. This is like Houston, or Calgary, or Toronto. Interviewer: And the second type? Urban Planner: The other type is like Los Angeles — the low-density multi-centre city. As I'm sure you know Los Angeles is really a large collection of a number of small centres, each with its shopping centres, factories, businesses, and skyscrapers scattered everywhere. In a way it's almost one enormous suburb. Interviewer: Do you. think one type is better than the other? Urban Planner: I think the Los Angeles model is more sensible. Interviewer: And so do you think Los Angeles is the city of the future? Urban Planner: Well, it is arguable that the next step after Los Angeles is the complete disappearance of the city, with no real centre, where well-designed forms of urban life-modem factories and office blocks which are clean and quiet, and beautiful forms of rural life — the trees and parks of suburbs, live side by side. Interviewer: So are you saying that the city as we know it will disappear... Task 8 【答案】 A. 1) He thinks that this country‟s problems all come from inflation, which is the result of the Democrat‟s careless spending. 2) No, she doesn‟t agree with Ned. She believes that the problem is unemployment. If the government cuts spending too much, people will fall into a vicious circle of more unemployment and fewer taxpayers to share the burden. 3) She agrees with Barbara. She believes that unemployment is a big problem, especially in the big industrial cities. And the government isn‟t doing very much to help the big industries out. 4) He believes in the free market system rather than government regulation or protection. He thinks that without a lot of government interference everything will be okay. 5) No, they think it‟s bad for the weak, the poor and the unprotected/ it‟s bad for the underprivileged. B. more and more money, come from somewhere, higher taxes and higher prices 【原文】 Ned: ... you know, I think this country's problems all come from inflation. That's the main cause of our troubles right now. And what's causing the inflation? It's the reckless spending of the Democrats! Every year they spend more and more money, and that money has to come from somewhere. So we pay it in the form of higher taxes and higher prices on the goods we buy. Barbara: Well, I'm not sure that I agree with you. It seems to me that inflation is only one of our problems. What about unemployment? If people don't have jobs because the government cuts spending too much, they can't buy things; and then you have a vicious circle of more unemployment and fewer taxpayers to share the burden. Ellen: You know, I think Barbara may have something there. Unemployment is a big problem, especially in the big industrial cities. The auto industry is fighting for its life right now, and the government isn't doing very much to help it. Ned: Well, it's true that the auto industry is in a mess, but I don't think the answer is in government regulation or protection. I believe in the free market system — let the system work without a lot of government interference, and everything will be okay. Ellen: So the strong will win, and the weak will be defeated. Is that what you mean? Ned: Well, that's the way it goes. The survival of the fittest. Barbara: And too bad about the weak, the poor, the unprotected... Ned: Now you're getting emotional. You have to remain objective about these things. Let me give you an example of what I'm talking about... Task 9 【答案】 A. 1) The problem is whether or not the inner city — the core of most urban areas — will manage to survive at all. 2) They moved to the suburbs in search of fresh air, elbow room, and privacy. 3) As a result, suburbs began to sprawl out across the countryside. Many cities began to fall into disrepair. And many downtown areas existed for business only. 4) The result was that urban centers declined even further and the suburbs expanded still more. 5) Because from the decision of the Taylors and many other young couples, we can see that some people may be tired of spending long hours commuting, and they may have begun to miss the advantages of culture and companionship provided by city life. B. 1) F 2) T 3) F 4) F 5) T 6) T C. 1) middle-class, tax money, neighborhoods 2) Crime, public transportation 3) housing construction costs, was allowed to, constructed 【原文】 A few years ago, Ann and Walter Taylor thought it might be time to move out of their New York City apartment to the suburbs. They had one young son and another child on the way. But after months of looking, they became discourage and decided to buy an old townhouse right in the middle of Brooklyn, which is a part of New York City. To their delight, they discovered that they weren‟t the only young couple to have made such a decision. In fact, their entire area in Brooklyn had been settled by young families. And as a result, the neighborhood, which had been declining for years, was now being restored. Brooklyn isn‟t the only city in the United States to experience this kind of renewal. So are Philadelphia and St.Louis. And Charleston, South Carolina, has so successfully rebuilt its old central area that it now ranks as one of America‟s most charming cities. The restoration of the old port city of Savannah, Georgia, is also living proof that downtown areas do not need to die. But encouraging as these developments may be, they are among the few bright spots in a mass of difficulties that today‟s cities face. Indeed, their woes are so many that it is fair to ask whether or not the inner city the core of most urban areas will manage to survive at all. In the 1940s, urban Americans began a mass move to the suburbs in search of fresh air, elbow room, and privacy. Suburbs began to sprawl out across the countryside. Since most of those making the move were middle-class, they took with them the tax money the cities needed to maintain the neighborhoods in which they had lived. The people left in the cities were often those who were too old or too poor to move. Thus, many cities began to fall into disrepair. Crime began to soar, and public transportation was neglected.( In the past sixty years San Francisco is the only city in the United States to have completed a new mass transit system.) Meanwhile, housing construction costs continued to rise higher and higher. Middle-class housing was allowed to decay, and little new housing was constructed. Eventually, many downtown areas existed for business only. During the day they would be filled with people working in offices, and at night they would be deserted. Given these circumstances, some business executives began asking, “Why bother with going downtown at all? Why not move the offices to the suburbs so that we can live and work in the same area?” Gradually, some of the larger companies began moving out of the cities, with the result that urban centers declined even further and the suburbs expanded still more. This movement of business to the suburbs is not confined to the United States. Businesses have also been moving to the suburbs in Stockholm, Sweden, in Bonn, Germany, and in Brussels, Belgium, as well. But it may well be that this movement to the suburbs has reached its peak. Some people may be tired of spending long hours commuting, and they may have begun to miss the advantages of culture and companionship provided by city life. Perhaps the decision made by the Taylors is a sign that people will return to the cities and begin to restore them. It begins to look as if suburban sprawl may not have been the answer to man‟s need to create an ideal environment in which to live and work. Task 10 【答案】 A. 1) 54, 20, 1980, ?70,000. 2) 30, 1980 3) a newspaper article, to research the market 4) another few months, in April 1981, a 1,500 sq ft 5) third, Canada, America, 20 percent, ?1 million 6) 20, 70, 3 B. 1) F 2) T 3) F 4)F 5)T C. 1) He was deeply involved in the present job and rather enjoyed himself. He thought the shop was his own little baby and thought it was fun to serve behind the counter. However, he also thought that there was a lot more hard work than he was used to; he was working over the weekend doing his books. He called his old job “boring trips to Manchester to sell vast quantities of PVC”. 2) He thought that there are far more job satisfaction; and believed that he was making money, rather than making money for other people. 3) He was about to diversify into commercial distribution of imported and domestically produced wine and wines he‟s produced himself. 【原文】 William Rudd, 54, worked for ICI petrochemicals for 20 years until 1980 when he took early retirement with &70,000. He opened his own delicatessen and butcher's shop in Kensington and has just bought a second London shop. I knew about a year before I left that I was going to go, so I looked around for office jobs. I had one of those frustrating periods where I nearly got some jobs but then I didn't. Actually it was a dinner party conversation which got me into the shop. A woman I knew said she was going to open a delicatessen and thought it sounded fun. So ! said, "Super, I'll come in with you." I'd always thought retailing would be amusing, after a lifetime of industrial selling. We found that the lease of the building stipulated we had to keep it as a butcher's and I added fish and cheese and things like that. I ended up spending far more than I'd ever intended. I didn't really do much research, except for fish, about which I knew nothing. I was clearly going to be the person standing behind the counter filleting, so I talked to one person who showed me a little, supplied me, and kept me under his wing for a little while. But it's quite easy to learn about fish; once you get used to gutting salmon you're on your way. Meat is more difficult; the skill is in the butchery, so I employ people for that. I had to learn about equipment by trial and error. I started in July — the worst time of the year for a shop like this — and the overdraft kept going up. That was rather frightening because there was no one between me and the bank manager. My reaction early on was that it was bound to come right. At the same time I was deeply involved and rather enjoying myself. It was my own little baby and it was fun to serve behind the counter — completely different from boring trips to Manchester to sell vast quantities of PVC. There was a lot more hard work than I was used to; I was working over the weekend doing my books. I remember my accountant saying to me when I was starting up, "What are you going to do for mental stimulation?" In fact there's quite a lot of mental stimulation in the sheer terror of losing money: I couldn't have conceived of doing this 20 years ago. It was a great leap in the dark. I don't know if I'm brave or foolish, or a bit of both I suppose. But I do know that if I'd listened to anyone I would never have done it. Les Shield, 30, a boiler technician, was made redundant from British Steel at Consett in 1980. 145'th Mike Heywood, a Consett transport manager made redundant at the same time, he started British Brewing Products, manufacturing beer kits and now diversifi2ing into wine production. I read a newspaper article about a company which had done quite well in home brew, and I started to research the market 18 months before the closure at Consett. By the time the steelworks were due to close I had a business plan ready. We bought some products which we had made for us and went out into the wilds of Yorkshire and Lancashire and sold them as a test. It took two months before we got any repeat business and that was a nail-biting period. It took another few months to fend premises and to get financial assistance from BSC industry and the bank. We went into production in April 1981 manufacturing home-brewing kits in a 1,500 sq ft factory. Let's face it, in this area, there wasn't a lot of choice. You could sit and vegetate and spend your redundancy money, you could move away and find new employment, or you could use your redundancy money to sink or swim. We're swimming. We're actually doing very well. I like being self-employed; there's far more job satisfaction. You know that at the end of the day you're getting the full value, personally, of the work you do. That's what you're in business for — to make money, rather than make money for other people. It was obviously a strain when I spent 5 days a week training, but after 18 months, we were able to afford our first salesman. I think my wife was happy for me to do what I've done. She accepted that there would be a certain amount of stress during the early days, but she probably realized that if I was successful the rewards would be there at the end of the day. We're now in our third factory since we started. We export our products to the Republic of Ireland, Canada and America; exports account for 20 percent of production. Our turnover will exceed &1 million for the first time this year. We're about to diversify into commercial distribution of imported and domestically produced wine and wines we're producing ourselves. We employ 20 people at the moment but that will rise to 70 in the next 3 months. Task 11 【原文】 I could hear the guard blowing his whistle, so I ran onto the platform and up to the train. Luckily someone saw me coming, a door opened, and I jumped on while the train was moving out of the station. “Phew!” I thought. “That was hard work!” I was sure the other passengers could hear my heart beating; it was so loud, and I was in a cold sweat. After a while, I recovered, and had a look at the other passengers. The compartment was full, but I was the only one standing. The people in the carriage turned their eyes away as they noticed me looking at them; all except one, a beautiful woman sitting in the corner. I saw her watching me in the mirror. Automatically, I adjusted my tie. She had seen me running for the train: maybe this was my lucky day after all. I prepared to say hello. She spoke first, however. “Would you like my seat?” she asked. “You look rather ill.” That was the day on which I realized I was getting middle-aged. Unit 4 Task 1 【答案】 1) They were orphans and had nobody to support them. 2) Each boy was given only one bowl of gruel for supper and no more — far from enough. 3) They boys were so hungry that they could not bear it any more. They decided that tone of them must ask the master for more gruel. Olive Twist was chosen by casting lots. 4) He never thought that any boy would dare to ask for more food than the given portion. Therefore, he was both surprised and angry on hearing Oliver‟s request. 5) He was struck on the head by the master and pushed out of the room. And for a week Olive remained prisoner in the cellar. 【原文】 Oliver Twist had no parents and lived in the workhouse. The room in which the boys had their food was a large stone hall. Each boy was given one bowl of gruel and no more. The bowls never needed washing. The boys polished them with their spoons. But still the boys were hungry. Oliver Twist and the other boys suffered from slow starvation for three months. At last they got so wild with hunger that one of the boys, who was tall for his age, said: "If this goes on, I am afraid I shall eat the boy who sleeps next me." He had wild hungry eyes and the boys believed him. The boys gathered and thought of a plan. "One of us must walk up to the master at supper this evening and ask for more gruel," said one boy. "Let us east lots," said another. "In that way we shall see who must go up to the master and ask for more." So they cast lots. The lot fell to Oliver Twist. He had to go up to the master and ask for more gruel. The evening came. The boys took their places and quickly ate up their gruel. Then they looked at Oliver. He rose from his place, bowl and spoon in hand, went up to the master and said, "Please, sir, I want some more." The master was a fat, healthy man, but he turned pale. "What!" he said at last. Oliver repeated: "Please, sir, I want some more." The master struck Oliver on the head and pushed him out of the room. For a week Oliver remained a prisoner in the cellar. Task 2 【答案】 A. 1) F 2) F 3) T B. 1) d 2) b 【原文】 Mark Twain was a famous American writer. There were many stories about him. One day Mark Twain was fishing. A stranger came along. "Good morning!" said the stranger. "Good morning!" said Mark Twain. "Nice weather we're having!" "Very nice indeed," said the stranger. "How was fishing?" "Very good. I caught three trout here yesterday in just about an hour." "Is that so?" said the stranger. "Yes. I'm very fond of trout." "By the way," said the stranger, "do you happen to know who I am?" "No, I haven't any idea," said Mark Twain. "Well, I'm the game warden of this county," said the stranger. "Fishing is not allowed here." Mark Twain paused a minute. Then he asked: "By the way, do you know who I am?" "No, I don't." "Well, I am the biggest liar in the country." Task 3 【答案】 A. Name: Lewis Carroll Occupation: mathematics; Oxford University Literary works: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland; 1865; Through the Looking-Glass; 1871 B. These stories are about a dream world in which Alice meets strange creatures and has interesting adventures. 【原文】 Which would you rather be? A mathematician or a writer? Perhaps you will never be faced with this kind of choice. Lewis Carroll was both a mathematician and a writer. He was a lecturer in mathematics at Oxford University. But he is better known as the author of two of the most famous children‟ s books that have ever been written: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass. The author‟s real name was Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, but he preferred to use the pen-name “Lewis Carroll” when he wrote Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and this is the name we remember him by. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland was published in 1865, when its author was 33 years old; it was followed by Through the Looking-Glass in 1871. Both books were written for a real girl called Alice, but they have been read by millions of children since they were first published. These stories are about a dream world in which Alice meets strange creatures and has interesting adventures . I‟m sure you know this already, but if you don‟t, you had better read the stories yourselves. Task 4 【答案】 the Greeks, closed the gates of the city and stayed behind the walls, the Greeks, a huge wooden horse, hide inside it, the horse, they stopped, hid their ships, Greek prisoner, the horse, The Greek soldiers, the wooden horse 【原文】 Many, many years ago there was a war between the Greeks and the Trojans. The Greek ships sailed up to the city of Troy. When the Trojans saw the Greek ships, they closed the gates of their city and stayed behind the walls. The Greeks attacked the city many times, but could not take it. Then one of the Greeks thought of a plan. The Greeks made a big wooden horse and had some soldiers hide inside the horse. In the morning the Greeks burned their camps and sailed away. Only the big wooden horse remained in front of the city gate. But the Greek ships did not sail far. The Greeks stopped at a place near Troy, where the Trojans could not see them, and hid their ships. At first the Trojans wanted to burn the wooden horse, but a Greek prisoner said, "Don't bum the horse. Bring it into Troy. It will help you." The horse was very big, and the Trojans could not bring it in through the gate. They had to make a hole in the wall. Then they brought the wooden horse into the city. The next day was a holiday in Troy. At night all the Trojan soldiers fell asleep after a heavy festive drinking. The Greek ships came back to Troy in the night. When everything was quiet, the Greek soldiers came out of the wooden horse and opened the gates of the city. The Greek army came into the city, killed many Trojans and took the city. Task 5 【答案】 A. 1) c 2) a B. 1) All the animals thought that he was the king of beasts. Actually he was a coward. He was afraid of human beings and other big animals. He roared only to scare them away and never really hurt them. 2) Dorothy and her dog wanted to get back to Kansas. The Scarecrow wanted some brains and the Tinman wanted a heart. The Lion wanted to have courage. 【原文】 The following story has been taken from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz written by L. Frank Baum in 1900. The book is a modern fairy tale and is one of the great favorites of American children. One day a tornado carried away Dorothy and her dog Toto from their home in Kansa sand landed them in the wonderful land of Oz. Here they made friends with two strange fellows, a scarecrow and a tin man. The four were now on their way to the Emerald City where the Great Oz lived. Just as the Tinman spoke there came from the forest a terrible roar, and the next moment a great Lion rushed into the road. With one blow of his paw he knocked the Scarecrow to the edge of the road, and then he hit the Tinman with his sharp claws. But, to the Lion's surprise, he could make no mark on the tin, though the Tinman fell over in the road and lay still. Little Toto, now that he had an enemy to face, ran barking towards the Lion. The great beast had opened his mouth to bite the dog. Dorothy feared that Toto would be killed. She forgot all danger and rushed forward. She slapped the Lion upon his nose as hard as she could, and cried out: "Don't bite Toto! You should be ashamed of yourself, a big beast like you, to bite a poor little dog!" "I didn't bite him," said the Lion, as he rubbed his nose with his paw where Dorothy had hit it. "No, but you tried to," she said in anger. "You are nothing but a big coward." "I know," said the Lion, and he hung his head in shame. "I've always known it. But how can I help it?" "I don't know, I'm sure. But how can you hit a stuffed man like the poor Scarecrow?" "Is he stuffed?" asked the Lion, in surprise, as he watched her pick up the Scarecrow and set him upon his feet, while she patted him into shape again. "Of course he's stuffed," replied Dorothy. She was still angry. "That explains it. He really went over easily," said the Lion. "It surprised me to see him turn around so. Is the other one stuffed also?" "No," said Dorothy, "he's made of tin." And she helped the Tinman up again. "He really hurt my claws," said the Lion. "When they scratched against the tin it made a cold shiver min down my back. What is that little animal you are so kind to?" "He is my dog, Toto," answered Dorothy. "Is he made of tin, or stuffed?" asked the Lion. "Neither. He's a meat dog," said the girl. "Oh. He's a curious animal, and seems really small, now that I look at him. No one thinks of biting such a small, little thing except a coward like me," continued the Lion sadly. "What makes you a coward?" asked Dorothy. She looked at the great beast in wonder, for he was as big as a small horse. "I don't know," replied the Lion. "I suppose I was born that way. All the other animals in the forest expect me to be brave, for the Lion is everywhere thought to be the King of Beasts. I learned that if I roared very loudly every living thing was afraid and got out of my way. Whenever I've met a man I've been very much frightened; but I just roared at him, and he has always min away as fast as he could go. If the elephants, tigers and bears ever tried to fight me, I would run away — I'm such a coward; but just as soon as they hear me roar, they all try to get away from me, and of course I let them go." "But that isn't right. The King of Beasts shouldn't be a coward," said the Scarecrow. "I know it," said the Lion, and he wiped a tear from his eye with the tip of his tail. "It is a great sorrow, and it makes my life very unhappy. But whenever there is danger, my heart begins to beat fast." "Perhaps you have heart disease," said the Tinman. "It may be so," said the Lion. "If you have," continued the Tinman, "you should be glad, for it proves you have a heart. For my part, I have no heart; so I can't have heart disease." "Perhaps," said the Lion, "I am a coward because I have a heart." "Have you brains?" said the Scarecrow. "I suppose so. I've never looked to see," replied the Lion. "I am going to the great Oz to ask him to give me some," remarked the Scarecrow, "for my head is stuffed with straw." "And I am going to ask him to give me a heart," said the Tinman. "And I am going to ask him to send me and Toto back to Kansas," added Dorothy. "Do you think Oz can give me courage?" asked the Cowardly Lion. "Just as easily as he can give me brains," said the Scarecrow. "Or give me a heart," said the Tinman. "Or send me back to Kansas," said Dorothy. "Then if you don't mind, I'll go with you," said the Lion, "for life is hard without courage." "You will be very welcome," answered Dorothy, "for you will help to keep away the other wild beasts. I think they must be more cowardly than you if they allow you to scare them so easily." "They really are," said the Lion, "but that doesn't make me any braver, and as long as I know myself to be a coward I shall be unhappy." So once more the little company set off upon the journey. The Lion walked at Dorothy's side. Toto did not like the Lion at first, because he could not forget how nearly he had been crushed between the Lion's great jaws; but after a time he became more at ease, and before long Toro and the Cowardly Lion became good friends. Task 6 【答案】 A. 1) Civil War 2) first, equality 3) battlefields, bloodiest 4) ordinary B. 1) d 2) c 【原文】 Walt Whitman is often called the poet of American democracy. He lived during the American Civil War, and he admired President Abraham Lincoln very much. Whitman was the first American poet who wrote about tree equality among all people. In a poem called "Song of Myself" he compared himself to all other people, and he found no difference. He wrote: "...every atom belonging to me... belongs to you." In the same poem Whitman spoke up for women. He wrote: "The Female equally with the Male I sing." He also wrote: "In the faces of men and women I see God." and "A great city is that which has the greatest men and women." Whitman understood war and the results of war. He worked in a hospital, taking care of wounded men. In a description of northern soldiers who had returned from prisons in the south he wrote: "The sight is worse than any sight of battlefields or any collection of wounded, even the bloodiest." In Whitman's words: "The real war will never get in the books." Whitman was the first important American poet to write about ordinary people, using ordinary language. Task 7 【答案】 A. 1) A red, red rose that‟s newly spring in June and the melody that‟s sweetly played in tune. 2) He will love her till all the seas are dried and the rocks melt in the sun. his love will last as long as the sands of life run(there is life on earth). 3) Yes, he is, and he will come back no matter how far it is. B. June---tune I---dry sun---run while ---mile 【原文】 O, my love is like a red, red rose, That is newly sprung in June. O, my love is like the melody, That is sweetly played in tune. As fair are you, my lovely lass, So deep in love am I, And I will love you still, my Dear, Till all the seas go dry. Till all the seas go dry, my Dear, And the rocks melt with the sun! O I will love you still, my Dear, While the sands of life shall run. And fare you well, my only Love, And fare you well a while! And I will come again, my Love, Although it were ten thousand mile! Task 8 【答案】 1) Tall stories, that is, unlikely ones. 2) Because he wanted to be a member of a certain club. 3) He went there because he was told that a lion came there each evening to drink water. 4) Sixteen times. 5) He killed sixteen lions. 【原文】 A famous French writer who wrote many books about England and the English people once wrote about the Englishman's fondness for improbable or tall stories. In one of his books about the First World War, an English priest tells the following story: He had wanted to become a member of a certain club in Africa. In order to become a member, each person had to shoot at least one lion. The priest had never shot an animal in his life. So, armed with a rifle and accompanied by a young African boy, the priest set out one evening for a pool in the jungle where he was told a lion came each evening to drink. He waited patiently for a few hours until shortly before midnight when he heard a rustling noise. Sure enough a few yards away the head of a lion appeared above a bush that separated the priest and the pool. He aimed and fired. The head of the lion immediately fell behind the bush but a moment later reappeared. So the priest aimed and fired again. The head of the lion immediately fell behind the bush but a moment later reappeared. The priest fired again: the same result. He remained calm because he knew he had brought sixteen bullets with him. After his fourth attempt his aim seemed to become more and more inaccurate. In fact, after his fifteenth attempt the African boy had to warn him, "This is your last chance. If you miss this time, we are in trouble." The priest then realized how serious the situation was, so he took a deep breath, aimed very carefully and fired. They waited a moment, then slowly counted up to twenty: the head of the lion did not reappear. The priest was certain that at last he had shot his lion. They rushed forward together to the spot behind the bush. And what do you think they found? Sixteen lions. Task 9 【答案】 a young prince who lived on land I. A. rose to the surface of the sea and waited for the prince to come to her B. never came II. a witch A. changed her fish‟s tail into a pair of human legs B. she gave the witch her tongue III. the prince‟s palace A. her feet hurt terribly B. didn‟t love her ?. a young princess A. drive back into the sea B. a spirit of the air and lived forever 【原文】 Copenhagen is the capital of Denmark. In Copenhagen harbor, you can see a statue of the Little Mermaid. I wonder if you know her story. It's a sad one. That Little Mermaid fell in love with a young prince who lived on the land. Every night she used to rise up to the surface of the sea and sit staring at his palace, waiting for him to come to her. But he never came. Finally she visited a witch. The witch changed her fish's tail into a pair of human legs so that she could go and live on land. But in return, the Little Mermaid had to give her tongue to the witch, so that she could never sing or speak again. She loved the prince so much that she gave it happily. She went and lived in the prince's palace, and every night, she danced for him, although her strange new feet caused her terrible pain. But she didn't mind the pain. She waited and waited for the prince to fall in love with her. But, although the prince liked the Little Mermaid very much, he didn't love her. He fell in love with a young princess and they got married. On their wedding night, the Little Mermaid sadly dived back into the sea. She had no tail now, only legs, and she thought that she would die. She didn't die, though. Because of her kind heart, she became a spirit of the air and lived forever. Task 10 【答案】 A. 1) b 2) c 3) b 4) a 5) a B. No. 1[e] No. 2 [b] No. 3 [a] No.4 [d] No.5 [c] 【原文】 1) A wolf thought that by disguising himself as a sheep he could get enough to eat. So he put on a sheepskin and joined the flock without being discovered. At sunset the shepherd shut him with the sheep in the fold. Then he felt hungry, so he picked up his knife and killed one of the sheep for his supper. But it was the wolf that he killed. 2) A bird in a cage at a window used to sing during the night. A bat which heard her came up and asked why she never sang by day, but only by night. She explained that there was a good reason: she was caught while she was singing in the daytime, and this had taught her a lesson. "One must be careful before one is caught, not after," said the bat. 3) Monkeys are said to have a strange habit. When twins are born to them, the mother will take care of only one of the twins. She will hold it tightly to her breast and neglect the other. But the one taken care of will die because it cannot breathe freely, while the neglected one will grow up strong and healthy. 4) A gnat alighted on a bull's horn. After it had stayed there a long time and felt like moving on, it asked the bull if he would like it to go now. "I didn't notice when you came," replied the bull, "and I shall not notice if you go." 5) A reed and an olive tree were quarrelling one day. They wanted to see which one was the stronger. Finally the olive tree said to the reed, "You are weak. You are easily bent by the wind." But the reed did not say a word. Before long a storm arose. The reed was tossed about and bent by the winds, but it was not hurt. The olive tree stood bravely against the storm and was broken by its force. Task 11 【答案】 I. A. struck a rock and began to break up. B. sank too C. had survived II. A. he was tied very firmly by a large number of fine ropes. B. about forty little men shot at him with their arrows, which hurt like needles. C. the little men gave him all the bread, meat and wine they had. III. was seven feet by three feet, equipped with twenty-two wheels and pulled by fifteen hundred little horses 【原文】 Gulliver was travelling by ship. The ship struck a rock and began to break up. Some of the sailors and Gulliver got away in a boat, but that sank too. In the end Gulliver was the only person who survived-who didn't drown. He kept on swimming, and just managed to reach land. By that time it was already evening. Gulliver kept on walking, but by then he was so exhausted that he lay down on the grass, and fell sound asleep. He slept until the following morning. When he woke up, he could not move. His arms and legs were tied to the ground, very firmly, and so was his hair. There were a large number of very fine, thin ropes across his body, he discovered, and these prevented him from moving. Gulliver could just manage to look down his body — that was all he could do — and there he saw, advancing up his body, about forty little men. These little men were only about six inches high. They were dressed as soldiers, and each one carried a bow and arrow. Gulliver shouted out, and when he did this, all the soldiers ran away, though they gradually came back again. Gulliver decided to try to escape. He managed to break some of the ropes, and he was also able to free his head. But when he began to move, the soldiers shot at him with their arrows. These arrows were small but sharp like needles, and they hurt Gulliver. He decided to keep still and when he did so, the soldiers stopped shooting at him with their arrows. By this time Gulliver was feeling very hungry, so he put his finger to his mouth, to show the little people that he needed food. They understood this, and they brought him bread and meat. Gulliver ate all the bread and meat, and then indicated that he was thirsty. Again he was understood, and the people brought him wine. In fact Gulliver drank all the wine that was available — all they had. After that one of the king's officers came up to Gulliver. He spoke to him, and indicated that he had to go to the city, to the capital of the island. This was what the king had ordered. Guliver asked to be set free, but the officer refused. Gulliver again thought of trying to escape, but he remembered those arrows which the soldiers had shot at him, and he decided to do nothing. In any case he soon fell asleep, because of all the wine he had drunk. While he was asleep, the people on the island made arrangements — got everything ready — to take Gulliver to the capital. They managed to get him on a cart which they had built specially to take him to the city. It was seven feet long, and three feet wide, and it had twenty-two wheels in all. It took about three hours to get Gulliver on the cart, and fifteen hundred horses to pull the cart to the city. Task 12 Aesop was a very clever man who lived in Greece thousands of years ago. He wrote many good fables. He was known to be fond of jokes. One day, as he was enjoying a walk he met a traveler, who greeted him and said, “Kind man, can you tell me how soon I shall get to town?” “Go,” Aesop answered. “I know I must go”, said the traveler, “but I should Like you to tell me how soon I shall get to town.” “Go,” Aesop said again angrily. “This man must be mad,” the traveler thought and went on. After he had gone some distance, Aesop shouted after him, “You will get to town in two hours.” The traveler turned around in astonishment. “Why didn‟t you tell me that before?” he asked. “How could I have told you before?” answered Aesop. “I did not know how fast you could walk. Unit 5 Task 1 【答案】 A. 1) People‟s ideas on permanent education. 2) One is an ordinary “man in the street”. The other is an educational psychologist. 3) The first person thinks this idea of permanent education is crazy. He can‟t understand people who want to spend all their lives in school. The second person thinks the idea of permanent education is practical because people are never really too old to go on learning. B. 1) was; hated; stand; got out 2) all their lives 3) certain limits; age limits 【原文】 Two people are interviewed about their ideas on education. One is an ordinary "man in the street"; the other is an educational psychologist. The man in the street: When I was at school, I hated it. I couldn't stand it. I wasn't happy until I got out. I think this idea of permanent education is crazy. I know some people go back to school when they're older, go to language classes at the local "tech" and all that, but I can't understand people who want to spend all their lives in school. The educational psychologist: The idea of permanent education is practical because we're never really too old to go on learning. Of course, there are certain limits, but they aren't age limits. For example, let's say a man past sixty tries to learn how to play football. It's foolish for him to do that, but only because his body is too old, not his mind! Task 2 【答案】 A. Age Schooling Four Nursery School Five The Infants‟ School Seven The Junior School B. 1) He stayed there for a year. 2) He has faint, but very pleasant memories of it. He had fun and played games---including story-telling, drawing, singing and dancing. 3) He began t have more formal lessons and even worry about exams. 4) The exam was called the “Eleven Plus”. Students took the exam to see what kind of secondary school they would get into. 【原文】 John is talking to Martin about his primary schooling. Martin: Did you go to a state primary school? John: Yes, I did. I went to a nursery school first, at the age of four, but this was purely voluntary. There was a good kindergarten in our neighbourhood so my parents decided to send me there for a year. Martin: Can you still remember it? John: Yes, I have faint, but very pleasant memories of it. It was a delightful place, full of fun and games. As in most nursery schools, work — if you can call it that — consisted of storytelling, drawing, singing and dancing. Martin: You probably don't remember but you must have missed it when you left — you know, when you went to the Infants' School at the age of five. John: I suppose I must have, but you know, right up to the age of seven, school life was very pleasant. It was only later in the Junior School that we began to have more formal lessons and even worry about exams. Martin: Really? Did you have to do exams at that age? John: Yes, we used to then. We had to take an exam at the age of eleven called the "Eleven Plus" to see what kind of Secondary school we would get into. But this exam has disappeared nowadays. Task 3 【答案】 A. 1) compulsory; the ages of 5 and 16; state-funded; independent 2) available; at a nursery school; in the nursery class at a primary school 3) preparatory; primary; aged 5 to 13 4) enter the state education system; at the age of 5; secondary school 5) 7, 11, 13 or 16; gain admission at 11 or 13; the Common Entrance Examination 6) one further year; Advanced Supplementary Examinations; Advanced Level Examinations 7) classroom; laboratory; work independently; undertake research for projects 8) vocational; conventional 9) secondary education; with A-levels; further; higher B. 1) GCSE stand for the General Certificate of Secondary Education. It is normally take at the age of sixteen. 2) Students usually study form 8 to 12 subjects over two years. 3) Some subjects take account of the work students do throughout the year, while others are assessed entirely by examination. 【原文】 Education in the United Kingdom is compulsory for everyone between the ages of five and sixteen, and is provided by two kinds of schools: state-funded schools and independent (fee-charging) schools. Children education Pre-school or pre-preparatory education: pre-school education is available in both the independent and the state systems. Many children start their education at the age of three or four at a nursery school or in the nursery class at a primary school. Preparatory education: in the independent system, preparatory (or primary) education is available for children aged 5 to 13. Primary education: most children in the United Kingdom enter the state education system when they go to primary school at the age of five and generally move to secondary school or college at the age of 11. Secondary education (including the General Certificate of Secondary Education and equivalents) Most pupils enter independent boarding schools at the age of 7, 11, 13 or 16. To gain admission at 11 or 13, some pupils sit an exam called the Common Entrance Examination. At 16, they enter the school to study in its sixth form (for A-levels and equivalent qualifications). All UK secondary schools, both state and independent, teach pupils at least until the age of sixteen and prepare them for the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) or equivalent qualifications. Significant numbers of international students enter the UK secondary education system when they are either eleven or thirteen. Many attend independent boarding schools. GCSEs in vocational subjects are normally taken at the age of 16. Following these, students can do one further year of academic study before taking Advanced Supplementary examinations (AS-levels). Alternatively, there are career-based qualifications, such as General National Vocational Qualifications (GNVQs) or vocational A-levels, which can be taken after one or two years of study. All these courses give access to university or further study. Students usually study from 8 to 12 GCSE subjects over two years. Most students study a core of statutory subjects and choose additional subjects from a list. On any GCSE course, you receive formal tuition in the classroom and laboratory but are also encouraged to work independently and undertake research for projects, often outside school hours. Educational visits, either on your own or as part of a small group, are often part of the timetable. Some subjects take account of the work you do throughout the year, while others are assessed entirely by examination. Examinations are independently marked and graded. GCSE grades range from A (the highest) to G. New GCSEs in vocational subjects are a career-based version of the GCSE. Eight subjects are available: Art and Design, Business, Engineering, Health and Social Care, Information and Communications Technology (ICT), Leisure and Tourism, Manufacturing, and Science. One vocational GCSE is equivalent to two conventional GCSEs. As with other GCSEs, grades range from A (the highest) to G. Sixth-formers usually finish their secondary education at the age of eighteen with A-levels or equivalent qualifications, then go on to study at either further or higher education level. Task 4 【答案】 A. Topic of This Discussion: Corporal Punishment Interviewees Position Arguments/Reasons on This Topic For/Against Kate For It‟s difficult to teach children these days, when many of them know they won‟t get jobs. It‟s hard to control the class if you can‟t punish them. Some children need discipline. Rolf Against It always has been difficult to be a teacher. But you don‟t have to use violence. It‟s impossible to teach students about nonviolence and being good citizens when you are violent yourself. Jane Against Raoul For Its‟ impossible to teach the rest of the class of you have one student who constantly misbehaves. It‟s bad for the others. B. 1) F 2) F 【原文】 Kate: Yes, it's difficult to teach children these days, when many of them know they won't get jobs. It's hard to control the class if you can't punish them. I often hit them with a ruler. Of course, in my part of Scotland we're allowed to hit them, and I think it's necessary — some children need discipline. Interviewer: What do you think, Rolf? I know you feel very strongly about corporal punishment. Rolf: I don't agree with Kate. I know it's difficult to be a teacher, but I think it always has been. But you don't have to use violence. It's impossible to teach students about non-violence and being good citizens when you are violent yourself. Interviewer: What do the Welsh think, Jane? Rolf thinks corporal punishment is wrong. Jane: Yes, I think so too. Interviewer: And Raoul? Raoul: Well, I think it's sometimes necessary. When one child constantly disobeys, you have to beat him, or else send him away — maybe to a special school. It's impossible to teach the rest of the class if you have one student who constantly misbehaves. It's bad for the others. Interviewer: Did anyone beat you when you were at school? Raoul: Well... Task 5 【答案】 A. 1) Because the television program by that name can now be seen in many parts of the world. 2) This program is very popular among children. Some educators object to certain elements in the program. Parents praise it highly. Many teachers also consider it a great help, though some teachers find that problems arise when first graders who have learned from “Sesame Street” are in the same class with children who have not watched the program. 3) In order to increase the number of children who can watch it regularly. 4) 1. The reasons may include the educational theories of its creators, the support by both government and private businesses, and the skillful use of a variety of TV tricks 2. Perhaps an equally important reason is that mothers watch “Sesame Street” along with their children. This is partly because famous adult stars often appear on “Sesame Street”. 3. The best reason for the success of the program may be that it makes every child watching it feel able to learn. The child finds himself learning, and he wants to learn more. B. 1) six million; regularly; half; economic; racial; geographical 2) fifty; Spanish; Portuguese; German; one hundred thousand; English; every two weeks 3) songs; stories; jokes; pictures; numbers; letters; human relationships 【原文】 Sesame Street" has been called "the longest street in the world. That is because the television program by that name can now be seen in so many parts of the world. That program became one of America‟s exports soon after it went on the air in New York in 1969. In the United States more than six million children watch the program regularly. The viewers include more than half the nation‟s pre-school children, from every kind of economic, racial, and geographical group. Although some educators object to certain elements in the program, parents praise it highly. Many teachers consider it a great help, though some teachers find that problems arise when first graders who have learned from “Sesame Street” are in the same class with children who have not Tests have shown that children from all racial, geographical, and economic backgrounds have benefited from watching "Sesame Street". Those who watch it five times a week learn more than the occasional viewers. In the United States the program is shown at different hours during the week in order to increase the number of children who can watch it regularly. In its American form "Sesame Street" is shown in nearly fifty countries. Three foreign shows based on "Sesame Street" have also appeared in Spanish, Portuguese, and German. Viewers of the show in Japan buy one hundred thousand booklets with translations of the English sound track every two weeks. The program uses songs, stories, jokes and pictures to give children a basic understanding of numbers, letters and human relations. But there are some differences. For example, the Spanish program, produced in Mexico City, devotes more time to teaching whole words than to teaching Why has "Sesame Street" been so much more successful than other children's shows? Many reasons have been suggested. People mention the educational theories of its creators, the support by the government and private businesses, and the skillful use of a variety of TV tricks. Perhaps an equally important reason is that mothers watch "Sesame Street" along with their children. This is partly because famous adult stars often appear on "Sesame Street". But the best reason for the success of the program may be that it makes every child watching it feel able to learn. The child Task 6 【答案】 A. 1) It is to have all public schools connected to the Internet computer system and have computers available for all students. 2) Its web site provides information about the school, the teacher and their mail addresses. It also lists student events and organizations. 3) They learn numbers and letters. They also learn how to use the computers they will need later in their education. B. 1) 1994; 35%; Last year; 89% 2) universities; colleges; urge; require 【原文】 One of the goals of American education officials is to have all public schools connected to the Internet computer system and have computers for all students. Government studies show that in 1994 only 35 percent of American public schools were connected to the Internet. Last year, that number reached 89 percent. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University is a large university in the southern state of Virginia. Officials at Virginia Tech say computers are very important to a student's education. All students at Virginia Tech have been required to have a computer since 1998. Each student's living area at Virginia Tech has the necessary wires to link a computer to the Internet. The students can send and receive electronic mail, use the World Wide Web part of the Internet and link with other universities, all without leaving their rooms. They can also use their computers to send electronic copies of their school work to their teachers. And they can search for books in the school's huge library. Most major American universities and colleges strongly urge or require new students to have a computer. Most colleges and universities also have large rooms where students can use computers for classwork. American high schools also have computers. Many have their own areas on the World Wide Web. If you have a computer you can learn about Fremont Union High School in Sunnyvale, California, for example. Its web site provides information about the school, the teachers and their electronic mail addresses. It also lists student events and organizations. Young children also use computers in school. Smoketree Elementary School, in Lake Havasu, Arizona is a good example. The school also has a World Wide Web site. It tells about the school and the teachers and has an area for young children. These young children use computers in school to learn numbers and letters. They also learn how to use the computers they will need later in their education. Task 7 【答案】 A. I. spoken; written A. saying poetry aloud; giving speeches B. advanced degrees; field of study; custom; candidates; doctor‟s degree II. written A. nineteenth B. the great increase in population; the development of modern industry C. 1. objective; personal opinions; memory of facts and details; range of knowledge; a fairer chance; easier; quicker; learning 2. essay; ling answers; broad general questions; the element of luck; put facts together into a meaningful whole; really knowing much about the subject; have trouble expressing their ideas in essay form; examiner‟s feelings at the time of reading the answer. III. unsatisfactory; along with B. b 【原文】 In ancient time the most important examinations were spoken, not written. In the schools of ancient Greece and Rome , testing usually consisted of saying poetry aloud or giving speeches. In the European universities of the Middle Ages, students who were working for advanced degrees had to discuss questions in their field of study with people who had made a special study of the subject. This custom exists today as part of the process of testing candidates for the doctor's degree. Generally, however, modern examinations are written. The written examination, where all students are tested on the same question, was probably not known until the nineteenth century. Perhaps it came into existence with the great increase in population and the development of modern industry. A room full of candidates for a state examination, timed exactly by electric clocks and carefully watched over by managers, resembles a group of workers at an automobile factory. Certainly, during examinations teachers and students are expected to act like machines. There is nothing very human about the examination process. Two types of tests are commonly used in modern schools. The first type sometimes called an “objective” test. It is intended to deal with facts., not personal opinions. To make up an objective test the teacher writes a series of questions, each of which has only one correct answer. Along with each question the teacher writes the correct answer and also three statements that look like answers to students who have not learned the material properly. For testing a student's memory of facts and details, the objective test has advantages. It can be scored very quickly by the teacher or even by a machine. In a short time the teacher can find out a great deal about the student's range of knowledge. For testing some kinds of learning, however, such a test is not very satisfactory. A lucky student may guess the correct answer without really knowing the material. For a clearer picture of what the students knows, most teachers use another kind of examination in addition to objective tests. They use “essay” tests, which require students to write long answer to broad general questions. One advantage of the essay test is that it reduces the element of luck. The student cannot get a high score just by making a lucky guess. Another advantage is that it shows the examiner more about the student‟s ability to put facts together into a meaningful whole. It should show how deeply he has thought about the subject. Sometimes, though, essay tests have disadvantages, too. Some students are able to write rather good answers without really knowing much about the subject, while other students who actually know the material have trouble expressing their ideas in the essay form. Besides, on an essay test the student's score may depend upon the examiner's feelings at the time of reading the answer. If he is feeling tired or bored, the student may receive a lower score than he should. Another examiner reading the same answer might give it a much higher mark. From this standpoint the objective test gives each student a fairer chance, and of course it is easier and quicker to score. Most teachers and students would probably agree that examinations are unsatisfactory. Whether an objective test or an essay test is used, problems arise. When some objective questions are used along with some essay questions, however, a fairly clear picture of the student's knowledge can usually be obtained. Task 8 Americans know that higher education is the key to the growth they need to lift their country, and today that is more true than ever. Just listen to these facts. Over half the new jobs created in the last three years have been managerial and professional jobs. The new jobs require a higher level of skills. Fifteen years ago the typical worker with a college degree made 38 percent more than a worker with a high school diploma. Today that figure is 73 percent more. Two years of college means a 20 percent increase annual earnings. People who finish two years of college earn a quarter of a million dollars more tan their high school counterparts over a lifetime. Unit 6 Task 1 【答案】 A. [d]—[b]—[a]—[e]—[c] B. a 【原文】 Laura usually leaves the offices of Quest Productions at about 5 o'clock, but last Monday she left at 5:30. She wanted to get home by 6:30 and she ran to the bus stop but she couldn't get on a bus. There were too many people and not enough buses. Laura was desperate to get home so she decided to go by tube. In the station she went to one of the automatic ticket machines but she didn't have enough change, so she had to join the queue at the ticket window. She bought her ticket and ran to the escalator. Laura went to the platform and waited for the tube. It arrived and the crowd moved forward. Laura was pushed into the train. It was almost full but she was given a seat by a man with a moustache. Laura thanked him and sat down. She started to read her newspaper. In the tunnel the train stopped suddenly and Laura was thrown to the floor together with the man with the moustache. Somebody screamed. The lights went out. It was quarter past 6 on a cold, wet December evening. Task 2 【答案】 A. 1) a 2) b 3) d 4) c B. 1) T 2) T 3) F C. wondered; television plays; exciting; every cigarette lighter; tape recorder; held in a certain way; the touch of a gold ring against the hand of; reveal; How wrong they were 【原文】 X was a secret agent. He had rented a furnished room in a provincial town not far from the public park and had been there two weeks. He was standing at the window looking out at the dull beds of geraniums, the park gates and the cold, uninviting statue of Queen Victoria that stood across the street from him, It was raining hard and the few people who passed by looked wet and miserable. X was miserable, too. How, he wondered, could anybody think there was anything interesting about the life of a secret agent? He knew it was because people had seen so many television plays about glamorous spies that they thought the life of a secret agent was exciting. They were convinced that every cigarette lighter concealed a secret tape recorder; that a fountain pen held in a certain way would open a locked door, that the touch of a gold ring against the hand of an enemy would make him reveal all his secrets. How wrong they were! He looked round his room. The wallpaper was in the worst possible taste, the pictures horrible, the carpet worn, dirty and faded; and he was cold. This was the third Monday he had come to the window to look out. He prayed it would be the last. As if in answer to his prayer, a certain meeting he had been sent to investigate was about to take place. He took out his camera. Just beneath the statue two women had stopped to speak. He knew one of them, and it was she who pointed in his direction. The other woman looked up towards him and in that brief moment he photographed her. Task 3 【答案】 A. Names Ideal Careers Harry Sailor Nora Farmer(if she were a man) Robert Civil engineer Peter Racing driver or explorer B. 1) a 2) b 3) c 4) b 5) d 【原文】 Harry: Well, Robert, have you made up your mind yet what you want to do when you leave college? Nora: Oh Harry. Surely he's a bit young to decide on his career. He hasn't even got to college yet. Harry: Not at all, Nora. It's wisest to decide in good time. Look at me, for example. I really wanted to be a sailor, but now I spend my days sitting at a desk in an office. Yes, it's silly to train for the wrong job. And after all, Robert will be going to college soon. Nora: Now if I were a man I'd be a farmer. To see the crops growing--that's my idea of a good life. Harry: Yes, and to see the money rolling in is more important still. Robert: Well, that's not the way I look at it, Dad. It's the job I care about, not the money. Harry: Maybe not; but you'll learn to care about the money too, when you've got a family to keep. Nora: And of course Peter — well, he's keen to be a racing driver, or else an explorer. Robert: Oh, Peter's not old enough to make up his mind about such things. Harry: You haven't answered my question yet, Robert. What would you like to do? Nora: Are you sure you don't want to be a farmer, Robert? Or a market gardener? Robert: No, I'm sorry Mum, but I don't want to at all. I'd rather be a civil engineer. I want to build roads and bridges. Harry: Not ships? Isn't it better to be a shipbuilding engineer? Robert: Look here, is it my career we're planning, or yours? Harry: All fight, all right, there's no need to lose your temper. But you'd better win that scholarship first. Task 4 【答案】 I. correspondents; columnist A. may not need either B. to go to places where events take place and write stories about them II. first; bigger; better; who will soon leave to work for other people III. working hours; free time; work long hours to begin with 【原文】 Here are some of the things a young man or woman should not do when he first asks an editor for a job: He should not tell the editor that he wants to be a foreign correspondent or a columnist. Very probably the editor does not need either. He wants a reporter who will go to such places as government offices and police stations and write a true story of what is happening there. Being a foreign correspondent or a columnist will come later. A young person should not tell tile editor that newspaper work is only the first step on the way to bigger and better jobs, such as those in government. The editor must take a lot of time and trouble teaching someone to be a good newspaperman or woman. He does not like the idea of teaching people who are soon going to leave him to work for someone else. A young journalist should accept the working hours and free time the editor gives him. As a new journalist, it is very probable that he will work longer hours than others and work on weekends. The editor did the same when he was a young newspaperman with no experience. He expects a journalist to understand how things are on a newspaper. Task 5 【答案】 A. 1) acd 2) abe B. 1) she is the wrong sex 2) she wears the wrong clothes 【原文】 SYLVIA: We've got a new manager in our department. LARRY: Oh? You hoped to get that job, didn't you? SYLVIA: Yes, I did. LARRY: I'm sorry. That's too bad. Who is it? Who got the job, I mean? SYLVIA: Someone called Drexler. Carl Drexler. He's been with the company only two years. I've been here longer. And I know more about the job, too! LARRY: Hmm. Why do you think they gave it to him and not to you? SYLVIA: Because I'm the wrong sex, of course ! LARRY: You mean you didn't get the job because you're a woman? SYLVIA: Yes, that was probably it! It isn't fair. LARRY: What sort of clothes does he wear? SYLVTA: A dark suit. White shirt. A tie. Why? LARRY: Perhaps that had something to do with it. SYLVIA: You mean you think I didn't get the job because I come to work in jeans and a sweater? LARRY: It's possible, isn't it? SYLVIA: Do you really think I should wear different clothes? LARRY: Well. . . perhaps you should think about it. SYLVTA: Why should I wear a skirt? Or a dress? LARRY: I'm not saying you should. I'm saying you should think about it. That's all! SYLVIA: Why should I do that? I'm good at my job! That's the only important thing! LARRY: Hmm. Perhaps it should be the only important thing. But it isn't. Not in this company. Task 6 【答案】 A. Former Jobs When Laid-off Why Laid-off 1st man Car salesman Recently Low sales, due to the increase of interest rates nd2 man Worker at a vacuum 10 months ago Plant moved to cleaner plant Singapore where workers are paid much less B. stnd1 speaker(bcd) 2 speaker(ae) C. 1) F 2) F 【原文】 Al: Is this the right line to file a claim? Bob: Yeah. It's the same line for everything. You just stand here and wait. Al: Oh. Is there always such a long line? Bob: Every week. Sometimes longer. Is this your first time here? Al: Yes. Bob: What happened? Your plant closed down? Al: No. I'm a car salesman, or, I was a car salesman. But we just aren't selling cars. It's the interest rates. Two years ago, I averaged ten new cars a month. Do you know how many cars I sold last month? One. One car to a lady who had the cash. But the interest rates are up again. The boss let three of us go. How about you? Bob: I worked at a vacuum cleaner plant with about fifty workers. We put in a good day's work. But the machinery was getting old. As a matter of fact, the whole plant was old. So the management decided to build a new plant. You know where? In Singapore. The workers here made about seven dollars an hour, a couple of people made eight or nine an hour. You know how much they're paying the workers in Singapore? $2.50 an hour! Anyway, all fifty of us got laid off. Al: How long ago was that? Bob: They closed down ten months ago. Al: Any luck finding another job? Bob: Nothing. I have one, sometimes two, interviews a week. Last week I thought I had something. They liked my experience with machines. But I never heard from them again. Al: At least you know something about machines. All I can do is talk. Bob: Maybe you'll talk yourself into another job. Good luck. I'll see you here next week. Al: I hope not. I hope I'll have something by then. Task 7 【答案】 A. 1) F 2) F 3) T 4) F 5) T 6) F B. 1) According to the first speaker, it is frustrating because the teacher cannot see clearly the results of his efforts. 2) According to the second speaker, English language teaching is a good job, because it guarantees a stable income and regular working hours and means less pressure. He also likes the way elderly teacher are. 【原文】 Interviewer: Do you prefer what you're doing to teaching? John Smith: Yes, one of the things I found a bit frustrating about teaching was that it was rather, very intangible than um, especially if you're teaching in England and most of the students know quite a lot of English before they arrive. They learn a lot of English outside the classroom, in pubs or coffee shops or other places, with the families they're living with. It's very difficult to pin down how much they learn from your actual lesson, whereas in marketing um, again there are lots of areas that are gray rather than black or white, but there are quite a few other areas where one can see quite clearly the results of one's efforts. Interviewer: What did you do after you quit your job in advertising? Second Man: In fact, I became a journalist and I worked as a freelance. I didn't have a full-time job with any newspaper. I just had to contribute things as they came along and 1 wrote for magazines, and I did quite a lot of broadcasting for the VOA. Well, this was in a way the opposite of advertising because I enjoyed it a lot but I found it very hard to earn enough money to live on. Interviewer: And then you decided to be a teacher? Second Man: Well, and so I thought. Well, I must do something which produces an income that I can be sure of. While I was working as a journalist I had done an article for a magazine about the English language teaching world and m fact I had come to the school where I now teach as a journalist and interviewed a lot of the people. And I thought it seemed a very nice place and I thought that the classes I visited had a very, very nice feeling about them, and so I thought, well, I'll see if they'll have me. Interviewer: Why do you prefer teaching to advertising? Second Man: Well, partly because in teaching you work regular hours. It I advertising you just had to stay at the office until the work was finished [I see.] and it could be three o'clock in the morning. [Oh, dean] Also you were very often made to work at weekends. Often some job would come up that was very important and they said it had to be finished — it had to go into the newspapers next week. Interviewer: So there was a lot mom pressure. Second Man: There was a lot more pressure in advertising. Also, the people I worked with when I was first in advertising were young hopeful people like myself. By the end I was working with a lot of old people who quite honestly were awful. And I kept looking at them and saying, "Am I going to be like that?" And I thought if I am I'd better get out, whereas the English language teachers I saw, who were older people I thought, well, they seemed quite nice. And I wouldn't mind being like that myself. Task 8 【答案】 The interview with Michale: Does he work? No. Why or why not? The work he used to do was not what interested him and what he likes to do cannot earn him enough money to support himself. What are the advantages of not having to work? 1) You do not have to get up it you don‟t feel like it. 2) You can spend your time on the things you want to do. Why does he feel justified in not working? He believes he does things which are enjoyable for him and useful to people and the community. The interview with Chris: What is the value of work in the current Very little value other than supporting oneself society? and ones family. What are the two main aspects of work? 1) It is a bread-winning process. 2) The activities in it can be valuable to society. What does he think of the work of a car factory He thinks it harmful to both the environment worker? and the society, for cars add to pollution and consume the scarce resources. What does he think of the work of a doctor? He thinks it a valuable job in any society. What kind of job does he do? He is perhaps a university teacher. What does he think of his work? He regarded his job a “white collar” job, which he does with his mind and receives mental satisfaction from it. 【原文】 Matthew: Michael, do you go out to work? Michael: Not regularly, no. I... I used to; I used to have a job in a publishing company, but I decided it wasn't really what I wanted to do and that what I wanted to do wouldn't earn me much money, so I gave up working and luckily I had a private income from my family to support me and now I do the things I want to do. Some of them get paid like lecturing and teaching, and others don't. Matthew: What are the advantages of not having to go to work from nine till five? Michael: Ah... there' re two advantages really. One is that if you feel tired you don't have to get up, and the other is that you can spend your time doing things you want to do rather than being forced to do the same thing all the time. Matthew: But surely that's in a sense very self-indulgent and very lucky because most of us have to go out and earn our livings. Do you feel justified in having this privileged position? Michael: Yes, because I think I use it well. I do things which I think are useful to people and the community and which I enjoy doing. Matthew: Chris, what do you think the value of work is? Chris: Well, I think in our present-day society, for most people, work has very little value at all. Most of us go out to work for about eight to nine hours of our working day. We do things which are either totally futile and totally useless or have very little justification whatsoever, and for most of us the only reason for working is that we need to keep ourselves alive, to pay for somewhere to live, to pay to feed our children. Matthew: But surely people wouldn't know what to do if they didn't have to go to work? Chris: Well, again this raises the sort of two main aspects of work. Should we think of 'work only as a sort of bread-winning process, and this is very much the role it has in current society, or should we take a much wider perspective on work and think of all the possible sort of activities that human beings could be doing during the day? I think the sort of distinction currently is between say, someone who works in a car factory and who produces cars which are just adding to pollution, to over-consumption of vital resources, who is doing something which is very harmful, both to our environment and to, probably society, to contrast his work with someone perhaps like a doctor, who I think in any society could be justified as doing a very valuable job and one which incidentally is satisfying to the person who is doing it. Matthew: What do you do? Is your job just a breadwinning process or do you get some satisfaction out of doing it? Chris: Well, in the job I do find that most of the satisfaction is a mental one; it's coming to grips with the problems of my subject and with the problems of teaching in the University. Clearly this is the type of satisfaction that most people doing what we call in England "white-collar" jobs. This is quite different from the sort of craftsman, who is either working that his hands or with his skills on a machine, or from people perhaps who are using artistic skills, which are of a quite different character. Certainly it's becoming a phenomena that people who do "white-collar jobs during the day, who work with their minds to some extent, people who work on computers, people who are office clerks, bank employees, these people have fairly soul-destroying jobs which nevertheless don't involve much physical effort, that they tend to come home and do "do-it-yourself" activities at home. They make cupboard, paint their houses, repair their cars, which somehow provide the sort of physical job satisfaction that they're denied in their working day. Task 9 【答案】 A. Interviewees Like their jobs Dislike their jobs Like jobs in part (percent) (percent) (percent) Men 91 5 4 Women 84 12 4 Men/Women 18-24 70 20 6 Men/Women 25-29 88 9 3 Men/Women 30-39 92 8 0 White-collar workers 87 8 4 Blue-collar workers 91 5 3 B. 1) No major change. For some?“less paperwork” Some:?less working hours Others:?earn more money. 2) Most adults?would go on working. Esp. young adults (18 to 24)?9 out of 10 would go on working 【原文】 Are most workers today feeling bored and dissatisfied with their jobs? It is often claimed that they are. Yet a study conducted by Parade magazine more than 20 years ago showed that people at that time felt the opposite. Parade asked questions of a representative sampling of adult Americans from coast to coast. The sampling included different sexes, age groups, and occupations. The interviewees were asked to make a choice from one of the following three to describe their feelings towards their work. A. Like their jobs. B. Dislike their jobs. C. Like their jobs in part, Results showed that 91 percent of the male interviewees and 84 percent of the females chose A, while only 5 percent men and 12 percent women interviewed chose B. The rest said that they liked their jobs in part and they comprised a very tow percentage. In all the three age groups — from 18 to 24, from 25 to 29 and 30 to 39 — those who liked their jobs made up the majority. 70 percent, 88 percent and 92 percent respectively choose A. Those choosing B accounted for 20 percent, 9 percent and 8 percent of different age groups. And the rest, 6 percent, 3 percent and 0 percent respectively claimed that they only liked their jobs in part. The difference in responses among people with different occupations is small. Among the white-collar employees, those choosing A, B and C are 87 percent, 8 percent and 4 percent of the total. And for the blue-collar employees, 91 percent, 5 percent and 3 percent choose A, B and C respectively. It is interesting to note that there are few differences in attitude between men and women, professionals and factory workers. In each group, the largest number reported that they liked their jobs. Next, Parade asked, "If there were one thing you could change about your job, what would it be?" It was expected that many would wish to make their jobs less boring, but very few gave this reply. No major changes were reported. Some wished for "less paperwork"; many would shorten their working hours, but others would like more hours in order to earn more money. No serious complaints were made. Most people have to work in order to live. But what would happen if someone had enough money to stop working? Parade asked, "If you inherited a million dollars, would you go on working — either at your present job or something you liked better--or would you quit work?" The answers showed that most adults would prefer to work, even if they didn't have to. This is true especially of the younger adults aged 18-24. Of these, nine out often said they would go on working, even if they suddenly became millionaires. Task 10 【答案】 A. According to Mother According to Cathy Intelligence very bright reasonably intelligent Interests music and dancing tennis and swimming, talking to people Career inclination teacher or vet hairdresser B. 1) F 2) T C. 1) b 2) a D. 1. She really enjoyed meeting new people. 2. She had good qualifications in English and Maths. 3. She did not mind hard work, even if it was not always pleasant. 4. She liked living away form home. 【原文】 Officer: Come in, please take a seat. I'm the careers officer. You're Cathy, aren't you? Mother: That's right. This is Catherine Hunt, and I'm her mother. Officer: How do you do, Mrs. Hunt? Hello, Catherine. Cathy: Hello. Pleased to meet you. Officer: And you'd like some advice about choosing a career?- Mother: Yes, she would. Wouldn't you, Catherine? Cathy: Yes, please. Officer: Well, just let me ask a few questions to begin with. How old are you, Catherine? Mother: She's nineteen. Well, she's almost nineteen. Officer: And what qualifications have you got? Mother: Well, qualifications from school, of course. Very good results she got. And she got certificates for ballet and for playing the piano. Officer: Is that what you're interested in, Catherine, dancing and music? Cathy: Well... Mother: Ever since she was a little girl, she's been very keen on music and dancing. She ought to be a music teacher or something. She's quite willing to train for a few more years to get the right job, aren't you, Catherine? Cathy: Well, if it's a good idea. Mother: There you are, you see. She's a good girl really, a bit lazy and disorganized sometimes, but she's very bright. I'm sure the careers officer will have lots of jobs for you. Officer: Well, I'm afraid it's not as easy as that. There are many young people these days who can't find the job they want. Mother: I told you, Catherine. I told you, you shouldn't wear that dress. You have to look smart to get a job these days. Officer: I think she looks very nice. Mrs. Hunt, will you come into the other office for a moment and look at some of the information we have there. I'm sure you'd like to see how we can help young people. Mother: Yes, I'd love to. Mind you, I think Catherine would be a nice teacher. She could work with young children. She'd like that. Or she could be a vet. She's always looking after sick animals. Officer: I'm afraid there's a lot of competition. You need very good results to be a vet. This way, Mrs. Hunt. Just wait a minute, Catherine. (The mother exits.) Officer: There are just one or two more things, Catherine. Cathy: Do call me Cathy. Officer: OK, Cathy. Are you really interested in being a vet? Cathy: Not really. Anyway, I'm not bright enough. I'm reasonably intelligent, but I'm not brilliant. I'm afraid my mother is a bit over-optimistic. Officer: Yes, I guessed that. She's a bit overpowering, isn't she, your mum? Cathy: A bit. But she's very kind. Officer: I'm sure she is. So, you're interested in ballet and music, are you? Cathy: Not really. My mother sent me to lessons when I was six, so I'm quite good, I suppose. But I don't think I want to do that for the rest of my life, especially music. It's so lonely. Officer: What do you enjoy doing? Cathy: Well, I like playing tennis, and swimming. Oh, I went to France with the school choir last year. I really enjoyed that. And I like talking to people. But I suppose you mean real interests — things that would help me to get a job? Officer: No. I'm more interested in what you really want to do. You like talking to people, do you? Cathy: Oh yes, I really enjoy meeting new people. Officer: Do you think you would enjoy teaching? Cathy: No, no, I don't really. I was never very interested in school work, and I'd like to do something different. Anyway, there's a teacher training college very near us. It would be just like going to school again. Officer: So you don't want to go on training? Cathy: Oh, I wouldn't mind at all, not for something useful. I wondered about being a hairdresser — you meet lots of people, and you learn to do something properly—but I don't know. It doesn't seem very worthwhile. Officer: What about nursing? Cathy: Nursing? In a hospital? Oh, I couldn't do that, I'm not good enough. Officer: Yes, you are. You've got good qualifications in English and Maths. But it is very hard work. Cathy: Oh, I don't mind that. Officer: And it's not very pleasant sometimes. Cathy: That doesn't worry me either. Mum's right. I do look after sick animals. I looked after our dog when it was run over by a car. My mother was sick, but I didn't mind. I was too worried about the dog. Do you really think I could be a nurse? Officer: I think you could be a very good nurse. You'd have to leave home, of course. Cathy: I rather think I should enjoy that. Officer: Well, don't decide all at once. Here's some information about one or two other things which might suit you. Have a look through it before you make up your mind. Task 11 【原文】 I began my career during college, reporting on news stories at a Toronto radio station. The station‟s program manager was also a professor who taught one of my classes. I convinced him that she needed a youth reporter because that year was International Youth Year. After graduation, I took a job as a television news reporter and later, news anchor. But sports reporting was something different, so I decided to try it. Figure skating was my first assignment. I had two months until my new job began. It was like waiting an entire summer for school to start. I spent those two months talking to figure skating coaches and judges. I read boring rule books. I drove to the rinks where the skaters trained, and made notes about our conversations. I even took a lesson, which made some of the skaters laugh. Unit 7 Task 1 【答案】 1) Because he wrote an astonishing number of books. 2) Mankind would have to create a world state. 3) No. 4) Cities were destroyed by bombs dropped from aeroplanes. 5) Any two of the following: The War in the Air, The First Men in the Moon, The Time Machine, and The Invisible Man. 6) Events forecast in Well‟s books might come true. 【原文】 H. G. Wells was born in 1866. His energy must have been enormous, for he wrote an astonishing number of books. Many of the later ones were concerned with his idea that mankind would have to create a world state, if it was not to end up by destroying itself. There we're novels like Kipps, Love and Mr. Lewisham and The History of Mr. Polly. The best of these are now recognized as classics. But in addition, this incredible man somehow found the time and inspiration to write the stories forecasting future events that entitle him to be known as the father of science fiction. When The War in the Air appeared in 1908, how many people could have foreseen that within thirty years great cities were going to be destroyed by bombs dropped from aeroplanes? The First Men in the Moon was published in 1901. How many of those who read it realized that men really were going to walk on the moon within their lifetime? And what about The Time Machine and The Invisible Man? Are we going to wake up one morning and find that here too Wells was forecasting events which were going to come true? Task 2 【答案】 A. 1) b 2) c 3) c 4) a B. 1) tall; narrow; tousled 2) surveyed; half-closed 3) taking a long stride 4) capable; flexible; still life 5) faded; frayed 6) tilted his head; smiled; walked forward; with a flourish 【原文】 If you came into his studio in the evening as the sun was setting you could see him. You would notice how the soft light coming through the long windows fell on his left profile as he stood in front of his easel. He was tall; his shoulders were narrow; his head was large with an abundance of dark, tousled hair. He surveyed the canvas in front of him and half-closed his eyes. His cheek bones were high and prominent, and accentuated the line of the jaw. This in turn set off his long neck. He stepped back, taking a long stride, and remained with one foot in front of the other. He wore sandals without socks and you could see that a big toe had developed a blister where a leather strap cut across it. He had short, strong, capable fingers and he used his broad, flexible thumb to smooth some of the paint on the still life he was busy finishing. The jeans he wore were faded and frayed; paint rags hung from each pocket. His shirt was a checked one of many colors, mainly purple, blue and yellow. It contrasted peculiarly with the ephemeral colors on the canvas. He tilted his head to one side, smiled, walked forward and brought his brush slowly towards the bottom of the canvas, and with a flourish signed his name. Task 3 【答案】 A. 1) F 2) T 3) F 4) F 5) F 6) T 7) F 8) T B. 1) dramatic sunsets and sunrises 2) 1930s; 1840s; impressionistic 3) reds; oranges; 1820 【原文】 Joseph Turner (1775—1851) is one of the two greatest English landscape painters of his age. He is especially noted for his imaginative water colours and oil paintings, which often show dramatic sunsets and sunrises, done in a brilliant kaleidoscope of colours. His painting Burning of the Houses of Parliament appears in colour in the Painting article. During the 1830s and 1840s, the method he used became more and more impressionistic. His work influenced the impressionist movement in France led by Claude Monet in the 1870s. Turner is also known for his landscape drawings, especially the book of drawings called Liber Studiorum, which he produced between 1807 and 1819. Turner was influenced at first by Rembrandt and later by Claude. He began to use bright colours in his paintings, especially the reds and oranges for which he is known, after about 1820. Some of his most famous paintings are Childe Harold's Pilgrimage, Ulysses Deriding Polyphemus, Bay of Baiae, and View of Orvieto. Turner was born in London, the son of a barber. He was' something of a boy genius, and exhibited at the Royal Academy at the age of 15. He traveled widely, first in England and Scotland, and after 1800 in France, Italy, and Germany. Turner drew and painted wherever he went, working incessantly and producing hundreds of paintings and thousands of drawings, many of which he left to the nation. During his lifetime Turner was said to be a miser, and towards the end of his life, he became slovenly, solitary, and secretive. Many people did not like his work until John Ruskin championed him in 1843, but Turner died wealthy and was buried in St. Paul's Cathedral, London. He left his money to a charity for poor English artists. Task 4 【答案】 1) A natural curiosity./A good interviewer is one who likes meeting people and wants to find out about them. 2) A curious kind of affinity with people, and an ability to get on will with people. 3) Because television depends a lot on the director getting the right shot. 4) By research./By knowing more about the guest than they‟ve forgotten about themselves. 5) All./Every ounce of research. 6) Because Mitchum rarely said anything. 7) Because very often the interviewees spin off into areas that the interviewer has never thought about and sometimes it‟s worth pursing. 8) A traffic cop. 9) Talent, ambition and energy. 【原文】 Interviewer: With all your experience of interviewing, Michael, how can you tell if somebody is going to make a good interviewer? Michael: Oh, I say, what a question! I've never been asked that before. I think that the prerequisite obviously is curiosity. I think that's a natural one, not an assumed one. I think the people who have done my job, and the graveyard of the BBC is littered with them, their tombstones are there, you know; who failed, have been because basically they've not been journalists. My training was in journalism. I've been 26 years a journalist and, to be a journalist argues that you like meeting people to start with, and also you want to find out about them. So that's the prerequisite. After that, I think there's something else comes into it, into play, and I think again, most successful journalists have it: It's a curious kind of affinity with people; it's an ability to get on with people; it's a kind of body warmth, if you like. If you knew the secret of it and could bottle it and sell it, you'd make a fortune. Interviewer: When you've done an interview yourself, how do you feel whether it's been a good interview or not a good interview? Michael: I can never really tell on air. I have to watch it back, because television depends so much on your director getting the right shot, the right reaction you can't--it's amazing. Sometimes I think "Oh, that's a boring interview" and just because of the way my director shot it, and shot reaction he's composed a picture that's made it far more interesting than it actually was. Interviewer: How do you bring out the best in people, because you always seem to manage to, not only relax them, but somehow get right into the depths of them. Michael: By research. By knowing, when you go into a television studio, more about the guest in front of you than they've forgotten about themselves. And, I mean that's pure research. I mean, you probably use, in a 20 minute interview; I probably use, oh, a 20th of the research material that I've absorbed, but that's what you've got to do. I mean I once interviewed Robert Mitchum for 75 minutes and the longest reply I got from him was "Yes." And that's the only time I've used every ounce of research and every question that I've ever thought of, and a few that I hadn't thought of as well. But that really is the answer — it's research. When people say to you, you know, "Oh you go out and wing it", I mean that's nonsense. If anybody ever tries to tell you that as an interviewer just starting, that you wing it, there's no such thing. It's all preparation — it's knowing exactly what you're going to do at any given point and knowing what you want from the person. Interviewer: And does that include sticking to written questions or do you deviate? Michael: No, I mean what you do is you have an aide memoire. I have. My list of questions aren't questions as such — they're areas that I block out, and indeed, I can't remember, I can't recall, apart from the foresaid Mr. Mitchum experience, when I've ever stuck to that at all. Because, quite often you'll find that they spin off into areas that you've not really thought about and perhaps it's worth pursuing sometimes. The job is very much like, actually, a traffic cop — you're like you're on point duty and you're, you know when you're directing the flow of traffic, well, you're directing the flow of conversation, that's basically what you're doing, when you're doing a talk show, in my view. Interviewer: Have you got a last word of encouragement for any young people setting out on what they'd like to be a career as an interviewer? Michael: I envy them, I mean, I really do. I mean I'd go back and do it all again. I think it's the most perfect job for any young person who's got talent and ambition and energy. And the nice thing about it is that the proportion of talent is indeed only 5 percent. The other 95 percent is energy and no examinations to pass. I'd love to do it over again. Task 5 【答案】 A. Wangari Maathai Award: Nobel Peace Prize (the twelfth woman/ the first African woman since 1901 to win the prize) Comments from the Nobel Committee: Peace on earth depends on our ability to secure our living environment. Major reason for receiving the award: Green belt movement Personal information: Nationality: Kenyan Age: 64 Education: Studied in the United States and Kenya Believed to have been the first woman in East and central Africa to earn a doctorate degree Career: Was a professor of animal science at the University of Nairobi Is assistant minister of environment, natural resources an B. 1997, plant trees all over Africa, thirty million, seeds nurseries, communities, planting, taking care of the trees, survives, fuel 【原文】 Kenyan environmental activist Wangari Maathai says poor women can fight poverty and help the environment by planting trees. In December, she will receive the Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts to save the forests of Africa. Wangari Maathai is the twelfth woman since nineteen oh one to win the prize. Last year the Norwegian Nobel Committee also recognized a woman, Shirin Ebadi of Iran. She is a lawyer who has fought for human rights for women. But this is the first time the peace prize will go to an African woman. It is also the first time someone within the environmental movement has been recognized at such a high level. The Nobel Committee said: "Peace on earth depends on our ability to secure our living environment." In 1977, Wangari Maathai started the Green Belt Movement. The goal is to plant trees all over Africa, to replace those cut down over the years. Trees are the main source of cooking fuel. Trees also protect wildlife. And they keep nutrients in the soil and help prevent flooding. Today the program operates in a number of countries. A reported thirty million trees have been planted. Young trees are grown from seeds at thousands of nurseries. The Green Belt Movement gives these young trees to communities. Locally trained people advise women farmers about planting and taking care of the trees. The movement pays farmers for every tree that survives. Later the women can use some of the trees for fuel. Professor Maathai is sixty-four years old. She studied in the United States and Kenya. She is believed to have been the first woman in East and Central Africa to earn a doctorate degree. She became a professor of animal science at the University of Nairobi. But her activism angered the former government in Kenya. She was beaten and arrested. Now, she is assistant minister of environment, natural resources and wildlife. But she does not speak out only about the environment. In August, she called the AIDS virus a biological weapon to control black people. Later, she said her comments were meant to get people to ask questions and not think of AIDS as a "curse from God." Wangari Maathai will receive the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo on December tenth. She will also receive almost one point four million dollars in prize money. Task 6 【答案】 I. A. Norway B. the United States II. A. a lack of balance; inflation; recession B. low interest rates; increased government spending; higher interest rates C. low employment; high inflation D. high employment; low inflation; the time consistency problem ?. A. business cycles B. new technology C. market corrections D. an increase in oil price 【原文】 The winners of the Nobel prize in economics this year are Finn Kydland of Norway and Edward Prescott of the United States. Mister Prescott is an adviser at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is also an Arizona State University professor. Mister Kydland is a professor at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The prize recognizes their work together on two studies. The first was published in nineteen seventy-seven. Before the 1970s, economic problems were seen mainly in terms of a lack of balance. Too much demand caused inflation. Too much supply caused a recession. Governments would take steps aggressively to re-balance supply and demand. Low interest rates and increased government spending would expand growth and employment. Then, if prices went up too much, higher interest rates would ease inflation. But in the 70s, many nations experienced both low employment and high inflation at the same time. This was called stagflation. And no one could explain it. Finn Kydland and Edward Prescott showed that stagflation resulted when policymakers did not do as they promised. Most governments say they want high employment and low inflation. But, over time, events can cause them not to follow their stated economic policy to support these goals. This is called the time consistency problem. The two economists published another study in nineteen eighty-two. They developed ways to explain business cycles, times of increase or decrease in economic activity. They showed how new technology creates periods of economic growth and productivity. Markets then make corrections which slow the growth. Wages change. Investments change. People buy more or less of things. The two economists showed how activities at this level govern an economy. They also showed how a shock like an increase in oil prices can affect business cycles. Today, their work influences central bank officials and policymakers around the world. Task 7 【答案】 A. 1) It was originally released in local newspaper in serial form. 2) The two short, little sections are easily doable, and then you get hooked on the story and wonder what‟s happening next. 3) Through mail and twice a month. 4) Because the book opens on Christmas Eve and it has a strong message about family. 5) 5,600 B. 1) 1860; London; in suspense 2) adventures; love; betrayal; a poor orphan 3) any likeness of either of them; photograph; their tombstones 4) Industrial Revolution; altering daily life 5) profound change; fundamental values 【原文】 Host: In December, 1860, the first serialized part of Charles Dickens' Great Expectations hit the streets of London. Every week, readers were kept in suspense waiting for the next installment. Over the next few months, Stanford University will let readers experience Great Expectations the way Victorians did. Reporter: It's Thursday evening and the Stevens' family has settled into the living room to take turns reading the latest weekly installment of Great Expectations. Peter and Rosemary Stevens thought that the installment plan was a terrific way to read Great Expectations with their seven- and eight-year-old daughters. Mrs. Stevens: You have two short, little sections that are easily doable, and where if it's a huge book, you'd say, "How am I going to approach this?" where if it's little pieces, say, "Oh, okay. I can do this." And then you get hooked on the story and think, "Well, what's happening next?" Reporter: It's a little like a very good soap opera, says Rosemary. Most of Dickens' novels — Oliver Twist, A Christmas Carol and Great Expectations — were released in serial form. Stanford University Professor Linda Paulson wanted to recreate that experience. Prof. Paulson: Imagine sitting there in 1860, this brand-new Dickens' novel. You know him as a writer. You respect him. He's wonderful. He's great fun. And you don't know what he's got in his mind. Reporter: Dickens' works were originally released in local newspapers. Stanford made copies of the installments and sends them to readers through the mail twice a month. The university kicked off the serial with a public reading by local actor Marco Barricelli. Mr. Barricelli: My father's family name, being Pirrip, and my Christian name, Philip, my infant tongue could make of both names nothing longer or more explicit than Pip. So I called myself Pip and came to be called Pip. Reporter: For those who aren't familiar with Great Expectations, it is the story of Pip, who writes as an adult looking back on his youth. He faces adventures, love and betrayal, too. Like many Dickens' characters, Pip is born a poor orphan. Mr. Barricelli: As I never saw my father or my mother, and never saw any likeness of either of them, for their days were long before the days of photographs, my first fancies regarding what they were like were unreasonably derived from their tombstones. Reporter: Paulson says Great Expectations was a good choice for this time of year because it opens on Christmas Eve and it has a strong message about family. Prof. Paulson: The idea of what constitutes a family, which is not necessarily the biological family. Reporter: Dickens was writing during the Industrial Revolution, says Paulson, at a moment when technology was altering daily life. Prof. Paulson: He was looking at a world that was in profound change and reminding people that there were some fundamental values that they needed always to remember, and I think that's not far off from what we are trying to remind ourselves of now. Reporter: More than 500 people showed up for the public reading, and 5,600 have signed up to get the serial installments. For many, like Alison Price, it is an opportunity to get closer to friends and family. Ms. Price: I'm doing it with my parents, who live in Southern California, and my friend Miriam and my husband. So we're sort of doing it together. Reporter: Although Price and everyone else could just go out and buy a copy of Great Expectations, most seem to enjoy waiting expectantly for the next episode to arrive in the mail. Task 8 【答案】 the ability to laugh; luxury; a unifying force; disagree; ideological factions; political camps; a sense of humour; a universal appeal; a correct sense of values; taking ourselves too seriously; tragedy; comedy; irony; satire; redress the balance; arrogant politicians; absurdity; powerful; laughter; happiness; uniquely human; key 【原文】 Biologically, there is only one quality which distinguishes us from animals: the ability to laugh. In a universe which appears to be utterly devoid of humor, we enjoy this supreme luxury. And it is a luxury, for unlike any other bodily process, laughter does not seem to serve a biologically useful purpose. In a divide world, laughter is a unifying force. Human beings oppose each other on a great many issues. Nations may disagree about systems of government and human relations may be plagued by ideological factions and political camps, but we all share the ability to laugh. And laughter, in turn, depends on that most complex and subtle of all human qualities: a sense of humor. Certain comic stereotypes have a universal appeal. This can best be seen from the world-wide popularity of Charlie Chaplin‟s early films. The little man at odds with society never fails to amuse no matter which country we come from. As that great commentator on human affairs, Dr. Samuel Johnson, once remarked, „Men have been wise in very different modes; but they have always laughed in the same way.‟ A sense of humor may take various forms and laughter may be anything from a refined tingle to an earth quaking roar, but the effect is always the same. Humor helps us to maintain a correct sense of values. It is the one quality which political fanatics appear to lack. If we can see the funny side, we never make the mistake of taking ourselves too seriously. We are always reminded that tragedy is not really far removed from comedy, so we never get a lopsided view of things. This is one of the chief functions of satire and irony. Human pain and suffering are so grim; we hover so often on the brink of war; political realities are usually enough to plunge us into total despair. In such circumstances, cartoons and satirical accounts of somber political events redress the balance. They take the wind out of pompous and arrogant politicians who have lost their sense of proportion. They enable us to see that many of our most profound actions are merely comic or absurd. We laugh when a great satirist like Swift writes about war in Gulliver’s Travels. The Lilliputians and their neighbors attack each other because they can‟t agree which end to break an egg. We laugh because we meant to laugh; but we are meant to weep too. It is too powerful a weapon to be allowed to flourish. The sense of humor must be singled out as man‟s most important quality because it is associated with laughter. And laughter, in turn, is associated with happiness. Courage, determination, initiative — these are qualities we share with other forms of life. But the sense of humor is uniquely human. If happiness is one of the great goals of life, then it is the sense of humor that provides the key. Task 9 【答案】 A. 1) At the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. 2) The Mona Lisa and The Last Supper. 3) Sudies for Leonardo's most famous paintings, and the results of new research into such subjects as Leonardo's patrons, his teachers, and the work of his pupils. 4) Because they are particularly sensitive to light and temperature. 5) Because drawings are difficult to see in a museum. B. 1) T 2) F 3) T 4) F 5) T C. 1) Master Draftsman; artistic apprenticeship; 1470s; scientist; inventor; France;1519 2) artist; scientist; theorist; Renaissance Man 3) revealing; rationalizing; the mysteries of the world; the great depths of human emotion; convincing 4) magical sense; draws; creates; greatest personalities 5) reassuring; cajoling; security; insurance; the general public; knowledge 【原文】 The most comprehensive collection of drawings by Leonardo da Vinci ever assembled in the United States, is on exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The exhibition is taken from major collections from around the world, and features many pieces not seen in public since the 1930s. Even for seasoned art historian and curator Carmen Bambach, who put together the exhibition of nearly 120 drawings, seeing so many works by Leonardo da Vinci in one place is a moving experience. "It is possibly the most emotional time in my entire life, that I am likely to have. To think about these works you will see on the walls, or that you have already seen on the walls, that normally live in dark, black boxes. To see them all together here, so many of them, is a very, very emotional thing," she said. Leonardo da Vinci — Master Draftsman follows da Vinci's entire career, from his artistic apprenticeship in Florence, Italy in the 1470s, to his highly productive years as a scientist and an inventor in Milan, through to his return to Florence in the beginning of the 16th century, and death in France in 1519. Ms. Bambach said the drawings in the exhibition provide a rare opportunity to confront the diverse talents that made Leonardo da Vinci, artist, scientist, engineer, theorist, teacher, the original "Renaissance Man." "He very much believed in revealing, and in the process of revealing, rationalizing. At the same time, he was deeply and humbly aware of the mysteries of the world, the mysteries of human life. He talks a great deal about that. The mysteries of life, the great depths of human emotion as a kind of shaper of physical gesture. That is why his figures are so deeply convincing." Although Leonardo da Vinci is perhaps best known for paintings such as the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper, very few paintings by the master exist today — 15 at most, whereas there are 4,000 pages of his drawings and notes in various collections throughout the world. The one painting in the exhibition, the unfinished St. Jerome Praying in the Wilderness, has the imprint of the artist's fingers in the upper left corner. Metropolitan Museum Director Philipe de Montebello says tiny details like this are what make the Master Draftsman exhibition so compelling. "You get that magical sense that you are looking over the shoulder of the artist as he draws and creates. It brings you in touch with one of the greatest personalities in the world on such a close basis that it is deeply moving," Mr. de Montebello said. The exhibition includes studies for Leonardo's most famous paintings, Virgin and Child with St. Anne, The Last Supper, Adoration of the Magi, as well as a recently discovered, two-sided sketch of a Hercules statue, possibly meant to compete with Michaelangelo's David. Interwoven in the exhibition are the results of copious new research into such subjects as Leonardo da Vinci's patrons, his teachers, and the work of his pupils. Mr. Montebello said the new research helped convince some reluctant lenders to temporarily part with their da Vinci treasures. "There is no question that it took a lot of reassuring and cajoling, in terms of security and insurance and the like, but I think ultimately what prevailed was the seriousness of the project. The new research, the scholarship, the fact that the exhibition will make not only a contribution to the general public, but a contribution to knowledge," he said. Some art experts have questioned the wisdom of transporting and showing such valuable work because of its fragility. The old work is particularly sensitive to light and temperature. But Francoise Viatte, chief curator of drawings at the Musee de Louvre in Paris, says it is a risk worth taking. "If we never attempt this kind of thing, very few people will see the works of art in the world. I think part of the job of the museum is to make exhibitions between them in partnerships. Especially for drawings. Because Drawings are difficult to see in a museum. Drawings are a special section in a museum. You have to make a special request and get authorization to see them. So it is very important to make a big exhibition like Leonardo," Ms. Viatte said. 21 of the drawings in the exhibition come from the Louvre. Other major contributions come from museums and private collections in the Netherlands, Portugal, Hungary, Italy, Germany, Austria, and the United States. The Royal Library of Windsor Castle in England lent 31 drawings. The exhibition will travel to the Louvre later this year. Task 10 Thomas Edison was one of ten said to be the greatest genius of his age. There are only a few men in all of the history, who have changed the lives of other men as much as the inventor of the first useful electric light. But Edison could never be happy only because someone said he was a genius.“ There is no such thing as genius,” Edison said. He said that what people called genius was mostly hard work. But Edison was a dreamer as well as a worker. From his earliest days as a child he wondered about the secrets of nature. Nature, he often said, is full of secrets. He tried to understand them; then, he tried to learn what could usefully be done with them. Edison enjoyed thinking. He knew that most people will do almost anything instead of the difficult work of thinking, especially if they do not think very often. But he knew, too, that thinking can give men enjoyment and pleasure. Unit 8 Task 1 【答案】 A. 1) interest rates; third time 2) shrunk; first time 3) A fall; employment 4) higher B. News Figures Possible Causes or Effects Items 1) The overnight bank lending rate rose by 0.25 The increase would reduce 1 percent. And the current rate was 5.5 percent. the danger of inflation. 2) The discount rate increased by 0.25 percent to 5 percent. The total value of goods and services produced in 2 the US fell by four tenths of 1 percent (0.4 percent) between July and September. US bonds fell nearly two points. More jobs had been 3 created in March than had been expected. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up nearly 1 Some analysts believed 4 percent or 89 points at 10,205. some signs indicated the US inflation was under control. 【原文】 News Item 1 The United States central bank, the Federal Reserve, has raised interest rates for the third time this year. The Federal Reserve raised the overnight bank lending rate by 0.25 percent (one fourth of one percent) to 5.5 percent. It raised the discount rate also by 0.25 percent to 5 percent. The Federal Reserve said it had no plans to raise interest rates again any time soon. It said the increase today should reduce the danger of inflation. News Item 2 The Commerce Department says the American economy has shrunk for the first time in eight years. The total value of goods and services produced in the United States fell by four tenth of one percent (0.4 percent) in the period of July through September. A recession is commonly defined as at least six months where the economy shrinks. News Item 3 A fall in the New York market had been widely predicted following Friday's better than expected US employment figures. US bonds from which the government funds long-term borrowing fell nearly two points on the news that more jobs had been created in March than had been expected. The Dow Jones Index was closed on Friday for the Easter holiday, so today was the first chance for the share market to react. News Item 4 And we go straight to Wall Street where share prices closed higher. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up nearly 1 percent or 89 points at 10,205. Shares made up for some of the losses they incurred in the past week, thanks to what was interpreted as "signs the US inflation is under control". Task 2 【答案】 A. 1) F 2) F 3) T B. manned; third; the Soviet Union; a person; Shenzhou ?; the Gobi Desert; Inner Mongolia; Thursday; 14; about 20; importance; modernity 【原文】 News Item 1 China has launched a manned space flight, becoming the third country to do so 40 years after the Soviet Union and the United States. A single astronaut was on board the Shenzhou V Craft, which took off from the Gobi Desert. It's expected to go round the earth 14 times during a 24-hour period before landing in Inner Mongolia. President Hu Jintao watched the launch, a sign of the importance China attaches to its space programme. Francis Margnez reports from Beijing. Half an hour after the spacecraft blasted off, China's state television showed footage of the launch, the rocket climbing slowly into the clear blue sky. And many Chinese will feel their country has taken a proud step towards modernity. News Item 2 China's first man in space has returned to Earth. Reports say Chinese officials declared the space flight a success. Astronaut Yang Liwei is also reported to be in good health. On Tuesday, China became only the third nation to send a person into orbit. Astronaut Yang and his spacecraft landed in China's Inner Mongolia early Thursday. He had orbited the earth 14 times in about 20 hours. The United States and Russia praised China for the launch. Russia and the United States were the first two nations to send people into space. Task 3 【答案】 A. 1) d 2) b 3) a 4) a B. 1) ban 2) tobacco taxes 3) substance 4) Health warning 5) treatment programs 6) Education 7) secondhand smoke C. 1) Reference: Negotiations?proposed treaty?approved by the WHO meeting?individual approval by the WHO members?coming into effect when at least 40 members have ratified the treaty 【原文】 Negotiators have agreed to the wording of a proposed international treaty on tobacco control. Delegates from more than 170 countries approved the final wording earlier this month in Switzerland. This came after four years of negotiations. The proposed treaty is called the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. It will be presented in May at the yearly meeting of the World Health Organization, a UN agency. The final version approved there will also require individual approval by WHO members. Once 40 nations have approved it, the treaty will go into effect in those countries. Member states cannot make any amendments once the WHO approves a final version of the treaty. They must either accept or reject the agreement as it is written. The proposed Framework Convention on Tobacco Control is part of the efforts to reduce deaths and diseases from smoking. The WHO estimates that almost five million people die each year from lung cancer and other tobacco-related diseases. That number could rise to ten million a year by 2020. Developing nations are the biggest growth areas for tobacco-related diseases. These nations are calling for the strongest laws possible to control tobacco. The treaty would ban advertising and other marketing campaigns for tobacco products, where doing so would not violate a country's constitution. It also calls for high tobacco taxes. It would even require companies to make public all the substances they use to make cigarettes. In addition, tobacco companies would have to place health warnings on at least thirty percent of their products. These warnings could not include information that might lead people to believe that some cigarettes are less harmful than others. In addition, governments would have to support treatment programs to help people stop smoking. And, there would have to be education campaigns to get people not to start. The proposed treaty also calls for measures to protect non-smokers from second-hand smoke, that is, smoke from other people's tobacco. Task 4 Thank you. And thank you for asking me to share in your weekly address to the American people. Britain and America have so much in common: language, values, belief in family and community, in a real sense of national pride. We share many problems, too. And it has been clear from our discussions that we are agreed, in general terms, about some of the solutions. You took the tough decisions needed for long-term economic stability. We are doing so. You have focused on education, welfare reform, a new approach to crime. So are we. Together, we are breaking down boundaries of left and right and creating a new politics of the radical centre. Task 5 【答案】 A. 1) b 2) c B. 1) e) 2) f) 3) b) 4) d) 5) a) 6) c) C. 1) The award recognizes women's actions in building peace, protecting women's human rights and supporting community life during and after war. 2) Because women can play a very important role in re-establishing normal community life after peace has been reached 【原文】 Each year, the Nobel Committee in Oslo, Norway announces the winners of its famous Nobel Prizes. Most winners of the Nobel Peace Prize have been men. Only ten percent have been women since the prize was first presented in 1901. Now the United Nations Development Fund for Women and the human rights group International Alert have presented a new award to honor women peacemakers. It is called the Millennium Peace Prize for Women. Officials will present the award every three years. The award recognizes women's actions in building peace, protecting women's human rights and supporting community life during and after war. Experts say women are usually not as involved in the peace process as men are. However, their work to re-establish normal community life after peace has been reached is very important. Because of this, International Alert says women also need to be recognized as leaders in peace building. Earlier this month, six women and organizations received the Millennium Peace Prize for Women. One of the winners is the Colombian group “Ruta Pacifica de las Mujeres”, or Women's Road to Peace. This group has organized protests against the violence between rebel groups and the Colombian government. The group “Leitana Nehan Women's Development Agency” also won the peace prize. It helped in the peace process between the military and rebel forces in Papua New Guinea. Another winner is the group Women in Black. It is an international organization that organizes protests against violence, aggression and war. Flora Brovina also received the peace prize. She organized the League of Albanian Women of Kosovo. Doctor Brovina has taught emergency medical skills to people in Kosovo. Asma Jahangir and Hina Jilani are also peace prize winners. They worked to support human rights and women's rights in Pakistan. And the leader of the women's movement in Rwanda also won the Millennium Peace Prize, after her death. Veneranda Nzambazamariya helped re-build Rwanda after the mass killings in 1994. She died in a plane crash last year. Task 6 【答案】 A. 1) Because of the outbreak of dengue fever. 2) More than 80,000. 3) Severe headaches, fever and vomiting. 4) He considers it his government‟s biggest political weakness. B. 1) The EU has banned all imports of animal products from the Netherlands. 2) The Dutch government has confirmed four cases of foot-and-mouth disease. 3) Only Britain and France have been affected by the disease. 4) Officials have seized some sheep suspected of having mad cow disease. 【原文】 News Item 1 Brazil's new Health Minister Hosein Selar has sacked two senior health officials in Rio de Janeiro amid growing concern about the epidemic of dengue fever. More than 80,000 people in southeast Brazil have caught the mosquito-born disease which causes severe headaches, fever and vomiting. In some cases, it can be fatal. Our Brazil correspondent Steven Switch reports that President Fernando Henrique Cardoso regards the issue of health care as his government's biggest political weakness. News Item 2 In agriculture news. The European Union has banned all imports of animal products from the Netherlands. The ban was ordered after the Dutch government confirmed four cases of foot-and-mouth disease there. Dutch officials have had all infected animals destroyed. Until now, only Britain and France have been 'affected by the animal disease. Also, in the American State of Vermont, officials seized some sheep suspected of having mad cow disease. More than 230 sheep were taken from a farm. The animals will be destroyed and tested for the disease.