中科大综合英语听力教程Unit 3

U n i t T h r e e Sports and Life Attitude

Part I Honesty and Excellence in Sports

Task 3

Directions: Listen to the following passage about Michael Jordan. The passage will be read only once. After listening, choose the best answer from the four suggested choices marked A, B, C, and D to each of the

questions you hear.

?Task 3

In a culture with a great passion to rank, to quantify, to compare and contrast everything, Michael Jordan became the universal measuring device for appraising greatness.

Jordan so dominated the basketball world that, for the second half of a professional career that spanned 1984--1998, there was no debate about the game's supreme player. Jordan stood alone, so far ahead of his peers .

He was so far apart that he even broke a basic rule of literature. His Chicago Bulls won six of the eight championships from 1991--1998 against five different teams from the Western Conference. The Bulls' misses were in 1994 and 1995 when Jordan missed most of two seasons while playing baseball. Even his Bulls teammates had a hard time keeping up. In spanning the decade of the '90s with championships, he had only a single teammate for the entire time -- Scottie Pippen. The Bulls' name list was remade several times, but the Jordan-Pippen axis was invulnerable to any basketball force from outside or inside.

Most remarkably, neither Jordan nor Pippen was the 7-foot monolith previously believed to be the essential requirement for sustained NBA success. Jordan was of mortal appearance, but not of mortal deed. Or as Larry Bird put it after he watched Jordan score 63 points in a playoff game against his Celtics in 1986, "I think he's God disguised as Michael Jordan."

His influence extended worldwide, often to countries where basketball had been only a minor diversion. Upon the Bulls' arrival in Paris for the McDonald's Championship in October, 1997, the front-page story in the France-Soir national newspaper began:

"Michael Jordan is in Paris. That's better than the Pope. It's God in person.''

Questions:

1.In what sense does the speaker think that Jordan stood alone from 1984 to 1998?

2.Why did the Bulls fail to get the championship during 1994 and 1995?

3.Why does the speaker mention Scottie Pippen?

4.What in the speaker’s eyes has made Jordan and Pippen so remarkable?

5.What impression did Jordan leave Larry Bird when he scored 63 points in a playoff game?

6.What kind of country does the speaker think France is?

1. A. He had no partners.

B. He didn’t want to challenge anybody.

C. He met no challengers as good as he.

D. He broke the rule of literature.

2. A. Because of the lack of a persistent adversary.

B. Because Jordan missed most of his shots in the two seasons.

C. Because Jordan’s teammates had a hard time keeping up.

D.Because Jordan was attracted by baseball.

3. A. Because Pippen was invulnerable.

B. Because Pippen was Jordan’s best partner.

C. Because Pippen offered him basketball force from inside.

D. Because Pippen remade the Bulls' name list several times.

4. A. They were both 7 feet.

B. They were of mortal appearance.

C. They had mortal deed.

D. They had extraordinary performance.

5. A. Jordan did something that had been done by somebody else.

B. Jordan had surpassed his own achievements.

C. Jordan had done something beyond the ability of man.

D. Jordan had disguised his true identity.

6. A. The kind of country where basketball is only a minor sport.

B. The kind of country where basketball is a principal sport.

C. The kind of country that Jordan never visited.

D. The kind of country where Pope is regarded as God in person.

Part II Courage and Perseverance

?Task 3

Evandor Holyfield is the only professional boxer who, aside from Muhammad Ali, has won the heavyweight championship three separate times.

Although Holyfield often faced much larger opponents as a heavyweight, his diligent training habits and exceptional durability in the ring helped to make up for his lack of size. On Nov. 9, 1996. he met heavyweight champion Mike Tyson in a much anticipated WBA bout Though Tyson was heavily favored to win, Holyfield scored a stunning upset with a technical knockout in the 11th round, becoming the heavyweight champion for a third time. He successfully defended his title on June 28, 1997, in a rematch against Tyson, who was disqualified after the third round for biting Holyfield's ears.

When asked about his strategy to defeat Mike Tyson. Holyfield said: “Tyson might frighten you. But he doesn't scare me. This is my game, my trade. I've been everywhere he has, except prison. You can't just defeat him. You have got to be prepared to fight. The point is, to beat a guy li ke that, you've got to fight him.”

For him the greatest sports moment came when he became a member of the 1984 U.S. Olympic boxing team. “Being a representative of the United States, I was doing it for more than myself. I got to represent my country. To do it for all the people in the U.S.”

The people he admires most are the people who do the best at what they do. “Being the best, you get a chance to energize people, so that if they find something that they can do real well, and they put the time in to develop it, it will bring them to success. Boxing is what I do best. I find myself surrounded by people who are good in other things too. They'll allow you not to be envious of somebody. Hey, I got something I do well, too. You spend all your time writing. I spend all my time training. So I can respect you and know why you're good. And not be envious of you because you write better than me and you put words together better. Everybody should have something to hang their hat on. And that allows you to have that joy and love for everybody. What you do best can bring you joy at any time.”

Questions:

1.What helped Holyfield when he was in face of much larger opponents as a heavyweight?

2.Why was Tyson disqualified on June 28, 1997?

3.What was Holyfield’s explanation of hi s defeating Tyson?

4.When did Holyfield’s greatest sports moment came?

5.Who did Holyfield admire most?

6.Why does Holyfield hold that everybody should have something to hang their hat on?

1. A. His experience of winning the heavyweight championship three separate times.

B. His diligent training habits and exceptional durability

C. His exceptional size.

D. His training with Muhammad Ali.

2. A. He was knocked out.

B. He was heavily favored to win.

C. He was anticipating a rematch.

D. He bit Holyfield.

3. A. To face him boldly.

B. To know the details of Tyson’s strategy.

C. To see Tyson everywhere except in prison.

D. To make Tyson feel scared.

4. A. When he became a representative of the United States.

B. When he was fighting against Tyson for the third time.

C. When he defended his title in 1997.

D. When he earned great fame for all the people in the U.S.

5. A. Muhammad Ali.

B. Boxers in the ring.

C. Those doing best at what they do.

D. The winner in a match.

6. A. To have a neat and tidy appearance.

B. To get a good luck in life.

C. To appreciate the hat of everybody.

D. To get joy in life.

Part III Failure and Success

?Task 3

The older I grow the more impressed I am with the role of luck or chance in life.

There are millions now living in America who, had they been born or had remained in the countries of their parents' origins, would long since have been dead. Luck does not determine or explain achievement - merit often plays an important role.

But sometimes those who are qualified, and more often, those who are potentially qualified never get the chance. Sometimes the qualified have the good luck of competing against the poorer qualified or the bad luck of

competing against the better qualified - circumstances usually beyond the control of the persons affected. Yet, in every competition luck is an important factor.

The distribution of wealth in this world depends almost as much on luck as on energy, foresight and skill. These latter virtues are decisive as a rule when the luck of opportunity is common. But often it is not, as the varying portions of individuals' inheritance testify. Even when the opportunity is common, results may not reflect merit or demerit.

The wisest of the ancients thought that the good life in this world was marked by an element of luck. When we realize what we owe to luck, it tends to cure us of self-conceit and self-righteousness. For whatever our achievements we will note that they are not a consequence only of our worth, or of our efforts and virtues alone. Success always depends upon the cooperation of other persons and things, on the happy concern of time, place and opportunity --the absence of any one of which might have spelled failure.

A realizing sense of the role of luck in life makes for modesty towards one's own accomplishments and for sympathy and compassion towards others who are less fortunate. It reinforces our feeling of kinship with others when natural or social disasters strike. It strengthens our will to cooperate in the face of danger. When it is necessary to do justice, it opens our heart to appeals for mercy.

Questions:

1.According to the speaker, what is the most important factor that leads to one’s achievement?

2.How would the speaker comment on a man who has to compete against a better qualified person?

3.What does the speaker want to illustrate by talking about the distribution of wealth?

4.Why is it important that we should to some extent owe our good life to luck?

5.What other elements are indispensable in our achievement besides our efforts and virtues?

6.Which of the following may NOT be a benefit for ourselves even if we realize the important role of luck in

life?

1. A. Luck.

B. Quality.

C. Qualifications.

D. Chance.

2. A. He is quite courageous.

B. He is rather unlucky.

C. He is fairly fortunate in having a superior opponent.

D. He is in a pretty critical situation to bring out his potential.

3. A. Luck is as important as energy, foresight and skill.

B. Energy, foresight and skill are rare virtues.

C. Individuals' inheritance reflect merit or demerit.

D. Opportunities are decisive.

4. A. So that we will not be so conceited.

B. So that we can make our life better.

C. So that we don’t need to work so hard.

D. So that we will not be discouraged.

5. A. Long time spent.

B. Great patience.

C. The cooperation of other persons and things.

D. The absence of any failure.

6. A. It makes for modesty towards our accomplishments.

B. It strengthens our will to cooperate in the face of danger

C. It reinforces our feeling of kinship with others.

D. It offers us sympathy and compassion when natural or social disasters strike.