听力材料
英语听力短文训练材料
【导语】在英语听⼒⾥，短⽂听⼒是难度较⼤的⼀种，因此，考⽣可以在⽇常的英语听⼒⾥多进⾏⼀些短⽂听⼒，强化⾃⼰这⽅⾯的英语听⼒能⼒。
下⾯是分享的英语听⼒短⽂训练材料。
欢迎阅读参考！1.英语听⼒短⽂训练材料 《酸奶》 When you open a container of yogurt, you’ll often see liquid collected on top. Some people mix it back into the yogurt, and others drain it off. What is it, and where does it come from? 打开⼀盒酸奶，你常常会发现有⼀层液体浮在表⾯。
有的⼈把它拌⼊酸奶中，有的⼈则将这层液体倒掉。
这层液体究竟是什么东西，它⼜是从哪来的呢? To solve the mystery of the liquid in yogurt, let’s take a few steps back, to the milk that yogurt is made of. Milk has two different types of proteins. Most of the proteins are casein proteins, and the rest are whey proteins–of curds and whey fame. 为了揭开酸奶中这层液体的神秘⾯纱，让我们往回追溯，去看看制作酸奶的原料—⽜奶。
⽜奶有两种不同类型的蛋⽩质。
⼤部分蛋⽩质是酪蛋⽩，其余是乳清蛋⽩，包括凝质和乳清。
If you look at a glass of milk, you can’t tell the casein from the whey. But that changes when special bacteria are added to milk to make yogurt. Yogurt-producing bacteria ferment the sugars in milk and produce an acid. As a result, the mixture is more acidic than before, and this higher acidity solidifies the casein proteins. The whey proteins, on the other hand, don’t solidify, and separate out from the casein as liquid. 单单看⼀杯⽜奶，我们是⽆法从中分辨出酪蛋⽩和乳清的。
听力材料及答案
听力材料第一节：听对话，选择图片。
对话仅读一遍。
1. ---My pen pal is from Japan, how about you, Lucy?---She lives in Toronto, Canada.2. ---Do you want to be a singer, Bob?---Yes, I think it’s an interesting job.3. ---Did you go fishing last Sunday, Jim?---No, I went swimming.4. ---Oh, that’s my favorite animal. It’s shy and it’s only from China. ---Hmm, I think it’s cute but a little lazy.5. —How was your weekend, Jenny?---Pretty good. And the weather was beautiful and sunny.第二节：听对话，选答案。
对话仅读一遍。
6、--How was your weekend, Susan?--Oh, it was pretty good.7、--Father ,we want to join a club this year.--Really? The swimmng club?--No, The dancing club.8、--Tom, did you do morning exercises yesterday morning?--Yes, I did morning exercises before breakfast?9 、--How much is this backpack?--It's 50 dollars.--Oh, It's too expensive.10、--Hi,Bruce .What are you doing now?--I am reading a book.But my brother is watching TV.第三节：听长对话，选答案10%听下面一段较长对话，回答第11—12题。
听力材料
一、事实细节题1. 听力原文Text 2M: Susan, I heard you are going to France. How long will you be staying there? W: A whole year. My aunt lives there. I’m going to do a one-month course at a language school and spend the rest of the time traveling.2.听力原文Text 3M: It really annoys me when Kate calls her friends during office hours.W: If I were you, I would tell her to stop.M: Maybe you’re right. I will talk to her sometime.3. 听力原文Text 6W: Hi, Michael! I heard you just came back from a holiday?M: Yes. I stayed for a week in China and 5 days in India.W: You do travel a lot, don’t you? Last year, you went to Norway, right?M: Well, I’ve been to quite some countries, but not yet to Norway. Last summer, I toured Russia for two weeks.二、简单推断题1.听力原文Text 5W: I wish I knew the times of the trains to London. But our phone’s out of order. M: Don’t worry, Grandma. I’ll find out for you on the Internet. W: Thank you!2.听力原文Text 4M: Here’s the menu, Madame. Would you like something to drin k?W: Yes, please. May I see the wine list?M: Certainly. Here you are.M: Hi, Sue. How’s it going?W: Oh, hi, Frank, just fine. How are your classes?M: Pretty good. I’m glad this is my last term here, though.W: Why is that? I thought you were enjoying school.M: I was. But now I’m getting tired of it. I’m ready for the real world.W: What are you planning to do when you graduate?M: First, I want to get a job as a computer programmer, and then after five years or so, I’d like to start my own business.W: Sounds good. I still have three terms to go until I’m done.M: You’ll make it for sure. Well, see you later.W: Bye!三、主旨大意题1. 听力原文Text 3M: Let’s see what drinks you’ve got for theparty tonight.W: Everything! Beer, wine, soft drinks like Coke, 7-Up…you name it, I’ve got it! Ha ve youordered the cake?M: Of course.W: What are we going to get for Lydia’s birthday?M: How about a pair of running shoes?W: You know she hates doing exercise.M: Then I guess we can buy her a birthday cake.3.听力原文Text 5W: What is going on? It’s May, and we still have to wear warm clothes.M: Well, there’s some good news on the radio. You probably can wear shorts tomorrow.。
适合初中听的英语听力
适合初中听的英语听力
以下是一些适合初中生的英语听力材料：
1. 短篇故事：选择一些简短的故事，内容有趣且易懂，比如《小红帽》、《青蛙王子》等，学生在听故事的同时能够提高对英语的理解能力。
2. 英语歌曲：选择一些节奏明快、歌词简单易懂的英语歌曲，并提供歌词让学生一边听一边跟唱。
这样能够提高学生的听力和发音能力，同时也能加深他们对英语文化的了解。
3. 短对话和问答：可以编写一些简短的对话和问答材料，让学生听懂问题并能适当回答。
这样不仅能提高学生的听力水平，还能帮助他们学会在实际交流中运用所学的英语知识。
4. 新闻报道：选择一些适合初中生的简短新闻报道，内容关注学生熟悉的话题，比如体育赛事、科技发展等。
这样不仅能够提高学生的听力能力，还能拓宽他们的知识面。
5. 儿童广播剧：寓教于乐的儿童广播剧能够提供丰富多样的听力材料，让学生在听剧的过程中培养对英语的兴趣，并通过角色对话提高他们的听力水平。
总体而言，适合初中生的英语听力材料应该既涵盖学生所学知识的内容，又有趣易懂，能够激发学生的学习兴趣，提高他们的听力水平。
可以精读的英文听力材料
可以精读的英文听力材料
以下是几个适合精读的英文听力材料：
1. 英国广播公司（BBC）的纪录片：BBC的纪录片制作精良，发音清晰，适合用来练习听力和发音。
例如，"Planet Earth"和"Blue Planet"等系列，内容涵盖了自然、科学、历史等方面，有助于拓宽知识面。
2. 公开课：像网易公开课、Coursera等平台上有许多英语课程，内容涵盖
了从语言学习到专业课程等多个领域。
这些课程通常有详细的讲解和丰富的实例，非常适合用来精读。
3. TED演讲：TED演讲是全球各界精英发表观点和分享经验的平台，其演
讲内容涵盖了各种主题，包括科技、文化、社会等。
这些演讲通常都有很好的结构和生动的表达方式，非常适合用来练习听力和口语。
4. 新闻广播：VOA、CNN等新闻广播机构提供的听力材料非常适合用来精读。
这些新闻通常涉及国际时事、政治、经济等方面，有助于了解国际动态。
5. 英文经典文学作品：像"The Adventures of Tom Sawyer"、"Jane Eyre"等英文经典文学作品，不仅语言优美，而且情节引人入胜，非常适合
用来精读。
可以选择一些适合自己水平的作品，通过阅读和听读结合的方式提高自己的语言水平。
以上这些听力材料都是非常优秀的英语学习资源，可以通过反复听、跟读、理解等方式进行精读练习，提高自己的英语水平。
精选英语听力材料参考优秀9篇
精选英语听力材料参考优秀9篇英语听力材料原文篇一听下面5段对话每段对话后有一个小题，从题中所给的a,b,c三个选项中选出最佳选项，并标在试卷的相应位置听完每段对话后，你都有10秒钟的时间来回答有关小题和阅读下一小题。
每段对话仅读一遍。
1.what does the woman plan to do during the summer?a.to teach.b.to stay at home and rest.c.to go to china for a visit.2.what did the woman buy her husband for christmas?a.a book.b.a watch.c.a case for coin collection.3.what does the man intend to do?a.he intends to put something into the boxes.b.he intends to ask the woman to help him carry boxes.c.he intends to help the woman carry boxes.4.what does the woman mean?a.she doesn’t agree with the man.b.me man shouldn’t eat the fish.c.the fish is safe to eat.5.how much will the woman lend the man?a.$6 。
b. $4 。
c.$7.第二节（共15小题；每小题1 。
5分，满分22.5分）听下面5段对话或独白。
每段对话或独白后有几个小题，从每题所给的a,b,c三个选项中选出最佳选项，并标在试卷的相应位置。
听每段对话或独白前，你将有时间阅读各个小题，每小题5秒钟；听完后，各小题将给出5秒钟的。
中考英语听力材料
中考英语听力材料一、购物。
A: Can I help you?B: Yes, I’m looking for a dress for a wedding.A: What size do you need?B: I’m a size 8.A: Here’s a nice one. It’s on sale for $50.B: Oh, that’s a great price. I’ll take it.二、交通。
A: Excuse me, where is the nearest subway station?B: Go straight for two blocks, and then turn left. It’s on your right. A: Thank you.B: You’re welcome.三、餐厅。
A: Welcome to our restaurant. How many are in your party?B: There are four of us.A: Right this way. Here are your menus.B: Thank you.A: Can I get you something to drink?四、旅行。
A: How was your trip to Paris?B: It was amazing. The Eiffel Tower was so beautiful.A: Did you visit the Louvre Museum?B: Yes, and I saw the Mona Lisa. It was incredible.五、健康。
A: How are you feeling today?B: I’m not feeling well. I have a headache and a sore throat. A: You should go see the doctor.B: I think I will. Thank you.六、学校生活。
英语听力50篇文本
听写50篇文本Passage 1 Town and Country Life in England There is a big difference between town life and country life in England. In the country, everybody knows everybody else. They know what time you get up, what time you go to bed and what you have for dinner. If you want help, you will always get it and you will be glad to help others.In a large town like London, however, it can sometimes happen that you have never seen your next door neighbor and you do not know his name or anything about him. People in London are often very lonely. This is because people go to different places in the evenings and at weekends. If you walk through the streets in the centre of London on Sunday, it is like a town without people. One is sorry for old people living on their own. They could die in their homes and would not be discovered for weeks or even months. (154 words.)Passage 2 A Change in Women’s LifeThe important change in women’s life-pattern has only recently begun to have its full effect on women’s economic position. Even a few years ago most girls left school at the first opportunity, and most of them took a full-time job. However, when they married, they usually left work at once and never returned to it. Today the school-leaving age is sixteen, many girls stay at school after that age, and though women tend to marry younger, more married women stay at work at least until shortly before their first child is born. Very many more afterwards return to full-time or part-time work. Such changes have led to a new relationship in marriage, with husband accepting a greater share of the duties and satisfactions of family life and with both husband and wife sharing more equally in providing the money, and running the home, according to the abilities and interests on each of them. (154 words)Passage 3 A Popular Pastime of the English People One of the best means of understanding the people of any nation is watching what they do with their non-working time.Most English men, women and children love growing things, especially flowers. Visitors to England in spring, summer, or autumn are likely to see gardens all the way along the railway lines. There are flowers at the airports and flowers in factory grounds, as well as in gardens along the roads. Each English town has at least one park with beautifully kept flower beds. Public buildings of every kind have brilliant window boxes and sometimes baskets of flowers are hanging on them.But what the English enjoy most is growing things themselves. If it is impossible to have a garden, then a widow box or something growing in a pot will do. Looking at each other’s gardens is a popular pastime with the English. (144words.)Passage 4 British and American Police Officers Real policemen, both in Britain and the U.S., hardly recognize any common points between their lives and what they see on TV—if they ever get home in time.Some things are about the same, of course, but the policemen do not think much of them.The first difference is that a policeman’s real life deals with the law. Most of what he learns is the law. He has to know actually what actions are against the law and what facts can be used to prove them in court. He has to know nearly as much law as a lawyer, and what’s more, he has to put it into practice on his feet, in the dark a nd, running down a narrow street after someone he wants to talk to.Little of his time is spent in talking with beautiful girls or in bravely facing cruel criminals. He will spend most of his working life arranging millions of words on thousands of forms about hundreds of sad, ordinary people who are guilty — or not of stupid, unimportant crimes. (177words)Passage 5 Living SpaceHow much living space does a person need? What happens when his space needs are not met? Scientists are doing experiments on rats to try to determine the effects of overcrowded conditions on man. Recent studies have shown that the behavior of rats is greatly affected by space. If rats have enough living space, they eat well, sleep well and produce their young well. But if their living conditions become too crowded, their behavior and even their health change obviously. They can not sleep and eat well, and signs of fear and worry become clear. The more crowded they are, the more they tend to bite each other and even kill each other. Thus, for rats, population and violence are directly related. Is this a natural law for human society as well? Is enough space not only satisfactory, but necessary for human survival? These are interesting questions.(147 words)Passage 6 The United NationsIn 1945, representatives of 50 nations met to plan this organization. It was called the United Nations. After the war, many more nations joined.There are two major parts of the United Nations. One is called the General Assembly. In the General Assembly, every member nation is represented and has an equal vote.The second part is called the Security Council. It has representatives of just 15 nations. Five nations are permanent members: the United States, Russia, France, Britain and China. The 10 other members are elected every two years by the General Assembly.The major job of the Security Council is to keep peace in the world. If necessary, it can send troops from member nations to try to stop little wars before they turn into big ones.It is hard to get the nations of the Security Council to agree on when this is necessary. But they did vote to try to stop wars. (156 words)Passage 7 PlasticWe use plastic wrap to protect our foods. We put our garbage in plastic bags or plastic cans. We sit on plastic chairs, play with plastic toys, drink from plastic cups, and wash our hair with shampoo from plastic bottles!Plastic doesn’t grow in nature. It is made by mixing certain things together. We call it a produced or manufactured material. Plastic was first made in the 1860s from plants, such as wood and cotton. That plastic was soft and burned easily.The first modern plastics were made in 1930s. Most clear plastic starts out asthick, black oil. That plastic coating inside a pan begins as natural gas.Over the years, hundreds of different plastics have been developed. Some are hard and strong. Some are soft and bendable. Some are clear. Some are many-colored. There is a plastic for almost every need. Scientists continue to experiment with plastics. They hope to find even ways to use them! (160 words)Passage 8 Display of GoodsAre supermarkets designed to persuade us to buy more?Fresh fruit and vegetables are displayed near supermarket entrances. This gives the impression that only healthy food is sold in the shop. Basic foods that everyone buys, like sugar and tea, are not put near each other. They are kept in different aisles so customers are taken past other attractive foods before they find what they want. In this way, shoppers are encouraged to buy products that they do not really need.Sweets are often placed at children’s eye level at the checkout. While parents are waiting to pay, children reach for the sweets and put them in the trolley.More is bought from a fifteen-foot display of one type of product than from a ten-foot one. Customers also buy more when shelves are full than when they a half empty. They do not like to buy from shelves with few products on them because they feel there is something wrong with those products that are there. (166 words)Passage 9 Albert EinsteinAlbert Einstein was born in Germany in 1879. His father owned a factory that made electrical devices. His mother enjoyed music and books. His parents were Jewish but they did not observe many of the religion’s rules. Albert was a quiet child who spent much of his time alone. He was slow to talk and had difficulty learning to read. When Albert was five years old, his father gave him a compass. The child was filled with wonder when he discovered that the compass needle always pointed in the same direction—to the north. He asked his father and his uncle what caused the needle to move. Their answers about magnetism and gravity were difficult for the boy to understand. Yet he spent a lot of time thinking about them. He said later that he felt something hidden had to be behind things. (143 words.)Passage 10 Private CarsWith the increase in the general standard of living, some ordinary Chinese families begin to afford a car. Yet opinions of the development of a private car vary from person to person.It gives a much greater degree of comfort and mobility. The owner of a car is no longer forced to rely on public transport, and hence no irritation caused by waiting for buses or taxis. However, others strongly object to developing private cars. They maintain that as more and more cars are produced and run in the street, a large volume of poisonous gas will be given off, polluting the atmosphere and causing actual harm to the health of people.Whether private cars should be developed in China is a difficult question to answer, yet the desire for the comfort and independence a private car can bring will not be eliminated.(143words)Passage 11 A Henpecked Husband and His WifeThere was once a large, fat woman who had a small, thin husband. He had a job in a big company and was given his weekly wages every Friday evening. As soon as he got home on Fridays, his wife used to make him give her all his money, and then she used to give him back only enough to buy his lunch in his company every day.One day, the small man came home very excited. He hurried into the living-room. His wife was listening to the radio and eating chocolates there.“You will never guess what happened to me today, dear,” he said.He waited for a few seconds and then added, “I won ten thousand dollars on the lottery!”“That is wonderful!” said his wife delightedly. But then she pulled a long face and added angrily, “But how could you afford to buy the ticket?” (148 words)Passage 12 A Young Man’s PromiseOne day a young man was writing a letter to his girl friend who lived just a few miles away in a nearby town. He was telling her how much he loved her and how wonderful he thought she was. The more he wrote, the more poetic he became. Finally, he said that in order to be with her he would suffer the greatest difficulties, he would face the greatest dangers that anyone could imagine. In fact, to spend only one minute with her, he would swim across the widest river, he would enter the deepest forest, and he would fight against the fiercest animals with his bare hands.He finished the letter, signed his name, and then suddenly remembered that he had forgotten to mention something quite important. So, in a postscript below his name, he added:“By the way, I’ll be over to see you on Wednesday night, if it doesn’t rain.” (154 words)Passage 13 A Kind NeighborMr. and Mrs. Jones’ apartment was full of luggage, package, furniture and boxes. Both of them were very busy when they heard the doorbell ring. Mrs. Jones went to open it and she saw a middle-aged lady outside. The lady said she lived next door. Mrs. Jones invited her to come in and apologized because there was no place for her to sit. “Oh, that’s OK,” said the lady. “I just come to welcome you to your new home. As you know, in some parts of this city neighbors are not friendly at all. There are some apartment houses where people don’t know any of their neighbors, not even the ones next door. But in this building everyone is very friendly with everyone else. We are like one big happy family. I’m sue you’ll be very happy here. ” Mr. and Mrs. Jones said, “But madam, we are not new dwellers in this department. We’ve lived her for two years. We’re moving out tomorrow. ” (163 words)Passage 14 That Isn’t Our FaultMr. and Mrs. Williams got married when he was twenty-three, and she was twenty. Twenty-five years later, they had a big party, and a photographer came and took some photographs of them.Then the photographer gave Mrs. Williams a card and said, “They’ll be ready next Wedne sday. You can get them from studio.”“No,” Mrs. William said, “Please send them to us.”The photographs arrived a week later, but Mrs. Williams was not happy when shesaw them. She got into her car and drove to the photographer’s studio. She went inside a nd said angrily, “You took some photographs of me and my husband last week, but I’m not going to pay for them.”“Oh, Why not?” the photographer asked.“Because my husband looks like a monkey,” Mrs. William said.“Well,” the photographer answered, “that isn’t our fault. Why didn’t you think of that before you married him?” (148 words)Passage 15 A Guide’s AnswerIn 1861, the Civil War started in the United States between the Northern and the Southern states. The war continued with great bitterness until 1865, when the Northerners were victorious. However, even today, many Southerners have not forgotten their defeat, or forgiven the Northerners.A few years ago, a party of American tourists were going round one of the battlefield of the Civil War with a guide who came from one of the Southern states. At each place, the guide told the tourists stirring stories about how a few Southern soldiers had conquered powerful forces of Northerners there.At last, one of the tourists, a lady who came from the North, stopped the guide and said to him, “But surly the Northern army must have won at least one victory in the Civil War?”“Not as long as I’m the guide here, madam,” answered the Southern guide.(147 words)Passage 16 A Qualified PilotThe captain of a small ship had to go along a rocky coast, but he was unfamiliar with it, so he tried to find a qualified pilot to guide him. He went ashore in one of the small ports, and a local fisherman pretended that he was a pilot because he needed some money. The captain took him on board and asked him where to steer the ship.After half an hour the captain began to suspect that the fisherman did not really know what he was doing and where he was going.“Are you sure you are a qualified pilot?” he asked.“Oh, yes,” answered the fisherman. “I know every rock on this part of the coast.”Suddenly there was a terrible crash from under the ship. At once the fisherman added, “And that’s one of them.” (138 words)Passage 17 Living Things ReactYou and all organisms live in an environment. An environment is made up of everything that surrounds an organism. It can include the air, the water, the soil, and even other organism.An organism responds to changes in its environment. When an organism responds to a change, it reacts in a certain ways. All living things respond in some way.Have you ever noticed how plants and insects respond to light? Plants bend toward light. Insects fly toward light.Living things also respond in other ways. The leaves on some trees respond to a change in season. In autumn, they change colors and then fall off the branches. Animals also respond to a change in season. Squirrels save nuts for the winter. Bears sleep through the winter in a cave.You respond to your environment in many ways, too. You may shiver if you are cold. What other ways do you respond to changes in your environment? (156 wordsPassage 18 Flowering PlantsWhat are the parts of a flower?Flowers can have male parts and female parts. The female parts make eggs that become seeds. The male parts make pollen. Pollen is a powdery material that is needed by the eggs to make seeds. To make seeds, pollen and eggs must come together. The wind, insects, and birds bring pollen to eggs. Many animals love flowers’ bright colors. They also like a sugary liquid in flowers. This is called nectar. While they drink nectar, pollen rubs off on their bodies. As they move, some of this pollen gets delivered to the female flower parts.Over time, the female parts turn into fruits that contain seeds. Animals often eat the fruits and the seeds pass through their bodies as waste. The animals do not know they are working for the plants by planting seeds as they travel to different places. (147 words)Passage 19 Finding the Direction and Location How can you tell which direction? By day, look for the Sun. It is in the east in the morning and the west in the afternoon. At night, use the Big Dipper to help you find the North Star. It would be better to bring a compass because its needle always points north.How do you know how far you have gone? You could count every step. Each step is about two feet. You’d better wear a pedometer which is a tool that counts steps. If you know where you started, which direction you are heading, and how far you have gone, you can use a good map to figure out exactly where you are.Today there is a new way for travelers to figure out where they are. It is the GPS. It has 24 satellites that orbit the earth and constantly broadcast their positions. Someday you may carry a small receiver as you hike and use GPS to find out if you are there yet!Passage 20 WavesHow does light get from the sun to the earth? How does music get from the stage to the audience? They move the same way — in waves!Light and sound are forms of energy. All waves carry energy, but they may carry it differently. Light and sound travel through different kinds of matter. For example, light waves cannot move through walls, but sound waves can. That is why you can hear people talking in another room even though you cannot see them. The energy of some waves is destructive. An earthquake produces seismic waves.Catch a wave. Ask a friend to stand a few feet away from you. Stretch a spring between you. Shake the spring to transfer energy to it. What happens? The spring bounces up and down in waves. When the waves reach your friend, they bounce back to you!Light waves travel 300,000 kilometers (186,000 miles) per second! They can also travel through a vacuum. That is why light from the sun and distant stars can travel through space to the earth.(175 words)Passage 21 SoilsThere are many different kinds of soils. Different soils have different types of rock and minerals in them than other. Some soils have more water in them than others. Some soils might have more plant and animal material in them, too.Different kinds of soils are found in different parts of the world. There are several kinds of soils found in the United States. In some areas, the soil has a lot of clay. Other soils are very sandy. Loam is a kind of soil that has a good mixture of clay and sand.In some places, soil layers are very thick. Lots of plants grow in places with a thick soil layer. In dry and windy places soil layers are much thinner. Layers of soil on mountains are thin because gravity pulls the soil downhill.The type of soil in a particular place affects what kinds of plants can grow there. (150 words)Passage 22 CrisisLife is a contest! Who will win? A bluebird and sparrow both compete for space to build their nests. A fast-growing maple tree and slower-growing dogwood compete for the sunlight they both need. Oil competes with coal and nuclear power as an energy source for electric power plants.There is a problem. There is a limited amount of space for birds, sunlight for trees, and energy for people! If we do not cut back on our uses of some of our resources, someday they will be gone!How can we use energy today and know we will have enough to go around in the future? We can choose alternate, or replacement, energy resources. It takes the earth millions of years to create coal, oil, and gas. They are nonrenewable resources.Solar energy, wind energy and water energy are renewable. What other ways we conserve our resources? How can we make sure there is always enough to go around? (159 words.)Passage 23 America’s Worst SurpriseDecember 7, 1941 was one of the worst days in American history. Nearly all Americans who are old enough to remember that day can still remember what they were doing at the moment they heard “the news”. The news was that America had been attacked!Shortly before 2:00 P.M., a radio dispatch came into Washington from Honolulu, Hawaii. “Air Raid, Pearl Harbor —This is no drill.” Japanese planes had begun an attack on the largest American military base in the Pacific. They first destroyed places on the ground. Then they bombed the ships in the harbor.No one had expected the attack. So no one was prepared for it. And it did not take long for the Japanese to do their damage. When the smoke cleared, the Navy counted its losses. Eighteen ships had been sunk or badly damaged. Nearly 150 planes had been destroyed. More than 2,400 Americans had been killed and more than 1,200 wounded. (157 words)Passage 24 Great Depression in the U.S.In 1929, the bills started to come in. American industry had produced too many goods. Americans could not afford to buy all of them. So factories had to cut down on their production. Many workers lost their jobs. Investors tried to get their moneyback. But businesses did not have enough money to pay them. Banks tried to get their money back from investors. But the investors could not pay, either. Too many people owned money. And few of them could pay their bills.During the next few years, business got worse and worse. By 1932, banks all over the country were closing.People without money could not buy goods. So more businesses closed. More and more people lost their jobs. By 1932, more than 12 million Americans were jobless. Millions more were earning barely enough to live on. The country was in a great depression they had never experienced before. (151 words)Passage 25 A Place of Our OwnWe are all usually very careful when we buy something for the house. Why? Because we have to live with it for a long time. We paint a room to make it brighter, so we choose the colours carefully.We buy new curtains in order to match the newly decorated room, so they must be the right colour. We move the furniture round so as to make more space — or we buy new furniture — and so on. It is an endless business.Rich or poor, we take time to furnish a room. Perhaps some people buy furniture in order to impress their friends. But most of us just want to enjoy our surroundings. We want to live as comfortably as we can afford to. We spend a large part of our lives at home. We want to make a small corner in the world which we can recognize as oPassage 26 Travel for WorkYou can see them in every airport in the world. They are businessmen and women who have to travel for their work.When they first applied for the job, they may have thought of good food and hotels, huge expense accounts and fashionable cities. Now they have to sit in airport lounges, tired and uncomfortable in their smart clothes, listening to the loudspeaker announce “The flight to Tokyo, or Berlin, or New York is delayed for another two hours”. Some people say to me, “How lucky you are to be able to travel abroad in your work! You can go sightseeing without paying any money by yourself!” They think that my job is like a continual holiday. It is not.There are advantages, of course, and I do think I am lucky, but only because I can go to places I would never visit if I was a tourist. (149 words)Passage 27 IntelligenceAre some people born clever, and others born stupid? Or is intelligence developed by our environment and our experience?Strangely enough, the answer to these questions is yes. To some extent our intelligence is given us at birth, and no amount of special education can make a genius out of a child born with low intelligence. On the other hand, a child who lives in a boring environment will develop his intelligence less than one who lives in rich and varied surroundings. Thus, the limits of a person’s intelligence are fixed at birth, whether or not he reaches those limits will depend on his environment. This view, held by most experts now, can be supported in a number of ways. As is easy to show that intelligence is to some extent something we are born with. The closer the blood relationship between two people is, the closer they are likely to be in intelligence.(154 words)Passage 28 A Free Dress Every WeekThe temptation to steal is greater than ever before especially in large shops and people are not so honest as they once were.A detective recently watched a well-dressed woman who always went into a large store on Monday mornings. One Monday, there were fewer people in the shop than usual when the woman came in, so it was easier for the detective to watch her. The woman first bought a few small articles. After a little time, she chose one of the most expensive dresses in the shop and handed it to an assistant who wrapped it for her as quickly as possible. The woman simply took the parcel and walked out of the shop without paying. When she was arrested, the detective found out that the shop assistant was her daughter.. Believe it or not, the girl “gave” her mother a free dress every week. (148 words)Passage 29 TimeTime is tangible. One can gain time, spend time, waste time, save time, or even kill time. Common questions in American English reveal this concrete quality as though time were a possession. “Do you have any time?”, “Can you get some time for this?”, “How much free time do you have?” The treatment of time as a possession influences the way that time is carefully divided.Generally, Americans are taught to do one thing at a time and may be uncomfortable when an activity is interrupted. In businesses, the careful scheduling of time and the separation of activities are common practices. Appointment calendars are printed with 15-, 30-, and 60-min ute time slots. The idea that “there is a time and place for everything” extends to American social life. Visitors who drop by without prior notice may interrupt their host’s personal time. Thus, calling friends on the telephone before visiting them is gen erally preferred to visitors’ dropping by. (157 words)Passage 30 CartoonistIn a good cartoon, the artist can tell in a few lines as much as a writer can tell in half a dozen paragraphs. The cartoonist not only tells a story but he also tries to persuade the reader to his way of thinking. He has great influence on public opinion. In a political campaign, he plays an important part. Controversial issues in Congress or at meetings of the United Nations may keep the cartoonist well-supplies with current materials.A clever cartoonist may cause laughter because he often uses humour in his drawings. If he is sketching a famous person, he takes a prominent feature and exaggerates it. Cartoonists, for instance, like to lengthen an already long nose and to widen a n already broad grin. This exaggeration of a person’s characteristics is called caricature. The artist uses such exaggeration to put his message across. (144 words)Passage 31 Water PollutionWater is very important to us. Factories and plants need water for industrial uses and large pieces of farmland need it for irrigation. Without water to drink, people die in a short time.Today most water sources are so dirty that people must purify water beforedrinking. Water becomes dirty in many ways: industrial pollution is one of them. With the development of industry, plants and factories pour tons of industrial wastes into rivers every day. The rivers have become seriously polluted, and the water is becoming unfit for drinking or irrigation. The same thing has also happened to our seas and oceans. So, the problem of water pollution is almost worldwide.Scientists of many countries have done a lot of work to stop pollution. The polluted water in some places has become clean and drinkable again. Perhaps one day the people in all towns and cities will be drinking clean water. That day, we believe, is not very far off. (161 words)Passage 32 Making a ComplaintComplaining about faulty goods or bad services is never easy. But if something you have bought is faulty or does not do what was claimed for it, you are not asking for a favour to get it put right.Complaints should be made to a responsible person. Go back to the shop where you bought the goods, taking with you any receipt you may have. In a small store the assistant may also be the owner so you can complain direct. In a chain store, ask the manager. If you telephone, ask the name of the person who handles your enquiry, otherwise you may never find out who dealt with the complaint later. If you do not want to do it in person, write a letter. Stick to the facts and keep a copy of what you write. At this stage you should give any receipt number, but you should not need to give receipt or other papers to prove you bought the article. (164 words)Passage 33 Where Do the British LiveNearly everyone in Britain would like to own their own home and, whether they do or not, they are prepared to put time and money into decorating and furnishing it or even making structural alterations to it. Because of the climate and because of the expense involved in going out for the evening, the British spend a lot of time at home and a large part of their social life takes place there.Young people tend to stay with their families longer these days as accommodation is expensive but, when they move away to a job or college, there are various options open to them. They can get lodgings with a landlady. This means that they rent a room in someone’s house and have breakfast with the family. They can also get a bed-sitting room, that is to say one self-contained room in which they can cook, live and sleep. Alternatively, they can share a rented flat or house with a group of young people, perhaps the most popular option of all. (172 words)Passage 34 Will Computer Replace Human Beings?We are in the computer age today. The computers are working all kinds of wonders now. They are very useful in automatic control and data processing. At the same time, computers are finding their way into the home. They seem to be so clever and can solve such complicated problems that some people think sooner or later they will replace us.But I do not think that there is such a possibility. My reason is very simple: Computers are machines, not humans. And our tasks are far too various and complicated for any one single kind of machine to perform.Probably the greatest difference between man and computer is that the former。
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1After 22 years of marriage,I have discovered the secret to keep love alive in my relationship with my wife, Peggy.I started dating with another woman.It was Peggy's idea.One day she said to me,"Life is too short, you need to spend time with the people you love.You probably won't believe me,but I know you love her and I think that if the two of you spend more time together,it will make us closer."The "other" woman my wife was encouraging me to date is my mother, a 72-year-old widowwho has lived alone since my father died 20 years ago.Right after his death,I moved 2,500 miles awayto California and started my own life and career.When I moved back near my hometown six years ago,I promised myself that I would spend more time with mom.But with the demands of my job and three kids,I never got around to seeing her muchbeyond family get-togethers and holidays.Mom was surprised and suspiciouswhen I called and suggested the two of us go out to dinner and a movie. "What's wrong?" she asked."I thought it would be nice to spend some time with you," I said. "Just the two of us.""I would like that a lot," she said.When I pulled into her driveway,she was waiting by the door with her coat on.Her hair was curled, and she was smiling."I told my lady friends I was going out with my son,and they were all impressed.They can't wait to hear about our evening," Mother said.2We didn't go anywhere fancy,just a neighborhood place where we could talk.Since her eyes now see only large shapes and shadows,I had to read the menu for both of us."I used to be the reader when you were little," she said."Then it is time for you to relax and let me return the favor," I said. We had a nice talk over dinner, just catching up on each other's lives.We talked for so long that we missed the movie."I'll go out with you again," my mother said as I dropped her off, "but only if you let me buy dinner next time."I agreed."How was your date?" my wife asked when I got home that evening. "Nice ¡- nicer than I thought it would be," I said.Mom and I get out for dinner a couple of times a month.Sometimes we take in a movie, but mostly we talk.I tell her about my trails at work and brag about the kids and Peggy. Mom fills me in on family gossip and tells me about her past.Now I know what it was like for her to work in a factoryduring the Second World War.I know how she met my father there,and know how they went through the difficult times.I can't get enough of these stories.They are important to me, a part of my history.We also talk about the future.Because of health problems,my mother worries about the days ahead.Spending time with my mom has taught me the importance of slowing down. Peggy was right. Dating another woman has helped my marriage.3Andrew had always wanted to be a doctor.But the tuition for a medical school in 1984 was 15,000 dollars a year, which was more than his family could afford.To help him realize his dream,his father, Mr. Stewart, a real estate agent,began searching the house-for-sale adsin newspapers in order to find extra business.One advertisement that he noted downwas for the sale of a house in a nearby town.Mr. Stewart called the owner,trying to persuade him to let him be his agent.Somehow he succeededand the owner promised that he would come to himif he failed to get a good deal with his present agent.Then they made an appointment to meet and discuss the thing.As good things are never easy to acquire,the time for the appointment had to be changed almost ten times.On the day when they were supposed to meet at 3 o'clock in the afternoon, Mr. Stewart received another call from the owner.His heart sank as he feared there would be another change of time. ]nd so it was.The owner told him that he couldn't make it at threebut if he would come right then,they could talk it over.Mr. Stewart was overjoyed.Leaving everything aside,he immediately set out to drive to the house.As he approached the area,he had a strange feeling of having been there before.The streets, the trees, the neighborhood, all looked familiar to him. And when he finally reached the house, something clicked in his mind. It used to be the house of his father-in-law!The old man had died fifteen years ago but when he was alive,he had often visited him with his wife and children.He remembered that, like his son Andrew,his father-in-law had also wanted to study medicine and, failing to do so,had always hoped that one of his two daughtersor his grandchildren could someday become a doctor.4When he entered the house,Mr. Stewart was even more amazedto find that the house was decorated exactly as he had remembered it. He told the owner about this and the latter became intrigued too. However, they were in for even greater surprises.It so happened that in the middle of their discussion,a postman came to deliver a letter.And the letter was addressed to Mr. Stewart's father-in-law!Were it not for Mr. Stewart's presence there and then,the letter would be returnedas no person of that name lived in the house any longer.As the postman demanded a signature on the receipt slip,Mr. Stewart signed for his long-deceased father-in-law.Mystified, the owner urged Mr. Stewart to open the letterand see what it contained.The letter was from a bank.When he opened it, two words immediately met his eye ¡ª "For education". It was a bank statementof an amount his father-in-law had put in years agofor his grandchildren's education needs.With the interest it had earned over the years,the standing value of the amount came to a little over $15,000, just enough moneyto cover the tuition of Andrew's first year at a medical college! Another thing that is worth mentioning is about the postman.The original postman, who had worked in this neighborhood,called in sick that day.So the postman, who was new to the area, came to deliver mail in his place.Had it been the old postman,the letter would undoubtedly have been returned to the sender,as he knew full wellthat no person bearing that name lived in that house any longer. The miracle was a blessing for Andrew.With the money given to him by his grandfatherhe was able to study medicine.Now he is a doctor in Illinois.5One of the best-known collections of parallelsis between the careers of Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy. Both were shot on a Friday, in the presence of their wives;both were succeeded by a Southerner named Johnson;both their killers were themselves killed before they could be brought to justice.Lincoln had a secretary called Kennedy;Kennedy a secretary called Lincoln.Lincoln was killed in the Ford Theater;Kennedy met his death while riding in a Lincoln convertiblemade by the Ford Motor Company ¡ª and so on.Similar coincidences often occur between twins.A news story from Finland reported of two 70-year-old twin brothers dying two hours apart in separate accidents,with both being hit by trucks while crossing the same road on bicycles. According to the police,the second victim could not have known about his brother's death, as officers had only managed to identify the first victimminutes before the second accident.Connections are also found between identical twinswho have been separated at birth.Dorothy Lowe and Bridget Harrison were separated in 1945,and did not meet until 1979,when they were flown over from Britain for an investigationby a psychologist at the University of Minnesota.They found that when they metthey were both wearing seven rings on their hands,two bracelets on one wrist, a watch and a bracelet on the other. They married on the same day,had worn identical wedding dresses and carried the same flowers. Dorothy had named her son Richard Andrew and her daughter Catherine Louise;Bridget had named her son Andrew Richard and her daughter Karen Louise. In fact, she had wanted to call her Catherine.Both had a cat called Tiger.They also had a string of similar mannerisms when they were nervous. How can we explain the above similarities?6On the morning of the devastating earthquake that struck India in 2001, Krimali, a girl of 17,had just left home to go to an interview for a position of a sales clerk.She was pleased with her green and yellow flowered dress,but felt something wasn't quite right about her hair.She returned home, removing her shoes and leaving them at the door. Moments later, the earthquake struck.Ceilings and walls in the building shook in the deafening noise. Then everything began crashing down.Krimali and her immediate family escaped serious injurybut were unable to make their way out.The ceiling of an entire roomtowered above the only possible escape route.Completely detached on three sides,the huge slab clung to an outside wall on its fourth side.To an observer, it could drop at any moment.People were screaming and didn't know what to do.Krimali decided to act.Carefully she climbed barefoot up and down the debrisuntil she reached a point just beneath the swaying ceiling.About four meters below were uneven pieces of concrete,broken glass and smashed furniture,all mixed with sharp spikes of iron.She knew if she could manage to get down to the ground level,she could make her way to safety.She paused to figure out the best way down.As there wasn't any good place to jump, she just jumped.Luckily, she landed in a crouch, her feet missing any sharp edges. Emboldened by her good fortune,Krimali knew it was up to her to persuade others to follow.7Krimali planned to rescue her family first,but just then she heard a woman from two storeys abovescreaming for someone to save her two-month-old baby."Throw the baby to me," Krimali shouted. "I can catch her!"The woman refused.Krimali told the woman to wrap the baby in bed sheets and then toss her down.Crying uncontrollably,the mother wrapped the little girl but still would not part with her baby.As the mother tried to decide what to do,Krimali intently watched the concrete ceiling hanging above her. Finally the mother tossed the baby.Krimali made a clean catch.A bright smile lit up the woman's face."I'll be back!" Krimali called out,hugging the child to her as she hurriedly picked her way outto where survivors had gathered.She gave up the baby,then asked if any of the men there would come back with herto help others trapped in the building.No one came forward,for they were all afraid of that swaying ceiling.But for Krimali,a small girl of 154 centimeters in height and weighing about 50 kilos, her fears had been lifted by what she had accomplished.On her way back into the ruins, she saw part of a large door.It was extremely heavybut she managed to drag it to the spot just below the hanging ceiling.By placing it on the ruins,she created something like a sliding board.With Krimali coaching her,the baby's mother partly jumpedand partly rolled down the board to the ground level.Krimali led her through the debris to her baby.In the hours that followedKrimali made countless rescue missions into the building,each time in the shadow of the huge ceiling.Thanks to her courage, about two dozen men,women and children were saved.8When the first plane slammed into the World Trade Center's north tower, I was already at my desk on the 88th floor.Then I felt the whole building bouncing, shaking.My instinct told me that there was an explosion above usand that we should try to get out,but the corridors were full of flames.Knowing that the furniture and the carpets were fire-resistant,I figured that everything wasn't going to burn.Then I heard someone yell that the stairwells were gone.So about 40 of us escaped into a corner office.We put papers and rags under the door to keep out the smoke as best we could.We stayed calmly in the office for about 10 minutes,thinking we were safe and secure.Then someone came in to tell us that he had found a stairwell open but we had to move fast.We all filed out orderly and headed for the stairwell.Going down the stairs was not easy for mefor I had lost a leg to cancer when I was 16and wore an artificial limb.More or less, I used my arms to get down.When we reached the 40th floor, we came to a complete stop.There was a jam of people.The firemen were coming up the stairs, carrying their equipment. Some 100 firefighters must have walked past us.Some of them looked so young that they seemed hardly out of high school. But they were great,assuring us that they would take care of everything. Eventually we kept moving and got out.The journey down took about 40 minutes.。