托福TPO4综合写作阅读+听力原文+满分范文【雷哥托福】

tpo4综合范文

In the lecture, the professor made several points about whether dinosaurs are endotherms as humans. The professor argues that the dinosaurs are not believed as endotherms by many scientists. However, the passage claims that dinosaurs are considerably endotherms which supported by several evidences.Firstly, the professor points out that polar dinosaurs could live in such cold climate for the reason that the environment of the polar area was much warmer than today. Also, the professor indicates that dinosaurs had adapted to cold climates by hibernating like most animals do today. That differs from passages that states that the ability to live in such cold environment of polar dinosaur provide strong evidence to that dinosaurs were endotherms. The professor in the lecture cast doubt on such evidence.Also, on the contrary of the content of passage that the leg position of dinosaurs strongly suggests that only the this under the body leg position allows the animals to running efficiently which most occur in the body of endotherms , the professor illustrates that this leg position does not necessarily lend support to the conclusion of the passage. The professor provides reason for this leg position that could support this huge weight of dinosaurs and enable them to grow large and they did not need legs under body to move fast. Therefore, the professor refutes the evidence from the passage about leg position.In addition, the professor claims that dinosaurs did have this bone structure haversian canal and they also have the structure called gross ring to keep them stop grow when the climate was freezing. Nevertheless, the passage argues that this bone structure proves that the dinosaurs were endotherms, which is totally jeopardized by the professor.Therefore, according to this professor, the conclusion of the passage is totally not accurate and authentic. The evidences make no sense to prove this idea.。

托福TPO4综合写作阅读原文+听力原文+满分范文

为了帮助大家高效备考托福，为大家带来托福TPO4综合写作阅读原文+听力原文+满分范文，希望对大家备考有所帮助。

托福TPO4综合写作阅读原文文本： Endotherms are animals such as modern birds and mammals that keep their body temperatures constant. For instance, humans are endotherms and maintain an internal temperature of 37°C, no matter whether the environment is warm or cold. Because dinosaurs were reptiles, and modern reptiles are not endotherms, it was long assumed that dinosaurs were not endotherms. However, dinosaurs differ in many ways from modem reptiles, and there is now considerable evidence that dinosaurs were, in fact, endotherms. Polar dinosaurs One reason for believing that dinosaurs were endotherms is that dinosaur fossils have been discovered in polar regions. Only animals that can maintain a temperature well above that of the surrounding environment could be active in such cold climates. Leg position and movement There is a connection between endothermy and the position and movement of the legs. The physiology of endothermy allows sustained physical activity, such as running. But running is efficient only if an animal's legs are positioned underneath its body, not at the body's side, as they are for crocodiles and many lizards. The legs of all modern endotherms are underneath the body, and so were the legs of dinosaurs. This strongly suggests that dinosaurs were endotherms. Haversian canals There is also a connection between endothermy and bone structure. The bones of endotherms usually include structures called Haversian canals. These canals house nerves and blood vessels that allow the living animal to grow quickly, and rapid body growth is in fact a characteristic of endothermy. The presence of Haversian canals in bone is a strong indicator that the animal is an endotherm, and fossilized bones of dinosaurs are usually dense with Haversian canals. 托福TPO4综合写作听力原文文本： Many scientists have problems with the arguments you read in the passage. They don't think those arguments prove that dinosaurs were endotherms. Take the polar dinosaur argument. When dinosaurs lived, even the polar regions, where dinosaur fossils have been found, were much warmer than today, warm enoughduring part of the year for animals that were not endotherms to live. And during the months when the polar regions were cold, the so-called polar dinosaurs could have migrated to warmer areas or hibernated like many modern reptiles do. So the presence of dinosaur fossils in polar regions doesn't prove the dinosaurs were endotherms. Well, what about the fact that dinosaurs have their legs placed under their bodies, not out to the side like crocodiles. That doesn't necessarily mean dinosaurs were high-energy endotherms built for running. There is another explanation for having legs under the body. This body structure supports more weight, so with the legs under their bodies, dinosaurs can grow to a very large size. Being large had advantages for dinosaurs, so we don't need the idea of endothermy and running to explain why dinosaurs evolved to have their legs under their bodies. Ok, so how about bone structure? Many dinosaur bones do have Haversian canals, that's true. The dinosaur bones also have growth rings. Growth rings are thickening of the bone that indicates periods of time when the dinosaurs weren't rapidly growing. These growth rings are evidence that dinosaurs stopped growing or grew more slowly during cooler periods. This pattern of periodic growth, you know, rapid growth followed by no growth or slow growth, and then rapid growth again, is characteristic of animals that are not endotherms. Animals that maintain a constant body temperature year-round as true endotherms do grow rapidly even when the environment becomes cool. 托福TPO4综合写作满分范文： The professor actually contradicts the statements made in the passage. She is of the view that dinosaurs are not endotherms i.e. they were not able to keep their body temperature at a constant rate. The professor contradicts the issue of dinosaurs being endothers based on the availability of fossils being available in the polar regions, she say that the polar regions in those days were not as cold as they are today i.e at least warm enough for dinosaurs to live. Durin harsh winters she says that there is a possibility of the dinosaurs actually migrating to warmer regions. The issue of leg position and movement being used as a reason to clasify the dinosaurs as endotherms does not please the professor either. She says that dinosaurs had legs under their bodies to support their huge bodies i.e the legs under the body of the dinosaur were actually to support the huge weight of the dinosaur and not to provide it with a body structure like endotherms(which is actually suited for running). The professor acknowledges the presence of haversian canals but also points out that that the fossils show the presence of growth rings. These rings occur due to the thickening of the bone. The thickening indicates that the dinosaurs were’nt。

托福TPO4口语Task3阅读文本+听力文本+题目+满分范文

为了帮助大家高效备考托福，为大家带来托福TPO4口语Task3阅读文本+听力文本+题目+满分范文，希望对大家备考有所帮助。

托福TPO4口语Task3阅读文本： Evening Computer Classes May Be Added The computer department is considering offering evening classes in the fall. The proposal to add the classes is a response to student complaints that day time computer classes have become increasingly over crowded and there are no longer enough computers available. The department has decided that despite some added expense, the most cost-effective way of addressing this problem is by adding computer classes in the evening. It is hoped that this change will decrease the number of students enrolled in day classes and thus guarantee individual access to computers for all students in computer classes. 托福TPO4口语Task3听力文本： Now listen to two students discussing the article. (man) I just don’t think this will work. (woman) Why not? (man) Because it’s not gonna solve the problem. Students are busy at night, I mean, we have jobs, families, clubs, social events. Most of us already have something to do every single night of the week. (woman) I see your point. I sure couldn’t fit anything into my schedule during the week. I’ve got swimming practice most nights. (man) Right! And as far as expense goes, I think they’re going about it the wrong way. I mean, it cost money to hire more teachers and keep the academic building open later, which is a lot more expensive than simply just buying more computers. (woman) More computers? (man) That’s right! Computer prices have come way down the past few years. So the department won’t have to spend as much now as they did in the past. Besides, the computer department classrooms, you know, the rooms themselves, they are actually very big, there’s plenty of space to add more computers. 托福TPO4口语Task3题目： The computer department is considering a scheduling change. Explain the man’s opinion of the change and the reasons he gives for holding that opinion. 托福TPO4口语Task3满分范文： The school is planning to start offering evening computer classes due to it’s popularity and it will be cost effective. In the conversation the man disagrees with the school’s plan for the following reasons. First of all, many students are busy at night doing other activities. For example, they might have jobs, families, clubs and social events to attend to. He also thinks that the school should buy more computers to meet the needs instead of opening up more classes. Computer prices decreased a lot during the years, they have become very cheap. Hiring more teaching staff is going to be more expensive for the school in the long run, plus there will be enough space for the new equipment. 以上是给大家整理的托福TPO4口语Task3阅读文本+听力文本+题目+满分范文，希望对你有所帮助!。

tpo4范文

tpo4范文（原文标题，The Impact of Technology on Work）。

The Impact of Technology on Work。

In the past few decades, technology has had a significant impact on the way we work. From the automation of repetitive tasks to the rise of remote work, technology has changed the way we approach our jobs and careers. In this essay, we will explore the impact of technology on work and how it has shaped the modern workplace.One of the most significant impacts of technology on work has been the automation of tasks. With the advent of computers and software, many repetitive and mundane tasks can now be completed by machines. This has led to increased efficiency and productivity in the workplace, as employees are able to focus on more complex and creative tasks. However, it has also led to concerns about job displacement and the future of work, as many traditional jobs are beingreplaced by machines.Another major impact of technology on work has been the rise of remote work. With the development of communication and collaboration tools, employees are now able to work from anywhere in the world. This has led to greater flexibility and work-life balance for many workers, as well as the ability to tap into a global talent pool. However,it has also raised concerns about the isolation and disconnection of remote workers, as well as the security risks associated with remote work.Furthermore, technology has also changed the way we communicate and collaborate in the workplace. With the rise of email, instant messaging, and video conferencing, employees are now able to communicate and collaborate in real-time, regardless of their location. This has led to greater efficiency and faster decision-making, but it has also raised concerns about information overload and the blurring of work-life boundaries.In addition, technology has also had a significantimpact on the skills and abilities required in the modern workplace. With the rise of artificial intelligence and machine learning, employees are now required to have a greater understanding of technology and data analysis. This has led to a growing demand for workers with technical skills, as well as the need for continuous learning and upskilling.In conclusion, technology has had a profound impact on the way we work. From the automation of tasks to the rise of remote work, technology has changed the way we approach our jobs and careers. While it has led to increased efficiency and productivity, it has also raised concerns about job displacement and the future of work. As technology continues to evolve, it will be important for employers and employees to adapt and embrace the changes in order to thrive in the modern workplace.。

巴朗托福听力文本-Test 4(中)

巴朗托福听力文本-Test 4(中) Students on CampusWoman: This is an interesting assignment.$ Man: It is. I’m just having a problem figuring out how to write up the report.$ Woman: Oh? How much have you done?$ Man: Well, the introduction was easy. I just expanded on the information that the lab assistant provided, you know, about the effects of alcohol on reflexes, and I used the same references that he cited.$ Woman: Me, too.$ Man: Then I described the experiment in the second part . . . the methods and materials section.$ Woman: What did you include there? The lab assistant said that it was important to be specific when we did this part.$ Man: Yeah, he did. So I mentioned that there were ten subjects, and five were drinking gin and tonic, but the other five . . . that’s the control group . . . they were drinking tonic only, and no one knew which group was which. Then they each had to drive in a computerized . . . what was it called? A . . . a simulator . . . a simulator of a car that was supposed to be moving at 35 miles an hour. And when they saw a bicycle, they were supposed to hit the brakes.$ Woman: So far so good. The only thing I can think of that you might want to add is maybe a little more about the subjects. I think they were college students, and they were selected at random to be in the experimental or control group.$ Man: Good idea. Especially the part about the random selection. That would be important information if someone wanted to duplicate the experiment, and didn’t he say that this section had to be specific enough for another researcher to be able to repli . . . repli . . .$ Woman: replicate . . .$ Man: Yeah. Replicate the study.$ Woman: Okay, so what did you do with the results section?$ Man: That’s the problem. I can’t seem to figure out what to put in the results section and what to use for the discussion section. If I put the chart with the reaction times in the results, should I explain the chart in the discussion, or what?$ Woman: Oh, now I see the pro blem. The chart’s fairly self-explanatory, isn’t it? I mean, it’s really a simple chart to read.$ Man: That’s what I thought.$ Woman: But you still have to explain the chart in the results section.$ Man You do?$ Woman: Yeah. Um, look, here’s what I’d do. I’d look at the chart and try to come up with a few general statements. For example, um, well, all of the subjects who were drinking alcohol had longer reaction times. Then you can look at the range—1 second to 4 seconds for the subjects who wer e drinking only tonic, and that’s compared with 3 seconds to 20 seconds for the subjects who were drinking gin with the tonic.$ Man: So, I’m really just repeating what’s on the chart, but I’m explaining it in words.$ Woman: Right. But, here’s the thi ng—you shouldn’t draw any conclusions in the results section. Just the facts.$ Man: You mean, just what happened in the experiment.$ Woman: Right. You have to save the conclusions for the discussion section.$ Man: Okay. So in the conclusions, I might say that driving after having four drinks . . . if you have four drinks, you probably won’t be in a position to avoid an accident.$ Woman: That’s good. And you could also point out problems in the research, if there are any, or suggestions for future research.$ Man: Like doing the experiment with beer instead of hard liquor or repeating the same experiment with three drinks instead of four.$ Woman: Sure. That’s the idea.Biology ClassProfessor:$ Before we begin our discussion of blood types, let’s review what we know about blood. According to the textbooks, about half of the volume of blood is made up of blood cells that begin as stem cells in bone marrow. And these stem cells can develop into any of the other kinds of cells found in blood, including red cells, white cells, and platelets. So . . . some stem cells become white cells or leukocytes and these are essential to the immune system. And when bacteria or germs invade the body, some of the white cells form antibodies to resist the infection directly while other white cells begin to work on the chemistry of the foreign substance itself . . . to fight the infection. Now, compared with red blood cells, there are relatively few white blood cells . . . only about one for every seven hundred red cells. And the smallest of the blood cells are called platelets, but what they don’t have in size they make up for in numbers. Well, most of us have about two trillion of them and they work to help the blood to clot and . . . , uh, repair holes in the walls of blood vessels. But we need a way to transport the blood, right? Plasma is the liquid substance in blood that transports most of the chemicals . . . vitamins and minerals . . . hormones and enzymes.But most stem cells become red blood cells, or erythocytes. They’re the most numerous. As I mentioned before, there are about seven hundred to every one white blood cell. So the red cells give blood the color red, and they’re important for what we call blood typing. And blood typing is what I want to get going on today.Now blood types are a classification of red blood cells according to the presence of specific substances . . . antigenic proteins and carbohydrates . . . and you can see them under the microscope on the surface of the cells. The four blood types are identified by letters . . . A, B, AB, and O. Blood type A contains red blood cells with the antigen A. Blood type B contains red blood cells with the antigen B. The AB blood type contains both antigens, and the O blood type contains no antigens, but the individual with this type can form antibodies containing either A or B antigens.$ Student 1:$ Excuse me. Is that why the O blood type is considered a universal blood type? Because it can form antibodies with either A or B antigens?$ Professor:$ Right you are. But, in typing the blood, the antigens are really much more complex than this explanation might suggest. There are at least 300 different antigens. In fact, there are so many potential combinations that an individual’s blood type is almost as unique as a fingerprint. But anyway, these basic types are used for determining compatibilities for blood transfusions. Before a transfusion is approved, hospitals always perform a procedure called a cross match which involves taking a sample of the donor’s red blood cells and mixing them with a sample of the patient’s plasma. You see, in almost every individual, the plasma contains antibodies that will react to antigens that are not found on their own red blood cells. So during a transf usion, antibodies in the patient’s plasma can bind to antigens on the donor’s red blood cells when the donor’s blood is not similar to that of the patient. Well, many minor reactions can occur like fever or chills, but some reactions are so severe that they lead to a . . . a spontaneous destruction of the red blood cells from the donor and that can result in shock or even death. So you can understand why blood typing is so important. Cross matching lowers the risk of a serious reaction.Okay. In cross matching, we take red cells from one person and plasma from the other person, and we watch to see whether there’s a negative response. Take a look at this diagram. It’s on page 112 in your textbook. Here’s what you would be looking at with a reaction caused by incompatible blood. See how the cells clump together?$ The reason that this is happening is because there’s a chemical reaction between the protein molecules in the red cells of one person and the plasma of the other. Now look at this slide. This diagram is on the next page in your text and this shows a compatible match with no clumping.$ See how the cells are evenly spaced?Well, of course, doctors prefer to use the same type as that of the patient, but compromises have to be made in emergencies. Type A patients can’t receive type B blood, and type B patients can’t receive type A blood, but back to your question; since an O donor has blood that’s compatible with both A and B antigens, it’s the ideal, or as you said, the universal donor. In an emergency, type O blood can be used for patients of all blood types. And fortunately, worldwide, type O is the most common, followed by type A. Relatively few people have type B blood, and the fewest have type AB.$ Student 2: Professor Stephens, can you tell us anything about artificial blood?$ Professor: Well actually, scientists developed artificial blood that’s been used successfully in blood transfusions with human patients. It’s a white fluid, chemically similar to Teflon, the material that coats coo kware and prevents material from adhering to it. The fluid can be used as a match with all blood types, and so, the cross matching step in transfusions . . . that can be eliminated. So far, artificial blood has done a good job of replacing the red cells by carrying oxygen through the body and liminating carbon dioxide, but there are no white cells present, no antibodies, no platelets. So, it doesn’t clot, and it doesn’t remain in the body very long. Still, continuing research along these lines should probably be encouraged. Um, even with cross matching and other precautions, transfusions with human blood involve risks.。

托福TPO4套听力真题(文本)

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TPO-4TPO 04 – Listening PartConversationNarratorListen to a conversation between a student and a librarian.LibrarianCan I help you?StudentYeah, Ineed to find a review. It’s for myEnglish class. Wehave to find reviews of theplay we are reading. But theyhave to be from when the play was first performed,so I need to know when that was and I suppose I should startwith newspaper reviews and…LibrarianContemporary reviews.StudentSorry?LibrarianYou want contemporaryreviews. What’s the name of the play?StudentIt’s Happy Strangers. Itwas written in 1962 and we are supposed to writeabou t itsinfluence on American theatre and show why it’s been so important.LibrarianWell, that certainly explains whyyour professor wantsyou to read some ofthose old reviews. The critiquesreally torethe play to pieceswhen it opened.It’s so controve rsial. Nobody had everseen anything like it on the stage.StudentReally? Isthat a big deal?LibrarianOh, sure. Ofcourse thecritiques’reaction made some people kind ofcuriousabout it.Theywanted to see what’s causing all the fuss. In fact,we wer eonvacation in New York. Oh, I had tobe, eh,around 16 or so, and myparentstookme to see it. That would’ve been about 1965.StudentSo that wasthe year premier,great, but eh,newspaper from back then weren’tonline,so, how do I…LibrarianWell, wehave copies ofall the newspapers in the basement, and all the majorpapers publish reference guides to their articlesreviews,etc. You willfindthem in the reference stacksin the back. ButI start with 1964, so I thinktheplay had been running for a little while when I saw it.StudentHow do you like it?I mean just two characterson the stage hanging aroundand basically doing nothing.LibrarianWell, Iwas impressed. Theactors werefamous, and besides it was myfirsttime in a realtheatre.But you are right.It was definitelydifferent from manyplays that we read in high school. Ofcourse, in a small town the assignmentsare prettytraditional.StudentYeah, I’ve only read it but it doesn’t seem like it would be much fun to watch.The st orydoesn’t progress in anysort oflogical matter,doesn’t have realending either,just stops. Honestly,you know,I thought it was kind of slow andboring.LibrarianOh, wellI guess you might think that. Butwhen Isaw it back then it wasanything but boring. Some parts werereally funny,but Iremembercrying too.But I’m not sure just reading it. You know, they’ve done thisplay at least onceon campus. I’m sure thereis a tape of theplay in our video library. You mightwant to borrow it.StudentThat’s a good idea. I’ll have a better idea of what I really thinkof it before I read those reviews.LibrarianI’m sure you willbe surprised that anyone ever found it radical. But you will see whyit is still powerful, dramatically speaking.StudentYeah, it must be something about it,or the professor wouldn’thave assigned it.I’m sure I’ll figure it out.LectureNarratorListen to part ofa lecturein a biology class. The class is discussing animal behavior.ProfessorOk, the nextkind ofanimal behavior I want to talkabout might be familiar toyou. You mayhave seen, for example, a bird that’s in the middle ofa mating ritual, and suddenly it stops and preens,you know, takesa few momentstostraighten its feathers, and then returns tothe mating ritual. This kind of behavior,this doing something that seems completelyout ofplace, is what wecalla ‘Displacement Activity’. Displacement activitiesare activities that animal’s engaging in when theyhave conflicting drives. Ifwe takeour examplefrom a minute ago, if thebird is afraid ofits mate,it’s conflicted.It wantsto mate but it’s also afraid and wantsto run away. So, instead, it startsgrooming itself.So, the displacement activity,the grooming, the straightening ofits feathers,seems to be an irrelevant behavior.So, what do you think anotherexample ofa displacementactivity might be?KarlHow about an animal that, um, instead of fighting its enemyor running away,itattacksa plant or a bush?ProfessorThat’s reallygood suggestion, Karl. But that’s called ‘redirecting’.The animal isredirecting itsbehavior to another object, in this case, theplant or the bush.But that’s not an irrelevant or inappropriate behavior.The behavior makessense. It’s appropriate under the circumstances.But what doesn’t make senseis the object thebehavior‘s directed towards. Ok, who else? Carol?CarolI thinkI read in another class about an experimentwhere an object that theanimal was afraid of was put nextto its food – nextto the animal’s food. Andthe animal, it wasconflicted between confronting theobject and eating thefood, so instead, it just fellasleep. Like that?ProfessorThat’s exactlywhat I mean. Displacement occursbecause theanimal’s got twoconflicting drives – two competing urges, in thiscase, fear and hunger. Andwhat happens is, theyinhibit each other,theycanceleach other out in a wayand a third seemingly irrelevant behavior surfaces through a processthat wecall‘Disinhibition’. Now in disinhibition, thebasic idea is that two drivesthatseem to inhibit,to hold back, a third drive. Or, well,they’re getting in a wayofeach in a… in a conflict situation and somehow lose control,lose theirinhibiting effecton that third behavior,which means thatthe third drive surfaces, it’s expressed in theanimal’s behavior.Now,these displacementactivities can include feeding, drinking, grooming, even sleeping. These arewhat we call ‘Comfort Behavior’.So whydo you thinkdisplacement activitiesare so often comfort behaviors, such as grooming?KarlMaybe because it’s easy for them to do? I mean,grooming is like one of themost accessible things an animal can do. It’s something theydo all thetime,and theyhave the stimulus right there on the outside oftheir bodies in order to do thegrooming, or if food is right in front of them.Basically, theydon’t have to think verymuch about those behaviors.CarolProfessor,isn’t it possible that animals groom because they’ve got messed upa little from fight ing or mating? I mean if a bird’s feathersget ruffled or an animal’s fur,maybe it’s not so strange for them to stop and tidythemselves upat that point.ProfessorThat’s another possible reason although it doesn’t necessarily explain other behavi ors such as eating, drinking or sleeping. What’s interesting is that studies have been done that suggest thatthe animal’s environment mayplay apart in determining what kind of behavior it displays. For example,there’s abird, the ‘wood thrush’,anyway, when the ‘wood thrush’is in an attack-escapeconflict, that is, it’s caught between the two urges to escape from or to attackan enemy,if it’s sitting on a horizontalbranch, it’ll wipe itsbeak on itsperch.Ifit’s sitting on a verticalbranch, it’ll groom its breast feathers.The immediateenvironment of thebird, its immediate,um, its relationship to its immediateenvironment seemsto play a part in which behavior will display.LectureNarratorListen to part ofa lecturein a literatureclass.ProfessorAll right,so let me close today’s class with some thoughts to keep in mindwhile you are doing tonight’s assignment. You will be reading one of RalphWaldo Emerson’s best-known essays ‘Self-Reliance’and comparing it with hispoems and other works. Ithink this essay has the potentialto be quitemeaningful for all ofyou as young people who probably wonder about thingslike truth and whereyour lives are going - all sorts ofprofound questions.Knowing something about Emerson’s philosophie s will help you when youread ‘Self-Reliance’.And basically, one ofthe main beliefs that he had wasabout truth. Not that it’s something that wecan be taught,Emerson says it’sfound within ourselves. So this truth,the idea that it’s in each one ofus, is oneof thefirst points that you’ll see Emerson ** in this essay. It’s a bitabstract but he’s very into…ah…into each person believing his or her ownthought, believing in yourself, the thought or conviction that’s truefor you. But actually, he tiesthat in with a sort of ‘universal truth’ – something that everyone knows but doesn’t realizetheyknow. Most of us aren’tin touch with ourselvesin a way,so we just aren’t capable of recognizing profound truth. Ittakesgeniuses, people like, say,Sh akespeare, who’reunique because when theyhave a glimpse at this truth,this universal truth,theypay attention to it and expressit and don’t just dismiss it like most people do.So Emerson is reallyinto each individual believing in and trusting him orherself.You’ll see thathe writesabout, well,first, conformity. Hecriticizes that people of his time for abandoning their own minds and their own wills for thesake of conformity and consistency. Theytryto fit in with the restof the worldeven thou gh it’s at odds with their beliefsand their identities. Therefore,it’sbest to be a non-conformist – to do your own thing, not worrying about whatother people think. That’s an important point. Hereally drives thisargumenthome throughout the essay.When you are reading, I want you to think about that and why thatkind ofthought would be relevant to the readers of his time. Rememberthis is 1838,‘Self-Reliance’was a novel idea at thetime and the United State’s citizenswereless secure about themselvesas individuals and as Americans. Thecountry as a whole was trying to define itself. Emerson wanted to give peoplesomething to reallythink about, help them find theirown wayand what it meantto be who theywere.So that’s something that I thin k is definitely as relevanttoday as it was then, probably, um, especially among young adults likeyourselves, you know,uh, college being a time to sort of reallythink about whoyou are and where you’re going.Now we already said that Emerson really emphasizesnon-conformity, right,asa way to sort of not lose your own self and identityin the world, to have yourown truth and not be afraid to listen to it. Well, he takes thisa stepfurther. Notconforming also means, uh, not conforming with yourself or your past. Whatdoes that mean?Well, if you’ve always been a certain way or done a certainthing, but it’s not working for you anymore,or you’re not content,Emersonsays that it’d be foolish to be consistent evenwith our own past. ‘Focus on t hefuture,’ he says, “That'swhat matters more.Inconsistency is good.”He talksabout a ship’s voyage and this is one of themost famous bits oftheessay - how the best voyage is made up of zigzag lines. Up close, it seemsalittle all over theplace, but from fartheraway, the truepath shows and in theend it justifies all theturns along the way.So, don’t worry if you are not surewhere you’re headed or what your long-term goals are.Staytrue to yourselfand it’ll make sense in the end. I mean,I can at test tothat. BeforeI was aliteratureprofessor, Iwas an accountant.Beforethat,I was a newspaperreporter.My life is taking some prettyinteresting turns and here I am, veryhappy with my experiencesand wherethey’ve brought me. Ifyou relyonyourself and trust your own talents,your own interest, don’t worry,your pathwill make sense in the end.ConversationNarratorListen to a conversation between a student and a professor.ProfessorHey,Jane, you look like you arein a hurry.StudentYeah, things are a little crazy.ProfessorOh yeah? What’s going on?StudentOh, it’s nothing. Well, since it’s your class, I guess it’s OK. It’s, it’s just I am having trouble with mygroup project.ProfessorAh, yes, due next week.What’s your group doing again?StudentIt’s about United StatesSupreme Court Decisions. We are looking at theimpact of recent caseson propertyrights, municipal land use cases, owningdisputes.ProfessorRight,OK. And i t’s not going well?StudentNot really.I’m worried about othertwo people in my group. Theyare just sittingback, not really doing their fair share ofthe work and waiting for an A. It’s kindof stressing me out,because we aregetting close to thedeadline and I feellikeI’m doing everything for this project.ProfessorAh, the good old free writerproblem.StudentFree writer?ProfessorAh, it’s just a term that describes thissituation, when people in the group seekto getthe benefits ofbeing in a group without contributing tothe work. Anyway,what exactly do you mean when you say theyjust sit back? I mean,they’vebeen following theweekly progress repotswith me.StudentYes, but I feellike I’m doing 90% ofthe work. I hateto sound so n egative here,but honestly, theyare taking credit for things theyshouldn’t take credit for. Likelast weekin the library,we decided to split up theresearch into 3 partsandeach of us was supposed to find sources in the library for our parts. I went offto the stackand found some really good materialfor mypart, but when I gotback to our table,theywere just goofing off and talking. So I wentand gotmaterialsfor theirsections as well.ProfessorUm…you know you shouldn’t do that.StudentI know,but I didn’t want to risk the project going down thedrain.ProfessorI know Teresa and Kevin. I had both ofthem on othercourses. So, I’m familiarwith the workand work habits.StudentI know,me too. That’s why this has reallysurprised me.ProfessorDo you…does your group like your topic?StudentWell, Ithink we’d all ratherfocus on casesthat deal with personal liberties,questions about freedom of speech,things like that.But Ichose propertyrights.ProfessorYou chose the topic?StudentYeah, Ithought it would be good for us, all of us to trysomething new.ProfessorUm…maybe that’s part of theproblem. Maybe Teresa and Kevin aren’t thatexcited about the topic? And since you picked it,have you thought…talktothem at all about picking a different topic?StudentBut we’ve got all the sourcesand it’s due next week. We don’t have time to start from scratch.ProfessorOK, I will letyou go ‘cause I know you are so busy. But you might consider talking to your group about your topic choice.StudentI willthink about it. Gotto run, see you in class.LectureNarratorListen to part ofa lecturein a geology class.ProfessorNow we’ve got a few minutes beforewe leave for today.So I’ll just touch on an inter esting subject that I think makesan important point. We’ve been covering rocks and different types ofrocks for the last severalweeks. Butnext weekwe are going to do something a bit different.And to get started I thought I’d mention something that sho ws how uh…as a geologist, you need toknowabout more than just rocksand the structureof solid matter,moving rocks, you may have heard about them.It’s quite a mystery.Death valley is this desert plane, a dry lake bed inCalifornia surrounded bymountains and on the desertfloor these huge rocks,some ofthem hundreds of pounds. And theymove. Theyleave long trailsbehind them,tracksyou might say as theymove from one point to another.Butnobody has been able to figure out how theyare moving because no one haseverseen it happen.Now there area lot of theories,but all we know for sure is that people aren’t’moving the rocks. Thereare no footprints, no tyretracks and no heavymachinery like a bulldozer…uh, nothing was everbrought in to move theseheavy rocks.So what’s going on? TheoryNO.1 ---Wind? Some researchersthink powerfuluh…windstorms might move the rocks. Most of therocks move in the samedirection as the dominant wind pattern from southwest to northeast.But some,and thisis interesting, move straight west while some zigzag or even move inlarge circles.Um…How can that be?How about wind combined with rain? The ground ofthis desertis made of clay. It’s a desert,so it’s dry.But when thereis theoccasionalrain, the clay gr ound becomesextremelyslippery.It’s hard foranyone tostand on, walk on. Some scientiststheorized that perhaps when theground is slipperythe high winds can then move the rocks. There’s a problemwith this theory.One team ofscientists flooded an area ofthe desert with water,then tryto establish how much wind forcewould be necessary to move therocks. And guess this, you need winds of at least five hundred miles an hour to move just the smallest rocks. And winds that strong have neverbeen recorded. Ever!Not on thisplanet.So Ithink it’s safe to say that that issues has been settled.Hereis another possibility–ice.It’s possible that rain on thedesert floor could turn to thin sheetsof ice when temperaturesdrop at night. So if rocks…uh becomi ngbetter than ice,uh … OK, could a pieceof ice with rocks in it be pushed around by thewind? Butthere’s a problem with thistheory,too. Rockstrapped in ice togetherwould have moved togetherwhen the ice moved. Butthat doesn’talways happen. The rocksseem to take separate routes.Thereare a fewother theories. Maybe the ground vibrates, or maybe theground itself is shifting, tilting. Maybe the rocksare moved bya magnetic force. But sadly all these ideas have been eliminated as possibilities. The re’s just no evidence.I bet you are saying to yourself well, whydon’t scientists just setup video camerasto record what actually happens? Thing is this is a protective wilderness area. So by law that type of research isn’t allowed. Besides, in powerful windstorms, sensitive camera equipment would be destroyed. Sowhycan’t researchers just live therefor a while until theyobserve the rocks’moving? Same reason.So whereare we now? Well, right now we still don’t have any answers. So allthis leads backto mymain point – you need to know about more than justrocks as geologists. The researchersstudying moving rocks, well, theycombine their knowledge of rockswith knowledge of wind, ice and such…umnot successfully, not yet.But you know,theywould even have been able to getstartedwithout uh… earth science understanding – knowledge about wind,storms, you know,meteorology. You need tounderstand physics. So forseveralweeks like Isaid we’ll be addressing geology from a wider prospective.I guess that’s all for today. See you next time.LectureNarratorListen to part ofa lecturein a United Statesgovernment class.ProfessorOK, last timewe were talking about government support for the arts. Who cansum up some of themain points? Frank?FrankWell, Iguess there wasn’t reallyany, you know, official government support forthe artsuntil thetwentieth century. Butthe first attempt theUnited Statesgovernment made to,you know, to support the artswas the FederalArtProject.ProfessorRight,so what can you say about the project?FrankUm…it was started during the Depression, um…in the 1930s to employout-of-work artists.ProfessorSo wasit successful? Janet?What do you say?JanetYeah, sure,it was successful. I mean, for one thing, the project established a lot of…uh like community art centersand galleriesand places like ruralareas where people hadn’t really had access to thearts.ProfessorRight.FrankYeah. Butdidn’tthe government end up wasting a lot of money for art that wasn’t even verygood?ProfessorUh…some people might say that. Butwasn’t theprimary objective of the FederalArt Project to provide jobs?FrankThat’s true.Imean…it did provide jobs for thousands of unemployed artists. ProfessorRight.But then when the United Statesbecame involved in the Second World War,unemployment was down and it seems that these programs weren’treally necessary any longer.So, moving on, we don't actuallysee any govern…wellany realgovernment involvement in the artsagain until theearly 1960s, when President Kennedyand otherpoliticians started topush for major funding to support and promotethe arts. Itwas felt bya number ofpoliticians that …wellthat the governmenthad a responsibilityt o support the artsas sort of…oh, what can we say?...thethe soul…or spirit of the country. The idea was that therebe a federal subsidy…um…uh…financial assistance to artists and artistic or cultural institutions. And for just those reasons, in 1965, the National Endowment for the Artswas created.So it was through the NEA,the National Endowment for the Arts, um…that the artswould develop, would be promoted throughout the nation. And thenindividual statesthroughout thecountry started to establish their own state arts councils to help support the arts. Therewas kind of uh…culturalexplosion.And bythe mid 1970s, by 1974 I think, all fifty stateshad their own arts agencies, their own state artscouncils that work with the federalgovernmentwith corporations, artists, performers, you name it.FrankDid you just say corporations? How are theyinvolved?ProfessorWell, you see, corporations aren’t always altruistic. Theymight not support the artsunless…well, unless the government made i t attractive for them to do so,by offering corporations tax incentives tosupport the arts, that is, by lettingcorporations pay less in taxesif theywerepatrons ofthe arts. Um, theKennedyCentre in Washington D.C., you mayuh…maybe you’ve been there,or Lincoln Centrein New York. Bothof these werebuilt with substantialfinancial support from corporations. And the Kennedyand Lincoln centresaren’t the only examples. Manyof your cultural establishments in theUnitedStateswill have a plaque somewhere acknowledging the support – themoneytheyreceived from whatevercorporation. Oh, yes, Janet?JanetBut aren’t therea lot ofpeople who don’t think it’s thegovernment’s role tosupport the arts?ProfessorWell, as a matter offact, a lot ofpoliticians who did not believe in governmentsupport for the arts, theywantedto do away with the agencyentirely, for thatveryreason, to get rid of governmentalsupport.But theyonly succeeded intaking away about half the annual budget. And as far as thepublic goes,well…thereare about as many individuals who disagree with the governmentsupport as thereare those who agree.In fact,with artistsin particular, youhave lots of artistswho support and who have benefited from this agency,although it seems that just as many artistssuppose a government agencybeing involved in the arts, for many different reasons, reasons like theydon’twant the government to controlwhat theycreate.In other words, theargumentsboth for and against government funding ofthe artsare as manyand, and as varied as the individual styles ofthe artists who hold them.源于：小马过河相关推荐：2012年11月18日托福写作真题解析2012年11月18日托福口语真题解析2012年11月18日托福阅读真题解析2012年11月18日托福听力真题解析。

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TPO-4TPO 04 – Listening PartConversationNarratorListen to a conversation between a student and a librarian.LibrarianCan I help you?StudentYeah, Ineed to find a review. It’s for myEnglish class. Wehave to find reviews of theplay we are reading. But theyhave to be from when the play was first performed,so I need to know when that was and I suppose I should startwith newspaper reviews and…LibrarianContemporary reviews.StudentSorry?LibrarianYou want contemporaryreviews. What’s the name of the play?StudentIt’s Happy Strangers. Itwas written in 1962 and we are supposed to writeabou t itsinfluence on American theatre and show why it’s been so important.LibrarianWell, that certainly explains whyyour professor wantsyou to read some ofthose old reviews. The critiquesreally torethe play to pieceswhen it opened.It’s so controve rsial. Nobody had everseen anything like it on the stage.StudentReally? Isthat a big deal?LibrarianOh, sure. Ofcourse thecritiques’reaction made some people kind ofcuriousabout it.Theywanted to see what’s causing all the fuss. In fact,we wer eonvacation in New York. Oh, I had tobe, eh,around 16 or so, and myparentstookme to see it. That would’ve been about 1965.StudentSo that wasthe year premier,great, but eh,newspaper from back then weren’tonline,so, how do I…LibrarianWell, wehave copies ofall the newspapers in the basement, and all the majorpapers publish reference guides to their articlesreviews,etc. You willfindthem in the reference stacksin the back. ButI start with 1964, so I thinktheplay had been running for a little while when I saw it.StudentHow do you like it?I mean just two characterson the stage hanging aroundand basically doing nothing.LibrarianWell, Iwas impressed. Theactors werefamous, and besides it was myfirsttime in a realtheatre.But you are right.It was definitelydifferent from manyplays that we read in high school. Ofcourse, in a small town the assignmentsare prettytraditional.StudentYeah, I’ve only read it but it doesn’t seem like it would be much fun to watch.The st orydoesn’t progress in anysort oflogical matter,doesn’t have realending either,just stops. Honestly,you know,I thought it was kind of slow andboring.LibrarianOh, wellI guess you might think that. Butwhen Isaw it back then it wasanything but boring. Some parts werereally funny,but Iremembercrying too.But I’m not sure just reading it. You know, they’ve done thisplay at least onceon campus. I’m sure thereis a tape of theplay in our video library. You mightwant to borrow it.StudentThat’s a good idea. I’ll have a better idea of what I really thinkof it before I read those reviews.LibrarianI’m sure you willbe surprised that anyone ever found it radical. But you will see whyit is still powerful, dramatically speaking.StudentYeah, it must be something about it,or the professor wouldn’thave assigned it.I’m sure I’ll figure it out.LectureNarratorListen to part ofa lecturein a biology class. The class is discussing animal behavior.ProfessorOk, the nextkind ofanimal behavior I want to talkabout might be familiar toyou. You mayhave seen, for example, a bird that’s in the middle ofa mating ritual, and suddenly it stops and preens,you know, takesa few momentstostraighten its feathers, and then returns tothe mating ritual. This kind of behavior,this doing something that seems completelyout ofplace, is what wecalla ‘Displacement Activity’. Displacement activitiesare activities that animal’s engaging in when theyhave conflicting drives. Ifwe takeour examplefrom a minute ago, if thebird is afraid ofits mate,it’s conflicted.It wantsto mate but it’s also afraid and wantsto run away. So, instead, it startsgrooming itself.So, the displacement activity,the grooming, the straightening ofits feathers,seems to be an irrelevant behavior.So, what do you think anotherexample ofa displacementactivity might be?KarlHow about an animal that, um, instead of fighting its enemyor running away,itattacksa plant or a bush?ProfessorThat’s reallygood suggestion, Karl. But that’s called ‘redirecting’.The animal isredirecting itsbehavior to another object, in this case, theplant or the bush.But that’s not an irrelevant or inappropriate behavior.The behavior makessense. It’s appropriate under the circumstances.But what doesn’t make senseis the object thebehavior‘s directed towards. Ok, who else? Carol?CarolI thinkI read in another class about an experimentwhere an object that theanimal was afraid of was put nextto its food – nextto the animal’s food. Andthe animal, it wasconflicted between confronting theobject and eating thefood, so instead, it just fellasleep. Like that?ProfessorThat’s exactlywhat I mean. Displacement occursbecause theanimal’s got twoconflicting drives – two competing urges, in thiscase, fear and hunger. Andwhat happens is, theyinhibit each other,theycanceleach other out in a wayand a third seemingly irrelevant behavior surfaces through a processthat wecall‘Disinhibition’. Now in disinhibition, thebasic idea is that two drivesthatseem to inhibit,to hold back, a third drive. Or, well,they’re getting in a wayofeach in a… in a conflict situation and somehow lose control,lose theirinhibiting effecton that third behavior,which means thatthe third drive surfaces, it’s expressed in theanimal’s behavior.Now,these displacementactivities can include feeding, drinking, grooming, even sleeping. These arewhat we call ‘Comfort Behavior’.So whydo you thinkdisplacement activitiesare so often comfort behaviors, such as grooming?KarlMaybe because it’s easy for them to do? I mean,grooming is like one of themost accessible things an animal can do. It’s something theydo all thetime,and theyhave the stimulus right there on the outside oftheir bodies in order to do thegrooming, or if food is right in front of them.Basically, theydon’t have to think verymuch about those behaviors.CarolProfessor,isn’t it possible that animals groom because they’ve got messed upa little from fight ing or mating? I mean if a bird’s feathersget ruffled or an animal’s fur,maybe it’s not so strange for them to stop and tidythemselves upat that point.ProfessorThat’s another possible reason although it doesn’t necessarily explain other behavi ors such as eating, drinking or sleeping. What’s interesting is that studies have been done that suggest thatthe animal’s environment mayplay apart in determining what kind of behavior it displays. For example,there’s abird, the ‘wood thrush’,anyway, when the ‘wood thrush’is in an attack-escapeconflict, that is, it’s caught between the two urges to escape from or to attackan enemy,if it’s sitting on a horizontalbranch, it’ll wipe itsbeak on itsperch.Ifit’s sitting on a verticalbranch, it’ll groom its breast feathers.The immediateenvironment of thebird, its immediate,um, its relationship to its immediateenvironment seemsto play a part in which behavior will display.LectureNarratorListen to part ofa lecturein a literatureclass.ProfessorAll right,so let me close today’s class with some thoughts to keep in mindwhile you are doing tonight’s assignment. You will be reading one of RalphWaldo Emerson’s best-known essays ‘Self-Reliance’and comparing it with hispoems and other works. Ithink this essay has the potentialto be quitemeaningful for all ofyou as young people who probably wonder about thingslike truth and whereyour lives are going - all sorts ofprofound questions.Knowing something about Emerson’s philosophie s will help you when youread ‘Self-Reliance’.And basically, one ofthe main beliefs that he had wasabout truth. Not that it’s something that wecan be taught,Emerson says it’sfound within ourselves. So this truth,the idea that it’s in each one ofus, is oneof thefirst points that you’ll see Emerson ** in this essay. It’s a bitabstract but he’s very into…ah…into each person believing his or her ownthought, believing in yourself, the thought or conviction that’s truefor you. But actually, he tiesthat in with a sort of ‘universal truth’ – something that everyone knows but doesn’t realizetheyknow. Most of us aren’tin touch with ourselvesin a way,so we just aren’t capable of recognizing profound truth. Ittakesgeniuses, people like, say,Sh akespeare, who’reunique because when theyhave a glimpse at this truth,this universal truth,theypay attention to it and expressit and don’t just dismiss it like most people do.So Emerson is reallyinto each individual believing in and trusting him orherself.You’ll see thathe writesabout, well,first, conformity. Hecriticizes that people of his time for abandoning their own minds and their own wills for thesake of conformity and consistency. Theytryto fit in with the restof the worldeven thou gh it’s at odds with their beliefsand their identities. Therefore,it’sbest to be a non-conformist – to do your own thing, not worrying about whatother people think. That’s an important point. Hereally drives thisargumenthome throughout the essay.When you are reading, I want you to think about that and why thatkind ofthought would be relevant to the readers of his time. Rememberthis is 1838,‘Self-Reliance’was a novel idea at thetime and the United State’s citizenswereless secure about themselvesas individuals and as Americans. Thecountry as a whole was trying to define itself. Emerson wanted to give peoplesomething to reallythink about, help them find theirown wayand what it meantto be who theywere.So that’s something that I thin k is definitely as relevanttoday as it was then, probably, um, especially among young adults likeyourselves, you know,uh, college being a time to sort of reallythink about whoyou are and where you’re going.Now we already said that Emerson really emphasizesnon-conformity, right,asa way to sort of not lose your own self and identityin the world, to have yourown truth and not be afraid to listen to it. Well, he takes thisa stepfurther. Notconforming also means, uh, not conforming with yourself or your past. Whatdoes that mean?Well, if you’ve always been a certain way or done a certainthing, but it’s not working for you anymore,or you’re not content,Emersonsays that it’d be foolish to be consistent evenwith our own past. ‘Focus on t hefuture,’ he says, “That'swhat matters more.Inconsistency is good.”He talksabout a ship’s voyage and this is one of themost famous bits oftheessay - how the best voyage is made up of zigzag lines. Up close, it seemsalittle all over theplace, but from fartheraway, the truepath shows and in theend it justifies all theturns along the way.So, don’t worry if you are not surewhere you’re headed or what your long-term goals are.Staytrue to yourselfand it’ll make sense in the end. I mean,I can at test tothat. BeforeI was aliteratureprofessor, Iwas an accountant.Beforethat,I was a newspaperreporter.My life is taking some prettyinteresting turns and here I am, veryhappy with my experiencesand wherethey’ve brought me. Ifyou relyonyourself and trust your own talents,your own interest, don’t worry,your pathwill make sense in the end.ConversationNarratorListen to a conversation between a student and a professor.ProfessorHey,Jane, you look like you arein a hurry.StudentYeah, things are a little crazy.ProfessorOh yeah? What’s going on?StudentOh, it’s nothing. Well, since it’s your class, I guess it’s OK. It’s, it’s just I am having trouble with mygroup project.ProfessorAh, yes, due next week.What’s your group doing again?StudentIt’s about United StatesSupreme Court Decisions. We are looking at theimpact of recent caseson propertyrights, municipal land use cases, owningdisputes.ProfessorRight,OK. And i t’s not going well?StudentNot really.I’m worried about othertwo people in my group. Theyare just sittingback, not really doing their fair share ofthe work and waiting for an A. It’s kindof stressing me out,because we aregetting close to thedeadline and I feellikeI’m doing everything for this project.ProfessorAh, the good old free writerproblem.StudentFree writer?ProfessorAh, it’s just a term that describes thissituation, when people in the group seekto getthe benefits ofbeing in a group without contributing tothe work. Anyway,what exactly do you mean when you say theyjust sit back? I mean,they’vebeen following theweekly progress repotswith me.StudentYes, but I feellike I’m doing 90% ofthe work. I hateto sound so n egative here,but honestly, theyare taking credit for things theyshouldn’t take credit for. Likelast weekin the library,we decided to split up theresearch into 3 partsandeach of us was supposed to find sources in the library for our parts. I went offto the stackand found some really good materialfor mypart, but when I gotback to our table,theywere just goofing off and talking. So I wentand gotmaterialsfor theirsections as well.ProfessorUm…you know you shouldn’t do that.StudentI know,but I didn’t want to risk the project going down thedrain.ProfessorI know Teresa and Kevin. I had both ofthem on othercourses. So, I’m familiarwith the workand work habits.StudentI know,me too. That’s why this has reallysurprised me.ProfessorDo you…does your group like your topic?StudentWell, Ithink we’d all ratherfocus on casesthat deal with personal liberties,questions about freedom of speech,things like that.But Ichose propertyrights.ProfessorYou chose the topic?StudentYeah, Ithought it would be good for us, all of us to trysomething new.ProfessorUm…maybe that’s part of theproblem. Maybe Teresa and Kevin aren’t thatexcited about the topic? And since you picked it,have you thought…talktothem at all about picking a different topic?StudentBut we’ve got all the sourcesand it’s due next week. We don’t have time to start from scratch.ProfessorOK, I will letyou go ‘cause I know you are so busy. But you might consider talking to your group about your topic choice.StudentI willthink about it. Gotto run, see you in class.LectureNarratorListen to part ofa lecturein a geology class.ProfessorNow we’ve got a few minutes beforewe leave for today.So I’ll just touch on an inter esting subject that I think makesan important point. We’ve been covering rocks and different types ofrocks for the last severalweeks. Butnext weekwe are going to do something a bit different.And to get started I thought I’d mention something that sho ws how uh…as a geologist, you need toknowabout more than just rocksand the structureof solid matter,moving rocks, you may have heard about them.It’s quite a mystery.Death valley is this desert plane, a dry lake bed inCalifornia surrounded bymountains and on the desertfloor these huge rocks,some ofthem hundreds of pounds. And theymove. Theyleave long trailsbehind them,tracksyou might say as theymove from one point to another.Butnobody has been able to figure out how theyare moving because no one haseverseen it happen.Now there area lot of theories,but all we know for sure is that people aren’t’moving the rocks. Thereare no footprints, no tyretracks and no heavymachinery like a bulldozer…uh, nothing was everbrought in to move theseheavy rocks.So what’s going on? TheoryNO.1 ---Wind? Some researchersthink powerfuluh…windstorms might move the rocks. Most of therocks move in the samedirection as the dominant wind pattern from southwest to northeast.But some,and thisis interesting, move straight west while some zigzag or even move inlarge circles.Um…How can that be?How about wind combined with rain? The ground ofthis desertis made of clay. It’s a desert,so it’s dry.But when thereis theoccasionalrain, the clay gr ound becomesextremelyslippery.It’s hard foranyone tostand on, walk on. Some scientiststheorized that perhaps when theground is slipperythe high winds can then move the rocks. There’s a problemwith this theory.One team ofscientists flooded an area ofthe desert with water,then tryto establish how much wind forcewould be necessary to move therocks. And guess this, you need winds of at least five hundred miles an hour to move just the smallest rocks. And winds that strong have neverbeen recorded. Ever!Not on thisplanet.So Ithink it’s safe to say that that issues has been settled.Hereis another possibility–ice.It’s possible that rain on thedesert floor could turn to thin sheetsof ice when temperaturesdrop at night. So if rocks…uh becomi ngbetter than ice,uh … OK, could a pieceof ice with rocks in it be pushed around by thewind? Butthere’s a problem with thistheory,too. Rockstrapped in ice togetherwould have moved togetherwhen the ice moved. Butthat doesn’talways happen. The rocksseem to take separate routes.Thereare a fewother theories. Maybe the ground vibrates, or maybe theground itself is shifting, tilting. Maybe the rocksare moved bya magnetic force. But sadly all these ideas have been eliminated as possibilities. The re’s just no evidence.I bet you are saying to yourself well, whydon’t scientists just setup video camerasto record what actually happens? Thing is this is a protective wilderness area. So by law that type of research isn’t allowed. Besides, in powerful windstorms, sensitive camera equipment would be destroyed. Sowhycan’t researchers just live therefor a while until theyobserve the rocks’moving? Same reason.So whereare we now? Well, right now we still don’t have any answers. So allthis leads backto mymain point – you need to know about more than justrocks as geologists. The researchersstudying moving rocks, well, theycombine their knowledge of rockswith knowledge of wind, ice and such…umnot successfully, not yet.But you know,theywould even have been able to getstartedwithout uh… earth science understanding – knowledge about wind,storms, you know,meteorology. You need tounderstand physics. So forseveralweeks like Isaid we’ll be addressing geology from a wider prospective.I guess that’s all for today. See you next time.LectureNarratorListen to part ofa lecturein a United Statesgovernment class.ProfessorOK, last timewe were talking about government support for the arts. Who cansum up some of themain points? Frank?FrankWell, Iguess there wasn’t reallyany, you know, official government support forthe artsuntil thetwentieth century. Butthe first attempt theUnited Statesgovernment made to,you know, to support the artswas the FederalArtProject.ProfessorRight,so what can you say about the project?FrankUm…it was started during the Depression, um…in the 1930s to employout-of-work artists.ProfessorSo wasit successful? Janet?What do you say?JanetYeah, sure,it was successful. I mean, for one thing, the project established a lot of…uh like community art centersand galleriesand places like ruralareas where people hadn’t really had access to thearts.ProfessorRight.FrankYeah. Butdidn’tthe government end up wasting a lot of money for art that wasn’t even verygood?ProfessorUh…some people might say that. Butwasn’t theprimary objective of the FederalArt Project to provide jobs?FrankThat’s true.Imean…it did provide jobs for thousands of unemployed artists. ProfessorRight.But then when the United Statesbecame involved in the Second World War,unemployment was down and it seems that these programs weren’treally necessary any longer.So, moving on, we don't actuallysee any govern…wellany realgovernment involvement in the artsagain until theearly 1960s, when President Kennedyand otherpoliticians started topush for major funding to support and promotethe arts. Itwas felt bya number ofpoliticians that …wellthat the governmenthad a responsibilityt o support the artsas sort of…oh, what can we say?...thethe soul…or spirit of the country. The idea was that therebe a federal subsidy…um…uh…financial assistance to artists and artistic or cultural institutions. And for just those reasons, in 1965, the National Endowment for the Artswas created.So it was through the NEA,the National Endowment for the Arts, um…that the artswould develop, would be promoted throughout the nation. And thenindividual statesthroughout thecountry started to establish their own state arts councils to help support the arts. Therewas kind of uh…culturalexplosion.And bythe mid 1970s, by 1974 I think, all fifty stateshad their own arts agencies, their own state artscouncils that work with the federalgovernmentwith corporations, artists, performers, you name it.FrankDid you just say corporations? How are theyinvolved?ProfessorWell, you see, corporations aren’t always altruistic. Theymight not support the artsunless…well, unless the government made i t attractive for them to do so,by offering corporations tax incentives tosupport the arts, that is, by lettingcorporations pay less in taxesif theywerepatrons ofthe arts. Um, theKennedyCentre in Washington D.C., you mayuh…maybe you’ve been there,or Lincoln Centrein New York. Bothof these werebuilt with substantialfinancial support from corporations. And the Kennedyand Lincoln centresaren’t the only examples. Manyof your cultural establishments in theUnitedStateswill have a plaque somewhere acknowledging the support – themoneytheyreceived from whatevercorporation. Oh, yes, Janet?JanetBut aren’t therea lot ofpeople who don’t think it’s thegovernment’s role tosupport the arts?ProfessorWell, as a matter offact, a lot ofpoliticians who did not believe in governmentsupport for the arts, theywantedto do away with the agencyentirely, for thatveryreason, to get rid of governmentalsupport.But theyonly succeeded intaking away about half the annual budget. And as far as thepublic goes,well…thereare about as many individuals who disagree with the governmentsupport as thereare those who agree.In fact,with artistsin particular, youhave lots of artistswho support and who have benefited from this agency,although it seems that just as many artistssuppose a government agencybeing involved in the arts, for many different reasons, reasons like theydon’twant the government to controlwhat theycreate.In other words, theargumentsboth for and against government funding ofthe artsare as manyand, and as varied as the individual styles ofthe artists who hold them.源于：小马过河相关推荐：2012年11月18日托福写作真题解析2012年11月18日托福口语真题解析2012年11月18日托福阅读真题解析2012年11月18日托福听力真题解析。

【托福听力资料】托福TPO4听力文本——Lecture 2

【托福听力资料】托福TPO4听力文本——Lecture 2众所周知，托福TPO材料是备考托福听力最好的材料。

相信众多备考托福的同学也一直在练习这套材料，那么在以下内容中我们就为大家带来托福TPO听力练习的文本，希望能为大家的备考带来帮助。

TPO 4 Lecture 2 LiteratureNarrator：Listen to part of a lecture in a literature class.Professor：All right, so let me close today’s class with some thoughts to keep in mind while you are doing tonight’s assignment. You will be reading one of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s best-known essays ‘Self-Reliance’ and comparing it with his poems and other works.I think this essay has the potential to be quite meaningful for all of you asyoung people who probably wonder about things like truth and where your lives are going - all sorts of profound questions.Knowing something about Emerson’s philosophies will help you when you read ‘Self-Reliance’. And basically, one of the main beliefs that he had was about truth. Not that it’s something that we can be taught, Emerson says it’s foundwithin ourselves. So this truth, the idea that it’s in each one of us, is one ofthe first points that you’ll see Emerson making in this essay. It’s a bit abstract but he’s very into…uh… into each person believing his or her own thought, believing in yourself, the thought or conviction that’s true for you.But actually, he ties that in with a sort of ‘universal truth’– somethingthat everyone knows but doesn’t realize they know. Most of us are in touch withourselves in a way, so we just aren’t capable of recognizing profound truth. Ittakes geniuses, people like, say, Shakespeare, who’re unique because when they have a glimpse of this truth, this universal truth, they pay attention to it and express it and don’t just dismiss it like most people do.So Emerson is really into each individual believing in and trusting him or herself. You’ll see that he writes about, well, first, conformity. He criticizes that people of his time for abandoning their own minds and their own wills for the sake of conformity and consistency. They try to fit in with the rest of the world even though it’s at odds with their beliefs and their identities.Therefore, it’s best to be a non-conformist – to do your own thing, not worrying about what other people think. That’s an important point. He really drives this argument home throughout the essay.When you are reading, I want you to think about that and why that kind of thought would be relevant to the readers of his time. Remember this is1838,‘Self-Reliance’ was a novel idea at the time and the United States citizens were less secure about themselves as individuals and as Americans. The country as a whole was trying to define itself. Emerson wanted to give people something to really think about, help them find their own way and what it meant to be who they were. So that’s something that I think is definitely as relevant today as it was then, probably, um, especially among young adults like yourselves, youknow, uh, college being a time to sort of really think about who you are andwhere you’re going.Now, we already said that Emerson really emphasizes non-conformity, right? Asa way to sort of not lose your own self and identity in the world, to have yourown truth and not be afraid to listen to it.Well, he takes this a step further. Not conforming also means, uh, notconforming with yourself or your past. What does that mean? Well, if you’ve always been a certain way or done a certain thing, but it’s not working for you any more, or you’re not content, Emerson says that it’d be foolish to beconsistent even with our own past.“Focus on the future,” he says, “That’s whatmatters more. Inconsistency is good.”He talks about a ship’s voyage and this is one of the most famous bits of the essay - how the best voyage is made up of zigzag lines. Up close, it seems a little all over the place, but from farther away, the true path shows and in the end it justifies all the turns along the way. So, don’t worry if you are not sure where you’re headed or what your long-term goals are. Stay true to yourself and it’ll make sense in the end. I mean, I can attest to that. Before I was a literature professor, I was an accountant. Before that, I was a newspaper reporter. My life is taking some pretty interesting turns and here I am, very happy with my experiences and where they’ve brought me. If you rely on yourself and trust your own talents, your own interest, don’t worry, your path will makesense in the end.。