雅思听力特训1

CD1-track2Sunday’s Run1.What is the main topic of the conversation?A Running and its danger.B Pregnancy and weight.C Marathon for charity.D How to collect money.(C)2. What is the main reason for the woman to have gained a lot of weight?A She had a baby.B She was diagnosed with cancer.C She ate a lot without doing any exercise.D She could not go to a gym due to lack of money.(A)CD1-track3Exam Schedule1.What is the conversation mainly about?A How to use the faculty lounge.B How to avoid clashes with students.C How to exam the scheduling computer.D How to schedule the exam.(D)2. In the conversation, what is Dean Acheson’s main job?A Taking care of the bulletin board.B Consulting students.C Scheduling the exams.D Singing the sheet in the faculty lounge.(C)CD1-track4RegistrationWhat is the main topic of the conversation?A The traffic accident.B How to enter the university.C How to register in courses and pay tuition.D How to register and use a credit card.(C)CD1-track5Stress between Work and Study1.What is the man’s main problem?A He has a sleeping disorder.B He needs money but his part-time job does not pay enough.C He finds it hard to balance between work and study.D He wants to take time off from the work but the manager does not allow him to do so.(C)2.What does the woman mainly suggest the man do at the end of the conversation?A He should take some rest from sleepless nights.B He should quit his part-time job for a while to study for the examination.C He should wait for 20years to learn how to enjoy working.D He should bite the bullet and study hard and work.(D)CD1-track6A General Intelligence1. What is the main topic of the lecture>A The importance of intelligence in education.B Sperman’s theory of General Intelligence.C The function of the lateral prefrontal cortex in human psychology.D The problems in the scientific community.(B)2.What is the main idea of Spearman’s “g” theory?A There is a single intelligence that helps us to solve all kinds of problems.B There is a part of the brain called “lateral prefrontal cortex” which controls blood flow.C The social background is the main factor in determining intelligence.D We cannot measure our mental activities with the “single intelligence” theory. (A)CD1-track7The Golden Age of American AgricultureWhat are the main reasons that made the early 20th century the golden age of American agriculture? (Click on 2 answers)A The improvement of farming methods due to advanced technology.B The governmental involvement with pesticide control.C The introduction of newly-developed seeds.D The increase of the female labor in farming.(A,C)CD1-track8Consumer Price IndexWhat is the lecture mainly about? (Click on 2 answers)A How to forecast interest-rate out of the Consumer Price Index.B The disadvantages of the Consumer Price Index.C The function of the Consumer Price Index.D How to measure the Consumer Price Index.(C,D)CD1-track9Boston Tea Party1.What is the main topic of the lecture?A The background of the Boston Tea Party.B The importance of the Boston Tea Party in American history.C The relationship between patriots and Mohawk Indians.D The consequence of the Boston Tea Party.(A)2. According to the lecture, which of the following is the main problem of the TEA ACT?A It would make the East Indian Company bankrupt.B It would put colonial smugglers out of business.C It would make the tea price skyrocket.D It would impose taxes on the Americans living in the colonies.(B)CD1-track10StonehengeWhat is the main topic of the lecture?A Two different views on the original purpose of Stonehenge.B The detailed history of how Stonehenge was built.C The geological explanation about the stones used in building Stonehenge.D The Astronomical significance of the midsummer sunrise and eclipses.(A)CD1-track11New Y ork’s Economy1.What is the main idea of the lecture?A In the late 20th century, the economy of New York was not affected much by the national economy.B In the late 20th century, the economy of New York didn’t contribute to the national economy.C In the late 20th century, the urbanization in New York created a big discrepancy in financial situations between urban people and suburban people.D In the late 20th century, the pay or living conditions of New York workers worsened.(A)2. Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the lecture?A The economy of New York is not necessarily related with the national economy.B The influence of the economic growth on New York workers varies in regions.C The state government should take actions on helping families get some benefits our of the booming economy.D The workers living in New York City are struggling because the stock market does not influence their living standards.(D)CD1-track12Discrimination1.What is the lecture mainly about?A The development of anti-discrimination regulations.B The disadvantages of anti-discrimination laws.C The advantages of anti-discrimination laws.D The development of women’s right to equality.(A)2.According to the lecture, what are the main changes since the 1970s? (Click on 3answers)A Most jobs became open to ethnic groups.B The word used to refer to the fireman was changed.C Women began to be trained together with men in the military.D Individualism has been reflected in the hiring process.E Women were allowed to flight in the battlefield like men did.(A,B,C)CD1-track13The Book of the Dead1.What is the main topic of the lecture?A Three Kingdoms in Ancient Egypt.B Burial ritual and The Book of the Dead in Ancient Egypt.C Mummification and pyramids in Ancient Egypt.D Funeral in Ancient Egypt and modern religious rituals.(B)2.What is the main method that the professor uses for the explanation?A Comparing.B Giving examples.C Quoting researchers’ wordsD Telling related fables.(A)CD1-track14Losing Weight1.What is he man’s main idea about diets?A Diets are unnecessary but exercise and proper nutritional supplements are important.B Neither the Atkins Diet nor nutritional supplements are necessary.C Exercise is really important and supplements and diets are not useful.D Both the Atkins Diet and exercise are important.(A)2.What does the woman think about diets mainly?A Dieting is an easier way to stay fit than exercising.B Exercise and nutritional supplements are also important part when it comes to diets.C Diets are necessary because they help you lose weight.D Diets are better than exercise and supplements can be quite helpful.(C)CD1-track15Report on Beluga Whales1.What is the main topic of the conversation?A Computer problems.B Future jobs in the billogy field.C Re-arrangement of assignments.D Problems of the student’s friends.(C)2. What is the main reason that the student could not sleep last night?A He worked on the computer to restore some files.B He was excited about the interview with the beluga whale specialist.C He was very upset when he heard the news of his friend’s accident.D He was sure that he would not be able to submit the report on time.(D)CD1-track16Summer Break1.What is the main topic of the conversation?A How to have fun in summer.B How to make money during summer break.C How to keep the family business during summer break.D Tentative plans for summer break.(D)2. What is the woman’s main dilemma?A Going to Italy vs. helping her mother.B Going to Nepal vs. joining the Air Force.C Having fun vs. making money.D Doing the family duty vs. improving her engineering skills.(A)CD1-track17Journalism: Newspapers and Journalists1.What is the lecture mainly about?A Freedom of speech and newspapers.B Journalism and freedom of the press.C How the media distorts the truth.D The history of journalism.(B)2.According to the lecture, why is “prizemanship” mainly problematic?A Journalists may distort the truth.B Journalists can be invading some privacy.C Newspapers feel humiliated when their journalists do not win the prize.D The truth must always be found and never interpreted.(A)CD1-track18Geography: American Southern Coastlands1.What is the main topic of the lecture?A The geographical division in the Southern Coastlands.B The impact of the climate on agriculture of the Southern Coastlands.C The economic situation in orange markets of the Southern Coastlands.D The importance of rainfall in the food market of the Southern Coastlands.(B)2.According to the lecture, what are the main consequences of the warm weatherand a lot of rainfall in the Southern Coastlands? (Click on 2 answers)A People in the region can grow crops more than once in a year.B It helped people in the region develop a wonderful system of irrigation.C The region attracts a lot of migrant workers.D People in the region can grow specialty crops.(A,D)CD1-track19Law: Law in America1.What is the main topic of the lecture?A The history of the law system in America.B The difference between British law schools and American law schools.C The development of education laws in America.D The history of law schools in America.(D)2.According to the lecture, which of the following is NOT mentioned as mainchanges in the late 19th century at Harvard University?A Some applicants were required to test an entrance examination to get admitted to the school.B Case studies became the main method of teaching.C Studying law became a 3 year endeavor.D Students should pass the comprehensive examination to graduate from the school.(D)Biology: Sunshine1.What is the main idea of the lecture?A The lack of Vitamin D is the main cause of skin cancer.B Sunbathing for a long time causes no problems.C The danger of the sunshine has been ignored because of its benefits.D The advantages and disadvantages of the sun .(D)2. According to the lecture, when concerned with our bodies, what is the main function of sunshine?A It changes ergosterol to Vitamin D.B It suppresses serotonin.C It can cause Seasonal Affective Disorder.D It can cause skin and bladder cancer.(A)CD1-track21Film Studies: Western Movies1.What is the main topic of the lecture?A Western movies are made in America and are always about cowboys.B The basic form of the western movie turns up in many forms of movies today.C American western movies come from Japan.D Western movies are stories about past history.(B)2.What is the main reason that the professor does not like Western movies?A Western movies are entertaining but immoral.B Western movies are only for kids.C Western movies follow the same pattern repetitively.D Western movies do not present any stereotypes.(C)Sunday’s RunHi, Alison.Oh,hi, Julian.Have you been training hard for Sunday's run for a cure for breast cancer?You bet! I have been running three times a week for over an hour each time.It's great.I can't believe I've gotten to this point so quickly! Only six months ago I would run for five minutes and almost collapse in exhaustion.I hear you. I decided to run in this marathon because I needed a motivator to get myself back into sharp. During my pregnancy I gained a whopping eighty pounds and I'm still trying to trim down. Also, I totally believe in the course.I know so many poeple who have been touched by the disease.Wow! Eighter pounds! That's nuts! Did you have triples?No, just a big little boy. He was born 9 pounds, 5 ounces.Hi, Julian, what inspired you to want to run this weekend?Well, a bunch of my running buddies thought it would be a great idea. We all started running at the same time and when we heard one of the guys' mother was diagnosed with cancer, we thought the marathon was something positive we could do as a group. It should be a lot of fun , and I've been collecting lot of sponsors from the school. So I'll hopefuly make tons of money for the cause.That's so cool, Julian.Hey, I've got to dash. I'll see you finish line on Sunday.CD1-track3Exam ScheduleHi, Mabel.Hi,John.Could you please give me some information of exam schedule?I will be happy to. The dates for the first term are December 9 to December 23 . The dates for the second term are April 11 to April 30.How long are exams?Exams are normally three-hour long. Y ou must book a room for a three-hour exam.The department will arrange an invigilator. Early next month, there will be a sign up sheet posted on the bulletin board in the faculty lounge. Y ou can choose a square on this draft shedule. The dean then receive it, then draws up the final schedule to avoid students in the Science Faculty having two exams scheduled at the same time.That's a good idea. So I just have to sign the sheet in the faulty lounge asking when I want my exam.Yes, it is not at all certain that when the exam will be , but it gives Dean Acheson a place to start. He still have to do most of it manually,consulting his computer to see which students registered in each course have oder exams. Doing an exam schedule is quite complex. Quite often, he consults the schedule from the previous year.CD1-track4RegistrationHello , are you Aren Beaychamp?Yes, I am . I am sorry I'm late for my appointment but there was an incident on the bridge and traffic was backed up.That's okay. I am Rodney Cakdwell.How may I help you?How are my registration date and time determined?First year students are mailed a designated date and specific time with their admission letter. For continuing studentes the dates and time for registration are determined by the average from the previous winter session and by the year that the students is in. Are you a first year student?Yes, I am.Have you received your admission letter?Yes, I have.But I also have some questions on how to pay for the courses.How do I pay if I have don't use credid card?Other options are, by going to a bank and paying the teller on your course confirmation slip, or by coming to the campus and paying in-person at the Students Service Buiding on the third floor.CD1-track5Stress between Work and StudyHi,Stuart.how's school going?Oh, hi, Lisa. School is really , really tough right now, exams are coming into two weeks.Geez. Stuart, you sound stressed. Exams, yes, I used to dread this time of year. I used to cram the night befor and hope I was studing the right stuff.That's the hard part of studing last minutes;you run out of time, have to pick and choose areas of focus and guess what will be on the exams. It's always a bit of a gamble. T o add more stess I have a part-time job on top of studing!Can't you take some time off from your job, Stuart?No, I need the money to help pay my board. I thougt I was doing pretty well all term balancing school and work, but now I'm finding it's next to impossible finding the time to both study and work. After coming home from my job I have to hit the books for a few hours every night, whether I have the energy or not. Sometimes I just want to go to sleep...I'm so tired1Well if it's any consolation, Stuart, you know it's not going to last forever. It's like you just have to find that extra energy to get through it all. Before you know it, you've graduated! Twenty years from now you will look back on this time and remember all the fun you had.No doubt, thanks, Lisa. I know you're right. I'll probaly even look back on my menial job with fondness too.CD1-track6A General IntelligenceToday we will look at this problematic concept known as "intelligence". What is it? Isthere an "intelligence" that help us to solve all kinds of problems? Or are there different intelligences that help us deal with particular problems and solutions? What do you think?I think it depends on other things, such as cultural background.Indeed. There is also a body of research that states mental ability is a function of social factors such as education and not one's inherent biological make-up. The scientific community is devided on the issue. One of the beliefs behind the idea of single entity "inteligence" is the concept of "General Intelligence" or "g". The English psychologist Charles Spearman in the early 20th century made "g" stand for a statistical measures of performance across a variety of tests. He found that the same people who did well in variety of mental tests tended to use a part in their brains that he termed "g".This "g" laid the foundation for the notion of a single intelligence, allowing us to undertake everyday mental tasks. Can you think of any problems inherent in this theory?Well, for one thing, it seems there are a lot of t mental activities that go on and that we can't always measure their activity so easily.Ture enough. Nonetheless, a recent study seems to confirm Spearman's theory. Reseach has found that a part of the brain called the "lateral prefrontal cortex" is the only area of the brain to increase in blood flow when volunteers tackle complicated puzzles. However, Spearman's concept is still highly controversial with many people questioning both the the statistical process and the simplistic nature of "g"CD1-track7The Golden Age of American AgricultureWe call the first two decades of the 20th century the golden age of American agriculture. What were the factors that made the periad the golden age of American agriculture? Who can offer some reason?New strains of crops, improved farming methods, and what about greater use of pesticides and fertilizers?Absolutely. Technical advances continued to improve productivity. The U.S. Department of Agriculture set up demonstration farms to show how new techniques could improve crop yields. In 1914. Congress created the Agriculture Extention Service, to advice farmers and their families about everyghing from crop fertilzers to home sowing projects. The Department of Agriculture undertook new research . developing hogs that were fattened faster on less greain as well as fertilizers that increased grain production. New hibrid seeds that develped into healthier plants, treatments that prevented or cured plant and animal diseases, and various methods for controlling pets were all introduced around this time. Anything else?Wasn't there also some kind of population boom around then ?Good! Farm prices were high as demand for goods increased, and land values rose. Howerver, the good years of the early 20th century ended following World W ar 2. What was happening then?Maybe a lot of people, women especailly , were moving from the farm to the cities.CD1-track8Consumer Price IndexAnd now class, let's swith gears and discuss a different topic? Consumer Price Index, CPI for short. If you switched on the TV and heard on the news that the CPI in Canada was 2.1%, what does that mean? In a nutshell, it means that Canadian consumers paid 2.1% more than in the previous year for the goods and services included in the CPI basket. Although prices of goods and services rise and fall over time, when prices change too dramatically, they can have negative effects on an economy. In order to tell if an economy is experiencing inflation, deflation or stagflation, we use the CPI as a gauge of the price of goods and services. Believe it or not, when the Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistic releases the CPI date monthy, you might ask? Well, the CPI play a role for many key financial decision makers, including individual investors, the Bank of Canada in Canada and the Federal Reserve in the U.S. The CPI helps the Bank of Canada forecast the interest rate policy and other decisions of major banks and corporations. I mentioned the CPI basket before and now I want to expand on what this basket is and how wer get the information. The base-year market basket, which makes up the CPI, comes from detailed expenditure information collected from surveys of thousands of families.The information is not randomly collected, instead, the information is gathered through interviews and diaries kept by participants who have agreed to disclose their buying havits. The basket is divided into eight groups: food and beverages, housing, apparel, transportation, medical care, recreation, education and communication, and other goods and services, and inclues more than 200 categories. Finally, the prices of 80 000 items in the market basket are collected nonthly from thousands of retail stores, wervice establishments, rental units, and doctors' offices.CD1-track9Boston Tea PartyOkay calss, I know you must be up to your ear in history, but let's talk about another important event in American history called the Boston Tea Party. On the evening of December 16, 1773, a group of American patriots went to the Boston Harbor. The men were dressed as Mohawk Indians and boarded three British vessels, the Beaver, the Eleanor, and the Dartmough of th East Indian Company. After they boarded the docked ships, they dumped all the tea that was on the three ships, which amounted to 45 tons or 342 chests with a value of 10 000 pounds, into the ocean. You must be asking yourself why on earth these grown men would dump all that tea in the water. Let's back up and start from the beginning and discover what led to this interesting chapter in American history. It all began when the British East Indian Company had total control of the tea trade between India and the British colonies. To offest this domination of tea, the colonies would smuggle their tea in from Holland. As a result of the Tea Act OF 1773, which was passed by Parliament to save the British East India Company from bankruptcy,the colonies refused to buy British tea, The Tea Act basically elininated all taxes on tea and offered Americans tea at a lower price than that of colonial smugglers. This Tea Act was put in place to save the British EastIndian Company from bankruptcy,m but would cause the colonial smugglers to go out of business, Because the patriots feared the Tea Act would create an illegal monopoly, they discouraged people from importing tea, Fearing that some people would continue to buy their tea from the British East Indian Company because it was so cheap, the patriots took control by taking matters into their own hands, The paatriots decided to reject tea shipments and they demanded that tea ships be permitted to returen to England without paying the duty required by law.Over 5 000 townspoeple of Boston and surrounding towns gathered at Old South Meeting House to beg the governor to send the ships back to England, Howerver, the governor rfused and it was on the night of December 16 that 60 men dressed as Mohawk Indians went over to the Boston harbor and boarded the shops and dumped the tea into the Boston harbor. Needless to say, Parliament was furious and reacted by closing the Boston harbor.This event was just the beginning of a long clash between England and the colonies.CD1-track10StonehengeMoving on to another ancient discovery, let's discuss the magnificence and mystery of Stonehenge. Theree kilometers west of a town called Amesbury stands a large, tall stone ruin known as Stonehenge. This unique monument has stood for over 5 000 years in an open downland of Salisbury Plain in Southern England.Stonehenge is not a single structure, but consists of a series of earth, wood, and stone structures that were revised and re-modeled over thousands of years. How were the stones moved into place? No one knows exactly, but it is definite that it took a lot of muscle power and numerous men to move these heavy stones in place. The next logical question might be: why was Stonehenge built? Well, to answer this question, we can look at the findings of an 18th century British scholar named William Strukeley who noticed that the horseshoe of great stones and the houseshoe of 19 smaller stones called bluestones opened up in the direction of a midsummer sunrise. He concluded that these stones were placed not accidentally, but deliberately positioned and planned so that on a midsummer's morning the sun rose directly over the Deel Stone and the fist rays shone into the centre of the monument between the open arms of the horseshoe arrangement. This discovery has had tremendous impact on how Stonehenge has been interpreted. Both Stukeley in the 18th century and Sir J. Norman Lockyer, a British astronomer and scientist, in the 20th century, belived that this alignment implied a ritualistic connection with sun worship. Their conclusions led to the belief that Stonehenge was built as a temple to the sun. Nowadays, an astronomer named Gerald Fawkins disagrees with Stukeley and Lockyer's conclusions and instead argues that Stonehenge is not simply aligned with solar and lunar astronomical events, but can be used to predict other events such eclipses. In a nutshell , he believes that Stonehenge was not built as a temple; instead it was built as an astronomical calsulator.CD1-track11New Y ork’s EconomyThis time we'll talk about the state of New Y ork in the USA. A report by the Fiscal Policy Institute, which is an economic think-tank or committee that generally focuses on issues that affect the quality of life and economic well-being of New York workers, claims that although America as a nation has enjoyed many years of record-setting economic expansion, the same cannot be said about the state of New York. Although median incomes for America as a whold. This led to very little improvement in the workers' standards of living from where they were in the last ten or even twenty years ago. The new analysis by the Fiscal Policy Institute also suggests that there are severe regional differences in New Y ork's ten regions. Case in point, the Upstate economy has not benefited at all from America's booming times. In fact, their economy has been relatively sluggish. At the same time,the Downstate region's economic growth hinges on W all Street. and many New Yorkers living in the city's suburbs are still struggling. Looking at government date, we can see that although New York enjoys many resources, these resources do not seem to benefit the state by means of pay or living conditions for New York workers during economic good or bad times in America. Using this same date, we can conclude that in order for all New Y orkers to benefit from the economy , we cannot rely just on grouth. Instead, we nne to analyze the growth and find out how it affects not only the workers, but also their families across the entire state. Clearly , the state must take some responsibility and step in ande help families that are not benefiting from a growing economy.CD1-track12DiscriminationLet's talk about the pros and cons of discrimination in the USA. I'm sure you are thinking to yourself why I have included pros and cons in my opening statement. Aren't there only bad things that result in discrimination? Well, the answer in nost cases is yes. When we discriminate, a negative outcome usually results. However , let's say you are an employer of a business and the goverment has told you that you must hire a certain number of women or a certain percentage of black and white people. This would restrain you from hiring , promoting and firing your emplyees, Okay, let's take a step back and discuss why in some cases individual freedome to choose or discriminate who will work for you can be a good thing. During the past 40 years , the American goverment has put rules in place to increase the protection of the environment and groups such minorities, women, workers and consumers. These new rules have resulted in numerous regulations and new bodiew of law, which in some cases have resulted in extreme policies like the one I described before about an employer not being able to select an employee of his or her choice based on sex or color. As a result, opponents argue that individualism had been lost with these new laws. On the other side of the ccoin, some anti-discrimination proponents argued against the traditional division of occupational roles between men and women, These arguments led to major legal cases, which in turn led to stong requirements to recruit women for jobs usually held by men such as skilled manual and mechanical work on construction sites. The U.S. Congress also allowed the entry of women into the military academies, In fact, a strong effort was made, particularly those directly。