第三版大学英语听说原文_第四册_unit1-unit6

Unit1We Wish You a Pleasant flightGood evening, ladies and gentlemen. This is your captain speaking. On behalf of the crew, let me extend a very warm welcome to all of you who have chosen to fly Air China. Our plane is bound for New York on the east coast of the United States. Ours is a direct flight. It will take thirteen and a half hours to reach our destination on July 19, at 1: 30 p.m. local time.May I draw your attention to the Safety Flight leaflet which you‟ll find in the pocket at the back of the seat in front of you? We do ask that you read it. You‟ll also find an Air China magazine which you may find of interest. For those of you not familiar with this type of aircraft, let me inform you that smoking is strictly prohibited at any time during the flight. Nor is the use of mobile phones allowed on board of our aircraft We have a duty-free bar on board and cigarettes, spirits, beer and mineral water will be on sale during the flight. We will serve three meals during the entire flight, lunch, dinner and breakfast. For those of you who are vegetarian, please contact a member of the cabin crew beforehand. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask a member of the cabin crew. Our plane will take off shortly. Would you now please make sure that your seat belts are securely fastened in preparation for take-oft‟? May I wish you a pleasant flight! Thank you.Here Is Your Weekend GuideHere is your weekend guide to what is going on at the University of Colorado.And it is a good weekend for basketball. The Colorado Buffaloes will playthe Oklahoma Sooners Friday night at Oklahoma, and they will return home to face the Nebraska Cornhuskers Saturday night on the University of Colorado court. The Buffaloes are expected to win both games and fans. Tickets are available from the ticket office at the sports arena.There are also a few tickets available for the Saturday night concert by Walter Murphy and the Big Apple Band. Most of the tickets are ten dollars, although a very few live- dollar seats are still on sale. To reserve seats, call the Student Union at 666-5771, or stop by the box office.The university museum will be open from 10: 00 am. until 5: 00 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. In addition to the famous rock and mineral collection and the exhibits of early people, there will be a special exhibit of American Indian pottery and sand painting. Admission is free.And now a report on snow conditions at ski resorts. Steamboat Springs is reporting good conditions with six inches of new snow in the last twenty-four hours; Aspen is reporting good conditions with eight inches of new snow; and Vail is reporting very good conditions with nine inches of new snow.This has been the weekend guide. Thank you for listening.Unit2The Person I Admire MostM: Can you think of a person you admire?W: A person I admire? Hmn. Yes, I think the person I admire most is Steven Hawking.M: Isn‟t he the professor at Cambridge with motor neurone disease?W: That‟s right. He‟s spent most of his life fighting the disease. He foundo ut that he‟d got it when he was a student. He was at the time only about 20. M: Goodness. What did he do then?W: Well, he stopped wasting time. And he started applying himself to his studies. He knew that he risked dying young, but he became a leading cosmologist.M: Where have I heard of him? I know nothing about cosmology.W: He wrote a book about it for the average person. In fact I remember seeing it on your bookshelves.M: Oh, right. “A Brief History of Time”, is that it?W: Yes, it was a real bestseller, mostly to people who put it on their bookshelves and didn‟t read it.M: Yeah. How old is he now?W: He‟s in his sixties; I think He‟s succeeded in living far longer than anyone expected him to.M: But what kind of life can you have with a disease like that?W: He‟s managed to lead a fairly normal life. He has married twice andhas three children and a grandchild now. I think he needs to use a computer foralmost everything now, you know, eating, speaking, writingM: Mmm. It‟s very sad, isn‟t it?W: Well, in a way. He considers himself lucky. You see, despite his disability, he is recognized as one of the greatest minds of our time. Interview with a CelebrityW: Could you tell us a little bit about yourself?M: Sure.W: First of all, where were you born?M: I was born in London, but I‟m living in Madrid now.W: Oh, really? How long have you been there?M: Not long. I moved from London with my two daughters about six months ago.W: Are you happy there?M: Yeah, very happy. We love the outdoor life. Also, my mother's Spanish. W: And what do you do in your free time?M: I love reading. Sometimes I feel like wanting to buy every book in a bookstore. I‟m crazy about books. And I‟m a fast reader.W: Do you ever feel the need to take a break so you can recharge your batteries?M: All the time. There‟s always so much more to learn. Going away helps.W: You‟ve obviously traveled a lot, too. What‟s your favorite place in the world?M: That‟s a difficult question because I‟ve been to so many amazingplaces, but I think Hawaii is my favorite. The children love it there too.W: All of us are concerned with what kind of world our kids are going tolive in. How do you give your children a semblance of a normal life?M: By living a normal life.W: But as a superstar, you li ve at a level that‟s different from most people.M: To a degree. yes. But we‟ve all got to figure out how to raise our kids tobe happy, responsible people.W: One last question. What else do you want to do in your life?M: Oh, there‟s so much I want to do. I feel a lot of personal responsibility because of how much I‟ve been blessed. I do volunteer work for Children‟s Fund. I do a lot of fund-raising events for them. And I look forward to creating opportunities for young people.Unit3Successful AdvertisingOne of the keys to successful advertising is to catch the interest of readers.In your busy life, there is little time to read every page in front of you, so you have to be very selective. Being aware of this, advertisers go to great lengths to arouse your curiosity in what they have to say. You should know when advertisers are trying to catch your interest so that you keep in mind that they are attempting to influence you.Advertisers always have an intended audience targeted for theirmessages — men, women, or children of specific ages, from various ethnic groups, and with certain interests. It is important that you know to whom an advertisement is designed to appeal so that you can decide whether or not you should spend your time giving serious consideration to what it has to say. Obviously the whole point of a given advertisement is to get you topurchase a product, take a certain action, or thinkIn a certain way. An effective advertisement is very specific about thebenefit to readers as a result of their buying, doing, or thinking whatever is being urged by theAdvertisement. It is extremely important that you recognize the benefit stressed by an advertisement so that you can make a sound decision as to whether or not to follow its advice.We Were Born to Help You Do It BetterJoyce: Dad!Father: Yes? …What‟s the matter, Joyce?Joyce: I‟m wondering if I should buy a pair of tennis shoes. I‟m going tojoin the tennis club in school.Father: Why not? It‟s good that you finally play sports.Joyce: But I‟d like to have Adidas.Father: Adidas? It‟s too expensive. They are for professional athletes. Joyce: But all the guys in the school tennis team are wearing Adidas, boys as well as girls.Father: But none of us has ever had Adidas and we used to play quite OK. Joyce: Here is an ad about Adidas. Can I read it to you?Father: Go ahead.Joyce: “Over fifty-five years ago, Adidas gave birth to a new idea in sports shoes. And the people who wear our shoes have been running and winning ever since. In fact,Adidas has helped them set over 400 world records in track and field alone.”Father: Nonsense the players have to go through a lot of hard training and practice. It has nothing to do with the shoes. They may be comfortable, but Joyce: You‟re right, Dad. The ad goes on to say, “You‟re born to run. And we were born to HELP YOU DO IT BETTER.”Father: 11mm. It may be good for running, but you don‟t run.Joyce: Listen, Dad. The ad says, “... Maybe that‟s why more and more football, soccer, bask etball and tennis ...“see? “TENNIS players are turning to Adidas. They know that, whatever their game, they can rely on Adidas workmanship and quality in every product we make.”Father: OK, OK, dear. I know Adidas is good. But how much is a pair ofyour shoes?Joyce: You don‟t have to worry about that, Dad. I‟ve saved some money since last Christmas. I just want to hear your opinion.Father: That‟s good.Unit4What Are Good Manners?People in different countries have different standards for good manners. Before entering a house in some Asian countries it is necessary to take off one‟s shoes. InEuropean countries even though shoes sometimes become very muddy,this is not done. A guest in a Chinese house never finishes a drink. He leavesalittle to show that he has had enough. In a Malay house, a guest always leaves a little food. In England, a guest always finishes a drink or eats up his food to show that he has enjoyed it.Here are some examples of the things that a well- mannered person doesor does not do no matter whether he is an oriental or a westerner.He never laughs at people when they are in trouble. Instead, he tries tohelp them. He is always kind whether to people or to animals. When he is waiting for a bus, he takes his turn and never pushes to the front of the line. In the bus, he gives his seat to an old person, or a disabled person or a lady who is standing. When talking to people, he never tells heavy people they are fat, but says that they are losing weight for he knows everyone is weight conscious and wants to be thin. He never asks people, women inParticular, their age. Everyone wants to be young. If he is invited to adinner party at seven, he is sure to be there by seven, knowing how people respect time and expect everyone to be “on time”. If he smokes, h e never lights his cigarette before getting the permission from people around them.He says “Please” when making a request and “Thank you” when hereceives something. He stands up when speaking to a lady or an older person, and he does not sit down until the other person is seated.Tea Ceremony in JapanThe tea ceremony in Japan, or Chanoyu, is a special form ofentertainment for distinguished guests. The tradition started in the 15th century and has existed for about 600 years, and it has very special and strict rules that must be followed.There are many different kinds of tea ceremonies, from the informal to the quite formal. But all Chanoyu ceremonies have one thing in common, that is, guests are invited to enjoy a moment of peace and calm.Traditionally a Chanoyu ceremony takes place in a tea room which isusually not very big. The guests take off their street shoes and put on special bamboo shoes. Then they cross a beautiful garden. They stop for a moment at a rock water basin, where they wash their hands. Then they enter the tea room through a small low door.The inside of the tea room is simple but beautiful. The room is notfurnished at all. The floor is covered with a kind of bamboo mats which are called …Tanami” There are flowers and some traditiona l decorations like tea set of ancient times, landscape painting, national costumes, etc. The guests sit in the traditional way, on their knees on the floor. In formal ceremonies, small cakes are also sewed. The tea master, a man or a woman, follows a certain procedure in making the tea and then serves it to the guests in turn, starting from the most distinguished. The guests are not supposed to drink the tea at one go. They should sip bit by bit and at the same time appreciate the designs of the bowl and the dish. From time to time the host and the guests would bowto each other. When the guests finally leave the tea room, put on their shoes and leave the house, they feel happy and peaceful.Unit5Is It Stupid to Say So?Nancy Rodgers is a law student. Last week her lecturer advised her to change to a more suitable course. He said that a career in law was unsuitable for women.Nancy: I was shocked. At first I thought he was joking. Of course, it was a stupid thing to say. Women are as intelligent as men. There are some excellentwomen lawyers. If he doesn‟t want to teach me, he should change his job. I have a right to study law.Andrew: Nancy, you‟re wasting your time studying law. …When you are married and have children you‟ll be too busy to work. Anyway, women can‟t decide anything properly because they‟re too emotional. You should study cooking and sewing in order to become a good wife and mother.Paul: As I see it, an intelligent woman can succeed in any career if shehas enough strength to overcome male prejudice. But Nancy has to decide first whether or not she wants to have children. It‟s impossible to have a successful career and to be a good mother at the same time. That‟s why all the professions are dominated by men.Betty: Well, I can‟t understand w hy Nancy wants to study law, or any other course. For myself, I really enjoy being a wife and a mother. I have two lovely little boys and I have a good husband who works hard to pay for everything we need. I couldn‟t do his work and he certainly couldn‟t do mine. We‟re both happy with our work. Women‟s liberation should stop interfering.Chris: Until I find a job that pays me more money than my wife‟s gettingnow, I will do all the housework. Some men might laugh at me, but I‟m quite happy with this arrangement. And of course it leaves me so much free time for hobbies. They say that housework is a woman‟s job. That‟s stupid. Men always do their own housework when they‟re single, don‟t they? If Nancy wants to have a career in law, why should anybody try to stop her? HandgunsChairman: Good evening. It‟s Bob Smith. As we know, the question of handguns always raises a lot of discussion in our country. Tonight we‟ll have opinions from all of you, as people from different countries. Our guests tonight are Roger from Canada, Reiko from Japan, Yu Fen from China, and Antonio from Italy. Roger, let‟s start with you.Roger: In my opinion, the laws on handguns should be changed. Do you know more than 40,000 people a year are killed with handguns? It‟s crazy.Guns should be outlawed immediately.Chairman: Yu Fen, what‟s your opinion?Yu Fen: Well, I don‟t really like guns, but we have to ask who is doing the killing. I think most of the killers are criminals. I hate to say it, but I think people should be allowed to own guns. Ordinary people have to be able to protect themselves and their families.Chairman: People in Japan can‟t have guns at home. What do you think ofall this, Reiko?Reiko: I also hate to say it, but I agree with Yu Fen. A violent person might use anything as a weapon. Roger said around 40,000 people get killed with guns each year. I think more than a million people have a gun at home. All gun owners are not crazy killers. In my opinion people should be allowed to own guns.Chairman: That‟s a very good point, Reiko. It‟s like traffic accidents. Many people get killed in car accidents, but we don‟t talk about the millions and millions of people who drive their cars every day and never have an accident. Antonio? What do you think of it? Do you agree with Reiko or not?Antonio: I see her point. But I‟ve heard that there are close to 20,000 accidents in the home every year that happen because of guns. Children watch TV and see people shooting other people, but they are too young to understand what happens in real life. So I think it is very dangerous to allow people to possess guns. I think the law should be changed, and no one except the police should be able to carry guns.Chairman: Thank you, guests. So, listeners, you‟ve heard some opinionsfrom around the world. Now we want to hear your opinion. Please call us ore-mail us.Unit6BanksNearly every adult has some business with a bank. Most people have savings accounts where they deposit their money. Many also have checking accounts which permit them to write a check against the hinds in their accounts. A lot of people pay their bills by check rather than in cash. It is more convenient and the cancelled check is a receipt of payment. Banks do more than offer savings and checking accounts to their customers. A bank will generally cash acheck for you and will change large bills for you:When the bank accepts money for deposit it pays interest on the money deposited. Thus your money in the bank is earning money. Normally the bank pays about 3% interest.The bank also provides security for one‟s special papers and valuables.Most banks have a safe deposit section. Here you can rent a box (made of metal) in which you store your valuables and important papers. You are givena key to the box and only you can open the box.One of the most important functions of a bank is to make loans. This is the way the bank makes its money. If you want to buy an expensive object (car, house, etc.) you may have to borrow the money from the bank. You go to the bank and make an application for a loan. After the bank examines your application to insure that you are a good risk they then will give you the money. You then have to repay the bank the amount of the loan plus interest over a period of time.What Is Money?Money is a medium of exchange that is widely accepted in payment for goods and services and in settlement of debts. Money also serves as a standard of value for measuring the relative worth of different goods and services.The functions of money as a medium of exchange and a measure of value greatly facilitate the exchange of goods and services and the specialization of production. Without the use of money, trade would be reduced to barter, or the direct exchange of one commodity for another; this was the means used by primitive people. In a barter economy, a person having something to trade must find another who wants it and has something acceptable to offer in exchange. In a money economy, the owner of a commodity may sell it for money, which is acceptable in payment for goods. Money may therefore be regarded as a keystone of modem economic life.Most of the money circulating today is made of metal, paper or plastics.But in ancient times, people actually used various kinds of things as exchange media, such as knives, cloth, rice, gold and silver. In China, for instance, cloth and metals were used as money for thousands of years. In southwest Asia and parts of Africa, rice and other things were used as money for a long time. Today everybody knows that the first metal coins were made in China. England used tin to make its first coins. Russia and some other countries used copper to make their money. Later, a number of countries began to make coins of gold and silver. Again the Chinese people thought of a way to improve their money. As the metal money wasInconvenient if you wanted to buy something expensive, paper currency came into existence, though the first paper money looked more like a note from one person to another than the paper currency we use today.。