现代大学英语听力2Unit-9
现代大学英语听力UNIT原文及答案
Unit 4Task 1答案A.1 They are farms that grow vegetables for city people to eat fresh.2 It’s a farm that grow plants and flowers to sell.3 They protect the plants from the cold in the winter but let them get plenty of light; so the plants can be grown all through the year.B.1 canned; frozen2 flowers; garden plants; home gardens; yards; window boxes3 buildings; furniture; firewood原文Grain; vegetables and fruits are found on most farms. All of them are food for animals and people.Grain can be fed to animals just as it is harvested. But before people use them grains are usually made into flour or breakfast cereal. Bread; macaroni通心粉; and cereals麦片 all come from grain.Tomatoes; beans; potatoes; beets甜菜; lettuce生菜; carrots and onions are field and garden vegetables. Can you think of any others Vegetables are good for people and for some animals such as pigs and rabbits.Farms that grow vegetables for city people to eat fresh are called truck farms. Truck farms are usually close to big cities. Each day hundreds of loads of fresh vegetables are brought to stores on the farmers' trucks. Without the truck farmers people in cities would not eat well. And without city people who eat fresh vegetables; the truck farmers would have no work.There are many kinds of fruit. Apples; pears; peaches; cherries; oranges; grapefruit; and berries are a few kinds. You will be able to think of other kinds that you like. Most fruit is grown on specialized farms. But many general farms have some fruit to use and sell also.Like vegetables; fruit is sold fresh in markets. But a large part of both fruit and vegetable crops is sent to factories to be canned or frozen.In warm parts of our country farmers grow cotton; rice; tobacco; sugar cane甘蔗; and peanuts.Specialized farms raise flowers and garden plants. They are sold to florists花商 and to families for home gardens; or yards; orwindow boxes. A farm that grow plants and flowers to sell is called a nursery苗圃. Most nurseries have glass buildings; called hothouses or greenhouses. The hothouses are heated to protect the plants from cold in the winter but let them get plenty of light; so they can be grown all through the year.Some farms grow only trees. Some of these are Christmas tree farms. Others are large forests where trees are grown for their wood. The wood is used for buildings; furniture and firewood. Some tree farms grow only nut trees.Task 2答案1 The UN agencies report that the market value of pesticides in developing countries last year was about three thousand million dollars.2 The agencies called for worldwide acceptance of Food and Agriculture and World Health Organization pesticide rules. They say this would help guarantee the safe production of and trade in pesticides.原文Two United Nations agencies are expressing concern about the safety of some pesticides used to kill insects. They report that about thirty percent of all pesticides sold in developing countries fail to meet widely accepted rules for quality. They say these products are a serious threat to human health and the environment.The UN Food and Agriculture Organization and the World HealthOrganization gave the warning.In developing countries; pesticides are used mainly for agriculture. Pesticides kill insects and other organisms that threaten crops. Pesticides also are used for public health. They control insects that spread disease; such as mosquitoes that spread malaria.The UN agencies report that the market value of pesticides in developing countries last year was about three thousand million dollars. They say the estimated market value of pesticides worldwide was thirty-two thousand million dollars.Officials say poor quality pesticides often contain harmful chemicals. These chemicals often are banned or restricted in some countries.Possible causes of low quality in pesticides include production problems and failure to use the right chemicals. Officials say the active chemicals in many pesticides are stronger than those permitted by many governments. They also say poor quality pesticides may contain poisonous substances or substances that are not pure.Officials say the quality of pesticide containers and product information on the containers are other concerns. They say information on the containers often fails to explain the active chemicals and how to use the product safely.The WHO says products listing false information have been sold for years in some areas. The agencies say the problem of poor quality pesticides is widespread in parts of Africa south of the Sahara Desert. They called for worldwide acceptance of Food and Agriculture and World Health Organization pesticide rules. They say this would help guarantee the safe production of and trade in pesticides.Officials say the agencies' rules are especially important for developing countries. They say developing countries often lack systems for testing pesticides.Task 3答案A.1 c 2 d 3 bB.That’s because they’re making an investment all the time; but are still not sure whether or not they can make profits.原文Interviewer: Cattle raising and beef in the US is big business; isn't itBob Beck: Yes; it's the largest business—cattle business.Interviewer: It must be a very profitable business then.Bob Beck: Uh; not necessarily.Interviewer: It's not necessarily a profitable businessBob Beck: At times; it's not profitable. Your production costs get...it's a supply and demand market; and if your supply islarger than your demand...Interviewer: So the price is fluctuating all the time...Bob Beck: Right. It fluctuates; and it can get below production costs.Interviewer: But you never know. For instance; next year; you don't know what it'll bring on the market.Bob Beck: No; technically it takes a year and a half from the time you breed the cow; until you get the calf; until the calf'smarketable.Interviewer: Uh-huh.Bob Beck: You've got a year; to a year and a half; tied up there. Interviewer: So; you're making an investment all the time.Bob Beck: Right. So you're not sure.Interviewer: It sounds like it might be a very insecure kind of existence. Wonder why it is that people want to be farmersor ranchers大农场主 then...Bob Beck: I think the majority of it is you like it. It's one thing.It's a breed kindof people. They like it. If you don'tlike what you're doing; why...Interviewer: What is there about it You live essentially in a rural area. Doesn't that feeling of isolation ever bother you Bob Beck: No. It's getting too crowded.Interviewer: Too crowdedBob Beck: Too many peopleInterviewer: I can see that; for instance; in a city; you have restaurants to go to; movie theaters—all kinds ofthings available to people; a lot of conveniences whichyou don't have in the more rural areas. What do peoplewho farm and ranch do for recreation and relaxation; forinstance... erm...Bob Beck: Well; I think a lot of it is if you're a livestock raiser;you'll go check your cows in the evening instead of goingto a movie.Interviewer: Uh-huh.Bob Beck: That's as much recreation as driving through a bunch or cows; and if you like them; you enjoy that.Interviewer: In terms of the way of life; to a lot of people; it would seem that it's a very hard life. It means a lot ofhard work. I mean; you have a schedule—whether you feellike it or not; you have to get out and feed animals; andso forth. Would you regard that as one of the difficultthings about it; or is that...Bob Beck: No.Interviewer: …just sort of... part of itBob Beck: For me; if I had to go to a desk every morning; that'd kill me.Task 4答案A. paid off; fall back on; a security; operating expenses; complete disasterB.1 Some of them cook the meals; clean the house and take care of the kids every day.2 Yes. That is especially so after they've had one or two bad years when they couldn’t make money.3 When their children are small; they were with their parents to go out to work; when they are very small; Sharon didn’t go out as much as she would later.4 She thinks that in this way the children are a lot more self-reliant. They learn to work and they learn responsibility. They learn a lot about life by being continually in life with animals.原文Bob Beck: I think; for a wife; the same as a husband; they like it or they wouldn't marry a farmer or a rancher.Interviewer: Uh-huh.Bob Beck: They'd get out. I think it's not at all wives. Some of them are just like suburban housewives.Interviewer: Uh-huh.Bob Beck: They cook the meals; and they clean the house and that's it... take care of the kids...Interviewer: Have you known some situations like thatBob Beck: Oh; yeah; I know situations like thatInterviewer: Sharon; is there a problem of the feeling of security Sharon Beck: What kind of security are you talking about—financial securityInterviewer: Uh; yeah; financial security. Uh; the thing is up and down. You don't know what the market's going to bring;er... for beef. You work all year; and so forth... Isthere any problem of that sortSharon Beck: Sure; there's the problem of security. Especially; if you've had one or two bad years. You feel awfullyinsecure.Interviewer: Uh-huh.Sharon Beck: If you've borrowed money to buy a farm or to operate;and there's no money coming in; you feel awfullyinsecure.Interviewer: Uh-huh.Sharon Beck: But if you've got a fairly good amount of your ranch paid off; you've got that to fall back on. You can alwaysthink of that as a security. If everything else fails;if you can’t pay for your operating expenses…Interviewer: Uh-huh.Sharon Beck: ...you can always sell your equity in your ranch. So it isn't complete disaster.Interviewer: But it's not something that bothers you terribly. I mean; it's a fact of life. It's sort of...Sharon Beck: Something you live with; yeah...Interviewer:... part of the thing. The role of the wife in this situation is quite different than that of a suburbanhousewife. You don't have much free time; do you Sharon Beck: No.Interviewer: Because; essentially; you work in much the same way that your husband does.Sharon Beck: Yes; I'm usually with him.Interviewer: How do you handle the whole family-life situation—children You're out almost as much as aworking mother in the city; aren't youSharon Beck: Yes. The only difference is we're together. Interviewer: The children too...Sharon Beck: The children too. When they're not in school; when they were small; they were with us. When they were very small;of course; I didn't go out as much.Interviewer: Do you feel that there are advantages in growing up in this waySharon Beck: Yeah; I definitely feel that there're advantages. There are disadvantages too; but I think the advantages faroutweigh the disadvantages.Interviewer: What are some of those advantages you think thechildren haveSharon Beck: The advantagesInterviewer: Uh-huh.Sharon Beck: Well; they're a lot more self-reliant. They learn to work. Erm; they learn responsibility.Interviewer: Uh-huh.Sharon Beck: They learn a lot about life by being continually in life; with animals; and... I think it makes them...erm... They grow up。
现代大学英语精读第二版book2unit9
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Background
Author
He concluded the book with:
“War is an invention of the human mind. The human mind can invent peace with justice.”
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beings?
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Warming up Questions / Activities
• What are the basic lessons of a new education? And what is the importance of such a new education?
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Background
Author
And he continued,
“With such an education and with such self-understanding, it is possible that some nation or people may come forward with the vital inspiration that men need no less than food. Leadership on this higher level does not require mountains of gold or thundering propaganda. It is concerned with human destiny. Human destiny is the issue. People will respond.”
现代大学英语听力2Unit
Task 1News Item 1The United States central bank, the Federal Reserve, has raised interest rates for the third time this year. The Federal Reserve raised the overnight bank lending rate by 0.25 percent (one fourth of one percent) to 5.5 percent. It raised the discount rate also by 0.25 percent to 5 percent. The Federal Reserve said it had no plans to raise interest rates again any time soon. It said the increase today should reduce the danger of inflation.News Item 2The merce Department says the American economy has shrunk for the first time in eight years. The total value of goods and services produced in the United States fell by four tenth of one percent (0.4 percent) in the period of July through September. A recession is monly defined as at least six months where the economy shrinks.News Item 3A fall in the New York market had been widely predicted following Friday's better than expected US employment figures. US bonds from which the government funds long-term borrowing fell nearly two points on the news that more jobs had been created in March than had been expected. The Dow Jones Index was closed on Friday for the Easter holiday, so today was the first chance for the share market to react.News Item 4And we go straight to Wall Street where share prices closed higher. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up nearly 1 percent or 89 points at 10,205. Shares made up for some of the losses they incurred in the past week, thanks to what was interpreted as "signs the US inflation is under control".Task 2News Item 1China has launched a manned space flight, being the third country to do so 40 years after the Soviet Union and the United States. A single astronaut was on board the Shenzhou V Craft, which took off from the Gobi Desert. It's expected to go round the earth 14 times during a 24-hour period before landing in Inner Mongolia. President Hu Jintao watched the launch, a sign of the importance China attaches to its space programme. Francis Marguez reports from Beijing.Half an hour after the spacecraft blasted off, China's state television showed footage of the launch, the rocket climbing slowly into the clear blue sky. And many Chinese will feel their country has taken a proud step towards modernity.News Item 2China's first man in space has returned to Earth. Reports say Chinese officials declared the space flight a success. Astronaut Yang Liwei is also reported to be in good health. On Tuesday, China became only the third nation to send a person into orbit. Astronaut Yang and his spacecraft landed in China's Inner Mongolia early Thursday. He had orbited the earth 14 times in about 20 hours. The United States and Russia praised China for the launch. Russia and the United States were the first two nations to send people into space.Task 3Negotiators have agreed to the wording of a proposed international treaty on tobacco control. Delegates from more than 170 countries approved the final wording earlier this month in Switzerland. This came after four years of negotiations. The proposed treaty is called the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. It will be presented in May at the yearly meeting of the World Health Organization, a UN agency. The final version approved there will also require individual approval by WHO members. Once 40 nations have approved it, the treaty will go into effect in those countries.Member states cannot make any amendments once the WHO approves a final version of the treaty. They must either accept or reject the agreement as it is written. The proposed Framework Convention on Tobacco Control is part of the efforts to reduce deaths and diseases from smoking.The WHO estimates that almost five million people die each year from lung cancer and other tobacco-related diseases. That number could rise to ten million a year by 2020. Developing nations are the biggest growth areas for tobacco-related diseases. These nations are calling for the strongest laws possible to control tobacco. The treaty would ban advertising and other marketing campaigns for tobacco products, where doing so would not violate a country's constitution. It also calls for high tobacco taxes. It would even require panies to make public all the substances they use to make cigarettes.In addition, tobacco panies would have to place health warnings on at least thirty percent of their products. These warnings could not include information that might lead people to believe that some cigarettes are less harmful than others. In addition, governments would have to support treatment programs to help people stop smoking. And, there would have to be education campaigns to get people not to start. The proposed treaty also calls for measures to protect non-smokers from secondhand smoke, that is, smoke from other people's tobacco.Task 4Thank you. And thank you for asking me to share in your weekly address to the American people.Britain and America have so much in mon: language, values, belief in family and munity, in a real sense of national pride. We share many problems, too. And it has been clear from our discussions thatwe are agreed, in general terms, about some of the solutions.You took the tough decisions needed for long-term economic stability. We are doing so. You have focused on education, welfare reform, a new approach to crime. So are we. Together, we are breaking down boundaries of left and right and creating a new politics of the radical centre.Task 5Each year, the Nobel mittee in Oslo, Norway announces the winners of its famous Nobel Prizes. Most winners of the Nobel Peace Prize have been men. Only ten percent have been women since the prize was first presented in 1901.Now the United Nations Development Fund for Women and the human rights group International Alert have presented a new award to honor women peacemakers. It is called the Millennium Peace Prize for Women. Officials will present the award every three years. The award recognizes women's actions in building peace, protecting women's human rights and supporting munity life during and after war.Experts say women are usually not as involved in the peace process as men are. However, their work to reestablish normal munity life after peace has been reached is very important. Because of this, International Alert says women also need to be recognized as leaders in peace building.Earlier this month, six women and organizations received the Millennium Peace Prize for Women. One of the winners is the Colombian group "Ruta Pacifica de las Mujeres", or Women's Road to Peace. This group has organized protests against the violence between rebel groups and the Colombian government.The group "Leitana Nehan Women's Development Agency" also won the peace prize. It helped in the peace process between the military and rebel forces in Papua New Guinea. Another winner is the group "Women in Black". It is an international organization that organizes protests against violence, aggression and war.Flora Brovina also received the peace prize. She organized the "League of Albanian Women of Kosovo". Doctor Brovina has taught emergency medical skills to people in Kosovo.Asma Jahangir and Hina Jilani are also peace prize winners. They worked to support human rights and women's rights in Pakistan. And the leader of the women's movement in Rwanda also won the Millennium Peace Prize, after her death. Veneranda Nzambazamariya helped rebuild Rwanda after the mass killings in 1994. She died in a plane crash last year.Task 6News Item 1Brazil's new Health Minister Hosein Selar has sacked two senior health officials in Rio de Janeiro amid growing concern about the epidemic of dengue fever. More than 80,000 people in southeast Brazil have caught the mosquito-born disease which causes severe headaches, fever and vomiting. In some cases, it can be fatal. Our Brazil correspondent Steven Switch reports that President Fernando Henrique Cardoso regards the issue of health care as his government's biggest political weakness.News Item 2In agriculture news. The European Union has banned all imports of animal products from the Netherlands. The ban was ordered after the Dutch government confirmed four cases of foot-and-mouth disease there. Dutch officials have had all infected animals destroyed. Until now, only Britain and France have been affected by the animal disease. Also, in the American State of Vermont, officials seized some sheep suspected of having mad cow disease. More than 230 sheep were taken from a farm. The animals will be destroyed and tested for the disease.Task 7Announcer: ... in Garderers' Question Time at 2 o'clock. And now over to Gordon Chartwell in the newsroom.Newsreader: Here is the news, read by Gordon Chartwell. The cruise liner, Princess of Wales , which ran aground last night off the island of St. Catherine in the Caribbean, is reported to be sinking. Here's a report from our correspondent in Jamaica, Graham Smith.Graham Smith: A weak radio signal was received here in Kingston a few hours ago from the radio operator on the 28,000-ton luxury cruise ship, the Princess of Wales. According to this message, the ship is taking in water and is starting to sink. All the passengers have been ordered into the lifeboats and told to make for the nearby island of St. Catherine, the coast of which is some 20 miles from the scene of the accident. In normal circumstances this would be an easy 3-hour trip, but with Hurricane Zelda approaching fast and blowing away from the island, it's feared that some boats may not make it in time to the safety of the island. Once on the island, it would be possible for passengers and crew to shelter from the wind and await rescue. The Royal Navy frigate Steadfast is heading for St. Catherine at full speed but it may take her up to 24 hours to get there. So things look pretty grim for the 700 passengers and 420 crew at the moment. This is Graham Smith in Kingston, Jamaica. Newsreader: As soon as we have any further news we will interrupt our programmes to bring it to you. And now the rest of the news. In Liverpool today the Prime Minister said in a speech...Part TwoAnnouncer: We interrupt this programme to take you over to the newsroom for a newsflash. Newsreader: This is Gordon Chartwell in the newsroom with a further report from our correspondent Graham Smith in Jamaica about the stranded liner, Princess of Wales.Graham Smith: A further signal has been picked up from the Princess of Wales within the past few minutes. According to this, the ship is now out of danger. Apparently the damage to the liner is not as serious as was originally thought and she is still pletely seaworthy and out of danger. However, before this was realized, 5 of the lifeboats had been launched and about 200 passengers and crew had made their way to the island of St. Catherine where they are reported to be safe. For the time being they are likely to remain on the island. The remaining 920 people are still on board the liner and in no danger. Although Hurricane Zelda has reached the island, the wind seems to have blown itself out tosome extent and although there are heavy seas, there is no danger for a ship of the size of the Princess of Wales. The ship is now clear of the rocks. The passengers and crew sheltering on the island will be brought off by the Royal Navy frigate Steadfast, which is now close to the area. Apart from a few minor injuries there are no casualties. This is Graham Smith returning you to the studio. Newsreader: There will be a further report in our main news at one o'clock. And now back to Down Your Way...Task 8News Item 1The European Union has officially approved the Kyoto Treaty on climate change. Officials from all 15 EU states attended a ceremony Friday at the United Nations in New York. However, the treaty still needs the approval of more countries to e into effect. The treaty limits the release by industrial countries of gases blamed for trapping heat in the atmosphere. The United States was one of the first countries to sign the Kyoto Treaty, but has since withdrawn. President Bush says the treaty could harm the American economy.News Item 2Wele to BBC World News, I'm Nick Gowing. Environment ministers from 180 countries will start trying to rescue the Kyoto Treaty on global warming shortly. They join their officials who have been meeting all week in the German city of Bonn. The 1997 Kyoto agreement mits industrialized countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The protocol was undermined in a major way in March when US President George W. Bush said it would weaken America's economy.It's Beethoven who dominates the town square here and it's unlikely that he'll have to give up his place to a monument celebrating a conference which halted global warming. Ministers from over 180 countries have already agreed to global cuts in emissions of greenhouse gases 5 percent below the 1990 levels. But here they must decide how this will be achieved. Since George Bush pulled out of the deal, the argument is between Japan and Europe. The Japanese want flexible rules allowing them to plant more trees in place of steep cuts in pollution and weaker penalties for missing targets. Europe doesn't like it but really wants a deal.News Item 3A major international conference on climate change is to open in Moscow shortly with Russia ing under renewed pressure to sign the Kyoto Protocol. That's the agreement to limit the industrial pollutants that are believed to contribute to global warming. The Kyoto Protocol of 1997 can only e into force when 55 percent of countries have signed up to it. With United States refusing to sign, ratification by Russia is crucial to the treaty's success. From Moscow our environment correspondent Tim Hersch reports.President Putin himself called this conference in his own capital to discuss the latest signs of climatechange and it had been thought he might use the opportunity to announce that his government was finally prepared to sign up to Kyoto, but ments from senior Kremlin officials have played down expectations, saying Russia wanted firm guarantees of foreign investment in clean technology before pressing ahead with ratification. The European Union and UN bodies have been putting pressure on Mr. Putin to end the delays so that international action against global warming could finally start six years after the Kyoto agreement was signed.Task 9The United Nations General Assembly will hold a special session on children beginning September 19th. The meeting will bring together government leaders, child activists, non-governmental organizations and many young people. The three-day gathering will give officials a valuable chance to change how the world thinks about children.Eleven years ago, the UN held a similar meeting called the "World Summit for Children". During that conference, seventy-one heads of state and government signed a treaty aimed at improving the lives of children around the world. Efforts to reach the goals established in that treaty have made the rights of children an important issue.The UN agency for children, UNICEF, is supporting the special session. Officials are expected to produce a plan of action to guarantee that three important goals are reached. The goals are the best possible start in life for all children, a good education for all children and the chance for all children to bee an important part of their munities. The session will also examine progress made since the 1990 World Summit for Children.Former South African President and Nobel Peace Prize winner Nelson Mandela is working toward these goals. He is joined by his wife Graca Machel who is an activist for children. They are calling on munity, business and government leaders to form an international movement aimed at improving the world for young people.The movement is hoping to build international support for a public campaign to help children. Several world leaders have joined the movement. Movie stars, professional sports teams, and the creators of children's television programs and books also have joined the movement.The group's public campaign lists ten ways to improve the lives of young people. These include educating children, protecting them from war and fighting the disease AIDS. UNICEF officials say the goal of the movement is for people around the world to get involved, take action and work for change. They say that for every child who es into the world, the hopes and dreams of the human race are reborn.Task 10The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization says hunger kills millions of people each year—especially children. The UN organization says millions more people will die unless more money is invested to fight against hunger.This is based on the results of a new UN study called "The State of Food Insecurity in the World, 2002". It found that more than nine million people die each year from hunger. Six million of them are children younger than age five. Researchers also found that the number of starving people is growing in some parts of the world.The report says that about eight hundred and forty million people around the world are not getting enough food to eat. Ninety-five percent of these people are in developing countries.。
杨立民《现代大学英语精读（2）》（第2版）学习指南【词汇短语＋课文精解＋全文翻译＋练习答案】
目 录Unit 1一、词汇短语二、课文精解三、全文翻译四、练习答案Unit 2一、词汇短语二、课文精解三、全文翻译四、练习答案Unit 3一、词汇短语二、课文精解三、全文翻译四、练习答案Unit 4一、词汇短语二、课文精解三、全文翻译四、练习答案Unit 5一、词汇短语二、课文精解三、全文翻译四、练习答案Unit 6一、词汇短语二、课文精解三、全文翻译四、练习答案Unit 7一、练习答案Unit 8一、词汇短语二、课文精解三、全文翻译四、练习答案Unit 9一、词汇短语二、课文精解三、全文翻译四、练习答案Unit 10一、词汇短语二、课文精解三、全文翻译四、练习答案Unit 11一、词汇短语二、课文精解三、全文翻译四、练习答案Unit 12一、词汇短语二、课文精解三、全文翻译四、练习答案Unit 13一、词汇短语二、课文精解三、全文翻译四、练习答案Unit 14一、练习答案Unit 15一、词汇短语二、课文精解三、全文翻译四、练习答案Unit 16一、词汇短语二、课文精解三、全文翻译四、练习答案Unit 1一、词汇短语Text Adisaster [di5zB:stE] n.灾难，灾祸；不幸【例句】These difficulties are caused by natural disasters. 这些困难都是由自然灾害造成的。
【助记】dis（不，没有）+aster（星星）→星星消失了，难道预示着灾难的来临？谐音“点扎死他”，灾难。
semester [si5mestE] n.学期；半年【例句】His writing has improved greatly in this semester. 这学期他的写作有了很大进步。
【助记】seme（看作semi半）+s+ ter（看作terra学期）→半学期beanpole [5bi:npEul] n.（插在地上供豆茎攀缘的）支竿，瘦长之人【例句】Li Ling’s elder sister is short and overweight while her younger sister is a beanpole.李玲的姐姐是个矮胖墩儿，可她妹妹却是个细高个儿。
《现代大学英语听力2》听力原文及题目答案Unit2
《现代大学英语听力2》听力原文及题目答案Unit 2Unit 2Task 1【答案】1) b 2) a 3) d【原文】Texas was the biggest state before Alaska became the forty-ninth state in 1959. One good way to understand the size of Texas is to learn about its weather. Different parts of the state have very different kinds of weather.Laredo is one of the hottest cities in the United States in summer. The best time to visit Laredo is in winter, when it is pleasantly warm.Amarillo gets very cold in winter. Sometimes there is more snow in Amarillo than in New York, which is a northern city. Summers are better, but sometimes it gets quite hot. The best time to visit Amarillo is in the autumn when it is cool.If anyone asks you about the weather in Texas, ask him, “What part of Texas do you mean？”Task 2【答案】A.1)T 2) F 3) FB.1) d 2) c 3) cC.climate, reputation, extraordinary, unreliable, dry, wet, clear, dull, hot, cold, bad, mild【原文】Our friend, Nick, whose English gets better and better, declared solemnly the other day that he thought that the British climate was wonderful, but the British weather was terrible. He went on to explain by pointing out that the British climate was a temperate one. This meant, he said, "that you could always be certain that the weather would never be extreme — at any rate not for any length of time — never very hot and never very cold." He quite rightly pointed out that the rainfall in Britain, according to the statistics, was not very heavy. "Why then," he asked, "has the British climate such a bad reputation?" He answered by saying it was because of the extraordinary, unreliable weather. There was no part of the year at which you could be certain that the weather would be dry or wet, clear or dull, hot or cold. A bad day in July could be as cold as a mild day in January. Indeed you could feel cold at almost any time of the year. Nick blamed drafty British houses for this, but agreed you could also blame the small amount of sunshine and a great amount of dampness. He advised every student coming to Britain to bring an umbrella and to understand the meaning of that splendid word "drizzle".Task 3【答案】I.the country; Trees, grass, lakes and steamsII.A.1. concrete, iron, steel2. take in the heat during the day and throw off heat into the air at nightB. Warmer winters, car engines; electrical applianceⅢ.A. air pollution may stop sunlight from reaching the earthB.1. Ice near the North and South poles to melt2. to be slowly flooded and people living in these cities to move to higher land【原文】Cities change the climate around you. In the country, there are trees, grass, lakes, and streams. In hot weather, the trees and grass cool the area around them. Lakes and rivers also cool the area around them.But cities are not cooled in these natural ways. Cities are built of asphalt, concrete, iron, and steel. There are few trees and usually not much grass. Rain falls onto the streets and into the sewers.When the summer sun shines, streets and buildings take in the heat; after the sun sets, the streets and buildings throw off heat into the street. Once the sun sets, the countryside cools off, but a city may stay hot all night.Cities are hotter than the countryside in winter, too. Standing near a car with its motor running, winter or summer, you will feel the heat thrown off by the engine. The heat comes from the gasoline burned by the engine. This heat warms the air and the ground around the car. Thousands of running cars are almost like thousands of small fires burning.Carefully put your hand near a light bulb or television set. As you can see, electricity creates a lot of heat. This heat from electricity warms the house and the outside air.The heat given off by cities can affect the climate. Some experts even believe that cities can change the climate of the whole world. They think that air pollution may stop sunlight from reaching the earth. If less sunshine reaches the earth, the earth may become cooler.Still other experts think the world will get warmer. If the world did get warmer, great changes would occur. Ice near the North and South poles would melt. This would make the oceans rise. Cities near oceans — like Los Angeles, Boston, and Miami — would slowly be flooded. People living in these cities would have to move to higher land.Task 4【答案】A.1) b 2) cB. night, delight; morning, warning; gray, way, red, headC.1) F 2) T 3) F【原文】A red sky at either dusk or dawn is one of the spectacular and beautiful weather predictors we have in nature. By closely observing this phenomenon, you can achieve short-range accuracy of the weather as good as, or better than your local weatherman. In the Bible, Jesus in Matthew 16, 2-3 is quoted as saying, “When it is evening, it will be fair weather: for the sky is red. And in the morning it will be foul weather today: for the sky is red” when speaking to the Pharisees. An old English weather proverb based on this passage is:Red sky at night, sailors delight.Red sky at morning, sailors take warning.OrEvening red and morning gray,Sends the traveler on his way.Evening gray, morning red,Brings the rain down on his head.At dusk, a red sky indicates that dry weather is on the way. This is due to the sun shining through dust particles being pushed ahead of a high pressure system bringing in dry air. A red sky in the morning is due to the sun again shining through dust. In this case however, the dust is being pushed on by an approaching low reassure system bringing in moisture. Don't confuse a red sky in the morning with a red sun in the morning. If the sun itself is red and the sky is a normal color, the day will be fair.Task 5【答案】1) c 2) b 3) d 4) c 5) c【原文】Mark: I am an avid fly fisherman and frequently find myself on the river in a raft during lightning storms. We always have a debate at these times on where weare safest — pulling into shore or staying on the water. Since I have heard oneis safe in a car when lightning strikes I wonder if the raft floating on the wateris insulated, and therefore the safest place to be.Meteorologist A: We spoke with some scientists about your question, and they all agreed that under no circumstances should you remain on the water during a lightningstorm. If your raft is made of rubber, you might feel that you're .well insulated,but don't kid yourself. Typical lightning flashes travel 10 to 15 kilometers andcan deliver as much as 100,000 amps of current. In comparison, a toaster usesabout 10 amps of current. If lightning strikes the water near you, it will have notrouble traveling through a few extra centimeters of rubber.Meteorologist B: So, if you're on the water and a thunderstorm approaches, get to the shore and seek shelter on land. Try a building or car. If neither is available, look for a cave,cliff, wall, or a group of trees. Never take shelter under an isolated tree-it's also agood target for lightning.Task 6【答案】A.1) F 2) T 3) F 4) T 5) F 6) TB.Incredible, one minute, one kilometer, destroyed, lifted up, carried away, killed, injured【原文】Every spring and summer many inland areas are hit by tornados. A tornado is a kind of storm. It's a revolving, funnel-shaped column of air that moves through the sky at very high speeds. A tornado looks like a huge, black ice cream cone whirling through the sky. The speed of a tornado is very fast-it is believed to be between 200 and 700 kilometers per hour.Tornados form under very special weather conditions, and these special weather conditions occur most often in inland areas, such as the central United States. A tornado forms when a layer of warm, dry air is on top of a layer of cooler, moist air. This combination of dry, warm air above wet, cool air creates a condition that causes the lower layer of air to lift up. As the lower air rises, both layers of air begin to rotate, to turn around and around. The air begins to rotate faster and faster because of centrifugal force. The tornado has a center called an “eye” and the air rotates quickly around this eye.As the air begins to rotate faster and faster, the tornado cloud begins to grow downward; that is, it begins to form a funnel or cone, and this cone goes down toward the ground.The cone of air is dark because it develops from a dark rain cloud. As the cloud gets longer, as the cloud gets closer to the ground, it begins to pull up dirt from the ground. Then the funnel of rotating air becomes very dark because of the dirt in it. As the tornado funnel gets longer, it begins to drag along the ground.When the tornado touches the ground, it does incredible damage. It usually touches the ground for only about one minute, and it usually travels along the ground for only about one kilometer, but during that one minute, buildings are destroyed, trees are lifted up out of the ground, small objects are carried away, and sometimes people are injured or killed.Task 7【答案】A.1) b 2) a 3) bB.1) It has been nice weather during the day, but it is going to change at night.2) Fine weather in southern Europe and not so nice in northern EuropeFor todaySoutheast England---26 degrees Celsius by mid-afternoonSouthern Scotland---Maximum temperatures of around 21 degreesBrighton---15 hours of lovely sunshineMidlands---23 degrees Celsius by early afternoonNorthwest of Scotland---Light showers around middayFor the weekendSpain---34 degrees CelsiusGreece---32 degrees CelsiusFrance---Cloudy with rain, maximum temperatures of 22 degreesNorthern Ireland---Heavy rain, 17 degrees CelsiusMost of England---Cloudy but mainly dry with sunny periods, 23 degrees Celsius【原文】Radio Announcer: You’re listening to Radio Metro. It’s two minutes to nine, and time for the latest weather for cast from Dan Francis at the London Weather Centre.Francis: Hello. It's been another warm and fine day for most of us. Temperatures in southeast England reached 26 degrees Celsius by mid-afternoon, and Brighton had 15 hours of lovely sunshine. Further north it was a little cooler with maximum temperatures of around 21 degrees in southern Scotland, and in the far northwest of Scotland there were some light showers around midday. But the rest of the country, as I said, has been warm and dry with temperatures in theMidlands reaching 23 degrees Celsius by early afternoon though it was a little cooler along the west coast and in Northern Ireland. But already the weather is beginning to change, I'm afraid, and during the night showers will slowly move in from the Atlantic to reach south-west England and the southern coast of Wales by early morning.The rest of the country will have a very mild, dry night with minimum temperatures no lower than 15 degrees in the south, a little cooler — 11degrees or so — in the north. Any remaining showers in northwest Scotland will pass quickly to leave a mild, dry night there too.And now the outlook for Friday and the weekend. Well, southern Europe will, once again, get the best of the weekend weather, and if your holiday starts this weekend, then southern Spain is the place to go, with temperatures of 34 degrees along the Mediterranean coast. At the eastern end of the Med, too, you can expect uninterrupted sunshine and temperatures of up to 32 degrees Celsius in Greece and southeast Italy, but further north the weather's not so settled. Much of France, Belgium and the Netherlands will be cloudy with occasional rain, and maximum temperatures will be around 22 degrees — very disappointing for this time of the year.Scotland and Northern Ireland will have heavy rain for much of the weekend and temperatures will drop to a cool 17 degrees. Across most of England the weather will be cloudy but mainly dry with sunny periods. And when the sun does come out, temperatures could rise to a maximum of 23 degrees.Task 8【原文】As the air pressure around you either rises or falls, many changes in nature occur. Most of these are very obvious changes while others are of a more subtle nature.Mountains and other far away objects will appear to be much closer and more sharply focused as wet weather approaches and the air pressure drops. The dust particles in the air begin to settle to the ground and the air clears, allowing you to see more details of faraway objects. As a high pressure front approaches and the air becomes “thicker,” more dust particles become suspended in air and things take on their normal somewhat hazy appearance.“Sharp horns on the moon threaten bad weather.” This and a bright, clear moon are good indicators that wet weather is on the way. As the air clears of dust particles ahead of a low pressuresystem, the moon appears to come closer and be more sharply focused due to the lack of dust.Sound also becomes sharper and more focused prior to stormy weather. Instead of traveling upward and outward into the atmosphere sound waves are bent back to the earth and their range extended. Bird calls sound sharper, and, at my house, we can hear the blowing of the train horn as it rumbles through the valley below.If you find yourself out in a marsh or swamp and the air really seems to stink more than normal, expect rainy weather. This happens when the pressure drops and the methane trapped on the bottom of the swamp is released in greater quantities. In reverse, as fair weather approaches and the pressure rises, things won't smell quite so strong.Birds and bats have a tendency to fly much lower to the ground right before a rain due to the “thinning” of the air. They prefer to fly where the air is the most dense and they can get greater lift with their wings. With high pressure and dry air, the atmosphere becomes denser and they can easily fly at higher altitudes.Smoke rising straight into the air means fair weather and smoke hanging low means rain is on the way. This is pretty much the same as with the birds and methane in the swamp. When high pressure approaches, smoke will rise whereas with low pressure it can't rise and tends to lay low.Remember a grandparent talking about how their corns, bunions, or joints ached right before a rain? Again, this is due to the decreasing atmospheric pressure allowing the gas in our bodies to expand.Task 9【答案】A. Statements 3, 6, 7 are true.B.f—c—a—d—b—eC.1) F 2) T 3) F 4) FD.1) d 2) b【原文】It was 1974. Richard Nixon was still president. Kidnapped heiress Patty Hearst was still missing. In Xenia, a pretty spot of 25,000 people amid fields of soybeans and corn, American Graffiti was held over at the Cinema. The Xenia Hotel offered a chicken and dumpling dinner for $2.25, but everyone flocked to the A&W drive-in for burgers and root beer floats. That's where five of the bodies were found after the storm.In all, 33 people died in Xenia's tornado, the deadliest of 148 storms that raged through 13 states during the infamous "Super Outbreak'' of tornadoes April 3 to 4, 1974. In 16 hours and 10 minutes, 330 people were killed and nearly 5,550 were injured from Illinois to Georgia.Though the Xenia death toll has been matched by other killer storms, the degree of devastation makes the city's tornado among U.S. history's most destructive. The storm still is studied in colleges by aspiring meteorologists, a textbook case of a rare Category F-5, the most intense of tornadoes.On that fateful day, I was a young boy of 8 years old. We lived in the Arrowhead Subdivision. That afternoon I was around the corner playing with some neighbor kids. I thought I could hear my father calling me, so I ran back to the house. Thinking back now, there is no way I would havebeen able to hear him. I was too far away for a voice to have traveled in the afternoon noise. Besides, Dad had a very bad case of tonsillitis that day. Like I was saying, I went back home and got through the door just in time to answer the ringing phone. On the other end of the phone was my Mother. Mom was working. She told me she heard a bad storm was on the way. She told me to make sure the garage door was shut and to stay inside. After I hung up the phone, I settled down to watch The Dennis Show. To this day I can vividly remember the electricity going out. I looked out the large window in the living room and didn't have a clue as to what I was looking at.Dad was asleep on the couch, so I woke him up to look. Dad looked and said to get into the bathroom. We sat on the floor. Dad had his back to the door and his feet pushing against the wall opposite the door. I remember that as soon as we sat down, the windows broke. Glass blew under the door, and the sound was tremendous. I know it really didn’t take too long for the tornado to go past, but I do remember the conversation we had in the process. I could feel the cool air rushing under the floor through the crawlspace vents. I asked if we were flying. He said he wasn't sure, but he didn't think we were. He said the house was tearing apart. I asked him how he knew. He said he just knew it was.When things calmed down, we opened the door. The odd feeling I had, looking up the street from inside what once was my hallway, is still with me today.I think back often to that day. I think back and wonder what would have happened if my Dad hadn't been sick that day. Like a lot of kids, I stayed home by myself after school back then. I seriously doubt I would be able to tell you my story, if I had been alone that day. I still live in Xenia and wouldn’t trade this town for any other.Task 10【原文】Undoubtedly, Tibet is one of the harshest places for human existence. It is cool in summer but freezing cold in winter. In Lhasa, the mildest city temperature may exceed 29C in summer while plummeting to -16C in winter! Sun radiation is extremely strong in Tibet. The sunlight in Lhasa is so intense that the city is called Sunlight City. The thin air can neither block off nor retain heat so that the temperature extremes can be met in daytime and the same night respectively in Tibet. However it is not impossible to visit the holy snow land. April to October is the best time to visit Tibet, out of the coldest months, which are from December to February usually. The average temperature in north Tibet is subzero and winter arrives in October until the following May or June. July and August are the best time to visit the area, enjoying warm temperature, intense sunshine, beautiful scenery and festive events. May, June and September is the tourist season in east Tibet. In winter, roads are all blocked by heavy snow. Landslides and rock falls frequently occur, which will make travel difficult.。
现代大学英语听力原文及答案unit
Unit 9Task 1Compere: And now for our first question. It comes from Mrs. June Moore. Mrs. MooreMrs. Moore: Does the panel think that computers will change our livesCompere: Mrs. Moore wants to know if computers will change our lives. Philip BarnesPhilip Barnes: Computers have already changed our lives. Business is more efficient.Planes and trains provide a better service...Miss Anderson: Just a moment, Mr. Barnes. You may be right about business, but how many people have lost their jobs because of computers Computershave changed our lives, but I don't want my life changed.Arthur Haines: Excuse me, Miss Anderson. We're talking about our lives, not your life.The computer will affect everyone in the world. Records can be keptof everything we do. Records will be kept of all our private lives. Inmy opinion, the computer is the greatest disaster of the 20th century. Phyllis Archer: Could I interrupt Arthur Haines says the computer is a disaster, but the computer is a machine. It was invented by people; it is used by people.If the computer is a disaster, then people are a disaster.Compere: Thank you, Phyllis Archer. Thank you, panel. And thank you, Mrs. Moore.Task 2【答案】A.1) It includes a 9-inch TV screen, a keyboard with 46 numbers and characters on it, a printer, and two disk drives.2) It's all contained right on the floppy disk.3) It’s much better than a typewriter in that one can move words or sentences from place to place or make corrections or changes right on the screen, and never have to erase on paper.4) It can help him make a monthly budget for his household with electronic spreadsheet software.B.1) loads your program into the machine2) typewriter, typewriter,3) turning the computer on and loading a program4) the different things the program can do【原文】Narrator: For Harvey Van Runkle, it was love at first sight, or should we say, love at first byte Really, it is 64,000 bytes—that's the size of the memory on hisnew BANANA-3 personal computer. It all happened by accident. His wife,Charlotte, had sent him out to buy a new toaster, when he found himselfstanding in front of a computer display at the BANANA Computer Store. Salesman: Yes, ladies and gentlemen, this little computer is going to change your lives.Just consider the hardware: You have a 9-inch TV screen. That’s yourvideo display terminal. You have a keyboard with 46 numbers andcharacters on it. You have a printer that will give you paper printouts ofyour work in three colors. You have two disk drives—one inside thecomputer terminal and one outside. This computer can do anything! Nowlet’s have a little demonstration. Who would like to try the newBANANA-3 computer You, sir. You look interested. Step right up and trythe BANANA-3.Harvey: What's a d-disk driveSalesman: That's the part of the computer that loads your program into the machine. Harvey: Oh. What's a programSalesman: The program That's your software. That's the instructions. It's all contained right on this floppy disk here. The instructions on this disk tell thecomputer what to do.Harvey: Oh, you mean like my wife. She always tells me what to do. Salesman: Exactly. Now what type of program would you like I have word processing,I have electronic spreadsheet...Harvey: What's word processingSalesman: Word processing is using the computer like a typewriter. But it's much better than a typewriter. You can move words or sentences from place toplace or make corrections or changes right on the screen. You never haveto erase on paper. It's a wonderful little program! Would you like to try it,Mr...Harvey: Van Runkle. Harvey Van Runkle. I've never used a computer before... Salesman: It's easy. First we start up the machine, and then boot up a program. Harvey: Boot upSalesman: That's computer talk for turning the computer on and loading a program.There. Now we look at the menu.Harvey: Menu But I just had lunch. I'm not hungry.Salesman: No, no. This is a program menu, not a restaurant menu. It shows the different things the program can do. For example, here we have "file". Ifyou select file, you can choose which of your documents you want to workon. And here’s “edit”. This gives you ways to co rrect your document. Harvey: Gee, this is great! There's only one problem.Salesman: What's thatHarvey: I don't have any documents. I'm a plumber.Salesman: But you have bills, don't youHarvey: Yeah, but...Salesman: Well, with our electronic spreadsheet software, you can make a monthlybudget for your household.Harvey: No. My wife, Charlotte, does that.Salesman: Well, now you can do it, Harvey.Harvey: I don't know...Salesman: And you have friends, don't youHarvey: Yeah, well there's my brother-in-law Bob...Salesman: Great! You can write letters to Bob on your new BANANA-3 computer!Harvey: Okay. How much is itSalesman: Never mind. Do you have a credit cardHarvey: Well, sure...Salesman: Great. Joe, get Harvey here signed up, will you He wants a BANANA-3 with a printer and software. Okay, step right up, ladies and gentlemen. Thiscomputer can do anything!Task 3【答案】A.1) They are important because they are able to measure quantities such as electricity and temperature.2) Digital computers.3) Only one person at a time can use them.4) It is because their owners do not spend enough time learning how to operate them efficiently.5) Each person who uses a minicomputer has a computer terminal that is connected to the minicomputer by interface wires. With the help of the operating system, the CPU is able to divide its time and perform for all the users.B.Similarities and Differences between Microcomputers andThere are two primary kinds of computers: analog computers and digital computers. Unless you are a scientist, you probably will not use analog computers. These computers are important because they are able to measure quantities such as electricity and temperature.In contrast, digital computers perform their tasks by counting. Some digital computers are built to help solve only a specific kind of problem. For example, digital computers that monitor airplanes flying in and out of airports are built only for that task. Most digital computers, though, can be used to help solve many kinds of problems. Among them, microcomputers and minicomputers are two kinds of common digital computers.Microcomputers, also called personal computers, are the newest computers. Many are about the size of a very small television set. Some, however, are so small and light that people can carry them easily on business trips. Because computermanufacturers produce an enormous amount of computer hardware, it is possible for anyone to own and use a microcomputer. Therefore, we now see these machines in many homes, schools, and businesses. There is one disadvantage to these computers, though. Only one person at a time can use them. Also, many people who buy microcomputers do not understand what these machines can and cannot do. Some experts say that almost half of all micro-computers are not used often because their owners do not spend enough time learning how to operate them efficiently.Like microcomputers, minicomputers are used in small businesses. However, they are larger than microcomputers and are used more frequently in large offices and businesses than in small businesses. Another difference is that more than one person can use a minicomputer at the same time. We call this time-sharing. Some minicomputers can have more than a hundred people time-sharing them. Each person who uses a minicomputer has a computer terminal that is connected to the minicomputer by interface wires. But even though more than one person can use a minicomputer, the computer has only one CPU. With the help of the operating system, the CPU is able to divide its time and perform for all the users.Task 4【答案】A.1) It wasn't the typical low mechanical voice that sounded like a record being playedat too slow a speed. It sounded natural. It had charm to it.2) Lupa had once heard that even a sophisticated analog computer couldn't pick up certain subtleties in the English language, no matter how good the programming is.3) When Lupa stood up and walked around the room, it was evident to her that somewhere in the building, listening through an intercom was someone with a microphone.B.1) They're running a contest. The kids are supposed to name me. I'm dreading the whole thing, believe me.2) You know something; I thought you'd be different. Just once today I was hoping I'd get someone who wouldn't try to beat the program.3) You wouldn't happen to know what day of the week September the fourteenth, 1321, fell on, would youIt was a Sunday; but how do you know whether I'm right Thank you for visiting the computer exhibit.【原文】Lupa laughed. She liked the voice that had been selected for the computer. It wasn't the typical low mechanical voice that sounded like a record being played at too slow a speed. It sounded natural. It had charm to it."Do you have a name" Lupa asked."Not yet," the computer answered. "They're running a contest. The kids are supposed to name me. I'm dreading the whole thing, believe me."Now Lupa thought this was clever, the way they had programmed the computer. She wondered if there was some way to screw up the program. She had once heard that even a sophisticated analog computer couldn't pick up certain subtleties in the English language, no matter how good the programming is, so she decided to give it a try."My paws give me pause," she said.The computer was silent."My paws give me pause," Lupa repeated. "It's a clause without claws."Lupa waited in silence for a response."You know something," the computer said. "I thought you'd be different. Just once today I was hoping I'd get someone who wouldn't try to beat the program."Lupa smiled. "This was marvelous," she thought to herself. "They'd thought of everything.""Sorry," she said. "Mi dispiace.""Ah, you speak Italian," the computer said with some sarcasm."Qui, d'accord," Lupa answered. "C'est vrai.""And French, too. Your French is better than your Italian. Though neither one is great. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to shut down. It's closing time."Lupa stood up and walked around the room. It was evident to her that somewhere in the building, listening through an intercom was someone with a microphone. She thought about how to test for this."You wouldn't happen to know what day of the week September the fourteenth, 1321, fell on, would you" Lupa asked."It was a Sunday," the computer answered, "but how do you know whether I'm right Thank you for visiting the computer exhibit."Task 5【答案】A.1) b) 2) c)B.1) F 2) F 3) F 4) THello. I think we can begin now if you're ready. Um, today I want to talk to you about computers, about the impact of computers on how we talk, on the ways we talk. Now of course we all know that computers have changed our lives in many ways. Stop and think for a minute about how we use computers in our everyday life. It's hard to think of anything we do that hasn't been changed by computers. For example, computers allow us to get money directly from our bank accounts at cash machines. At hospitals, computers help doctors understand what is wrong with patients. We can use computers to help us decide which color to paint our houses, which hair styles to have, or which dresses or suits would look good on us--lots of professional and personal uses. Computers are simply a part of our lives, and, I think it is safe to say, they will continue to be. What I'd like to look at today is how the use of computers has had an impact on our language--how computers have changed the expressions we say, the words we use.First, let me give you some examples. These are examples from English that I'd like you to think about. The first example is this. Someone at an office says, "We'd like to have the project online by next Monday." In computer talk "online" means started or working. So this statement means that we'd like to have the project started and going by next Monday.The second example is from a discussion or seminar. Someone might say, "Let'stake this discussion offline until tomorrow." To take a computer "offline" means to disconnect it or take it out of the system. What do you think it means to take a discussion offline To take a discussion "offline" means to stop talking about it. This example means "let's stop discussing this now and talk about it tomorrow."The third example is: "I'll try to interface my plans with yours." To "interface", in computer talk, means to do something so that different computer parts or software can work together. So "I'll try to interface my plans with yours" means that "I'll try to change my plans to fit with yours." People still say, of course, "I'll try to change my plans to fit with yours." But now we might also start to hear people say, "I'll try to interface my plans with yours," or "Let's see if we can interface our schedules so that we can meet next week."Let’s try one more example. Our fourth example might take place at home. Someone says,” I just can’t access where I left my car keys.” In computer talk to “access” something means to make information available. If I can’t access where I left my keys, I don’t have this information available for me to use. What would be another way to say this Of course, we could also say, “I can’t remember where I put my keys.”Task 6【答案】1) Cyber ethics.2) It will focus on teaching educators how to teach their students cyber ethics.3) Because it’s not done verbally so that people can overhear it; they think it’s anonymous on the Internet.4) She was a former principal and an adjunct professor at Marymount University,teaching curriculum development and technology in the classroom.5) Young computer users do not see hacking, e-mail threats, cyber talking, Intellectual Property Rights violations and virus distribution as crimes.6) She said that it is something that needs to be instructed as routine curriculum, and student should know that these behaviors are as unacceptable in cyberspace as in the physical realm.【原文】Although schools are doing a better job at teaching children how to use the Internet, they are not addressing cyber ethics. "Cyber Ethics: Teaching Responsible Use of Technology" will focus on teaching educators how to teach their students cyber ethics. When typical crimes are committed on the Internet, students do not see them as a crime, said Cherie Geide, the conference director."They don't see anything wrong with it because they see it as a prank. It's more unacceptable to do it verbally where people can overhear it. They think it's anonymous on the Internet," said Geide, a former principal and an adjunct professor at Marymount University, teaching curriculum development and technology in the classroom.Geide said young computer users do not see hacking, e-mail threats, cyber talking, Intellectual Property Rights violations, such as in software or music, and virus distribution as crimes."This is something that needs to be instructed as routine curriculum," she said, "that this behavior is as unacceptable in cyberspace as in the physical realm.Task 7【答案】A.1) It's Microsoft's SANTA that the kids can't resist; it's the ultimate software with atraditional twist—recommended by no less than the jolly old elf, and on thepackage, a picture of Santa himself.2) Father did last-minute Internet shopping; Mum and I had just settled down for a long winter’s nap.B.1) not a creature was stirring, except father's mouse. The computer was humming; the icons were hopping2) were hung next to the modem with care in the hope that Santa would bring new software3) were nestled all snug in their beds, with visions of computer games filling their leads4) now had been re-routed to Washington State where Santa's workshop had been moved by Bill Gates5) now finds he's a new billionaire; with a shiny red Porsche in place of his sleigh, and a house on Lake Washington just down the way from where Bill has his mansion; preens in black Gucci boots and red Calvin Klein jeans6) no more dolls or tin soldiers or little toy drams, only compact disk ROMs with the Microsoft label7) a new Christmas star, owned by the Microsoft guy8) turned on with a Jingle-Bells sound, as I sprang from my bed and was turning around9) a smiling Bill Gates next to jolly old Santa, two arm-in-arm matesexclaim in voices so bright, have a Microsoft Christmas, and to all a good night 【原文】It was the night before Christmas, and all through the house not a creature was stirring, except father's mouse. The computer was humming; the icons were hopping, as father did last-minute Internet shopping.The stockings were hung next to the modem with care in the hope that Santa would bring new software. The children were nestled all snug in their beds, with visions of computer games filling their leads.had been re-routed to Washington State where Santa's workshop had been moved by Bill Gates. All the elves and the reindeer had had to skedaddle to flashy new quarters in suburban Seattle.Alter living a life that was simple and spare, Santa now finds he's a new billionaire; with a shiny red Porsche in place of his sleigh, and a house on Lake Washington just down the way from where Bill has his mansion. The old fellow preens in black Gucci boots and red Calvin Klein jeans.No more dolls or tin soldiers or little toy drams will be under the tree, only compact disk ROMs with the Microsoft label. So spin up your drive from now on, Christmas runs only on Windows 95.It's Microsoft's SANTA that the kids can't resist; it's the ultimate software with a traditional twist—recommended by no less than the jolly old elf, and on the package, a picture of Santa himself."Get 'em young, keep 'em long" is Microsoft's theme; and a merger with Santa is a marketer's dream. "To the top of the NASDAQ! To the top of the Dow! Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away—wow!"And Mum in her handkerchief and me in my cap, had just settled down for a long winter's nap. When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter, the whirr and the hum of our satellite platter. As it turned toward that new Christmas star in the sky, the SANTALITE owned by the Microsoft guy. As I sprang from my bed and was turning around, my computer turned on with a Jingle-Bells sound.And there on the screen was a smiling Bill Gates next to jolly old Santa, two arm-in-arm mates. And I heard them exclaim in voices so bright, have a Microsoft Christmas, and to all a good night!Task 8【答案】A.1) You would need a computer because of its "memory" and speed; a computer can consider more factors than a person can.2) The reservation clerk uses a machine to record information about where you wantto go and the flight number of the plane that will take you to your destination.3) The computer not only determines what seats are available at what prices, but it also prints the tickets at the same time.B.1) there is a limit to the number of considerations the human mind can2) analyzing this factor in relation to information about the business that has already been programmed3) in which computers are being4) whether or not there is space for youC. See the last paragraph but one in the script.【原文】Suppose you are a manufacturer of bicycles. You are trying to decide whether or not to build a larger factory or to buy more machines. You could just say to yourself, "Business has been good. We've sold a lot of bicycles recently, so I think we ought to expand our plant."Or you could consider such questions as the following: How much would the changes cost Can the bicycle-riding population be expected to increase or decrease Many such questions would have to be answered, but there is a limit to the number of considerations the human mind can take into account.In a situation like this, you would need a computer. Because of its "memory" and speed, a computer can consider more factors than a person can. Does the bicycle manufacturer wonder how the weather will affect bicycle sales The computer can tell him by analyzing this factor in relation to information about the business that has already been programmed into the computer.This is just one of many situations in which computers are being used today. This new servant of man is only about twenty-five years old, but it has already changed the lives of more than 200 million Americans. Wherever the citizen turns, he finds a computer working.Computers are used when one reserves space on an airplane. Walk into any airline office. Before selling you a ticket, the reservation clerk uses a machine that looks like a typewriter to record information about where you want to go and the flight number of the plane that will take you to your destination. This information is sent instantly to a central computer that may be many kilometers away from the airline office. Within seconds, the computer informs the clerk whether or not there is space for you on that plane.Such reservation systems are now in increasing use. They are also employed by hotels, by com-panics that rent cars, and by offices that sell tickets to theaters and sports events. The computer not only determines what seats are available at what prices, but it also prints the tickets at the same time.When computers are used in the way just described, some part of the system can actually be seen. Usually what one sees is a machine that looks like a typewriter; it is called a computer terminal. But computers are also used in unseen ways. For example,they determine how much time there should be between traffic signals to prevent traffic problems and to keep millions of cars moving in an orderly flow. When you buy an automobile, a factory process that is controlled by a computer enables you to obtain a car with your own choice of colours and special features in just a few weeks' time. In medical laboratories, computers have reduced the errors in testing, and they have saved doctors countless hours of work. Before long, medical histories of all Americans will be kept in computer "banks". If a person becomes ill far from his home, local doctors will be able to get his medical record immediately. In science, the computer has performed in minutes experiments which would have required thousands of hours of work by human hands and minds.The United States is not the only country affected by the "computer revolution". All the major countries of the world have computers, and the developing countries are increasingly aware that computers play a big part in their economic advancement.Task 9【答案】A. 1) a) 2) b) 3) c)B. 1) T 2) F 3) FC.1) potential criminals: Computer crime2) using less obvious and less easily remembered passwords that allow access to3) limit the user's access to information as well as the operations the userD.Courts are being tougher and computer security is improving. Computer security is getting more sophisticated. For example, less obvious passwords are being used, and access-control software and "dial back" systems have been developed. Scrambling devices and audit trails are also available.【原文】Let's talk a little now about what is being done to stop computer crime. First, the courts are getting much tougher on hackers. They are punishing computer criminals more severely. They are trying to send a strong message to potential criminals: Computer crime is serious. If you're caught doing it, you'll be punished. This is seen as a way of preventing hacking.Computer security is getting more sophisticated. It's being improved by using less obvious and less easily remembered passwords that allow access to systems. These passwords should be given to the minimum number of people.Access-control software is becoming more common. This software limits the user's access to information as well as the operations the user can perform. So, for example, access control software might only let users read certain files or programs, but not let them input data, and may keep them out of other files entirely.Then there are "dial back" systems that ask the user or caller for a password. The system then checks the password in a directory and calls the user back at his or her telephone number. This stops hackers who are calling from another number from gaining access to the system.Scrambling devices are also being developed by computer engineers. These devices scramble messages so that hackers can't understand them. Data can be unscrambled and used only if the scrambling key is known by the user. Scrambling is a very effective way of protecting information.Audit trail software is also now available. Audit trails monitor the use of a computer and alert owners to any attempt to enter their computer system. It is usually possible to identify any user who gained access to the system and when the access occurred, makingit possible to trace the hacker.Well, those are some of the major things that are happening at the present time in order to decrease computer crime. None of them is completely satisfactory, but together they are certainly helping. These changes, as well as the improvements that are certain to come, should influence people to stop hacking by making it less profitable and more risky.Task 10【原文】"The astronauts are returning to earth at exactly 5:24. Splashdown will be in the Pacific, 427ciles west of Hawaii."You have often heard announcements like this on television. Scientists can tell us exactly when pace-capsule will arrive on the moon, for instance, and exactly when it will return. They can calculate things like this to the nearest second. How do they do it Well, of course, they use mathematics. We can all do simple sums on paper, but we must use computers for extremely difficult calculations. Perhaps you have seen mechanical calculating machines in banks and offices. Computers aren't mechanical. They don't have wheels and gears in them. Instead, they work on electrical circuits and can do difficult calculations at tremendous speed. They can work 100 million times faster than the human mind!。
现代大学英语听力2听力原文及题目答案Unit
《现代大学英语听力2》听力原文及题目答案Unit 2Unit 2Task 1【答案】1) b 2) a 3) d【原文】Texas was the biggest state before Alaska became the forty-ninth state in 1959. One good way to understand the size of Texas is to learn about its weather. Different parts of the state have very different kinds of weather.Laredo is one of the hottest cities in the United States in summer. The best time to visit Laredo is in winter, when it is pleasantly warm.Amarillo gets very cold in winter. Sometimes there is more snow in Amarillo than in New York, which is a northern city. Summers are better, but sometimes it gets quite hot. The best time to visit Amarillo is in the autumn when it is cool.If anyone asks you about the weather in Texas, ask him, “What part of Texas do you mean？”Task 2【答案】A.1)T 2) F 3) FB.1) d 2) c 3) cC.climate, reputation, extraordinary, unreliable, dry, wet, clear, dull, hot, cold, bad, mild【原文】Our friend, Nick, whose English gets better and better, declared solemnly the other day that he thought that the British climate was wonderful, but the British weather was terrible. He went on to explain by pointing out that the British climate was a temperate one. This meant, he said, "that you could always be certain that the weather would never be extreme —at any rate not for any length of time —never very hot and never very cold." He quite rightly pointed out that the rainfall in Britain, according to the statistics, was not very heavy. "Why then," he asked, "has the British climate such a bad reputation?" He answered by saying it was because of the extraordinary, unreliable weather. There was no part of the year at which you could be certain that the weather would be dry or wet, clear or dull, hot or cold. A bad day in July could be as cold as a mild day in January. Indeed you could feel cold at almost any time of the year. Nick blamed drafty British houses for this, but agreed you could also blame the small amount of sunshine and a great amount of dampness. He advised every student coming to Britain to bring an umbrella and to understand the meaning of that splendid word "drizzle".Task 3【答案】I.the country; Trees, grass, lakes and steamsII.A.1. concrete, iron, steel2. take in the heat during the day and throw off heat into the air at nightB. Warmer winters, car engines; electrical applianceⅢ.A. air pollution may stop sunlight from reaching the earthB.1. Ice near the North and South poles to melt2. to be slowly flooded and people living in these cities to move to higher land 【原文】Cities change the climate around you. In the country, there are trees, grass, lakes, and streams. In hot weather, the trees and grass cool the area around them. Lakes and rivers also cool the area around them.But cities are not cooled in these natural ways. Cities are built of asphalt, concrete, iron, andsteel. There are few trees and usually not much grass. Rain falls onto the streets and into the sewers.When the summer sun shines, streets and buildings take in the heat; after the sun sets, the streets and buildings throw off heat into the street. Once the sun sets, the countryside cools off, but a city may stay hot all night.Cities are hotter than the countryside in winter, too. Standing near a car with its motor running, winter or summer, you will feel the heat thrown off by the engine. The heat comes from the gasoline burned by the engine. This heat warms the air and the ground around the car. Thousands of running cars are almost like thousands of small fires burning.Carefully put your hand near a light bulb or television set. As you can see, electricity creates a lot of heat. This heat from electricity warms the house and the outside air.The heat given off by cities can affect the climate. Some experts even believe that cities can change the climate of the whole world. They think that air pollution may stop sunlight from reaching the earth. If less sunshine reaches the earth, the earth may become cooler.Still other experts think the world will get warmer. If the world did get warmer, great changes would occur. Ice near the North and South poles would melt. This would make the oceans rise. Cities near oceans — like Los Angeles, Boston, and Miami —would slowly be flooded. People living in these cities would have to move to higher land.Task 4【答案】A.1) b 2) cB. night, delight; morning, warning; gray, way, red, headC.1) F 2) T 3) F【原文】A red sky at either dusk or dawn is one of the spectacular and beautiful weather predictors we have in nature. By closely observing this phenomenon, you can achieve short-range accuracy of the weather as good as, or better than your local weatherman. In the Bible, Jesus in Matthew 16, 2-3 is quoted as saying, “When it is evening, it will be fair weather: for the sky is red. And in the morning it will be foul weather today: for the sky is red” when speaking to the Pharisees. An old English weather proverb based on this passage is:Red sky at night, sailors delight.Red sky at morning, sailors take warning.OrEvening red and morning gray,Sends the traveler on his way.Evening gray, morning red,Brings the rain down on his head.At dusk, a red sky indicates that dry weather is on the way. This is due to the sun shining through dust particles being pushed ahead of a high pressure system bringing in dry air. A red sky in the morning is due to the sun again shining through dust. In this case however, the dust is being pushed on by an approaching low reassure system bringing in moisture. Don't confuse a red sky in the morning with a red sun in the morning. If the sun itself is red and the sky is a normal color, the day will be fair.Task 5【答案】1) c 2) b 3) d 4) c 5) c【原文】Mark: I am an avid fly fisherman and frequently find myself on the river in a raft during lightning storms. We always have a debate at thesetimes on where we are safest —pulling into shore or staying on thewater. Since I have heard one is safe in a car when lightning strikesI wonder if the raft floating on the water is insulated, and thereforethe safest place to be.Meteorologist A: We spoke with some scientists about your question, and they all agreed that under no circumstances should you remain on the waterduring a lightning storm. If your raft is made of rubber, you mightfeel that you're .well insulated, but don't kid yourself. Typicallightning flashes travel 10 to 15 kilometers and can deliver as muchas 100,000 amps of current. In comparison, a toaster uses about 10amps of current. If lightning strikes the water near you, it willhave no trouble traveling through a few extra centimeters of rubber. Meteorologist B: So, if you're on the water and a thunderstorm approaches, get to the shore and seek shelter on land. Try a building or car. If neitheris available, look for a cave, cliff, wall, or a group of trees. Nevertake shelter under an isolated tree-it's also a good target forlightning.Task 6【答案】A.1) F 2) T 3) F 4) T 5) F 6) TB.Incredible, one minute, one kilometer, destroyed, lifted up, carried away, killed, injured【原文】Every spring and summer many inland areas are hit by tornados. A tornado is a kind of storm. It's a revolving, funnel-shaped column of air that moves through the sky at very high speeds. A tornado looks like a huge, black ice cream cone whirling through the sky. The speed of a tornado is very fast-it is believed to be between 200 and 700 kilometers per hour.Tornados form under very special weather conditions, and these special weather conditions occur most often in inland areas, such as the central United States. A tornado forms when a layer of warm, dry air is on top of a layer of cooler, moist air. This combination of dry, warm air above wet, cool air creates a condition that causes the lower layer of air to lift up. As the lower air rises, both layers of air begin to rotate, to turn around and around. The air begins to rotate faster and faster because of centrifugal force. The tornado has a center called an “eye” and the air rotates quickly around this eye.As the air begins to rotate faster and faster, the tornado cloud begins to grow downward; that is, it begins to form a funnel or cone, and this cone goes down toward the ground.The cone of air is dark because it develops from a dark rain cloud. As the cloud gets longer, as the cloud gets closer to the ground, it begins to pull up dirt from the ground. Then the funnel ofrotating air becomes very dark because of the dirt in it. As the tornado funnel gets longer, it begins to drag along the ground.When the tornado touches the ground, it does incredible damage. It usually touches the ground for only about one minute, and it usually travels along the ground for only about one kilometer, but during that one minute, buildings are destroyed, trees are lifted up out of the ground, small objects are carried away, and sometimes people are injured or killed.Task 7【答案】A.1) b 2) a 3) bB.1) It has been nice weather during the day, but it is going to change at night.2) Fine weather in southern Europe and not so nice in northern EuropeFor todaySoutheast England---26 degrees Celsius by mid-afternoonSouthern Scotland---Maximum temperatures of around 21 degreesBrighton---15 hours of lovely sunshineMidlands---23 degrees Celsius by early afternoonNorthwest of Scotland---Light showers around middayFor the weekendSpain---34 degrees CelsiusGreece---32 degrees CelsiusFrance---Cloudy with rain, maximum temperatures of 22 degreesNorthern Ireland---Heavy rain, 17 degrees CelsiusMost of England---Cloudy but mainly dry with sunny periods, 23 degrees Celsius 【原文】Radio Announcer: You’re listening to Radio Metro. It’s two minutes to nine, and time for the latest weather for cast from Dan Francis at the London Weather Centre. Francis: Hello. It's been another warm and fine day for most of us. Temperatures in southeast England reached 26 degrees Celsius by mid-afternoon, and Brighton had 15 hours of lovely sunshine. Further north it was a little cooler with maximum temperatures of around 21 degrees in southern Scotland, and in the far northwest of Scotland there were some light showers around midday. But the rest of the country, as I said, has been warm and dry with temperatures in the Midlands reaching 23 degrees Celsius by early afternoon though it was a little cooler along the west coast and in Northern Ireland. But already the weather is beginning to change, I'm afraid, and during the night showers will slowly move in from the Atlantic to reach south-west England and the southern coast of Wales by early morning.The rest of the country will have a very mild, dry night with minimum temperatures no lower than 15 degrees in the south, a little cooler — 11degrees or so —in the north. Any remaining showers in northwest Scotland will pass quickly to leave a mild, dry night there too.And now the outlook for Friday and the weekend. Well, southern Europe will, once again, get the best of the weekend weather, and if your holiday starts this weekend, then southern Spain is the place to go, with temperatures of 34 degrees along the Mediterranean coast. At the eastern end of the Med, too, you can expect uninterrupted sunshine and temperatures of up to 32 degrees Celsius in Greece and southeast Italy, but further north the weather's not so settled. Much of France, Belgium and the Netherlands will be cloudy with occasional rain, and maximum temperatures will be around 22 degrees — very disappointing for this time of the year.Scotland and Northern Ireland will have heavy rain for much of the weekend and temperatures will drop to a cool 17 degrees. Across most of England the weather will be cloudy but mainly dry with sunny periods. And when the sun does come out, temperatures could rise to a maximum of 23 degrees.Task 8【答案】【原文】As the air pressure around you either rises or falls, many changes in nature occur. Most of these are very obvious changes while others are of a more subtle nature.Mountains and other far away objects will appear to be much closer and more sharply focused as wet weather approaches and the air pressure drops. The dust particles in the air begin to settle to the ground and the air clears, allowing you to see more details of faraway objects. As a high pressure front approaches and the air becomes “thicker,” more dust particles become suspended in air and things take on their normal somewhat hazy appearance.“Sharp horns on the moon threaten bad weather.” This and a bright, clear moon are good indicators that wet weather is on the way. As the air clears of dust particles ahead of a low pressure system, the moon appears to come closer and be more sharply focused due to the lack of dust.Sound also becomes sharper and more focused prior to stormy weather. Instead of traveling upward and outward into the atmosphere sound waves are bent back to the earth and their range extended. Bird calls sound sharper, and, at my house, we can hear the blowing of the train horn as it rumbles through the valley below.If you find yourself out in a marsh or swamp and the air really seems to stink more than normal, expect rainy weather. This happens when the pressure drops and the methane trapped on the bottom of the swamp is released in greater quantities. In reverse, as fair weather approaches and the pressure rises, things won't smell quite so strong.Birds and bats have a tendency to fly much lower to the ground right before a rain due to the “thinning” of the air. They prefer to fly where the air is the most dense and they can get greater lift with their wings. With high pressure and dry air, the atmosphere becomes denser and they can easily fly at higher altitudes.Smoke rising straight into the air means fair weather and smoke hanging low meansrain is on the way. This is pretty much the same as with the birds and methane in the swamp. When high pressure approaches, smoke will rise whereas with low pressure it can't rise and tends to lay low.Remember a grandparent talking about how their corns, bunions, or joints ached right before a rain? Again, this is due to the decreasing atmospheric pressure allowing the gas in our bodies to expand.Task 9【答案】A. Statements 3, 6, 7 are true.B.f—c—a—d—b—eC.1) F 2) T 3) F 4) FD.1) d 2) b【原文】It was 1974. Richard Nixon was still president. Kidnapped heiress Patty Hearst was still missing. In Xenia, a pretty spot of 25,000 people amid fields of soybeans and corn, American Graffiti was held over at the Cinema. The Xenia Hotel offered a chicken and dumpling dinner for $, but everyone flocked to the A&W drive-in for burgers and root beer floats. That's where five of the bodies were found after the storm.In all, 33 people died in Xenia's tornado, the deadliest of 148 storms that raged through 13 states during the infamous "Super Outbreak'' of tornadoes April 3 to 4, 1974. In 16 hours and 10 minutes, 330 people were killed and nearly 5,550 were injured from Illinois to Georgia.Though the Xenia death toll has been matched by other killer storms, the degree of devastation makes the city's tornado among U.S. history's most destructive. The storm still is studied in colleges by aspiring meteorologists, a textbook case of a rare Category F-5, the most intense of tornadoes.On that fateful day, I was a young boy of 8 years old. We lived in the Arrowhead Subdivision. That afternoon I was around the corner playing with some neighbor kids.I thought I could hear my father calling me, so I ran back to the house. Thinking back now, there is no way I would have been able to hear him. I was too far away for a voice to have traveled in the afternoon noise. Besides, Dad had a very bad case of tonsillitis that day. Like I was saying, I went back home and got through the door just in time to answer the ringing phone. On the other end of the phone was my Mother. Mom was working. She told me she heard a bad storm was on the way. She told me to make sure the garage door was shut and to stay inside. After I hung up the phone, I settled down to watch The Dennis Show. To this day I can vividly remember the electricity going out. I looked out the large window in the living room and didn't have a clue as to what I was looking at.Dad was asleep on the couch, so I woke him up to look. Dad looked and said to get into the bathroom. We sat on the floor. Dad had his back to the door and hisfeet pushing against the wall opposite the door. I remember that as soon as we sat down, the windows broke. Glass blew under the door, and the sound was tremendous.I know it really didn’t take too long for the tornado to go past, but I do remember the conversation we had in the process. I could feel the cool air rushing under the floor through the crawlspace vents. I asked if we were flying. He said he wasn't sure, but he didn't think we were. He said the house was tearing apart. I asked him how he knew. He said he just knew it was.When things calmed down, we opened the door. The odd feeling I had, looking up the street from inside what once was my hallway, is still with me today.I think back often to that day. I think back and wonder what would have happened if my Dad hadn't been sick that day. Like a lot of kids, I stayed home by myself after school back then. I seriously doubt I would be able to tell you my story, if I had been alone that day. I still live in Xenia and wouldn’t trade this town for any other.Task 10【原文】Undoubtedly, Tibet is one of the harshest places for human existence. It is cool in summer but freezing cold in winter. In Lhasa, the mildest city temperature may exceed 29C in summer while plummeting to -16C in winter! Sun radiation is extremely strong in Tibet. The sunlight in Lhasa is so intense that the city is called Sunlight City. The thin air can neither block off nor retain heat so that the temperature extremes can be met in daytime and the same night respectively in Tibet. However it is not impossible to visit the holy snow land. April to October is the best time to visit Tibet, out of the coldest months, which are from December to February usually. The average temperature in north Tibet is subzero and winter arrives in October until the following May or June. July and August are the best time to visit the area, enjoying warm temperature, intense sunshine, beautiful scenery and festive events. May, June and September is the tourist season in east Tibet. In winter, roads are all blocked by heavy snow. Landslides and rock falls frequently occur, which will make travel difficult.。
现代大学英语听力2听力原文及题目答案Unit
Harry: Maybe not; but you'll learn to care about the money too, when you've got a family to keep.
In the station she went to one of the automatic ticket machines but she didn't have enoughchange, so she had to join the queue at the ticket window. She bought her ticket and ran to theescalator. Laura went to the platform and waited for the tube. It arrived and the crowd moved forward.
Nora: Now ifI were a man I'd be a farmer. To see the crops growing--that's my idea of a goodlife.
Harry: Yes, and to see the money rolling in is more important still.
Ihad two months until my new job began.It was like waiting an entire summer for school to start.Ispent those two months talking to figure skating coaches and judges.Iread boring rule books.Idrove to the rinks where the skaters trained, and made notes about our conversations.Ieven took a lesson, which made some of the skaters laugh.
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Task 11) Man: I had the girls running in circles when I was in college.Woman: I never knew you were the campus hero.Man: I wasn't. I was the women's track coach.2) Instructor: Mr. Jenkins, why are you late?Student: I guess because the class started before I got here.3) Woman: Doctor, you have to come immediately—my baby swallowed some camera film! Doctor: Just calm yourself, nothing will develop.4) Customer: Waiter, this water is cloudy.Waiter: The water's okay, madam. It's just that the glass is a little dirty.5) Woman: The bride wears white on her wedding day as a symbol of happiness, for this is the most joyous day in her entire life.Man: Why does the groom wear black?Task 2Catherine: I think firstly I find the French language, very melodic to listen to. It's very easy on the ear, and it almost sounds poetic. No matter what kind of mood the individual is in, who's talking, or what they're talking about, there seems to be a rhythm to the language. And it's rounded; there are no sharp, jagged edges to the language, so it's very pleasing to the ear.Chris: I think the accent I really like is the Dane speaking English. They sound awful when they speak Danish, but when they speak English there's a beautiful, low, sensitive, very soft quality about it.Donald: I like the way they bring their French pronunciation into English. They can't pronounce "h"s and they can't pronounce "th" properly. And I think that actually sounds very nice. Also I like the rhythm they bring French rhythms into English—nice, steady rhythms and I like that too. It's just it, it... whenever I hear a French person speaking English it sounds more gentle and more lyrical. Lesley: I think the most attractive foreign accents for me are Mediterranean accents because they, if you like, import their own culture into the English accent and give it a lot of life that sometimes, that kind of—the gestures and everything that the English people don't have, so you get a beautiful mixture of the serious Northern European and the Southern European together.Susan: I like the Swedish accent because it, it makes me smile and the way it's spoken is so sing-songy that you can't help but smile when other people actually speak it. And it always makes you want to try and put the accent on yourself.Task 3The spelling and meaning of words are very interesting. But what's more interesting is the history of a word, or where it came from. Let's examine some of the words and see how they got into our language.LUNCH Lunch perhaps comes from an old Spanish word lonje, a slab of ham. We may also get our word from a form of lump, maybe a lump of bread, but whether lunch comes from ham or bread, it meant a hunk of something to eat.ATLAS An atlas is a strong man, and also a book of maps. The story of this word begins a long time ago in Greece. The ancient Greeks believed that their gods had once been a race of giants called Titans. The Titans fought with another group of gods called Olympians, and the Olympians won. Atlas was a Titan. He was punished for fighting by having to stand at the western edge of the world, holding the sky on his head and hands, so that it would not fall on the world and smash anything.After the ancient Greek religion died out, the idea of Atlas changed. From holding up the sky with his head and hands, he came to be thought of as holding the world on his shoulders. Mercator, a mapmaker of the sixteenth century, used a picture of Atlas on the cover of a book of maps, so a book of maps came to be called an atlas.The word has still another meaning. The top bone of the neck is called atlas because it supports the head.GOOD-BYE Good-bye is a blessing; originally it was God be with ye, and in the course of time it became one word. Many of our greetings are good wishes, but we say them with so little thought that we forget this. When we say good morning, good evening, good night, and so on, what we are really saying is, "I hope you will have a good morning (or evening, or night)."DAISY The daisy has a little golden eye, like a tiny sun. Perhaps this is the reason the English people named it day's eye, or perhaps they chose the name because the English daisy closes at night. The English loved their daisies, which were pink and red, as well as white. Six hundred years or so ago, the English poet Chaucer said:The daisy, or else the eye of the day,The queen, and prettiest flower of all.Task 4Mathew: Chris, why is it that there are so many different languages, and that in Europe certainly if you travel more than a hundred miles, you're likely to find people speaking a completely different language to your own.Chris: Well, it's true to say that there are hundreds and hundreds of different languages. It's perhaps... however, more interesting and more informative to say that there are several different groups of languages. Most European languages, with the exception of I think Finnish and Basque and Hungarian, I believe, belong to the Indo-European group of languages. I'm not so very sure myself of the actual details of the history of these languages, but you can be very sure that most of these languages, say, Latin and Greek and our own language and German and French and all the others, are connected. The reason why you can travel from one village to another in Switzerland and from one area to another in England and find different dialects, if not different languages spoken, is that several hundred years ago communication was by word of mouth. Word of mouth meant that people had to move; if people were to move they needed roads and there were no roads.Mathew: Do you see any chance for a universal language like Esperanto?Chris: Not for an artificial language, no. I suppose the Roman Catholic Church used Latin, but Latin had a particular religious basis and this is probably why it was therefore chosen. I don't see very much chance for Esperanto; I think it's an awfully good idea but I don't believe that language works like that. I think people will probably work towards the most convenient language to use. They will not set out to learn a new language. It seems to me that we, either English, Russian or Chinese, perhaps Japanese, will be the languages of the future. My bet's on English.Mathew: Maggie, why do you think it is that so few English people speak a second language? Maggie: I think when you learn a language at school, it tends to be rather a dead occupation, and it's very difficult to stimulate any interest among school children. But when you actually go to the country and you spend, say a month when in an exchange visit when you're a schoolgirl, or a schoolboy, then you suddenly become more interested because you want to communicate with people when you're actually abroad, and it's not safe to rely on the fact that most people speak English when in foreign countries. I think English people traditionally thought that foreigners always spoke English, and a lot of foreigners do, but there are people that you meet in the street or you want to take a bus somewhere, then you find that you need to speak the language and it's very unnerving to be in a situation where you can't communicate with people when you do want to travel around.Mathew: Have you ever gone abroad and learnt a language in the country?Maggie: Yes, well when I was a secretary I went and lived in Geneva for two years. And I learnt French at school but I really didn't speak it at all. I knew it theoretically but I wasn't able to communicate with people. But I was in a situation where if I didn't speak French, then I would not have been able to do my shopping and buy food, and so I picked the language up and I made friends with French people—Swiss French people, and I found that if I wanted to communicate with all the people that I met, then I had to learn French, and I think it's the best method of learning because you're in the situation. It's very hard at times—you can sit through dinner parties and not understand what... what's going on and you think everybody thinks you're stupid because you can't communicate with them, but it's the hard way but I think it's the best way to learn.Mathew: Elfriede, you come from Austria and yet you've been living in England now for the last three years. Has having to learn and speak another language created great problems? Elfriede: At the beginning yes, it was rather difficult for me to get the right job. After you've lived here for one or two years you get to know the system and then that's quite good. You know how to use libraries and you get to know where to call in emergencies. You get to know...trying to get a radio and understand the radio and all the programmes they have and when they're on and the little stories.Mathew: What about English humour on the radio?Elfriede: I think that takes a very, very long time to understand and, I'm sorry to say that I haven't managed yet to understand it completely, but I find it very interesting to speak other languages because English people have different... have a different mentality, and have a very different character and a different temperament and it is fascinating for me to talk to them, and also for myself to be able to express myself in a different language and to communicate with them.Task 5Number 1Fiona: Okay, Deek, I'm off now. [Okay.] Everything's okay, is it?Deek: Yes, I think so. The only thing is... is she likely to wake up?Fiona: No, I don't think so. She doesn't usually, but...Deek: What if she does?Fiona: Well, yes. Don't worry about it. Her dummy's by the bed, so if you just pick her up, give her the dummy, give her a little bit of a cuddle; [Yes.] sing to her if you like.Deek: Shall I read her a story or something?Fiona: Yes, anything like that. [Yes.] Then she should just go back to sleep again quite happily. Deek: Okay.Fiona: Oh! And I've left stuff for you in the fridge. There's some salad and cold chicken and some beer as well. Okay then?Deek: Right then. Bye.Fiona: Bye-bye.Number 2Lesley: Ah... it's such a lovely day. It reminds me of last week, doesn't it, dear?Fiona: Oh don't! I mean that was just so fantastic, that holiday!Lesley: I love that city, you know.Fiona: I do too. Really, it's got something about it, a certain sort of charm...Lesley: Mm, and all that wine and good food.Fiona: And so cheap. Right, I mean, compared to here...Lesley: Yes, although the shops are expensive.Fiona: Mm, yes.Lesley: I mean, really I bought nothing at all. I just ate and ate and drank and drank.Fiona: I know. Wasn't that lovely?Lesley: Yes. I like listening to the people talking and sitting outside drinking wine and...Fiona: Yes. Could you understand what they were saying? When they were speaking quickly, I mean. Lesley: Well, it is difficult, of course. And then I liked that tower, too.Fiona: You liked that tower? I'm not sure about it, really. [No!] It's very unusual, right in the centre of the city.Lesley: True, but there’s a lovely view from the top.Fiona: Oh, you went right up, didn't you? [Mm, yes.] I know I didn't.Lesley: Of course you didn't.Fiona: I remember that day. We weren't together.Lesley: No, that's right. [Mm.] You went down by the river, didn't you?Fiona: Right. Oh, walking along the river and all the couples [Yes.] and it's so romantic... [Is it true?] and the paintings too...Lesley: They do have artists down by the river, do they? [Yes.] Oh, how lovely!Fiona: Oh, it really is super.Lesley: Yes. Oh, I think we ought to go back there again next year, don't you?Fiona: I do, yes. [Mm.] If only just to sample some more of the wine.Lesley: It'd be lovely, wouldn't it?Fiona: Yes.Number 3Mary: I'm so pleased. What about you then?Jane: Well, he said he wanted to have another look at it.Mary: Yes. What are they doing about it?Jane: Well, I don't think they're going to do anything really. It just sometimes goes away [Well, can't...] something like that.Mary: Well, can't they give you anything for it?Jane: Well, no, they didn't say they could. [Really?] No, just got to be patient and wait for it to go away.Mary: Well, that seems a bit stupid, doesn't it?Jane: Yes, it does.Mary: You'd have thought... you'd have thought they'd have thought of something.Jane: Yes. Ooh it's your turn.Mary: Yes. Certainly.Jane: Good luck!Mary: Thank you!Task 6Learning to SpeakIt is, everyone agrees, a colossal task that the child performs when he learns to speak, and the fact that he does so in so short a period of time challenges explanation.Language learning begins with listening. Individual children vary greatly in the amount of listening they do before they start speaking. Most children will "obey" spoken instructions some time before they can speak, though the word "obey" is hardly accurate as a description of the eager and delighted cooperation usually shown by the child. Before they can speak, many children will also ask questions by gesture and by making questioning noises.Any attempt to trace the development from the noises babies make to their first spoken words leads to considerable difficulties. It is agreed that they enjoy making noises and that during the first few months one or two noises sort themselves out as particularly indicative of delight, distress, sociability, and so on. But since these cannot be said to show the baby's intention to communicate, they can hardly be regarded as early forms of language. It is agreed, too, that from about three months they play with sounds for enjoyment, and that by six months they are able to add new sounds to their repertoire. This self-imitation leads on to deliberate imitation of sounds made or words spoken to them by other people. The problem then arises as to the point at which one can say that these imitations can be considered as speech.It is a problem we need not get our teeth into. The meaning of a word depends on what a particular person means by it in a particular situation; and it is clear that what a child means by a word will change as he gains more experience of the world. Thus the use, at say seven months, of "mama" as a greeting for his mother cannot be dismissed as a meaningless sound simply because he also uses it at other times for his father, his dog, or anything else he likes.Playful and apparently meaningless imitation of what other people say continues after the child has begun to speak for himself. I doubt, however, whether anything is gained when parents cash in on this ability in an attempt to teach new sounds.Task 7Let's talk about body language. You already "speak" it and "read" it. Body language is all of the small facial expressions, hand gestures and body movements that we make. We may not realize it, but each movement and expression says something about our feelings.In fact, we might say that body language is the clearest and most common way of communicating our feelings directly to others. We all know the more obvious body "statements": We wave our hands in greeting, we shake hands, pat each other on the back, we hug friends and kiss loved ones. We smile, we laugh, we wink and we frown, and sometimes we cry. All of these gestures are called non-verbal communication (non-verbal means we do not use words to "say" what we feel.)Normally, we don't think very much about our body language. Our facial expressions and gestures are automatic and unconscious most of the time. But researchers tell us we might learn to understand each other a little better if we paid conscious attention to the hidden messages in body language. Let's consider a few of the more obvious facial, hand and body gestures.The human face is wonderfully rich in its ability to express feelings. The eyes, the eyebrows, the lips and the facial muscles are all capable of "saying" things.For example, we speak of "wide-eyed wonder". If the eyes open wide, that may mean surprise, wonder, excitement or sometimes fear. And that is an important thing to remember about body language—one element alone does not tell us everything. We have to see gestures in combination. So wide eyes alone would not tell us whether the person was surprised, pleased or scared, but when we see wide eyes, a little smile and a slight tilt of the head, we understand that the person is "wonderfully pleased"."Squinty" eyes, tight lips, and the head pushed forward probably suggest anger or hostility.Half-closed eyes may suggest fatigue, boredom or indifference. But add a lowered tilt of the head, a fluttering of the eyelids and a slight smile, and we get a coy and flirtatious message.Strangely enough, one of the eye features over which we have very little control—the size of our pupils—says something about our interest in a subject. If we like something, our pupils get larger. Studies show that most men think a woman with large pupils is more "attractive" than the same woman with small pupils. But the men aren't really conscious of the pupils. They just know they like the "looks" better in the samples with large pupils. No wonder eye make-up is so popular.Eyebrows are almost like signal flags: one brow up, one down suggests doubt, disbelief or uncertainty. Both up means surprise or mistrust. Squeeze them together and we get a frown orscowl.The lips shape non-verbal as well as verbal messages. The smile is the most obvious, but try baring the teeth just on one side or pull the lips tightly across the teeth and the smile becomes a snarl and a threat. In this, and in many of our other body gestures, we are close to the animals.The lower lip by itself can say little things. The "pout" is a fat lower lip pushed way out. It means "I'm not happy because I'm not getting what I want." But if we tuck the lower lip into our mouth and bite it, we are conveying anxiety and fear. Licking the lips is a "dry mouth" gesture which usually means stress or anxiety.There are whole books written on hand gestures, and, in fact, hand or sign language has often been highly developed, especially as an aid to the deaf. But the routine hand language, such as pointing with the index finger to accuse someone, or the clenched fist beating in the air to threaten someone, are familiar to us all. But a clenched fist held close to the body usually means tension or anxiety while the open hands, palms up may mean "I'm innocent" or "give me" or "forgive me".Both hands raised up and facing the audience means "I give up" or "I surrender". But tilt the hands and palm down and extend the arm and it means "I bless" or "I give". The "pat on the head" is a kind of blessing or gesture of love and giving. We clap hands to indicate approval or in some cases to call someone or get attention.When the hands get very busy we say that someone "talks with his hands" and among certain individuals and cultures it is almost impossible to talk without a wild display of hand motions.If we are slightly puzzled by something, we may bring our finger to our lips. If it's a real puzzler, we scratch or rub our heads. If we do something wrong, we slap our heads. To start allover something, we often begin by taking our head in both hands to sort of clear our minds and "set our head on straight".These are only a sampling of the many types of body language. There are books which discuss everything from the way we pull an ear to the way we cross our legs. From the looks of things, the only people who don't communicate with body language are the writers. Readers never get to see how often the writer frowns, scratches his chin, slaps his head, purses his lips, stares at the ceiling and throws up his arms.Task 8In contemporary English, there are many reported differences in the talk of males and females. In same gender pairs having conversations, women generally discuss their personal feelings more than men. Men appear to prefer non-personal topics such as sport and news. Men tend to respond to an expression of feelings or problems by giving advice or solutions, while women are more likely to mention personal experiences that match or connect with the other woman's. There is a pattern documented in the American English social context of women cooperating and seeking connection via language, whereas men are more competitive and concerned with power via language. Inmixed-gender pairs having conversations, the rate of men interrupting women is substantially greater than the reverse. Women are reported to use more expressions associated with tentativeness, such as "hedges" (sort of, kind of) and "tags" (isn't it?, don't you?), when expressing an opinion: Well, erm, I think that golf is kind of boring, don't you?。