英语听力教程答案unit1-unit7

1Shopping and Banking Online

Part I Getting ready

B. Spot dictation. Fill in the banks with the words you hear.

Tapescript:

We have just two more days to “shop till you drop” till Christmas, and that typically means a lot of last minute shopping. And though buying with a mouse is still tiny compared to shopping with your feet online retailing is more popular than ever.

Christmas shopping in the street is great sometimes. But when you’ve just got to get a bunch of shopping done and you want to have something to send to a third-party location, it’s much better online.

In the U.S., online shopping is predicted to be 30% ahead of last December, while mails can expect less than a 6% increase in sales. In Britain, Europe’s biggest e-tailing market, online gift-buying is expected to grow by 50%, with $8 billion worth of goods sold through the net in the November to January period.

C. Listen to a news report. Supply the missing information.

Part Ⅱ

A. Main problems of online shopping

●Long time waiting for delivery or even no delivery (about 8%) after ordering

●No clear information about delivery charges

● A danger that customers’ personal information would be sold to a third party (as many

as 87% of the sites)

●No policy on returning goods (about 47% of the companies)

●No confirmation of the order (about 35% of the sites ) and the dispatch (as many as

87% of the sites)

●No money back more than four months after returning goods (in two cases)

B Now listen again. Complete the summary.

Summary:

The survey shows in spite of the convenience and choice offered by Net shopping there are still many obstacles that prevent consumers from shopping with complete trust. One of the biggest problems is to build consumers’ trust in buying online. It takes time for the Internet to become mature as a retail channel when it gives support to trust relationships with guarantees of payment and service.

Part ⅢBanking at home

A. Outline

1. Some problems of the walk-in bank

A. standing in long lines

B. running out of checks

C. limited opening hours

2. Online banking services

A. viewing accounts

B. moving money between accounts

C. applying for a loan

D. getting current information on products

E. paying bills electronically

F. e-mailing questions to the bank

3. Reasons for creating online services

A. competing for customers

B. talking advantage of modern technology

4. Inappropriateness of online banking for some people

A. having no computers at home.

B. preferring to handle accounts the traditional way

B. Now try this: listen to a more authentic version of the material. Then answer the questions.

1. What is “interactive banking”?

It is banking through the Internet.

2. Why can “online banking” compete of customers?

“Online banking” offers convenience which appeals to the kind of customer banks want to keep.

3. What kind of customers do banks want to keep?

Banks most want to keep people who are young, well-educated, and have good incomes.

Part Ⅳ

B. Now listen to an interview discussing English and American good customer services.

Part Ⅴ

Tapescript:

“Everybody loves a bargain,” this is a common American saying. A bargain is something you buy for less than its true value. It is something you might not buy if it costs more. One person’s useless ugly object can be another person’s bargain. So many Americans put it outside with a “for sale” sign on it and they have a yard sale.

Just about anything can be sold a yard sale: clothing, cooking equipment, old toys, tools, books and chairs, even objects you think are extremely ugly or useless. You may have an electric light shaped like a fish. You may greatly dislike its looks, but it may be beautiful to someone else. Usually the seller puts a price on each object. But the price can almost always be negotiated. The price of a table, for example, might be marked ＄10. But the seller may accept 8. If the table has not been sold by the end of the day, the seller probably will take much less.

Some people go to yard sales because it is part of their job. They earn their livings by buying old things at low prices then selling them at higher prices. Many others, however, go to yard sales just to have fun. They say it is like going on a treasure hunt. Sometimes they really do find the treasure.

Ned Jaudere did. The Boston Globe newspaper says Mr. Jaudere has been collecting native American Indian objects since he was a young man. Last year, he stopped at a yard sale in the northeastern city of Worcester, Massachusetts. He paid $125 for what everyone

thought was an old wooden club. Mr. Jaudere thought it was something else. Two days later, he confirmed that the club had been used by the Wampanoag Indian leader known as King Philip. King Philip used it during his war with the white settlers at eastern Massachustetts in 1675. The historic weapon had been stolen from a museum in 1970 and had been missing ever since. Mr. Jaudere learnt the war club was valued at about $150000 but he did not sell it or keep it. Mr. Jaudere returned the club to the museum near Boston, Massachusetts from which it was stolen.

Questions:

1.Which of the following is a common American saying?

2.What can be sold at a yard sale?

3.Why do people go to a yard sale?

4.When was the old wooden club stolen?

5.What was the real value of the club?

6.Why was the club at a great value?

2Hotel or B&B?

Part ⅠGetting ready

1.English breakfast is hot food: fried egg, fired bacon, porridge, etc.

2.Continental breakfast consists of coffee, tea, rolls, jam and honey—nothing cooked.

3.Half-board includes dinner, bed and breakfast.

4.Full-board is the room plus all meals.

5.VAT stands for Value Added Tax.

Part ⅡA touch of home

1. B&B

A. nature

B&B is a short form for bed and breakfast.

B. increasing number

Now there are about 15 000 B&Bs in the U.S.

C. advantages over big hotels

1. charm, comfort, hospitality.

2. owners taking a personal interest in guests

2. Attraction of owning a B&B

A. meeting different people

B. talking with guests

3. Several features of Suits Us

A. long history

built in 1883; 19th century decorations

B. interesting names for some rooms

Named after some previous famous guests

4. Different people, different choices

A. B&Bs not suitable for some people

1. uncomfortable staying in someone else’s home

2. not interested personal interaction

B. a quiet and romantic place for many people

Part ⅢRenting a car

A.Listen to the conversation in which a man phones a car rental agent about renting a car.

Supply the missing information.

Information about the customer:

A family of three + camp equipment

Leaving on Fri., July 7th

Returning on Mon., July 10th

Suggestions by the agent:

A compact car current model;

A small station wagon automatic transmission

Best choice: a Pinto station wagon

Regular rate: $ 79.95

Special weekend rate: $ 59.95

Pick up: after 4 p.m. on Fri.

Return: by 10 a.m. on Mon.

Mileage rate: first 300 miles free, then 12 cents per mile

Other costs:

Insurance: $10

Sales tax: 8%

Deposit: $ 100

B.Now try this: listen to a more authentic version of the material. Write down the words

or phrases that are related with car rentals.

a compact car / a station wagon / automatic transmission / current models/ pick up /

return the car / special weekend / rate / regular rate / unlimited mileage / insurance sales tax / a full tank of gas / deposit / lowest rates

Part Ⅳ

Part Ⅴ

3 “Planting” Money

Exercise 2: Answer the following two questions.

1. What does “spending priorities” refer to according to Professor Frank?

“Spending priorities” refers to the following situation:

Americans are spending so much of their income on ever larger houses and cars that they can’t afford to spend on social programs or infrastructure repairs.

2. What are t he advantages of working fewer hours and spending more time with family

and friends?

By doing so, one would feel happier, would have fewer disputes of work and lower levels of stress hormones in their blood, One gets sick less often and dies at an older age.

Part Ⅴ

A.Listen to a report recently released by a famous London research group about the cost

of living around the world. List the world’s 10 most expensive cities.

Tokyo, Osaka, Oslo, Zurich, Hong Kong, Copenhagen, Geneva, Paris Reykjavik, London

B.Listen again. Answer the following questions.

1.What caused the slipping down of the US cities?

The euro has appreciated against the US dollar.

2.What caused the slipping down of Latin American cities?

Persistent economic turmoil.

3.Which city remains the world’s cheapest city?

Tehran

4.How does the Economist team work out this list?

The Economist team checks prices of a wide range of items—from bread and milk to cars and utilities—to compile this report.

5.What’s the use of this report for business clients?

Business clients it to calculate the amount of allowances granted to overseas

executives and their families.

4 Loans for the Dream

PartⅠ

B. Listen to the following dialogues. Complete the exercises.

Dialogue two: Complete the chart. Use ticks to indicate whether the expenditures on

Part Ⅱ

A. Listen to the dialogue. Take notes. Then complete the summary.

Summary:

Mr. Jackson works in the college with a good salary. As his old car is too old to be worth repairing, he would like to have a newer one. Since he can get about a

hundred pounds for the old car, he wants to raise some money, three hundred fifty to four hundred overdraft, from the bank.

The bank manager suggests two kinds of loans with different interest rates and conditions: a personal Loan and an Ordinary Loan. Mr. Jackson is expected to repay to money within 24 months.

B. Now try this: listen to a more authentic version of the dialogue. First complete the chart to show the differences of the two loans. Then try to find the English equivalents of the

1．透支额（贷款）：overdraft

2．偿还：repay

3．短期贷款（业务）：lenders in the short term

4．付利息：pay interest on

5．担保物：collateral

6．寿险：life policy 7．房屋的房契：deeds of the house

8．政府证券：Government Securities

9．凭证：certificate 10．接日计算：on a day-to-day basis

Part Ⅲ

A.Listen to the material. Complete the outline. Then give the right words according to

the explantions.

Outline

1.Buying a house

A. cost of housing

(1) 1/4-1/3 of a family’s income

(2) depending on size and location

B. way to buy a house—mortgage

2. Living in a landlord’s home—advantages

A. cheaper

B. easy to get things repaired

3. Buying a apartment—condominium

* * * * *

1. mortgage: bank loan repaid in regular repayments:

2. condominium: an apartment building in which the apartments are owned

individually.

B. You are going to hear a passage about a company called Fannie Mae. Keep the

following questions in mind while listening and then complete the missing

information.

Question:

1. What is the relationship between the home buyer, the bank, Fannie Mae and the investors?

Borrows money from

mortgage-based

2. How much do Fannie Mae and Freddie Mae control in the American home loan market?

They control about half the home loans in America.

3. What problems does the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight find about Fannie Mae?

Hiding changes in its value, poor supervision and not carefully reporting its finances.

4. What happens to Fannie Mae after the problems are publicized?

The stock price of Fannie Mae has dropped.

Part Ⅳ

A.Listen to an interview about consumer rights under English law. While listening for

the first time, all more key words in the left-hand column. After the second listening,

B. Statements

1. Secondhand goods should also be of merchantable and top quality.

2. If you have suffered personal injury because of the item you’ve bought, you can sue the

manufacturer.

3. The retailer has the right to say “No refunds without a receipt”.

4. Going to court is not very common because as a consumer, it is very costly for you to

get the money back.

Part Ⅴ

A. Before you listen, answer the following questions.

1. Do your parents pay personal income tax?

2. Do you think it is a good idea for one to pay personal income tax? Why or why not?

B. Now listen to a news report about tax time in the United States. Then complete the

following two charts with key words.

5Briefing on Taxation and Insurance Policies

PartⅠGetting ready

B. Listen to five sentences. Write down the numbers described and the key words that

help you get the answer.

Example: You will hear: Our last claim was for ￡2 000, but this one will be three times that.

Please write down: Key words: 2 000/three times

C. Listen to the following dialogues. Complete the exercises.

Dialogue one: Complete the statements.

1. The man earns about ￡30000 with bonuses and 24% of his income goes in tax.

2. His wife works as well because they’re trying to clear their overdraft.

3. Their money mainly goes on food and hobbies, such as sailing and riding.

Dialogue two: Answer the questions.

1. What was stolen yesterday?

A brand new video was stolen.

2. Was it insured? How do you know?

Yes. The speaker paid the premium last week.

Part Ⅱ.

A. The following is the transparency for the presentation. Listen carefully and complete

the following outline. Pay special attention to the numbers.

Outline

1. Structure of personal taxation

A. rates

1. lower rate: up to ￡23 700: 25%

2. higher rate: above ￡23700: 40%

B. allowances

1. single person: ￡3295

2. married person: ￡5015

3. pension: maximum 17.5% to 40%

4. mortgage interest relief: 7%

2. Collection of personal tax

A. income tax—PAYE

B. National Insurance

1. employee’s contribution: 9%

2. employer’s contribution: 5% to 10%.

B. Now listen again. Complete the following statements.

1. According to the speaker, UK personal taxation is both simple and relatively low.

2. The new legislation recently introduced by the government is that married couples

can opt for separate taxation.

3. The tax relief on a 65-year-old man’s pension is 40%.

4. PAYE stands for Pay As You Earn. The scheme means the tax is collected direct

from the employer before he makes out the monthly salary check or bank transfer to the employee.

5. Taxable income means the income in which the deduction and the allowance have

been excluded.

Part Ⅲ

A.Listen to the dialogue. Write down the key points. Then complete the paragraph.

Mr. Jackson is interested in taking out an insurance policy because he’s been told that it is a good way to save money. He would like to have a lump sum for moving away, buying a house or something like that when he retires.

B. Now try this: listen to a more authentic version of the dialogue. Answer the questions

with key words.

1. According to the insurance salesman, what are the two ways to decide how much

one should pay to buy an insurance policy?

A. a fixed objective in mind/ how much to pay each month

B. a fixed objective each month in mind / how much to produce over some years

2. If one is interested in saving for two or three years, should he buy a life insurance?

Why?

No/ regular & systematic / short-term/ bank/ Building Society.

Part Ⅳ

A. Listen to the dialogue. Write down the key points. Then complete the paragraph and

answer the question with key words.

According to the insurance salesman, as Mr. Jackson is an unmarried man without any dependents, not in a self-employed position, he has no need for that type if life insurance at the moment.

Question:

What is good for a shop-keeper if he buys a life insurance?

A.accumulate capital / expand business / end of term

B.saving to produce a pension

6Visions of Business

Part Ⅰ. Getting ready

B. Listen to an economics report about business organizations. Complete the following

Part Ⅱ

B. Listen again. What are the CEO’ s answers to the student’s question?

Question: What keeps you going and what have you left to accomplish?

in figuring our every aspect: how much money you need; how many people you’ll need; whether you’ll need people. It gives you a way of predicting where the business may go so you can position yourself to respond intelligently and use the least amount of money. So a business plan is even more critical for those budding entrepreneurs that don’t have much money, for it can help to use the limited resources in the very best way.

Part Ⅴ

Tapescript:

An organization in the United States has been teaching young people about the American business system for almost 80 years. Now we operate in more than 100 other countries.

Junior Achievement is the world’s oldest, largest, and fastest growing economic educational organization. It began in 1919 in Springfield, Massachusetts. The group’s first program was for high school students after school hours. Its goal was to show young people how businesses are organized and operated. The students learned by forming their own companies. Local business people advised them.

First, the students developed a product. Then they sold shares in their company. They used this money to buy the materials needed to make the product. They produced the product and sold it. Finally they returned the profits to the people who owned shares in the company. The Junior Achievement “Company Program” was very successful. It continues to teach young people about American business by helping the operate their own companies.

In 1974, Junior Achievement began teaching students in their classrooms about business. Today, there are programs for students of all ages from 5 to 18. More than 2700000 American students are involves in Junior Achievement. They are taught by more than 85000 business advisors who are not paid.

Junior Achievement has programs for young school children ages 5 through 11. Volunteer business advisors teach the main rules of successful businesses. They teach how businesses are organized. They teach how products are made and sold. They also teach about the American economy, the system of money, industry and trade. And they teach students how the economy affects their families and their communities.

Junior Achievement has programs for middle school students ages 12 to 14. A volunteer business expert teaches the students once a week. One program is called “Project Business”. It is about economic theories. Students learn about supply and demand. They learn about corporations. And they learn about world trade.

Another Junior Achievement program for 12 to 14-year-old students is called “the Economics of Staying in School”. It is for students who may be thinking about leaving before completing high school. These students learn the importance of continuing their education. First they play a game. The game shows what kinds of jobs people have. It shows how much education is needed for each job. And it shows how much money each job pays. The students learn that workers with more education get better jobs and earn more money. Then the students learn how much money they need to buy the things they want. They realize that they probably will not earn enough money if they do not finish high school.

7Fame and Fortune

Part Ⅰ

B. Tapescript:

In the past few year, hundreds of magazine and newspaper stories have been written about Bill Gates and his company, the reason the Microsoft Company is extremely successful. It has made Bill Gates one of the richest men in the world. William Gates the 3rd was born in 1955, in a western city of Seattle, Washington. He became interested in computers when he was 13 years old. When most young boys his age were playing baseball or football, young Bill Gates was learning to write computer programs. These programs tell computers how to perform useful tasks. Bill Gates attended Harvard University after high school. At Harvard, he began developing the computer language called Basic. He began to think that the computer would someday become a valuable tool that could be used in every office and home. Bill Gates returned to Seattle where he established the Microsoft Company in 1975. It employed only three workers. Microsoft developed computer software for established American companies, like General Electric and Citibank. Soon Microsoft was working with the International Business Machines Company known as IBM. In 1981. IBM began selling a personal computer that used Microsoft products as part of its operating system. By then, Microsoft had 129 workers. Today IBM still uses Microsoft’

Part Ⅱ

B. Listen again. Complete the 12 rules for the digital age.

1. Insist that communication flow through e-mail.

2. Study sales data online to share insights easily.

3. Shift knowledge workers into high-level thinking.

4. Use digital tools to create virtual teams.

5. Convert every paper process to digital process.

6. Use digital tools to eliminate single-task jobs.

7. Create a digital feedback loop.

8. Use digital systems to route customer complaints immediately.

9. Use digital communication to redefine the boundaries.

10. Transform every business process into just-in-time delivery.

11. Use digital delivery to eliminate the middle man.

12. Use digital tools to help customers solve problems for themselves.

Part Ⅲ

A.