Dating with My Mother (Part One)
After 22 years of marriage, I have discovered the secret to keep love alive in my relationship with my wife, Peggy. I started dating with another woman.
It was Peggy's idea. One day she said to me, 'Life is too short, you need to spend time with the people you love. You probably won't believe me, but I know you love her and I think that if the two of you spend more time together, it will make us closer.'
The 'other' woman my wife was encouraging me to date is my mother, a 72-year-old widow who has lived alone since my father died 20 years ago. Right after his death, I moved 2,500 miles away to California and started my own life and career. When I moved back near my hometown six years ago, I promised myself that I would spend more time with mom. But with the demands of my job and three kids, I never got around to seeing her much beyond family get-togethers and holidays.
Mom was surprised and suspicious when I called and suggested the two of us go out to dinner and a movie.
'What's wrong?' she asked.
'I thought it would be nice to spend some time with you,' I said. 'Just the two of us.' 'I would like that a lot,' she said.
When I pulled into her driveway, she was waiting by the door with her coat on. Her hair was curled, and she was smiling. 'I told my lady friends I was going out with my son, and they were all impressed. They can't wait to hear about our evening,' Mother said.
Questions:
1. What would make the speaker closer to his wife, Peggy? 2. What do you know about the speaker's mother?
3. Which of the following adjectives best describes Peggy?
Text 2
Dating with My Mother (Part Two)
We didn't go anywhere fancy, just a neighborhood place where we could talk. Since her eyes now see only large shapes and shadows, I had to read the menu for both of us. 'I used to be the reader when you were little,' she said.
'Then it is time for you to relax and let me return the favor,' I said.
We had a nice talk over dinner, just catching up on each other's lives. We talked for so long that we missed the movie.
'I'll go out with you again,' my mother said as I dropped her off, 'but only if you let me buy dinner next time.' I agreed.
'How was your date?' my wife asked when I got home that evening. 'Nice...nicer than I thought it would be,' I said.
Mom and I get out for dinner a couple of times a month. Sometimes we take in a movie, but mostly we talk. I tell her about my trails at work and brag about the kids and Peggy. Mom fills me in on family gossip and tells me about her past. Now I know what it was like for her to work in a
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factory during the Second World War. I know how she met my father there, and know how they went through the difficult times. I can't get enough of these stories. They are important to me, a part of my history. We also talk about the future. Because of health problems, my mother worries about the days ahead.
Spending time with my mom has taught me the importance of slowing down. Peggy was right. Dating another woman has helped my marriage.
Questions:
1. What does the story mainly tell us? 2. Which of the following is true? 3. What can you learn from the story?
Part C
Conversation 1:
W: You know, many American parents are now wondering why they can't keep their teenage children from drinking.
M: I'm aware of that. To my mind, it's the permissive attitude of the parents that is to blame.
Q: What can you learn from the man's response?
Conversation 2:
M: Don't you think it's good to give our children a monthly allowance?
W: I think so. It can teach them the value of money. With a monthly allowance they can learn to budget their expenses wisely.
Q: What are they talking about?
Conversation 3:
M: Mom, I've got a part-time job at a supermarket. Three hours a day weekdays and all day Saturday.
W: Congratulations, Tom. But are you sure you can handle it? What about your homework and your piano lessons?
Q: How does the mother feel about Tom's part-time job at the supermarket?
Conversation 4:
M: Hey, Mary. You look so upset. What happened?
W: My father had an accident the other day. He is now in hospital and will have an operation tomorrow. You see, his heart is rather weak. I really don't know whether he can survive it.
Q: What's the woman worried about?
Conversation 5:
W : Mother's Day is coming soon. Could you tell me what sons and daughters do in your country
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on that day?
M: Well, they send their mothers flowers and cards to celebrate the occasion. Besides, it is a common practice for them to wear pink carnations on that day.
Q: Which of the following is true of the customs of Mother's Day in the man's country?
Part D
My First Job
My parents ran a small restaurant. It was open twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. My first job was shining shoes for customers when I was six years old. My duties increased as I grew older. By age ten I was clearing tables and washing plates. My father made it clear that I had to meet certain standards. I had to be on time, hard-working and polite to the customers. I was never paid for any work I did. One day I made the mistake of telling Dad I thought he should give me ten pounds a week. He said, \"OK, then how about you paying me for the three meals a day when you eat here and for the times you bring your friends here for free drinks?\" He figured I owed him about 40 pounds a week. This taught me quite a lot.
Statements:
1. The speaker had more than one responsibility at his parents' restaurant. 2. The speaker's parents kept their business open around the clock. 3. It can be inferred that the speaker's family lived in the United States.
4. It seems that the speaker's father was very strict with him but quite kind to his friends.
5. The father finally agreed to pay his child for his work but would deduct the cost of his meals. 6. This story shows that the speaker has very unhappy memories of his childhood.
重点单词及词组 Part B
relationship 关系 encouraging 奖励的 widow 寡妇 demands of 要求 curled 卷曲的 suspicious 可疑的
driveway 车道 got around to 抽出时间（做某事）
Part C
Wondering 显出惊奇 teenage 年青的 be aware of 知道 attitude 态度
permissive 许可的 to one’s mind 根据某人的意见 allowance 津贴，零用钱 budget 预算 handle 处理，操作 survive 幸存 occasion 时机，机会 carnation 康乃馨
Part D
restaurant 饭馆 standard 标准 shining 光亮的，华丽的
Unit 2
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Part B Text1
What a Coincidence! (Part One)
Andrew had always wanted to be a doctor. But the tuition for a medical school in 1984 was 15,000 dollars a year, which was more than his family could afford. To help him realize his dream, his father, Mr. Stewart, a real estate agent, began searching the house-for-sale ads in newspapers in order to find extra business. One advertisement that he noted down was for the sale of a house in a nearby town. Mr. Stewart called the owner, trying to persuade him to let him be his agent. Somehow he succeeded and the owner promised that he would come to him if he failed to get a good deal with his present agent. Then they made an appointment to meet and discuss the thing. As good things are never easy to acquire, the time for the appointment had to be changed almost ten times. On the day when they were supposed to meet at 3 o'clock in the afternoon, Mr. Stewart received another call from the owner. His heart sank as he feared there would be another change of time. And so it was. The owner told him that he couldn't make it at three but if he would come right then, they could talk it over. Mr. Stewart was overjoyed. Leaving everything aside, he immediately set out to drive to the house.
As he approached the area, he had a strange feeling of having been there before. The streets, the trees, the neighborhood, all looked familiar to him. And when he finally reached the house, something clicked in his mind. It used to be the house of his father-in-law! The old man had died fifteen years ago but when he was alive, he had often visited him with his wife and children. He remembered that, like his son Andrew, his father-in-law had also wanted to study medicine and, failing to do so, had always hoped that one of his two daughters or his grandchildren could someday become a doctor.
Questions:
1. Who are the two main characters in the story you have just heard? 2. How did Mr. Stewart get to know the owner of the house? 3. What problem did Mr. Stewart have?
4. What is the coincidence in the story you have just heard?
Text2
What a Coincidence! (Part Two)
When he entered the house, Mr. Stewart was even more amazed to find that the house was decorated exactly as he had remembered it. He told the owner about this and the latter became intrigued too. However, they were in for even greater surprises. It so happened that in the middle of their discussion, a postman came to deliver a letter. And the letter was addressed to Mr. Stewart's father-in-law! Were it not for Mr. Stewart's presence there and then, the letter would be returned as no person of that name lived in the house any longer. As the postman demanded a signature on the receipt slip, Mr. Stewart signed for his long-deceased father-in-law. Mystified, the owner urged Mr. Stewart to open the letter and see what it contained. The letter was from a bank. When he opened it, two words immediately met his eye -- 'For education'. It was a bank statement of an amount his father-in-law had put in years ago for his grandchildren's education needs. With the interest it had earned over the years, the standing value of the amount came to a little over $15,000, just enough money to cover the tuition of Andrew's first year at a medical college!
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Another thing that is worth mentioning is about the postman. The original postman, who had worked in this neighborhood, called in sick that day. So the postman, who was new to the area, came to deliver mail in his place. Had it been the old postman, the letter would undoubtedly be returned to the sender as he knew full well that no person bearing that name lived in that house any longer.
The miracle was a blessing for Andrew. With the money given to him by his grandfather he was able to study medicine. Now he is a doctor in Illinois.
Statements:
1. Several coincidences happened in the story.
2. The coincidences made it possible for the owner to sell his house at a good price. 3. No one actually benefited from the coincidences.
4. It can be inferred that Mr. Stewart did not have to seek extra work from then on. 5. With the extra money Mr. Stewart had earned, Andrew's dream finally came true.
Part C
Dad Stops for Gas, Finds Lost Son
Nueng Garcia was the son of an American serviceman stationed in Thailand in 1969. But his father went back to the States when Nueng was only three months old. When he grew up Nueng immigrated to the United States and worked as a gas station clerk in Pueblo, Colorado. His dream was to find his father John Garcia. Year after year, he tried in vain to search for information about the whereabouts of his father.
It was a fine day in Pueblo. There was not a cloud in the blue sky. But for him, it was just another day on the job. Suddenly he noticed the name of one customer who paid with a check. The man, who was in his fifties, had the same surname as his own. Nueng raised his head from the check and looked at the man. Could this be his father? \"Are you John Garcia?\" he asked. \"Yes,\" came the answer.
\"Were you ever in the Air Force?\" \"Yes.\"
\"Were you ever in Thailand?\"
\"What's that to do with you?\" answered the man, who became suspicious by then. \"Were you or were you not?\" Nueng persisted. \"Yes.\"
\"Did you ever have a son?\"
At this truth dawned on the man. They stared at each other and realized at the same moment that they were father and son who were separated 27 years ago and half a world away.
John Garcia hadn't seen his son since 1969. He lost touch with Nueng's mother when she started seeing another man. He moved to Pueblo nine years ago. He said he never went to that gas station, wasn't even low on gas that day and hardly ever paid with a check.
Statements:
1. Nueng's parents divorced when he was only 3 months old.
2. After moving to the U.S.A., Nueng worked at a gas station in Colorado.
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3. Nueng never gave up his efforts to find his father, but John Garcia had never looked for his son. 4. One day while at work Nueng's eyes fell on the photo of a customer's driver's license, and the man in the photo looked like his father.
5. John Garcia was once in the U.S. Air Force stationed in Thailand. 6. John Garcia and his son didn't meet each other again until 1996.
7. Nueng's father said he often went to that gas station but never paid with a check.
8.It was by coincidence that John Garcia and his son were reunited after many years of separation.
Part D
Unexplained Parallels
One of the best-known collections of parallels is between the careers of Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy. Both were shot on a Friday, in the presence of their wives; both were succeeded by a Southerner named Johnson; both their killers were themselves killed before they could be brought to justice. Lincoln had a secretary called Kennedy; Kennedy a secretary called Lincoln. Lincoln was killed in the Ford Theater; Kennedy met his death while riding in a Lincoln convertible made by the Ford Motor Company -- and so on.
Similar coincidences often occur between twins. A news story from Finland reported of two 70-year-old twin brothers dying two hours apart in separate accidents, with both being hit by trucks while crossing the same road on bicycles. According to the police, the second victim could not have known about his brother's death, as officers had only managed to identify the first victim minutes before the second accident.
Connections are also found between identical twins who have been separated at birth. Dorothy Lowe and Bridget Harrison were separated in 1945, and did not meet until 1979, when they were flown over from Britain for an investigation by a psychologist at the University of Minnesota. They found that when they met they were both wearing seven rings on their hands, two bracelets on one wrist, a watch and a bracelet on the other. They married on the same day, had worn identical wedding dresses and carried the same flowers. Dorothy had named her son Richard Andrew and her daughter Catherine Louise; Bridget had named her son Andrew Richard and her daughter Karen Louise. In fact, she had wanted to call her Catherine. Both had a cat called Tiger. They also had a string of similar mannerisms when they were nervous. How can we explain the above similarities?
Statements:
1. Both Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy were killed by a Southerner. 2. John F. Kennedy's secretary was named after Abraham Lincoln.
3. The news story told about the traffic accidents that killed two twin brothers.
4. It can be inferred from the passage that more parallel phenomena are studied in the United States than in any other country.
5. Coincidences occurring in three nations are described in the passage.
6. Some psychologists' interest is the research on coincidences between twins.
7. According to the speaker, coincidences occur much more often between twins than between people who are not related.
8. The speaker does not mention his/her own opinion on whether these parallels can be explained.
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重点单词及词组 Part B
coincidence 一致，巧合 tuition 学费 real estate 房地产 persuade 劝说
appointment 约会 acquire 获得，学会 be supposed to 应该，被指望 decorate 装饰 intrigue 激起…的兴趣 signature 签名 receipt slip 收款便条 mystified 迷惑 tuition 学费
Part C
immigrate 移来，移居 whereabouts 下落，行踪 lost touch with 和某人失去联系
Part D
unexplained 不清楚的 parallels 导轨
in the presence of 在面前 justice 正义，合理 convertible 可改变的 victim 受害人，牺牲者 identify 识别，鉴别 investigation 调查，研究 psychologist 心理学者 bracelet 手镯
string 一串，一行 mannerism 特殊习惯，怪僻
Unit 3 Part B Text 1
A Marriage Agreement (Part One)
(Tom and Linda have signed a marriage agreement. Both agree not to break the rules outlined in the agreement. John, a reporter, is talking to them about the agreement.)
John: Tom, Linda, first I'd like to ask you why you decided to write this unusual agreement.
Tom: We found that many problems are caused when a person has different expectations from his
or her spouse. We wanted to talk about everything openly and honestly before we started living together.
Linda: Also we both know how important it is to respect each other's pet peeves. Like, I can get
very annoyed if others leave stuff -- clothing, papers, everything! -- lying around on the floor. It really bugged me, so we put that in the agreement.
John: This is mentioned in Article 1: Cleaning Up, isn't it? It says, \"Nothing will be left on the
floor overnight. Everything must be cleaned up and put away before going to bed.\" Tom: Then I'll know clearly what Linda's expectations are.
John: I see. What about Article 2: Sleeping? It says, \"We will go to bed at 11 p.m. and get up at
6:30 a.m. except on weekends.\" I'm sure some people hearing this will think that this agreement isn't very romantic.
Tom: Well, we disagree. We think it's very romantic. This agreement shows that we sat down and
talked, and really tried to understand the other person. A lot of problems occur in a marriage when people don't talk about what they want.
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Linda: That's right. When we disagreed about something, we worked out a solution that was good
for both of us. I would much rather have Tom really listen to me and understand my needs than give me a bunch of flowers or a box of candy.
Questions:
1. Which statement best summarizes the marriage agreement between Tom and Linda? 2. According to Tom, what will give rise to problems in a marriage? 3. What can be inferred about Linda from the conversation?
Text 2
A Marriage Agreement (Part Two)
John: Linda, do you spend a lot of time checking to see if the other person is following the rules? Arguing?
Linda: No, not at all.
Tom: A lot of couples argue because they don't understand each other's expectations. I think we
spend less time arguing than most couples because we both know what the other person expects.
John: What happens if one of you breaks a rule? Tom: Well, that's in Article 13 of our agreement.
John: Is it? Oh yes, Article 13: Breaking Rules. \"If you break a rule, you must apologize and do
something nice for the other person to make it up.\" Linda: Yeah, like last time Tom broke the rule of driving. John: What's the rule?
Linda: The rule is we must ask for directions if we are driving and get lost for more than five
minutes.
John: What happened?
Tom: We were driving to a friend's wedding, and we got lost. Linda wanted to stop at a gas station
to ask for directions, but I thought I could figure it out.
Linda: Then we drove forty miles in the wrong direction and ended up being late for the wedding. Tom: So I took her out to dinner. I knew what I should do to apologize.
John: That's very important, I think, knowing how to apologize. By the way, do you plan to update
your agreement at all? What if things change in your life and a rule doesn't work anymore? Linda: We've thought about that too. Article 14 states that we must review this agreement once a
year and make necessary changes.
John: Well, it was really nice talking to you both. Thank you very much for your time. Tom & Linda: Thank you.
Statements:
1. Tom and Linda never argue because they both know what the other person expects. 2. Once Tom broke Article 14 and apologized to Linda by taking her out to dinner.
3. If some of the rules in the marriage agreement become outdated, changes will be made to update them.
4. It seems that both Tom and Linda are satisfied with their marriage agreement.
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Part C
A Perfect Match
Are you looking for a good relationship with someone special? What type of person is the best person for you? Is it the person with the highest IQ? Is it the most beautiful or most handsome person? How about the richest person or the most ambitious? Is your ideal partner the most traditional or the most modern person? Is he or she the person most like you, or most unlike you? The answer, psychologists say, is none of the above. Why? Because they are all extremes. In a number of research studies, psychologists asked couples these questions. The answers were clear. Most people are happy with moderation -- with partners who are not the most or the best (or the least or the worst). People are more comfortable with partners who are not so special.
The research showed several other important things. In a love relationship, two things can cause trouble. First, trouble happens when both people get angry quickly. This is not surprising. Second, trouble happens when people don't expect to change themselves in a relationship. Do you stay calm when you disagree with someone? Are you ready to change yourself? If you can tolerate disagreement and are willing to change, maybe you are ready for a serious relationship.
Statements:
1. The passage implies that the perfect match for you is a person who is most unlike you.
2. The author argues that the most beautiful or most handsome person may not be your perfect partner.
3. Moderate person, that is, the partners who are not the most or the best can be your perfect match.
4. The research showed that an extreme love relationship between the two can cause trouble.
5. The passage states that the anger is one of the causes that lead to the breakup of a love relationship.
6. The perfect match lies in the people's attitudes to tolerate disagreement and be willing to change in a relationship.
Part D
Husbands and Wives Don't See Things Alike
Let's face it -- husbands and wives just don't see things alike. Take TV remote controls, for example. I'm a channel-grazer. When I watch the news, I flip back and forth through four different networks.
\"It drives me crazy when you do that,\" my wife complains. I don't understand why she has no interest in other channels. After all, she is a woman who wants to know everything going on in the neighborhood and among all the relatives. Just one button away might be an interesting program on How to Lose Fifty Pounds by Eating Chocolate Sundaes or How to Understand Weird Husbands. But, no, she won't change channels, not even if she dislikes the program she's watching.
\"This talk show host makes me so angry!\" she cried one evening. \"Then why don't you change the channel?\" I asked.
\"Because I can't stand people who are always changing channels.\" Differences. No right or wrong, just differences.
\"The first law of civilization,\" said an old philosopher, \"is to let people be different.\"
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I don't need to convert my wife to my ways, and she doesn't try to make me be like her. We simply take turns monitoring the remote control.
Statements:
1. The major difference between the speaker and his wife is their TV viewing habits.
2. According to the speaker, he is more interested in talk shows while his wife is more interested in news programs.
3. The wife seems to be more weird than the husband is.
4. The speaker and his wife usually take turns working the remote control when they watch television.
5. It can be inferred that women are generally more tolerant than men of their spouse's differences. 6. The speaker and his wife maintain peace not by changing each other but by tolerance.
重点单词及词组 Part B
expectation 期望，期待 bug 打扰 peeve 麻烦的事物 spouse 配偶 solution 解决办法 a bunch of 一捆 candy 糖果 expectation 期望
apologize 道歉 end up 最终以…为结局
Part C
psychologist 心理学者 ambitious 有雄心的 moderation 适度 tolerate 忍受
Part D
complain 抱 civilization 文明，文化 philosopher 哲学家 monitor 监控 convert 使转换
Unit 4 Part B Text 1
Being a Police Officer Is a Stressful Job
Interviewer: Welcome to our program, Sam. Sam: Thank you.
Interviewer: Sam, how long have you been a police officer? Sam: I've been a police officer for thirty years.
Interviewer: Thirty years. And you've had different types of assignments on the police force, I
guess.
Sam: Yeah, I've done everything from patrol to undercover work to detective work, and now I'm
supervising investigations.
Interviewer: Sam, I think most people would say that being a police officer is a very stressful job.
Would you agree?
Sam: Yes, it's definitely a stressful job. But it depends on your assignment.
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Interviewer: So, what's probably the most stressful assignment you can have? Sam: I'd say patrol is the most stressful assignment. Interviewer: That's interesting! In what way?
Sam: Well, I guess the biggest part of the stress is the fear factor -- the fear of the unknown. Interviewer: What do you mean, Sam?
Sam: Well, in patrol work, you don't know from moment to moment who you are talking to or
what their reaction is going to be to justify your presence. Let's say, for example, a patrol officer stops someone for a traffic violation. It seems as though that would be a very low-stress situation.
Interviewer: Yes, it is a very low-stress situation.
Sam: But the truth is, there are more police officers injured during a routine stop. Interviewer: Really?
Sam: Really! That's why all police officers are taught from the very beginning to be aware of their
surroundings. People back over policemen, people shoot policemen, people jump out at policemen -- different kinds of things. So that's probably the most stressful time. Interviewer: I see. Let's take a break and then we'll move on to our next topic. Sam: All right.
Questions:
1. What's the relationship between the two speakers? 2. What does Sam mainly talk about? 3. What do you know about Sam?
Text 2
Stress Reducers
Interviewer: Sam, you've talked about the police officers' stressful time. Now let's move on to the
next topic. So far as I know, there's a connection between stress and illness. Do you think that there's a higher percentage of illness among police officers than in the general population? I mean, do they get more colds or anything? Is this really true?
Sam: Yes, it is, and the stress level not only manifests itself in daily health -- whether or not you've
feeling well on any given day. It also manifests itself in things like ulcers, heart disease -- police officers tend to have a higher rate of heart disease and ulcers than people in other professions.
Interviewer: Really? That's documented?
Sam: Yes, it's documented. And also the divorce rate among police officers is much higher.
Interviewer: Is there something that the police department does to help you deal with this stress? Sam: Yes, there are several programs that most police departments have in place. One is an
exercise program where some part of your day is spent on some type of physical exercise. They've found that's a great stress reducer. Besides, there's also a psychological program with counseling for officers to help them reduce their stress. And there are several discussion groups as well. They've found that sometimes just sitting around and talking about the stress with other officers helps to reduce it. So, those things are available.
Interviewer: And what do you do, personally, to help you deal with the stress of your job, Sam? Sam: Well, during the baseball season, I'm the biggest baseball fanatic, and I will either be reading
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about baseball, or listening to baseball, or watching baseball. Another thing I try to do is to get some sort of exercise every day. And then I work hard at keeping up my personal relationships, especially my relationship with my wife. Fortunately I get along very well with my wife. When I come back home, I can talk about my day with her, and then just forget about it.
Statements:
1. The dialogue is mainly about how police officers can deal with stress. 2. According to Sam, most police officers enjoy good health.
3. According to Sam, the divorce rate among police officers is higher than among people in other jobs.
4. Counseling is the most effective program to help police officers relieve stress. 5. Sam knows how to reduce his stress.
Part C
Short Conversations
1. M: You look so nervous, Rose. Are you all right?
W: Frankly speaking, I'm on pins and needles. I have to give a presentation to a group of important visitors this afternoon.
Q: Why does Rose feel nervous?
2. M: You look so upset, Sue. What's worrying you?
W: My son Jack made me extremely unhappy. He seems to be playing video games all the time. Whenever I talk to him he turns a deaf ear to me.
Q: What's the woman's problem?
3. W: David, you don't look happy. Anything wrong?
M: Well, you know, my mother died three years ago. And since then my father has lived in an apartment on his own and has very few friends.
Q: What is David worrying about?
4. W: Michael, I don't know what has happened to Mother. Her memory seems to be going. I have
to remind her of almost everything.
M: Don't worry, Mary. She's just getting old.
Q: What do you know about Mary?
5. W: I'm worried about sending my son Peter to college. You see, nowadays many college
students behave rather strangely. They don't seem to be interested in their studies. M: Just a few. Most students still concentrate on their studies.
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Q: What can you infer from the man's response?
Part D
Finding Creative Outlets for Very Stressful Times
Beautifying your home is a fun and practical pastime that can offer a wonderful sense of accomplishment. Few people may realize, however, that painting the walls, knitting bedspreads or sewing pillows can help relieve the life pressures we all experience.
Studies indicate that engaging in creative endeavors such as sewing and crafting can lower one's risk of stroke, kidney damage and heart disease.
These calming, repetitive activities relax the mind and can lower blood pressure. Sharing such activities can also be a way to spend time with loved ones, which increases our sense of belonging and further reduces stress.
People have always turned to working with their hands in times of stress. Handicraft works, with their symbols of hope, have a far greater impact when created by groups.
Keep in mind the following tips to increase the stress-relieving benefits of your craft projects:
1. Work with materials that stimulate the senses; work in a comfortable area without distractions; play your favorite music.
2. Make a family project of selecting your favorite photos, and frame them so they can be enjoyed every day. In stressful times, the photos can lift your spirits as you recall happy moments.
3. If your schedule is hectic, choose a practical project that will make the most of crafting time. If a simple kitchen curtain needs to be replaced, start there.
Change sometimes compels us to see things in new ways.
Questions:
1. According to the passage, what is one of the benefits of engaging in creative endeavors? 2. How does the speaker characterize activities such as sewing and crafting?
3. How can the stress-relieving benefits of the recommended activities be further increased? 4. Which of the following is not a tip given by the speaker?
重点单词及词组 Part B
assignment 分配，任务 patrol 巡逻 undercover 秘密从事的 detective 侦探
supervise 监督，管理 investigation 调查，研究 definitely 明确地，干脆地 reaction 反应，作用 violation 违反，违背 manifest 表明 ulcer 溃疡,腐烂物 counseling 咨询服务 fanatic 狂热的
Part C
frankly speaking 坦率地说 on pins and needles 如坐针毡 turns a deaf ear to 置若罔闻 remind of 提醒，使记得 concentrate on 集中，全神贯注于
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Part D
beautify 使美化 pastime 消遣，娱乐 accomplishment 成就，技艺 bedspread 床单，床罩 pillow 枕头，枕垫 endeavor 努力，尽力 engage in 使从事于
Unit 5 Part B Text 1 Ashley
Ashley was reading a magazine when she came across an article about antibiotics and other drugs discovered in European rivers and tap water. If such drugs were present there, she reasoned, they might also be found near her home in West Virginia.
Ashley feared that antibiotics in the waters could lead to resistant bacteria, or supergerms, which can kill untold numbers of people.
The girl, then 16, began testing her area's river -- the Ohio. With a simple device she herself had designed, she collected 350 water samples from the Ohio and its tributaries over ten weeks. Reading scientific journals, she taught herself to analyze the samples. It was the most scientifically sound project for someone her age.
Her experiment, one of the first of its kind in the United States, showed that low levels of three antibiotics are indeed present in local waters. Ashley's study won the International Stockholm Junior Water Prize, a virtual Nobel Prize for teenagers. She received a $5,000 scholarship and an audience with Sweden's Crown Princess Victoria.
Her interest in science was sparked by walks in the woods with her mother. But it was the day-to-day stuff -- how water comes to the tap, how rain sticks to glass, that most fascinated her. \"Science is not a dead thing,\" she says. \"It's happening all around us.\"
By the sixth grade, she was winning at science fairs. She has won $70,000 in prize money, which she has put aside for college. She plans to attend Harvard University. \"I want to make my own discoveries, and not just read about what others have done,\" she said. Her teachers predict that she will one day win a Nobel Prize.
Statements:
1. Ashley lives in the state of Virginia.
2. Antibiotics in streams and rivers can lead to the emergence of supergerms.
3. Bacteria found in European local waters and tap water have killed countless people.
4. Using simple equipment designed by herself, Ashley collected 350 water samples in ten weeks. 5. Ashley's experiment proved that antibiotics did exist in the Ohio River.
6. Ashley developed a strong interest in science when she was in her sixth grade.
7. Ashley wants to make discoveries by herself and knows how to make use of what she has read. 8. The International Stockholm Junior Water Prize is a Nobel Prize for teenagers. 9. Ashley got a $5,000 scholarship from Harvard University. 10. Ashley can be regarded as a role model for young people.
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Text 2
Young People Say No to Smoking
On February 16, 2001, the teens from a youth group called REBEL launched their advertising campaign at the Liberty Science Center in New Jersey. By now just about everybody has heard the \"Not for Sale\" commercial on television and the radio against tobacco companies. What many people don't know is that teenagers from West New York and across New Jersey worked on various aspects of the campaign, and even appeared in some of the advertisements. The campaign organizer thought it would be better than using actors if actual REBEL members were in the commercials.
REBEL, which stands for Reaching Everybody by Exposing Lies, is a statewide youth initiative against tobacco companies. The movement, which began in November last year, carries the message that teens no longer want to be targeted by tobacco companies in their advertisements. Knowing that peer pressure on teens to smoke or do drugs is one of the biggest problems that teens face, the group is working hard to ensure that their message reaches all teenagers at New Jersey schools.
When the group was first formed, there were only five members, all eighth grade students. But by this summer the group had grown to close to 90 members. At a recent recruiting party, a pizza and pool party, at the West New York swimming pool, more than 50 new members were attracted to the group.
\"We don't think that too many people would be interested,\" said Jackie, one of its founding members. \"But everyone knows our message. They know who we are now.\"
Questions:
1. When did REBEL launch their advertising campaign?
2. How many members did REBEL have by the summer of 2001? 3. Who are the members of REBEL?
4. What did REBEL do for their campaign against tobacco companies? 5. What did REBEL do recently?
Part C
Skatescooters
In Hong Kong these days, you will often see people riding skatescooters in the streets. Depending on which way you look at them, they can be great for performing tricks or are just the latest fashionable commodity. Fung is one of the more experienced skatescooter riders, as he has been practising his technique for about a year. His curly hair and baggy jeans show his devotion to street fashion and being comfortable. He has a deep passion for and understanding of this sport. \"I started riding skatescooter a year ago, but at that time there was no one to share the experience with or learn new tricks from,\" he explained. \"Now that it has caught on and more people take part in it, it is more enjoyable.\"
Most of the best brands of skatescooters are made in Switzerland and began to be imported to Hong Kong in 1999. No one took much notice of them, however, until they became popular in Japan. When people saw skatescooters in Japanese magazines they were soon trying to buy them in Hong Kong. Very quickly Hong Kong had its own group of skatescooter riders and the number is still growing.
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However, not all who enjoy skatescooters regard riding them as a sport. For some people they are simply a quick way to get from home to the underground or from a bus stop to the office. As they can be folded up without difficulty and are easy to carry about, they have become popular with a variety of people from school students to business executives.
Statements:
1. Skatescooters are very popular in Hong Kong. You'll find riders performing tricks on skatescooters in the streets.
2. Fung is the person who introduced skatescooters to Hong Kong.
3. Fung is a devoted performer and the most skillful rider of skatescooters in Hong Kong.
4. It took Fung about a year to practise and became one of the more experienced skatescooter riders in Hong Kong.
5. Magazines play an important role in popularizing skatescooters in Japan.
6. Now skatescooters has been listed as one of the competitive sports around the world. 7. People like to ride skatescooters as a sport as well as a convenient means of transportation.
Part D
She Doesn't Seem Ready for College
Hi, Jenny, you don't look happy. What's wrong? Jenny: Well, Roger, I've got a problem. Roger: What is it?
Jenny: You know my daughter Jane is 16 years old now. And we've begun talking about college.
She says she wants to go, but she's let her grades slip and no matter how I urge her to study, all she seems interested in are clothes and boys. We're not wealthy, you know. And it won't be easy for us to afford the tuition if she can't get a scholarship. Is going to college the best choice for her right now?
Roger: Do you mean that she doesn't seem ready for college? Jenny: You're right.
Roger: Then you'd better have a serious talk with Jane about college. Jenny: A serious talk with her?
Roger: Yes, to my mind it's quite normal for girls her age to be wrapped up in fashion and dating,
but as a mother you have a right to expect her to pay attention to her studies too. Jenny: Yes, but how?
Roger: Ask her how serious she is about college and how hard she's willing to work for it. Jane
may be more committed than you realize. But if not, tell her she should think about putting college off for a while. That could give her the push she needs to take her education seriously.
Jenny: Sounds like a good idea.
Roger: And if you decide she should wait, she can get a job, take classes at a community college
or do an internship to get experience. She may be just one of those who need to see a bit of real life before they settle down.
Questions:
1. What is Jenny worried about?
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2. What is Jenny's daughter interested in?
3. What does Roger recommend Jenny do with her daughter now? 4. Which of the following is not a suggestion given by Roger?
5. What can you infer about the relationship between Roger and Jenny?
重点单词及词组 Part B
came across 偶遇 antibiotic 抗生的 resistant 抵抗的，有抵抗的 bacteria 细菌 fascinate 使着迷 put aside 撇开
commercial 商业的 statewide 遍及全州的 recruiting 征募亲兵,复原 initiative 主动
Part C
trick 诡计，欺骗 commodity 日用品 regard as 把…看作 executive 执行者
Part D
tuition 学费 scholarship 奖学金 be wrapped up in 被包藏于 settle down 定居 pay attention to 注意
Unit 6 Part B Text 1
Why Do Leaves Change Color?
In some places, as days shorten and temperatures become crisp, the quiet green of summer foliage is transformed into the vivid autumn of reds, oranges, yellows and browns before the leaves fall off the trees. In special years, the colors are truly breathtaking.
But have you ever wondered how and why this happens? To answer that question, we first have to understand what leaves are and what they do.
Leaves are Nature's food factories. Plants take water from the ground through their roots, and carbon dioxide from the air. Then they turn water and carbon dioxide into a kind of sugar, using sunlight and something called chlorophyll. This process is called photosynthesis. As chlorophyll is green, leaves are therefore also green in color.
During winter, there is not enough light or water to help plants produce sugar as their food for energy and as a building block for growing. The trees will rest, and live off the food they stored during the summer. The green chlorophyll disappears from the leaves. As the bright green fades away, we begin to see yellow and orange colors. Small amounts of these colors have been in the leaves all along. We just can't see them in summer, because they are covered up by the green chlorophyll.
The bright reds and purples we see in leaves are made mostly in fall. In some trees, like maples, sugar, which is produced in the leaves during warm, sunny days, is kept from moving out of the leaves after photosynthesis stops. Sunlight and the cool nights of fall turn the sugar into a
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red color. The brown color of trees like oaks is made from wastes left in the leaves.
It is the combination of all these things that makes the beautiful colors we enjoy in fall.
Questions:
1. What is the passage mainly about?
2. Which of the following plays a major role in making leaves change color? 3. Why can't we see yellow and orange colours in leaves during summer?
4. Which of the following best describes the speaker's attitude toward his subject?
Text 2
Timing of Color Change in Trees
Many trees and shrubs change color in fall. For years, scientists have worked to understand the changes that happen to them. They find that three factors influence fall's colorful farewell -- leaf pigments, length of night, and weather. The timing of the color change is mainly regulated by the increasing length of night. None of the other environmental influences, such as temperature, rainfall, food supply, are as unchanging as the steadily increasing length of night during fall. As days grow shorter, and nights grow longer and cooler, biochemical processes in leaves begin to paint the landscape with an explosion of colors. And Nature puts on one of its most spectacular displays of beauty.
The timing of the color change varies by species. Some species in southern forests can become vividly colorful in late summer while all other species are still vigorously green. Oaks put on their colors long after other species have already shed their leaves. These differences in timing among species seem to be genetically inherited, for a particular species, whether on a high mountain or in warmer lowlands, will change color at the same time.
However, some species are evergreens. Pines, for example, are green all the year round because they have toughened up. They have developed over the years a needle-like or scale-like foliage, which is covered with a heavy wax coating. And the liquid inside their cells contains cold-resistant elements. So the leaves of evergreens can safely withstand all but the most severe winter conditions, such as those in the Arctic.
Questions:
1. What does the speaker mainly tell us?
2. What are the two major kinds of trees that the speaker differentiates? 3. By what is the timing of the color change mainly regulated? 4. Why do some species of trees remain evergreen?
Part C
The Missing Monarchs (Part One)
The monarch butterfly has rich orange-gold wings outlined in black and decorated with small dots of white. It looks like a stained-glass window that has come alive as it flutters through the summer sunshine.
Across most of the United States and Canada monarchs take a long journey southward when the cold season sets in.
Monarchs from the western United States travel to a winter home on the California coast.
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But until recently, no one had ever seen the winter home of the eastern monarchs. For more than forty years, a Toronto-based Canadian zoologist, Fred Urquhart, tried to solve the puzzling mystery of the missing monarch butterflies. His first step was to mark the butterflies. It took a long time to find a way to attach tags so the tag would stay in place and the butterfly could still fly. Many people volunteered to help. They caught, tagged, and set free again thousands of butterflies. Each tag bore a code to indicate the exact place where the butterfly had been tagged. A message also asked anyone who found the tagged butterfly to send the information to an address in Toronto, where it would reach the zoologist. Thus, the tags were to serve as the scientist's clues.
Their detective work paid off. Over the years they learned a great deal about the migration of the eastern monarch butterflies. These seemingly fragile creatures have been known to cover eighty miles in a single day! They can fly ten miles an hour, and some have been clocked at thirty miles an hour! The butterflies travel and eat during the day. When it cools off at night, they rest in trees. The morning sun warms them, and they continue their migration.
Some of the butterflies were traced south across Florida. Many were traced through Texas into Mexico. But there the trail was lost.
Statements:
1. The monarch butterflies have orange-gold, black and white colors on their wings.
2. According to the passage, scientists failed to find the winter home of monarchs from western United States.
3. The Canadian zoologist, Fred Urquhart, spent several decades trying to solve the mystery of the missing monarch butterflies.
4. Urquhart and many volunteers marked thousands of butterflies by attaching tags to them. 5. Each tag bore a code name and the address of Urquhart's Toronto home.
6. The butterflies can fly ten miles an hour and some can even go at eighty miles an hour. 7. The butterflies are actually tougher than we expected.
8. The scientist lost the trail of the butterflies, though some were traced south across Florida and many, through Texas into Mexico.
Part D
The Missing Monarchs (Part Two)
For years Mr. Urquhart and his colleagues wondered where the migratory monarchs spent the winter. Despite their hopes, fieldwork in Florida and along the Gulf Coast discovered no large groups of wintering monarchs. Then in late 1972, his wife Norah wrote to newspapers in Mexico about the project, asking for volunteers to report sightings of the butterfly and help with tagging. Finally, in response came a letter, dated February 26, 1973, from a man called Kenneth Brugger in Mexico City, who offered to help find the butterfly hideaway.
Traveling in his motor home, Brugger drove back and forth across the Mexican countryside, looking for clues. He was especially watchful at dusk, when the butterflies would be moving about looking for a place to sleep.
At last, one day was successful. On the evening of January 9, 1975, Brugger called from Mexico. \"I have found them -- millions of monarchs -- in evergreens beside a mountain clearing,\" he said, unable to control the excitement in his voice.
High in a range of volcanic mountains that crosses central Mexico, he came upon hundreds
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of evergreen trees, each entirely hidden by sleeping butterflies. Some of the insects wore tags that Mr. Urquhart and his helpers had put on them in Canada and the northern United States. The mystery was solved! The monarchs' winter home is well suited to their needs. Throughout the winter the temperature stays near freezing. It is not cold enough to kill the visiting insects, but it is chilly enough to keep them from moving about. The butterflies survive on the stored fat from their summer foods.
In spring the butterflies awaken and fly north again. Tagged butterflies, which were marked in Mexico, have been found in the United States.
So one mystery is solved. But another remains. How do the butterflies find their way? Those that migrate south in the fall were born sometime during the summer or early fall. They have never been to Mexico. Yet they somehow seek out the same resting places. The mystery of how they find their way is left for future scientists to solve.
Questions:
1. What did Mr. Urquhart and his colleagues do in order to find where the monarchs spent the winter?
2. Which of the following is a key condition for the butterflies' winter home? 3. Where do the butterflies sleep?
4. What can we infer about Mr. Urquhart's project according to the passage?
重点单词及词组 Part B
crisp 易碎的， foliage 树叶，植物 carbon dioxide 二氧化碳 photosynthesis 叶绿素 chlorophyll 光合作用 combination 化合物 shrub 灌木 pigment 色素,颜料 timing 适时 biochemical 生物化学的 landscape 风景 spectacular 引人入胜的 vigorously 精力旺盛地
Part C
stained-glass 彩色的玻璃 volunteer 志愿的 fragile 易碎的 detective 侦探 migration 移民，移植 zoologist 动物学家
Part D
migratory 迁移的 hideaway 隐蔽处
suit to 相称 move about 走来走去，经常搬家
Unit 7 Part B Text 1
Krimali (Part One)
On the morning of the devastating earthquake that struck India in 2001, Krimali, a girl of 17,
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had just left home to go to an interview for a position of a sales clerk. She was pleased with her green and yellow flowered dress, but felt something wasn't quite right about her hair. She returned home, removing her shoes and leaving them at the door.
Moments later, the earthquake struck. Ceilings and walls in the building shook in the deafening noise. Then everything began crashing down.
Krimali and her immediate family escaped serious injury but were unable to make their way out. The ceiling of an entire room towered above the only possible escape route. Completely detached on three sides, the huge slab clung to an outside wall on its fourth side. To an observer, it could drop at any moment.
People were screaming and didn't know what to do. Krimali decided to act. Carefully she climbed barefoot up and down the debris until she reached a point just beneath the swaying ceiling. About four meters below were uneven pieces of concrete, broken glass and smashed furniture, all mixed with sharp spikes of iron. She knew if she could manage to get down to the ground level, she could make her way to safety. She paused to figure out the best way down. As there wasn't any good place to jump, she just jumped. Luckily, she landed in a crouch, her feet missing any sharp edges. Emboldened by her good fortune, Krimali knew it was up to her to persuade others to follow.
Questions:
1. What does the passage mainly tell us?
2. What do you think Krimali was doing when a severe earthquake struck? 3. How old was Krimali then?
4. What can be said about Krimali?
Text 2
Krimali ( Part Two)
Krimali planned to rescue her family first, but just then she heard a woman from two storeys above screaming for someone to save her two-month-old baby. \"Throw the baby to me,\" Krimali shouted. \"I can catch her!\"
The woman refused. Krimali told the woman to wrap the baby in bed sheets and then toss her down. Crying uncontrollably, the mother wrapped the little girl but still would not part with her baby. As the mother tried to decide what to do, Krimali intently watched the concrete ceiling hanging above her. Finally the mother tossed the baby. Krimali made a clean catch. A bright smile lit up the woman's face. \"I'll be back!\" Krimali called out, hugging the child to her as she hurriedly picked her way out to where survivors had gathered.
She gave up the baby, then asked if any of the men there would come back with her to help others trapped in the building. No one came forward, for they were all afraid of that swaying ceiling. But for Krimali, a small girl of 154 centimeters in height and weighing about 50 kilos, her fears had been lifted by what she had accomplished.
On her way back into the ruins, she saw part of a large door. It was extremely heavy but she managed to drag it to the spot just below the hanging ceiling. By placing it on the ruins, she created something like a sliding board. With Krimali coaching her, the baby's mother partly jumped and partly rolled down the board to the ground level. Krimali led her through the debris to her baby.
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In the hours that followed Krimali made countless rescue missions into the building, each time in the shadow of the huge ceiling. Thanks to her courage, about two dozen men, women and children were saved.
Questions :
1. Which of the following can be a proper title for the passage? 2. Which of the following is true according to the passage?
3. How would you describe the speaker's attitude toward Krimali?
Part C
Escaping from the 88th Floor -- on an Artificial Leg
When the first plane slammed into the World Trade Center's north tower, I was already at my desk on the 88th floor. Then I felt the whole building bouncing, shaking. My instinct told me that there was an explosion above us and that we should try to get out, but the corridors were full of flames.
Knowing that the furniture and the carpets were fire-resistant, I figured that everything wasn't going to burn. Then I heard someone yell that the stairwells were gone. So about 40 of us escaped into a corner office. We put papers and rags under the door to keep out the smoke as best we could. We stayed calmly in the office for about 10 minutes, thinking we were safe and secure. Then someone came in to tell us that he had found a stairwell open but we had to move fast. We all filed out orderly and headed for the stairwell. However, I later found out that the man who found the stairwell for us didn't make it out of the building safely.
Going down the stairs was not easy for me for I had lost a leg to cancer when I was 16 and wore an artificial limb. More or less, I used my arms to get down.
At the 78th floor, I noticed one of my friends, Tony, stuck in the elevator. We ran over to the elevator to try to pull open the door. I never tried harder to do anything in my life, but, without tools, we couldn't get it open. Tony insisted that we should get out. Reluctantly we left him there. Tony was among the missing.
When we reached the 40th floor, we came to a complete stop. There was a jam of people. The firemen were coming up the stairs, carrying their equipment. Some 100 firefighters must have walked past us. Some of them looked so young that they seemed hardly out of high school. But they were great, assuring us that they would take care of everything. Eventually we kept moving and got out.
The journey down took about 40 minutes.
Questions:
1. Where was the speaker's office?
2. Why did the speaker and others escaped into a corner office? 3. Which of the following statements about Tony is true?
4. What happened to the speaker and others when they reached the 40th floor? 5. What can be inferred from the passage?
Part D
The Girl Who Sounded the Alarm
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Kelly worked at a photo shop in San Jose, California. In her 16 months of developing photos she has seen a few strange images. Sometimes there were naked people and sometimes there were photos of dead people from funerals. But what came to her eyes that morning was the scariest she had ever seen. In the photographs was a young man in black gloves and belt and pants, with a white T-shirt saying Natural Selection. He was seen either vigorously waving pipe bombs in the air or holding a shotgun. In the background of the photographs Kelly could see pipe bombs with nails taped all around them so they would hurt people when the bombs went off.
Photo clerks at her shop are told to report possible suspects of various crimes to authorities. Sometimes, however, there is no clear direction on what should be reported. But the photos of the young man left no doubt in Kelly's mind.
Kelly turned to her boss and said, \"I'm going to call the police.\" But the manager hesitated, for he was afraid that this might bring trouble to him and his business. So she consulted her father, a veteran police officer, who told her to dial 911 at once.
Officers were waiting when the customer came to pick up the photos. Kelly's decisive action may have prevented mass murder, according to the authorities. The 19-year-old student in the photographs had taken the pictures as a final step in a two-year-long plot to blow up and gun down crowds of students at his college. He was charged with weapons possession with intent to injure and was put in prison.
Statements:
1. Kelly worked at a photo shop as a part-time job.
2. The young man in the photographs was a 19-year-old college student. 3. Kelly had no doubt that the young man was dangerous. 4. The boss tried hard to persuade Kelly not to call the police. 5. Kelly's father was once a police officer.
6. The young man actually had no intention to put his plot into practice. 7. After consulting her father, Kelly dialed 119 to report the case.
重点单词及词组 Part B
devastating 破坏性的 go to an interview 采访 deafening 震耳欲聋的 embolden 使大胆 storey 层 scream for 强烈要求 concrete 具体的,有形的 trapped 捕集的, ceiling 天花板 accomplished 完成的
Part C
bouncing 跳跃的 instinct 本能 corridor 走廊 fire-resistant 防火的 stairwell 楼梯间 elevator 电梯
Part D
vigorously 精神旺盛地 shotgun 鸟枪 authority 权威 hesitate 犹豫
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decisive 决定性的 gun down 枪杀 blow up 爆炸
Unit 8 Part B Text 1
Why Are Some People Left-handed?
Research has shown that 90% of people naturally use their right hands for most tasks. But hundreds of millions of people use their left hands. Then why are some people left-handed? Scientists have been trying to answer that question for many years. A study done in 1992 found that men are more likely to be left-handed than women. It also found that Asian or Hispanic people are less likely to be left-handed than white people, black people or North American Indians. Some cultures accept people who do things mostly with their left hands. Others do not.
Scientists want to know the reason for left-handedness because it is closely linked to mental problems and language difficulties. One idea about the cause of left-handedness is the genetic theory. It says that people are right- or left-handed because of genes passed to them by their parents. For example, it has been shown that the handedness of adopted children is more likely to follow that of their birth parents than their adopted parents. Other evidence of genetic involvement can be found in some families. One famous example is the left-handed members of the present British royal family. These include Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles and Prince William.
Another idea is that right-handed people are born with the gene for it. But about 20% of people do not have the right-handed gene. These people could be either left- or right-handed. This idea may explain why two babies who have the same genes use different hands. In 18% of identical twins one twin is right-handed, and the other is left-handed. Probably both twins lack the right-handed gene so each has a chance to be either right- or left-handed.
Some scientists believe that the cause of handedness could include both genetics and development.
Questions:
1. What is the passage mainly about?
2. Which of the following topics is discussed in more detail in the passage?
3. What did the speaker want to convey by an example of the present British royal family? 4. What conclusion can you draw from the passage?
Text 2
Does Being Left-handed Affect One's Life?
There are approximately 30 million left-handed people in the United States, and several hundred million more around the world. Most right-handed people have never even considered the possibility that there might be any serious issues affecting left-handers. Even among all of these left-handed people, there are many different opinions about what these issues are and which issues might be most important to them.
Some left-handers think that being left-handed is a positive factor in their lives, and they feel that there are no serious issues affecting them. Others think that being left-handed is not a significant factor and has not affected their lives one way or another. There are also some
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left-handers who have no opinion and have never given any thought to what being left-handed has meant to them. But the majority of left-handed people find that being left-handed is at least a small disadvantage and a minor source of frustration in their lives.
There are many things that right-handed people take for granted that are quite difficult for left-handers. These include many basic skills like learning to write, learning to use scissors and other hand tools and utensils, and learning various crafts and other activities. Sometimes left-handers are puzzled by equipment designed for right-handers, and other times they are confused by instructors and instructions geared toward teaching right-handers. For some left-handed people this amounts to occasional difficulties and minor inconveniences. For other left-handers it is a lifetime full of failures and frustrations that may lead to much more serious problems.
Questions:
1. What is the speaker's attitude toward left-handers?
2. What can be inferred from the passage about right-handers?
3. How do the majority of left-handers feel about their left-handedness?
Part C
Left-handedness and Right-handedness in Babies
Approximately 90% of people in the world are naturally right-handed. Why is this so, and are we born one way or the other? The answer to this question is rather complicated.
In babies and young children, no single side becomes dominant until around the age of eight. At 12 weeks, babies usually use both hands equally, but by 16 weeks, they mostly use the left hand for touching. By 24 weeks, they have changed again and start using both hands. Then at 28 weeks, they become one-handed again, although this time it is the right hand that is used more. At 32 weeks, they start using both hands again. When they reach the age of 36 weeks, there is another change, with most babies now preferring to use the left hand. Between 40 and 44 weeks, the right hand is once again more used. At 48 weeks, babies switch to using their left hands again, and then between 52 and 56 weeks, the right hand takes over.
There are further changes still. At 80 weeks, the right hand loses control, and both are used again equally. When the young child reaches the age of two, the right hand takes over again, but between two and a half and three years, both hands are used equally. Things finally become stable at around four years and stay the same until, by the age of eight, one hand is strongly dominant over the other.
Statements:
1. At 12 weeks, both hands become dominant. 2. By 24 weeks, right hand becomes dominant. 3. By 36 weeks, left hand becomes dominant.
4. Between 40 and 44 weeks, both hands become dominant. 5. At 48 weeks, left hand becomes dominant.
6. Between 52 and 56 weeks, both hands becomes dominant. 7. At 80 weeks, both hands become dominant.
8. At the age of two, right hand becomes dominant.
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9. Between two and a half and three years, both hands become dominant. 10. By the age of eight, one hand is strongly dominant over the other.
Part D
Brain Organization and Handedness
Scientific studies during the 1970s and early 1980s suggested that differences in left- and right-handers' patterns of brain organization may be associated with differences in skills, abilities, and perhaps even personalities. In the large majority of right-handers, about 98 or 99 percent, speech is controlled by the left side of the brain.
The right side of the brain, however, is usually used for recognizing and remembering faces and understanding relationships in space. In left-handers, it is difficult to know exactly their patterns of brain organization. About 65 to 70 percent of left-handers have speech controlled by the left side of the brain, which is also true of right-handers. But in 30 to 35 percent of left-handers speech is controlled by the right side of the brain. In some left-handers, both sides of the brain are capable of controlling speech.
重点单词及词组 Part B
Hispanic 西班牙的 genetic 遗传的 adopted 被收养的 evidence 明显,痕迹 approximately 大概地 possibility 可能性
positive 肯定的,实际的 significant 重要的,有意义的 frustration 挫败,挫折 utensil 器具 scissors 剪刀 take for granted 想…当然
Part C
complicated 复杂的 dominant 占优势的 lose control 失去控制
Part D
associate with 联合 majority 多数,大半 personality 个性,性格
Unit 9 Part B Text 1
Welcoming Visitors
Kenneth: Hello, my name is Kenneth Johnson. I have an appointment with Mr. Andrew Song.
Laura: Oh hello, Mr. Johnson, I'm Laura Lee. We've spoken on the phone a couple of times.
Nice to meet you.
Kenneth: It's nice to be here.
Laura: Oh -- let me take your coat. Kenneth: Thanks.
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Laura: Let me get you a drink, Mr. Johnson. Kenneth: Yes, I'd like a tea, if possible, thanks. Laura: Sure. With milk, or lemon?
Kenneth: With lemon, please-and sugar. Two spoons. Laura: Right.
(Laura brings tea to Mr. Johnson.) Laura: Did you have a good trip? Kenneth: Absolutely no problems.
Laura: That's good. You flew, didn't you?
Kenneth: Yes, that's right, and then I took a taxi down here from the airport.
Laura: Oh, that's good. Kunming can be a little wet at this time of the year...you'll have to come
back in summer.
Kenneth: Oh, I'd like that. I always like coming to China. Well, Miss Lee, can I send a fax from
here? It's rather urgent.
Laura: Yes, of course. Shall I show you to the machine or shall I take it? Kenneth: Oh, it would be better if you could take it -- here's the number. Laura: Fine. Would you like a newspaper to read -- or The Economist? Kenneth: No, it's okay -- I can prepare some work while I'm waiting. Laura: Right, I'll get this off for you.
Kenneth: Thanks. Oh -- one other thing, I need to send some flowers to my wife. Today is the fifth
anniversary of our marriage. I think some flowers from your beautiful city would be rather appropriate, don't you?
Laura: Er, perhaps! Right, I'll get you a number of a florist. Maybe you have a special message
you'd like to send with the flowers?
Kenneth: Yes, I'll think of one.
Laura: Oh, here's Mr. Song. Andrew, this is Mr. Johnson, he's just arrived. Andrew: Hello, Mr. Johnson. Pleased to meet you and welcome here. Kenneth: Thanks.
Andrew: Now shall we go inside and let me explain the program to you? Kenneth: Sure.
Andrew: I think we've sent you an outline for the day -- if you agree, we could start with a video
which explains some of our services and then we could have a look at a few reports on campaigns.
Kenneth: That'll be good.
Questions:
1. Where are the speakers?
2. What is the probable relationship between Andrew Song and Laura Lee? 3. What is the purpose of Mr. Johnson's visit to Kunming?
Text 2
At a Business Meeting
Chairman: Okay, I think we should start now. It's ten o'clock. Voices: Okay / right / yeah.
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Chairman: Well, we're here today to look at some of the reasons for the decline in profits which
has affected this subsidiary. You've all seen the agenda. I'd like to ask if anyone has any comments on it before we start?
Voices: No / it's fine / no.
Chairman: Right, well, can I ask Sam Canning, Chief Sales Executive, to open up with his
remarks?
Sam: Thank you, Bernard. Well, I think we have to face up to several realities and what I have
to say is in three parts and will take about twenty minutes.
Chairman: Er, Sam.we don't have much time-- it's really your main points we're most interested in. Jane: Yes, can I ask one thing, Mr. Chairman? Isn't this a global problem in our market?
Chairman: Sorry, Jane, I can't allow us to consider that question just yet. We'll look at the global
question later. Sam, sorry, please carry on.
Sam: Well, the three points I want to make can be made in three sentences. First, sales are
down, but only by 5% more than for the group as a whole. Secondly, our budget for sales has been kept static -- it hasn't increased -- not even with inflation so we're trying to do better than last year on less money. Thirdly --
Jane: That's not exactly true... Chairman: Jane, please. Let Sam finish.
Sam: Thirdly, the products are getting old -- we need a new generation.
Chairman: So let me summarize that. You say that sales are down but not by so much, that you've
had less money to promote sales and that the products are old? Is that right?
Sam: In a nutshell.
Chairman: Does anyone have anything to add to that?
Jane: Well, on the question of funding I have to disagree...
Questions:
1. What is the purpose of the meeting?
2. How many people are there at the meeting who spoke? 3. What is the global problem mentioned at the meeting? 4. What can be inferred from the discussion at the meeting?
Part C
Making a Business Decision
Alex: Well, first of all, I'll talk about the technical features of the two systems, just in terms of
their capabilities...
George: No details, Alex. Please.
Alex: No, in fact it couldn't be easier ... the two systems are practically identical. George: So?
Alex: There's no real difference between them -- not in terms of use or of performance. George: Mary, any thoughts?
Mary: No, I agree, technically they are almost the same.
Alex: So the next consideration is price. A is certainly more expensive. All A products are quite a
lot dearer; we're talking about 10 to 15%.
George: And what do you think about that?
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Alex: Price isn't everything. George: Hmm...
Alex: A has a technical lead in research and a growing market share. Mary: But a smaller share right now.
Alex: Yes, but I'm fairly sure A looks a stronger company in the long term. George: So, what about B, then?
Mary: Well, a larger market share, a lot cheaper, we know that, but if our market analysis is right,
this will change.
George: But to summarize, you think that A will do better, er... has more potential to survive future
commercial pressures?
Alex: I'm sure the company has an excellent future, good design, and good marketing strategy. Mary: Yes, absolutely. Everything we found out leads us to the same conclusion, even though
the price is higher, the name less well known, we're confident that A is a better solution.
George: Alex?
Alex: That's right, we have to look ahead.
George: OK. We'll place our investment in A products then.
Statements:
1. People at the meeting are discussing the technical features of their products. 2. \"A\" products are 10 to 15% more expensive than \"B\" products.
3. Right now \"A\" company has a larger market share, but \"B\" looks a stronger company in the long term.
4. \"A\" products are less well known than \"B\" products, but \"A\" has a technical lead in research. 5. \"A\" company has an excellent future, good design, and good marketing strategy.
6. A decision was made at the end of the meeting that they would invest in \"A\" products.
Part D
Preparing for a Negotiation
I think first of all one needs to be prepared. I mean to know what you want from a negotiation, what your aims and objectives are. Without clear aims, you can't have clear thinking, so aims are vital. What do you want? A contract? A firm agreement? Or just to find out a few things?
Then, you have to know what's the minimum deal. Decide what is the lowest offer you can accept for a deal.
Then you have to know where you can give way, or make concessions. So fixing concessions and targets is important. Without that you end up agreeing to something and later you think \"Oh no, that's a bad deal!\" Or you miss out on what seemed a bad deal at the time but was in fact okay, not bad anyway.
Another area is to know your strengths and your weaknesses. This is as important as being aware of the opportunities and threats -- or dangers -- that exist outside, from competitors for example. So, know the market, know your strengths, and know about prices and other possibilities. If you do this, you can see the negotiation in its proper context. Then you need to prepare all supporting information. Figures, numbers, pictures, whatever. It could be anything, but the most important thing is that you can support what you say. It helps you to be clear.
Next, the team has to be well prepared, well managed. If it's a team you have, everyone
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needs a clear role, clear responsibilities
Finally, your opening remarks. Prepare what to say. Begin in general terms what you hope to achieve -- the general intention, what you're looking for. The opening statement sets up the right atmosphere, the right expectations, it helps things to be clear between the two sides.
Questions:
1. What does the speaker mean by \"be prepared\" at the beginning of the talk? 2. What does the speaker say about the minimum deal?
3. According to the speaker, how can figures, numbers and pictures be used in negotiations? 4. Which of the following is not mentioned as necessary in the preparations for a negotiation? 5. What can be inferred about the speaker?
重点单词及词组 Part B
anniversary 周年纪念 appropriate 适当的 florist 种花人 decline 下降，衰退 subsidiary 辅助的 agenda 议程 face up to 面对 inflation 通货膨胀
Part C
in terms of 根据，按照 capability 能力，性能 identical 同一的，同样的 market share 市场份额 in the long term 从长远的观点看 market analysis 市场分析 summarize 概述 potential 潜在的 commercial 商业的 conclusion 结论
marketing strategy 市场战略 excellent 卓越的，优秀的
Part D
negotiation 商议，谈判 objective 目的，目标 contract 合同 minimum 最小的 concession 让步 atmosphere 大气，气氛 intention 意图，目的
Unit 10 Part B Text 1
How to Get a Laugh
Gene Perret has been a joke writer for twenty years and has taken hundreds of flights. So he was only half listening when the air steward began going over the safety instructions. Suddenly Perret's ears stood up. \"There may be 50 ways to leave your lover,\" the steward said, \"but there are only five ways to leave this airplane.\" And then he added: \"Please return your seat to its upright and most uncomfortable position. Later you may lean back and break the knees of the passenger behind you.\"
Perret uses the air steward story to make a serious point: humor can catch someone's attention
30
and get a message across. \"Some people can't tell a joke to save their lives,\" says Perret, \"but everyone can learn to use humor effectively. The secret is developing your own style, learning a few tricks and taking the time to practice.\"
The first step Perret recommends is to build up a \"comedy collection\". Note down 25 jokes or stories that you find funny. Then work out whether you are better with stories or one-liners. Don't try to be what you're not. \"Matching people with the wrong material is like teaching a pig to sing,\" Perret says. \"It not only wastes your time, it annoys the pig.\"
Look out for humor on a regular basis, not just before you intend to use it. Joke books are OK, but Perret suggests looking for material from your own experience. He tells a story about helping his little daughter prepare to perform a poem at her school. When he offered to write one for her, she said, \"No, Dad, this is in front of the whole school. I'd rather it was good.\" Nothing makes people feel more comfortable than self-critical humor.
Material should also fit the audience. \"The more humor fits a particular situation, the funnier it is,\" Perret says. But Perret advises people to forget the idea that a speech should open and close with a joke. When a closing joke falls flat, it is almost impossible to recover.
Questions:
1. What is the purpose of the passage?
2. Why did Gene Perret tell the story about the air steward?
3. Why did Gene Perret mention the story about his little daughter?
Text 2
You're Under Arrest!
Fritz Kreisler, a world-famous Austrian-born American violinist, was once in Hamburg, Germany, waiting for a boat to take him to London, where he was to give a concert the following evening. With an hour until sailing time, he decided to stop and browse for a few minutes in a music shop he had noticed earlier in the day while roaming the streets of the city. In his comfortable old clothes for travel, he would have been difficult to recognize, except for the violin he carried under his arm.
When he entered the music shop the owner asked to see his violin. He examined it closely, and then disappeared. A few minutes later, he returned, accompanied by two policemen. \"You're under arrest,\" one of the policemen told Kreisler. \"Under arrest? What for?\"
\"You have Fritz Kreisler's violin.\" \"Of course I do. I am Fritz Kreisler.\"
\"You Fritz Kreisler in those shabby clothes?\" jeered the policeman. \"You phony! You're no more Fritz Kreisler than I am. You're nothing but a crook who has stolen Kreisler's violin. Come with us to the station.\" He began to tug at the violinist's arm.
Kreisler's boat would sail within the hour, and there was no time to dawdle. The violinist had to think fast.
Looking around he saw a record player in the shop. \"Do you have any of Kreisler recordings?\" he asked the proprietor.
Luckily, one was handy -- \"The Old Refrain\and the man put the recording on the machine.
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When the recording ended, Kreisler picked up his violin and played the same number. \"Now are you satisfied?\" he asked.
The red-faced proprietor and the two policemen began to apologize as Kreisler rushed from the shop and headed for his ship.
Questions:
1. What is the story mainly about?
2. Why was Kreisler arrested by the two policemen? 3. What can you infer from the story?
Part C
It was a hectic Monday morning. Everyone at our employment agency was busy working on the job-matching program. Suddenly the computers in our office broke down. And we couldn't run the program which we knew was essential to the counselors and their clients. As the 'Down' time went from minutes to half an hour and to an hour, we were all frustrated.
'Look,' shouted a colleague of mine, pointing at the screens. There on the terminal screens appeared a single sentence typed in by an annoyed counselor. It read: 'May the fleas of a thousand camels spread all over your circuit box!' Before the laughter in the office could die down, the computers blinked and went back into action.
We were all amazed. It seemed that the power of the Middle East extended far beyond the oil fields.
Part D
The Blonde and the Lawyer
A blonde and a lawyer were seated next to each other on a flight from Los Angeles to New York. The lawyer asked her if she would like to play a fun game with him.
The blonde, tired, just wanted to take a nap. She politely declined and rolled over to the window to catch a few winks. The lawyer persisted and explained that the game was easy and a lot of fun. He explained, \"I'll ask you a question, and if you don't know the answer, you pay me $5, and vice versa.\" Again, she declined and tried to get some sleep. The lawyer, now anxious and nervous, said, \"OK, if you don't know the answer you pay me $5, and if I don't know the answer, I'll pay you $500.\"
This caught the blonde's attention and as she figured there would be no end to this torment unless she played, she agreed to the game.
The lawyer asked the first question. \"What's the distance from the earth to the moon?\" Without saying a word, the blonde reached into her purse, pulled out a $5 bill and handed it to the lawyer.
\"OK,\" said the lawyer, \"your turn.\" She asked the lawyer, \"What goes up a hill with three legs and comes down with four legs?\"
The lawyer, puzzled, took out his laptop computer and searched all his references, no answer. He searched the Internet and the Library of Congress, still no answer. Frustrated, he sent e-mails to all his friends and co-workers, to no avail. After an hour, he woke up the blonde, and handed her $500. \"Thank you,\" the blonde said and turned back to get some more sleep.
The lawyer, who was a bit angry, woke her up again and asked, \"Well, what's the answer?\"
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Without a word, the blonde reached into her purse, handed the lawyer $5, and went back to sleep.
Statements:
1. It can be inferred that the lawyer's extensive computer search for answers is an example of lawyers' typical way of doing things.
2. The lawyer lost a total of $490 in his game.
3. The blonde was reluctant to play the game at first but became more serious about it in the end. 4. The story shows that neither the lawyer nor the blonde has any sense of humor. 5. The whole point of the story is made clear in the last sentence.
6. The humor of the story is that, opposite to the general belief that lawyers are smart while pretty blondes are dumb, a blonde can beat a lawyer easily.
重点单词及词组 Part B
steward 乘务员 effectively 有效地 violinist 小提琴家 under arrest 被捕 shabby 破旧的 phony 假冒者 crook 骗子 dawdle 游手好闲 proprietor 经营者
Part C
hectic 兴奋的 essential 本质的 terminal 终端 counselor 顾问
Part D
blonde 金发碧眼的女人 take a nap 小睡一下 roll over 翻身 persist 坚持,继续 to no avail 无用
Unit 11 Part B Text 1
Popcorn and the British Cinema Industry
In the golden fields of Kansas, Britain's biggest cinema success is under production. There are no stars, no special effects, no publicity. And it is still a certain winner, guaranteed to make more money than all but the biggest hit movies. The coming attraction is popcorn. Last year, cinema popcorn sales in the UK and Ireland made ￡20 million plus, way ahead of most films. Only a handful of extremely successful movies could beat it.
If it was not for popcorn, soft drinks and ice cream, British cinema would be as dead as the music hall. A recent survey found that every single screen in the country needed another source of income just to keep operating. Perhaps three or four films a year make money at the box office. The other films just help cinemas tick over, and pull in people to buy popcorn and sweets.
Even when a cinema is showing a must-see film, the operator is working on paper-thin
33
profits. He must fill every seat to cover the film company's costs. Film distributors regularly demand half the money taken at the box office; with big films they can charge between 69 percent and 89 percent of the takings. Cinemas still have to pay staff and running costs out of what's left. This is where popcorn and sweets come into the picture.
A carton of popcorn from a supermarket costs only a little over 3p. Cinemagoers, however, can pay almost ￡4 for one huge helping. At a very expensive cinema in London's West End, a huge carton may cost ￡3.95.
Eating popcorn while watching a movie is said to be a real pleasure. The difference between buying popcorn at a cinema and a supermarket is just like that between buying wine in a restaurant and at an ordinary shop. It costs 100 percent more.
Questions:
1. What is the main idea of the passage?
2. Why do cinemas in Britain need another source of income to keep operating? 3. What can you infer from the passage?
Text 2
Death of the Stunt People
Hollywood's true heroes are losing their jobs. Stuntmen and stuntwomen who entertained cinemagoers by falling from the sky, swimming with sharks and driving fast cars have been replaced by technology. After surviving generations of street fights, high falls, and setting fire to themselves, the people behind top actors' most exciting scenes have had nearly all their work substituted by computers. The most dangerous and costly stunts can now be achieved by mixing computer graphics with live action.
In the mid-1990s there were 12,000 registered stunt people, but more than half of them had difficulty finding work. Sometimes, six or seven teams would be working on a film. Then, after a few days, the producers would come in and say, 'You can go home.'
The reason was simple: cost. Computer technology made it possible to create stunts which would either be too expensive or too dangerous to attempt. One example was in 'Mission Impossible', starring Tom Cruise. In a scene Cruise was seen flying for 35 meters through the air from an exploding helicopter onto the back of a speeding train in the tunnel. In fact, the image of the actor was simply added onto the scene using computers.
A fall from 50 meters into water can now be achieved for a tenth of the cost. With the rise of digital technology, insurance companies became more reluctant to cover real stunts. 'If they know it can be done safely with visual effects, the companies will not insure real stunts,' said a veteran stunt coordinator.
Many in the industry believe stunt people should develop expertise in the new technology, acting as advisers on the virtual stunts. Some, however, think that stunt people can survive in their traditional careers. They believe that audiences won't accept stunts produced by computers for too long.
Questions:
1. Which of the statements below best sums up the main idea of the passage? 2. What is the author's attitude toward stunt people?
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3. What can you infer from the passage?
Part C Dialogue 1
A: Betty, would you like to see a movie tonight? B: That would be nice!
A: What would you like to see? B: Anything but a thriller.
A: How about Star Wars Episode II ?
B: That's OK, but I'd prefer seeing a comedy. A: Then let's go to see Spider Man. B: That sounds good. A: OK, Let's go!
B: Wait a minute, Adam. Let me get a coat.
Questions:
1. What will the two speakers probably do tonight? 2. What mood is the man probably in?
Dialogue 2
A: What are we going to do tonight, Barbara?
B: What about seeing a film at that new cinema in the mall? A: I don't feel like going to the cinema. I prefer watching TV. B: There is really nothing to watch.
A: We can watch videos we've bought but never seen.
B: Then, I think it's better to borrow some from my brother. A: What's the difference?
B: There are a lot more choices in his videotape case.
A: But we can pick up the most interesting one we have. Then, we don't have to make a trip to your brother's.
B: Come on, Arthur. I know you are just too lazy to get up from the couch.
Questions:
1. What film are the two speakers going to see? 2. What kind of film does the woman dislike?
Dialogue 3
A: What kind of movie do you like best, Carol?
B: Comedy is my favorite. But I like drama and romance too. A: Don't you like suspense and horror?
B: Suspense is OK with me, but certainly not horror.
A: I don't fancy horror either. But suspense stories are exciting.
B: Yeah, they are really good, especially the ones directed by Hitchcock. A: They are terrific.
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B: What type of movie do you like best, Alan?
A: As a matter of fact, I like action and adventure best. B: I like them as well.
A: Have you seen Mission Impossible, starring Tom Cruise? B: No. He's certainly popular. A: Shall we go and see it? B: Why not?
Questions:
1. What types of film appeal to both the speakers?
Part D
From Rags to Riches
In the 1990s, Demi Moore was a major movie star and, as the wife of Bruce Wilis, one half of a Hollywood power couple. Life was good. She had a multimillion-dollar mansion in Los Angeles, a 25-acre ranch in Hailey, Idaho. Nothing about that glamorous life had anything in common with her poor childhood.
She grew up in New Mexico. Her parents were hard drinkers who moved her and her half-brother 30 times before settling in Los Angeles when she was 14. Fiercely ambitious, Moore began modeling while at high school and dropped out at 16 to pursue an acting career. Soon after she turned 18, she got a part in a popular soap opera. But her big break came in 1985 when she starred as a drug addict in a hit movie.
Moore met Bruce Wilis in 1987. It was love at first sight. They got married in Las Vegas four months later. The next year, Wilis starred in Die Hard, making him one of Hollywood's top-paid actors, while Moore's success in Ghost and A Few Good Men boosted her paycheck to more than $12 million per movie.
These were followed by three big-budget movies, one of which was The Scarlet Letter. Then her career stalled. And in October 2000, her 13-year-old marriage ended in divorce. Later she moved out of Hollywood. Since then, she has been living a simpler life, residing full time in her ranch in Idaho. Her ambition is now focused not on stardom but on being a good mother to her daughters with Wilis. \"My goal is to build a loving relationship so that my children, as adults, will want to share their lives with me,\" she said.
Questions:
1. How does the writer tell us about the huge difference between Demi Moore's rich life as a movie star and her poor childhood?
2. Which of the following had not been done by Demi Moore before her first major achievement in her movie career?
3. According to the passage, why did Demi Moore and Bruce Wilis marry? 4. Why did Moore's marriage end up in divorce?
5. What kind of life is Moore living now according to the passage?
重点单词及词组 Part B
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publicity 公开 guarantee 保证 a handful of 一把 cinemagoer 电影迷
substituted 取代的 computer graphics 电脑图形图象 helicopter 直升机 digital 数字的 reluctant 不情愿的,勉强的
Part C
thriller 惊悚片 suspense 焦虑,悬念
Part D
mansion 公寓 glamorous 迷人的 in common with 和…一样 fiercely 猛烈地 stardom 演员们 drug addict 吸毒成瘾者
Unit 12 Part B Text 1
The Launching of the Euro
As firework displays ushered in the euro from Paris to Athens, Rome to Madrid, curiosity drove Europeans to cash machines at midnight December 31, 2001 for the first look at the brightly colored new notes. More than 300 million Europeans began changing their old currencies for the euro in the most ambitious currency changeover in history. To prepare for the large demand, banks across the euro zone disabled 200,000 ATMs in the afternoon, changing software and loading them with euro notes. Altogether 15 billion banknotes and 52 billion coins -- worth 646 billion euros, or $568 billion -- have been produced for the switchover.
Knowing how people can be attached to their national currencies, architects of the euro expressed hope that it will help realize dreams of a united Europe.
Across the continent, officials welcomed the euro as a sign of economic stability -- a new symbol to bind 12 nations on a continent at the heart of two world wars.
\"We will become a greater Europe with the euro,\" EU Commission President said in Vienna, shortly after he used the new currency to buy flowers for his wife. \"We shall become stronger, wealthier.\"
His view was shared by Helmut Kohl, the former German chancellor, who with the late French leader Francois Mitterrand had championed the single currency to bring peace and security to Europe. Kohl wrote in a newspaper, \"A vision is becoming a reality. For me, the common currency in Europe fulfills a dream. It means there is no turning back from the path toward unification of our continent.\"
The nations adopting the euro are: Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain. Those staying out are Britain, Sweden and Denmark.
Questions:
1. What does the passage mainly tell us? 2. What can be said about the passage?
37
3. What can be inferred from the passage?
Text 2
Britain's Reaction to the Single Currency
Buckingham Palace and other royal residences open to the public do not accept euros at their gift shops and entry turnstiles.
The new currency was launched in 12 European Union countries on January lst, 2002, but Britain was not one of them.
A Buckingham Palace spokeswoman said the decision not to accept the euro was purely a business one and not a political statement. The retail outlets at the official residences have never accepted any other currencies. It is simply because as very small retail outlets, they don't have the facilities for changing currencies.
However, many retail outlets in Britain have prepared to accept the new currency since millions of tourists are expected to visit the country every year. In 2002 alone, visitors from the euro zone were estimated to spend more than 6.55 billion euros in Britain.
Major department stores Debenhams and Marks & Spencer and a big electronics retailer accept euros, but only on a limited basis initially.
Twenty-nine of Marks & Spencer stores, primarily those in tourist locations, have at least one cash register on each floor to process euro transactions. Its other stores have at least one designated area -- either a register or a customer service desk-where the currency is accepted. Products are not priced in euros, however, and change is given in British money.
The British prime minister Tony Blair said Britain will only join the single currency if economic conditions are right. A series of recent opinion polls show many Britons oppose the euro and see it as against Britain's sovereignty.
Questions:
1. What does the passage mainly tell us? 2. What can we infer from the passage?
3. What is the speaker's attitude toward Britain's decision not to join the single currency?
Part C
Withdrawing Money
Teller: Hi. Can I help you?
Peter: Hi. I've, uh, just opened a checking account and I want to withdraw 150 euros. What I want
to know is, who do I make the check out to?
Teller: Well, since the money is for you yourself, you make it out to cash. Peter: OK. W... how do I do that?
Teller: You just write the word 'cash' on this line. Peter: This line here?
Teller: Yes, next to 'pay to the order of'.
Peter: OK. C-A-S-H. Now, I want to make this 150 euros. There, how's this?
Teller: Well, you've written the amount in numbers, but you have to write it out in words, too. That
goes on the second line, there. Peter: Oh, yeah.
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Teller: By the way, it's a good idea to draw a line from the end of the amount to the word 'euros' so
nobody can change the amount.
Peter: Oh, thanks. Well, that should do it. Here you go.
Teller: You forgot to sign your name. There, in the bottom right corner. Peter: Woops, sorry. Here you go. Teller: The date. Peter: W... huh?
Teller: The date -- you forgot it. It goes in the top right corner. Peter: Oh, right. OK, am I done?
Teller: Yes. That's fifty-a hundred -- a hundred and fifty euros. Peter: Thanks a lot. Have a good day. Teller: You too.
Part D
The French Franc
For a century much attached to national symbols, France took the imminent death of the franc calmly. It was as if an ancient great-great uncle were about to pass away: a time for nostalgia and regret, rather than grief.
Unlike the German mark, the franc had never been a symbol of national rebirth or glory. Its recent history was relatively stable but it had to be revalued as recently as 1960. In the 1950s, its value and reputation were so weak that French politicians considered abolishing it and replacing it with something else, based on the value of the pound.
But money is money after all. It is with us every day. It was surprising that such a conservative people did not express greater sorrow for the loss of their familiar francs. It was also surprising they did not feel a greater sense of aesthetic loss for the franc had always been one of the world's most beautiful currencies.
The name franc was first used in 1360, to celebrate and help to pay for the release of King Jean II, who was captured by the still poundless English. He created the \"franc\" or \"free\" to celebrate the occasion. Over the next 400 years the name came and went but was finally restored by the Revolution in 1795. On February 17th, 2002, the French franc disappeared completely from the financial scene.
Questions:
1. How did the French feel for the loss of their franc?
2. At what time did the French politicians think of replacing the franc with some other currency? 3. Why was the French currency named \"franc\" when it was first used in the 14th century? 4. What can be learned about the French people from the passage?
重点单词及词组 Part B Launching
firework display 焰火 usher 引导,展示 curiosity 好奇心 ambitious 有雄心的
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changeover 完全改变 switchover 替换,转换 be attached to 附属 architect 建筑师 economic stability 经济稳定 champion 拥护 unification 统一,合一 turnstile 十字转门 electronics 电子学 sovereignty 君主,主权 transaction 办理,处理事务
Part C
checking account 经常账户 in the bottom 在底部
Part D
attached to 使依恋 imminent 即将到来的 pass away 去世 nostalgia 乡愁
rebirth 复活 glory 荣誉,光荣 conservative 保守的
Unit 13 Part B Text 1
The Big Bang!
In the 20th century there were two main theories to explain the origin of the universe, the big bang theory and the steady state theory. The former stated that the universe began in a massive explosion at a single point in space about 15 billion years ago. According to the latter, however, there was no big bang. The universe has always existed and always will exist. This theory saw a universe in which old galaxies were continually disappearing, and constantly replaced by new galaxies. Both theories seemed incredible to the layman. But was there any evidence for either of them?
If the steady state theory were correct, the universe should have looked the same millions of years ago as it looks now. But astronomers have found that the old universe did not look the same as it does now. The steady state theory does not appear to be correct. But is the big bang theory any better?
If the universe had really begun with an explosion, there should exist in the universe the cosmic background radiation from the explosion. Researchers at Princeton University began searching for the radiation in the 1960s. At the same time, while studying radio signals coming from particular parts of the Milky Way, researchers at Bell Laboratories found their work hindered by background interference that seemed to be coming from every direction. It turned out that the interference was actually the cosmic background radiation.
If the steady state theory had been correct, this background radiation would not exist. So the big bang theory seems to be correct. But why did the universe explode into existence? We can never know the answer.
Questions:
1. What is the main idea of the passage you have just heard? 2. Who are supposed to be the audience of the passage?
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3. What is the steady state theory about? 4. What is the big bang theory about?
Text2
The End of Time
The universe has been expanding ever since the big bang. The galaxies are rushing away from each other because of the powerful force of the initial explosion that set the universe in motion. But each planet, star, and galaxy has a force of gravity that tries to pull all the matter in the universe back together again. The two forces are in opposition.
Scientists are trying to figure out which of these two forces is the more powerful, because the future of the universe depends on it. If the expansion force is greater, then the universe will continue to expand forever. And as it expands it will cool down. The universe will run down like a clock to the cold, dark and lifeless end that awaits it. But if the matter in the universe is dense enough, gravity might one day be able to overcome the expansion. The universe could stop expanding and actually turn into the opposite of the big bang, the big crunch! That might lead to another big bang and the birth of another universe. The universe might have been swinging from big bang to big crunch to big bang and so on for all time.
The future of the universe hangs on how dense it is. So far astronomers think the matter in the universe is far from dense enough to stop it from expanding forever. But astronomers believe that there may be a lot of matter, called 'dark matter' in the universe that they have not yet found. If there is enough of this 'dark matter' it could hold the key to the future of the universe.
Questions:
1. What is happening to the universe?
2. What are the two forces in opposition in the universe? 3. What does the future of the universe depend on?
Part C
Galaxies in Collision
A European-led team of astronomers have obtained exciting new images of 13 very distant colliding galaxies, using the Hubble Space Telescope. These colliding objects are part of a massive galaxy cluster.
This galaxy cluster is eight billion light-years away, one of the most distant known groups of galaxies. Therefore, it is a key target for astronomers to study how galaxies formed when the universe was young. The cluster's light has taken so long to reach us that astronomers see it now as it was when the universe was less than half its present age.
Although hundreds of galaxies appear in this Hubble Space Telescope image, the astronomers selected 81 galaxies to study in detail, 13 of which are fragments of recent collisions or pairs of colliding galaxies. This is by far the largest number of colliding galaxies ever found in a cluster.
During the collision the stars in the galaxies do not really run into each other, but their orbits are strongly disturbed by powerful gravitational pull. As a result, the so-called parent galaxies lose their shape and smoother galaxies are formed. The whole merging process can take less than a billion years, a relatively short time in astronomy.
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To astronomers, the finding indicates that, at least in some cases, big massive galaxies form through collisions between smaller ones.
Part D
Hubble's Closest Look at Mars
NASA is releasing several images taken by the Hubble Space Telescope, which is the closest yet look at the red planet. Altogether there are four images, which show the entire planet. Each view shows the planet as it completes one quarter of its daily rotation. In these views the north polar cap is turned toward the Earth and is clearly visible at the top of each picture. The images were taken in the middle of the Martian northern summer, when the polar cap was at its smallest size. During this season the sun shines continuously on the polar cap. Previous spacecraft observations have shown that this summertime polar cap is composed of water ice, just like Earth's polar caps.
The Hubble Telescope pictures reveal that great changes have occurred on the surface of Mars in the past 20 years. The Martian surface is ever changing. Some regions that were dark 20 years ago are now bright red; some areas that were bright red are now dark. Winds move sand and dust from region to region, often in huge dust storms. Over long timescales many of the larger bright and dark markings remain stable, but smaller details come and go as they are covered and then uncovered by sand and dust.
The Hubble pictures reveal that the surface of Mars is covered with a lot of volcanic rocks. But mysteries still remain. Has there been life on Mars? Is there life on it now? How different is it from our own planet? These are a few of the questions waiting to be solved.
Questions:
1. How is the image of the north polar cap of Mars? 2. What is the summertime polar cap composed of? 3. When were the images of Mars taken?
4. Which of the following is true about the north polar cap of Mars in summertime?
5. What is the characteristic of the Martian surface according to observations over the past 20 years?
6. Why do smaller bright and dark markings change over time?
重点单词及词组 Part B
origin 起源 massive 厚重的,巨大的 galaxy 银河系 layman 外行
astronomer 天文学家 background interference 背景干扰 radiation 辐射,发散 hinder 阻碍 cosmic background radiation 宇宙背景辐射
expanding 展开的 gravity 地心引力 in opposition 在野 figure out 计算出,解决 swing from 悬挂 run down 用完 cool down 变凉,冷静下来
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Part C
collide 碰撞 galaxy cluster 星系群 in detail 详尽地 collision 碰撞 gravitational 重力的
Part D
rotation 旋转 polar cap 行星两极处之极冠 spacecraft 太空船 timescale 时间表
Unit 14 Part B Text 1
Genetic Engineering: for Better or Worse?
Technology is not only used to build spaceships and high-speed computers. It is also being used to create new plants and animals. This technology is known as genetic engineering. At the moment people all over the world are arguing about its benefits and drawbacks.
Some people are concerned that genetically engineered plants may harm the environment. Others are worried that they may be dangerous for people to eat.
For many years farmers have crossbred plants to create new types of plants that were, for example, bigger, stronger, or more attractive. Crossbreeding can take many years, however, and it is not precise. Now we can change exact sections of DNA, so the process is more accurate and faster.
There are many reasons for changing plants in this way. Some genetically engineered plants can live through frost or draught. As a result, farmers can make more profit because fewer plants will die. Other genetically engineered plants are more nutritious, have less fat, taste better or stay fresher than non-genetically engineered plants. This will allow people to buy better-quality fruit and vegetables.
Another advantage of genetically engineered plants is that some can resist natural pests such as viruses or insects. This reduces the amount of chemicals needed to kill pests, which is helpful to the environment.
However, genetically engineered plants can cause unexpected problems. Genetically engineered plants that resist pests may pass on that characteristic to a wild relative. This may cause the wild plant to spread fast, because pests are not naturally killing it. Genetically engineered plants can also harm animals. A type of corn has been developed that kills a species of insect that destroys it. The pollen from this corn, however, can also kill monarch butterflies, which do not harm the corn.
Genetic engineering is a very new science and we have a lot to learn about the good it can do and the damage it can cause. The main concern is that not enough tests are being done to ensure it is safe.
Statements:
1. Genetic engineering is a technology which is being used to _______. 2. Crossbreeding takes a _______ compared with genetic engineering.
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3. According to the passage, genetic engineering enables plants to survive with little _______. 4. Genetic engineering can help farmers _______.
5. According to the passage, one of the problems caused by genetic engineering might be_______.
Text 2 Bioethics
Man: I've just been reading this amazing article about genetic engineering. The things they can
do now.
Woman: I know, it's frightening, isn't it?
Man: No, not a bit. I mean if we can produce fruit that doesn't rot, animals that eat less and
produce more, what's so scary about that?
Woman: OK. But you know those new microorganisms that they are producing. Well, you only
need a laboratory accident and the effects would be far more disastrous than AIDS, for instance.
Man: Why are you always so negative? Woman: I'm not negative.
Man: Soon I'll be able to have a genetic screening done and they'll be able to tell me what
diseases I'm likely to have.
Woman: OK. But what if they tell you you're going to have a disease for which there's currently
no known cure? That's not going to be much help, is it?
Man: Yeah, but if I know it's hereditary then I might think twice before having any children. Woman: But you know where all this is leading, don't you? To a revival of eugenics, like they're
going to be able to remove potentially harmful genes, like the ones that cause criminality, low IQ.
Man: And people like you with a bit of luck!
Woman: No, seriously. They can take a piece of someone's hair now and tell you all about that
person's medical life. Now that could be an incredible invasion of someone's privacy.
Man: What do you mean?
Woman: Look. So at your job interview they ask you for a piece of hair, ring you up ten days later
or whatever and tell you they don't want to employ you because you've got such and such a disease and you might die in five years.
Man: Don't be absurd.
Woman: I'm not being absurd.
Man: Do you think people would let them get away with that, huh? What is all this? It sounds
like you've been reading 1984. Why don't you look on the practical side of things for a change?
Statements:
1. Both the speakers are against genetic engineering.
2. The woman sounds very optimistic about genetic engineering.
3. Genetic screening can tell you what diseases you may possibly develop. 4. Genes that cause criminality or low IQ can be removed from human bodies.
5. A job interviewer will resort to genetic screening to find out whether a job interviewee is healthy or not.
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Part C
BBC under Fire over GM Crop Drama
The BBC has been accused of exciting the hysteria surrounding genetically modified crops with a new thriller. The criticism comes from Dr. Mark Tester, who was a scientific adviser on the forthcoming two-part drama, Fields of Gold. Dr. Tester has disowned the thriller, saying he was ignored when he told the BBC the plot was impossible.
Fields of Gold is to be broadcast on June 8 and 9 on BBC1. It follows two journalists investigating a mystery illness threatening the world, which turns out to have been spread by genetically modified wheat. Its central theme is the transfer of genes that are resistant to antibiotics from crops to a superbug.
The BBC said Dr. Tester changed his tune after originally telling them that the central theme was a possibility.
Dr. Tester, who is a lecturer at Cambridge University's Department of Plant Sciences, said, \"The program makers had been blinded by their political agenda. It presents ridiculous errors of fact that give rise to anti-GM hysteria.\"
Dr. Tester said he had also been asked to look at the script before it went to production, and had pointed out the errors then, but was ignored.
However, a BBC spokeswoman said Dr. Tester told the program makers that the story was \"unlikely\" but \"by no means impossible.\"
She added, \"Like many thrillers, this is a fictional drama which does not mean to be a documentary. It examines the dramatic consequences of an extreme situation which is the subject of considerable debate amongst the scientific community.\"
Questions:
1. What is the name of the BBC drama? 2. When would it be broadcast?
3. What were the two journalists investigating in the drama? 4. What was the cause of the illness described in the drama? 5. What did Dr. Mark Tester think of the plot of the drama? 6. What did the BBC say about Dr. Tester?
7. What would the drama give rise to according to Dr. Tester?
Part D
Making a New Mosquito
Bloodsucking mosquitoes are perhaps Earth's most persistent pest, delivering malaria, yellow fever and a host of other diseases each year to more than half a billion people and killing between 2 million and 3 million. Numerous gallons of pesticides are sprayed each year in an effort to wipe out the tiny beasts. But the results have not been good. Many species of mosquitoes have become resistant to insecticides.
For nearly two decades scientists have been thinking of creating a designer mosquito that would have no ability to spread diseases. Finally in 1998, using technologies developed in genetic engineering, scientists succeeded in producing a new type of mosquitoes with red eyes. These mosquitoes not only look different but act in a different way. Every time they suck blood, a
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substance that recognizes bacteria and kills them will be produced.
The major challenge for scientists today is to create a species of mosquitoes that are incapable of transmitting malaria. For this they will have to turn their attention from the laboratory species to malaria-causing species in the wild.
As scientists move closer to their goal, they are facing a growing argument over whether it is practicable or wise to create such genetically engineered creatures and set them loose in the environment. One of the problems is that genetically engineered mosquitoes would need to be created for each of the estimated 100 species that carry illnesses that affect humans. Furthermore, strains of these mosquitoes vary from place to place. Even though these problems can be solved, where is the village or town that wants a million or so biting mosquitoes released?
Statements:
1. Pesticides have gradually become ineffective against many species of mosquitoes.
2. Scientists have been planning to create a designer mosquito to kill existing mosquitoes that spread diseases.
3. It's rather difficult for scientists to put their ideas into practice because mosquitoes are very small.
4. Using GE technology, scientists succeeded in creating a lab mosquito that is blind. 5. The new mosquitoes will soon be set loose in the environment.
6. Many people consider it unwise to create genetically engineered mosquitoes.
7. It's a big problem having to create genetically engineered mosquitoes for every species of disease-spreading mosquito.
重点单词及词组 Part B
genetic engineering 基因工程 argue about 议论某事 drawbacks 缺点 attractive 吸引人的 precise 精确的 nutritious 有营养的 frost 结霜 bioethics 生物伦理学 microorganism 微生物 negative 否定的 hereditary 遗传的 eugenics 优生学 criminality 犯罪 invasion 入侵
Part C
accused of 因某事控告某人 hysteria 歇斯底里 thriller 惊悚片 disown 否认 antibiotics 抗生素 ridiculous 可笑的 scientific community 科学界
Part D
bloodsucking 吸血动物的 mosquito 蚊子 malaria 疟疾 gallon 加仑 pesticide 杀虫剂
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Unit 15 Part B Text 1
Women in Business
Most women in France work. Their average salary is about 75% that of their male co-workers, even though laws passed in 1972 require 'professional equality' between the sexes.
The good news is that women are increasingly moving into middle management. A handful are top executives. The higher their position, the harder it is to balance family and career. A 38-year-old woman who graduated from the prestigious National School of Administration remembers that when she took a senior post in a ministry, her male colleagues assured her, 'You are one of us, one of the guys.' But when she became a mother, they stuck to age-old traditions that she couldn't follow-long lunches and late-night meetings. 'It was too much pressure and I felt like I was being sabotaged,' she says.
For those who want to balance family with a job, as opposed to a high-pressure, high-visibility career, France is a haven. Women marry later, on average, than in America -- at age 25. And they stay in the workforce. Part-time jobs are easy to find. Maternity benefits are generous, with over six months of paid leave. Women who've raised three or more children are entitled to a state-funded pension. The quality of publicly funded education for children is high. And abortion is not only legal, but it's paid for by the state.
French businesswomen dress elegantly, argue intelligently and play hardball at the negotiating table. They show their wit, intellect, ability to make puns and understanding of politics, history and literature. Unlike most American female executives who dress conservatively in a dark, not particularly flattering suit, with no jewelry and little makeup, Frenchwomen see no need to abandon femininity and elegance in the business world. They prefer soft colors, stylish clothes, silk scarves, manicured nails, light makeup, and simple but elegant jewelry.
Questions:
1. What do you know about French businesswomen?
2. What does the speaker intend to say through the passage about French businesswomen? 3. What is implied in the passage about French businesswomen?
Text 2
Are Women the Weaker Sex?
Women and men are not created equal. Mother Nature favors her own sex when it comes to longevity, with women living about seven years -- or 10% -- longer than men.
Still, men actually get a head start in the battle of the sexes, since male babies outnumber female babies by 115 to 100. But by about age 30, women have caught up with men numerically, and they then leave men in the dust, with three women alive for every man by age 85.
But there's the paradox: While women live longer than men, they're generally sicker. Men tend to die from rapidly fatal health problems such as heart attacks, accidents, suicides and homicides. Women, on the other hand, tend to develop lingering illnesses that often cause years of discomfort.
Women spend twice as much money on health care as men do. They also consult doctors more frequently, take more drugs, spend more days in hospitals and have more operations. They
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also take more sick time off from work. Why? The chief causes seem to be genes, hormones and interactions of the two.
Many women suffer from chronic conditions like muscle and joint pain, sleep disorder, anxiety, headaches, and fatigue. There is no known cause for them, but they probably result from the body's abnormal response to stress. Women may be more likely than men to have these diseases simply because they are under more stress. A woman is often under tremendous stress to fulfill what she sees as her obligations to her family, her community and her employer.
Researchers still know little about women's health. There is clearly a need for more research into why women come down with chronic illnesses and what can be done about it.
Questions:
1. What is the main idea of the passage?
2. What is the speaker's attitude toward women's health problems? 3. Why is the age of 30 mentioned in the passage? 4. What can be inferred from the passage?
Part C
Elizabeth Blackwell
Elizabeth Blackwell was born in 1821 in England. Her family moved to the United States when she was 11. There, several years later, a family friend who suffered from cancer suggested to her that she study medicine. The dying friend said that perhaps her sickness would have been better understood if she had been treated by a woman. Elizabeth knew that no woman had ever been permitted to study in a medical college, but she began to think about the idea seriously after the friend died.
Supported by her family, she began to study medicine privately with a doctor. Later she was accepted by Geneva Medical College in New York State and graduated in 1849 with high honors. She became the first woman in the Western world to have completed medical school training. Dr. Blackwell had many dreams. One was to start a hospital for women and children; another was to build a medical school to train women doctors. After many years' struggle against every kind of opposition, she finally succeeded in opening the first medical college for women in New York in 1868, and a second one later in London. In 1871 she founded the British National Health Society.
Elizabeth Blackwell believed that the true responsibility of doctors was to prevent disease. She started a program in which doctors visited patients in their homes and taught them basic hygiene about house cleaning and food preparation so that sickness could be prevented. And she started the program of disease prevention in her schools. It was the first time the idea of preventing disease was taught at a medical college.
Dr. Blackwell died in 1910, at the age of 89. She is remembered for her contributions to the cause of medicine and for showing the way for women to move on.
Questions:
1. Why did Elizabeth Blackwell want to become a doctor? 2. How did she begin her study in medicine?
3. As the first woman doctor, where did she open the first medical college for women?
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4. What did Elizabeth Blackwell think was the true responsibility of doctors? 5. Which of the following best describes Elizabeth Blackwell?
Part D
An Interview with a Successful Woman Writer
(The author of Harry Potter, J. R. Rowling, is being interviewed by a reporter.) Interviewer: Where do you get your ideas from, Mrs. Rowling?
Rowling: I wish I knew. Sometimes they just come like magic and other times I have to sit and
think for weeks before I manage to work out how something will happen. Where the idea for Harry Potter actually came from I really couldn't tell you. I was traveling on a train between Manchester and London and it just popped into my head. I spent four hours thinking about what Hogwarts would be like -- the most interesting train journey I've ever taken. By the time I got off at King's Cross many of the characters in the books had already been invented.
Interviewer: Are any of the characters in the books based on real people?
Rowling: Tricky question! The answer is yes, and no. I have to confess that Hermione Granger
is a little bit like I was at her age, though I was neither as clever nor as annoying. Ron is little bit like my oldest friend and Professor Snape is a lot like one of my old teachers, but I'm not saying which one.
Interviewer: How long have you been writing?
Rowling: Nearly all my life. I had written two novels before I had the idea for Harry, though I'd
never tried to get them published.
Interviewer: Did you expect the Harry books to be this successful?
Rowling: Never. I just wrote the sort of thing I liked reading when I was younger. I didn't
expect lots of people to like them, in fact, I never really thought much apart from getting them published.
Interviewer: Any clues about the next book?
Rowling: I don't want to give anything away, but I can tell you that the books are getting
darker ... Harry's going to have quite a bit to deal with as he gets older. Sorry if they get too scary!
Interviewer: Who are your favorite authors?
Rowling: My favorite writer of all time is Jane Austen.
Questions:
1. What does Rowling say about the original idea for the Harry Potter books? 2. Which of the following is true about the characters in the Harry books? 3. What do we learn about what Rowling did with her books? 4. According to the interview, which of the following is true?
重点单词及词组 Part B
executive 经理管理人员 prestigious 享有声望的 ministry 部门 intelligently 聪明地 hardball 硬式棒球 manicure 修指甲
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femininity 妇女特质 stylish 漂亮的 negotiating 谈判 longevity 长命
outnumber 数目超多的 paradox 自相矛盾的事物 heart attack 心脏病发作 lingering 延迟的 hormone 荷尔蒙 interaction 交互作用 chronic 慢性的 tremendous 极大的 fatigue 疲劳
Part C
responsibility
Part D
tricky question apart from 50
责任 偏题，怪题 远离，除…之外
hygiene confess 卫生学 承认，坦白
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