朗文英语听说教程2听力原文(免费)

TEACHER: Good morning. Who watched TV last night? Ah, most of you. OK, today we are going to talk about an important part of the media-TV. Specifically, TV viewing and TV dramas. Now first,I’llgive you some background, then we’ll discuss what makes this typ e of programming, dramas, so popular worldwide. OK. Let’s get started. Most of you would agree that watching TV is part of most people’s lives. Now statisticsvary on how much TV people watch, but research shows that quite a few Americans, on average,exceedsix hours of TV per day. An English professor named Cecelia Tichi has studied TV for many years. In her book,Electronic Hearth：Creating anAmerican Television Culture,she discusses how the TV has become the center of activity at home. We walk into a room, turn on the TV, and suddenly the outside world becomes less important. People use TV to tune out, or forget, about the outside world. Were safe to relax and join the world of the TV shows. Do you ever feel this way about TV? . . . Yes, many of you are nodding. She also sees our culture as being defined by TV. Now, by this she means that TV has a huge influence on our attitudes, on what we like to eat, on what we like to wear, on what we like to talk about. For example, popular TV shows are discussed at work, at school, in coffee shops. Why, even children four or five years old do this with their favorite shows. This shows that we live in a TV culture. Improved technology has contributed further to our TV culture. Satellite services, in particular, haveexpandedthe TV programming in many parts of the world. There are now hundreds of TV channels people can watch, and theoptionscontinue to expand: game shows, sports, news, talk shows, comedies, TV dramas, movies,.,. Man, with cable and satellite there are a lot of choices. | Nielsen Media Research studies peoples TV viewing habits in the U.S. Theymonitorwhich shows are popular and with whom. For example, popular shows have included the game showWho Wants To Be A Millionaire?and the reality TV showSurvivor.They were very, very popular and watched by millions of people of all age groups. Now, all of this is really background. What I want to focus on today is one form of a popular TV show that is popular with many peopleofmany age groups. This is TV dramas, specifically TV dramas known as soap operas, or, in Spanish, telenovelas. Some of you might be familiar with telenovelas. Telenovelas and soap operas in the U.S. aresimilarbut have one big difference-the number ofepisodesthey have. Telenovelas and TV serials end after about 200 episodes. The story eventually ends. Soap operas in the U.S., however, continue day after day for many years and may never end. Well, for example,The Guiding Lighthas been on for more than 12,000 episodes, and on it goes. Can you believe that? More than 12,000 episodes!Soap operas started in the United States in 1959, with the showThe Guiding Light.These TV shows were called soap operas because the main advertisers were companies that made soap. Now, this type of programming is popular all over the world. Dozens of countries make their own soap opera shows. Mexican soap operas have been voted the most popular TV show of the year in countries such as Korea and Russia. Japanese soap operas are sent to Belgium. U.S. soap operas are watched worldwide. The Latin American soap opera,Betty La Fea,or Betty The Ugly, was a huge success in the U.S. Brazilian telenovelas are the most widely distributed television shows in the world and have been seen in more than 100 countries. And there are many other examples. What is it about these shows that makes them popular everywhere? And why do people from very different cultures all enjoy watching the same soap opera? Wet!, there areacouple of reasons. One reason suggested by Robert C. Allen, who has done extensive research on television viewing, is that many soap operas deal with universal themes that people all over the world understand. Themes are topics—for example, family, love, personal struggle, money problems, marriage problems, health problems, job problems. Viewers do not need to know the culture in order to understand the family problems in the show. Now according to Irna Phillips, one of the creators ofThe Guiding Light,another reason is char people identify with the characters. They feel the characters are just like them. Toquoteher from an interview, “they (the soap operas) deal withNow according to Irna Phillips, one of the creators ofThe Guiding Light,another reason is char people identify with the characters. They feel the characters are just like them. Toquoteher from an interview, “they (the soap operas) deal with life as we know it. Now by this she means the families in soap operas deal with problems of everyday life. And so, as people watchevery day, day after day, a specialbondor feeling develops between them and the TV family.hey get to know the characters and their problems. The TV family’swelfarebecomes important. There is a sense of community, of sharing, of family. All of these things contribute to character loyalty. If any of you have watched a show regularly, you know what I mean. You watch it because you identify with the characters. Now, writers of TV shows understand that TV viewers want to have a group of characters to know and care about. As Wendy Riche, former executive producer ofGeneral Hospitalput it，“the audience wants a personal, human connection, and when they get ir, they are devoted•” This means they become veryloyalto the TV characters they watch every day. To give an interesting example fromAs the World Turns:Some years back，the writers wanted to have the main character, Bob Hughes, get shot on a Friday. Well, that Friday turned out to be Christmas Eve. The p roducers of the show told the writers, “No，no, no .•.he can’t be shot on this Fridays show. Do you know why?STUDENT 1: Because it was too violent?Teacher：Well, no, not because it was too violent, but they didn't want him shot on the Friday before Christmas.；j.STUDENT 1: Why? I mean, why not?Teacher：Because the audience would worry all weekend about him. They wouldn't know if he was alive or dead, and they would not enjoy Christmas. So, the writers had to change the story, and have him shot after Christmas. 1 mean, the viewers really identify with these characters as if they’re real people. Writers for evening TV also try to create character loyalty, but not with a continuing story. Instead, each week, thestory beginsand ends. However, each week the same characters appear, and viewers watch because they know the characters and they care about them, like friends. A great example of this was the show Seinfeld.There were four main characters：Jerry, George, Kramer, and Elaine. They each had their own problems, their own personalities. Viewers got to know them, and wan red to see what would happen to them. When you think about it, don’t good, writers usually do this? They develop our interest i n the characters so that we want to keep reading, or keep watching TV. The next time you watch a soap opera, think about the themes that make these shows so popular worldwide. Think about how as people watch each day, they get to know the characters and become a part of that TV community. OK, that’s ah for today. Uh, its time for you to go home and watch some TV!。

LECTURE AUDIOSCRIPTSUNIT 1 What’s in a Name?TEACHER: Good morning, everybody. Good morning, Felipe, Monica, Theo, and I can't remember your name.STUDENT 1: Patricia.TEACHER: Patricia, right, Patricia. Those are all beautiful names, and that's our topic today-names. Names are a culture universal. This means everyone uses names. A person's name can tell us a bit about a person's family. Today, we’ll begin by looking at first names and how people choose names for their children. And then we'll talk about family names, and look at the different categories of family names. Although the scope of the lecture today is English-language names, we can use the same approach, you know, to look at names from any culture.Let's take a brief look at first, or given names. There are several ways parents choose the first name for their child.The first way is by family history. Parents may choose a name because it is passed from generation to generation; for example, the first born son might be named after his father or grandfather. Although family names are also passed to daughters, it is usually as a middle name. Adding "junior" or "the second" for example, William Parker the se conds only done with boys', not with girls’names.The second way parents choose a name is after a family member or friend who has died recently, or after someone "they admire, like a well-known leader or a famous musician. Although most English first names mean something, for example, "Richard" means powerful and “Ann" means grace, nowadays meaning is not the main reason people select their baby's name.The third way is to provide a "push" for the child. Parents want to choose a name that sounds very "successful." A strong name might help them in the business world, for example. Or they might choose a name that works for either gender, like Taylor or Terry. So, given these three methods, what is themost common way parents choose a name? Many parents choose a name simply because they like it, or because it's fashionable or classic. Fashions in names change just as they do in clothes. One hundred years ago, many names came from the Bible names such as Daniel, and Anna, and Hannah and Matthew. Then fifty years ago, Biblical names went out of fashion. Nowadays, names from the Bible are becoming popular again.Similarly, parents often choose classic names, names that were popular in 1900, 1950, and are still popular now. Classic names for boys include Thomas, David, Robert, and Michael. And for girls: Anna, Elizabeth, Emily, and Katherine, just to name a few. They're classic. They never go out of style.Let's look at the origin of last names, also called family names or surnames. Researchers have studied thousands of last names, and they've divided them into four categories. The categories are: place names, patronymics, added names, and occupational names. A recent survey showed that of the 7,000 most popular names in the United States today, 43 percent were place names, 32 percent were patronymics, 15 percent were occupational names, and 9 percent were added names.The first category is place names. Place names usually identified where a person lived or worked. Someone named John Hill lived near a hill, for example, and the Rivers family lived near a river. If you hear the name Emma Bridges, what image do you see? Do you see a family that lives near a bridge? If you do, you get the idea.The second category is patronymics. That's P-A-T-R-O-N-Y-M-I-C-S. A patronymic is the father’s name, plus an ending like S-E-N or S-O-N. The ending means that a child, a boy, is the son of his father. The names Robertson, Petersen, and Wilson are patronymics. Robertson is son of Robert, Petersen is son of Peter, and so on.The third category is added names. Linguists sometimes call this category "nicknames," but when most of us hear the word "nickname," we think of a special name a friend or a parent might use. The word "nickname" is actually an old English word that means an additional name, an added name. So I'll use the term "added name." This category of last names is fun because the names usually described a person. Reed, Baldwin, and Biggs are examples. Reed was from "red" for red hair. Baldwin was someone who was bald, someone who had little or no hair. And Biggs.STUDENT 2: Someone big?TEACHER: Yeah, someone big, right. Now, if we look around the room, wecould probably come up with some new last names, like, uh. Curly or Strong. Now, the fourth category is occupational names. The origin of the family name was the person's occupation. The most common examples of occupational names still used today are Baker (someone who bakes bread). Tailor (someone who sews clothes). Miller (someone who makes flour for bread), and Smith. . . . Now, Smith is actually the most common name in the western English-speaking world. The name comes from an Old English word, smite, that's S-M-I-T-E, which means to hit or strike. In the old days, a smith made metal things for daily life, like tools. Every town needed smiths. What's interesting is that many languages have a family name that means Smith. In Arabic it is Haddad, H-A-D-D-A-D. In Spanish it is Herrera, H-E-R-R-E-R- A. In Italian it is Ferraro, F-E-R-R-A-R-O. And in German it is Schmidt, spelled S-C-H-M-I-D-T. All these names mean smith.Though names may tell us something about someone's family history, you need to keep in mind that they may not tell us much at all about the present. For example, there's usually not much connection between the origin of the name and the person who has it now. Take the name Cook, for instance. A person named Cook today probably doesn't cook for a living. Also, many people change their names for various reasons. Lots of people who have moved to the United States have changed their names to sound more American. This happens less now than in the past, but people still do it. People also use pen names or stage names to give themselves a professional advantage. For example, the writer Samuel Clemens used the pen name Mark Twain, and Thomas Mapother IV uses the stage name Tom Cruisey.So, let's recap now. In today’s lesson, we looked at how parents choose English first names. We also looked at some common origins of family names. In the next class, we'll look at how names are given in Korea and in Japan. This is covered in the next section of the book. That’s all for today.Unit 2 English: A Global Language? TEACHER:Today’s topic is English as a global language. I know many of you speak English as a second language, right? How about you, Hiroshi? Is English your first language?STUDENT 1: No, my first language is Japanese. English is my second language.TEACHER: And how about you, Patricia?STUDENT 2: English is my second language, too. My first language is Spanish.TEACHER: See, many of you use English as a second language, even as a global language to communicate with other people who speak English as a second language. Today, I want to give you two contrasting points of view on whether or not English is a global language. The first is that English is obviously a global language. People who support this point of view believe English is the language people all over the world use to communicate, and that it is gradually replacing other languages. The second point of view is that English is not truly a global language because it is not the main language spoken by people worldwide. Supporters of this view say that though many people speak some English worldwide, English has not replaced other languages. They acknowledge that people use English every day, for many reasons, but this doesn't mean English is replacing other languages, nor does it make English the main language spoken in the world.First, let's examine the first view. First of all, English is the dominant language of business, travel, and science. When people need a common language, they often use English. Think about it. English is often used at tourist information centers, in international hotels. If you use a taxi in Rome, and you can't speak Italian, the taxi driver is more likely to use English than any other languages. It is use at business meetings and international sports events. The European Union uses English, along with French, at its meetings….ASEAN the Asian trade group, uses English at its meetings. Can you think of other situations in which English is used as common language?STUDENT 2: How about this class? All of in the Philippines, Singapore, and Indian.TEACHER: Absolutely. Educational settings are a great example. Any others?STUDENT 2: How about a chatroom on sometimes go to chatrooms andeveryone is using English.TEACHER: Excellent example. The Internet has created a lot of communities and people often use English. In fact, most people who use the Internet know English. This helps support the view that English is a global language.The second major reason that people believe English is a global language is that it is the official language of more than seventy-five countries. This means these countries use English in schools, banks, business, and government. Of these seventy-five countries, English may be the only official language of the country, like in England, or English may be used along with other official languages, like in the Philippines, Singapore, and India. In countries like India, where so many languages are spoken, you can see how using English as an official language makes it easier for people to communicate.The third reason to support the global argument is that every year about 1 billion people study English. Why? What are some of the reasons? Hiroshi? How about you?STUDENT 1: Well, now to study, and someday I want to be in international business.TEACHER: That's a solid reason. How about you, Oksana?STUDENT 3: I'm not really sure. I just think it will help me in the future somehow.TEACHER: OK. There's a more general reason. The point is, people want and need to learn English because it offers them opportunities.To sum up, English is used every day by many people. People all over the world come in contact with each other for many reasons. They need a common language, a language to facilitate communication. Being proficient in English gives someone an advantage in these situations.OK. I have given you many examples of how English is used in a variety of situations. Nevertheless, does this mean that English is a global language?Let's look at why some people don't believe English has replaced other languages. First, there are about three times as many people who speak Chinese as their first language as those who speak English as a first language. And in many countries where some people use English for work each day, they don't use English anywhere else. Even in English-speaking countries, there are millions of people who prefer to speak a language other than English at home, with friends, or at work.Second, I mentioned before that seventy-five countries have English as their official language. This doesn't mean all, or even most of the people in these countries can speak English. For example, in India, most sources agree that only about 5 percent of the population speaks English. That's a small percentage!Third, how much English does a person need to know to be called an English speaker? People may learn some English for specific situations, such as the taxi driver I mentioned earlier. However, I think you would all agree with me that a taxi driver who knows a few phrases like where are you going?" or "What is the name of your hotel?" isn't really a proficient English speaker. Another example is Airspeak, the English that is used by air traffic controllers and pilots. A pilot for Japan Airlines or an air traffic controller in Paris needs to know Airspeak. But they may learn only the English words they need for these jobs, and therefore they can't be considered English speakers.The point here is that people all over the world may use some English for work or other situations. Nevertheless, this doesn't mean they are fluent in English. They still use their first language for daily communication. English is not their main language.So, what does this all mean? I think it's safe to say that English will continue to be the main language used in many international settings because, as I said earlier, people all over the world need a common language. And, for now, English is that language.But, English won't replace other languages for most daily communication and this, to me, is what a global language really is, one that replaces others for most everyday communication. Some people are afraid of this. They worry that as people use English more and more, their ability in their first language will decline. I think people will use English along with other languages. We are moving into a global culture, and as this continues, I think people from non-English speaking countries will want to maintain their culture, including their first language. They may still want to learn English, but I don't see them giving up their own language for English. What do you think?I'm going to stop there. I know that's a lot of information to digest. We'll continue talking about some of the differences in the English words used in various countries like Australia, Singapore, and the Philippines. That's all for today. Come see me if you have any questions.Unit 3 High Anxiety: PhobiasTEACHER: Good afternoon. Today we're going to turn to a new topic in psychology and start looking at some specific psychological problems. There are a variety of mental problems that can affect us in our daily lives-some are not so serious, like a fear of cats or of insects, and others are more serious. Now as psychologists, we try to study these different problems and find ways to help people.I want to start the discussion by talking about a fairly common kind of psychological problem-a phobia, that's P-H-O-B-I-A. First, I'll explain what a phobia is and then I'll talk about some theories on why people have phobias. As you probably know, a phobia is a fear. So do any of you have phobias? Oh, come on, you can tell me; I'm a psychologist. Yes, Monica?STUDENT 1: I have a fear of swimming. I don't like to go near the ocean. TEACHER: OK, that's not an unusual phobia. Anyone else? Ali? STUDENT 2: I hate dogs. I mean, I just don't like them. When I see a big dog, actually any dog, I just get nervous, so I avoid them.TEACHER: OK, that's another common phobia. Thanks for sharing those examples of phobias. A phobia is not a normal fear; it is an extreme fear―a very strong fear. For example, my brother, who's a successful artist, had compute r phobia. He didn't simply dislike using computers. He used to have a very strong fear of using them.Psychologists have come up with three characteristics of a phobia. People display these three characteristics if they have a phobia, not just a normal fear. Now first, a phobia is not a rational response. It's a very strong reaction, too strong for the situation. For my brother, this meant he had a very strong physical reaction if someone asked him to use a computer. He started shaking violently and had trouble breathing. Once, he even started choking. Physical reactions like this are common. Second, a phobia often lasts for a long time, for months or even years. In my brother’s case, it lasted several years. Third, the reaction is too strong for a person to control. For example, even if my brother told himself not to be afraid at the computer, it didn't help. He still felt very afraid. Usually, people avoid whatever it is they are so afraid of. So, in my brother’s case, he avoided using a computer.OK, so those are the three characteristics of phobias. It's an extreme, irrationalresponse, it's long-lasting, and it’s uncontrollable.STUDENT 3: So uncontrollable means even if you try to control it, you can't? TEACHER: Yes, it means you can't control it by trying to deny you feel the phobia. There are ways to treat phobias, and we'll talk about those in a minute. Yes?STUDENT 4: What happened to your brother? Did he get over it? TEACHER: Yes, he did. The main thing was that he decided that he wanted to get over it, and he was treated by a psychologist. Now he uses computers all the time.OK, so let's spend a minute going over some classifications of phobias. Phobias are classified by the thing or situation that the person fears. Greek or Latin names are usually used to describe the fear. Here's an example: hypno, H-Y-P-N-O, means sleep, so fear of sleep is hypnophobia. Cyno, C-Y-N-O, means dog. So a fear of dogs is ... cynophobia, right? Here's another example. Aerophobia. Listen to the first part, Aero. What's the fear? Aero as in airplane- aerophobia is fear of flying.Let's turn now to the causes of phobias. One theory is that a phobia is learned. This means something happens that causes someone, or in a sense "teaches someone" to free afraid. For example, Ali could have learned to be afraid of dogs if he was attacked and injured by one as a child.People can also learn to have phobias by watching how other people react. In fact, doctors find that phobias tend to run in families. For example, let's imagine that Ali’s mother has always been afraid of dogs. Whenever All and his mother were together and saw a dog, his mother would get very scared, very nervous. When Ali saw how his mother reacted, he would then gradually become very scared, too. He would then have developed cynophobia from watching his mother. So, you can see that there are two ways learning can be involved in phobias. So, the first theory is that a phobia is learned. Learned either by direct experience or by watching the reactions of others.The second theory says that a phobia is only a sign of a deeper problem. This means that the phobia isn't the whole problem. Let's take another example. I once treated a teenager who was very afraid of the dark. He couldn't be in a dark room by himself. He was terrified to go outside at night, and so on. According to this theory, when he acted afraid of the dark, he was really showing his fear of something else. In therapy, it was revealed that he was afraid of his father. His father was very strict when he was young, and once his father made him sit in a dark the room when he did something bad.According to this theory, his fear of the dark was a sign of his deeper, real fear of his father. Yes, question.STUDENT 4: So what did you do? Did he have to talk with his father? TEACHER: Well, no, we couldn't do that. But recognizing that he was really afraid of his father, and not the dark was the key step in the treatment. Nowhe's cured. No more fear of the dark.OK, so let's think about these two theories, and about the main difference between them. The first theory says that the phobia is the problem itself. Right? And, the second theory says that the phobia is a sign of a deeper problem the person has. Why is this difference important? It's mostly important in deciding how to treat the person. According to the first theory, if a phobia is learned, perhaps it can be unlearned. A psychologist who follows this theory will tryto teach someone to react differently, to behave differently when he or she feels afraid. Changing the p erson’s behavior is the goal. On the other hand, a psychologist who believes the second theory may start by trying to teach the person to react differently, but the doctor is interested in more than that. The doctor’s objective, or goal, is to help the patient reveal the deeper psychological problem, because it will be easier to treat the phobia if the deeper problem is identified and worked on as well.I want you to think for a minute about the significance of having these two theories, or any competing theories. What does it mean? It tells us that psychologists, like any scientists, have to continue to do research, to learn, and to test treatments we believe will be effective based on research. Treatments improve the more we learn.I’m going to stop there for today. In the next class, I want to talk about other psychological problems. Read the next unit in your book before the next class. That’s all for today.Unit 4 TV: What We WatchTEACHER: Good morning. Who watched TV last night? Ah, most of you. OK, today we are going to talk about an important part of the media—TV. Specifically, TV viewing and TV dramas. Now first, I'll give you some background, then we'll discuss what makes this type of programming, dramas, so popular worldwide.OK. Let's get started. Most of you would agree that watching TV is part of most people lives. Now statistics vary on how much TV people watch, but research shows that quite a few Americans, on average, exceed six hours of TV per day.An English professor named Cecelia Tichi has studied TV for many years. In her book, Electronic Hearth: Creating ' an American Television Culture, she discusses how the TV has become the center of activity at home. We walk into a room, turn on the TV, and suddenly the outside world becomes less important. People use TV to tune out, or forget, about the outside world. We're safe to relax and join the world of the TV shows. Do you ever feel this way about TV? ... Yes, many of you are nodding. She also sees our culture as being defined by TV Now, by this she e means that TV has a huge influence on our attitudes, on what we like to eat, on what we like to wear, on what we like to talk about. For example, popular TV shows are discussed at work, at school, in coffee shops. Why, even children four or five years old do this with their favorite shows. This shows that we live in a TV culture.Improved technology has contributed further to our TV culture. Satellite services, in particular, have expanded the TV programming in many parts of the world. There are now hundreds of TV channels people can watch, and the options continue to expand: game shows, sports, news, talk shows, comedies, TV dramas, movies, ... Man, with cable and satellite there are a lot of choices. Nielsen Media Research studies people’s TV viewing habits in the U.S. They monitor which shows are popular brand with whom. For example, popular shows have included the game show Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? And the reality TV show Survivor. They were very, very popular and watched by millions of people of all age groups.Now, all of this is really background. What I want to focus on today is one form of a popular TV show that is popular with many people of many agegroups. This is rat TV dramas, specifically TV dramas known as soap operas, or, in Spanish, telenovelas.Some of you might be familiar with telenovelas. Telenovelas and soap operas in the U.S. are similar but have one big difference—the number of episodes they have. Telenovelas and TV serials end after about 200 episodes. The story eventually ends. Soap operas in the U.S., however, continue day after day for many years and may never end. Well, for example. The Guiding Light has been on^ for more than 12,000 episodes, and on it goes. Can you believe that? More than 12,000 episodes! Soap operas started in the United States in 1959, with the show The Guiding Light. These TV shows were called soap operas because the main advertisers were companies that made soap.Now, this type of programming is popular all over the world. Dozens of countries make their own soap opera shows. Mexican soap operas have been voted the most popular TV show of the year in countries such as Korea and Russia. Japanese soap operas are sent to Belgium. U.S. soap operas are watched worldwide. The Latin American soap opera, Betty La Fea, or Betty The Ugly, was a huge success in the U.S. Brazilian telenovelas are the most widely distributed television shows in the world and have been seen in more than 100 countries. And there are many other examples.What is it about these shows that makes them popular everywhere? And why do people from very different cultures all enjoy watching the same soap opera? Well, there are a couple of reasons.One reason suggested by Robert C. Allen, who has done extensive researchon television viewing, is that many soap operas deal with universal themes that people all over the world understand. Themes are topics ---for example, family, love, personal struggle, money problems, marriage problems, health problems, job problems. Viewers do not need to know the culture in order to understand the family problems in the show.Now according to Irna Phillips, one of the creators of The Guiding Light, another reason is that people identify with the characters. They feel the characters are just like them. To quote her from an interview, "they (the soap operas) deal with life as we know it." Now by this she means the families in soap operas deal with problems of everyday life. And so, as people watch every day, day after day, a special bond or feeling develops between them and the TV family. They get to know the characters and their problems. The TV family's welfare becomes important. There is a sense of community, of sharing, of family. All of these things contribute to character loyalty. If any ofyou have watched a show regularly, you know what I mean. You watch it because you identify with the characters.Now, writers of TV shows understand that TV viewers want to have a groupof characters to know and care about. As Wendy Riche, former executive producer of General Hospital put it, "the audience wants a personal human connection and when they get it, they are devoted.” This means they become very loyal to the TV characters they watch every day. To give an interesting example from As the World Turns: Some years back, the writer wanted to have the main character, Bob Hughes, get shot on a Friday. Well, that Friday turned out to be Christmas Eve. The producers of the show told the writers. “No, no, no… he can’t be shot on this Friday’s show. Do you know why? STUDENT 1: Because it was too violent.TEACHER:Well, no, not because it was too violent, but they didn’t wanthim shot on the Friday before Christmas.STUDENT 1: Why? I mean, why not?TEACHER: Because the audience would worry all weekend about him. They wouldn’t know if he was alive or dead, and they would not enjoy Christmas. So the writers had to change the story, and have him shot after Christmas. Im ean, the viewers really identify with these characters as if they’re real people. Writers for evening TV also try to create character loyalty, but not with a continuing story. Instead, each week, the story begins and ends. However, each week the same characters appear, and viewers watch because they know the characters and they care about them, like friends. A great example of this was the show Seinfield. There were four main characters Jerry, George, Kramer, and Elaine. They each had their own problems their own personalities. Viewers got to know them, and wanted to see what would happen to them. When you think about it, don’t good writers usually do this? They developour interest in the characters so that we want to keep reading, or keep watching TV.The next time you watch a soap opera, thin about the themes that make these shows so popular worldwide. Think about how as people watch each day, they get to know the characters and become a part of that TVB community. OK, that’s all for today. Uh, it’s time for you to go home and watch some TV!。

Unit 7 Who's Calling the Shots? TEACHER: Good morning. Hope you had a good weekend. Today we're going to start talking about styles of business management. Styles of management vary from country to country, company to company, and, from person to person. One approach to good management now considered important worldwide is team building. Team building is only part of what makes someone a good manager, but it underlies many good management practices. When team building, the manager does things to help employees work together effectively as a group, as a team.This is based on the idea that the manager's job isn't simply to tell people what to do, but to help solve problems and help people communicate so they work well together. This approach emphasizes employee relations, and it benefits the company. It hasn't always been this way. Not so many years ago there was an attitude in American companies, of "What the manager says, goes." Employees were expected to do what they were told. But we're seeing a new paradigm because companies have realized that employees don't do their best work when they're treated like this. This was a big change in American management style, perhaps influenced by the Japanese model.First, in order to build a team, a good business manager knows that different people are good at different things and values the special skills that each employee brings to the company. A good manager needs to find a way to let the employees know that their particular skills are important to the company. The employees are then more likely to do their best when they feel valued, and value each other. A strong manager knows how to build a team of employees who help each other do their best work.So, what can a manager do to help employees feel they're valued, like part of the team? Let's consider a situation at a company called the ABC company. Let's say there's new manager in the office, Mrs. Gomez, and she's made some changes. One day, an employee--Mrs. Parks--decides to approach Mrs. Gomez about some problems she is having at work. Mrs. Parks has worked at the company for more than ten years. The new changes make it difficult for her to do her job well. She's stressed, and this is affecting her job performance. So, Mrs. Gomez and Mrs. Parks talk. Mrs. Gomez listens. She knows she has made some changes, and that the office isn't being run like it was before. But she tells Mrs. Parks to try her best, and to give it more time. Oh, I see a question, Anna?STUDENT 1: I'm not clear. What kind of changes are you talking about? TEACHER: Oh. Well, let's say one change is that, before, you gave a rough draft of your report to the secretary, and she edited it and sent it out. Now, the secretary doesn't1 do this for you. You have to do it yourself. She changed the way the office was organized.STUDENT 1: Oh, OK.TEACHER: Later that night, Mrs. Gomez thinks about what Mrs. Parks said. She thinks it's possible that other people in the office are having problems, too.Mrs. Gomez knows that she needs a strong team to be a Successful manager. She also needs a stable group of employees. She doesn't want people to leave. She decides she needs to get an accurate idea of the employees' perspectives. She decides to give the employees an opportunity to share their ideas. She wants to show them she values their work and their experience at the company. So, Mrs. Gomez makes a team-building plan. She begins by scheduling a meeting for the next day to talk about the changes she has made, to give the employees an opportunity to say what problems they're having and to ask questions. At the end of the meeting, she gives the employees some questions to answer in writing to make it easy for them to share their ideas. She tells them she will use the answers they write and the ideas from the meeting to decide on the next step in the office.Let’s consider the kind or questions she gives them. She wants questions that focus on the work itself, questions that would be easy for an employee to answer honestlyQuestions like:A Is it clear to you what your responsibilities are?B Do you know who to talk to if a task is unclear?C Do your team members support you? If not, what specific things couldthey do to help you do a better job?D. What was done in the past that you think worked better?These questions are about the work, about how the office is organized, and about working together. They don't focus on the employee’s feelings aboutthe manager.Mrs. Gomez reads their answers to the questions. She also checks her notes from the meeting. She decides to modify the way she has reorganized the office. Not big changes-just a few small ones. She realizes that some of the old ways were better. So, she makes a few changes back to how the office was organized before. She also comes up with a six month plan for improvement, and tells the employees they will all review the plan together in six months. What message is she communicating to the employees by these actions? Well first, she's telling them she consider their ideas important; she values their opinions. Second she is telling them she is in charge, but she values what they say. Third, she's telling them that change is not necessarily good if there is no good reason for it. In other words, she didn’t need to make so many big changes when she started as manager. And, finally, she is telling them that she is human, that she can admit her mistakes and that she is willing to do what benefits the group. This puts her on the road to gaining their support, and to being a successful manager.Now, on to the third part of her plan. Mrs. Gomez plans a picnic at the park near their office. They have lunch, play games, and talk. They laugh and joke and relax. By the end of the day, they know each other better. Hope fully, this will help them work together better, as well.Let’s review the three parts or Mrs. Gomez’s team-building plan: she had ameeting, she gave employees questions about the office organization, and she planned a fun activity to help them get to know each other. We can see| that her plan is based on the importance of solving problems, and on the belief that communication is vital in order to succeed as a team. This is a key point: Her plan is based on the idea of solving problems and employees sharing ideas. Any questions? Felipe?STUDENT 2: Well, I've studied some business management courses, and I understand that it’s important to develop communication and build up team players, but isn’t it just a waste of time to have these “fun” activities? TEACHER:Well, a lot of managers do think it’s a waste of time, especiallyin the short term. But, in the long run, it's definitely not a waste of time. In fact, it's often a great way to save time in team building.Let's stop here. Today we discussed team building and why it has become important. In the next class, 1 want to talk about other group activities managers can use to build team. We’ll start there next time. That's all for today.Unit 8 Right and Wrong on the Net TEACHER: Good morning. Did anyone hear the news about the teenager in New York who hacked into a bank’s database and stole about 30,000 credit card numbers over the weekend? Hacking is related to computer ethics ―that’s our topic today.Computer ethics deals with the proper use of information technology, such as computers and the Internet. By proper use, I mean socially responsible use. We’ll first talk about what ethical behavior is and how this applies to computer use.First, I want to make sure we all know what ethics is. Anyone? Yes, John? STUDENT 1:It’s about right and wrong.TEACHER: Yes; OK, Jennifer.STUDENT 2:And it’s about being a good person, doing what’s right. TEACHER: Yes, ethics includes both of these ideas. It deals with moral judgment, with what is acceptable or unacceptable to do. Now we learn ideas about what is right and wrong from our families, our friends, and from the culture we live in. Because of differences in our backgrounds, we may not always agree on what is right and wrong.However, for our discussion today, I will define for you what I mean by an ethical action. An ethical action is something someone does that benefits someone and doesn't hurt anyone. So, for example, if you see a man drop some money, and you pick the money up and give it to him, this is an ethical action. On the other hand, if you pick up the money and don't give it back to the man, this benefits you, but hurts the man. This is not an ethical action.Now what about computers? What are the ethical boundaries for using computers and the Internet? Most people agree that it is wrong to steal from a store. Would they also say it's wrong to copy music files from the Internet? Or, to take another example, most people agree that it is wrong to open anenvelope and read a letter to someone else. Would they also say it's wrong to read someone else's e-mail?In the past decade or so, many more people have started using computers and the Internet, so these issues have become important. In 1992, the Computer Ethics Institute was founded in the United States. This is a research, education, and policy study group whose goal is to increase awareness of the ethicalissues that are likely to come up as technology develops.One concept the Computer Ethics Institute has developed is the Ten Commandments of Computer Ethics. These rules are important guidelines the Institute thinks all computer users should follow. Now some of you may be familiar with the Ten Commandments from the Bible, like, uh, "Thou shalt not kill" or "Thou shalt honor thy father and thy mother." The Ten Commandments of Computer Ethics have been written in the same style of language used in the Ten Commandments from the Bible. For example, they use the phrase "Thou shalt not." "Thou shalt not" means don't or you shouldn't. Let's look at each commandment or rule. The first commandment says: Thou shalt not use a computer to harm other people. Simple enough, right? Number Two. Thou shalt not interfere with other peoples computer work. I interpret this to mean don't use a computer in any way that will affect or change the work someone else is doing. Don't move or edit someone else's files without telling them. Number Three. Thou shalt not snoop in other people's files. To snoop means to try to find out something without another person knowing it. If you look at someone else's files on the computer or read their e-mail, you're snooping. Respect other people’s privacy. Number Four. Thou shalt not use a computer to steal. There are situations on the Internet in which you have to decide if you are stealing or not, like downloading music files, as I mentioned earlier.Number Five. Thou shalt not use a computer to say things that are untrue. Itis up to you to be truthful in your website, in your e-business, and in your e- mail.Number Six. Thou shalt not use software for which you have not paid. In other words, if the software is free on the Internet, it's okay to download and use it. However, it is not okay to copy software from a friend, because you didn't pay for it.Number Se ven. Thou shalt not use other people’s computer resources without telling them, or without paying them. For example, you shouldn't use someone else's computer, password, or Internet connection without asking them first.Number Eight. Thou shalt not appropriate someone else's ideas. Appropriate is spelled A-P-P-R-O-P-R-I-A-T-E.... It means to take words someone else wrote and say they're yours. Uh, for example, you have to write a report for school. If you copy a term paper from the Internet and hand it in, you're breaking the rule. Copying even a few sentences off the Internet andpresenting them as your own is breaking the rule.Number Nine. The ninth commandment says: Thou shalt think about the social consequences of the program you are writing. Now, this applies mostlyto computer programmers. Social consequences means how the program you're writing might affect others in society. Could hackers possibly use your program to illegally gain access to a computer system? Skillful hackers can hack into banks and into credit card companies; they can alter accounts and steal money. They can also create viruses that can cause billions of dollars of damage worldwide.Number Ten. The tenth commandment says: Thou shalt always use a computer in ways that are respectful of others. For example, sending unfriendly e-mail to someone or about someone or creating websites with negative messages are examples of breaking this rule.OK, the Computer Ethics Institute has sent these guidelines to many large companies and to schools across the United States. However, there's no way to enforce these rules. Nevertheless, they would like to see schools, in particular, utilize these rules to help students develop a strong sense of computer ethics. OK, any questions or comments at this point?STUDENT 1: How are we supposed to remember all those rules? TEACHER: Well, there are a lot of rules, but they all boil down to a couple of principles: respect and fairness. Respect what belongs to others and use resources fairly. Does that help?STUDENT 1: Yeah, I guess so.TEACHER:good. Let’s go back to ethics. Now increasingly, schools are seeing that students need to be taught computer ethics as part of the school curriculum. Some schools have come up with acceptable-use policies, or rules about what is or isn’t OK for students to do regarding computer use. This is how the Computer Ethics Institute would like to see schools utilizing the rules. Generally, it’s considered wrong to steal someone else’s password or to read someone else’s e-mail. It’s also considered unacceptable in college classes for a student to down load a term paper off the Internet and pretend that he or she wrote it. This is called “plagiarism,” and it’s a good exampleof breaking rule number eight. Students are permitted to use the Internet for research, but are instructed to write the information in their own words and to explain where they got the information.Now the ten rules are guidelines for us to follow. These rules help us to be aware of the ethical uses of technology. Let’s stop here for today. Think about these rules this week and we’ll talk about them. And read the next two chapters for next week.Unit 9 Which Way Will It Go?TEACHER: The topic for today's class is land as a resource. Land, water, trees, oil.., these are all resources, and as future environmental scientists, you need to understand how to manage these resources. As the world population increases, managing land resources will become a greater priority. Land is a limited resource.Today I'm going to divide the lecture into two parts. First we'll look at some of the factors contributing to pressures on the land we have, and then I wantto turn to some of the ways people worldwide are trying to address land problems and meet the needs of future generations. Think of it as first the bad news, then the good news. Let me start by saying there is less good productive land now than there was even ten years ago. By productive land I mean land that is fertile, that we can use to grow food and raise animals. Each year more and more land becomes degraded. We are losing productive land. Worldwide, new dry areas are developing and expanding. This is happening on every continent except Antarctica.I don't mean existing deserts like the Sahara are getting bigger. I'm talking about new dry areas, areas where land has been declining in quality. You can see these areas in the map in your book. Why are these areas forming and expanding? What do you think? Theresa?STUDENT 1: It's the climate, isn't it? The earth is getting, you know, hotter because of global warming, so water gets evaporated and the land dries out. TEACHER: OK. Marcel, do you agree?STUDENT 2: Well, yeah. It has to be the weather. What else could it be? TEACHER: Well, different reasons have been given. Some people contribute it to global warming or to climate changes. They say nature simply produces dry regions, like the Sahara Desert, as well as wet regions, like the Amazon Rainforest Well, let's think about this. Is it only the weather? Let's see if there are other factors contributing to this trend. Is nature, or the weather, really the problem? According to a large group of scientists, the weather isn't the main factor. Instead, they say, people are the main factor. When they say people are the main problem, they mean people's actions--how people use and manage land. Poor land management, overpopulation, poor farming techniques, too many animals, and so on, can all affect the land.Look at the chart in your book. As you can see, researchers have identified several ways human activities contribute to the problem. The first is overgrazing by farm animals. They say about 35 percent of the loss of productive land is due to overgrazing by farm animals. The second is overcutting of trees, which leads to about 30 percent of the loss. And lastly, 28 percent of the loss of good land is from methods of farming. Overgrazing, overcutting, and farming methods. Let's look at these one at a time.The first is overgrazing. Good topsoil is lost or damaged because of overgrazing by farm animals. Overgrazing means the animals eat too many of the plants. There are several bad results of overgrazing. First, there aren't enough plants left to hold the soil in place. Then, the topsoil is eroded by wind and rain; they carry it away. Second, as the animals walk around, the soil is compacted, and gets very hard. If the soil is too hard, rain- water isn't absorbed into the soil, and this causes the soil to stay dry and warm. As the soil gets drier, even fewer plants can grow. This, in turn, causes the animals to walk around more and more, in order to find enough food to eat. And, this causes the ground to get packed down even more, and get even drier, and so on. So, you can see that overgrazing can create this cycle.Second, overcutting of trees also contributes to the loss of good land. The main problem is too many trees are cut and not replanted. For years we'veheard about how this is happening on a large scale in the Amazon Rain Forest in Brazil. Trees, like land, are a resource we depend on. They're vital to the whole environmental balance on earth. If trees are cut down and not replanted, there is nothing to hold the good soil. Wind and water carry the good soil away and it erodes quickly, leaving land that is dry and less productive. So, overcutting is another reason why land quality is declining.Third, farming methods are another big factor. In some places, traditional methods that have been used for hundreds of years no longer work well. Why do they no longer work well? Partly because the population is increasing,and farmers aren't equipped to meet these new demands, and partly because the soil is getting worn out. More people need to be fed from less land. As a result, some farmers may use too much fertilizer on the limited land they have, or not let the land rest from year to year, causing it to become less fertile. Irrigation is a huge factor many of us don't think about. Irrigation water often has salt in it, and when the salt builds up in the soil, the soil can no longer be used for farming. Currently, about one third of the irrigated land in the world has too much salt in it. Irrigation has taken a heavy toll on good land.So, basically, how people use the land seems to be a bigger factor in the decrease of productive land than weather. Of course, weather extremes, likeno rain or too much rain, can add to the problem. However, the weather is not the main reason for the problem. Some of the extremes in the weather caused by global warming can make the situation worse for people who live in these dry areas. But the weather alone is not the main issue.The decline of productive land is a worldwide problem. Currently, about one third of the world's land area is considered unproductive because it is too dry and damaged.OK, so that's the bad news. Now let's turn to the good news. What are countries doing to help preserve land as a resource? As experts learn more about this worldwide problem, they have tried to find ways to address it. Right now there are several organizations, the United Nations for one, that are working to help people. They try to help countries or communities look at their specific problems and figure out what possible changes they can maketo protect their land. They talk to people about their farming methods, their animals, and how they use trees and other resources. Then they suggest changes that might alleviate some of their problems. Farmers might try to grow genetically engineered crops that don't hurt the soil as much, or plant new trees, or raise fewer animals, or build new irrigation systems that leave less salt in the soil. They look for local solutions that will work best for that country. This includes looking at what has been done traditionally and implementing modern farming methods in ways that respect the local culture. So, let's review what we covered today. I mentioned that about one third of the available land worldwide has become dry and less productive. The main reason for land degradation is people's actions, including overgrazing by animals, overcutting of trees, and farming methods. As scientists learn more, we need to work to help countries make specific changes and for farmers to become better equipped so that they can preserve the good land that is left. Let me just add that if we look at the estimates of what the world populationwill be fifty years from now-- about 9 billion people―it helps us see that protecting the good land that's left needs to be a high priority. I'll stop there. We'll continue with this next class. That's all for this afternoon.Unit 10 It's in the DNATEACHER: Good morning. Today we'll talk about an important topic in biology--DNA and DNA testing. Can anybody tell us what DNA stands for? STUDENT 1: de-oxyribonucleic acidTEACHER: Right. It's the molecule that carries genetic information in all living cells. Now first, we'll look at what DNA is and when it was discovered. Then, we'll look at DNA testing and several applications, or uses of testing. This is an exciting topic for biologists because the more we learn about DNA, the more we see how science may change our lives--from healthcare to our relationships. OK, what does DNA look like?STUDENT 1: It looks like two strings, kind of wrapping around each other. TEACHER: Yes, exactly. There's a simple drawing of one in your book. As you can see, a molecule of DNA consists of two strands of chemical compounds arranged in a twisted pattern. Inside the human cell are chromosomes. The DNA is organized in twenty-three pairs of chromosomesin the cell. Genes are arranged on the chromosomes and these carry fundamental genetic information like hair color, eye color, or characteristics that aren't as visible, such as intelligence, and a lot more. Scientists have been studying DNA for a long time. First, in 1860, Gregor Mendel made two important discoveries: tiny particles he called genes, and, that genes carry information from cell to cell. Now this was really the beginning. Then, in 1953, J. D. Watson and Francis Crick discovered and described the DNA structure. Their work was so important that they received the Nobel Prize in 1962. For the first time, scientists could understand exactly how DNA tells the cells what to do. This generated more DNA research, and by the end of the twentieth century, scientists made other important discoveries. Probably the most important work was the Human Genome Project. The goal of the Human Genome Project was to complete the first reading of the human genome, the complete set of human DNA. Uh, this was a huge job, but after ten long years in June, 2000, the head of the Project announced that they had identified the complete set of human genes. Uh, this was a huge deal. Most people saw this as the beginning of a whole new era in DNA research. Scientists could readall of the genetic messages in the human body! This is, of course, a very brief history of the study of DNA.All right, let's consider DNA testing. One important use of DNA testing is testing identity, which is also called DNA fingerprinting. Here's how a DNA fingerprint is done. Scientists take a small sample of someone's hair or skin, which contain DNA. Next, they treat the sample with chemicals and make a film, like a small photograph. On this film there is a visible pattern of black bars. This pattern of black bars is unique for each person. So, a DNA sample from your hair identifies you, it's, it's like your fingerprint; it identifies you and you only. I see a question. Miguel?STUDENT 2: Does theDNA from hair or skin or blood all look the same?TEACHER: No, not exactly. The DNA from your hair will look like hair DNA but it will be uniquely your DNA pattern. It's sort of like all noses look like noses, right? But your nose looks like your nose only.Now I want to look at two applications, or uses, of DNA testing. First, how it can be used by doctors, and second, how it can be used by the police. Within health- care, one important use is to identify potential for health problems. Researchers have found some genes linked to specific diseases. For example. Huntington's disease is linked to a defect in chromosome 4, and Alzheimer's disease is linked to a defect in chromosome 19. A genetic link means that doctors know that if someone has defects in these genes, they're more likelyto get these health problems; their potential is increased. Notice, I didn't say "Researchers have found that some gene defects cause specific diseases." There is simply a link.After doctors perform DNA testing, they can then decide the best way to use the information. For example, they may give medication to a patient to prevent a disease from ever starting. Genetic testing can also be used to decide which medicine to give someone. This is called targeted medicine. To me, this is very exciting and promising. There are tiny differences in DNA from person to person. These differences can affect which patients will be helped by a drug, and who may be harmed by it. This is, uh, a tremendous advantage. It saves lives and money.Now, let's look at how DNA testing is used by police. The police can use DNA fingerprints to identify and trace criminals. All they need is a small amount,or trace, of blood or hair from the crime scene. If the DNA samples from the crime scene and the suspect match, the results, at least in the United States, can be used as evidence in court. So, DNA testing can be used to help put someone in prison. In much the same way, DNA testing can be used to help innocent people in prison. People in prison can now try to use DNA testingfor crimes that happened, say, ten years ago. If their DNA fingerprint doesn't match the DNA fingerprint from the crime scene, this can help them get a new trial and perhaps get them out of prison.As you can see, there are benefits to DNA testing. However, there are also some concerns that this type of information might be used against us in the future.Now let's consider how DNA testing could be used against you. What if a company you wanted to work for asked you to take a DNA test? And what if your DNA test showed that you had a gene defect linked to a certain type of cancer? Would the company decide not to hire you? People also worry about health insurance. They're afraid they might not be able to get health insurance if their DNA test shows they're at a higher risk for certain diseases. As a result, in the United States, some laws have been passed to protect the privacy of medical records.Now DNA testing has other possibilities that we won't discuss today. But in any case, many people think about the negative uses of testing--the fear thatit will be used against people or to create "perfect" babies. Others think about police being able to trace criminals and possible advances in healthcare. But, another way to think about it is that it tells us more about who we are, and that's the goal of biology--to understand nature. I guess I'll stop there for today. In the next class, l want to talk in more depth about uses of DNA testing by doctors. OK, we'll start there next time. That's, uh, that's all for today.。

Unit 2 听力原文PartⅠBH—House agent W—Woman M—ManH: …right, if you’d just come this way.W: Thank you.M: Yes.H: Er…on the right here we have the…er…the bathroom, which as you can see is fully…fully fitted. If we just move forward now, we…er…come into the er…main … main bed-sitting room here. And…er…on the left here are dining room table and chairs.W: Oh yes.M: Yes.H: And er…straight ahead of us…um…foldaway double bed and mattress, which I think you’ll agree is quite a novel idea.M: Oh yes.H: And then…um…to…W: Behind the armchair.H: Yes, behind the armchair. To our right, um…in the corner there, a fitted wardrobe. And another one on my left here.W: On either side of the bed?H: Yes, that’s right. That’s right, so you can put all you…er…night attire or what … whatever jyou like in here.M: Yes, that’s good.H: (facing the door) Then, there…the…we have the sofa here…er…in front of the…um…the window.M: Oh, yes.H: Er…so there’s plenty of light coming through into the room and as you can see there’s a nice view through the windows there.W: No curtains, though.H: No curtains, but we’ve got roller blinds.W: Oh.H: Yes, they’re nice and straight forward. No problems about that—don’t have to wash them of course. And…um…on the left of the…er…sofa there, you can see nice coffee tables.H: If…if we move straight a … straight ahead, actually, into the …er… the kitchen you can see that um…on my left here we’ve got a washing machine, tumble dryer and …um…electric cooker…W: Oh yes.M: Mmm.H: All as you can see to the most modern designs. And there um…on the other side of the kitchen…um…refrigerator there in the…in the corner.M: Oh yeah, yes.W: Oh, what a nice little cubbyhole! Yes, very neat.H: Yes. Well…um… I don’t know whether you’ve got any questions. That’s it of course.W: Well, could…could we perhaps see the bathroom, because we…we didn’t see that?H: OK, yes, yes, Let’s…um…let’s go on out of here and…um…end up in the bathroom…CD—Dave R—RandallD: Hi Randall. (Hi.) Come on in.R: Uh, yeah, I stopped by to see if you were still looking for a roommate to share your house.D: Yep. I sure am. Ever since I cut back on my working hours to go to school, I’ve been really strapped for cash.R: Oh.D: Hey, let me show you the place. Uh, here’s the living room.R: Oh. It looks like you could use a new carpet…and those stains?D: Well, I’ve had a few problems with some former roommates. I know it needs to be cleaned, but I just don’t have the money to do it right now.R: Oh. And what about the kitchen?D: Right this way. Look. It’s completely furnished with all the latest appliances, except…R: What?D: Well, the refrigerator door is broken…a little bit…and it won’t shut all the way. It needs fixing, but don’t worry. I’ve just impoversihed by pushing a box against it to keep it shut.R: Hmm. Great.D: Ah. It isn’t that bad.R: Well how about the bathroom?D: Well…R: No, no. Don’t tell me. The toilet is clogged or the sink has a few leaks.D: No, those work fine, but, uh, the tile in the shower needs to be replaces, and the window needs fixing.R: Let me see. The tile…what? The window? Where’s the window pane?D: Well, that’s another slight problem. I’ve put up a piece of cardboard to keep out the (Hmmm) rain and snow, and if it gets a little cold, you can always turn up the heat. Well, you used to until the central heating went out. (Oh, boy.)R: Hey, I think I’ve seen enough. I can’t believe you’ve survived under these conditions.D: So what do you think? You really can’t beat a place like this for $450 a month. So it has its problems, but we can fix those.R: Uh, no thank you. I think I’ve seen enough.Part Ⅱ1. My dream house would be a canal boat. I’d like to wake up every morning and see the water. Erm, I’d paint it bright red, and it would have a little roof-garden for all my pot-plants.2. My ideal house would be modern, ermm, it would be made of bricks, and it would have white pillars outside the front door, and it would be detached…on yes, it would have a garage.3. My ideal home would be to live in a cottage in a small village by the sea. Er, somewhere like Cornwall, so it’s unspoilt and there are cliffs and trees around.4. I think if I could have any sort of house, I’d like one of those white-walled villas in Spain. (It’d) Be marvelous to be able to just fall out of bed and into the sea first thing in the morning. (It’d) Be absolutely great. All that heat. Marvelous.5. I’ve always wanted to live in a really big house in the country, a big family house with, er…at least two hundred years old, I think, with a big garden, and best of all I’d like to have a dry-stonewall around the garden. I’ve always lived dry-stone walls.6. D’you know, I may sound daft but what I’ve always wanted to do is live somewhere totally isolated, preferably somewhere enormous like a castle or something, you know, right out in…by the sea or even sort of in a little island, on an island, you know, out at sea, where you have to get there by a boat or something, where it’s cut off at high tide. I think it’d be really great. Questions1. According to the first speaker, in what color would her dream house be painted?2. Where would she put all her pot-plants?3. In the second speaker’s opinion, what would there be outside the front door of his ideal house?4. What would there be around the third speaker’s ideal home?5. When the fourth speaker got up in the morning, what would he do first?6. What is Spain famous for?7. According to the fifth speaker, what would she like to have around the garden of her dream house?8. How should one get to the last speaker’s ideal house?Part ⅢW—Wendy Stott H—House ownerW: Oh hello. (Hello.) My name’s Wendy Scott. Did the estate agent ring you and tell you I was coming?H: Oh yes, yes I was expecting you. Do come in. (Thank you.) Have you had the particulars and everything? Did the estate agent give you, you know, all the details?W: Oh yes. Yes I have, and I was rather interested; that was why I came round this afternoon. You seem to have decorated quite recently…H: Yes, oh, yes, it was decorated last year. Now this is the … this is the kitchen.W: Yes…er… What kitchen equipment are you leaving behind or are you going to take it all?H: Well, you know it rather depends on what I end up buying. I’ve got something in mind at the moment but as you know these things can take ages (Yes.) but the place I’m going to has no gas so I’ll probably be leaving this stove, this oven here.W: Is it…is it quite new? Have you had it long?H: Oh, no, not long. It’s about five or six years old. (I see.) I’ve found it very reliable but I shall be taking that fridge but you can see everything else. It’s a fully fitted kitchen.W: Yes, what about the dishwasher…um…is that a dishwasher under the sink?H: No, no, that’s a washing machine, I shall be taking that, yes, I will but there is plumbing for a washing machine. (Right.)W: Is the gas cooker the only gas appliance you’ve got?H: No, no, there is a gas fire but I don’t use it very much; it’s in the main room, the lounge.W: Oh. Right. That seems fine.H: Well, then across here if you’d like to come in with me, this is the sitting room. (Oh. Yes.) Well you can see for yourself it is really.W: Oh I like the windows, right down to the floor, that’s really nice…H: Yes, yes, they are nice. It’s got a very pleasant view and there’s a balcony you can sit out on in the summer. (Yes, it’s a nice view.) Yes, it is nice. Now then across here this is the smallest bedroom; (Yes.) there are three rooms, this is the smallest and it’s no more really than a box room but of course you can get a bed in.W: You could make it into a study. It would be more useful I think.H: Yes, well I think somebody else has got this room as a study. Then this…this is the second bedroom. (Yes.) As you can see it’s got a fitted cupboard and those shelves there they are also fitted.W: Have you got an airing cupboard anywhere?H: Oh. Yes, there’s one in the bathroom. I’ll show you that in a moment. (Oh right.) Now this is the third bedroom, this is the largest bedroom. (Oh.) Of course it’s got the wash basin, double fitted cupboard, plenty of space really, there, (Very nice.) and of course this room does take the double bed. Now…um…this is the bathroom. There’s the airing cupboard. (Is that the airing cupboard?) Yes, that’s right. It’s nice and warm in there; it’s rather small but I mean it is adequate, you know, and of course there is…there is the shower.W: Is that, did you put that in yourself or was it in with the flat?H: Oh, no. No that was in when the flat was built.W: Is it quite reliable? (Oh yes.) because I’ve had problems with a shower recently? (Yes, no I’ve never had problems with that. No. It’s really good.) Is it gas heated at the water point?H: No, that is electric. (Ah.)Statements:1. Wendy Stott knows nothing about the flat before she comes to have a look at it.2. The flat was decorated five or six years ago.3. The house owner has used the oven and the stove for about five or six years.4. The windows in the largest bedroom are right down to the floor.5. There is a balcony in the sitting-room.Part ⅥInterviewer: how important are property prices in the economy?Roy: In the UK, most people invest most of their money in their house. So property prices are extremely important.Interviewer: Mmm. What’s you view on the UK property market? Do you think prices are too high?Roy: Well, in recent years, prices have gone up…ten to twenty percent a year, um…in some years even more. But inflation has been just two or three percent a year. So I think it’s clear that, um…the bloom has to end.Interviewer: Mmm. The last property market crash, in the UK, was in the late 1980s, and it put the UK economy into a recession. Do you think the same thing will happen again.Roy: I don’t think prices will crash. The…the economic situation was different in the late 80s…interest rates rose quite fast just before property prices fell. Today the Bank of England is much more careful with… with changes in interest rates. The other important difference, I think, is that then unemployment was quite high. Today, it’s very low—about five percent. So I don’t think prices will crash, but it is possible they’ll fall a little. Or stay at the same level for a few years.Interviewer: Banks have lent people a lot of money in recent years. People have got big mortgages. Do you think there’ll be a problem? Will people have less money to spend in the future?Roy: Oh, certainly. Because the loan haven’t just been mortgages — people have also borrowed money to spend in the shops. So far, that’s helped the economy, because spending has been high. But at the end of the day, people will have to pay the money back. So I think we’ll see lowerconsumer spending over the next few years.PartⅤApartment manager: well, hi, Mr. Brown. How’s your apartment working out for you?Tenant: Well Mr. Nelson. That’s what I would like to talk to you about. (What?) Well, I want to talk to you about that noise! (Oh) You see. Would you mind talking to the tenant in 4B and ask him to keep his music down, especially after 10:00 o’clock at night?Apartment Manager: Ohhh. Who me?Tenant: Why yes. The music is blaring almost every night, and it should be your job as manager to take care of these things.Apartment Manager: Hey, I just collect the rent. Besides, the man living there is the owner’s son, and he’s a walking refrigerator. (Well . . .) Hey, I’ll see what I can do. Anything else?Tenant: Well, yes. Could you talk to the owners of the property next door about the pungent odor drifting this way.Apartment Manager: Well, the area is zoned for agricultural and livestock use, so there’s nothing much I can do about that.Tenant: Well, what about the . . . . That, that noise.Apartment Manager: What noise? I don’t hear anything.Tenant: There, there it is again.Apartment Manager: What noise?Tenant: That noise.Apartment Manager: Oh, that noise. I guess the military has resumed its exercises on the artillery range.Tenant: You have to be kidding. Can’t anything be done about it?Apartment Manager: Why certainly. I’ve protested this activity, and these weekly (Weekly!) activities should cease . . . within the next three to five years.Tenant: Hey, you never told me about these problems before I signed the rental agreement.。

Unit 6 听力原文Part IB1. Tell me about yourself.2. What do you think are your strengths and weaknesses?3. We have a lot of applicants for this job, why should we appoint you?4. What has been your most valuable experience?5. How would you describe your personality?6. When did you last lose your temper? Describe what happened.7. Which is more important to you: status or money?8. How long do you think you’d stay with us if you were appointed?9. Why do you want to leave your present job?10. What makes you think you’d enjoy working for us?11. Are you an ambitious person?12. What would you like to be doing ten years from now?13. What are you most proud of having done in your present job?14. What was the worst problem you have had in your presentjob and how did you solve it?15. What is the best idea you’ve had in the past month?16. What is your worst fault and what is your best quality?17. Don’t you think you’re a little young for this job?18. What are your long-range goals?19. Describe your present job — what do you find rewardingabout it?20. Now, what do you do in your spare time?21. What excites you about the job you’re doing now?22. What worries you about the job you’re doing now?23. Describe your ideal boss.24. How would you rate your present boss?C1. A person who likes to give or share things with others.2. Someone who always tells the truth.3. A person who is quick at learning new things.4. Someone who is always on time.5. A person who can’t keep a secret.6. Someone who does not think about other people’s feeling.7. A person who speaks in a very direct and honest way.8. Someone who is educated or has good manners.9. A person who comes up with new and original ideas.10. Someone who has a strong desire to succeed.Part II Two girls talking on the phoneClara: That number has been engaged for ages. Nobody can be that popular. I wonder if her number’s been changed. I think I’ll try again (Dialling)Sue: 3346791Clara: Is that you sue?Sue: Who’s callingClara: This is Clara, Clara Fulkson. Don’t you remember me?Sue: Clara! Of course I remember you. How are you? I haven’t heard from you for at least 2 years. What are you doing?Clara: Nothing very exciting. That’s one reason I’m ringing. I need some advice.Sue: Advice? Hm...That’s a good one. I’ve just been sacked (Pips) Clara: There’s (a) pips. Hang on Sue. (Insert a coin) What do you mean you’ve just been sacked? Sue, you are the most successful woman I know.Sue: That’s probably why I’ve been sacked. But let’s talk aboutyou. You said you needed some advice.Clara: I certainly do. I want to ask you about interviews. Have you had (a) lots of them?Sue: Yes, I have. Too manyClara: So could you tell me the sort of questions you are usually asked?Sue: Let me think. The first ten questions are almost always the same. I call them the why’s, how’s and where’s.(pips again)Clara: Not again, Don’t go away, Sue, I’ve got one more coin. (Insert one more coin) Are you there Sue?Sue: Yes, I’m still here?Clara: Sorry, I didn’t understand what you were telling me. Could you repeat it?Sue: It’s very boring. But here you are. I’m always asked: whyI want to leave my present job; why I’m interested in the new job;how I intend to get to work; how long I intend to stay at the job;Where I live; where I went to school; how much I ‘m paid in my present job; how much I expect to be paid in the new job. Oh, yes.I’m always asked if I’m married.(pips again)Clara: That is it, Sue. No more coins. I’ll write to you soon. And many thanks.Questions:1. What are the manes of the two speakers?2. Where might the caller make the phone call?3. How many coins did the caller insert?4. How long haven’t the two girls seen each other for?5. How many why’s, how’s and where’s can you remember? Place a tick by all the questions you can remember.Part III A good interviewA.Interviewer: Good morning, Miss ...Miss Jones: Miss Jones.Interviewer: Miss Jones, yes, right. Now, you’d like to join our team, I gather.Miss Jones: Yes, I would.Interviewer: That’s very good. I’d like to know a little bit about you. Perhaps you could tell me a little bit about your education.Miss Jones: Oh yes. I left school at 18 and for the first two yearsI went to Gibsons. They’re an engineering firm. And after that, I did a one-year full-time PA course and went back to Gibsons. I was PA to the Export Director. I stayed there for two years and then moved on to my present company. That’s Europa Marketing. And I’ve been with them for three years now, first working with the Marketing Director and now I’m with the Sales Director.Interviewer: That’s all very interesting, Miss Jones. I’d like to know what was the course that you enjoyed most at school?Miss Jones: Foreign languages. We did French and German. Interviewer: And are you quite fluent in those languages now or ...?Miss Jones: Yes, a bit rusty now, but obviously the more travel I can do the more I can use my languages and I’d like to learn another language. I’d like to add Italian as well.Interviewer: Italian?Miss Jones: Yes.Interviewer: Very good, that might be very useful. Now tell me a little bit about the work you’re doing at present.Miss Jones: Well Europa Marketing is a marketing and public relations company and they do consultancy work for companies operating in the UK and European markets. Our clients come from allover the world. I assist the sales director by arranging these visits, setting up meetings and presentations and I deal with her correspondence. I’ve not been able to go with her on any of her trips abroad, but I’ve been to the firms in this country, several times on my own to make these arrangements.Interviewer: It sounds as if you’re very happy there, Miss Jones.I’m curious why you’d like to leave them and join our company.Miss Jones: Well I know Anglo-European has a very good reputation. And I feel that I would have more scope and opportunity in your company and that the work will be more challenging for me. I might be able to travel and use my languages because at the moment most of my work is rather routine secretarial-type work and I like the idea of more challenges in my life really ...B.Interviewer: Good morning, Miss ...Miss Jones: Miss Jones. Good morning.Interviewer:Miss Jones, yes, right. Hi. Um ... now, you’d like to join our team, I gather.Miss Jones: Yes, I would.Interviewer: That’s ... that’s very good. Er ... I’d like to know alittle bit about you. Perhaps you could tell me ... perhaps we could start ... if you could tell me a little bit about your education.Miss Jones: Oh yes, right. Well, I left school at 18 and for the first two years I went to Gibsons, you might know them, they’re an engineering firm.(An, yes, right.) Um ... and after that, I wanted to do a course, so I d ... I did a one-year full-time PA course and went back to Gibsons. I was PA to the Export Director. I stayed there for another two years and ... and then I moved on to my present company. Um ... that’s Europa Marketing ... um ... Mr. Adair, the marketing director, offered me a job because Gibsons had ... had worked quite a lot with Europa Marketing. (Oh, yes, Europe’s got big business.) And I’ve been with them for three years now ... um ... first with the Marketing Director and ... and now I’m with the Sales Director.Interviewer: That’s all very interesting, Miss Jones. Um ... I ... I’d like to know, what did you enjoy most at school? What was the course that you enjoyed most?Miss Jones: Ah ... foreign languages I liked best. (Foreign languages.) We did French and German. Yes.Interviewer: Mhm. And are you quite fluent in those now or ... ?Miss Jones: Yes, a bit rusty now, but ... um ... obviously themore travel I can do the more I can use my languages and I’d like to learn another language. I’d like to add Italian as well.Interviewer: Italian?Miss Jones: Yes.Interviewer: Very good, very good, that ... that might be very useful. Now ... er ... tell me a little bit about ... er ... the work you’re doing at present.Miss Jones: Um ... well ... er ... Europa Marketing is a marketing and public ... public relations company and they do ... they do consultancy work for companies operating in the UK and European markets. Er ... our clients come from all over the world ... um ... we deal with some of them by ... by post, but most of them come to our offices and at least once during a project. I assist the sales director by arranging these visits, setting up meetings and presentations and I ... I deal with her correspondence. I’ve not been able to go with her on any ... on any of her trips abroad, but I ... I’ve been to firms in this country, several times on my own ... um ... to make these arrangements.Interviewer: It sounds as if you’re very happy there, Miss Jones. I’m curious why you’d like to leave them and join our company.Miss Jones:Well ... um ... I know the reputation of Anglo-European and it has a very good reputation. And I feel that I would have more scope and opportunity in your company and that the work will be more challenging for me. I might be able to possibly travel and use my languages because at the moment most of my work is ... is rather routine secretarial-type work and I like the idea of more ... um ... challenges in my life really ...Part ⅣAAt interview the first thing that I notice is how the person settles down, and when they sit down. Do they immediately rush into the room, grab a chair without being invited to sit down? Are they nervous? Do they spend a lot of time fiddling with their hands, brushing their hair back, holding their pen, tapping it on the table? Obviously everyone is nervous at interview and you make allowances for that, but if it continues throughout the whole interview then you have to ask yourself what will they be like in a normal job?Second thing that I look for is: Do they look at you? Do they make eye contact? Because if they won’t look at you in a job which depends on making a good impression, then probably in the job they won’t do verywell in terms of making contact and having good relations with other colleagues. The sort of person normally we would look for would be someone who was, open, outgoing, enthusiastic and who could talk intelligently about what they had done and what they hoped to do. That doesn’t mean that they have to have had a lot of experience but that they should be able to reflect on whatever experience they’ve had.The other kinds of things that we might talk about in an interview of course are what the person expects to get from a new job, and I think that it is important because it shows the expectations that the person has-what they want from their job. It’s interesting to hear why people want to change jobs.B... But as important as qualifications are, and you won’t get to an interview or at least people won’t get to an interview without the qualifications, the most important thing in fact is the character and how a person presents themselves at interview. I find it very difficult to define exactly the sort of person I am looking for, but when I meet someone I can tell whether they are the sort of person that I would like to appoint or whether they are not.At interview the first thing that I notice is how the person settlesdown, when they sit down. Do they immediately rush into the room, grab a chair without being invited to sit down? Are they nervous? Um, do they spend a lot of time fiddling with their hands, brushing their hair back, er holding their pen, tapping it on the table? Obviously everyone is nervous at interview and you make allowances for that, but if it continues throughout the whole interview then of course you have to ask yourself if they’re like this after, say, an hour of interview, what will they be like in a normal job?Second thing that I look for is: Do they look at you? Do they make eye contact? Because if they won’t look at you in a job where in, in a situation where a job depends on, on them making a good impression, then probably in the job they won’t do very well in terms of making, er, good, making contact with other colleagues, making, having good relations with other colleagues. The sort of person normally we would look for would be someone who was, open, outgoing, enthusiastic and who could talk intelligently about what they had done and what they hoped to do. That doesn’t mean that they have to have had a lot of experience but that they should be able to reflect on whatever experience they’ve had.The other kinds of, of um things that we might talk about in aninterview of course are what, er what the person expects to get from a new job in a new country, and that I think is important because it shows the expectations that the person has — what they want from their job. Um it’s interesting to hear why people want to change jobs, why they want to go to a new country.Part V Who’ll Get the Job?(Jane Langley is being interviewed by Mrs. Grey, the Personnel Manager, and Mr. Toms. )Mr. Toms: Yes, I see. Good. Good.Mrs. Grey: Miss Langley, I see that your last employer, Mr.Carmichaes, described you as “conscientious”. Do you think you are?Jane: Well, I certainly try to be. I have a set routine for the day in the office which means that I know exactly all the jobs that I have to do. And if conscientious means being exrtemely careful and paying attention to detail, then yes, I suppose I’m conscientious.Mr. Toms: But he said too that you could ‘adapt quickly to change’. Did you leave because they were making changes, or what?Jane: No, not at all. They made a lot of changes while I was there. I’m afraid I became unhappy because I wanted something more challenging.Mrs. Grey: I assume you wanted something like the job of Senior Secretary that we’re offering.Jane: Yes, that’s right.(Michael James is being interviewed now by the same two people. )Mrs. Grey: ...and according to your last employer, Mr. Smith, you ‘tend to be a little impatient at times’.Michael: Well, perhaps I am, perhaps I’m not. Some of the others in the office there were so slow!Mr. Toms: Yes, yes. I like a person who wants to get on with the job.Mrs. Grey: Mr. James, what I’d like to know is ...Mr. Toms:Excuse me, Mrs. Grey, but I wanted to ask Mr.James about his sport. You’re a keen footballer, I understand.Michael: Oh, yes. I play regularly twice a week. And I organised a team at my old place.Mr. Toms: And golf, too, I gather.Michael:Yes. Actually, I like golf better than football really.That’s why I play nearly every morning ...(Mrs. Grey and Mr. Toms are now discussing Jane and Michael after the interviews.)Mrs. Grey: ... so in my view, when you compare the two of them — and this has nothing to do with Jane being a woman — I’d give the job to Jane Langley. She’s obviously a better secretary than he is, she’s a much better typist, she mixes better with people and is clearly far more polite. We don’t even need to discuss Mr. James.Mr. Toms: Well, we do, because I think he’s brighter than Miss Langley. I know he doesn’t dress as well or speak as clearly, and he’s not as experienced as she is, but he’s quicker, more alert. And he’s keen on football and golf. I like that. So he gets the job.Mrs. Grey: No, I’m sorry, Mr. Toms. He doesn’t.Mr. Toms: Yes, he does, Mrs. Grey. He’s the Director’s nephew.。

Unit 10 It's in the DNATEACHER: Good morning. Today we'll talk about an important topic in biology-DNA and DNA testing. Can anybody tell us what DNA stands for?STUDENT 1: de-oxyribonucleic acid....TEACHER: Right. It's the molecule that carries genetic information in all living cells. Now first, we'll look at what DNA is and when it was discovered. Then, we’ll look at DNA testing and several applications, or uses of testing. This is an exciting topic for biologists because the more we learn about DNA, the more we see how science may change our lives-from healthcare to our relationships. OK, what does DNA look like?STUDENT 1: It looks like two strings, kind of wrapping around each other.TEACHER: Yes, exactly. There's a simple drawing of one in your book. As you can see, a molecule of DNA consists of two strands of chemical compounds arranged in a twisted pattern. Inside the human cell are chromosomes. The DNA is organized in twenty-three pairs of chromosomes in the ceil Genes are arranged on the chromosomes and these carry jUnd4menutl genetic information like hair color, eye color, or characteristics that aren't ad visable, such as intelligence. and a lot more. Scientists have been studying DNA for a long time. First, in 1860, Gregor Mendel made two important discoveries: tiny particles he called genes, and, that genes carry information from cell 10 cell. Now this was really the beginning. Then, in 1953, J. D. Watson and Francis Crick discovered and described the DNA structure. Their work was so important that they received the Nobel Prize in 1962. For the first time, scientists could understand exactly how DNA tells the cells what 10 do. This generated more DNA research, and by the end of the twentieth century, scientists made other important discoveries. Probably the most important work was the Human Genome Project. The goal of the Human Genome Project was to complete the first reading of the human genome, the complete set of human DNA. Uh, this was a huge job, but after ten long years in June,2000, the head of the Project announced that they had identified the complete set of human genes. Uh, this was a huge deal. Most people saw this as the beginning of a whole new era in DNA research. Scientists could read all of the genetic messages in the human body! This is, of course, a very brief history of the study of DNA. All right, let's consider DNA testing. One important use of DNA testing is testing identity, which is also called DNA t1ngerprinting. Here's how a DNA fingerprint is done. Scientists take a small sample of someone's hair or skin, which contain DNA. Next, they treat the sample with chemicals and make a film, like a small photograph. On this film there is a visible pattern of black bars. This pattern of black bars is unique for each person. So, a DNA sample from your hair identifies you, it's, it's like your fingerprint; it identifies you and you only. I see a question. Miguel?STUDENT 2: Does the DNA from hair or skin or blood all look the same?TEACHER: No, not exactly. The DNA from your hair will look like hair DNA but it will be uniquely your DNA pattern. It's sort of like all noses look like noses, right? Bur your nose looks like your nose only. Now I want to look at two applictltjDns, or uses, of DNA testing. First, how it can be used by doctors, and second, how it can be used by the police. Within health care, one important use is to identify potential for health problems. Researchers have found some genes linked to specific diseases. For example. Huntington’s disease is linked to a defect in chromosome 4, and Alzheimer's diseases linked to a defect in chromosome 19. A genetic link means that doctors know that if someone has defects in these genes. they’re more likely to get these health problems;their potential is increased. Notice, I didn’t say "Researchers have found that some gene defects cause specific diseases." There is simply a link. After doctors perform DNA testing, they can then decide the best way 10 use the information. For example, they may give medication to a patient to prevent a disease from ever starting. Genetic testing can also be used to decide which medicine to give someone. This is called targeted medicine. To me, this is very exciting and promising. There are tiny differences in DNA from person to person. These differences can affect which patients will be helped by a drug, and who may be harmed by it. This is, uh, a tremendous advantage. [t saves lives and money. NOW, let's look at how DNA testing is used by police. The police can use DNA fingerprints to identify and frau criminals. All they need is a small amount, or trace, of blood or hair from the crime scene. if the DNA samples from the crime scene and the suspect match, the results, at least in the United States, can be used as evidence in court. So, DNA testing can be used 10 help put someone in prison. In much the same way, DNA testing can be used 10 help innocent people in prison. People in prison can now try to use DNA testing for crimes that happened, say, ten years ago. If their DNA fingerprint doesn’t match the DNA fingerprint from the crime scene, this can help them get a new trial and perhaps get them out of prison. As you can see, there are benefits to DNA testing. However, there are also some concerns that this type of information might be used against us in the future. Now let's consider how DNA testing could be used against you. What if a company you wanted to work for asked you to take a DNA test? And what if your DNA test showed that you had a gene defect linked to a certain type of cancer? Would the company decide not to hire you? People also worry about health insurance. They’re afraid they might not be able to get health insurance if their DNA test shows they're at a higher risk for certain diseases. As a result, in the United States, some laws have been passed to protect the privacy of medical records. Now DNA testing has other possibilities that we won’t discuss today. But in any case, many people think about the negative uses of testing-the fear that it will be used against people or to create "perfect" babies. Others think about police being able to trace criminals and possible advances in healthcare. But, another way 10 think about it is that it tells us more about who we are, and that's the goal of biology-to understand nature.[ guess ['II stop there for Toady. [n the next class, I want to talk in more depth about uses of DNA testing by doctors. OK, we'll start there next time. That's, uh, that's all for today.。

Unit 6 听力原文Part IB1. Tell me about yourself.2. What do you think are your strengths and weaknesses?3. We have a lot of applicants for this job, why should we appoint you?4. What has been your most valuable experience?5. How would you describe your personality?6. When did you last lose your temper? Describe what happened.7. Which is more important to you: status or money?8. How long do you think you’d stay with us if you were appointed?9. Why do you want to leave your present job?10. What makes you think you’d enjoy working for us?11. Are you an ambitious person?12. What would you like to be doing ten years from now?13. What are you most proud of having done in your present job?14. What was the worst problem you have had in your present job and how didyou solve it?15. What is the best idea you’ve had in the past month?16. What is your worst fault and what is your best quality?17. Don’t you think you’re a little young for this job?18. What are your long-range goals?19. Describe your present job — what do you find rewarding about it?20. Now, what do you do in your spare time?21. What excites you about the job you’re doing now?22. What worries you about the job you’re doing now?23. Describe your ideal boss.24. How would you rate your present boss?C1. A person who likes to give or share things with others.2. Someone who always tells the truth.3. A person who is quick at learning new things.4. Someone who is always on time.5. A person who can’t keep a secret.6. Someone who does not think about other people’s feeling.7. A person who speaks in a very direct and honest way.8. Someone who is educated or has good manners.9. A person who comes up with new and original ideas.10. Someone who has a strong desire to succeed.Part II Two girls talking on the phoneClara: That number has been engaged for ages. Nobody can be that popular. I wonder if her number’s been changed. I think I’ll try again (Dialling) Sue: 3346791Clara: Is that you sue?Sue: Who’s callingClara: This is Clara, Clara Fulkson. Don’t you remember me?Sue: Clara! Of course I remember you. How are you? I haven’t heard from you for at least 2 years. What are you doing?Clara: Nothing very exciting. That’s one reason I’m ringing. I need some advice.Sue: Advice? Hm...That’s a good one. I’ve just been sacked (Pips)Clara:There’s (a) pips. Hang on Sue. (Insert a coin) What do you mean you’ve just been sacked? Sue, you are the most successful woman I know.Sue: That’s probably why I’ve been sacked. But let’s talk about you. You said you needed some advice.Clara: I certainly do. I want to ask you about interviews. Have you had (a) lots of them?Sue: Yes, I have. Too manyClara: So could you tell me the sort of questions you are usually asked? Sue: Let me think. The first ten questions are almost always the same. I call them the why’s, how’s and where’s.(pips again)Clara: Not again, Don’t go away, Sue, I’ve got one more coin. (Insert one more coin) Are you there Sue?Sue: Yes, I’m still here?Clara: Sorry, I didn’t understand what you were telling me. Could you repeat it?Sue: It’s very boring. But here you are. I’m always asked: why I want to leave my present job; why I’m interested in the new job; how I intend to get to work; how long I intend to stay at the job; Where I live; where I went to school; how much I ‘m paid in my present job; how much I expect to be paid in the new job. Oh, yes. I’m always asked if I’m married.(pips again)Clara:That is it, Sue. No more coins. I’ll write to you soon. And many thanks.Questions:1. What are the manes of the two speakers?2. Where might the caller make the phone call?3. How many coins did the caller insert?4. How long haven’t the two girls seen each other for?5. How many why’s, how’s and where’s can you remember? Place a tick by all the questions you can remember.Part III A good interviewA.Interviewer: Good morning, Miss ...Miss Jones: Miss Jones.Interviewer: Miss Jones, yes, right. Now, you’d like to join our team, I gather.Miss Jones: Yes, I would.Interviewer: That’s very good. I’d like to know a little bit about you. Perhaps you could tell me a little bit about your education.Miss Jones: Oh yes. I left school at 18 and for the first two years I went to Gibsons. They’re an engineering firm. And after that, I did a one-year full-time PA course and went back to Gibsons. I was PA to the Export Director. I stayed there for two years and then moved on to my present company. That’s Europa Marketing. And I’ve been with them for three years now, first working with the Marketing Director and now I’m with the Sales Director.Interviewer: That’s all very interesting, Miss Jones. I’d like to know what was the course that you enjoyed most at school?Miss Jones: Foreign languages. We did French and German. Interviewer: And are you quite fluent in those languages now or ...?Miss Jones: Yes, a bit rusty now, but obviously the more travel I can do the more I can use my languages and I’d like to learn another language. I’d like to add Italian as well.Interviewer: Italian?Miss Jones: Yes.Interviewer:Very good, that might be very useful. Now tell me a little bit about the work you’re doing at present.Miss Jones:Well Europa Marketing is a marketing and public relationscompany and they do consultancy work for companies operating in the UK and European markets. Our clients come from all over the world. I assist the sales director by arranging these visits, setting up meetings and presentations and I deal with her correspondence. I’ve not been able to go with her on any of her trips abroad, but I’ve been to the firms in this country, several times on my own to make these arrangements. Interviewer: It sounds as if you’re very happy there, Miss Jones. I’m curious why you’d like to leave them and join our company.Miss Jones: Well I know Anglo-European has a very good reputation. And I feel that I would have more scope and opportunity in your company and that the work will be more challenging for me. I might be able to travel and use my languages because at the moment most of my work is rather routine secretarial-type work and I like the idea of more challenges in my life really ...B.Interviewer: Good morning, Miss ...Miss Jones: Miss Jones. Good morning.Interviewer: Miss Jones, yes, right. Hi. Um ... now, you’d like to join our team, I gather.Miss Jones: Yes, I would.Interviewer: That’s ... that’s very good. Er ... I’d like to know a little bit about you. Perhaps you could tell me ... perhaps we could start ... if you could tell me a little bit about your education.Miss Jones: Oh yes, right. Well, I left school at 18 and for the first two years I went to Gibsons, you might know them, they’re an engineering firm.(An, yes, right.) Um ... and after that, I wanted to do a course, so I d ... I did a one-year full-time PA course and went back to Gibsons. I was PA to the Export Director. I stayed there for another two years and ... and then I moved on to my present company. Um ... that’s Europa Marketing ... um ... Mr. Adair, the marketing director, offered me a job because Gibsons had ... had worked quite a lot with Europa Marketing. (Oh, yes, Europe’s got big business.) And I’ve been with them for three years now ... um ...first with the Marketing Director and ... and now I’m with the Sales Director.Interviewer:That’s all very interesting, Miss Jones. Um ... I ... I’d like to know, what did you enjoy most at school? What was the course that you enjoyed most?Miss Jones: Ah ... foreign languages I liked best. (Foreign languages.) We did French and German. Yes.Interviewer: Mhm. And are you quite fluent in those now or ... ?Miss Jones: Yes, a bit rusty now, but ... um ... obviously the more travel I can do the more I can use my languages and I’d like to learn another language. I’d like to add Italian as well.Interviewer: Italian?Miss Jones: Yes.Interviewer: Very good, very good, that ... that might be very useful. Now ...er ... tell me a little bit about ... er ... the work you’re doing at present. Miss Jones: Um ... well ... er ... Europa Marketing is a marketing and public ...public relations company and they do ... they do consultancy work for companies operating in the UK and European markets. Er ... our clients come from all over the world ... um ... we deal with some of them by ... by post, but most of them come to our offices and at least once during a project. I assist the sales director by arranging these visits, setting up meetings and presentations and I ... I deal with her correspondence. I’ve not been able to go with her on any ... on any of her trips abroad, but I ...I’ve been to firms in this country, several times on my own ... um ... to make these arrangements.Interviewer: It sounds as if you’re very happy there, Miss Jones. I’m curious why you’d like to leave them and join our company.Miss Jones: Well ... um ... I know the reputation of Anglo-European and it hasa very good reputation. And I feel that I would have more scope andopportunity in your company and that the work will be more challenging for me. I might be able to possibly travel and use my languages because at the moment most of my work is ... is rather routine secretarial-type work and I like the idea of more ... um ... challenges in my life really ...Part ⅣAAt interview the first thing that I notice is how the person settles down, and when they sit down. Do they immediately rush into the room, grab a chair without being invited to sit down? Are they nervous? Do they spend a lot of time fiddling with their hands, brushing their hair back, holding their pen, tapping it on the table? Obviously everyone is nervous at interview and you make allowances for that, but if it continues throughout the whole interview then you have to ask yourself what will they be like in a normaljob?Second thing that I look for is: Do they look at you? Do they make eye contact? Because if they won’t look at you in a job which depends on making a good impression, then probably in the job they won’t do very well in terms of making contact and having good relations with other colleagues. The sort of person normally we would look for would be someone who was, open, outgoing, enthusiastic and who could talk intelligently about what they had done and what they hoped to do. That doesn’t mean that they have to have had a lot of experience but that they should be able to reflect on whatever experience they’ve had.The other kinds of things that we might talk about in an interview of course are what the person expects to get from a new job, and I think that it is important because it shows the expectations that the person has-what they want from their job. It’s interesting to hear why people want to change jobs. B... But as important as qualifications are, and you won’t get to an interview or at least people won’t get to an interview without the qualifications, the most important thing in fact is the character and how a person presents themselves at interview. I find it very difficult to define exactly the sort of person I am looking for, but when I meet someone I can tell whether they are the sort of person that I would like to appoint or whether they are not.At interview the first thing that I notice is how the person settles down, when they sit down. Do they immediately rush into the room, grab a chair without being invited to sit down? Are they nervous? Um, do they spend a lot of time fiddling with their hands, brushing their hair back, er holding their pen, tapping it on the table? Obviously everyone is nervous at interview and you make allowances for that, but if it continues throughout the whole interview then of course you have to ask yourself if they’re like this after, say, an hour of interview, what will they be like in a normal job?Second thing that I look for is: Do they look at you? Do they make eye contact? Because if they won’t look at you in a job where in, in a situation where a job depends on, on them making a good impression, then probably in the job they won’t do very well in terms of making, er, good, making contact with other colleagues, making, having good relations with other colleagues. The sort of person normally we would look for would be someone who was, open, outgoing, enthusiastic and who could talk intelligently about what theyhad done and what they hoped to do. That doesn’t mean that they have to have had a lot of experience but that they should be able to reflect on whatever experience they’ve had.The other kinds of, of um things that we might talk about in an interview of course are what, er what the person expects to get from a new job in a new country, and that I think is important because it shows the expectations that the person has — what they want from their job. Um it’s interesting to hear why people want to change jobs, why they want to go to a new country.Part V Who’ll Get the Job?(Jane Langley is being interviewed by Mrs. Grey, the Personnel Manager, and Mr. Toms. )Mr. Toms: Yes, I see. Good. Good.Mrs. Grey: Miss Langley, I see that your last employer, Mr. Carmichaes, described you as “conscientious”. Do you think you are?Jane: Well, I certainly try to be. I have a set routine for the day in the office which means that I know exactly all the jobs that I have to do. And if conscientious means being exrtemely careful and paying attention to detail, then yes, I suppose I’m conscientious.Mr. Toms: But he said too that you could ‘adapt quickly to change’. Did you leave because they were making changes, or what?Jane: No, not at all. They made a lot of changes while I was there. I’m afraid I became unhappy because I wanted something more challenging.Mrs. Grey: I assume you wanted something like the job of Senior Secretary that we’re offering.Jane: Yes, that’s right.(Michael James is being interviewed now by the same two people. ) Mrs. Grey: ...and according to your last employer, Mr. Smith, you ‘tend to bea little impatient at times’.Michael:Well, perhaps I am, perhaps I’m not. Some of the others in the office there were so slow!Mr. Toms: Yes, yes. I like a person who wants to get on with the job. Mrs. Grey: Mr. James, what I’d like to know is ...Mr. Toms: Excuse me, Mrs. Grey, but I wanted to ask Mr. James about his sport. You’re a keen footballer, I understand.Michael: Oh, yes. I play regularly twice a week. And I organised a team at my old place.Mr. Toms: And golf, too, I gather.Michael:Yes. Actually, I like golf better than football really. That’s why I play nearly every morning ...(Mrs. Grey and Mr. Toms are now discussing Jane and Michael after the interviews.)Mrs. Grey: ... so in my view, when you compare the two of them — and this has nothing to do with Jane being a woman — I’d give the job to Jane Langley. She’s obviously a better secretary than he is, she’s a much better typist, she mixes better with people and is clearly far more polite. We don’t even need to discuss Mr. James.Mr. Toms:Well, we do, because I think he’s brighter than Miss Langley. I know he doesn’t dress as well or speak as clearly, and he’s not as experienced as she is, but he’s quicker, more alert. And he’s keen on football and golf. I like that. So he gets the job.Mrs. Grey: No, I’m sorry, Mr. Toms. He doesn’t.Mr. Toms: Yes, he does, Mrs. Grey. He’s the Director’s nephew.。

Unit 8 Right and Wrong on the NetIntroductionTEACHER: Good morning. Did anyone hear the news about the teenager in New York who hacked into a bank’s database and stole about 30,000 credit card numbers over the weekend? Hacking is related to computer ethics－that’s our topic today. Computer ethics deals with the proper use of information technology, such as computers and the Internet. By proper use, I mean socially responsible use. We’ll first talk about what ethical behavior is and how this applies to computer use.Body: Part 1First, I want to make sure we all know what ethics is. Anyone? Yes, John.STUDENT l: It’s about right and wrong.TEACHER: Yes. OK, Jennifer.STUDENT 2: And it’s about being a good person, doing what’s right.TEACHER: Yes, ethics includes both of these ideas. It deals with moral judgments, with what is acceptable or unacceptable to do. Now we learn ideas about what is right and wrong from our families, our friends, and from the culture we live in. Because of differences in our backgrounds, we may not always agree on what is right and wrong. However, for our discussion today, I will define for you what I mean by an ethical action. An ethical action is something someone does that benefits someone and doesn’t hurt anyone. So, for example, if you see a man drop some money, and you pick the money up and give it to him, this is an ethical action. On the other hand, if you pick up the money and don’t give it back to the man, this benefits you, but hurts the man. This is not an ethical action.Body: Part 2Now what about computers? What are the ethical boundaries for using computers and the Internet? Most people agree that it is wrong to steal from a store. Would they also say it’s wrong to copy music files from the Internet? Or, to take another example, most people agree that it is wrong to open an envelope and read a letter to someone else. Would they also say it’s wrong to read someone else’s e-mail? In the past decade or so, many more people have started using computers and the Internet, so these issues have become important. In 1992, the Computer Ethics Institute was founded in the United States. This is a research, education, and policy study group whose goal is to increase awareness of the ethical issues that are likely to come up as technology develops. One concept the Computer Ethics Institute has developed is the Ten Commandments of Computer Ethics. These rules are important guidelines the Institute thinks all computer users should follow. Now some of you may be familiar with the Ten Commandments from the Bible, like, uh, “Thou shalt not kill” or “Thou shalt honor thy father and thy mother.” The Ten Commandments of Computer Ethics have been written in the same style of language used in the Ten Commandments from the Bible. For example, they use the phrase “Thou shalt not.” “Thou shalt not” means don’t or you shouldn’t.Body: Part 3Let’s look at each commandment or rule. The first commandment says: Thou shalt not use a computer to harm other people. Simple enough, right? Number Two. Thou shalt not interfere with other people’s computer work. I interpret this to mean don’t use a computer in any way that will affect or change the work someone else is doing. Don’t move or edit someone else’s files without telling them. Number Three. Thou shalt not snoop in other people’s files. To snoop means to try to find out something without another person knowing it. If you look at someone else’s files on the computer or read their e-mail, you’re snooping. Respect other people’s privacy. Number Four. Thou shalt not use a computer to steal. There are situations on the Internet in which you have to decide if you are stealing or not, like downloading music files, as I mentioned earlier. Number Five. Thou shalt not use a computer to say things that are untrue. It is up to you to be truthful in your website, in your e-business, and in your e-mail. Number Six. Thou shalt not use software for which you have not paid. In other words, if the software is free on the Internet, it’s okay to download and use it. However, it is not okay to copy software from a friend, because you didn’t pay for it. Number Seven. Thou shalt not use other people’s computer resources without telling them, or without paying them. For example, you shouldn’t use someone else’s computer, password, or Internet connection without asking them first. Number Eight. Thou shalt not appropriate someone else’s ideas. Appropriate is spelled A-P-P-R-O-P-R-I-A-T-E. . . . It means to take words someone else wrote and say they’re yours. Uh, for example, you have to write a report for school. If you copy a term paper from the Internet and hand it in, you’re breaking the rule. Copying even a few sentences off the Internet and presenting them as your own is breaking the rule. Number Nine. The ninth commandment says: Thou shalt think about the social consequences of the program you are writing. Now, this applies mostly to computer programmers. Social consequences means how the program you’re writing might affect others in society. Could hackers possibly use your program to illegally gain access to a computer system? Skillful hackers can hack into banks and into credit card companies; they can alter accounts and steal money. They can also create viruses that can cause billions of dollars of damage worldwide. Number Ten. The tenth commandment says: Thou shalt always use a computer in ways that are respectful of others. For example, sending unfriendly e-mail to someone or about someone or creating websites with negative messages are examples of breaking this rule.Body: Part 4OK, the Computer Ethics Institute has sent these guidelines to many large companies and to schools across the United States. However, there’s no way to enforce these rules. Nevertheless, they would like to see schools, in particular, utilize these rules to help students develop a strong sense of computer ethics. OK, any questions or comments at this point?STUDENT 1: How are we supposed to remember all those rules?TEACHER: Well, there are a lot of rules, but they all boil down to a couple of principles: respect and fairness. Respect what belongs to others and use resources fairly. Does that help?STUDENT 1: Yeah, I guess so.TEACHER: Good. Let’s go back to ethics. Now increasingly, schools are seeing that students need to be taught computer ethics as part of the school curriculum. Some schools have come up with acceptable-use policies, or rules about what is or isn’t OK for students to do regarding computer use. This is how the Computer Ethics Institute would like to see schools utilizing the rules. Generally, it’s considered wrong to steal someone else’s password or to read someone else’s e-mail. It’s also considered unacceptable in college classes for a student to download a term paper off the Internet and pretend that he or she wrote it. This is called “plagiarism,” and it’s a good example of breaking rule number eight. Students are permitted to use the Internet for research, but are instructed to write the information in their own words and to explain where they got the information.ConclusionNow the ten rules are guidelines for us to follow. These rules help us to be aware of the ethical uses of technology. Let’s stop here for today. Think about these rules this week and we’ll talk about them. And read the next two chapters for next week.。

Unit 2 English: A Global Language?TEACHER: Today’s topic is English as a global language. I know many of you speak English as a second language, right? How about you, Hiroshi? Is English your first language?STUDENT l: No, my first language is Japanese. English is my second language.TEACHER: And how about you, Patricia?STUDENT 2: English is my second language, too. My first language is Spanish.TEACHER: See, many of you use English as a second language, even as a global language to communicate with other people who speak English as a second language. Today, I want to give you two contrasting points of view on whether or not English is a global language. The first is that English is obviously a global language. People who support this point of view believe English is the language people all over the world use to communicate, and that it is gradually replacing other languages. The second point of view is that English is not truly a global language, because it is not the main language spoken by most people worldwide. Supporters of this view say that even though many people speak some English worldwide, English has not replaced other languages. They acknowledge that people use English every day, for many reasons, but this doesn’t mean English is replacing other languages, nor does it make English the main language spoken in the world.First, let’s examine the first view. First of all, English is the dominant language of business, travel, and science. When people need a common language, they often use English. Think about it. English is often used at tourist information centers, in international hotels, at airports. If you use a taxi in Rome, and you can’t speak Italian, the taxi driver is more likely to use English than any other languages. It is used at business meetings and international sports events. The European Union uses English, along with French, at its meetings. . . . ASEAN, the Asian trade group, uses English at its meetings. Can you think of other situations in which English is used as a common language?STUDENT 2: How about this class? All of us are listening to you in English.TEACHER: Absolutely. Educational settings are a great example. Any others?STUDENT 2: How about a chatroom on the Internet? I sometimes go to chatrooms and everyone is using English.TEACHER: Excellent example. The Internet has created a lot of international communities and people often use English. In fact, most people who use the Internet know English. This helps support the view that English is a global language.The second major reason that people believe English is a global language is that it is the official languageof more than seventy-five countries. This means these countries use English in schools, banks, business, and government. Of these seventy-five countries, English may be the only official language of the country, like in England, or English may be used along with other official languages, like in the Philippines, Singapore, and India. In countries like India, where so many languages are spoken, you can see how using English as an official language makes it easier for people to communicate.The third reason to support the global argument is that every year about 1 billion people study English. Why? What are some of the reasons? Hiroshi? How about you?STUDENT l: Well, now to study, and someday I want to be in international business.TEACHER: That’s a solid reason. How about you, Oksana?STUDENT 3: I’m not really sure. I just think it will help me in the future somehow.TEACHER: OK. There’s a more general reason. The point is, people want and need to learn English because it offers them opportunities.To sum up, English is used every day by many people. People all over the world come in contact with each other for many reasons. They need a common language, a language to facilitate communication. Being proficient in English gives someone an advantage in these situations.OK. I have given you many examples of how English is used in a variety of situations. Nevertheless, does this mean that English is a global language?Let’s look at why some people don’t believe English has replaced other languages. First, there are about three times as many people who speak Chinese as their first language as those who speak English as a first language. And in many countries where some people use English for work each day, they don’t use English anywhere else. Even in English-speaking countries, there are millions of people who prefer to speak a language other than English at home, with friends, or at work.Second, I mentioned before that seventy-five countries have English as their official language. This doesn’t mean all, or even most of the people in these countries can speak English. For example, in India, most sources agree that only about 5 percent of the population speaks English. That’s a small percentage!Third, how much English does a person need to know to be called an English speaker? People may learn some English for specific situations, such as the taxi driver I mentioned earlier. However, I think you would all agree with me that a taxi driver who knows a few phrases like “Where are you going?”or “What is the name of your hotel?” isn’t really a proficient English speaker. Another example is Airspeak, the English that is used by air traffic controllers and pilots. A pilot for Japan Airlines or an air traffic controller in Paris needs to know Airspeak. But they may learn only the English words they need for these jobs, and therefore they can’t be considered English speakers.The point here is that people all over the world may use some English for work or other situations. Nevertheless, this doesn’t mean they are fluent in English. They still use their first language for daily communication. English is not their main language.So, what does this all mean? I think it’s safe to say that English will continue to be the main language used in many international settings because, as I said earlier, people all over the world need a common language. And, for now, English is that language.But, English won’t replace other languages for most daily communication and this, to me, is what a global language really is, one that replaces others for most everyday communication. Some people are afraid of this. They worry that as people use English more and more, their ability in their first language will decline. I think people will use English along with other languages. We are moving into a global culture, and as this continues, I think people from non-English speaking countries will want to maintain their culture, including their first language. They may still want to learn English, but I don’t see them giving up their own language for English. What do you think?I’m going to stop there. I know that’s a lot of information to digest. We’ll continue talking about some of the differences in the English words used in various countries like Australia, Singapore, and the Philippines. That’s all for today. Come see me if you have any questions.。

Unit1Slang:Talking CoolT EACHER:OK,let's get started...Today we're going to be looking at a really interesting phenomenon,slang.We'll be looking at where slang comes from,who uses it and why.We all use it more often than you might think—every day of our lives,in fact. And we use it for a reason.You know,most of us are fascinated with slang.We continually hear new words and phrases enter the language and replace old,and we see familiar words take on new meanings.We feel a need to keep in touch with these changes,to be aware of the latest street talk.Fact is,we love slang.But what is it exactly?What is slang?Anyone like to suggest a definition?S TUDENT1:Isn't it basically kind of casual talk?TEACHER:Can you say a bit more?STUDENT1:You know,the sort of words we use with friends...in relaxed situations. TEACHER:Good.You're pretty much there with your idea of casual language.We can say that slang is language that's found only in the very informal speech of particular groups of people.It can help to identify the communities,the groups of people,who use it.And this brings me to the first important point of the lecture—why people use slang.A lot of slang comes from not wanting to be understood by outsiders,people outside your circle.In other words,people exploit slang to give their group an identity,by making their language exclusive,or at least private.Through this private language,they can tease one another,enjoy shared experiences,and keep everyone else at a distance. All cultures contain groups or subcultures with different interests and priorities,and each group tries to establish a separate identity.They want people to know who they are, what they stand for—and slang helps to construct and cement that identity.We can say, then,that slang reflects the experiences,beliefs,and values of its speakers.Now let's look more closely at this relationship between slang and community,slang and identity.A nice example of this is,uh,student language,sometimes called "youth-speak."Young people use a lot of slang,and many of the words they use are used by both sexes,often metaphorically rather than literally.That is to say,the conventional meaning of the words change.For example,words that have traditionally had strong negative literal meanings that are used as insults have taken on,uh,gentler, and in many cases even positive meanings in conversation.We'll look at some examples later.Now,if you ask college students why they use slang,they'll tell you it's cool,and that's true in several different ways.First,it's cool because it's in style,in ing current slang shows that the speaker is in tune with the times...you know,that he or she knows what's in fashion and is pan of that fashion.Second,slang is cool in the sense of showing that the speaker is knowledgeable...the speaker is"in the know,"the speaker knows when slang is acceptable.People don't use slang all the time,only in situations and with people who accept the use of slang—a point I'll return to later.Research tells us that although young people often deny that they use slang intentionally,in fact they clearly choose whether or not to use it depending on the situation they're in.As we've already said,slang's typically used in informal rather than formal settings,and this is certainly true among college students: They usually avoid using it in the class-room or a work environment,for example. Anyone like to suggest why?S TUDENT1:People won't understand them.STUDENT2:Yeah,so it's like a waste of time.TEACHER:Well,that may be true,but it's not the main reason.They don't use it simply because it could make them look bad.And everyone hates looking bad,right?So,to review,we've said that students use slang only in certain situations.But they also only use it with certain people,usually friends.When they use slang,they are showing that they share social and emotional experiences—so slang reinforces their relationships.But...it also gives special meaning to what they say.For instance,to say "That party was the bomb"is more than merely saying it was a very good party.It shares an emotional experience that might otherwise take several sentences to explain.In other words,it's a kind of...shorthand.The third and final way slang's cool is that it's fun;it's very creative in the same way that poetry is,and it's often humorous.In other words,it's a form of play,a way of entertaining.So...uh,let me repeat:I've said that slang's cool for three reasons:One,it shows the user's fashionable and in tune with the times;two,it's a way of reinforcing relationships and communicating efficiently;and three,it's fun and entertaining.Got that?All right then,let's now take a look at different kinds of slang,in particular three types of slang words:those that are currently most used,those that linger year after year,and those that have become unfashionable.So...now what is the most used slang?Well,research tells us that over the past few years,in the number one position is"dope,"which basically means very good,great,excellent,attractive,or nice.So somebody might say,for example,that his friend's new motorbike is really dope;in other words,it's very good.Other words that feature in the top twenty include"chill out"(to calm down or relax),"the bomb"(meaning the best or most excellent),"whack"(which means bad,unfair,crazy,or foolish),and"dude" (meaning person—usually a man,actually).Any other examples?Yes?S TUDENT1:Hella.T EACHER:Meaning?S TUDENT1:Very,a lot.T EACHER:OK,yep.Luis?STUDENT3:"Kick it,"which means,like,to hang out,uh,relax,you know,sit around doing nothing.TEACHER:Right.And it's interesting,isn't it,how most slang terms indicate approval or disapproval;they show what we feel positive or negative about.So,like"dope"and "the bomb,"we have"sweet,""phat"—spelled P-H-A-T,not F-A-T—"cool,"and "tight"—all meaning good,excellent,nice,or attractive.And then you have words like"bad"which really mean good;so"That new CD is bad" actually means it's good!So you see,slang does strange things with language.Like I said earlier,it's certainly creative.As a matter of fact,some slang words have many different meanings,sometimes as many as nine or ten.For instance,the word"trip"or"tripping" has various meanings,but they all reflect the idea of unusual,strange,or extreme.When a word's used a lot or has a number of different meanings like this,we sometimes say it "works hard."The word"trip,"then,is a word that works hard.Uh...now,the second type of slang consists of words that linger from decade to decade and never seem to go out of fashion—and these words also work hard,that is, they have a lot of meanings.A great example is the word cool—forever popular,it seems!Other terms in this category are"nerd,""cheesy,""chick,""the man,""toasted," "wasted,""what's up,""blow away,"and"gross."And once again,most of these show approval or disapproval.And...now,finally,there are slang terms that come and go;they disappear almost as quickly as they appear.Examples include"gimme five,""how's it hanging,"and"core." Words like these often disappear because they're closely associated with famous personalities who similarly come and go—they're popular,in the spotlight for a while, and then seem almost to disappear.And when they disappear,the slang associated with them tends to disappear as well.Now,today,public tolerance of slang is at an all-time high—just look at how widely it's used in newspapers.But how do college teachers and academics view slang?Well, some persist with the idea that its use will degrade...uh,you might even say"pollute" academic discourse.However,among themselves students tolerate words their teachersmight consider taboo.Students are actually very good at code-switching;that is,they're very good at using different styles or codes of communication in different situations.Do you agree?Do you use slang in your essays or when you speak with a teacher? STUDENT3:Personally I never use slang in essays.It just doesn't feel right.It's true, you know,most students know when to use slang,and when not to.STUDENT2:I agree.I sometimes use it with teachers,though;it just depends on who the teacher is.TEACHER:Why,I imagine most people do the same.Here's something you may find surprising:A recent study on student conversation suggests that students don't in fact use slang that often but instead they choose more ordinary colloquial vocabulary.OK,to finish up,now let me say something about the history of slang.Many years ago, slang was closely associated with underground,criminal organizations,groups that deviate from mainstream society...uh...with notions of outcasts and socially unacceptable behaviors.A look back in time shows,for example,that in the seventeenth century more than twenty words were used to refer to vagrants,that is,to someone who has no home or job.Today,of course,these associations are much weaker and slang's used much more widely.As underground culture has become more mainstream,there's not the same need for the kind of secret code that slang offered.Today,most of us use slang and aren't ashamed of using it.It may still have negative connotations,but like it or not it's here to stay,and increasingly it's become the subject of serious academic study. And why not?As I've tried to show,it's a fascinating social as well as linguistic phenomenon.So,any questions?...Unit2Murphy's LawTEACHER:Good afternoon,everyone.More than200years ago,the Scottish poet Robert Burns said that"the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry."I'm sure we all have firsthand experience with what Burns means;no matter how carefully we plan a project and no matter how carefully we try to,uh,anticipate problems,we're likely to,uh encounter something unexpected and unwelcome that will throw our plan off course. Well,class today we'll be looking at how plans can go right or wrong...and,uh,how we can make sense of this.Are you all familiar with Murphy's Law?Well,according to Murphy's Law,anything that can go wrong will go wrong.So we'll be looking at everyday examples of Murphy's Law—uh,things like why toast falls buttered-side down, why it always seems like we choose slow lines at the supermarket,and why it is so difficult to win when we gamble.As you may know,we now have many different versions of Murphy's Law,and today I'd like to look at the science behind three of them.I'll try to show you that some thingswhich have happened to you,and which you may have thought were simply bad luck, had nothing to do with luck at all.What I'm saying is that there are some very good scientific reasons for many of the things that happen to us,and we're not victims of bad luck as often as we might think.When we consider some basic science and probability theory,we can more clearly understand why some"bad"things happen the way they do. All right.Let's begin with a very commonplace situation.Let's say you've just gotten up. You're still sleepy,and you make your way to the breakfast table.In your half-awake state,you accidentally hit your piece of toast,which has butter on one side.The toast begins to fall to the floor.Now what are the chances that you'll be lucky and the toast will land buttered-side up?Well,the toast has only two sides,so most people think that the answer is fifty-fifty.Fifty percent.Right?Do you think that there's a50percent chance that the toast will land with the buttered-side up?STUDENT1:Well,this sounds like a trick question,but,uh,yeah.Logically,50percent sounds about right.TEACHER:Yes,50percent does seem right,but,in this case,Murphy's Law of Falling Toast says:"Toast which falls from a table will land buttered-side down."Actually,the probability of this happening is extremely high.It's close to100percent.Now,here's why.When something like a piece of toast falls from a table,its behavior is not random. The rate of spin is controlled by the laws of physics.This is the problem.The rate of spin, that is,how fast the toast spins,is too low for the toast to make a complete revolution.It's too slow to turn completely around and hit the floor buttered-side up.The rate of spin is determined by the force of gravity.So in a very real sense,the laws of physics,and specifically the rate of spin,make sure that our toast lands buttered-side down almost all the time.So the point is that simple probabilities—for example,the probability that toast has a fifty-fifty chance of landing buttered-side up—can be greatly affected by other more fundamental factors,such as the laws of physics.So,in this case,we believe that we have bad luck because we don't understand that the natural laws of physics are in effect.The toast should land buttered-side down.OK?Let's look at the next point.Now we come to one of my most frustrating situations in life—the supermarket line.In this case,Murphy's Law of Supermarket Lines says:"The line next to you will move faster than yours."Now everybody wants to get into the fastest line when they go to the supermarket,right?OK,so let's say that you're at your local supermarket and there are five lines,but each of the five lines looks pretty much equal in length.Now,of course, you want to try to anticipate which one of the five lines will move the fastest.Well,this is where simple probability theory enters the picture.The chances that you have chosen the fastest of the five lines is one divided by the number of lines,which is five in this case.So mathematically,the formula is one divided by N where N is the total number of lines.So in this example,one divided by five gives us what?STUDENT2:One divided by five is one-fifth or...uh...20percent.TEACHER:Right.Twenty percent.There's only a20percent chance that we have chosen the fastest of the five lines.Now even if we reduce that to three lines,our line and the lines on each side of us,the chances we've chosen the fastest line are still only what?S TUDENT2:Uh,33percent.One out of three.TEACHER:Sure.One divided by three is33percent,so it's not just your imagination that one line near you almost always moves faster than yours.Simple probability theory shows that the odds are against you.If there are very many lines,the chances that you'll choose the fastest one is quite low.So,you see,it has little to do with luck,but w e perceive that it does.All right.Now let's look at a final situation that shows how we commonly misunderstand the laws of probability.We've come to Murphy's Law of Gambling that says simply:"You will lose."Now in the case of the supermarket lines that we've just talked about,probability theory applied very nicely.And actually,as we go through life, most things are fairly predictable because they follow the basic laws of probability. Weather is an example.Let's say that it's been raining for a week,and a friend says to you"I think it's going to be sunny tomorrow."Is that an unreasonable statement?Well, no.Clouds move,and they are of limited size,so if it's been raining for a week,it's likely that the rain and clouds will end soon.In other words,the next sunny day is more likely to occur after the seventh day of rain than after the first,because the storm front has what is called a life history.Now this is important,so let me explain that term.Events with a life history have changing probabilities of certain events occurring over time.For instance,uh,if you plant flower seeds,you can predict with reasonable accuracy when the plants will come up,when they will bloom,and how long they will bloom.For instance,with some types of flowers,there's a90percent chance that they will come up fifteen to twenty days after the seeds have been planted.In short,the growth of a flower follows a clear predictable pattern,and we call this pattern a life history.But this is the trick with many gambling games.The casino owners want us to believe that dice also have a life history and that we can therefore estimate the probability of events related to the dice.However,gambling devices like dice are different because they don't have life histories.Now...what do you think that means?STUDENT1:There aren't any reliable patterns?Um,just because I rolled a seven last time doesn't tell me anything about the next roll.TEACHER:Right.You can't look at the past rolls of the dice and predict what the next roll will be.Now many people,especially gamblers,think that they can,but this is what's called the gambler's fallacy.The gambler's fallacy is expecting to roll a seven with a pair of dice because a seven hasn't come up recently.So,in other words,there's a widespread belief among gamblers that dice have a life history.In thereal world,that's not a bad way to reason,but in a casino,it's the path to financial loss. Dice have no memory,no life history.Now you can predict that if you roll one dice many,many times,the number five will come up about16percent of the time.That's one divided by six.But that's not what we're concerned with here.We're concerned with the next roll of the dice.As a result,the element of arbitrariness or randomness makes prediction of the next roll impossible.Statisticians who work with probability theory call the roll of a pair of dice a single-event probability,and many of these same statisticians believe that the probability of a single event can't even be computed mathematically.So, the same probability theory that works well with supermarket lines won't help you win a million dollars in a dice game in Las Vegas.It could,in fact,lead to a catastrophe!So,to sum up,we have looked at three cases involving Murphy's Law and our perception of"bad luck."The first case was the toast,right?Our toast lands buttered-side down far more often than we would predict because the basic laws of physics have a strong effect on normal probabilities.The second case was the supermarket line, remember?Another line moves faster than ours because the laws of probability are behaving normally,even though we might perceive them as behaving unfairly.And the third case was the dice game.People lose at gambling games like dice because the laws of"life history probability"simply don't apply in those situations,even though gamblers think they do.So,as you can see,in some cases,Murphy's Law is not just some form of bad luck. There are some very real,scientific explanations for these events.OK,that's about it for today.For next class I'd like you to take a look at Chapter7and be ready to talk about the discussion questions on page255.See you then.Unit3Types of MemoryTEACHER:Good morning everyone.Um...today,I have the pleasure of introducing you to the basics of what I think is one of the most fascinating topics in the field of psychology—memory.What is memory?How does memory work?The research in this field is fascinating and dates back to the late1800s,so it's been going on for more than a century.I'll begin today by saying a few things about three types of memory that we all have,and then we'll look at how memory is measured.All right.First of all,let's begin by looking at types of memory.One of the most common ways to classify memory is based on time...based on time and duration of use.So typically,memory is divided into three types:sensory memory,working memory (which is also referred to as short-term memory),and long-term memory.Again,that's sensory memory,working memory,and long-term memory.Let's talk about sensory memory for a minute.Sensory memory holds information for only an instant,say,less than half a second.This is just long enough to register an impression on one or more of our five senses—sight,hearing,touch,smell,or taste.Let me give you an example of aphenomenon concerning visual sensory memory that I'm sure you've all experienced. Imagine that you're holding up a flashlight on a dark night.You start to move it in circles slowly,watching it carefully the whole time.Pretty soon you aren't just seeing the flashlight...you can see a full circle of light!Of course,it's actually just one point of light being moved around,but your memory of the visual sensation of the light fills in the rest of the circle.That's one example of sensory memory.So remember,you can hold something in your sensory memory for just a fraction of a second,up to around half a second,then it fades away.Now if you want to keep the information for longer than a second,you have to put it into your working memory.Working memory,the second type of memory,allows us to hold on to things for as long as we think about them,that is,as long as we're paying attention to them.It's something like a kind of temporary storage place.Let me give you a simple math problem.Are you ready?Here goes...18plus44plus9plus19...I'll say that one more time.OK?18plus44plus9plus19....All right?...Do you all have the answer?Maya?S TUDENT1:Uh,I think it's90.Yeah,90.T EACHER:Let's see...18plus44is62...plus9is71...plus19is90.Ninety is the answer.Now,to figure out this problem,you had to use your working memory.As you did the problem,you had to continue holding the numbers in your memory until you got the final answer.If you stopped concentrating on the numbers,that is,you stopped saying them to yourself,or stopped visualizing them,you would have forgotten them and then you wouldn't have been able to solve the problem.Do you see how that works? Here's one more example of working memory involving reading.Look at the sentence: "Honey is the only natural food that is made without destroying any kind of life."It's written down in your textbook.Why,you may wonder,do we need working memory to understand such a simple sentence?Well,the answer is because working memory holds the first part of the sentence,"Honey is the only natural food..."while our eyes move on to the last part,that is,"made without destroying any kind of life."Without our working memory,we would forget the first part of the sentence before we got to the end.So reading even short or simple passages would be impossible without our working memory.OK,I think you can see how important working memory is,but our working memory is very limited,and it can only hold information temporarily.It usually lasts only one and one half to two seconds and then it begins to fade.So if working memory were all we had,we would be very limited.Essentially,working memory mediates between how we experience the environment and our long-term memory.This brings us to the third type of memory that we'll talk about today,long-term memory.Now,long-term memory is involved with information that's stored for considerable lengths of time.For example,do you remember the name of your best friend when you were ten years old?I bet you do,because this information is certainly in your long-term memory.Actually,memory that's tested after about one minute behaves in a very simi-lar way to memory tested after a day,a week,or even years,so many scientists believe that any memories more than one minute old are part of our long-term memory. Interestingly,these memories seem to change over time in the sense that we tend to add information to them.In a sense,our memories become somewhat distorted.The reason behind these changes is that our memory is designed to keep or preserve meaning,not to keep impressions or images,but to keep meaning.For example,try to remember a conversation you had yesterday with a friend.Now if you're like most people,you can't remember the exact words that you or your friend said,but you can remember the ideas that you discussed.Your memories of the points that were most important to you will be the clearest.So the essential feature of long-term memory is that it specializes in holding meaning.OK,are there any questions about that?Yes?STUDENT1:Yeah.Can you explain why we don't remember all of the details of our past conversations?TEACHER:So the question is,"Why do we forget?"Well,most experts believe that if we remembered all of the details of our past experiences,our memory system would be filled with a lot of trivial information,a lot of trivial and generally useless information. Secondly,it is conceivable that we would find it extremely difficult to sift through such a...a mass of detailed information and find the really important information that we need.Um...in other words,memory searches would proceed a lot more slowly.S TUDENT1:OK,I see.Thank you.TEACHER:OK,let's move on to ways of measuring memory.Just as we distinguished three types of memory,there are three main ways of measuring how much a person remembers.The first of these methods is called recall.You use recall many times every day.Here's what I mean....Take out a sheet of paper....OK,now look at the word list in your text:drum,band,studio,and so on....Read it silently to yourself....OK?... Have you looked at all of the words?...OK,you should be finished by now.Now,close your book.Write down the words you saw,as many as you can,on your paper....Go ahead....OK,that's a simple recall test.Now,most of you probably remembered most of the words,but not all of them.Our memories,of course,are not perfect,and of course forgetting is natural.The second method of measuring memory is recognition.OK,for this you need another piece of paper,or just turn that one over....All right.Number the page from one to eight....Now look at the word list again.OK,now close your book.I'm going to say eight words.You have to write"yes"or"no"—"yes"if the word I say was on the list, "no"if the word I say was not on the list.Ready?Here I go.1.studio.2.guitar.3.stage.4.recorder.5.wiring.6.song7.vocalist.8.drum....OK,everybody finished?The answers are1.yes,2.no,3.yes,4.no,5.yes,6.no,7.yes,and8.yes....How did you do?Anyone get all eight correct?...Good!That's what we call a recognition test.In contrast to the recall test,recognition is more receptive and doesn't require you to produce anything.For this reason,recognition is a lot easier for most of us than recall.In other words,asking yourself "Have I seen this before?"is easier than remembering everything you saw.Now the third basic method used to measure memory is relearning.Let me give you an example of a relearning test.First,you try to memorize a list of words.Then you don't look at the list for a period of time,maybe a week.If you're like most people,you won't be able to remember all of the words.After a week,you then look at the list a second time and try to relearn it.As you would guess,most people relearn information somewhat faster than they learn it the first time.By measuring the time people need to relearn information,we can calculate how much information they have stored in their long-term memories the first time.So,let's stop there for today.Uh...I hope that you'll put today's material in your long-term memory...or you're going to have a hard time with the test.See you next week.Unit4Actions Speak Louder than WordsTEACHER:OK,class,OK...let's begin.What do we mean when we say that actions speak louder than words?STUDENT1:Uh...that means we believe people's actions more than we believe their words.TEACHER:Yes,exactly right—and,uh,in a sense,actions are more important than words.That's because we usually judge speakers'intentions by the nonverbal signals they send us.And that's what our subject today's all about,nonverbal communication—how we communicate through our actions—facial expressions,eye contact,tone of voice,uh,body movement,and so on.And if any of you doubt the importance of these things,you might like to consider a couple of statistics I've got here in front of me.Some communication specialists estimate we spend about75percent of our waking hours communicating.And,more to the point,words account for only,mm, 10to30percent of that communication—the bulk's nonverbal.That's food for thought, uh?Now although people clearly understand its importance,nonverbal communication—I'll call it N.V.C.for short—is actually a rather recent field of study and owes a lot to an American anthropologist named Raymond Birdwhistle—spelled B-I-R-D-W-H-I-S-T-L-E.Easy name to remember,right?Birdwhistle began studying nonverbal communication in the1950s and,um...one of his main ideas was that the meaning of nonverbal behavior depended on the context in which it was used....Uh,it depends on the context.So,he looked at the whole context of nonverbal behavior—how and,uh,where certain types of nonverbal behavior appeared—and not just one particular behavior in isolation.Facial expressions,for example—frowns,smiles,raised eyebrows, and,uh,so on—we all use these to convey many different meanings.But those meanings are largely determined by the situations we're in and the relationships that we have with the people we're communicating with.So,the same。