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英语listening in 部分组最后一篇短文Unit 4Listen passage 1Traditional jobs like the chimney sweeps and coal miners from our history lessons don't really exist anymore. During the 20th century the number of people working in agriculture and manufacturing decreased significantly. In contrast, the number of people doingoffice-based jobs has more than doubled, from 18 per cent of the working population in 1901, to over 40 per cent by the end of the 20th century. Modern society has changed the way we work but these changes are not always positive. They can also create problems we may not be aware of.What does the modern office mean for the nation's health, for example? Well, firstly, office jobs are sedentary. We're sitting at our desks all day working on computers. And this means we're not exercising our bodies in the way people used to when they did more traditional jobs. It's not surprising then that we're all putting on weight. In fact, a fifth of adults over 16 were classified as overweight in 2001.But there are other less obvious dangers connected with office work. Repetitive strain injury, or RSI, and other disorders like muscle strain, neck and backache are a growing problem. It's estimated that in 2002, over a million people suffered from these kinds of health problems. As a result, 12.3 million working days were lost. The cause is simple: long periods spent sitting at the computer typing and using a mouse.Many companies now employ ergonomic experts to ensure staff are sitting correctly at their computers and take frequent breaks from typing to try and prevent injury.Another problem of the modern office is the building itself. People tend to feel tired and irritable after a day stuck inside a modern office and often get colds and flu. This phenomenon is known as "sick building syndrome" and it's caused by several factors. First of all, in many offices there is a lack of natural air and light. Secondly, within the enclosed space of an office environment, there is a high concentration of electronic devices. And as well as this, air-conditioning systems in large buildings re-circulate the air around the office, carrying germs from workstation to workstation. Research suggests sick building syndrome can be found in roughly 30 per cent of new or refurbished buildings. But there is some good news for office workers. A lot of companies are making efforts to improve office workplaces. They're installing better lighting and ventilation. They're increasing the number of plants. And they're encouraging employees to take regular breaks from their computers. So if anyone listening is in an office, take this simple advice: get up, have a stretch, open a window—if you can—and think of ways you can stay healthy in this most unnatural environment.Unit 5Listen passage1Next I will look at the roles of individuals within groups. A group that is made up of individuals who have similar personalities may not work effectively. In the 1980s Belbin identified eight different roles that can help build effective teams. The "Chairperson" is someone who is self-confident and encourages others to contribute.Then there is the "Company worker"—he or she is conservative and helps organize others.The "Shaper" is outgoing and dynamic and motivates others—whereas the "Plant" is a genius who is often a loner.The "Resource investigator" is the group member who is always curious and explores new ideas and the "Monitor-evaluator" is calm and serious and makes good, balanced decisions.The "Teamworker" in contrast is a socially orientated and sensitive member of the team who is able to encourage a team spirit. And the "Completer-finisher" is a conscientious perfectionist who follows through on the details and ties up any loose ends. To be effective, a team needs to have a variety of members who can fulfil all these different roles.Unit 7passage 1When you have a biscuit with your cup of tea do you dunk it? And if so, what's the perfect way to do it? That's the subject of today's Science in Action report. It may be hard to believe but scientists at the University of Bristol have been analyzing this question. And after a two-month study they devised a mathematical formula for dunking biscuits. So no more melting chocolate, or biscuit crumbs in the bottom of your cup, which is the fate of one in four biscuits that are dunked in tea, according to research by a biscuit manufacturer.Doughnut dunkers don't face the same problems because doughnuts are held together with an elastic net of protein gluten. This substance allows the doughnut to absorb liquid without breaking down its structure. The structure of a biscuit, however, is held together by sugar which melts when placed in hot tea or coffee.So what is the answer? The researchers, led by Dr Len Fisher, discovered that holding the biscuit in a horizontal position—or "flat-on"—has a significant effect on the amount of time that a biscuit can stay in hot liquid before falling apart. In fact this horizontal dunking results in a dunking time up to four times longer than traditional vertical dunking.What's the reason for this? It seems that the answer is related to diffusion, in other words, the length of time it takes for the liquid to penetrate the structure of the biscuit. Basically, it takes longer for the liquid to travel through the channels of a biscuit when it is laid flat on the surface of the liquid. Also the fact that when a biscuit is dunked horizontally, with the biscuit submerged in the liquid, and the chocolate coating staying out of the liquid, the chocolate helps hold the biscuit together. Another factor influencing the equation is the temperature of the tea – the hotter the tea, the faster the sugar melts.The researchers also found that by dunking a biscuit into tea or coffee, up to ten times more flavour is released than if the biscuit is eaten dry. So it's worth experimentingyourself. If you are wondering how you can perfect the horizontal dunk, the researchers have come up with an idea for a biscuit-holding device to make dunking biscuits easier. They are even now working on producing a table giving guidelines on dunking times for different types of biscuits.On that note, I think it's time to go off to the canteen for a tea break!。
Do Traffic Tickets Save Lives?Study Shows Traffic Tickets Could Save Drivers’ LivesLee Dye Pity the poor traffic cop.He’s the last guy you want to see in your rearview mirror when you’re speeding down the highway. Why isn’t he out looking for murderers instead of nailing drivers for minor infractions of the law?交通罚单能救命吗？研究显示交通罚单能救司机的命李·戴哎，这可怜的交警。
他是你在高速公路上疾驰时最不愿意在后视镜里看见的人。
他为什么不去抓那些杀人犯，却在这儿为了一点儿芝麻大的交通违规对司机们穷追不舍？Well, according to a major research project by scientists in Canada and California, that cop just might be saving your life. Or the life of someone else.然而，根据加拿大和加利福尼亚科学家们的一项重要研究，那位警察也许恰恰是在救你的命，或者救别的什么人的命。
The researchers have found that a traffic ticket reduces a driver’s chance of being involved in a fatal accident by a whopping 35 percent, at least for a few weeks. The effect doesn’t last long, however. Within three to four months, the lead foot is back on the pedal and the risk of killing yourself or someone else is back up to where it was before that cop stared you in the eye and wrote out that expensive citation.研究者们发现一张交通罚单能让司机至少在几周内遭遇重大车祸的概率降低35%。
学术英语综合听力原文Academic English Listening:TranscriptToday we're going to talk about the impact of climate change on global food security. Climate change is a pressing issue facing our planet today, and it has far-reaching consequences for many aspects of human life. One such consequence is the effect on our food supply. As the climate becomes more unpredictable and extreme weather events become more frequent, agricultural production is at risk.One of the main problems is rising temperatures. Higher temperatures can cause heat stress on plants, which can lower crop yields. Additionally, increasing levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere can affect photosynthesis, the process by which plants convert sunlight into energy. This can result in slower growth and lower nutritional value of crops.Another issue is changing precipitation patterns. Some areas may experience more frequent and intense droughts, while others may see an increase in heavy rainfall and flooding. Both of these scenarios have negative impacts on crop production. Droughts can lead to water scarcity, and without enough water, crops cannot grow. On the other hand, heavy rainfall and flooding can destroy crops and soil, making it difficult to grow anything in the future. Furthermore, climate change can also impact pests and diseases. Warmer temperatures can lead to the expansion of the range and population of certain pests, which can damage crops. In addition,changing climate conditions can create favorable environments for the spread of diseases that affect both plants and animals. Overall, climate change poses a serious threat to global food security. Without adequate food supply, there will be impacts on nutrition and health, as well as social and economic stability. It is crucial that we take immediate action to mitigate the effects of climate change and ensure a sustainable and secure food future.。
英语听力材料英语听力材料原文(5篇)听力在高考试卷中占的比分是五分之一，其比分之大使得考生不敢对其有半点的马虎。
为了让您对于英语听力材料的写作了解的更为全面，下面作者给大家分享了5篇英语听力材料原文，希望可以给予您一定的参考与启发。
英语听力材料原文篇一In America, people are faced with more and more decisions every day, whether it’s picking one of 31 ice cream (1) , or deciding whether and when to get married. That sounds like a great thing, but as a recent study has shown, too many choices can make us (2) , unhappy, even paralyzed with indecision. ‘That’s (3) true when it comes to the work place’, says Barry Schwartz, an (4) of six books about human behavior. Students are graduating with a (5) of skills and interests, but often find themselves (6) when it comes to choosing an ultimate career goal. In a study, Schwartz observed decision-making among college students during their (7) year.flavors confused particularly author variety overwhelmed senior.在美国，人们每天都在面临越来越多的选择。
《学术英语(综合)》Listening ScriptsUnit1EconomicsListening:A person has a comparative advantage at producing something if he can produce it at lower cost than anyone else.Having a comparative advantage is not the same as being the best at something.In fact,someone can be completely unskilled at doing something,yet still have a comparative advantage at doing it!How can that happen?First,let's get some more vocabulary.Someone who is the best at doing something is said to have an absolute advantage.Michael Jordan has an absolute advantage at basketball.For all I know,Michael Jordan may also be the fastest typist in the world,giving him an absolute advantage at typing,too.Since he's better at typing than you, can't he type more cheaply than you?That is,if someone has an absolute advantage in something,doesn't he automatically have a comparative advantage in it?The answer is no!If Jordan takes time out from shooting hoops to do all his own typing,he sacrifices the large income he earns from entertaining fans of basketball.If,instead,his secretary does the typing,the secretary gives up an alternative secretarial job—or perhaps a much lower salary playing basketball.That is,the secretary is the lower-cost typist.The secretary,not Michael Jordan,has the comparative advantage at typing!The trick to understanding comparative advantage is in the phrase"lower cost".What it costs someone to produce something is the opportunity cost—the value of what is given up.Someone may have an absolute advantage at producing every single thing,but he has a comparative advantage at many fewer things,and probably only one or two things.(In Jordan's case,both basketball and also as an endorser of Nike.)Amazingly,everyone always has a comparative advantage at something.Let's look at another example. Suppose you and your roommate want to clean the house and cook a magnificent dinner for your friends one night. The easy case is when you are each better at one activity.If you are an accomplished chef,while your roommate doesn't know the range from the oven;and if after you vacuum the carpet,the dust bunnies have shifted from under the sofa to under the coffee table,while your roommate can vacuum,dust,and polish the silverware faster than you can unwrap the vacuum-cleaner cord,then you and your roommate will each be better off if you cook and your roommate cleans.It's easy to see that you each have a comparative advantage in one activity because you each have an absolute advantage in one activity.But what if your roommate is a veritable Martha Stewart,able to cook and clean faster and better than you? How can you earn your keep toward this joint dinner?The answer is to look not at her absolute advantage,but at your opportunity costs.If her ability to cook is much greater than yours but her ability to clean is only a little better than yours,then you will both be better off if she cooks while you clean.That is,if you are the less expensive cleaner,you should clean.Even though she has an absolute advantage at everything,you still each have different comparative advantages.The moral is this:To find people's comparative advantages,do not compare their absolute advantages. Compare their opportunity costs.答案：Task2:Case1:absolutely;comparative;lowerCase2:you cook and your roommate cleans;you clean and your roommate cooksUnit2Business EthicsLead-in:Limit smoking and tobacco advertising—that's the World Health Organization formula for saving a billion lives during the21st century.Despite on-pack warning and advertising restrictions smoking is on the rise indeveloping nations.For example,China is home to30%of the world's smokers.In fact,its smoking population of 350million people is larger than the entire U.S.population.The Chinese government owns the country's largest tobacco companies,and a pack of cigarettes is far cheaper in China than anywhere else in the world,two factors that complicate efforts to curb smoking.Sill,China has been requiring prominent heath warnings on cigarette packs and banned smoking in public buildings.In India,the world's second-largest market for cigarettes,tobacco companies are not allowed to advertise their products.For years,they got around restrictions through"surrogate advertising",promoting different products with the same brand as their cigarettes.When India tightened regulations on surrogate advertising,many cigarette companies turned to sponsorship of sports and fashion events.To save lives,the World Health Organization wants governments to ban all tobacco marketing and outlaw smoking in all workplaces.What's next for the global cigarette business?答案：Task:1.Limit smoking and tobacco advertising2.350million people3.IndiaListening:Companies are losing control.What happens on Wall Street no longer stays on Wall Street.What happens in Vegas ends up on YouTube.Reputations are volatile.Loyalties are fickle.Management teams seem increasingly disconnected from their staff.A recent survey said that27%of bosses believe their employees are inspired by their firm.However,in the same survey,only4%of employees panies are losing control of their customers and their employees.But are they really?I'm a marketer,and as a marketer,I know that I've never really been in control.Your brand is what other people say about you when you're not in the room,the saying goes.Hyperconnectivity and transparency allow companies to be in that room now,24/7.They can listen and join the conversation.In fact,they have more control over the loss of control than ever before.They can design for it.But how?First of all,they can give employees and customers more control.They can collaborate with them on the creation of ideas,knowledge,content,designs and product.They can give them more control over pricing,which is what the band Radiohead did with its pay-as-you-like online release of its album In Rainbows.Buyers could determine the price,but the offer was exclusive,and only stood for a limited period of time.The album sold more copies than previous releases of the band.The Danish chocolate company Anthon Berg opened a so-called "generous store"in Copenhagen.It asked customers to purchase chocolate with the promise of good deeds towards loved ones.It turned transactions into interactions,and generosity into a panies can even give control to hackers.When Microsoft Kinect came out,the motion-controlled add-on to its Xbox gaming console,it immediately drew the attention of hackers.Microsoft first fought off the hacks,but then shifted course when it realized that actively supporting the community came with benefits.The sense of co-ownership,the free publicity, the added value,all helped drive sales.答案：Task1:1.have more control2.give employees and customers more control;collaborate;designs and product;pricingTask2:1.F2.F3.T4.T5.TUnit3PsychologyLead-in:Psychologists explore concepts such as perception,cognition,attention,emotion,phenomenology,motivation, brain functioning,personality,behavior,and interpersonal relationships.Psychologists of diverse stripes also consider the unconscious mind.While psychological knowledge is often applied to the assessment and treatment of mental health problems,it is also directed toward understanding and solving problems in many different spheres of human activity.The majority of psychologists are involved in some kind of therapeutic role,practicing in clinical, counseling,or school settings.Many do scientific research on a wide range of topics related to mental processes and behavior,and typically work in university psychology departments or teach in other academic settings(e.g., medical schools,hospitals).Some are employed in industrial and organizational settings,or in other areas such as human development and aging,sports,health,and the media,as well as in forensic investigation and other aspects of law.答案：Task:(1)brain functioning(2)the unconscious mind(3)mental health problems(4)The majority of psychologists(5)industrial and organizationalListening:Hi,this is Jane Fendelman from and this video is"what is personality?"Personality is a person's consistent thoughts,feelings,and behaviors that do not change throughout their life. That is their personality.Your personality makes you unique.In all the world there is no one else with your personality and your particular nuances.One of the components we look at in personality is consistency.There are different schools of thought but the majority believe that personality does not change throughout the entire life of the person.Another component we look at in personality is nature/nurture.Nature is when we believe that people are born with a particular personality.They come into the world a certain way.Maybe they're an introvert or an extrovert. This is something that we can't control.Then,there's also the influence of nurture.That is how we're raised,the environment in which we are raised and the people around us,and the programming we receive from those people. Both have an influence on how we are and who we are and how we deal with and look at the world.There are three ways of being in the world.There are those people who,if they are cold,they'll get up and put on a sweater.They'll change themselves.Then there are those people who will get up and change the thermostat. They'll ask a change of the environment or the people around them.And then there's the third way of being,which is the highest way,and the wisest way.That is to be able to do both,and to know which to do when.Make a change in yourself or ask for a change from those around you.There are numerous personality theories and tests that you can take and study,and I invite you to explore that.When you're looking at your personality you may find things you don't like.I invite you to learn to love those aspects of yourself.Some philosophers call them your dark side.Learn to love them,because when you hate them and try to drive them out,they have a tendency to go underground and run you unconsciously.So learn to love every aspect of yourself and then your personality will come out more beautifully.Thank you for joining me!答案：Task1:1.Personality is a person’s consistent thoughts,feelings,and behaviors that do not change throughoutheir life.2.1)consistency2)nature/nurture3.2)We change the environment or the people around us3)We are able to do both.(or:We change ourselves and the environment or the people around us.) Task2:1.introvert;extrovert;we can’t control;we’re raised;around us2.dark side;go underground;unconsciouslyUnit4EnvironmentListening:We live on a human-dominated planet,putting unprecedented pressure on the systems on Earth.This is bad news,but perhaps surprising to you,is also pat of the good news.Were the first generation—thanks to science—to be informed that we may be undermining the stability and the ability of planet Earth to support human development as we know it.I's also good news,because the planetary risks were facing are so large,that business as usual is not an option.In fact,were in a phase where transformative change is necessary,which opens the window for innovation,for new ideas and new paradigms.This is a scientific journey on the challenges facing humanity in the global phase of sustainability.On this journey,I'd like to bring,apart from yourselves,a good friend,a stakeholder,who's always absent when we deal with the negotiations on environmental issues,a stakeholder who refuses to compromise—planet Earth.So I thought Id bring her with me today on stage,to have her as a witness of a remarkable journey,which humbly reminds us of the period of grace we've had over the past10,000years.This is the living conditions on the planet over the last100,000years.I's a very important period—it's roughly half the period when we've been fully modern humans on the planet.We've had the same,roughly,abilities that developed civilizations as we know it. This is the environmental conditions on the planet.Here,used as a proxy,temperature variability It was a jumpy ride.80,0000years in a crisis,we leave Africa, we colonize Australia in another crisis60,00years back,we leave Asia for Europe in another crisis40,000years back,and then we enter remarkably stable Holocene phase,the only period in the whole history of the planet,that we know of,that can support human development.A thousand years into this period,we abandon our hunting and gathering patterns.We go from a couple of culture:we million people to the7billion people we are today.The Mesopotamian the invent agriculture,we domesticate animals and plants.You have the Roman,Greek and the story as you know it.The only phase,as we know it that can support humanity.The trouble is were putting a quadruple squeeze on this poor planet.A quadruple squeeze,which,as its first squeeze,has population growth of course.Now,this is not only about numbers;this is not only about the fact that we're7billion people committed to9billion people,it's an equity issue as well.The majority of the environmental impacts on the planet have been caused by the rich minority,the20%that jumped onto the industrial bandwagon in the mid-18th century.The majority of the planet,aspiring for development,having the right for development,are in large aspiring for an unsustainable lifestyle,a momentous pressure.The second pressure on the planet is,of course the climate agenda—the big issue—where the policy interpretation of science is that it would be enough to stabilize greenhouse gases at450ppm to avoid average temperatures exceeding2degrees,to avoid the risk that we may be destabilizing the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, holding6meters—level rising,the risk of destabilizing the Greenland Ice Sheet,holding another7meters—sea level rising.Now,you would have wished the climate pressure to hit a strong planet,a resilient planet,but unfortunately,the third pressure is the ecosystem decline.Never have we seen,in the past50years,such a sharp decline of ecosystem functions and services on the planet,one of them being the ability to regulate climate on the long term,in our forests,land and biodiversity.The forth pressure is surprise,the notion and the evidence that we need to abandon our old paradigm,thatecosystems behave linearly,predictably,controllably in our—so to say—linear systems,and that in fact,surprise is universal,as systems tip over very rapidly,abruptly and often irreversibly.This,dear friends,poses a human pressure on the planet of momentous scale.We may,in fact,have entered a new geological era—the Anthropocene, where humans are the predominant driver of change at a planetary level.答案：Listening:Task1:Environmental conditions on the planet:1)we colonize Australia in another crisis2)we leave Asia for Europe in another crisis3)we enter the stable Holocene phase4)we abandon our hunting and gathering patterns5)we invent agriculture,we domesticate animals and plantsPressure on the planet:2)climate agenda3)ecosystem decline4)surpriseTask2:planet Earth;very rapidly;a geological eraUnit5PhilosophyListening:Socrates may have lived in the4th century BC,but his insights are desperately needed in our time of strident clashing dogmatisms in which everybody feels entitled to express an opinion,no matter how ill founded.For Socrates philosophy was not about abstruse theories,but about learning how to be good.He invented dialectic,a rigorous dialogue,designed to expose false beliefs and to elicit truth.Unlike Plato and Aristotle,he didn't live in an ivory tower,but was willing to talk to anybody,slaves and soldiers,as well as academics or politicians,about the nature of justice,courage,friendship,or piety.They usually thought that they knew what they were talking about, but by the end of the conversation,Socrates had laid bare the flaws and inconsistencies that lay at heart of everyone of their firmly held opinions.Socrates'aim was not to come up with clever solutions,but to make his dialogue partners admit that there were no easy answers.Those who did not do this could only live superficially and expediently."The unexamined life,"Socrates insisted,"is not worth living".Reading Plato's account of Socrates' conversations,we become aware of a constant striving for knowledge without fanaticism or dogmatic certitude,but society doesn't always relish such honesty.In399the Athenian democracy put Socrates to death for subverting the young.He died without anger,and was able to meet death with quiet receptive peace that has characterized his constant search for truth.The reason why RenéDescartes is so important as a philosopher,as a mathematician,is because he gives a solid foundation to how we should think.He writes a book called Rules for the Regulation of Thought,of the Mind. He says we should think as we speak.Continuously he finds a foundation for all mathematics,for all thought in one crucial insight,which comes to him in a dream,that because he is thinking,therefore he must exist,so the world isn't all a fantasy.He then takes the solid geometry that we know as a rigorous science that comes from the Greeks and turns it into a way of dealing with numbers,a way of going beyond Greek geometry.He invents the coordinate plane that allows us to graph lines,give them equations,solve these equations mechanically without having to think this is a wonderful opposition in him.He wants to save our thought for the important battles.There's this one story, one story made up of two parts,opposition,mind/body,algebra/geometry,the external/the internal,the invented and the discovered.These are the two sides of the chasm,that Descartes,and that we in our own minds,bridge,step across,unite by a magical process,which is mathematics.答案：Listening:Task1:1)talk to anybody2)truth3)how we should think4)exist5)a way of dealing with numbersTask2:1.feels entitled to;ill founded2.an ivory tower;academics;justice3.mathematician4.mind/body;the invented and the discoveredUnit6MathematicsListening:Q:Who—or what—are the Numerati?A:They're members of a global elite,and are busy analyzing our every move.They're rummaging through mountains of data,looking for patterns of our behavior so that they can predict what we might want to buy,who were likely to vote for,what job we'd do better than our colleagues.Some are even matching us with potential lovers.The Numerati are masters of symbolic realm,They're great at math and computer science.The Googleplex is crawling with Numerati.So is IBM.When I started this book,I thought that the Numerati were different from the rest of us,that they were“numbers people".As I watched them studying our shopping and voting patterns,I saw this wasn't true.They analyze data much the way all of us do every day.Let's say a friend asks you for a$100loan.You immediately begin working through data and probabilities.How much does she earn?Does she lie more than most people?What are the chances she'll move?What will she do if you say no?You give different weight to each of these variables.That's exactly what the Numerati do.In a sense,we're all Numerati.But they deal with millions of us at the same time and they use big machines.Q:Data collecting is old hat.Why are things different now?A:Imagine that a detective or a biographer wanted to piece together a year of your life,say1991.For this,he might have to climb up into your attic and dig through boxes of letters,big folders of snapshots,telephone bills,and all sorts of paper.He might have to interview friends,neighbors and co workers.Our histories existed largely on paper and in foggy memories.That has changed.Our photos and correspondence,and practically everything we do at the office now travels as digital data.With this hit,we now deliver our details in a single standard made of ones and zeros.Who can make sense of all that data,turning it into new insights about us,new services, new industries?Only the Numerati.This can be frustrating for those of us who studied humanities.There used to be a pretty clear divide.The math types stuck to engineering and science and architecture—and they left the study of humans to us.Those of us who dropped Calc101could still rise high in psychology,journalism,law and marketing.But now the Numerati are storming into the humanities.Q:Should we be scared of the Numerati?A:Let's say vigilant.They have unprecedented power to uncover our secrets.And their predictions,produced by algorithms,will have a lot to say about whether we get a job,how much we spend for health insurance,even if we'll get swept up as a terrorism suspect.Here's what we have to keep in mind.The Numerati are not always right.They work with statistics,often delivering stunning results.A grocer,for example,will be thrilled if60%of targeted shoppers go for a promotion on filet mignon.It won't matter if a few of those getting coupons are vegans or devout Hindus.Shift the focus from shopping to something like brain cancer or homeland security.Then the errors—what the Numerati call"false positives"—start to become a very big deal.So,we don't want them to misread us.At the same time,we don't want them to know and predict us too well.That would feel a bit like Big Brother,which is a danger.Q:Which area of our lives are the Numerati transforming most quickly?A:They're racing ahead in shopping,marketing,advertising and media.Look at Google.It's revolutionizing entire industries(including my own)by applying mathematics and computer science—the tools of the Numerati—to the world of information.Q:When readers get to the final page of The Numerati,what do you hope they will be thinking and feeling?A:I hope they start seeing(or imagining)the Numerati at work everywhere they look,whether it's at school,at work,at the hospital or the grocery store.That's what has happened to me.I'm acutely aware of the data that I'm sending out into the world,whether it's driving through an EZ Pass on the Garden State Parkway or checking the baseball scores on my PC at work Hmm,I wonder.What conclusions will they draw from that?If readers of the book start thinking this way,perhaps they'll analyze the patterns of their own lives and the data they produce.For many of us,its a new way to learn about ourselves.And like it or not,it's the way the rest of the world will go to know us.答案：Listening:Task1:Question1:symbolic realm;our every moveQuestion2:piece together a year of life;everything we do might be travelling as digital data and we now deliver our details in a single standard made of ones and zerosQuestion3:misread;know;predictQuestion4:shopping;marketing;advertising;mediaQuestion5:learn about ourselves;get to know usTask2:1.T2.T3.F4.TUnit7SociologyListening:When I got my current job,I was given a good piece of advice,which was to interview three politicians every day.And from that much contact with politicians,I can tell you they're all emotional freaks of one sort or another. They have what I called"logorrhea dementia",which is they talk so much they drive themselves insane.But what they do have is incredible social skills.When you meet them,they lock into you,they look you in the eye,they invade your personal space,they massage the the back of your head.1had dinner with a Republican senator several months ago who kept his hand on my inner thigh throughout the whole meal—squeezing it.I once—this was years ago—I saw led Kennedy and Dan Quayle meet in the well of the Senate.And they were friends,and they hugged each other and they were laughing,and their faces were like this tar apart.And they were moving and grinding and moving their arms up and down each other.And I was like, "Get a room.I don't want to see this."But they have those social skills.Another case:Last election cycle,I was following Mitt Romney around New Hampshire,and he was campaigning with his five perfect sons:Bip,Chip,Rip,Zip,LIP and Dip.And he's going into a diner.And he goesinto the dinner,introduces himself to a family and says,"What village are you from in New Hampshire?"And then he describes the home he owned in their village.And so he goes around the room,and then as he's leaving the dinner,he first-names almost everybody hes just met.I was like,"Okay,that's social skill."But the paradox is,when a lot of these people slip into the policy making mode,that social awareness vanishes and they start talking like accountants.So in the course of my career,I have covered a series of failures.We sent economists in the Soviet Union with privatization plans when it broke up,and what they really lacked was social trust.We invaded Iraq with a military oblivious to the cultural and psychological realities.We had a financial regulatory regime based on the assumptions that traders were rational creatures who wouldn't do anything stupid. For30years,I've been covering school reform and we've basically reorganized the bureaucratic boxes—charters, private schools,vouchers—but we've had disappointing results year after year.And the fact is,people learn from people they love.And if you're not talking about the individual relationship between a teacher and a student,you're not talking about that reality.But that reality is expunged from our policy-making process.And so that's led to a question for me:Why are the most socially-attuned people on earth completely dehumanized when they think about policy?And I came to the conclusion,this is a symptom of a larger problem. That,for centuries,we've inherited a view of human nature based on the notion that were divided selves,that reason is separated from the emotions and that society progresses to the extent that reason can suppress the passions. And it's led to a view of human nature that were rational individuals who respond in straightforward ways to incentive,and its led to ways of seeing the world where people try to use the assumptions of physics to measure how human behavior is.And it's produced a great amputation,a shallow view of human nature.答案：Listening:Task1:1.a term to describe those who talk so much they drive themselves insane2.skills used to communicate with others.A socially skillful person can lock into you,look you in the eyeand invade your personal space.3.charters,private schools,vouchers4.experienced and world-wise,socially skillful5.a kind of state in which reason is separated from the emotionsTask2:1.F2.F3.T4.TUnit8GlobalizationListening:Both myself and my brother belong to the under30demographic,which Pat said makes70%,but according to our statistics it makes60%of the region's population.Qatar is no exception to the region.It's a very young nation led by young people.We have been reminiscing about the latest technologies and the iPods,and for me the abaya, my traditional dress that I'm wearing today.Now this is not a religious garment,nor is it a religious statement.Instead,its a diverse cultural statement that we choose to wear.Now I remember a few years ago,a journalist asked Dr.Sheikha,who's sitting here,president of Qatar University—who,by the way,is a woman—he asked her whether she thought the abaya hindered or infringed her freedom in any way.Her answer was quite the contrary.Instead,she felt more free,more free because she could wear whatever she wanted under the abaya.She could come to work in her pajamas and nobody would care.Not that you do;I'm just saying.My point is here,people have a choice—just like the Indian lady could wear her sari or the Japanese woman could wear her kimono.We are changing our culture from within,but at the same time we are reconnecting with。
Unit 1 Presenting a SpeechRoad BuildingGood morning, everyone. Today I'l l be talking about the relationship between road building and the development of the American economy during the 18th century. About 300 years ago, the United States' economy was growing rapidly, mainly because of a booming trade in two important agricultural products: grain and cotton.Grain output in the eastern part of America increased quickly at that time due to the rapidly growing population and the large number of immigrants from Europe. As a result, the demand for grain almost doubled. For this reason, the trade in grain first developed in this part of the country. At the same time, the road system was gradually built up in order to transport the grain from the rural areas to various cities. The road building clearly helped develop the economy quickly in these areas and in the cities as well.During the same period, farmers in the South could get a large amount of laborers from Africa, and they started to grow cotton. As the cotton output increased, the farmers needed to sell it in other places. As a result, many roads were built to link the rural areas to the cities.At first, this trade of grain and cotton took place along the coast, or near rivers and lakes. It took place there because it was easy and cheap to transport goods from one place to another. Before 1700, it was very expensive to move the goods by road.So, farmers had to rely mainly on rivers to move their crops to markets.At that time, there was only one continuous road that existed in the US. It ran from north to south along country roads, which were linked together to make one long road. Within a short time, the first east-to-west roads were built. They were called turnpikes. Private companies built these roads and collected fees from all vehicles that traveled on them.Eventually, because of the booming trade of grain and cotton, a network of roadways was completed that connected some major cities and towns. Although traveling was still costly for farmers, they soon preferred to move their crops to cities and other areas on roadways rather than by boat because it was faster and more convenient.So here we can see a rather clear picture of road building in the United States and its impact on economic development during that period.Unit 2 Energy ConservationAn Eyewitness to Changes in China(Y: Yang Rui, anchor of Dialogue, CCTV-9R: Sidney Rittenberg, president of Rittenberg Associates, Incorporated. )Y: Mr. Rittenberg, you are a successful businessman and also a big name to the Chinese due to your close association with the first generation of the PRC leaders. How do you look at the impact that that experience has had on your current perception of China's reform and development?R: I feel in my heart that what I’m doing today is a continuation of what I was trying to do in the that is, I had this ambition, this dream, from the time that I began studying Chinese at Stanford University in 1943，I had this dream of working to build bridges between Chinese people and American people, and to help them understand each other and cooperate together. And I tried to do that in the past, working in China in Mao’sday. And that's exactly what I'm trying to do today. I really think that what I'm doing today is more effective than what I was able to do in the past.Y: At that time many foreigners came to China, but you were among the very few who got close to the Communist Party of China.R: You know, it’s quite obvious to me that the only reason that the Communist Party of China was able to win in the final stages of the Civil War is because of their extremely close relations with the people. The Chinese people that came to know them, trusted them and considered them their representatives. This small peasant army led by Mao Zedong had no tanks, no big guns, no planes, and was greatly outnumbered by the opposition, which was the most powerful armed force in Asia after the Second World War. And yet in only three and a half years, the Nationalists were completely defeated and driven off to the island province of Taiwan. Why? Because the ties that the Communists had with the Chines e people were unbreakable. They had their trust. They had their confidence and support. And that was something that the Nationalists were not able to get.You know, the Revolutionary Army was a poor army, even in terms of the food they got. The soldiers had grass sandals that they made themselves along the march. But what made them do it? The fact that they had a vision. They believed that they were fighting for their land, for their family to have their own farmland, and for a fair government that would listen to the people and do what they needed. So this is the only explanation I can think of for why they were able to win.Y: In the Long March you just talked about, the Communist army had to overcome extreme difficulties. But in the new Long March of modernization today, we are also facing difficulties, though very different. What’s your view of this new Long March? R: I agree with calling this a new Long March, only the barriers are very different. Those barriers were certainly very grim and threatening. Some of these barriers look very good and inviting but actually they are not. I mean, in the days before and during the Long March, the leaders had the task of studying the Chinese reality and getting everybody that they could influence to study reality and from it to derive a set of policies, practical strategies to guide everybody. So people had a shared vision and dream. They were motivated by this common dream to work together. And I think, during the current Long March of modernization, China would need to do the same thing, to gradually study Chinese reality and develop a set of strategies, a common vision and a set of values that most people will share. And then you'll find that you don't have a problem of disconnection between the central government and local governments, or a problem of a big gap between city and country life.Y: Still, people are wondering in this country why we were able to live with poverty but have problems living with the new wealth.R: Again it’s the lack of a practical, down-to-earth, realistic vision that everyone shares, in my opinion. I remember after the “Great Leap Forward”when there was a famine, many, many people in Beijing, including government workers, professors in schools, their faces were swollen because people weren’t getting enough food. But nobody admitted that it was because of malnutrition. No one said, “It’s because we don’t have enough food.”You know, I personally don’t think that, for most people, they weremotivated just for a distant future dream of Communism. It was because of what the new government had actually already done for the people: workers got their eight hoursa day, farmers got their own land for the first time, the public health campaigns, etc.These things raised the standards of living, especially during the first five or six years from 1949 to 1955. Tremendous social changes made people feel, "This is my government, they represent my interests, they bring me real benefits.”Y: What lessons do you think we should draw from the Cultural Revolution?R: Well, I think the Cultural Revolution pointed out one fact, which actually was articulated by Deng Xiaoping in his interview after the Cultural Revolution with an American correspondent. He said that any government that doesn’t succeed in making life better for most people in China year by year is not going to succeed. And I think that was the lesson that was taught: it’s not enough just to have growth of the economy, you’ve got to make people feel that you represent their interests and you are working for them.Y: Besides making people’s life better, there is another core idea of Deng Xiaoping’s theory, that is, the emancipation of people’s mind.R: I think the emancipation of the followed the Cultural Revolution is equally important to the development of the market economy in China today. But compared to the economic reform, I think the emancipation of the mind hasn’t gone far enough. There’s still the shadow of the old feudalistic habits of governments and individuals in their thinking and in their relationships. When I say a common vision, I don't mean a political code that everyone recites. I mean a feeling that we are working together to build a common society that’s more or less represented by the eight lines that were raised by President Hu Jintao, the moral code.Unit 3 TrafficDriving While on a Cell Phone Worse Than Driving While Drunk21:44:27 EDT June 29, 2006Thursday, June 29 —Maneuvering through traffic while talking on the phone increases the likelihood of an accident five-fold and is actually more dangerous than driving drunk, U.S. researchers report.That finding held true whether the driver was holding a cell phone or using a hands-free device, the researchers noted.“As a society, we have agreed on not tolerating the risk associated with drunk driving,”said researcher Frank Drews, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Utah. “This study shows us that somebody who is conversing on a cell phone is exposing him or herself and others to a similar risk — cell phones actually are a higher risk,” he said.His team’s report appears in the summer issue of the journal Human Factors.In the study, 40 people followed a pace car along a prescribed course, using a drivingsimulator. Some people drove while talking on a cell phone, others navigated while drunk (meaning their blood-alcohol limit matched the legal limit of 0.08 percent), and others drove with no such distractions or impairments.“We found an increased accident rate when people were conversing on the cell phone,”Drews said. Drivers on cell phones were 5.36 times more likely to get in an accident than non-distracted drivers, the researchers found.The phone users fared even worse than the inebriated, the Utah team found. There were three accidents among those talking on cell phones — all of them involving a rear-ending of the pace car. In contrast, there were no accidents recorded among participants who were drunk, or the sober, cell-phone-free group.The bottom line: Cell-phone use was linked to “a significant increase in the accident rate," Drews said.He said there was a difference between the behaviors of drunk drivers and those who were talking on the phone. Drunk drivers tended to be aggressive, while those talking on the phone were more sluggish, Drews said.In addition, the researchers found talking on the cell phone reduce reaction time by 9 percent in terms of braking and 19 percent in terms of picking up speed after braking. "This is significant, because it has an impact on traffic as a system,”Drews said. “If we have drivers who are taking a lot of time in accelerating once having slowed down, the overall flow of traffic is dramatically reduced,”he said.In response to safety concerns, some states have outlawed the use of hand-held cell phones while driving. But that type of legislation may not be effective, because the Utah researchers found no difference in driver performance whether the driver was holding the phone or talking on a hands- free model.Unit 4 Social BehaviorThe Men’s Movement: What Does It Mean to Be a Man?As a result of the Women’s Movement, more women are working outside the home, and many men are playing a more active role in family life and are taking on some of the tasks involved in child care and housework. In addition to these changes inside the home, men are today entering occupations that used to be considered women’s jobs. More men are becoming nurses and teachers of young children. Other men are finding that they have more female colleagues and bosses at work than ever before, and they are having to adapt to women’s styles of communication and management, which can differ considerably from those of men. At work, as well as at home, many men today in modern North American society have to play very different roles than their fathers did. They are, as a result, joining with other men in a countermovement called the Men’s Movement to seek to provide one another with the support they need to cope with the roles expected of men in today’s world.Exactly what forms does the Men’s Movement take, and what do men in the Men’s Movement hope to achieve by being active in the movement? To begin with, the Men’s Movement has nounified, monolithic philosophy. Although there are a number of unifying themes, there are also some interesting differences among the basic groups associated with the Men’s Movement. Several writers who write about the Men’s Movement have identified four basic groups of men active in the movement.The first group is labeled the male feminists, and these men work for women’s rights and equality between the sexes. Some of the men in this first group are vocal about blaming other men for much of the violence against women and for the inequality that exists between men and women in relationships and the job market. Not all members of the Men’s Movement, however, consider this first group of men to be an integral part of the Men’s Movement. To be sure, the other three groups focus more on men’s issues than do the so-called male feminists.The second orientation in the Men’s Movement attracts men who join men’s support groups to meet regularly and give and receive psychological support in dealing with problems created by the new roles they have to play at home and at work. These men are attempting to learn to better express their feelings and emotions, and to show sensitivity without being ashamed. A third group in the Men’s Movement consists of men who want to get back the power they feel they have lost because of the advances made by women as a result of the Women’s Movement and feminist causes. They are male activists. Finally, there is an approach to the movement called the mytho-poetic Men’s Movement. The men involved in this aspect of the Men’s Movement believe that men should be initiated into manhood as men were initiated when people still lived in small tribes and bands in more ancient cultures. This group initiates men using mythology, poetry (hence the name mytho-poetic), and other rituals, such as dancing, to explore and affirm the value of masculinity and masculine approaches to problem solving. Men who subscribe to this viewpoint worry that too much contact with women and too little contact with other men has turned men into weaklings or wimps.So, the Men’s Movement is very diverse. A man who wants to join the movement has many options of just how he will explore the question, “What does it mean to be a man in today’s world?”Unit 5 PopulationSuicide on CampusAnchor: Good morning, everybody. I’m expecting all of you to gather here for the half-hour Early Show. Today, parents and students alike are constantly reminded of the problems like drug and alcohol abuse, and unsafe sex on college campuses. But relatively few are warned about suicide. And suicide is second only to accidents as a leading cause of death among college students.Our Early Show correspondent Tracy Smith reports on this very real danger that often goes undiscussed. Hello, Tracy.Tracy Smith: Hi, Teresa. I know that today’s topic — campus suicides — is obviously weightier than the others we have talked about before. But we can not give up eating for fear of choking. It is high time we looked at the issue face to face. A study by the American College Health Association showed that 15 percent of students meet the criteria for clinical depression. Although it’s a topic cloaked in stigma and shame, more collegesand universities are choosing to confront it, rather than wait until it’s too late. They have begun to look seriously into the reasons and seek solutions to the problem and actively intervene. Now let’s watch a short film and get some hint of a young college guy's tragedy.Tracy Smith: Nathan Eisert, 20, took his own life in his college dorm two years ago.In a cemetery on the outskirts of Louisville, Kentucky, you’ll find the message Tell them, Momma, a life’s too much to lose" on his small headstone.Jan Ulrich (Nathan’s mother): The message is for Nathan’s friends. I want them to sec that message, because I think it’s from Nathan, you know, I really do. I think Nathan sent that message for me to pass along. And when they come to the gravesite, i t's what I want them to walk away with.Tracy Smith: Always a lover of basketball, the 6-foot 5-inch player secured a spot on the Western Kentucky team as a walk-on.Stephen Ulrich (Nathan’s stepfather): Every time the team got ahead in the game, y ou'd hear the guys in the crowd and everybody chanting, “Nathan, Nathan ..."Tracy Smith: But early in the second season, Nathan injured his foot. He lost his place on the team but never told his family.Stephen Ulrich: W e'r e not realizing that because he couldn’t play, because he wasn’t achieving, in his mind that he wasn't measuring up. So all of a sudden, he’s sinking. Right before everybody’s eyes, h e's sinking, and we don’t even see him sinking.Tracy Smith: Nathan hit rock bottom. And when he didn’t show up for a family event, his father went looking for him.Jan Ulrich: Then the phone rang; it was Nathan’s dad. Ulrich s aid, “Where are you?” As soon as I heard this, I replied, “Uh-oh ... Don’t tell me what you’re gonna tell me. I... Don’t tell me.” That’s when he told me, “H e's dead. He shot himself.”Tracy Smith: How did things go so horribly wrong, so quickly? Jan and Stephen say they didn’t recognize the signs and that Nathan never asked for help.Anchor: Today we have invited to our studio Mr. Phil Satow and Mrs. Donna Satow, who became experts on the topic after their son, Jed, a student at Arizona State University, committed suicide in 1998.Phil Satow: A major problem is that a large number of students are away from home for the first time in their life and that can be traumatic. There are so many pressures that they’re facing: peer pressures, expectations of parents of high grades, high unemployment. Young people don’t want to disappoint, so there’s a whole series of things that happen specifically at that time.Donna Satow: Some of them are also having trouble handling their romance. Sudden breakup of a relationship can hurt one to such a fatal extent.Tracy Smith: Just like other services on campus, parents should encourage their college kids to take advantage of counseling available there. It’s also a good idea for parents and classmates to know some of the warning signs for suicide. The Ulrichs hope that by telling their story, they’ll encourage others, including administrators, parents and the students themselves, to reach out.Stephen Ulrich: Yes, that’s right. It’s too late for us to save Nathan, but it’s not too late to save another family and another Nathan out there, because there’s another kid out there that’s screaming for help.Anchor: Thank you, Mr. Ulrich. What you said is what our talk show aims for. Thank you all so much for attending our show. Welcome you back at the same time next week. Good-bye.Unit 6 A City in ChinaWhat Does the Future Hold for Marriage?What Does the Future Hold for Marriage?Eighty years ago, Arnold Bennett, Hilaire Belloc, Rebecca West and other luminaries predicted the future of marriage — did they get it right? Despite its decline in popularity and rising divorce rates, Bel Mooney argues against the loosening of matrimonial ties. But does marriage really have a future in the 21st century?I’m Richard Right. My wife and I have recently celebrated our Sapphire Anniversary (45 years), with, hopefully, many years to come. We made a commitment to each other and, through thick and thin, have stuck by that commitment. Today’s generation is always in a hurry and doesn’t see anything beyond the next hurdle, so they give up if the wall ahead looks too high. We must encourage people in the belief that marriage is the best social institution ever invented, but we must be prepared to work at it. The government could help by reintroducing the married persons’ allowance.I feel very disappointed that so many men feel the way they appear to about marriage. To me marriage is sacred. I didn’t promise to love, care for and be with my husband until next week, or until another offer comes along. I promised to love him and be with him in sickness, health, riches or poverty for the rest of our lives. I meant it. I still mean it almost four years on. Things have not been easy, but I didn’t expect a bed of roses, or everything to be plain sailing. I have never expected someone else to support me in the style to which I would like to become accustomed. I expect to have to work hard for the things that we want. The notion that caring and sharing is somehow old-fashioned and out of tune with modern life, and living together is in any way compatible with the lifetime commitment of marriage is just wrong. Some of us do care, and some of us do commit to another and mean it.Any man that praises the delights of marriage has never experienced the agony of divorce and the loss of his children. Marriage is very much for the benefit of women.I don’t know about marriage but the future of the wedding industry is more than secure. My daughter is getting married this Sunday in a beautiful ceremony in Santa Barbara. We had to take a second mortgage on the house to pay for it. I am going to quit teaching school and become a wedding planner — she makes twice my salary!Unit 7 Dishonoring the Honor System Opening Speech for the UK’s First Disabled People’s ParliamentI am delighted and honoured to be here today to open the UK’s first Disabled People’s Parliament.I would like to begin by thanking the British Council of Disabled People for all your efforts inlaunching this important initiative and to thank you, the first members of the Parliament — disabled people who are passionate enough about the situation of the eight and a half million of us in this country — for committing yourselves to fighting in our name.Let me start by saying that I think today is one of historic importance in the emancipation of disabled people and our determination to seize control of our own lives. On 28 August 1963, before the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, Martin Luther King gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. Five years later he told us he had seen the promised land and the next day he was assassinated. So what was that dream?In many ways it was modest enough. He didn’t call for revolution. He wanted former slaves and sons of former slave owners to sit together at the table of brotherhood. He dreamt of freedom and justice. He said “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today!”If King were with us today and we asked him to speak on disability I think he might say that he has another dream. A dream of a world in which disabled people are not judged by the shape of our bodies, or in which people with learning disabilities are not to be turned away from hotels and restaurants because of prejudice. He might dream of a world in which the physical barriers to buildings, transport and the environment exist no longer, and disabled people have the right to mobility and movement. He might dream of a world in which we automatically support disabled people to live in the community, who should no longer fear being shunted into residential homes against their wishes.King had his dream. We can have ours and we can make our dream come true. This Parliament, which I am proud to open today, is one more step to achieving that dream.Let’s live the dream. Thank you.。
