口译教程部分答案

2.2 Why do we have eyebrows?

Those tiny, little hairs above our eyes that many women either pluck, paint, pierce or tattoo play a

very important role in keeping moisture out of our eyes.

Just like an umbrella keeps our bodies dry from the rain, our hairy eyebrows keep our eyes dry

from rain or sweat.

When it's pouring rain outside or when sweat drips down from our foreheads, our eyebrows divert

the flow of water or sweat away from our eyes.

Our arch-shaped eyebrows angle the rain or sweat around to the side of our faces--leaving our

eyes fairly dry. By catching the water or sweat, our eyebrows not only allow us to see more clearly,

but also keep salty sweat from burning or irritating our eyes.

Eyebrows have other roles also. As one of our most expressive facial features, eyebrows help us

determine how people are feeling without ever really asking them.

If a person's eyebrows are frowning, chances are they are mad or upset. In addition, eyebrows

have an increasing impact on our beauty or fashion culture over the years.

Thick, hairy and big eyebrows tend to be characterized as unattractive while thin and plucked

eyebrows are said to be more attractive.

3.1Hotels in China

Hotels in China are classified into first class, second class and third class based on their star-rating.

Five-star and most four-star hotels are in the first class. Guest rooms in first class hotels all have

fully-fitted bathrooms, refrigerators, telephones and satellite TV. They have fully adjustable

climate control through central air-conditioning facilities. Other ancillary facilities provided by

these hotels include such things as business centres, conference facilities, beauty parlours, saunas,

foreign exchange, bowling centers, disco-ballrooms, swimming pools, gymnasiums, restaurants,

cafes, shopping centers and bars which are open 24 hours a day. The second class generally

includes three-star hotels and some two-star ones. Guest room facilities and services are not up to

the standard of those in first class hotels. Tour groups normally prefer to stay in second class

hotels. Third class hotels are much like motels in Western counties in terms of facilities and

services. Hardware facilities in such hotels are of course inferior to those provided by second class

hotels, but they offer prices 50% or more below those of second class hotels. As a result, they are

popular with many tourists.

5.1 What makes a good conversation?

Recently, a friend phoned me. She’s one of those people who could talk under wet cement. I've

discovered that I can even put the phone down and attend to something in another room while

she's talking and she doesn’t even notice. A second friend phoned me that night. I was very tired,

but I soon forgot my weariness as we animatedly shared our opinions, beliefs and personal

experiences. Time flew, and as I went to bed very late that night, I thought, “Now, that was a really

good conversation!”

It occurred to me that it might be an interesting topic to research for my speech tonight. So I asked

some of my friends what they thought made a good conversation. They had different suggestions,

but all agreed on three main points: mutual interest, give and take, trust.

Let's look at the first one: mutual interest. A conversation has to be of interest to all concerned. As

one friend suggested, a good conversation is when two or more people voluntarily explore the

topic. But how can we be sure that we are not boring others? We need to be sensitive to the cues our listener gives us. Someone suggested if he is pulling away from your grip, or standing on

tiptoe making desperate signals to someone else, he probably wants out!

All my friends agreed that a conversation thrives on a balance of giving and taking. Conversations

are the building blocks of a relationship, one told me. If conversations lean too far in one direction,

the relationship will topple. We agreed that giving and taking can be done both through

speaking and listening. Through talking we can entertain, inform, advise, and share personal

experiences. We fulfill our listener’s emotional needs when we sympathize, praise or reassure him.

By listening attentively we can make the other person feel good about himself. We give him an

outlet for his pent-up feelings, and a sounding board for his ideas. Since most people would rather

talk than listen this means we sometimes have to give up our own desire to speak in favour of the

other person’s need to talk. Someone mentioned active listening. We can respond non-verbally

with our eyes and body language to draw out the speaker. It's important to ask questions to show