Unit 1Food QualityPart ⅠV iew, Listen and S peakTask One: Food Additives (1)Food additives are widely used in many countries. However, the discovery a number of years ago that the food additive Sudan Red was harmful to human health led to a backlash against all food additives.For example, the milk we drink in the morning has calcium added to it; numerous beverages contain calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium and other minerals; store bought salt contains iodine, zinc and silica; and potato chips have as many as 10 types of food additives, such as spices, edible pigments, citric acid, flavor additives, sweetening agents and silica.MSG and condiments are considered food additives. Y east powder is also a food additive too and is usually added to steamed breads. Even sodium carbonate is a food additive, too, and is often added to make congee.To better understand the functions of food additives, Nature & Science did two interesting experiments at a bakery.Flour, eggs, sugar, salt and soda are the basic materials used in baking cakes.First, let‘s make a cake without any additives. Mixing egg yolks and whites evenly, we then add some sugar into it. When the egg and sugar are (done) being mixed, we immediately add flour, water, soda and bulking agents into the mixture and rapidly mix them to make the batter. All this must be done within 10 to 30 seconds after which the batter must be immediately placed into the oven to bake.Now, let‘s make some cakes with additives. When the eggs and sugar are being mixed, we add some cake oil to the mixture. The cake oil is composed of acidity regulators, antioxidants, vitamin C and sodium bicarbonate. It can make the egg-sugar mixture rapidly inflate. After flour, water and soda are poured into the egg-sugar mixture, the cake oil can form compound membranes with proteins in the cake batter. This can significantly improve the strength and stability of bubbles in the batter and make sure that all of the ingredients are evenly distributed.Even after the batter is left for some time, the bubbles will not disappear.After the cakes are taken out of the oven we can see that the cakes that had the oil added to them are much nicer to look at and are more flexible than those without the additives. Even the insides of the cakes are remarkably different. The internal structure of the cake without additives is uneven and brittle. But the internal structure of the cake with additives is even, soft and flexible and tastes delicious and moist.The benefits of food additives do not just apply to cakes but also to many other foods. Emulsifiers are what give ice cream its delicious taste. The sweeteners lead to low-calorie, low-sugar products.Without edible pigments, there wouldn‘t be various colorful candies.Without preservatives, canned foods couldn‘t be preserved for months on end, making it difficult to get them to consumers‘ hands before they go bad. Preservatives can prevent the growth of bacteria and ensure the freshness of nutrition in the food for a short period of time. From this aspect, food additives are very important to our health. Withoutthem, we can hardly imagine what life would be like. Food additives can keep and improve the color and flavor of foods. They can even increase the nutritional value of certain foods and improve the quality of our life. With the rapid development of the food industry, the type and usage of food additives have increased dramatically, and they have been applied more widely and become an indispensable aspect of modern food processing.Task Two: Food Additives (2)Food additives are widely used in many countries. Several years ago, the discovery that something called Sudan Red was harmful to human health led to a backlash against all food additives. I n toxicology, the dosage decides the toxicity.If the intake of a substance is below its acceptable intake level, damage to the human healthis within an acceptable scope. After evaluating the safety of a food additive, scientists put forthits acceptable daily intake (ADI) per kilogram of an average person‘s body weight as the basis for governments to stipulate the applications and maximum dosages of food additives.The Food Safety and Toxicology Evaluation Procedures issued by the Chinese Ministry of Health require that every food additive must undergo oral acute toxicity tests, genetic toxicity tests, teratogenic tests, 90-day feeding trials and carcinogenic tests in animals. According to their toxicological data, food additives are divided into 3 categories: very safe, safe and unsafe. The first category of food additives have no restrictions related to their usage in food processing. They do not need ADI values but simply reference dosages.For example, after a large number of biochemical and toxicological researches, the international Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) announced that it planned to cancel the acceptable daily intake restriction of monosodium glutamate (MSG).This shows that MSG is a very safe food additive. China‘s standards stipulate that MSG can be used in various types of food according to the practical needs of food production. For example, the maximum reference dosage of MSG is 1.3 milligrams per kilogram in candy, 190 milligrams per kilogram in condiments and 4,300 milligrams per kilogram in soups.The second category of food additives is food additives deemed safe. JECFA has establishedADI values for each of them.Their uses in food processing are restricted. For instance, long-term animal experiments show that lemon yellow has the weakest toxicity of synthetic pigments and is a safe food additive.Its ADI is 0―7.5 milligrams per kilogram. In China, it is stipulated that its maximum dosage is 0.1 grams per kilogram in fruit juices, drinks, candies and shrimps and 0.02 grams per kilogramin ice cream.The third category of food additives is unsafe. According to toxicological data, such additives are considered to be unsafe for use in food. In 2002, the Chinese Ministry of Health announced the prohibition of 59 types of natural raw materials in food, They are unsafe and if they are found in any food product, the company in question would be subject to legal action.Now that there are so many toxicological regulations overseeing the safety of food additives, why do so many consumers think food additives are a food safety issue? This perception is in part caused by the bad behavior of a very small minority of food processing companies who violate the state‘s health standards through the use of illegal food additives. They increase the dosage of food additives or add some things that are not food additives into food. Consumers should stand up and safeguard their rights.They have the right to know what additives are in the food they arebuying. For example, soy sauce usually has preservatives added. When a consumer buys a bottle of soy sauce in the supermarket, he can read the specific name of the preservative, say sodium benzoate or potassium sorbate, on the label of the bottle. Similarly, the specific names of sweeteners, such as xylitol and acesulfame potassium, added to soy sauce should also be marked on the label.When a type of food is added with more than 2 coloring agents, their specific names, such as Fancy Red and Bright Blue, should be clearly marked on the label. So when consumers buy food at the market, they can read the instructions on food packages to know what additives are in them.This red liquid is called Carmine. It‘s a synthetic edible pigment. Its acceptable daily intake (ADI) is up to 4 milligrams per kilogram. Its maximum dosage is no more than 0.1 grams per kilogram in candy and no more than 0.025 grams per kilogram in soy milk and sausage casing. It is important that we correctly understand food additives and what they are. We shouldn‘t regard them as harmful, nor should we be misguided by attempts to exaggerate their benefits.Task Three: Sanlu MilkInvestigation Continues into Sanlu Milk Powder Chinese authorities are launching an investigation, following reports of kidney stones in infants, after they were fed powdered milk made by Sanlu Company in Hebei Province. Sanlu has already admitted to contamination of the product.Friday saw investigators from the Ministry of Health, the quality watchdog and relevant departments visiting affected children in hospitals. They then visited Sanlu‘s headquarters in Shijiazhuang city, to take samples, and check on how the local government was dealing with the incident.An initial investigation shows milk powder containing melamine, which is used in making plastics, fertilizers and cleaning products.The quality regulator has launched a nationwide probe into all baby milk powders. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health is sharing relevant information with the World Health Organization.Part ⅣFurther D evelopmentFood Safety to Be Resolved in ChinaWell, The recent series of food safety scandals to hit China has prompted calls for a revamp to supervision practices. During the 3rd China Food Safety Forum, participants committed to implement stricter law enforcement to assure food safety in China.To buy or not to buy, it is a question many have to ponder now, as a wave of food safety scares has renewed fears in China over continued problems. Shoppers told us they hope food safety violations will be resolved in a more effective and timely manner.(A Beijing resident)“I often buy food and other products that are popular and have a good reputation.‖During the 3rd China Food Safety Forum, about 10 governmental departments related to food safety vowed to implement (more) stricter enforcement to assure the quality of food. (Y u Jun, vice director general of Department of Food Safety of State Council of China) “We will improve our monitoring system. We are urging the local governments to standard enterprises. Companies and individuals will be handed severe penalties if they break food safety or other laws pertaining to the quality of food.‖In China, there are about 500 thousand food production companies. But for many of them, a weak food value chain is the main problem. When a scandal emerges, the public interrogates notonly supervisory agencies, but also blames the food company at the center of the controversy.(Huang Qitai, chief scientist of Synutra International, Inc)“I think the food safety problem depends on the people in the company. We should raise our company‘s culture to a new level in order to win the respect of consumers, so we do not see the illegal additives in our food today.‖A publicity week on China Food Safety is also beginning around the country. The aim is to make people know more about the State‘s standard of food safety and the knowledge of additives in food.Tainted food scandals have caused nationwide concern. As, it is urgent for related departments to more strictly enforce laws and regulations to resolve the country‘s food safety problems, which concern everyone‘s health.练习答案Unit One Food QualityTask One1. 1) D 2) B 3) A4) C 5) D2. 1) materials 2) additives 3) sugar 4) mixture 5) oven 6) composed 7) inflate 8) stability9) Even after the batter is left for some time, the b ubbles won‘t disappear.10) But the internal structure of the cake with additives is even, soft and flexible and tastes delicious and moist.新闻英语视听说视频文本及练习答案Task Two1. 1) A2) B 3) D 4) B 5) DTask Three1. 1) B 2) A3) A4) D 5) B2. 1) investigation 2) kidney stones 3) contamination 4) investigators5) quality watchdog 6) affected 7) headquarters 8) samples9) how the local government was dealing with the incident10) which is used in making plastics, fertilizers and cleaning productsUnit 2Job HuntingPart ⅠV iew, Listen and S peakTask One: Graduates Feel Market SqueezeAccording to the job fairs we‘ve just seen and also recent surveys show the hiring prospects are bleak for this year‘s college graduates. In China‘s financial hub—Shanghai, and the country‘s export base—Guangdong province, most students are still waiting for job offers. As Wang Xiqing reports.Seven out of ten here still haven‘t found a job, and most of them are desperate.On average, these students in Shanghai have sent out thirty to fifty applications each. And in extreme cases, some have posted copies of their resumes six hundred times.Surveys show students‘ minimum salary expectations are between two to three thousand Y uan a month. Foreign or multi-national companies top the list in applications, while small private companies are the least favored, because of fears they couldgo bust the next day.Many students say they‘re willing to work as interns in the hope that excellent performance during their probation period （实习期，试用期）might win them a contract. However, only a very small proportion of companies are actually willing to take on interns. And even if they do, that often means low-value positions like answering phone calls at reception.The situation is even worse in Guangdong, where only 8.4% of final year students have signed labor contracts. Over 330,000 local college students will graduate in July, 14% more than last year. And adding the number of graduating students from other provinces coming to Guangdong in search for jobs, the army of young job seekers in the province will top 500,000 this year .To rub salt into the wound the demand for graduates has dipped by 20%, as companies are trying to limit their labor costs in the wake of the economic slowdown. The unfortunate figures mean that all their efforts to hunt down a job could prove to be fruitless.(A graduate student in Guangdong)“Whether you‘re from an urban or rural area, if you‘re unemployed, then you should expect some kind of minimum subsidy from the government. But we graduates are not officially considered to be unemployed. We‘re called people awaiting jobs. I‘m very disturbed by this definition.‖The employment situation was a top concern during the government‘s political sessions earlier this month. Officials acknowledged that hiring prospects in China are grave, and a slew of measures have been announced in the hope of relieving the situation. A total of 7.1 million college graduates will chase jobs this year, including 1 million who failed to secure employment last year.Task Two: New Y ear, New Job(Tracy) If you look at any list of New Y ear‘s resolutions, you wouldn‘t be surprised to see“Find a better job‖ right at the top. V era Gibbons of Kiplinger‘s personal finance maga zines is here to have some tips to help you get a better job or maybe take on a career change.(V era Gibbons) That‘s right. Good morning, Tracy! Nice to see you.(Tracy) Nice to see you, too. Happy new year.(V era Gibbons) The same to you.(Tracy) Start the new year, start looking for a new job, it‘s amazing. How many people are actually doing that?(V era Gibbons) Y es, one survey finds that 75% of American workers plan to look for a newjob this year. They‘re unhappy with the pay, they‘re unhappy with the situational they work, they want new challenges since there‘s no room for advancement with their current employer, so a lot of people are going to be out there looking for work. This is a time of the year where we‘re more inclined to take the bull by th e horns, take the initiative to go out there and find a good job… (Tracy) Resolution thing.(V era Gibbons) Y es.(Tracy) Is there a good time to go about doing this?(V era Gibbons) Well, opportunities pop up all the year along, but, yes, the heaviest of hiring does take place in the beginning of the year: they fire at the end of the year and they hire in the new. (Tracy) They fire for Christmas. So if you think about doing, you really should get out there now. (V era Gibbons) Get out there now, and get the ball rolling, yes.(Tracy) What about the job market in 2007? What does it look like?(V era Gibbons) It is softening a little bit, job growth is a little slowing down some because of the contraction in housing and auto-sell sector, but that‘s been offset a bit by the service sector. These companies are high in the service industry. We‘re actually expecting 1.3 million jobs be created this year, and once a writer by Career Role Builder actually found that 40% of employers will be hiring full-time employees t his year, so it‘s not a bad time, it‘s not great, it‘s, it‘s OK.(Tracy) OK, so if you‘re ready take the plunge, if you want to get out there, you have some tips, No. 1 is ―Do some soul searching‖.(V era Gibbons) Y es, I just think in order to get out a jo b that isn‘t going anywhere career, that‘s gonna drift, you really need to sit down and be proactive here. Y ou can‘t be reactive, you have to be proactive. Motivation is really the key to make any changes in your personal life.People may sit back and say: well, getting a paycheck and benefits are good, why rock the boat? Here‘s the thing: we‘re spending half of our life in workplace. If you‘re unhappy, do some soul searching, figure out where you are, where you would like to go.(Tracy) And part of tha t, as you say, is ―Prioritize your options‖, what do you mean?(V era Gibbons) Y eah, I mean write down five to ten things that are important to you in your job and career, maybe you want a better work-life bounce, a more flexible schedule, whatever that happens to be, take a look at what makes you happy, what makes you unhappy, take a look at your goals, your dreams, your aspirations and then put together a plan to actually reach those goals because you are more inclined to get there if you have a plan in place.(Tracy) Good idea, you can actually write this all out. Also when you go out there for the job search, you gotta have the resume, so you say ―Make the resume stand out‖.(V era Gibbons) Y eah, you know, with the employees only spend about 10 seconds looking at your resume…(Tracy) Ten seconds?(V era Gibbons) Y eah, and get this on average, for every 245 resumes, they get the interview.One person per 245 resume, so it‘s very competitive. Y ou need to have your resume stand out, Keep it thin, keep it short, keep it to the point, focus on your measurable accomplishments. And because you‘ll be looking for different jobs, you should be highlighting different skills different experiences that may be relevant for one position and may not be relevant for another, so you wanna highlight different ones, have several different versions of resumes all ready to go, then get out there, do the networking.(Tracy) Ok, just briefly, you say do not look online, you need to hand this out, hand out to your friends, do lots of networking.(V era Gibbons) A lot of networking , that‘s the key.(Tracy) V era Gibbons, thanks.(V era Gibbons) Thanks.Task Three: Laid-off Workers in ChinaIn over two decades of opening up, China has gradually reformed into a market economy.One major move was to restructure the large state-owned enterprises (SOEs ). Some practices were successful and benefited many. But on the other side of the coin, several companies lost their competitiveness, and had to lay off workers in order to survive. In today‘s Working Asia,Zou Y ue brings us a story about laid-off workers.Everyday they walk into the factory to work, but now they have to worry about their jobs. For the 4 thousand workers at the state-owned Wuhan Boiler Factory, the country‘s reform drive has meant new challenges.35-year-old Ma Ling worked in this factory for 15 years. But in 2002, she lost her job, something she found hard to accept.(Ma Ling)“It was such a blow. I never imagined that I would get the sack (被解雇). It was such a big factory and I was so young. How could that happen? My confidence was totally destroyed at the time.‖Ma Ling‘s life depended on the factory. Her parents, her brother and her own husband have worked there all their lives. The change has led to worries about the future. In the days of a planned economy, SOEs offered life-long benefits for workers, from housing and medical care to pensions and insurance. But since 1998, about 30 million employees in China have lost their jobs and also the benefits that went with them, due to either downsizing or bankruptcy .(Zou Y ue)“For workers laid off by China‘s SOEs, it has not been easy adapting to the industrial reshuffle （改组）. But decades of market reform have made Chinese workers realize the importance of finding a way out on their own. For many, it has become a part of their life.‖Like her colleagues, Ma Ling struggled to find other work. Six months after Ma Ling got the axe (get the sack), she found a position she found embarrassing for an experienced electrician--workshop garbage cleaner.(Ma Ling)“Although the job was dirty and tiring, I had to take it. After all the losses, I was glad for the chance. It means eve rything to me.‖But between 2000 and 2002, the factory continued to lose money, and had to lay off half its staff. Those who stayed faced tougher competition to stay in their positions. After losing their iron rice bowl (铁饭碗), they are now walking an economic tight rope. To make matters worse, the enterprise was having a hard time feeding its 3 thousand retirees. The managers found it was no easy job trying to make ends meet.(Chen Helin, deputy general manager of Wuhan Boiler Group)“We have to make the laid off employees understand that they have to change their mind set. Survival of the fittest (适者生存) is our rule. While we have tried our best to accommodate the employees, the workers have to find their own way o f life if possible.‖The factory tried to make things easier by restructuring (调整，改组) its remaining workforce on the one hand, while leasing some of its street front houses for the jobless to run small businesses,like this shopping façade (正面) . But there simply is not enough for everyone.(Xu Liangjun, deputy director of Wuhan Reemployment Work Office)“As an old industrial city, there is a large gap between job opportunities and demand. Since 1998, over 500 thousand workers have become jobless in this city of 7 million people. We can only hope the local economy picks up to provide more jobs for them.‖Ma Ling was lucky to later get promoted again, but at the same time two of her colleagues got laid off. The reform has changed the lives of many, who have had to adapt to the reality of a new economic environment.Not only laid-off workers need to find jobs, tens of thousands of Chinese graduates also want to find them as well. About ten years ago, the Chinese government stopped the practice of assigning jobs to college graduates. Now, they have to face their first employment challenges on their own. Part ⅣFurther D evelopment20%of Graduates Are JoblessUrban unemployment might be low, but recent college graduates are having a tough time getting a job. A recent blue paper issued by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences says that one out of every five graduates is unable to find work.All these college students and recent graduates crowding into the Beijing Expo Center have just one goal: to find themselves a job. One that pays well, has a good reputation, and matches their major if that exists.Water Zhu graduated last June with a degree in computer technology. He moved to Beijing from Inner Mongolia to improve his prospects. This is his eighth job fair.(Water Zhu)“Competition is so high, so it‘s very hard. They want to hire the best, an d not everyone is the best—o of course it‘s quite difficult.‖The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences reports that in 2006, 4.13 million students graduated in China. Last year, it was 4.95 million. This year, 5.5 million additional graduates will be looking for work. About 20% of the graduates last year failed to find a job. Those they did may have to settle for salaries lower than they expected, in jobs they didn‘t‘ train for.Graduates can‘t find work—but companies say they can‘t find people to hire. Ev en here at this crowded fair, these recruiters say very few people actually spoke to them to ask about jobs—and that‘s not what they‘re looking for.(Robert Norrie, V olk Uniontech)“We‘re looking for somebody who is really confident, who has an out-going personality‖(Wu Hai, L.A.D. Industries)“Building confidence is important. Universities should focus more on this – many students have very little opportunity to present themselves.‖Experts say the Chinese university system churns out graduates who have a lot of theoretical knowledge, but not very much practical knowledge for today‘s workplace.But universities are struggling too, as enrollment numbers keep surging. This year, almost 6 million students will enter university—a five percent increase from last year.(Zeng Xiangquan, Dean of School of Labor & Human Resources of Renmin University) “Higher enrollment means universities sometimes cannot keep up—they can‘t meet the demands and provide sufficient resources for all of the students.‖The government is trying to ease pressures too—at the beginning of this year the China Employment Promotion Law went into effect to ban hiring discrimination and help graduates who take jobs outside of the big cities. But that still doesn‘t address what some see as the biggest challenge: teaching students to function in a workplace.Today‘s graduates need what are called soft skills: communication, teamwork, and the ability to work on projects.And a survey by job search website found that the majority of recruiters want graduates who have work experience.Its human resources consultant has this advice: Don‘t hold out for an impossible ideal. Take anyoffer you can get, and just start working.(Jim Hao, Consultant of )“Get a job. Whatever, first. And to know yourself and your environment step by step until you gradually get a clearer picture of yourself—your interest, your ability, and your environment. Which industry is the most suitable for you?‖That‘s exactly what graduate Wate r Zhu is doing. He‘s found temporary work at a stock brokerage, while he keeps searching for jobs in the computer industry. He says despite the competition, what‘s important isn‘t landing the dream job—it‘s figuring out how to get there. (Water Zhu)“It‘s only during the job search that I began to realize what I‘m capable of. That has actually been the most useful thing—to understand myself better and set goals for my future.‖练习答案Unit Two Job HuntingTask One: Graduates feel market squeeze1. Choose the best answer: 1) A2) C 3) D 4) C 5). B2. Spot Dictation: 1) applications 2) in extreme cases 3) resumes 4) top the list, 5) small private 6) favored 7) interns 8) probation period9) contract 10) low-value positionsTask Two: New year, new job.1. Choose the best answer: 1) B 2) D 3) A4) A5) DTask Three: Bring you finger into the store1. True or false: 1) T 2)T 3) F 4) F 5) T2. Spot Dictation: 1) opening up 2) market economy 3) state-owned enterprises (SOEs).4) competitiveness 5) lay off 6) planned economy7) medical care 8) pensions 9) downsizing 10) bankruptcyUnit 3DisastersPart ⅠV iew, Listen and S peakTask One: SnowstormSnow continues to fall in many parts of China. Flights have been cancelled and roads have been closed, stranding passengers and vehicles. The Xinjiang-Tibet highway has been partially reopened after it was blocked for nearly 80 hours. Local police have rescued 85 stranded people.A large scale blizzard hit Ali Prairie in Tibet Autonomous Region on Friday morning, forcing sections of Xinzang Highway linking Xinjiang and Tibet to close, and stranding vehicles and passengers. Soldiers from the Chinese People‘s Armed Police Force, worked for 48 hours to clear the road with snow machines. A section of highway in Tibet Autonomous Region was finally reopened on Sunday evening. So far 85 stranded passengers and 25 vehicles have been rescued. Heavy snow has affected more than one million people in eastern China‘s Anhui Province, causing an economic loss of 210 million yuan, or 29 million US dollars. In the Dabieshan mountains, four power transmission towers were brought down by thick ice. Nearly 400 workers are repairing the towers, which are part of a major cable network sending electricity from the Three Gorges Project to Shanghai. The repair work is expected to last eight days. In Guangzhou, south China, more than five thousand passengers have been stranded at the airport. In southwest China‘s。
