Unit 1 World News: International RelationsPart I Warming upATapescripts:1.The former American Defense Secretary William Perry hasrecommended a radical change of policy towards North Korea.2.Hundreds of thousands of mothers from across the United Statesgathered here in Washington Sunday to push for tougher gun control laws.3.There's been further fighting between Macedonian forces and EthnicAlbanian guerrillas inside the Macedonian border with Kosovo.4.A bomb dropped by the United State's navy aircraft during training inKuwait has hit a group of military observers, killing six of them.5.NATO is taking a number of steps to allay growing disquiet about thepossible health risks from ammunitions containing depleted uranium, which it used in Kosovo and Bosnia.BSummaryThis news report tells us that the United Nations Human Rights Commission was going to hold an emergency meeting to deal with the crisis situation between Israelis and Palestinians.Answers to the questions:1. 532. 483. 34. The United States5. Canada6. October 18th7. No more than three days8. To get the Israelis and Palestinians back to the negotiating table9. 4 / Bosnian war / genocide in Rwanda / violence in East Timor Tapescript:Forty-eight of the ( United Nations Human Rights Commission's) 53 member nations voted to hold the emergency meeting. The United States cast the sole dissenting vote and Canada abstained. Three other countries did not vote.The special meeting will begin October 18th and will last for no more than three days.UN spokeswoman Marie Heuze says one purpose of the meeting is to try to learn how the cycle of violence between Israelis and Palestinians can be stopped."When you have such a high-profile for a crisis which is so dangerous, not only for the people in Palestine and in Israel, but in the region, there is a fear -- and this is probably why there was a large consensus on thismeeting to discuss the issue -- because the situation in this part of the world is so volatile, so dangerous, so important to control that everybody thinks that they have something to contribute."Ms Heuze says she thinks the United Nations and the international community as a whole can play a constructive role in the present situation and in trying to get the Israelis and Palestinians back to the negotiating table. Officials from the UN Human Rights Commission will discuss the agenda toward the meeting on Wednesday.This is only the fifth time the commission has gone into emergency meeting to deal with a crisis situation. Previous sessions dealt with the Bosnian war, the genocide in Rwanda, and the violence in East Timor. Questions:1. How many members are there in the UN Human Rights Commission?2. How many of them voted to hold the emergency meeting?3. How many of them didn't vote?4. Which country cast the dissenting vote?5. Which country abstained?6. When will the meeting begin?7. How long will it last?8. What's the purpose of this meeting?9. How many emergency meetings have been held before this one?What were the three crisis situations that they dealt with?Unit 2 Earth and EnvironmentPart 1 Warming upB1. It attempts to balance environmental concerns and the needs of the community.2. Reptile species are in greater trouble than amphibian species.3. A new approach in the fight against the illegal drugs trade.4. One in every eight species of plants is threatened with extinction.5. A new local directory for the environmentally-aware, called the “Boulder County Green Pages”.Part II News ReportsA...Washingto n … the information economy … deteriorating health of the planet … information economy … communication … education andentertainment … physical exam … vital signs … species … climate … temperatures … water tables … glaciers … forests … fisheries … to stabilize both climate and world population growthUnit 3 World News: Economic DevelopmentsPart I Warming upA1. Who have been meeting in Hong Kong today to discuss the outlook for the global economy?Central Bank governors from more than a dozen countries.2. What does UNCTAD say about the worldwide total of foreign investment?It grew by 40% last Year to more than 600 billion dollars.3. Who has approved a cut in income tax rates?The United States House of Representatives.4. Who has announced job cuts after a fall in demand for its products? IntelWhat is its plan?To reduce its workforce by5,000.5. What decisions have been made by EU, the U.S. and Canada after a case of foot-and-mouth disease was confirmed in France?EU has imposed further restrictions on the movement of livestock.The U.S. and Canada have issued temporary bans on the import of animalproduce from EU.Tapescript:1. Central Bank governors from more than a dozen countries have been meeting in Hong Kong today. One subject they likely discussed is the outlook for the global economy because of the U. S. slowdown and Japan's struggling recovery. Another topic they may have discussed is how to strengthen financial markets in emerging economies in Asia and elsewhere.2. A United Nations' report says the worldwide total of foreign investment grew by nearly 40% last year to more than 600 billion dollars. The report by the UN Conference on Trade and Development, UNCTAD says most of it took place between developed countries as big companies took one another over.3. The United States House of Representatives has approved a cut in income tax rates, the first part of a package of tax cutting measures put forward by President Bush. The income tax reductions will amount to nearly 1 trillion dollars over ten years.4. The world's largest maker of computer chips, Intel, has announced job cuts after a fall in demand for its products. Intel said it expected its revenue in the first quarter of this year to fall by a quarter than the same period last year. The California-based company plans to reduce its85,000-strong work force by 5,000.5. The European Union has imposed further restrictions on the movement of live-stock after a case of foot-and-mouth disease was confirmed in France. The United States and Canada have issued temporary bans on the import of all animal produce from EU countries.Part II News reportsASummary:This news report is about Forbes's "Super 100 Global" list.Answer the questions:1. Which of the following corporations are the top five on Forbes's list? Mark their ranks.2 Citigroup4 HSBC Banking Company-- BP-Amoco5 Daimler-Chrysler1 General Electric Corporationn Microsoft3 Bank of America2. How are the companies ranked?The companies are ranked with a composite formula, which includes total sales, profits, assets and market capitalization, or the total value of their stock.3. How are the 100 companies distributed?46 in the United States, 54 in Europe and Japan.4. Why were none of the Internet-related firms included in the list? Because most of the Internet-related firms have little or no profits so far. Tapescripts:For the second year in a row, the General Electric Corporation is ranked number one in an annual survey of the 100 most powerful corporations in the world.The survey, compiled and published by Forbes business magazine, shows General Electric of the United States ranked number one, followed in second and third place by the U.S. banking and financial services giants Citigroup and Bank of America. In fourth and fifth place are theBritish-based HSBC Banking Company and Daimler-Chrysler, the German-American auto-company. The companies are ranked with a composite formula, which includes total sales, profits, assets and market capitalization, or the total value of its (their) stock. What the magazine calls its "Super 100 Global" list are 46 companies based in the United States and 54 in Europe and Japan.Mike Ozanian, the Forbes editor who compiled the list, says there is a growing trend of international mergers and acquisitions, citing companies such as Daimler-Chrysler and BP-Amoco, the Anglo-American Oil Company. Mr. Ozanian says that despite the huge capitalizations of manyInternet-related firms, none were included because most have little, if any, profits -- at least not yet.英语专业学生经典的听力材料Part IA11. A successful brain tissue transplant carried out by a South African surgeon.2. The discovery of a new way to increase the effectiveness of chemotherapy.3. The possibility of a new way to treat glaucoma.4. A new research on writing which shows that writing can result in clinically meaningful outcomes.A new research on writing which shows that writing can help people with chronic illness improve their health.5. The theory and function of acupuncture.A21. A week ago / Parkinson’s disease.2. A natural defense mechanism3. The death of brain cells4. Meeting patients’ psychological needs produces physical health benefits.5. Side effects / cut back on medication.1. The world’s leading transplant surgeon, Dr Christo pher Bernard, has carried out one of the most difficult brain tissue transplants yet attempted. The South African surgeon has succeeded in transplanting tissues into the human brain in what is thought to be the first operation of its kind. The surgery was performed a week ago on a patient suffering from Parkinson’s disease. A portion of the patient’s adrenal gland was implanted into a part of the patient’s brain, an operation which has previously been performed only on rats and monkeys.2. Approximately a third of all people develop cancer at one point in their lives. Chemotherapy has its limitations, but it is one of the major treatment options. Some American scientists have discovered they can increase the effectiveness of chemotherapy by inhibiting a natural defense mechanism employed by cancer cells.3. Glaucoma is responsible for blindness in an estimated 67 million people around the world. Until now, treatments have focused exclusively on the eyes. But that may change in the next few year, following the discovery that glaucoma involves the death of brain cells.4. New research shows that the simple act of writing down thoughts about a stressful event can help people with chronic illnesses improve their health. This is the first study to show that writing can result inclinically meaningful outcomes for chronically-ill patients. The study adds to the growing amount of scientific literature suggesting that meeting patient’s psychological needs produces physical health benefits.5. Traditional Chinese medicine says that good health is associated with the balance of Qi. Qi can be hindered or helped by yang and yin. According to traditional theory, the goal of acupuncture is to promote the flow of qi by keeping yin and yang in balance ---- and this is done by inserting needles at various points along primary channels and meridians that crisscross the body. One of the key benefits of acupuncture is that it has few, if any, side-effects; and that when used with standard drug treatment --- in anesthesia, for example --- it allows physicians to cut back on medication, delivering the same level of benefit with fewer negative effects/Part IV1. NHS’(英国国民健康保险制度) greater focus on prevention1. a gimmick2. a: increased screening2. proper timetablee.g. heart disease, stroke, cancer 3. treatmentb: the most vulnerable4. private healthcarec: more widely available听力原文：It seems that politicians around the world are thinking about the health of their countries. While in China, Chen Zhu has announced his plans for a universal health service and reform across health services, Gordon Brown, the UK Prime Minister, ahs also announced he is planning to make some changes in our heath service.The crux of Mr. Brown’s propos als are related to giving the NHS （National Health Service）a greater focus on prevention, rather than just curing patients.He is planning to introduce increased screening for common diseases such as heart disease, strokes, and cancer, for example breast cancer. In Britain there are 200,000 deaths a year from heart attacks and strokes, many of which might have been avoided if the condition had been known about.Initially, the diagnostic tests will be available fro those who are most vulnerable, or most likely to have the disease, but later on the Prime Minister claims that they will be more widely available. One example is a plan to offer all men over 65 an ultrasound test to check for problems with the main artery, a condition which kills 3,000 men a year.The opposition have criticized Mr Brown’s proposals, saying that they are just a gimmick, and claiming that there is no proper timetable for thechanges. They also say that Mr. Brown is reducing the money available for the treatment of certain conditions while putting more money towards testing for them.The NHS was founded in 1948, and is paid for by taxation. The idea is that the rich pa more towards the health service than the poor. However in recent years there has been a great increase in the use of private healthcare.Many people who can afford it choose to pay for medical care, often because it can be quicker, although the doctors and hospitals are often the same!! NHS waiting lists for operations can be very long, so people can jump the queue by paying for their operation.英语专业学生经典的听力材料Unit 8 ArchitecturePart I Warming upB1.The Palais du Louvre:Location: heart of ParisBeginning year of construction: 1527Time when first used as a public art gallery: 1793The Louvre Pyramid:Designer: Ieoh Ming PeiUse: the main entrance to the Palais du LouvreHeight: 21mWidth: 33mMaterials: steel tubes, cables, sheet glassYear of completion: 1988Tapescript:The Palais du Louvre stands at the heart of Paris, and houses one of the world's greatest collections of works of art. The original palace dates from 1527, and it was extended and added to over the next four centuries. It was first used as a public art gallery in 1793. In 1981, theChinese-American architect Ieoh Ming Pei was commissioned to redevelop the public part of the Louvre and create more space for reception areas and services. He designed the famous Glass Pyramid, which serves as the main entrance to the building, leading underground to the museum and art gallery. The Pyramid is 21 meters high and 33 meters wide, and uses a combination of steel tubes, cables and sheet glass. It was completed in 1988, and quickly became a major tourist attraction in its own right.B21. She likes the Louvre Pyramid because of the transparency, and it has a light effect.2. She likes the Louvre Pyramid for its contrast of shapes. It emphasizesthe beauty of the Louvre.3. She thinks the right thing is to put something so contradictory to the Louvre. They stand in dialogue with each other and they don't try to complement each other.4. She thinks it would have been the biggest mistake to try to build something similar to the Louvre.Tapescript:I like the Louvre Pyramid because of its transparency, because you can just look through it, and it has a very light effect. It is not heavy and it is made of glass, and so it looks like a light object. And I like it for its contrast of shapes, because it is such a contrast to the Louvre building that in fact it doesn't interfere with the beauty of the Louvre, but it even, it emphasizes the beauty of the Louvre. And in the evening when this pyramid is lighted, it's just a source of light to put the Louvre into a new light. And this has for me also a symbolic meaning. And it is such an unexpected shape in this urban context, just to use a traditional shape of a pyramid built in new materials with new technologies, high-tech, and so on, that it is a completely surprising effect. So that people get shocked by it or they like it, but there is nobody who would be uninvolved or who could just pass and not notice this building. So it's something you have to look at. And I think this is also very important in building, and creating something in the cities, and exactly for example close to these historicalbuildings which are such a... they are so sensitive topics that nobody dares to touch them. I think the right thing is really to put something so contradictory to it that they stand in dialogue with each other and they don't even try to complement each other. Because it would have been the biggest mistake to try to build something similar to the Louvre, to put a building which would copy the Louvre, because it would just mean that we don't live in continuity, the architecture doesn't continue its history, but it would mean that architecture stands still on the level of the 17th century, and that would be a lie.Part II eco-conscious constructionAThe world’s first eco-city /off the coastAgricultural land /half a million /$1.3 billion /a sustainability consultantSustainable developmentA more ecologically friendly model /minimize impact on nature /solar and wind power /power and fertilizers /electric cars英语专业学生经典的听力材料Unit 11 TourismPart IA1. resort3. Golden Mile4. stag and hen partiesThe south coast 1. its pier with theaters / restaurants 2.shoppingSouthwest 1. scenery2.warmer climate2. British surfing1. Blackpool2. South CornwellTranscript:Most visitors to the UK come here expecting the rain and miserable weather for which the country is famous. However, when summer finally does arrive, the British people like nothing more than packing their trunks and swimming costumes and heading for the coast. The UK is, after all, an island, and with 12,400 km of coastline to explore. Any visitor to the UK will be spoilt for choice. Here are some of the more famous resorts that you could expect to visit on a rip to BritainBlackpool, in the northwest of England, is the most visited resort in the UK. Each year around 6.5 to 7 million people come to enjoy the mile of sandy beaches, the 158 m Blackpool Tower and the 11 km-long Golden Mile, where there are entertainments, pubs, ice rinks and even a zoo. A firm family favorite, it has also become a popular destination for stag and hen parties.At the other end of the country on the south coast you can find Brighton. Until 1786, Brighton was a sleepy village. Then the future King George IV decided to build a residence there, and over the years Brighton grew into the large, cosmopolitan center it is now.A part from the beaches, Brighton is famous for its pier. On the pier there are theaters, entertainments and restaurants. Brighton is also fantastic for shopping.If you fancy traveling a little further, why not go to Cornwell inn the far southwest the UK? South Cornwell offers miles of sandy beaches andbeautiful scenery. The climate here is warmer than the rest of Britain and you can even find plan trees.For a bit more excitement, go to North Cornwell. The scenery here is more dramatic, and the beaches are famous for their powerful waves. As a result, North Cornwell has become the home f British surfing.One word of warning though, if you are using the roads in the UK on bank holidays or during school holidays, you can expect long traffic jams on the motorways. It might be better to take the train.Part IIAExcessive visitors (averaged 50,000 during golden weeks)Cultural relics in the museumAn electronic ticket checking system1). Real time record of the number of visitors inside the museum2). Maximum reception capacityThe flow of touristsTranscript:Troubled by excessive visitors, the Palace Museum or Forbidden Cityin Beijing will adopt an electronic ticket checking system and make the control of the flow of tourists. The new system will keep a real time record of the number of visitors inside the museum, and inform the ticket office to hold ticket sales onc e the number exceeds the musuem’s maximum reception capacity. The Palace Museum, on of the most comprehensive Chinese museums, in terms of history and art, was established on the foundation of the palace that was the ritual center during two dynasties, the Ming and the Qing, and their collection of treasures. It has topped the must-see list of almost every visitor to the capital city. In recent years, the number of daily visitors to the Palace Museum averaged 50,000 during golden weeks, the week-long national holidays observed three times a year in China. Superfluous tourists have caused damage to cultural relics in the museum.。
