新世纪研究生公共英语教材听说学生用书(上)第一单元原文.doc

Lesson 1 Music 1. M: By the way, Jane, did you talk to the consultant about our new health program? W: I contacted his office but his secretary said he would be out for lunch until two. Q: What does the woman mean? b. She couldn't talk to the consultant before two. 2. W: We need to let everyone know about the charity concert, but we don't have much money for advertising. M: How about using the school radio station? They broadcast free public service announcements. Q: What does the man suggest they do? c. Ask the school radio station for help. 3. W: I don't understand why this book for self-study doesn't have answers to the questions. M: But it does. You can find them at the back of the book. Q: What does the man say about the self-study book? d. The book does include the answers.4. M: The new sales manager says he has never met you before. W: We've been introduced about three times. He seems a little forgetful. Q: What do we learn about the new sales manager? b. He probably has a poor memory. 5. M: Have you had the brakes and tires checked? And do you have enough money? W: I have taken care of everything. And I'm sure it's going to be a wonderful trip. Q: What's the woman going to do? d. Spend some time traveling.6. M: I've had my new stereo for a whole week, but I haven't yet figured out how to record music. W: Didn't any instruction manual come with it? Q: What does the woman imply? b. The man should refer to the instruction manual. 7. W: I want to pay you for that long-distance call I made. But, I suppose you haven't gotten your phone bill yet, M: Oh, but I have. Q: What does the man mean? a. He has received his telephone bill. 8. M: Professor Smith assigned us three more novels to read. W: He must think you don't have any other classes. Q: What can be inferred about Professor Smith? b. He assigns too much work. 9. M: Let's go watch the fireworks tonight. W: I have tickets to the theater. Q: What does the woman mean? b. She has plans for the evening. 10. M: I am exhausted. I stayed up the whole night studying for my history midterm exam. W: Why do you always wait till the last minute? Q: What can be inferred about the man? a. He has bad study habits. 11. M: I'll be coming straight from work, so I'll have to pack a change of clothes. W: It's only a barbecue. Jeans and T-shirts will be fine. Q: What does the woman imply? d. Casual dress will be appropriate.12. W: I'm going to the snack bar for a cup of coffee. Would you like me to bring you back something? M: Not from the snack bar, but could you pick up a paper for me? Q: What does the man mean? c. He wants the woman to get him a newspaper.13. M: I don't understand how this budget was calculated. W: Let me have a look, OK? Q: What does the woman mean? c. She'll try to see what method was used.14. W: We need a fourth player for tennis this morning. Do you want to join us? M: I've got a class at nine, but Carol is free and she is really good. Q: What does the man suggest the woman do? b. Ask Carol to play tennis. 15. W: Have you saved enough to buy that new printer for your computer yet? M: You know, money seems to be burning a hole in my pocket lately. Maybe next month. Q: What does the man mean? a. He doesn't have enough money to buy a printer now. Passage I American Music One of America's most important exports is her modern music. American music is played all over the world. It is enjoyed by the people of all ages in all countries. Al-though the lyrics are English, people not speaking English enjoy it. The reasons for its popularity are its fast pace and rhythmic beat. The music has many origins in the United States. Country music, coming from the rural areas in the southern United States, is one source. Country music features simple themes and melodies describing day-to-day situations and the feelings of country people. Many people appreciate this music because of the emotions expressed by country music songs. A second origin of American popular music is the blues. It depicts mostly sad feelings reflecting the difficult lives of American blacks. It is usually played and sung by black musicians, but it is popular with all Americans. Rock music is a newer form of music. This music style, featuring fast and repetitious rhythms, was influenced by the blues and country music. It was first known as rock-and-roll in the 1950s. Since then there have been many forms of rock music: hard rock, soft rock, disco music and others. Many performers of popular music are young musicians. American popular music is marketed to a demanding audience. Now popular songs are heard on the radio several times a day. Some songs have become popular all over the world. People hear these songs sung in their original English or sometimes translated into other languages. The words may differ but the enjoyment of the music is universal. 1. Which group of people enjoy American music? a. Americans. b. People speaking English. c. People not speaking English. d. All of the above. 2. Why is American music so popular in all countries? d. Because it has a fast pace and rhythmic beat. 3; What can be learned from the passage?a. People enjoy country music because it expresses their happy feelings. 4. What do you know from the passage? c. Rock music was influenced by the blues and country music. 5. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage? c. The words of the songs differ, and so does the enjoyment of the music.Passage II: Music in Different Cultures In western culture music is regarded as good by birth, and sounds that are welcome are said to be "music to the ears". In some other cultures - for example, Islamic culture - it is of low value, associated with sin and evil. In the West and in the high cultures of Asia, it is said that there are three types of music. First, classical music, composed and performed by trained professionals originally under the support of courts and religious establishments; second, folk music, shared by the population at large and passed on orally, and third, popular music, performed by professionals, spread through radio, television, records, film, and print, and consumed by the urban mass public. Music is a major component in religious services, theater, and entertainment of all sorts. The most universal use of music is as a part of religious ritual. In some tribal societies, music appears to serve as a special form of communication with supernatural beings, and its prominent use in modern Christian and Jewish services may be the left-over of just such an original purpose. Another less obvious function of music is social adherence. For most social groups, music can serve as a powerful symbol. Members of most societies share keen feelings as to what kind of music they "belong to". Indeed, some minorities including, in the U. S.A., black Americans and Euro-American racial groups use music as a major symbol of group identity. Music also symbolizes military, patriotic and funeral moods and events. In a more general sense, music may express the central social values of a society. In western music, the interrelationship of conductor and orchestra symbolizes the need for strong cooperation among various kinds of specialists in a modern industrial society.1. In what culture is music regarded as good by birth? c. In western culture 2. Which of the following is performed by professionals? b. Classical music and popular music.3. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage? C. Music is a special form of communication with supernatural beings.4. According to the passage, what is the most universal use of music? d. Religious ritual.5. Which of the following is NOT symbolized by music? d. Friendship.II. Listen to the passage again and complete the statements below. 1. In some other cultures, music is of low value, associated with sin and evil. 2. For most social groups, music can serve as a powerful symbol. Members of most societies share keen feelings as to what kind of music they "belong to". 3.In a more general sense, music may express the central social values of a society. In Western culture, the interrelationship between conductor and orchestra symbolizes the need for strong cooperation among various kinds of specialists in a modern industrial society.PART D Extensive Listening: The Path to PowerDirections: In this part, you are going to hear a longer passage. The passage is printed below with some words and expressions missing. As you listen, fill in each of the blanks with the words or expressions you have heard. I was born into a home which was 1) practical, serious, and intensely 2) religious. Indeed, my father was much in demand as a lay preacher in and around Grantham. Our lives revolved around Methodism. The family went to Sunday Morning Service at 11 o'clock, but before that, I would have gone to morning 3) Sundav School. There was Sunday School again in the afternoon. Later, from about the age of twelve, I played the 4) piano for the smaller children to sing the hymns. Then my parents would usually go out again to the Sunday Evening Service. This I found somewhat too much of a good thing. But on a few occasions I remember trying to get out of going. But when I said to my father that my friends were able to go out for 5) a walk instead, and I would like to 6) join them, he would reply: "Never do things just because 7) other people do them." In fact, this was one of his favorite expressions used when I wanted to learn dancing, or sometimes when I wanted to 8) go to the cinema, or out for the day somewhere. Whatever I felt 9) at the time, the sentiment stood me in good stead, as it did my father. My father's sense of 10) duty, however, always had its 11) gentle side. I remember a 12) discussion between my father and a church-goer about the "prodigal son" of a friend, who after running through his parent's savings, had turned up 13) penniless and with the young family on their doorstep. The church-goer was clear: The boy was no good, would never be any good and should be shown the door. My father's reply is 14) vivid in my mind: "No," he said, "a son remains a son. And he must be 15) greeted with all the 16) love and warmth of his family when he turns to them. Whatever happens, he must always be able to 17) come home." As this suggests, my father was a man of firm 18) principles. "Your father always stick to his principles,'' as my mother would say. But he did not believe in 19) applying these principles in a way which made life wretched for everyone else. He showed this in his dealings as a local counselor and later olderman, with the vexed 20) question of what could be done on the SabbathEditor's note: Judson Jones is a meteorologist, journalist and photographer. He has freelanced with CNN for four years, covering severe weather from tornadoes to typhoons. Follow him on Twitter: jnjonesjr 待添加的隐藏文字内容3(CNN) - I will always wonder what it was like to huddle around a shortwave radio and through the crackling static from space hear the faint beeps of the world's first satellite - Sputnik. I also missed watching Neil Armstrong step foot on the moon and the first space shuttle take off for the stars. Those events were way before my time.As a kid, I was fascinated with what goes on in the sky, and when NASA pulled the plug on the shuttle program I was heartbroken. Yet the privatized space race has renewed my childhood dreams to reach for the stars.As a meteorologist, I've still seen many important weather and space events, but right now, if you were sitting next to me, you'd hear my foot tapping rapidly under my desk. I'm anxious for the next one: a space capsule hanging from a crane in the New Mexico desert.It's like the set for a George Lucas movie floating to the edge of space.You and I will have the chance to watch a man take a leap into an unimaginable free fall from the edge of space - live.The (lack of) air up there Watch man jump from 96,000 feet Tuesday, I sat at work glued to the live stream of the Red Bull Stratos Mission. I watched the balloons positioned at different altitudes in the sky to test the winds, knowing that if they would just line up in a vertical straight line "we" would be go for launch.I feel this mission was created for me because I am also a journalist and a photographer, but above all I live for taking a leap of faith - the feeling of pushing the envelope into uncharted territory.The guy who is going to do this, Felix Baumgartner, must have that same feeling, at a level I will never reach. However, it did not stop me from feeling his pain when a gust of swirling wind kicked up and twisted the partially filled balloon that would take him to the upper end of our atmosphere. As soon as the 40-acre balloon, with skin no thicker than a dry cleaning bag, scraped the ground I knew it was over.How claustrophobia almost grounded supersonic skydiverWith each twist, you could see the wrinkles of disappointment on the face of the current record holder and "capcom" (capsule communications), Col. Joe Kittinger. He hung his head low in mission control as he told Baumgartner the disappointing news: Mission aborted.The supersonic descent could happen as early as Sunday.The weather plays an important role in this mission. Starting at the ground, conditions have to be very calm - winds less than 2 mph, with no precipitation or humidity and limited cloud cover. The balloon, with capsule attached, will move through the lower level of the atmosphere (the troposphere) where our day-to-day weather lives. It will climb higher than the tip of Mount Everest (5.5 miles/8.85 kilometers), drifting even higher than the cruising altitude of commercial airliners (5.6 miles/9.17 kilometers) and into the stratosphere. As he crosses the boundary layer (called the tropopause), he can expect a lot of turbulence.The balloon will slowly drift to the edge of space at 120,000 feet (22.7 miles/36.53 kilometers). Here, "Fearless Felix" will unclip. He will roll back the door.Then, I would assume, he will slowly step out onto something resembling an Olympic diving platform.Below, the Earth becomes the concrete bottom of a swimming pool that he wants to land on, but not too hard. Still, he'll be traveling fast, so despite the distance, it will not be like diving into the deep end of a pool. It will be like he is diving into the shallow end.Skydiver preps for the big jumpWhen he jumps, he is expected to reach the speed of sound -