Unit 15

Section One Tactics Listening

Listening and Translation

VOCABULARY

fault line  断层

Directions: Listen to some sentences and translate them into Chinese. You will hear each sentence only once.

1. 欧洲文化也许更应该描述为欧洲一系列相互重叠的文化。

2. 欧洲一直是许多后来传播到世界各地的文化创新和文化运动的发祥地。

3. 对欧洲文化进行界定的主要问题之一是：欧洲始于何处，又止于何处？

4. 绝大多数国家有着共同的历史经历，但其中出现了一些重要的断层。

5. 近几十年来，欧盟一直致力于鉴别和支持共同的欧洲价值观，但结果证明这是一个非常有争议的难题。

Section Two Listening Comprehension

Part 1 Dialogue

Nuclear Energy Program

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Three Mile Island The site of a nuclear power plant 10 miles (16 km) south of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. On March 28, 1979, mechanical failures and human errors caused a partial meltdown of the nuclear core and the release of radioactive gases. Thousands living near the plant left the area before the 12-day crisis ended, during which time some radioactive water and gases were released. The accident also increased public concern over the dangers of nuclear power and slowed construction of other reactors.

Directions: Listen to the dialogue and fill in the form with questions asked by the audience and responses given by Sir Roland.

Part 2 Passage

European Cultures in Sport

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) French philosopher and writer born in Swiss, who held that the individual is essentially good but usually corrupted by society.

Coubertin (1863-1937) Pierre, baron de Coubertin. French educator, primarily responsible for the revival of the Olympic Games in 1894. He became one of the first advocates of physical education in France. He served as the second president (1896 -1925) of the International Olympic Committee.

inline skating It is roller skating done on inline skates. Inline skates usually have four or five wheels, arranged in a single line. The growth of inline skating in the United States was explosive in the early 1990s, but since 1996 sales have dropped as the market became saturated and the sport's trendy status began to fade.

synchronized swimming A swimming sport in which the movements of one or more swimmers are synchronized with a musical accompaniment. It is a hybrid of swimming, gymnastics, and ballet. Synchronized swimming is an Olympic sport open to women since 1984.

VOCABULARY

mounting /ˈmaʊntɪŋ/ adj. increasing

croquet /ˈkrəʊkeɪ/ n.槌球游戏，一种用长柄木槌击打木球并使其穿过一系列球门的户  外游戏

boccia /ˈbɔːtʃɑː/ 几（意大利式）室外地滚球戏

A: Pre-listening Question

What is the connection between the geography of a place and the sports that are popular there?

B: Sentence Dictation

Directions: Listen to some sentences and write them down. You will hear each sentence three times.

1.  Organized competitive sports were a social innovation, confined to class and national boundaries, excluding manual workers, women and certain ethnic minorities.

2.  Essentially, these sports were a private initiative, in no way associated with the state or politics, let alone foreign policy.

3. Competitive sports were encouraged by the new international contests, especially the modern Olympic Games inaugurated at Athens in 1896.

4. In the second half of the 20th century, a mounting tension developed between amateur-elitist sport for wealthy, privileged males and commercial spectator sport for the mainly middle classes, as well as worker and female sport.

5. The employment of sport for prestige abroad and unity at home is present in all nations as is the promotion of a particular sport for encouraging a culture of consent.

C: Detailed Listening

Directions: Listen to the passage and do the following exercises.

Exercise 1

Directions: Fill in the form about how European countries define sport.

Exercise 2

Directions: Fill in the form about when modern sport and gymnastics emerged in some European countries.

Exercise 3

Directions: Answer the following questions.

1)Where did modern sport and gymnastics originate?

They originated in Europe.

2)How did organized competitive sports emerge in the 19th century in Europe?

Organized competitive sports emerged in Europe in the 19th century as the private domain of the new social class born of industrialization and urbanization.

3)When did competitive sports begin to prevail over gymnastics?

At the turn of the century, particularly after the 1914-1918 World War, competitive sports started to prevail.

4)What historical imprint does French sport still bear now?

French sport still bears the imprint of the French Revolution of 1789, the educational philosophy of Jean-Jacques Rousseau and the noble aspirations of Coubertin.

5)How is the European population currently distributed?

Europe's over 700 million inhabitants currently reside in over 40 nations.

D: After-listening Discussion

Directions: Listen to the passage again and discuss the following questions.

1.How does the author explore the connections between culture and sport in European countries?

2.What are the favorite sports of the Chinese people, and why?

Section Three News

News Item 1

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Thaksin Shinawatra Former Prime Minister of Thailand and the leader of the populist Thai Rak Thai party. On 4 April 2006, following protests against his policies and a snap election where he won the majority of votes, he announced that he would not accept Parliament's nomination for the Premiership and would be handing over his responsibilities to caretaker Deputy Prime Minister Chidchai  Wannasathit.

Thai Rak Thai A political party in Thailand. As of 2005 it was the ruling party, led by the Prime Minister and its founder, Thaksin Shinawatra. TRT won the election of 2001 and election of 2005.泰爱泰党

VOCABULARY

paralysis /pəˈrælɪsɪs/ n. inability to act or function in a person, organization or place 瘫痪

stalemate /ˈsteɪlˌmeɪt/ n. deadlock (in which neither side is able to move forward)

annul /əˈnʌl/ V. declare invalid or void 宣告……无效

revered /rɪˈvɪəd/ adj. deeply respected

A: Directions: Listen to the news and complete the summary.

This news item is about the annulment of an election in Thailand .

B: Directions: Listen to the news again and answer the following questions.

1.What happens in Thailand after five weeks of political paralysis?

After 5 weeks of political paralysis, Thailand finally has a way out of the stalemate left by last month's general election.

2.What is the decision by the Constitutional Court?

The Constitutional Court has voted to annul Prime Minister Thanksin Shinawatra's third election victory.

3.What is most likely to have influenced the verdict of the Constitutional Court?

The intervention by Thailand's revered monarch two weeks ago is most likely to have influenced their verdict.

4.Why is the path ahead still not clear now?

Because the opposition parties do not want Mr Thaksin to run again for Prime Minister but he is considered the key vote winner for his party.

5.What are the opposition parties demanding?

The opposition parties are demanding constitutional reforms to strengthen the checks on the Prime Minister's power.

News Item 2

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Hyundai Motors The Hyundai Motor Company (HMC) is South Korea's largest carmaker. It is also the world's seventh largest carmaker and operates the world's largest integrated automobile manufacturing facility in Ulsan, South Korea.

Samsung The Samsung Group is one of the largest South Korean business groupings. Samsung Electronics is the largest member of the Samsung Group, and one of the largest electronics companies in the world.

VOCABULARY

slush fund /ˈslʌʃ  fʌnd/ a reserve of money used for illicit purposes, especially political bribery

allegation /ˌælɪˈɡeɪʃən/ n. a claim of assertion that someone has done something wrong or illegal, typically one made without proof

plea /pliː/ n. appeal

mitigation /ˈmɪtɪˌgeɪʃən/ n. the action of reducing the severity or seriousness of something

A: Directions: Listen to the news and complete the summary.

This news item is about a Hyundai scandal .

B: Directions: Listen to the news again and fill in the blanks with the missing information.

The chairman of Hyundai Motors, one of South Korea's most powerful business leaders, made a brief statement, apologizing to the Korean public and promising toafter the state prosecutors began to investigate the cooperate with the investigation worth creation of slush funds , used to bribe and tens of millions of dollars to politicians . They are also looking into the allegations of the government officials that enabled the Chung family to reduce the debts of troubled subsidiaries . So far illegal transfer of shares have been retain management control in connection with the allegations.

Hyundai Motors last week offered an 3 people and the Chung family agreed to arrested apology for any wrongdoing a plea for pay a billion dollars to charity following a similar mitigation by another major business group, Samsung, earlier this year.

South Korea's donation family-owned industrial groups have long been tainted by corruption scandals and lack of transparency . In the past they've tended to receive lenient treatment in recognition of their contribution to the national economy .

News Item 3

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Sambadrome Located in downtown Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, it is the place where the Samba schools parade during Carnival. It is the major tourist attraction during Carnival for foreigners.

Recife A port city in northeastern Brazil. It is one of the leading ports of Brazil, with extensive modern port facilities. It is an educational and cultural center, with several universities and theatres.

Bono (I960- ) Bono is the lead singer and front man for the Irish rock band U2, one of the most successful bands of the 1980s and 1990s.

U2 An Irish rock band. Founded in 1976, U2 has maintained a high level of popularity since the late 1980s. The band has sold approximately 120 million albums worldwide and has won 22 Grammy Awards.

Salvador A city and port in northeastern Brazil. Located at the southern tip of a peninsula that separates All Saints Bay from the Atlantic Ocean, it is one of Brazil's oldest cities, founded in 1549 as the Portuguese colonial capital.

Picasso (1881-1973) Pablo Picasso, Spanish-born French painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist, and stage designer 毕加索

Dali (1904 -1989) Salvador Dali, Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, and designer

达里

Monet (1840 -1926) Claude Monet, French landscape painter 莫奈

Matisse (1869 -1954) Henri Matisse, French painter, sculptor, and graphic artist 马  蒂斯

Interpol International Criminal Police Organization

photofit picture A picture of a criminal's face that is made up from different photos of facial features, e.g. eyes, nose, hair; the features are chosen by people who've seen the criminal.

VOCABULARY

party /ˈpɑːtɪ/ v. celebrate or carouse at or as if at a party

let one's hair down behave wildly or uninhibitedly

reveler /'revələ/ n. a person who takes part in lively and noisy festivities, especially those which involve drinking and dancing

A: Directions: Listen to the news and complete the summary.

This news item is about Carnival 2006 in Brazil and the theft of artworks during the Carnival .

B: Directions: Listen to the news again and decide whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F).

1.  T  Samba schools parade in Rio has been the main focus of Carnival 2006 in Brazil.

2.  F  One million people went out onto the roads for a parade in the southeastern city  of Recife.

3.  T  Salvador is known for its Afro-Brazilian culture.

4.  T  Paintings by Picasso, Dali, Monet and Matisse believed to be worth at around 50  million dollars were stolen from a museum.

5.  F  With Carnival coming to an end, the stolen works of art appeared.

Section Four Supplementary Exercises

Part 1 Feature Report

NYC Dims Lights to Save Bords

VOCABULARY

teem with be full of or swarming with

luminous /ˈluːmɪnəs/ adj. full of or shedding light; bright or shining, especially in the dark

atrium /ˈeɪtrɪəm/ n. a central hall or court in a modem building, typically rising through several stories and having a glazed roof

ultraviolet /ˌʌltrəˈvaɪəlɪt/ adj.紫外线的

A: Directions: Listen to the news report and then tick (√) the sentence that best expresses its main idea.

( )1. The news report is about Manhattan that lies in the flight path of hundreds of thousands of birds as they migrate south in the autumn and north in the spring.

( ) 2. The news report is about some uninhabited spots of land in New York — the breeding grounds for scores of wild bird species.

( ) 3. The news report is about the cause of birds getting killed when they fly

over New York City

( ) 4. The news report is about skyscrapers in New York City.

( ) 5. The news report is about the measures that are being taken to deal with

the problem that birds encounter in New York City

( √ ) 6. The news report is about both the problem that poses dangers to birds

and the efforts being made to solve the problem.

B: Directions: Listen to the news report again and fill in the blanks with the missing information.

1.Birds are usually drawn to skyscrapers because they mistake the skyscrapers' exterior and office lighting for stars, the moon or different luminous bodies .

2.If it happens to be a tree or a shrub that is reflected in a pane , or if there are trees in the lobby of a large building where an atrium might exist, birds are likely to collide with the glass.

3.A program called “Lights Out New York” encourages the owners and managers of high buildings to dim that are decorative on the towers or skyscrapers, and to dim the lights that are decorative on the towers or skyscrapers, and to dim the office lights our use blinds.

4.Researchers are trying to invent a new kind of glass that will reflect patterns of ultraviolet light that will warn away birds , while retaining the transparency that humans value.

Part 2 Passage

Is the Gay Family a Contradiction in Terms?

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States To become a Justice on the Supreme Court of the United States, an individual must be nominated by the President of the United States and approved by the US Senate, with at least half of that body approving in the affirmative.

Justice White (1917-2002) Byron Raymond White, associate justice of the US Supreme Court (1962 -1993)

VOCABULARY

procreation /ˌprəʊkriˈeɪʃn/ n. reproduction

heterosexual /ˌhɛtərəʊˈsɛksjʊəl/ n.异性恋者

sibling /ˈsɪblɪŋ/ n. a brother or sister

scrutiny /ˈskruːtɪnɪ/ n. a close, careful examination

artificial insemination /ˌɑːtɪˈfɪʃəl  ɪnˌsemɪˈneɪʃn/ 人工授精，人工受孕

custody /ˈkʌstədɪ/ n. the legal right to look after a child

A: Pre-listening Question

What are homosexuals, gays and lesbians?

B: Sentence Dictation

Directions: Listen to some sentences and write them down. YDLI will hear each sentence three times.

1. Because homosexuals have parents, siblings, and cousins, the definition of family at issue in this decision is obviously a narrow one that centers around marriage and children.

2. Some states and municipalities have permitted marriage between gay and lesbian partners, but provisions permitting such marriage are under close scrutiny.

3. Although same-sex lovers obviously cannot produce children from their union, they can have children in a variety of other ways.

4. Others are willing to tolerate and encourage many different family forms — including gay and lesbian families — as long as they contribute to stable and nurturing environments for adults and children.

5. The question society must address is whether homosexual families should receive the www.docin.comsame legal recognition and protection as other families.

C: Detailed Listening

Directions: Listen to the passage and do the following exercises.

Exercise 1

Directions: Choose the best answer to complete each of the following sentences.

1)Justice White was D a Georgia law that criminalized homosexual activity

A.indifferent to   B.opposed to

C. somewhat different fromD.in favor of

2)Justice White considered that marriage and homosexual activity was A .

A.disconnectedB.contradictory

C. interdependentD.distinctive

3)The 1996 federal Defense of Marriage Act B .

A.rules out the possibility of recognition of gay marriage in some of the states in the USA

B.rules out the possibility of recognition of gay marriage in the USA

C.allows the states to alter the marriage law to some extent

D.authorizes the states to work out their solution to the problem of homosexuals

4)The following statements are true except that D .

A.the homosexuals can have children from their previous heterosexual relationship

B.the homosexuals can adopt children through legal procedures

C.the homosexuals can have children through artificial insemination

D.the homosexuals can produce children from their union with advanced science and technology

5)According to the passage, there are probably B children who have homosexual parents.

A. 2 millionB. 12 million C. 22 million D. 32 million

6) The traditional view is that homosexual unions are A .

A. abnormal and sinful   B. illegal and shameful

C. unimaginable and unacceptable D. impractical and unmanageable

7) Growing up with gay or lesbian parents has C impact on children's sexual identity, personality, or social development.

A. dramatic B. decisiveC. negligible D. considerable

8) Both homosexual activity and gay marriage are becoming more and more B .

A. prevailingB. acceptableC. unacceptableD. detrimental

Exercise 2

Directions: Answer the following questions.

1) What are the two contradictory views on gay families?

The traditional view is that homosexual unions are both unnatural and sinful. Others define the family by long-term commitment, and they are willing to tolerate and encourage a variety of family forms — including gay and lesbian families — as long as they contribute to stable and nurturing environments for adults and children.

2) How many people approved of gay marriages according to a national survey conducted in 2003?

A national survey conducted in 2003 found that 38 percent of all Americans approved of gay marriage – and 52 percent of Americans age 18 to 29 approved.

D: After-listening Discussion

Directions: Listen to the passage again and discuss the following questions.

1. What is the question that goes to the heart of gay families and what is the question about homosexuals that society must address?

2. Do you think that homosexuals should be recognized by the public and society?

Why?