听力原文 Unit 2

UNIT 2
Section One Tactics for listening
Part 1 Sport Dictation
My Mother
My mother was an efficient (1) taskmaster who cooked, cleaned and shopped for nine people (2) on a daily basis. She was a disciplinarian* who would (3) make us seven kids walk up and down the stairs a hundred times if we clumped like (4)field hands to-dinner. She also enlisted us to help her in the day's (5) chores.
My mother believed that each of her children had a special (6) knack that made him or her invaluable on certain (7)missions.My brother Mike, for example, was believed to have especially (8)keen eyesight. He was hoisted up as a human (9) telescope whenever she needed to see something (10) far away. John was the climber when a kite (11)got caught. My own job was navigator for our (12)gigantic old Chrysler.
But my mother's (13) ability to get work done well was only (14) one side. She also had an (15) imagination that carried her in different directions. That (16) allowed her to transcend her everyday life. She did not (17) believe in magic as portrayed on a stage, but (18) valued instead the sound of a metal bucket being (19) filled by a hose, or the persistence of a dandelion at the (20) edge of a woodpile.
Part 2 Listening for Gist
For hundreds of years man has been fascinated by the idea of flying. One of the first men to produce designs for aircraft was Leonardo da Vinci, an Italian artist who lived in the fifteenth century. However, it was not until the eighteenth century that people began to fly, or perhaps it would be better to say float, across the countryside in balloons. The first hot-air balloon was made in April 1783 by the Montgolfier brothers in France.
In the following years many flights were made by balloon. Some of the flights were for pleasure and others were for delivering mail and for military purposes, such as observation and even bombing. However, in the late nineteenth century, airship s superseded balloons as a form of transport.
Airships came after balloons. The first powered and manned flight was made by a Frenchman, Giffard, in September 1852. His airship, powered by steam, traveled twenty-seven kilometers from Paris to Trappes at a speed of eight kilometers per hour. However the days of the airship were numbered as the aero- plane became increasingly safe and popular.
Exercise
1.This passage is about the early history of flying.
2.The key words are designs, an Italian artist, fifteenth century, eighteenth century,
fly, float, balloons, hot-air balloon, April 1783, airships, September 1852, aeroplane.
Section Two Listening Comprehension
Part 1 Dialogue
Buying a Car
A: Good morning, can I help you?
B: Yes, I'm interested in buying a car.
A: Have you anything in mind?
B: Not really.
A: What price are you thinking of?
B: Not more than £13,500.
A: Let's see now ... Over there between the Lancia and the Volvo is a Mini. It costs £12,830 and is cheap to run: It does 38 miles per gallon. Or there's the Citroen, behind the Mini. It costs £12,070 and is even cheaper to run than the Mini: It does
45 miles per gallon. It's not very fast though. It only does 69 miles per hour.
B: No, I think the Mini and the Citroen are too small. I've got three children. Isn't there anything bigger at that price?
A: Well, there's the Toyota over there, to the left of the Peugeot. It's very comfortable and costs £13,040. It's cheap to run too, and it also has a built-in radio. Or there's the Renault at the back of the showroom, behind the Peugeot. It costs a little more, £13,240, but it is cheaper to run. It does 40 miles per gallon and the Toyota only does 36 miles per gallon.
B: What about that Volkswagen over there, in front of the Toyota?
A: That costs a little more than £13,500 but it's a very reliable car. It's more expensive to run than the others: It does 34 miles per gallon, but it's faster. Its top speed is 90 miles per hour. The Toyota's is 80 miles per hour and the Renault's is 82 miles per hour.
B: How much does it cost?
A: £13,630 and that includes a 5-year guarantee.
B: And the Fiat next to the Volkswagen?
A: Again that's more than £13,500, but it's cheaper than the Volkswagen. It costs £13,550.
B: Hmm well, I'll have to think about it and study these pamphlets. How much is that Peugeot incidentally, behind the Lancia?
A: Oh, that's expensive. It costs £15,190.
B: Yes, that is a bit too much. Thank you very much for your help. Goodbye.
Part 2 Passage
The Wrights’ Story
On the morning of December 17, 1903, between 10:30 a.m. and noon, four flights were made, two by Orville Wright and two by Wilbur Wright. The starts were all made from a point on the level sand about 200 feet west of our camp, which is located a quarter of a mile north of the Kill Devil sand hill, in Dare County, North Carolina.
The wind at the time of the flights had a velocity* of 27 miles an hour at 10 a.m., and 24 miles an hour at noon, as recorded by the anemometer* at the Kitty Hawk Weather Bureau Station.
The flights were directly against the wind. Each time the machine started from the level ground by its own power alone with no assistance from gravity or any other source whatever.
After a run of about 40 feet along a monorail* track, which held the machine 8 inches (20 centimeters) from the ground, it rose from the track and under the direction of the operator climbed upward on an inclined course till a height of 8 or 10 feet from the ground was reached, after which the course was kept as near horizontal as the wind gusts and the limited skill of the operator would permit.
Into the teeth of a December gale（逆风）the "Flyer" made its way forward with a speed of 10 miles an hour over the ground and 30 to 35 miles an hour through the air.
It had previously been decided that for reasons of personal safety these first trials should be made as close to the ground as possible. The height chosen was sufficient for maneuvering* in so gusty a wind and with no previous acquaintance with the conduct of the machine and its controlling mechanisms. Consequently the first flight was short.
The succeeding flights rapidly increased in length，and at the fourth trial a flight of 59 seconds was made, in which time the machine flew a little more than half a mile through the air and a distance of 852 feet over the ground.
The landing was due to a slight error of judgment on the part of the aviator. After passing over a little hummock* of sand, in attempting to bring the machine down to the desired height, the operator turned the rudder* too far, and the machine turned downward more quickly than had been expected. The reverse movement of the rudder was a fraction of a second(转瞬间，顷刻) too late to prevent the machine from touching the ground and thus ending the flight.
As winter was already well set in, we should have postponed the trials to a more favorable season, but we were determined to know whether the machine possessed sufficient power to fly, sufficient strength to withstand the shocks of landings and sufficient capacity of control to make flight safe in boisterous* winds, as well as in calm air.
Section Three News
News Item 1
World Basketball Championship
The semifinal round of the World Basketball Championship tournament is later today (Saturday) in the mid-western (US) state of Indiana.
Argentina is the only undefeated team at the tournament. The South Americans have outscored their opponents by an average of 19 points per game. On Wednesday, Argentina shocked the host United States (87-80) to snap a 58-game international winning streak* by professional squads of the National Basketball Association players.
Argentina also defeated Brazil (78-67) to reach the semifinal round where the team will face Germany. Primarily using European experienced players, Argentina defeated Germany earlier in the second round, 86-77.
Defending champion Yugoslavia, which ousted the United States (81-78) in the quarterfinals, plays upstart* New Zealand. But Yugoslav head coach Svetislav Pesic says he is not surprised.
The losers of each game will play for the third place on Sunday before the championship game.
Exercise A
This news item is about the semifinal round of the World Basketball Championship tournament.
Exercise B
1.In the second round Argentina defeated Germany 86-77.
2.Argentina also defeated Brazil to reach the seminal round.
3.Before the semifinal round Argentina is the only undefeated team at the
tournament.
4.Defending champion Yugoslavia, which ousted the United States in the
quarterfinals, plays against New Zealand.
5.The four teams that will play in the semifinals are Argentina, Germany,
Yugoslavia and New Zealand.
6.The losers of each game will play for the third place before the championship
game.
News Item 2
European Football
English football club Liverpool crashed out of the Champions League, despite fighting back from a 3-0 deficit to tie FC Basel 3-3 in Switzerland. Liverpool needed a win Tuesday to qualify / for the second phase. Instead, the English club will play for
the UEFA Cup. Basel became the first Swiss side ever to reach the last 16 of the Champions League, qualifying second in Group B· behind Valencia of Spain, which beat Spartak Moscow 3-0.
English champion Arsenal played to a scoreless home draw against Dutch-side PSV Eindhoven to top Group A and move into the second phase, where the team will be seeded. They'll be joined by German team Borussia Dortmund*, which advanced despite a 1-0 loss to Auxerre in France.
AS Roma played to a 1-1 draw against AEK Athens in Italy, to capture second place in Group C. Group winner Real Madrid of Spain will also advance, after drawing 1-1 with Racing Genk* in Belgium.
In Group D, Inter Milan of Italy got a pair of goals from Hernan Crespo to beat Ajax Amsterdam 2-1 in the Netherlands. Both teams qualified at the expense of French side Lyon, which was held to a 1-1 draw by Rosenborg in Norway.
Exercise A
This news item is about European football matches.
Exercise B
1.T
2.F
3.F
4.T
5.T
6.F
7.T
News Item 3
Kemper Open Golf Preview
The annual Kemper Open* golf tournament gets underway Thursday near Washington at the Tournament Players Club at Avenel.
Twenty-eight-year-old American Rich Beem is back to defend his title. Before his victory here, he had missed the halfway cuts in five straight tournaments. He hopes he can again find his form during the next four days, as he is currently 132nd on the money list.
The player who is number-one on golf's money list and in the world
rankings, American Tiger Woods, decided to skip this event after winning the
rain-delayed Memorial Open in (Dublin) Ohio on Monday.
Compatriot* Jeff Sluman says even Tiger has to take periodic breaks.
He's unbelievable. He's got an opportunity, as I said even a couple years ago, if he stays healthy and does the right things, he can maybe be the best golfer of all time, and he's showing right now what he can do. The kid is just a fabulous, fabulous player, but he can't play every week."
Eight of the past 10 Kemper Open winners are in this year's field of 156 golfers, who are vying for three million dollars in prize money. The first-place check has been increased from 450 thousand to 540 thousand dollars.
Exercise A
This news item is about an annual Kemper Open golf tournament on Thursday. Exercise B
1.The Kemper Open golf tournament will be held on Thursday.
2.Rich Beem comes back to defend his title.
3.He is currently ranked 132nd on the money list.
4.Tiger Woods is number-one on golf's money list and in the world rankings.
5.He has to take a break after a match on Monday.
6.There are 156 golfers taking part in this event.
7.The total prize money is three million dollars.
8.The prize for the first place is 540 thousand dollars
Section Four Supplementary Exercise
Part 1 Feature Report
US Men’s National Collegiate Basketball Tournament The widely followed US men's national collegiate basketball tournament concludes tonight (9 p.m. EST) in Atlanta with a championship match-up* between Maryland and Indiana.
Maryland is in the championship game for the first time in the school history. To get here, the Maryland Terrapins had to beat three teams with great basketball traditions: Kentucky, Connecticut and Kansas.
Now they face another, Indiana. While Maryland was one of the four top seeds in this 65-team tournament, the Indiana Hoosiers* were a fifth seed, and virtually no one expected them to reach the title game*. But they knocked off defending champion Duke in the third round, and in the semifinals they upset Oklahoma.
Maryland coach Gary Williams knows it will take a solid effort to win.
"Any team that's gotten to where Indiana has gotten, you don't look at their record. You look at how they're playing now, how they play. Any time a team plays team defense like they do, they have a chance to beat anybody. That's what concerns me the most, their ability to play together as a unit, because a lot of times you can play with anybody when you play that close together like they do."
Indiana has 27 wins and 11 defeats this season. The last time a team won the national championship with as many as 11 losses was Kansas in 1988. Maryland has a school record of 31 wins against only 4 losses. It has three seniors in the starting line-up* who reached the semifinals last year, and they are determined that this time they will take home the school's first men's national basketball championship. Exercise A
This news report is about two teams that will compete for the championship of US men's national collegiate basketball tournament.
Exercises B
1.Maryland moves in the championship game for the first time in the school history.
2.The Maryland Terrapins had to beat three teams with great basketball traditions
before it reached the title game.
3.Among the 65 teams, the Indiana team was a fifth seed.
4.Indiana has 27 wins and 11 defeats this season.
st year the Maryland Terrapins reached the semifinals.
6. In 1988, the team who won the national championship with as many as 11 losses was Kansas.
Part 2 Passage
Who on Earth Invented the Airplane?
Ask anyone in Brazil who invented the airplane, and they will say Alberto Santos-Dumont, a bon vivant as well-known for his aerial prowess as he was for his dandyish* dress and place in the high-society life of Belle Epoque Paris.
As Paul Hoffman recounts in his biography Wings of Madness, the eccentric* Brazilian was the only person in his day to own a flying machine.
"He would keep his dirigible* tied to a gas lamp post in front of his Paris apartment at the Champs Elysees, and every night he would fly to Maxim's for dinner. During the day he'd fly to go shopping or to visit friends," Hoffman said.
It was on November 12, 1906, when Santos-Dumont flew a kite-like contraption* with boxy wings called the 14-Bis some 220 meters on the outskirts of Paris. Since his was the first public flight in the world, he was hailed as the inventor of the airplane all over Europe.
It was only later that Orville and Wilbur Wright proved they had beaten Santos-Dumont at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, three years earlier.
But to bring up the Wright brothers with a Brazilian is bound to elicit* an avalanche of arguments as to why their flight didn't count.
"It's one of the biggest frauds* in history," scoffs Wagner Diogo, a taxi driver in Rio de Janeiro.
"No one saw it, and they used a catapult* to launch the airplane."
The debate centers on the definition of flight.
Henrique Lins de Barros, a Brazilian physicist and Santos-Dumont expert, argues that the Wright brothers' flight did not fulfill the conditions that had been set up at the time to distinguish a true flight from a prolonged hop.
Santos-Dumont's flight did meet the criteria: He took off unassisted, publicly flew a predetermined length and then landed safely.
"If we understand what the criteria were at the end of the 19th century, the Wright brothers simply did not fill any of the prerequisites," said Lins de Barros.
Brazilians claim that the Wrights launched their Flyer in 1903 with a catapult or at an incline, disqualifying it from being a true airplane.
Even Santos-Dumont experts like Lins de Barros concede* this is wrong. He says that the steady winds at Kitty Hawk were crucial for the Flyer's takeoff, disqualifying the flight because it probably could not lift off on its own.
Peter Jakab, chairman of the aeronautics division at the US National Air and Space Museum in / Washington, says such claims are preposterous*.
By the time Santos-Dumont got around to his maiden flight the Wright brothers had already flown numerous times, including one flight in which they flew 39 kilometers.
Even in France the Wrights are considered to have flown before
Santos-Dumont, says Claude Carlier, director of the French Center for the History of Aeronautics and Space.
By rounding the Eiffel Tower in a motorized dirigible in .1901, Santos-Dumont helped prove that air travel could be controlled.
Exercise A Pre-listening Question
Alberto Santos-Dumont was a wealthy Brazilian aviation pioneer who came to Paris, France, at the age of 18 to live and study. He attempted his first balloon ascent in 1897 and had his first successful ascent in 1898. He began to construct dirigible airships powered with gasoline-powered engines in 1898 and built and flew fourteen of the small dirigibles. In 1901, he flew his hydrogen-filled airship from St. Cloud, around the Eiffel Tower, and back to St. Cloud. It was the first such flight and won him the Deutsch Prize and a prize from the Brazilian government. In 1902, he attempted to cross the Mediterranean in an airship but crashed into the sea. In 1909, he produced his "Demoiselle" or "Grasshopper" monoplane, the precursor to the modern light plane.
Exercise B Sentence Dictation
1. He would keep his dirigible tied to a gas lamp post in front of his Paris
apartment and during the day he'd fly to go shopping or to visit friends.
2. Since his was the first public flight in the world, he was hailed as the inventor
of the airplane all over Europe.
3. But to bring up the Wright brothers with a Brazilian is bound to elicit an
avalanche of arguments as to why their flight didn't count.
4. His flight did meet the criteria: He took off unassisted, publicly flew a
predetermined length and then landed safely.
5. By the time the Brazilian got around to(开始考虑做) his maiden flight the
Wright brothers had already flown numerous times, including one flight in
which they flew 39 kilometers.
Exercise C Detailed Listening
-T--T- -T- -F -T- -T--F-T-
Exercise D After-listening Discussion
1.By rounding the Eiffel Tower in a motorized dirigible in 1901, Santos-Dumont
helped prove that air travel could be controlled.
2.(Open)。