英语听力短文

Times are changing, and not necessarily for the best. There was a time when parents who wanted an educational present for their children would buy a typewriter, a (1)novelor an encyclopedia set. Now those items seem hopelessly (2)old-fashioned; this Christmas, there were a lot of personal computers under the tree. People are becoming more and more (3)convinced that computers are the key to success. Parents are (4)insisting that children be taught to use them in school as early as possible.The problem for schools is that (5)when it comes to computers, parents don't always know best. Many schools are (6)yielding to parental impatience and purchasing hardware. At the same time it is clear that these schools are not ready to have any web-based course with (7)sound educational planning.All of this has made things difficult for teachers. Teachers find themselves caught in the middle of the problem, (8)caught in a str. Educators do not even agree on how computers should be used. A lot of money has been put into research for computerized educational materials. The results show (9)it is not neces. Many people are trying to convince parents of this problem.(10)have access to to the very young.What does Microsoft do?Microsoft is the world's second largest company by (1)market value. It provides the (2)operating system for 80 percent of the world's personal computers. Microsoft's operating system is (3)dominant throughout the world.Any software needs to be (4)compatible with the operating system for it to work.The company also produces a (5)range of software products, such as Word and Excel. These products run (6)smoothly on the Windows operating system.Many software writers have tended to write for Microsoft rather than for its (7) rivalssuch as Apple. Those people who end up working for other companies, then, tend to be less qualified. This makes it even harder for these other companies to compete.This dominance also feeds through to PC manufacturers (8)who decide to.What does Microsoft say?The company says that (9)it faces a grea. It has had to do such things as giving certain programs away for free in order to be popular with the public.(10)the of the inte means Microsoft does not have a monopoly (垄断) position, it says.A few years ago, my friend and I were walking (S1) (1)at noon on a street near my home in a northern (S2) (2)section of Teheran. This area is well-known because it is a beautiful avenue that (S3) (3)connects two major traffic circles. It is located at the (S4) (4)bottom of a high mountain.That day, the sun was (S5) (5)shining, but the weather suddenly changed. (S6) (6)Aswe were walking between the two circles, it started raining very hard. We started to (S7) (7)cross the boulevard to get to the second circle. It was raining so hard that we decided to go inside a restaurant instead. (S8) (8)Ten minutes lat At first, we did not know what was going on. We went outside the restaurant to see what was happening. People seemed shocked.(S9) (9) A huge flood wa We were scared. Cars, rocks, and people were floating on the water like little toys toward the little market at the south end of the circle. The height of the water was almost to the top of the trees.After a few minutes, the flood’s flow was reduced, so we decide d to leave the area before the water entered the street we were on.(S10) (10)It was reported Later, we also learned that a dam had burst as the rain started.A 20-year-old Australian model and dancer won the Miss Universe title in a two-hour beauty (S1)(11)contest watched by television viewers around the world.Jennifer Hawkins, a 5-foot-11 blonde with blue eyes, was chosen from eighty beauty (S2) (12)queens. Miss U.S.A., Shandi Finnessey, was awarded second place.Hawkins received the crown from (S3) (13)outgoing Miss Universe, Amelia Vega, and then walked the length of the stage to the (S4) (14)cheers of the crowd. Several times she reached up to touch her crown, as if to remind herself she had actually won the (S5) (15)title.Besides modeling and dancing, Hawkins also organizes a dance team that (S6) (16)toursAustralia. Her interests include surfing, camping and watching ballet. Before the contest began, Cuban-American singer Gloria Estefan, who (S7) (17)performedat the Miss Universe finals, defended beauty contests from critics who insist such events treat women merely as playthings. She said, “(S8) (18) A beautiful wom” Despite Estevan's support, many people question the value of beauty contests. (S9) (19)Women's in theConservative religious groups in India forced such contests to move from Calcutta when they threatened bombings.(S10) (20)All the same ,s They hope Australia is going to shine for what it is, an unforgettable place.The West End of London maintained its top spot as the world's most (S1) (1) expensiveoffice location last year as occupancy costs (S2) (2)declined globally due to the uncertain economic climate.West End offices (S3) (3)averaged$16,682 per employee workstation (个人的工作区) last year, (S4) (4)compared with $15,700 for second-ranked Paris, a leading real estate consultancy (S5) (5)agency said in its seventh annual Global Office Occupancy Costs survey.The basis of the survey has changed to workstations, from (S6) (6)floor area previously, to give a clearer picture of (S7) (7)accommodation costs.During the economic downturn last year, the city of Toronto moved up three places to ninth in the "top 10". (S8) (8)But the biggest.In comparison, New York offices dropped out of the top three into sixth place.(S9) (9)."In the UK, central London costs are down by 8.8 percent, and London's West End is down 5.1 percent. However in international terms, the situation is distorted by significant currency movements. (S10) (10)," said the manager of the consultancy agency.Students are often left with a lot of free time. They fill this time by taking part in activities.Group activities and solitary (1)pursuits are the two common ways in which college students engage in extracurricular activities. The two kinds of pastimes (2) serveas a stimulant. They also help in mental (3)relaxation. Doing things by yourself or with others gives a (4)temporary escape from the pressure of daily studies.Group activities (5)afford students the opportunities to make many new friends. By playing a ball game, going to a dance, or having a holiday outing, students can share with each other. They can give one another knowledge and (6)skills as well as happiness. Such experiences (7)contribute to a rise in their sociability. This is something that all people need. But the disadvantage is that (8), and thus freedom is limited. By contrast, solitary pursuits can take place anytime: (9), and jog on campus later in the afternoons. Yet here again there is a disadvantage: (10). Preferably, a balance of both activities can be achieved.Hong Kong's jobless rate fell to a six-month low in October as a tourism boom helped revive the city's economy, prompting companies to step up (S1) (1)hiring.The rate fell to 8 percent from 8.3 percent in September, the government said in a statement. "Economic (S2) (2)recovery is apparently underway. The unemployment rate has fallen a great deal," said Steven Xu, an (S3) (3)economist."We will probably see the unemployment rate varying between 6.5 percent and 7 percent by the (S4) (4)middle of next year."Tourist arrivals-- more than half of which come from the Chinese (S5) (5)mainland--rose 7.9 percent in September to 1.47 million, a (S6) (6)record for the month, the Hong Kong Tourism Board said.Hong Kong hotels hired 800 people in August and will take (S7) (7)on another 700 employees by the end of this year, the Hong Kong Hotels Association said.(S8) (8). That's helping revive consumer confidence in the city and prompting non-tourist sectors to hire.(S9) (9). A financial management and consultant company, is recruiting 100 financial planners to meet increased demand for wealth management.(S10) (10).Easter Island in the southern Pacific Ocean remains a mystery. When the island was (S1) (1) discovered, it was almost uninhabited, but there were many statues on it. People are (S2) (2)eager to know who lived there before its discovery, how they lived, and why they (S3) (3)died out. Different theories give different explanations, but none is completely convincing.The Easter Islanders had their own system of (S4) (4)writing, different from any other in the world. No other (S5) (5)pacific Islanders knew how to write. The American (S6) (6)Indians did not know how to write either. Who (S7) (7)taughtthe Easter Islanders how to write, or did they develop their own system? Remember that writing was first invented in Asia only a few thousand years BC.(S8) (8). How did the Easter Islanders get them? Is it possible that a few Easter Islanders traveled 2,300 miles to Chile, got sweet potatoes, and brought them back? But this is unlikely. (S9) (9), which was only colonized in 1492. Could Easter Island have been colonized by people from Chile? Yet, DNA taken from graves dug up on Easter Island has shown that these people were Polynesians, not American Indians. The Polynesians lived on the sea and knew how to travel thousands of miles in their small canoes. They knew where they were going. The American Indians did not know how to do that. Yet, (S10) (10) . Also, the seeds could have been brought in the stomachs of birds.In recent years the weekend has begun to decline in importance. While most people work a five-day workweek, (S1) (11)when the hardware costs outweigh human costs, the(S2) (12)competitiveness of the modern economy means that leaving a factory idle for two days or an office (S3) (13)unmanned is too great an expense. Thus, many workers (S4) (14)regularly work on weekends. Since this is seen as a greater burden, most employers pay (S5) (15)extra for weekend work, either by agreement or by law. The rapid increase in the number of two-income (S6) (16)households has also changedthe character of the weekend. (S7) (17)Previously the stay-at-home spouse would do the shopping during the week. With both working, most of the shopping must be done onweekends, leaving less time for recreation. (S8) (18)To serve these .The functions of the workweek and weekend vary a great deal in some areas. Stores that rely on office workers will see far less business on a weekend, while those in the suburbs or inresidential areas will see far more. (S9) (19), so Friday and Saturday nightsare the busiest for bars, restaurants, clubs, and movie theaters. There is substantially less activity on many websites on weekends.(S10) (20).Getting a job is most often a very happy thing, but this is not always the case. When young people get their first jobs, they may not be very happy about it. They may face a lot of new, (1)confusingsituations. They may find that everything is (2)different from the way things were at school. It is also possible that they will feel (3)uncomfortable. This will be the situation in both (4)professional and social situations.Perhaps the best way to learn how to behave in the working world is to (5)identify a worker you admire. Then you can (6)observe his behavior. In doing so, you'll be able to see what it is that you (7)admire in this person. This approach works for many people.While you are observing your colleagues, (8). If it is not, you should start thinking about ways that you can change. "How can I be more like he is?" you should ask yourself. And (9). This is what commonly happens when a person watches and learns from a model. (10). This might help young people to adapt themselves to a new situation.。