口语考试朗读材料

口语考试原文

Unit1 Maintaining the quality or increasing the intake? Interviewee:It’s a really difficult balance to strike, actually maintaining the quality but making sure as many young people as possible and older people as well-there’s been a surge in the number of over 25s applying, and we take many people who are over 25.But we’ve got to get that balance right. It’s going to be terribly difficult for us next year.

Hostess: Given the cuts that the government announced a couple of weeks ago, and the numbers that we know in terms of applications, where are you going to draw that line? Are you going to have to look at cutting intake in order to maintain the quality of the courses?

Interviewee:We’re trying to cut intake at the moment. But what it means is we’re going to have to be extra-cautious in the number of offers we make, because we simply cannot afford to go over our quota of the number of places that we can offer. Because if we do, it means that we could be fined, or we just simply haven’t got enough money to make sure the students’ experience is right. So it means that maybe last year we would allow a few more people to have an offer. This year is going to be tougher.

Hostess: Do you lay some of the blame for the situation at the door of the government?

Interviewee: If you look to France, Sarkozy is actually increasing the budget for higher education. Obama in the U.S. has done the same thing. So we’re just slightly puzzled as to why the government seems to be cutting back on higher education rather than pumping more money into what we think is a service that is absolutely vital for the economy.

第二单元River Pollution

•If you see dead fish floating on the river or notice that the water is discolored and smelly, you know the river has been polluted, and there are four main possible causes for it.

•First, fertilizer. If large amounts of fertilizer or farm waste drain into a river, the concentrations of nitrate and phosphate in the water increase considerably. Algae use these substances to grow rapidly, turning the water green. This massive growth of algae leads to pollution. When the algae die, they are broken down by the action of the bacteria, which quickly multiply, using up all the oxygen in the water and therefore causing the death of fish.

•Second, industrial waste. Factories sometimes discharge chemical waste into rivers. Examples of such pollutants include cyanide, lead, copper and mercury.

These substances may enter the water in such high concentrations that fish and other animals are killed immediately. Sometimes the pollutants enter the food chain and accumulate until they reach toxic levels, eventually killing fish and other animals

•Third, oil pollution. If oil enters a slow moving river, it forms a rainbow-colored film over the entire surface, preventing oxygen from entering the water.

•Fourth, warm water. Industry often uses water for cooling processes, sometimes discharging large quantities of warm water back into rivers. A higher temperature of the water lowers the level of dissolved oxygen and upsets the balance of life in the water.

第三单元Punctuality

Script:

ToAmericans,punctualityisawayofshowingrespectforotherpeople'stime.Beingmorethan 10minuteslatetoanappointmentusuallycallsforanapologyandmaybeanexplanation. Peoplewhoarerunninglateoftencallaheadtoletothersknowofthedelay.Ofcourse,thelessfo rmalthesituation,thelessimportantitistobeexactlyontime.Atinformalget-togethers,forex ample,peopleoftenarriveasmuchas30minutespasttheappointedtime. Buttheyusuallydon'ttrythatatwork.Americanlifestylesshowhowmuchpeoplerespecttheti meofothers.

Whenpeopleplananevent,theyoftensetthetimedaysorweeksinadvance.Oncethetimeisfix ed,ittakesalmostanemergencytochangeit. Ifpeoplewanttocometoyourhouseforafriendlyvisit,theywillusuallycallfirsttomakesureiti sconvenient.

Onlyveryclosefriendswilljust"dropin"unannounced.

Also,peoplehesitatetocallotherslateatnightforfeartheymightalreadybeinbed.Thetimema yvary,butmostpeoplethinktwiceaboutcallingafter10:00p.m.Tooutsiders,Americanssee mtiedtotheclock.PeopleinsomeEasternculturesvaluerelationshipsmorethanschedules. Inthesesocieties,peopledon'ttrytocontroltime,buttoexperienceit.ManyEasterncultures,f orexample,viewtimeasacycle.Therhythmofnature—fromthepassingofseasonstothemon thlycycleofthemoon—shapestheirviewofevents. Iftheyhavewastedsometimeorletanopportunitypassby,theyarenotveryworried,knowingt hatmoretimeandopportunitieswillcomeinthenextcycle.ButAmericansoftenwanttojump atthefirstopportunity.Theyareunwillingtostandbyidlyandgiveuptheopportunity.Theearl yAmericanheroBenjaminFranklinexpressedthatviewoftimelikethis:"Doyoulovelife?Th endonotwastetime,forthatisthestufflifeismadeof."