全新版第一册,听力原文Unit 8

Unit 8

Part B

A Steady Job

Fred, a very conscientious worker, had one serious flaw: he was clumsy. The poor boy spoiled everything he did and for that reason could never keep a job. He'd had many jobs over the years but only for a few weeks at a time. For six months, Fred was out of employment. Finally, he got a job in a warehouse where many different types of home furnishings were stored. Fred's job was to unpack the merchandise newly arrived from the factory and put each item in its assigned place. The work was only temporary, but after so long with no employment at all it was better than nothing.

One morning Fred unpacked a large and quite fragile vase. He picked it up to carry across the warehouse. But he had only walked two steps and he tripped. There was a loud crash as the vase fell from Fred's hands and shattered into a thousand pieces.

Fred was called immediately to the manager's office, and he was sure he would be fired. The young man's spirits began to drop.

"I'll have to deduct something from your wages every week until the vase is paid for," the manager said sternly.

"How much is the vase worth?" Fred asked.

"$350."

A wide grin spread across the young man's face. "That's wonderful!" he shouted happily. "At last I have a steady job!"

Questions:

1. What does the story mainly tell us?

2. What can be inferred from the story?

3. Which of the following is not appropriate to describe Fred?

Part c

Mark Hill

Mark Hill is a traffic police officer in Watford, near London. He works on some of the busiest motorways in Britain, the M1 and the M25.

There are traffic police on duty twenty-four hours a day. There are three shifts, and each shift is eight hours. On average they have to deal with three to four accidents each shift. Here is Mark Hill talking about his job:

"We deal with anyone in the accident who is injured. That's the first thing. Then we have to clear the road and get the traffic moving again.

"Most accidents happen because people drive too fast -- especially when the roads are wet. Sometimes we get accidents that occur because drivers don't follow the rules. For example,

I've seen a number of cases of drivers overtaking on the left. This is illegal in Britain. If you want to overtake, you have to go into the fast lane on the right.

"Not everyone can use a motorway in Britain. People that ride a bicycle or a small motorbike are not allowed to use it.

"I like my job. I have a varied working day -- I never know what I'm going to do from one day to the next. And I meet all kinds of people. I don't think there's any other job that can give you that experience.

Questions:

1. Why do accidents sometimes happen according to the passage?

2. Which of the following is not true?

3. What can be inferred from the passage?

4. What should the traffic police do first of all in the event of an accident?

5. Why does Mar Hill like his job?