研究生英语听力

Unit One Life of Aspiration

Part Two Focus-Listening

A Great Communicator in All Circumstances

Task One

1.Many American presidents are skilled at communicating with others, and they are great

communicators, such as John F. Kennedy, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln.

2.Ronald Reagan is the Great Communicator.

3.Reagan was one of the best-known announcers in a radio station in his early twenties. He

displayed an uncommon ability to connect and communicate with people. His vision for presidential campaign was clear and simple, and he was able to communicate with maximum effectiveness.

4.Because he possessed a clear vision, made decisions easily, and delegated very effectively.

Part Three Home Listening

Dream vs. Goal

Task One

Why we need dreams: Dreams give us a vision of a better future. They nourish our spirit; they represent possibility even when we are dragged down by reality. They keep us going. Dreams are where we want to end up.

Interpretation of goals:Goals are concrete objectives. Goals are our day-by-day plans that provide achievable targets for increasing improvement. Goals provide our daily routine. They show us where to start and they establish our priorities. They make us organized and create the discipline in our lives. Goals are how we get there.

Example of climbing the corporate ladder:Your dream is to get the promotion in a large company, but there seems to be too many people competing for too few positions at the top. What you have to do is to break down the dream into components and study the dream position, and you make sure that they want a hardworking, driven person who can manage a team and improve productivity. So your goals become perfecting each of these characteristics. Then find opportunities to show your boss you are the right person.

Unit Two Education

Part Two

Focus Listening

Developing Creativity

One of the most exciting findings about creativity is that it may be picked up at almost any stage of the life cycle and developed. Many programs that work with elderly or retired people have known this for a long time. Researchers are continually trying to understand what creativity is and how it can be nurtured throughout childhood and adulthood. It is thought that developmental characteristics of creative aspects vary to the extreme; some things may show up early, other aspects later on in life. Creative behaviors such as curiosity may actually be evident early during infancy and increase during the “magic years” of early chil dhood. Unfortunately, during middle and late childhood there may be a decrease in creativity as children become more conforming and inhibited as well as liable to fall into sex-role stereotypes. With care, creativity can be sustained throughout childhood and adulthood. Following are highlights of several characteristics of creative people and suggested ways to develop creativity.

Characteristics that signal creativity include intense absorption, curiosity, ability to put together seemingly unrelated things or ideas, sense of humor, unusual vocabulary, eagerness to share new discoveries, spontaneity, and willingness to consider new ideas.

Creative people are often either interested in ongoing experiments and need time to pursue ideas in depth, or they may jump from idea to idea very quickly. They may show fluency and flexibility in their thinking. They may ask surprising questions. They may be more independent than others in their approach to doing things. They get excited about new solutions and ideas. Creative people need time to entertain ideas, prepare materials, and let their ideas simmer for a while. They need privacy and tolerance for ambiguity. They need to be allowed to try things out in different ways until they are satisfied with their own work. They also need to be able to select and discard efforts of their choosing—pressure to produce may stifle their creative efforts. Creativity thrives in an environment that allows questions, exploring, observing, skill-building, communicating, and self-expression. To develop creativity, the home or classroom environment should contain a variety of materials and encourage lots of different experiences.

Developing a childhood interest—being “in love” with something and sticking with it for some time—is related significantly to adult creative achievement. Building anticipation before a trip or lesson, digging deeply into material during the lesson, and keeping the ideas alive for some time after the lesson are also ways to keep the creative processes going. Children and adults need to be introduced to examples of creative excellence. Their own work should be recognized and truly appreciated. If possible, creative efforts should be put to work and not simply acknowledged and then shelved.

Adults who experience creativity programs tend to experience dramatic improvements in the quality of their lives. Self-expression, the zest of discovery, the pleasure of creating something,