英语听力入门Step by Step3000第一册第8课

Book 1 Unit 8 Trends in Economics

Part I Warming up

I.Vocabulary and background knowledge for this part:

A: 1. release oil: end the restriction on oil; make oil available放开对石油的控制

2. common import tax统一进口税，统一关税

3. stock prices股票价格

4. aerospace: the atmosphere and outer space considered as a whole航空航天

5. Burma: a country of southeast Asia on the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea缅甸

6. Rangoon: the capital and largest city of Burma 仰光（缅甸首都）

7. the Gulf Cooperation Council海湾合作委员会

8. the New York Stock Exchange纽约股票交易所(NYSE)

9. MCI美国著名的通讯公司

10. WorldCom世界电讯公司

11. Riyad利雅得（沙特阿拉伯的首都）

B: 12. peace and security: the state of being free from danger or injury和平与安全/稳定

13. inflation: a general and progressive increase in prices通货膨胀

14. demonstrator: ['demənstreitə] someone who participates in a public display of group feeling示威者

15. senate: ['senət] assembly possessing high legislative powers参议院

16. Dutch: of or relating to the Netherlands or its people or culture荷兰的

17. Manila [mə'nilə] 马尼拉（菲律宾首都）

18. the Federal Reserve Board 美国联邦制度理事会/ (美国)联邦储备金监察小组

19. Czech [tʃek] Republic捷克共和国 cf. chic [ʃi:k] 时尚,时髦；别致

C: 20. loan: the temporary provision of money (usually at interest)贷款

21. budget ['bʌdʒit] plan: a summary of intended expenditures along with proposals for how to meet them预算

22. limiting production限制生产

23: index: a number or ratio (a value on a scale of measurement) derived from a series of observed facts; can reveal relative changes as a function of time指数

24. prime rate: 银行优惠贷款利率；最低银行利率

25. cabinet ['kæbinət]: persons appointed by a head of state to head executive departments of government and act as official advisers内阁

26. barrel: a bulging cylindrical shape; hollow with flat ends一桶的量；装满的桶

27. indicator: a number or ratio (a value on a scale of measurement) derived from a series of observed facts; can reveal relative changes as a function of time; a device for showing the operating condition of some system指标

28. work force: the force of workers available劳动力

Ⅱ. Key to this part:

Part I

A.

1.$25,000,000,000

2.$161,000,000

3.$37,000,000,000 / 28,000,000,000-dollar / $24,000,000,000

4.30,000,000

5.$1,000,000,000

6. 5.5%/

7.5%

7.550/ 7%

8.0.25% , 4.75%, 4.5%

Tapescript:

You are going to hear some simple news items which include numbers ranging from 0.25 to 37,000,000,000. Listen carefully. Write down the numbers rapidly.

1. British Aerospace plans to buy the part of General Electric Company of Britain that makes defence electronics. The deal is worth $25,000,000,000.

2. Canada will hold a meeting of American leaders in April to discuss trade and economic issues. Canada now has a trade surplus of $161,000,000 a year with Central America.

3. Owners of MCI Communications have agreed to sell the company to the American communications company WorldCom. The price is $37,000,000,000 in stock. WorldCom defeated a 28,000,000,000-dollar / 28,000,000,000 dollars offer by GGE. MCI also refused the British company Telecom’s offer to unite the two companies by an agreement worth about $24,000,000,000.

4. President Clinton will release 30,000,000 barrels of oil from the United States’ emergency supply. The move is designed to ease heating oil shortage expected this year.

5. RANGOON --- The United Nations and the World Bank have offered Burma $1,000,000,000 in aid. A UN special diplomat made the offer to Burmese leaders last month.

6. Representatives of the six nations of the Gulf Cooperation Council have agreed to common import taxes. Officials at the meeting in Riyad said representatives agreed to set the common tax on some goods at 5.5%. The tax on other goods will be

7.5%.

7. The New York Stock Exchange halted trading early after suffering one of the worst market drops in history. Stock prices fell more than 550 points. That is a loss of more than 7%.

8. United States’ Central Bank officials are reducing interest rates for the third time this year. The bank officials cut by 0.25% the rate that banks charge each other for short-term loans. That rate now will be 4.75%. The Central Bank made the same reduction in the rate it charges member banks for overnight loans. The rate now will be 4.5%.

B.

1. increasing their protests against rising fuel prices

2. a meeting of African nations

3. the Czech Republic/ by early 2003/ a conference of EU members

4. Central Bank governors/ Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Japan and the United States

5. reduce the amount of oil/ harming their economies

6. cutting taxes on oil products

7. increase trade/ bring peace and security to the area/ in Manila