《现代大学英语听力2》听力原文及题目答案unit3

《现代大学英语听力2》听力原文及题目答案
《现代大学英语听力2》听力原文及题目答案
《现代大学英语听力2》听力原文及题目答案
Unit 3Unit 3
Task 1
【答案】
A.
1) Stress on the job costs American companies as much as $150 billion a year in lower productivity, unnecessary employee sick leave, and higher medical costs.
2) The most stressful professions are those that involve danger and extreme pressure and those that carry a lot of responsibility without much control.
3) The best way to deal with stress is through relaxation, but sometimes the only answer is to fight back or walk away.
B.
1) Three-quarters
2) psychologists, doctors
3) nervousness, anger, frequent illness, forgetfulness, mental problems
【原文】
Stress on the job costs American companies as much as $150 billion a year in lower productivity, unnecessary employee sick leave, and higher medical costs. Three-quarters of the office workers today say they suffer from stress at work. Recently, psychologists and doctors have begun to study the problem more closely. They have discovered that the most stressful professions are those that involve danger, extreme pressure and those that carry a lot of responsibility without much
control.
The sign of stress range from nervousness, anger, and frequent illness to forgetfulness or even mental problems. The best way to deal with stress is through relaxation, but sometimes the only answer is to fight back or walk away.
Task 2
【答案】
A.
1)give in so easily to hijackers’ demands
a) threaten to blow up a plane, commit some other outage
b) hold out against this kind of blackmail, always have terrorists, Start executing
terrorists automatically
c)be prepared to face the consequences of evil
2)
a) It’s the lesser of two evils. Terrorists have proven often enough that they really mean business.
b)Innocent lives, threatening the innocent will achieve its ends.
B.
She implies that if the first speaker was one of the victims of terrorism, she would want the government to give in to the demands so that she wouldn’t die.
【原文】
Margaret: Governments give in so easily to hijackers’ demands. A hijacker only has to threaten to blow up a plane or commit some other outrage, and a government gives in to his demands.
Valerie: Naturally. It’s the less er of the two evils. What government would risk innocent lives just to see if terrorists will really do what they threaten to do Terrorists have proven often enough that they really mean business. Margaret: Yes, but i f a government doesn’t hold out against this kind of blackmail,
we will always have terrorists. Governments are afraid to punish these people. They almost always let them go free. Start executing terrorists automatically wherever they land, and terrorism will stop.
Valerie: And what about the innocent lives that will be lost in the process Terrorism is based on the simple idea that threatening the innocent will achieve its ends.
Margaret: You can’t get rid of evil without being prepared to face the consequences of evil.
Valerie: So long as you’re not one of the victims!
Task 3
【答案】
A.
1)thirty-five, natural light, a small window, hot, airless, very noisy
2) Mexico
3) ought to, shouldn’t
B.
1)It is located in a narrow street with five-and six-storey buildings eight
kilometers from downtown Los Angeles.
2) This factory makes shirts and jeans
3) She’s already been working for ten hours, but won’t stop for another two hours.
4) She can’t complain about those things because she is an illegal immigrant.【原文】
Eight kilometers from downtown Los Angeles there is a narrow street with five- and six-storey buildings. Inside one of these buildings there is a small factory making shirts and jeans. The women working in the factory sit close together, each with a small table, each with their own sewing machine. The women say nothing, and work hard. In one of the rooms there are thirty-five women. There is only a little
natural light, and this comes from a small window in the roof. The room is hot, airless, and very noisy. On the left-hand side of the room there is a young girl sitting next to the wall. Every now and again she closes her eyes, and her fingers stop working. She's already been in her chair for ten hours, but she'll be here until the bell rings — and that won't be for another two hours. Her name is Maria, and she comes from Mexico. She won't complain about her work. She won't say that the working hours ought to be changed; she won't say that the working conditions shouldn't be permitted.
Task 4
【答案】
A.
Every year the British government publishes statistics about social trends. Their findings show definite patterns in the British way of life.
1)marked differences
a)one hour more every day, three hours more every week
b) 1 percent, cleaning and ironing, keep household accounts, do repairs or
improvements
c)30 percent
2)leisure activities, watching television, 20 hours a week, going for walks,
Swimming, British women
B.
Unlike the other couples, Carla has always kept her won accounts and Adrian has always done his own housework. Neither of them like watching television very much and they both like swimming.
【原文】
When Adrian Hutton and Carla Leone get married they will move into a new house
that they have bought. But what sort of life will they have What can they expect in modern Britain Every year the British government publishes statistics about social trends. Their findings show definite patterns in the British way of life.
In most marriages there are some marked differences between husbands and wives. Working wives, for example, sleep (on average) one hour more a day than working husbands. Housewives, on the other hand, sleep only about three hours more every week than their working husbands. And what about housework The government survey showed that only 1% of men do the household chores — like cleaning and ironing. But they do usually keep household accounts and it is always men who do repairs or improvements in the house. 30% of all marriages end in divorce.
The government survey also looked at leisure activities. They found that the two most popular leisure activities in Britain are watching television (the average family spends 20 hours a week in front of the TV set) and going for walks. Swimming is an especially popular activity among British women.
Carla and Adrian's life, though, will probably be different from the average marriage. In the first place Carla has always kept her own accounts and Adrian has always done his own housework. Neither of them like watching television very much and they both like swimming.
Task 5
【答案】
A.
Topic: How a city in Japan solve the problem of garbage disposal.
Supporting details: 160 million, every year, 10 percent, 10 percent, the rest, public cooperation
1) garbage that can be easily burned, kitchen and garden trash
2) electrical appliances, plastic tools, plastic toys
3) are poisonous, cause pollution, batteries
4) bottles and glass containers that can be recycled
5) metal containers that can be recycled
6) furniture and bicycled
on different days, on request, fertilizer, to produce electricity, recycled, cleaned, repaired, resold cheaply, give away
B.
1) The garbage will be taken to a center that looks like a clean new office building
or hospital. Inside the center, special equipment is used to sort and process the garbage.
2) Official from cities around the world visit Machida to see whether they can use some of these ideas and techniques to solve their own garbage disposal problems.【原文】
Disposing of the garbage we produce every day is a major problem in cities around the world. In the United States, over 160 million tons of garbage are produce every year. Ten percent is recycled, ten percent is burned, and the rest is put in landfills. But finding land for new landfills is becoming more difficult.
A city that has solved this problem in an unusual way is Machida, in Tokyo, Japan. They have developed a totally new approach to garbage disposal. The key to the operation is public cooperation. Families must divide their garbage into six categories:
1. garbage that can be easily burned (that is, combustible garbage) such as kitchen and garden trash
;
2. noncombustible garbage, such as small electrical appliances, plastic tools, and plastic toys
;
3. products that are poisonous or that cause pollution, such as batteries and fluorescent lights
;
4. bottles and glass containers that can be recycled
;
5. metal containers that can be recycled
;
6. large items, such as furniture and bicycles.
The items in categories1 to 5 are collected on different days. Large items are only collected upon request. Then the garbage is taken to a center that looks like a clean new office building or hospital. Inside the center, special equipment is used to sort and process the garbage. Almost everything can be reused: garden or kitchen trash becomes fertilizer; combustible garbage is burned to produce electrical; metal containers and bottles are recycled; and old furniture, clothing, and other useful items are cleaned, repaired, and resold cheaply or given away. The work provides employment for handicapped person and gives them a chance to learn new skills.
Nowadays, officials from cities around the world visit Machida to see whether they can use some of these ideas and techniques to solve their own garbage disposal problems.
Task 6
【答案】
1) They were talking about Mrs. Carter.
2) She was a tall, handsome woman who used to come into the shop at least twice a week.
3) She lived alone in a large house on an old farm---about three miles from the shop.
4) He was absolutely certain, otherwise he would never call the police. His evidence was this: First, he saw her do it; second, he found the things in her bag; third, she had done it before.
5) Because two young people saw her. The shopkeeper believed that if they didn’t punish her, young people would think that stealing didn’t matter.
6) The judge thought that it was difficult case from a humanitarian point of view. The excuses her found for her were: First, the woman was old and she lived
alone---she was lonely. Second, she wasn’t poor---she was well-known for her generosity to charities and she didn’t need to steal. Te items were only worth a pound or two. Third, she pleaded not guilty and she didn’t know that she had done it.
【原文】
Shopkeeper: I knew Mrs. Carter very well. She was a tall, handsome woman who used to come into the shop at least twice a week. She lived alone in a large
house on an old farm — about three miles from here. People ask me if I
am certain she did it. The answer is yes. I was absolutely certain,
otherwise I would never have called the police. In the first place, I saw
her do it. I watched her put the things into her bag and I watched her walk
out of the store. In the second place, we found the things in her bag, and
finally, she had done it before. It wasn't the first time. I think she was
in such a confused state that she didn’t know what she was doing, but two
other people say her —two young people. We had to punish her, otherwise
young p eople would think that stealing didn’t matter.
Judge: It was a difficult case from a humanitarian point of view. The woman was old and she lived alone —she was lonely. She wasn’t poor— she was well-known for her generosity to charities and she didn’t nee d to steal. The items were only worth a pound or two. She pleaded not guilty and said she didn’t know that she had done it. From the legal point of view the case was straightforward.
The woman stole; she was caught and reported. There were witnesses. She had to be punished or else no one could be punished for stealing.
Task 7
【答案】
A. not all modern cities are alike; modern city.
1) a single high-density center, skyscrapers, motorways, as far as you can see
2) the low-density multi-center city, a large collection of a number of small centers, shopping centers, factories, businesses, skyscrapers
B.
1) He thinks that the second type( the Los Angeles model) is more sensible.
2) He considers it highly likely that the kind of city we know now will completely disappear.
【原文】
Interviewer: Would you say then that all modem cities are pretty much alike Urban Planner: Quite definitely not. There seem to be two types of modem city. In type one there is a single high-density centre, and that's where you'll
find the skyscrapers. This is surrounded by motorways. And all around
this centre, low-density suburbs stretch as far as you can see. This
is like Houston, or Calgary, or Toronto. Interviewer: And the second
type
Urban Planner: The other type is like Los Angeles — the low-density multi-centre city. As I'm sure you know Los Angeles is really a large collection
of a number of small centres, each with its shopping centres, factories,
businesses, and skyscrapers scattered everywhere. In a way it's almost
one enormous suburb.
Interviewer: Do you. think one type is better than the other
Urban Planner: I think the Los Angeles model is more sensible.
Interviewer: And so do you think Los Angeles is the city of the future
Urban Planner: Well, it is arguable that the next step after Los Angeles is the complete disappearance of the city, with no real centre, where
well-designed forms of urban life-modem factories and office blocks
which are clean and quiet, and beautiful forms of rural life — the
trees and parks of suburbs, live side by side.
Interviewer: So are you saying that the city as we know it will disappear...
Task 8
【答案】
A.
1) He thinks that this country’s problems all come from inflation, which is the
result of the Democrat’s careless spending.
2) No, she doesn’t agree with Ned. She believes that the problem is unemployment.
If the government cuts spending too much, people will fall into a vicious circle of more unemployment and fewer taxpayers to share the burden.
3) She agrees with Barbara. She believes that unemployment is a big problem, especially in the big industrial cities. And the government isn’t doing very much to help the big industries out.
4) He believes in the free market system rather than government regulation or protection. He thinks that without a lot of government interference everything will be okay.
5) No, they think it’s bad for the weak, the poor and the unprotected/ it’s bad for the underprivileged.
B.
more and more money, come from somewhere, higher taxes and higher prices
【原文】
Ned: ... you know, I think this country's problems all come from inflation. That's the main cause of our troubles right now. And what's causing the inflation It's the reckless spending of the Democrats! Every year they spend more and more money, and that money has to come from somewhere. So we pay it in the form of higher taxes and higher prices on the goods we buy.
Barbara: Well, I'm not sure that I agree with you. It seems to me that inflation is only one of our problems. What about unemployment If people don't have
jobs because the government cuts spending too much, they can't buy things;
and then you have a vicious circle of more unemployment and fewer taxpayers
to share the burden.
Ellen: You know, I think Barbara may have something there. Unemployment is a big problem, especially in the big industrial cities. The auto industry is
fighting for its life right now, and the government isn't doing very much
to help it.
Ned: Well, it's true that the auto industry is in a mess, but I don't think the answer is in government regulation or protection. I believe in the free
market system —let the system work without a lot of government interference, and everything will be okay.
Ellen: So the strong will win, and the weak will be defeated. Is that what you mean
Ned: Well, that's the way it goes. The survival of the fittest.
Barbara: And too bad about the weak, the poor, the unprotected...
Ned: Now you're getting emotional. You have to remain objective about these things. Let me give you an example of what I'm talking about...
Task 9
【答案】
A.
1) The problem is whether or not the inner city — the core of most urban areas —will manage to survive at all.
2) They moved to the suburbs in search of fresh air, elbow room, and privacy.
3) As a result, suburbs began to sprawl out across the countryside. Many cities began
to fall into disrepair. And many downtown areas existed for business only.
4) The result was that urban centers declined even further and the suburbs expanded still more.
5) Because from the decision of the Taylors and many other young couples, we can
see that some people may be tired of spending long hours commuting, and they may have begun to miss the advantages of culture and companionship provided by city life.
B.
1) F 2) T 3) F 4) F 5) T 6) T
C.
1) middle-class, tax money, neighborhoods
2) Crime, public transportation
3) housing construction costs, was allowed to, constructed
【原文】
A few years ago, Ann and Walter Taylor thought it might be time to move out of their New York City apartment to the suburbs. They had one young son and another child on the way. But after months of looking, they became discourage and decided to buy an old townhouse right in the middle of Brooklyn, which is a part of New York City. To their delight, they discovered that they weren’t the only young couple to have made such a decision. In fact, their entire area in Brooklyn had been settled by young families. And as a result, the neighborhood, which had been declining for years, was now being restored.
Brooklyn isn’t the only city in the United States to experience this kind of renewal. So are Philadelphia and . And Charleston, South Carolina, has so successfully rebuilt its old central area that it now ranks as one of America’s most charming cities. The restoration of the old port city of Savannah, Georgia, is also living proof that downtown areas do not need to die. But encouraging as these developments may be, they are among the few bright spots in a mass of difficulties that today’s cities face. Indeed, their woes are so many that it is fair to ask whether or not the inner city the core of most urban areas will manage to survive
at all.
In the 1940s, urban Americans began a mass move to the suburbs in search of fresh air, elbow room, and privacy. Suburbs began to sprawl out across the countryside. Since most of those making the move were middle-class, they took with them the tax money the cities needed to maintain the neighborhoods in which they had lived. The people left in the cities were often those who were too old or too poor to move. Thus, many cities began to fall into disrepair. Crime began to soar, and public transportation was neglected.( In the past sixty years San Francisco is the only city in the United States to have completed a new mass transit system.) Meanwhile, housing construction costs continued to rise higher and higher. Middle-class housing was allowed to decay, and little new housing was constructed.
Eventually, many downtown areas existed for business only. During the day they would be filled with people working in offices, and at night they would be deserted. Given these circumstances, some business executives began asking, “Why bother with going downtown at all Why not move the offices to the suburbs so that we can live and work in the same area” Gradually, some of the larger companies began moving out of the cities, with the result that urban centers declined even further and the suburbs expanded still more. This movement of business to the suburbs is not confined to the United States. Businesses have also been moving to the suburbs in Stockholm, Sweden, in Bonn, Germany, and in Brussels, Belgium, as well.
But it may well be that this movement to the suburbs has reached its peak. Some people may be tired of spending long hours commuting, and they may have begun to miss the advantages of culture and companionship provided by city life. Perhaps the decision made by the Taylors is a sign that people will return to the cities and begin to restore them. It begins to look as if suburban sprawl may not have been the answer to man’s need to create an ideal environment in which to live and work.
Task 10
【答案】
A.
1) 54, 20, 1980, £70,000.
2) 30, 1980
3) a newspaper article, to research the market
4) another few months, in April 1981, a 1,500 sq ft
5) third, Canada, America, 20 percent, £1 million
6) 20, 70, 3
B.
1) F 2) T 3) F 4)F 5)T
C.
1) He was deeply involved in the present job and rather enjoyed himself. He thought
the shop was his own little baby and thought it was fun to serve behind the counter.
However, he also thought that there was a lot more hard work than he was used to; he was working over the weekend doing his books. He called his old job “boring trips to Manchester to sell vast quantities of PVC”.
2) He thought that there are far more job satisfaction; and believed that he was
making money, rather than making money for other people.
3) He was about to diversify into commercial distribution of imported and
domestically produced wine and wines he’s produced himself.
【原文】
William Rudd, 54, worked for ICI petrochemicals for 20 years until 1980 when he took early retirement with &70,000. He opened his own delicatessen and butcher's shop in Kensington and has just bought a second London shop.
I knew about a year before I left that I was going to go, so I looked around for office jobs. I had one of those frustrating periods where I nearly got some jobs
but then I didn't. Actually it was a dinner party conversation which got me into the shop. A woman I knew said she was going to open a delicatessen and thought it sounded fun. So ! said, "Super, I'll come in with you." I'd always thought retailing would be amusing, after a lifetime of industrial selling.
We found that the lease of the building stipulated we had to keep it as a butcher's and I added fish and cheese and things like that. I ended up spending far more than I'd ever intended.
I didn't really do much research, except for fish, about which I knew nothing.
I was clearly going to be the person standing behind the counter filleting, so I talked to one person who showed me a little, supplied me, and kept me under his wing for a little while. But it's quite easy to learn about fish; once you get used to gutting salmon you're on your way. Meat is more difficult; the skill is in the butchery, so I employ people for that. I had to learn about equipment by trial and error.
I started in July — the worst time of the year for a shop like this — and the overdraft kept going up. That was rather frightening because there was no one between me and the bank manager. My reaction early on was that it was bound to come right. At the same time I was deeply involved and rather enjoying myself. It was my own little baby and it was fun to serve behind the counter —completely different from boring trips to Manchester to sell vast quantities of PVC. There was a lot more hard work than I was used to; I was working over the weekend doing my books.
I remember my accountant saying to me when I was starting up, "What are you going to do for mental stimulation" In fact there's quite a lot of mental stimulation in the sheer terror of losing
money: I couldn't have conceived of doing this 20 years ago. It was a great leap in the dark. I don't
know if I'm brave or foolish, or a bit of both I suppose. But I do know that if I'd
listened to anyone I would never have done it.
Les Shield, 30, a boiler technician, was made redundant from British Steel at Consett in 1980. 145'th Mike Heywood, a Consett transport manager made redundant at the same time, he started British Brewing Products, manufacturing beer kits and now diversifi2ing into wine production.
I read a newspaper article about a company which had done quite well in home brew, and I started to research the market 18 months before the closure at Consett. By the time the steelworks were due to close I had a business plan ready. We bought some products which we had made for us and went out into the wilds of Yorkshire and Lancashire and sold them as a test. It took two months before we got any repeat business and that was a nail-biting period. It took another few months to fend premises and to get financial assistance from BSC industry and the bank. We went into production in April 1981 manufacturing home-brewing kits in a 1,500 sq ft factory.
Let's face it, in this area, there wasn't a lot of choice. You could sit and vegetate and spend your redundancy money, you could move away and find new employment, or you could use your redundancy money to sink or swim.
We're swimming. We're actually doing very well. I like being self-employed; there's far more job satisfaction. You know that at the end of the day you're getting the full value, personally, of the work you do. That's what you're in business for —to make money, rather than make money for other people. It was obviously a strain when I spent 5 days a week training, but after 18 months, we were able to afford our first salesman.
I think my wife was happy for me to do what I've done. She accepted that there would be a certain amount of stress during the early days, but she probably realized that if I was successful the rewards would be there at the end of the day.
We're now in our third factory since we started. We export our products to the
Republic of Ireland, Canada and America; exports account for 20 percent of production. Our turnover will exceed &1 million for the first time this year.
We're about to diversify into commercial distribution of imported and domestically produced wine and wines we're producing ourselves. We employ 20 people at the moment but that will rise to 70 in the next 3 months.
Task 11
【原文】
I could hear the guard blowing his whistle, so I ran onto the platform and up
to the train. Luckily someone saw me coming, a door opened, and I jumped on while the train was mov ing out of the station. “Phew!” I thought. “That was hard work!” I was sure the other passengers could hear my heart beating; it was so loud, and I was in a cold sweat.
After a while, I recovered, and had a look at the other passengers. The compartment was full, but I was the only one standing. The people in the carriage turned their eyes away as they noticed me looking at them; all except one, a beautiful woman sitting in the corner. I saw her watching me in the mirror.
Automatically, I adjusted my tie. She had seen me running for the train: maybe this was my lucky day after all. I prepared to say hello.
She spoke first, however. “Would you like my seat” she asked. “You look rather ill.” That was the day on which I realized I was getting middle-aged.。