unit3篇章文稿

Group 1Passage oneAlmost all states in America have a state fair. They last for one, two or three weeks. The Indiana state fair is one of the largest and oldest state fairs in the United States. It is held every summer. It started in 1852. Its goals were to educate, share ideas, and present Indiana’s best products. The cost of a single ticket to enter the fair was 20 cents. During the early 1930s, officials of the fair ruled that the people could attend by paying with something other than money. For example, farmers brought a bga of grain in exchange for a ticket. With the passage of time, the fair has grown and changed a lot, but it’s skill one of Indian’s most celebrated events. People from all over Indiana and from many other states attend the far. They can do many things at the fair. They can watch the judging of the price cows, pigs and other animals; they can see sheep getting their wool cut, and they can learn how that wool is made into clothing; they can watch cows giving birth. In fact, people can learn about the animals they would never see except at the far. The air provides a chance for the arming community to show its skills and farm products for example, visitors might see the world’s largest apple, or the tallest sunflower plant. Today, children and adults at the far can play new computer games, or attend more traditional games of skill. They can watch performances put on by famous entertainer. Experts say such fairs are important, becausepeople need to remember that they’re connected to the earth and its products, and they depend on animals for many things.1. What were the main goals of the Indiana’s state fair when it started?2. How did some farmers gain entrance to the fair in the early 1930s?3. Why are state fairs important events in America?Passage 2The territorial growth in the United Sates was followed by great industrial expansion. The country was rich in natural resources. A constant flow of immigration provided the labor force necessary to develop these resources. New industries were started. Chicago, St. Louis, and Detroit grew from small towns to large cities. The United States became the greatest industrial country in the world. Detroit’s growth has been typical of these new American cities. Situated on the Detroit River close to the Great Lakes, it had the geographical advantages necessary for industrial growth. Factories for manufacture of bicycles and wagon bodies were established there. With the coming of the automobile, these factories were converted into automobile plants. The American system of mass production was introduced. The industry grew and Detroit grew with it. Detroit today is the fifth largest city in the United States. Four Detroit automobile companies produce 96 percent of all American cars. Twenty thousand of these cars roll off Detroit assembly lines each day. Some of the factories there never stop. They have three groups or “shifts”ofworkers. Each shift works eight hours and is relieved by a new shift, making all together a twenty-four-hour day. So Detroit has been called “The City of Three Shifts”. As a result, in the Ford plant it is possible to build an entire car in less than twenty-eight hours. In little more than a day, pure iron can be converted into a shiny new car of the latest model.4. What is the main topic of the talk?5. How do some of the factories there never stop?6. What did the factories manufacture before being converted into automobile plants?Passage 3Today everyone will accept money in exchange for goods and services. People use money to buy food, furniture, books, bicycles and hundreds of other things they need or want. When they work, they usually get paid in money. Most of money today is made of metal or paper. But people not the only things used as money. In China, cloth and knives were used. In the Philippine Islands, rice was used as money for a long time. Elephant tusks, money tails, and salt were used as money in parts of Africa. Cattle were one of the earliest kinds of money. Other animals were used as money, too. The first metal coins were made in China. They were round and had a square hole in the center. People strung them together and carried them from place to place. Different countries have used different metals and designs for their money. The first coins in England were madeof tin. Sweden and Russia used copper to make their money. Later countries began to make coins of gold and silver. But even gold and silver were not convenient if you had to buy something expensive. Again the Chinese thought of a way to improve money. They began to make paper money. The first paper money looked more like a note from one person to another than the paper money used today. Money has had an interesting history from the days of shell money until today.7. Where were cloth and knives used as money?8. What were the first metal coins made of in England?9. Why did people begin to use paper money later?10. What do you think the writer wants to tell in the passage?Group 1Passage oneThere are between 3,000 and 6,000 public languages in the world, and we must add approximately 6 billion private languages since each of us necessarily has one. Considering these facts, the possibilities for breakdowns in communication seem infinite in number. However, we do communicate successfully from time to time. And we do learn to speak languages. But learning to speak languages seems to be a very mysterious process. For a long time, people thought that we learned a language only by imitation and association. For example, a baby touches a hot pot and starts to cry. The mother says, “Hot, hot!”And the baby, when it stopscrying, imitates the mother and says, “Hot, hot!”However, Noam Chomsky, a famous expert in language, pointed out that although children to learn some words by imitation and association, they also combine words to make meaningful sentences in ways that are unique, unlearned and creative. Because young children can make sentences they have never heard before, Chomsky suggested that human infants are born with the ability to learn language. Chomsky meant that underneath all the differences between public and private languages, there is a universal language mechanism that makes it possible for us, as infants, to learn any language in the world. This theory explains the potential that human infants have for learning language. But it does not really explain how children come to use language in particular ways.1. Why does the speaker say there are great possibilities for communication breakdowns?2. What is Chomsky’s point on the ability to learn a language?3. What does Chomsky’s theory fail to explain according to the speaker? Passage 2The earth’s oceans are huge, so much bigger than the land area that they cover 70% of the surface of the earth. Throughout history humans have been directly or indirectly influenced by the oceans. Ocean waters serve as a source of foods and valuable minerals. Increasingly, people are turning to the oceans for their food supply either by direct consumption orindirectly by harvesting fish. Besides, oceans are a major element in the formation of our weather. The extremes of temperature on the earth would be much greater, and many places would be too hot or too cold for humans without the oceans. As our supply of fresh water becomes more and more scarce, we have naturally looked to the oceans, the greatest source of water on earth. But there is so much salt in seawater that it is not fit for human use. Scientists have been trying to find ways to work in certain parts of the world, but their cost is still much too high. Scientists will have to find much cheaper ways to do the job. It is possible that there is plentiful food in the ocean. In addition to the hundreds of varieties of fish, some kind of seaweed can be eaten. It is beneficial enough, containing many proteins, vitamins and minerals that humans need for survival, but so far no one has been able to figure out how to disguise awful taste.4. What can be ocean supply us with?5. What do we know about the transformation of seawater into fresh water?6. What is the disadvantage of seaweed as food?Passage 3Within a context of rapid technological change and shifting market conditions, education system is challenged with providing increased educational opportunities without increased budgets. Many educationalinstitutions are answering this challenge by developing distance education programs. As its most basic level, distance education takes place when a teacher and students are separated by physical distance, and technology is used to bridge the instructional gap. These types of programs can provide adults with a second chance at a college education, make up for the disadvantages of limited time, distance or physical disability and update the knowledge base. This approach has been widely used by business, industrial and medical organizations. For many years, doctors, engineers and lawyers have used it to continue their professional education. These individuals are often too busy to interrupt their practice and participate in classroom-based education. Recently academic institutions have been using distant education to reach a more diverse audience who have no access to traditional classroom instruction. The distinguishing characteristic of distant education is the separation of the instructor and students during the learning process. The communication of the subject matter is primarily to individuals rather than groups. As a result, the course content must be delivered by instructional media. The media may be primarily print, as in the case of traditional correspondence course. Today, a wide variety of media are used. Audiocassettes, videotapes, video course can be sent to individual students. In addition, radio, broadcast, television, telelectures and teleconferences are used for distant education. The latter two delivery systems allow for interactiveinstruction between the instructor and the students.7. What do we know about traditional classroom instruction?8. In which field has long distance education been used?9. Why do many professionals use long distance education?10. What does the instruction of long distance education primarily rely on?。