现代大学英语听力3原文及答案unit10

【答案】A.1) washi ng machi nes, televisi ons, cars, 1946, un employme nt, soldiers, politicia ns, on television, in films2) 10 perce ntB.1) The Market Research Society.2) More tha n 3,000 people were questi on ed.3) People dress far more casually tha n they used to.4) In the past "an evening out" for most people mean a visit to the cinema. Today they would be morelikely to go to a restaura nt or to a disco.5) The lack of ambiti on among the middle-aged.C. 1) F 2) T 3) F 4) T 5) F 6) F【原文】Ordinary people in Britain have more washing machines, televisions and cars than in 1946. They also have more fear of un employme nt. Whereas once the n ati on's heroes used to be soldiers or politicia ns, today they are more likely to be famous faces on televisi on or in films, such as Sylvester Stall one.These are just some of the cha nges discovered in a series of surveys by the Market ResearchSociety. More than 3,000 people were questioned and the results were compared with a similarsurvey done in 1946. In many cases,the new survey tells us what we already kn ew, such as the fact that many people are better off in a material sense and that women spend much less time at the kitchen sink or in the home looking after their families. But we also learn a number of other things. Tastes in clothing and en terta inment have cha nged con siderably. People dress far more casually tha n they used to. And whereas "an evening out" for most people used to mean a visit to the cinema, today it is far more likely to invo lve going to a restaura nt or to a disco. Some things have not cha nged. People still adore the films of Humphrey Bogart and In grid Bergma n eve n though they aremore likely to watch them on television or video. And despite the variety of foreign food now available, more than a quarter of the people in the survey said they preferred a meal of steak and chips. Theonly cha nge is that a large nu mber would also like wi ne with it in stead of beer. I n 1946 only a small proporti on —less tha n 10 perce n — ever drank wi ne with their meals.One of the most surprising things to come out of the new research is the lack of ambition among the middle-aged. Many executives feel that by the time they are in their mid-forties, they haveachieved all their most important goals in life. Most of them said they would prefer to retire in their fifties rather than go on working for a promotion.Task 2【答案】Unit 10 Task 1A.Colu mn 1Dilip Sardesaiand his wife AnNicole Pernot .Dave Stirl ingB. Colum n 2 a shop onJbeJniernet a small stati oner a Forum hypermc Colu mn 3 Ohio, USA n ear Arras, France Newcastle, En gla nd1) d) 2) c) 3) a) 4) b) 5) c)【原文】For the past eighteen years, Dilip Sardesai and his wife Andrija have run a small stationer ' s shop in the university city of Newcastle, in th-eenaostrtohf England.As well as selling paper, pens, computer and office equipment, they also offer a photocopying and fax service. They work long hours to keep the shop going, and both of their children help them after school. Dilip sees the personal contact he has with his customers as the most important part of his job. “ Many of our customers are from the university ”, says Dilip. “We' ve seen generations of students come and go. we liketo offer them the kind of personal service they can ' t get in a larger shop. We ' too busy to stop and chat about exams, or whatever they want to talk about. ”Nicole Pernot is the manageress of a Forum hypermarket, situated 20 kilometers from Arras, a town in the north-east of France. Forum has 600 stores in five different countries and plans to expand into Eastern Europe. The huge hypermarket employs over 300 people, and has parking spaces for over 3.000 cars. “ People nowadays have busy lives ” , says Nikole, “ so we try to attract families byoffering them a complete shopping experience, including a full restaurant service and free entertainment for the children. We try to make it possible for shoppers to do all their weekly shopping in one place. People come here not only for food andhousehold goods, but also clothes, electrical goods, books, CDs …..In fact, we sell everything from peanuts to personal computers! ”Five years ago, Dave Stirling had the idea of selling CDs over the Internet. The business he started from his home in Ohio, USA, now sells 500,000 CDs year and his made him into a millionaire at the age of twenty-four. “I could see right away that this was the future of shopping ” , says Stirling.“Why should you payn$15 for a CD spend the time and money getting to the store and parking your car, when, by clicking on your computer, you can have the same CD brought to your door for half the cost? And of course, there ' s the cWeipeomis—to find any CD and deliver it within seventy-two hours. ” According to Stirling, this is only the beginning. “ I believe tone day we will do all our shopping over the Net: It ' s easier, quicker and cheaper. Shops and supermarkets will soon be ahting of the past. ”Task 3 【答案】A.1)a) One in threeb) doubled, 25 yearsc) increased, 50 percentd) went up, 15 percent, 1980, 19952)a) around half, unmarried parents, a thirdb) births outside marriage3)a) seven, 1970, fiveb) the lowest, 19954)a) the United States, the United Kingdomb) Denmarkc) 10 percent, 1980, 1990B.1) This fall in the birthrate is due in part to the fact that, as more women have careers,they are waiting longer and longer to start a family.2) It is still too early to tell. Becausein some countries these patterns are actually reversing.【原文】As the divorce rate rises and fewer couples bother with marriage, we ask if the traditional nuclear family is becoming a thing of the past.While you are reading this article, somewhere in the United States two couples will get married and another will get divorced. One in three American children now live with only one parent, and the United States is not alone in this: In Canada and France the divorce rate has doubled in the last 25 years, and in Hungary and Greece it has increased by 50 percent. Even in Japan, where the traditional family is still strong, divorce went up by 15 percent between 1980 and 1995.What is more, the nature of the family is changing. In Sweden and Denmark, around half of all babies are now born to unmarried parents, and in the United Kingdom and France more than a third. Even in Ireland, traditionally the most Catholic country in Europe, the rate of births outside marriage is 20 percent.Families are also getting smaller. The average Turkish family had seven members in 1970; today it has only five. And in Spain and Italy, where families were always traditionally large, the birthrate was the lowest in the developed world in 1995. This fall in the birthrate is due in part to the fact that, as more women have careers, they are waiting longer and longer to start a family. The age at which the average woman has her first baby is now 28 in Western Europe, and it is getting later.So the nuclear family is clearly changing, but is it in danger of disappearing completely?The truth is that it is still too early to tell. In some countries these patterns are actually reversing. In the United States, Scandinavia and the United Kingdom, the birthrate is rising once more; and in Denmark, for example, marriage is becoming more popular again. In the United States, the divorce rate in fact fell by 10 percent between 1980 and 1990, and it is continuing to fall.Perhaps a new revolution is beginning?Task 4 【答案】A. b) B.1) Because younger workers are generally more productive, adaptable and flexible, while older workers tend to lose speed and flexibility. In the future, with constantly changing technology, it is countries with much younger populations that will succeed, rather than the major industrial nations like Japan, the USA and Germany.2) According to Angela Seligman, one of the problems is that a relatively small working population willhave to supporta large number of unproductive retired people. And “ younger ” countries will be mor competitivein the worldmarket than “ elderly co”untries. Another problem is that huge sums will have to bespent on health and welfarefacilities for these old people. 【原文】Presenter: In the West old people are living longer and fewer babies are being born.According to Tracy Harris, this is having a drastic effect on the profile of the population.Tracy Harris: If we look ahead to the year 2025, we can see that the profile of the population in many countries will be very different from what it is today. In Germany, for example, 41percent of the population will be over 50 compared with the current figures of 2.7percent. And one in ten people will be over 75 years old, and that will be true in Japanas well. By the year 2025 in most Western countries one in five people will be over 65.So today's 25 to 40 year-olds are tomorrow's over- sixties.Presenter: Why should this be regarded as a "problem"?Tracy Harris: The major industrial nations like Japan, the USA and Germany will be elderly,whereas countries like Brazil, Korea and Egypt will have much younger populations.Now, the point is that younger workers are generally more productive, adaptable andflexible. While it is true that older workers have acquired skill and judgment, they dotend to lose speed and flexibility. In the future, with constantly changing technology,it's the more adaptable workers who will succeed, and they're more likely to be theyounger ones.Presenter: According to Angela Seligman, there are several problems facing Western countries in the future.Angela Seligman: One of the problems as I see it is that a relatively small working population will have to support a large number of unproductive retired people. And of course“ younger ” countries will be more competitive in the world market than “ elderly ” countries. Another thinhgugisethatsums will have to be spent on health and welfare facilities for these old people.Presenter: So, how can these problems be solved?...Task 5【答案】A.man is slowly changing all the time1) three inches, man will continue to grow taller2) forehead, grow larger, our brains, a physical change3) stronger4) grow weaker, more sensitive5) disappear from the body altogether, it won ' t be useful any longera human being, thoughts and emotionsB.1) F 2) T 3) T【原文】What will man be like in the future —in 5,000 or even 50,000 years from now? We can only make guesses,of course, but we can be sure that he will be different from what he is today. For man is slowly changing all the time.Let us take an obvious example. Man, even five hundred years ago, was shorter than he is today. Now, on average, men are about three inches taller. Five hundred years is relatively short period of time, so we may assume that man will continue to grow taller.Again, in the modern world we use our brains a great deal. Even so, we still make use of only about 20% of the brain 'caspacity. As time goes on, however, we shallhave to use our brains more and more, and eve ntually we shall n eed larger on es! This is likely to bring about a physical cha nge to the head, in particular the forehead, will grow larger.Nowadays our eyes are in constant use. In fact, we use them so much that very ofte n theybecome weaker and we have to wear glasses. But over very long period of time it is likely that man ' s eyes will grow stronger.On the other hand, we tend to make less use of our arms and legs. These, as a result, are likely to grow weaker. At the same time, however, our fin gers will grow more sen sitive because they are used a great deal in moder n life.But what about hair? This will probably disappear from the body altogether in course of timebecause it does not serve a useful purpose any Ion ger. I n the future, then, both sexes are likely to be bald!Perhaps all this gives the impression that future man will not be a very attractive creature to look at! This may well be true. All the same, in spite of all these changes, future man will still have a lot in com mon with use. He will still be a huma n being, with thoughts and emoti ons similar to our own.Task 6It is their ordinariness that makes them interesting. Lisa, Tina and Cheryl are 14-year-oldschoolgirls who come from families which are neither rich nor poor. Newbury Park, the area they in habit, is also quite typical. Still too young to go to the pubs and discos, the youthful trio spends much of its non-school time on this Iandscape ' s streets, or at its variofoofastutlets. Talk ing to these girls, as theygiggle ben eath a lamppost, is not difficult. Lisa, the tallest one, seemsto be the leader. She has creamy skin and shoulder-le ngth, dark ringlets. Cheryl and Tina are smaller and have medium-length, fair to brown hair. They join readily in chatt ing about pop music and fashi on.What do they do when they are not at school or on the streets? “ Watch television, ” say Lisa and Tirt a ndem. What else? “The problem is we don ' t havemuch money, ” Lisa adds. “ Sometimes wgo to the pictures. Or up West, Leicester Square for theamusement arcade. ”What do they do in the amusement arcade? “ Play video gamdSpace Inv aders Things like that, ” sayina. She turns to Cheryl. “ Cheryl ths one for the video games. ” Cheryl blushed deeply.What about boys? Do they have boyfriends? This causes giggles. “ That 'our bus in ess. ” says Lisa. She is smili ng, but there is a prohibitive look in her eyes. What about books, do they ever read books?Adrian Mole, ” says Tina. “I ' m reading it now. It ' s all right. ”No other books? “I ' vJdadhe Obscure ” volunteers Lisa. “It ' s by Thomas Hardy, ” she adds. What did she think of it? She looks at her friend, and their eyes, in some private permission, meet. “I think, ” she says, turning towards her friends, a load of crap. ” The other two break into laughter, as if she had said something clever.It is obviously time, before the conversation wanders too far into the comic to get to the heart of things. What do they think life is all about? Is it about pleasure, or is it about finding something tobelieve in? Tina and Cheryl look shocked; Lisa looks offen ded. Perhaps such questi oning is too rem ini sce nt of what issues from the religious studies teacher.Tina and Cheryl gaze, in appeal, at Lisa. Her voice is now abrupt “Wedon ' t bother with that 【答案】A. 1) d)B. 1) F2) b) 2) T3) b)3) T 4) Tstuff, ” she declares. “ We just get on with it. Like everybody else.Then Cheryl, who has not yet spoke n, sudde nly con tributes. “ Your problem is tha'you' re out of date, ” she says, staringfou mness the point by miles. ” The other two are look ing at her expecta ntly.“ What it ' s all about is machines. Not books. Nog qiuestions. Computers and videos are what really count. That ' s what the future is all about. ”A little later the conversation is over and the trio heads off down the road, arm in arm. They are tomorrow ' wives and mothers and they carry with them their flat, video-game con scious ness.In a country which increasingly approximates to the dreariness of a giant Newbury Park, the thought is in escapablethat such a con scious nessmay well be a com mon place part of “ what the future is all about ”.Task 7【答案】A.1) T 2) F 3) F 4) F 5) T 6) F 7) T 8) F 9) FB.1) The finan cial n ews reads that he Euro has rise n sharply in Shan ghai. Then Mary tells thecomputer to buy 5,000 Euros.2) He is a computer programmer, work ing for several compa nies on a con tract basis. He used to bein marketi ng and the n televisi on.3) She is doing research in to gen etic engin eeri ng together with several other people. She works at home.4) Classrooms vani shed in 2030 becausethere was no Ion ger any n eed for them: In teractive communi cati ons systems have made it much easier to lear n at home.5) Louise regards marriage as an old-fashioned concept, and doesn' want one herself.She likes the idea of a serious relati on ship, and thinks there will probably be several during her lifetime since she doesn ' t want to tie herself down to one person.【原文】It's March, 2050.Frank and Mary Smith wake up in their comfortable house overlooking the sea and switch on the bedroom computer to give them a n ews update. They used to take The Times but cha nged to electr onic n ewspapers many years ago.There is the usual stuff about space: Another mission has returned from Mars and scientists have discovered a new planet. No big deal. There was great excitement back in 2027, when signals were received from Titan which indicated that there might be life on a remote moon, but efforts to make con tact came to no thi ng and no alie ns have appeared on Earth to say "hello". The Catholic Church has elected a black Pope. Interesting, but religi on does not play a sig nifica nt role in their lives. Finan cial n ews: The Euro has rise n sharply in Shan ghai, one of the world's lead ing bus in ess cen ters. Mary tells the computer to buy 5,000 Euros, and there is instant confirmation that the transaction has been done. Not for the first time she won ders why Europe ever bothered to have so many differe nt curre ncies.As they watch the scree n, Frank and Mary take their usual weight con trol pills, and order one of the household robots to make coffee. Frank disappears into the study to join a live video conference with his colleagues around the world. He is a computer programmer, working for several companies on a contract basis. This is his third career: He used to be in marketing and then television.Mary has a quick look at the shopping channel—s the usual selection of electric cars, household robots and cheap travel offer—s before picking up the video phone to talk to a colleague. She also has a job, which she shares with several others. They are doing research into genetic engineering, whichhas become a major industry. Both she and Frank used to have an office desk in London, but in 2014 they decided to move to the seaside and work from home.Frank and Mary have one child, Louise, who also has her own workstation in the family home. She goes to school only one day a week, mainly to play with other children. Classrooms vanished in 2030 because there was no longer any need for them: Interactive communications systems have made it much easier to learn at home. Louise, now thirteen, is currently studying Chinese, which has become as important as English as a world language. Louise has many Chinese friends with whom she communicates by computer.According to medical experts, Louise will live to at least 130. She intends to work for a few decades and then devote her time to music and painting. Louise has given little thought to marriage, which she regards as an old-fashioned concept, and she is not sure whether she will ever want to have a child. She likes the idea of a serious relationship, and thinks there will probably be several during her lifetime, but why should she tie herself down to one person?Task 8【原文】In many countries the status of women has improved considerably over the last 50 years. Although there are still relatively few women in senior business positions, many women pursue their careers in much the same way that men do. In the UK, men's behavior towards women has had to change. For example, men must be careful when they talk about a woman's appearance; some women may find a complimentary remark sexist. Many women prefer not to be referred to as "ladies"; they prefer the more neutral "women". Many women are naturally sensitive about typically male jokes. There are areas of social interaction where men now feel uncertain how to behave. Twenty years ago would always open doors for women; nowadays some women might find this action patronizing.。