听力原文

Text 1

Already around 5:30. My flight is 7 o’clock.

You’d better leave earlier. Rush hour starts at 5 o’clock.

Text 2

Another cup of coffee? That’s your third since lunch.

Yeah, well, I stayed up all night preparing for my history exam. I can hardly keep my eyes open.

Text 3

I’ve been receiving the magazine, “School Life”, for the past two years.

Is that published monthly?

It was, until last year. Now it comes out weekly.

Text 4

I love sailing on the lake. The wind in my hair and the water on my face feels cool.

I guess I would feel the same way if I could swim.

Text 5

Hi, Susan. Where were you at lunch time? I was saving a seat for you in the dining hall.

Oh, sorry to have missed you. But my thirst for knowledge was greater than my pains of hunger.

I never had that problem. So where were you?

My science class ran overtime.

Text 6

Paul, is that you?

Yes, Mary. What can I do for you?

Sorry to call you. But I just delivered my new computer. I am afraid I can’t lift it by myself. Could you give me a hand to get it upstairs?

Sure. Could you just give me a minute to finish off what I am doing?

Yes, of course. But please hurry. The box is getting in the way.

Don’t worry. I’ll be right down.

Text 7

I can’t find my purse.

Oh, no. Maybe you left it at the bank. You took it out when you cashed the cheque.

But I remember having it after that.

Well, you paid for the coffee when we were in that coffee shop. Remember?

That’s right. I remember feeling it to my pocket as we walked out.

And then, we dropped in … bookshop…

Yes. But I remember taking a piece of paper out of my purse to write down the name of the book on it. I think I must have left the purse on the shelf. I’ll call the bookshop and see if they found it.

Text 8

Are you quite independent of your parents now?

Yes. As soon as I left school, I… my studies as a nurse. I stopped asking my parents for money since I got financial support from the government. But I still stay with them a lot.

You’re staying … very close to your parents?

I am. They never forced me to do anything I didn’t want to do. What about you?

Well, I am also fond of my family. But I don’t always get on very well with them. They try to control me too much.

But they allowed you to come to study in England on your own.

Yes, but, only after a lot of persuasion. Your parents treat you as an adult. Mine treat me as a child.

Text 9

What do you think of the products at the furniture store downtown?

I think they have a very good range of products. I like the quality of them. You get good quality for the price that you pay. And most of the products are environmentally sound.

What can you usually buy there?

Well, I usually buy functional furniture, such as bookcases, cupboards and armchairs. And sometimes I buy table cloths and bed sheets.

Is there anything you don’t like about shopping there?

Oh, there is. It can be very crowded because it’s a popular store, and you get a lot of people. It often results in very long lines at the checkouts. You can wait for quite a long time to pay for your goods.

So… are you planning another trip to the store?

Yes, I expect so. I’ll probably go again in January for the sales.

Text 10

I am sure almost every one of you looked at your watch or clock before you came to class today. Watches and clocks are very important in our life. But watches and clocks were seldom seen in the United States before the 1850s.

In the late 1700s, people did not know the exact time unless they were wearing a clock. Those delightful clocks in the square of the European towns were built for the public. After all, most people didn’t have enough money to buy their own watches or clocks. Well into the 1800s in Europe and the United States, the main purpose of a watch was to show others how wealthy you were. By then, with the rapid industrial development in the United States, measuring time had become very important. Since industrialization made it possible to produce large numbers of watches and clocks in factories, they became very cheap. “Being on time” had come into the language and our life.