Uint7

II. Basic Listening Practice

12. Script

M: We offer all kinds of tours and excursions. DO you have anythingparticular in mind?

W: Not really, we’d just like to see the local sights and have an English speaking guide. It would be good if they were someone local too. My husband is interested in the local stories and folklore.

Q: What does the woman mention as one of her preferences?

2. Script

M:Are you joining a tour group when you go to Indonesia?

W:No, I’m going to backpack my way round. I like being independentand seeing things at my own pace. Besides, there’s more chance of meeting local people that way. I’ve just got to be careful.

Q: what dose the woman want?

3. Script

W: Hey, could you bring your videocamera to the kids’concert tomorrow? I’d love to capture it on film.

M: No problem. I’ll burn it to a DVD for you afterwards, then you canwatch it at home.

Q: How will the woman watch the concert later in the week?

4. Script

W:I can’t find that track I really like anywhere. It’s not on CDs in any of the shops, and I really want it on a CD.

M:Well, let’s look online. Maybe we can download it, then burn it to a CD.

Q: What does the man suggest doing to get the track?

5. Script

W:Here’s a riddle: You love deep-sea finishingin Florida, and you’re crazy about skiing in Canada, but you can’t afford even one vacation home. What do you do?

M: I buy a share in two holiday homes, so I own a week or more at each place. Timesharing is the way many people afford seemingly expensive holidays.

Q: What advice does the man give for people unable to afford expensive holiday homes?

Keys: 1.A 2.A 3. D 4.B 5.C

III. Listening In

Task 1: Im doing a lot of things on the computer!

Script

Barbara: Jack, you’re sitting in front of your computer again! The sea and the sand are only steps only away. Why are you wasting these beautiful holidays? The summer will be over before you know it.

Jack:     I’m not wasting the holidays as you say. The computer is a good thing. On the Internet you can go to any part of the world; I can see everything in the world. It’s more real than reality.

Barbara: But…but you can’t spend your entire summer watching thatscreen. You’ll get a big bottom.

Jack:     I’m not just watching the screen. I’m doing a lot of things—I’m sending e-mails, I’m learning things, I’m chatting in chat rooms…

Barbara:  Right! But I’ll bet you’re spending most of your time playing computer games—a time-wasting, mindless activitythat I’ll turn your brain into Chinese doufoo.

Jack:    No, it isn’t a single mindless pastime. It’smany activities: role-playing games, arcade games, adventure games, strategy games…

Barbara:  I understand the computer is a wonderful thing, but you have to be careful not to get too much of a good thing. Every life needs some variety in it. It would be a lot healthierifyou playeda chess game outdoors, in the park.

Jack:    It wouldn’t be the same. In thosegames in thepark I can’t play against the grandmaster of Moscow, can I? And there are creative games in the computer, where I can learn city planning and psychology.

Barbara:  Well, what about me? Don’t you think I’d like a little attention?

Jack:     Now, Baby, that’s no way to talk. After all this time together, you know I love you.

Barbara:  I’m not so sure any more. It’s time you made a choice. Is it going to be more me or the computer?

Jack:     Well…

1. Where does this dialog probably take place?

2. What dose the man like to do according to thedialog?

3. What does the woman mean when she saysthe man’s brain will turn into Chinese doufoo?

4. What does the man think about a chess game outdoors?

5. What does the woman mean when she says, “Don’t you think I’d like a little attention?”

Keys: 1.A 2.B 3. C 4.D 5.C

For Reference

1. He says that in those games in the park he can’t play against the grandmaster of Moscow. And there are creative games in thecomputer, where he can learncity planningand psychology,

2. She asks him to make a choice between her and the computer.

Task 2: A Magician and a Parrot

Script

A magician was working on a deluxe cruise ship in the Caribbean. The (S1)audiencewas different each week, so the magician did the same (S2)tricksover and over again. He felt he could cast a spell over the audience (S3)wheneverhe wanted to.

There was only one problem: The captain’s (S4) parrotwatched every show and began to understand what the (S5)magiciandid in each trick. Once he understood that, he started shouting in the middle of the show.

“Look, it’s not the same (S6) hat!”“Look, he’s hiding the flowers under the table!”“Hey, why are all the (S7)cardsthe Ace of Spades?”

(S8) The magician was furious. Each time the parrot revealed one of his secrets, the audience roared with laughter.The performance he intended to be dark and mysterious turned into acomedy. He was in a rage. (S9)He dreamed of various ways he could do away with the troublesomebird. But he didnt dare to touch it. It was the captain’sparrot after all.

One foggy night theship collided with an enormous iceberg and sank. The magician found himself on a piece of wood, in the middle of the ocean, and the parrot was by his side.(S10) They stared at each other with hate, but did not utter a word. This went on for several days.

After a week the parrot finally said, “Okay, I give up. But I hope you’ll tell me what trick you are going to do with the boat.”

Task3: The Modern Circus

Script

The first modern circus was staged in London in 1768 by Philip Astley, a former English cavalry officer, who performed as a trick ride. Beginning with a visit to Paris in 1772, Astley introduced the circus in cities throughoutcontinental Europe and was responsiblefor establishing permanentcircuses in a number of European countriesas well as in England. A circus was first presented in 1793 at theWinter Palace in Saint Petersburg.

By the early 19th century, several permanently-based circuseswere located in larger European cities. In addition, small traveling shows moved from town to town in covered wagons in which the performers lived. The traveling shows were usually simple affairs, featuring a fiddler or two, a juggler, a ropedancer, and a few acrobats.  In the early circuses such performers gave their shows in open spaces and took up a collection for pay; later, the performers used elaborate shows. In the earlier part of the 19th century a main feature of the permanent circus program was the presentation of grams that included displays of horsemanship. Throughout the19th century thecircus evolved in programming and management. Initially, trained horse and horsemanship performances dominated circuses, but ropedancing, juggling, acrobatic acts, wild-animal acts, and clowning were all introduced withinthe first few decades. The flying trapeze, an important part of the modern circus, was not invented until 1858, and the street parade and sideshow didnot become standard circus events until later in the 19th century. Tents are believed to have come into usein the 1820s, but it is uncertain whether they appeared first in Europe or in the United States.

Nowadays, the entertainment activities offered at a circus are more elaborate, generally consistingof displays of horsemanship, exhibitionsby gymnasts, aerialists, wild-animal trainer, performing animals, and comic performanceby clowns.

27. What was PhillipAstley especially good at?

28. According to the passage, what was trueof the earlytraveling shows?

29. What acts were featured in permanent circus programs in the early 19th century?

30. When were wild-animal acts introduced?

31. What is the main idea of the passage?

Keys: 1C 2.A3. B 4.B 5.D

For Reference

They are more elaborate, generally consistingof displays of horsemanship, exhibitionsby gymnasts, aerialists, wild-animal trainer, performing animals, and comic performanceby clowns

IV. Speaking Out

MODEL 1   Would you like to do anything?

Amy:Would you liketo go to see a movietonight, say, The Lord of the Rings?

Bill:  Thanks for asking, but there’s too much violencein those blockbusters.

Amy:Then, let’s go roller-skating.

Bill:  I dont really like tonow that I’m not so young any more. You know, my knees ache terribly.

Amy:I’m sorry to hear that. Hey, lets go to see a country singer tonight?

Bill:  No.Im not really in the mood.

Amy: Well, would youlike to do anything?

Bill:  Sure, let’s stay home and watch TV.

Amy:Is there anything worth watching tonight?

Bill:  Let me look at the TV Guide first.Well, Survivor’son Channel 3 at 7:30.

Amy:If I remember correctly, there’s a documentary about animals on another channel.

Bill:  Yes, on Channel 10. Do you want to watch it?

Amy: Do you mind if we watch it?

Bill:  Well. I really wanted to watch the Rocket gametonight.

MODEL2   I cant make up my mind!

Script

John:Hey!

Nora: Hey!

John:I see you’re reading travel brochures. Planning a holiday trip somewhere?

Nora:Once the warms up.I get itchy feet.I think about going places.

John:Will this be a trip abroad or some excursionclose to home?

Nora:Two tours are offered in May: one to big American cities; one toEurope.

John:Are these whirlwind tours that allow you a few hours in each place?

Nora: Oh, no, no, they’re both three-week three-city tours, with a week in each city.

John: Thats more like it. You can look around and not feel rushed. What cities?

Nora: I can’t make up my mind: London, Paris and Rome or New York, San…?

John:Stop there. Europe’s moreinteresting. America’s OK, but it’s all the same.

Nora: You didnt let me finish. San Franciscoand Chicago, a modern metropolis.

John: Big U.S. cities are so much alike. European cities differ from one anther.

Nora: Yeah, like, they’re in different countries.

John: There are other differences in languages, architecture, food, and customs.

Nora: All right. You convinced me. They say varietys the spiceof life.Variety, here Icome.

MODEL3   You’d better get more exercise in your leisure time.

Script

Amy:Look at you! You’re fat and flabby. You’d betterget moreexercise in your leisuretime, or you’ll never be Governor of California.

Bill: That’s right. I’m no Schwarzenegger, no Mr. Universe, so dont bug me.

Amy:He shows what exercise can do. He used to be a skinny kid from Austria.

Bill:  He likes exercise; I don’t. I was born tired, and Ive been resting ever since.

Amy:Seeing a fine specimenlike him, dont you feel like exercisingvigorously to stay in good shape?

Bill:  Whenever I feel like exercising, I lie down and rest until the feelingpasses.

Amy: Ha, ha, very funny. Surely youve read about the dangers of obesity.

Bill:  Scientists constantly find dangers: smoking,cholesterol. What else is new?

Amy:You must know an exercise like walking benefits the mind and body.

Bill:  I do, and I walk every day—from my office to the parking lot, not-stop.

Amy:OK, have it your way.Eventually you’ll be a burden on our health system.

Bill:  And just what do you mean by that? I’m not sick. My appetite is good.

Amy: If you stay fat, heart trouble or high blood pressure could hospitalized you.

Bill:  Well, you may have a point there.I suppose we could go for a walk after dinner, slowly.

Now Your Turn

Task 1

SAMPLE DIALOG

Qiang: I see you’re reading travel brochures. Planning a holiday trip somewhere?

Li:    Once the warms up. I get itchy feet. I think about going places.

Qiang:Will this be a trip abroad or some excursionclose to home?

Li:     I prefergoing abroad. We’ve never visited a foreign country before.

Qiang:  What countries are advertised in the brochure?

Li:     Two overseas tours are offered during summer vacation. One is to a nearby country like Korea or Japan, and the other is to European countries.

Qiang:  Which tour do you prefer?

Li:     I’d like to go and see Korea. It’sclose to China so thatthe tour is less expensive.

Qiang:  I prefer to spend our savings on the European tour. We can see very different people and architecture, enjoy different food, and appreciate differentcustoms.

Li:     All right. You convince me. They say variety’s the spice of life. But shall we take a long tour or a whirlwind tour that allow us only a few hours in each place?

Qiang:  In a long tour we can look around and not feel rushed, but it’s too expensive. So let’s take a whirlwind tour. That’s what we can afford.

Li:     I agree. A whirlwind tour allows us to visit many important places we’ve heard and read so much about. That’s good enough for us.

Qiang: Right on.

V. Lets Talk

Script

The notion of a weekly rest is ancient. Christian religions celebrate a day of rest known as the Sabbath, also called the Lord’s Day. It is on Sunday. The weekend as a holiday is a rather modern invention. Beforethe industrialrevolution the wage labor force was a small fractionof the population. The day of the Sabbath was viewed as one dedicated to God, not one of relaxation.

The early industrial period in Europe saw a six-day work week with only Sunday off, but some workers had no days off at all. Only the workers’rights movements in thelate nineteenth and early twentieth century saw a five-day work week introduced as Saturdaybecame a day of rest and relaxation. This movement began in England.

In many ways this has been a great boon to the economy as it leads to a great increase in consumer spending on Saturdays as restaurant visits, motorcar journeys, or trips to the movies became common on Saturday. Many jurisdictionscontinuedto enforcestrict Lord’sDay laws on Sunday, which meant that most places of recreation, such as stores and theaters, were forced to close on that day. These regulations began to weaken in the years after the Second World War, and Sunday also became a day of recreation for many.

After centuries of development, the weekend is now a part of the week usually lastingtwo days in which most paid workers do not work. This is a time for leisure and recreation, and for religious activities.

Christian religions celebrate a day ofrest known as the Sabbath, also called the Lord’s Day. It is on Sunday.

Beforethe industrialrevolutionthe day of the Sabbath was viewed as one dedicated to God, not one of relaxation.

The early industrial period in Europe sawa six-day work week with only Sunday off.

Only the workers’rights movements in thelate nineteenth and early twentieth centurysaw a five-day work week introduced as Saturdaybecamea day of rest and relaxation

In many ways this has been a great boon to the economy as it leads toa great increase in consumer spending on Saturdays.

After the Second World War, and Sunday also becamea day of recreation for many.

Theweekend is now a part of the week usually lastingtwo days in whichmost paid workers do not work. This is a time for leisure and recreation, and for religious activities.

VI.  FurtherListening and Speaking

Task1: The History of Chinese Acrobatics

Script

Welcome to the magnificentworld of the Beijing Acrobats! Here the impossible is made of possible, and “daring”only begins to describe their amazing performance. The BeijingAcrobatsare comprisedof the finest acrobatic troupes in China today and have received acclaim from countries around the world. An outgrowth of Great China Circus, popular during the 1920’s, this group became an integrated professional acrobaticcompany in 1958.

Many of the magnificent and sophisticated feats we see today were performed even in ancient times. The history of Chinese acrobatics is rich in tradition and dates back over 2,000 years. It beganwith folk arts; tumbling, juggling ordinary householdobjects and balancing.

Myth and religionalsoinfluenced the acrobaticperforming arts. The Lion Dance is Buddhist in origin. It was a symbol for the spirit of renewal and for avoiding bad luck. Throughout the history of China the acrobaticarts flourished, but in varying degrees. Originally, court entertainments were formal and monotonous, quite the oppositeof the lively folkarts of the people. Eventually, however, the excitementof the acrobats’amazing feats caughtand held the attentionof the ruling class. Acrobatic performers were routinely invited to the court to entertain and impressthe Emperors. Thesevaried acts of tumbling, singing, dancing and juggling becameknown as “The HundredEntertainments”in the Han Dynasty, more than 2, 000years ago. Theacrobatic arts have always maintained their popularity with the people. Todaythe acrobatics of families carry on this highly-acclaimed tradition. Childrenbegin trainingat a young age to do handstands on a chair, balancejar, spin plates and throwknives; they stick to a strict trainingschedulewhichtheyfollow the rest of their lives.

Now let’s sit back, relax and enjoy the shows as our performers reveal to you theirmastery of an ancient art from, thousandsof years in the making!

27. Where does this speech probably occur?

28. When was the Great China Circus popular?

29. How long is the history of Chinese acrobatics?

30. According to the passage, what does thelion in a Lion Dance symbolize?

5.  How long do acrobats receives training?

Keys: 1D 2.A 3.C 4.B 5.D

Task 2: Exercise to Relax

Script

Wendy: What a day…a walk on the beach, bodysurfing, an hour of pumping iron, followed by a nice long jog. Maybe we can finish off with a little badminton this evening.

Howard: Groan.

Wendy: So far this week, we’ve played beach volleyball, gone hiking, gone swimming, and ridden mountain bikes. Don’tyou feel better in mind and body than when we arrived here?

Howard: To tell the truth, I ache all over. Mymuscles are complaining that they’re being mistreated.

Wendy: Oh, now, admit it: This is the way to get the most out of life. This is how Nature intended us to live. I’ll bet you’d be exercising even if I weren’t here.

Howard: Not a chance. Whenever I feel the urge to exercise, I lie and wait for the feeling to pass. I prefersitting around fishing or resting on a comfortablechair and watching the grass grow or stretching out on the beach while the sun slowly sets.

Wendy:You’re a lazy lump. Beforelong you’ll be fat and weak and short of breath. If you think we had a big workout this week, just wait till next week. We’re going rafting, and after that, I want to go camping and mountain climbing.

Howard: Know what you are? You’re fitness freak. You’rehooked on exercise.

Wendy:  Well, that may be true. But I’ll make a deal with you. If you promise to go camping with me next week, we’ll go to a moviethis weekend.

Howard: Wonderful. Just what I was waiting to hear. It soundslikea great chanceto relax. Maybe someday I can even help you break free from that horrible fitness habit.

Wendy: That’ll be the day!

Keys: FTTFF

Task3:  How Americans Use Their Time

Script

If you want to know what Americans do when they are not working, well, the average adult spends almost two hours a day on household activities like cooking, cleaning and paying bills. How do we know? The Department of Labor has just released a study of how Americansuse their time.

The study confirmed something that many people already knew. Women spend more time on child care and housework than men do, even when the women are employed. Men, however, spend more time at work. Men also spend more time on leisureactivities and sports. They average five hours and twenty minutes a day, half an hour more than women.

Leisure activities include things like watchingtelevision, visiting friends or exercising. Both men and women reported that they spent about half their leisure time watching television. Visiting friends and attending social events was thenext most common leisure activity for both sexes.

Older Americans spent more of their leisuretime watching TV and reading than younger people did. Younger people reportedspending more time with friends, using thecomputer and playing sports. In all, 19 percent of men and 16 percent of women play sports on any given day..

For Reference

1. Theyspendalmost two hours a day on household activities like cooking, cleaning and paying bills.

2. Men spend more time at work. Men also spend more time on leisureactivities and sports. They average five hours and twenty minutes a day, half an hour more than women

3. Both men and women reported that they spent about half their leisure time watching television. Visiting friends and attending social events was thenext most common leisure activity for both sexes.

4. They spend time with friends, using thecomputer and playing sports

5.  In all, 19 percent of men and 16 percent of women play sports on any given day..

News Report

Latest Space Walk from Space Station

Script

American astronaut Carl Walz and Russian cosmonaut Yuri Onufrienko took their first space walk outside of an international space station on Monday. Their mission was to move a construction crane andinstalla radio antennaoutside the space station.

Walz, Onufrienko, and American astronaut Daniel Bursch first moved into the space station last month. This was their first attemptsince then to exit the station.

As Bursch monitored from outside, Walz and Onufrienko exited the station 400 km abovethePacific Ocean. Their main task was to move a Russian-built crane from its temporary home on the U.S. side of the space station to a permanent home on the Russian side. Their plan was to use another similar Russian-built crane to help them carry out the job. The goal was for both cranes to eventually be located on the Russian side of the space station, which was launched in September.

The job was not an easy one, considering that the crane they were in charge of moving is nearly 15 meters long when fully extended andable to move more than three tons ofequipment when in use. The two men worked together to maneuver the two large cranes into thecorrect positions. The complicated job took several hours to complete, but their hard work resulted in the successfulrelocationof the crane to theRussian side of thespace station.

The men were also given the task of installing the first of four radio antennas on theliving quarters of the space station.

During the space walk, the two men complainedof a continual high-pitched beeping soundthat distracted them as they floated in space.

Russian engineers attempted to findthe cause of the noise the men were hearing inside their spacesuits, but could not providean immediatesolution.

The three-man crew is the fourth crew to live on the space station and will remain on boardthere until May.