新世纪研究生英语听说(下)原文Lesson Eight.doc

Lesson EightAspects of Life1. M: Did you know that Arthur has three brothers living on three different continents? W: He must get an incredible phone bill every month. Q: What does the woman imply about Arthur?2. M: This calculator isnt working right. W: I think youve got the battery in upside down. Q: What wrong with the man calculator ,according to the woman?3. W: We should buy a good guide book and study it before our trip to Montreal. M: We should. But they are so overpriced. What about the library? Q: What are the man and the woman talking about? 4. W: I always want a little something to eat about this time of day. M: So do I. Lets have a snack now and then have a light lunch later. Q: What are the speakers discussing? 5. M: Ive just been over to my friend Toms new apartment. Its much bigger than my place. W: But more expensive I bet. Q: What can be inferred from the conversation?6. M: Prof. Parker, maybe youd better find another actor to play this role. The lines are so long, sometimes I just completely forgot them W: Look, Mike. Its still a long time before the first show and I dont expect you to know all the lines yet. Just keep practicing and Im sure youll get them. Q: What does the woman suggest the man do?7. M: Come on, Kate. The sun is shining, the flowers are blooming, maybe youre missing the point of life. W: Maybe youre missing the point of this chemistry study group. Q: What do you learn from the conversation?8. W: Could you give me a ride to the engineering building? M: I would, but Im late for an appointment on the other side of town. Q: How do you interpret the man answer? 9. W: Excuse me, Professor. Since class is cancelled on Thursday, when are we going to have the quiz? M: It will be postponed until next weeks class. Q: What does the man mean?10. W: I cant believe I still have this pain in my back, This medicine the doctor gave me was supposed to make me feel better by now. M: Maybe you should start taking it three times a day, like you were told. Q: What does the man suggest the woman do?11. M: Im not sure what Im in the mood for. Pizza and hamburger, theyre both really good here, W: Oh, the movie starts in an hour, and we still have to go there and park, so just make a decision Q: What does the woman suggest the man do?12. M: The basketball team is in the payoffs: and I dont have a ticket. I guess Ill just watch it on TV. Do you want to come over? W: Actually, I have a ticket, but Im not feeling well. You can have it for what it costs me.Q: Which one of the following is true about the woman? 13. M: Dont you ever go home? Every time I see you, youre here in the library poring over your books. W: What do you mean? I thought this was home. Q: What can be inferred about the woman?14. M: Doctor, I havent been able to get to sleep lately and Im too tired to concentrate during classes. W: Well, you know, spending too much time indoors with all that artificial lighting can make you ill. Your body loses track of whether its day or night. Q: What does the doctor imply the man should do?15. M: Im having trouble drawing the models right arm. Its supposed to look like he is pointing at me. W: To get the perspective you want, you need to use what we call foreshortening. Here, give me your pencil. Q: What will the woman probably do next? Passage ITaxThere are many different kinds of taxes paid in the US. The most common tax is sales tax When someone buys something, he pays the price of his purchase plus a small additional percentage. This percentage is the sales tax. The revenue from the sales tax goes to the state government to help pay for public schools, public safety, roads, parks and benefits for the poor. Each state sets its own tax percentage. Some states are considerably lower than others. In some states there is no sales taxA second type of tax is income tax. This tax is a percentage of all the money earned by a family each year. Americans pay income taxes to the federal government which uses the revenue for national expenses such as defense, help for the needy and other public services. Some states also have a state income tax. Income tax, like other taxes, is usually graduated. This means the tax percentage increases as a familys income increases.A third kind of tax is property tax. This tax is paid by anyone who owns land or a house. The amount of the tax is based on the propertys value. The revenue from this tax goes to the local governments for schools and community services. In addition people must pay luxury tax when they purchase certain things such as cigarettes and alcoholic beverages.A fifth kind of tax is inheritance tax. When someone dies, usually his family inherits the dead persons wealth and property. However, those who inherit must pay a percentage of this wealth to the government as an inheritance tax.As we have heard, there are five kinds of taxes that Americans pay. Most Americans dont want any more taxes.I.1. Which of the following is the most common tax?2. Income tax is usually graduated. What does the sentence mean? 3. What is the amount of property tax based on?4. What is the revenue from sales tax used for?5. Where does the revenue from income tax usually go?II.1) small additional percentage, 2) buy something, 3) all the money earned, 4) owns land or a house, 5) purchase certain things,6) inherits the wealth and propertyPassage ReligionThe freedom to choose his or her own religious faith and to worship according to individual conscience is the right of every American. The first amendment to the Constitution of the United States says:Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof . Americans in every state have the same freedom to worship. One of the biggest increases in church membership in the United States occurred between 1950 and 1970. Today about 60 of every 100 Americans are members of a church or temple. Only nine percent say they are not religious at all. The countrys 219 religious denominations are organized into more than 341,000 local congregations. Protestants outnumber other religious groups: 76. 8 million list themselves as Protestants, while 52 million are Roman Catholics, 3.9 million are members of the Jewish faith, and 4 million are in the Eastern Orthodox church. Both children, more than 45 million of them, and adults attend classes in religious study provided by various religious groups. No public educational institution can give religious instruction, because of the constitutional separation of church and state. But this does not preclude teaching the history of religion and related courses in many schools. Each week, too, radio and television programs of a religious nature are presented by the various faiths. And the Bible remains one of the most popular books in America, about nine million are sold or distributed each year. Support of the churches and synagogues comes from voluntary donations by their members. The government gives no direct subsidy to any faith.I1. What does the first amendment to the Constitution say about religion?2. According to the passage, what happened between 1950 and 1970?3. What percentage of Americans are members of churches in America? 4. By whom are classes in religious study provided?5. Where does support of the churches come from?II.1) 76.8 2) 52 3) 3.9 4) 4passage III:Health Insurance Americans are proud of the medical achievements made in this country. Medical scientists have found cures and prevention for such diseases as polio and tuberculosis. They have learned a great deal about cancer and heart disease. Many lives have been saved. American hospitals are the most modern and best equipped medical facilities in the world. But this degree of excellence has been expensive. Medical costs in the United States are very high. There is no national health plan for Americans. But there are many programs available for this purpose. Many people have health plans at the companies where they work. Under these plans, the company pays a fixed sum of money regularly into a fund. Then when the employee