研究生英语听力LESSON 4(B).doc

LESSON FOURFinance PART A1. W: I see a new bookstore has just opened on Main Street. M: It may be a new store, but the books are far from new. Q: Which one of the following is true according to the man?2. W: Alice has been spending a lot of time at the library lately. M: Well. Shes got a paper due and two final exams next week. Q: What has Alice probably been doing?3. W: Its going to cost a fortune to get my car fixed. M: Why dont you just trade it in for a new one? Q: What does the man suggest the woman do? 4. M: Winter is over at last. Time to pack up my gloves and boots. W: Ive been waiting for this for months. Q: How do you interpret what the woman said?5. W: How did the game go the other night? Did your team win? M: Are you kidding? That would be a first. Q: What does the man say about his team?6. M: The tickets for that rock concert will go on sale next Saturday at five oclock. W: I heard that anyone who wants one had better get there sooner than that. Q: What is the implication of the woman?7. W: Your train will be ready for boarding in 15 minutes, Sir. Breakfast will be offered in the dinning car. M: Good. Ill have just enough time to send a fax before leaving. Q: What does the man plan to do next?8. W: Shall I cut your hair for you? M: No way. Last time you almost made me bald. Q: What can be known from the conversation? 9. M: So my advisor wants me to take the creative writing class that meets on Wednesday instead of the Monday class, because the instructor for the Wednesday class is supposed to be great. But that means I have to spend a whole day on campus, every Wednesday. W: Well, butespecially in creative writing, the instructor can make a big difference in how much you get out of the class. Q: What does the woman imply the man should do?10. M: Would you like to try the new sea food restaurant tonight? I hear its very good. W: I have to give a presentation tomorrow, and I need to do a trial run. Q: What will the woman probably do tonight?11. W: Ah-oh. Somebody left his wallet here. M: See if there is some kind of identification in it. Q: What does the man suggest the woman do?12. W: Dr. Smith asked us to watch that special on the Civil War on TV this weekend. Do you want to come over Saturday night? M: Oh, Im supposed to help my cousin move then. Its being rebroadcast on Sunday afternoon, though. Is that OK for you? Q: Why does the man suggest they should watch the TV programme on Sunday?13. M: I dont know how I managed to break that platter. Ill be more than happy to buy you a new one. W: Forget about it. Some things just cant be helped. Q: What can be inferred about the woman , concerning the platter? 14. W: I wonder if theres a bus that goes by the museum. M: The history museum on Main Street? Take one of these with 8-A on the front. Q: What does the man mean?15. M: Its pouring. We are never gonna make our flight if we dont leave soon. W: Oh, dont worry so much. Im sure well get there in plenty of time. Q: What information can you get from the woman?Part BPassage IThe GoldRush One day in 1848, a remarkable discovery was made by a carpenter named Marshall. He happened to pick up some bright yellow particles from the water near his sawmill. Not knowing what they were, he took them to his master Mr. Sutter. Sutter immediately realized the importance of the discovery and sent a man to San Francisco to inform the governor of it so that he could get permission to found a settlement on both banks of the river. Unfortunately in the beginning, the man did not believe it. Only after a reporter from a weekly newspaper went to Sutters sawmill to make a report, did the news spread all over the USA, and even to Europe. Within a month, thousands and thousands of people hurried towards California to search for the valuable metal. Soldiers deserted the army, sailors left their ships and all sorts of people gave up their jobs so as not to miss the chance of becoming rich. Large number of Europeans joined in the search, too. Crowds of people, ships and wagon trains rushed to the same destination. This was the California Gold Rush. While this went on, families were broken up, husbands were taken away from their wives and children from their parents. On their way to California, lots of worshippers of gold lost their lives before they got a single particle of it. Some of them were killed in storms at sea; some could not stand the extraordinary hardships, and died of hunger, cold or illness. The Gold Rush proved a disaster for Sutter himself. For years he tried to drive the prospectors off his land to keep the entire wealth for himself. The prospectors hated him very much, and did a great deal of damage to his business. All Sutters houses were burned down and all his family, except for himself, were killed. At the end of his life, he became a beggar, who continually stopped passers-by in the street to tell them that gold is the devil.1. What lesson can we draw from this story?2. When did the news of the gold discovery spread all over the USA?3. Why were many families broken up and husbands taken away from their wives?4. What happened to Mr. Sutter in the end according to the story?5. What does the story tell us?II.1. In 1848.2. He picked them up from the water near his sawmill3.He sent a man to San Francisco to inform the governor about it so that he would be allowed to search for them.4.Thousands and thousands of people hurried towards California to search for the valuable metal.5. They did much damage to his business, burned down his houses and killed his family.Passage II.Functions of MoneyThere is an ancient rhyme about money which goes like this: How many uses does money have? Four. A means, a measure, a standard, a store. This rhyme forms an excellent basis for a discussion of the main features and functions of money. Money is a means, it is a means of exchange. It enables us to exchange goods and services. Things valued in terms of money become commodities; they can be bought and sold. Money, whenever it is available, provides the opportunity to obtain useful things or replace old things with new ones. The second thing our rhyme tells us is that money is a measure. It serves as a measure of value. It enables us to measure the value of all kinds of goods and services. The items sold by a large store may be very different from each other, but all without exception can be measured by the same measuring rod, namely money. Two things which are not similar in any way may have the same price. Thirdly, money is a standard of value. This means that money itself possesses a value which can remain approximately constant. To serve as a standard, a thing or a substance must remain fixed and unchangeable in comparison with other things. The amount of money in a country should vary, but it should vary in a regular way. It should correspond to the quantity and value of goods and services available for exchange and circulation in that country; if this quantity and value increases, the amount of money in circulation should be proportionately increased. Finally, money is a store. We store money just as we store other things. Money does not go bad, though in times of financial crisis it may lose some of its value. It enables us to provide for future needs and situations. When we save money weekly or monthly and deposit it in a bank, our savings serve as a store of value in general; they give us the opportunity to make our choices later instead of making them immediately. When we store money we store the power to choose or to decide, so that we can use this power on future occasions.1. How many functions does money have?2. Why do we say that money is a means?3. What is the main feature of commodities?4. Which of the following is true according to the passage?5. What happens to money in times of financial crisis? II.1. rhyme, features, functions2.measure, measure of value.3. similar, same price4. store, store other things5. choose, decide, future occasions.Passage IIICredit Cards Americans spend a lot of money in their daily lives. Working people spend money on transportation to and from work and on various expenses throughout the day. Americans enjoy shopping and buy many things that they need and want. They spend a lot of money on entertainment. They buy sports equipment, go to sporting events and do many things that cost money. However, many Americans dont pay with cash or write checks for these things. More and more, they pay for things with credit cards. Credit cards are small, rectangular plastic cards. Banks give these cards to their customers. When the customer buys something at a store, he show