新通用大学英语听力文本

第一章 第一课Part 4 PassagesPassage 1 How Casual Is Too Casual?Listen to the passages and check each statement True or False.1. F 2. T 3. T 4. F 5. TScriptHow Casual Is Too Casual?Thirty years ago, most people in the United States, Canada, and Europe didnt think about what to wear to work in an office. Men always wore suits and ties. Women wore suits or conservative skirt outfits. But in the 1990s, that started to change.It began with “casual Fridays”. During the summer, some companies invited their employees to “dress down” or wear more casual clothes to work on Fridays. The policy quickly became popular with employees. After this, it didnt take long for employees to start dressing more casually every day of the week.Many employees welcomed the new dress policy and the more comfortable work environment that came with it. Etiquette had definitely changed, and suits and ties were rarely seen in many offices. Some employees went as far as wearing jeans, T-shirt, and sneakers to the office.Then some people began to change their minds about casual dress at work. Many managers felt that casual dress had led to casual attitudes towards work. Now the etiquette for dress in many companies is beginning to change back again. Passage 2 The Origin of SaluteListen to the passage twice and fill in the blanks with the missing information.1. uncertain 2. in late Roman times 3. his right hand raised 4. weapon 5. a way of showing respect 6. touching the hatScriptThe origin of the hand salute is uncertain. Some historians believe it began in late Roman times when assassinations were common. A citizen who wanted to see a public official had to approach with his right hand raised to show that he did not hold a weapon. Knights in armor raised visors with the right hand when meeting a comrade. The practice gradually became a way of showing respect and, in early American history, sometimes involved removing the hat. By 1820, the motion was modified to touching the hat, and since then it has become the hand salute used today.Passage 3 Cultural MisinterpretationsListen to the passage. Then answer the following questions.1. Because he was most concerned about the index number.2. The Canadian takes the great concern as distrust.3. Because he assumed unconsciously that the Canadian was more similar to his Chinese employees.Script Mr. Wang, the Chairman of Board of Directors of a Chinese firm, told a story on CCTV program Dialogue of how he once almost lost a valuable Canadian employee working for him in Vancouver. He emailed every day to the Canadian, inquiring for the index number he was most concerned about. To his great astonishment, his Canadian employee turned in his resignation after a week. Mr. Wang was puzzled how he could do that to him as he gave such great attention to his job. A Chinese employee would have been more than happy if his or her boss had showed such great concern for him or her. He then found out that, unlike Chinese employees, the Canadian took what meant great concern to Chinese as distrust. But Mr. Wang assumed unconsciously that the Canadian was more similar to his Chinese employees than he actually was and treated him just as he treated any Chinese employee.第二课Part 3 Nonverbal CommunicationsPassage 1 Right on TimeListen to the passage. Check True, False or No Information with tick（）.Key: 1. False 2.False 3. True 4. True 5. No information 6.FalseScriptEveryone knows that different cultures have different ideas about punctuality. But one country Ecuador is trying something new.A group called Citizens Participation has found that being late costs the country about $724 million each year. They report that more than half of all public events, as well as many government appointments and social activities, begin late. The group is trying to make people aware of punctuality and reminding them to be on time. The government, including the Ecuadorian president, is supporting the effort. Hundreds of Ecuadorian organizations and companies have signed agreements to be on time. Posters have been put up that remind people: “If youre late, someone else is waiting.” One newspaper prints a list of government officials who arrive to events late.The campaign has generally been well-received by the Ecuadorian people and it seems to be working. Many businesses have reported that more meetings are now beginning on time.Passage 2 Seating ArrangementListen to the passage. Fill in the blanks with the missing information. You may use what you hear or summarize it based on your understanding.1. seated or stand beside them2. at the ends of the table3. as if they are on trialScriptCulture influences the manner and meaning in seating arrangements. In the United States, they tend to talk with those opposite them rather than those seated or stand beside them. This pattern also influences how they select leaders when in groups: in most instances, the person sitting at the head of the table is chosen as the leader. Leaders usually are accustomed to being somewhat removed physically from the rest of the group and consequently choose chairs at the ends of the table.In China, seating arrangements take on different meanings. The Chinese often experience uneasiness when they face someone directly or sit on opposite side of a desk or table from someone. It makes them feel as if they are on trial.Passage 3 Eye Contact Is Also a LanguageListen to the passage, and answer the following questions.1. If a person tries to avoid eye contact in a conversation, the other person may think that person is dishonest.2. In some Asian cultures such as Japan, students will often avoid making eye contact with their instructors as a sign of respect.3. No4. Japan, China and IndonesiaScriptThe study of communications sent by the eyes is also a way of communication. What the eyes communicate often depends on the culture. In the United States, it is usual for people to maintain eye contact. If a person tries to avoid eye contact in a conversation, the other person may think that person is dishonest. In some Asian cultures such as Japan, students will often avoid making eye contact with their instructors as a sign of respect.Students in a business communication class at a Mid-South university were asked to test the concept of gaze and eye contact in the United States by maintaining steady eye contact with a person in the car next to them when they stopped at a traffic light. Responses varied from obscene gestures to making faces to returning the gaze. Students concluded that US persons are very uncomfortable with prolonged eye contact.In other cultures, there is little direct eye contact. The Japanese direct their gaze below the chin; they are uncomfortable with maintaining direct eye contact throughout the conversation. People in China and Indonesia also lower the eyes as a sign of respect, feeling that prolonged eye contact shows bad manners. 第二章 第一课Part IV Disease and Treatment Passage 1 Parkinsons DiseaseListen and circle the right answer to each question.1. D 2. B ScriptParkinsons disease is a progressively disabling disease marked by trembling and increasing stiffness of the muscles. The onset of this disease is gradual, which makes it difficult to diagnose in its early stage. Trembling usually begins in one or both hands; eventually the thumb and forefinger may show a rapid repetitive movement. In addition to muscular rigidity, other symptoms include slow body movement, poor coordination, and unbalance. A shortening of muscles along the front of the neck tends to bend the head and spine forward, while the lack of animation in the face creates a mask like expression. As these symptoms worsen, chronic fatigue, mental confusion, and speech impairment may develop and the person with Parkinsons may find it impossible to walk unassistedly.Passage 2 Laughter Is the Best MedicineFill in the blanks with the information you hear.1. heart attacks 2. disease 3. average 4. oxygen 5. estimated6. Laughter can even help improve your memory.7. Just read something humorous or watch a funny video.ScriptTheres a saying in English: “Laughter is the best medicine.” Now studies suggest that this saying might really be true.Everyone knows that stress is bad for your health. It can give you headaches. It can cause heart attacks and other serious medical problems. When we laugh, our stress is reduced. Then the body is able to fight disease better.People who laugh a lot have lower blood pressure than the average person. When a person laughs, his or her blood pressure goes down. When this happens, breathing becomes deeper, sending more oxygen and nutrients throughout the body. Also, laughter pushes out more air from the lungs than it takes in, which helps to clean out the lungs.Laughter is good exercise, too! Some doctors have estimated that a person can burn as many calories by laughing as by riding an exercise bike for several minutes. Laughter can even help improve your memory. When you laugh, your muscles relax and psychological stress is reduced. This keeps the brain alert and allows you to remember more information. Some doctors are beginning to prescribe laughter along with certain medications and a healthy diet. Its easy to include laughter in your daily schedule. Just read something humorous or watch a funny video. And who knows it might save your life! Passage 3 Race and DiseaseListen to the passage. Then check the following statements True or False. 1. False 2. False 3. False 4. True ScriptResearchers have found more evidence that suggests a relationship between race and rates of lung cancer among smokers. A new study shows that black people and native Hawaiians are more likely to develop lung cancer from smoking. It compared their risk to whites, Japanese-Americans and Latinos.The study, however, found almost no racial or ethnic differences among the heaviest smokers. These were people who smoked more than thirty cigarettes each day. Other comparisons have shown that black people are more likely than whites to get lung cancer from smoking. But the scientists say few studies have compared the risks among native Hawaiians, Asians and Latinos.Researchers at the University of Southern California and the University of Hawaii did the new study. The New England Journal of Medicine published the findings.The eight-year study involved more than one hundred and eighty thousand people. They provided details about their tobacco use and their diet as well as other information. They included current and former smokers and people who never smoked. Almost two thousand people in the study developed lung cancer.Researchers say genetics might help explain the racial and ethnic differences. There could be differences in how peoples bodies react to smoke. But environmental influences, including the way people smoke, could also make a difference.Last June, the United States Food and Drug Administration approved a drug designed to treat heart failure in black patients. The name is BiDil. The agency called it a step toward the promise of personalized medicine.第二课Part 3 Get to Know Some Health MattersPassage 1 The Sleep Problems in AmericaListen to the passage about sleeplessness in America. Then circle the correct answers. 1. C 2. B 3. B 4. AScriptA new report says an estimated fifty million to seventy million Americans have sleep problems. It says many more are suffering from lack of sleep.A group of sleep research organizations asked the Institute of Medicine to study the problem. The institute is part of Americas National Academy of Sciences. The study examined why we need sleep, the effects of sleep loss and other sleep disorders. A fourteen-member committee carried out the study. The Institute of Medicine reported their findings earlier this month.Harvey Colten of Columbia University in New York City led the study. He says sleep disorders are not recognized enough by the general public and the medical community.The report says too few researchers are studying sleep disorders. It also says too few health care workers are trained to identify and treat the problem.The report says American businesses lose more than one hundred thousand million dollars a year because of tired workers. Some employees are too tired to report for work. They have accidents or are less productive at work. Other costs included increased visits to doctors.The study found that twenty percent of injuries caused by serious car accidents are linked to sleepy drivers. Alcoholic drinks were not linked to the accidents. Other studies have linked poor sleep to an increased risk of health problems like heart disease, depression and unhealthy amounts of body fat. Researchers say the reason for this link is unclear.Many experts say a good amount of sleep is as important to health as diet and exercise. They say most people need seven to nine hours of sleep each night. Less than that can interfere with mental and physical abilities. It can lead to more serious problems, including severe sleeplessness. People with this condition temporarily stop breathing while they sleep.Researchers involved in the study are suggesting a number of steps to help prevent sleep disorders. They suggest a campaign to inform the public about the problem. They want increased education and training among health care workers. And they are calling for new technology to identify and cure sleep problems.Passage 2 The Chronic DeseaseListen to a passage about chronic diseases. Answer the following questions briefly.1. cancer and lung disorders2. two-thirds3. poorer, wealthier ones4. medical treatment and lost productivity 5. alcohol and tobacco to young people ScriptChronic diseases are the leading cause of death in the world. Yet health experts say these conditions are often the most preventable. Chronic diseases include heart disease, stroke, cancer and lung disorders. The World Health Organization says chronic diseases lead to about seventeen million early deaths each year. The United Nations agency expects more than three hundred and eighty million people to die of chronic diseases by the year two thousand fifteen. It says about eighty percent of the deaths will happen in developing nations.The W.H.O. says chronic diseases now cause two-thirds of all deaths in the Asia-Pacific area. In ten years it could be almost three-fourths. People are getting sick in their most economically productive years. In fact, experts say chronic diseases are killing more middle-aged people in poorer countries than in wealthier ones.The W.H.O. estimates that chronic diseases will cost China alone more than five hundred thousand million dollars in the next ten years. That estimate represents the costs of medical treatment and lost productivity. Russia and India are also expected to face huge economic losses. It says deaths from chronic diseases have increased largely as the result of economic gains in many countries.Health officials say as many as eighty percent of deaths from chronic diseases could be prevented. They say an important tool for governments is to restrict the marketing of alcohol and tobacco to young people. Also, more programs are needed to urge healthy eating and more physical activity.U.N. officials aim through international action to reduce chronic-disease deaths by two percent each year through two thousand fifteen. They say meeting that target could save thirty-six million lives. That includes twenty-five million in Asia and the Pacific.Passage 3 Anesthesia in OperationListen to the passage about Anesthesia, and then check True or False. 1. False 2. False 3. True 4. FalseScriptAnesthesia is used during operations and other medical procedures to block pain signals from traveling through the nervous system. The kind of anesthesia that patients receive depends on their condition and the kind of procedure they need.Local anesthesia is used to make a small area of the body lose feeling. Usually, local anesthesia is for minor procedures, like fixing a tooth or closing a wound. The person remains fully awake.General anesthesia makes a person fall asleep. This is known as being put under. The drugs are injected into the blood or breathed as gas. General anesthesia also blocks memory.People are not supposed to remember an operation when they wake up. In rare cases, they do. The Mayo Clinic says patients may have a sense of their surroundings during about one-fifth of one percent of all operations. It says they generally do not feel pain, but may wish to talk to a mental health provider if the memories trouble them.An anesthesiologist is a doctor specially trained to give anesthesia. During an operation, the anesthesiologist will observe the patients heart rate, blood pressure and amount of oxygen in the blood. A breathing tube may be put into the persons windpipe to aid breathing.There are, of course, risks to anesthesia. People can have different reactions to the drugs. Mistakes can happen. But medical experts say the safety of anesthesia has greatly improved. 第三章 第一课 Part 4 PassagesPassage 1 Paoding Carves up a CowComplete the sentences. Circle the correct answers.1. Dao 2. the skeletal structure 3. neither hacked nor choppedScriptOne time, a butcher named Paoding was commissioned to butcher a cow for King Hui. As he worked, his movements were graceful and faultless. The sound of the knife between the bones was like a whisper in the night. When Paoding was finished, the cow didnt even know it was dead. The king said “Your skill is amazing”. Paoding said: “It was nothing really. When I butcher a cow, its not skill that I use, it is the Dao.