最新英语听力原文

1、 精品文档1barbie, the worlds most famous doll, is having a dramatic makeover. the classic stick-thin framethat generations of girls have been so familiar with now looks a bit more like the rest of us.mattel, barbies manufacturer, announced thursday that it will begin selling barbie in three newbody shap

2、es curvy, tall and petite, and in seven skin tones, 22 eye colors and 24 hairstyles.mattel spokeswoman michelle chidoni said the product is evolving to offer more choices tomake the line more reflective of the world girls see around them.the launch of new diverse options came after years of criticis

3、m that its original impossibly bustybarbie with a narrow waist has misled girls with an unrealistic ideal. we believe we have aresponsibility to girls and parents to reflect a broader view of beauty, michelle chidoni said in acompany statement.in face of fierce competition from other dolls and elect

4、ronic toys, barbie sales fell 14 percent inthe most recently reported quarter, with worldwide sales falling every year since 2012.mattel said the company will continue to sell the original 11.5-inch barbie launched in 1959. thenew versions will begin arriving on u.s. shelves in march, 2016.q1: what

5、is the news report mainly about?q2: what is the main reason for peoples criticism of the original barbie?q3: when will the new barbie go on sale according to the news?2if you think that you have to live up a remote mountain in order to live a long and healthy life, areligious community in loma linda

6、, california, may prove you wrong. its members are a group ofchristians known as the seventh-day adventists. the adventists enjoy a much higher lifeexpectancy than average californians. adventist men can expect to live about seven years longerthan other californian men. adventist women are likely to

7、 live around four years longer thanother californian women. the adventists also act much younger than they are and see doctorsmuch less than ordinary people.so whats the secret of the adventists longevity? it is not all in their genes. nor is their goodhealth a mere accident. the adventists live lon

8、ger partly because they have a vegetable-baseddiet. around 35 percent of them are vegetarian, and around one half eat meat only rarely.tobacco and alcohol consumptions are discouraged. so are rich or spicy foods, meat, and drinks精品文档 精品文档containing caffeine. the adventist diet is high in fruit and v

9、egetables. it also includes plenty ofwhole grains, nuts, seeds and beans, and water is the drink of choice.the longevity of the adventists is also related to their lifestyle and natural environment. theybelieve in having regular exercise, helping others, and maintaining strong social and familial ti

10、es.they live in a mild climate with warm summers and cool winters. interestingly, the air quality ofloma linda, however, is not as good as in other longevity hot spots. this should give us all hope,as it suggests that we dont have to have every single factor in place in order to achieve excellenthea

11、lth. despite this, the adventists good health certainly provides strong evidence that diet andlifestyle choices have a great impact on health and longevity.q1: in what way are the adventists different from ordinary people?q2: how much longer do adventist women expect to live than other californian w

12、omen?q3: what is characteristic of the adventists diet?q4: what is the main idea of the passage?3educators across the us are calling for major changes to the admissions process in highereducation. the national center for educational statistics reported that us colleges anduniversities received more

13、than nine million applications between 2013 and 2014. the schoolsadmitted more than five million students in that time.david hawkins is the executive director for educational content and policy at the nationalassociation for college admissions counseling. he says that most colleges and universitiesr

14、equire many things from students when they apply. schools usually require an essay describinga students interests or why they want to study at that school. the schools also ask for lettersfrom teachers or other adults describing why a student is a good candidate. but, hawkins alsosays that schools a

15、re most concerned with a students high school grades and standardized testresults.q1: what is the news report mainly about?q2: what are schools most concerned with according to hawkins?精品文档 精品文档4a new museum entirely dedicated to laziness has opened in the capital city of colombia.but you have to hu

16、rry if you want to see the exhibits and find out about being lazy because theexhibition lasts only for one week. the unusual show displays a whole range of things such assofas, beds and anything that makes you feel like taking a rest. there are also plenty of televisionsfor those visiting couch pota

17、toes to watch as they move around relaxingly in the museum.it is no coincidence but rather an intentional decision for the museum to have opened right afterthe holiday season. the idea is for people to think about laziness, and perhaps change theirbehavior and lifestyle throughout the rest of the ye

18、ar. it offers a practical experience to make usthink about laziness in our high-speed, fast-paced societies.the museums founder marcela arrieta said she wanted people to rethink about laziness anddecide whether it really is a bad thing. she told the media that people today always think aboutlaziness

19、 as an enemy of work. for example, they may feel guilty if they sleep late, or they mayfeel they are wasting time after taking a nap or having a holiday.ms. arrieta may not be proposing that we should have a shorter working week, but she couldhave a point in that we do need more leisure time than ou

20、r jobs allow us, and change our lifestyleto a type that is more relaxing. besides, according to scientists, avoiding the pressure and stressof work can make us healthier and live longer. so, why not try out ms. arrietas advice for yourself,slow down, and think about being lazy?q1: why should visitor

21、s be hurried if they want to see the exhibits in the new museum incolombias capital?q2: what are exhibited in the new museum?q3: what is the purpose of the exhibition?q4: what did the museums founder advise us to do?精品文档 精品文档5whats longer than five boeing 747 jetliners, and uses robot bartenders to pour your drinks?thatll be royal caribbeans new quantum of the seas, which the cruise brand bills as the worldsmost technologically advanced cruise ship.the highly hyped ship is