听力原文及答案Unit11Left-handedness

1、Unit 11 Left-handednessPart BListening TasksPassage 1Word BankWhy Are Some People Left-handed?mentala. relating to the activity of the mind or brain精神的；脑力adoptinvolvement identical birth parentsv. to take someone else ' s child into one' s family and make itlegally one ' s own child 收养n.

2、 participation 卷入；牵连a. exactly the same 完全相同的one' s biological parents亲生父母adopted parents ones non-biological parents 养父母identical twins twinsdeveloped from the same egg and therefore almost alwaysPrince CharlesPrince Williamof the same sex and very much alike in appearance （英）查尔斯王子（英）威廉王子同卵双生子S

3、cript:Research has shown that 90% of people naturallyuse their right hands for mosttasks. But hundreds of millions of people use their left hands. Then why are some people left-handed? Scientists have been trying to answer that question for many years. A study done in 1992 found that men are more li

4、kely to be left-handed thanwomen. It also found that Asian or Hispanic people are less likely to be left-handed than white people, black people, or North American Indians. Some cultures accept people who do things mostly with their left hands. Others do not.Scientists want to know the reason for lef

5、t-handedness because it is closely linked to mental problems and language difficulties. One idea about the cause of left-handedness is the genetic theory. It says that people are right- or left-handed because of genes passed to them by their parents. For example, it has been shown that the handednes

6、s of adopted children is more likely to follow that of their birth parents than their adopted parents. Other evidence of genetic involvement can be found in some families. One famous example is the left-handed members of the present British royal family. These include Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Char

7、les and PrinceWilliam.Another idea is that right-handed people are born with the gene for it. But about 20% of people do not have the right-handed gene. These people could be either left- or right-handed. This idea may explain why two babies who have the same genes use different hands. In 18% of ide

8、ntical twins one twin is right-handed,and the otheris left-handed. Probably both twins lack the right-handed gene so each has a chance to be either right- or left-handed.Somes cientists believe that the cause of handedness could include both genetics and development.Exercise 1Listen to the passage a

9、nd choose the right answers to the questions you hear.1. What is the passage mainly about?a. Causes of left-handedness and right-handedness.b. Two scientific explanations of the cause of left-handedness.c. Genes for left-handedness.d. Mental problems of left-handed people.2. Which of the following t

10、opics is discussed in more detail in the passage?a. Handedness and the genetic theory.b. Identical twins.c. Birth parents and adopted parents.d. Famous left-handed people in the world.3. What conclusion can you draw from the passage?a. Right-handed people are superior to left-handed people.b. Right-

11、handedness is determined genetically, but left-handedness is learnt.c. About 18% of identical twins are left-handed.d. Scientists have not yet reached agreement on the causes of left-handedness.Exercise 2Listen to the passage again and complete the following sentences with the missing information.1.

12、 A study done in 1992 found that men are more likely to be left-handed than women. It also found that Asian or Hispanic people are less likely to be left-handed than white people, black people or North American Indians.2. Scientists want to know the reason for left-handedness because it is closely l

13、inked to mental problems and language difficulties.3. One idea about the cause of left-handedness is the genetic theory.4. Another idea is that right-handed people are born with the gene for it. But about 20% of people do not have the right-handed gene. They could be either left- or right-handed.5.

14、Somes cientists believe that the cause of handedness could include both genetics and development.Passage 2Does Being Left-handed Affect One' s Life?Word Bankapproximately issue significant frustration scissors utensilad. nearly 大约n. a point in question; a matter in dispute问题；争论点a. important 重大的n

15、. feelings of being disappointed and annoyed沮丧n. a cutting device 剪刀（复数）n. a container or tool commonly for kitchen use器皿gearv. to be organized in a way that is suitable for a particular purpose or situation 使适应；使适合one way or anothereither of two possible ways; in any way不是用这种方法就是take for grantedto

16、accept sth. as true without questioning想当然用那种方法；用某种方法意味着amount toto be equal to, esp. in meaningScript:There are approximately 30 million left-handed people in the United States, and several hundred million more around the world. Most right-handed people have never even considered the possibility th

17、at there might be any serious issues affecting left-handers.Even among all of these left-handed people, there are many differentopinions about what these issues are and which issues might be most important to them.Some left-handers think that being left-handed is a positive factor in their lives, an

18、d they feel that there are no serious issues affecting them. Others think that being left-handed is not a significant factor and has not affected their lives one way or another. There are also some left-handers who have no opinion and have never given any thought to what being left-handed has meant

19、to them. But the majority of left-handed people find that being left-handed is at least a small disadvantage and a minor source of frustration in their lives.There are many things that right-handed people take for granted that are quite difficult for left-handers. These include many basic skills lik

20、e learning to write, learning to use scissors and other hand tools and utensils, and learning various crafts and other activities. Sometimes left-handers are puzzled by equipment designed for right-handers, and other times they are confused by instructors and instructions geared toward teaching righ

21、t-handers. For some left-handed people this amounts to occasional difficulties and minor inconveniences. For other left-handers it is a lifetime full of failures and frustrations that may lead to much more serious problems.Exercise 1Listen to the passage and choose the right answers to the questions

22、 you hear. 1.What is the speaker ' s attitude toward left-handers?a. Indifferent.b. Neutral.c. Favorable.d. Sympathetic.2.What can be inferred from the passage about right-handers?a. Most of them are sympathetic to left-handers.b. Most of them are indifferent to the problems left-handers face.c.

23、 Most of them consider themselves lucky to be right-handed.d. Most of them are unaware of the problems left-handers face.Exercise 2Listen again and supply the missing information in the tables below. How Left-handers Feel About Their Being Left-handedATo some left-handersIt is a positive factor in t

24、heir lives. There are no serious issues affecting them.To other left-handersIt is not a significant factor. It has not affected their lives.To the majority of left-handersIt is at least a small disadvantage and a minor source of frustration in their lives.BWhat may be difficult for left-handers?Basi

25、c skills like learning to write, learning to use scissors and other hand tools and utensils, and learning various crafts and other activitiesWhat may confuse left-handers?Equipment designed for right-handers; instructors and instructions geared toward teaching right-handersPart CTest Your ListeningA

26、 Compound DictationListen to the passage three times and supply the missing information.Approximately 90% of people in the world are 1) naturally right-handed. Why is this so, and are we 2) born one way or the other? The answer to this question is rather 3) complicated.In babies and young children, no 4) single side becomes 5) dominant until around the age of eight. At 12 weeks, babies usually use both hands 6) equally, but by 16 weeks, they mostly use the left hand for 7) touching. By 24 weeks, they have changed again and