现代大学英语听力2原文

Unit1Task1【原文】YesterdaymorningGretelwenttotheCityofLondon.ShewantedtoseeSt.Paul'sCathedral.ShewassurprisedtoseesomanyEnglishmenwholookedalike.Theywereallwearingdarksuitsandbowlerhats.Theywereallcarryingumbrellasandnewspapers.WhenshereturnedhomesheaskedMrdarkaboutthesestrangecreatures."TheymustbetypicalEnglishgentlemen/1shesaid."Ihaveoftenreadaboutthemandseenphotographsofthem.Theyalllookasiftheyarewearingauniform.DoesthetypicalEnglishgentlemanstillexist?1'Mr.Clarklaughed.'Tveneverthoughtaboutit,“heanswered.'1It'struethatmanyofthemenwhoworkintheCityofLondonstillwearbowlerhateandIsupposetheyaretypicalEnglishmen.Butlookatthis.*1Mr.Clarkpickedupamagazineandpointedataphotoofayoungman."He'sjustastypical,perhaps.Itseemsasifthereisnosuchthingasa'typical*Englishman.DoyouknowtheEnglishsayingIttakesallkindstomakeaworld*?That'strueofallcountries-includingEngland.HaOh,justlikethepoem'IfAlltheSeasWereOneSea',"Gretelbegantohumhappily.Ifalltheseaswereonesea,whatagreatseathatwouldbe!Ifallthetreeswereonetree,whatagreattreethatwouldbe!Andifthistreeweretofallinthesea,whatagreatsplashthatwouldbe!”Task2【原文】JohnisBritishbuthasworkedinJapan.EtsukoisJapanesefromOsaka,butsheisstudyinginBritain.Inthefollowingpassageyouaregoingtohear,theyarecomparinglifeastheyseeitinthetwocountries.Butbeforelisteningtoit,thinkofthetwocountriesandtrytoanswerthefollowingpre-listeningquestions.John:IfoundthatlivinginJapan,peoplewerebusier.Theyseemtoworkthewholeday.Etsuko:Yes,that'sright.WeworkfromMondaythroughSaturday,eveninsummer.Youknow,summerinJapanisjusthorrible.It'svery,veryhumidandhot,andyouneedtoshowerthreetimesaday.John:SoyoufinditcoolerinEngland?Etsuko:Yes,that'sright.John:WhereIwaslivinginJapan,intheNorth,itwasmuchcolderthanEngland,especiallyinwinter,minusthirtydegreescentigrade.DoesthewinterinOsakalastlongerthanthewinterinEngland?Etsuko:No,Idon'tthinkso.December,January,February,March.John:Yes.It'salittlebitshorterifanything.Etsuko:EversinceIcamehere,InoticedthatthecountrysidehereinEnglandisverybeautiful.John:It'smuchflatterthaninJapan.Etsuko:Yes.Japanisamountainouscountryandourcitiesarefullofpeople.Therearelotsofpeopleinalimitedflatarea.John:Yes,1foundJapanmuchmoremountainousthanBritain,especiallyinthenorth.Themountainsaremuchhigherandmuchmorerocky.IfounditmorebeautifulthanBritain,Ithink.Etsuko:Yes,ifyoulikemountains.John:Andthereforethetownsandvillagestendtobemorecrowded.Etsuko:Yes,Ihat'sright.John:Yes.Sobecausethecitiesaremorecrowded,thehousestendtobesmaller,don'tthey?Etsuko:Yes,theyareverycompact,andwedon'thavealotofspace.Inbigcitieswehavealotoftallerbuildingsnow.John:IsthisaproblembecausetherearemoreearthquakesinJapan?Etsuko:Yes,ihat'srightand...Task3【原文】Rosa:Whydon'tyouhavefolkdancesintheUnitedStates?Mostcountrieshavespecialdancesthatthepeoplehavedoneformanyyears.Thedancerswearclothesfromtheolddays.Everyonelikestowatchthemdance.Steve:Wehavefolkdances,too.Alotofpeoplebelongtofolkdancinggroups.Butwhentheydance,theyusuallydoitjusttoenjoythemselves.Theydon'linviteotherpeopletowatchthem.Rosa:Isthereafolkdancinggrouphere?Steve:Ithinkso.Theremustbe.There'soneinalmosteverycity,andsomebigcitieshaveseveral.Rosa:Whatarethedanceslike?Steve:Usuallyeightpeopledancetogether,fourmenandfourwomen.Whentheystart,theyformasquare,withamanandawomanoneachsideofthesquare.That'swhyil'scalledsquaredancing.Thenthere,samanwhotellsthedancerswhattheyshoulddo.Heusuallymakesitintoasong.Hesingsitwhiletheydance.Rosa:Oh,thatshouldmakethedanceseasy!Steve:Yes,buttheyareveryfast.Theydon'thavemuchtimetothink.Iliketowatchthem,though.Thedancerswearold-fashionedclothes.Thatmakesthedancesprettytowatch.Rosa:rdliketowatchagroupdance.Steve:I'lltakeyousometime.Task4【原文】OntheeveningofFebruary3rd,peopleinJapanesefamiliestookonedriedbeanforeachyearoftheirageandthrewthebeansonthefloor,shouting"Goodluckin!Evilspiritsout!*'ThiswasknownasMSetsubunH,atimetocelebratetheendofwinterandthebeginningofspring.BeforetheChineseLunarNewYearintheolddays,manyChinesefamiliesburnedthepictureoftheirkitchengodtobringgoodluck.WhenLunarNewYear'sDaycame,theyputanewpictureofthekitchengodonthewall.WhenAmericanwomengotmarried,theysometimesfollowedanoldcustominchoosingwhattowearontheirweddingday.Thecustomsaidthebridemustwear"somethingold,somethingnew,somethingborrowed,andsomethingblue'1.Thiswastobringgoodluck.BeforeLent(atimeontheChristiancalendar),thepeopleofPonti,Italyateanomeletmadewith1,000eggs.Peoplecouldnoteatmeat,eggsordairyproductsduringLent,sotheytriedtouseupthesethingsbeforeLentbegan.WhenwinterendedinCzech,thechildrenmadeastrawmancalled"Smrt",whichwasafigureofdeath.Theyburneditorthrewitintheriver.Aftertheydestroyedit,theycarriedflowershometoshowthearrivalofspring.January17thwasSt.Anthony'sDayinMexico.Itwasadaywhenpeoplebroughttheiranimalstochurch.Butbeforetheanimalswentintothechurch,thepeopledressedthemupinflowersandribbons.Thisceremonywastoprotectpeople'sanimals.Task5【原文】Man:Well,Ithinklifeusedtobemuchmorefunthanitisnow.Imean,lookattheVictorians.Theyhadlotsofservantstodoallthework;theyneverhadtodoanycookingorcleaning;theyjustworethosebeautifuldressesandwenttoteaparties.Woman:Youmustbejoking!Theirclotheswereterriblyuncomfortableandtheirteapartieswereveryformalandboring.Theyusedtoweartheirhatsandlongglovesevenwhentheywereeatingcakesandbiscuits.Andmenwerenotusuallyinvited.Man:Really?Weren'tthey?Woman:Andthinkofthepoorservants.Whataterriblelife—justcleaningandcookingforotherpeopleallthetime!Man:Butyouhatehousework!Woman:Yes,Iknow,buttherearelotsofmachinesnowtohelpyouwiththehousework.Peopledon'tneedservants.Man:Maybetheydon't,butlifethenwasmuchslowerthanitisnow-peoplenowadaysarealwaysrushing,andtheyneverhavetimetostopandenjoythemselves.Woman:Lifethenwasfinefortherich,butitwasdreadfulforthepoor.Therewasmuchmoreillness.Theydidn'thavethemoneytopaydoctors,andtheyoftenusedtodieofillnessesthatdon'texistinEnglandnow.Man:Maybe.Butpeopleusedtotalktoeachother,playthepianoorplaycardstogether.Nowadayspeoplejustsitinfrontofthetelevisionforhoursandnevertalktoeachother.Woman:Iagreewithyouabouttelevision;butwhatabouttheirchildren?TheylefttheirChildrenwiththeservantsallday.Childrenhardlyeversawtheirparents!Andtheclothestheyhadtowear!Horrible,tight,uncomfortable,grown-upclothes.Childrenhaveamuchbetterlifenowthantheyusedto,andschoolsandeducationaremuchbettertoo.Man:Ihateschool.Woman:Andlookatopportunitiesforwomen.Inthosedays,womenusedtostayathome,playthepiano,changetheirclothesseveraltimesadayandhaveteaparties.Whatalife!Theydidn'thaveanyfreedomatall.I'mveryhappylivingnow.Icanwork,haveacareer,dowhatIwantto.Man:YoumeanyoucanworkhardallyourlifelikeaVictorianservant.Woman:Lifeisn'tallteaparties,youknow.Task6【原文】TheAmericanfamilyunitisintheprocessofchange.Thereusedtobemainlytwotypesoffamilies:theextendedandthenuclea匚Theextendedfamilymostoftenincludedmother,father,children,andsomeotherrelatives,suchasgrandparents,livinginthesamehouseornearby.Thenasjobpatternschangedandtheeconomyprogressedfromagriculturaltoindustrial,peoplewereforcedtomovetodifferentpartsofthecountryforjobopportunities.Thesemovessplituptheextendedfamily.Thenuclearfamilybecamemoreprevalent;thisconsistedofonlytheparentsandthechildren.Nowbesidesthesetwotypesoftraditionalgroupings,theword"family'sbeingexpandedtoincludeavarietyofotherlivingarrangements.Today'sfamilycanbemadeupofdiversecombinations.Withthedivorceratenearlyoneintwo,thereisanincreaseinsingleparenthomes:afatherormotherlivingwithoneormorechildren.'Blendedfamilies"occurwhenpreviouslymarriedmenandwomenmarryagainandcombinethechildrenfromformermarriagesintoanewfamily.Ontheotherhand,somecouplesaredecidingnottohaveanychildrenatall,sothereisanincreaseinchildlessfamilies.Therearealsomorepeoplewholivealone:single,widowed,divorced.NowoneinfiveAmericanslivesalone.Task7【原文】InJapanbothmenandwomengotouniversityandbothmenandwomenstudytheartssuchashistoryorEnglish.Butveryfewwomenstudyscience,medicineorengineering.Inengineeringclassesofthirtyorfortystudents,theremaybeonlyoneortwowomen.Menandwomenbothgotouniversityinordertogetgoodjobs:menwanttoworkforabigcompany,besuccessful,earnalotofmoneyandsupportafamily;women,ontheotherhand,wanttoworkforabigcompanybecausetheyhaveabetterchanceofmeetingasuccessfulmanandgettingmarried.Thisischanging,however,asJapanesewomenbegintothinkabouttheirowncareers.Theyhavebegantotakejobswhichtheylikeratherthanjobsinordertofindahusband.Menworkfortheirwholelivesandusuallystaywiththesamecompany.Awomanmayworkuptotenyears,butafterthatsheusuallygetsmarried.Mostwomenaremarriedbytheageoftwentyseven,thentheystayathomeandlookafterthechildren.Amandoesnotcookorlookafterthechildren.Whenhecomeshome,hismealmustbeready.Thewomanmaygooutintheafternoon,shoppingwithherfriendsorhavingachat,butshemustgobackhomebyfouro'clocktopreparethemeal.Thenshemayhavetowaitalongtimeforherhusbandtocomehome.Oftenhehastogooutforadrinkafterwork:ifhedoesn'themaynotriseveryhighinthecompany.Afterherchildrengrowup,awomancangobacktowork,butitisnoteasy.Ifherformercompanytakesolderwomenback,shemightbelucky.Butmostwomenfinditdifficulttofindajobwhentheyareolder.Task8【原文】Matthew:Geth,howdopeoplesetaboutgettingmarriedinEngland?Geth:Isupposethemostcommonwayisstillforpeopletogohome.Forexample,peoplewholiveinLondonnowwillgobacktotheirhomesintheprovinceswheretheyllmeetalltheirrelativesandtheirparents,andthey'llgetmarriedinachurch,withthebridewearingwhite,thetraditionalwhite.Thenthey'llgooffandhaveabooze-upwiththeirrelativesandfriendsandajollygoodtimewillbehadbyall.Otherwiseyoucangetmarriedinaregistryoffice,whichmeansyouturnupwithyourbride-to-beorbridegroom-to-bewithtwowitnessesonly.Theceremonytakesaboutfiveminutes,Isuppose.Yousigntheformandthat'sit.Matthew:Therearemanytodaywhosaythatmarriageisacompletewasteoftime.What'syourviewofmarriageinthetwentiethcentury?Goth:Well,IliveinLondonasyouknow.IthinkinLondon,thetendencyisto...fora...boyandgirl,manorwomantolivetogetherbeforemarriageandoftentolivetogetherwithoutanyprospectofmarriageatall.Ithinkthisprobablyis...istrueofLondonandtheotherbigcitiesthanelsewhere,becauseafterallpeopleinLondonarelivinginabigplacewherehometiesareobviouslylessrestrictive.TheycandomoreorlessastheypleaseandIthinkthisisthepattern.Matthew:Butdoyouthinkithelpsforpeopletolivetogetherbeforetakingtheirvows?Geth:Ithinkinasensethehabitoflivingtogetherbeforemarriagemay,inastrangesortofway,makemarriagestronger,becauseafterallthepeoplewillknoweachotherbetterwhentheydogetmarriedanditmightbesuggestedthatdivorcewouldbelesslikelybetweensuchacouple.Matthew:Sue,you'vebeenmarriedfortwoorthreeyearsnow.How'sitworkingout?Sue:Ithinkit'sasuccessfulmarriage.Imean,it'sdifficulttosaywhy,becausewebasicallysuiteachotherverymuch.Wehaveagoodfriendship,apartfromanythingelse,and,youknow,wejustgotogetherverywellbecausewerespecteachother'sfreedomandindividuality,butontheotherhandwereallyneedeachother,youknow,it's...Matthew:Whatabout..,haveyouthoughtofhavingchildren?Sue:Well,obviously,likemostyoungcouples,wehavethoughtaboutit,but,youknow,webothfeelrather,sortof,loathtoloseourfreedomjustyet.Ithinkwellprobablywaitanotherfewyears.Matthew:IsiteasyinEnglandtodaytopeopletogetdivorced,oristhatquitedifficult?Chris:Ithinktechnicallyit'sprobablyfairlyeasy,Ithink,becauseI'mnotEnglishbut,Ithinktechnicallyit'sfairlyeasytobe...togetdivorced.Butit*snotjustthetechnicalityofitwhichistheproblem.Divorceis...isasocialstigmawhichpeoplecanprobablyCopewithtovaryingdegrees,butit'salsoaloteasierforthemanbecausethewoman,aftersheisdivorcedis,infact,frowneduponby...byalotofpeopleinsociety.Sheis...is...ata...amuchmoredifficultsocialpositionintermsof...ofmeetingothermen,orwhatever,simplybecausesheisadivorcee.Task9【原文】Socialcustomsandwaysofbehavingchange.Buttheydonotnecessarilyalwayschangefbrthebetter.Thingswhichwereconsideredimpolitemanyyearsagoarenowacceptable.Justafewyearsago,itwasconsideredimpolitebehaviourforamantosmokeonthestreet.Nomanwhothoughtofhimselfasbeingagentlemanwouldmakeafoolofhimselfbysmokingwhenaladywasintheroom.Theimportantthingtorememberaboutsocialcustomsisnottodoanythingthatmightmakeotherpeoplefeeluncomfortable—especiallyiftheyareyourguests.Thereisastoryaboutarichnoblemanwhohadaveryformaldinnerparty.Whenthefoodwasserved,oneoftheguestsstartedtoeathispeaswithaknife.Otherguestswereamusedorshocked,butthenoblemancalmlypickeduphisknifeandbeganeatinginthesameway.Itwouldhavebeenbadmannerstomakehisguestfeelfoolishoruncomfortable.Unit2Task1【原文】TexaswasthebiggeststatebeforeAlaskabecametheforty-ninthstatein1959.OnegoodwaytounderstandthesizeofTexasistolearnaboutitsweather.Differentpartsofthestatehaveverydifferentkindsofweather.LaredoisoneofthehottestcitiesintheUnitedStatesinsummer.ThebesttimetovisitLaredoisinwinter,whenitispleasantlywarm.Amarillogetsverycoldinwinter.SometimesthereismoresnowinAmarillothaninNewYork,whichisanortherncity.Summersarebetter,butsometimesitgetsquitehot.ThebesttimetovisitAmarilloisintheautumnwhenitiscool.IfanyoneasksyouabouttheweatherinTexas,askhim,“WhatpartofTexasdoyoumean?”Task2【原文】Ourfriend,Nick,whoseEnglishgetsbetterandbetter,declaredsolemnlytheotherdaythathethoughtthattheBritishclimatewaswonderful,buttheBritishweatherwasterrible.HewentontoexplainbypointingoutthattheBritishclimatewasatemperateone.Thismeant,hesaid,nthatyoucouldalwaysbecertainthattheweatherwouldneverbeextreme—atanyratenotforanylengthoftime—neververyhotandneververycold.'1HequiterightlypointedoutthattherainfallinBritain,accordingtothestatistics,wasnotveryheavy."Whythen,'*heasked,"hastheBritishclimatesuchabadreputation?"Heansweredbysayingitwasbecauseoftheextraordinary,unreliableweather.Therewasnopartoftheyearatwhichyoucouldbecertainthattheweatherwouldbedryorwet,clearordull,hotorcold.AbaddayinJulycouldbeascoldasamilddayinJanuary.Indeedyoucouldfeelcoldatalmostanytimeoftheyear.NickblameddraftyBritishhousesforthis,butagreedyoucouldalsoblamethesmallamountofsunshineandagreatamountofdampness.HeadvisedeverystudentcomingtoBritaintobringanumbrellaandtounderstandthemeaningofthatsplendidword"drizzle".Task3【原文】Citieschangetheclimatearoundyou.Inthecountry,therearetrees,grass,lakes,andstreams.Inhotweather,thetreesandgrasscooltheareaaroundthem.Lakesandriversalsocooltheareaaroundthem.Butcitiesarenotcooledinthesenaturalways.Citiesarebuiltofasphalt,concrete,iron,andsteel.Therearefewtreesandusuallynotmuchgrass.Rainfallsontothestreetsandintothesewers.Whenthesummersunshines,streetsandbuildingstakeintheheat;afterthesunsets,thestreetsandbuildingsthrowoffheatintothestreet.Oncethesunsets,thecountrysidecoolsoff,butacitymaystayhotallnight.Citiesarehotterthanthecountrysideinwinter,too.Standingnearacarwithitsmotorrunning,winterorsummer,youwillfeeltheheatthrownoffbytheengine.Theheatcomesfromthegasolineburnedbytheengine.Thisheatwarmstheairandthegroundaroundthecar.Thousandsofrunningcarsarealmostlikethousandsofsmallfiresburning.Carefullyputyourhandnearalightbulbortelevisionset.Asyoucansee,electricitycreatesalotofheat.Thisheatfromelectricitywarmsthehouseandtheoutsideair.Theheatgivenoffbycitiescanaffecttheclimate.Someexpertsevenbelievethatcitiescanchangetheclimateofthewholeworld.Theythinkthatairpollutionmaystopsunlightfromreachingtheearth.Iflesssunshinereachestheearth,theearthmaybecomecooler.Stillotherexpertsthinktheworldwillgetwarmer.Iftheworlddidgetwarmer,greatchangeswouldoccur.IceneartheNorthandSouthpoleswouldmelt.Thiswouldmaketheoceansrise.Citiesnearoceans—likeLosAngeles,Boston,andMiami—wouldslowlybeflooded.Peoplelivinginthesecitieswouldhavetomovetohigherland.Task4【原文】Aredskyateitherduskordawnisoneofthespectacularandbeautifulweatherpredictorswehaveinnature.Bycloselyobservingthisphenomenon,youcanachieveshort-rangeaccuracyoftheweatherasgoodas,orbetterthanyourlocalweatherman.IntheBible,JesusinMatthew16,2-3isquotedassaying,"Whenitisevening,itwillbefairweather:fortheskyisred.Andinthemorningitwillbefoulweathertoday:fortheskyisred“whenspeakingtothePharisees.AnoldEnglishweatherproverbbasedonthispassageis:Redskyatnight,sailorsdelight.Redskyatmorning,sailorstakewarning.OrEveningredandmorninggray,Sendsthetraveleronhisway.Eveninggray,momingred,Bringstheraindownonhishead.Atdusk,aredskyindicatesthatdryweatherisontheway.Thisisduetothesunshiningthroughdustparticlesbeingpushedaheadofahighpressuresystembringingindryair.Aredskyinthemorningisduetothesunagainshiningthroughdust.Inthiscasehowever,thedustisbeingpushedonbyanapproachinglowreassuresystembringinginmoisture.Don'tconfusearedskyinthemorningwitharedsuninthemorning.Ifthesunitselfisredandtheskyisanormalcolor,thedaywillbefair.Task5【原文】Mark:Iamanavidflyfishermanandfrequentlyfindmyselfontheriverinaraftduringlightningstorms.Wealwayshaveadebateatthesetimesonwherewearesafest—pullingintoshoreorstayingonthewater.Since1haveheardoneissafeinacarwhenlightningstrikesIwonderiftheraftfloatingonthewaterisinsulated,andthereforethesafestplacetobe.MeteorologistA:Wespokewithsomescientistsaboutyourquestion,andtheyallagreedthatundernocircumstancesshouldyouremainonthewaterduringalightningstorm.Ifyourraftismadeofrubber,youmightfieelthatyou're.wellinsulated,butdon'tkidyourself.Typicallightningflashestravel10to15kilometersandcandeliverasmuchas100,000ampsofcurrent.Incomparison,atoasterusesabout10ampsofcurrent.Iflightningstrikesthewaternearyou,itwillhavenotroubletravelingthroughafewextracentimetersofrubber.MeteorologistB:So,ifyou'reonthewaterandathunderstormapproaches,gettotheshoreandseekshelteronland.Tryabuildingorcar.Ifneitherisavailable,lookforacave,cliff,wall,oragroupoftrees.Nevertakeshelterunderanisolatedtree-itrsalsoagoodtargetforlightning.Task6【原文】Everyspringandsummermanyinlandareasarehitbytornados.Atornadoisakindofstorm.It'sarevolving,funnel-shapedcolumnofairthatmovesthroughtheskyatveryhighspeeds.Atornadolookslikeahuge,blackicecreamconewhirlingthroughthesky.Thespeedofatornadoisveryfast-itisbelievedtobebetween200and700kilometersperhour.Tornadosformunderveryspecialweatherconditions,andthesespecialweatherconditionsoccurmostoftenininlandareas,suchasthecentralUnitedStates.Atornadoformswhenalayerofwarm,dryairisontopofalayerofcooler,moistair.Thiscombinationofdry,warmairabovewet,coolaircreatesaconditionthatcausesthelowerlayerofairtoliftup.Asthelowerairrises,bothlayersofairbegintorotate,toturnaroundandaround.Theairbeginstorotatefasterandfasterbecauseofcentrifugalforce.Thetornadohasacentercalledan"eye"andtheairrotatesquicklyaroundthiseye.Astheairbeginstorotatefasterandfaster,thetornadocloudbeginstogrowdownward;thatis,itbeginstoformafunnelorcone,andthisconegoesdowntowardtheground.Theconeofairisdarkbecauseitdevelopsfromadarkraincloud.Asthecloudgetslonger,asthecloudgetsclosertotheground,itbeginstopullupdirtfromtheground.Thenthefunnelofrotatingairbecomesverydarkbecauseofthedirtinit.Asthetornadofunnelgetslonger,itbeginstodragalongtheground.Whenthetornadotouchestheground,itdoesincredibledamage.Itusuallytouchesthegroundforonlyaboutoneminute,anditusuallytravelsalongthegroundforonlyaboutonekilometer,butduringthatoneminute,buildingsaredestroyed,treesareliftedupoutoftheground,smallobjectsarecarriedaway,andsometimespeopleareinjuredorkilled.Task7【原文】RadioAnnouncer:You'relisteningtoRadioMetro.It'stwominutestonine,andtimeforthelatestweatherforcastfromDanFrancisattheLondonWeatherCentre.Francis:Hello.It'sbeenanotherwarmandfinedayformostofus.TemperaturesinsoutheastEnglandreached26degreesCelsiusbymid-aftemoon,andBrightonhad15hoursoflovelysunshine.Furthernorthitwasalittlecoolerwithmaximumtemperaturesofaround21degreesinsouthernScotland,andinthefarnorthwestofScotlandthereweresomelightshowersaroundmidday.Buttherestofthecountry,asIsaid,hasbeenwarmanddrywithtemperaturesintheMidlandsreaching23degreesCelsiusbyearlyafternoonthoughitwasalittlecooleralongthewestcoastandinNorthernIreland.Butalreadytheweatherisbeginningtochange,I'mafraid,andduringthenightshowerswillslowlymoveinfromtheAtlantictoreachsouth-westEnglandandthesoutherncoastofWalesbyearlymorning.Therestofthecountrywillhaveaverymild,drynightwithminimumtemperaturesnolowerthan15degreesinthesouth,alittlecooler_11degreesorso—inthenorth.AnyremainingshowersinnorthwestScotlandwillpassquicklytoleaveamild,drynighttheretoo.AndnowtheoutlookforFridayandtheweekend.Well,southernEuropewill,onceagain,getthebestoftheweekendweather,andifyourholidaystartsthisweekend,thensouthernSpainistheplacetogo,withtemperaturesof34degreesalongtheMediterraneancoast.AttheeasternendoftheMed,too,youcanexpectuninterruptedsunshineandtemperaturesofupto32degreesCelsiusinGreeceandsoutheastItaly,butfurthernorththeweather'snotsosettled.MuchofFrance,BelgiumandtheNetherlandswillbecloudywithoccasionalrain,andmaximumtemperatureswillbearound22degrees—verydisappointingfbrthistimeoftheyear.ScotlandandNorthernIrelandwillhaveheavyrainfbrmuchoftheweekendandtemperatureswilldroptoacool17degrees.AcrossmostofEnglandtheweatherwillbecloudybutmainlydrywithsunnyperiods.Andwhenthesundoescomeout,temperaturescouldrisetoamaximumof23degrees.Task8【原文】Astheairpressurearoundyoueitherrisesorfalls,manychangesinnatureoccur.Mostoftheseareveryobviouschangeswhileothersareofamoresubtlenature.Mountainsandotherfarawayobjectswillappeartobemuchcloserandmoresharplyfocusedaswetweatherapproachesandtheairpressuredrops.Thedustparticlesintheairbegintosettletothegroundandtheairclears,allowingyoutoseemoredetailsoffarawayobjects.Asahighpressurefrontapproachesandtheairbecomes“thicker,“moredustparticlesbecomesuspendedinairandthingstakeontheirnormalsomewhathazyappearance.“Sharphornsonthemoonthreatenbadweather:"Thisandabright,clearmoonaregoodindicatorsthatwetweatherisontheway.Astheairclearsofdustparticlesaheadofalowpressuresystem,themoonappearstocomecloserandbemoresharplyfocusedduetothelackofdust.Soundalsobecomessharperandmorefocusedpriortostormyweather.Insteadoftravelingupwardandoutwardintotheatmospheresoundwavesarebentbacktotheearthandtheirrangeextended.Birdcallssoundsharper,and,atmyhouse,wecanheartheblowingofthetrainhornasitrumblesthroughthevalleybelow.Ifyoufindyourselfoutinamarshorswampandtheairreallyseemstostinkmorethannormal,expectrainyweather.Thishappenswhenthepressuredropsandthemethanetrappedonthebottomoftheswampisreleasedingreaterquantities.Inreverse,asfairweatherapproachesandthepressurerises,thingswontsmellquitesostrong.Birdsandbatshaveatendencytoflymuchlowertothegroundrightbeforearainduetothe“thinning“oftheair.Theyprefertoflywheretheairisthemostdenseandtheycangetgreaterliftwiththeirwings.Withhighpressureanddryair,theatmospherebecomesdenserandtheycaneasilyflyathigheralt