Level6 Unit1 Part4 Listening
Buying a House?
John and Linda are worried about their future. They both have good jobs, but they are concerned about the economy. Of the two of them, Linda is the most worried. She wants the security of owning her own home. Her husband disagrees. As a result, they often fight about money. They live in a nice apartment, but the rent goes up every year. So now they are trying to decide whether or not to buy a house.
Linda wants to buy a house, but John is against the idea. He thinks prices are too high, and he doesn't want to be trapped. If they owned a house, it would be more difficult to move somewhere else if things changed. For example, what would happen if he lost his job? If he lost his job, they might want to move to another city or country. If they owned a home or flat, it would be more difficult to move. If they decided to move, they would probably have to sell. If prices had risen, they would be okay. In fact, they might even make a profit. However, if prices were down when they had to sell, they would lose money.
Last week John got some bad news. His company is downsizing and moving its head office to another city. It's moving because it can no longer afford to do business where they are now. Expenses are too high, especially salaries, so it's more difficult to compete with other companies. In fact, several other companies will be moving out too. Office space is expensive in the area, along with the cost of living for employees. As a result, it's becoming more difficult to hire good employees. Nobody wants to live there unless their salary can support a good standard of living.
With all ofthese changes, John thinks there's a good chance that he will be transferred to the new head office. This could happen fairly soon. If so, it would be foolish to buy a house at this time. Linda still disagrees about buying a house, but she is willing to wait a year to see what happens. She hopes that they won't have to move, but they may have to unless John is willing to change companies. She would prefer not to move, because she doesn't want to lose her job.
Now they have to consider what they'll do if he's transferred. John has to decide whether or not he should begin to look for a new company. If he could find another job in the area, it would put less stress on his wife. If they stay and can wait for a while, maybe housing prices will begin to come down. If prices don't come down，then he and his wife will continue to disagree about buying a house. Sooner or later they are going to have to make a decision and stop fighting about it.
Level6 Unit1 Part4 Dialogue
AI Girlfriend
Are you havingany luck finding a new girlfriend?
No, I'm not.
I haven't found anyone I like.
So far they areall after my money and a fancy lifestyle.
What will happen to real love?
I don't know.
The same thought has occurred to me lately.
I'm afraid I'm becoming a bit of a cynic.
I was just reading about some new robots called AIs.
They have artificial intelligence or AI.
Yes, AIs.
I've heard about it, and they've been in some movies too.
Evidently, these new AIs can be very attractive companions.
What do you think about that?
You must be kidding!
Relating to a smart robot?
It sounds sick to me.
I don't know, maybe not.
I wonder what it would be like to have an AI girlfriend.
Maybe you could program it to be like your dream woman.
A dream woman？No.
Well, it's a ninteresting idea but hard to imagine in reality.
I guess it could be fun for a while, but then it would get boring, don't you think?
For sure, no real emotion.
Everything would be mechanical and artificial, even the language.
There wouldn't be a soul inside, just an empty machine.
Well, no tnecessarily.
That would depend on how intelligent it is.
There are somewho say that AIs are going to bemore intelligent than we are.
Hmm, I've heard of that too.
In fact, they may even be a threat to us, right?
Anyway, if it were possible, would you want a woman you could control?
A woman I could control?
No, I can't imagine it.
Most of the women I've been with have tried to control me!
Well, that's one of the differences between men and women.
We see things differently.
We never measure up to their standards, hahaha.
However, if there is real love, the bonds between two people can be very deep.
It may not happen very often, but I've seen it.
Yes, that's what I'm looking for.
I hope it's not just a dream.
If that's what you want you are probably not going to find her in the bar.
Maybe I'll just let people know I'm looking for someone nice.
Be sure they don't tell her you're rich.
Maybe I can help you find someone.
You have my permission.
And just for fun, I'll start checking out some of those smart robots.
It sound scrazy, but I'm curious.
With all the lonely people out there, it may turn out to be a huge business.
Level 6 Unit1 Part4 Reading
Mysteries ofthe Mona Lisa
Without a doubt, one of the world's most recognizable pieces of art is the Mona Lisa. Painted in the 16th Century by Leonardo da Vinci, it continues to attract crowds of people who are captivated by the mysterious woman in the portrait. Her enigmatic smile and penetrating gaze reach out through the ages as if she were alive today.
Critics and art lovers still argue about her identity. One theory is that the way she posed suggests that she was with child. Another theory argues that her hairless face - no brows or lashes - indicates that she was a prostitute. It seems that in 16th Century Italy women working in the world's oldest profession had hairless faces in order to make themselves more sexually arousing. There is, however, evidence that at one time the woman in the portrait had thick eyebrows. Perhaps they were inadvertently erased when the painting was cleaned. Nobody knows for sure.
The painting itself has an interesting history. With the death of Leonardo, it went to his friend King Francois, and then to Louis XV and the Palace of Versailles. It wasn't until 300 years after its completion that it was recognized as a masterpiece. For a time, Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte hung it in his bedroom. Eventually, it found a permanent home when it was added to the collection of the Louvre in Paris. In 1911 it was stolen by a museum employee and two accomplices. This theft made the painting famous all over the world. During World War II it was taken away and hidden from the Nazis, as were many important works of art. Today the painting resides at the Louvre, captivating a whole new generation. Whoever she was, the mysteries surrounding the Mona Lisa continue to engage our imaginations.
enigmatic [ˌenɪɡˈmætɪk]
adj.神秘的; 费解的; 令人困惑的;
penetrating [ˈpenətreɪtɪŋ]
adj.锐利的; 犀利的; 尖利的; 响亮的; 尖厉的; 深刻的; 精辟的;
v.穿过; 进入; 渗透，打入(组织、团体等); 看透; 透过…看见;
critic= 评论家，批评家
argue about= 争辩，议论
arousing= 振奋人心的
thick eyebrows = bushy eyebrows = heavy eyebrows浓眉
inadvertently [ˌɪnədˈvɜːrtəntli] adv.无意地; 不经意地;
erase= 抹去，擦除
the Palace of Versailles= 凡尔赛宫
Napoleon [nə'pəuliən] Bonaparte['bəunəpa:t] = 拿破仑·波拿巴
Waterloo [ˌwɔːtərˈluː] 滑铁卢; 窝打老道; 沃特卢; 惨败; 大败北;
collection= 收藏品
Louvre ['lu:vər] = （法）卢浮宫
accomplice [ə'kɑ:mplɪs] = 同谋，共犯
reside= 住，居住；属于
Happiness does not reside in strength or money.（幸福不存在于力量或金钱之中。）
engage one's imaginations= 激发某人的想象力
译文：毫无疑问，蒙娜丽莎是世界上最容易辨认的艺术品之一。这幅画于16世纪，由列奥纳多·达·芬奇(Leonardo da Vinci)创作，至今仍吸引着众多被画中神秘女子所吸引的人。她那神秘的微笑和穿透人心的目光，仿佛她穿越了岁月，至今还活着。
评论家和艺术爱好者仍在争论她的身份。一种说法是，她摆姿势的方式表明她怀孕了。另一种理论认为，她那无毛发的脸上没有眉毛也睫毛，表明她是个Ji女。似乎在16世纪的意大利，从事世界上最古老职业的女性为了让自己更性感，都没有毛发。然而，有证据表明，画像中的女人曾经有过浓眉。也许是在清洗油画时无意中擦掉的。没有人知道确切的情况。
这幅画本身有一段有趣的历史。列奥纳多死后，这幅画到了他朋友弗朗索瓦国王的手里，然后又到了路易十五和凡尔赛宫那里。直到它完工300年后，它才被公认为是一幅杰作。有一段时间，拿破仑·波拿巴皇帝把它挂在卧室里。最终，当它被添加到巴黎卢浮宫的收藏中时，它找到了一个永久的安身之所。1911年，它被一名博物馆员工和两名同谋偷走。这次失窃使这幅画闻名于世。在第二次世界大战期间，它和许多重要的艺术品一样，被纳粹夺走并藏起来了。如今，这幅画就在卢浮宫，吸引了全新一代。无论她是谁，围绕着《蒙娜丽莎》的谜团一直激发着我们的想象力。
A Story of Friendship and Love
This is the story of a donkey named Jellybean and a goat named Mr.G. For ten years they lived together on a farm owned by a woman who loved animals but could barely care for herself. She had dozens of animals, but the living conditions for all of them were deplorable. Finally, an animal rescue organization came and took the animals away, relocating them to animal sanctuaries.
Throughout their years at the farm, Jellybean and Mr.G had been inseparable. Wherever the donkey was, the goat was never far away. For some reason, they had bonded, and nobody suspected how strong the bond had become.
When Jellybean was taken to a local animal rescue center, Mr.G was moved to a center far away. When he arrived, he refused to eat. Not only did he refuse to eat, but he refused to get up or move around. He spent his days lying in a corner of the barn, barely lifting his head. The staff at the center tried feeding him treats, including apples and sweets, but nothing worked.
As the days went by, he continued to weaken. The staff had to move him physically to ensure he didn't spend too long lying down. Worried that he was ill, they gave him a series of health examinations, but none showed anything wrong. Finally, they realized that he was depressed and mourning the loss of his best friend.
With his condition getting worse, drastic measures were required. A volunteer at the center offered to make the 14-hour round-trip journey to fetch Jellybean so the two could be reunited.
Once Jellybean arrived and the goat sensed his presence, he rose to his feet, breathed in deeply and rushed to his friend's side. Shortly after that, he began to eat, moving the entire staff to tears. Such a beautiful reunion was inspiring - an amazing testimonial to the depth of nonhuman emotions.
Since the video of the reunion was posted on the Internet, it has been viewed by millions. And from now on, the two friends will remain together.
译文：这是关于一头叫Jellybean的驴子和一只叫Mr.G的山羊的故事。他们一起在一个农场里生活了十年，这个农场的主人是个爱动物却几乎不能照顾自己的女人。她养了几十只动物，但它们的生活条件都很糟糕。最后，一个动物救援组织过来并把这些动物带走了，将重新安置到动物保护区。
在农场的这些年里，Jellybean和Mr.G一直形影不离。不管驴子在哪里，山羊都不会走远。出于某种原因，他们建立了联系，没有人想到这种联系究竟有多强大。
当Jellybean被带到当地的动物救助中心时，Mr.G被转移到了很远的一个动物救助中心。当它到达时，他拒绝进食。他不仅拒绝进食，还拒绝起床或走动。它整天躺在牲口棚的角落里，几乎没有抬起过头。动物救助中心的工作人员试图给他吃东西，包括苹果和糖果，但都不起作用。
日子一天天过去，它继续虚弱下去。工作人员不得不把它的身体移动，以确保他不会花太长时间躺着。由于担心它生病，他们给它做了一系列的健康检查，但没有发现什么不对劲。最后，他们意识到它很沮丧，并且为失去最好的朋友感到悲痛。
随着病情的恶化，需要采取有力的措施。该救助中心的一名志愿者提出要进行14小时的往返旅行去接Jellybean，为的是让它俩能够重聚。
Jellybean一到，山羊就觉知到了他的存在，它站起身来，深深地吸了一口气，冲向它的朋友。此后不久，他开始吃东西，感动得所有的员工都哭了。如此美妙的重逢令人振奋——这是对非人类情感深度的惊人见证。
自从这次重聚的视频上传到网上后，已经有数百万人观看了。今后，这两个朋友依然会待在一起。
donkey= 驴子
goat= 山羊
barely= 几乎不
dozens of= 几十
deplorable= 凄惨的
sanctuary = shelter= 避难所
inseparable= 不可分割的，不能分离的
bond= 结合，联系，纽带
suspect= 怀疑，猜想
barn= 牲口棚
staff= 员工
feed sb. treats= 为某人吃东西
health examination= 体检，健康检查
mourn= 哀悼，忧伤
drastic measures = 有力措施
fetch= 接来
reunited= 重聚
testimonial= 证明书；推荐书
reunion= 重聚，重逢
post= (在互联网上)发帖子
remain= 保持，依然
from now on= 从此以后，今后，从现在开始