L4-U3-P2-1 Listening: Story of lang lang 1郎朗的故事
Lang Lang is one of the world’s greatest concert pianists. 郎朗是世界上最伟的大音乐会钢琴家之一。
His first contact with Western music was when he was just two years old. 他第一次接触西方音乐是在他两岁的时候。
He watched a cartoon in which a cat played a famous piece by Franz Liszt. 他看了一部卡通片，里面有一只猫演奏了弗朗兹·李斯特的一首名曲。
From this experience, he decided he wanted to learn to play the piano. 从这次经历中，他决定要学弹钢琴。
When he was 3 and a half years old, he started piano lessons. 他3岁半时开始上钢琴课。
Two years later, he won first place in a piano completion. 两年后，他在钢琴比赛中获得了第一名。
This early success gave his father high hopes that Lang
Lang would become a great pianist. 郎朗早年的成功让他的父亲寄予厚望，希望他将来能成为一名伟大的钢琴家。
When Lang Lang was 9 years old, his father quit his job and took him to Beijing. 郎朗9岁时，父亲辞去工作，带他来到北京。
They left everything behind including his mother who had to work. 他们把一切都抛在脑后，包括他不得不工作的母亲。
Lang Lang didn’t want to leave her behind, but his father insisted. 朗朗不想离开她，但他的父亲坚持。
His father wanted him to study at the famous Central Conservatory of Music. 他的父亲希望他去著名的中央音乐学院学习。
When they moved to Beijing, they rented a flat in a poor area of the city. 当他们搬到北京时，他们在城市的贫民区租了一套公寓。
During this time, Lang Lang practiced for several hours a day. 在这段时间里，郎朗每天练习几个小时。
He started practicing at 5 o’clock, which upset his neighbors. 他5点钟就开始练习，这让他的邻居很不高兴。
They would often pound on his door and ask him to stop practicing. 他们经常敲他的门，让他停止练习。
They were so angry that he often feared that they would beat him up. 他们非常生气，他经常担心他们会打他。
L4-U3-P2-2 Listening: Story of lang lang 2
Lang Lang usually had piano lessons once a week to prepare for the conservatory. 郎朗通常每周上一次钢琴课，为音乐学院做准备。
（His lessons were to prepare for entrance into the Conservatory. 他的课是为进入音乐学院做准备。）
Nearly 2000 students were applying for just 12 places at the conservatory. 近2000名学生申请了音乐学院的12个名额。
His lessons were expensive and very difficult especially because of his piano teacher. 他的课很贵，也很困难，特别是因为他的钢琴老师。
His music teacher didn’t like Lang Lang. 他的音乐老师不喜欢郎朗。
He called his teacher “professor angry” because she always gave him a hard time. 他称他的老师为“愤怒的教授”，因为她总是让他难受。
One afternoon his teacher told him he had no talent and told him to go home. 一天下午，他的老师告诉他没有天分，让他回家。
Upon hearing the news, his father screamed and seemed to lose his mind. 听到这个消息，他的父亲尖叫起来，好像失去了理智。
His father told him that everything was destroyed and there was no reason to live. 他的父亲告诉他，一切都毁了，没有理由再活下去了。
He ordered Lang Lang to jump off the 11th floor balcony. 他命令郎朗从11楼阳台跳下去。
After this, Lang Lang almost went crazy. 在这之后，郎朗几乎疯了。
He didn’t want to play the piano anymore. 他不想再弹钢琴了。
For several months, he neither played the piano nor spoke to his father. 有好几个月，他既不弹钢琴也不跟父亲说话。
Then some friends encouraged him to play a piece for them and he realized his great love of the piano. 然后一些朋友鼓励他为他们演奏一首曲子，他意识到他对钢琴的热爱。
For the next 19 months, he practiced hard and his father encouraged him. 在接下来的19个月里，他刻苦训练，他的父亲鼓励他。
Finally, when he was 10, he was accepted into the conservatory with a full scholarship. 最后，在他10岁的时候，他被音乐学院录取，获得了全额奖学金。
In 1995, when he was 13 years old, he played music by Chopin in the Beijing Concert Hall. 1995年，13岁的他在北京音乐厅演奏肖邦的音乐。
In that same year, he won first place in an international completion for young musicians in Japan. 同年，他在日本举办的国际青年音乐家大赛中获得第一名。
When he was 15， he moved to the United States and began studies with a famous pianist at the Curtis Institute. 15岁时，他搬到美国，在柯蒂斯学院(Curtis Institute)跟一位著名的钢琴家学习。
Since then his career has grown and he has become a major star. 从那时起，他的事业不断发展，成为了一名大明星。
One American music critic called him “the biggest，most exciting keyboard talent I have encountered in many a year of attending piano recitals.” 一位美国音乐评论家称他是“多年来参加钢琴演奏会时，我见过的最大、最令人兴奋的键盘天才。”
In 2010, Lang Lang signed a recording contract for several million dollars. 2010年，郎朗以几百万美元的价格签了一份唱片合同。
In 2011, he performed at the white house for president Obama of the United States and Hu Jintao of China. 2011年在白宫为美国总统奥巴马和中国国家主席胡锦涛演出。
With all of his success and fame, Lang Lang tries to encourage others. 凭借所有这些成功和名声，郎朗试图鼓励其他人。
He uses his fame to spread the popularity of the classical music and encourage the young musicians. 他利用自己的名声传播古典音乐的普及，并鼓励年轻的音乐家。
And in the end ,Lang Lang and his father have rebuilt their relationship. 最终，郎朗和他的父亲重建了他们的关系。
In his autobiography, Mr Lang dedicated the book to his mother and father. 在他的自传中，郎先生把这本书献给了他的父母。
L4-U3-P2-3 Vocabulary: Business and Economics商业与经济学
A person’s debt is how much he or she owes to others. 一个人的债务是指他或她欠别人多少。
Debt can be in the form of money, products, or services owed to someone else. 债务可以是欠别人的钱、产品或服务。
If you borrow money, you were taking on new debt. 如果你借钱，你就会背上新的债务。
(When you use a credit card, you are taking on debt. 当你使用信用卡时，你是在负债。)
(If you buy a house and get a loan, the amount you owe on your loan is part of your debt.如果你贷款买了房子，你所欠的贷款额就是你债务的一部分。)
An asset is something that has value, such as money, property or even a nice personality. 资产是有价值的东西，比如金钱、财产甚至是好的名气。
Assets can be used to pay off debts. 资产可以用来偿还债务。
Specialize knowledge or skills are also assets that can be used to get a job or earn money. 专业知识或技能也是可以用来找工作或赚钱的资产。
Real estate is property such as land, houses and buildings.不动产是土地、房屋和建筑物等财产。
Buying, selling or renting property is a business of real estate. 购买、出售或租赁房产是一项房地产业务。
Buying and selling real estate is a popular form of investment. 买卖房地产是一种流行的投资形式。
Inventory is a detailed list of items in one’s possession. 存货清单是一个人所拥有物品的详细清单。
In business, one’s inventory is the supply of items that are ready for sale. 在商业中，一个人的存货是准备出售的物品的供应。
If a store runs out of things to sale, it needs to resupply its inventory. 如果一个商店卖完了所有的东西，它就需要补充库存。
An investment is a purchase of an asset with the hope that its value will increase. 投资是购买一项资产，希望它的价值会增加。
A good investment will produce income, such as rental income. 好的投资会产生收益，比如租金收入。
If the value of an asset falls, the investment will lose money. 如果资产价值下跌，投资就会赔钱。
To take inventory means to make a detailed list of the items that you have. 盘点是指列出你所拥有的物品的详细清单。
When you sell an asset at a higher price than what you paid for it, you have made a profit. 当你以高于买入格出售资产时，你已经获利了。
L4-U3-P2-3 Countries and Continents国家和大陆
China is the third-largest country in the world by land area. 中国是世界上陆地面积第三大的国家。
South Asia is referred to as the India subcontinent. 南亚被称为印度次大陆。
(Forty percent of the world’s poor live here.世界上40%的穷人住在这里。)
It’s called a subcontinent because it’s separated from the rest of Asia by mountains and seas. 它被称为次大陆，因为它被山脉和海洋与亚洲其他地区分开。
It is one of the world’s poorest regions with about 75% of the poor living in rural areas. 它是世界上最贫穷的地区之一，大约75%的穷人生活在农村地区。
Europe is the western neighbor of Asia. 欧洲是亚洲的西方邻国。
It is separated from Asia by the Ural Mountains which extend for 1500 miles and north-south direction for the Arctic Ocean. 它被绵延1500英里的乌拉尔山脉与亚洲分开，乌拉尔山脉向北冰洋的南北方向延伸。
(The traditional boundary line between them is the Ural mountain range. 它们之间的传统分界线是乌拉尔山脉。)
The Philippines is the only country in Asia with the majority of Christians. 菲律宾是亚洲唯一基督徒占多数的国家。
The Philippines is an island nation with over 7000 islands.菲律宾是一个拥有7000多个岛屿的岛国。
It’s located in the South China Sea. 它位于中国南海。
The country’s capital city is Manila. 国家的首都是马尼拉。
Asia is the world’s largest continent covering about 30% of the earth’s land area. 亚洲是世界上最大的大陆，约占地球陆地面积的30%。
Several island nations are also a part of Asia, including Japan. 几个岛国也是亚洲的一部分，包括日本。
The world’s tallest mountains are in Asia, including MT Everest. 世界上最高的山峰在亚洲，包括珠穆朗玛峰。
L4-U3-P2-5 Dialogue：Election & Voting选举和投票
W: Hey, have you decided how you’re going to vote? 嘿，你决定怎么投漂了吗？
M: No, I haven’t.没有。 I don’t like any of the candidates.我不喜欢任何一个候选人。
W: So you aren’t going to vote? 所以你不打算投漂？
M: Hmm, I don’t know, probably not. 嗯，我不知道，可能不会。
It seems like a waste of time.这似乎是浪费时间。
W: Really? 真的？Why do you think it’s a waste of time 你为什么认为这是浪费时间？
M: Have you listen to any of their speeches? 你听过他们的演讲吗？
W: Yes, I have. And I agree that their speeches aren’t very good. 听过，我同意他们的演讲不是很好。
M: Exactly. 就是这样。
I can’t believe anything they say.我不能相信他们说的任何话。
They are just saying what they think we want to hear. 他们只是在说他们认为我们想听的话。
W: Sure, they want to get elected. 当然，他们想当轩。
I have admitted that, the system isn’t perfect，but it’s all we have. 我承认，这个系统并不完美，但它是我们所拥有的一切。
M: Whether I vote or not won’t make a difference. 我是否投票并不重要。
It’s all a show. 都是作秀。
（It’s unlikely that he’s going to vote.）
W: Well, I think you should vote. 我觉得你应该投漂。
Do a little research about the candidates.对吼轩人做一点调查。
M: Have you? 你有吗?
W: Yes, I have. 是的。
I’ve looked into their backgrounds and education.我调查了他们的背景和教育。
M: How can that help? 这有什么帮助？
W: For example, if they know something about science, it could help the government make better decisions about issues such as climate change. 例如，如果他们对科学有所了解，就可以帮助政府在气候变化等问题上做出更好的决策。
M: Yes, that’s a good point. 是的，这是一个很好的观点。
We need well-educated people making decisions.我们需要受过良好教育的人来做决定。
W: And I looked to see what kind of people are supporting them. 我还想看看是什么样的人在支持他们。
M: What issues do you think are most important? 你认为什么问题最重要？
W: I guess for me, pollution, housing and taxes are important. 我想对我来说，污染、住房和税收很重要。
I want to know how the government plans to deal with these issues. 我想知道正负计划如何处理这些问题。
M: Yes, I agree with you.是的，我同意。
Maybe I will vote, especially if we can get together and talk more about it. 也许我会投票，尤其是如果我们能聚在一起，多谈谈。
M: What about dinner tomorrow night? 明晚吃晚饭怎么样？
W: Sorry I’m busy tomorrow night. 对不起，明晚我很忙。
M: Oh that’s too bad. 哦，太糟糕了。
Do you have any time in the next few days? 你这几天有空吗?
I’ll take you to a nice restaurant. 我带你去一家不错的餐馆。
W: Actually I’m quite busy. 实际上我很忙。
But I may have some time Sunday afternoon.但是星期天下午我可能有时间。
We could have lunch somewhere near the office. 我们可以在办公室附近吃午饭。
M: Sure that works for me. 我当然可以。
I’ll give you a call on Saturday and we can decide the details, ok? 我周六会给你打电话，我们可以确定细节，好吗?
W: OK I’ll be looking forward to seeing which candidates you support. 好的，我很期待看到你支持哪些吼轩人。