【大学英语视听说上】Mid-term Test 2

Section A

【短篇新闻1】

You probably think college students are experts at sleeping, but parties, preparations for tests, personal problems and general stress can rack a student's sleep habits, which can be bad for the body and the mind. Texas Tech University is even offering a class called Improving Your Sleep Problems and Car Crashes. Students who don't get enough sleep have poorer attendance and lower grades. On top of all that, a new study published in the journal Learning and Memory finds you are probably better off sleeping than making last-minute preparations for a test. Two hundred college kids were taught to play some unfamiliar video games. Subjects who learned the games in the morning lost some skills when they played again 12 hours later, but they did much better after getting a good night's sleep. So if you really want to do your job well, don't forget to get some sleep.

【1】What is the news report mainly about?

【2】What is the finding of the new study published in the journal Learning and Memory?

【短篇新闻2】

Big fast food chains in New York City have started to obey a first of its kind rule, requiring them to post calorie counts right on the menu. Cathy Nunez is with the New York City Department of Health, “We wanted to give people an opportunity to actually see the calories before they purchase the food and make a decision and inform a decision that if they want to make the healthier choice, if they want to eat fewer calories, they can. And we expect this will have a huge impact on obesity. And of course, if it has an impact on obesity, it will have an impact on diabetes and heart disease and high blood pressure.” The new rules were introduced as part of an anti-obesity campaign that also includes a recent citywide ban on artificial trans-fats in restaurant food. The menu rule only applies to restaurants that serve standardized portion sizes and have 50 or more locations nationwide. Starting last Saturday, chains big enough to fall under the rule will face penalties of up to 2000 dollars for not showing calorie information in a prominent spot on their menus preferably next to the price.

【3】What are big fast food chains in New York City required to do according to the new rule?

【4】What will happen to big restaurant chains that violate the new rule? 

【短篇新闻3】

Under the law in Massachusetts, tobacco companies have to measure the nicotine content of every type of cigarette and report the results. The Department of Public Health in Boston gathers and carefully examines the figures and then draws its conclusions. A hundred and sixteen brands were looked at for this study. Ninety-two were found to have higher nicotine yields than they did six years previously. The biggest increases tended to be in brands that were popular with young smokers. That worries the department because of the addictive nature of nicotine. Stand Glance, a professor of medicine in San Francisco explains why. “The amount of nicotine that's delivered in every cigarette is 10% higher than it was six years ago, which means that it is easier to get hooked and harder to quit. The big tobacco companies have always insisted that they are frank with their customers about the dangers of smoking and provide them with enough detail to make an informed decision. However, none of them were prepared to comment on this study or discuss the detailed nicotine content of their products.”

【5】What do tobacco companies do under the law?

【6】What do we learn from the study by the Department of Public Health in Boston?

【7】What do we learn from the news report about big tobacco companies? 

Section B

【短对话】

【8】

W: I’ll go to the picnic straight from school, so I’ll have to bring a change of clothes with me.

M: It’s only a picnic. Jeans and a T-shirt will be fine. Actually, you look cool in them!

Q: What does the man imply?

【9】

M: I heard you walk a long way to work every day. Are you trying to keep fit?

W: Well, it’s a lot more than exercise. You know, the earth is getting polluted, so everyone has a share to prevent pollution and do their bit for the environment. This is what I’m doing.

Q: What is the main purpose for the woman to walk to work every day?

【10】

M: My life feels so empty. I have a good job with a good salary and a nice family, but it doesn’t make me as happy as it did in the old days.

W: I think you’ve come to discover that happiness is not just a matter of having a good job.

Q: According to the woman, why isn’t the man happy?

【11】

W: Do you think Bill stands a chance of winning the game?

M: Well, Bill has the ability to beat the top players. What counts most is his attitude.

Q: What does the man say about Bill?

【12】

M: I hear some people are trying to lose weight by eating some fat. Isn’t it incredible?

W: Well, seeing is believing. My sister tried it and it worked. I would have never believed it but for somebody else had told me that.

Q: What does the woman say about losing weight by eating some fat?

【13】

M: I know English is your favorite subject, but you are now majoring in business. Was that your own choice?

W: Yes. Although I’m not so good at business, I chose it because I thought it would make my parents happy.

Q: Why did the woman choose business as her major?

【14】

M: Scientists have shown us how the oceans are rising and how the earth is getting warmer and warmer.

W: I’ve heard that some politicians don’t believe the scientists! How stupid! Why would they think the scientists are lying?

Q: What does the woman think of the scientists?

【15】

W: It’s so exciting that I’m graduating from college next month. I feel all my dreams are about to come true. Or maybe none of them!

M: What are you talking about? Don’t you know that people with engineering knowledge are badly in need today?

Q: What does the man mean?

【长对话1】

W: Hi, Eric, how was your weekend?
M: Great! I met Maria’s parents. And we told them we want to be engaged.
W: Eric, that’s wonderful. Congratulations!
M: Thanks, Alice. I really like her parents too. They’re very nice. Mrs. Carmona speaks four languages, and Mr. Carmona is a diplomat. In fact, he gave a speech at the law school on Saturday morning.
W: Oh, that was Maria’s father? I heard his speech.
M: You did?
W: Well, I heard part of it. I listened to it for ten minutes and then I fell asleep. I thought I was in class. Anyway, tell me about your weekend.
M: Saturday evening we saw a play. And Sunday afternoon, we watched a soccer game. Then Sunday night we all went out for dinner, Maria, her parents and me. That was the first chance we had to talk.
W: Were you nervous?
M: At first I was. We didn’t say much. Mr. Carmona told us some good stories about his experiences as a diplomat. And he asked me about my hobbies.
W: And what did you say?
M: Well, I didn’t tell him about my flying lessons. I told him about my chess playing and my classical music collection.
W: Good idea. Her parents really approve of you, don’t they?
M: I guess so. Maria called this morning and said: “My father told me he’d like you for a son-in-law right now.”
W: That’s great.
M: Not exactly, I want to get married after graduate school in about three years.

【16】What does Eric say about Maria’s father? 

【17】What did Eric and Maria do last Sunday afternoon? 

【18】What do we learn from Maria’s phone call this morning?

【长对话2】

W: Okay, Nelson. So we are talking about driving and are there any rules or regulations that you like to change?
 
M: I'm not sure I want to change rules, but I'd like the police to be stricter on the rules. Like if people jump traffic lights, I don't know why there isn't a camera of the traffic lights to stop people doing that. Or like speeding. It's very easy to put speed cameras in certain places.
 
W: Maybe car manufacturers should have some responsibility in limiting the power of their engines. What's the point in producing an engine that is big and powerful enough to go, like 200km/h when the speed limit is only 100?
 
M: Right, but do you know there are no speed limits in Germany?
 
W: People there do drive responsibly, though. Often people break laws simply because the laws are there. If the law isn't there, people will drive within their ability range. When you got speed limits, this creates situations that actually present dangers on the road.
 
M: Do you think Germans have better education about personal responsibility when driving?
 
W: Possibly. They also have very good cars.
 
M: Right.
 
W: If you got a good car that can go at a high speed then it's really nice to do that.
 
M: But still, with care.
 
W: So I think it's the restrictions that create the dangers sometimes.
 
M: Okay.
 
W: Obviously, when driving through a residential area or where there is a school, you've got to have speed policemen.
 
M: Speed bumps.
 
W: Yes, speed bumps. Those speed bumps that force you to slow down. I think they are a good idea.
 
M: So you don't think fining people is useful.
 
W: Not really, because the police don't have time to police every single driver.

【19】What did the speakers mainly talk about? 

【20】What does the woman think the car manufacturers should do?

【21】What can we learn about people driving in Germany?

【22】What does the woman think of the police fining drivers?

Section C

【短文理解1】

Jody Harbert is a diet and nutrition expert who travels around the State to speak in middle and high schools. She primarily speaks to students in health classes, but sometimes the school will arrange for her to speak to several different groups of girls. Her biggest concern is the emphasis American culture places on thinness and the negative ways this affects girls today. Jody has a Ph.D. in nutrition, but more important, she has personal experience. Her mother talked her to diet when she was only eight years old. Jody has created several different presentations which she gives to different types of audiences, and she tries to establish an emotional connection with the students so that they will feel comfortable asking questions or talking to her privately. She shows them pictures and images from popular culture of beautiful women and explains how computers are used to make the women look even thinner and more beautiful than they are in real life. She describes how the definition of beauty has changed over the years and even from culture to culture. She then talks about health issues and the physical damage that can occur as a result of dieting. Finally, she addresses self-respect and the notion that a person's sense of beauty must include more than how much a person weighs. Sometimes, Jody feels that she succeeds in persuading some students to stop dieting. Other times, she feels that she fails.

【23】Who does Jody Harbert primarily speak to?

【24】What is Jody Harbert’s biggest concern about American culture?

【25】 Why does Jody Harbert show pictures of beautiful women to her audiences? 

【26】 What is Jody Harbert’s main purpose in giving her speeches?

【短文理解2】

It is usually agreed that a German, Karl Benz, built the first motor car in 1885. It was actually a tricycle with a petrol motor at the rear. Soon, members of the royal family and other wealthy people took up motoring as a sport. Many of the early cars had 2 seats. There were no petrol pumps and few garages, so every driver had to be his own engineer for the frequent breakdowns.
　
By 1905, cars began to look like cars of today, with head lamps, wind screen, rubble tyres and number plates. Henry Ford’s Model T introduced in America in 1909 was cheaper because it was made on the assembly line. It brought cars closer towards the reach of ordinary people. With the popularity of the car, registration became a must in 1903 with the motor car act. Competency tests were introduced in 1935.
 
Today, the legal driving age for a car in the UK is 17. You are not allowed to drive a car unsupervised until you have passed a driving test. In 1958, Britain celebrated the opening of its first motor way—the Preston Bypass. Until then, no one really understood what a motor way was, not even the laborers who were building it. The bypass held a new era in motor travel and was greeted with excitement and optimism. Service stations came with the motor way and the legend of the transport cafe was born. Of course, the service station has diversified greatly. But whether it’s an English-cooked breakfast or a coffee and a sandwich, one thing has remained the same: the prices.

【27】What does the speaker say about the first motor car?

【28】What was the problem with the early cars in Britain?

【29】 Why did Henry Ford’s Model T cars cost less?

【30】 What do we learn about the Preston Bypass?

Section D

【复合式听写】

Worldwide tiger populations were reduced in the 19th and 20th centuries and continue to decline in the 21st century. This is largely due to habitat (栖息地) loss and illegal hunting. Tiger habitat has been reduced to seven percent of the original land. The tiger population once in the hundreds of thousands is now only estimated to be approximately 3,500. 

Not long ago, India just released the findings of their latest tiger census (官方统计). The last census was performed in 2007 and revealed that India had 1,411 tigers. The census before was carried out in 2002 and showed a population of 3,600. This year’s census is considered more accurate compared to 2007’s and it shows that 1,706 tigers are currently living in India. 

The rise in numbers is the result of sustained efforts of the Indian people over the past several years. However, although India succeeds in increasing the tiger numbers, the current population is shocking when compared to past figures. More than 100,000 tigers once called India home, but now there are only 1,706 according to the census. Although India does continue to have the top tiger population in the world, it is disturbing to think that it has been reduced to 11 percent of its original size. Hunting and conflicts with farmers continue to be major obstacles in the country for tigers in addition to habitat damage. 

31.答案：illegal

32.答案：approximately

33.答案：released

34.答案：revealed

35.答案：was carried out

36.答案：accurate

37.答案：sustained efforts

38.答案：succeeds in

39.答案：disturbing

40.答案：obstacles