大學(xué)英語(yǔ)綜合教程第三冊(cè)聽(tīng)力材料

1、第三冊(cè)英語(yǔ)聽(tīng)力材料Unit 1 AWhile some visitors to Singapore expect a high-tech city, there are also some parts of the island that still reflect how it used to look before urban development took over.In one of the main Central Nature Reserves, monkeys still roam freely, living side by side with humans. The mac

2、aques have grown accustomed to being fed, so they look to humans as a source of food. But this in itself is problematic. As the monkeys depend more on humans for food, they venture further from their natural habitat, a phenomenon that has worried experts.There is just not enough space. Essentially,

3、in much of Southeast Asia weve seen a lot of habitat loss where rainforest has been destroyed and converted into human settlement. Singapore is a very urbanized city, and its taken a lot of space, so there is not much space left for long-tailed macaques. We really need to stop encroaching into natur

4、e reserves. We need to stop building the houses so nearby the reserves, which then causes the problem of the macaques coming into peoples houses and raiding them. These macaques are French species so they live on the edges of the rainforests.If humans keep building the houses so near the reserves, t

5、here will definitely be a constant human-macaque conflict issue.After all, the macaques are essential to maintaining the rainforests ecosystem. More should be done to protect them.Unit 1 BDuring the whole years promotion, a series of activities will be held to promote public awareness in protecting

6、biodiversity like summit forums and biodiversity knowledge competitions. Also, the government will conduct supervision to fight illegal hunting and other related conduct in nature reserves nationwide.Wan Bentai, general engineer at the Ministry of Environmental Protection says biodiversity is vital

7、to human life. The Earth is colorful just because of biodiversity. If all the species were gone and there were only us humans left, humans wouldnt be able to survive.Biodiversity not only refers to all the species, including animals, plants and insects but also the genes and our living environment.

8、However, dozens of species are disappearing on our planet everyday. Currently, 34,000 plants and 5,200 animals are on the edge of extinction.Scientists say many species extinction is attributed to human activities. Many animals are endangered because of human activities like hunting and fishing. But

9、 many animals have a close connection with humans, so we should treat them as friends. Besides, many plants make great contributions to human life, some of which are even more precious than gold.In recent years, the number of animal and plant species has declined sharply in China due to various reas

10、ons. We need policies which protect biodiversity. And we have to find programs which can encourage and provide incentives for people not to cut down the forest, nor to destroy the habitat of rare birds, nor fisheries. We have to do many things.Unit 2 AWhen it comes to intelligence, there has always

11、been one fundamental question: Is intelligence a function of nature? Is it simply encoded in a childs genes? Or is it a function of nurture? Is it more about the environment that a child grows up in? On the one hand, if we take two people at random from the crowd, it is very likely that their degree

12、s of intelligence will be completely different. However, if we take two identical twins, chances are that they will be as intelligent as each other. Therefore, a conclusion can be drawn that intelligence is to some extent something we are born with. On the other hand, though, if we put identical twi

13、ns in different environments, we would find differences in their intelligence several years later, which indicates that environment does play a crucial role in peoples intelligence. Recently, data has clearly indicated that nurture is indeed more than 50% of the equation. That is good news for educa

14、tors, but even better news for society as a whole.Fortunately, President Obama has come out in strong support of early childhood education, particularly for those children most at risk of school failure. Investing in quality pre-school opportunities clearly helps give children from poverty-stricken

15、areas the chance at a stronger start in school and in life.If we are serious about helping our children succeed in school, if we are truly interested in “Leaving No Child Behind,” we will take a hard look at this compelling data and begin investing greater sums at the early childhood level.Unit 2 BA

16、lbert Einstein was a German-born physicist, although most people probably know him as the most intelligent person who ever lived. His name has become part of many languages when we want to say someone is a genius, as in the phrase, “Shes a real Einstein”. He must have been pretty brainy to discover

17、the Theory of Relativity and the equation E=MC2. In 1999, Time Magazine named Einstein as the Person of the Century. No one could have guessed this would happen when he was in school. He was extremely interested in science but hated the system of learning things by rote memory. He said it destroyed

18、learning and creativity. He had already done many experiments but failed the entrance exams to a technical college. He didnt let this setback stop him. When he was 16, he performed his famous experiment of imagining traveling alongside a beam of light. He eventually graduated from university, in 190

19、0, with a degree in physics.Twelve years later he was a university professor and in 1921, he won the Nobel Prize forPhysics. He went on to publish over 300 scientific papers. Einstein is the only scientist to become a cult figure, a household name and part of everyday culture. He once joked that whe

20、n people stopped him in the street, he always replied, “Pardon me, sorry! Always I am mistaken for Professor Einstein.” Today, he is seen as the typical mad, absent-minded professor, who just happened to change our world.Unit 3 ATo imagine life in the future, you have to know what might be possible.

21、 You also need a lot of imagination. There have been many exhibits, such as those at Worlds Fairs and theme parks, showing how future homes might look and work, sponsored by builders, developers or technology companies. Science fiction is another way to predict the future. Its a kind of writing that

22、 blends real science with fantasy. Over the years, science fiction writers, artists and engineers have had many ideas about what life would be like in the future. Heres a look at what some of the leading scientists are working on today to bring into your homes tomorrow.On the outside a home might lo

23、ok like any other. But inside, it can be high-tech all the way! Computer scientists have found new ways to use technology to make peoples lives easier. For instance, sensors can show if someone is in your home and where they are at all times. You can check in from any computer anywhere. The stuff of

24、 cutting-edge scientific research today is tomorrows household technology, and high-tech consumer products could be available in your future home!Unit 3 BWhat if we could wear bodysuits to give us super strength? Own an identical robot twin to work for us? What if we could travel through time? Techn

25、ology is pushing from every direction, getting faster with each passing second. Prepare yourself! The future is closer than you think.A robot conducting a symphony orchestra! Amazing as that is, its just one way reality is outpacing science fiction. Every day robots become even more sophisticated, t

26、aking on additional human traits. Until now, robots have mostly gotten the toughest jobs. They work at the assembly line and defuse or even detonate explosive devices.The traditional tasks for a robot have always been the 3-Ds: dull, dirty, dangerous. But as technology improves and as researchers ar

27、e working towards developing these intelligent humanoids, we are going to see our homes and offices occupied by robots. It makes sense that if you are going to build a general-purpose robot that can perform any task that a human can do, youd like to give it a human shape. It can walk gracefully. His

28、 creators study motion-capture video of both humans and animals. I believe that humanoid technologies will improve our lives in the 21st century.Unit 4 AA leading US scientist has predicted that computers will be as intelligent as humans by 2029. Futurologist Dr Ray Kurzweil told the American Associ

29、ation for the Advancement of Science that in the near future, machine intelligence will overtake the power of the human brain. He said that within two decades computers will be able to think quicker than humans. Dr Kurzweil painted a picture of us having tiny robots called nanobots implanted in our

30、brain to boost our intelligence and health. He told reporters that these microscopic nanobots would work with our brains to make us think faster and give us more powerful memories. Kurzweil explained that we are already “a human machine civilization” and that the upcoming technology “will be a furth

31、er extension of that.”Dr Kurzweil was one of 18 top intellectuals asked by the US National Academy of Engineering to identify our greatest technological challenges. Other experts included Google founder Larry Page and the human genome pioneer Dr Craig Venter. Kurzweil has a very impressive backgroun

32、d in science and innovation. He was an innovator in various fields of computing, including the technology behind CDs. He also pioneered automatic speech recognition by machines. He predicts the pace of new inventions will increase greatly from now, saying: “ the next half century will see 32 times m

33、ore technical progress than the past half century.” This means scenes from science fiction movies, like Blade Runner, The Terminator and I, Robot, will become more and more a part of our everyday lives.Unit 4 BThe scientists who launched the Human Genome Project believed in the power of genetic info

34、rmation to transform health care to allow earlier diagnosis of diseases than ever before and to fuel the creation of powerful new medicines.But it was also clear that genetic information could potentially be used in ways that are hurtful or unfair for example denying health insurance because of an i

35、ncreased risk for developing a particular disease.Aware of the danger and hoping to ward it off, the founders of the Human Genome Project created a program to explore the ethical, legal, and social implications of new genetic knowledge. The goal was to anticipate problems that might arise and to pro

36、mpt solutions.For example, in the future, doctors will likely be able to give each of us a “genetic report card” that will spell out our risk of developing a variety of different diseases. But will we really want that information? How will it be used? Who will have access to our genetic information?

37、 How will it affect our lives, our families, and our communities?The challenge of addressing these issues is not reserved for scientists. We all have a stake in making sure that everyone will benefit from genetic research and no one is harmed.Unit 5 A “Art does not solve problems, but makes us aware

38、 of their existence,” sculptor Magdalena Abakanowicz has said. Arts education, on the other hand, does solve problems. Years of research show that its closely linked to almost everything that we as a nation say we want for our children and demand from our schools: academic achievement, social and em

39、otional development, civic engagement, and equal opportunity. Involvement in the arts is associated with gains in math, reading, cognitive ability, critical thinking, and verbal skill. Arts learning can also improve motivation, concentration, confidence, and teamwork. A 2005 report by the Rand Corpo

40、ration about the visual arts argues that the intrinsic pleasures and stimulation of the art experience do more than sweeten an individuals life according to the report, they “can connect people more deeply to the world and open them to new ways of seeing,” creating the foundation to forge social bon

41、ds and community cohesion. Comprehensive, innovative arts initiatives are taking root in a growing number of school districts. Many of these models are based on new findings in brain research and cognitive development, and they embrace a variety of approaches: using the arts as a learning tool, inco

42、rporating arts into other core classes and creating a school environment rich in arts and culture. “When you think about the purposes of education, there are three,” an educator says. “Were preparing kids for jobs. Were preparing them to be citizens. And were teaching them to be human beings who can

43、 enjoy the deeper forms of beauty. The third is as important as the other two.”Unit 5 BThe arts are windows of the world in the same way that science helps us see the world around us.Literature, music, theater, the visual arts, the media, architecture, and dance reveal aspects about ourselves, the w

44、orld around us, and the relationship between the two. In 1937, German planes flying for Franco in the Spanish civil war bombed a defenseless village as a laboratory experiment, killing many of the inhabitants. In Guernica, Pablo Picasso painted his outrage in the form of a vicious bull surveying a s

45、cene of human beings screaming, suffering, and dying. These powerful images mark in our minds the horror of a senseless act of war.Today, one major goal of education has become very practical: employability. Children should know how to read, write, and compute so that they can assume a place in the

46、work force. Few would argue with that. But this objective should not allow us to overlook the importance of the arts and what they can do for the mind and spirit of every child and the function of schooling.Educational administrators need to be reminded that schools have a fundamental responsibility

47、 to provide the fuel that will ignite the mind, spark the aspirations, and illuminate the human spirit. The arts can often serve as that fuel. They are the ways we apply our imagination, thought, and feeling through a range of “l(fā)anguages” to illuminate life in all its mysteries, miseries, delights,

48、pities, and wonders.Unit 6 AA solution may be at hand for holidaymakers who are finding it harder to get off the beaten track. For those who really want to get away from it all, a new holiday destination has sprung up Antarctica. However, this new hotspot, or freezing zone, might only be for those w

49、ith the deepest pockets if a new policy gets under way. Tourism on Antarctica has been increasing dramatically in the past twenty years, from a few thousand people in 1985 to more than 40,000 in 2007. The growing numbers are having a negative effect on the pristine environment of the South Pole. To

50、combat this, researchers from Hollands Maastricht University have come up with a possible solution: limit the number of tourists allowed to visit and auction the vacations to the highest bidders. Many environmental protection agencies agree that there is a need to protect the frozen wilderness from

51、the damage created by modern tourism. Antarctica is the last unspoiled place on Earth. It has a very delicate ecosystem that could be easily upset by hordes of tourists landing in airplanes and using skimobiles. A difficulty exists because Antarctica is not a country and therefore has no government

52、to pass laws or guidelines to control the number of visitors. The Maastricht University teams proposal to auction off a fixed number of tourist places seems a workable solution. It would limit the number of visitors and therefore contain the amount of environmental damage, and the money would be use

53、d to protect Antarcticas future.Unit 6 BTraveling to World Heritage sites is rewarding! It is about exploring unique environments, engaging with cultural splendours, experiencing a different way of life and building lasting memories. The following are some great travel tips that can enhance your tri

54、p and benefit the World Heritage sites you visit. Here are the tips:Before traveling, first find out as much as possible. The more you know about a World Heritage site before arriving, the more the site will come alive. Second, pack light. It is tempting to pack everything you think you might need,

55、but remember to be smart about your necessities. Packaging items like the paper box of your film or the plastic wrapping of your new toothbrush simply consumes space in your bag and can create excess trash for the World Heritage site. Finally, explore transportation options. Traveling affects the en

56、vironment. Wherever possible, try to minimize your pollution and impact on the environment by looking to alternative transportation and off-setting your carbon emissions.During your traveling, tread lightly and respect the natural environment. These destinations are World Heritage sites because of t

57、heir exceptional natural or cultural splendour. Do your part to keep them that way by following designated trails, respecting caretakers and not removing archaeological or biological treasures from sites. Besides, while it is important to support local economies, certain tourist activities and souve

58、nirs can damage a fragile World Heritage site. Say “no” to souvenirs that are a piece of the site itself and to tourist activities that may be harmful to a sites longevity.Unit 7 AAnyone who has experienced it knows all too well video game addiction is real. Although gaming addiction is not yet offi

59、cially recognized as a disorder by the American Medical Association, there is increasing evidence that people of all ages, especially teens and pre-teens, are facing very real, sometimes severe consequences associated with compulsive use of video and computer games. Video games are becoming increasingly complex, detailed and compelling to a growing international audience of players. With better graphics, more rea