爱华网Short Conversations
11. W: Did you use credit cards on your vacation last month inEurope?
M: Sure did. They certainly beat going around with a wallet fullof big bills. But carrying lots of cash is still very common amongsome older people travelling abroad.
Q: What does the man say about some elderly people?
12. W: Rod must be in a bad mood today. What’s wrong withhim?
M: He was passed over in the selection process for the dean ofthe Administration’s Office. He’d been hoping for the position fora long time.
Q: What does the man mean?
13. M: What a great singer Justin is. His concert is just awesomeand you’ll never regret the money you paid for the ticket.
W: Yeah, judging by the amount of applause, everyone was enjoyingit.
Q: What does the woman mean?
14. W: I received an email yesterday from Henry. Do you rememberhe was one of the chairpersons of our Students’ Union?
M: Yes, but I haven’t heard from him for ages. Actually, I havebeen out of touch with him since our first reunion aftergraduation.
Q: What do we learn about the speakers?
15. M: Driving at night always makes me tired. Let’s stop for thedinner.
W: Fine, and let’s find a motel so that we can get an early starttomorrow.
Q: What will the speakers probably do?
16. W: Let’s look at the survey on consumer confidence weconducted last week. How reliable are these figures?
M: They have a five percent margin of error.
Q: What are the speakers talking about?
17. W: Look at this catalogue John. I think I want to get thisred blouse.
M: Eh. I think you already have one like this in blue. Do youneed every color in the rainbow?
Q: What does the man mean?
18. W: This notice says that all the introductory marketingclasses are closed.
M: That can’t be true. There are supposed to be thirteen of themthis semester.
Q: What does the man mean?
Long Conversation1
M: I see your new resume that you worked as a manager of storecalled Computer Country, could you tell me a little more about yourresponsibilities there?
W: Sure. I was responsible for overseeing about 30 employees. Idid all of the orderings for the store and I kept track of theinventory.
M: What was the most difficult part of your job?
W: Probably handling angry customers. We didn’t have them veryoften, but when we did, I need to make sure they were well takengood care of. After all, the customer is always right.
M: That’s how we feel here, too. How long did you workthere?
W: I was there for three and a half years. I left the companylast month.
M: And why did you leave?
W: My husband has been transferred to Boston and I understandthat your company has an opening there, too.
M: Yes, that’s right. We do. But the position won’t start untilearly next month. Would that be a problem for you?
W: No, not at all. My husband’s new job doesn’t begin for a fewweeks, so we thought we would spend some time driving to Boston andstop to see my parents.
M: That sounds nice. So, tell me, why are you interested in thisparticular position?
W: I know that your company has a great reputation and wonderfulproduct. I’ve thought many times that I would like to be a part ofit. When I heard about the opening in Boston, I jumped to theopportunity.
M: Well, I’m glad you did.
Questions 19 to 22 are based on the conversation you have justheard.
Q19: What was the woman’s previous job?
Q20: What does the woman say with the most difficult part of herjob?
Q21: Why is the woman looking for a job in Boston?
Q22: When can the woman start to work if she gets the job?
Long Conversation 2
W: Today, in this studio, we have Alberto Cuties, the well-knownBrazilian advocator of the anti-global movement. He’s here to talkabout the recent report stating that by 2050, Brazil will be one ofthe world’s wealthiest and most successful countries. Alberto, whatdo you say about this report?
M: You know this isn’t the first time that people are sayingBrazil will be a great economic power. The same thing was said over100 years ago, but it didn’t happen.
W: Yes, but you must admit the world’s a very different placenow.
M: Of course. In fact, I believe that there may be some truths inthe predictions this time around. First of all, though, we mustremember the problems facing Brazil at the moment.
W: Such as?
M: There’s an enormous gap between the rich and the poor in thiscountry. In San Paulo, you can see shopping malls full of designergoods right next door to the slum areas without proper water orelectricity supplies. A lot of work needs to be done to help peoplein those areas improve their lives.
W: What needs to be done?
M: Education, for example. For Brazil, to be successful, we needto offer education to all Brazilians. Successful countries, likeSouth Korea and Singapore have excellent education systems. Brazilneeds to learn from these countries.
W: So you’re hopeful for the future?
M: As I said earlier, I’m hopeful. This isn’t an easy job. Weneed to make sure that these important opportunities for Brazilaren’t wasted as they were in the past.
Questions 23 to 25 are based on the conversation you have justheard.
Q23: What does the recent report say about Brazil?
Q24: What problem does Alberto say Brazil faces now?
Q25: What does Alberto say about economically successfulcountries?
Section B Passages
Passage 1
Wilma Subra had no intention of becoming a public speaker. Aftergraduating from college with degrees in chemistry and microbiology,she went to work at Gulf South Research Institute in Louisiana. Aspart of her job, she conducted field research on toxic substancesin the environment - often in minority communities located nearlarge industrial polluters. She found many families were beingexposed to high, sometimes deadly levels of chemicals and othertoxic substances. But she was not allowed to make informationpublic. Frustrated by the restrictions, Subra left her job in 1981,created her own company, and has devoted the past two decades tohelping people fight back against giant industrial polluters. Sheworks with families and community groups to conduct environmentaltests, interpret test results, and organize for change. Because ofher efforts, dozens of toxic sites across the country have beencleaned up. And one chemical industry spokesperson calls her a topgun for the environmental movement. How has Subra achieved allthis? Partly through her scientific training, partly through hercommitment to environmental justice. But just as important is herability to communicate with people through public speaking. "Publicspeaking," she says, "is the primary vehicle I use for reachingpeople. If you had asked Subra before 1981: Do you see yourself asa major public speaker? She would have laughed at the idea. Yettoday, she gives more than 100 presentations a year. Along the wayshe’s lectured at Harvard, testified before the Congress andaddressed the audiences in 40 states, as well as in Mexico, Canadaand Japan.
No 26: What did Wilma Subra do as part of her job when working atGulf South Research Institute?
No 27: Why did Wilma Subra leave her job in 1981?
No 28: What results have Wilma Subra’s efforts had in the pasttwo decades?
No 29: What does the speaker say has contributed to Wilma Subra’ssuccess?
Passage 2
One of the biggest challenges facing employers and educatorstoday is the rapid advance of globalization. The marketplace is nolonger national or regional, but extends to all corners of theworld, and this requires a globalready workforce. Universitieshave a large part to play in preparing students for thetwenty-first century labor market by promoting internationaleducational experiences. The most obvious way universities can helpdevelop a global workforce is by encouraging students to studyabroad as part of their course. Students who have experiencedanother culture firsthand are more likely to be globalready whenthey graduate. Global workforce development doesn’t always have toinvolve travel abroad, however. If students learn another language,and study other cultures, they will be more globalready when theygraduate. It is important to point out that students also need tohave a deep understanding of their own culture before they canbegin to observe, analyze and uate other cultures. In multiculturalsocieties, people can study each other’s cultures to developintercultural competencies such as critical and reflectivethinking, and intellectual flexibility. This can be done boththrough the curriculum, and through activities on campus outside ofthe classroom such as art exhibitions and lectures frominternational experts. Many universities are already embracing thischallenge and providing opportunities for students to become globalcitizens. Students themselves, however, may not realize that whenthey graduate they will be competing in a global labor market, anduniversities need to raise awareness of these issues amongstundergraduates.
No 30: What is one of the biggest challenges facing employers andeducators today?
No 31: What should students do first before they can reallyunderstand other cultures?
No 32: What should college students realize according to thespeaker?
Passage 3
To see if hair color affects a person’s chances of getting a job,researchers at California State University asked 136 collegestudents to review the resume and photograph of a female applicantfor a job as an accountant. Each student was given the same resume.But the applicant’s picture was altered, so that in some photos herhair was golden, in some red and in some brown. The result? Withbrown hair, the woman was rated more capable, and she was offered ahigher salary than when she had golden or red hair. Other studieshave found similar results. Many respondents rate women with goldenhair as less intelligent than other people, and red heads as moretemperamental. Women with red or golden hair are victims of thecommon practice of stereotyping.
A stereotype is a simplistic or exaggerated image that humanscarrying in their minds about groups of people. For example,lawyers are shrewd and dishonest is a popular stereotype.Stereotyping can occur in public speaking classes. When trying tochoose a speech topic, some males think that women are uninterestedin how to repair cars, while some females think that men areuninterested in creative hobbies, such as knitting and needlepoint. We should reject stereotypes, because they force all peoplein a group into the same simple pattern. They fail to account forindividual differences, and the wide range of characteristics amongmembers of any group. Some lawyers are dishonest, yes! But many arenot. Some women are uninterested in repairing cars, yes! But someare enthusiastic mechanics.
Q33: What did researchers at California State Universityfind?
Q34: What is the popular stereotype of lawyers?
Q35: Why does the speaker say we should reject stereotypes?
Section C Compound Dictation
The ancient Greeks developed basic memory systems called“Numonyx”. The name is derived from their Goddess of memory“Mnemosyne”. In the ancient world, a trained memory was an immenseasset, particularly in public life. There were no convenientdevices for taking notes and early Greek orators delivered longspeeches with great accuracy because they learned their speechesusing Numonyx systems. The Greeks discovered that human memory islargely an associative process. That works by linking thingstogether. For example, think of an apple. The instinct of yourbrain registers the word apple. It recalls the shape, color, taste,smell and texture of that food. All these things are associated inyour memory with the word apple. This means that any thought abouta certain subject will often bring up more memories that arerelated to it. An example could be when you think about a lectureyou’ve had.
This could trigger a memory about what you are talking aboutthrough that lecture, which can then trigger another memory. Theassociations do not have to be logical. They just have to make agood link. An example given on the website I was looking atfollows: “do you remember the shape of Austral, Canada, Belgium orGermany.” Probably not. What about Italy, though? If you rememberthe shape of Italy, it is because you have been told at sometimethat Italy is shaped like a boot. You made an association withsomething you’ve already known—the shape of a boot. And Italy’sshape could not be forgotten once you’ve made theassociation.
参考答案：
No.11 A They prefer to carry cash when traveling abroad.
No.12 D He had long dream of the dean’s position.
No.13 A The concert is very impressive.
No.14 B They have known each other since their schooldays.
No.15 D Stop for the night.
No.16 A Survey result.
No.17 D He would rather the woman didn’t buy the blouse.
No.18 C The notice may not be reliable.
No.19 D A manager at a computer store.
No.20 A Handling customer complains.
No.21 C She wants to be with her husband.
No.22 D Early next month.
No.23 B It will be a major economic power by the mid-21stcentury.
No.24 D The huge gap between the haves and have-nots.
No.25 C They attach great importance to education.
No.26 A She engaged in field research on environmentalpollution.
No.27 A The job restricted her from revealing her findings.
No.28 B Many toxic sites in America have been cleaned up.
No.29 D Her ability to communicate through public speaking.
No.30 D The accelerated pace of globalization.
No.31 B Gain a deep understanding of their own culture.
No.32 C The labor market is getting globalized.
No.33 B Brown haired women are rated as more capable.
No.34 A They are shrewd and dishonest.
No.35 C They hinder our perception of individualdifferences.
No.36 derived
No.37 immense
No.38 convenient
No.39 accuracy
No.40 largely
No.41 instinct
No.42 recalls
No.43 texture
No.44 This means that any thought about a certain subject willoften bring up more memories that are related to it.
No.45 The associations do not have to be logical. They just haveto make a good link.
No.46 If you remember the shape of Italy, it is because you havebeen told at sometime that Italy is shaped like aboot.
