学术交流英语听力原文

学术交流英语听力原文

Road Building

Good moning,everyone. Today Il be talking about the relationship

between wad building and the devekpnent ofthe American eoononty

durnu the 18th century. About 340) vears ainx the Unitex Statedcconony

was wowing apidly, mainly because of a booing tade in tvo important

agricultural products gan and cotkon.

Grain output in the castem part of America increased quickly at that

time due to the rapidly gowing population and the large mumber of

immigrants fion Europe. As a result, the demand for gain almost doubled.

For this rcason, the trade in grain first devekoped in this part ofthe

country. At the same tine, the rond system was gadually built up in order

to transport the gmin fiom the numl arcas to various citics. The road

building clearly helped devekop the cconony quickly in thess arcas and in

the cities as wel

During the same perod,finters in the South couki gel a largee

amoumt of aborers fon Aric, and they started to aow cotton As the

cotton output incrcasod, the fanmees needed to sell it in other

a esull, many nuuds were buill tko link the rumal areas to the

cilies.

At fist,this tade of grain and cotton tock plnce along the cosst, or

near rivers and lalkes. It took place there because it was casy and cheap

to transport goods fiom one place tt another. Before 1700 it was very

expensive to move the goocs by nad. So, terners had to rely manty on

tivers to mose their crops to markets.

At that time, there was only one contingous road that existod in the

US. It ran from north to south aong country toads which were linked

together to make one long road. Within a short time the finst

enst-to-west roas were buill. They were called tempikes Private

comparnes built these roads and collected fees fiom all vehicles that

taveled on them.

Evenlually,because ofthe bonning trnie of wain and colon, a nelwork

of rowys was completed that conpected some major cities and towns.

Akhough taveling was still costly for lartners,they oon prefened to neve

their crsps bo cilies and other aress on roklwys rather than by boat

because it was aster and more convenient

Soheee we can soe a lather clear picture of roed buildine in the

Unied States and its inpact on cconomic development during that peridd.

The Mississippi River in America

Good afternoon. Today we're going to tak about the Mississippi

River. The Missssppi River is the larsest river of the North America. Its

major tributaries drain an aren of approximately 3,000,000 squnre

kilometers. or about one-eighth of the entire continent, The Missssppi

River lies entirely in the United States. From its source at lake Itasca in

Minncsota. it floys fom the North almost duc south across the continenta

interior, collecting the waters of its major tributaries, down to the Gulf of

hty Mssissippi as it is aflectionately known, flows a total

distance about 4.000 kilometers from its source. With its tributarics, the

M iss iss ppi drains all or part of31 U.s. state s arki two Canadin pro

vinces

As everyone knows, in the past the river was the most important

way of transporting goods from the North to the South, or from the

South to the North in the United States

The Mississinoi River is also a river that con somctimcs ect out o

feontro] and causc serious flooding in summer. Nowadays engineers use

fbour different methods to control the loodwaters ofthe river. These lour

ways are: food ways,dams, levees and reservoirs. Tu discuss each ofthese

here.

Floodways are the first way of controlling the foodwaters of the

Mississippi River Foodways are empty channels ready to hold water from

the river. When the Mississippi River is too high, the floodways are

opened and some of the water can flow into the floodways. There are

several floodways along the lower Mississippi River, which help prevent

flooding effectively

The scoond way of controlling the floodwaters of the Mississippi

River is with dams. Dams are walls that are bult across a river to control

the water. There are more than 30 dams on the Miss issinpi River. Dams

conttol the water by hokding the water behind them until a decision is

made to release it.

Levees are a third way ofcontro lling the floodwaters of the

Missssippi River. Levees are earthen walls built alongside a river. They

bold the water in the river and keep it fiom covering the land beside the

river. There are morc than 2,000 miles of levecs along the Mississippi

River.

In the 19th and 20th centuries, several reservoirs were but along

the Mussissippi River to harness the water. They have two

is to bold water, and tbe other is lo generale electricity through

hydroelectric power stations. Since the 20th century, no huge flood has

broken out oftbe Mississippi River.m

Unit 2 Energy Conservation om

An Eyewitness to Changes in China

(Y: Yang Rui,anchor of Dialogue,CCTV-9

R:Sidney Rittenbergpresident of Rittenberg

Associates,Incorporated.)

Y:Mr Rittenberg,you are a successful businessman and also a big

name to the Chines

due to your close assoc iation with the first gencration of the PRC

leaders. How do you ook at the inpact that that experience has had on

your current perception of China's re form and deveopmenr?

R:Ifeel in my heart that what I'm doing today is a continuation o f

what I was tr ying to do

in tbe that is, I had this ambition, this dream from the time that I

began studying Chinese at Stanford University in 1943,I had this dream of

working to build bridges between Chinese people and American people,

and to help them understand each other and cvoperute tossther And I

tried to do that in the past, working in China in Mao'sComprehensive

Acade mic Enghsh For Gadiestes

day. And that's exactly what I'm trying to do today. I really think that

what I'm doing todav is more effective than what i was ab le to do in the

past.

Y:At that time many foreigners came to China, but you were nmong

the very few who sot

c lose to the Communist Party ofChina.

R:You know, it's quite obvious to me that the only reason that the

Communist Puty of

China was able to win in the final stages of the Civil War is because

of their extremely close relations with the pcople. The Chinesc pcople

that came to know them, trusted them and consiiered them their

representatives. This small peasant army led by Man Zedong had no

tanks, no big guns, no planes, and was greatly outnumbered by the

opposition, which was the most power ful armed force in Asia a fter the

Second World vet in only three and a half years, the Nationalists

were comp letely dekaicd and driven off to the island province of Taiwan

Why? Because the ties that the Cammunists had with the Chinese people

were unbreakable. They had their trust. They had their confidence and

support. And that was something that the Nationalists were not able to

gel.

You know, the Revolutionary Army was a poor army, even in terns of

the food they got. The soldiers had gguss sandals that they made

thenselves along the march. Bu what made them do it? The fhet that

they had a vision. They believed that they were fighting for their land, for

their family to have their own tirmland, and for a fiir government that

would listen to the people and do what they needed. So this is the only

explanation I can think of for why they were able to win

Y:In the long March you just talked about, the Communist army had

to avercome

extreme difficultics. But in the new Long March of modenization

today, we arc also hcing difficulties, though very different, What's your

view of this new lonp March? R:Iagree with calling this a new Long

March, only the barriers are very different. Thosc

barriers were certainly very srim and threatening. Some of these

barriers. kook very good and inviting bul aclually they are nol I mean, in

the days be lore and during the Long March,the leaders had the task of

studying theC hinese reality and getting everybody thal they couki

mfuence to stuly realily ank from i to derive a set ol policees, praclical

strategies to guide everybody. So people had a shared vision and dream.

They were motivaled by this comon drean o work logether. And ! think,

during the curreni Long March of modernization, China would need to do

the same thing, to gradually study Chinese reality and develop a set of

strategies, a common vision and a set of values that most people will

share. And then you'll find that you don't have a problem of

disconnection between the central government and local governments,

or a problem ofa big gap between city and country life.

Y:Still, pcople are wondering in this country why we were able to

live with poverty but

have problems living with the new wealth.

R:Again it's the lack of a practical down-to-carth, realistic vision that

everyone shares, in

my opinionI remember atter the "Great T eap Farwad" when there

was a fiumine. many,many pcople in Beijing. including government

workers, professors in schools, their aces were swollen because people

weren't getting enough food. But nobody admilled that i ws because of

malnutrilion. No one said, "t's because we don't have enough food." You

know, I personally don't think that, for most poople, they

wereComprehensive Acade mic Inghsh For Gadisstes

motivated just for a distant future dream of Communism. It was

because of what the new govermmet had actually already done for the

people: workers got their cight hours a day, furmers got their own land

for the tirst time, the public health campaigns, ete. Thesc things raised

the standards of living. cspecially during the first five or six years from

1949 to 1955. Tremendous social changes made people feel, "This is my

governme nt, they represent my interests, they bring me rcal benefits."

Y:What lessons do wou think we should draw fiom the Culunl

Rewolution?

R:WellI think the Cullual Revolution pointed ou one act. which

actually was

articulated by Deng Xiaoping in his interview afer the Cultural

Revolution with an American correspondent. He said that any

government that doesn't succeed in making life better for most poople in

China year by year is dot going to succeed. And I think that was the

lesson that wus taught: it's not enough just to have rrowth of the

economy. you've got to make pcople feel that you represent their

interests and you are working for them.

Y:Besides making pcople's life better, there is another core idca of

Deng Xiaopings

theory, that is, the emane pation o f people's mnd.

R:Ithink the emancipaton of the fallo wed the Cultural Revoluton is

equslly important Lo

the development of the market economy in Chinn

compared to the economic retormi think the emanc paton ofthe mind

hasn't gone far enough There's still the shadow of the okd feudalistic

habits of governments and individunls in their thinking and in theit

relationships. When I say a common visiont, I don't mean a political code

that e veryone recites. I mean a feeling that we are working together to

build a common socety that's more or less represented by the eizht lmes

that were rased by Presideni Hu Jintao, the moral code.

Talk with “Harry Potter"-Daniel Radeliffe Answers Questions form

WWW Fans

Q: Ilow does it feel to work with the same sroup ofactors and

actresses again?

A:lt always bels sood working with Emma, Rupert, Tom and

Matthew. We have become

ery good friends and as this is now the thind film we have made

together ow re lationships just get stronger.

Q: Are you going to work on any more Harry Potter films?

A:At the moment [ am working on Harty Potter and the Prisoner of

Azkaban and I will

certainly make Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. After that? Who

knows? Q:I really want to know how you managse to do everything you

do

A:I manage to fit in a lot of things thanks to the brilliant

organization on the film set, by

ny tutors who receive a lot of support from my school, and also

because I have sreat friends who I sce regularly. I can keep up to date

with everything that is going on at my old school via c-ma il or text

messaging.

Q: Rupert seems to do other movies besides Harry Potler. I wonder

if you or Emma has

plans to do other movies bes ides Harry Potter?

A:As I film practically every day on the movie, it is pretty impossible

to fit in other filmsComprehensive Acade mic English For Gadiastes

between limes. Howe ver, last year I was able to appear as the

"surprise guest" in The Play That l Wrote in the West End directed by

Kenneth Branagh. It was great fun and the first time l had been on stase!

Q: Have you found that people treat you and your new-tound

celebrity differently in

foreim countries?

A:I am always completely overwhelmed by the reception I receive

when I visit different

countrics. Pcople arc always extremely kind, warm and generous

and I feel ver privilewed to have visited so many countries and seen

some ot the mast amazing sights in the world.

Q:How does working with the new director(Alforso Cuon) compare

with your

expericnce with Chris Columbus?

A:First of all, I consider myself wery lucky to have worked with two

great directors on

these is, wthou doubi, the most energelic dtrector I have

ever mel le was ams zing in keeping us motivated and in encouraging us

every step of the way. Alfouso on the other hand directs in a nkre intense

way. The scenes in this filin are some ofihe mo st passionate and

emotional l bave ever worked on, and Alfonso's style has been tery he lp

ful to me.

O:Have you ever felt like you wanted to go back to your normal life,

instead of being

fmous?

A:As Aras I am concerned I am a normal person. I go back to school

when I am not

filming.[ w out with my fiends, I go to the cinem - all the normal

thinggs that teerngers do. There is an assumption that I cannot leave my

house without being hounded -that is not the casc. I am able to do many

more things than pcople think l can

O:What did it fcel like to talk to Dobby the computerized housc elf?

Is it hard to

rememher your lines?

A:Ived doing the Dobby scenesI lalked to an cranme ball at the end

ofa blick. l was

very detailed work because as he bounced around I had to ensure

tbat my eyeline was in exncily the righl posilion. Il was demanding bul

when I saw the end result l was really pleased.

Q: What are your favorite things to do during your lime off?

A:Iam abso lutely obsessed wtth film and musc. I am lcarmng the

bass guitaf and it goes

everywhere with me. A so, I have a portable DVD player, which

travels wih me with a large supplv of films. These two things occupy

most of my spare time. Q: Are you a football (soccer) fan? If so, of what

team?

A: I don't really play fbotball but I support Fulham as I live very c

lose to the ground

Unit 3 Traffic

Driving While on a Cell Phone Worse Than Driving While Drunk

21:44:27 EDTJune 29,2006Comprehensive Acade mic Enghsh For

Gadiastes

Thursday,June 29 -Maneuvering through traffie while taking on the

phone inereases the likelihood of an accident five-fold and is actually

more dangcrous than driving chers report

That finding held true whether the driver was holding a cell phone

or using a hands- free device. the researchers noled.

"As a socicty, we have agreod on not tolerating the risk associated

with drunk driving.”said researcher Frank Drews, an assistant professor

of psychology at the Universily ofUtah "This study shows us that

sonebody who is conversing on a cell phone is exposing him or herself

and others to a similar risk - cell phones actually are a bigher risk,"" he

said.

His tean's report appears in tbe summer issue of the journal Human

Factors.

In the study40 people followed a pace car allong u prescribed

course, using a driving pcople drove while talking on a

cell phone, others navigatod while drunk(meaning their blood-alcohol

limit matched the lesal linit of 0.08 percent), and others drove with no

such distractions or impairments.

"We found an increased accident rate when people were conversing

on the cell phone," Drews said Drivers on cell phones were 5.36 times

more likely to get in an acc ident than non-d istracted drivers, the

researchers found.

The phone users fared even worse than the inebriated. the Utah

team found. There were three aocidents among those talking on cell

phones - all of them involving a rear-ending of the pace car. In

contrast,thete wete no accidents recorded amone participants who were

drunk. or the -phone- fiee goup.

The bottom hne: Cellphoe use wus linked to "a sanificunt increase

im the kxident eate," Drews said.

He sakl there was a diflerence betweeen the behvors of drunk

drvers and those who were talking on the phone. Dunk drivers tended to

be aguressive, while those talking on the phone wvenc more

shigeish,Drews said.

In additio, the rescarchers found talkine an the cell phone meduct

rcaction time by 9 pcrcent in terms of bakine and 19 ocroent in terms of

pickine up soeod atier brakine,This is sienificnnt bocause it has an impact

on traffic as a system," Drews. said. "lf we have drivers who are taking a

lot oftime in aocelemting once having slowed down, the ovemll tlow

oftaftic is damatically reduced, he said.

In response to safety corcens, some states have outlawed the use of

hand-held cell phoncs wtrle rvngBul that type oflenslalion ray not be

elective, becase the Utah researchers found to difference in driver

parformance whether the driver was holding the phone or talking on a

hands- frce model

Ouake Kills at least300 on Indonesian Island

Vice Prnikor Sansup o 2.000Coli Be Dexi

(CNN)-A major carthquake struck off the west coast of Indonesin

late Monday killing hundreds. but leas of another sunam hke those that

devastated the teson m lale lDecemher have faded.

On Indones.a' [sland at least 300 people died and hundreds

more were reported injured orComprehensive Acade mic Engish For

Gadiastes

trapped,said govemment spokesman Agus Mendrona.

But intenational news agencies ae repotting that between 1,000

and 2,000 people may have been killed on Nias Island

It is predictod and it's still a rouph estimate - that the mumber of

the victims of dead may be between 1.0000a 2000"Vie Pruskient

JusufKalla told the el Shinta rudio station, accondimir to The Associated

Press.

Betwcen 500 and 1,000 homes were destrovodand the island's

public market was ablaze. Mencro said.

Betwcen 10,000 and 15.000 pcople an to hiltops for safety in case

ofa tsunami, Mendrova said. May ofthe doctors an nurses whe normally

wwoukl stft the hospital fied to hwher gound

We have not beard of any tsunami hiting amywhere,Jan

nevrelicf coordinato. told CNN from New Yodk ncarly six

hours after the temblor struck.

Slil, Esean sul,the earthquse ilsell was tesponsble lut casusllies an

slans chse lo the epicenter

Dosers ofaid oflicals met overnight in Suratra to plan a course

ofadtion afer daylight breaks in the eegion, Egeland said.

There was a report of heavy damge on Simeule lsland in

Indonesia,said Bernd Schell, heud oftsunami operations for the

Intemational Foderation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Socicties.

Sneakire fio sothern Acch,Schell said " shaking" lasted

about three minutes Based on the size of the earthquake, the National

Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration initinlly uje reenients within

1,000 killometers (620 miles) of the epicenter to evacuunte constal

regiors.

But no tsunamis were reportod along Indonesia's island

coasts,while India. Malaysia and Thailand canceled tsunami wanings

early Tuesdry.

The quake's magnitude was variously roported by monitoring

agencics as 8.7 and 8.5. The US Geolagcal Survey reported the fommer

affer initia lly putting the magnitude at 8.2; the Pacific Tsunant Wating

Cene tepored the bler.

The main jolt was located wear the coast of northern Sumatr,about

200 kilometers(125 miles) west wihwest olSbulgs,arkl aboul 1,400

kilomelers (880 miles ) morthwed. ofJbart, lnuonesas capitaL The US.

Geological Survey said the quake was 30 kilometers(20mies)decp

The yuke sruckat (04:.11:)I waes fel in

Iklonesin Maaysa. Singapore and as far hoeth as Banpkok, Thailand

Unit4 Social Behavior

The Men's Movement:What Does It Mean to Be a Man?

As a result of the Women's Movenent. more wonen are working

outside the tomme. and many men are playing a more active role in

family life and are taking on some of tbe tasks involved in child care and

housework In add ition to these chanees irside the home men are today

eniering occupations that used to be considered women's abs. Mare met

are becoming nurses and teachers ofyoune chidren Other men are tind

ire that they have moreComprehensive Acade mic Enghsh For Gadistes

female colleagues and bosses at work than ever befbre. and they

are having to adapt to women's styles of comnication and manacement,

which can difter considerably fiom thoss of men. At work,as well aa at

home. mry men todiy in miern North American socety have to plav very

diffierent roles than their fathees did. They arc, as a resut, joining with

other men in a countanovement called the Men's Movement to sek to

provide one another with the support they ncod to cope with the roles

cxpcetod of men in today's world

Exacth what forns does the Men's Movement takeand what do men

in the Men's Momeni hope to acheve try beine aclve n the movernent?

To begn wilh. the Mien's Movement has nko unifed,mooolibic

philoscplyAhhouth there re s muudber ofunifying tberpes, tbere are also

some interestine differences among the basic groups associated with the

Men's Mowement. Several writers who write about the Men's

Movement have identified four besic rroups of men active in the

movement

The first group is labelod the male feminists, and these men wock

for women's rights and equshty between the sexes. Some of the men in

ths first sroup are vocal ahout bhamirg other men li much of the violenoc

against women and for the inoquality that cxists between men and

women in telationships and the job market Not all memhers of the

Men's Movenent, however, cosnier thin hist group of men to he an

ntesral part ofthe Men's Movement. To be sure, the other three groups

focus more on men's issues than do the so-called male feninists.

The second orentation in the Men's Movement altracts men who

join men's support groups to mect regularly and give and receive

psschological sapport in dealing with problems created by the new roles

they lave to play at hone and at work. These men are attcmpting to lcan

to beter cxpress ther foelings and emotions, and to show sensitivity

without being ashaumed. A third group in the Men's Movement corsists

ofmen who want ko set back the power they fixl they have lost becun

ofthe advances made by women as a result of the Women's Movemeut

and feminist causes. They are nale actsts. Fnally, there is an appeach to

the movement called the mytho-poetic Men's Movement The men

involved in this aspect of the Men's Movement believe that men should

be initiatod into manhood as men were initintod when pcople still lived

in small tribes and bands in morc ancicnt culfures. This group initiates

men using mythology, poetry (heree the name nrytho-poetic)and other

ritunk, such as dancing. to explore and aftirm the value ofmasculinity

and masculinc approaches to problem solving, Men who subscribe to

this vicwpoint worry that too much contnct with women and too little

contact with other men has tuuned men into weaklings or wimps.

So,the Men's Movement is very diverse,A man who wanis to join

the movement has many options of just bow be will explore the

question"What does it mean to be a man in today's world?"

Husbands and Wives:a Caller form Northbridge

J:And now some final calls for Shirley San Fader and "Wat a minte,

You can't have it all" she

says to working women. Hello. M:Hi,Jery J: Yes,sir.

M:Jerry, I'm calling firom Northbridge,and Shirlcy, hi, how are yous S:

Hi.

MThis is just one ofthose dnys where all day I've been getting what I

need I tuan on the radio afier

I'm done comg ny housework. and ! sot what l needed in the last

ten mnutes l've lstened l willComprehensive Acade mic Enghsh For

Gadisstes

never,ever subject mry wile to what she's been doing since we've

been married for the last eight YeaTs.

During the last year of our muriage,I wus the sole worker. She wus

home due to, you know. ks after she started a joh,

I was laid off And I just can't believe it- she would oome home and do

this and then "Honey,honey-let me do it Let me do it." And now I'm

siting in a little office that I had to create in my basement with -1 just

can't believe all tho things that she acoomplishod cven when she was

just home. It's completely overwhelming.: How old are you?

M:Im thirty-fourShe's thitysix上Chiklren?

M:Two tcenage girls. J:Right.

M:Lucky us Ankl il's a lundfil An then, ofexunse, aller you'e aid off

anl evenythirg ges fon

bad to worse - the washing machine breaks. The dryer's fine, so I

only have to waste an bou going to the lauelrornat to wash an then come

back and dry, and you know il"s just one thing afer another. And I tell ber

about how ny day went affer she comes hone,and sbe says,"Houey

remember when the washer broke before, when you were working?"

And t's a real trip, and ! really underestinated -I don't know if

underestimatod is the word - I teally took for granted all the that

were done aoumd here and- J:Are wou working yoursefnow?

M:No,this is just it. Two wecks afer she got a job,l was laid ott, and

row I'm home,and I don't

ktow how she got it all done when she was working. She ws working

and doing the housework and the laundry and doing this and taking the

kids here and taking the kids there, and it just never ever ends

S: that's wly they arc so stressed. And that's wlry so many

pcople have answered Jemy's

questians saying their sex life is nonexistent or we won't ask you

M:Wellilis righl EKw.

S:Because most men have no idea of how mwch there is to do, and

the women up to now have been

aliad-they don't wanl lo rick the buul They think il's woing ko be a

hasske, bul they haven' fet entitled,and tbe more they understand that

their job is doing for their man, they vill feel more enliled.

Far example,a man who is laid ofl as you are. has the time - when

there's another navcheck coming in-he has the tinne to look fior an

mpproprinte job. When a mn is the sole surrport and he has to put the

brcad on the table this woek, he has to take any kind of job he could

possibly get and so her paycheck saves him from that - nicer

men come home now and tell their wives about their day, the wman is

out there in the world, too. She really can wnderstand They arc more

marriagc has more support going when they are both

supporting the family and both tak ing care of it.