Unit1

II. Basic Listening Practice

1. Script

M: I’m beside myself with joy. I’m so lucky. Guess what? I’ve won a lit of money in the lottery.

W: Yeah? Well, you do know that money is the root of all evil, right?

Q: What does the woman mean?

2. Script

W: Mary was furious. Her son wrecked up her car.

M: He shouldn’t have driven a car without a driver’s license. He‘s still taking driving lesson.

Q: What do we know about Mary’s son?

3. Script

M: Susan, I hear you’re going to marry that guy. Some people think you’ll regret it.

W: Is that so? Only time tell.

Q: What does the woman imply?

4. Script

M: Mary, I just want to say how sorry I was to learn of your mother’s passing. I know how close you two were?

W: Thank you. It was so sudden. I’M still in a state of shock I don’t know what to do.  

Q: Which of following is true?

5. Script

W: I get furious at work when my opinions aren’t considered just because I’m a woman.

M: You should air your view more emphatically and demand that your vice be heard.

Q: What is the woman complaining about?

Keys: 1.C 2.B 3. D 4.A 5.D

III. Listening In

Task 1: Soft answers turn away wrath.

Mary: Dam! You’re spilled red wine on me. My new dress is ruined.

John: I’ m terrible sorry! What can I do to help? Here’s some water to wash it off.

Mary: Stop splashing water on me! Oh, this is so embarrassing! I’m a mess.

John: Well, you do look a little upset. Please don’t blow up. Don’t lose your cool.

Mary: Hmm, you’ve got the nerve talking like that! Who shouldn’t fly off the handle? This dress cost a fortune.

John: You look really cute when you’re mad. I kid you not. Some people do look attractive when they are in a rage.

Mary: This is very expensive dress. I saved for months to buy it, and now it’s ruined. Look at this stain!

John: Accidents do happen. Give me your dress, and I’ll take it to the cleaners.

Mary: Sure! You want me to take it off right here in public and give it to you? I don’t even know you!

John: This might be a really goof time to get acquainted. I’m John Owen.

Mary: Mmm, at least you’re polite. I guess I really shouldn’t have flared up. After all, it was an accident. I’m Mary Harvey.

John: Come on. I’ll take you home. You can change your clothes, and I’ll get the dress cleaned for you.

Mary: Now you’re talking. Thanks. You’re a real gentleman.

John: You’d better believe it. I’m glad to see that you’ve cooled down. Feel look a bite to eat afterward? I’m starving.

Mary: Ok. You’re pretty good. I’m not nearly as mad. If you can get this stain out, I’ll be very happy.

John: I’ll try my best. But if I can’t get the stain out, please don’t let your happiness turn to wrath.

1. Which of the following would be the best title for the dialog?

2. Why does the woman get angry?

3. What does the man say to please the woman when she looks angry?

4. Why does the woman say the man is a real gentleman?

5. What is the man’s final proposal?

Keys: 1D 2.A 3.C 4.B 5.C

Task 2: Big John is coming!

Script

A bar owner in the Old West has just hired a timid bartender. This (S1) owner of the establishment is giving his new hire some instructions on (S2) running the place. He tells the timid man, “If you ever hear that Big John is coming to town, (S3) drop everything and run for the hills! He’s the biggest, nastiest (S4) outlaw who’s ever lived!”

A few weeks pass (S5) uneventfully. But one afternoon, a local cowhand comes running through town (S6) yelling, “Big John is coming! Run for your (S7) lives!”

When the bartender leaves the bar to start running, he is knocked to the ground by several townspeople rushing out of town. (S8) As he’s picking himself up, he sees a large man, almost seven feet tall. He’s muscular, and is growing as he approaches the bar.

He steps up to the door, orders the poor barkeep inside, and demands, “I want a beer NOW!”

He strikes his heavy fist on the bar, splitting it in half. (S9) The bartender nervously hands the big man a beer, hands shaking. He takes the beer, bites the top of the bottle off, and downs the beer in one gulp.

As the terrified bartender hides behind the bar, the big man gets up to leave, “Do you want another beer?” the bartender asks in a trembling voice.

“Dang it, I don’t have time!” the big man yells, (S10) “I got to get out of town! Don’t you hear Big John is coming?”

Task3: A View of Happiness

Script

Dr. Smith has proposed a reasonable, if perhaps somewhat oversimplifies, view of happiness. According to his theory, happiness might be described as a state if balance. And when human or certain animals achieve that balance, they rend to remain in that condition in order to repeat the happy feeling.

To illustrate this, we may study two magnets. When their positive and negative poles meet, they are comfortably joined, and they remain there. In other words, they have attained a balance or state of happiness. If on the other hand, one of the poles is reversed, and positive pole is presses against positive pole, there is resistance, instability, imbalance a state of unhappiness.

Animals with some degree of intelligence seem to find happiness in reinforcement. Once they have gained one or more of their goals such as food, and water, they learn to repeat the actions that led to satisfaction of those goals. This repetition or reinforcement produces a state of balance or sense of happiness.

According to this theory, only animals with a significant capacity to learn should be able to experience happiness. But in truth learning can take place through surprisingly simple short-term action such as scratching an itch, followed by pleasure, followed by more scratching, and so on. Thus learning can occur with almost no conscious thought.

For human beings, blessed with the ability to reason, goals are not limited to the short-term satisfaction of needs. Indeed, there is a strong link between happiness and the fulfillment of long-term goals. Even if human strive for goals that are more complex and longer-term than the animals’ goals, once those goals are gained, happiness is reinforced.

1. Why does the speaker mention “magnets”?

2. According to the passage, what may animals do after they have got food?

3. Which of the following is true according to the speaker?

4. What does the speaker say is special about the goals of human beings?

5. Which of the following best captures the main idea of the passage?

Keys: 1D 2.C3. B 4.D 5.A

IV. Speaking Out

MODEL 1   Don’t let it get to you!

Susan: You look so angry. What happened?

Chris: Nothing I’d rather not talk about it. Just don’t ask.

Susan: Come on. Relax. Talk to me.

Chris: All right. This morning I took my car to the garage to check the air conditioner. They only gave it a quick look, refilled it with some Freon, and charged me 300bucks!

Susan: No wonder you’re livid. I’d be mad too if someone ripped me off like that.

Chris: Yeah. And they were rude. They said I didn’t know anything about cars, which I don’t, but they didn’t have to be blunt!

Susan: Sounds like you got a raw deal!

Chris: What’s worse, as I was leaving, I herd then saying, “Don’t trust that guy. He looks broke.” When I heard that, I almost hit the roof.

Susan: Don’t let it get to you. Better ignore them.

Chris: I agree. I did manage to keep my cool.

Susan: Well, the best thing you can do is to file a complaint with the Consumer Protection Agency.

Chris: sounds like a good idea.

MODEL2   I’m too depressed.

Script

Susan: Chris, I hear you’ve been down in the dumps, so I’ve come to cheer you up.

Chris: It’s not gong o work. I’m too depressed

Susan: Come, on. Tell me what’s on your mind.

Chris: Everything. My girlfriend left me; my dog ran away; my wallet was stolen.

Susan: Don’t worry. I’ll help you solve the biggest problem: finding you a new girlfriend.

Chris: Forget it. Anyway, I’m getting bad grades, and I was told that I’d have to repeat a lot of courses next year. When I heard that, I almost lost it.

Susan: Look, relax. I’ll help you with those courses.

Chris: Yeah, but I also have three week’s laundry to do., and my room is a pigsty.

Susan: Forget it. You’re on your own.

Chris: Come, on. What are friends for?

Susan: To keep you in high spirits; not to do your laundry.

MODEL3   You seem to be on top of the world.

Script

Nora: Oh, hey, John!

John: Hey!

Nora: You seem to be on top of the world tonight. What’s up?

John: I’m so happy I’m about to burst. Guess what?

Nora: You’ve got me.

John: It might be true that misfortunes never come singly, but you can also have a “double blessing”. And that’s what I had.

Nora: You mean you’ve had two happy events in your life?

John: Exactly. You know, I was strong in all subjects except physics. Now I’ve finally passed the test--the one I needed to qualify for a Bachelor’s degree.

Nora: Congratulations! You’d failed it three times. Now wonder you’re beaming. What’s the other good news?

John: The multinational I was dong my field project at offered me a job at a good staring salary.

Nora: Wow, wonderful, simple wonderful.

John: I feel like celebrating. Shall we go to a bar?

Nora: Why not?

Now Your Turn

Task 1

SAMPLE DIALOG

A: You look furious. What happened?

B: Nothing. I’d rather not talk about it. Just don’t ask.

A: Come on. You shouldn’t keep your feeling to yourself. You need to let off some stream. So, talk tome.

B: All right. This morning I went to a shop to buy a digital camera, I only need an ordinary one. It is enough for my tours in the summer vacation. Buy they persuaded me to buy a professional camera, which cost three times as much.

A: But you were willing to buy for it. Anyway, it must work better.

B: You see, I know next to nothing about photography. So they simply tricked me into buying an expensive one.

A: No wonder you’re livid with rage. I’d be mad too if I were robbed like that. What are you going to do?

B: I already went back to them and asked to exchange it for a cheaper one.

A: What did they say?

B: Oh, they were rude. They insisted that they hadn’t encouraged me to buy a professional camera, and that I bought it myself.

A: Sounds like you got a raw deal!

B: What’s worse, as I was leaving, I heard they say, “That guy looks broke. He shouldn’t have bought any camera.”

A: Don’t let it get to you. Better ignore their rude remarks.

B: I agree. I did manage to keep my cool.

A: Well, the best thing you can do is to file a complaint with the Consumer Protection Agency. If they talk to the shop, maybe they will give you a refund.

B: Sounds too good to be true.

V. Let’s Talk

Script

Hello, everyone. Today I invite you to join me in an exploration off the causes of depression. There ate many factors involved, but I believe some deserve special attention.

Heredity certainly plays a role. .The tendency to develop depression may be inherited; there is evidence that this disorder may run in families.

Physiology is another factor related to depression. There may be changes or imbalances in chemicals which transmit information in the brain called neurotransmitters. Many modern antidepressant drugs attempt to increase levels of certain neurotransmitters so as to increase brain communication. While the causal relationship is unclear; it is known that antidepressant medications do reliever certain symptoms of depression.

Researchers also study psychological factors. They include the complex development of one’s personality and how one has learned to cope with external environmental factors, such as stress. It is freeqently observed that low self-esteem and self-defeating thinking are connected with depression. While it is not clear which is the cause and which is the effect, it is known that sufferers who are able to make corrections to their thinking patterns can show improved mood and self-esteem.

Another factor causing depression is one’s early experiences. Events such as the death of a parent, the divorce of the parents, neglect, chronic illness, and severe physical abuse can also increase the likelihood of depression later in life.

Some present experiences may also lead to depression. Job loss, financial difficulties, long periods of unemployment, the loss of a spouse or other family member, or other painful events may trigger depression. Long-term stress at home, work, or school can also be involved.

It is worth nothing that those living with someone suffering from depression experience increased anxiety which adds to the possibility of their also becoming depressed.

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