Section One Tactics for Listening

Part 1 Spot Dictation

Stephen Powelson’s Amazing Memory

When Stephen Powelson was nine, his school organized a (1) weekly contest in memorizing passages from the Bible. Stephen paid (2)no attention until he was chided* for (3) not competing. The next Sunday he surprised everyone by (4) reciting all the passages for the (5) entire year.

As a teenager in prep school, Stephen took Greek. His teacher (6) assigned 21 lines of the Iliad* to be memorized (7) in a week. At the end of the hour - though he (8) insisted he paid full attention to the (9) lecture - Stephen knew all 21. He went on to memorize the first (10) 100 lines.

In 1978, for the first time (11) since college, Powelson, now 60, had some (12) spare time. To keep his mind active, he reread the Iliad and (13) discovered that he still knew the first 100 lines (14) by heart.

That someone could memorize so much between ages 60 and 70 is (15) astonishing to most people, who are (16) convinced that memory (17) worsens as we grow older.Powelson's method is to (18) read a book into his tape recorder, then read it several more times, making sure he understands (19) each word. "Also," he says, "I attempt to (20) visualize myself as part of the action."

Part 2 Listening for Gist

You might not know how rarely images are viewed directly through telescopes. The most common way to observe the skies is to photograph them. The process is very simple. First, a photographic plate is coated with a light-sensitive material. The plate is positioned so that the image received by the telescope is recorded on it. Then the image can be developed, enlarged, and published so that many people can study it. Because most astronomical objects are very remote, the light we receive from them is rather feeble. But by using a telescope as a camera, long time exposures can be made. In this way, objects can be photographed that are a hundred times too faint to be seen by just looking through a telescope.

Exercise

Directions: Listen to the dialogue and write down the gist and the key words that help you decide.

1)This dialogue is about how to photograph astronomical objects.

2)The key words are photograph, coated, light-sensitive material, positioned,received, recorded, developed, enlarged, published, remote, feeble, telescope,

camera, long exposures.

Section Two Listening Comprehension

Part one Dialogue

Tunisian Holiday

(Someone is enquiring about the Tunisian holiday.)

Agent: Hello, Bath Travel.

Client: Hello, I'd like to find out more about your Tunisian holiday for amateur archaeologists. I've read about it in the paper, but I'd like to know more about what is involved.

Agent: You mean you'd like to know the itinerary?

Client: Yes, that's right.

Agent: All right. Just briefly, you arrive in Tunis at midday on the first day and go by coach to La Marsa. Then there is a short briefing by the archaeologist and then the rest of the day you are free to explore.

The second day you get up before dawn and go to Carthage to see the sunrise. You have breakfast and a lecture there and then go by coach to Mansoura, where there are beautiful coves. After lunch you can walk along the beach, to Kerkouane.The walk takes about four hours. Kerkouane is one of the most recent and most exciting sites. Then by coach to Kelibia, a fishing village, in time for sunset over the harbor.

Client: That sounds rather a long walk.

Agent: Well, it's an easy walk. Flat all the way, and very pretty. But you can go by coach, if you prefer. The third day you spend in Hammamet on Cap Bon, and the day is free to enjoy the town. It's a lovely old town and resort. And the fourth day you take the coach to the ruin of EI Djem, which is a magnificent amphitheatre*. You have lunch in Sfax and then you take the ferry to the beautiful Kerkennah Islands. Client: Islands, you say?

Agent: Yes, they're very peaceful and you spend the fifth day there. The fishermen will take everyone out on their sailing boats and there will be a fishermen's picnic. On the sixth day you visit the Great Mosque of Kairouan and have a picnic lunch. Then take the coach to the lovely port of Bizerte for the last night. And the final day there is a visit to the ancient Roman capital of Utica with its fantastic mosaics* and then a coach to Tunis International Airport.

Client: Have you got a full brochure which gives more details?

Exercise

Directions: Listen to the dialogue and complete the following itinerary.Tunisian holiday for amateur archaeologists

Day Activities

The first day Arrive in Tunis at midday and go by coach to La Marsa. Then there is a short briefing by the archaeologist.

The second day Get up before dawn and go to Carthage to see the sunrise. You have breakfast and a lecture there and then go by coach to Mansoura, where there are beautiful coves. After lunch you can walk along the beach, to Kerkouane, which is one of the most recent and most exciting sites. Then by coach to Kelibia, a fishing village, in time for sunset over the harbor.

The third day Spend in Hammamet on Cap Bon to enjoy the town. It's a lovely old town and resort.

The fourth day and

fifth day Take the coach to the ruin of El Djem, which is a magnificent amphitheatre. Have lunch in Sfax and then take the ferry to the beautiful Kerkennah Islands. The fishermen will take everyone out on their sailing boats and there will be a fishermen’s picnic.

The sixth day

Visit the Great Mosque of Kairouan and have a picnic lunch. Then

take the coach to the lovely port of Bizerte for the last night.There is a visit to the ancient Roman capital of Utica with its The final day

fantastic mosaics and then a coach to Tunis International Airport.

Part 2 Passage

Mexican Gray Wolf

1)After more than a century of assault by humans, the wolf population had

dwindled to no more than a handful by the 1970s in Mexico and the American southwest.

2)The program is now about halfway to meeting its goal of a "wild" population of

at least 100 wolves covering more than 12,800 square kilometers.

3)Decisions about mating, movement among the 45 captive-breeding facilities

and releases into the wild are made by a US-Mexican committee of scientists, landowners and others.

4)A wolf with rare genes - until it has successfully reproduced - will never be

released because of the high mortality rate in the wild.

5)The recovery program is gradually moving away from freeing captive-born

wolves, as the population of pups born free takes off.

Francisco and Sheila were pioneers in a federal program in Eureka, 32 kilometers southwest of St. Louis, the United States, to restore the endangered Mexican gray wolf, the rarest and most genetically distinct subspecies of gray wolf

in North America.

After more than a century of assault (攻击，袭击) by humans, the wolf population had dwindled to（减少到）no more than a handful by the 1970s in Mexico and the American southwest.

The research center, popularly known as the Wolf Sanctuary*, was founded in 1971 by Marlin Perkins, a world-renowned（世界知名的）naturalist and former director of the St. Louis Zoo, and his wife Carol. Besides the Mexican wolf, the sanctuary works with the endangered red wolf （赤狼）, maned wolf（鬃狼）, swift fox（草原狐）/ and African wild dogs（豺狗）.

In the late 1970s, the last seven known wolves were captured in the wild or taken from zoos to begin the breeding program（育种计划）. In 1981, the first captive-bred （人工繁殖的，圈养的）litter （幼狼）of Mexican gray wolves produced in the federal program was born at the Wild Canid Center, and the first release into the wild （放生）took place in 1998. The program is now about halfway to meeting its goal of a "wild" population of at least 100 wolves covering more than 12,800 square kilometers.

Though in captivity（在繁殖场）themselves, Francisco and Sheila taught their pups so well that many are thriving in the wild. They were ideal parents. They raised 25 babies, taught them good survival skills and sent many of them off to live on theirown.

Nine of Francisco and Sheila's offspring were among the first 11 captive-born Mexican gray wolves released in 1998. Both parent wolves have since died - Francisco at age 14 in December. Sheila at age 16 in June 2000 - but they lived, as captive wolves often do, roughly twice as long as wolves in the wild. Today the Wild Canid Survival and Research Center in Eureka estimates that 98 percent of Mexican wolves released from the federal program are descendants of the prolific* lobo* pair.

About 250 lobos now live in captivity at 45 US and Mexican facilities. The Wild Canid Center, however, has produced more puppies and housed more Mexican grays than any other facility.

The Wild Canid Center is ideated* on 25 isolated hectares within Washington University's Tyson Research Center. The wolves live in large outdoor enclosures with minimal human contact. They learn to hunt, raise young, live in natural family packs, and to be suspicious of people - all necessary skills for surviving in the wild.

Decisions about mating, movement among the 45 captive-breeding facilities and releases into the wild are made by a US-Mexican committee of scientists, landowners and others. They also maintain a genetic database. A wolf with rare genes - until it has successfully reproduced - will never be released because of the high mortality rate（死亡率）in the wild. It's not uncommon for freed wolves to be struck by cars or shot by hunters; in recent weeks, five have died.

Despite the losses, released wolves are reproducing. The recovery program is gradually moving away from freeing captive-born wolves, as the population of pupsborn free takes off （增加）. Scientists want to let nature decide what's a good wolf and what's not through natural selection.

A: Pre-listening Question

The wolf is a large member of the canine family. Most of the adult grey wolves weigh in the vicinity of 75 to 125 pounds (34 to 56 kilograms). Wolves live in family groups called packs. A pack is usually made up of a male parent, a female parent, their pups and a few other adult wolves that are the older brothers and sisters. Wolves can run up to 40 miles an hour and can easily cover 50 miles a day.

The wolf has developed the capacity to survive in the most inhospitable of climates. The wolves in the high arctic endure several winter months of perpetual darkness. Even in February when the sun returns to the north, temperatures of -40°C and bitter winds are common. In the wild wolves can live up to 13 years or more; in a protected wolf park or a controlled area of land, a wolf can live to be up to 16 years old.

B: Sentence Dictation

Directions: Listen to some sentences and write them down. You will hear each sentence three times.

C: Detailed Listening

1 Directions: Listen to the passage and complete the information about a Mexican gray wolf research center.

1)The research center's known as: the Wolf Sanctuary2) Location: in Eureka. 32 Kilometers southwest of St. Louis. the United States

3) Founding: in 1971

4) Purpose: to restore the endangered Mexican gray wolf

5) Founder: Marlin Perkins. a world-renowned naturalist and former director the

St. Louis Zoo. and his wife Carol

2. Directions: Fill in the blanks with events connected with the following time

expressions.

1)In the late 1970s: The last seven known wolves were captured in the wild or taken

from zoos to begin the breeding program.

2)In 1981: The first captive-bred litter of Mexican gray wolves produced in the

federal program was born at the wild Canid Center.

3)In 1998: The first release into the wild took place.

D: After-listening Discussion

Directions: Listen to the passage again and discuss the following questions.

1)Francisco and Sheila were pioneers in a federal program. Though in captivity

themselves, they taught their pups so well that many are thriving in the wild. They were ideal parents. They raised 25 babies, taught them good survival skills and sent many of them off to live on their own. Nine of Francisco and Sheila's offspring were among the first 11 captive-born Mexican gray wolves released in 1998. Both parent wolves have since died - Francisco at age 14 in December.Sheila at age 16 in June 2000 but they lived, as captive wolves often do, roughly twice as long as wolves in the wild.

The Wild Canid Center is ideated on 25 isolated hectares within. Washington University's Tyson Research Center. Today the Wild Canid Survival and Research Center estimates that 98 percent of Mexican wolves released from the federal program are descendants of the prolific lobo pair. About 250 lobos now live in captivity at 45 US and Mexican facilities. The Wild Canid Center has produced more puppies and housed more Mexican grays than any other facility.

(Open)

Section Three News

News Item1

Astroland Amusement Park

When Astroland opened in 1962 it represented the future of amusement theme parks, boasting state-of-the-art rides and attractions operating with an outer-space theme.

The park is a fixture on the Coney Island boardwalk, best known for the Cyclone, its wooden roller coaster（过山车）ride and the Wonder Wheel (神奇转盘), a seaside landmark. Astroland's 22 rides（游乐设施）and three game arcades （设有投币游戏机的游乐场）provided jobs for up to 300 people.Astroland has been the biggest amusement center on Coney Island, which is a favorite holiday destination for Americans in the New York area since the 19th Century. It is the birthplace of the hot dog and is known for its kitschy rides, street performers, sand beaches and family-friendly（适合家庭的）atmosphere.

But Astroland's final chapter may be still to come. A few days after the park's announced closure, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said hope is not yet lost, and that city officials are trying to step in（做短时间的非正式访问）and get a one-year renewal of Astroland's lease（续租一年）.

Exercise A

Directions: Listen to the news and complete the summary.

This news item is about Astroland’s announced closure.

Exercise B

Directions: Listen to the news again and answer the following questions.

1.It opened in 196

2.

2.It represented the future of amusement theme parks, boasting state-of-art rides and

attractions operating with an outer-space theme.

3.It is best known for the cyclone, its wooden roller coaster and the wonder wheel, a

seaside landmark.

4.Because they may enjoy its kitchy rides, street performers, sand beaches and

family-friendly atmosphere.

5.No. The city officials are trying to step in and get a one-year renewal of

Astroland’s lease.

News Item2

It's called the "Highline." It's a newly renovated and elevated promenade that was once a railway line for delivering cattle and other food stock. In 1980, the train made its last delivery, bringing frozen turkeys to lower Manhattan（曼哈顿下城）. In a densely populated city, the Highline now provides open space for relaxation as it winds through neighborhoods once noted for slaughterhouses (屠宰场).

It's an oasis in a sea of concrete. The walkway includes more than 100 species of plants inspired by the wild landscape left after the trains stopped running. New construction is everywhere. Apartments, office towers, restaurants and even a museum have sprouted alongside the promenade.

The first section of the Highline was inaugurated in May, after 15 years of planning and political battles. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, along with benefactors cut the ribbon（剪彩）.

The first two sections of the Highline cost $152 million. Of that, $44 million was raised by the public. For those who visit, it seems it was well worth the wait and the money.

Exercise A

Directions: Listen to the news item and complete the summary.

This news item is about the opening of a walkway in New York.Exercise B

Directions: Listen to the news again and complete the following passage.

After 15 years of planning and political battles,the first section of the Highline was inaugurated in May, The first two sections of the Highline cost $152 million. Of that, $44 million was raised by the public. It's a newly renovated and elevated promenade that was once a railway line for delivering cattle and other foodstock. In 1980, the train made its last delivery, bringing frozen turkeys to lower Manhattan.

It's an oasis in a sea of concrete. The walkway includes more than 100 species of plants inspired by the wild landscape left after the trains stopped running. New construction is everywhere. Apartments, office towers,restaurants and even a museum have sprouted alongside the promenade. In a densely populated city, the Highline now provides open space for relaxation as it winds through neighborhoods once noted fo r slaughterhouses.

News Item3

African American History Museum

An old Greyhound Bus* terminal sits unused in the heart of downtown Dothan, Alabama. It's hardly noticeable, nestled between two office buildings and surrounded by a chain link fence（铁丝网围栏）. There are no written signs that hint of the structure's controversial history. Four decades ago it was a symbol of racial segregation. During the 1960s, bus terminals like other public facilities throughout the American south were divided into white areas and black areas. The building stillhas the separate entrance and restroom facilities that black customers were legally required to use. Today, those elements have a different social value, and they will become one of the centerpieces of a new African American history museum.

The museum will include galleries devoted to the accomplishments of George Washington Carver* and other black scientists and inventors. There will be a gallery depicting black heroes of military and social campaigns.

And the city of Dothan is helping. It's providing the museum with some financial support, and it's already promoting the attraction to visitors. The G-W Carver Interpretive Museum should open doors by August and its director Francina Williams hopes to capitalize on（利用）Alabama's historic role at the center of America's Civil Rights movement. When visitors come to Birmingham, Selma and Montgomery to learn about the struggles that African Americans have endured, she would like them I make a side trip to Dothan to see what African Americans have contributed to Alabama, America and the world.

Exercise A

Directions: Listen to the news item and complete the summary.

This news item is about an African American history museum showing the struggles and contributions f African Americans.

Exercise B

Direction: Listen to the news again and decide whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F).1.F

2. T

3. F

4.T

5.T

6. T

7. F

8.T

Section Four Supplementary Exercises

Part 1 Feature Report

Lamaina grew up listening to her grandfather's stories of a village called Garaguso in Italy south. Tommaso Lamaina immigrated from there to Philadelphia in the 1920s in search of work. But he never let his family forget the place where generations of their forefathers had lived.

The stories inspired Lamaina’s dream of developing her own relationship with a place she was never able to visit with her grandfather, who died when she was a teenager. So In 2000, with years of experience as a professional photographer behind her, she decided to begin an annual pilgrimage to Garaguso to capture life there on film.

Garaguso is a farming village, home to about 1,500 people, in the mountainous region of Basilicata, located in the instep of Italy's boot. It's one of the most remote and least developed zones in the country. After decades of emigration, it's sparsely populated. One out of seven of the people who remain can't read or write.

Lamaina's photos show a Garaguso that seems hardly to have changed in centuries, an anachronism compared with a very modern Italy. Taken in blackand white, they show the winding cobblestone streets and ancient buildings of the historical center. There are donkeys, loaded up with（装满货物）kindling for the open fires and stoves, which still warm the houses.

There are portraits of men with gnarled faces, wearing black pants and white shirts from a past era. There's the local baker, whose family has been selling bread in the same building for hundreds of years. And there are women with white hair and no teeth, dressed in black.

Arriving in the village where her family had lived for generations was like a homecoming （省亲）for Lamaina. She grew up in an inner-city neighborhood of Philadelphia, in the bosom of（在…之间）an immigrant southern Italian community. At home, some of her relatives spoke the dialect of Garaguso rather than English,

But over the years, the reserve has lessened. Lamaina admits, and her work shows, that life in Garaguso is not easy. The locals work from sunup to sundown in the fields, tending their crops and animals. They eat what they produce. Little is imported and nothing goes to waste(浪费掉，被糟蹋掉). But she believes it's rich in the things that matter, like generosity, hospitality and family ties. In this respect（在这方面）, she says, the village has something to teach those who see her work.

Lamaina recently held an exhibition of her work（举行了一个她的作品展）in Florence, where she now lives. She's also giving a copy of her images to City Hall in Garaguso.After eight years of recording life there, Susanna Lucia Lamaina's not ready to put away（收拾，放好）her camera yet. She says she has many more photographs to take and hopes her work will put her family village on the map.

Her grandfather, Tommaso Lamaina, would have been proud.

A：Directions: Listen to the news report and complete the summary.

This news report is about Susanna Lucia Lamina’s recording life in Garaguso.

B：Directions: Listen to the news report again and decide whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F). Discuss with your classmates why you think the statement is true or false.

1. (T) Susanna’s grandfather immigrated from Garaguso to Philadelphia in the 1920s

in search of job. (Tommaso Lamaina immigrated from there to Philadelphia in the 1920s in search of work.)

2. (T) Her grandfather’s stories inspired Susanna’s dream of visiting Garaguso. (The

stories inspired Lamaina’s dream of developing her own relationship with a place she was never able to visit with her grandfather, who died when she was a teenager.)

3. (T) Susanna began an annual pilgrimage to Garaguso to capture life there on film in

2000. (In 2000, with years of experience as a professional photographer behind her, she decided to begin an annual pilgrimage to Garaguso to capture life there on film.)

4.(T) Susanna’s photos show a Garaguso that seems scarcely to have changed in centuries. (Lamaina's photos show a Garaguso that seems hardly to have changed in centuries.)

5. (T)There seemed nothing strange to Susanna when she arrived in Garaguso. (Arriving in the village where her family had lived for generations was like a homecoming for Lamaina.)

6.(F) Over the years of emigration, the spiritual reserve of the village has lessened. (But she believes it's rich in the things that matter, like generosity, hospitality and family ties. In this respect, she says, the village has something to teach those who see her work.)

7.(T) Her photos show that life in Garaguso is difficult. (Her work shows, that life in Garaguso is not easy.)

8. (F) Susanna recently held an exhibition of her work in France, where she now lives. (Lamaina recently held an exhibition of her work in Florence, where she now lives.) Part 2 Passage

Safari

A blur of gold（模糊不清的一片金子）was spotted through the high, wind-whipped grasses and off we walked toward the lion's den*. We glanced at each other nervously, but forged ahead（继续前进）.My friends and I had come to experience the African bush on foot, so, gulping, we fell in（排队）shaky step behind our two ranger guides. Their rifles were at the ready（准备立刻行动）. So were our zoom lenses（变焦镜头）. Seeing lions was a special treat, even for our veteran guide, and he couldn't stop smiling as we crept closer and closer into the glow of the day's last light.

About 150 meters ahead we counted 10 lions sitting in a semicircle in the grass.Their heads poked up（伸出来）through the grass thicket, listening, aware.

Just a meter away from the lions a straggling* buffalo loped by. Perhaps the

lions' intended dinner? But our appearance seemed to distract them and the buffalo

got away.

We were in the Kruger National Park*, the largest game park in South Africa, on a guided walking safari.

Kruger National Park is the country's main game* reserve. Roughly the size of Wales, it stretches for almost 2.5 million hectares across a maze of（无数的）ecozones（生态带）from flat scrubby bush, dense shrub-like Mopane tree covered hillsides to lush valleys.

For three nights home was a circle of thatched roof two-person huts tucked behind a leafy grove of trees in an enclosed camp that included toilets and hot (mostly) showers.

Dinner was served around an open fire, a massive kettle of hot water for tea or coffee steaming on a nearby pile of smoldering coals.

The only light after dark were swaths of luminous stars overhead and our kerosene* lanterns. We joked that we had arrived to the catered version of "Survivor".

The first morning we climbed out from beneath mosquito nets to the muffled sounds of an elephant munching on a tree behind our huts, which were separated only by several meters and a wire mesh fence.

As if the elephant was not wake-up call enough, outside each hut a jug of water had been poured into a plastic basin for a quick face wash before hitting the trail s（出发）.

Under an open sky we winded our way through cracked sun-baked pathways through baobab* and kudu* berry trees. Our guides knelt in the sand, pointing out the differences between the various animal tracks.

A line in the sand told a crocodile had recently slipped into a nearby pool.

Later we saw a crocodile sunning on a rock not far from where we had been swimming the day before.

In the same area we had a sunset sighting of a mauve*-colored hippo* who was not happy to see us.

Thrashing in the water he grunted, snapped his giant jaws, and lunged* forward. We kept our distance behind a log on the banks of the river where we later got a glimpse at a family of baboons*.

On our last evening streaks of orange made the sky glow as if on tangerine* fire. We were all on a high（成功的欢乐感）from our lion sighting.

I inhaled the colors, the silhouette* of buffalos grazing near a watering hole, the evening dropped in temperature and squeezed a friend's hand.

Exercise A Pre-listening Question

Here are the top parks for an African safari: The beautiful Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya, the world-famous Serengeti National Park and Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania, the lush green Okavango Delta and Chobe National Park in Botswana and the Etosha National Park in Namibia.

Exercise B Sentence DictationDirections: Listen to some sentences and write them down. You will hear each sentence three times.

1.A blur of gold was spotted through the high, wind-whipped grasses and off we

walked toward the lion's den.

2.He couldn't stop smiling as we crept closer and closer into the glow of the day's

last light.

3.Just a meter away from the lions a straggling buffalo loped by, but our appearance

seemed to distract them and the buffalo got away.

4.Under an open sky we winded our way through cracked sun-baked pathways. Our

guides knelt in the sand, pointing out the differences between the various animal tracks.

5.Thrashing in the water a mauve-colored hippo grunted, snapped his giant jaws,

and lunged forward. We kept our distance behind a log on the banks of the river.

Exercise C Detailed Listening

Directions: Listen to the passage and answer the following questions.

1)They experienced the African bush on foot.

2)Seeing lions was a special treat for them.

3)They saw 10 lions sitting in a semicircle in the grass.

4)Krugge National Park stretches for almost 2.5 million hectares, roughly the size of

Wales.

5)They stayed in a thatched roof two- person huts with toilets and hot showers.

6)Dinner was served around an open fire.7)They saw a crocodile sunning on a rock not far from where they had been swimming

the day before.

8)They were all on a high from their lion sighting.

Exercise D After-listening Discussion

Directions: Listen to the passage again and discuss the following questions

1.They saw lions, buffaloes, elephants, crocodiles, hippos, baboons, etc.

2.(Open)下载本文