研究生英語視聽說教程單元1

1、10Unit One Language and CulturePart 1 English and Its OriginTask 1 Directions: Listen to the following passage about variations of English. You will hear it three times. During the first reading, you should listen carefully for a general idea of the whole passage. During the second reading, you are

2、required to fill in the missing information by either using the words you have just heard or writing down the main points in your own words. Finally, when the passage is read the third time, you can check what you have written. In Great Britain at present the speech of educated persons is known as R

3、eceived Standard English. A class dialect rather than a regional dialect, it is based on the type of speech cultivated at such schools as Eton and Harrow and at such of the older universities as (1) _. Many English people who speak regional dialects in their childhood (2) _while attending school and

4、 university. Its influence has become even stronger in recent years (3) _as the British Broadcasting Corp.An important development of English outside Great Britain occurred with the colonization of North America. American English may be considered to include the English spoken in Canada, although (4

5、) _ and vocabulary. The most distinguishing differences between American English and British English are in pronunciation and vocabulary. (5)_. Written American English also has a tendency to be more rigid in matters of grammar and syntax, (6) _. Despite these differences, it is often difficult to d

6、etermineapart from contextwhether serious literary works have been written in Great Britain or the U.S./Canadaor, for that matter, in Australia, New Zealand, or South Africa.Task 2Directions: Listen to the following passage the history of the English language. The passage will be read only once. Aft

7、er listening, decide whether each of the following statements is true or false. If false, give a brief explanation.1. Old English was mainly a mixture of some Germanic languages. 2. Old English is more like modern French than modern German.3. The Normans brought many Latin words to the British Isles

8、 and added them to Old English.4. Many words from Scandinavian languages were also brought into Old English as a result of the settlement of Viking invaders in England. 5. After England was conquered by the Normans, the upper class in England learned Norman French because English was forbidden.6. Th

9、e French-influenced language of England from about 1100 to 1485 is now called Middle English7. By the end of the 1300s, the French influence declined sharply in England because the Normans became increasingly distant from the English society. 8. By 1485, the English language was spoken in many parts

10、 of the world as the English explored and colonized such areas as Africa, Australia, India and North America.Task 3Directions: Listen to the following passage about characteristics of English. The passage will be read only once. After listening, choose the best answer from the four suggested choices

11、 marked A, B, C, and D to each of the questions you hear. 1. A. 60,000 B. 600,000 C. 6,000,000 D. 60,000,0002. A. Latin B. French C. German D. Italian 3. A. Because many English words were borrowed from other languages.B. Because many English words were formed by combining other words. C.Because man

12、y English words are spelled similarly but pronounced differently, or vice versa. D. Because the pronunciation of some words remained the same, though their spellingchanged. 4. A. Pronouns B. Nouns C. Verbs D. Adverbs5. A. They are used to express relationships between function words in a sentence.B.

13、 They are used to show the structural meanings of the sentence.C. They are used to carry the basic vocabulary meanings. D. They are used to indicate variations of words.6. A. One B. Two C. Three D. Four Part 2 Language and Language LearningTask 1Directions: You are going to hear a passage about Amer

14、ican English spelling reform. The passage will be read twice. After listening, you are expected to complete the following sentences, based on what you have heard.1. In addition to his well-known American Dictionary of the English Language published in 1828,_.2. Websters books sought to standardize s

15、pelling in the United States by _.3. The development of a specifically American variety of English _ _. 4. Some of Websters most successful changes were spellings with or instead of our (honor, labor for the British honour, labour) and _ _ _ 5. And other changes were spellings with an s instead of a

16、 c (defense, license for the British defence, licence); with a final ck instead of que (check, mask for the British cheque, masque); and _.6. Canadian spelling varies between the British and American forms, _ _. Task 2 Directions: You are going to hear a passage about development of language. The pa

17、ssage will be read only once. After listening, you are expected to answer the following questions as briefly as you can in your own words.1. How long has language probably existed?_ 2. According to the passage, how did language come into being?_ 3. What is the first real evidence of language?_ 4. La

18、nguages change. Please name one of the reasons why changes take place._ 5. Do languages become better, worse or different?_ 6. Why do languages change even more slowly in modern industrial societies?_ Task 3Directions: You are going to listen to a passage about learning a foreign language. The passa

19、ge will be read only once. After listening, you are expected to choose the best answer from the four suggested choices marked A, B, C, and D to each of the questions you hear. 1. A. Reasons for learning a foreign language. B. Skills in mastering a foreign language. C. The importance of age in langua

20、ge learning. D. Common issues involved in language learning.2. A. Two B. Three C. Four D. Five3. A. There are many important reasons for learning a foreign language.B. Foreign language can help add to your knowledge of your own language.C. Foreign language can help add to your knowledge of another l

21、anguage.D. Learning a foreign language helps you add to your general stock of information.4. A. He can speak and write.B. He can understand.C. He can read.D. He can make himself understood in speech and writing.5. A. Attitude of the person learning it.B. Motivation of the person learning it.C. Age o

22、f the person learning it.D. The way the person learns it.6. A. Before the age of 10.B. Around the age of 10.C. After the age of 10.D. At the age of 10.Part 3 Culture and CommunicationTask 1Directions: You are going to hear a passage about how cultures change. The passage will be read twice. While li

23、stening, you are expected to take down the main points of the passage according to the hints provided. All parts of a culture do not change at the same time.Sometimes, _ _ At other times, _ _ Characteristics of cultural change include:Diffusion: _ _ Acculturation: _ _ Assimilation: _ _ Task 2Directi

24、ons: You are going to hear a passage about communicative style in interpersonal situations. The passage will be read twice. After listening, you are expected to summarize orally what you have heard. Your summary should be based on the hints provided.1. Differences in communicative style of different

25、 nationalities.2. What communicative style refers to.3. The influence of culture on peoples use and understanding of communicative style.Task 3Directions: You are going to listen to a passage about American small talk. The passage will be read only once. After listening, you are expected to choose t

26、he best answer from the four suggested choices marked A, B, C, and D to each of the questions you hear. 1. A. Controversial topics of American small talk.B. General topics of American small talk. C. Political topics of American small talk.D. Recreational topics of American small talk.2. A. Sports B.

27、 News items C. Physical surroundings D. Family matters 3.A. Their social lives B. Their recreational interests C. Their teachers and classesD. Their favorite stars4. A. Because they are too formal topics which make Americans uncomfortable.B. Because they are controversial topics which often lead to

28、arguments .C. Because they are intellectual topics in which not all the Americans are interested.D. Because they are not Americans' understandable topics.5. A. Because politics is the most appropriate topic for their discussion.B. Because they can learn a lot from their discussion of politics. C

29、. Because politics has more to do with their lives and work.D. Because discussing politics is their favorite way to kill the time. 6. A. Personal concerns. B. Social lives. C. Financial matters. D. Interpersonal relations.Scripts for Unit OnePart 1 English and Its Origin Task 1In Great Britain at pr

30、esent the speech of educated persons is known as Received Standard English. A class dialect rather than a regional dialect, it is based on the type of speech cultivated at such schools as Eton and Harrow and at such of the older universities as Oxford and Cambridge. Many English people who speak reg

31、ional dialects in their childhood acquire Received Standard English while attending school and university. Its influence has become even stronger in recent years because of its use by such public media as the British Broadcasting Corp. An important development of English outside Great Britain occurr

32、ed with the colonization of North America. American English may be considered to include the English spoken in Canada, although the Canadian variety retains some features of British pronunciation, spelling, and vocabulary. The most distinguishing differences between American English and British Engl

33、ish are in pronunciation and vocabulary. There are slighter differences in spelling, pitch, and stress as well. Written American English also has a tendency to be more rigid in matters of grammar and syntax, but at the same time appears to be more tolerant of the use of neologisms. Despite these dif

34、ferences, it is often difficult to determineapart from contextwhether serious literary works have been written in Great Britain or the U.S./Canadaor, for that matter, in Australia, New Zealand, or South Africa. Task 2 The history of the English language can be divided into three main periods. The la

35、nguage of the first period, which began about 500 and ended about 1100, is called Old English. During the next period, from about 1100 to 1485, the people spoke Middle English. The language of the period from about 1485 to the present is known as Modern English. Old English was mainly a mixture of t

36、he Germanic languages of the Angles, Jutes, and Saxons. Old English resembles modern German more than it does modern English. The vocabulary of Old English was chiefly Germanic, though some words came from the language of the Celts. The Germanic people had learned some Latin words while they lived o

37、n the European continent. These people brought some of those words to the British Isles and added them to Old English. More Latin words were added during the 500's and the 600's, when Christianity spread in England. During the late 800's, Viking invaders from Denmark and Norway settled i

38、n northeast England. As a result, many words from Scandinavian languages became part of Old English. In 1066, England was conquered by the Normans, a people from the area in France that is now called Normandy. Their leader, William the Conqueror, became king of England. The Normans took control of a

39、ll English institutions, including the government and the church. Most of the English people continued to speak English. However, many of the members of the upper class in England learned Norman French because they wanted influence and power. The use of French words eventually became fashionable in

40、England. The English borrowed thousands of these words and made them part of their own language. The French-influenced language of England during this period is now called Middle English. The Normans intermarried with the English and, through the years, became increasingly distant-socially, economic

41、ally, and culturally-from France. The Normans began to speak English in daily life. By the end of the 1300's, the French influence had declined sharply in England. English was used again in the courts and in business affairs, where French had replaced it. By about 1485, English had lost most of

42、its Old English inflections, and its pronunciation and word order closely resembled those of today. During this period, the vocabulary of English expanded by borrowing words from many other languages. Beginning in the 1600's, the language spread throughout the world as the English explored and c

43、olonized Africa, Australia, India, and North America. Different dialects of the English language developed in these areas. Task 3 English language is the most widely spoken language in the world. It is used as either a primary or secondary language in many countries. English has a larger vocabulary

44、than any other language. There are more than 600,000 words in the largest dictionaries of the English language. Some English words have been passed on from generation to generation expressing basic ideas and feelings. Later, many words were borrowed from other languages, including Arabic, French, Ge

45、rman, Greek, Italian, Latin, and Spanish. For example, algebra is from Arabic, fashion from French, piano from Italian, and canyon from Spanish. A number of English words were formed by combining other words. Words can also be shortened to form new words. Pronunciation and spelling in English someti

46、mes seem illogical or inconsistent. Many words are spelled similarly though pronounced differently. Examples include cough, though, and through. Other words, such as blue, crew, to, too, and shoe, have similar pronunciations but are spelled differently. Many of these variations show changes that occ

47、urred during the development of English. The spelling of some words remained the same through the centuries, though their pronunciation changed. Grammar is the set of principles used to create sentences. These principles define the elements used to assemble sentences and the relationships between th

48、e elements. The elements include parts of speech and inflections. Some modern scholars divide the parts of speech into two categories, content words and function words. Content words are the main parts of speech-nouns, verbs, adverbs, and adjectives-and carry the basic vocabulary meanings. Function

49、words express relationships between content words in a sentence. They show the grammatical, or structural, meanings of the sentence and are also called structure classes. Function words include articles, prepositions, pronouns, and conjunctions. English has fewer inflections than most other European

50、 languages. An inflection is a variation of the form of a word that gives the word a different meaning or function. An English noun has only two inflections, the plural and the possessive. Inflections are used to change the tense and number of a verb or the case of a pronoun. Inflections can change adjectives to the comparative or the superlative-for