新編大學(xué)英語視聽說教程第六冊聽力原文Unit 6

1、Unit 6ViewScene 1: In the studio(The Program "News Review" is on. Garman is interviewing Tiffany Zorn, the NotComGuy.)Garman: This is Terry Garman. Welcome to "News Review". With me today is Ms. Tiffany Zorn, from The Chicago Tribune. Welcome.Zorn: Hi.Garman: Tiffany, your series

2、 of reports in the Tribune on your experiment have become well-known nationwide. Would you please briefly introduce it to the audience?Zorn: Well, I made a public announcement that I would go cold turkey for one week and then report on my discoveries.Garman: What do you mean by going cold turkey?Zor

3、n: We human beings are addicted to electronic equipment, such as cell phones, fax machines, and of course, the computer and the Internet.Garman: And you want to go without them?Zorn: You're right. I wanted to know if I could survive in a world without them.Garman: That's why you've got a

4、 nicknameNotComGuy. Now I'm curious about the results of your experiment. Did you actually do that?Zorn: Well, to tell the truth, I gave up my attempt four days after I began.Garman: Your experiment only lasted four days and then you gave up?Zorn: Yep.Garman: What do you think was the reason for

5、 the failure of your experiment?Zorn: For one thing, I have to admit that I don't have enough willpower. At the beginning, I thought it would be difficult for me to quit after I made a public commitment in the newspapers, but things turned out otherwise.Garman: What made you change your mind?Zor

6、n: When I set out to give up my computer and other electronic equipment, I felt sort of living in a different environment. I was cut off from my e-mail and felt lonely. I knew I could exist without it. But I still really missed my e-mail. You know, as a columnist, I always have to keep in contact wi

7、th my correspondents.Garman: Yes, I see.Zorn: But that's only part of the story. Worse still, I learned that I wasn't able to write coherent sentences without the use of my word processor.Garman: That's amazing.Zorn: On second thought, it is quite understandable. With access to computers

8、 everywhere you go, you've probably lost some sort of ability to spell.Garman: That's right. Do you mean that you just couldn't go without a computer?Zorn: I was kind of adrift for those four days. It was partly due to the absence of the computer and the Internet. Yet of course, the cell

9、 phone and the fax machine were likewise indispensable. Think of the inconvenience and frustration it caused when I deliberately ignored them! They were so handy and tempting!Garman: The results of this experiment are not encouraging at all for those who want to return to simpler times.Zorn: I suppo

10、se so. I intended to give up my dependence on electronics, but as it turned out, I failed. Things are easier said than done.Garman: Tiffany, you tried to withdraw from your computer, your cell phone and your fax machine, and fit into human society. Someone I know is trying to do the exact opposite.

11、He's withdrawing from human society into his computer. His name is Eric Maddox.   Scene 2: In Eric Maddox's home(Terry Garman is interviewing Eric Maddox, the DotComGuy, in Eric Maddox's home, where he has been doing the opposite of Tiffany Zorn's experiment.)Maddox: Hi, ev

12、eryone!Garman: Hi, Eric! How's everything going?Maddox: Fine. Everything's fine.Garman: Eric, or should I call you DotComGuy?Maddox: Go ahead.Garman: Eric, what prompted you to spend a whole year at home ordering everything you need to live over the Internet?Maddox: I got the idea two months

13、 ago when I found myself growing restless while I was shopping with my parents. They were walking back and forth in the aisle, making a fuss over what to buy. The whole trip took three hours. I was fed up with it.Garman: So you turned to e-commerce?Maddox: Yeah. It saves me a lot of trouble. Time is

14、 one thing, and price is another. What's more, I hope people can learn from my experience and know that the age of e-commerce is here and it's good.Garman: Well, you've certainly shown that it's possible. Your name is a household item because you've been observed by round-the-clo

15、ck video cameras hooked up to computers around the world.Maddox: Computer and the Internet are here as well, you see?Garman: Since you are not allowed to leave your home, do you feel that you are separated from the outside world?Maddox: To some extent, my life is more isolated. But the Internet is a

16、 virtual world in itself. It offers a wide variety of things to buy, information to learn, and people of different backgrounds, professions and interests to chat with.Garman: That's for sure. Do you have any other leisure activities?Maddox: Uh, an aerobics instructor comes once a week to make su

17、re I don't merge with my couch physically.Garman: And your couch was bought online too?Maddox: Yeah, of course. Um. I enjoy my lifestyle. Last night I went shopping for my bed.Garman: Besides, your life as a professional electronics consumer is apparently a financial success.Maddox: My website,

18、which features videos of nearly every move I make, receives millions of hits a day and is using advertisements as well. I estimate I will earn nearly $90,000 this year.   Scene 3: In the studio(Terry Garman and Tiffany Zorn are in the studio for the "News Review" program again.)G

19、arman: We're back in the studio. Tiffany, what do you think are the differences between you and DotComGuy?Zorn: Well, I think my experiment is 50 times harder than his. And what he's doing is not very difficult. And I have the impression that what he's doing is almost like a job. He'

20、s now profiting from it. The problem is how long people will be willing to log on and watch him click his mouse. It's questionable whether that will go on for very long.Garman: You may have a point. The true test of DotComGuy's character will be 10 months from now, when he has to face the ou

21、tside world again, no longer safely protected by the Web and his e-comforts.Listen1-1      Those of us who do not want to tell our doctor how much we really drink are often more honest with a computer. In fact, many patients say they prefer talking to a computer to talk

22、ing to their doctor.       "Computers don't expect you to smile or socially relate to them when you are feeling ill," said psychiatrist and program writer, Dr. Tony Carr.       Dr. Carr of the Maudsley Hospital in London tries

23、 to make sure his programs are friendly. For example, if a patient called Anna says that both her parents are dead, the computer will say: "I'm sorry to hear that, Anna."       As well as expressing sympathy like a doctor, the computer can also question pa

24、tients and remind patients of something. If a patient says he never drinks alcohol, the computer can ask him: "Never? Not even at parties or at Christmas?"       Computers are doing everyday interviews which used to take up a lot of a doctor's time. "

25、And, of course," said Dr. Carr, "it is cheaper to use a computer than a highly-trained person."       Does this direct contact between the patients and the computer mean that we do not need doctors anymore?       It depends.

26、Computers are useful because they do not feel embarrassed. They do not look shocked if you say you drink two bottles of whisky a day. And they do not stop to talk on the phone as doctors often do.       But, as Dr. Mike Pringle, a family doctor in Nottinghamshire, said:

27、 "We smile and we give a patient a hankie or put an arm around her shoulder if she is crying. That is why people will always want us." Listen1-2Questions: 1. Why do some patients prefer to talk to a computer?2. What is the advantage of using computers in hospitals?3. How are doctors differ

28、ent from computers?4. What is the main idea of the passage?  Listen2-1      Vickie Hulvey, 29, in New Jersey, met Steve Barnes, 35, a confirmed bachelor and computer consultant living in Bristol, in a CompuServe chat room in August 1995. Now they're married and

29、 have an eight-month-old daughter.       When they first made contact, Vickie had been divorced for about four years. She'd begun using the Net while she was married to her ex-husband. "I am not a good computer user," Vickie said. "I could only use te

30、xt, so I spent lots of time in the chat room. It was a great way for me to forget about all my problems. Everyone was so friendly. Sort of a Utopia where no one really had any problems."       Four months after Steve and Vickie had first made contact, he flew to Ne

31、w Jersey. "Our first meeting was pretty amazing," she recalls. "Steve and I both realized the IRL (In Real Life) meeting would either cement our future together or end the relationship we'd been dreaming about. I felt awkward during the first 10 minutes, because I kept thinking, &

32、#39;A sane person wouldn't be doing this!' But Steve said he felt comfortable straightaway. He was exactly what he had said he was, so there weren't any adjustments to make."       They'd started e-mailing each other during August 1995 and had been

33、sending about four messages daily. "We spent a huge amount of time online," Vickie says. They printed all the e-mails, which fill seven large binders. They also crossed the Atlantic to visit each other five times between December 1995 and June 1996.       &quo

34、t;I don't think it was a specific thing that attracted me to him; it was the whole package really," Vickie said. "I know it's going to sound sappy, but it was like destiny. We just clicked. We had similar hopes and dreams for the future for what we wanted out of life."  &

35、#160;    Is their relationship still heavenly? "Life is good, we get on well together, and we work on everything as a team, sharing all of life. Steve sometimes e-mails me when he is at work, but we talk more than type these days," Vickie gushed. "We will be marrie

36、d for two years in July and I can honestly say it was a match made in heaven!" Questions: 1. Where did the couple first get to know each other?2. When did the couple have their first meeting?3. What did Vickie think about chatting on the Net?4. How did they feel during the first 10 minutes of t

37、heir first meeting?5. How many times did they visit each other between December 1995 and June 1996?  Listen2-2Mlisten1-1      Are you looking to improve your language skills, but without a chance to go overseas to attend school? More and more universities around th

38、e world are offering opportunities for students to obtain degrees onlinedistance educationfrom the comfort of their own homes, and many of these institutions are accredited, meaning that they have met certain standards of excellence.       If you decide to take language

39、 courses online (or any subject for that matter), be sure to evaluate the benefits of studying online versus going abroad. The advantages of studying online are that the costs are usually lower, you can study at your own pace, and you have access to the materials 24-hours-a-day from almost any compu

40、ter in the world. However, you won't get the human interaction of meeting people face to face like you would if you were physically attending a school overseas.       On the other hand, the advantages of going overseas may include day-to-day opportunities to learn a

41、 new culture, meet new friends with whom you can use and practice the language, and chances to see different parts of the world. However, there may be a number of disadvantages for you, including expense, being away from one's school, family, or work, and the challenge of adapting to a new cultu

42、re and way of life.       Whatever you do, consider a distance education program that meets your educational needs, is within your budget, and equally important, provides you with opportunities to grow beyond the classroom through cultural and educational activities.Sta

43、tements: 1. Many universities offer degrees online to make profits.2. It's impossible to decide whether these universities are qualified or not.3. The most important thing to take into consideration when you choose an overseas university is cost.4. For those who have no chance to go abroad to pu

44、rsue their studies, an online university degree is a good choice.5. One needs to evaluate both advantages and disadvantages of studying online before they actually do that. Mlisten1-2Mlisten2-1      A jobless man applied for the position of "office boy" a

45、t Microsoft.       The HR manager interviewed him, then gave him a test: clean the floor. The man passed the test with flying colors.       "You are hired," the HR manager informed the applicant, "give me your e-mail address,

46、 and I'll send you the application for employment, as well as the date you should report for work."       The man replied, "I don't have a computer, or an e-mail!"       "I'm sorry," said the HR manager.

47、 "If you don't have an e-mail, that means you do not exist. And we cannot hire persons who do not exist."       The man was very disappointed.       He didn't know what to do. He had only $10 with him. Once that was spent,

48、 he wouldn't have any money to buy any food.       He went to the supermarket and bought a crate of tomatoes with his $10.       He went from door to door and sold the tomatoes in less than two hours. He doubled his money.   &

49、#160;   He repeated the operation three times, and returned home with $60. He realized that he could survive this way. He started to go early everyday, and return home late.       He doubled or tripled his money every day. Soon, he bought a cart, then a t

50、ruck. In a very short time, he had his own fleet of delivery vehicles.       Five years later, the man became one of the biggest food retailers in the U.S. He started to plan his family's future, and decided to have a life insurance policy.     &

51、#160; He called an insurance broker, and chose a protection plan.       At the end of the conversation the broker asked him for his e-mail address.       The man replied, "I don't have an e-mail."     

52、  The broker was dumbfounded. "You don't have an e-mail, and yet have succeeded in building an empire. Can you imagine what you could have been if you had an e-mail?" he exclaimed.       The man thought for a while, and replied, "An office b

53、oy at Microsoft!"Questions: 1. What does an office boy do according to the passage?2. Why was the man applying for the office boy disappointed?3. What did the man do with his money?4. How was the man five years later?5. What is the moral of the story? Mlisten2-2Statements: 1. The HR manage

54、r wanted to send the man the application for employment.2. At Microsoft, those who didn't have a computer were assigned the task of floor cleaning.3. The man bought a cart with the $60 he earned in less than two hours.4. The man worked hard and that was the reason for his success.5. The man deci

55、ded to protect his money earned from being stolen.6. The man could have been an office boy at Microsoft if he had an e-mail. Mlisten3-1      Have you heard of online movie rentals? If not, there might be an option for you to improve your language skills and enjoy s

56、ome entertainment at the same time. Some people have grown tired of going down to the video rental store to rent movies. Now, more and more companies are offering customers the service of online movie rentals.       Here's how it works for most of these companies li

57、ke Netflix, Blockbuster, and Qwikfliks:      1. Select and sign up for a payment program, which will determine how many movies you can rent and hold at any one time. 2. Choose the movies you want to watch (generally 13 at a time). 3. Movies (usually DVDs) are sent to you wit

58、hin 13 days, and shipping is covered by the company. 4. Watch the movies, often with no late fees. 5. Return the movies in a prepaid return envelope.       New companies and terms of service are always changing, so check these sites for specific, up-to-date details.

59、60;     Once you receive the movies, how can you improve your language skills with them? Well, just sitting in front of the TV with a drink in one hand and popcorn in the other isn't a bad way to relax and passively enjoy movies, but you won't learn much doing it. Ra

60、ther, one idea to improve your listening skills is to watch the movies with the captions turned on and pause the movie when you see and hear new expressions. Write down these words and look them up in a good English-English dictionary to understand their possible meanings. Then, think of some sample

61、 sentences for each word. In other words, learning vocabulary has little meaning if you don't know how to use them in context. Good luck. Statements: 1. You can rent two movies online at a time.2. You can choose the movie you want to watch and wait for 13 days for it to arrive.3. You need to pay

62、 delivery fees in addition to the rental.4. If you don't return the movie you rent on time, you'll be fined.5. You need to pay for an envelope in advance so that you can put your movie in it when you return it.  Mlisten3-2Mlisten4-1      Video game consoles

63、 and software will gross $30 billion this year, more than twice the revenue of the National Football League, the National Basketball Association, and Major League Baseball combined. With millions of people playing, it's no wonder that it has given rise to professional video game competition.

64、60;     The No. 1 video game player, Johnathan Wendel, who lives in Kansas City, Missouri, and has the professional name of "Fatality", is the outstanding cyber-athlete in the world. At the age of 25 he has been a professional for six years, has won 46 tournaments and has earned more than $300,000. He has won world championships in four different video games and is wo