人教新課標(biāo)選修八listening-and--speaking-聽(tīng)力文本

1、選修八聽(tīng)力材料Unit1 A holiday in CaliforniaA holiday in CaliforniaGeorge (G) is on holiday in the United States. He is touring around California. Listen to him phoning home to talk to his friend Christie (C).C: Hello.G: Hi, Christie. Its me, George.C: Gosh, George! Where are you?G: In Joshua Tree national

2、Park.C: Wow, where is that?G: Its in southeastern California. C: Lucky you! What are you doing down there?G: Well, I started in northern California and Ive been traveling south.C: Cool. So hows the trip been?G: Jolly good. There is so much to see and its nothing like what I imagined.C: Really? G: Ye

3、ah. I expected everyone to live near the beach in big houses, and I thought everyone here would be rich.C: (laughing) Just as I thought. Youve watched too many American movies!G: I know, and they can give you the wrong idea!C: So, tell me, whats it really like?G: Well, some people live near the coas

4、t; but further east, in the central part, is a huge valley where they grow all sorts of things like cotton, vegetables, nuts and fruit, oh, lots of things. And lots of cattle.C: Mmm, sounds interesting. What other scenery is there？G: Well, if you go further southeast, you come to mountains and deser

5、t. That land is really spectacular.C: Sounds fantastic! So you are in the desert at the moment?G: Yes, thats right. Its very hot and very different from the rest of California.C: I wish I could see it for myself. What are the people like？G: Well, I didnt realize there were so many different races an

6、d cultures here.C: Such as？G: Well, there black and white Americans of course, and lots of Asians. And about a quarter of all Californians are Hispanic.C: Hispanic？G: People whose ancestors came from Spanish speaking countries in South America.C: Oh I see.G: So there is a huge difference in culture

7、and the way people look. Lots of different art, different types of festival, music, food and anything else you can think of. C: Sounds great. And what about? Unit2 Is cloning cruel? Xiao Qing (XQ) and Rachel Brown (RB) are discussing whether cloning is cruel to animals or not.RB: Xiao Qing, do you t

8、hink cloning is cruel?XQ: What do you mean by that? The scientists are doing a wonderful job. Soon they may be able to bring peoples favourite pets back to life!RB: Yes, I know. But doesnt it seem cruel to you that it took 276 experiments before Dolly was successfully cloned? Think of all those live

9、 cells and eggs that died in order to be born. I dont approve of that.XQ: But, Rachel, be reasonable. Isnt it always like that with a new science? This is the way people learn to do thing better.RB: I suppose so- but they also make the animals do such unnatural things. One poor cow was made to give

10、birth to a bison. What was the poor creature to think when it saw its baby?XQ: I dont quite understand why so many people are against cloning. I think the scientists need a bit of encouragement. Think of the benefits. Cloning may help medical science to produce cures for serious illnesses.RB: Yes, I

11、 know and I agree with that. It is just that I dont agree with the methods.XQ: Why not?RB: Well, I think its a dead end. Dolly the sheep was “middle-aged” when she was born because her DNA came from a middle-aged “mother”. Cloning your grandmother would mean a new baby started life as an old lady!XQ

12、: Really? I never thought of that.RB: And it weakens the species. Cloning means that theres less variety in the species. So the animals may not be able to resist a particular illness and they might die out.XQ: Oh dear! And that was just what you and I were trying to avoid. In spite of all these, don

13、t you think scientists would still be able to solve the problem?Unit3 Good design is practicalZhou Rui (ZR) made a phone call to Dr Smith (S), an engineer who works for James Dyson, a famous British inventor. Now Dr Smith is ringing him back.S: Hello, can I speak to Zhou Rui please? This is Dr Smith

14、.ZR: Good morning, Dr Smith. How kind of you to ring me back! Would you mind if I asked you a few questions about James Dysons inventions.S: Not at all. Id be happy to talk about our company and our founder, James Dyson. Hes an inventor who takes everyday products, like washing machines, and makes t

15、hem work better.ZR: I see. Why did he improve the washing machine?S: He found that clothes were not as clean from a washing machine as those washed by hand.ZR: Really? Is that true?S: Yes, because most machines have one large drum and the clothes go round and round in it.ZR: So what did he do to imp

16、rove that?S: This is the clever part. James Dyson invented a system with two drums in the same machine. Together they are the same size as the old drum, but they work differently. One drum goes in one direction and the other goes in the other. So its more like hand-washing and the clothes come out c

17、leaner.ZR: Was it easy to design?S: No. It took many working models before Mr Dyson was satisfied.ZR: How long did it take him?S: Im not sure. But I do know that inventing a new carpet cleaner took five years before he was happy with it.ZR: Wow! I didnt realize that it took that long! S: And of cour

18、se he had to apply for patents for all of the new parts hed designed. You must do that to protect your ideas.ZR: Has that been a problem?S: Well, in the early years, James Dyson found that a large company making carpet cleaners in America was copying his ideas. He had to go to court to protect his i

19、nvention.ZR: Did he win?S: Yes, in the end the company had to pay us a lot of money.ZR: What new ideas does James Dyson have?S: Im sorry but youll just have to wait and see! ZR: Thank you very much and Im afraid I shall have to ring off now. Goodbye.S: Goodbye.Unit4 Changing ElizaH = Higgins CP = Co

20、lonel Pickering E = ElizaH: Good morning, Eliza. My goodness, how pretty you are after a good bath! Ready for your first lesson? You see, Colonel Pickering and I are both here waiting.E: Than you sir!H: So lets begin. Say your alphabet.E: I know my alphabet. Do yer thin I know noffink!H: Now, now! L

21、ets start again. Say this after me. (very slowly, loudly and carefully)Do you think I dont know anything?E: Do yer think I dont know any think!CP: Do you know, Higgins, I think that was better!H: (far from satisfied) Once more, Eliza. (emphasizing each word) Do you think I dont know anything!E: (ver

22、y slowly and carefully too) Doo yoo think I dont know anything?H: Now to the alphabet, my girl. Dont argue just say it.CP: Yes, say it, Eliza! Youll understand soon. Do what he tells you and let him teach you in his own way.E: Oh, well! If you put it like that! Ahyee, Bayee, Sayee, DayeeH: (bored) S

23、top at once. Now say A, B, C, and D.E: (in tears) But I am saying it. Ahee, Bayee, Sayee, DayeeH: Stop! Say “a cup of tea”.E: I cap-o-tee.H: Put your tongue forward until it pushes against the top of your lower teeth. Now say “cup”.E: C-c-c. I cant. I cant hear no differencecept that it sounds more

24、genteel like when you say it. (begins to cry)H: (angrily) Well, if you can hear that, why are you crying? Now try again, Eliza.E: C-cup.CP: Splendid, Miss Doolittle. Never mind a little crying, you are doing very well. The lessons wont hurt. I promise not to let him pull you round by your hair.H: No

25、w try the whole thing, Eliza. A cup of tea.E: (very slowly and with emphasis) A cu-up of tea.CP: Good, good!H: Better, better! Now try this sentence. “The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain”.E: (again with emphasis) The rine in Spine falls minely on the pline. H: (excitedly) Its coming! Its com

26、ing! Now try again, Eliza. (slowly) The rain (ai, ai, ai) in Spain (ai, ai, ai) falls mainly on the plain.E: The rai-ain in Spai-ain falls mai-ainly on the plain.P: Miss Doolittle, thats so much better.H: Now, Eliza, go and practise by yourself. Keep your tongue well forward instead of trying to swa

27、llow it.E: (beginning to cry) Oah! Oah!H: (angrily) Now, Eliza, go and tell Mrs Pearce about this lesson. Think about it and practice by yourself. Away with you! (Eliza is still sobbing, rushes from the room)P: Now Henry, couldnt you have been kinder to that poor girl after all the effort she made?U

28、nit5 Dating methodsZhou Heping has come to ask the archaeologist, Richard Leakey, how he dates the bones he finds.Part 1 ZH: How can you tell how old bones are when you find them?RL: There are two main ways: the first uses layers in the ground and the second uses the radiocarbon dating.ZH: How does

29、the layer method work?RL: Well, Look at the diagram in your book. Think of your wastepaper basket. When you came into work you threw the orange skin into it. Thats layer number 1. Later somebody threw yogurt pots into it. Thats layer number 2.ZH: Oh yes, and then I threw some paper into it. So thats

30、 layer number 3.RL: Yes, and finally someone threw some used envelopes. So how many layers are there in this wastepaper basket?ZH: There are four RL: Good. Now which layer is the first and therefore the oldest? ZH: The orange skin.RL: And which is the last and therefore the most recent?ZH: Of course -the used envelopes. I see how it works now. But how does it help?RL: Well, layers of soil are produced at different