第二版新視野大學英語聽說教程4Passage原文

1、第二版新視野大學英語聽說教程4Passage原文Unit 1 The Fame GameThe Dangers of FameYou young people go crazy over famous people. Will you listen to me when I tell you your generation is wrong about this? Let me use an example to illustrate my point to you.Marilyn Monroe, you might not even know who she is. Back in my d

2、ay, when I was your age, she was a big movie star. But she wasnt born a movie star, no sir. She was a simple girl with beauty and innocence until she went to Hollywood to develop a respectable name in her profession, she sought fame. Well, Ill tell you, she made her movies All About Eve in 1950, Gen

3、tiemen Prefer Blondes in 1953, Some Like it Hot in 1959, and more. She got into trouble throughout drugs, abuseAll of this came crashing down on her head, and she died at an early age in 1962. Sad, really.I hope that this example shows you the dangers of fame. Believe me, its best just to live a sim

4、ple life.Unit 2 One of a KindCharlie ChaplinSome people stand out as truly special and one of a kind. Charlie Chaplin, a superstar of silent comedies and one of the great icons of the 20th-century film, is one of those unique people. Chaplin had a rotten childhood and an early start on stage, perfor

5、ming even as a child in vaudeville. He went to Hollywood in 1914 and began acting in silent comedies. By 1915, he controlled most aspects of his films, in which he usually appeared as a character called simply the “Little Tramp”: a lovably shabby dreamer with a bushy moustache, bowler hat and cane.

6、Chaplin was one of the founders of United Artists Studios and was one of the first movie makers to have complete control over his features. His best-know films include 1925s The Gold Rush, 1931s City Lights, and 1936s Modem Times. Famously outspoken and sympathetic to communism, Chaplin left the Uni

7、ted States in 1952 because of increased political pressure. He settled in Switzerland, where he and his wife Oona raised eight children, including actress Geraldine Chaplin. In 1972 he returned to the United States to accept a Oscar, and in 1975, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth .Unit 3 Crushed by

8、 MisfortuneCare for the Americas PoorWhat to do about the poor and needy is a concern of every government. The U.S. is not exempt from this concern, but care for its poor has changed over time. Until the Great Depression of the 1930s, state and local governments in America bore some responsibility f

9、or providing assistance to the poor. However, such assistance was minimal at best.The New Deal policies of President Franklin D. Roosevelt included new federal initiatives to help those in poverty. With millions of people unemployed during the 1930s economic depression, welfare assistance was beyond

10、 the financial resources of the states. Therefore, the federal government provided funds for maintaining a standard of living, either directly to recipients or to the states.Between 1935 and 1996, federal programs were established that provided additional welfare benefits, including medical care, pu

11、blic hosing, and food stamps. By the 1960s, however, criticism began to grow that these programs discouraged people from finding employment. Even defenders of public welfare benefits acknowledged that the system was imperfect noting the financial disincentives associated with taking a low-paying job

12、 and losing the array of benefits, especially medical care.Unit 4 Zooming up the Information SuperhighwayInformation HighwayThe “information highway”, the “information superhighway”, the “Interweb”, the “Internet”all of these words have come to identify the same thingthe widespread connection of com

13、puters and information from around the world. And as our understanding of this connection has changed, so too have the terms weve used to describe it.The information highway was a term used especially in the 1990s to describe the Internet. The official project was dubbed the National Infrastructure

14、and went beyond the interconnectivity of just computers; the scope broadened to include all types of data transmissions between a plethora of places, people, and devices. It is often associated with the United States politician and former vice president, Al Gore, who promoted funding for programs th

15、at led to aspects of the development of the Internet, Although its currency was wider than merely Goremany policy organizations made pronouncements about the so-called information highway or the variant information superhighway. Both terms are used less frequently now that for many people the Intern

16、et has become a less abstract and more concrete thing; the highway analogy, though useful and apt, has perhaps served its purpose.Unit 5 My Roommate, My Friend?DormitoryMost people prefer living by themselves, as they think that the advantages of living alone, such as privacy and quiet, outweigh the

17、 negatives, which include loneliness and higher costs. However, some people, college students most of all, do not have a choice. Because costs are so high, they have to live with one or more other students in whats called a dormitory.The term “dormitory” usually refers to a large room with many sing

18、le beds. Examples are found in many rooming houses, hostels, universities, colleges, and barracks. The room typically is a large room with beds and only sparse furnishings. Such rooms can contain anywhere from two to hundreds of bedsthough very large rooms are rare except perhaps in military barrack

19、s. Such rooms provide little or no privacy for the residents, and very limited storage for personal items in or near the beds. Storage is sometimes provided in special store rooms in another part of the building.Unit 6 Criminal ActsReasons for Different PunishmentSome people complain what they see a

20、s hypocrisy in society. White-collar criminals, people who commit business crimes, are punished less severely than are blue-collar criminals, people who commit crimes such as assault and mugging, I, however, think there is a sensible reason for the difference.A reason for differential treatment migh

21、t be the fact that, all other things being equal, criminal penalties tend to be more related to the degree of physical force or violence involved than to the monetary loss. Because white-collar crimes are usually committed by people with opportunities that do not require violence, they are far less

22、likely to get severe penalties. For example, someone who mugs a victim on the street by threatening to knife him is very likely to be punished with a more severe sentence than an inside trader who cheats shareholders out of million dollars. This doesnt seem so wrong to me.Unit 7 The Truth Your Genes

23、Genetic Technologies LimitedGenetic Technologies Limited, also called GTG, is a biotechnology company, pursuing commercial opportunities in three main areas of activity: out-licensing its non-coding patents globally, expanding its genetic service-testing business in the Asia-Pacific Region, and supp

24、orting certain research projects in which the Company is already involved. On June 30, 2005, its subsidiaries included the wholly owned Gene Type Pty. Ltd., the wholly owned Gene Type Corporation, the 75.8%-owned Gtech International Resources Limited, the 65%-owned ImmunAid Pty. Ltd., the wholly own

25、ed Gene Type AG, the wholly owned Gene Type Corporation, the 75.8%-owned Gtech International Resources Limited, the 65%-owned ImmunAid Pty. Ltd., the wholly owned Silbase Scientific Services Pty. Ltd., the wholly owned Genetic Technologies Corporation Pty. Ltd., and the 50.1%-owned AgGenomics Pty. L

26、td. GTG has operations in Australia, Canada, and Switzerland.For the fiscal year ended on June 30, 2005, Genetic Technologies Limited revenues totaled $7.2M, up from 2.6M. Net losses rose by 19% to $5.7M. Revenues reflect increased sales in biotechnology segment, higher income from service testing a

27、nd increased returns from licenses. Higher loss reflects increased service testing expenses, higher research & development expenses, an increase in patent & license fees and higher general & administrative expenses.Unit 8 Inequality in SocietyThe History of SlaveryThere is a lot of injus

28、tice in the world, inequalities of many different sorts. And the most extreme form of injustice is slavery. Beginning in the 16th century, a public and “racially” based type of slavery was established when Europeans began importing slaves from Africa to the New World. An estimated 11million people w

29、ere taken from Africa during the transatlantic slave trade. By the mid-19th century the slave population in the US had risen to more than four million, although slave imports had been banned from 1809. Following the rise in public outcry, Britain outlawed slavery in its colonies in 1833, and France

30、did the same in 1848. During the American Civil War, slavery was abolished in the Confederacy by the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, which was decreed by President Abraham Lincoln. Brazil was the last country to abolish slavery, doing so in 1888. Official policy notwithstanding, slavery continues

31、 to exist in many parts of the world. Many contemporary slaves are women and children forced into prostitution or working at hard labor or in sweatshops. Debt bondage is common, affecting millions of people, and slaves are still often traded for material goods.Unit 9 Amusement Parks: Loads of Fun Co

32、ming to a Place near YouThe History of Disney ParksYour first thought of Disneyland might be California, the location of the first Disney theme park, opened in 1955. And while Disney is largely influenced by the culture of its birthplace, Disney theme parks are spreading around the world.In 1983 the

33、 first international Disney theme park opened: Tokyo Disneyland Park in Japan. Tokyo Disneyland Park is now part of the Tokyo Disney Resort, and has a sister theme park Tokyo Disney Sea. Both Tokyo Disneys are owned by a Japanese corporation, the Oriental Land Company. The Walt Disney Company receives royalties based on revenues and maintains creative control.In 1992, Euro Disney opened in France, and is now the Disneyland Resort Paris, with two theme parks.On September 12, 2005, the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort was opened. It is owne