New College English视听说教程 3听力原文第一单元Mike: Hey, guys. Come and look. I've found an interesting Web site on star signs.(The others come close to the computer and look at the star signs on the screen.)Ted: Hey, that's interesting! What's your sign, Sam?Sam: I'm a Scorpio. What's yours, Ted?Ted: I have no idea. I've never really thought about that. Let's have a look. I was born on September 5. Oh, I'm a Virgo.Simon: And I'm a Libra.Sam: What do they say about Libra, Simon?Simon: (He reads.) You're a sociable, charming person. You go out of your way to avoid confrontation and do everything in your power to make your life an easy one. Although you're generally likeable, you can be changeable, superficial and critical. But you manage to hide those traits most of the time. Mike: Do you agree with that? Are you that type of person?Simon: What do you think? I think there is something in what it says. I am social and outgoing. But I am not changeable, am I? What's your sign, Mike?Mike: I'm a Taurus. Ah, what's yours, Lilly?Lilly: I'm a Cancer.Ted: Now let's look at Taurus.( He reads.) You're a patient, practical type. Good points include your affectionate, kind nature, your trustworthiness and strength of character. Bad points include your possessiveness, self-indulgence and stubbornness. Do you think your character fits well?Mike: No, not at all. I'm not patient, and I'm not practical either. I am kind of quick-tempered and ambitious. That's definitely not me! But one thing is right: I AM stubborn.Simon: Sam, let me read yours. (He reads.) You are secretive, and sexy. You have the worst reputation in the zodiac. Scorpio has a dark side, which includes revengeful and destructive traits. Yet despite this, you can be the wittiest, kindest and most entertaining of all the signs.Sam: Oh, that can't be true! Are you sure you were reading Scorpio?Simon: Yes, of course! Look for yourself.Sam: But that's unfair! I have the worst reputation in the zodiac?!The others: (They all laugh and say.) Ha ha... Poor Sam!Sam: Who could believe such silly things! Really, I think I'm intelligent, humorous, and kind-hearted. Mike: Yes, but those are just your good traits. Don't forget about your bad ones!Sam: Come on! Oh, Lilly, we haven't looked at your sign yet. Eh, you are a Cancer, right? You want me to read yours?Lilly: No, thanks. I'm afraid you'll distort what's written there. Let me read it myself. (She reads.) To some people, you appear tough and determined, but that's just a "front" you put up to protect the real you, which is rather more sensitive and softer. You can be moody, touchy and irritable, but you make up for those negative traits with your kindness, great intuition and protective nature. That's not bad, is it?Simon: No. But what counts is not what it says, but how you really are, what you are actually like. Lilly: (She is a bit defensive.) What do you mean? What are you trying to say about me?Simon: I think you are much nicer than what it describes.(Lilly smiles.)The other boys: Oh, Simon, don't sweet-talk her! We know what you are thinking.Ted: Hey, I haven't seen mine yet. Now it's my turn.Mike: Go ahead, Ted! Be our guest!Ted: It says: Virgo people like order in all things and are neat, clean and precise in their habits. Virgo people are perfectionists and they sometimes can be critical. They do not like to draw attention to themselves. Virgo people are modest, and careful about what they eat or drink.Sam: Do you have any objections to that?Ted: I think the description matches me quite well. I AM a perfectionist. I like things to be in order. Erm, I...I'm careful about what I eat and drink. But it doesn't mention my weak points.Lilly: Oh! And what are those?Ted: Well, sometimes I'm so careful I tend to waste a lot of time. I'm not very sociable, and I don't have many friends.Sam: I think everyone has some undesirable personality traits that could be improved. Don't you think we all could improve our personalities?Mike: I think we can. For example, my little sister was the youngest girl in our family. My parents loved her very much, but they spoiled her by giving her too much. She was at that time self-centered, selfish, aggressive, bad-tempered, and rude. Her personality didn't change any until she entered primary school. In school, she first acted as she did at home, and she couldn't make a single good friend. For a time, she was even isolated by her classmates. She complained to us, and finally understood her problem. From then on, she made every effort to get rid of her undesirable characteristics both at home and in school. Now she's in middle school and has turned into a popular girl.Lilly: In my opinion, our personalities are partly inherited and partly shaped by our home environment. As we all know, scientists have found that parents' personality traits can be seen in their children. Most children have some of their parents' personality traits.Mike: That's right. And our early home and school environment also has a big influence on the shaping of our personality. For instance, I've noticed that many children growing up in rich families may become wasteful, lazy, arrogant or cold. On the other hand, I've noticed that many children raised in poor families are hard-working, caring, sympathetic, and helpful.Sam: Does that mean you think we have to choose our parents wisely?(The others laugh.)P6Interviewer: Angela, you were born in Korea but you've been living in Canada for a long time, haven't you?Angela: Yes, I was 10 years old when my parents immigrated to Canada and I've been living here for 20 years now.Interviewer: Do you think that belonging to two different cultures has affected your personality? Angela: Yes, definitely. There are times when I think that I have two personalities. Depending on where I am and who I'm with, I'm Korean or I'm Canadian.Interviewer: That sounds complicated. Could you explain what you mean?Angela: Well, growing up in Canada when I was going to high school, for example, I was known as Angela to the outside world, and as Sun-Kyung at home. I would wave hello to my teachers, but bow to my parents' Korean friends when they visited our home.Interviewer: Do different cultures have different ideas as to what is polite?Angela: Yes, definitely. In high school, I was expected to look straight in the eyes of my teachers and to talk openly with them. But when Koreans spoke to me, I was expected to look at my feet and to be shy and silent.Interviewer: Do you think that having two personalities makes you a richer person?Angela: Yes, but sometimes I don't know who I am.P7I am a very sensitive person, and that's good to a point. I feel everyone should be able to feel or understand what others are going through. But when you hurt, cry, or are unhappy for people you don't know, or for a movie that is not real, then I think that's a little too sensitive. That's the way I am.I am a very independent person. I must do things for myself. I don't like people doing things for me, or helping me, or giving me things. It's not that I don't appreciate it, because I do. I just feel that when someone does something for you, you owe them, and if there is one thing I don't like to feel, it's that I owe anyone anything.I think I would be a good friend. I would do almost anything for someone I like, and would share or give anything I have. I'm very caring and understanding. People trust me with their secrets, and they're right for doing so because I never tell any secret that is told to me. I'm always there to help in any way that I can. All you have to do is ask.I enjoy life and people, which makes me feel good. I find fun in almost everything I do (except housework).I like to watch people, talk to them, and be around them. It makes no difference whether I agree or disagreewith what they feel, or how they live, or what they look like, or what age they are. I just enjoy learning and being aware of everything and everyone around me.P9Tom: Hey, Bill. Do you have any plans for this weekend?Bill: Yeah, Tom. Cindy and I are going ice-skating on Saturday.Tom: Oh.Bill: Why do you ask?Tom: Well, I thought you might want to come over and study for next week's chemistry test.Bill: Study?! No way. Hey, what if I try to fix you up with Cindy's sister, Kristi. We could double-date. She's really outgoing, bright, and funny too.Tom: Hey, I still remember the girl you fixed me up with last time. She was very moody and self-centered. She couldn't stop talking about how great she was. I'm not sure if I can trust you, "Mr. Matchmaker". Bill: Oh come on. So I made a mistake last time. Cindy's sister is really different.Tom: Well, what does she look like?Bill: Ah. Looks aren't important. She has a wonderful personality.Tom: Right.Bill: Okay. She has long wavy blond hair and blue eyes. She's of medium height, just a little shorter than you are.Tom: Go on.Bill: She has a great figure, a nice complexion, and she has a sexy voice. Oh, and she has a tattoo of an eagle on her arm.Tom: A what?Bill: No, just kidding. By the way, she was the runner-up in the Miss California Beauty Pageant two years ago. Well, you're probably not interested.Tom: No, wait!Bill: Ah, just forget I ever mentioned it.Tom: No, I'm interested!P10David: Barbara, before you go, could you tell me about these students that are coming into my class? Barbara: Oh, yes. Now, let me think, well, there's...er...Paul. He's a tall, slim lad with fair hair. Very friendly face, lovely smile... He's particularly good with group activities, and he's a very helpful person to have in the class and very helpful with the other students. He speaks fluently, but does make a lot of mistakes! He doesn't seem to mind making mistakes. He asks a lot of questions...er...he tends to speak first and think later. But he's got lots of interesting ideas.David: Good.Barbara: Ah...Susan...Susan. Now, she's very lively, quick, and very bright. She talks all the time but not always in English.David: What? Is she difficult or anything?Barbara: No...she's quite young but she does behave in quite a grown-up way really for her age. It can be a bit difficult to actually shut her up sometimes and make her listen to you.David: Ah, right.Barbara: She's very nice. She has dark hair and dark eyes.David: Right, well...are there any other girls in the class?Barbara: Yes, there is Maria. She's Susan's sister.David: Yes.Barbara: Actually it's quite difficult to tell them apart although...er... Maria is slightly older. She's a bit plumper and has longer hair than Susan. She's not quite as bright as her sister and I think that makes her feel a bit inferior really. Well, you know, she sulks a bit when she gets things wrong or she misunderstands you. But on the whole, a very sensible girl.David: OK.Barbara: And then there's Peter, who's older than the others. He's got a sort of moustache, spectacles and wavy dark brown hair. He usually wears a jacket and sometimes a suit. He's very smart and takes notesall the time. He's also very serious and determined to learn as much as possible. He asks quite difficult questions but he doesn't mean to be nasty.David: Well, thanks, Barbara. It's all up to me now, isn't it? Have a good holiday, won't you? Barbara: Thanks.David: Bye.P111. Pedro sleeps only six hours a night. He goes to school full-time and works part-time in the afternoons. At night he plays soccer or basketball. He's seldom tired and his favorite way to relax is to jog two or three miles.What kind of person is Pedro?2. Mr. Miller was teaching his fourth grade class how to divide. The students didn't understand. He had to repeat his lesson and explain the idea more slowly. Over the next few days he explained and explained the lesson until almost the whole class understood and knew how to divide.What kind of teacher is Mr. Miller?3. People in the High Street neighborhood don't buy their fruits and vegetables in the supermarket. They buy them from Mr. Smith's truck. You can trust Mr. Smith. He never tries to sell any bad or unripe fruit. His prices are fair.What kind of person is Mr. Smith?4. Jake and Charles ran into the classroom. Each one saw the chair he wanted to sit on. Unfortunately, it was the same chair. They both sat down at the same time. Each of them had half a chair. Charles said he was there first and tried to push Jake off the chair. Jake said he was first. Both boys refused to move."All right, boys," said the teacher. "If you won't move, then you can sit like that for the whole period." Jake and Charles sat like that for the whole period until the bell rang. When they stood up they were stiff and sore."I don't care," said Jake. "I was there first."What kind of person is Jake?5. Room 46A at Travis High School was always the dirtiest room in the school. Many of the students threw paper on the floor. One day, Mrs. Duke had an idea. She fastened a basketball hoop over the wastebasket. Now the students love to practice throwing their paper into the basket. When they miss, they pick the paper up and try again. And that was the end of the problem.What kind of person is Mrs. Duke?P12A number of visitors to the UK, who had traveled throughout the British Isles, were asked by a newspaper reporter what their impressions of the British people were. Here's a brief summary of what they thought.There were many different opinions among those interviewed: Some were very flattering, others very critical. The distinction between the English and the British wasn't always understood, but, on the whole, it seemed that the Scots were very popular with visitors. They were thought to be very friendly, even though one Dutch visitor confessed she'd found it hard to understand their English.A great number found the British generally reserved, particularly the English, although one Australian visitor called the English "the friendliest people in the world and most hospitable". But she did admit that speaking the same language was a great help. Some Asian businessmen, who had traveled widely throughout England, said quite openly that they found North country people "much nicer" than people in the South. When asked what exactly they meant by "much nicer", one of them said, with a playful smile on his face, "By much nicer I mean much more like us!"A few continentals praised "English courtesy", but the majority found it dishonest and dull. "You're forever saying 'please' and 'sorry' when you don't feel pleased or sorry," one explained.A young student from South Africa had no views on the matter. He hadn't met any Englishmen, he said. The country appeared to be full of foreigners like himself. Statements:1. It was easy to tell the English from the British.2. Speaking the same language helped one Australian visitor a lot.3. By "much nicer", one of the visitors meant that the British people were more friendly than people of other countries.4. The majority of continentals thought highly of English manners.5. To the young student from South Africa, Britain seemed to have a lot of foreign visitors.P13One day, when Mr. Smith came home from work, he found his wife very upset about something. Mr. Smith always thought that he was more sensible than his wife, so he started to give her a lecture on the importance of always remaining calm.Finally he said, "It's a waste of your strength to get excited about small things. Train yourself to be patient, like me. Now, look at the fly that has just landed on my nose. Am I getting excited or annoyed? Am I swearing or waving my arms around? No. I'm not. I'm perfectly calm."Just as he had said this, Mr. Smith started shouting. He jumped up and began to wave his arms around wildly and swear terribly. He couldn't speak for some time, but at last he was able to tell his wife: The thing on his nose was not a fly, but a bee.P14Tom: Oh, that Mr. Taylor. He is so boring!Mother: What do you mean?Tom: His lessons put me to sleep. And he's so quick-tempered, Mum.Mother: Quick-tempered? Mr. Taylor? Are you sure darling?Tom: Yes, he gets angry very quickly.Mother: That doesn't sound like Mr. Taylor at all!Tom: And do you know, he spends all the time looking at his reflection in the window, admiring himself.Mother: Really? And why does he do that?Tom: Because he's vain, that's why! And conceited! He thinks he knows everything. Mother: Oh, Tom. Be reasonable. I'm sure you're exaggerating. Mr. Taylor seems such a nice, kind man.Tom: Well, he isn't. He is mean and cruel.Mother: Cruel? Now how can a history teacher be cruel?Tom: Because he only gave me two out of ten points in my history test.Mother: Oh, now I understand. Tom, I think you'd better get on with your homework!P15(S1 = the first speaker; S2 = the second speaker; S3 = the third speaker; S4 = the fourth speaker)S1: In this week's edition of Up with People we went out into the streets and interviewed a number of people. We asked a question they just didn't expect. We asked them to be self-critical...to ask themselves exactly what they thought they lacked or—the other side of the coin—what virtues they had. Here is what we heard.S2: Well...I...I don't know really...it's not the sort of question you ask yourself directly. I know I'm good at my job... At least my boss considers me hard-working, conscientious, and efficient. I'm a secretary by the way. When I look at myself in a mirror as you sometimes do in the privacy of your own bedroom...or at your reflection in the shop windows as you walk up the street... Well...then I see someone a bit different. Yes...I'm different in my private life. And that's probably my main fault I should say... I suppose I'm not coherent in my behavior. My office is always in order...but my flat! Well...you'd have to see it to believe it.S3: Well...I'm retired, you know. Used to be an army officer. And...I think I've kept myself...yes, I've kept myself respectable the whole of my life. I've tried to help those who depend on me. I've done my best.I am quite self-disciplined. Basically I'm a good guy, fond of my wife and family... That's me.S4: Well...when I was young I was very shy. At times I...I was very unhappy...especially when I was sent to boarding school at age seven. I didn't make close friends till later...till I was about...fifteen. Then I became quite good at being by myself. I had no one to rely on...and no one to ask for advice. That made me independent. My wife and I have two sons. We...we didn't want an only child because I felt...well I felt I'd missed a lot of things.第二单元King: What's in your hand?Noname: The swords that used to belong to Sky, Sword and Snow, Your Majesty.King: How did you get them?Noname: I had a fight with Sky. I killed him and took his sword.King: Who are you?Noname: My name is Noname. I was born in Qin. I've been practicing with my sword for more than twenty years, Your Majesty.King: I heard Sky was a very good swordsman.Noname: Yes, he was, but not as good as me. We met in a chess house and I knew he was one of the killers Your Majesty wanted. We fought all day and finally I killed him, breaking his sword in two pieces. King: Good. You will get your reward... Then what about Sword and Snow? I heard they were lovers. They were never apart. I heard they were the best with the sword in their kingdom. And few people ever saw them and nobody knew them. How did you find them?Noname: It took me three years. Three years after they failed to kill you they returned to their own kingdom and lived in a house where they practiced calligraphy all day long. They no longer practiced with their swords. I also learned a secret of them.King: And what was that?Noname: They had not talked to each other for three years.King: That's strange. Why not?Noname: Snow believed Sword had betrayed her. No one else knew it. When I heard about it and heard where they were, I went to the calligraphy house and asked Sword to write the word "sword" for me.King: Why did you ask for the word "sword"?Noname: If I could find a weakness by the way he wrote the word, I might find a way to beat him. King: And did he write the word for you?Noname: Yes, he did.King: Did you find his weakness that way?Noname: No, I didn't find any weakness in his writing, Your Majesty. However, I realized that the art of swordsmanship lies in a man's heart. Even without a sword, a true master can make people around him feel that they are facing a man with a sword.King: How did you manage to kill him then?Noname: I did not kill him. He was defeated by his own love towards Snow. I made Snow believe that he had already fallen in love with one of his maids. Snow was very angry. She killed Sword.King: And then you killed Snow?Noname: Nobody could have beaten those two if they had worked together. But, left alone, Snow was very easy for me to beat. Besides, she was also wounded during a fight with the maid who wanted revenge for her master's death.King: Thank you for killing the three people who were the greatest threat to my life. Your story is beautiful, but you have underestimated one person.Noname: Who, Your Majesty?King: Me!Noname: Why did you say that?King: I had met those people and I would never believe that they could be so foolishly jealous. No one with a jealous mind could become the master of the sword. I would never believe that they could be as narrow-minded as you've described. Now let me tell you my story. Sky, Sword and Snow were good friends. They wanted us to meet because they knew you were a better swordsman than any one of them. They persuaded you that you were the only person who could kill me. Each one of them fought with you to make you believe that. And that's why you are here with their broken swords.Noname: How do you know all this?King: Your eyes tell me that. You must be the greatest swordsman in the world to have killed all three of them. Is this to be my last day? Where are you from?Noname: I was born in Zhao. My parents were killed by your soldiers when I was a baby. I have not forgotten how they died. I made up my mind long time ago that I would kill you one day. I've been practicing with my sword for more than twenty years now, and I know I can kill you if I'm within ten steps of you. However, you have also underestimated one person.King: Who's that?Noname: Sword. Before I killed Sword he told me he had already given up trying to kill you. He could see that ordinary people suffered most when kingdoms fought. They lost their homes, their parents, their children and their land. There was no peace anywhere. And then he wrote another word for me.King: What was that word?Noname: WORLD. He wanted me to think of the whole world and peace. He realized that there could only be peace when the seven kingdoms were united.King: (He sighs.) I didn't expect the person wanting to kill me would actually know me better than my own people. But, that's my fate! If my life is to end here today, kill me now.Noname: I have to do this, but remember all those people that have died because of you...(Noname purposely missed the King because he realized that a united kingdom is more important than his personal revenge.)(In 221 BC, the King of Qin united the seven kingdoms in China and became the Emperor of China. Wars came to an end.)P21Mart Moody from Tupper Lake used to tell this tale. "I went out one day and there was a big flock of ducks out on Tupper Lake. And I had this good dog. I shot at the ducks, and then I sent the dog out there. She was heavy with pups at the time, and I didn't know whether I should send her out there. It was a cold day in the fall. Well, she took right off and away she went. But she didn't show up when it got dark. I began to worry about her. She was a good dog, a really good retriever. She'd get anything I shot at."So the next morning I woke up and I thought I'd better go and see if I could find her. And I got down to the shoreline of the lake and I looked out. Suddenly I saw something coming. It was this dog. She came into the shore! She had three ducks in her mouth. And behind her she had seven pups. And each of the pups had a duck in his mouth."P22There was an old man who had a daughter. He told his daughter that he had invited a preacher to his house. He said, "Daughter, I'm going down to the train to meet the Reverend, and I've roasted two ducks and left them there for him in the other room. Don't you touch them!" The daughter said, "No, I won't touchthem." So her papa went to the train to meet the Reverend, and the girl began to taste the ducks. The ducks tasted so good that she kept on tasting them until she had eaten them all up, every bit of them. After the old man came back, he didn't even look in the place where he had left the ducks. He went directly into the other room to sharpen his knife on the oilstone so he could carve the ducks. The preacher was sitting in the room with the girl. She knew that her papa was going to punish her, and she started crying and shedding tears. The preacher asked, "What is the matter with you, girl?" She said, "Papa has this one bad fault: He invites preachers to his house and goes to sharpen his knife to cut off both their ears." And the Reverend asked, "What is that you say, daughter?" The girl said, "Yes, Papa invites preachers here all the time and cuts off both their ears." The preacher said, "Daughter, hand me my hat. Quick!" The girl gave him his hat and he ran out of the door quickly. The daughter called her papa and said, "Papa, the preacher got both the ducks and has gone." The old man ran to the door and yelled to the preacher, "Hey, where are you going in such a hurry? Come back here right now!" But the preacher just kept running and shouted back over his shoulder, "Damned if you'll get either one of these."P23Jack Storm was the local barrel maker and blacksmith of Thebes, Illinois. He had a cat that stayed around his shop. The cat was the best mouse catcher in the whole country, Jack said. He kept the shop free of rats and mice. But, one day, the cat got caught in a piece of machinery and got a paw cut off. After that, he began to grow weak and thin and didn't take any interest in anything, because he wasn't getting enough to eat.So, one day, Jack decided to make a wooden paw for the cat. He made it with his pocket knife and fastened it on the injured leg. After that, the cat began to grow sleek and fat again. Jack decided to stay at the shop one night to see how the cat managed with his wooden paw.After dark, the cat got down in front of a mouse hole and waited. Pretty soon a mouse peered out cautiously. Quick as a flash the cat seized it with his good paw and knocked it on the head with his wooden one. In no time, that cat had eighteen mice piled up in front of the mouse hole.P25Ken: Hey, Josh. Where did you get those comic magazines?Josh: When I went home last weekend, I found these old Superman magazines that my older brother had bought many years ago.Ken: You don't have time to read old comics. Why did you bring them here?Josh: In my World Literature class we've been talking about the importance of myths, folk tales, and legends to cultures. We have to write a short paper on which legendary figure we think is the great American hero. I think it's Superman.Ken: Superman? Why? I think it's someone like Paul Bunyan, the giant woodsman, or Johnny Appleseed, who planted early apple trees in the Midwest. Superman is just a modern comic magazine character. Josh: When I saw these old comics, I started thinking that Superman represents a combination of cultural traditions and beliefs that have been told throughout our American history.Ken: How?Josh: Superman is an orphan who comes by rocket to Earth when his native planet explodes. He lands near a small town and is adopted by Jonathan and Martha Kent, who teach him their American middle-class values of honesty, hard work and consideration for others. As an adult, he migrates to a large city and defends Americans against evil.Ken: What else?Josh: Well, I was thinking about this and realized that he is a symbol of the American character because he is an immigrant. We Americans have come from somewhere else, too. My great grandparents came from Germany, and I know your grandparents came from Brazil. They all worked hard and succeeded.Ken: But how does that relate to Superman?Josh: He goes to the city, just as many immigrants did, works as a newspaper reporter. But his adopted parents' values of honesty, hard work and helpfulness are a part of him. He uses his super abilities to fight dishonesty and to help the victims of crime and injustice, meanwhile working hard at his newspaper job.。