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北外英语中级听力-19

时间:2006-10-08 16:00:00

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  Lesson 19Presenter: This week's financial talk will be given by our property expert, James Milligan, who is here to tell us about some surprising new developments in the London area.
James Milligan: Good afternoon. Not so very long ago it would have been really unusual to pay £1 million for a house. Unfortunately this is no longer so. Decline in the real value of money over the past few years has made property values rocket. The cheap house is a thing of the past. Now, the sale of a £1 million house no longer causes surprise, nor is it likely to be the subject of a newspaper article.
What exactly can we expect to get for £1 million today? Well, first of all, space, of course. Living in large cities has made us all tired of living in those cramped1 little houses and flats built just after the war. We now want space; space to live and relax in, preferably with a garden. And this, of course, is what puts the price up. Another reason for needing space is the fact that we have larger families growing up under one roof and even quite small children demand their own room these days, while teenagers may demand an extra room where they can entertain their friends privately2. Also the trend of going out to eat is dying out due to rising prices of restaurant and transport, so people are once more beginning to entertain and dine at home, which requires a larger dining room. There are numerous new developments in London at the moment which can provide all this and more-if you have the money!
At the moment the most fashionable places seem to be the Barbican, St John's Wood, Morgan's Walk in Battersea. People wanting quiet in the evening tend to prefer the Barbican situated3 in the business heart of the city and therefore fairly free of traffic in the evenings, although several theatres have opened there lately. The Barbican is also for those who like living high up, accommodation being situated mostly in tower blocks. St John's Wood, on the other hand, is favoured mostly by upper-middle class families who prefer a detached house surrounded by a walled garden, thus ensuring their privacy. Gardens of course tend to raise the price of a property. Those not interested in gardening can choose from the grand mansions4 in Battersea where you get a wonderful view of the Thames and are still only a few minutes away from London's theatres and shops.
Look around and take your pick. Oh ... just make sure that you have that million pounds first!
Interviewer: Now you're the First Lady of Jazz; probably the greatest blues5 singer the world has ever known. Just what is it that makes you sing as you do?
Singer: I don't know; one night it's a little bit slower, the next night it's a little bit lighter6. It's all according to how I feel. I never feel the same way twice. The blues is a mixed up sort of thing. There's two kinds of blues; there's happy blues and there's sad blues. I don't think I ever sing the same way twice.
Interviewer: And how did you become a jazz singer in the first place?
Singer: Well, it was all by accident really. You see, I wanted to be a dancer so I went along to try out, you know, to an audition7 and I was just a kid, I didn't know how to dance at all. So I kept doing the two steps I did know over and over until they told me to get off the stage. But I guess the pianist felt sort of sorry for me because he called me back and asked me if I could sing. Huh, 'Course I can sing, man,' I told him; 'I've been singing all my life. What the hell use is that?' And then he asked me to sing a blues song, St Louis Blues, I think it was, and I just kept on singing and he just kept on playing, and in the end I had a job. That was on West 42nd Street. Now that was the street for jazz in those days. And slowly I became known; people started coming to see me rather than just to listen to the orchestra, and that's how it started. I mean, it began like that and it's just been going on ever since.
Interviewer: You've never looked back and you've been successful ever since?
Singer: Well, it wasn't quite as easy as it sounds. I mean, when I started out I didn't know anything, I mean like chords and sharps and flats. I just sang. But if you're going to sing jazz you have to know these things. And people were very nice and kind to me and they slowly taught me what key I had to sing each song in. And that's how I really became a professional musician. I mean, the beginning was just luck, but if you want to stay at the top you really have to know your job. You have to know what you're doing and you have to know how to be able to change it to go with the public's taste; with the changing fashions. Otherwise you find yourself out of work and back on the streets where you started from.
Interviewer: But surely, you never needed to go with the fashions? I mean, you've always been popular.
Singer: Well, that's true up to a point. And if you're good enough you can even change the fashions. I've never done that. I've always sung what I wanted and if they didn't like it, they didn't have to buy it. I've never made a fortune from my music because I won't sing just any damn thing. I choose what I want to sing. But anything I do sing is part of my life. So it has to be important to me before I'll sing it. I think this is why people like my music; they know that whatever I say in my songs I really believe and this means something to them and helps them in their lives. I'm not a rich pop singer and never wanted to be. And there's been a lot of scandal attached to my life. Some of it's true; some of it's not. But at least I've always been my true self in my music and I'll always stay that way. I think a guy called Shakespeare once wrote 'Unto thine own self be true and thou canst not then to any man be false'. Well, that's how I feel when I'm singing my songs. You may like them, you may hate them, but nobody can say that I'm not singing from deep down inside myself. I won't ever sing anything I don't believe in although, as I said, it's never the same way two nights running: it may be happy one night and sad the next. It's all according to how I feel. And now I'm feeling the need for a drink of something strong; I've got four hours on stage tonight and that really takes it out of you, believe me.
Interviewer: Go right ahead and thank you for the interview.
Singer: That's OK. Here's a couple of tickets; come and see the show.
Now first we must identify the parts of this home computer system. Before we can set up the system, we must all know what the names of the different parts of the computer are and what they do. So first I'm going to tell you the names of the parts and what they are used for in a home computer system.
First, and most important of all, is your instruction manual. Can you all see that? The instruction manual is the book of instructions-it tells you how to set up your system and then how to use it. OK?
Next, the monitor. The monitor is the part that everyone can recognize immediately because it looks just like a television. The monitor shows you the information you have typed in on the screen. You can change the information, move it around or take it away, while it is on the screen. Right?
Now, when you have finished working with your information and you want a copy of this on paper, then you have to use the printer. The printer prints out on paper what you have on the monitor screen. Then you have a copy of your work on paper.
Now the keyboard. The keyboard contains the actual computer and it looks just like a typewriter. Each piece on the keyboard is called a key. You have keys for letters (a, b, c etc.) and keys for instructions to the computer. You have to be able to type if you want to use a computer properly.
Now what have we got left? Ah yes, the 2 floppy8 discs and the disc drive. The disc drive is quite simple-it's the part of the system that operates the floppy discs, we say it powers the floppy discs. You put the floppy discs into the disc drive and the disc drive makes them work.
So finally, the two floppy discs. You need two because the first one contains the programme-that is, the instructions-and the second is where you type in your information and where the program works on this information. So you really work on the second floppy disc: then, when you are ready to print, the printer takes everything from the second floppy disc and prints out what you have done.
Now, is that clear? Are there any questions?
There's no doubt that the computer has enlarged man's working capacity as well as his intellectual capacity enormously. Er ... but it brings with it dangers to match the benefits. Now by this, I mean danger to physical and mental well-being9 of the people who work at computer terminals, not the dangers to personal privacy or national or industrial security.
There's one very alarming set of statistics which come from a survey done in the UK on 800 pregnant women, who happened to use computer terminals for a major part of their working day. In no less than 36% of the subjects there was some severe abnormality during the pregnancy10, enough to make a termination necessary. Now these figures compare significantly with a control group of pregnant women of the same age but who did not work with computer terminals. The incidence of severe abnormalities in their case was only 16%. This survey confirms similar investigations11 carried out in Denmark, Canada, Australia and the USA. Now, no one yet has a clear idea about the exact connection between working with computer terminals and the problems with pregnancy, but the figures at least suggest that there's, well, a cause for alarm.
In more general terms, increased stress and disturbances12 to vision have been noted13 in workers exposed for long periods to the video screen, and in many countries trade unions of workers involved with computers have laid down their own guidelines to protect members' health. Erm ... for instance, rest periods, or a change of activity from time to time are recommended, and the terminal should be placed so that there's a source of natural light, and something else to look at, erm, no blank walls behind the terminal, in other words, so that the operator has a chance to rest his eyes from time to time.
Ironically, it seems that it's not only those who work with computers who are at risk. Er ... there's perhaps more danger for people who use computers for interest or pleasure in their own homes. Now, it's obviously not possible to impose in the privacy of people's homes the sort of safeguards that can be applied14 in the working environment. Most people get so fascinated by what they are doing that they stay in front of the screen for hours on end; some are real fanatics15!
But they're also using their computers in environments which are not specially16 designed. Er they may be dusty or hot, and not particularly well-lit on the whole.
An English magazine for computer enthusiasts17 recently ran its own survey. The readers were invited to send in an account of any health problems they felt were connected with the use of their computers. Er, interestingly, a long list emerged of complaints both serious and less serious, ranging from constipation because of the long hours spent in sedentary ac ... inactivity, and backache due to crouching18 over an inconveniently19 positioned keyboard, um, right through to a general sense of fatigue20 owing to having puzzled over a problem for longer than was sensible.
The visual disturbances mentioned above were also very common. Some readers who already suffered from short sight found that the condition had worsened, and a rarer complaint, but still one suffered by a significant number, was an itching21 of the face, which in some cases became a form of dermatitis. It seems that this is due to the electrostatic field of the video screen attracting dust from the atmosphere, which irritates exposed skin. And ... this is an example of a complaint which is rare in the work situation because there is usually some form of air-conditioning, and quite simply not so much dust and fluff in the air as in a normal home.
Precautions for both types of terminal users remain essentially22 the same. So, first of all, make sure that there's an altermative source of light from that of the screen itself. Secondly23, rest your eyes frequently, if possible looking at something in the distance to give them a change from the close focus used on the screen. Thirdly, make sure the screen is properly tuned24; a shaky or fuzzy image can cause nausea25 or headaches. Fourthly, make sure your seat and working area are designed so that you're sitting in a comfortable position, not er ... screwed up or bent26 over. And finally, get up regularly and walk about the room. Better still, go out into the fresh air occasionally. Sitting still for hours on end is the best way to encourage a thrombosis in the legs, as well as not being particularly good for the digestion27.
These are all common-sense precautions, but how many home-computer owners wrapped up in the intricacies of some programing problem, or fascinated by some game, are going to remember to use their common sense? Does a generation of short-sighted, constipated, hunched28, migraine sufferers with skin problems and circulatory troubles await us?
1. Of course, scientists have always had their pet theories, and historically all of the following have been linked as companions to heart disease: first, a high level of fat and cholesterol29 in the diet; second, cigarette smoking; third, physical inactivity; fourth, being overweight; and fifth, high blood pressure.
2. There are some similarities between the two men. Both are married, have grown children, are in their mid-fifties, and have been very successful in their business careers. Both are hard workers and have achieved a position of financial security and responsibility in their jobs. Their professional lives are not easy for either of them. But life for Adam has been full of tension, and hostility30, whereas for Bert, life has been much more enjoyable.
3. Adam always seems to be fighting time, trying to do more things in a day than he previously31 has done. If situations beyond his control cause delays in his schedule, he becomes angry and hostile. He resents people who are not on time or who do not move as quickly as he does. It is very important to him that he fill up every minute with some kind of productive activity.
4. However, Bert shows an opposite tendency. Once work is behind him for the day, he devotes himself to three or four interesting hobbies. In addition to his regular physical exercise, he is an enthusiastic reader. He prefers history and historical novels. His special interest is the Second World War, and he prizes all the new information which he can gather about that time period. He also enjoys gardening and likes to fix things around the house. He has a very complete tool collection which he uses to improve his house.


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1 cramped 287c2bb79385d19c466ec2df5b5ce970     
a.狭窄的
参考例句:
  • The house was terribly small and cramped, but the agent described it as a bijou residence. 房子十分狭小拥挤,但经纪人却把它说成是小巧别致的住宅。
  • working in cramped conditions 在拥挤的环境里工作
2 privately IkpzwT     
adv.以私人的身份,悄悄地,私下地
参考例句:
  • Some ministers admit privately that unemployment could continue to rise.一些部长私下承认失业率可能继续升高。
  • The man privately admits that his motive is profits.那人私下承认他的动机是为了牟利。
3 situated JiYzBH     
adj.坐落在...的,处于某种境地的
参考例句:
  • The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。
  • She is awkwardly situated.她的处境困难。
4 mansions 55c599f36b2c0a2058258d6f2310fd20     
n.宅第,公馆,大厦( mansion的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Fifth Avenue was boarded up where the rich had deserted their mansions. 第五大道上的富翁们已经出去避暑,空出的宅第都已锁好了门窗,钉上了木板。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
  • Oh, the mansions, the lights, the perfume, the loaded boudoirs and tables! 啊,那些高楼大厦、华灯、香水、藏金收银的闺房还有摆满山珍海味的餐桌! 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
5 blues blues     
n.抑郁,沮丧;布鲁斯音乐
参考例句:
  • She was in the back of a smoky bar singing the blues.她在烟雾弥漫的酒吧深处唱着布鲁斯歌曲。
  • He was in the blues on account of his failure in business.他因事业失败而意志消沉。
6 lighter 5pPzPR     
n.打火机,点火器;驳船;v.用驳船运送;light的比较级
参考例句:
  • The portrait was touched up so as to make it lighter.这张画经过润色,色调明朗了一些。
  • The lighter works off the car battery.引燃器利用汽车蓄电池打火。
7 audition 8uazw     
n.(对志愿艺人等的)面试(指试读、试唱等)
参考例句:
  • I'm going to the audition but I don't expect I'll get a part.我去试音,可并不指望会给我个角色演出。
  • At first,they said he was too young,but later they called him for an audition.起初,他们说他太小,但后来他们叫他去试听。
8 floppy xjGx1     
adj.松软的,衰弱的
参考例句:
  • She was wearing a big floppy hat.她戴了顶松软的大帽子。
  • Can you copy those files onto this floppy disk?你能把那些文件复制到这张软盘上吗?
9 well-being Fe3zbn     
n.安康,安乐,幸福
参考例句:
  • He always has the well-being of the masses at heart.他总是把群众的疾苦挂在心上。
  • My concern for their well-being was misunderstood as interference.我关心他们的幸福,却被误解为多管闲事。
10 pregnancy lPwxP     
n.怀孕,怀孕期
参考例句:
  • Early pregnancy is often accompanied by nausea.怀孕早期常有恶心的现象。
  • Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage.怀孕期吸烟会增加流产的危险。
11 investigations 02de25420938593f7db7bd4052010b32     
(正式的)调查( investigation的名词复数 ); 侦查; 科学研究; 学术研究
参考例句:
  • His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查,但没有发现什么。
  • He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。
12 disturbances a0726bd74d4516cd6fbe05e362bc74af     
n.骚乱( disturbance的名词复数 );打扰;困扰;障碍
参考例句:
  • The government has set up a commission of inquiry into the disturbances at the prison. 政府成立了一个委员会来调查监狱骚乱事件。
  • Extra police were called in to quell the disturbances. 已调集了增援警力来平定骚乱。
13 noted 5n4zXc     
adj.著名的,知名的
参考例句:
  • The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
  • Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。
14 applied Tz2zXA     
adj.应用的;v.应用,适用
参考例句:
  • She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
  • This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。
15 fanatics b39691a04ddffdf6b4b620155fcc8d78     
狂热者,入迷者( fanatic的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • The heathen temple was torn down by a crowd of religions fanatics. 异教徒的神殿被一群宗教狂热分子拆除了。
  • Placing nukes in the hands of baby-faced fanatics? 把核弹交给一些宗教狂热者手里?
16 specially Hviwq     
adv.特定地;特殊地;明确地
参考例句:
  • They are specially packaged so that they stack easily.它们经过特别包装以便于堆放。
  • The machine was designed specially for demolishing old buildings.这种机器是专为拆毁旧楼房而设计的。
17 enthusiasts 7d5827a9c13ecd79a8fd94ebb2537412     
n.热心人,热衷者( enthusiast的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • A group of enthusiasts have undertaken the reconstruction of a steam locomotive. 一群火车迷已担负起重造蒸汽机车的任务。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Now a group of enthusiasts are going to have the plane restored. 一群热心人计划修复这架飞机。 来自新概念英语第二册
18 crouching crouching     
v.屈膝,蹲伏( crouch的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • a hulking figure crouching in the darkness 黑暗中蹲伏着的一个庞大身影
  • A young man was crouching by the table, busily searching for something. 一个年轻人正蹲在桌边翻看什么。 来自汉英文学 - 散文英译
19 inconveniently lqdz8n     
ad.不方便地
参考例句:
  • Hardware encrypting resists decryption intensely, but it use inconveniently for user. 硬件加密方法有较强的抗解密性,但用户使用不方便。
  • Even implementing the interest-deferral scheme for homeowners has proved inconveniently tricky. 甚至是对房主实行的推迟利息的方案,结果证明也是极不方便的。
20 fatigue PhVzV     
n.疲劳,劳累
参考例句:
  • The old lady can't bear the fatigue of a long journey.这位老妇人不能忍受长途旅行的疲劳。
  • I have got over my weakness and fatigue.我已从虚弱和疲劳中恢复过来了。
21 itching wqnzVZ     
adj.贪得的,痒的,渴望的v.发痒( itch的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • The itching was almost more than he could stand. 他痒得几乎忍不住了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • My nose is itching. 我的鼻子发痒。 来自《简明英汉词典》
22 essentially nntxw     
adv.本质上,实质上,基本上
参考例句:
  • Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
  • She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。
23 secondly cjazXx     
adv.第二,其次
参考例句:
  • Secondly,use your own head and present your point of view.第二,动脑筋提出自己的见解。
  • Secondly it is necessary to define the applied load.其次,需要确定所作用的载荷。
24 tuned b40b43fd5af2db4fbfeb4e83856e4876     
adj.调谐的,已调谐的v.调音( tune的过去式和过去分词 );调整;(给收音机、电视等)调谐;使协调
参考例句:
  • The resort is tuned in to the tastes of young and old alike. 这个度假胜地适合各种口味,老少皆宜。
  • The instruments should be tuned up before each performance. 每次演出开始前都应将乐器调好音。 来自《简明英汉词典》
25 nausea C5Dzz     
n.作呕,恶心;极端的憎恶(或厌恶)
参考例句:
  • Early pregnancy is often accompanied by nausea.怀孕期常有恶心的现象。
  • He experienced nausea after eating octopus.吃了章鱼后他感到恶心。
26 bent QQ8yD     
n.爱好,癖好;adj.弯的;决心的,一心的
参考例句:
  • He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
  • We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。
27 digestion il6zj     
n.消化,吸收
参考例句:
  • This kind of tea acts as an aid to digestion.这种茶可助消化。
  • This food is easy of digestion.这食物容易消化。
28 hunched 532924f1646c4c5850b7c607069be416     
(常指因寒冷、生病或愁苦)耸肩弓身的,伏首前倾的
参考例句:
  • He sat with his shoulders hunched up. 他耸起双肩坐着。
  • Stephen hunched down to light a cigarette. 斯蒂芬弓着身子点燃一支烟。
29 cholesterol qrzzV     
n.(U)胆固醇
参考例句:
  • There is cholesterol in the cell of body.人体细胞里有胆固醇。
  • They are determining the serum-protein and cholesterol levels.他们正在测定血清蛋白和胆固醇的浓度。
30 hostility hdyzQ     
n.敌对,敌意;抵制[pl.]交战,战争
参考例句:
  • There is open hostility between the two leaders.两位领导人表现出公开的敌意。
  • His hostility to your plan is well known.他对你的计划所持的敌意是众所周知的。
31 previously bkzzzC     
adv.以前,先前(地)
参考例句:
  • The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
  • Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿,解释原先发生了什么。

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