在线英语听力室

北外英语中级听力-8

时间:2006-10-08 16:00:00

搜索关注在线英语听力室公众号:tingroom,领取免费英语资料大礼包。

(单词翻译)

  Interviewer: We continue with the World of Investigation1. Laura, an identical twin, has agreed to contribute to our investigations2. I must apologize for the fact that Laura's twin cannot be here tonight. And I'd like to tell you, Laura, how sorry we are. You and your sister are very close, aren't you?
Laura: Of course we are.
Interviewer: Interesting! You said 'of course'. Don't you think there are quite a few sisters who aren't close?
Laura: Sarah and I aren't just sisters. We're identical twins.
Interviewer: I take your point. How identical are you, in fact?
Laura: Both blonde, with brown eyes. Same height, same weight, same size. Even shoes.
Interviewer: As you're the same size, have you always dressed alike?
Laura: Oh yes. I'm told it started when we were babies. Mum made a feature of her twins. And then we got into the habit of buying two of everything.
Interviewer: And you've never minded having a double identity? I mean ... another person exactly like you?
Laura: Sarah isn't exactly like me. We may look identical, but. I remember our boyfriends couldn't tell us apart.
Interviewer: Didn't that cause problems?
Laura: For them, perhaps. Not for us. We couldn't stop laughing.
Interviewer: I think you said you and Sarah weren't exactly alike? Just what did you mean by that?
Laura: Sarah has a well-fed happy husband and four healthy children. When she was washing up, I was learning to type. When she was knitting, I was writing articles for the school newspaper. When she was having her second child, I was in Panama, doing my first job for United Information Services. See what I mean?
Interviewer: And haven't you got a healthy husband and happy children?
Laura: You must be joking. There's never been the time ... or the inclination3.
Interviewer: Laura, you've made some very interesting points. I gather that you don't feel that behaviour is purely4 genetic5 ... that there might be some element of environment or choice or even perhaps ...
Laura: Shall I conclude? Sarah and I are identical twins ... in appearance, that is ... but it's a fact that life has presented us with different opportunities, so we've led very different lives.
Alan and Barbara have just read an article about twins and coincidences. They are discussing the article over lunch. Listen to their discussion.
Alan: That idea about our genetic make-up is rather frightening, isn't it?
Barbara: Do you mean the idea that because of our genetic make-up we are bound to act in a particular way?
Alan: Yes. If it's true, then it suggests that criminals are born and not made.
Barbara: Not necessarily. It would only mean that somebody was born with the potential to become a criminal.
Alan: How do you mean?
Barbara: Well, if somebody was born with a particular set of genes6 that made him a potential criminal, it would be necessary for him to be brought up in a particular way if he was actually going to become a criminal.
Alan: He'd have to grow up in a family of criminals, you mean?
Barbara: Yes, in the sort of family that regarded crime as a way of life and saw the police as the enemy.
Alan: They say it takes a thief to catch a thief.
Barbara: What do you mean by that?
Alan: Well, I suppose I mean that similar qualities are necessary to become a successful criminal or a first-class policeman.
Barbara: That's a bit hard on the policeman, isn't it?
Alan: I don't think so. In time of war men who might easily be in jail win medals for gallantry.
Barbara: That's because they're the sort of men who aren't satisfied with a normal everyday job.
Alan: Yes, they're men who get bored with ordinary life and want action. They're usually pretty strong characters, too.
Secretary: Mr. Turner's office.
Caller 1: Hello. I'd like to speak to Mr. Turner, please.
Secretary: I'm sorry, he's in a meeting right now. May I take a message?
Caller 1: Uh, yes. This is Mary Roberts from the First National Bank. (Mm-hmm.) Would you ask him to call me at 772-1852?
Secretary: Okay. That's 772-18-?
Caller 1: 52.
Secretary: Okay.
Caller 1: He can reach me at this number until, say, twelve thirty, or between two and five this afternoon.
Secretary: That's fine, Ms Roberts. I'll tell him. I'll give him your message.
Caller 1: Thank you very much. Goodbye.
Secretary: Goodbye ... Mr. Turner's office.
Caller 2: Yes. Hello. Is Mr. Turner in, please.
Secretary: No, I'm sorry, he's in a meeting right now. May I take a message?
Caller 2: This is Mr. Brown calling. I have a lunch appointment with Mr. Turner for tomorrow noon that I have to cancel. I'm going to be out of town for a while. Would you offer my apologies to Mr. Turner and have him call me, please, to reschedule? My number here is 7439821.
Secretary: Okay, Mr. Brown. I'll make sure he gets the message.
Caller 2: Thank you so much.
Secretary: You're welcome.
Caller 2: Bye-bye, now.
Secretary: Bye-bye ... Mr. Turner's office.
Caller 3: Hello, Jane. Is my husband in?
Secretary: Oh, no, Mrs. Turner. I'm sorry. He's in a meeting until noon.
Caller 3: Oh.
Secretary: Oh, excuse me just a minute. I have another call. Can you hold for a second?
Caller 3: Yes, sure.
Secretary: Mr. Turner's office. Will you hold please? Hello, Mrs. Turner. Uh ... Would you like your husband to call you back?
Caller 3: No. That's not necessary. But would you just tell him, please, that I won't be home until eight o'clock? I'll be working late.
Secretary: Oh, sure. I'll tell him.
Caller 3: Thanks a lot. Bye-bye.
Secretary: Bye-bye. Thank you for holding. Uh ... Can I help you?
Caller 4: Yeah. Hi. This is Wendy at Travel Agents International. Umm ... I've got Mr. Turner booked on a flight for Puerto Rico next Tuesday. Can you take down the information?
Secretary: Sure.
Caller 4: Okay. It's Pan Am Flight two twenty-six, which leaves Tuesday the twelfth at eight am.
Secretary: Okay. That's Pan Am Flight two twenty-six, leaving Tuesday the twelfth at eight am.
Caller 4: Right. Umm ... I'll send the ticket over later this afternoon, if that's okay.
Secretary: Oh, sure. That'd be fine.
Caller 4: Okay. Thanks lot. Bye.
Secretary: Bye-bye ... Mr. Turner's office.
Caller 5: Hello. Uh ... My name is Juan Salvador. I'm calling from Puerto Rico, and I want to speak to Mr. Turner.
Secretary: I'm sorry, sir, Mr. Turner is in a meeting. May I take a message?
Caller 5: I ... think it would be better if I ... uh ... call him later. Uh ... Will you please tell me when he's going to be free?
Secretary: He'll be free in about an hour.
Caller 5: Oh, thanks. Uh ... Why don't you leave him a message saying that I called him and I will call him back? It's in regard to our meeting on next Wednesday.
Secretary: Okay. Uh ... Could you give me your name again, please?
Caller 5: Yes, of course. Juan Salvador.
Secretary: Could you spell that, please?
Caller 5: Yes. S-a-l-v-a.
Secretary: Uh ... Excuse me, sir. I'm having trouble hearing you. Could you repeat it, please?
Caller 5: Yes, of course. S-a-l-v-a-d-o-r.
Secretary: Thank you very much, Mr. Salvador. I'll give Mr. Turner the message.
Caller 5: Oh, thank you very much. Bye-bye.
Secretary: Bye-bye.
Night Flight'This is Captain Cook speaking. Our estimated time of arrival in Brisbane will be one am, so we've got a long flight ahead of us. I hope you enjoy it. Our hostesses will be serving dinner shortly. Thank you.'
It was Christmas Eve 1959, and the beginning of another routine flight. The hostesses started preparing the food trays. A few of the passengers were trying to get some sleep, but most of them were reading. There was nothing to see from the windows except the vast blackness of the Australian desert below. There was nothing unusual about the flight, except perhaps that the plane was nearly full. A lot of the passengers were travelling home to spend Christmas with their families. The hostesses started serving dinner.
It was a smooth and quiet flight. The hostesses had finished collecting the trays, and they were in the galley7 putting things away when the first buzzers8 sounded. One of the hostesses went along the aisle9 to check. When she came back she looked surprised. 'It's amazing,' she said. 'Even on a smooth flight like this two people have been sick.'
Twenty minutes later nearly half the passengers were ill-dramatically ill. Several were moaning and groaning10, some were doubled up in pain, and two were unconscious. Fortunately there was a doctor on board, and he was helping11 the hostesses. He came to the galley and said, 'I'd better speak to the captain. This is a severe case of food poisoning. I think we'd better land as soon as possible.' 'What caused it?' asked one of the hostesses. 'Well,' replied the doctor, 'I had the beef for dinner, and I'm fine. The passengers who chose the fish are ill.' The hostess led him to the flight deck. She tried to open the door. 'I think it's jammed,' she said. The doctor helped her to push it open. The captain was lying behind the door. He was unconscious. The co-pilot was slumped12 across the controls, and the radio operator was trying to revive him.
The doctor quickly examined the two pilots. 'They just collapsed,' said the radio operator. 'I don't feel too good myself.' 'Can you land the plane?' said the doctor. 'Me? No, I'm not a pilot. We've got to revive them!' he replied. 'The plane's on automatic pilot. We're OK for a couple of hours.' 'I don't know,' said the doctor. 'They could be out for a long time.' 'I'd better contact ground control,' said the radio operator. The doctor turned to the hostess. 'Perhaps you should make an announcement, try to find out if there's a pilot on board.' 'We can't do that!' she said, 'It'll cause a general panic.' 'Well, how the hell are we going to get this thing down?' said the doctor.
Suddenly the hostess remembered something. 'One of the passengers ... I overheard him saying that he'd been a pilot in the war. I'll get him.' She found the man and asked him to come to the galley. 'Didn't you say you used to be a pilot?' she asked. 'Yes ... why? The pilot's all right, isn't he?' She led him to the flight deck. They explained the situation to him. 'You mean, you want me to fly the plane?' he said. 'You must be joking. I was a pilot, but I flew single-engined fighter planes, and that was fifteen years ago. This thing's got four engines!'
'Isn't there anybody else?' he asked. 'I'm afraid not,' said the hostess. The man sat down at the controls. His hands were shaking slightly. The radio operator connected him to Air Traffic Control. They told him to keep flying on automatic pilot towards Brisbane, and to wait for further instructions from an experienced pilot. An hour later the lights of Brisbane appeared on the horizon. He could see the lights of the runway shining brightly beyond the city. Air Traffic Control told him to keep circling until the fuel gauge13 registered almost empty. This gave him a chance to get used to handling the controls. In the cabin the hostesses and the doctor were busy attending to the sick. Several people were unconscious. The plane circled for over half an hour. The passengers had begun to realize that something was wrong. 'What's going on? Why don't we land?' shouted a middle aged14 man. 'My wife's ill. We've got to get her to hospital!' A woman began sobbing15 quietly. At last the plane started its descent. Suddenly there was a bump which shook the plane. 'We're all going to die!' screamed a man. Even the hostesses looked worried as panic began to spread through the plane. 'It's all right!' someone said. 'The pilot's just lowered the wheels, that's all.' As the plane approached the runway they could see fire trucks and ambulances speeding along beside the runway with their lights flashing. There was a tremendous thump16 as the wheels hit the tarmac, bounced twice, raced along the runway and screeched17 to a halt. The first airport truck was there in seconds. 'That was nearly a perfect landing. Well done!' shouted the control tower. 'Thanks,' said the man. 'Any chance of a job?'
1.Thousands of people die of heart attacks every year; heart disease is becoming so widespread that we can almost talk of an epidemic18.
2. That is, people with heart disease often show one or more of these traits.
3. The answer is, a person's personality determines that he or she will be likely to develop this illness.
4. They set themselves unrealistic goals and force themselves to meet impossible deadlines.
5. Eventually their responses to life become less creative, more automatic, and all of their activities are performed under stress.
6. In the past, men have tended to show Type A behaviour more than women have, but with an increasing number of women entering the labour force, this also may change.
7. Stress seems to be caused by our highly technical, highly rushed modern way of life.
8. Now it is not uncommon19 for a sixty or fifty or even a forty-year-old to suffer a heart attack.
9. Too preoccupied20 with his own schedule, he has little capacity to concentrate on what other people are saying-unless, of course, they are talking about work.
10. When he returns to work, he finds that the leisure time of the night before has helped him find a creative solution to his work problems.
The Boy Who Cried WolfOnce upon a time there was a very naughty shepherd boy. He often fell asleep while he was watching his sheep. And he told lies. The villagers shook their heads and said, 'That boy will come to a bad end.'
One day, when he was feeling very bored, the boy decided21 to play a practical joke on the villagers. He ran down the hill. 'Wolf, wolf!' he cried. 'Help, come quickly. Wolf!' All the villagers seized their spears and ran to help him. But there was no wolf. 'He heard you,' the naughty boy lied, 'and ran away.' When everyone had gone, he started to laugh.
Three weeks later, when he was feeling very bored indeed, he decided to play the same trick again. 'Wolf, wolf!' he shouted. 'Help, come quickly. Wolf!' Most of the villagers hurried to help him. This time the boy laughed at them. 'Ha, ha. There wasn't a wolf,' he said. 'What a good joke!' The villagers were very angry. 'Lies are not jokes,' they said.
Two days later the boy woke up suddenly. He had fallen asleep in the afternoon sun. What was that big dark animal coming towards his flock? Suddenly it seized a lamb. 'Wolf!' screamed the boy. 'Wolf. Help, come quickly. Wolf!' But none of the villagers came to help him. He screamed again. The wolf heard him and licked its lips. 'I like lamb,' it thought, 'but shepherd boy tastes much nicer.'
When the shepherd boy didn't come home that night, some of the villagers went to look for him. They found a few bones.


分享到:


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 investigation MRKzq     
n.调查,调查研究
参考例句:
  • In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
  • He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。
2 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。
3 inclination Gkwyj     
n.倾斜;点头;弯腰;斜坡;倾度;倾向;爱好
参考例句:
  • She greeted us with a slight inclination of the head.她微微点头向我们致意。
  • I did not feel the slightest inclination to hurry.我没有丝毫着急的意思。
4 purely 8Sqxf     
adv.纯粹地,完全地
参考例句:
  • I helped him purely and simply out of friendship.我帮他纯粹是出于友情。
  • This disproves the theory that children are purely imitative.这证明认为儿童只会单纯地模仿的理论是站不住脚的。
5 genetic PgIxp     
adj.遗传的,遗传学的
参考例句:
  • It's very difficult to treat genetic diseases.遗传性疾病治疗起来很困难。
  • Each daughter cell can receive a full complement of the genetic information.每个子细胞可以收到遗传信息的一个完全补偿物。
6 genes 01914f8eac35d7e14afa065217edd8c0     
n.基因( gene的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • You have good genes from your parents, so you should live a long time. 你从父母那儿获得优良的基因,所以能够活得很长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Differences will help to reveal the functions of the genes. 它们间的差异将会帮助我们揭开基因多种功能。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 生物技术的世纪
7 galley rhwxE     
n.(飞机或船上的)厨房单层甲板大帆船;军舰舰长用的大划艇;
参考例句:
  • The stewardess will get you some water from the galley.空姐会从厨房给你拿些水来。
  • Visitors can also go through the large galley where crew members got their meals.游客还可以穿过船员们用餐的厨房。
8 buzzers 19b9923f42b08500f3b549d85f6cb764     
n.门铃( buzzer的名词复数 );蜂音器(的声音);发嗡嗡声的东西或人;汽笛
参考例句:
  • Scout in with Buzzers(Via The Swarm) or whatever fast unit you have. 用技能召唤的蜂群(或者任何你拥有的快速单位)探路。 来自互联网
  • Buzzers have the ability to clear garrisoned structures. 蜂群拥有清除驻军建筑得能力。 来自互联网
9 aisle qxPz3     
n.(教堂、教室、戏院等里的)过道,通道
参考例句:
  • The aisle was crammed with people.过道上挤满了人。
  • The girl ushered me along the aisle to my seat.引座小姐带领我沿着通道到我的座位上去。
10 groaning groaning     
adj. 呜咽的, 呻吟的 动词groan的现在分词形式
参考例句:
  • She's always groaning on about how much she has to do. 她总抱怨自己干很多活儿。
  • The wounded man lay there groaning, with no one to help him. 受伤者躺在那里呻吟着,无人救助。
11 helping 2rGzDc     
n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的,辅助的
参考例句:
  • The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
  • By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。
12 slumped b010f9799fb8ebd413389b9083180d8d     
大幅度下降,暴跌( slump的过去式和过去分词 ); 沉重或突然地落下[倒下]
参考例句:
  • Sales have slumped this year. 今年销售量锐减。
  • The driver was slumped exhausted over the wheel. 司机伏在方向盘上,疲惫得睡着了。
13 gauge 2gMxz     
v.精确计量;估计;n.标准度量;计量器
参考例句:
  • Can you gauge what her reaction is likely to be?你能揣测她的反应可能是什么吗?
  • It's difficult to gauge one's character.要判断一个人的品格是很困难的。
14 aged 6zWzdI     
adj.年老的,陈年的
参考例句:
  • He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了,也老点了。
  • He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老,然而记忆力还好。
15 sobbing df75b14f92e64fc9e1d7eaf6dcfc083a     
<主方>Ⅰ adj.湿透的
参考例句:
  • I heard a child sobbing loudly. 我听见有个孩子在呜呜地哭。
  • Her eyes were red with recent sobbing. 她的眼睛因刚哭过而发红。
16 thump sq2yM     
v.重击,砰然地响;n.重击,重击声
参考例句:
  • The thief hit him a thump on the head.贼在他的头上重击一下。
  • The excitement made her heart thump.她兴奋得心怦怦地跳。
17 screeched 975e59058e1a37cd28bce7afac3d562c     
v.发出尖叫声( screech的过去式和过去分词 );发出粗而刺耳的声音;高叫
参考例句:
  • She screeched her disapproval. 她尖叫着不同意。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The car screeched to a stop. 汽车嚓的一声停住了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
18 epidemic 5iTzz     
n.流行病;盛行;adj.流行性的,流传极广的
参考例句:
  • That kind of epidemic disease has long been stamped out.那种传染病早已绝迹。
  • The authorities tried to localise the epidemic.当局试图把流行病限制在局部范围。
19 uncommon AlPwO     
adj.罕见的,非凡的,不平常的
参考例句:
  • Such attitudes were not at all uncommon thirty years ago.这些看法在30年前很常见。
  • Phil has uncommon intelligence.菲尔智力超群。
20 preoccupied TPBxZ     
adj.全神贯注的,入神的;被抢先占有的;心事重重的v.占据(某人)思想,使对…全神贯注,使专心于( preoccupy的过去式)
参考例句:
  • He was too preoccupied with his own thoughts to notice anything wrong. 他只顾想着心事,没注意到有什么不对。
  • The question of going to the Mount Tai preoccupied his mind. 去游泰山的问题盘踞在他心头。 来自《简明英汉词典》
21 decided lvqzZd     
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的
参考例句:
  • This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
  • There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

本文本内容来源于互联网抓取和网友提交,仅供参考,部分栏目没有内容,如果您有更合适的内容,欢迎 点击提交 分享给大家。