大学英语听说3Unit 2

Unit 2

II. Basic Listening Practice

1. Script

M: Now we have satellite and high-powered microscopes, it’s easy to think we know everything about the world; but we still don’t understand EI Nino.

W: Right. Even the scientists are uncertain about the exact cause of the warm Pacific current that brings storms or drought—the mysterious EI Nino. Q: Which of the following is true according to the conversation? B) Even scientists cannot understand EI Nino.

2. Script

M: Everyone is talking about environmental problem: acid rain, greenhouse effect, holes in the ozone layer. We should think positively. What can we do to improve things?

W: I agree. We could do a lot more to harness the sun’s energy for heating and lighting in our homes. Millions of solar roofs are now emerging in Japan, the U.S., Italy, and Germany.

Q: How do the man and the woman view the environment? D) Both the man and woman think positively about it.

3. Script

W: We lived in Beijing some years ago. It was always difficult to keep the house clean with the wind from the north blowing sand from the desert.

M: That’s why the Chinese government has been encouraging people to plant trees along the edges of the Gobi Desert. Now those trees act as wind barriers. Q: What have the Chinese people been encouraged to do? A) To grow trees.

4. Script

M: Many old refrigerators and cars are environmental hazards because they contain CFCs that destroy the ozone layer.

W: Yes, but government organizations are helping people to safely dispose of old refrigerators or, in the case of cars, to upgrade their air conditioning. Q: What are government organizations helping people to do? A) To treat old electrical appliances safely.

5. Script

M: Hey. That’s an aerosol spray you’re using on your hair! Build a bomb or set fire to the apartment to kill us quickly instead of making holes in the ozone, so we die of cancer.

W: Cool it. This spray doesn’t contain CFCs. And you’d better read a little more.

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Q: What does the man mean?

C) The woman should not use an aerosol spray.

III. Listening In

Task 1: We should have proper respect for nature!

Script

Martha: Do you think most people in your culture respect nature? Ed: I think so. Um… more now than before.

Martha: What do you think is the most serious environment problem in the world

today?

Ed: Today…I think damage to the ozone layer is a big problem, and another

problem is pollution in big cities and things like that.

Martha: How do you learn about environmental problems?

Ed: Um… through school. A lot of clubs promote environmental safely, and

some TV programs, too. They talk about environmental safely and stuff like that.

Martha: Do you think students should learn more about the environment at school? Ed: I think so. So, as they grow older, they can be more aware of all the

problems that are going on, and prevent more problems from occurring.

Martha: If you could create a new law to help the environment, what would it be? Ed: A new law for the environment? Um…I’d probably say that when people

throw away their cigarette butts, they have to throw them into the garbage bin, not just throw them everywhere because it’s just littering and I hate that. So they should be fined if they throw them on the floor on the ground.

Martha: That’s a good idea. What do you personally do to help protect the

environment?

Ed: I’ m so against littering. I never litter. If I see somebody litter, I get really

angry. So I always throw my trash into the garbage bin.

Key: (1) nature

(2) environmental problem (3) pollution (4) promote (5) aware of

(6) from occurring (7) law

(8) throw away (9) fined (10) trash

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Task 2: River pollution

Script

If you see dead fish floating on the river or notice that the water is discolored and smelly, you know the river has been polluted, and there are four main possible causes for it.

First, fertilize. If large amount of fertilize or farm waste drain into a river, the concentrations of nitrate and phosphate in the water increase considerably. Algae use these substances to grow rapidly, turning the water green. This massive growth of algae leads to pollution. When the algae die, they are broken down by the action of the bacteria, which quickly multiply, using up all the oxygen in the water and therefore causing the death of fish.

Second, industrial waste. Factories sometimes discharge chemical waste into rivers. Examples of such pollutants include cyanide, lead, copper, and mercury. These substances may enter the river in such high concentrations that fish and other animals are killed immediately. Sometimes the pollutions enter the food chain and accumulate until they reach toxic levels, eventually killing fish and other animals.

Third, oil pollution. If oil enters a slow-moving river, it forms a rainbow-colored film over the entire surface, preventing oxygen from entering the water.

Fourth, warm water. Industry often uses water for cooling processes, sometimes discharging large quantities of warm water back into rivers. A higher temperature of the water lowers the level of dissolved oxygen and upsets the balance of life in the water.

Question and key:

1. What is the passage mainly about? D) The causes of river pollution.

2. Why does the river water turn green?

A) Because nitrate and phosphate in the water increase. 3. What harm does industrial waste cause? B) Poisoning..

4. Which of the following is true of oil pollution? C) It prevents oxygen from entering the water. 5. What harm can warm water in a river bring? D) Lack of oxygen.

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Task3: Curbing carbon emissions Script

Although it is not an easy task, China is striving to fulfill the promise to cut its carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP by 40 to 45 percent in the next 10 years.

Zhang Guobao, Director of the National Energy Administration, said,“The government puts great emphasis on seeking harmonious development between cities and the environment, and is readjusting the energy structure by giving priority to the development of clean and low-carbon energies, including hydroelectric, nuclear, wind, and solar power. ”

Government authorities have closed small, coal-fired plants with a total capacity of 60.06 million kilowatts in the past four years. This year’s target of closing 10 million kilowatts of capacity will be achieved by August.

“We have promised to the international community that 15 percent of our power will be generated from non-fossil sources by 2020,” Director Zhang said. At present, non-fossil energy accounts for only 7.8 percent.

China is making efforts to increase the proportion f clean energy in its total energy consumption. Statistics show that China invested US$ 18.6 billion. Thus, China has become the world leader in generating clean energy. Five years earlier, China’s investment in clean energy was only US$ 2.5 billion.

However, China’s carbon emission reduction target cannot be achieved easily. The shift to a low-carbon economy might be met at a cost to society. For instance, more than 400,000 people were laid off as a result of the shutdown of small coal-fired power plants in the past four years. Many studies indicate that the effort to curb greenhouse gas emissions may delay China’s development, affect people’s income, and lead to unemployment.

Question and key:

1. What is the passage mainly about?

D) Cutting carbon dioxide emissions: China’s achievements and problems.

2. From four years ago until August this year, how many kilowatts of coal-fired plant capacity will have been close？ D) More than 70 million.

3. By 2020, what will be the proportion of non-fossil energy in the total power in China? A) 15%.

4. Which of the following is true of the investment by China and the United Stated in clean energy last year?

B) China’s investment was almost twice as large as the United States.

5. Which of the following is not mentioned in the passage as a problem arising from curbing greenhouse gas emissions? C) Causing more strikes.

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IV. Speaking Out

MODEL 1: Our globe is in danger

John: How is your Grandma (1) getting along during this unusually hot weather? Nora: Over the last few years, granny has been complaining that (2) the hot, humid weather is killing her. She believes the weather has changed.

John: What she means is the climate’s long-term conditions. Weather refers only to

day-to-day conditions.

Nora: Yeah. She says summer is hotter, and winter wetter. But I tried to comfort her,

saying, ―It’s all in your mind, granny.‖

John: She’s right, you know. The greenhouse effect (3) does bring global warming and rain. Nora: How can I explain global warming and greenhouse gases to a 97-year-old

granny?

John: Tell her the earth now is like a real greenhouse made of glass panels that let in

light and trap heat.

Nora: Think she’ll want to know that carbon monoxide from Earth makes greenhouse gases?

John: (4) Everybody should know what causes global warming. Otherwise we won’t stop it. Nora: I’ll tell granny (5) not to burn any more wood or coal, or to use spray on the hair.

John: OK. Joke about it, but it won’t be so funny when (6) the polar ice caps melt and oceans rise.

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Task 3: Mountain regions face a number of dangers.

Script

Mountain people around the world are in great danger of the (S1) negative effects of the worsening environment, according to a UN (S2) report. As global (S3) warming and deforestation accelerate and technology makes wilder places more accessible, environmental and social (S4) pressures on the world’s remotest regions increase.

The UN has found that many (S5) mountainous regions—inhabited by one out of five of the world’s people—are (S6) barely recognizable when they are compared to what they were like 60 years ago. This is mostly because forests were cut to (S7) make way for cattle grazing and agriculture.

The authors of the UN study (S8) expect 98 percent of the mountain areas to experience severe climate change by 2055.

Biological losses are expected to be heavy. The mountains of Europe, parts of California and the northwest Andes in South America are among the most threatened mountain areas in the world and should be given priority in conservation.

(S9)The UN is anxious to raise awareness of the problem facing mountain areas because they are inhabited by some of the most vulnerable people. These people could lose their culture and their livelihood with even the smallest shifts in climate.

At the same time, many mountain regions are losing people. (10) Thousands of villages in Europe are deserted most of the year. In other areas like Nepal, people are drifting to the cities in search of work.

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Viewing and speaking

Santa’s home town in danger 1. Script and key

Weather experts may have found a new problem caused by global warming, one which many people will pay attention to: There are (1) signs that Santa’s home in the North may be in trouble because of (2) warmer temperatures. The Finnish town of Rovaniemi on the Arctic Circle, which many Europeans say is the home of Santa Claus, has had its (3) warmest winter in 40 years. As a result, there has been much less snow than usual—meaning no snowmen, no snowballs and possibly not enough (4) snow for Santa to ride his sleigh on.

More important for local residents, it may mean fewer tourists, as well. Santa’s wintry home town normally (5) attracts thousands of visitors each year, and millions of dollars.

Anne Pelttari-Bergman, the town’s tourist director, worries that the town could be in (6) trouble if snow levels do not return to (7) normal. She explains: ―Snow is really important for us, of course for Santa Claus, for Christmas tourism, and also for our winter tourism because winter is our (8) best season. It is really important for us.‖ Weather experts and town residents are hoping this warm winter is a (9) one-time thing. Few people can imagine a holiday when even Santa does not have a (10) white Christmas.

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