英语听力教程第三版(张民伦主编)Unit5MeetPeoplefromaroundthe听力原文

Listen this way 听力教程第三册-5

Unit 5 Meet People from around the

World

Part I Getting ready

Audioscript:

Presenter：Today Selina Kahn is in the arrival area at Gatwick Airport checking out today's topic -- national stereotypes. Selina ... Selinar：Thanks, John. I have with me Eric, who's just flown in with Virgin Atlantic from the USA.

Eric：That's right. I've just come back from New York.

Selinar：Is it as dangerous as they say?

Eric：No, New York isn't dangerous, no more than any other big city, especially if you're careful and don't advertise the fact that

you're a tourist.

Selinar：And is it true what they say about New Yorkers, that they're rude, and that they only care about themselves?

Eric：Well, I found the people were very friendly. However, they do have a reputation for not caring about other people. I think the

reason for this is that life in New York is incredibly stressful.

People just don't have the time to think about anybody else. It

isn't that they don't care.

Selinar：Is there anything else you noticed about New Yorkers? Eric：Two things I had heard about before I went to New York did seem to be true, though. First is that they are always talking

about money and how much things cost. Secondly, it's that

people eat all the time as they go about their daily lives, you

know they "graze on the hoof" as they walk about the streets. Selinar：Thanks Eric, and now I have with me, Sue, who's been to the south of France ...

Part II New Icelanders

Audioscript:

New Zealand is an island country in the South Pacific Ocean about 1 200 miles southeast of Australia. It has about 2 575 000 people. Two thirds live on the North Islands, and one third on the larger South Island. Most of them are of British descent.

Almost everyone in New Zealand knows how to read and write. The

government provides free education for children from ages 3 to 19. Education is compulsory for children between the ages of 7 and 15, but most enter school by the age of 5. Young children who live far from schools belong to the Government Correspondence School and listen to daily school broadcasts on the radio.

New Zealanders enjoy one of the highest standards of living in the world. There are no people of great wealth, but poverty is practically unknown. The majority of families live in one-story wooden homes. Most families have an automobile, and many have modern home appliances. Because the country is a major producer of sheep and dairy products, meat and butter form a larger share of the diet than is common in other countries. The people are among the world's greatest tea drinkers.

Many of the books, magazines, and movies in New Zealand come from the United Kingdom or the United States. But the number of books published in the country is growing rapidly. Musical and theatrical groups come from Europe and North America to perform. The larger cities have radio and television stations. The National Symphony Orchestra gives concerts throughout the country, and there are also opera and ballet companies.

New Zealanders enjoy the outdoors, and people of all ages take part in sports. Favorite holiday activities are camping, boating, hunting and

fishing. Horse racing draws large crowds to racetracks. Rugby football

is a national game. Other team sports are soccer, cricket, basketball, and field hockey.

Statements：

1. New Zealand is about 1 400 miles from Australia.

2. More people live on the larger South Island than the North Island in New Zealand.

3. Most New Zealanders are of British origin.

4. Children in New Zealand usually go to school at the age of

5.

5. Not many New Zealanders have their own cars.

6. New Zealanders are fond of drinking a lot of tea.

Part III What do you think of Britain？Audioscript: ?

Paul comes from Jamaica.

Interviewer：What do you think of English food?

Paul：English food -- right now, I can enjoy it, but when I first came up from the West Indies, I found it rather distasteful, rather boring,

no flavor, no taste.

Interviewer：What do you think of the English weather?

Paul：The English weather -- I do not think there are enough adjectives to describe (it) -- miserable, cold, damp, changeable,

depressing. I think bleak is the best word.

Interviewer：Now what do you think about English people and their way of life?

Paul：The older generation of English people are really snobbish -- the snob-nosed English. But the youth of England today -- they're

really alive, you know, they're more vibrant, on fire, alive.

They are much more free than their parents, crazy! Cindy

comes from Los Angeles.

Interviewer：What do you think of the English weather?

Cindy：Well, it's rather cloudy and depressing. I get tired of all these "sunny intervals." There's not enough sunshine. Other than that,

it's all right. It's not too cold, nor too warm.

Interviewer：And have you had much opportunity to eat English food? Cindy：Yes, I avoid it, because it's dull. I think it's dull. And I think the English eat a lot of sweets and greasy food like chips. Interviewer：And what about the English way of life? What do you think of that?

Cindy：Well, it's certainly more relaxed, but I think that the English people are -- tend to be -- difficult to get to know. They're

reserved. The cities are safer and I also think they're much

cleaner than the American cities, which makes it much more

pleasant to live there. Usha comes from Madras, in India. Interviewer：Would you like to tell me what you think of the English weather? Usha：Well, the English weather is very changeable,

but it's OK. Well, I like spring and autumn best. I think they are

the loveliest time of the year.

Interviewer：And what about English food? What do you think of that?

Usha：Well, English food is healthy. But I wouldn't like to have

it every day. It's rather ... I wouldn't say dull -- but too bland for

my taste.

Interviewer：And what about English people? How have you found them? Usha：Well, in the beginning, they are rather reserved,

but once you get to know them, they are very friendly, and I've

got many English friends now in England.

Interviewer：And how have you found the English way of life?

Usha：Well, city life is fast of course everywhere, but I like the

countryside very much. I like it very much, yes. Spiro comes

from Salonika, in Greece.

Interviewer：You've lived in England for about seven years. What do you think of English weather?

Spiro：Well, I think the English winter is very depressing at times, especially when it drizzles all the time, and also the other thing

that makes it depressing is the long nights. It gets dark very

early and you wake up and it's pitch black again, and so you go

to work and it's very dark and you come home and it's dark

again. But in the summer, I think, when the sun's shining, it's

very pleasant indeed, with green parks, trees, very pleasant. Interviewer：And what about English food? What do you think of that?

Spiro：Well, I think it's ... English food is all right, but there's a very limited selection of dishes. It's mostly roast and -- offhand --

there's only about five typically English dishes I can think of,

whereas compare that to Greek food, there's an enormous

selection of dishes one could cook. Interviewer：And what do

you think of the English people?

Spiro：I find them very reserved, but it seems that when you get to know them, they're quite friendly and sincere. But it usually

takes some time to actually open an English person up -- if you

like.

Interviewer：And what do you think of the English way of life?

Spiro：Pretty awful, actually. It's the speed of life really that I find rather tiring.

Part IV More about the topic:

Native People of Alaska Audioscript:

When the Russian discovered Alaska in 1741, they found it occupied by three groups of native peoples -- Eskimos, Aleuts, and Indians. Descendants of these natives still live in Alaska.

Most scientists think that the native peoples migrated originally

from Asia to North America, not all at once but in wave after wave over thousands of years. Probably the last to enter Alaska were the ancestors of the northern Eskimos.

Eskimos Of the different groups of native peoples, the Eskimos are the most numerous. From earliest times the Eskimos depended upon sea mammals, fish, and caribou for their living. In the 1890's reindeer were

brought from Siberia to start herds as an additional means of livelihood.

Many Eskimos now live in frame houses heated by fuel oil, but

they once lived in sod and driftwood huts heated by seal-oil lamps. They did not build snow ig100s, as some of the Canadian Eskimos still do, except for emergency shelter.

The Eskimos are superb hunters. They are an energetic people who have long been known for their ivory carving and other arts and crafts. Their way of life is changing as they find opportunities for schooling

and for employment in trades and professions.

Aleuts The Aleutian Islands and the Alaska Peninsula are the homelands of the Aleuts. The Aleut language is related to the language of the Eskimos, and yet it is very different. Like the Eskimos, the Aleuts have always depended on the sea for food and other needs. Some of the present-day Aleuts operate fishing boats. Others work in fish canneries. Many Aleuts have Russian names, which go back to the time of the Russian occupation of Alaska.

Indians There are two major groups of Indians -- the Indians of the Interior Plateau and the Indians of Southeastern Alaska.

The Indians who live in the interior came to Alaska from Canada. Originally they were hunters. Some of them still live by hunting, fishing, and trapping. Others have moved to towns, where they live and work as do other present-day Alaskans.

The Indians of Southeastern Alaska are sometimes known as the maritime Indians, or Indians who live near the sea. They have been in Alaska for hundreds of years. Carving and basket making are among the crafts of the maritime Indians. They are known for their totem poles. From earliest times they depended on fish, especially salmon, for their living. Today they are efficient business people who operate commercial fishing boats and canneries. They also follow other occupations such as logging, shopkeeping, and working in government offices.

Part V Do you know ...? Audioscript:

Dan Cruickshank：I'm at Cuiaba in the western Brazil -- and I'm about to fly, go by car, and by boat, around 750 kilometres into the

Amazon rainforest to find my living treasure. My treasure's not

an ancient artifact, but something very special that continues to

be created and used by people deep in the rainforest.

After several hours, we cross the threshold into what remains

of the rainforest. It's been fenced off and is now protected by

the Brazilian government. I head down the Warema River, a

tributary of the Amazon, towards my treasure. It's an

unbelievably beautiful work of art, created by a tribe called the

Igbatsa (Rikbaktsa). Excellent reception committee. Wonder

who I approach. Hello.

That is what I've come to see -- the headdress. My most colourful of treasures is a symbol of the Amazon and an object of immense importance to these people. Here we go.

Oh my god. Wow. I expected one, maybe two, umahara, but a whole hut full. Beautiful objects, beautifully made, but more to the point, they're full of meaning to these people. They celebrate their culture, their aspirations, their religion. And made from human hair, parrot feathers. Ah, absolutely wonderful. The umahara headdress is worn with great pride by the Igbatsa (Rikbaktsa) people. It's the emblem of an endangered culture. It once played a key role in war ceremonies and is still used in dance rituals. This dance takes place every day for 90 days after the first of June. It's a celebration of birth and all things new. During the dance wives have the right to ask favours of their husbands, who are obliged to grant them.

After the dance, I talk to members of the tribe about the headdress and how it's made.

Can I ask what it -- what it means to them today, the umahara headdress?

Interpreter：He says the umahara represents a great richness in their own culture. And for their future. For their future, they

shouldn't stop creating it and using it for their own use.

Dan Cruickshank：Represents their sense of identity really. Interpreter：It represents the identity of the Igbatsa (Rikbaktsa) people. Dan Cruickshank：So we've got feathers from parrots and -- and female hair. That -- that is correct, is it... really? On -- onto -- Interpreter：This is from the -- a Marella clan.

Dan Cruickshank：Yes, there is the hair.

It's all rather perplexing. To preserve their traditions, the

Igbatsa (Rikbaktsa) have to make the umahara headdresses. Yet

in so doing, they must kill protected bird species for their

feathers. While the faces and bodies of the men and women are

brightly painted in the traditional way, they sport natty shorts

and bikini tops. Bit by bit, the Igbatsa (Rikbaktsa) are being

drawn into the modern world, whether they like it or not. As

evening approaches, preparations are being made for supper. A

rather tasty feast awaits me. This all brings back very deep

memories. The family halls scattered round about the

compound, the main hall where the communal ceremonies take

place -- the people gathered round the fire at night eating. The

fields round about. It's like an Anglo-Saxon village in England

a couple of hundred years ago. It's like meeting one's ancestors

coming back here.

Statements:

1. The Igbatsa (Rikbaktsa) people live in Brazil.

2. The headdress is made from parrot feathers and male hair.

3. The headdress is now used in dance rituals to celebrate birth

and all things new.

4. The dance takes place every day in June.

5. During the dance, husbands cannot refuse favors asked by

their wives.

6. The Igbatsa (Rikbaktsa) people do not like the modern way

of life.

Part VII Watch and enjoy Videoscript:

Narrator：It looks like a paradise, but it is in fact the most treacherous desert in the world：the Kalahari. After the short rainy season, there are many water holes, and even rivers. But after a few weeks, the water sinks away into the deep Kalahari sand. The water holes dry up, and the rivers stop flowing. The grass fades to a beautiful blond color that offers

excellent grazing for the animals. But for the next nine months, there'll

be no water to drink. So most of the animals move away, leaving the beautiful blond grass uneaten. Humans avoid the deep Kalahri like the plague because man must have water to live. So the beautiful landscapes are devoid of people, except for the little people of the Kalahari. Pretty, dainty, small and graceful, the Bushmen. Where any other person would die of thirst in a few days, they live quite contentedly in this desert that doesn't look like a desert. They know where to dig for roots and bulbs and tubers and which berries and pods are good to eat. And of course they know what to do about water. For instance, in the early morning,

you can collect dewdrops from leaves that were carefully laid out the previous evening. Or a plume of grass can be a reservoir. And if you have the know-how, an insignificant clump of twigs can tell you where

to dig, then you come to light with an enormous tuber. You scrape shavings off it with a stick that is split for a sharp edge. You take a handful of the shavings, point your thumb at your mouth and squeeze. They must be the most contented people in the world. They have no crime, no punishment, no violence, no laws, no police, judges, rulers or bosses. They believe that the gods put only good and useful things on the earth for them to use. In this world of theirs, nothing is bad or evil. Even a poisonous snake is not bad. You just have to keep away from the sharp end. Actually, a snake is very good. In fact, it's delicious and the

skin makes a fine pouch. They live in the vastness of the Kalahari in small family groups.

One family of Bushmen might meet up with another family once in a

few years. But for the most part, they live in complete isolation, quite unaware that there are other people in the world. In the deep Kalahari, there are Bushmen who have never seen or heard of civilized man. Sometimes they hear a thundering sound when there are no clouds in the sky, and they assume that the gods have eaten too much again and their rummies are rumbling up there. Sometimes they can even see the evidence of the gods' flatulence. Their language has an idiosyncrasy of its own. It seems to consist mainly of clicking sounds. They are very gentle people. They'll never punish a child or even speak harshly to it.

So of course their kids are extremely well-behaved. And their games are cute and inventive. When the family needs meat, the hunter dips his tiny arrow in a brew that acts as a tranquilizer. So when he shoots a buck, it only feels a sting and the arrow drops out. The buck runs away, but soon it gets very drowsy and it stops running. After a while, it goes to sleep. And the hunter apologizes to his prey. He explains that his family needs the meat. The one characteristic which really makes the Bushmen different from all the other races on earth is the fact that they have no sense of ownership at all. Where they live, there's really nothing you can own. Only trees and grass and animals. In fact these Bushmen have

never seen a stone or a rock in their lives. The hardest things they know are wood and bone. They live in a gentle world, where nothing is as

hard as rock, or steel or concrete.

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