1、Unit 10Section One Tactics for ListeningPart 1 Spot DictationDo You Risk Enough to Succeed?During the semi-finals of the 1990 Wimbledon(1)tennis tournament, 16-year-old Yugoslav Monica Seles faced American Zina Garriaon. As the match (2) proceeded, it became clear that Seless most formidable (3) opp
2、onent was not Garrison but herself.“The match was so close,” said a crestfallen Seles afterward. “I was going for the (4)safe shots. Even on Zinas second serve I was (5) scared to hit the ball for winners.”When things get (6) tough, conventional wisdom tell us to (7) play it safe, to pull in your ho
3、rns.Consequently, rather than performing to (8) our potential, we concentrate on minimizing our losers. The results can be (9) catastrophic.If you find yourself shying away from (10) risks, these five tips will help you (10) tap into the adventurous spirit buried in us all.1. Take (11) dreams seriou
4、sly.2. Take it in little steps . When starting something new, (12) figure out a first step and make it one you are reasonably sure of (13) accomplishing.3. Dont say “dont”, The Donts, a form of (14) negative goal setting, can be self-fulfilling because your mind (15) responds to pictures.4. Make you
5、r own (16) rules.5. Learn from your mistakes.By (17)embracing risk, you will accomplish more than you (18)ever thought you could. In the process you will (19) transform your life into an exciting adventure that will constantly challenge, reward and (20) rejuvenate you. Part 2 listening for GistItll
6、be a dull day, with outbreaks of rain. There may be some heavy showers in the south-west later, with perhaps the odd thunderstorm. The outlook for tomorrow: continuing dull, but there should be some breaks in the cloud by midday. Itll be quite warm, with a maximum temperature of about 16 to 17 degre
7、es. ExerciseDirections: Listen to the passage and write down the gist and the key words that help you decide. 1. This passage is about a weather forecast. 2. The key words are rain. showers. thunderstorm. outlook. maximum temperature.Section Two Listening ComprehensionPart 1 DialogueAdulthoodIntervi
8、ewer: OK, Bruce, Ur, why is the late twenties better than, say, earlier twenties?Bruce: Ur, I think that when youre in your, in the early twenties, youre just getting over, um, teenage adolescent years, so now I think in the late twenties you kinda know a direction but, um, the early twenties are ju
9、st too you just kinda remember too many things of the teenage years and youre still trying to get a plan. But in the twenties, late twenties, you kind of know what you wanna do and you kind of have an idea of, of how to get it. And you know how to settle down, too. You can see a plan for getting thi
10、ngs and also settling down.Interviewer: Hmm, um, is there a time in your life that you think you would call the most difficult time? Bruce: Probably the teenage years, like fourteen, fifteen . Interviewer: Yeah? Bruce: Sixteen. Interviewer: The mid teens. Bruce: Yeah, I think the mid teens were the
11、worst. Interviewer: So, Julie, why would you like to be a little girl again?Julie: Um, I think, uh, I think lately because the age Im at now, I feel, is kind of a stressful age. Interviewer: Huh. Julie: When youre, when youre younger, you dont have as many worries and responsibilities. Interviewer:
12、Yeah. Julie: You dont have all the stresses of life as an adult. I think at the age Im at now, when you get out of college and you need to find a job. Interviewer: Uh-huh. Julie: And Im single and I cant depend on my parents anymore.Interviewer: Uh-huh.Julie: And I have new responsibilities - just t
13、rying to get used to having new responsibilities and also figure out what I wanna do - theres lots of decisions. Interviewer: Uh-huh. Julie: I dont always know what the best thing to do is. Um, those are things that I need to learn. Interviewer: Yeah.Julie: Yeah.Interviewer: So, Ann, why was being i
14、n your thirties good? Ann: Because in your thirties you pretty much know what you like and what you dont like，and youre kind of settled into life. And, at least for me, that was a really good time. Actually, now that my sons are married and, and theyre independent. Interviewer: Uh-huh. Ann: When I c
15、ome to, come to think about it, I probably do more interesting things now for myself than I did when I was in my thirties . Interviewer: Huh! For example.Ann: Well, now Im playing in an orchestra, which I would neverve had time to do when the boys were little and, urn, and I, ur, read a lot more tha
16、n I didInterviewer: Do you and your husband go out more? Ann: Ha! We do! We do. We go out to movies, and we go out to dinner, and we hope to be able to travel! Exercise Directions: Listen to the dialogue and decide whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F). l.T 2. T 3. T 4. T 5.T 6.
17、 F 7. T 8.T Part 2 PassageSocial Security1) Social Security is a logical place to start answering the question: Can we afford to continue this trend of retiring ever earlier and living longer? 2) It highlights the coming deficits in a system on which so many Americans depend for at least a part of t
18、heir livelihood during retirement. 3) The Social Security system now covers workers, disabled persons, and the dependents of each, and the system also adjusts benefits for inflation annually. 4) In simple terms, if the number of those paying into the fund drops as the number of those drawing from it
19、 rises, an imbalance is sure to develop in the future. 5) Since none of these options is politically palatable, it remains to be seen which will be implemented - most likely some combination of the two. The Social Security system in the US is a major source of retirement income for many. Thus Social
20、 Security is a logical place to start answering the question: Can we afford to continue this trend of retiring ever earlier and living longer? The Social Security Administration projected income and expense for the Social Security fund from 2000 to 2050. The figures for both income-tax revenues and
21、benefits paid out are sobering*. It highlights the coming deficits in a system on which so many Americans depend for at least a part of their livelihood during retirement. The gap between revenue and expense arises because of demographic shifts. The aging of the Baby Boomers and life-extending medic
22、al advances combine to create an imbalance in the Social Security system as designed. The system was established in 1935 and was intended as an insurance policy against a poverty-ridden old age, a not uncommon fate for the elderly during the first decades of the 20th century. The Social Security sys
23、tem has been expanded many times since its inception*. It now covers workers, disabled persons, and the dependents of each. The system also adjusts benefits for inflation annually. In the 1930s, life expectancy in the US was 59.7 years; many people never reached the age of retirement. In 2001, life
24、expectancy was 77.6 years; most people today live for quite a while on Golden Pond*. Were living longer and drawing from the Social Security fund for more years with each passing generation. The declining age of retirement only exacerbates* this trend. In simple terms, if the number of those paying
25、into the fund drops as the number of those drawing from it rises, an imbalance is sure to develop in the future. Barring any restructuring of the system beforehand, Social Security expenses will exceed revenues in the year 2015. At that point the system will begin to use reserves to meet its obligat
26、ions. According to the Social Security Administration estimates, these reserves will carry the system through the mid-2030s. At that point, if not sooner, one of two things will need to be done: (1) The Social Security tax rate will need to be increased, or (2) Benefits paid out wij1 need to be redu
27、ced. The second solution may involve extending the retirement age to 70 or an even older age. Since none of these options is politically palatable (the elderly have the highest voting rate), it remains to be seen which will be implemented - most likely some combination of the two. Since 3 out of eve
28、ry 10 Americans aged 65 or older depend on Social Security payments for 90% or more of their income (and 3 out of 5 depend on Social Security for 50% or more of their income) we must ask an important question: Are those of us now in our 30s and 40s planning on an alternative or supplemental retireme
29、nt income? Exercise A Pre-listening Question Actually, it is a government scheme that provides economic assistance to those people faced with sickness, unemployment, maternity and retirement, etc. In this case, the cost is paid entirely out of taxation. If the cost is met wholly or partly from contr
30、ibutions paid by employers to the state, the scheme is usually called national insurance. Exercise B Sentence Dictation Directions: Listen to some sentences and write them down. You will hear each sentence three times. Exercise C Detailed Listening Directions: Listen to the passage and choose the be
31、st answer to complete each of the following sentences. l.B 2.A 3.D 4. A 5. D 6. B 7. D 8. BExercise D After-listening Discussion Directions: Listen to the passage again and discuss the following questions. The gap between revenues and expenses arises because of demographic shifts. The aging of the B
32、aby Boomers and life-extending medical advances combine to create an imbalance in the Social Security system as designed. Social Security expenses will exceed revenues in the year 2015. At that point the system will begin to use reserves to meet its obligations. According to the Social Security Admi
33、nistration estimates, these reserves will carry the system through the mid-2030s. 2. (Open) Section Three NewsNews Item 1For development organizations, the meetings are a time to discuss some of the unfinished business of the G-20. Last month in London, its leaders pledged $1 trillion to the IMF for
34、 loans and other assistance to help cushion the developing world from the effects of the global financial crisis.But some questions remain. Activists say, for example, that the G-20 promised $100 billion for multi-lateral institutions like the African and Asian Development Banks, but did not specify
35、 where the money would come from.They also want clarification on how proposals made by the G-20 would work. One is the issuing of $250 billion worth of the IMF reserve currency, called Special Drawing Rights, or SDRs, to nations needing funding against the effects of the global financial downturn. I
36、t is estimated that nearly $19 billion would go to low income countries under the plan and $60 billion to middle income countries like Mexico and Brazil.SDRs, which are worth about $1.50 can be exchanged for the leading currencies, including the dollar, the euro and the yen. The IMF would distribute
37、 SDRs to states according to the size of their voting shares within the institution.A. the G-20s financing aid for developing countries and activists doubtB. G-20 $ 100 billionG-20 $250 billion $19 billion $ 60 billion $ 1.50 sizeNews item 2Obama: G-20 Agreement a Turning Point02 April 2009President
38、 Obama says he is pleased with the results of his first international summit.He says it was productive, and predicts it will be seen as in the pursuit of a global economic recovery.“By any measure, the London summit was historic,“ said President Obama. “It was historic because of of the challenges t
39、hat we face, and because of the timeliness and magnitude of our response.“Speaking to reporters just hours after the summit was adjourned(休会，休庭), the president spoke of the consensus(共识) achieved by countries who came in with different priorities and perspectives.“Its hard for 20 heads of state to t
40、heir differences,“ said Mr. Obama. “Weve all got our own national policies, we all have our own assumptions, and our own political cultures. But our citizens are all hurting. They all need us to come together.“The president did not get a concrete promise from others for substantial increases in gove
41、rnment domestic spending - a tool he has used at home to boost the U.S. economy. But there was agreement to provide funding for $1 trillion in additional loans and credits for struggling countries through the International Monetary Fund and other institutions. And the summit started the process of c
42、lamping down on tax havens(避难所，安息所) for the wealthy and loosely regulated investment funds for the rich.Mr. Obama said the G-20 meeting approved critical, bold steps. He said there is no guarantee they will all work, but he stressed the healing process has begun.“I think we applied the right medicin
43、e,“ he said. “I think the patient is . There are still wounds that have to heal. There arestill that could arise. But I think you have some pretty good care being applied.“The president also used the opportunity to reflect on the numerous one-on-one meetings he held with world leaders from Russia, C
44、hina, India, South Korea and summit host Great Britain.“Of course we spoke about additional steps to promote economic recovery and growth,“ said Barack Obama. “But we also discussed on a range of issues: how we could reduce the nuclear threat, how we could forge to North Koreas planned missile launc
45、h, how we can turn back terrorism and stabilize Afghanistan, how we can protect our planet from the scourge(天灾，灾难) of climate change.“From London, Mr. Obama travels to the French-German border where he will join other NATO leaders at a summit marking the 60th anniversary of the North Atlantic Treaty
46、 Organization. Answer:U.S. President Barack Obama says the G-20 summit in London marks a turning point in efforts to heal the global economy. But, Mr. Obama cautions there are no guarantees and more action could be needed.President Obama says he is pleased with the results of his first international
47、 summit.He says it was productive, and predicts it will be seen as a turning point in the pursuit of a global economic recovery.“By any measure, the London summit was historic,“ said President Obama. “It was historic because of the size and scope of the challenges that we face, and because of the ti
48、meliness and magnitude of our response.“Speaking to reporters just hours after the summit was adjourned(休会，休庭), the president spoke of the consensus(共识) achieved by countries who came in with different priorities and perspectives.“Its hard for 20 heads of state to bridge their differences,“ said Mr.
49、 Obama. “Weve all got our own national policies, we all have our own assumptions, and our own political cultures. But our citizens are all hurting. They all need us to come together.“The president did not get a concrete promise from others for substantial increases in government domestic spending - a tool he has used at home to boost the U.S. economy. But there was agreement to provide funding for $1 trillion in additional loans and credits for struggling countries through the International Monetary Fund an
