1、英语专业学生经典的听力材料Unit 9 ways to TravelPart I Warming upA1. This news item is about Boeings 18 billion new orders this year for its new 777 jetliner.2. This news item is about possible mergers between airlines.A2Tapescript:1. Boeing, the worlds leading commercial airplane maker, announced it has 18 billi
2、on dollars in new orders this year for its new 777 jetliner. This figure puts demand for the Boeing aircraft ahead of comparable models produced by rival Airbus of Europe.2. British Airways and Dutch carrier KLM confirm they are in act of merger talks. Swiss Air won approval for taking majority cont
3、rol of Belgiums Sabena Airlines and there was another flurry of take-over discussions among some major American carriers. They come on the heels of number one United Airlines offer to buy number six U. S. Airways two weeks ago. The nations number two, American Airlines, and the countrys third larges
4、t, Delta, have been having what are described as preliminary discussions about a possible combination. American had reportedly been talking with Northwest about a hook up as well. The top three U.S. airlines, United, American and Delta currently control 56 percent of U.S. air traffic. If the mergers
5、 go through, theyd control 85 percent.BMonorail1. Monorail systems rely on a very simple technology: rubber-tired cars riding on a narrow concrete guide-way.2. Monorail systems are capable of speeds of 65 miles per hour and offer ride quality comparable to conventional rail transit technologies.3. M
6、onorail systems are safe and more environmentally sensitive than any other elevated transit technology.4. And noise and neighborhood disruption caused by monorail construction are dramatically lower than other forms of mass transit.Maglev1. One of the most exiting recent innovations in railroad tech
7、nology is magnetic levitation, or Maglev, which relies on the principle of magnetism - attraction and repulsion.2. This new technology will result in trains that are faster, smoother, more efficient, more comfortable, and more environmentally sound.Light Rail1. Light rail transit is an electric rail
8、way system characterized by its ability to operate single cars or multi-car trains along shared or exclusive rights-of-way at ground level, on aerial structures, in subways, or occasionally in streets.2. It is able to board and discharge passengers at station platforms or at street, track, or car-fl
9、oor level, and is normally powered by overhead electrical wires.3. The maximum speed of light rail trains is normally 60 miles per hour (100 km per hour).4. Passenger capacity of each car in a multiple car consist can be up to as many as 250 passengers (standees included).Tapescript:1. MonorailMonor
10、ail systems rely on a very simple technology: rubber-tired cars riding on a narrow concrete guide-way. The cars are self propelled by electric motors with power pickup via distribution bars mounted on the side of the guide-way. Monorail systems are capable of speeds of 65 miles per hour and offer ri
11、de quality comparable to conventional rail transit technologies.Monorail systems are safe because the design and nature of monorail systems make it very difficult for trespassers to access the guide-way and power rails.Monorail systems are more environmentally sensitive than any other elevated trans
12、it technology due to the monorails narrow guide-way structure and quiet rubber tires. Also, since many of the pylon and rail components can be prefabricated elsewhere and then assembled along the routes, the noise and disruption of construction will be kept to a minimum. Thus, noise and neighborhood
13、 disruption caused by monorail construction are dramatically lower than other forms of mass transit.2. MaglevOne of the most exiting recent innovations in railroad technology is magnetic levitation, or Maglev, which relies on the principle of magnetism- attraction and repulsion. This new technology,
14、 still under development, will result in trains that are faster, smoother, more efficient, more comfortable, and more environmentally sound. No longer will trains rumble heavily along steel rails; rather, they will float along a magnetic cushion without any direct contact with the ground.3. Light Ra
15、ilLight rail transit is an electric railway system, constructed in the 1970s or later, characterized by its ability to operate single cars or multi-car trains along shared or exclusive rights-of-way at ground level, on aerial structures, in subways, or occasionally in streets. It is able to board an
16、d discharge passengers at station platforms or at street, track, or car-floor level, and is normally powered by overhead electrical wires.In most current settings, light rail is anything but “light“ and is built to exacting standards. The maximum speed of light rail trains is normally 60 miles per h
17、our (100 km per hour), while heavy rail trains normally operate at higher speeds. Depending upon the specific system, the distance between light rail stations is shorter than within heavy rail systems, which lends some major advantages to urban settings.Light rail trains operate as either single or
18、multiple car consists. Passenger capacity of each car in a multiple car consist can be up to as many as 250 passengers (standees included).PART IIIn 1888, Boston, Massachusetts, became the first American city to replace horse-drawn trolleys with electric streetcars. Streetcars, which look similar to
19、 train passenger coaches, clanged their bells, rattled around the corners and crried almost 14 billion riders at their height in 1920. old photos show overhead vires crisscrossing almost every US city. Then streetcars ridership replaced trolleys steadily as Americans took to automobiles and communit
20、ies replaced trolleys with buses. But now it seems cities cant lay streetcars tracks fast enough.So why is the number of US cities running streetcars and other light rail systems now up to 19? Why are 43 other cities building or drawing plans for light rail lines?Dan Tangherlini is acting dicrestor
21、of Wanshington D.C.s Transportation Department.:Many cities are beginning to re-evaluate that decision to move away from streetcars. We look at current bus ridership members, and many of the routes that have the highest bus ridership were some of our most popular streetcar routes. So there goes the
22、notiong that the buses are providing increased flexibility, at least on those roads. And so maybe theres something between the very expensive subway systems, which cost between 140 and 200 million dollars a mile and the bus route. And thats what were beginning to ask.Streetcar lines cost less than 1
23、0 million dollars a mile to build. Washington is the latest city to announce it is studying the feasibility of bringing back streetcars, even though it already it already enjoys a fast-moving regional subway system called “metro” that runs through several parts of the city. Across country in Washing
24、ton D.C., Bill Lind works for a conservative think tank called the Free Congress Foundation. The organization has printed several studies supporting light rail transit, including streetcars.“The old rationale for getting rid of the streetcars is that they get in the way of the automobiles. But what
25、we found is that the automobile, generally with one person per car, is probably the least efficient way to use the limited amount of space you have on urban streets. If youve got 50 people on board a streetcar, youre doing a lot better job of making use of the street space you have.”Even if Washingt
26、ons transit department gets the green light to bring back streetcars, its likely to be at least ten years before Mr. Lind and his neighbor will be riding them. The city has to secure federal funding for a large chunk of the work. Citizens who say they pine for the trolleys may lose their nostalgia w
27、hen they realize the cars will be jangling past their windows or slowing their automobile rides across town.But across America, streetcars and light rail trains are curiosities no longer. Theyre a prestige item, tangible proof that a city is environmentally friendly, on the move, an din touch with t
28、he human desire, in the midst of todays bustle and speed, for a streetcars soothing touch of serenity. A: the most popular streetcar routesB: less than 10 million dollars (130-190 million dollars) / between 140 and 200 million dollarsA: the least efficient way to use the limited amount of space on u
29、rban streetsB: youve got 50 people on board a streetcar.A: federal fundingB: jangle past citizens windowsC: slow the automobiles rides A: a city is environmentally friendlyB: a streetcars soothing touch of serenity. B:I. Above and underground public transit systemsA. traffic jams / congestionB. frus
30、tration / discomfort / unhapinessII. Public transportation A. light rail systemsB. a new public trainIII. B. 1. metro systems 2. Southeast Asia3. innovative us of public transit buses.IV. Excessive greenhouse gas emissionsB. cleanC. the amount of energy usedTranscript:Today the worlds urban areas ho
31、ld more than 4 times the population in the 1950s. traffic is pilling up in nearly every major metropolitan area. In Bangkok, the Capital of Thailand, traffic jams last for hours while the economy loses an estimated 6% of output. Many governments are promoting above and underground transit systems to
32、 fight such congestion. The sounds of public transit systems are spreading throughout the world. Urban trains are appearing even in the wide expanses of the western United States, in places like Dallas, a Texas city known for oil riches and big cars. “In Texas, we are not very used to riding a train
33、 to travel around the city. But actually, Dallas and Houston have both started light rail systems. It is very popular in both cities.” This is Brewster McCracken, a city council member in the Texas capital, Austin. Its citizen recently voted ofr a new public train similar ot those in Dallas and Hous
34、ton. Then Sustin plan will use existing railroad tracks already in place throughout the city. What is happening in Texas reflects a growing trend elsewhere in the United States, says William Millar. Hes president of the non-profit American Public Transportation Association. “In the last several year
35、s, public transportation in America has undergone a renaissance.” Voters across the United States are supporting public transit systems like the one in Austin. “What is shows is that the public in many places is ready to invest in public transportation.”But a majority of Americans still commute with
36、 cars and most transportation funds are spent on building roads. Alan Pisarski is a transportation consultant and author of “Commuting in America.” He says the excitement over public transportation in America is “an expression of peoples frustration. There is a lot of discomfort and unhappiness arou
37、nd the country about congestion and about transportation services in general.”In 1900, many US cities had extensive urban rail systems. But with the arrival of the automobile most of them disappeared by the 1950s. now many cities are returning to with they had 100 years ago.In other countries, ridin
38、g buses, trains or subways are part of everyday life. “Many, many countries support public transportation to a much greater degree than happens in the United States, particularly in Europe. In other places in the world that are developing cities, there is a tremendous growth of investment in public
39、transit. In China, for example, city after city now is building metro systems. Throughout Southeast Asia, certainly the capital cities, over the last tow or three decades, have built major rail systems. Throughout South America we see not only rail systems being built, but we see some of the most in
40、novative use of public transit buses as anywhere in the world.”Rising levels of pollution from cars is leading to more investment in public transportation. Mike Ashforth is a historian of Londons underground system. He says urban transport can help cities develop without spoiling the environment wit
41、h excessive greenhouse gas emissions. “The main impact of the underground is that it can reduce the amount of surface transport which in many cities largely depends on the internal combustion engine. The one advantage that electrically delivered urban passenger transport has it that it is relatively
42、 clean at the point of delivery. It can also, of course, actually carry far more people in terms of the amount of energy used.”Many analysts say the growth of public transportation does not challenge the automobile but provides another choice to commutes. As a rising number of people want to go to a
43、n infinite number of places at any time, public transportation may be the answer. Part IIITapescript:1. EuroRoute is a scheme that operates at much lower running costs than each coast, er. ten kilometers out from the coast and connect up with a twenty-kilometer submerged concrete tube tunnel made on
44、 two man-made islands in the English Channel. Er. the, roadways spiral gently down to the level of the tunnel, Its the same principle as the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel in the U. S. A., and it . its well-researched technology. Thinking ahead to the twenty-first century, er . I believe that people w
45、ill prefer, will want to drive across, not queue up waiting for trains.And finally, there are also two separate supplementary rail-only tunnels, and they can take up to 30 high-speed passenger and freight trains in each direction per hour.2. The Channel Expressway is a scheme consisting of two tunne
46、ls which carry both road and train traffic. The rails are laid flush with the road surface like tram tracks in the fast lane which is closed to traffic once every half hour for the trains to pass through. Er. really, both the passenger trains and the freight trains are able to use the tunnel, but th
47、e freight trains will mostly run during the night when theres less road traffic. There will be special pumps at regular intervals along the tunnel to clean the air and remove the exhaust fumes from it.3. Flexilink is the cheapest and most reliable scheme of them all, really. Ferries, especially the
48、new giant super-ferries are more economical, safer and a lot more flexible than building a tunnel. And theyre also friendlier to the environment. For the motorist and the lorry driver, the pleasurable experience of strolling on the deck with time to enjoy a meal and take a relaxing break during the
49、journey is much more pleasant than the claustrophobic sensation of being underground for an hour - and the idea of, you know, being trapped. Time saved for cars and road freight by building the Channel Tunnel is less than an hour: insignificant saving on journeys of twelve hours or more. Theres no doubt that ferries will continue operating in competition with the tunnel, both on the short Channel crossing and on the longer crossings from southern England to France and England to Holland, Belgium, Germany and Scandinavia.Part IV SouthwestColumn A1. The stockho
