1、Unit 11,News ( II ),Training Focus- Recognizing figures and percentages- Identifying wh- words in the news lead- Analyzing news items Listening Skills Background Information Language Study Additional Material,Content:Part I Warming upPart II News itemsPart III NasdaqPart IV Bulls and bears,Part I Wa
2、rming up A.,0.25 = zero point twenty-five 20 = score 12 = a dozen decade = ten years two-fold = twice times = double three-fold = triple =three times 5,000 = five thousand = fifty hundred,A. You are going to hear some simple news items which include numbers ranging from 0.25 to 37,000,000,000. Liste
3、n carefully. Write down the numbers rapidly.,1. British Aerospace plans to buy the part of General Electric Company of Britain that makes defense electronics. The deal is worth $25,000,000,000. 2. Canada will hold a meeting of American leaders in April to discuss trade and economic issues. Canada no
4、w has a trade surplus of $161,000,000 a year with Central America. 3. Owners of MCI Communications have agreed to sell the company to the American communications company WorldCom. The price is $37,000,000,000 in stock. WorldCom defeated a 28,000,000,000-dollar offer by GGE. MCI also refused the Brit
5、ish company Telecoms offer to unite the two companies by an agreement worth about $24,000,000,000. 4. President Clinton will release 30,000,000 barrels of oil from the United States emergency supply. The move is designed to ease heating oil shortage expected this year.,5. RANGOON - The United Nation
6、s and the World Bank have offered Burma $1,000,000,000 in aid. A UN special diplomat made the Offer to Burmese leaders last month. 6. Representatives of the six nations of the Gulf Cooperation Council have agreed to common import taxes. Officials at the meeting in Riyad said representatives agreed t
7、o set the common tax on some goods at 5.5 %. The tax on other goods will be 7.5%. 7. The New York Stock Exchange halted trading early after suffering one of the worst market drops in history. Stock prices fell more than 550 points. That is a loss of more than 7%. 8. United States Central Bank offici
8、als are reducing interest rates for the third time this year. The bank officials cut by 0.25% the rate that banks charge each other for short-term loans. That rate now will be 4.75%. The Central Bank made the same reduction in the rate it charges member banks for overnight loans. The rate now will b
9、e 4.5%.,B.,B. Now listen to some simple news items. Focus your attention on “who,” “what,” “when,” “where,” “why,” and “how,” in each lead and write down what you hear in the given spaces.,1. Angry demonstrators are increasing their protests againstrising fuel prices. World oil prices have reached a
10、 ten-yearhigh of about $35 a barrel. 2. China has opened a meeting of African nations. Representatives of more than 40 African nations are attending the three day meeting in Beijing. 3. Dutch Prime Minister says the Czech Republic could become a member of the European Union by early 2003. The Prime
11、Minister told reporters that the final date would be decided by a conference of EU members. 4. Finance ministers and Central Bank governors of seven leading industrial nations are meeting in Washington. Officials from Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Japan and the United States are attending the me
12、eting. 5. Iran and Saudi Arabia say they will try to reduce the amount of oil now on the world market in an attempt to increase the low prices that are harming their economies.,6. Leaders of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries have urged rich countries to lower oil prices by cutting ta
13、xes on oil products. 7. Leaders of the ten-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations have promised to speed efforts to increase trade and to bring peace and security to the area. They made the statement at the end of their yearly meeting in Manila. 8. The Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board ha
14、s told a senate committee that he will support policies that keep inflation low. 9. The United States and Japan have signed an agreement that will open Japanese ports to foreign companies. 10. And in Singapore, Prime Minister says his countrys economy has increased almost 4 percent for the first hal
15、f of 1999. Experts say the country has become a leading manufacturing and financial center.,C.,C. Here is the final pair of news items. Listen carefully. Complete the news summary and answer the questions you hear.,1. Arab leaders have ended an emergency summit in Cairo. 2. Chinese Prime Minister Zh
16、u Rongji has arrived in the Middle Western City of Chicago, Illinois. It is the fourth stop on his 9-day visit to the United States. 3. FINLAND- Citizens have elected their countrys first woman President of the Social Democratic Party. 4. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian leader Yass
17、er Arafat have met for the first time in two months. 5. AT THE UNITED NATIONS - Portugal and Indonesia have reestablished diplomatic relations. 6. South Korean President Kim Dae Jung has been named the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. 7. Tens of thousands of people in France have held demonstrations
18、 against growing unemp1oment. 8. Two French newsmen held hostage for two and one half months are flying home to France. 9. Two hundred more families separated by the Korean War have been reunited.,Part II News Items,Now listen to the first pair. Then summarize the news according to the cues given.Ev
19、ent: the World Trade Organization (WTO) meeting City: Seattle Starting time: not clear Finishing time: Friday. Contentious issues: agriculture trade barriers, environmental and labor concerns Possible outcome: no agreement/ consensus on plans for a new round of talks,1. SEATTLE - The World Trade Org
20、anization meeting is about to end. There is no sign of agreement on plans for another series of world trade talks. The meeting is to end later Friday. Trade negotiators still disagree about agriculture trade barriers, environmental and labor concerns and other issues. President Clinton supports dema
21、nds by protesters to link the protection of worker rights to trade agreements. Some delegates from developing nations reject the idea as another kind of trade barrier. Many trade ministers at the WTO meeting say they do not think an agreement will be reached Friday. 2. The World Trade Organization m
22、eeting in Seattle enters its final day with delegates divided over several issues that could threaten future trade talks. Some trade ministers from the WTO say they will work hard to reach agreement on an agenda for a new round of talks but many delegates say they are not optimistic a consensus will
23、 be achieved. Among the contentious issues are agriculture trade barriers, antidumping rules, and environmental concerns.,B. Now listen to the second pair of news items. Complete the news summary and briefly answer the questions you hear on the tape.1. The news items talk about a trade agreement rea
24、ched between Mexico and EU. 2. a. more than one yearb. remove/95% +/trade barriers between EU and Mexico c. more and better jobs/new possibilities/Mexican businessesd. the U. S./Canada e. on July 1st, 2000,1. Mexico has reached a major trade agreement with the European Union following more than a ye
25、ar of negotiations. Ell Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy spoke to reporters in Brussels after completing talks with Mexican Trade Minister. Mr. Lamy says the agreement will remove more than 95 percent of the trade restrictions between the European Union and Mexico. The agreement will give the European
26、s the same right to Mexican markets that the United States and Canada now have. In Mexico City, President said the agreement will bring his country more and better jobs and create new possibilities for Mexican businesses.,2. Mexico and European Union have reached a landmark free trade agreement afte
27、r more than a year of negotiations. EU Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy tells reporters the deal is the most comprehensive ever negotiated by the Union and the first such agreement with Latin American partner. He made his comment Wednesday at a news conference in Brussels following talks with Mexican
28、Trade Minister. Mr. Lamy says the accord will dismantle more than 95 percent of the trade barriers between the European Union and Mexico. In Mexico City, President said the agreement will bring his country more and better jobs and will open new opportunities for Mexican businesses. The pact will giv
29、e the European Union the same duty-free access to Mexican markets now enjoyed by the United States and Canada under the North American Free Trade Agreement. EU governments must ratify the agreement. It is expected to take effect on July 1st, the year 2000.,Questions: a. How long did the negotiations
30、 last? b. According to Mr. Lamy, what good will the agreement do tothe European Union? c. According to Mexican President, what good will the agreement do to Mexico? d. Which other countries enjoy the same right as the EuropeanUnion does? e. When is the agreement expected to take effect?,C. Here is t
31、he final pair of news items. Listen carefully. Complete the news summary and answer the questions you hear on the tape.1. The news items talk about the rising of the Nasdaq CompositeIndex to a new record high. 2. a. WHEN? on Wednesday b. WHAT? above 4,000 c. HOW MUCH? 84% d. WHAT? the Dow Jones Indu
32、strial Average, the Standard & Poors 500 and the Russell 2000 e. WHAT? He doesnt think that the upswing will last for ever./He doesnt think the markets can keep rising at this rate. f. WHO? telecommunications equipment and software computer companies,1. A leading measure of the value of American tec
33、hnology stocks has risen to a new record high. The measure, known as the Nasdaq Composite Index, closed above 4,000 for the first time ever Wednesday. For the year, the Nasdaq Composite Index has risen 84 percent. This is the first time since April, 1998 that all four major measures of American stoc
34、ks closed at new record highs. 2. US stocks soared to record highs and technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite closed above 4,000 for the first time ever Wednesday. This marks the first time since April 21st, 1998 that the four major US bench marks - the Nasdaq, the Dow Jones Industrial Average, the Stand
35、ard & Poors 500 and the Russell 2000- closed at records on the same day. Prime market economist P. Ellis says the upswing cannot last for ever.“Whenever stock markets rise very, very rapidly, as has been the case of the Nasdaq, and to a lesser degree in the Dow, you have to wonder whether there is r
36、eally that much good news out there. Probably there is, but the markets cannot keep rising at this rate. The level itself is not dangerous, but we cant see this kind of return going on indefinitely. Telecommunications equipment and software computer companies led Wednesdays advance.,Questions:When d
37、id this take place? What did the Nasdaq Composite Index close at that day? How much has the Nasdaq Composite Index risen for the year? What are the other three major measures of American stocks? e. What does the economist P. Ellis think of the U. S. stock markets? f. Who led the advance on the stock
38、 markets that day?,Part III Nasdaq,A. In this part you are going to hear a passage about Nasdaq, a very important stock market in the United States. Listen carefully and complete the outline according to the information given on the tape.,OutlineI. Nasdaq - the second largest stock market in the U.
39、S.A. its full name: the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotation systemB. its history1. origin: in 19712. purpose in creating it: to centralize information about the trading of stocks not listed on NYSE or other exchangesC. its scale today - the worlds largest growing stock mar
40、ket1. the number of trading companies: 4,8002. the number of computers linked to it: 500,000,II. The Nasdaq Composite Index - one of the main measurements of the strength of the American economy A. system used: a system of pointsB. its difference from the Dow Jones Industrial Average1. the Dow Jones
41、 Industrial Average: following the share prices of thirty leading companies in the U.S.2. the Nasdaq Composite Index: including most of the countrys new, high-technology and Internet companies3. the recent changes in the value of stocks: much greateron the Nasdaq than on the Dow Jones4. daily price
42、changes: much larger on the Nasdaq reasonsfor it: a. different methods used to create each average b. difference in the kinds of companies included in eachaverage,B. Now listen again. Then you will hear some statements. Decide whether they are true or false. Write “T” or “F” in the brackets.Nasdaq i
43、s the second largest stock market in the United States, after the New York Stock Exchange. A stock is an ownership share in a business. Nasdaq stands for the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotation system. Nasdaq was the worlds first completely computerized stock market. It be
44、gan operations in 1971.Nasdaq was created to centralize information about the trading of stocks not listed on the New York Stock Exchange or other exchanges. Today, Nasdaq is the worlds largest growing stock market. The stocks of more than 4,800 companies trade on Nasdaq. More than 500,000 computers
45、 worldwide are linked to the Nasdaq system.The Nasdaq Composite Index is one of the main measurements of the strength of the American economy. The index uses a system of points instead of dollars to measure the changes in the market value of all stocks that trade on Nasdaq. The number changes with e
46、ach trade that is made. A final number is reported at the end of each trading day.,Another average, the Dow Jones Industrial Average, is the oldest and main stock index. The Dow Jones follows the share prices of thirty leading companies in the United States. Most stocks on the Dow Jones Index are es
47、tablished industrial companies. Nasdaq, however, includes most of the countrys new, high-technology and Internet companies. This year, the American stock market has sharply lost value after a record period of growth. The recent increases and decreases in the value of stocks have been much greater on
48、 the Nasdaq Index than on the Dow Jones. Nasdaq also has experienced much larger daily price changes. This is partly due to the different methods used to create each average. But the main reason is the difference in the kinds of companies included in each average. The greatest changes in prices have
49、 been in the stocks of technology and Internet companies. Experts believe that the stock market is experiencing a necessary correction. They believe the prices of many technology stocks became too high for their expected earnings.,B. Now listen again. Then you will hear some statements. Decide wheth
50、er they are true or false. Write T or F in the brackets.Statements:1. The New York Stock Exchange is the worlds first completely computerized stock market. 2. The Nasdaq Composite Index changes constantly within a trading day. 3. The stocks included on the Dow Jones Index are mostly industrial companies. 4. This year, the stock prices in the United States have been going up. 5. Experts think that the prices of many technology stocks will be higher later.Keys: 1. ( F ) 2. ( T ) 3. ( T ) 4. ( F ) 5. ( F ),
