UNIT9

SectionOne

Part1

SpotDictation

CelebrationsinAustralia,AsiaRingin2010

Oneofthefirstmajorcitiestocelebratethebeginningof2010wasSydney,Australia.MorethanamillionpeoplegatheredalongtheSydneyharbortowatchthecity'sannualfireworksshow,settoboomingrockmusic.

HoursbeforemidnightpeoplearrivedatHarborBridgetostakeoutgoodseatsforthe12-minutedisplay.Thisyear'sshowinvolvedmorethan5,000kilogramsofexplosivedevices.

OthercitiesaroundAsiaandthePacificregioncelebratedwithfireworks,suchasKualaLumpurandHongKong.

InotherplacespeoplemarkedtheNewYearwithoutfireworks.

MillionsinJapanprayedatshrinesforgoodfortunein2010.

InSeoul,SouthKorea,agiantbellwasrung.

InChina'scapital,signsaroundBeijingcautionednottolightfireworkswithintheheartofthecityonNewYear'sEve.

ThisdidnotseemtobotherBeijingresidents,whosaytheLunarNewYearistheirtraditionaltimetocelebratewithfireworks.

Thisyearthatholidayisinmid-February.

ManyyoungpeoplewereatbarsandclubsinBeijinguntiltheearlyhoursofthemorning.StillothershadtoworkonNewYear'sEve.Aslate-nightrevelerswaitedinthecoldforascarcecab,twomenunloadedatruckatabakeryonWorker'sStadiumRoad.OneofthemsaidhehopedforgoodhealthforhisparentsintheNewYear.HiscoworkersaidhehopedtospendtheLunarNewYearwithfamilyathishomeinnearbyShandongprovince.

Part2

ListeningforGist

Unlikeairtravel,whichisregulatedinternationally,railtravelisinmanycasescontrollednationally.Thedegreeofsafetyofrailtravelisthereforehighlyvariablefromcountrytocountry,dependingonthedegreeofregulationandthequalityofregulationinthecountryconcerned.InBritainandtheUnitedStatesrailpassengerdeathsworkoutatanaverageoflessthan10railpassengerdeathsperyear.Unfortunately,therailpassengerdeathsperyearstatisticsinthelessdevelopedpartsoftheworldareconsiderablyhigherthantherailpassengerdeathsperyearstatisticsareinthewesternworld.

IntheUKoverthelast25years,therehasbeenanaverageofonetrainaccidentforeverymillionmilesrun.Becauseindividualtrainscarrysuchalargenumberofpassengerscomparedwiththenumberofpassengerscarriedincars,busesandplanes,thisactuallymeansthatthedegreeofriskis,comparatively,onewhichisalmostnon-existent.

Byfarthegreatestcauseofrailwayaccidentsishumanerror,eitherincontrollingorrespondingtosignals.Recentimprovementsinthenumbersofaccidentsareinlargemeasureduetotheintroductionofautomaticandcomputerizedsignalingequipment.Radiocommunicationsystemsbetweendriversandcontrolcentershavealsoprovedinfluentialinreducingaccidents.Withthecontinuingdevelopmentofradiocommunicationsystemsandautomaticsignalingsystemswecanlookforwardtofurtherreductionsinwhatarealreadyimpressivelylowaccidentrates.

Directions:Listentothepassageandwritedownthegistandthekeywordsthathelpyoudecide.

1.Thispassageisaboutrailtravelsafety.

2.Thekeywordsarehighlyvariable.degreeandqualityofregulation:BritainandtheUnitedStates.Lessthan10railpassengerdeathsperyear:lessdevelopedparts.Higher:UK.Last25years.Onetrainaccidentforeverymillionmilesrun:cause.Humanerror:automatic.Computerizedsignaling.Radiocommunicationsystems.Reduceaccidents.

Interviewer:So,doyougetanallowance?

Jora:Yeah,Ido.

Interviewer:So,Jora,whatdoyouthinkaboutyourdad?Doyouthinkhe'saprettygooddad?Imean,howdoeshecomparewithyourfriends'fathers?

Jora:Urn,mydadisverystrict,buthe's...he's..,he'sprettygood.He...he'sveryniceandheletsmedojustenoughsoIdon'tgettooangry.

Directions:Listentothedialogueanddecidewhetherthefollowingstatementsaretrue(T)orfalse(F).

l.T2.T3.F4.T5.T6.F7.T8.T

Part2Passage

ABriefHistoryofBanking

Whendidthefirstbanksappear?Thefirstbankerslivedmorethan2,000yearsago.Theyweremoneychangers,situatedusuallyatatableorinasmallshopinthecommercialdistrict,aidingtravelerswhocametothetownbyexchangingforeigncoinsforlocalmoneyordiscountingcommercialnotesforafeeinordertosupplymerchantswithworkingcapital.

Thefirstbankersprobablyusedtheirowncapitaltofundtheiractivities,butitwasn'tlongbeforetheideaofattractingdepositsandsecuringtemporaryloansfromwealthycustomersbecameanimportantsourceofbankfunding.Loanswerethenmadetomerchants,shippers,andlandowners,atratesofinterestaslowas6percentperannumtoashighas48percentamonthfortheriskiestventures!MostoftheearlybanksofanysizewereGreekinorigin.

ThebankingindustrygraduallyspreadoutwardfromtheclassicalcivilizationsofGreeceandRomeintonorthernandwesternEurope.BankingencounteredreligiousoppositionduringtheMiddleAges,primarilybecauseloansmadetothepooroftencarriedhighinterestrates.However,astheRenaissancebeganinEurope,thebulkofbankloansanddepositsinvolvedrelativelywealthycustomers,whichhelpedtoreducereligiousoppositiontobankingpractices.

Thedevelopmentofnewoverlandtraderoutesandimprovementsinnavigationinthe15th,16th,and17thcenturiesgraduallyshiftedthecenterofworldcommercefromtheMediterraneanregiontowardEuropeandtheBritishIsles,wherebankingbecamealeadingindustry.TheIndustrialRevolutiondemandedawell-developedfinancialsystem.Inparticular,theadoptionofmassproductionmethodsrequiredacorrespondingexpansioninglobaltradetoabsorbindustrialoutput,requiringnewmethodsformakingpaymentsandcreditavailable.Banksthatcoulddeliverontheseneedsgrewrapidly.

TheearlybanksinEuropewereplacesforsafekeepingofvaluableitems(suchasgoldandsilverbullion)aspeoplecametofearlossoftheirassetsduetowar,theft,orexpropriationbygovernment.InEnglandduringthereignsofHenryVIIIandCharlesI,governmenteffortstoseizeprivateholdingsofgoldandsilverresultedinpeopledepositingtheirvaluablesingoldsmiths'shops,who,inturn,wouldissuetokens*orcertificates,indicatingthatthecustomerhadmadeadepositatthesebusinesses.Soon,goldsmithtokensorcertificatesbegantocirculateasmoneybecausetheyweremoreconvenientandlessriskytocarryaround.Thegoldsmithsalsoofferedcertificationofvalueservices-whatwetodaymightcallpropertyappraisals*.Customerswouldbringinvaluablestohaveanexpertcertifythattheseitemswereindeedrealandnotfakes-aservicemanybanksstillprovidetheircustomers.

WhencolonieswereestablishedinNorthandSouthAmerica,OldWorldbankingpracticesweretransferredtotheNewWorld.Asthe19thcenturybegan,stategovernmentsintheUnitedStatesbeganchartering*bankingcompanies.Thedevelopmentoflarge,professionallymanagedbankingfirmswascenteredinafewleadingcommercialcenters,especiallyNewYork.ThefederalgovernmentbecameamajorforceinUSbankingduringCivilWar.

A:Pre-listeningQuestion

Abankis,actually,abusinessorganization,usuallyalimitedcompany,whichtradesmainlyinmoney,receivingandholdingdepositsandpayingsumsoutofthembyorderofthecustomer,lendingmoneyatinterest,discountingbillsofexchange,movingfromoneplacetoanother,actingascustomer'sagentinbuyingandsellingsecurities,servingastrusteeorexecutor,andperformingvariousextraservicesforcustomers,e.g.arrangingtravelandinsuranceandadvisingontaxandinvestment.

B:SentenceDictation

Direction:Listentosomesentencesandwritethemdown.Youwillheareachsentencethreetimes.

1.Situatedusuallyatatableorinasmallshopinthecommercialdistrict,thebankersaidedtravelerswhocametothetownbyexchangingforeigncoinsforlocalmoney.

Itwasn'tlongbeforetheideaofattractingdepositsandsecuringtemporaryloansfromwealthycustomersbecameanimportantsourceofbankfunding.

ThebankingindustrygraduallyspreadoutwardfromtheclassicalcivilizationsofGreeceandRomeintonorthernandwesternEurope.

TheearlybanksinEuropewereplacesforsafekeepingofvaluableitemsaspeoplecametofearlossoftheirassetsduetowar,theft,orexpropriationbygovernment.

Asthe19thcenturybegan,thedevelopmentoflarge,professionallymanagedbankingfirmswascenteredinafewleadingcommercialcenters,especiallyNewYork.

C:DetailedListening

Directions:Listentothepassageandchoosethebestanswertoeachofthefollowingquestions.

l.B2.A3.C4.D5.D6.A7.C8.B

D:After-listeningDiscussion

Directions:Listentothepassageagainanddiscussthefollowingquestions.

TheearlybanksinEuropewereplacesforsafekeepingofvaluableitems(suchasgoldandsilverbullion)aspeoplecametofearlossoftheirassetsduetowar,theft,orexpropriationbygovernment.InEnglandduringthereignsofHenryVIIIandCharlesI,governmenteffortstoseizeprivateholdingsofgoldandsilverresultedinpeopledepositingtheirvaluablesingoldsmiths'shops,who,inturn,wouldissuetokensorcertificates,indicatingthatthecustomerhadmadeadepositatthesebusinesses.Soon,goldsmithtokensorcertificatesbegantocirculateasmoneybecausetheyweremoreconvenientandlessriskytocarryaround.Thegoldsmithsalsoofferedcertificationofvalueservices-whatwetodaymightcallpropertyappraisals.Customerswouldbringinvaluablestohaveanexpertcertifythattheseitemswereindeedrealandnotfakes-aservicemanybanksstillprovidetheircustomers.

SectionThreeNews

NewsItem1

GreenlandIceSheet

AUSSpaceAgencystudyfindsthatGreenlandismeltingaroundtheedges.Thelosstotheworld'ssecondlargesticesheet-morethan50cubickilometersperyear-isenoughtoraiseglobalsealevelby0.13millimeters.NASAscientistBillKrabillsaysthedataindicatesaprocessofchangethatdoesnotimmediatelythreatencoastalregions.

"Themoreimportantthingistoconsideritasasignalofglobalclimatechangeandtomonitoritincaseitstartstoaccelerate."

Eighty-fivepercentofGreenlandiscoveredbyiceandismoreaccessibleforscientificstudythanAntarctica,whichisundertheworld'slargesticesheet.

"Greenland,thewayit'spositioned-muchmorenorthsouth,andthesoutherntipofGreenlandprotrudesintothemoretemperate*latitudes*-itmayreactmuchquickertoglobalclimatechangethanAntarcticadoes."

A:Directions:Listentothenewsitemandcompletethesummary.

ThisnewsitemisabouttherapidthinningoftheicesheetonGreenland.

B:Directions:Listentothenewsagainanddecidewhetherthefollowingstatementsaretrue(T)orfalse(F).

1.F2.F3.T4.T5.T

NewsItem2

CoolingAntarctica

AnewstudysaysAntarctica,thesouthernmostcontinent,hascooledmeasurablyinrecentyears.Thefindingsareadeparturefromglobaltrendsthatshowsignificantwarmingduringthelastcentury.

UniversityofChicagoProfessorPete~Doranmonitorsthepulse*ofAntarctica.Heandotherresearchershaveplotted*climatetrendsintheregion.TheyareworkingwithdatafromweatherstationsinAntarctica'sDryValleys,aperpetuallysnow-free,mountainouszone,andfromstationsacrossthecontinent.

Theirrecordsshowadecreaseby0.7degreesCelsiusperdecadeintheDryValleyssince1986andasimilarcoolingtrendacrossthecontinentsince1978.

Doransaid,"Antarcticaissomewhatisolatedbecausethereisabigoceancurrent*thatconstantlycirclesaroundthecontinentandactuallysortofisolatesit,andthat'swhatmakesitcold.And,thatmaybeafactorinwhyweareseeingAntarcticacoolingisthatslightdisconnectfromtherestoftheglobe,andit'snotbehavinginthesameway."

A:Directions:Listentothenewsitemandcompletethesummary.

ThisnewsitemisabouttheresultofanewstudythatsuggestsAntarcticcooling.

B:Directions:Listentothenewsagainandanswerthefollowingquestions.

1.AnewstudysaysAntarctica,thesouthernmostcontinent,hascooledmeasurablyinrecentyears.

2.ProfessorPeterDoranandotherresearchershaveplottedclimatetrendsintheregion.

3.Antarctica'sDryValleysisaperpetuallysnow-free,mountainouszone.

4.Therecordsshowadecreaseby0.7degreesCelsiusperdecadeintheDryValleyssince1986andasimilarcoolingtrendacrossthecontinentsince1978.

5.Thereisabigoceancurrentthatconstantlycirclesaroundthecontinent,soAntarcticaissomewhatisolatedfromtherestoftheglobe,anddoesnotbehaveinthesameway.

NewsItem3

ClimateChange

TheUNstudypredictsglobaltemperatureswillincreasebynearlysixdegreesCelsiusduringthiscentury.Itsaysthiswillleadtoincreasedflooding,drought,ariseinsealevels,andotherclimaticeffects.

What’smore,itsaysallregionsoftheworldwillsufferadverseeffectsofclimatechange.Thepanel'sco-chairman,JamesMcCarthy,sayssomeplantandmammalswillbeirreversiblydamaged;otherswillbecomeextinct.

Mr.McCarthysaysmillionsofpeoplewillbemadehomelessinlow-lyingcountriessuchasBangladeshbecauseofsealevelrise.Someislandswilldisappearcompletely.Economiclosseswillbeincalculable

Inaddition,thereportsayscropandwaterlosswillleadtomorefamineindryareasoftheworld,suchasAfrica.

A:Directions:Listentothenewsitemandcompletethesummary

Thisnewsitemisaboutastudyreportonthedangersofglobalwarming.

B:Directions:Listentothenewsagainandcompletethefollowingoutline.

GlobalWarming

Globaltemperaturesincrease

A.GlobaltemperatureswillincreasebynearlysixdegreesCelsius.

II.Unfavorableeffects

A.Increasedflooding,droughtwithcropandwaterloss

a.Someplantsandmammalswillbeirreversiblydamagedorbecomeextinct.

b.Morefamineindryareasoftheworld,suchasAfrica.

B.Ariseinsealevels,andotherclimaticeffects

Millionsofpeoplewillbecomehomelessinlow-lyingcountriessuchasBangladesh.

Someislandswilldisappearcompletely.

Economiclosseswillbeincalculable.

SectionFourSupplementaryExercises

SectionFour

Part1FeatureReport

NewDataShowIceLossinGreenlandAccelerating

Withoutanagreementthatreducesclimatechangingemissions,coastalcommunitiesaroundtheworldareatriskofrisingsealevels.NewdataconfirmtheGreenlandicesheetislosingmassatanacceleratingrate.Thecalculations,basedonstate-of-the-artsatelliteobservationscombinedwithcomputermodelsofGreenland'schangingicescape,arefurtherevidence,scientistssay,oftheimpactofglobalwarming.

ThecalculationsareconsideredthemostreliabletodatebecausetheycombinedatafromthetwinGravityRecoveryandClimateExperimentsatellites,knownasGRACE,withcomputermodelsofGreenland'schangingicescape.GRACEdetectsalterationsingravitycausedbyreductionsintheicesheet.Butthecalculationsdonottellscientistswhatiscausingtheicecaptoshrink,saysMichielvandenBroeke,aprofessorofpolarmeteorologyatUtrechtUniversityintheNetherlands.VandenBroekeandcolleaguescreatedamodelhesaysindicatestheformationoficebergsandmeltingiceplayequalrolesinreducingthesizeoftheGreenlandIceSheet.

ThestudybyvandenBroekeandcolleaguestracesthebeginningofGreenland'sicelossto1996.Someexpertsbelieveifcurrenttrendscontinue,globalsealevelswillrisebyameterormorebytheendofthecentury.SteveNerem,aprofessorofaerospaceengineeringsciencesattheUniversityofColoradoinBouldersaysthatiswhyitisimportanttorefinepredictionsofwhattheGreenlandIceSheetisgoingtodo.

IftheentireGreenlandicesheetweretomelt,Neremsaysitcontainsenoughwatertocauseaglobalsea-levelriseofsevenmeters.Forlow-lyingcountriestoprepare,Neremsays,scientistsneedtoknowhowquicklytheGreenlandicemassismelting.

"Ifthemeterinsealevelriseweretohappenveryrapidly,sayin50years,itwillbeveryhardtobuildtheinfrastructure,youknowthedykes–andtheotherthingstoholdbackthewater–quicklyenoughtopreventtheinundationthatwouldoccurwithameterofsea-levelrise.Ifitweretotakehundredsofyears,thenthatwouldprobablybeenoughtimeforpopulatedareastobuildtheprotectionsthattheyneedtocombatthis."

A:Directions:listentothenewsreportandcompletethesummary.

ThisnewsreportisabouttheGreenlandicesheetlosingmassatanacceleratingrate.

B:Directions:listentothenewsreportagainandanswerthefollowingquestions.

Coastalcommunitiesaroundtheworldareatriskofrisingsealevels.

GRACEstandsforGravityRecoveryandClimateExperiment.

BecausetheycombinedatafromthetwinGravityRecoveryandClimateExperimentsatellites,knownasGRACE,withcomputermodelsofGreenland'schangingicescape.

TheformationoficebergsandmeltingiceplayequalrolesinreducingthesizeoftheGreenlandIceSheet.

Neremsaysitcontainsenoughwatertocauseaglobalsea-levelriseofsevenmeters.

Part2passage

Pandas

Thegiantpandas'prospectsarebetternowthanintherecentpast.Newinsightsintobehavior,dietandphysiologyofferhopethatwemaybeabletoprotectandbreedtheseanimalsmoreeffectively.

Pandasareexceedinglyelusive.Pandasarenaturalvagrants,unsociableandeccentric.Therehasbeenconsiderabledebateovertheevolutionofpandas.Someexpertshavethoughtthattheydescendedfromraccoons*.Othersbelievetheyshareacommonancestorwiththebear,butevolvedindependently.

TheanimalscouldoncebefoundinmuchofsouthernandeasternChina,aswellaspartsofSoutheastAsia.Andthoughthepanda'srangehassteadilyshrunk,itshabitsareunaltered.Thepanda'sroutineisindeedabum'slife,spentwanderingfromonebadmealtoanotherandbeddingdowninthenearestdarkcorner.Althoughpandascanswimandclimbtrees,theyspendmostoftheirtimeseekingoutandchewingbamboo.

Pandashavebeenknowntoeatchickenandhoneywhenbambooisinshortsupply.Butinthewild,bambooistheirprimaryfare.Andbecauseitissuchapoorsourceofnutritionandhardforthemtodigest,pandasmusteatprodigiousamounts.Pandasconsumeabout30poundsofbambooaday.Onthismonotonousdiet,theyattainweightsofupto250pounds.

Theymakeavarietyofsounds:bleating,chirping,huffing,snortingandevenbarkinglikeadogifstartled.Ataboutagefive,thefemale,smallerthanthemale,willmoan,signalingsheisreceptive.Hercallisoftenansweredbyasmanyasthreeorfourmales.

InlateAugustorSeptember,afteragestationperiodestimatedat90to160days,thefemalegivesbirth.Herlitteroftenconsistsoftwomouse-sizenewbornscoveredinsparsewhitehair,throughwhichtheirpinkskinshows.Butsheislikelytofocusonasinglecub-notnecessarilythehealthier-andlettheotherdie.Thebabyiscaredforinacaveorhollowtreethatthefemalehaslinedwithbambootwigs.Themotherassumessoleresponsibilityforthecub,nursingitoftenduringthefirstsixmonths.Sheguardsherinfantclosely,carryingitinherpaworteeth.Notuntilitis18monthsoldisheroffspring*,bythenalmost100poundsheavier,readytoliveonitsown.

Afemalecanconceiveonlytwoorthreedaysayear.Becauseshetakes18monthstorearheroffspring,shewillreproduceonlyonceeverytwoyears.

Themostpromisinghopeforthepanda'sfutureseemstobetheincreasedeffortsbytheChinesegovernment.Publicconcernforthewelfareofpandashasbeenheightenedbystiffpenaltiesforpoaching.

Sowecan,perhaps,begintodreamagainofafuturewiththepandas,borninthewildorreturnedthereafterbirth,full-furredgiantswanderingandoccasionallymeetingdeepintheve