发布时间 : 星期六 文章专四听力更新完毕开始阅读
Dictation 1 Superstition 迷信
One person in four in Britain is, apparently, superstitious,and they'll do everything from hanging horseshoes over their fireplace to crossing their fingers,touching wood and absolutely never walking under a ladder.And they're careful about cats.Black cats are supposed to be the familiars of witches,so if one is following you it's definitely bad luck- a witch is after you!On the other hand, if one crosses your path and continues then it's good luck because it hasn't noticed you.However, in some places the beliefs are different- so it pays to know where your black cat comes from!Old superstitions linger even in today's modern world.The author Philip Pullman drew on them in his award winning novel \and adults,has been adapted for radio and also the theatre.
Dictation 2 Graduate Student 研究生
Graduate students specialize in a particular field of study.They study to become experts in this field and to learn new advances in their fields while they earn an M.A. or Ph.D.Sometimes when they get an M. A. in one field they begin studying another field.They hope that when they earn their graduate degrees they will succeed in finding important jobs.They hope to get jobs that are interesting and high paying.The life of a graduate student is often difficult.They are usually too busy studying to make a good living.Often they have to pay high tuition fees for their education.Some give up studying before they get their degrees.But most keep on working at their studies until they graduate.In today's world, most graduate students don't regret spending time with their studies.They are finding that new developments are occurring in all fields.For many graduate study has become a necessity.
Dictation 3 April Fool's Day 愚人节
1st April is a day to be careful,or you could easily get tricked by someone.It's April Fool's Day,a day when people traditionally like to try to make a fool of someone else and laugh at them.There are lots of theories surrounding the origins of the day,but one explanation is connected with the change in the calendar in the 16th century,which meant that 1st April was no longer the beginning of the year.Those who still celebrated the New Year on 1st April were called fools.So what kind of pranks do people play on April Fool's Day?Well, there are lots of simple tricks that you can play on your friends.For example, you could wear a black sweater and pull a piece of white thread through it,so that people try to pull it off.You could change the time on someone's alarm clock so that they're late for work.
Dictation 4 Living Online 网上生活
How do you meet new people, make new friends,or find out about the latest bands?Here in the UK young people have traditionally done their socializing in bars, pubs and clubs.However, there is a new generation growing up that finds it easier to manage their social lives on the net,using free websites like MySpace, Bebo or MSN Spaces.
Welcome to the social networking website- a place where you can present yourself to the digital community and meet other like-minded people.The most successful social networking website in the UK is MySpace.com.As of July 2006, MySpace is the world's fourth most popular English-language website,attracting almost 3 million
visitors per month.MySpace claims to have 95 million members with 500,000 new members joining the community each week.So how has it become so successful?Perhaps its secret is in its simplicity.Each new member can build their own page simply- uploading photos, videos and MP3 files.
Dictation 5 Mother's Day 母亲节
Does your mother know how much you appreciate her?Well, Mother's Day is the time to show her.It's a chance to say 'thank you',or to tell your mum how much you love her.In Britain, Mother's Day, or Mothering Sunday,
falls on a different day each year,because it takes place a few weeks before the festival of Easter.But it is always in the early springtime,which seems appropriate,as the season when new plants emerge,and baby birds and animals are born.
In the USA, Mother's Day takes place a little later, in May,and many other countries also celebrate their mothers on different days of the year.It began many years ago, when children,especially girls, as young as 10 would live and work away from home as housemaids and other types of servant.Mothering Sunday was a day when everyone was allowed to go to their home village or town, and visit their mothers.
Dictation 6 Online Shopping 网上购物
With only two weeks to go before Christmas,buying presents is a high priority for a lot of people.However, this year not so many people are leaving their homes
to browse around the shops.These days lots of people can do their shopping in the comfort of their own home with the help of the internet.Online shopping is becoming more and more popular for a number of reasons;prices are often lower online,you don't have to queue up in busy shops and you can buy almost any product imaginable with just a few clicks of your mouse.Computer trends are often male-dominated but this year women are expected to do more shopping on the internet than men.It seems women are now more attracted to the convenience of online shopping than they used to be.
Average spending online this Christmas by women will rise to 240 pounds compared to the slightly lower average of 233 pounds for men.
Dictation 7 Reality TV 真实电视
The latest fashion on British TV is Reality TV.Reality TV means that shows follow and film ordinary people in an artificial situation.This could be at work, or in some kind of competition.One of the first and most popular Reality TV shows is Big Brother. In this show, 15 complete strangers have to live together in a house for 11 weeks.They are filmed 24 hours a day, and shown on television.Each week, the viewers vote to evict one of the housemates.Finally, only one is left,and they win the prize money! The show was an instant hit,and runs in several countries.The housemates often become stars as a result of the show,and appear in national newspapers and on other shows.
Another very popular show is I'm a Celebrity - Get Me Out Of Here!In this show, 10 celebrities have to complete tasks each week,such as eating insects.
Dictation 8 School 学校
September is traditionally the end of summer and the beginning of autumn in the UK.It is also the month when children go back to school after their long summer
holidays.There are two types of school in England.State-run schools are paid for by the government,so are free to attend.Independent Schools are private,which means you have to pay to attend.The school day usually starts at 9 in the morning and finishes around 4,with breaks for lunch of course!In many schools, you have to wear a uniform too.Children start school when they are 5 years old.This is called primary school,
and lasts until the child is 11 when he or she will go on to senior school.Secondary school is compulsory from 11 until 16 years of age.At 16, students take national examinations called GCSE's.After this, students can stay at school for another 2 years and take A Level examinations.
Dictation 9 The Modern Family 现代家庭
Father leaves for work in the morning after breakfast.The two children take the bus to school,and mother stays home cooking and cleaning until father and the kids return home in the evening.This is the traditional picture of a happy family living in Britain.The past 20 years have seen enormous changes in the lives and structure of families in Britain.The biggest change has been caused by divorce.As many as 2 out of 3 marriages now end in divorce,leading to a situation where many children live with one parent and only see the other at weekends or holidays.There has also been a huge rise in the number of women with children who work.The large rise in divorces has meant many women need to work to support themselves and their children.Even when there is no divorce,many families need both parents to work in order to survive.
Dictation 10 Mid-Autumn Festival 中秋节
On 25th September this year, people all over China will be getting together to eat with their families,look at the moon and celebrate one of the biggest festivals
in the Chinese lunar calendar.However, the celebrations stretch far beyond the borders of China.Here in the UK events are taking place for Chinese people living here,and to teach the people of Britain more about this popular festival.The Soho Theatre in London conducted a study which showed that Chinese Londoners don't engage much with the arts world.As a result, 'Moon walking In China has been created to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival.This is no normal theatre production though,as it doesn't take place in the theatre.Theatre professionals and volunteers from the local community will take audiences around the streets of Soho on a magical lantern-lit walk through the landmarks and backstreets of Chinatown.
Dictation 11 The Dragon 龙
When many people in the west think of China,the animal that they think of is the dragon.For them, the dragon is an aggressive monster that breathes fire.Many popular legends tell of how dragons killed brave knights and ate beautiful maidens.For Chinese people however,the dragon is not an evil monster.It's a cultural and spiritual symbol
for prosperity and good luck.The dragon's main task is to create harmony and bring rain.Dragons are celebrated in art and architecture,and of course the dragon dance is a very popular ritual.Millions of Chinese have the word 'long',meaning dragon, as part of their name.China isn't the only country to have the dragon as its symbol.
Wales, one of the four countries in the UK,has a red dragon proudly displayed on its
flag.The only other country in the world with a dragon on its flag is Bhutan,the tiny country between China and India.
Dictation 12 Rainy Britain 阴雨的英国
Britain is famous around the world for its rainy weather,but many parts of the country this June are experiencing much more rain than they have ever seen before.Torrential downpours have caused rivers to burst their banks,roads have been closed and many people have been evacuated from their homes because of the floods.The worst hit area seems to be the north of England.There have even been fatalities as people got stuck in the rain or were washed away by the floodwaters.Flood warnings have been issued in many parts of the UK and it is said that over a month's worth of rain has fallen in just the last couple of days.The rain has also caused chaos
at some of Britain's famous June events.The Glastonbury festival is a four-day-long outdoor music festival and while it is traditionally quite rainy and muddy there, this year was particularly bad.
Dictation 13 Christmas traditions 圣诞节传统
There are many ways to celebrate Christmas,and some British people like to go on holiday,go out for lunch to a restaurant,or spend the day with friends.But most people's idea of a traditional Christmas involves spending a few days with their family- sometimes their extended family.The day is the most exciting for the children. They may have spent weeks or even months dreaming of the presents they want most. Since the beginning of December,they may have opened their advent calendars,finding a new festive picture, chocolate, or small gift,to count down each day until 25th December.On Christmas Eve, they hang up stockings,ready to be filled with presents by Santa Claus.Often a thank you gift of a mince pie and a glass of sherry will be left,as well as a carrot for those hungry reindeer.
Dictation 14 Olympic Slogan 奥运口号
Beijing unveiled the slogan for the 2008 Olympics \finally selected from more than 210,000 entries from around the world.Beijing's original bid to host the 2008 games had a different slogan \Beijing, Great Olympics\Beijing itself to the spirit of the Olympics- unity, friendship amongst nations and progress.It was also felt that the \World, One Dream\slogan captured the traditional Chinese values of peace and harmony.The Olympics hasn't always had a slogan attached to each host country.In fact it wasn't until 1988 at the Seoul Olympics in South Korea that the first slogan appeared.\and it seems to have been a popular theme over the years.
Dictation 15 Sunbed 太阳床
In the UK, a country known for its bad weather and lack of sunshine,there appears to be an ever increasing number of very tanned young people.So just how are they achieving their golden tans?Some are opting for the sun-free option and are getting their tan from a bottle.However, it appears that others are turning to tanning salons, of which there are thousands in the UK.While in China young people often prefer to remain fair,in the UK there seems to be a growing desire for tanned skin.So why do