发布时间 : 星期六 文章新标准大学英语视听说(Unit1-7)听力原文更新完毕开始阅读
Joe: Just remind me ... why are we interviewing this guy? Andy: It's part of our background series to ethnic restaurants in London. We did Indian last month. Joe: OK, well, just remember that there's no such thing as a free lunch! Now, anything else we need to do for next week's guide? Andy: We've got the upcoming London Video Games Festival in Trafalgar Square. Joe: Video games? In Trafalgar Square? Andy: Yes, about 100,000 people attended last year. Janet: But how did they do that outdoors? Andy: Well, they put up a huge tent, and there were demos（民众） of the latest game software to try out. Janet: Is that the kind of event that we usually cover on London Time Off? Andy: Sure, why not? It's very popular. Remember our slogan（标语）: the essential guide to going out and staying in. Joe: Let's plan something for that. And can we try to think about something which will go with it? You know, something along the lines of how ways of getting music and TV into our homes have changed. Andy: You mean, like people downloading music instead of buying CDs? Joe: Yes, or on how many people check out the music on YouTube first! That all sounds very promising. Maybe we can run a feature on traditional entertainment and new technology. Look, I'll let you get on with the rest of the planning and we'll speak after lunch. Janet: Going back to technology and tradition .Why don't we do something on the rise of e-book readers? Andy: That's a good idea. They're not really like books, are they? They're more like hand-held computers. Janet: But the trouble is, every time I read a book on screen, it hurts my eyes. Andy: Yes, but the great thing about them is you'll never run out of things to read! Janet: But there is nothing quite like a good old-fashioned book. Andy: Maybe, but don't you read more words online than on paper? I'm sure I do. Janet: Excuse me, I'd better check this. Andy: And you read more text messages than anyone else! Joe: Is someone using their mobile in here? Can't you understand the sign? I'm doing a recording in the other studio, and I'm picking up the electronic signal. Janet: Oh, it's my fault. I should have realized . Andy: That serves you right! Janet: Oh no, I keep making such a mess of things! Andy: Just ignore him! It's no big deal. But what you're saying about e-readers, that's a good lead-in to a report on how new technology is changing so fast. It's good, smart thinking, Janet! Janet: And I also messed up the recording with Toby Jenkins. Andy: Forget about it, Janet! Anyone could have done that. Joe started the recording before I had time to adjust the level. It wasn't your fault. Anyway, somebody once said, technology doesn't run an enterprise, relationships do. Don't beat yourself up about it. Janet: I suppose that's true. Well, I'll make sure I get it right next time. ? Outside view
To fly like a bird. It’s a desire that captures the human imagination. The Greeks told stories of Daedalus, an inventor who created wings made of wax and feathers and flew. The first person who seriously tried to fly like a bird was an Italian artist and inventor, Leonardo da Vinci. Da Vinci designed complex and wondrous flying machines, but his designs never got off the ground. Early inventors, like da vinci, tried to fly by flapping, just like birds. Here is what happens when a bird flaps:
When a bird flaps, thrust and lift and control are created at the same time. Lift is the force that keeps the bird elevated. Lift is generated by the air under the bird’s wings. Thrust is the force that keeps the bird moving forward. Thrust is generated by powerful muscles in the bird’s chest and wings. The bird maintains control by constantly adjusting its flapping. Much of a bird’s control is generated by its tail.
A successful flying machine needed to provide the same forces that a bird used, A successful flying machine needed to provide lift to overcome gravity, control to let the driver change direction. And thrust to make it move forward. And it needed to be light enough to stay in the air. Once inventors understood these three challenges separately, and stopped trying to flap, they made progress.
One inventor was the Brazilian pilot and aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont. Santos-Dumont experimented with balloons. He flew his lighter-than-air flying machines in France. In 1901, Santos-Dumont was the first to fly from Sant Cloud to the Eiffel Tower and back in a given time. Meanwhile other inventors were working on heavier-than-air flying machines. With these aircraft, lift was a big problem. German flyer, Otto Lilienthal, tackled the problem of lift. He built many large gliders, constantly refining their design. Lilienthal made thousands of flights from the top of a hill. Some that lasted as long as five hours. But he eventually died in a tragic crash. Lilienthal successfully mastered the challenge of lift, but he did not master the challenge of control. The Wright Brothers were inspired by Lilienthal’s inventions. The Wright Brothers started to develop and test their own flying machines. In their Ohio workshop, they built a wind tunnel and study aerodynamics. Through trial and error, they discovered how the shapes of different wings affected lift. They added a tail that moved, a stabilizer that made the front steady, and wings that were more flexible. Their 1902 glider was the first aircraft that was completely controllable. The next year they added a customed-built engine that provided thrust. The engine powered them forward and increased distance and duration. On December 17th, 1903, after about 1000 text flights, the Wright Brothers flew the first powered airplane over the sand dunes of North Carolina. Santos-Dumont invented heavier-than-air planes, too. In 1909, he developed a monoplane called Demoiselle, or the Grass Hopper. It was the first modern aircraft. After that, advances in aircraft design came quickly. More powerful engines were invented. New lightweight materials were developed so aircraft could go higher and faster. By World War Two, strong metal replaced the canvas and wood of earlier planes. In 1947, text pilot Chuck Yeager went faster than the speed of sound in a rocket-powered plane that looked like a bullet with wings. The invention of the jet engine
made even higher speeds possible and pushed aircraft design in new directions. But technology doesn’t always push to go faster. With new ultra-light materials, the human-powered gossamer makes it almost possible for people to fulfill the age-old desire and fly like a bird.
? Listening in
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Traditional jobs like the chimney sweeps and coal miners from our history lessons don't really exist anymore. During the 20th century the number of people working in agriculture and manufacturing decreased significantly. In contrast, the number of people doing office-based jobs has more than doubled from 18 percent of the working population in 1901, to over 40 percent by the end of the 20th century. Modern society has changed the way we work but these changes are not always positive. They can also create problems we may not be aware of.
What does the modern office mean for the nation's health, for example? Well，firstly, office jobs are sedentary. We're sitting at our desks all day working on computers. And this means we're not exercising our bodies in the way people used to when they did more traditional jobs. It's not surprising then that we're all putting on weight .In fact, a fifth of adults over 16 were classified as over weight in 2001.
But there are other less obvious dangers connected with office work. Repetitive strain injury, or RSI, and other disorders like muscle strain, neck and backache are a growing problem. It's estimated that in 2002, over a million people suffered from these kinds of health problems. As a result, 123 million working days were lost. The cause is simple: long periods spent sitting at the computer typing and using a mouse.
Many companies now employ ergonomic experts to ensure staff are sitting correctly at their computers and take frequent breaks from typing to try and prevent injury.
Another problem of the modern office is the building itself. People tend to feel tired and irritable after a day stuck inside a modern office and often get colds and flu. This phenomenon is known as \syndrome\there is a lack of natural air and light. Secondly, within the enclosed space of an office environment, there is a high concentration of electronic