发布时间 : 星期二 文章新发展大学英语听力教程 2(全新修订版)答案及听力原文更新完毕开始阅读
Diplomatic relations between Cuba and the United States have improved in the past 14 months. The countries have re-opened embassies, and commercial airlines will fly between the two countries soon. Plus, the U.S. removed Cuba from its list of state sponsors of terrorism.
Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro have talked via telephone and have met in person twice. Obama will meet with Castro during the March visit. He will also meet with Cuban activists who work for social causes.
While normalizing relations, Obama said his administration promises to monitor Cuba’s communist government on human rights issues. First Lady Michelle Obama will accompany the president on the Latin American trip. The Obamas will travel to Argentina after Cuba. Questions:
1. Which of the following is not a sign of improvement in the diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Cuba?
2. What did the Obama administration promise to do according to the news?
News Item Two
Questions 1 and 2 will be based on the following news item.
Scientists have found strong evidence of salt water on the planet Mars, the U.S. space agency NASA announced Monday.
NASA has found lines of “hydrated” salt minerals on Mars. Scientists say these minerals would require liquid water to be created. And where there’s liquid water, they say, there could be life.
Jim Green is the director of planetary science at NASA Headquarters. He said during a news conference that “today, we are revolutionizing our understanding of this planet.”
Doug McCuistion is the former head of NASA’s Mars program. He told the Boston Herald that “if they are announcing that they have found easily accessible, freely flowing liquid water under the surface... that has massive implications both for the potential for life on that planet and sustainability of humans.”
NASA has found evidence of water on Mars in the past. In March, NASA said there was once more water on Mars than in Earth’s Arctic Ocean. They say more than four billion years ago; Mars was covered with water 137 meters deep. But nearly all of it has since evaporated into space.
Questions:
1. Why do scientists say they have found strong evidence of salt water on Mars? 2. Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the news?
News Item Three
Questions 1 to 3 will be based on the following news item.
Authorities say everyone has been evacuated from a luxury hotel in Dubai that was still burning early Friday.
The city’s police chief says all residents were out of the 63-story hotel, known as “The Address”.
The hotel had been packed with people celebrating New Year’s Eve when fire broke out at about 9:30 p.m., (about 1730 UTC). At least 14 people were injured.
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The hotel stands across from the world’s tallest skyscraper, the Burj Khalifa. The Burj Khalifa is more than 800 meters tall. It is the center of spectacular fireworks along the Dubai waterfront for New Year’s. Fireworks went on as planned.
Flames quickly moved through more than 20 stories of the hotel. It could be seen for kilometers in all directions.
Within 30 minutes, flames raced to the top of the hotel tower, and the sky was full of thick black smoke. Burning pieces of the hotel fell to the ground from the tower.
Witnesses said tens of thousands of people were crowded into the downtown area near the blazing hotel and the Burj Khalifa.
Authorities in the United Arab Emirates said earlier Thursday that thousands of security personnel were on duty because of the New Year’s events. Questions:
1. How many people were injured in the fire?
2. What were people doing when the fire broke out?
3. According to the authorities, why were thousands of security personnel on duty?
Task 2 Understanding Long Conversations
Conversation One
1. D 2. B 3. D 4. A 5. B Conversation One
1. C 2. C 3. D 4. B
■ Script
Conversation One
W: Jack, I’m glad I ran into you. I’ve been trying to call you but you’re never home. Where have
you been hiding lately?
M: Actually I’ve been very busy recently. I’m getting ready to go to the States for Christmas and I
have a million things to do.
W: Since you are leaving, we should get together and have a party before you go. I can call some
people… maybe Friday night, okay?
M: Actually, I’m trying to avoid that sort of thing. I would like to see everyone before I go, but I
really don’t think I have time.
W: By the way, what do you plan to do when you go back?
M: Well, by the time I leave Hong Kong I’ll be broke, so I’ll probably have to look for some work
when I get home. I’ll also be hanging out with old friends. I may take a trip to New York. W: Do you think you’ll come back to Guangzhou?
M: I plan to come back in February, unless someone offers me a great job. That is unlikely to
happen, so I’ll probably be back.
W: OK, I’m getting off this shop. Why don’t you give me a buzz on Thursday and we’ll have
dinner before you go?
M: Excellent. I’ll definitely do that. See you later.
Questions 1 to 5 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
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1. Where has the man been recently? 2. What is the man busy with?
3. What does the man plan to do when he goes back? 4. When will the man plan to come back to Guangzhou? 5. Where does the woman probably make the phone call? Conversation Two W: Nice to meet you.
M: Good to meet you, too. What’s your major?
W: Oh, I’m supposed to be in pre-med, but I’ve been taking a lot of electives. I might change it. What’s yours?
M: I’m just an aggie. We’ve got a ranch out west of Houston, and I’m thinking I might become a vet. You’re pre-med? Then you’ve taken Chemistry One Twenty-one? It’s a required course for me, and I’m not good in chemistry at all. Maybe I could borrow your notes?
W: Hah! “Bonehead Chemistry”—no, sorry. I still have to take that, too. Hey, maybe we could sign up for the same sections. M: Yeah, that’s a good idea! W: When do you register?
M: Oh. Let me see. Wait a sec. Uh...ah, here it is: ten a.m. Monday.
W: Great! I register at nine. The Bonehead lectures are Tuesdays and Thursdays, and the labs are Monday-Wednesday-Friday afternoons. I can register first and then let you know which sections I’ve got before you register at ten. What times are good for you?
M: Oh gosh. Maybe, early lectures and a Friday lab? I think better in the morning, and that’s going to be a tough course.
W: I know. That’s why I’m thinking about switching majors—the science prerequisites are really awful. But I’ll give it one more semester before I pack it in. You sure you want a Friday lab? It’ll cut your weekend short.
M: Yeah, but I’m gonna have a full load this semester, so I gotta take something Friday anyway. Might as well be something I can cut.
W: OK then. So, should I meet you back here Monday about nine-thirty? I can give you my schedule then.
M: Uh, how about in the cafeteria? I’d like to get some coffee before I start—I’ll need the energy. And it’s handier anyway.
W: Sure, that’s fine—let’s do that, then.
Questions 1 to 4 are based on the conversation you have just heard. 1. Why does the man take Chemistry One Twenty-one?
2. When will the woman register according to the conversation? 3. What time does the man prefer to go to the labs?
4. Where will the woman meet the man to give him her schedule?
Task 3 Understanding Passages Passage One
Listening for general information
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1. how to end/dissolve a friendship (or how to dump a friend) 2. Three.
Listening for specific comprehension 1. A 2. B 3. D 4. C 5. C
■ Script
Listening for general information
There are as many reasons for ending a friendship as there are for starting one. Think about how you feel when you are around this person. Do they put you down? Do they annoy you? Assess clearly why you no longer want this person in your life and be firm in your decision.
If you are dumping a friend because they are unreliable, the easiest solution is to gradually cut them out of your life. If he or she never makes time for you then they probably won’t notice that you are not making time for them either. People who don’t value your time do not value you; leave them out of your life. If you have decided that you want to dump a friend because you don’t want to share their lifestyle, then you need to make yourself very clear. You need to set clear boundaries. And if the person has committed some unforgivable mistakes, you also need to speak up. You need to clearly explain that whatever they did was unacceptable and you cannot pretend that it did not happen. You need to tell them that this was not OK and the friendships can no longer move on.
It might be tempting to give someone the silent treatment, but remember that everything that seems self-evident to you is not always equally obvious to others. The other person might not even know that they hurt your feelings! If someone’s behavior is really bothering you and they are more than a casual acquaintance, you should carefully but surely speak up. Listening for specific comprehension
1. What is the easiest solution when you want to dump a friend who is unreliable? 2. What does the speaker think of people who don’t value other people’s time?
3. What need you do if you are dumping a friend whose lifestyle you don’t want to share? 4. What does the speaker suggest you do if your friend’s behavior is really bothering you? 5. Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
Passage Two
Listening for general information 1. A 2. D
Listening for specific comprehension 1. A 2. D 3. B 4. D 5. B
■ Script
Listening for general information
Many students want to find friends on the Internet as a way of practicing their language skills and learning more about new cultures. Traditional pen pals were the primary source for such contacts, and students could write each other letters. With the Internet, finding friends has become much easier, and such relationship is called key pals.
However, care and consideration should be given when finding friends on the Internet. Below
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