英语听力.docx

1、英语听力1、 One of Americas most important exports is her modern music. American music is played all over the world. It is enjoyed by the people of all ages in all countries. Al-though the lyrics are English, people not speaking English enjoy it. The reasons for its popularity are its fast pace and rhyth

2、mic beat. The music has many origins in the United States. Country music, coming from the rural areas in the southern United States, is one source. Country music features simple themes and melodies describing day-to-day situations and the feelings of country people. Many people appreciate this music

3、 because of the emotions expressed by country music songs. A second origin of American popular music is the blues. It depicts mostly sad feelings reflecting the difficult lives of American blacks. It is usually played and sung by black musicians, but it is popular with all Americans. Rock music is a

4、 newer form of music. This music style, featuring fast and repetitious rhythms, was influenced by the blues and country music. It was first known as rock-and-roll in the 1950s. Since then there have been many forms of rock music: hard rock, soft rock, and others. Many performers of popular music are

5、 young musicians. American popular music is marketed to a demanding audience. Now popular songs are heard on the radio several times a day. Some songs have become popular all over the world. People hear these songs sung in their original English or sometimes translated into other languages. The word

6、s may differ but the enjoyment of the music is universal.2、 People in the US get a two-week paid vacation from their job every year. Most British people have four or five weeks paid holiday a year. Americans often complain that two weeks is not enough especially when they hear about the longer holid

7、ays that Europeans enjoy. In addition, there are eight days in each European country, which are public holidays (the British call Bank Holiday) and many of these fall on a Monday giving people a long weekend. What do people do in Britain and the US when they are on holidays? In the US, outdoor vacat

8、ions are popular, for example, at the Grand Canyon or Yellowstone or other national parks or forests. Young people may go walking or camping in the mountains. Many people have small trailers in which to travel, or if they are in a car, they may stay at motels on the journey. Disneyland and Disney wo

9、rld are also popular and people can go skiing in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, Wyoming and Montana. Some children go to summer camp for a holiday during the summer vacation from school, where they do special activities, such as sports or crafts. When Americans want a holiday for fun in the sun, t

10、hey usually go to Florida, Hawaii, Mexico or the Caribbean. They may go to Europe for culture, for example, to see art, plays, and places of historic interest. In Britain, many people like to go to the seaside for holidays. There are places near the sea, such as Blackpool, Scarborough and Bournemout

11、h, where there is plenty to do even when it rains. People also like to go to the country, especially to walk, in places like Scotland, Wales and the Lake District. When the British go abroad they usually want to go somewhere warm. Spain and the Spanish islands of Majorea and Ibiza are popular as are

12、 other places in southern Europe. For skiing, people often go to the Alps.3、Established on January 1, 1995, World Trade Organization is the successor to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). It exists to promote a free-market international trade system. The WTO promotes trade by: 1. red

13、ucing tariffs; 2. prohibiting import or export bans or quotas; 3. eliminating discrimination against foreign products and services; 4. eliminating other impediments to trade, commonly called non-tariff trade barriers. With Chinas successful entry into WTO in Nov 2001, it currently has 135 member cou

14、ntries, accounting for over 90% of world trade. Over 30 others are negotiating membership. The WTOs top-level decision-making body is the ministerial conference which meets at least once every two years. Over three-quarters of WTO members are developing countries. Special provisions for these member

15、s are included in the WTOs agreements. GATT is now the WTOs principal rule-book. Decisions are made by the entire membership by consensus or majority vote. The WTOs agreements have been ratified in all members parliaments. If a trade barrier is found to be unfair, the WTO can authorize the impositio

16、n of trade sanctions to force a change in that countrys law. The WTO exempts trade barriers which are designed to conserve natural resources or protect health. Critics say the WTO credits agreements are skewed in favor of rich countries. The west may preach trade liberalization, but it has used nego

17、tiations to prize third world market while keeping its own barriers intact. 4、 Since 1945 more than one million students from all over the world have studied in the United States since 1945. In a recent single year, there were more than 150 thousand foreign students who came to the United States ins

18、titutions of higher learning. They were welcomed and most were successful in their academic studies. Foreign students who study in the United States benefit a lot from the educational system of the United States.Three developments that todays students are benefiting from started more than a century

19、ago following the Civil War. The first of these was the rapid growth of the technological and professional education to meet the urgent demands of a complex industrial and urban society. New schools of technology, engineering, architecture, law and medicine flourished. The second was the provision f

20、or graduate study, such as what had long existed in France and Germany. Harvard and John Hopkins Universities quickly took the lead in this field, but the state universities did not lag far behind. The third was the increased provision for the education of women. This included the establishment of n

21、ew womens colleges, such as Vassar, Wellesley and Smith, and the adoption of co-education in all the new state universities as well as in many private institutions. These developments, the growth of the technological and professional education, the provision for graduate study, and the increased edu

22、cational opportunities for women began over a century ago, well over thirteen decades since the end of the Civil War.5、 Finding the right place to live in can help ensure a most rewarding experience in the United States for international students. Depending on your situation, whether you are here al

23、one or with a family, the duration of your stay, the amount of privacy you would like, anything from living on campus in a residence hall to private accommodation in a motel could suit your needs. As an ESL student, your housing may or may not be included in the study program. The basic choice to ma

24、ke is whether to live on or off campus. There are advantages and disadvantages to both. The advantages of living on campus are as follows: you will have a furnished room, easy access to campus facilities such as libraries, computer labs, sports facilities and cafeterias, access to social activities

25、and peers, and maximum interaction with other students. Eating on campus is usually cheaper, and you dont have to worry about transportation to and from classes. There are also some disadvantages. You may be sharing a bedroom with other students, so you will not have much privacy. You must be flexib

26、le in living with others. The advantages for living off campus are as follows: you will have privacy, more real-world experiences, your own bathroom and kitchen facilities, and furnished rooms. It is possible to have visitors at any time and suitable for students with their families. However, there

27、are some disadvantages. The rooms are not always furnished. Unless you are living with a host family, there is a lack of spontaneous social activities with people. And transportation is inconvenient. You may waste some time in transit to and from classes.6、The sound of birds can be divided into thre

28、e types including singing, crying and voice imitating. Singing is normally a continuous multi-syllable melody uttered by the birds and controlled by sex hormones. Some sorts of singing are quite melodious and pleasant. During the breeding cycle, the changing and pleasant cries of male birds are typi

29、cal songs. Singing is an important way for a bird to defend its territory, to pronounce it has occupied a place and to warn other birds not to enter the area. The singing variety of birds songs are different and more complicated than their common cries, which mainly happen in the breeding cycle in s

30、pring and summer. Cries are not controlled by sex hormones and can be uttered by both male and female birds. Usually bird cries are short and simple. But they can mean a lot. They are used to communicate with one another and to warn one another about dangers. The cries of birds can express calling,

31、warning, surprise and threat. Sometimes it is very difficult to distinguish crying from singing. Generally speaking, cries are not affected by the change of seasons and can be made by all birds. Crying is an important way for birds to communicate with one another. Voice imitating birds imitate the c

32、rying or voice of other birds. The biological cause of voice imitating is not clear even now and it is highly probable that it will take a long time for people to discover the mystery.7The medical world is gradually realizing that the quality of the environment in hospitals may play a significant ro

33、le in the process of recovery from illness. As part of a nationwide effort in Britain to bring art out of the galleries and into public places, some of the countrys most talented artists have been called on to transform older hospitals and to “soften the hard edges of modern buildings. Of the 2,500 National Health Service