全新版大学英语听说教程 1 Unit02

Unit02 fun with language

PART A

Communicative Function

opening or the closing of a conversation.

Listen to the tape and decide if the first sentence of each short dialogue you hear begins the opening or the closing of a conversation. And the right answers.

Example:

—Would you mind closing the window? It's cold in here.

—Of course not.

You choose: Opening.

1.

—It's a really wonderful evening. Thank you very much for inviting¹ us.

—I'm glad you enjoyed it.

—Maybe we could get together sometime at my home.

—Sounds nice.

2.

—Great party, isn't it?

—Yeah, really.

—You look familiar to me. Have we met before?

—I'm afraid not.

3.

I'm afraid I have to go now.

—So soon? Well, I enjoyed our talk together.

—Me too.

4.

—Excuse me, could you tell me the time?

—It's half past 5 by my watch.

—Thank you very much.

—You're welcome.

5.

—Is this seat taken?

—Oh, let me move my stuff².

—Aren't you Jack³ Brown? I'm Bill, Bill Stone.

—Oh, hello, Bill. Fancy⁴ meeting you here!

6.

—Hi, Jack. So good to see you.

—Oh, hi, Andy. It's been quite a while since we saw each other last. How're things with you?

—Just fine. What've you been doing these years?

—Well, I've been studying for my PhD degree here at the university.

—That's wonderful.

Listening strategy⁵ distinguishing⁷ between Similar Sounds

It is important to distinguish⁶ between similar sounds while listening. Names like Jean and Jane, figures like 18 and 80 can sound quite alike⁸. Titles like Mrs. and Miss can also be confusing.

Listen to the recording⁹ and choose the word you hear in the sentence.

1. May I introduce Miss Jones to you?

2. John Davis was born in California in 1930.

3. I can't agree with you more.

4. My birthday is on June 20th.

5. Paul, is your sister married?

6. Look, here comes Mr. Black, our sales manager.

7. Bob isn't in the library right now.

8. Mr. Taylor is said to be leaving for South Africa soon.

9. Pass me the beer, please.

10. I was wondering if you could help Anna with her music lessons.

PART B

Listening Tasks

Text: How to Improve Your Conversation Skills

Exercise 1:

Listening for general understanding

Listen to this tape once and following

To speak to people in a foreign language requires courage and a willingness to make errors. Some people are so afraid of making mistakes that they never open their mouths. And that's the biggest mistake of all. Now if you have courage and are ready to make a few errors, what do you say?

First of all, you have to open the conversation. Finding¹⁰ an appropriate topic is half the battle. Some topics, such as the weather and news, work well. But others, such as age, money or people's appearance do not. The following are some good ways to open a conversation.

Weather -- It sure is cold today, isn't it?

News -- Did you hear about that terrible forest fire?

A conversation in a foreign language doesn't always go smoothly¹¹. Sometimes your partner talks too fast and you find it difficult to follow. Not to worry, though. You can always ask your partner to repeat what he has said or to speak more slowly. For example, "Excuse me, but could you say that again? I didn't catch it." Or "Could you speak more slowly, please?"

At the end of a conversation you need to find a way to close it in a polite way. "Well, I really need to be going", or "It was nice talking to you" are frequently used by people to end a conversation.

Exercise 2

Listen for detail Listen the text once again and then please answer the following question

To speak to people in a foreign language requires courage and a willingness to make errors. Some people are so afraid of making mistakes that they never open their mouths. And that's the biggest mistake of all. Now if you have courage and are ready to make a few errors, what do you say?

First of all, you have to open the conversation. Finding an appropriate topic is half the battle. Some topics, such as the weather and news, work well. But others, such as age, money or people's appearance do not. The following are some good ways to open a conversation.

Weather -- It sure is cold today, isn't it?

News -- Did you hear about that terrible forest fire?

A conversation in a foreign language doesn't always go smoothly. Sometimes your partner talks too fast and you find it difficult to follow. Not to worry, though. You can always ask your partner to repeat what he has said or to speak more slowly. For example, "Excuse me, but could you say that again? I didn't catch it." Or "Could you speak more slowly, please?"

At the end of a conversation you need to find a way to close it in a polite way. "Well, I really need to be going", or "It was nice talking to you" are frequently used by people to end a conversation.

Speaking task pair work

Listen to the dialogues and repeat after the recording. Practice the dialogues with your partner, playing the role of A or B. Then work with your partner to create your own dialogues by replacing the underlined parts with your own words.

Dialogue 1.

A: Excuse me, Jack, do you have a minute?

B: Yes. What can I do for you?

A: Well, you see, I've been learning¹² English for several years now but I still can't speak much English. I wonder if you could tell me how I could improve my oral English.

B: Mm. Do you often speak English with your friends?

A: I wanted to, but every time I open my mouth I seem to make errors. So sometimes I just give up.

B: I guess speaking in a foreign language isn't easy. You must be willing to make some errors at the beginning.

A: You mean I shouldn't be afraid of making mistakes.

B: That's right.

A: And I should try to speak English as much as I can.

B: Exactly.

A: Thanks for the advice.

B: Any time. Good luck on your oral English.

A: Thanks.

A and B: Bye.

dialogue 2.

A: Cold this morning, isn't it?

B: Yes, and it's supposed to get even colder.

A: I hope it won't get as cold as last night.

B: Speaking of last night, did you attend the English Speech Contest?

A: Yeah, I did. It was terrific¹³. That guy who won the first prize speaks really fluent English. I do admire him.

B: Me, too. We'll just have to work harder. Maybe one of us can win the next English contest.

A: Yeah, maybe. Who knows?

B: Well, I have to run now. I have an appointment with the dean¹⁴. See you.

A: See you.

PART C: additional¹⁵ listening

Smile When You Read This

Exercise: listening and the text

How good is your memory? Answer these four questions: What did you have for breakfast yesterday? What clothes did you wear last Friday? Who did you talk to yesterday? Where did you go last Saturday? If you can answer all four questions, your memory is very good.

Memory is important for learning language skills. Education specialists in England want to help people improve their reading abilities. They want students to remember the books and articles they read. The specialists found something to help: facial expressions. They gave ten students a happy article to read. Five of the students read the happy article while smiling. Five students read the happy article while frowning¹⁶. Then they asked comprehension questions. The smiling students remembered more of the happy article than the frowning students.

Then the specialists gave ten students another article to read. It was an angry letter to the editor of a newspaper. Five students read the angry article while smiling, and five students read the angry article while frowning. Which group remembered better? You're right. The frowning students.

The specialists don't know why facial expressions help memory. They are continuing to study the relationship between the mind and the body. Until they find the answer, keep smiling (or frowning?)!

Statements:

1. If one can answer all the four questions, his memory is thought to be good.

2. The smiling students could remember more happy articles than the frowning students.

3. Education specialists from England haven't found the best way to help people improve reading abilities.

4. The specialists are trying to explain the reason why facial expressions can help memory.

5. According to the speaker, facial expressions might affect a person's memory.

6. In the second group five students who read the angry letter while smiling remembered less.

PART D:

Beside Oneself

Many expressions may be used to describe someone who is excited. One such expression is to be "beside oneself". You can be beside yourself with anger or beside yourself with happiness, although usually not both at the same time. If you are beside yourself, you are filled with excitement.

The dictionary tells us that "beside" means "next to", or "at the side of". So the expression "beside oneself" describes something that really is not possible. You cannot be next to yourself. Some language experts, however, think the expression probably comes from an old belief that through magic, you could indeed be next to yourself. Spirits were believed to be able to have two of the same person appear, especially if that person was excited.

Today, you might hear a husband say, "When my wife told me we were going to have a baby, I was beside myself with joy." Or someone might tell you he was beside himself with anger because he had just lost his job.

When you are full of joy or are extremely excited about something, you may do something else that is strange. You may "flip¹⁷ your lid". A lid is the cover that prevents something from escaping from a container. A lid on a cooking pot, for example, keeps the heat from escaping. To flip something is to turn it over. So when you "flip your lid", you become so excited that your self-control escapes.

You can "flip your lid" over something you like very much. A young man, for example, might flip his lid over a pretty, young woman. Or you can "flip your lid" if something makes you very angry.

In recent years, the word "flip" itself has come to mean the same thing as "flip your lid". It is common to hear a girl say she "flipped¹⁸" over a new boyfriend.

An expression that means something quite similar is to "lose your head". The head is believed to be connected to reason and careful thought. Thus to "lose one's head" is to act without thinking, to be out of control.

Questions:

1. What condition does the expression "beside oneself" describe today?

2. What is meant by the expression "flip your lid"?

3. What is the meaning of the word "flip"?

4. What may happen to someone who loses his head?

5. What does the passage mainly discuss?

Studying in the U.S.

Exercise :Listen and write down answers

Suppose you have the chance to study in the U.S. one day, you will find the first semester¹⁹ of college is always the most difficult, finding out what classes are like, what your reading load will be, how many papers you must write, etc. Organizing your time will be difficult, too. How much time do you have to devote to studying every day, how can you clean, cook and study and have time left to visit friends?

During your first semester you will also encounter²⁰ language difficulties. If you cannot understand your teachers or that they are speaking too quickly, don't hesitate to ask them to slow down or speak more clearly.

Spoken English is very different from written English. It is full of idiomatic²¹ expressions that make absolutely no sense to people whose knowledge of spoken English is less than fluent.

Listening to American students talk, listening to television and radio, and using the language labs at school will help you break through the idiom barrier quickly.

1 inviting   

adj.诱人的，引人注目的

参考例句：

• An inviting smell of coffee wafted into the room.一股诱人的咖啡香味飘进了房间。
• The kitchen smelled warm and inviting and blessedly familiar.这间厨房的味道温暖诱人，使人感到亲切温馨。

2 stuff   

n.原料，材料，东西；vt.填满；吃饱

参考例句：

• We could supply you with the stuff in the raw tomorrow.明天我们可以供应你原材料。
• He is not the stuff.他不是这个材料。

3 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

4 fancy   

n.想像力，幻想；喜好，爱；adj.想像的，时髦的，华丽装饰的，奢侈的；技巧的；vt.想象，自认为，喜好

参考例句：

• He seemed to have taken quite a fancy to her.他似乎相当喜欢她。
• I have a fancy that it's going to rain.我想大概要下雨。

5 strategy   

n.方法，策略，战略

参考例句：

• The only way to take the enemy position is by strategy,not by forceful attack.只可智取，不可强攻。
• Tactics differs from strategy.战术有别于战略。

6 distinguish   

vt.区别，辩明，识别，辨认出；vi.区别，辨别，识别

参考例句：

• It is not easy to distinguish cultured pearls from genuine pearls.辨别真正的珍珠与养殖的珍珠不容易。
• Some people find it difficult to distinguish right from wrong.一些人认为很难辨对与错。

7 distinguishing   

a.有区别的

参考例句：

• Command of the mother tongue is the most distinguishing mark of the educated man or woman. 运用本国语言的能力是受过教育的人最明显的标志。
• A small child's confusion in distinguishing the right from the wrong is quite natural. 小孩子不明是非是很正常的。

8 alike   

adj.同样的，相像的；adv.一样地；同程度地　

参考例句：

• The twins are so alike that I can't tell which is which.这对双胞胎一模一样，我分辨不出谁是谁。
• All stories seemed dreadfully alike,no matter who told them.看来，不管谁讲，故事都是千篇一律的。

9 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

10 finding   

n.发现，发现物；调查的结果

参考例句：

• The finding makes some sense.该发现具有一定的意义。
• That's an encouraging finding.这是一个鼓舞人心的发现。

11 smoothly   

adv.平滑地，顺利地，流利地，流畅地

参考例句：

• The workmen are very cooperative,so the work goes on smoothly.工人们十分合作，所以工作进展顺利。
• Just change one or two words and the sentence will read smoothly.这句话只要动一两个字就顺了。

12 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。

13 terrific   

adj.可怕的，极好的，非常的

参考例句：

• The game was terrific.那场比赛棒极了。
• Darren drove at a terrific speed.达伦以惊人的速度驾车。

14 Dean   

n.(大学)院长，系主任，教务长

参考例句：

• The students much like the new dean.学生们很喜欢这位新系主任。
• Who is the dean of the Foreign Languages Department?外语系主任是谁？

15 additional   

adj.添加的，额外的，另外的

参考例句：

• It is necessary to set down these additional rules.有必要制定这些补充规则。
• I think we can fit in an additional room.我想我们可以再加建一间房子。

16 frowning   

n. 皱眉, 不悦 v. 皱眉头, 不同意

参考例句：

• What are you frowning at me for? 你为什么朝我皱眉头？
• Why are you frowning at me? 你为什么对我皱眉头？

17 flip   

vt.快速翻动；轻抛；轻拍；n.轻抛；adj.轻浮的

参考例句：

• I had a quick flip through the book and it looked very interesting.我很快翻阅了一下那本书，看来似乎很有趣。
• Let's flip a coin to see who pays the bill.咱们来抛硬币决定谁付钱。

18 flipped   

轻弹( flip的过去式和过去分词 )； 按（开关）； 快速翻转； 急挥

参考例句：

• The plane flipped and crashed. 飞机猛地翻转，撞毁了。
• The carter flipped at the horse with his whip. 赶大车的人扬鞭朝着马轻轻地抽打。

19 semester   

n.一学期，半学年，六个月的时间

参考例句：

• A student will probably attend four or five courses during each semester.每个学生一学期可能要修四五门课程。
• I had an especially rough time during my first semester.我第一个学期的日子难受极了。

20 encounter   

v.遇到，偶然碰到；遭遇；n.遭遇；意外的相见

参考例句：

• It was a bloody encounter between the two armies. 这是那两军之间的一次激烈的遭遇战。
• A fortunate encounter brought the two friends together after a long separation.两位老朋友长期分离这次才有幸相遇。

21 idiomatic   

adj.成语的，符合语言习惯的

参考例句：

• In our reading we should always be alert for idiomatic expressions.我们在阅读过程中应经常注意惯用法。
• In his lecture,he bore down on the importance of idiomatic usage in a language.他在演讲中着重强调了语言中习惯用法的重要性。