Step by Step2000 Unit 12 Leisure Time

Unit 12 Leisure Time

Part I Warming up

A.

Key words:

composer be born die

Vocabulary:

composer a composer who writes music作曲家

ingenious¹ showing cleverness at making or inventing things有独创性的，具有创造才能的

renowned² well known to the general public or to a limited group of people for a particular quality, skill, invention, etc.有名的，有声誉的

celebrated³ well-known, famous著名的

prominent of great importance, fame, etc.卓越的，突出的

You will hear the dates of birth and the dates of death of ten world famous composers. Listen carefully. Fill in the blanks with the dates you hear. Write as rapidly as you can. You may use short forms for the months. For example, Jan. for January; Feb. for February.

1. Johann Bach, a famous German composer, was born on _______and died on _______.
2. George Handel , a well-known German-born British composer,was born on________and died on______.
3. Wolfgang Mozart was a brilliant Austrian composer,who was born on_____and died on _______.
4. Ludwig Beethove,an ingenious German composer, was born on ______and died on _______.
5. As one of the outstanding Austrian composers,Franz Schubert was born on________and died on______.
6. Felix Mendelssohn ,another famous German composer, was born on________and died on______.
7. Poland also produced a well-known composer,Frederic Chopin, who was born on ____and died on _____.
8. Franz Liszt was a renowned Hungarian composer. He was born on __________ and died on______.
9. Johann Strauss,another celebrated Austrian composer, was born on __________ and died on______.
10. As the most prominent Russian composer,Peter Tchaikovsky was born on ______ and died on______.

B.

Key words:

play disc an account of travel

service talk pop music

Vocabulary:

pensioner⁴ a person who is receiving an amount of money paid regularly, esp. by a government or company, to someone who can no longer earn (enough) money by working, esp. because of old age or illness养老金（抚恤金等）的人

disc disk; a record for playing on a record player唱片

interval⁵ a period of time between events, activities, etc.时间间隔

tune⁶ to set (a radio or television) to receive broadcasts from a particular station调音，调整，收听，拨收

Listen to a radio announcer describing the programs on tonight. Pay special attention to the time and the names of the programs. Complete the chart below.

还少一个表格弄不上去了
Tapescript:

And now here are some of the things you can listen to this evening here on Radio 2. Our Wednesday play is at nine and is called Old People Talking; it’s about a small group of old age pensioners⁷ sitting in a social club remembering the past. Before that at 7:30 we have “My favorite discs” in which Jenny Lindley talks about the records that influenced her musical career. At 10:30 there is an account by James Farmer of his travels in the Middle East by bicycle and at 11:00 there’s a service from St. Paul’s. On Radio 3 the big event of the evening is the broadcast of La Traviata from the Albert Hall; it’s at 8:00 and it has Felicity Newcombe in the major role. The interval talk at 9:15 is Peter Morris remembering his adventures while fishing in Scotland. Radio 1 has as usual continuous pop music; from 6 to 8 it’s the “Tommy Brian Show” with interviews with live pop stars, from 10 till midnight it’s “Joe Newland with his friends.” So if you’re in for the evening or listening on the car radio there should be something for you; stay tuned⁸.

Part II The New Star Wars movie

Key words:

Star Wars movie episode⁹ filmmaker

fight computer technology

Vocabulary:

episode a single broadcast that is one of a continuous set telling a story一段情节

phantom¹⁰ something that exists only in one’s imagination幻想

menace¹¹ a threat or danger威胁，危险

galaxy¹² any of the large groups of stars which make up the universe星系

series a group of things of the same kind or related in some way, coming one after another or in order连续，系列

warrior¹³ a soldier or experienced fighting man, esp. in former times战士，勇士

critic a person who gives judgements about the good and bad qualities of comething, esp. art, music, films, etc.; esp. someone who does this as a job批评家，评论家

In this section you are going to hear a passage about one of the most popular movies in 1999 --- Star Wars. While listening, take down some notes. Then answer the following questions with the help of the notes you’ve taken.

1. What’s the title of the new Star Wars movie?

The Phantom Menace.

2. Who produced the movie?

The American filmmaker George Lucas.

3. What are all the Star Wars movies about?

They are all about the fight between good and evil.

4. What technology did the filmmaker use to create unusual creatures in this movie?

Computer technology.

5. What unusual things can one see in this film?

Beautiful underwater cities, space vehicles, armies of mechanical men and unusual natural wonders.

B.

Now listen again. This time pay special attention to the numbers in the passage and select the correct answer from the choices listed below.

Tapescript:

The movie that earned the most money in the United States last year was Star Wars --- Episode I: The Phantom Menace. It has earned more than 429 million dollars since it opened May 19th. It earned 28 million dollars during the first 24 hours it was shown.

The new Star Wars movie is the 4th one produced by American filmmaker George Lucas. He was responsible for the three earlier Star Wars movie in the 1970s and 80s. All the movies take place a long time ago in a galaxy far from earth. The stories are about the fight between good and evil.

In the first three Star Wars movies, George Lucas used computer technology to show things that has never been seen before on film. The computer made the impossible seem real. But that was not enough for George Lucas. He wanted to do things in a movie that computers could not yet do. So he waited until computer technology had progressed enough to make the fourth movie in the series.

Star Wars --- The Phantom Menace takes place about 30 years before the other three. It tells about the boy named Anakin Skywalker. It begins the story of how he grows up to become the evil and powerful warrior called Darth Vader. Star Wars --- The Phantom Menace includes many unusual creatures that are created with computers. George Lucas says more than 90% of the movie uses some kind of computer created effect. There are beautiful underwater cities, space vehicles, armies of mechanical men and unusual natural wonders.

Some movie critics did not like the new Star Wars movie. But one critic noted¹⁴ that George Lucas used film and computers to try new effects and ideas. He said the movie is evidence that future filmmakers will be able to show just about anything they can imagine.

Part III The Man with the horn

Key words:

horn play music band jazz

Vocabulary:

cheer to shout in praise, approval, or support欢呼

band a group of musicians, esp. a group that play popular music乐队

A.

In this part you are going to hear a passage about Louis Satchmo Armstrong, one of the most famous jazz musicians in the United States. Listen carefully. Choose the correct answer to each question you hear on the tape.

B.

Now listen again. Fill in the blanks with the adjectives that describe Louis Armstrong’s music.

Tapescript:

The crowd cheered and cheered. The man with the horn waved and smiled his great, happy smile. “More! More!” cried the crowd. And Louis Satchmo Armstrong took his horn and began to play again. Here he was in England. Now a famous man, he was rich. He knew many important people. Whereever he went, people knew his name. They wanted to hear his music. As Louis played the sad, slow songs, he thought of his home in New Orleans. He lived there as a boy. How many years ago it was? It was a busy, exciting city. But Louis’s family was very poor. He went to work to help his mother. He also went to school. One of Louis’s teachers asked him to be in the school band. “This horn is yours until you leave our school,” his teacher said. Louis’s music was jazz and he loved it. He remembered all the music he heard. He didn’t learn to read music until he was a man. When he left school, he played in many bands. He loved his work and people loved him. They knew that he had a wonderful talent. Louis played in little towns and in big cities. Satchmo’s horn had as many sounds as ten horns --- sometimes slow and sweet; sometimes fast and hot, high and low. His music was always strong and exciting. “He does make wonderful music,” said the man who listened happily. “Yes,” said another man, “he makes that horn speak.” Then the music ended and the crowd cheered. Louis Armstrong spoke¹⁵ with tears in his eyes, “I think, my friends, you can listen to as much jazz as I can play. I thought jazz was my music, but now I understand it is ours. Isn’t it beautiful how music brings us together!”

Questions:

1. Where was Louis from?

2. What kind of family was he born into?

3. Who knew Louis?

4. What music did he play?

5. When did he learn to read music?

6. What is Louis Armstrong most famous for?

7. What brings Louis and other people together?

8. What does the story “The man with the horn” mainly tell us?

Part IV Short talks on listening skills

Letting Things Go --- Speed and Vocabulary

Many English language learners believe that the greatest difficulty with listening comprehension is that the listener can’t control how quickly a speaker speaks. They feel that the utterances¹⁶ disappear before they can sort them out, whereas¹⁷ the words in a written text remain on the page where the reader can glance back at them or re-examine them thoroughly¹⁸. This frequently means that students who are learning to listen can’t keep up. They are so busy working out the meaning of one part of what they hear that they miss the next part. Or they simply ignore a whole section because they fail to sort it out quickly enough. Either way, they fail.

Another difficulty is that the listener is not always in a position to get the speaker to repeat what has been said. And, of course, repeats can’t be asked for when listening to the radio or watching television.

Choice of vocabulary is in the hands of the speaker, not the listener, although in some circumstances it is possible to stop the speaker and ask for clarification. Sometimes, listeners can get the meaning of a word from its context¹⁹. But very often, for people listening to a foreign language, an unknown word can be like a suddenly dropped barrier causing them to stop and think about the meaning of the word and thus making them miss the next part of the speech. In listening, it really is a case of “He who hesitates is lost!”

Indeed, determination to listen to what is coming, and letting things that have passed go rather than dwelling²¹ upon them, often gives surprisingly good result. Speakers often say things more than once, or rephrase them, or another speaker echoes²² what has been said. The listener who has not “stopped” to dwell²⁰ on a half-missed point get a second, or even third chance to fill the gap in the message he or she is receiving.

Students need to develop the skill of keeping up with the speaker (even being ahead of the speaker) even if this means letting parts which they have failed to sort out pass. Professor H. H. Stern²³ says that the good language learner is the one who “can tolerate vagueness and incompleteness²⁴ of knowledge.” This is especially true of good listeners.

1 ingenious   

adj.设计独特的，巧妙的，善于创造发明的

参考例句：

• Try to think of unusual and ingenious solutions.尽量想想不同寻常的、巧妙的解决方法。
• The director used ingenious devices to keep the audience in suspense.导演用巧妙手法引起观众的悬念。

2 renowned   

adj.著名的，有名望的，声誉鹊起的

参考例句：

• He is one of the world's renowned writers.他是世界上知名的作家之一。
• She is renowned for her advocacy of human rights.她以提倡人权而闻名。

3 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

4 pensioner   

n.领养老金的人

参考例句：

• The tax threshold for a single pensioner is$ 445.单身领退休年金者的纳税起点为445英镑。
• It was the pensioner's vote late in the day that influenced the election of Mr.Sweet.最后是领取养老金者的选票影响了斯威特先生的当选。

5 interval   

n.间隔，间距；幕间休息，中场休息

参考例句：

• The interval between the two trees measures 40 feet.这两棵树的间隔是40英尺。
• There was a long interval before he anwsered the telephone.隔了好久他才回了电话。

6 tune   

n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整

参考例句：

• He'd written a tune,and played it to us on the piano.他写了一段曲子，并在钢琴上弹给我们听。
• The boy beat out a tune on a tin can.那男孩在易拉罐上敲出一首曲子。

7 pensioners   

n.领取退休、养老金或抚恤金的人( pensioner的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He intends to redistribute income from the middle class to poorer paid employees and pensioners. 他意图把中产阶级到低薪雇员和退休人员的收入做重新分配。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I am myself one of the pensioners upon the fund left by our noble benefactor. 我自己就是一个我们的高贵的施主遗留基金的养老金领取者。 来自辞典例句

8 tuned   

adj.调谐的，已调谐的v.调音( tune的过去式和过去分词 )；调整；（给收音机、电视等）调谐；使协调

参考例句：

• The resort is tuned in to the tastes of young and old alike. 这个度假胜地适合各种口味，老少皆宜。
• The instruments should be tuned up before each performance. 每次演出开始前都应将乐器调好音。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 episode   

n.（作品的一段）情节，插曲，系列事件中之一

参考例句：

• The episode was a huge embarrassment for all concerned.这段小插曲令所有有关人员都感到非常尴尬。
• This episode remains sharply engraved on my mind.这段经历至今仍深深地铭刻在我的心中。

10 phantom   

n.幻影，虚位，幽灵；adj.错觉的，幻影的，幽灵的

参考例句：

• I found myself staring at her as if she were a phantom.我发现自己瞪大眼睛看着她，好像她是一个幽灵。
• He is only a phantom of a king.他只是有名无实的国王。

11 menace   

vt./n.有危险性的人（或物），威胁，威吓

参考例句：

• The big hole outside the house is a menace to children's safety.房子外面的大窟窿对孩子们的安全是个威胁。
• A careless driver is a menace to all road users.漫不经心的驾驶员对于路上所有车辆和行人都是危险的。

12 galaxy   

n.星系；银河系；一群(杰出或著名的人物)

参考例句：

• The earth is one of the planets in the Galaxy.地球是银河系中的星球之一。
• The company has a galaxy of talent.该公司拥有一批优秀的人才。

13 warrior   

n.勇士，武士，斗士

参考例句：

• The young man is a bold warrior.这个年轻人是个很英勇的武士。
• A true warrior values glory and honor above life.一个真正的勇士珍视荣誉胜过生命。

14 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

15 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

16 utterances   

n.发声( utterance的名词复数 )；说话方式；语调；言论

参考例句：

• John Maynard Keynes used somewhat gnomic utterances in his General Theory. 约翰·梅纳德·凯恩斯在其《通论》中用了许多精辟言辞。 来自辞典例句
• Elsewhere, particularly in his more public utterances, Hawthorne speaks very differently. 在别的地方，特别是在比较公开的谈话里，霍桑讲的话则完全不同。 来自辞典例句

17 whereas   

conj.而，却，反之

参考例句：

• They want a house,whereas we would rather live in a flat.他们想要一座房子，而我们宁愿住在一套房间里。
• Some praise him,whereas others condemn him.有些人赞扬他，而有些人谴责他。

18 thoroughly   

adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地

参考例句：

• The soil must be thoroughly turned over before planting.一定要先把土地深翻一遍再下种。
• The soldiers have been thoroughly instructed in the care of their weapons.士兵们都系统地接受过保护武器的训练。

19 context   

n.背景，环境，上下文，语境

参考例句：

• You can always tell the meaning of a word from its context.你常可以从上下文中猜出词义来。
• This sentence does not seem to connect with the context.这个句子似乎与上下文脱节。

20 dwell   

vi.老是想着，详细讲述

参考例句：

• Sometimes his mind would dwell on the horrors he had been through.有时他会老是想着他所经历过的种种恐怖。
• A great number of water fowls dwell on the island.许多水鸟在岛上栖息。

21 dwelling   

n.住宅，住所，寓所

参考例句：

• Those two men are dwelling with us.那两个人跟我们住在一起。
• He occupies a three-story dwelling place on the Park Street.他在派克街上有一幢3层楼的寓所。

22 echoes   

回声，共鸣( echo的名词复数 )； （言语、作风、思想等的）重复； 重复者； [无线电]回波

参考例句：

• The sound echoes back from the walls. 这声音从墙壁发出回声。
• I could hear the echoes in this temple. 我在这座庙里能听到回声。

23 stern   

adj.严厉的，严格的，严峻的；n.船尾

参考例句：

• The ship was in a blaze from stem to stern.整艘船从头到尾都着火了。
• The headmaster ruled the school with a stern discipline.校长治校严谨。

24 incompleteness   

n.不完全

参考例句：

• What he complained about was the incompleteness of the work. 他不满的是这项工作没有彻底完成。 来自辞典例句
• Contract incompleteness directly leads the manufacturer innovative investment at the buyer-supplier relation. 合约的不完全性直接导致两级供应链上制造商创新投资套牢问题。 来自互联网