全新版大学英语听说教程第四册 unit9

Unit 9

Part B

Life Goes On

 

     The city of Ypres in Belgium has been invaded 19 times, most famously in World War I. Some time ago I went with two friends to visit the battlefields and cemeteries¹ there, and particularly to see the tomb of my uncle who was killed in the war at the age of 20.

     Michael, our silver-haired guide, took us first to a British cemetery², just outside the town. I stared at the lines of gravestones, neatly³ planted with herbs and flowers, the low surrounding walls blooming with wisteria. Michael pointed⁴ out my uncle's grave to me.

     I walked hesitantly toward it, wondering what I would feel. And suddenly there it was, and there were hundreds of others. Nothing could have prepared me for the realization⁵ that in this area alone about 250,000 British and Commonwealth⁶ soldiers were killed. There are 75 British cemeteries, of which we visited just a few.

     Next, Michael took us to a place on the other side of the city. The names of 55,000 missing soldiers are engraved⁷ on its walls. We stared in awe⁸. "More than half a million horses and mules⁹ were lost, and fifteen tons of unexploded ammunition¹⁰ are still collected each year from the fields," Michael told us.

     Some way on we came to the largest British cemetery in the world. Some headstones have words of love or gratitude¹¹: "He died that we might live," "Gone from our sight but not from our hearts."

     "I'd like you to visit a German cemetery before finishing," Michael said. The cemetery is in wooded land. But there are no headstones, only slabs¹² in the grass. There are no flowers, either. The whole place is dark and dank.

     With some relief we returned to the car. After some time, we drew up at a gate. Here, hidden from the road, lies the Pool of Peace. "It was created by an explosion so loud it was heard in Downing Street," said Michael. We looked at the still water reflecting the trees surrounding it. There is hardly a sound.

     By the time we returned to Ypres, it was evening. The city was preparing for the annual Festival of the Cats, which dates from medieval times. Soon there would be dancing in the square.

 

 

Questions:

 

1. What did the speaker especially want to see during his visit to Ypres?

2. Who was Michael?

3. Which of the following is true about the British cemetery the speaker first visited?

4. About how many British and Commonwealth soldiers died in the battles of Ypres?

5. About how many tons of unexploded ammunition are still collected from the fields each year?

6. Why did the speaker and his friends feel somewhat relieved when they returned to the car after visiting the German cemetery?

 

 

Part C

Fly the Unfriendly Sky

 

     Because World War I had been fought mainly in the trenches¹³, many military experts of the 1920s believed that future wars would also happen there. An exception was U.S. army officer Billy Mitchell, who advocated the use of air power from the year he learned to fly in 1916 to the end of his life.

     During World War I Mitchell proved himself to be a highly effective air commander. He was the first American airman to fly over enemy lines, and throughout the war he was regularly in the air.

     After the war, Mitchell openly advocated the creation of a separate air force. He claimed that the airplane had made the battleship obsolete¹⁴. His argument for air power, at the end of the First World War, was so unpopular that he fought for three years for the mere¹⁵ chance to show its effectiveness. He got the chance in 1921, when his superiors let him drop bombs on a captured German battleship to see what damage his novel approach might be able to cause.

     Mitchell said airborne bombs would sink the ship. The military, for the most part, thought he was nuts. Secretary of War Newton Baker¹⁶, showing masculine bravery rather than care and wisdom, said, "I'm willing to stand on the bridge of a battleship while that fool tries to hit it from the air." His navy counterpart, Secretary Josephus Daniels, was more direct. As he believed that Mitchell's dream of air power was little more than a boyish fantasy, he said, "Good God! This man should be writing dime¹⁷ novels." They allowed the experiment, anyway, probably to expose the airman's madness to the newspapers. Within moments, the German battleship was foam¹⁸ on the water.

     However, the success of the test failed to convince his superiors. His open criticism of them led to his transfer to a minor¹⁹ post and a reversion in rank. Mitchell did not stop fighting. In September 1925, when the navy's ship Shenandoah was lost in a storm, he made a statement to the press, accusing the War and Navy Department of incompetence²⁰, criminal negligence²¹ and almost treasonable administration of national defense²². For his bold remarks, he was, as he expected, immediately court-marshaled and was convicted in December that year of insubordination and sentenced to five years' suspension from rank and pay.

     Billy Mitchell died in 1936. Five years later, on December 7, 1941, the U.S. battleship Arizona was sent to the bottom of the sea by Japanese bombers²³. Over 1,200 American servicemen died aboard that vessel²⁴, proving "crazy" Billy's theory under wartime conditions. Many of his ideas were adopted by the American Air Force in World War II. In 1946 the American Congress authorized²⁵ a special medal in his honor, which was presented to his son two years later by the Chief of Staff of the newly established independent Air Force.

 

Questions:

 

1. Who was Billy Mitchell?

2. What did Mitchell advocate?

3. How did most people in the military respond to Mitchell's theory?

4. What happened to the German battleship in Mitchell's experiment?

5. Which of the following is true according to the passage?

6. What was the result of Mitchell's bold criticism of his superiors?

7. Why does the speaker mention the sinking of the U.S. battleship Arizona?

8. Which of the following best describes Billy Mitchell?

 

 

Part D

The Red Cross

 

    In 1859 a young Swiss businessman saw something which was to change his life and influence the course of history. The young man was Jean Henri Dunant who witnessed the bloodbath following the Battle of Sloferino, in Italy. He was deeply shocked by the dreadful suffering of the wounded from both sides who were left largely uncared for.

     This appalling²⁶ scene was the birthplace of a magnificent human idea. Dunant appealed to the leaders of nations to found societies devoted²⁷ to the aid of the wounded in wartime. Five Swiss citizens formed a committee, which later became the ICRC, and issued a call for an international conference. In October 1863 a conference was held in Geneva and was attended by delegates from 16 nations. Another conference was held in Geneva the following year and official delegates of 12 nations signed the first Geneva Convention, laying down rules for the treatment of the wounded and for the protection of medical personnel and hospitals. It was also at this meeting that the famous symbol of the movement, the white flag bearing a red cross, was adopted. The symbol was later modified in non-Christian countries. In 1986 the Movement's name was changed to include the Red Crescent, the organization's name in most Muslim nations.

     Today the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is the world's largest voluntary organization, with a global membership close to 250,000,000, and a National Society in almost every country of the world. It is an international humanitarian²⁸ agency dedicated²⁹, in time of war, to easing the sufferings of wounded soldiers, civilians³⁰, and prisoners of war. In time of peace, it provides medical aid and other help to people afflicted³¹ by major disasters such as floods, earthquakes, epidemics³², and famines and performs other public-service functions.

     Dunant was a co-recipient of the first Nobel Peace Prize in 1901. It was his vision that led directly to the founding of the Red Cross, the signing of the First Geneva Convention, and the adoption³³ of the Red Cross, and later the Red Crescent, as an international symbol of protection.

 

Statements:

 

1. Jean Henri Dunant is considered to be the founder³⁴ of the International Red Cross.

2. Dunant was awarded the Nobel Prize for making the Red Cross the world's largest voluntary organization.

3. The first Geneva Convention was signed by the delegates from 16 nations at the 1863 conference.

4. The symbol of the Red Cross movement was adopted at an international conference in 1864.

5. The Red Cross and the Red Crescent are the symbols of the same international organization.

6. There is a national society of the Red Cross / Red Crescent in every country of the world.

7. The International Red Cross provides humanitarian services in both time of war and time of peace.

8. The International Red Cross operates as an agency under the United Nations.

1 cemeteries   

n.（非教堂的）墓地，公墓( cemetery的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• It's morbid to dwell on cemeteries and such like. 不厌其烦地谈论墓地以及诸如此类的事是一种病态。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• In other districts the proximity of cemeteries seemed to aggravate the disease. 在其它地区里，邻近墓地的地方，时疫大概都要严重些。 来自辞典例句

2 cemetery   

n.坟墓，墓地，坟场

参考例句：

• He was buried in the cemetery.他被葬在公墓。
• His remains were interred in the cemetery.他的遗体葬在墓地。

3 neatly   

adv.整洁地，干净地，灵巧地，熟练地

参考例句：

• Sailors know how to wind up a long rope neatly.水手们知道怎样把一条大绳利落地缠好。
• The child's dress is neatly gathered at the neck.那孩子的衣服在领口处打着整齐的皱褶。

4 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

5 realization   

n.实现；认识到，深刻了解

参考例句：

• We shall gladly lend every effort in our power toward its realization.我们将乐意为它的实现而竭尽全力。
• He came to the realization that he would never make a good teacher.他逐渐认识到自己永远不会成为好老师。

6 commonwealth   

n.共和国，联邦，共同体

参考例句：

• He is the chairman of the commonwealth of artists.他是艺术家协会的主席。
• Most of the members of the Commonwealth are nonwhite.英联邦的许多成员国不是白人国家。

7 engraved   

v.在（硬物）上雕刻（字，画等）( engrave的过去式和过去分词 )；将某事物深深印在（记忆或头脑中）

参考例句：

• The silver cup was engraved with his name. 银杯上刻有他的名字。
• It was prettily engraved with flowers on the back. 此件雕刻精美，背面有花饰图案。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 awe   

n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧

参考例句：

• The sight filled us with awe.这景色使我们大为惊叹。
• The approaching tornado struck awe in our hearts.正在逼近的龙卷风使我们惊恐万分。

9 mules   

骡( mule的名词复数 )； 拖鞋； 顽固的人； 越境运毒者

参考例句：

• The cart was pulled by two mules. 两匹骡子拉这辆大车。
• She wore tight trousers and high-heeled mules. 她穿紧身裤和拖鞋式高跟鞋。

10 ammunition   

n.军火，弹药

参考例句：

• A few of the jeeps had run out of ammunition.几辆吉普车上的弹药已经用光了。
• They have expended all their ammunition.他们把弹药用光。

11 gratitude   

adj.感激，感谢

参考例句：

• I have expressed the depth of my gratitude to him.我向他表示了深切的谢意。
• She could not help her tears of gratitude rolling down her face.她感激的泪珠禁不住沿着面颊流了下来。

12 slabs   

n.厚板，平板，厚片( slab的名词复数 )；厚胶片

参考例句：

• The patio was made of stone slabs. 这天井是用石板铺砌而成的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The slabs of standing stone point roughly toward the invisible notch. 这些矗立的石块，大致指向那个看不见的缺口。 来自辞典例句

13 trenches   

深沟，地沟( trench的名词复数 )； 战壕

参考例句：

• life in the trenches 第一次世界大战期间的战壕生活
• The troops stormed the enemy's trenches and fanned out across the fields. 部队猛攻敌人的战壕，并在田野上呈扇形散开。

14 obsolete   

adj.已废弃的，过时的

参考例句：

• These goods are obsolete and will not fetch much on the market.这些货品过时了，在市场上卖不了高价。
• They tried to hammer obsolete ideas into the young people's heads.他们竭力把陈旧思想灌输给青年。

15 mere   

adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过

参考例句：

• That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
• It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。

16 baker   

n.面包师

参考例句：

• The baker bakes his bread in the bakery.面包师在面包房内烤面包。
• The baker frosted the cake with a mixture of sugar and whites of eggs.面包师在蛋糕上撒了一层白糖和蛋清的混合料。

17 dime   

n.（指美国、加拿大的钱币）一角

参考例句：

• A dime is a tenth of a dollar.一角银币是十分之一美元。
• The liberty torch is on the back of the dime.自由火炬在一角硬币的反面。

18 foam   

v./n.泡沫，起泡沫

参考例句：

• The glass of beer was mostly foam.这杯啤酒大部分是泡沫。
• The surface of the water is full of foam.水面都是泡沫。

19 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

20 incompetence   

n.不胜任，不称职

参考例句：

• He was dismissed for incompetence. 他因不称职而被解雇。
• She felt she had been made a scapegoat for her boss's incompetence. 她觉得，本是老板无能，但她却成了替罪羊。

21 negligence   

n.疏忽，玩忽，粗心大意

参考例句：

• They charged him with negligence of duty.他们指责他玩忽职守。
• The traffic accident was allegedly due to negligence.这次车祸据说是由于疏忽造成的。

22 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

23 bombers   

n.轰炸机( bomber的名词复数 )；投弹手；安非他明胶囊；大麻叶香烟

参考例句：

• Enemy bombers carried out a blitz on the city. 敌军轰炸机对这座城市进行了突袭。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Royal Airforce sill remained dangerously short of bombers. 英国皇家空军仍未脱离极为缺乏轰炸机的危境。 来自《简明英汉词典》

24 vessel   

n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管

参考例句：

• The vessel is fully loaded with cargo for Shanghai.这艘船满载货物驶往上海。
• You should put the water into a vessel.你应该把水装入容器中。

25 authorized   

a.委任的，许可的

参考例句：

• An administrative order is valid if authorized by a statute.如果一个行政命令得到一个法规的认可那么这个命令就是有效的。

26 appalling   

adj.骇人听闻的，令人震惊的，可怕的

参考例句：

• The search was hampered by appalling weather conditions.恶劣的天气妨碍了搜寻工作。
• Nothing can extenuate such appalling behaviour.这种骇人听闻的行径罪无可恕。

27 devoted   

adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的

参考例句：

• He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。

28 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

29 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

30 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

31 afflicted   

使受痛苦，折磨( afflict的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• About 40% of the country's population is afflicted with the disease. 全国40%左右的人口患有这种疾病。
• A terrible restlessness that was like to hunger afflicted Martin Eden. 一阵可怕的、跟饥饿差不多的不安情绪折磨着马丁·伊登。

32 epidemics   

n．流行病

参考例句：

• Reliance upon natural epidemics may be both time-consuming and misleading. 依靠天然的流行既浪费时间，又会引入歧途。
• The antibiotic epidemics usually start stop when the summer rainy season begins. 传染病通常会在夏天的雨季停止传播。

33 adoption   

n.采用，采纳，通过；收养

参考例句：

• An adoption agency had sent the boys to two different families.一个收养机构把他们送给两个不同的家庭。
• The adoption of this policy would relieve them of a tremendous burden.采取这一政策会给他们解除一个巨大的负担。

34 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。