Listen this way听力教程第一册-3

Unit 3  Clear or Cloudy?

Part Ⅰ Getting ready

The condition of wind, temperature, rain, sunshine, snow, etc., at a certain time or over a period of time is called weather. British people often have conversations about the weather.

A  The following words and phrases will appear in this unit. All of them are related to weather and some are frequently used in weather forecasts. Listen carefully and study the definitions.

   1. freezing point: the temperature at which water becomes ice

   2. relative humidity: a measure of the amount of moisture in the air

   3. calm: peaceful, not rough

   4. barometric 1 pressure: the downward pressure of the air at a particular place

   5. widely scattered 2: far apart

   6. shower: a fall of rain or snow lasting 3 a short time

   7. lows: the low temperatures during a certain period of time

   8. variable: changeable

   9. thunderstorms: local, short storms with thunder, lightening, and heavy rain

  10. gale 4: a very strong wind

   Temperature can be measured in degrees Centigrade or degrees Fahrenheit 5. Usually we use "C" to stand for Centigrade or Celsius 6. The abbreviation for Fahrenheit is "F" The sign for degrees is "°". Centigrade or Celsius (C) is commonly used in China, while Fahrenheit (F) is widely used in English speaking countries. (The formulae for temperature conversion 7 are: C=5(F-32)/9 and F=9C/5+32.)

 

B  You are going to hear five statements about temperature, write down all the degrees in both Centigrade(C) and Fahrenheit(F).

   (℃ )  -10   0   10   20   30  40   50   60   70   80   90   100

     ------1----1----1----1----1---1----1----1----1----1----1----1----

   (°F)  14   32   50   68   86  104  122  140  158  176  194  212

   1. The freezing point of water is _______ ℃ or _______ °F.

   2. The boiling point of water is _______ ℃ or _______ °F.

   3. The normal body temperature is _______ ℃ or _______ °F.

   4. The temperature on a warm spring day is ________ ℃ or _______ °F.

   5. The temperature on a hot summer's day is _______ ℃ or _______ °F.

 

   A weather forecast is given several times a day on TV and on the radio. The man who predicts weather conditions is called the weatherman. In most English speaking countries, the weatherman usually speaks with a personal and friendly tone. He acts as if he is chatting with a friend about what the weather will be like.

C  You are going to hear a report on weather around the world. Complete the following table.

   City           Country  Time        Weather    Temperature (℃)

   New York       USA    _________   _________   _________    

   Auckland   ______   11:10 a.m.  _________   _________  

   Beijing        China    _________   _________   _________  

   Calcutta       India    _________   _________   _________  

   Honolulu       USA    _________   _________   _________  

   Melbourne   ______   _________   clear    _________

   Mexico City   Mexico   _________   _________   _________   

   Moscow   Russia   _________   _________   _________   

   Paris   France   _________   _________   _________   

   San Francisco  USA    _________   _________   _________  

   Sao Paulo   ______   _________   _________   14

Part Ⅱ A weather report

In many cities, besides radio and TV, it is also possible to get a weather forecast on the telephone. A typical forecast gives the current temperature, relative humidity, wind direction, wind speed, and barometric pressure with exact figures, and also predicts weather for the next few days with broad and general terms. The recordings 8 are changed several times a day.

A  You are going to hear a weather report. Write down every word as a dictation. It will be read three times. In the first reading, you will hear the whole report from beginning to end. In the second reading, you will hear a pause after each sentence or just part of a sentence. During the pause, you must write down what you have just heard as quickly as possible. You can check what you have written with the third reading.

   ______________________________________________________

   ______________________________________________________

   ______________________________________________________

   ______________________________________________________

   ______________________________________________________

   ______________________________________________________

B  You are going to hear a National Weather Service forecast for the Chicago, Illinois, area. Pay special attention to the temperatures. Fill in the following chart with information about temperatures from the report. Note that where there is a dash (?, there is nothing to write. All the time periods mentioned in the report have been filled in for you.

   Time             Temperature (℃) 

   10:00 p.m.     Lakefront: 

      Midway: 

      O'Hare: 

      Lows    Highs

   Tonight     __________     -- 

   Tomorrow         --             __________

   Tomorrow night   __________     -- 

   Tuesday     --             __________

   Wednesday        __________     __________

   Thursday         __________     __________

   Friday     __________     __________ 

C  Now try this: listen to a more authentic 9 version of the weather report. Pay more attention to the other features of the weather. Take notes on the chart below. Note that where there is a dash (--), there is nothing to write.

   Time            Weather   Humidity   Wind       Barometric 

                   Description                        Pressure

   10:00 p.m.    --  _________  _________  ____and rising

   Tonight    ___________ --     _________  --

   Tomorrow    ___________ --         _________  -- 

   Tomorrow night  ___________ --         --         -- 

   Tuesday    ___________ _________  --         -- 

   Wednesday    ___________ --         --         --

   Thursday    ___________ --         --         --

   Friday    ___________ --         --         --

Part Ⅲ At a bus stop

The weather seems to be a favourite topic of conversation in Britain. This is not because it's particularly interesting but that it's a safe subject that can be shared by everyone. It's often used as a subject to open a conversation. The subject itself is not very important. What is important is that the two people are establishing contact.

A  You are going to hear a conversation between a man and a woman. They are talking about the weather. The following vocabulary is used in the conversation. Guess the meaning when you hear these words and expressions. While you listen, don't forget to add more key words in the notes column. They will be very helpful for the next section,

   1. ended up with:

   2. coming down hard:

   3. attorney:

   4. off the lobby:

   5. stop in:

   6. donut/doughnut shop:

   7. boy:

B  You are going to hear the conversation again. Answer the following questions with the help of the notes.

   1. Where does the conversation take place?

   2. What time of day is it?

   3. What season of the year is it?

   4. What is the relationship between the speakers?

   5. How long has the woman been waiting?

   6. What did the weathermen say that morning?

   7. Where did the man work?

   8. What is their opinion of weather reports?

C  Now try this: listen to a more authentic version of the conversation and decide whether the statements after the conversation are True or False. Put "T" or "F" in the brackets.

   1. (   )   2. (   )  3. (   )  4. (   )   5. (   ) 

   6. (   )   7. (   )  8. (   )  9. (   )  10. (   ) 

Part Ⅳ More about the topic: Is Earth Overheating?

Human activities, from farming to burning fossil fuels, are releasing gases that may trap too much heat in the atmosphere. Scientists are worrying about the Greenhouse effect which may cause the average global temperature to increase. Are you worried?

The following short passage is about the rise of global average temperature. Supply the missing words while listening.

   Evidence shows that over the past _________ years there has been a close correlation 10 between global average ________ and the amount of carbon dioxide in the _________.

   In _________, before the Industrial Revolution began to take full ______, the carbon dioxide level was about _________ ppm. By the ______ the carbon dioxide level had _____ to perhaps _____ ppm. Today, according to analyses of air samples, the level is more than _________ ppm. _________ higher than the _________ level.

   At the same time, scientists have noted 11 that the global average temperature is ________ rising. Since the _________, most _______ have been unusually hot. In fact, the _________ warmest years since _________ have occurred in the past _________ decades, and _________ saw the_________highest global average temperature. The _________ heat wave _________ public attention on a possibility that had _________ scientists for some time-the possibility of a __________ rise in Earth's temperature.

   Scientists tell us that it is the burning of ____, oil, and other _____ that has increased the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Factories account for ___________of the carbon dioxide added by the burning of fuels; electric power plants, ___________; motor vehicles, ___________; and heating equipment for homes and businesses, ___________.

   As Stephen Schneider, a climatologist at the National Centre for Atmospheric 12 Research puts it, "It is often said that we do not so much _______ the world from our forebears, but rather we ______ it from our ________. It is increasingly urgent that we ____ to prevent our ____ from growing out of _______."

Part Ⅴ Memory test: Weather Forecast

Another important reason why people talk about the weather in Britain is that it's so unpredictable. You can never tell what the weather's going to be like from one day to the next. You may listen to the weather forecast on radio, TV, or telephone. But often the weather changes faster than the weatherman can predict. But still many people have formed a habit of listening to the weather forecast in the morning.

A  You are going to hear a weather forecast on the radio for England and Scotland. Fill in as much information as possible.

   Place                   Weather Description

   Southeast of England           _____________________

   Southwest of England           _____________________

   North of England and Scotland  _____________________ 

   Northeast of Scotland   _____________________

B  You are going to hear a weather forecast for the UK. Write down all the words that the weatherman uses to describe weather.

   Southwest      ______________________________

   Around London    

   & Southeast      ______________________________

   Midlands      ______________________________

   North Wales      ______________________________

   South Wales      ______________________________

   Northeast      ______________________________

   Scotland      ______________________________

   Northern Ireland  ______________________________ 

Part Ⅵ Reminder 13 of key points in this unit

          Verb & Verb Phrase  Noun & Noun Phrase   Other

   Part Ⅰ        temperature 

                degree 

                Centigrade/Celsius 

                Fahrenheit 

                formula 

                conversion 

   Part Ⅱ        forecast              calm

                relative humidity      widely scattered

                barometric pressure    variable

                shower              fair

                lows / highs      extended

                thunderstorm      promising 14

   Part Ⅲ predict       attorney              freezing

    end up with       travel agency      awful

    come down hard     lobby              typical

    stop in       donut shop      around the corner

   Part Ⅳ take full effect   correlation      global

    occur       carbon dioxide      average

    focus       atmosphere      ppm.

    account for        Industrial Revolution  steadily

    inherit       analysis              disastrous

                air sample      increasingly

                decade              urgent

                heat wave              out of control

                electric power plant 

                heating equipment 

                climatologist 

                forebear 

   Part Ⅴ        coast              maximum

                weather outlook      above zero

                weather centre      due to

                depression 

                fog patch 

                sleet