全新版大学英语听说教程第三册 Unit 15

Unit 15

Part B

Text 1

Women in Business

Most women in France work. Their average salary is about 75% that of their male co-workers, even though laws passed in 1972 require 'professional equality' between the sexes.

The good news is that women are increasingly moving into middle management. A handful are top executives. The higher their position, the harder it is to balance family and career. A 38-year-old woman who graduated from the prestigious 1 National School of Administration remembers that when she took a senior post in a ministry 2, her male colleagues assured her, 'You are one of us, one of the guys.' But when she became a mother, they stuck to age-old traditions that she couldn't follow-long lunches and late-night meetings. 'It was too much pressure and I felt like I was being sabotaged,' she says.

For those who want to balance family with a job, as opposed to a high-pressure, high-visibility career, France is a haven 3. Women marry later, on average, than in America -- at age 25. And they stay in the workforce 4. Part-time jobs are easy to find. Maternity 5 benefits are generous, with over six months of paid leave. Women who've raised three or more children are entitled to a state-funded pension. The quality of publicly funded education for children is high. And abortion 6 is not only legal, but it's paid for by the state.

French businesswomen dress elegantly, argue intelligently and play hardball at the negotiating table. They show their wit, intellect, ability to make puns and understanding of politics, history and literature. Unlike most American female executives who dress conservatively in a dark, not particularly flattering suit, with no jewelry 7 and little makeup 8, Frenchwomen see no need to abandon femininity and elegance 9 in the business world. They prefer soft colors, stylish 10 clothes, silk scarves, manicured nails, light makeup, and simple but elegant jewelry.

Questions:

1. What do you know about French businesswomen?

2. What does the speaker intend to say through the passage about French businesswomen?

3. What is implied in the passage about French businesswomen?

Text 2

Are Women the Weaker Sex?

Women and men are not created equal. Mother Nature favors her own sex when it comes to longevity 11, with women living about seven years -- or 10% -- longer than men.

Still, men actually get a head start in the battle of the sexes, since male babies outnumber female babies by 115 to 100. But by about age 30, women have caught up with men numerically, and they then leave men in the dust, with three women alive for every man by age 85.

But there's the paradox 12: While women live longer than men, they're generally sicker. Men tend to die from rapidly fatal health problems such as heart attacks, accidents, suicides and homicides. Women, on the other hand, tend to develop lingering illnesses that often cause years of discomfort 13.

Women spend twice as much money on health care as men do. They also consult doctors more frequently, take more drugs, spend more days in hospitals and have more operations. They also take more sick time off from work. Why? The chief causes seem to be genes 14, hormones 15 and interactions of the two.

Many women suffer from chronic 16 conditions like muscle and joint 17 pain, sleep disorder 18, anxiety, headaches, and fatigue 19. There is no known cause for them, but they probably result from the body's abnormal response to stress. Women may be more likely than men to have these diseases simply because they are under more stress. A woman is often under tremendous stress to fulfill 20 what she sees as her obligations to her family, her community and her employer.

Researchers still know little about women's health. There is clearly a need for more research into why women come down with chronic illnesses and what can be done about it.

Questions:

1. What is the main idea of the passage?

2. What is the speaker's attitude toward women's health problems?

3. Why is the age of 30 mentioned in the passage?

4. What can be inferred from the passage?

Part C

Elizabeth Blackwell

Elizabeth Blackwell was born in 1821 in England. Her family moved to the United States when she was 11. There, several years later, a family friend who suffered from cancer suggested to her that she study medicine. The dying friend said that perhaps her sickness would have been better understood if she had been treated by a woman. Elizabeth knew that no woman had ever been permitted to study in a medical college, but she began to think about the idea seriously after the friend died.

Supported by her family, she began to study medicine privately 21 with a doctor. Later she was accepted by Geneva Medical College in New York State and graduated in 1849 with high honors. She became the first woman in the Western world to have completed medical school training.

Dr. Blackwell had many dreams. One was to start a hospital for women and children; another was to build a medical school to train women doctors. After many years' struggle against every kind of opposition 22, she finally succeeded in opening the first medical college for women in New York in 1868, and a second one later in London. In 1871 she founded the British National Health Society.

Elizabeth Blackwell believed that the true responsibility of doctors was to prevent disease. She started a program in which doctors visited patients in their homes and taught them basic hygiene 23 about house cleaning and food preparation so that sickness could be prevented. And she started the program of disease prevention in her schools. It was the first time the idea of preventing disease was taught at a medical college.

Dr. Blackwell died in 1910, at the age of 89. She is remembered for her contributions to the cause of medicine and for showing the way for women to move on.

Questions:

1. Why did Elizabeth Blackwell want to become a doctor?

2. How did she begin her study in medicine?

3. As the first woman doctor, where did she open the first medical college for women?

4. What did Elizabeth Blackwell think was the true responsibility of doctors?

5. Which of the following best describes Elizabeth Blackwell?

Part D

An Interview with a Successful Woman Writer

(The author of Harry 24 Potter, J. R. Rowling, is being interviewed by a reporter.)

Interviewer: Where do you get your ideas from, Mrs. Rowling?

Rowling: I wish I knew. Sometimes they just come like magic and other times I have to sit and think for weeks before I manage to work out how something will happen. Where the idea for Harry Potter actually came from I really couldn't tell you. I was traveling on a train between Manchester and London and it just popped into my head. I spent four hours thinking about what Hogwarts would be like -- the most interesting train journey I've ever taken. By the time I got off at King's Cross many of the characters in the books had already been invented.

Interviewer: Are any of the characters in the books based on real people?

Rowling: Tricky 25 question! The answer is yes, and no. I have to confess that Hermione Granger is a little bit like I was at her age, though I was neither as clever nor as annoying. Ron is little bit like my oldest friend and Professor Snape is a lot like one of my old teachers, but I'm not saying which one.

Interviewer: How long have you been writing?

Rowling: Nearly all my life. I had written two novels before I had the idea for Harry, though I'd never tried to get them published.

Interviewer: Did you expect the Harry books to be this successful?

Rowling: Never. I just wrote the sort of thing I liked reading when I was younger. I didn't expect lots of people to like them, in fact, I never really thought much apart from getting them published.

Interviewer: Any clues about the next book?

Rowling: I don't want to give anything away, but I can tell you that the books are getting darker ... Harry's going to have quite a bit to deal with as he gets older. Sorry if they get too scary!

Interviewer: Who are your favorite authors?

Rowling: My favorite writer of all time is Jane Austen.

Questions:

1. What does Rowling say about the original idea for the Harry Potter books?

2. Which of the following is true about the characters in the Harry books?

3. What do we learn about what Rowling did with her books?

4. According to the interview, which of the following is true?