新编大学英语自主4Unit 7

[00:08.28]Practice One New Zealand and Canada  Words You Need to Know

[00:17.89]textile      territory     Mt.Fuji        Wellington

[00:26.42]Exercise 1:Directions:Listen to the passage and decide whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F),

[00:41.40]then undertine the word(s) conveying wrong information and correct them.

[00:48.78]New Zealand is a small island country in the South Pacific Ocean.

[00:53.82]It consists of two main islands - North Island and South Island.

[00:58.86]New Zealand's nearest neighbors are Australia, which is about 2000 kilometers to the west, and Fiji and Tonga, which are about 2000 kilometers to the north.

[01:10.92]New Zealand has a population of only three and a half million people.

[01:15.67]In fact, there are more sheep in New Zealand than there are people. Most of the people, about 85%,

[01:24.31]are originally from Europe, mostly British. About 10% of the people are Polynesians, mostly Maori.

[01:33.74]The Maori people were the first people to live on the islands. They have lived there since the 14th century.

[01:40.87]The British came to the islands in the late 18th century. The official language of the country is English.

[01:48.86]Both of the islands are covered with hills and mountains. One of the most famous and beautiful mountains in the world is Mt. Eggmont,

[01:58.01]which many people say looks like Mt. Fuji in Japan.

[02:02.29]There are three large cities in New Zealand - Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch.

[02:08.56]Wellington is the capital city, but Auckland is the largest of the three cities.

[02:13.49]The main industries in New Zealand are food processing and food exports, as well as the manufacture of textiles, such as wool.

[02:24.29]Canada is the largest country in North America. The total area of the country is nearly ten million square kilometers - nine million,

[02:33.97]nine hundred and seventy-six thousand, one hundred and thirty-nine, to be exact.

[02:39.44]Canada is divided into ten provinces and two territories.

[02:44.48]The two territories are in the north of the country.

[02:48.37]They are called the Northwest Territory and the Yukon Territory.

[02:54.31]Canada has a population of about twenty-four million people.

[02:59.35]This is a fairly small population for the size of the country.

[03:03.67]Most Canadians live in or near the cities along the south border of the country, especially in the east, in the provinces of Quebec and Ontario.

[03:14.18]Quebec has nearly eight million people and Ontario has nearly seven million people.

[03:20.05]Most Canadians are from European backgrounds. About 40% come originally from the British Isles and about 30% come originally from France.

[03:30.78]About 25% come from other European countries.

[03:34.67]Canada has always been divided between the French and the English.

[03:39.28]As you may know, Canada has two official languages - English and French.

[03:45.18]French is spoken mainly in the eastern provinces. In Quebec, for instance,

[03:50.58]over 80% of the people are from French backgrounds and speak French as their first language.

[03:57.49]By contrast, in the western provinces, such as British Columbia, almost all of the people are from British backgrounds and they speak English as their first language.  (400 words)

[04:09.70]Exercise 2:Directions:Listen to the passage again and fill in the table with the information you get from the recording.

[04:23.74]Exercise 3:Directions:Listen to the passage for the third time and briefly answer the following questions.

[04:37.52]Practice Two U.S.-Britain Differences

[04:41.99]Words You Need to Know

[04:44.00]apprehensive     let out      commercial     Florida      McDonald

[04:54.91]Exercise 1:Directions:Listen to the conversation and answer the following questions briefly

[05:06.11]John is going to the U.S. He is asking Mary some information about it. Mary is an American and lives in London.

[05:20.18]John:Well, I'm going to the States quite soon. I'm a bit apprehensive about it because, you know,

[05:27.31]the stuff you see on television makes me wonder, I mean, what are the people all like?

[05:33.11]Mary:Well, it's nothing like the television, I can tell you that.

[05:38.90]John:New York surely is a pretty dangerous place, isn't it?

[05:41.93]Mary:Um... New York is not as dangerous as you might think. There are other cities in the States that are more dangerous.

[05:53.88]John:Can you understand all different types of American accents and everything?

[05:58.16]Mary:Oh yes, I think if you're moving from, say, the North to the South you're going to experience a real culture shock as far as language is concerned.

[06:14.65]I mean, people in the South you probably won't be able to understand at all.

[06:22.21]John:Is that right?

[06:23.72]Mary:Yeah, except for Florida where... everybody in Florida is from New York.

[06:33.80]John:What about the food? I suppose that's quite different from here, isn't it?

[06:38.92]Mary:Yeah, I guess so.

[06:40.57]John:Is it cheaper?

[06:41.90]Mary:I think it is. And you'll find eating out is not as expensive as it is here in London.

[06:50.65]John:Do people eat out there more than they do here?

[06:53.28]Mary:Oh yes, absolutely, and I think that's one reason why it's a lot cheaper.

[07:02.10]I mean, from McDonald's to the best Chinese restaurants if you're in New York, there's lots of variety and they're not expensive.

[07:12.94]John:How about... um... sort of finding places to stay... um... people's homes?

[07:21.58]Do they let them out for you to stay in?

[07:24.42]Mary:Oh yes, usually if you check the papers there are a lot of places.

[07:31.30]In New England, for instance, where people rent their homes out to visitors, and I don't think you'll find it hard to find hotels and people are generally friendly in the States about helping you find places.

[07:49.87]John:And is the television?

[07:52.03]Mary:Oh well, you have here... um... the BBC with no commercials but in America, almost every television station has commercials and there's lost of them.

[08:05.53]John:How about the weather in the States?

[08:07.58]Mary:Unlike in Britain, there is a variety of weather there.

[08:12.52]John:Finally is there any advice you'd give me on my first trip to the States?

[08:16.73]Mary:Well, see as much as you can. I mean, the United States. I think the most important thing to realize in going there is it's a very large country.

[08:31.96]I've lived there all my life, but I've never seen California.

[08:37.61]One of the great things I'd like to do and I always advise other people to do is to ride across country because you get to see a lot of the states that way and you realize how vast the country is.

[08:56.04]John:And you can do that quite cheaply?

[08:58.02]Mary:Oh yes and it's beautiful. I've done it in parts but it's very beautiful, it's a beautiful country.

[09:08.96]John:Thanks, I look forward... (498 words)

[09:11.99]Exercise 2:Directions:Listen to the conversation again and complete the following table with the information you get from the recording.

[09:27.18]Exercise 3:Directions:Listen to the conversation for the third time and answer the following questions briefly.

[09:41.44]Practice Three The U.S. and Australia:A Comparison

[09:50.08]Words You Need to Know

[09:52.81]sight     colonize     barren     resemblance

[10:03.07]expand    settlement     parallel    convict

[10:12.18]Exercise 1:Directions:Listen to the passage and decide which of the following is the best summary of the passage.

[10:26.15]Put a tick ( ) beside the summary.

[10:29.96]Australia, the last continent to be "discovered", was sighted by Dutch, Portuguese, and Spanish ships in the 17th century.

[10:45.08]No colonies followed at the time, however, as these nations were less interested in colonizing than in exploring

[10:56.78]As in the early history of the United States, it was the English who established the permanent settlements in Australia.

[11:07.84]This history and the geography of these two former British colonies have some other things in common as well.

[11:19.50]Australia and the United States are about equal in size, and barren western portions of the two bear a close physical resemblance.

[11:33.11]It was the eastern coast of Australia and America that the English first settled, and both colonies soon began to expand to the west.

[11:47.00]However, this westward expansion occurred more because the colonists were searching for better land than because the population was increasing.

[12:00.97]Settlement of the western part of both countries quickened after gold was discovered in America in 1849 and in Australia two years later.

[12:16.56]Although the parallels in the development of these two countries are striking,

[12:24.34]there are some sharp contrasts as well.

[12:28.01]The United States gained its independence from the English by revolution,

[12:34.78]whereas Australia was granted its independence without having to go to war.

[12:41.90]Australia, unlike the United States, was originally colonized by English convicts, and its economy was rooted in wheat growing and sheep raising.

[12:59.87]By 1922, for example, Australia had fifteen times more sheep that it had people,

[13:10.81]or almost half as many sheep as there are people today in the United States, Yet, in spite of these and other major differences,

[13:25.14]Australia and the United States have more in common with each other than either one has with most of the rest of the world. (290 words)

[13:37.52]Exercise 2:Directions:Listen to the passage again and fill in the table with the information you get from the recording.

[13:51.71]Exercise 3:Directions:Listen to the passage for the third time and answer the following questions briefly.

[14:06.14]Happy Minute

[14:08.02]Enjoy listening to the story and answer the following question.

[14:14.39]Who should have gotten on the train?

[14:17.63]There professors at the railway station were deep in conversation.

[14:23.68]They did not notice the train arrive. Then the guard shouted, "Take your seats, please."

[14:32.68]The professors rushed for the train, and two of them managed to climb aboard before it moved.

[14:41.24]The third one was left behind. One of the professor's students happened to be at the station and he offered words of comfort.

[14:52.94]"Two out of three caught the train,  Sir." he said, "That's not too bad."

[14:58.45]"I know," said the professor.  "But it was my train. My friends only came to say good-bye".

[15:07.70]Lesson Two Cultural Delights

[15:13.68]Practice One The US:Eating Alternatives   Words You Need to Know

[15:25.34]ethnic      accent    well-being     preservative

[15:35.06]culture      stand     Creole

[15:41.94]Exercise 1:Directions:Listen to the passage and decide whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F),

[15:57.28]then underline the word(s) conveying wrong information and correct it.

[16:04.91]The United States is traditionally famous for its very solid and unchanging diet of meat and potatoes.

[16:16.97]Now we have many different alternatives to choose from:ethnic food, health food, and fast food, in addition to the traditional home-cooked meal.

[16:33.60]Ethnic restaurants and supermarkets are common in the United States.

[16:41.20]Because the United States is a country of immigrants, there is an immense variety.

[16:50.41]Any large American city is filled with restaurants serving international cooking.

[16:58.15]Many cities even have ethnic sections:Chinatown, Little Italy, or Germantown.

[17:09.31]With this vast ethnic choice, we can enjoy food from all over the world.

[17:17.38]This is a pleasant thought for those who come here to travel or to work;

[17:24.32]they can usually find their natives specialties

[17:28.46]Besides sections of the cities, there are regions which are well known for certain food because of the people who settled there.

[17:41.10]For example, southern California has many Mexican restaurants, and Louisiana has a strong Creole accent to its food.

[17:55.50]Health food gained popularity when people began to think more seriously about their physical wellbeing.

[18:04.64]Health food is fresh, natural, unprocessed food. It does not contain preservatives to make it last longer or chemicals to make it taste or look better.

[18:20.45]Fast-food restaurants are now expanding rapidly all over the country.

[18:27.94]In the United States, speed is a very important factor. People usually have a short lunch break or they just do not want to waste their time eating.

[18:42.23]Fast-food restaurants are places which take care of hundreds of people in a short time.

[18:50.40]There is usually very little waiting, and the food is always cheap.

[18:57.10]The traditional big breakfast and dinner at 6:00 p.m. are losing popularity.

[19:05.34]Like so many people in other cultures, many Americans are taking time to relax and enjoy the finer tastes at dinner,

[19:17.11]even if they still rush through lunch at a hamburger stand. (312 words)

[19:22.40]Exercise 2:Directions:Listen to the passage again and complete the following table with the information you get from the recording.

[19:37.85]Exercise 3:Directions:Listen to the passage for the third time and answer the following questions briefly.

[19:52.21]Practice Two What is a Pub?

[19:56.96]Words You Need to Know

[19:59.30]inn    greyhound    symbol

[20:05.35]brewery      ale

[20:09.28]Exercise 1:Directions:Listen to the conversation and tick ( ) the information mentioned in the conversation.

[20:22.31]An American traveler, John Smith, has just arrived in Britain.

[20:28.39]He wants to know something about British pubs, so he is talking with a British pub owner.

[20:38.47]Smith:Pub seems a funny word. Why are they called pubs?

[20:42.43]Pub Owner:Yes, it is an odd word but really it's just short for public house, a place that has a special license to see drinks to people.

[20:55.14]Smith:Why do most pubs have signs hanging outside them?

[20:58.34]Pub Owner:Because up to the beginning of this century, most people couldn't read, so a picture was the easiest way to show travelers where they could get a drink.

[21:11.52]Smith:Ah, I see, but one thing I've noticed in Britain is that a lot of the pubs have the same name.

[21:18.29]I've seen at least three called The Red Lion. Why is this?

[21:23.00]Pub Owner:Well, many years ago, huge areas of Britain were owned by a small number of families,

[21:32.08]and clever innkeepers named their pubs after these families who each had their own family symbol.

[21:41.11]For example, a Red Lion was the Gaunt family's symbol. The Tudors had a greyhound, that's why so many pubs all over the country have the same name.

[21:56.41]Other pubs got their names from religious events, ways of travelling, sports, jobs, famous people, famous battles and so on...

[22:11.35]so you see - studying pub names is a really good way of learning a bigt about our history.

[22:21.18]Smith:I noticed when I came in that your pub's called a "free house". What does that mean?

[22:26.40]Pub Owner:Unfortunately it doesn't mean that the drinks are free! It's just that most pubs are owned by big breweries like Watneys or Charringtons and so they sell only their own beer.

[22:43.14]But some landlords, like me, are lucky enough to own their own pubs and so they're free to sell any beer they like from any brewery.

[22:56.46]Smith:Really... well this beer is lovely, it's very different.

[23:00.64]Pub Owner:Yes, it's what we call real ale.

[23:05.03]Smith:What's that?

[23:06.47]Pub Owner:Ah, that's a good question - and one that confuses a lot of tourists.

[23:13.34]Real ale's usually made by small local breweries so each type has a different taste.

[23:22.13]It's normally much stronger than the beer made by big breweries - when you're travelling round England you should try to taste some of the different types

[23:35.56]Exercise 2:Directions:Listen to the conversation again and complete the following sentences with the information you get from the recording.

[23:51.22]Exercise 3:Directions:Listen to the passage for the third time and answer the following questions briefly.

[24:05.62]Practice Three A Tour of Edinburgh

[24:11.88]Words You Need to Know

[24:14.29]audio-visual     colony     penguin      catering facility

[24:24.98]mansion     gem    heritage     china     costume

[24:36.22]relic   bygone     trail     Edinburgh      Forth Bridges

[24:48.78]Exercise 1:Directions:Listen to the passage and fill in the table with the information you get from the recording.

[25:03.65]Hello, welcome to Edinburgh. Here are just a few of the many things you can see and do in and around the capital today.

[25:17.18]A major tourist attraction in the city is the Scottish Visitors' Center.

[25:24.10]Here you can see an audio-visual show called The Making of Edinburgh which takes you through Edinburgh's colorful past from its beginnings.

[25:38.75]Also on show is a model of Scotland which covers an entire floor and where you can see over six hundred places of interest at the touch of a button.

[25:53.94]The Center is open daily between 9:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. It is situated at the west end of Princess Street.

[26:08.02]Don't forget to visit Edinburgh Zoo, where you can see the largest collection of wild animals in Scotland and the finest colony of penguins in any Zoo,

[26:23.53]in a beautiful parkland setting with three hundred different species.

[26:31.06]The Zoo is open daily from 9:00 a.m. till 6:00 p.m. and is only fifteen minutes from the city center.

[26:42.36]Buses to and from the Zoo are number 12, 26, 31 and 86.

[26:53.30]There are bars and catering facilities and plenty of car parking space is available.

[27:01.33]Hopetoun House, near South Queensferry, is Scotland's greatest Adam mansion and a unique gem of Europe's architectural heritage,

[27:15.59]set on the shores of the Forth. The famous Forth Bridges can be seen one and a half miles to the east.

[27:27.90]It the mansion there is a museum filled with fascinating china, costumes and other relics of the bygone age.

[27:39.02]To the west of the house there is a nature trail and deer parks.

[27:45.22]Hopetoun House is open to the public daily between 11:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.

[27:55.37]Most of Scotland is on Edinburgh's doorstep. You will be surprised just how much of it you can see in a day.

[28:05.77]To find out more about events, places of interest to visit and entertainment,

[28:13.33]please phone 5572727. We do hope you enjoy your stay in the capital. (329 words)

[28:24.64]Exercise 2:Directions:Listen to the passage again and complete the following outline on the tourist attractions with the information you get from the recording.

[28:40.94]Exercise 3:Directions:Listen to the whole passage again and answer the following questions briefly.

[28:53.26]Happy Minute

[28:54.77]Enjoy listening to the passage and think of the following question.

[29:00.46]Who got the eatate and the secret?

[29:05.14]Two tax agents were travelling through a rural area when their car broke down.

[29:10.82]They walked to a nearby mansion and knocked on the door.

[29:14.35]A beautiful widow answered and said they were welcome to spend the night while her hired hands worked on the car.

[29:21.55]Months later one of the agents received a package of legal documents.

[29:26.48]After surveying the contents, he quickly called the other agent.

[29:30.59]"When we were up in the country," the first agent asked, "did you slip away in the night and go to that widow's bedroom?"

[29:37.64]"Yes," the second agent admitted.

[29:40.81]"Did you use my name?"

[29:42.50]"Why, yes, but how did you find out?"

[29:45.24]"She died and left me her estate."