英语听力材料

71. On Post-graduate Education

Post-graduate education refers to education after college, which is another three

years of study. There can be no doubt that the pursuit of learning after

four years’

studies

is

no

easy

thing,

and

it

requires

perseverance

and

persistence

to

continue

one’s

major.

In

the

past

several

years,

a

large

percentage

of

graduate

students

hurried

to

the

profession

they

had

chosen

without

hesitation

about

the

choice,

which greatly worried some educators. However, the situation now is totally different

from the past: more graduates, even those who are at their posts, remain at or go

back to universities.

What could be the possible reasons for this change? Firstly, the students are of

the

opinion

that

what

they

learned

in

the

universities

is

not

adequate

for

the

workforce. Secondly, a great number of vacancies require a higher level of qualified

personnel, which encourages the job-hunter to be well prepared for them.

(148 words)

72. On Social Security

All

advanced

countries

have

some

form

of

social

security.

Based

on

various

insurance

laws,

the

goal

of

social

security

is

to

meet

the

needs

of

the

aged,

unemployed, sick and poor by providing then with home, money or medical cars.

Social

security

is

very

much

needed.

For

one

thing,

there

will

always

be

social

misfits

that

need

help.

For

example,

for

some

reason,

there

is

always

a

certain

number

of

unemployed

workers

in

any

society.

Thus,

it

is

necessary

for

the

government

to

take

effective

measures.

Firstly

and

most

importantly,

social

and

economic

security

programs

help

the

unemployer

to

get

through

their

present

economic hardships. If not, these unemployed are more likely to become potential

causes of social instability.

Social

security

is

of

great

importance

to

the

development

of

society.

Correspondingly, with the advancement of society, social security will likely become

more mature in its actual performance.

(147 words)

73. How to Spend Our Leisure Time

Physical activities and intellectual pursuits are the two basic ways in which we

spend our leisure time.

Of

the

two

basic

ways,

physical

recreation

affords

us

the

opportunities

to

strengthen

our

bodies

and

to

satisfy

our

competitive

nature.

Activities

range

from

participation

is

strenuous

sports

such

as

running,

playing

basketball

or

playing

a

couple of sets of tennis, to slow-paced events like jogging or a round of golf.

Intellectual activities, such as reading a good book, listening to a favorite record,

or

going

to

a

film,

revitalize

our

mental

processes.

This

revitalization

can

either

stimulate

mental

readiness

and

innovation

or

provide

us

with

a

temporary

escape

from

the

pressures

of

daily

life.

Intellectual

pursuits

are

often

regarded

as

solitary

practices. The pleasure a stamp collector derives form mounting a new issue is one

example of what is meant by this.

(140 words)

74. Children Being Cared for by Wolves

A far back as 700 B.C., man has talked about children being cared for by wolves.

Romulus and Remus, the legendary twin founders of Rome, were purported to have

been

cared

for

by

wolves.

It

is

believed

that

when

s

she-wolf

loses

her

litter,

she

seeks a human child to take its place.

This

seemingly

preposterous

idea

did

not

become

credible

until

the

late

nineteenth

century

when

a

French

doctor

actually

found

a

naked

ten-year-old

boy

wandering

in

the

woods.

He

didn’t

walk

erectly,

not

could

he

speak

intelligibly,

or

relate

to

people.

He

only

growled

and

stared

at

them.

Finally

the

doctor

won

the

boy’s confidence

and began to work with him. After many long years of devoted and

patient

instruction,

the doctor

was

able

to

get

the boy

to

clothe

and feed himself,

and recognize and utter a number of words, as well as write letters and form words.

(151 words)

75. Rising Crime Rate

Are you worried by the rising crime rate? If you are, then you probably know that

your house, possessions, friends and relatives are increasingly in danger of suffering

from the tremendous rise in cases of burglary and attack.

Figures indicate an ever-increasing crime rate but it is only too easy to imagine

“it will never happen to me.” Unfortunately, statistics show that it really can happen

to you and, if you live a large city, you run twice the risk of becoming a victim.

Fortunately,

there

is

something

definite

which

you

can

do.

Protect

Alarms

can

help to protect your house with a burglar alarm system.

Possessing

a

burglar

alarm

is

no

indication

that

your

house

is

paced

with

valuable possessions. It quite simply indicates to unwelcome visitors that yours is a

house

they

will

not

break

into

easily,

so

they

move

on

to

an

unprotected

house

where their job is made a lot easier.

(155 words)

76. The Importance of Parents

However important we may regard school life to be, there is no denying the fact

that children spend much more time at home than in the classroom. Therefore, the

great influence of parents can not be ignored or discounted by the teacher. They can

become

strong

allies

of

the

school

personnel

or

they

can

consciously

or

unconsciously interrupt and prevent curricular objectives.

Administrators

have been

aware

of the

need to keep

parents

informed on

the

newer

methods

used

in

schools.

Many

principals

have

conducted

workshops

explaining

such

matters

as

the

reading

readiness

program,

manuscript

writing

and

developmental mathematics.

Moreover,

the

classroom

teacher,

with

the

permission

of

the

supervisors,

can

also

play

an

important

role

in

enlightening

parents.

Many

interviews

carried

on

during the year as well as new ways of reporting pu

pils’ progress can significantly aid

in achieving a harmonious interplay between school and home.

(145 words)

77. Chef

You

sit

at

a

table

covered

with

a

snow-white

cloth.

Soft

music

plays

in

the

background mixing with the murmur of voices and the sound of knives and forks on

fine

china.

A

waiter

places

a

plate

of

food

in

front

of

you.

The

aroma

makes

your

mouth water. You take the first bite

–mmmm. Eating a delicious meal is one of life’s

pleasures. But did you ever stop to think about the people who prepared your food?

The one to really thank is the chef. He or she does much more than just produce a

fine

meal.

Chefs

direct

the

activities

of

everyone

in

the

kitchen.

Chefs

plan

and

compile

menus,

order

supplies

and

handle

paperwork,

and

also

spending

time

“cooking

up”

new

dishes.

Although

people

often

use

the

terms

“chef”

and

“cook”

interchangeably, cooks have more limited skills. Not everyone who enjoys cooking is

cut out to be chef.

(151 words)

78. On Making Friends

As

a

human

being,

one

can

hardly

do

without

a

friend.

With

friends,

one

has

someone to turn to whenever he is in trouble. And with the help of honest friends,

one

can

get

over

the

difficulties

and

hardships

he

runs

up

against

in

his

life.

In

addition, friends are the people one can consult, share happiness with and exchange

opinions

with.

So

friends

are

indispensable

to

everyone.

What

is

true

about

friendship? As a popular saying goes, “A friend in need is a friend indeed.” It is clear

that true friends are those who never desert you when you are in need. In fact, they

will help you to stick to what is right and to correct what is wrong. Therefore, true

friendship makes people understand and learn from each other.

(132 words)

79. Fighting against Fake and Inferior Goods

Nowadays, fake and inferior goods are found on every shelf in our market. They

have not only does a lot of harm to society, but also form an obstacle to our national

economic development. The government and the public must work hand in hand to

remove this obstacle.

On one hand, the government should enforce anti-fake laws. Those who produce

and

sell

fake

and

inferior

goods

should

be

severely

punished.

In

addition,

governments at all levels should set up special anti-fake committees to supervise the

manufacturers and distributors.

On the other hand, the consumers should arm themselves with the knowledge

to tell true from false. And if they happen to buy some goods of poor quality, they

should know how protect themselves by reporting the lawbreakers to the Consumers’

Association or bringing them to court.

In a word, as long as the government and the public act in cooperation, fake and

inferiors goods will disappear as quickly as they appear.

(160 words)

180. Well Begun Is Half Done

A the proverb say, “Well begun is half done.” I

t is clear that a good beginning is

the

foundation

of

our

future

success.

A

tall

building,

as

everyone

knows,

must

be

built on a solid foundation. Otherwise, it should fail in the end.

However, what should we do to make a good beginning? First, we should begin

with

a

good

plan.

Second,

we

should

avoid

haste.

We

should

always

keep

in

mind

that everything should be done step by step, especially in the early stages. And finally,

hard work ensures a good beginning as well as a successful ending.

In conclusion, a solid foundation is very important no matter what we do. If we

make

careful

efforts

to

plan

well

at

the

start,

avoiding

haste

and

working

hard

throughout the process, we can surely make our work a success in the end.

(142 words)

81. Dreams

A dream is

a story that a person “watches” or even takes part in while sleeping.

Dream events are imaginary, but they are related to real experiences and need in the

dreamer’s life. They seem real while they are taking place. Some dreams are pleasant,

others are annoying, and still others are frightening.

Everyone

dreams,

but

some

people

never

recall

dreaming.

Others

remember

only a little about the dream they and just before awakening. No one recalls all of his

dreams.

Dreams

involve

little

logical

thought.

In

most

dreams,

the

dreamer

cannot

control what happens to him. The story may be confusing, and things happen that

would not happen in real life. People see in most dreams, but they may also hear,

smell, touch and taste in their dreams. Most dreams occur in color, but persons who

have been blind since birth do not see at all in dreams.(149 words)

82. Naturalists Are Born and Not Made

Looking back on my childhood, I am convinced that naturalists are born and not

made.

Although

we

were

all

brought

up

in

the

same

way,

my

brothers

and

sisters

soon

abandoned

their

pressed

flowers

and

insect.

Unlike

them,

I

had

no

ear

for

music or languages. I was not an early reader and I could not to mental arithmetic

Before World War I we spent our summer holidays in Hungary. I have only a dim

memory of the house we lived in, of my room and my toys. Nor can I clearly recall

the large family of grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins who gathered next door.

But I do have a crystal-clear memory of the dogs, the farm animals, the local birds,

and above all, the insects.

I am a naturalist, not a scientist. I have a strong love of the natural world any my

enthusiasm has led me into variety of investigations.

(153 words)

83. Underground Tokyo

In Japan’s capital city of Tokyo, earthqua

ke danger limits the height of buildings.

The

city

has

spread

out

so

far

and

the

traffic

has

become

so

heavy

that

it

is

very

difficult to get from one place to another. The price of land, too, has skyrocketed. All

this explains why a group of Japanese land developers came to the conclusion that

there was nowhere to go but down. So far they have dug out space underground for

15 major shopping centers, and the underground construction has only begun.

What are some of the advantages of shopping and eating underground? Clean

air is one of them. The city of Tokyo has one of the most serious smog problems in

the world. Another advantage is that you escape the threat of traffic accidents on the

city’s

busy streets.

Still another

is

the

convenience

of

getting

aroun

d. And

you

can

even spend the night underground if you like. One subway station, for example, has a

hotel with a bar, restaurant and barbershop.

(169 words)

84. The Importance of Listening Comprehension

A Greek philosopher once said, “Nature has given to

men one tongue but two

ears, that we may hear from others twice as much as we speak.” In order to reinforce

the importance of listening comprehension, I’d like to share some statistics given by

an American professor. He says that in the course of practical use, 75 % of language

interaction

is

done by

listening and

speaking.

Among them,

listening

occupies

45%

and speaking 30%, while reading and writing are only about 16% and 9%. Therefore,

as

a

communicative

linguistic

behavior

among

people,

listening

is

very

important.

One cannot speak without first having heard. And at least in the early stages, even

reading and writing materials should generally be based on them. It may be the most

crucial skill of all for the majority of our students.

(137 words)

85. The World Is getting Smaller

With

the

development

of

modern

transportation,

which

is

faster

and

makes

it

more

convenient

for

people

to

travel

more,

the

world

is

indeed

getting

smaller.

People no longer have to spend their entire life in the same area, as it is easier for

them to travel faster.

Also

the

ease

of

communication

between

people

makes

the

world

smaller.

People

no

longer

have

to

communicate

with

others

only

by

writing

a

letter

and

waiting several weeks for a reply. The development of telephone and

fax machines

make it possible to communicate with others instantly. Also, the Internet has caused

a

phenomenal

increase

in

communication

between

people.

You

can

send

instant

messages to others in your country and in other countries and can expect to receive

a reply immediately.

As

better

and

faster

means

of

mass

transportation

are

developed,

travel

will

become

less

expensive as

well

as

faster,

making

for

more

interactions with

others.

Also, the increased communication technology will result in people communicating

more, which can only be beneficial to world peace.(172 words)

86. More Haste, Less Speed

People generally agree with the saying “More haste, less speed.” Indeed, most