英语听力教程第三版(张民伦主编)Unit_5_Meet_People_from_around_the_World听力原文

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听力教程第三册

-5

Unit 5 Meet People from around the

World

Part I Getting ready

Audioscript:

Presenter

：

Today Selina Kahn is in the arrival area at Gatwick Airport

checking out today's topic -- national stereotypes. Selina ...

Selinar

：

Thanks, John. I have with me Eric, who's just flown in with

Virgin Atlantic from the USA.

Eric

：

That's right. I've just come back from New York.

Selinar

：

Is it as dangerous as they say?

Eric

：

No, New York isn't dangerous, no more than any other big city,

especially if you're careful and don't advertise the fact that

you're a tourist.

Selinar

：

And is it true what they say about New Yorkers, that they're

rude, and that they only care about themselves?

Eric

：

Well, I found the people were very friendly. However, they do

have a reputation for not caring about other people. I think the

reason for this is that life in New York is incredibly stressful.

People just don't have the time to think about anybody else. It

isn't that they don't care.

Selinar

：

Is there anything else you noticed about New Yorkers?

Eric

：

Two things I had heard about before I went to New York did

seem to be true, though. First is that they are always talking

about money and how much things cost. Secondly, it's that

people eat all the time as they go about their daily lives, you

know they

Selinar

：

Thanks Eric, and now I have with me, Sue, who's been to the

south of France ...

Part II New Icelanders

Audioscript:

New Zealand is an island country in the South Pacific Ocean about 1

200 miles southeast of Australia. It has about 2 575 000 people. Two

thirds live on the North Islands, and one third on the larger South Island.

Most of them are of British descent.

Almost everyone in New Zealand knows how to read and write. The

government provides free education for children from ages 3 to 19.

Education is compulsory for children between the ages of 7 and 15, but

most enter school by the age of 5. Young children who live far from

schools belong to the Government Correspondence School and listen to

daily school broadcasts on the radio.

New Zealanders enjoy one of the highest standards of living in the

world. There are no people of great wealth, but poverty is practically

unknown. The majority of families live in one-story wooden homes.

Most families have an automobile, and many have modern home

appliances. Because the country is a major producer of sheep and dairy

products, meat and butter form a larger share of the diet than is common

in other countries. The people are among the world's greatest tea

drinkers.

Many of the books, magazines, and movies in New Zealand come from

the United Kingdom or the United States. But the number of books

published in the country is growing rapidly. Musical and theatrical

groups come from Europe and North America to perform. The larger

cities have radio and television stations. The National Symphony

Orchestra gives concerts throughout the country, and there are also

opera and ballet companies.

New Zealanders enjoy the outdoors, and people of all ages take part in

sports. Favorite holiday activities are camping, boating, hunting and

fishing. Horse racing draws large crowds to racetracks. Rugby football

is a national game. Other team sports are soccer, cricket, basketball, and

field hockey.

Statements

：

1. New Zealand is about 1 400 miles from Australia.

2. More people live on the larger South Island than the North Island in

New Zealand.

3. Most New Zealanders are of British origin.

4. Children in New Zealand usually go to school at the age of 5.

5. Not many New Zealanders have their own cars.

6. New Zealanders are fond of drinking a lot of tea.

Part III What do you think of Britain

？

Audioscript:

?

Paul comes from Jamaica.

Interviewer

：

What do you think of English food?

Paul

：

English food -- right now, I can enjoy it, but when I first came up

from the West Indies, I found it rather distasteful, rather boring,

no flavor, no taste.

Interviewer

：

What do you think of the English weather?

Paul

：

The English weather -- I do not think there are enough adjectives

to describe (it) -- miserable, cold, damp, changeable,

depressing. I think bleak is the best word.

Interviewer

：

Now what do you think about English people and their

way of life?

Paul

：

The older generation of English people are really snobbish -- the

snob-nosed English. But the youth of England today -- they're

really alive, you know, they're more vibrant, on fire, alive.

They are much more free than their parents, crazy! Cindy

comes from Los Angeles.

Interviewer

：

What do you think of the English weather?

Cindy

：

Well, it's rather cloudy and depressing. I get tired of all these

it's all right. It's not too cold, nor too warm.

Interviewer

：

And have you had much opportunity to eat English food?

Cindy

：

Yes, I avoid it, because it's dull. I think it's dull. And I think the

English eat a lot of sweets and greasy food like chips.

Interviewer

：

And what about the English way of life? What do you

think of that?

Cindy

：

Well, it's certainly more relaxed, but I think that the English

people are -- tend to be -- difficult to get to know. They're

reserved. The cities are safer and I also think they're much

cleaner than the American cities, which makes it much more

pleasant to live there. Usha comes from Madras, in India.

Interviewer

：

Would you like to tell me what you think of the English

weather? Usha

：

Well, the English weather is very changeable,

but it's OK. Well, I like spring and autumn best. I think they are

the loveliest time of the year.

Interviewer

：

And what about English food? What do you think of that?

Usha

：

Well, English food is healthy. But I wouldn't like to have

it every day. It's rather ... I wouldn't say dull -- but too bland for

my taste.

Interviewer

：

And what about English people? How have you found

them? Usha

：

Well, in the beginning, they are rather reserved,

but once you get to know them, they are very friendly, and I've

got many English friends now in England.

Interviewer

：

And how have you found the English way of life?

Usha

：

Well, city life is fast of course everywhere, but I like the

countryside very much. I like it very much, yes. Spiro comes

from Salonika, in Greece.

Interviewer

：

You've lived in England for about seven years. What do

you think of English weather?

Spiro

：

Well, I think the English winter is very depressing at times,

especially when it drizzles all the time, and also the other thing

that makes it depressing is the long nights. It gets dark very

early and you wake up and it's pitch black again, and so you go

to work and it's very dark and you come home and it's dark

again. But in the summer, I think, when the sun's shining, it's

very pleasant indeed, with green parks, trees, very pleasant.

Interviewer

：

And what about English food? What do you think of

that?

Spiro

：

Well, I think it's ... English food is all right, but there's a very

limited selection of dishes. It's mostly roast and -- offhand --

there's only about five typically English dishes I can think of,

whereas compare that to Greek food, there's an enormous

selection of dishes one could cook. Interviewer

：

And what do

you think of the English people?

Spiro

：

I find them very reserved, but it seems that when you get to

know them, they're quite friendly and sincere. But it usually

takes some time to actually open an English person up -- if you

like.

Interviewer

：

And what do you think of the English way of life?

Spiro

：

Pretty awful, actually. It's the speed of life really that I find

rather tiring.

Part IV More about the topic:

Native People of Alaska

Audioscript:

When the Russian discovered Alaska in 1741, they found it

occupied by three groups of native peoples -- Eskimos, Aleuts, and

Indians. Descendants of these natives still live in Alaska.

Most scientists think that the native peoples migrated originally

from Asia to North America, not all at once but in wave after wave over

thousands of years. Probably the last to enter Alaska were the ancestors

of the northern Eskimos.

Eskimos

Of the different groups of native peoples, the Eskimos are

the most numerous. From earliest times the Eskimos depended upon sea

mammals, fish, and caribou for their living. In the 1890's reindeer were