-
Dictation
Unit 1
Throughout history / the basic unit of
almost every human society / has been the family.
/Members of the family live together /
under the same roof. / They share the economic
burdens
of life / as well as its joys.
/ The family head usually has considerable
influence / in arranging
marriages, /
selecting careers / and determining all the
important moves and purchases / by any
member of the family. / Particularly in
conditions / where society or the state / does not
give
aid
/
and
the
responsibilities
of
the
family
are
greater,
/
this
large
group
/
provides
better
protection / in times of economic or
other emergency.
Unit 2
Children learn almost nothing from
television, / and the more they watch, / the less
they
remember.
/
They
regard
television
purely
as
entertainment,
/
resent
programs
that
make
demands
on
them
/
and are
surprised
that
anybody
should
take
the
medium
seriously.
/
Far
from being
over-excited by programs, / they are mildly bored
with the whole thing. / These are
the
main conclusions from a new study of children and
television. / Its author confirms / that
the modern child is a dedicated viewer.
/ The study suggests / that there is little point
in the
television company’s attempts /
to isolate adult viewing in the later
h
ours. / More than a third
of the children regularly watched their
programs after 9 p.m. / All 11-year-olds had
watched
programs after midnight.
Unit 3
Mother’s
Day is celebrated / on the second Sunday in May. /
On this occasion, / Mother
usually
receives greeting cards and gifts / from her
husband and children. / For most mothers, /
the rarest and best gift / is a day of
rest. / Often, / families honor Mother / by taking
her out for
dinner. / In some
households / the husband and children / take over
meal preparations / so that
Mom
can
spend
a
whole
day
/
away
from
the
kitchen.
/
Serving
her
breakfast
in
bed
/
is
another
family
ritual.
/
Later
in
the
day,
/
parents
may
take
their
children
/
to
visit
their
grandparents. / Flowers are an
important part of the day. / Mothers are often
given corsages /
for the occasion, /
particularly if they are elderly.
Unit 4
One
of
the
world’s
most
deadly
health
problems
/
is
spreading
to
new
places.
/
The
problem is heart disease / and it is
affecting more and more people / in developing
nations. /
For years / heart disease
has been the No.1 cause of death / in most
industrial nations. / The
disease has
claimed more lives / than cancer or accidents. /
Now the WHO has warned that /
heart
disease is increasing rapidly / in almost every
developing nation. / Why is this happening?
/ One reason is that / people in
developing nations / are living longer. / Another
reason is that /
many people have
changed the way they live. / They now eat more fat
and salt / and fewer
fruits and
vegetables.
Unit 5
In
order
to
learn
to
be
one’s
true
self,
/
it
is
necessary
to
obtain
a
wide
and
extensive
knowledge
/
of
what
has
been
said
and
done
in
the
world;
/
critically
to
inquire
into
it;
/
carefully to consider it;
/ clearly to analyze it; / and earnestly to carry
it out. /
It matters not what you
learn, / but when you once learn a thing, / you
must never give it