大学英语初级听力文本Unit20-21

Lesson 20

Task 1: Fixing an Appointment

Principal: Well it looks to me as if we shall have to fit him

in somewhere. What does Monday morning look like?

Secretary: Well, Monday morning is extremely busy. You've got

all the short list interviews.

Principal: Oh goodness. And how long do they go on for?

Secretary:

Well,

the

last

one

is

due

at

...

to

come

at

10

o'clock

and will probably go on through until 10:30.

Principal: And then?

Secretary:

Then

you've

got

your

Japanese

agent

and

you

did

tell

him you'd probably take him out to lunch.

Principal: Yes, well can't pass that up ... erm ... what's

Tuesday morning look like?

Secretary: Tuesday morning is also very full. You've got a

committee meeting, starts at 9:30 probably won't finish until

12:30.

Principal: Huh-Huh. And lunch?

Secretary: Lunch is with your publisher.

Principal: Oh yes. And I do remember that I've got something

in

the

afternoon

...

erm

...

from

the

examining

board,

haven't

I? I've got...

Secretary: Yes. At 2:30. You're expecting the chief examiner

(Oh) regarding the review report.

Principal:

Oh

yes.

And

I've

got

...

I've

got

somebody's

parents

coming.

Secretary: Yes, at 4 o'clock Johan Blun's parents are coming.

Principal: And there ... isn't there a meeting, a principal's

meeting after ... anyway he didn't want to be that late ...

erm ... well, let's

have

a

look

at

Monday

afternoon. What have

we got then?

Secretary: Well the lunch with the Japanese agent is probably

likely

to

last

until

2:30.

(Mm- Mm)

At

2:30

you've

got

the

lawyer

regarding the planning permission.

Principal: Oh, I've ... yes ... and?

Secretary:

Well

at

3:30

there's

a

tutorial

with

Maria

Rosa

...

Principal: Oh well hang on ... erm ... look what we can do ...

you ... if you could give the lawyer a ring and ask him if he

can

fix

it,

the

appointment,

for

Wednesday

and

if

he

can't

make

Wednesday, later in the week. It's not absolutely vital that

I

should

do

it

then.

And

give

Maria

Rosa

a

ring

also

if

you

can

contact

her,

otherwise

you

can

tell

her

when

she

arrives

and

...

erm ... I can give I can definitely give her ... I've got

Wednesday

clear,

haven't

I?

So

...

erm

...

(Yes)

I

can

give

her

a tutorial on Wednesday morning (Yes) and that gives us two

hours

so

you

could

ring

the

Cultural

Council

and

fix

it

for

then.

His name's Mr. Dennis I think, isn't it?

Secretary:

Yes.

So

I'll

ring

him

and

tell

him

you're

expecting

him at 2:30 on Monday afternoon.

Principal: OK then.

Secretary: Fine. Thank you.

Task 2: Last of the Airships

At 7:20 pm on May 6th 1937, the world's largest airship, the

Hindenburg, floated majestically over Lakehurst airport, New

Jersey,

after

an

uneventful crossing

from

Frankfurt,

Germany.

There were 97 people on board for the first Atlantic crossing

of the season. There were a number of journalists waiting to

greet

it.

Suddenly

radio

listeners

heard

the

commentator

screaming

'Oh,

my

God!

It's

broken

into

flames.

It's

flashing

...

flashing.

It's

flashing

terribly.'

32

seconds

later

the

airship

had disintegrated and 35 people

were dead. The Age

of the

Airship was over.

The Hindenburg was the last in a series of airships which

had been

developed over

40

years in

both

Europe

and

the

United

States. They were designed to carry passengers and cargo over

long

distances.

The

Hindenburg

could

carry

50

passengers

accommodated in 25 luxury cabins with all the amenities of a

first class hotel. All the cabins had hot and cold water and

electric heating. There was a dining-room, a bar and a lounge

with a dance floor and a baby grand piano. The Hindenburg had

been

built

to

compete

with

the

great

luxury

transatlantic

liners. It was 245 metres long with a diameter of 41 metres.

It could cruise at a speed of 125 km/h, and was able to cross

the Atlantic in less than half the time of a liner. By 1937 it

had carried 1,000 passengers safely and had even transported

circus animals and cars. Its sister ship, the Graf Zeppelin,

had flown

one and

a

half

million

kilometres

and

it

had carried

13,100 passengers without incident.

The

Hindenburg

was

filled

with

hydrogen,

which

is

a

highly

flammable gas, and every safety precaution had been taken to

prevent

accidents.

It

had

a

smoking

room

which

was

pressurized

in order to prevent gas from ever entering it. The cigarette

lighters

were

chained

to

the

tables

and

both

passengers

and

crew

were searched for matches before entering the ship. Special

materials,

which

were

used

in

the

construction

of

the

airship,

had

been

chosen

to

minimize

the

possibility

of

accidental

sparks, which might cause an explosion.

Nobody knows the exact cause of the Hindenburg disaster.

Sabotage has been suggested, but experts at the time believed

that it was caused by leaking gas which was ignited by static

electricity.

It

had

been

waiting

to

land

for

three

hours

because

of heavy thunderstorms. The explosion happened just as the

first

mooring

rope,

which

was

wet,

touched

the

ground.

Observers saw the first flames appear near the tail, and they

began

to

spread

quickly

along

the

hull. There

were

a

number

of

flashes

as

the

hydrogen- filled

compartments

exploded.

The

airship sank to the ground. The most surprising thing is that

62

people

managed

to

escape.

The

fatalities

were

highest

among

the crew, many of whom were working deep inside the airship.

After

the

Hindenburg

disaster,

all

airships

were

grounded

and,

until recently, they have never been seriously considered as

a commercial proposition.

Looking for a Flat

David:

Hello

Peggy.

What

are

you

doing

going

through

all

those

newspapers?

Peggy: Oh hallo David. I'm trying to find a flat and I've got

to

go

through

all

these

advertisements.

I

just

can't

find

anything good.

David: Are you wanting to share or do you want a flat on your

own?

Peggy: Well, you know Sara and Mary? I'd really like to share

with them.

David:

Well,

I

know

of

an

empty

flat.

I

don't

know

if

you'd

like

it though. It's on the number ten bus route in Woodside Road.

Number 10 I think it is.

Peggy:

Oh,

I

know

Woodside

Road

and

the

ten

bus

is

the

one

that

brings me

to

work. Would

be

a marvellous

place.

How

many

rooms

has it got?

David: Well,

it's

got a

kitchen and

a

bathroom.

Um,

apart from

that I think it's got two bedrooms and a sitting-room.

Peggy:

Two

bedrooms.

Mm.

Well,

I

suppose

two

of

us

could

share,

or one of us could sleep in the sitting-room. How much is the

rent?

David: I think they want

￡

21 a week for it.

Peggy: Twenty-one. Oh, that's fine, that would be

￡

7 each. I

don't really want to spend more than

￡

7.

David: No, but you see the trouble is it might be a bit noisy.

Woodside

Road

is

really

quite

busy.

It's

on

the

bus

route

after

all. With all that traffic going past I don't know if you'd

really like it.

Peggy: Oh, that doesn't matter. We'd be out all day. It'd be

marvellous

to

be

on

the

ten

bus

route,

we

wouldn't

have

to

walk

at

all

and

we'd

get

to

work

so

quickly.

Oh

thanks

so

much

David.

I must go and tell Sara and Mary.

David: Well, I hope it's what you want.

Peggy: Oh yes, thanks a lot.

David: That's all right.

Moving In

Rod: Mm, it's not a bad size room, is it?

Liz:

Oh,

it's

great!

It's

lovely.

Oh,

and

look

at

that

fireplace!

Oh, we can have the two chairs right in front of the fireplace

there in the middle of the room and toast our feet.

Rod: The first thing we ought to do is just decide where the

bed's going.

Liz: Oh, well ... (So) what about right here next to the door

(yes) sort of behind the door as you come in?

Rod:

Yes,

that's

a

good

idea

—

just

as

you

come

in,

just

in

that

corner there.

Liz: Yes. Well now, let's think. What else?

Rod:

What

else

is

there?

Erm

...

well

there's

that

huge

wardrobe

of yours ... (Mm) that's got to go somewhere.

Liz:

What

about

over

here

—

you

know

—

across

from

the

fireplace

there, because then, in that little corner where it ... where

the

wall

goes

back ...

look,

over

there.

(Mm)

That'd

do,

wouldn't it?

Rod: Ok, well we'll put the wardrobe there then. (Yes) OK? So

the wardrobe's opposite the fireplace.

Liz:

Er

...

(OK)

what

about

your

desk?

(Er)

Where

are

you

going

to put that?

Rod:

Er

...

I

need

lots

of

light,

so

I

think

in

that

far

corner

in between the two windows, OK?

Liz:

Oh,

I

see

in

the

corner

there,

(Yes)

yes.

(Erm)

Yes,

that'd

be good.

Rod: So the desk goes there.

Liz:

So you'd have your

chair

with

your back

to

the

fireplace?

(Yes) Yes, that'll be all right.

Rod: Yes. And there's (yes) the chest of drawers.

Liz:

Oh,

that'd

be

nice

in

between

the

two

windows

there,

right

in

the

middle.

(Yes)

It

really

...

come

on,

I

know

you're

going

to like it. (OK) Come on, let's shove it over there. (I mean)

I bet ... I er ...

Rod: I knew you'd ask me to move it.

Liz: Come on. Let's go.

Rod: OK. Let's go then. All right.

Liz: Nearly there! That's got it.

Rod: God, what on earth have you got in there?

Liz:

Well,

there's

nothing

much

in

there.

I

emptied

it

...

most

of it out.

Rod: Oh God, my back hurts!

Liz: There! Wait a minute. Let me stand back and have a look.

Rod: Yes, it's not bad ... sticks out a bit.

Liz: No, it's fine. (OK) What about the TV? Where are we going

to put that?

Rod:

Er

...

it's

really

got

to

go

in

the

opposite

corner,

hasn't

it? (Mm) Opposite the desk, that is.

Liz: Oh, you mean in the corner between the windows and the

fireplace? (Yes) Yes.

Rod: And then the stereo, er ... the amplifier underneath the

television

and

then

the

two

speakers one on either side

of the

fireplace.

Liz: Yes, that'd be good. (Erm) Well lovely! So it'll all fit

in beautifully! (Yes) What else ... what else have we got?

Rod:

It's

the

er

...

there's

the

bookcase,

isn't

there?

Erm

...

Liz: Oh Lord ... where'll we put that?

Rod: Well, as you come in the door, er ... immediately on the

er ... left-hand side ...

Liz: Oh along that wall there you mean?

Rod:

Because

that's

...

there's

just

about

enough

space

there.

There's

about

two

feet,

so

it

shouldn't

stick

out

too

much,

no.

Liz:

Yes,

it's

not

very

wide

is

it?

So

you

come

in

the

door

(Yes)

and

then

the

bookcase

is

right

there

on

the

left.

(Yes)

There's

a long way from your desk, though.

Rod:

Well,

exercise'll

do

me

good,

won't

it?

Er

...

table

lamp.

Well, we can just put that er ...

Liz: On the chest of drawers. (Yes) When it's ... (Mm) Yes.

That'd be nice.

Rod: And no matter who wants to use it, you know.

Liz: Yes. Oh this is going to be lovely. When are we going to

get it all in? Now?

Rod:

Er

...

no,

not

now.

Let's

just

go

to

the

kitchen

and

er

...

sort that out and have a cup of tea, eh.

Liz:

Oh,

ha

ha,

good.

(Right)

Yes,

I

haven't

seen

the

kitchen.

Come on.

Rod: Come on then. Let's go.

Main Ideas and Supporting Details

1.

Another

use

for

Landsats

is

to

find

fresh

water.

In

dry

areas

such

as

deserts,

Landsat

photos

may

show

black

areas

that

indicate

water

or

they

may

show

red

areas

that

indicate

healthy

plants.

People

who are trying

to find

water in these

dry

areas

can save time by looking in the places that are black or red

on the Landsat pictures.

2. The fifth use is to warn us of natural disasters, such as

the damage done by large forest fires, melting ice near the

North

and

South

Poles,

and

lines

in

the

earth

where

earthquakes

might happen.