听力4

UNIT 1

Why

aren‘t

women

happier

these

days?

That‘s

the

question

raised

by

a

thought

-provoking

study--

?The Paradox of Declining Female Happiness‘ released last month. The research showed

that over the past 35 years women‘s happiness has declined, both com

pared to the past and relative

to men even though, by most objective measures, the lives of women in the U.S. have improved in

recent decades.

The research, by University of Pennsylvania economists Betsey Stevenson and Justin Wolfers,

released

by

the

National

Bureau

of

Economic

Research,

found

the

decline

in

happiness

to

be

pervasive

among

women

across

a

variety

of

demographic

groups.

The

researchers

measured

similar declines in happiness among women who were single parents and married parents. They

cast doubt on the hypothesis that trends in marriage and divorce, single parenthood or work/family

balance are at the root of the happiness declines among women.

One

theory

for

the

decline

in

happiness

is

that

expectations

for

workplace

and

general

advan

cement were raised too high by the women‘s movement and women might feel inadequate

for not having it all.

The researchers acknowledge that is a possibility. They think that if the Women‘s Movement

raised women‘s expectations faster than society was a

ble to meet them, the women would be more

likely disappointed by their actual life experiences. But the researchers also add that things could

change for the better, as women‘s expectations move into alignment with their experiences, this

decline in happiness may reverse.

Men May Be from Venus Too

Men

and

women

might

be

on

the

same

planetary

wavelength

after

all.

According

to

Psychologist Professor Janet Hyde at the University of Wisconsin, men and women are more alike

than

different

in

personality,

communication,

cognitive

ability

and

leadership

than

is

generally

believed.

The studies looked at cognitive abilities, such as the ability

to do

mathematics,

verbal and

nonverbal

communication,

aggression,

leadership,

self-esteem,

moral

reasoning

and

motor

behaviour, such as throwing distance and found large gender differences in throwing distance, and

attitudes about casual sex, and a moderate difference in aggression. But for most psychological

characteristics, she found no differences between men and women.

Hyde

found

evidence

that

differences

between

men

and

women

are

linked

to

society‘s

expectation

of

how

they

should

behave.

For

instance,

women

smiled

more

than

men

when

observed but this was not the case when they thought they were not being observed. Hyde said the

findings provide strong evidence against the idea that psychological differences between men and

women are ―large and stable‖.

Besides

these

social

expectations,

over-inflating

claims

of

differences

between

men

and

women

can

be

damaging.

After

examining

the

gender

differences

in

math

performance

in

high

school,

Hyde

revealed

that

it

could

be

due

to

parents‘

having

lower

expectations

of

their

daughters‘ success in math and thus affecting her self

-confidence and performance.

She also found wo

men‘s success as workplace leaders can also be hindered if they go against

the caring and nurturing stereotype.

So it‘s really amazing how people‘s perceptions of themselves and their own behaviours are

in fact a reflection of assumptions and constructs in society.

Laziness

self-centered

snowball effect

bankruptcy

diminishes

interact

compete for

figure the answer out

chivalry is about RESPECT

character and morality go hand in hand

UNIT 2

―Most people you meet know more about comics than I do,‖ l

aughs Naif Al-Mutawa, creator

of The 99, the world‘s first comic

-book series whose superheroes are based on Islamic culture.

―Strength, honor, truth, mercy, invention, generosity, wisdom, tolerance—

these are some of

the superpowers possessed by my her

oes,‖ emphasizes Al

-

Mutawa. ―No one hero has more than a

single power, and no power is expressed to the degree that God possesses it,‘‘ he adds. There are

99 young heroes from 99 countries, from all walks of life. All of them are Muslim, but not all are

Arabs,

and

the

number

is

almost

evenly

split

between

boys

and

girls.

As

Al- Mutawa

explains,

whenever these characters collaborate to solve problems, there is an implicit message of tolerance

and acceptance, a theme central to the series.

Unlike many comi

c book heroes, the 99 do not use weapons. ―They use the gifts they have

within themselves,‖ Al

-

Mutawa notes, adding that ―The 99 is not about what kids shouldn‘t be

doing. It‘s about learning how to use the power within them to make a difference.‖

Although

the

series

is

not

religious,

it

aims

to

communicate

Islamic

virtues

which

are,

as

viewed by Dr. Al-Mutawa, universal in nature.

―The 99 is all about making a conscious choice not

to

let

others

define

who

you

are.

It

is

about

being

proactive

in

choosing

the

backdrop

against

which you are to be judged. Islamic culture and Islamic heritage have a lot to be proud and joyful

about. The 99 is about bringing those positive elements into global awareness. Now it does.‖

The Danger of a Single Story (Part I)

I‘m a storyteller. And I would like to tell you a few personal stories about what I‘d like to call

―the danger of the single story.‖

I was an early writer. And when I began to write stories in pencil with crayon illustrations

that my poor mother was obligated to read, I wrote exactly the kinds of stories I was reading. All

my

characters

were

white

and

blue-eyed.

They

played

in

the

snow.

They

ate

apples.

Now,

this

despite the fact that I lived in Nigeria. I had never been outside Nigeria. We didn‘t

have snow. We

ate mangoes.

I come from a conventional, middle-class Nigerian family. And so we had, as was the norm,

live-in domestic help, who would often come from nearby rural villages. So the year I turned eight

we got a new house boy. His name was Fide. The only thing my mother told us about him was that

his family was very poor. My mother sent yams and rice, and our old clothes, to his family. And

when I didn‘t finish my dinner my mother would say, ―Finish your food! Don‘t you know? People

like

Fide‘s family have nothing.‖ So I felt enormous pity for Fide‘s family.

Then one Saturday we went to his village to visit. And his mother showed us a beautifully

patterned basket, made of dyed raffia, that his brother had made. I was startled. It had not occurred

to me that anybody in his family could actually make something. All I had heard about them is

how poor they were, so that it had become impossible for me to see them as anything else but poor.

Their poverty was my single story of them.

programs

into

stuck

honors- level

class

fixed

their

cold

stares

called

out

to

me

consists

solely

of

everything

in

between

colorblind

has

done

nothing

to

change

my

personality

define who I am and what actions I take in life

UNIT 3

The

recent

blockbuster

Avatar

is

one

among

a

string

of

new

movies

to

come

out

during

a

period being called the ―3D renaissance‖. But has the 3D format cut down on the amount of movie

piracy as Hollywood hopes? It doesn‘t look like it.

―While Hollywood claims 3D movies will slow piracy, they are only partially right,‖ said

Chris

Chinnock,

president

of

a

U.S.-based

marketing

research

and

consulting

firm.

He

said

if

pirates

try

to

use

a

regular

video

camcorder

to

record

3D

films,

it

would

result

in

the

images

coming back in double. However, those with knowledge of video equipment can get around the

3D deterrent, he said.

Chinnock‘s assessment seems to hold true. More than a week before

Avatar

was set for its

China release, copies of it were shelved in pirated DVD shops throughout Beijing.

He also speculated that the lack of impact on the pirate market might be because the film

was also released in 2D. The problem with releasing a film strictly in 3D is that many theaters, in

both the U.S. and China, are not equipped to handle the new technology. China has roughly 200

mainland

theaters

equipped

to

show

3D

films.

Less

availability

for

movie-goers

means

more

devious minds finding alternative ways to watch blockbusters.

Hurvitz

of

the

foreign

counsel

for

intellectual

property

law

firm

Kangxin

Partners

PC

pointed out that while filming in the cinema is one of the biggest and easiest ways to contribute to

pirated

films,

there

are

hundreds

of

people

with

industry

?ins‘

willing

to

pass

along

exclusive

copies of the film for big bucks.

Still

the

problem

persists

and,

while

stringent

laws

are

in

place,

neither

the

Chinese

government nor the U.S. filming industry knows what to do. ―They‘re snuck out of the studios,

sent overseas, duplicated a million times and then sol

d on the streets,‖ Hurvitz said.

When

Dan

Brown‘s

blockbuster

novel

―The

Lost

Symbol‖

hit

stores

in

September,

it

may

have offered a peek at the future of bookselling.

On , the book sold more digital copies for the Kindle e-reader in its first few

days than hardback editions. However, less than 24 hours after its release, pirated digital copies of

the novel were found on file-sharing sites like Rapidshare. Within days, it had been downloaded

for free more than 100,000 times.

Digital piracy, long confined to music and movies, is spreading to books. And as electronic

reading devices such as Amazon‘s Kindle and the Sony Reader boost demand for e

-books, experts

say

the

problem

may

only

get

worse.

Digital

theft

may

pose

a

big

headache

in

2010

for

the

slumping publishing industry, which relies increasingly on electronic reading devices and e-books

to stimulate sales.

Piracy is a serious issue for publishers. The company that publishes Stephenie Meyer‘s wildly

popular ―Twilight‖ teen

-vampir

e series says it ―considers copyright protection to be of paramount

importance.‖

Authors

are

concerned

as

well.

―With

the

open

-source

culture

on

the

Internet,

the

idea of ownership --- of artistic ownership ---

goes away,‖ said novelist and poet Sherman Al

exie

last month. ―It terrifies me.‖

As to how to combat e-book piracy, views vary. Some publishers have tried to minimize theft

by delaying releases of e-books for several weeks after physical copies go on sale. Some authors

have even gone as far as to shrug off e-book technology altogether.

However, some evidence suggests that authors‘ and publishers‘ claims of damage from illegal

piracy may be overstated. Recent statistics have shown that consumers who purchase an e-reader

buy more books than those who stick with traditional bound volumes. Amazon reports that Kindle

owners buy, on average, 3.1 times as many books on the site as other customers.

pirated

latest

bargain

estimates

unique

populations

illegal

basing

the

overseas

market

is

almost

as

huge

as

the

Indian

market

the

U.S.-India

Business

Council,

and

American

film

companies

are

collaborating

with

Bollywood

to

combat

piracy

by

raising

awareness of the problem with American authorities

UNIT 4

China has changed enormously over the last 20 years. Its economy has been growing at 10%

a year. Today, 80% of the world‘s electronic goods are made in China. As a result, more and more

western companies want to do business in China. But how easy is it for a westerner to do business

there? Here are some tips from the British Embassy in Beijing.

Build relationships. In the west, it‘s usual to do business first, and then see if a relationship is

possible. In China, it‘s the opposite. You need to build a relationship before you can do business.

This le

ads to the idea of ?

guanxi’

.

Guanxi

means using personal contacts and relationships to do

business, and westerners need to understand how real and strong this is in China.

It can also be useful to find a reliable Chinese ally to work with you. He or she will be able to

help

with

language

or

cultural

problems

and

will

also

be

able

to

understand

Chinese

body

language.

You

must

remember

to

respect

?face‘.

?Face‘

means

having

high

status

with

your

peers.

?Face‘ can be lost, given or earned. Never criticize or

insult someone in front of others, as losing

face will make it impossible to make a deal. On the other hand, if you praise someone by saying

good things about him or her, then he or she will gain face, but be careful not to do it too much.

All these tricks of the trade can help you to play the game and do business successfully in

China. Be prepared, and be patient if you want to be a winner in China.

The Quarterly (Magazine):

How has Carrefour had to adapt to Chinese tastes?

Jean-Luc Chereau (President of Carrefour China):

Take the example of fish. When I am

in San Francisco and I visit a store, the fish is filleted and packed; it‘s dead. When I am in France,

the fish is dead but it‘s whole; it‘s on ice. I can see its eyes and see if it‘s fresh or not.

Each place

has its own way of selling fish.

If you are in China, you have two ways of selling fish. The first is to display live fish. When

we

entered Taiwan,

we

went

to

the

fresh

markets

in

Taipei

and

Kaohsiung

to

see what

kind

of

products they had, how they were displayed, and how customers bought those products. Carrefour

decided to adopt this fresh-market style and to display the same products at lower prices in a better,

cleaner environment. And we were very, very successful. Now, on the mainland, the first image

customers get when they enter a Carrefour store is fresh products. When customers are in the fresh

area, they recognize the fresh market they‘re accustomed to. And now most of our competitors are

following Carrefour in this way.

But there is another method we neglected when we moved away from the coast: frozen fish.

Why would frozen fish be important in China? Because the distance between the area where they