全國(guó)英語(yǔ)等級(jí)考試教材第三級(jí)Unit16

[00:00.00] Chapter 16 Current affairs [00:12.90]Unit 16 Current Affairs [00:18.36]Conversations [00:21.71]part 1 [00:25.08]Tow students are discussing some cocial problems. [00:30.43]With the rapid developmets,more and more problems are coming out. [00:37.20]Just think of the population explosion. [00:41.64]If that continues at the present rate,we'll all be starving in future. [00:47.60] Oh,don't say that . [00:51.44]Most countries are developing family planning programs now. [00:57.81]At least there is a solution to the population explosion. [01:03.76] It's all very well to say that population growth will be controlled, [01:09.83]but I don't think the figures show any real improvement yet, [01:14.87]and all the people alive now obviously want to have children. [01:20.51] You may be right.But there are other things that need controlling. [01:26.67]Take pollution for example,as the population increases,it waste materials; [01:35.92]and industry waste a lot of pollution. [01:41.56]Yes,because industry is using up the world's natural resources faster and faster, [01:48.23]especially energy. [01:51.60] Do you know millions of tons of oil are spilt into the sea every year? [01:59.33]It's terrible! [02:02.78]Yes,I agree,oil is a dreadful problem. [02:09.02]Let's hope the scientists can develop new sources of energy. [02:14.77]Tang and his foreign teacher Victor are exchanging ideas about the science of clone. [02:24.61] I read from the paper that an American physicist said [02:31.28]he was ready to clone a human being [02:35.85]and hoped to produce the first human duplicate within the next 18 months. [02:43.00]You have read a lot. [02:46.95]The scientist also said that if the United States does outlaw human cloning, [02:53.79]he would set up his operation elsewhere. [02:58.16]I first learnt about the clone from the cloning of Dolly, [03:03.80]a sheep created using genetic material from an adult cell. [03:10.28]It's said that the difference between that [03:14.82]and cloning a human being was not that great. [03:19.58] Many experts said that is was not a fear of science [03:25.14]but of how to control the technology. [03:29.50]Yes,I agree. [03:33.16]And it seems to me that is touches on a central theme--search for immortality. [03:40.24]Huh,huh,quite right. [03:44.68]Everybody seems to believe that you'd just be a younger version of who you are today [03:50.84]and could use all your experience and shape your life [03:55.99] because you now know better. [03:59.54]But the reality is that you'd go through another likfe and it wouldn't be you. [04:06.02]So it's hard to see the future of teh human cloning. [04:11.35]True.In fact,technology is neither good nor evil. [04:17.10]It's just the use of it. [04:20.26]part 3 [04:23.50]Sarah and Matthew are talking about problems related to the equality of women and men. [04:31.65]It strikes me that here in Britain [04:36.69]women have already got as much freedom as they could possibly want. [04:42.75]They've got the vote,they can go to university, [04:47.71]they can compete with men in the professions on equal terms. [04:53.04] I agree,but not many. [04:57.61]Most of them are still housewives. [05:02.37]Can you imagine the monotony,the boredom,the frustration? [05:08.53] I can imagine it easily enough. [05:12.79]But don't forget that a lot of men have equally boring jobs [05:18.25]and less freedom to do them in their own way. [05:22.90]Most housewives,in my experience,are content to be housewives. [05:28.83]Take my wife Lisa for example,she's not bored or frustrated; [05:34.99]She finds her life quite satisfying;she cleans,cooks,gardens... [05:40.64]Oh,I'm aware of that. [05:44.89]That's becuase over the centuries men have trained [05:50.25]and educated women to consider themselves inferior and to accept their position. [05:57.69]You men they've been conditioned to accept an inferior position? [06:02.84] Exactly,they've been brainwashed. [06:07.57]It's the job of the women's Lib Movement to open their eyes [06:13.45]to the way they have been fooled and dominated and exploited all these years. [06:20.71]I believe the housework and the bringing up the children should be shared equally. [06:27.87]Well,I do that at my house; [06:31.71]and I fill up the stove and mow the lawn and dig the garden. [06:37.17]Anyway I do quite a lot of the shopping. [06:42.34]Fancy that! [06:45.58]And in my time I've bathed a few babies,changed nappies and washed them. [06:51.82]Well,all I can say is you must be pretty unusual. [06:57.41]My husband's never touched a nappy in his life. [07:02.87]part 4 [07:05.93] On Free Birth Control. [07:09.98] Peter,what sections of the population do you think [07:15.75] free birth control techniques should be available to ? [07:20.79]They should be... available to all sections fo the community,er... [07:27.27]things are getting to such a pitch taht I personally think that... [07:32.91]er...not only should birth control methods be available to all sectilons of the community, [07:40.17]but indeed should be compulsory. [07:44.33]There should be some kind of law [07:48.09]which says that a family should not have more than three children, [07:53.55]a complete maximum of three children, [07:58.22]if they have three children,then they must be lbliged by law, [08:04.18]almost to use birth control, [08:07.84]if not have er...various kinds of operation which... [08:13.90]um... make conception impossible. [08:18.16]But surely this is very er... explosive in social terms. [08:24.61]It's very...it's a very totalitarian notion,but the alternative... [08:30.56]if we look around us in the world outside is millions of people starving to death in places, [08:37.12]and people suffering from malnutrition in ... [08:41.48]in other parts of the underdeveloped world [08:46.52]and indeed even in parts of the so-called developed world. [08:52.38]Passage China Scare,Is It Real? [08:59.14] America's love-hate relationship with China develops speedily. [09:06.22]The latest setback in the bilateral relation is another fearsome "China Scare". [09:14.48]Actually,though ,in America it is nothing new. [09:20.12]The United States' politics seems to need a "China Scare" from time to time. [09:27.56] Recall that nearly a storm started around the book [09:33.52]The Coming Cnflict with China in 1997. [09:38.87]Its author was two US journalists frmerly working i Beijing. [09:46.14]The debate was anything but positive about the Sino-US relationship. [09:53.58]It is true that China's strategic aims in Asia [09:59.54]are not completely the same with those of the US. [10:05.00]However,the authors seemed to worry far too much [10:11.06]by putting much emphasis on China's military strength. [10:16.93] American interest groups are afraid of competing with Chinese imports, [10:23.88]because more and more American consumers [10:28.74]bigin to find Chinese goods an much cheaper choice. [10:34.62]So they held this political view [10:39.19]that China's rapid growth is not a blessing for all concerned. [10:45.54]Instead it was being thought [10:49.80]as a force threatening other Asia economies and America's too. [10:56.46] President George W.Bush "encourages the transfer of money, [11:03.90]industrial capacity and technology to China [11:09.47]that will help its development but sill threaten the US and its allies", [11:16.60]charges William Hawkins,a supporter for protecting US business and industry. [11:24.43]Then there's also people saying that China's gain [11:30.47]is basically on every one else's loss. [11:35.30]An increasingly globalized and modernized nation of 1.3 billion [11:42.67]is not a win-win for almost everyone. [11:47.53]It's a losing situation for everyone,but for China. [11:53.87] That's absurd,I think. [11:58.45] Sure,China's neighbors in Asia are worried about Chinese competition [12:05.29]and they know they have to work harder in order to compete with China. [12:11.64]However,it si unnecessarily sending scare [12:18.17]by imagining that economic growth will be greatly reduced, [12:24.05]domestic stock markets will get fuined and employment levels will become lower. [12:31.41]Certainly,China's economic progress will cause some tense moments. [12:38.67]But,on the whole, [12:42.44]Asia and the rest of the world will benefit from China's success. [12:48.99] Surely,China's entry into World Trade Organization [12:55.55]and its globalization will not be botally smooth. [13:01.79]Some people on the mainland who want to protect Chinese industries [13:08.35]would interfere to slow down market opening. [13:13.52]On the other hand, [13:16.76]the Bush administration's decision to cut down [13:21.52]on import quotas on foreign steel brought about world wide anger. [13:28.78]That decision has made US strategic and economic allies in Asia [13:36.14]and Europe angrier at America than at anything China has done lately. [13:43.69]So who is the greater threat--China or the United States [13:50.82]--to the world economy? [13:54.38]Let's just say that what continues to be needed in America's relationship with China [14:01.53]is not another "red scare", [14:06.39]but the three facts all too often missing: [14:12.17]common sense,political maturity and intellectual honesty. [14:19.90]Words and Expressions [14:23.74]speedy setback bilateral [14:26.42]adj.快速的 n.挫折 adj.雙邊的 [14:29.09]fearsome scare recall [14:31.42]adj.可怕的 n.恐慌 v.回想 [14:33.74]conflict author journalist [14:36.53]n.沖突 n.作者 n.記者 [14:39.31]formerly debate positive [14:41.79]adv.從前，以前 n.辯論 adj.樂(lè)觀(guān) [14:44.27]strategic emphasis military [14:47.09]adj.戰(zhàn)略的 n.強(qiáng)調(diào) adj.軍事的 n.軍隊(duì) [14:49.91]compete import consumer [14:52.43]v.競(jìng)爭(zhēng) n.進(jìn)口 n.消費(fèi)者 [14:54.96]concern transfer charge [14:57.79]v.關(guān)系，關(guān)于 n.轉(zhuǎn)讓 v.指責(zé) [15:00.62]globalize modernize absurd [15:03.29]v.全球化 v.現(xiàn)代化 adj.荒謬的 [15:05.95]competition domestic stock [15:08.62]n.競(jìng)爭(zhēng) adj.國(guó)內(nèi)的 n.股票 [15:11.28]entry globalization interfere [15:13.87]n.進(jìn)入 n.全球化 v.干涉 [15:16.45]administration quota maturity [15:19.33]n.政府，政權(quán) n.配額 n.成熟 [15:22.20]intellectual honesty [15:24.38]adj.知識(shí)的;理性的 n.誠(chéng)實(shí)，真誠(chéng) [15:26.56]Exercises Section I Listening Comprehension [15:32.60] Listen to the record. [15:36.36]Answer each question by choosing A,B,C or D from the four possible choices. [15:45.42]A 1.This bike doesn't have brake,and paintings on it have come off. [15:54.57]It's not worth buying at all. [15:58.12] That's not a bad-looking bike. [16:02.56]I'd like to have it so long as it can run. [16:07.31]What's in the headlines today? [16:12.96]It says here that one war is ending in the Middle East [16:18.23]And that another one is starting in Africa. [16:22.67]Most couontries are developing family planning programs now. [16:30.04]It's all very well to say that population growth will be controled, [16:36.21]but I don't think the figures show any real improvement. [16:41.77]I first learnt about the clone from the cloning of Dolly, [16:48.82]a sheep created using genetic material from an adult cell. [16:55.80]It's said that the difference between that [17:00.06]and cloning a human being was not that great. [17:05.10]So it's hard to see the future of the human cloning. [17:11.94]True.In fact,technology is neither good nor evil. [17:17.79]It's just the use of it. [17:21.45]B I heard that the country o f Saudi Arabia [17:27.12]is suffering from energy shortages just like we are here in China. [17:32.87]I heard that,too. [17:36.63]Who would eve thought that Saudi Arabia would have an energy shortage? [17:43.39]That country produces more oil than any other antion in the world. [17:50.37]Their energy shortage is lack of electricity. [17:55.64]It has been reported that new office buildings [18:00.29]and homes have stood empty for months waiting for power hookups. [18:06.35]I heard that a member of the royal family paid $30 000 [18:13.62]in order to get a power hookup in his new home. [18:18.58]The solution to problem seems simple. [18:23.41]Why don't they just build more power plants and use that enormous supply of oil they have? [18:30.47]I guess they have found the solution to be more complicated than that. [18:36.94]It seems that cash is tight and the demand for electricity [18:43.29]is growing three times as fast as the economy. [18:48.75]For a long time the Saudis have resisted outside control of sensitive industries, [18:55.83]but now they are hatching plans for private utilities [19:01.11]with some foreign participation to help supply electricity. [19:06.36]It seems that problems and solutions are the same the world over. [19:13.52]That's true. [19:17.07]One of the princes who is pushing a private utility plan has an interesting slogan, [19:23.91]"To the market,for the market,by the market." [19:29.58]C Are you worried by the rising crime rate? [19:36.03]If you are,then you probably know that your house, [19:41.10]possessions and person are increasingly in danger of suffering [19:47.16]from the tremendous rise in the cases of burglary and assault. [19:53.22] Figures indicate an ever-increasing crime rate [19:58.55]but it is only too easy to imagine [20:03.10]"It will never happen to me". [20:07.17]Unfortunately statistics show that it really can happen to you and, [20:13.41]if you ive in large city,you run twice the risk of being a victim. [20:19.66] Fortunately,there is something definite which you can do. [20:25.12]Protect Alarms can help you to protect your house [20:30.79]with a burglar alarm system which is effective, [20:35.51]simple to operate and easily affordable. [20:40.16] You must remember that possessing a burglar alarm [20:44.84]is no indication that your house is packed with valuable possessions. [20:50.72]It quite simply indicates to unwelcome wivitors [20:55.58]that they will not break into the house easily, [21:00.30]so they carry on to an unprotected house where their job is made a lot easier. [21:06.57] Send now for our free leaflet [21:11.22]telling you how we can Protect Alarm your house quickly,easily and cheaply. [21:17.99]Complete and tear off the slip below and post it to us. [21:23.55]Postage is free. [21:27.00]Alternatively,telephone us at 3276721 [21:33.35]where we have a round-the-clock answering service. [21:38.70]It costs nothing to find out about Protect Alarms. [21:44.16]Supplementary Reading [21:47.72]Human Activity Threating Mount Qomolangma [21:53.78] Asenior scientist warned on Sunday that human carelessness [22:00.54]is putting the delicate ecological balance of Mount Qomolangma in peril. [22:07.99] China Association for Scientific Expedition President [22:14.23]Gao Dengyi revealed an alarming that 615 tons of waste [22:22.17]were dumped by visitors to the peak between 1921 and 1999. [22:30.22] Gao asked the central government to establish a national station [22:37.48]to strengthen environmental monitoring and research on the world's highest peak. [22:45.03] "The effort will not only benefit China but the rest of the world,"said Gao, [22:52.40]Adding that data collected on the mountain [22:57.44]could shed more light on global environmental and climate change trends. [23:04.70] Gao,whose team at the Chinese Academy of Sciences [23:10.86]has researched the mountain since the 1960s, [23:15.91]said:"We need the government's backing to continue the effort." [23:22.25] Further activities are required to increase environmental awareness [23:29.20]and cut pollution on the mountain. [23:33.75] The greater popularity of the mountain is taking its toll, [23:39.70]with its snow becoming increasingly contaminated by DDT and lead. [23:47.64]"We have monitored more and more poisonous elements on the mountain,"Gao said. [23:55.01]"The waste left behind has resulted in a worse environment there,"warned Gao. [24:03.06] Gao,who has also been conducting environmetal research on the Qinghai- [24:09.90]Tibet Plateau since the 1960s, [24:15.15]said that the hole in the ozone layer [24:19.80]over the plateau has not expanded in recent years. [24:25.86] "Ozone depletion over the plateau was not caused by human activity, [24:33.23]so it didn't change much during previous years,"said Gao. [24:39.71] "In fact,there is no 'hole' over the region [24:45.48]and the amount of ozone is just less that other parts of the world, [24:51.83]excluding the Antarctic and Arctic," Gao said. [24:57.71] "So far,the ozone layer above the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau [25:04.47]can ward off ultraviolet radiation," said Gao. [25:10.11]"But the ozone holes above the North and South poles are extending,"said Gao. [25:19.07]Each spring,when the sun rises over Antarctica, [25:25.32]chemical reactions involving chlorine and bromine from man-made CFCs [25:33.47]and bromine-containing compounds occur in the stratosphere and destroy ozone, [25:41.51]causing the ozone hole. [25:45.88]This also happens over the Arctic. [25:50.60] "But the ozone depletion area over China's sky [25:56.48]is caused by meteoric and geological factors." [26:02.54]The low ozone area over the plateau has been formed by atmospheric convergence [26:10.90]and divergence near the plateau's surface and in the sky, [26:17.07]scientific data has shown since 1987. [26:22.81] Despite that,China has been working with international community [26:29.76]to protect the world's ozone layer for many years. [26:35.32] With the help of funds donated by the international community [26:41.70]and measures taken by the Chinese government, [26:46.84]the country has achieved a great deal in stopping the roduction [26:53.51]and consumption of ozone depleting substances. [26:59.88] For example,figures from the State Environmental Protection Administration [27:07.32]whow that the production of CFCs in China [27:12.60]now stands at nearly 30 000 tons a year,down from 45 000 tons in 1999, [27:22.55]when the country started to phase out CFC production. [27:28.51]By 2010--- as agreed by the Montreal Protocal-- [27:35.28]China will have ended CFC production. [27:40.74] China has received US $ 450 Million from the Multilateral Fund [27:48.99] for the Implementation of Montreal Protocol [27:54.03]since 1992 and more than 200 projects have been started.

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