U3 Script & Key

Unit 3

Section One Tactics for Listening

Part 1 Spot Dictation Wildlife Script

Listen to the passage and fill in the blanks with what you hear.

Every ten minutes, one kind of animal, plant or insect dies out for ever. If nothing is done about it, one million species that are alive today will have become

extinct twenty years from now.

The seas are in danger. They are being filled with poison: industrial and nuclear waste, chemical fertilisers and pesticides , sewage . If nothing is done about it, one day soon nothing will be able to live in the seas.

The tropical rain forests, which are the home of half the earth’s living things are being destroyed. If nothing is done about it, they will have nearly disappeared in twenty years. The effect on the world’s climate — and on our agriculture and food supplies — will be disastrous.

Fortunately, somebody is trying to do something about it. In 1961, the World

Wildlife Fund* was founded — a small group of people who wanted to raise

money to save animals and plants from extinction. Today, the World Wildlife Fund is

a large international organization. It has raised over ￡35 million for conservation projects, and has created or given support to National Parks in five continents. It

has helped 30 mammals and birds — including the tiger — to survive.

Key

(Refer to the tapescript.)

Part 2 Listening for Gist Script

Listen to the dialogue and write down the gist and the key words that help you decide. Mrs. Bates:

Hello. Is that Reception?

Reception: Yes, madam. Mrs. Bates:

This is Mrs. Bates. Room 504. I sent some clothes to the laundry

this morning, two of my husband’s shirts and three of my blouses. But they’re not back yet. You see, we’re leaving early tomorrow morning.

Reception: Just a moment, madam. I’ll put you through to the housekeeper. Housekeeper: Hello. Housekeeper. Mrs. Bates:

Oh, hello. This is ... I’m phoning from Room 504. It’s about some

clothes I sent to the laundry this morning. They’re not back yet and you see ...

Housekeeper: They are, madam. You’ll find them in your wardrobe. They’re in the

top drawer on the left.

Mrs. Bates:

Oh, I didn’t look in the wardrobe. Thank you very much. Sorry to

trouble you.

Housekeeper: That’s quite all right. Goodbye. Mrs. Bates:

Goodbye.

Key

1. This dialogue is about making an inquiry about the laundry . 2. The key words are reception, laundry, shirts, blouses, wardrobe .

Section Two Listening Comprehension

Part 1 Words and Message Gender Equality Script

A. Listen to some sentences or short paragraphs and write the main idea of each of them in one sentence. You will hear each sentence or paragraph only once.

1. Clicking through the channels, you might not see many Asians reporting on the

evening news, even though they’re the fastest growing segment of the U.S. population.

2. If the world closed the gender gap in workforce participation, global Gross

Domestic Product would increase by 28 trillion dollars by 2025. That’s about a quarter of the world’s current GDP, and almost half of the world’s current debt. Studies have found that countries with less gender inequality are more secure,

and peace agreements last longer when women are at the negotiating table. 3. Gender equality sometimes looks like an impossible task — a pursuit without

an end. But we can make progress, and that progress is worth making. Little by little, discussion by discussion, step by step, we can improve the lives of women and girls, men and boys all around the world. And in doing so, we can reach our shared goals of peace, prosperity, and security.

B. Listen to the short paragraph again. You will hear the paragraph twice. For the first reading, you will hear the sentences in small sections. Write them down while listening. And for the second reading check your answers.

Gender equality sometimes looks like an impossible task // — a pursuit without an end. // But we can make progress, // and that progress is worth making. // Little by little, discussion by discussion, step by step, // we can improve the lives of women and girls, // men and boys all around the world. // And in doing so, we can reach our shared goals of // peace, prosperity, and security.

Now listen to the paragraph again.

Key

A

1. Asians are ignored by popular media, even though they’re the fastest growing segment of the U.S. population.

2. Gender equality has powerful potential to improve the economy and security. 3. Gender equality sometimes looks like an impossible task, but we can make progress.

B

(Refer to the tapescript.)

Part 2 Dialogue Global Warming Script

A. Listen to the dialogue and decide whether the following statements are true

(T) or false (F).

A: On our programme this afternoon we’re going to be talking about a subject

that has been getting a lot of attention recently — and that is global warming. For years now, some scientists have been warning us about global warming. But just how serious is the problem and what can we do to prevent the situation from getting worse? With us this morning, we have Dr. Stokes from the weather office. First of all, Dr. Stokes, what causes global warming?

B: Well, basically global warming is caused by an increase in the amount of carbon

dioxide in the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is rather like a giant blanket around the earth, and it keeps the heat in the atmosphere. If the amount of CO2 in the air doubled, for example, the earth’s temperature would rise by about 2 degrees Centigrade, or 4 degrees Fahrenheit. A: That doesn’t sound like much.

B: No, it doesn’t. But it would be enough to melt the polar ice caps. This would

raise sea levels by about 60 metres or 200 feet, which in turn would be enough to drown coastal cities like New York, Bombay and London.

A: I see. That is frightening. Well, is it true to say that we’ve already started to see

changes in the world’s weather?

B: Oh, yes. The droughts in Africa, for example. And unless we act now, more and

more people will starve because their croplands have become deserts. A: What do you mean by “unless we act now”? What can we do?

B: Well, first of all, let me say that even if we start to make changes now, we may

not be able to reverse all the damage. For example, I think that the weather in some parts of the world has been changed forever. But unless we can reduce the amount of carbon dioxide going into the atmosphere, we’re going to have even more serious problems. A: And how can we do that? B: Well, to begin with, we have to ...

B. Listen to an extract from the dialogue and complete the following

sentences with the missing words. A: That doesn’t sound like much.

B: No, it doesn’t. But it would be enough to melt the polar ice caps. This would

raise sea levels by about 60 metres or 200 feet, which in turn would be enough to drown coastal cities like New York, Bombay and London.

Key

A

F 1. Global warming has caught the public attention for a long time.

T 2. Some scientists have been warning the public about global warming for a long

time.

T 3. Global warming is caused by the increase of carbon dioxide emission into the

atmosphere.

T 4. Carbon dioxide keeps the heat in the atmosphere.

F 5. A 2 degree Centigrade increase of the earth’s temperature would be enough

to raise sea levels by about 6 metres.

T 6. The droughts in Africa are also a sign of global warming. T 7. We may reverse some damage if we act now.

F 8. Even if we start to make changes now, we’re going to have even more serious

problems. B

A: That doesn’t sound like much.

B: No, it doesn’t. But it would be enough to melt the polar ice caps. This would

raise sea levels by about 60 metres or 200 feet, which in turn would be enough to drown coastal cities like New York, Bombay and London.

Part 3 Passage

The Clyde River Script

C． Listen to some sentences and write them down. You will hear each sentence three times.

1. Salmon are very sensitive to environmental conditions and require cool,

well-oxygenated water to thrive.

2. The closure of factories that had poured toxins and other pollutants into the

river boosted water quality significantly and modern sewage processing plants helped eliminate some of the foul smells.

3. The river’s depth and navigability helped make Glasgow an important center

for importing tobacco, sugar and cotton from the Americas starting in the 1600s.

4. The mills and factories that lined the Clyde made steel, textiles and chemicals,

tanned leather and even produced candy and brewed alcohol.

5. When the factories began to close in the second half of the 20th century,

working-class Glasgow, Scotland’s largest city, gained a reputation for social deprivation and rough streets.

D． Listen to the passage and choose the best answer to each of the following questions you will hear.

Running through one of Britain’s biggest manufacturing centers, Glasgow*, the Clyde River* was poisoned for more than a century by the fetid* byproducts of

industry.

The waterway bore the brunt of Glasgow’s economic success during the Industrial Revolution* and beyond, as pollution and chemicals destroyed its fish and wildlife populations and brewed smells whose memory still makes residents wince*. Now, with heavy industry gone and Glasgow reconceived as a center for culture and tourism, the Clyde is coming back to life.

For the first time since the late0s, its native salmon have returned in sizable numbers, reflecting the new cleanliness of a river that was once one of Britain’s filthiest.

The Clyde River Foundation surveyed fish populations last autumn at 69 sites in the Clyde and its tributaries, and found salmon in seven of the nine major tributaries.

The migratory fish, which vanished from the Clyde around 1880 after a long decline, first reappeared in the 1980s, but last year’s survey was the first to show they’ve come back in healthy numbers.

Although commercial salmon fishing was never widespread on the Clyde, the fish’s return is symbolically important for Glasgow, where salmon were once so important to the city’s identity that two are pictured on its official coat of arms.

The salmon’s comeback is also a sign of big improvements to water quality. Like sea trout, which have also reappeared in the Clyde system in recent years, salmon are very sensitive to environmental conditions and require cool, well-oxygenated* water to thrive.

The decline of Glasgow’s main industries helped boost the fortunes of a river that was essentially fishless for decades during the worst periods of pollution.

The closure of factories that had poured toxins* and other pollutants into the river boosted water quality significantly. Environmental regulators also tightened dumping rules, and modern sewage processing plants helped eliminate some of the foul* smells that once tainted* the air.

With worries rising about the environmental impact of enormous fish farms elsewhere in Scotland and severely depleted fish stocks in the North Sea and North Atlantic, the Clyde comeback is a rare bit of good news for Scotland’s fish lovers.

Since the area that is now Glasgow was first settled around the year 550, the Clyde has been central to its history.

The river’s depth and navigability helped make Glasgow an important center for importing tobacco, sugar and cotton from the Americas starting in the 1600s. Later, during the Industrial Revolution that began in the late 1700s, Glasgow became a center of British shipbuilding and one of the country’s great manufacturing centers.

The mills and factories that lined the Clyde made steel, textiles and chemicals, tanned leather and even produced candy and brewed alcohol.

When the factories began to close in the second half of the 20th century, working-class Glasgow, Scotland’s largest city, gained a reputation for social deprivation* and rough streets. More recently, its art museums and nightlife have helped drive an economic comeback that has turned the city into a popular tourist

destination.

Questions: 1. How long had the Clyde River been poisoned by the fetid byproducts of industry?

2. What happened to the Clyde River during the Industrial Revolution and beyond?

3. When did the native salmon appear in sizable numbers last time?

4. What was the result of the Clyde River Foundation’s survey on fish populations last autumn?

5. When did salmon come in healthy numbers?

6. Why is the salmon’s comeback symbolically important for Glasgow? 7. Why is the Clyde important to Glasgow? 8. What has Glasgow become now?

E． Listen to the passage again. Take notes and complete the following passage.

Key

A 1. a 2. d 3. e 4. c 5. b B

Rivers are important to humans because they supply fresh drinking water,

serve as home for fishes, and provide transportation routes. C

(Refer to the tapescript.)

D 1. A 2. C 3. C 4. C 5. D 6. C 7. B 8. A E

During the British Industrial Revolution that began in the late 1700s, Glasgow became one of Britain’s biggest manufacturing centers. As the Clyde River runs

across Glasgow, and was lined with the mills and factories that made steel, textiles

and chemicals, tanned leather , and that even

produced candy and brewed alcohol, it was heavily polluted for more than a century by the fetid byproducts of industry. Salmon, once so important to the city’s identity, vanished from the Clyde River around 1880 after a long decline. However, when the factories began to close in the second half of the 20th century, Glasgow had a chance to develop into a center for culture and tourism. Since more art museums were built and nightlife helped to drive an economic revival, the Clyde

River has also been coming back to life. F

1. Now, with heavy industry gone and Glasgow reconceived as a center for

culture and tourism, the Clyde is coming back to life.

2. The migratory fish, which vanished from the Clyde around 1880 after a long

decline, first reappeared in the 1980s, but last year’s survey was the first to show they’ve come back in healthy numbers.

3. With worries rising about the environmental impact of enormous fish farms

elsewhere in Scotland and severely depleted fish stocks in the North Sea and North Atlantic, the Clyde comeback is a rare bit of good news for Scotland’s fish lovers.

4. More recently, its art museums and nightlife have helped drive an economic

comeback that has turned the city into a popular tourist destination.

Part 4 News

News Item 1 POPs Script

A． Listen to the news item and complete the following sentences.

After a tense all-night session, officials from 150 governments have agreed to ban the production of nine of the world’s most hazardous chemicals. These substances join a list of 12 other so-called Persistent Organic Pollutants, or POPs, that are prohibited under a 2001 international treaty known as the Stockholm Convention. The week-long meeting was held under the auspices of the United Nations Environment Program.

UN Environment Program Executive Director Achim Steiner calls the agreement historic. He says the nine chemicals that have joined the list of Persistent Organic Pollutants, are extremely harmful to the environment and to health.

The newly targeted chemicals include products that are widely used in pesticides and flame-retardants*, and in a number of other commercial uses, such

as a treatment for head lice*.

These nine toxic chemicals will join the Stockholm Convention*’s original list of 12 Persistent Organic Pollutants, referred to as the “dirty dozen.”

The pollutants are especially dangerous because they cross boundaries and travel long distances, from the Equator to the Arctic. They persist in the atmosphere and take many years, often decades, to degrade* into less dangerous forms.

They pose* great risks to the environment and human health, especially to young people, farmers, pregnant women and the unborn.

B． Listen to the news item again and complete the following paragraph. Then

give a brief summary of the news item.

Key

A

1. The newly targeted chemicals include products that are widely used in

pesticides and flame-retardants, and in a number of other commercial uses, such as a treatment for head lice. 2. The pollutants can cross boundaries and travel long distances, from the

Equator to the Arctic.

3. They persist in the atmosphere and take many years, often decades, to degrade into less dangerous forms. B

UN Environment Program Executive Director welcomed the agreement to ban the production of nine of the world’s most hazardous chemicals that are extremely harmful to the environment and to health. These substances will join a list of 12 other so-called Persistent Organic Pollutants, or POPS, that are prohibited under an international treaty known as the Stockholm Convention. This news item is about a ban on nine of the world’s most hazardous chemicals.

C

1. The week-long meeting was held under the auspices of the United Nations

Environment Program.

2. The pollutants pose great risks to the environment and human health,

especially to young people, farmers, pregnant women and the unborn.

News Item 2 The Great Barrier Reef Script

A． Listen to the news item and complete the following sentences.

Scientists have warned that the Great Barrier Reef* — which stretches for more than 2,500 kilometers down Australia’s northeast coast — is likely to bear the brunt of warmer ocean temperatures.

A major concern has been the bleaching* of coral*, where the sensitive marine organisms wither* under environmental stress caused by increased water temperature, pollution or sedimentation*. An unexpected discovery at the southern end of the reef has provided some rare good news for researchers.

Researchers found that coral in the Keppel Islands* off Queensland, which was damaged by bleaching in 2006 and then smothered* by seaweed that overgrew the reef, has managed to repair itself.

Experts say to see reefs bounce back from mass coral bleaching in less than a decade is highly unusual.

Like other coral systems, the Great Barrier Reef is facing a range of environmental threats. Scientists say their capacity to recover from damage inflicted* by warmer waters, for example, will be critical to their future health.

The Great Barrier Reef is one of Australia’s premier* tourist attractions. It covers an area bigger than Britain and is the largest living structure on earth and the only one visible from space.

B． Listen to the news item again and decide whether the following statements

are true (T) or false (F). Then give a brief summary of the news item.

Key

A

1. A major concern has been the bleaching of coral, where the sensitive marine

organisms wither under environmental stress caused by increased water temperature, pollution or sedimentation.

2. Researchers found that coral in the Keppel Islands, which was damaged by

bleaching in 2006 and then smothered by seaweed that overgrew the reef, has

managed to repair itself.

3. The capacity to recover from damage inflicted by warmer waters will be critical to the future health of the Great Barrier Reef.

4. The Great Barrier Reef is one of Australia’s premier tourist attractions. B

F 1. Increased water temperature is the only factor that leads to the bleaching of

coral.

F 2. Reef recovery within ten years is quite usual.

T 3. The capacity to recover from damage will be critical to the reef ’s future

health.

F 4. The Great Barrier Reef covers an area as big as Britain and can be seen from

space.

This news item is about the recovery of the Great Barrier Reef from damage

inflicted by environmental threats. C

Scientists have warned that the Great Barrier Reef is likely to bear the brunt of warmer ocean temperatures .

Section Three Supplementary Exercises

Part 1 Passage

Lab Produces Shape-shifting Fruits and Vegetables Script

B． Listen to some sentences and write them down. You will hear each sentence three times.

1. What if you could alter the familiar shape? Would a square tomato still be a tomato?

2. Scientists are learning how to change the shape of fruits and vegetables so

they can be harvested or processed more efficiently, or maybe just to reduce waste in the kitchen.

3. People have been cross-breeding tomatoes to make the shapes they want for a

long time. But this is not the same thing.

4. If you could get a tomato as long as a cucumber, where you could get 20 or 30

slices out of it, it would be great.

5. Once we know all the genes responsible for making different shapes in

tomatoes, we’ll have a better idea of what controls the shape of other crops, such as peppers, cucumbers and gourds.

C． Listen to the passage and answer the following questions.

Many fruits and vegetables we know almost as much by their shape as by their color or taste. Bananas are long and curved. Onions are round. But what if you could alter the familiar shape? Would a square tomato still be a tomato?

Scientists are learning how to change the shape of fruits and vegetables so they can be harvested or processed more efficiently, or maybe just to reduce waste

in the kitchen. It can be done to some extent with traditional hybrid* techniques. And as we hear from reporter Julie Grant, it can also be done by flipping* a genetic switch.

Ester van der Knaap steps gingerly around the greenhouse. We’re at the Ohio State Agricultural Research and Development Center in Wooster. Van der Knaap points out short, round tomatoes — and some odd-looking long, thin ones.

“That’s one gene. One gene can make that difference.”

Van der Knaap’s team discovered that gene and isolated it. They call it the SUN gene. And they’ve been able to clone it in tomatoes.

Van der Knaap’s research could lead to square-shapes — something she thinks the tomato industry might like. Square tomatoes fit better into packages. And, overall, square tomatoes might be easier to work with than the common round tomatoes.

So far money for her research has come from the National Science Foundation — not big ag.

Designer fruit shapes are gaining popularity.

People have been cross-breeding* tomatoes to make the shapes they want for a long time. But this is not the same thing.

Dick Alford is a chef and professor of hospitality management at the University of Akron (Ohio).

The difference between what his brother and lots of other folks have been doing and what van der Knaap is doing is the difference between cross-breeding

and locating a specific gene that affects the shape of tomatoes.

Chef Alford watches students as they cut yellow crookneck squash and carrots. They’re trying to make uniform, symmetrical* shapes out of curvy and pointed vegetables. There’s a lot of waste. Chef Alford hates to see so much get thrown away. So he’s got a request of Dr. van der Knaap.

“If we could get square carrots, it would be great. If you could get a tomato as long as a cucumber, where you could get 20 or 30 slices out of it, it would be great.”

In a country that loves hamburgers, van der Knaap has heard that request before. But the long, thin tomato hasn’t worked out just yet. She says there’s more genetics to be studied.

“Once we know all the genes responsible for making different shapes in tomatoes,” van der Knaap says, “we’ll have a better idea of what controls the shape of other crops, such as peppers, cucumbers and gourds*. And maybe then we’ll get those square carrots.”

D． Listen to the passage again. Take notes and complete the following passage.

Key

B C

(Refer to the tapescript.)

1. Bananas and onions.

2. The hybrid or cross-breeding technique. 3. The genetic technique.

4. They discovered the SUN gene and managed to clone it in tomatoes.

5. Compared with round tomatoes, square tomatoes fit into packages better and

might be easier to work with.

6. The difference between what his brother and lots of other folks have been

doing and what van der Knaap is doing is the difference between crossbreeding and locating a specific gene that affects the shape of tomatoes. 7. There’s a lot of waste. Chef Alford hates to see so much get thrown away. So

he’s got a request of Dr. van der Knaap.

8. The study would give us a better idea of what controls the shape of other crops,

such as peppers, cucumbers and gourds. And maybe then we’ll get those square carrots. D

Many fruits and vegetables are usually recognized as much by their shape as by

their color or taste. However, many scientists are nowadays trying to learn how to change the shape of fruits and vegetables so that the fruits and vegetables can be

harvested or produced more efficiently or waste can be reduced in the kitchen. Van der Knaap’s team at the Ohio State Agricultural Research Center in Wooster discovered that one gene could produce the desired effect, whereas some other scientists at the University of Akron (Ohio) were doing something different —

trying to get the positive results from the cross-breeding research. Once all the

genes are known that are responsible for making different shapes, the creative shape of fruits and vegetables can be made possible beyond doubt. Part 2 Video

Bird-friendly Bladeless Wind Turbine Mimics Nature Script

Watch the video film and answer the questions.

Energy created by conventional three-blade wind turbines* is cheap, sustainable and pollution-free. But according to current estimates, the fast-moving blades kill up to 300,000 birds annually in the United States.

That could change with a bladeless* wind converter* called Saphonian*, designed by Tunisian engineer Anis Aouni*. He studied ancient sailboats and the movements of birds and fish to develop a parabolic dish that rotates in a peculiar pattern while catching the wind like a ship’s sail.

“It’s like a big ‘eight’ in space,” Aouni said. “It’s a movement that we can find in nature. That’s why I told you that Saphonian is rich in biomimetics. Because we find the same movement in fish tails when they are moving, or in birds’ wings.” The bladeless converter creates less noise than traditional wind turbines and does not suffer from the gyroscopic* effect, which makes it easier to adjust to changes in wind direction. The prototype* is a little more than 1 meter in diameter,

but computer models show it is scalable to bigger sizes.

Aouni hopes it eventually will be able to turn 80 percent of wind energy into electricity.

“In practice, we reached 1.7 times the performance of a traditional wind turbine. Economically, it is a machine that costs much less than an equivalent wind turbine.” Tunisian company Saphon Energy, which developed the prototype, has won several awards for the new turbine, including support from Microsoft’s initiative* to help African startup* companies.

Key

1. It is cheap, sustainable and pollution-free.

2. That’s because in the United States every year as many as 300,000 birds are

killed by the fast-moving blades, according to current estimates.

3. He got the inspiration mainly from his careful observation. He studied ancient

sailboats and the movements of birds and fish to develop a parabolic dish that rotated in a particular pattern while catching the wind like a ship’s sail. 4. Yes, it did meet his dream because Tunisian company Saphon Energy won

several awards for the new turbine.

5. One is thatit can generate energy 1.7 times as much as that generated by a

traditional wind turbine; the other is that it costs much less than an equivalent wind turbine.