视听说
Uint1
Task 2: Big John is coming!
Script
A bar owner in the Old West has just hired a timid bartender. This (S1) owner of the establishment is giving his new hire some instructions on (S2) running the place. He tells the timid man, “If you ever hear that Big John is coming to town, (S3) drop everything and run for the hills! He’s the biggest, nastiest (S4) outlaw who’s ever lived!”
A few weeks pass (S5) uneventfully. But one afternoon, a local cowhand comes running through town (S6) yelling, “Big John is coming! Run for your (S7) lives!”
When the bartender leaves the bar to start running, he is knocked to the ground by several townspeople rushing out of town. (S8) As he’s picking himself up, he sees a large man, almost seven feet tall. He’s muscular, and is growing as he approaches the bar.
He steps up to the door, orders the poor barkeep inside, and demands, “I want a beer NOW!”
He strikes his heavy fist on the bar, splitting it in half. (S9) The bartender nervously hands the big man a beer, hands shaking. He takes the beer, bites the top of the bottle off, and downs the beer in one gulp.
As the terrified bartender hides behind the bar, the big man gets up to leave, “Do you want another beer?” the bartender asks in a trembling voice.
“Dang it, I don’t have time!” the big man yells, (S10) “I got to get out of town! Don’t you hear Big John is coming?”
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Depression-causing Factors |
Problem Description |
Solution |
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Heredity |
It is inherited and run in families. |
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Physiology |
changes or imbalances in chemicals called neurotransmitters, which transmit information in the brain |
Antidepressant drugs relieve certain symptoms of depression. |
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Psychological Factors |
Low self-esteem and self-defeating thinking are connected with depression. |
Sufferers who make correction to their thinking patterns can show improved mood and self-esteem. |
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Early Experiences |
Event like the death of a parent, the divorce of parents, neglect, chronic illness, and severe physical abuse can increase the likelihood of depression. |
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Present Experiences |
Job loss, financial difficulties, long periods of unemployment, the loss of a spouse or other family member, or long-term stress may trigger depression. |
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Living with somebody with depression |
This causes increased anxiety, which adds to the possibility of their also becoming depressed. |
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New report
U.S. Roller Coaster
Script
The world’s first 4D roller coaster, “X”, took on its first passengers last week at the Six Flags Magic Mountain theme park, just outside Los Angeles.
After climbing on board and properly securing their safety harnesses, “X” riders are first to a height of over 66meters. At the top, the passenger train is released and builds up enough speed to race and plummet around the track at speeds of over 130km an hour.
The rider takes the daring passengers down an incredible 66m dive and over the top of a 62m loop, in cars that spin independently of the roller coaster train. This unique design allows riders to spin360degree, both forwards and backwards, through the entire ride.
Passengers hurtle through this ride often moving in many different directions at the same time ad the cars somersault back and forth and the roller coaster twists, loops, and dives.
The complicated series of maneuvers includes two raven turn, one front flip, one twisting front flip, and two back flips.
Since passengers aren’t always facing the right direction to see what’s coming up next, the element of surprise is high. For “X” riders, this adds to the thrill of the ride.
The track of this newest roller coaster runs a total length of a little over1, 100meters. The passenger trains measure 6meters wide and 21meters long, large enough to carry 28 passengers at a time. At full capacity, the trains can take 1,600passengers for the ride of their lives each hour.
The entire ride lasts for only a total about 2minutes, but you can tell from the exhilarated faces of passengers returning to the boarding dock that they were two of the most thrilling minutes of heir lives.
Uint2
Task 2: The Voice Lift
Script
After the face-lift, the forehead tightened, and the (S1) nose job, something still might be revealing your age: your (S2) voice.
For patients who think their trembly, hoarse words don’t (S3) match their newly face and figure, there’s a procedure that claims to make them (S4) sound younger too: the voice lift.
There are two general kinds of voice lifts. In some cases, implants (S5) inserted through an incision in the (S6) neck bring the vocal cords closer together. Doctors also use injections of (S7) fat or other substances to plump up the cords, so that the voice sounds younger.
(S8) The voice lift is becoming more widely known among an aging population, who try to make themselves sound younger.
“I speak in a great deal, or I was shouting, on a particular day, at the end of the day, I would feel exhausted,” said Robert Brown, 75, (S9) a retired construction engineer who underwent the voice lift several years ago, “I don’t know if I sound younger, but the hoarseness is gone, which is such a great improvement.”
(S10) Voice lift can also benefit people like performers, lawyers, teachers, and telephone operators who need to have a strong voice and hope to shave years off the sound of their voice.
V. Let’s Talk
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Money-saving Methods |
Detailed Description |
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seasonal purchases |
You should buy things at the end of the season. You’ll get major discounts, and you’ll be stocked up for the next year. |
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discount stores |
They’re perfect for buying things like T-shirts. |
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A store brand |
Stores offer current styles that are much cheaper than big-name brands. |
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Don’t buy outfits |
Buying separates is much more affordable. |
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Wear-with- anything pieces |
You can almost always wear a pair of black trousers and a white dress skirt; you can wear them several times a week, paired with different accessories. |
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spend money on accessories |
Examples are nice shoes and fashionable bags. Such extras make even the simplest outfit look polished |
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a great haircut |
You look more stylish and fashionable with a nice haircut. |
News Report
Miss World
Script
The Miss World title went to first black African contestant ever in its 51-year history at the Miss World finals in Sun City, South Africa on Friday.
Organizers of the pageant said they expected about one billion people to have turned in to watch the beauty queen extravaganza. The event was hosted by American talk show host, Jerry Springer, at a glitzy resort in the heart of South Africa’s bush country.
[SOUND BITE]
The pageant was created in 1951 by a public relations executive for a small leisure and entertainment company. It was initially intended to be only a one-time event, but was continued after the United States began the rival Miss Universe contest in 1952.
In more than half a century, there have been only three Miss World winners from Africa, two of them white South Africa and the third from Egypt.
Miss World has until now been dominated by winner from Europe, the Americas, and India, the majority of them being Caucasian.
The contestants in this pageant are judges in three different categories: beauty, grace, and charm; talent, poise, and personally; and figure and deportment. After the first round of judging, the original group of 92 contestants was pared down to only ten finalists who would go on to compete for the title.
The second-runner up in this ten year’s pageant was Miss Scotland, 18-year-old Juliet-Jane Horne.
[SOUND BITE]
The People’s Republic of China was represented for the first time this year by 18-year-od Bing Li.
[SOUND BITE]
The title of first runner up went to Miss Aruba, 19-year-old Zerelda Lee.
[SOUND BITE]
The competition was fierce as each of the ten finalists took her turn in the spotlight in front of a live audience.
But out of the 92 contestants, it was Miss Nigeria, 18-year-old Agbani Darego, who took home covered title and the $100,000 prize.
[SOUND BITE]
Before being crowed, Darego took the victory walk wearing a lime-green, body hugging dress and waved to a cheering crowd.
The news of her victory sparked rapturous celebrations all over Nigeria’s biggest city, Lagos.
Uint3
Task 2: Flooding in Haiti and the Dominican Republic
The death too continues to (S1) climb from last week’s flooding in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. The U.S. Agency for International Development (S2) reports that at least1,068 people are dead, 1,600 are (S3) missing, and 25,000 are in need of emergency food and other forms of (S4)assistance. In Dominican Republic, 414 are dead and 274 are missing, all from the town of Jimani.
A key(S5) factor in the widespread destruction is the extensive deforestation and the (S6) presence of settlements along the floodplains of rivers.
The flooding was driven by intense rainfall. A low-pressure system (S7) originating in Central America brought exceptionally heavy rain and thunderstorms to Haiti and the Dominican Republic from May 18 t o25. (S8) Rainfall exceeded 500 mm (or 19.7 inches) along the border areas of Haiti and the Dominican Republic during that period. At the town of Jimani, Dominican Republic, 250mm (or 10 inches) of rain fell in just 24 hours, causing the Solie River to overflow its banks from May24 to 25.The heavy rainfall resulted in flash flooding and extensive debris flowed over the entire region. Swollen rivers and debris cut off many of the roads traversing the area along the base of the mountains. (S9) This made it difficult for humanitarian relief worker to rescue stranded people and deliver badly. Now people want to know: How often do floods and related landmass movement also caused landsides in a few places.
(S10)Analysis of the past date shows that major floods in the Dominican Republic and Haiti are now a near-annual event. Since 1986, twelve lethal events have occurred on the island.
V. Let’s Talk
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Description |
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Natural disaster |
Adverse natural phenomena such as flood, drought, hailstorm, heat wave, forest fore, hurricanes or typhoons, tornado, tsunami, landsides and mudslides, or volcanic eruption. |
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Relationship Between Two Disasters |
They are related to each other. An undersea earthquake may result in a tsunami. While there is a long dry spell I none area, there may be a great flood in another. |
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Drought |
During a drought, food and water supplies can run low, and other condition, such as famine, can result. Drought are particularly damaging in areas in which the residents depend on agriculture for survival.
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