1、Unit 1 Starting out Listening inPassage 1Interviewer Can you tell me something about the Ivy League? Youre a professor at Harvard, is that right?Professor Thats right, yes.Interviewer Tell me how many universities are there? How many institutions?Professor In total there are eight institutions: Ther
2、es Harvard, Yale, Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Princeton, and the University of Pennsylvania.Interviewer Ah, OK. And whats the sporting . I believe theres some link with sports.Professor There certainly is, yes. Originally the Ivy League referred to the sports teams from the universities whi
3、ch competed against each other, especially in football, basketball and ice hockey. Now sometimes these universities, institutions, chose their students on the basis of their skills at these particular sports. But in the last 50 years, Ivy League schools have accepted a wider range of students becaus
4、e it wasnt possible to be both world-famous for research and also top class in sport.Interviewer And what about their academic importance? I gather theyre academically very, very important, theyre very well-known.Professor Absolutely at the top. Theyre near or at the top of the USA colleges and univ
5、ersity rankings. And theyre almost always in the top one per cent of the worlds academic institutions for financial resources.Interviewer And what does it mean socially to go to an Ivy League university?Professor Certainly if youve been to one of these institutions, you are presumed or assumed to be
6、 at the top end of the scale. The Ivy League institutions have a reputation for social elitism, many of the students are rich, intellectual, white Anglo-Saxon, protestants. Not all of them of course, but quite a lot of them.Interviewer And do you know . whys it called the Ivy League, whats the origi
7、n of the name?Professor There are a number of stories, derivations, but possibly its based on four universities, and IV, the letters IV, thats the Roman numeral for four. Another more likely story is that ivy plants, which are symbolic of the age of the universities, you know, would be grown at the
8、walls of these universities, these institutions, they cover the walls of the buildings. The term was created by a sports journalist, I think in the 1930s.Interviewer Right, OK. And which is the oldest university?Professor The oldest goes back to the 17th century, thats Harvard which was founded in 1
9、636. And the youngest of the institutions is Cornell which was founded in 1865.Interviewer And which has the largest number of undergraduates?Professor Cornell has the largest number, about 13,000, 13,500 undergraduates. The institution with the smallest number is Dartmouth College with a little ove
10、r 4,000.Interviewer And what about the acceptance rate? Is it hard to get into?Professor That ranges from about seven per cent to 20 per cent.Interviewer And any famous alumni? Famous old boys?Professor Hundreds! Hundreds of them. But I suppose worldwide, the two that would be definitely known all o
11、ver the world would certainly be George Bush who went to Yale, and John F Kennedy, President Kennedy, who was at Harvard.Interviewer Thank you.Passage2Andy Did you see the film on television last night?Jane No, I was out. What was it?Andy A Beautiful Mind. Its about John Forbes Nash, the mathematici
12、an who won the Nobel Prize.Jane Ive heard about that film, yes. Hes played by Russell Crowe, isnt he? I like Russell Crowe, hes great.Andy Thats the one, yes.Jane Whats it about?Andy Well, the story begins in the early years of Nashs life at Princeton University as a graduate student.Jane Thats one
13、of the Ivy League schools, isnt it?Andy Yes, its all set in New England, lovely old buildings, beautiful autumn colours. Its lovely to look at. Anyway, Nash meets his roommate Charles, a literature student, who soon becomes his best friend. Nash admits to Charles that he is better with numbers than
14、people, and the main thing hes looking for is a truly original idea for his thesis paper.Jane So hes not interested in having fun?Andy Well, yes, but hes not very good with people or successful with women, thats all. But, you know, its one of these bad experiences with people which ultimately inspir
15、es his brilliant work in mathematics.Jane No good at relationships, so he becomes a genius at maths?Andy Thats about right, yes. So when he finishes his studies at Princeton, he accepts a job at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Five years later, he meets Alicia, a student who he falls in love
16、with and eventually marries.Jane Ah! At last, the love interest!Andy Yes, but wait a moment. Nash believes that hes been asked to work by William Parcher for the US Department of Defense on breaking Soviet codes. At one point hes chased by the Russians, and its after this that he becomes mentally il
17、l.Jane I think Ive seen this in the trailer to the film.Andy So when hes put in a psychiatric hospital, he thinks the Soviets have captured him. Hes given this painful treatment which affects his relationship with his wife. And his intellectual skills. So he stops taking the medicine.Jane It sounds
18、quite hard to watch.Andy Well, it is, but its well acted and directed, and so, you know, theres a-bit of distance between the audience and whats happening on film.Jane So what happens next?Andy Well, then his illness returns, so he and his wife decide to try and live with it. It all gets a bit compl
19、icated, because were no longer sure if Charles, you know, his old friend, or even Parcher were real, or if they were just people that existed only in Nashs mind.Jane That sounds awful. He must have been so ill,Andy Actually, Im kind of giving away the twist in the story. Anyway, later in his life, w
20、hile hes using the library at Princeton again, he asks his rival Martin Hansen if he can start teaching again. And so the story ends when he goes on to win the Nobel Prize in Economics.Jane Well, it sounds like a great film.Andy Yes, you should see it sometime.Unit 7 Family affairs Listening inPassa
21、ge 1Host Theres a question thats been argued about for a long time. Which is more important, your family environment or your genes? Well, a story has come up in the news about identical twins, separated at birth. Theyve just been reunited - and guess what - there are some amazing coincidences in the
22、ir life stories.Heres the story - two American girls called Tamara and Adriana were separated at birth and adopted by two different sets of parents. And this is where the coincidences begin. Both families ended up living 25 miles apart. Both girls decided to study psychology at universities that are
23、 only a mile apart from each other. Isnt that strange? And this girl, whos a friend of both of them, insists they meet. Just before they meet, Adrianas mother tells her that she has a twin sister. Can you imagine how that must feel when youre 20 years old to learn you have a twin? And when the girls
24、 meet, its like looking in a mirror - theyre identical! Now get this! Both Tamara and Adrianas adoptive fathers died when the girls were children. Both girls fell through glass doors at the age of five - thats hard to believe, isnt it? Their boyfriends look alike and have similar names - Alex and Ad
25、am. And this is the best part - both of them have the same recurring dream. Isnt that incredible - they have the same dream!I think its an amazing story. So, for all those of you out there who have comments, and Im sure you do, the lines are open. OK, weve got Josh on the line. Hi Josh!Josh Hi.Host
26、So, what do you make of this story?Josh Its a great story but it doesnt surprise me at all. Im an identical twin.Host You are?Josh Yeah, my brothers called Toby, and were 22, and were going out with two sisters . and were having a double wedding next June.Host Congratulations! So-what do you think-i
27、s it our genes that decide who we are? These kind of stories seem to suggest it.Josh Well, Im not a scientist, but I think so.Host Research tells us that its about fifty-fifty.Josh I, I disagree.Host Thanks Josh. OK, our next caller is .Passage 2Part 1Voice-over Kidney transplants are of two kinds -
28、transplants from dead people and living transplants, transplants from people who are alive. Mostly the donor, the person who gives the kidney, is a relative - a parent, brother or sister. We all recognize that its one of the most selfless things a person can do, to give a kidney to someone, but as t
29、he operation becomes safer and safer, more and more people are doing it. We talked to two sisters who have had the experience -Henrietta Longmore, a journalist aged 40, married with one son, and her sister, Teresa Parker, aged 38, married with two children. They come from a family with four children
30、. Heres their story.Teresa Henrietta and I were close as children. She was the big sister and she was -just like a mother to us younger kids. Our parents were both doctors and our mum was very busy.We were close right through our teenage years. And then we shared a flat and had a lot of the same fri
31、ends. It was great.Henrietta Yes, weve always been close. I felt very protective of my brother and sisters because, like Teresa says, our parents were always so busy. But I also felt a bit jealous of Teresa - she was my dads favourite -but it didnt affect our relationship.Teresa Henrietta got kidney
32、 failure five years ago, but for several years she was fine and seemed quite healthy.Henrietta Yes, I never thought of asking my family for a kidney. The hospital was brilliant and I really did feel fine, most of the time.Part 2Teresa But then a year ago she became very ill and almost died. I was te
33、rrified. I knew if she died, Id blame myself. You know, why I hadnt done more to help her. So I decided to find out more about giving her a kidney.Henrietta Yes, I did almost die. It was awful. I, I was never going to ask Teresa for a kidney but I kind of knew that she would offer. To be honest, I f
34、elt I would have done the same.Teresa Yes. At first I was a bit scared. But we went for a three-hour talk at the hospital and it was very reassuring. My whole family came. And they felt OK about it too, which was very important.Henrietta People dont know that you only need ten per cent of one kidney
35、 to be completely healthy, and kidney donors often live longer than other people.Teresa Yes, you have to be very healthy to give a kidney. The hospital makes sure of that. Anyway, after the operation I got better very fast - probably because you know youve done something worthwhile and it does make
36、you feel very good.Henrietta I cant describe how grateful I feel to Teresa. Its such an amazing thing to do. What can I say? Her courage was, was extraordinary. She just didnt seem afraid at all.Teresa You do get a lot of praise for doing something like this. Id like to do something that no one know
37、s about.Unit 9 Body and mindListening inPassage 1In 1812 a young man called James Barry finished his studies in medicine at Edinburgh University. After graduating he moved to London where he studied surgery at Guys Hospital. After that, the popular young doctor joined the army and over the next 40 y
38、ears had a brilliant career as an army medical officer, working in many far off countries and fighting successfully for improved conditions in hospitals. It was a remarkable career - made even more remarkable by the discovery upon his death that James Barry had kept an extraordinary secret.Barry was
39、 a pleasant and good-humoured person with high cheek bones, red hair, a long nose and large eyes. He was well-liked by his patients and had a reputation for great speed at surgery an important quality at a time when operations were performed without anaesthetic. He was also quick-tempered. When he w
40、as working in army hospitals and prisons overseas, the terrible conditions often made him very angry. He fought hard against injustice and cruelty and his temper sometimes got him into trouble with the authorities. After a long career overseas he returned to London where he died in 1865.So was this
41、the end of the story? Not quite. When they were preparing his body for his funeral, they discovered James Barrys secret. HE was in fact a SHE. James Barry was a woman.No one was more surprised at this discovery than her many friends and colleagues. It was true that throughout her life people had rem
42、arked on her small size, slight build and smooth pale face. One officer had even objected to her appointment as a medical assistant because he couldnt believe that Barry was old enough to have graduated in medicine. But no one seriously suggested that Barry was anything other than a man.So why did J
43、ames Barry deceive people for so long? At that time, a woman couldnt study medicine, work as a doctor or join the army. Perhaps Barry had always wanted to do these things and pretending to be a man was the only way to make it possible. Perhaps she was going to tell the truth one day, but didnt becau
44、se she was enjoying her life as a man too much. By the time it was discovered that she was the first woman in Britain to have qualified as a doctor, it was too late for the authorities to do anything about it.Passage 2Speaker 1Interviewer Tell me about medical care in Britain. What happens when you
45、need to go to the doctor?Speaker 1 Well, first of all, you need to register with your local doctor. And, then of course, if you need to see him or her, you have to phone in and make an appointment which can be two or three days later. But, of course, if you have an accident and its more urgent, you
46、go to a department called the Accident and Emergency Department, which is usually in a hospital. And, if its really urgent, someone will call a number, which is 999 here in Britain and you, er, get an ambulance.Interviewer What about getting medicine? Do you get it from the doctor or do you get it f
47、rom the chemist?Speaker 1 Well, you actually get the medicine itself from the chemist but the doctor has to prescribe the medicine first. So, you then take the prescription to the chemists and the chemist then gives you your medicine. The medicine isnt actually at the doctors surgery.Interviewer Rig
48、ht. Right. What happens about paying for medical care? How do you pay for medical treatment?Speaker 1 Ah, yea. You dont pay the doctor. The payment is covered by taxes or medical agreements between the UK and your country. But you pay a fixed charge for the medicine.Interviewer Right.Speaker 1 That
49、youre prescribed.Interviewer I see, yes. And what happens if. you know, I hope it never happens. What happens if you, you stay in hospital?Speaker 1 Well, if you are seriously ill, you will stay in hospital and your family and friends can visit and come and see how you are but they dont usually stay actually overnight with you. And they dont need to bring you food or anything. Or look after you. I mean everything is done for you in the hospital, really.Interviewer I see. I see.Speak
