Word Bank
| bean n. 豆 adversity n. [C; U] fml bad fortune; trouble 〖正式〗逆境，不幸，厄运，患难 soften vt. cause to become soft(er), gentle, less stiff, or less severe使变软，使变轻柔，使变温和 harden vt. make sth. firm or stiff使变硬，使坚固，使硬化 |
Task One: Focusing on the Main Ideas
▇Choose the best answer to complete each of the following sentences according to the information contained in the listening passage.
TaskTwo: Zooming In on the Details
▇ Listen to the recording carefully and fill in each of the following blanks according to what you have heard.
Script:
Dealing with Adversity
Adaughter complained to her father about her life and how things were so hardfor her. She did notknow how she was going to make it and wanted to give up.
Herfather, a cook, took her to the kitchen. He filled three pots with waterand placed each on a high fire. And then he put some carrots, eggs and coffee beans in the three pots. His daughter waited impatientlyand wondered what he was doing. In about twenty minutes he took out the boiled carrots and eggs andplaced them in two different bowls. Then he poured her a cup of coffee.
Turningto her he asked, “Darling, what do you see?”
“Carrots, eggs, and coffee,” she replied and asked, “Whatdoes it mean, Father?”
He explained that the carrots, eggs andcoffee beans each had faced the same adversity, boiling water, but eachreacted differently. The carrots went in strong and hard but came out softened and weak. The eggshad been weak. But after being boiled their inside became hardened. The coffeebeans were unique, however. After they were boiled in the boiling water, they had made thewater taste better. “Which are you?” He asked his daughter. “When adversity knocks on your door, how do youreact? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean? If you arelike the coffee bean, when things are at their worst, you get better andmake things better around you.”
How about you, my friend? Are you a carrot, an egg, or acoffee bean?
