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1 Objectives
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2 I. Listening...
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3 II. Listenin...

1. To become familiar with monetary units presented as a listening focus;
2. To improve listening comprehension through specific exercises.

The pace of life is getting quicker and quicker nowadays. Are you time-conscious? Surely you know such English expressions as Time is money and Lost time can never be found again. This section focuses your attention on an aspect of authentic, day-to-day English: time units.
● 1. Listen to each of the following statements, paying particular attention to the time units. Then choose the correct amount of time among from the four choices given.
1) The city banned high-polluting vehicles from elevated roads (高架路) between to encourage the use of fuel-efficient vehicles.
a. 8 a.m. and 7 p.m.
b. 6 a.m. and 7 p.m.
c. 7 a.m. and 8 p.m.
d. 8 a.m. and 9 p.m.
2) The international exhibition is to be held in Shanghai.
a. from June 19 through June 29
b. from July 19 through July 29
c. from June 9 through June 19
d. from July 9 through June 19
3) The 4,064-kilometer trip from Beijing to Tibet will take .
a. 74 hours and 28 minutes
b. 28 hours and 47 minutes
c. 40 hours and 7 minutes
d. 47 hours and 28 minutes
4) A Boeing 747-400 from Taiwan landed at Shanghai Pudong International Airport after a journey of .
a. 3 hours and 2 minutes
b. 2 hours and 13 minutes
c. 2 hours and 30 minutes
d. 2 hours and 31 minutes
5) The winner clenched his right fist (握紧右拳) in celebration as he crossed the finish and hopped off his bike, having completed the 200.5-kilometer ride in .
a. 5 hours, 32 minutes, 36 seconds
b. 6 hours, 5 minutes, 36 seconds
c. 5 hours, 23 minutes, 36 seconds
d. 5 hours, 30 minutes, 23 seconds.
● 2. Listen to the following statements, which will be spoken twice. During the pause after each statement, ill in the blank(s) with the correct amount of time.
1) Liu Xiang smashed the 110-meter hurdles world record at the Athletissima Grand Prix meeting, clocking 12.88 seconds.
2) The world record holder put last month’s Golden League defeat in Oslo behind him with victory in the 5,000 meter in 12:51.32.
3) It is approximately a journey of 11 hours and a half from Shanghai to San Francisco by air.
4) The capacity is 30 gigabytes (千兆) , which can hold 7,500 songs, 25,000 photos or 75 hours of videos.
5) The twin sisters were successfully separated from each other after a 13-hour operation.


A. News Item One
● Listen to the following news item and then, for each question, select the best answer from among the four choices given.
scramble | vi. 竞争 |
virtual | a. 虚拟的 |
Ant Financial Services Group | 蚂蚁金融服务集团(主要业务范畴涉及第三方支付、移动支付、O2O、小额贷款、网络银行、在线融资、在线理财、保险等领域) |
Alipay Wallet apps | 支付宝钱包应用软件 |
archrival | n. 主要竞争对手 |
mobile payments | 移动支付 |
gala | n. 晚会 |
disclose | vt. 透露 |
grand prize | 特奖 |
1)
a. The latest issue of the program of Spring Festival Gala.
b. The market shares of the major Internet companies in China.
c. The three archrivals of Alibaba, Baidu and Tencent in China.
d. Cash-filled virtual red envelopes to be sent out at the eve of Spring Festival.
2)
a. RMB10,000,000.00.
b. RMB15,200,000.00.
c. RMB100,000,000.00.
d. RMB200,000,000.00.
* Script:
China’s Internet companies are scrambling to send out cash-filled virtual red envelopes for Spring Festival.
Envelopes worth several hundred million yuan will be handed out by Ant Financial Services Group, the Internet finance arm of Alibaba Group Holding, through its Alipay Wallet apps on Feb 7, the eve of the festival.
Archrivals Baidu and Tencent Holdings Ltd are stepping up their efforts in the campaign, with the aim of expanding their presence in the mobile payments market.
Alipay users can pick red envelopes on their smartphones as they watch the annual CCTV Spring Festival Gala.
“Every round of red envelopes will contain 100 million yuan ($15.2 million) in cash,” the company said, without disclosing how many rounds will be involved.
Consumers who collect five virtual lucky cards, which can be found in the virtual red envelopes, can also share the grand prize of 200 million yuan.
Q1: What can we learn from the news report?
Q2: How much is every round of red envelopes going to contain?
B. News Item Two
● Listen to the following news item and then, for each question, select the best answer from among the four choices given.
Asbury Park Press | 《阿斯伯里公园快讯》 |
file charges against | 控告 |
consent | vi. 同意 |
account | n. 报道 |
social media | 社交媒体 |
confront | vt. 遇上 |
outcry | n. 强烈抗议 |
prompt | vt. 促进 |
advocate | n. 支持者;辩护者,律师 |
3)
a. He made an attack on the stranger.
b. He poured coffee on himself for $5 cash.
c. He had never received a contribution of $5 cash.
d. He was posted to Facebook for his unexpected fortune.
4)
a. Because the stranger did not do it on purpose.
b. Because the homeless man did not even know about Facebook.
c. Because the homeless man agreed with the stranger on his behavior.
d. Because the stranger always spares the homeless man money in the street.
5)
a. They think highly of the story on social media.
b. They stand up for the freedom of begging.
c. They do not care about homeless people.
d. They urge police to investigate the event.
* Script:
A homeless man in New Jersey said he let another man record him pouring coffee on himself last week in exchange for $5 cash.
“Never thought I’d be in this position at 65,” the homeless man, Ronald Leggatt, told the Asbury Park Press. He said he was not aware the video was posted to Facebook, adding, “I don’t even know what Facebook is, to be honest with you.”
Police say no charges will be filed against the stranger because Leggatt consented. It happened on Jan. 18 at a gas station in Lakewood.
A bystander, Carlos Mejia, posted an account of the incident on social media after confronting the young man who paid Leggatt, and the community outcry prompted police to investigate. The Rev. Steve Brigham, a homeless advocate who knows Leggatt, says it’s just something that you don’t do to other human beings.
Q3: What happened to the homeless man in New Jersey?
Q4: How come no charges are filed against the stranger?
Q5: What is the response from the community?

A. Conversation One
● Listen to the following long conversation and then, for each question, select the best answer from among the four choices given.
1)
a. Looking for an apartment.
b. Working hard on his apartment.
c. Experiencing a really hard time.
d. Preparing for the final in the library.
2)
a. The woman happens to have a choice for him.
b. The woman has an empty room for him.
c. He doesn’t have to move right away.
d. He can live close to school.
3)
a. He missed it.
b. It came too late.
c. It sounds good to him.
d. He’s not interested in it.
* Script:
W: You look tired! What’ve you been doing?
M: Looking for an apartment.
W: No luck?
M: Actually, I found a few, but I want to be sure I find the right place.
W: There’s an empty apartment in my building.
M: Oh yeah? What’s it like?
W: The usual, I guess. Nothing fancy, but it’s in good condition, a good size, and not too expensive.
M: Sounds good so far. What about the neighbors?
W: They’re great.
M: Oh yeah?
W: Yeah.
Q1: What has the man been doing?
Q2: What seems to be the good news for the man?
Q3: What can we learn about the woman’s information for the man?
B. Conversation Two
● Listen to the following long conversation and then, for each question, select the best answer from among the four choices given.
4)
a. Getting married soon.
b. Getting to know the man.
c. Finishing school wonderfully.
d. Starting a new life in Beijing.
5)
a. Leaving the man.
b. Meeting with the woman.
c. Having a job interview soon.
d. Experiencing a big change in her life.
6)
a. They’re in need of her help.
b. They’re expecting her return to Beijing.
c. They’re looking forward to communication.
d. They’re getting to know her as a friend of theirs.
7)
a. She is afraid of new living places.
b. She gets along well with people.
c. She is shy of making friends.
d. She loves challenges.
8)
a. To change her mind.
b. To leave with the man.
c. To keep in touch with each other.
d. To start a friendship with the man.
* Script:
M: You must be excited to be starting a new life.
W: Yeah, but nervous too. A completely new city is a big change in my life.
M: I’m sure you’ll like Beijing. I hope you plan to keep in touch with all of us.
W: Sure. I’ll communicate with all of you.
M: We’re counting on it.
W: Actually, I’m a little worried about making new friends in Beijing.
M: I’m sure you won’t have any trouble meeting people and making friends. You get along with people very well. You’re a very friendly person. You shouldn’t worry so much.
W: I hope you’re right.
M: Promise me that we won’t lose touch with each other.
W: I promise not to.
Q4: What is the woman excited about?
Q5: And what does the woman feel nervous about?
Q6: What does the man mean when he says, “We’re counting on it”?
Q7: What kind of person is the woman in the man’s eyes?
Q8: What’s the woman most probably going to do?

A. Passage One
● Listen to the following passage and then, for each question, select the best answer from among the four choices given.
1)
a. They travel all over the world.
b. They are rich and respectable.
c. They cannot enjoy life better.
d. They are mentally unhealthy.
2)
a. Health issues.
b. Competitive life.
c. Stress management.
d. Social relationships.
3)
a. They make life easier.
b. They can change their interest.
c. They can live in small villages.
d. They give evils (邪恶) little space to grow.
* Script:
I prefer to lead a slower-pace life for the following reasons. At the firsplace, I can enjoy life better. Those who live a quicker-pace life can win moneyand respect from others, but they deny themselves chances of feeling thebeautiful world outside. They hardly ind time to relax and chase their hobbieslike travelling, not even to enjoy a nice weather day. Also, they can not eatdrink and sleep properly, which leads to serious health problems. Furthermoreliving slowly keeps me closer to friends and relatives. Every relationship needus to look after frequently to grow deep and strong. Therefore, people canfeel themselves important and connected to us. Last but not least, the wholesociety can change, too. When people slow down and treat others with warmthand interests, they give evils little space to grow. As a result, the surroundingbecomes a better place to live in. In fact, big cities where life is competitive andfull of cold-hearted citizens usually face with more serious social evils than smalvillages.
To summarize, my belief is that a slow-pace life helps make us joyfumoments, deepen our relationship and prevent evils, as well.
Q1: What can we learn from the speaker about those who live a quicker-pace life?
Q2: What is the second reason about behind the speaker’s a slower-pace life?
Q3: What happens when people slow down and treat others with warmth and interests in the speaker’s third reason?
B. Passage Two
● Listen to the following passage and then, for each question, select the best answer from among the four choices given.
4)
a.Stress is part of life.
b. It affects everybody.
c. Absence of stress is death.
d. Everything seems to have become too much.
5)
a.The way of looking at the world.
b. The harmful effects of stress.
c. The meaning of life.
d. The nature of stress.
6)
a. Going out on a first date.
b. Our feeling under stress.
c. Unpleasant people.
d. Noises.
7)
a. The quick response to a stressor.
b. The environmental factors.
c. The number of stressors.
d. The social environment.
* Script:
In general, we use the word “stress” when we feel that everything seems to have become too much, which means we are overloaded and wonder (怀疑) whether we really can deal with the pressures placed upon us.
Anything that poses a challenge or a threat to our well-being (幸福) is a stress. Some stresses get you going and they are good for you — without any stress at all many say our lives would be boring and would probably feel pointless. However, when the stresses harm both our mental and physical health they are bad.
The difference between “stress” and “a stressor” — a stressor is something that causes stress. Stress is the feeling we have when under pressure, while stressors are the things we respond to in our environment. Examples of stressors are noises, unpleasant people, a speeding car, or even going out on a irst date. Generally, but not always, the more stressors we experience, the more stressed we feel.
Q4: What does the word “stress” mean to people in general?
Q5: What is the speaker trying to suggest while talking about good and bad stresses?
Q6: Which of the following cannot be a stressor?
Q7: What does the level of stress generally increase with according to the speaker?

