练习三 听力原文及解析
Section C
Now listen to the following recording and answer questions 16 to 19.
OK，so one of the challenges that faced ancient civilizations like Egypt was timekeeping，calendars.When you have to grow food for whole cities of people，it is important to plant your crops at the right time.And when you start having financial obligations，rents，taxes，you have to keep track of how often you pay.
So today we will look at how the Egyptians addressed these problems.In fact，they ended up using two calendars，one to keep track of the natural world，or their agricultural concerns，and another one，that was used to keep track of the business functions of the Kingdom.So let’s take a look at the hows and whys of one ancient Egyptian calendar system，starting with the Nile River.Why the Nile Well，there’s no other way to put it.Egyptian life basically revolved around the mysterious rise and fall of the river.The success of their agriculture system depended upon them knowing when the river would change.So，naturally，their first calendar was divided up into three seasons，each based on the river’s changes：inundation，subsidence and harvest.The first season was the flooding，or inundation，when the Nile valley was essentially submerged in water for a few months or so.And afterwards during the season of subsidence，the water would subside，or recede，revealing a new layer of fertile black silt and allowing for the planting of various crops.And finally the time of the year would arrive when the valley would produce crops，such as wheat，barley，fruit，all ready to harvest.OK，so it was important to the ancient Egyptians to know when their Nile based seasons would occur，their way of life depended upon it.
Now，the way they used to count time was based on the phases of the moon，which，regularly and predictably，goes through a cycle，starting with a new moon，then to a full moon，and back again to the new moon.Now this cycle was then used to determine the length of their month.So，um，one lunar cycle was one Egyptian month，and about four of the months would constitute a season.Now，12 of these months was an approximately 354-day year.So they had a 354-day agricultural calendar that was designed to help them determine when the Nile would inundate the land.Well，of course it had to be more complicated than that.The average amount of time between floodings wasn’t actually 354 days.I mean，although it varies，the average was clearly longer than 354 days.
16.What is the lecture mainly about？
A.differences between modern and ancient calendars
B.the importance of astronomy in Egyptian religion
C.thetimekeepingsystemsofancientEgypt
D.how to use agriculture as a method of timekeeping
17.Why does the professor mention the names of the seasons in ancient Egypt？
A.to explain the importance of religion
B.toemphasizethesignificanceoftheNileRiver
C.to indicate when different types of crops were harvested
D.to describe early discoveries in astronomy
18.According to the ancient Egyptian calendar，there’re three seasons in a year，when did the last season of the year occur？
A.When the Nile valley was essentially submerged in water.
B.When the water would subside，or recede，revealing a new layer of fertile black silt.
C.Whenthevalleywouldproducecrops，likewheat，barley，fruit，allreadytoharvest.
D.When the moon starts a new cycle.
19.Which was not right for ancient Egyptians to count time？
A.The lunar cycle was used to determine the length of their month.
B.TwolunarcycleswereoneEgyptianmonth.
C.Four Egyptian months would constitute a season.
D.12 Egyptian months was an approximately 354-day year.
【解析】第一题是内容主旨题，正确答案是C。教授开场说古代埃及文明面临计时日历的挑战，并拿农业和经济举例说明计时的重要性。文本第二段开头教授便指明今天的课程内容是埃及人的计时法。第二题是观点组织题，正确答案为B。教授提到古埃及季节名字的原因，就是为了说明前面自己表达的观点，古埃及人民的生活依赖尼罗河。So是“因此”，表达因果关系。由此来凸显尼罗河的重要性。第三题是细节题，埃及古代历法将一年分成3个季节，最后一个是河谷产粮的季节，小麦、大麦、水果等获得丰收的季节。因此正确答案为C。第四题是细节题，正确答案是B。教授提到古埃及人用月亮的圆缺来决定月份的长度。因此，月亮一个圆缺的循环就是一个埃及月。教授还提到四个这样的月份组成一个季度，12个这样的月份组成一个大概354天的年。
Now listen to the following recording and answer questions 20 to 22.
Wary of competition when it comes to global markets，the French embrace it wholeheartedly in the classroom.As school pupils enjoy the end of their summer holiday，few will relish a return to their harsh grading system.Termly reports in secondary schools’record pupils’ marks，in Cartesian fashion，to the nearest two decimal points.Every child knows how they compare with the average.A result at the school-leaving baccalaureate exam of 16 out of 20 is considered outstanding.For younger children，a dictee to test spelling is marked by progressively deducting points for every error，which can crush the grade down to zero，or even into negative territory.
Benoit Hamon，the education minister，thinks the system，at least for younger people，is too harsh.He argues that“in France we are defined by failure”，and this begins with poor grades.He wants schools to“stimulate instead of discourage”and to give pupils more positive feedback.Mr.Hamon has launched a review of the national grading system.It is due to report early next year.
Mr.Hamon’s concern seems to be over the stress and anxiety that harsh grading inflicts on French schoolchildren，and the lack of confidence that this engenders in a country that is already excessively pessimistic.Fully 75% of the children say they worry about getting poor marks in maths，for example，according to a study by the Paris-based OECD think-tank — only just less than the figure of 78% in South Korea，and far above the 46% in Sweden.
Last year the education ministry reported on an experiment in middle schools，in which marks out of 20 were abandoned in favor of comments，or vague letter grades.Boys，the report noted，disliked a less competitive environment more than girls；stronger pupils disliked it more than weaker ones.But by creating less stress over failure，the report found，pupils were encouraged to take risks and participate in class，and often became more confident.Curiously，it was parents rather than pupils who most resisted the absence of grades.They worried about over-protected children，and the difficulty of judging their progress.If Mr.Hamon is to get anywhere，he may find that his biggest obstacle is pushy parents.
20.What is Benoit Hamon’s attitude towards the grading system？
A.negative B.positive C.indifferent D.not clear
21.According to a study by the Paris-based OECD，which countries’ children are most pessimistic about getting poor marks in math？
A.Sweden B.France C.SouthKorea D.Switzerland
22.Who resisted the absence of grades most？
A.students B.parents C.school D.government
【解析】第一题是细节题，正确答案是A。关于Benoit Hamon对教学体制的态度，他认为最起码对年轻人来说实在是过于苛刻，所以应该是否定态度。第二题也是细节题推断题。答案是C。文中提到足足有75%的孩子表示他们担心自己的数学成绩会越来越差。在此项调查上法国仅略低于韩国，但是却远远高于瑞典，在韩国，这样的孩子占到78%，而在瑞典，却只有46%。第三题答案是B。最反对模糊分数的不是学生，而是各位小朋友的家长。
Now listen to the following recording and answer questions 23 to 25.
So as we have seen，then，relationship-building is not the same as team-building.When we talk about relationship-building we are talking about a competency in which we cultivate relationships both inside and outside the workplace，with individuals and groups.I’m going to sum up by suggesting practical ideas of how you can all develop your relationship-building competency … tips that you can easily incorporate into your day-to-day lives in such a way that they will eventually become a habit.
I’m going to talk about informal relationships but，as we discussed earlier，the ideas can be transferred to a more formal environment.First I’ll talk about initiating new relationships and then I’ll mention a few ways that you can practice developing existing relationships.Let’s start off with the obvious.Common sense is always a good starting point.The first thing we should all do is to practice simple courtesies.This might seem like common sense to some people，but in actual fact you’d be surprised at how many people do neglect these things.Set yourself a goal to say ‘Good morning’ to three people you normally wouldn’t.
We should also try to get to know colleagues outside the office.Ask people what their interests are.If you share an interest in tennis，say，suggest a game.Plan an occasional social event with co-workers.It doesn’t have to be anything complicated，a coffee together or a picnic lunch，for example.
Another thing you can do is to actually target somebody in your office-somebody you would like to know better.Make it your goal to talk to them.Small talk is fine.Listen to what they say and take notice of the information you learn about their interests.Make sure you keep yourself up to date on what’s happening in the world too.You won’t be very good at small talk if you don’t know about current affairs.
So let’s imagine that we have done these things and that we have started a few new relationships.What can we do to develop them further/ How can we nurture the relationships so that they don’t just fizzle out or stay on a plain/ Well，for a start we should focus on a person’s good qualities and not on their deficiencies.Nobody’s perfect after all.We should also practice effective listening.We are all good at speaking，but how many of us really listen/ And people want to be listened to.They appreciate it and they respond.Try it！
23.What is the lecture mainly about？
A.howtodevelopyourrelationship-buildingcompetency
B.how to develop the team-building competency
C.how to be a good listener
D.how to practice simple courtesies
24.What is a good starting point to initiate new relationships？
A.commonsenseaspracticingsimplecourtesies
B.asking people what their interests are
C.small talk
D.planning an occasional social event
25.According to the speaker，what can we do first to develop relationships further？
A.pay more attention to person’s deficiencies
B.practice effective listening
C.practice good speaking
D.focusonaperson’sgoodqualities
【解析】第一题是主旨题，答案是A。文章主要是阐述培养人际关系的能力。第二题答案是A。介绍如何开始一段新的关系，演讲者提到开始要注意一些常识比如要有礼貌。第三题的答案是D。该题是细节题，文章提到当我们开始一些新的关系后如何更深入地发展这些关系，首先就是要关注人们的好品质而不是他们的缺点。