练习六 听力原文及解析
Section C
Now listen to the following recording and answer questions 16 to 19.
All right，so far we have been looking at some of the core areas of linguistics like syntax，phonology，semantics，and these are things that we can study by looking at one language at a time，how sounds，and words，and sentences work in a given language.But the branch of historical linguistics involves the comparison of several different languages，or the comparison of different stages of a single language.
Now，if you are comparing different languages，and you notice that they have a lot in common.Maybe they have similar sounds and words that correspond to one another that have the same meaning and that sound similar.Let’s use a real-world example.
In the 18 th century，scholars who have studied the ancient languages，Sanskrit，Latin and Greek，noticed that these three languages had many similarities.And there might be several reasons why languages such as these had so much in common.Maybe it happened by chance；maybe one language was heavily influenced by borrowed words from the other.Or maybe，maybe the languages developed from the same source language long ago，that is，maybe they are genetically related，that was what happened with Sanskrit，Latin and Greek.These languages had so many similarities that it was concluded that they must have all come from the same source.And talk about important discoveries in linguistics，this was certainly one of them.
The scholars referred to that source language as Proto-Indo-European，Proto-Indo-European is a reconstructed language.Meaning，it’s what linguists concluded a paren t language of Sanskrit，Latin and Greek would have to be like.And Proto-Indo-European branched out into other languages，which evolved into others，so in the end，many languages spoken all over the world today can trace their ancestry back to one language，Proto-Indo-European，which was spoken several thousand years ago.
Now，one way of representing the evolution of languages，showing the way languages are related to each other，is with the family tree model.Like a family tree that you might use to trace back through generations of ancestors，only it’s showing a family of genetically related languages instead of people.A tree model for a language family starts with one language，which we call a mother language，for example，Proto-Indo-European.The mother language，is the line on the top of this diagram，over time，it branches off into new daughter languages，which branch into daughter languages of their own，and languages that have the same source，the same mother，are called sisters，they share a lot of characteristics，and this went on until we are looking at a big upside down tree languages like this.The tree model is a convenient way of representing the development of a language family and of showing how closely related two or more languages are.
16.What does the professor mainly discuss？
A.some characteristics that are common in several languages
B.which languages probably evolved from Proto-Indo-European
C.linguists’ opinions about why languages change over time
D.awaytorepresentlanguagesthataregeneticallyrelated
17.What point does the professor make when she says that some languages have similar-sounding words？
A.Most languages with similar-sounding words seem related but are not.
B.Eighteenth-century scholars reached an inaccurate conclusion about ancient languages.
C.There is limited information available about how ancient languages sounded.
D.Thereismorethanonepossibleexplanationforsimilaritiesamonglanguages.
18.What does the professor say was an important discovery in linguistics？
A.Most languages share certain similarities just by chance.
B.Sanskrit，Greek，andLatindevelopedfromthesamesource.
C.Proto-Indo-European was not a real language.
D.Sanskrit，Greek，and Latin borrowed words from each other.
19.What information can be shown on a tree model？
A.Why sister languages exist in the same geographical area.
B.When a certain language came into existence.
C.Severallanguagesshareacommonancestor.
D.Whether a language is in the process of dying out.
【解析】讲座是关于语言之间的基因联系。第一题是主旨题，文中开篇介绍了历史语言学对比研究不同语言或语言的不同阶段，接下来针对某些语言的相似性用语言关系树进行阐释，因此答案选D。第二题是细节题，教授说可能是一个语言极大地影响了另一种；也可能是由同一种语言分化来的。所以有多种可能来解释语言中的相似之处。因此正确答案为D。第三题也是细节题，在指出重要语言学发现this was certainly one of them之前，教讲授提到了they must have all come from the same source，因此答案选B。第四题同样是细节题，语言关系树展示了the way languages are related to each other，用它可追溯语言的ancestors，因此答案选 C。
Now listen to the following recording and answer questions 20 to 22.
Climate change is the defining issue of our time，because it affects nearly every aspect of human lives.Floods，droughts，heat waves and other types of extreme weather reduce harvests，threaten the lives and livelihoods of those living on the margins，and have a disproportionate impact on the extreme poor.
Because many of the poorest people live off the land，they are more susceptible to the impacts of extreme weather conditions.Climate change is expected to lead to increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather events，such as storms and droughts.Extreme weather events can have devastating effects on subsistence farmers.While no one event can be attributed to climate change，the East African drought of 2011-2012 contributed to a famine in Somalia，which contributed to the deaths of an estimated quarter of a million people.In Nepal，Pakistan，Bangladesh and some parts of South and East Asia，the combination of flooding caused by unusually heavy rains，poverty and low levels of development regularly brings hunger and death.
Two years ago，President Barack Obama set a new goal for the United States development policy — eradicating extreme poverty within one generation.In the recent past，that would have meant an extra push to deliver humanitarian aid，to produce more energy，and to increase educational opportunity for both children and adults.But now，the effort to eliminate extreme poverty must include programs that will help everyone，especially the extremely poor，prepare for the effects of climate change.Today，with the U.S.Agency for International Development，or USAID，in the lead，the U.S.government is working in partnership with public，private and transnational actors across the globe to anticipate the effects of climate change and build resilience.
In Ethiopia，the U.S.is introducing new technologies to improve long-term weather forecasts so farmers can make long-term，informed planting decisions.In Bangladesh，the U.S.is providing farmers with science relevant to their situation，information，and useful tools and training to help them adapt to changing conditions.And in Nepal and several other countries，USAID and NASA are using satellite imagery to help the people and government there better prepare for and respond to landslides，floods and deforestation and degradation of forests.The United States is committed to ending extreme poverty and promoting resilient，democratic societies.Preparing for the effects of climate change is an essential part of the process.
20.Why are the poorest people more easily affected by extreme weather conditions？
A.Because climate change affects the life of every farmer.
B.Becausethelivelihoodofmanypoorpeoplerelyontheland.
C.Because extreme weather events are frequently attributed to climate change.
D.Because hunger and death are the result of combined weather events.
21.What is the present effort of the U.S.to eliminate extreme poverty？
A.to provide humanitarian aid to poverty-stricken areas
B.to raise educational opportunity for children and adults
C.to remove poverty within one generation
D.tohelppeoplepreparefortheeffectsofclimatechange
22.How is the U.S.helping Nepal to prepare for climate change？
A.Farmers are provided with useful tools and training for better adaptation.
B.A democratic society is established as a partner with the public.
C.Satelliteimageryisusedtocopewithnaturaldisasters.
D.New technologies are applied to long-term weather forecasts.
【解析】这是一篇关于贫困与气候变化的专题报道。许多最为贫困的人都是以种地为生，因此更易受极端天气情况影响，抓住live off the land判断第一题答案选B。第二题锁定问题关键词present effort，选项A和B内容的时间为recent past，选项C内容的时间为two years ago，因此确定答案为D。第三题问及美国如何帮助尼泊尔应对气候变化，抓住in Nepal and several other countries之后的听力内容，确定答案选C。
Now listen to the following recording and answer questions 23 to 25.
Today I’m going to talk about business and ethics.First I’ll look at what is meant by business ethics.Then I’ll examine the kind of ethical considerations companies need to address，how they can go about doing business in a more ethical way，and look at some examples of ethical business practices.
So what are business ethics and why are they seen as important in today’s business climate/Business ethics relate to how a company conducts its business in order to make a profit.Although the primary goal of the company may be to make money，it also recognizes that it has a responsibility towards the society in which it operates.The term “corporate social responsibility”is often used，and nowadays many companies have strong corporate social responsibility programs designed to help create a prosperous，inclusive society.
Now I’ll look at some basic ethical considerations that a company needs to address.The first area is how the company treats its employees.All employees should be treated fairly and with respect.A company that cares for its workers’ welfare will tend to have a happier workforce and a lower turnover of staff.It is also important that workers are recruited on a basis of equal opportunity.
The second area is how a company conducts its day-to-day business.In a manufacturing business，this includes how suppliers of raw materials are chosen and treated.A good example of this is the Fair Trade movement.This initiative ensures that small-scale farmers are paid directly and at a fair price for their crops.A company should also look at its policy on paying suppliers，and ensure that payments are made on time.
Another ethical consideration is the impact the business has on the environment.Manufacturing companies should strive to ensure that production is clean and careful，and look for ways to minimize energy consumption and waste products.
Finally，a company can also decide to give something back to the community it operates in.This can be in the form of“corporate giving”programs，where donations are given to community projects，or by initiating schemes to improve the local community and encouraging employees to work on these schemes.
23.What is business ethics in the eyes of the lecturer？
A.thewayacompanydoesitsbusiness
B.the moral standard of business owners
C.the corporate responsibility to make a profit
D.the welfare a company offers to its employees
24.Which is NOT the basic ethics for a company’s operation？
A.to guarantee that payment is made on time
B.toensurethatnowasteproductsareproduced
C.to treat its employees with respect and fairness
D.to ensure that the business is environmental-friendly
25.How can a company repay the community it operates in？
A.by giving diversified television programs
B.by encouraging employees to work for the community for free
C.by providing ethical education to local residents
D.bygivingmoneytocommunityprojects
【解析】这是一篇关于商业道德的讲座。第一题是关于商业道德的概念，它的侧重点在how a company conducts its business，因此答案选A。第二题是涉及公司运行中遵循的基本道德的细节题，需要仔细比较和排除，在谈到第三方面公司与环境时所提到的是minimize energy consumption and waste products，而选项no waste products太过绝对，因此答案选B。第三题是细节题，公司对社区的回报方式包括对社区项目捐款或发起社区改善计划，确定答案选D。