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UNIT 8Section One Tactics for ListeningPart 1 Spot DictationCorporate Social Responsibility（企业的社会责任）Once upon a time, all- or almost all- businesses were (1) greedy and rapacious, sparing a thought for their (2) workers or the environment only in order to (3) work out how to exploit them. Then bosses found their (4) consciences, guided (or sometimes forced) by (5) customers or critics from the (6) non-profit world. They discovered the idea that companies should not exist only to make a profit but to (7) serve society. Thus corporate social responsibility (CSR) got its (8) start as a business fashion, and it is now hard to find a firm that has not (9) come up with an earnest (10) statement about its relations with the wider world. CSR is closely linked with the principles of (11) Sustainable Development in proposing that enterprises should (12) be obliged to make decisions based not only on the financial factors but also on the social and environmental (13) consequences of their activities. Issues like environmental damage, improper treatment of workers and (14) faulty production leading to customers inconvenience or danger, (15) are highlighted in the media.Some investors and investment fund managers have begun to （16） take account of a corporations policy in making （17） investment decisions. Some consumers have become increasingly sensitive to the CSR performance of the companies（18） from which they buy their goods and services. These trends （19） have contributed to the pressure on companies to（20） operate in an economically, socially and environmentally sustainable way.Part 2 Listening for GistSmall retailers across the United States are facing the same challenge: competition from shopping malls （大型购物中心）and chain stores（连锁店）. But, in downtown Dickson, Tennessee, a group of retail merchants（零售商） have banded together （紧密团结起来） to win back（赢回） their customers who have been attracted to shopping areas （商业圈） in the neighboring big city. Dickson is a typical small American city. It has quiet residential areas （居民区） and a nice little downtown that was once a thriving retail center. But according to David Hamilton, president of Dicksons Chamber of Commerce （商会）, highway construction over the past several years changed that. Being just 65 kilometers away from a big city like Nashville, Mr Hamilton says, presents another challenge to Dicksons downtown shopping area. Because were so close to Nashville, and because so many people work in Nashville, when they think about shopping, they think of going to Nashville malls. But small business owners in downtown Dickson didnt give up. Instead, they decided to fight back. More than 40 of them founded the Retail Merchants Association of Downtown Dickson. Members of the new association are committed to success; they pay monthly dues （月缴会费） and meet periodically to suggest and discuss creative ways of attracting more shoppers to downtown. Mr. Williams says one idea is creating events modeled on the annual Christmas parade through the downtown area that attracts a large number of city residents. Free refreshments （茶点，小吃） and giveaways （免费样品）will be part of these regular events. Mr. Williams says the group is also planning to beautify the downtown area with plants and paint. Though it might seem hard to compete with big chain stores, small retailers have an advantage. They have a personal approach in serving customers. Chamber of Commerce president David Hamilton agrees. He says retailers in his city serve customers well, and customers in return, should support them by shopping in their stores. The downtown area is the heart of a city. And members of Dicksons new Retail Merchants Association are determined to work together to keep the heart beating - to revitalize（使。恢复生气） downtown Dickson so it is once again a busy, welcoming place for people to come and shop. Exercise Directions: Listen to the passage and find its topic sentence. The topic sentence is In downtown Dickson Tennessee， a group of retail merchants have banded together to win back their customers who have been attracted to shopping areas in the neighboring big city.Section Two Listening ComprehensionPart 1 DialogueHaving Their Babies at Home- What about . um . the number of mothers who are now choosing to have their babies at home. Is that a, a growing number in Australia? - Its still a very very small proportion at the moment and therefore many, um, hospitals are thinking of actually introducing birthing centers, birthing units. We have one at our hospital at the moment, where the, the unit is set up as a bedroom and a kitchen and the woman can actually walk around in comfort and just pretend its her own home. - So its like a home in the hospital? - Yeah, its like a little maisonette in the hospital and, er, its so close by to the theatre and delivery suites （产房） that if anything should go wrong（出故障） and did go wrong they could be moved around quite quickly and safely. - Margaret, do you think its safe to have a baby at home? - There are risks involved, er, I personally would prefer not to have my baby at home. I mean it would be well youre a midwife . I know it would be quite ideal but the risk of something going wrong and if I was to lose that baby I think that I would be quite devastated. - Arent there dangers in hospital because there are more people involved? - There are dangers in hospital, I mean you, you wouldnt want to know that there is a particularly resistant staphylococcal infection（抗葡萄球菌感染） running around the hospital and, er, that would be quite a risk. In some countries its been proven that having the baby at home is as safe as having a baby in hospital. - Does it get a lot of encouragement having, er, a baby at home? - I dont think so, no, it doesnt. I think . um . doctors and . I think mainly doctors probably, I think they scare the women saying, well this might go wrong or that might go wrong at home so its better for you to come into hospital. Exercise Directions: Listen to the dialogue and answer the following questions. 1. Its like a little maisonette, a home in the hospital. 2. Because its still a very small proportion of mothers who are now choosing to have their babies at home at the moment and the birthing unit is set up as a bedroom and a kitchen and the woman can actually walk around in comfort and just pretend its her own home. 3. Because its so close by to the theatre and delivery suites that if anything should go wrong and did go wrong they could be moved around quite quickly and safely. 4. Something may go wrong during the delivery and that would be quite devastating. 5. There could be a particularly resistant staphylococcal infection running around the hospital. Part2 PassageBridging Generations1.Seniors today are better educated, healthier, and more vivacious than at any time in our nations history. 2.They are active, energetic, and willing and can meet many program needs through their volunteer efforts. 3.Because they are living longer than ever before, seniors can anticipate up to 30 years of productive activity after retirement. 4.When choosing where and how to volunteer, seniors should pick the type of activity that best suits their personal goals as well as the needs of the recipients. 5.We want to help them embrace the world with their numerous gifts and talents, instead of the world embracing them with handcuffs and incarceration. Mention the word retirement, and youll likely invoke a range of reactions. Some think of retirement as a rite of passage（人生大事）, others as a time to relax. The cynical * may view it as a point beyond which one can no longer contribute to society. This is far from the truth! Seniors today are better educated, healthier, and more vivacious than at any time in our nations history. They are active, energetic, and willing and can meet many program needs through their volunteer efforts. Seniors are a valuable resource with many gifts to offer - among them, experience, patience, skills, time, and wealth - that are unique to them. The senior population, and its proportion relative to the rest of the population, is increasing rapidly. The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNS) estimates that, in 2000, some 35 million people aged 65 or older were living in the United States, accounting for 13% of the total population. The aging baby boom generation is expected to double the senior population over the next 30 years. And because they are living longer than ever before, seniors can anticipate* up to 30 years of productive activity after retirement. Seniors share their gifts and life experiences to address issues in school systems, public safety, the environment, and other human needs. Many seniors do not volunteer through formal programs. Some are one-time volunteers; others volunteer for a seasonal or special event. When choosing where and how to volunteer, seniors should pick the type of activity that best suits their personal goals as well as the needs of the recipients. Most importantly, be creative, selective, and have fun -like the volunteers featured here. Like many Americans, Eloise Bowers and Joan Gross recognized the need for additional support for juveniles as they develop and mature into adults. These seniors, however, decided to give back to their community and develop positive relationships with juveniles through FGP. The grandmas, now in their second year with the program, have helped more than 50 of the most at-risk youth in the District of Columbia turn their lives around. It is our job to help youth link with their peers and the community, as well as help their community and their peers link with them, they stress. For the link to be strong, it must be mutual. Some youth in the program have children of their own and need child-rearing tips. Others use inappropriate language and need to expand their vocabulary. Many respond with violence and need avenues to vent* anger, whereas others dress inappropriately and need fashion tips（时尚锦囊，小贴士）. We are committed to helping these youth help themselves, Bowers explains. We want to help them embrace the world with their numerous gifts and talents, instead of the world embracing them with handcuffs and incarceration. Bowers and Gross say their goals as foster grandparents are to serve as role models; make appropriate referrals for resources; teach respect with language and dress; share ways to manage anger, conflict, and anxiety; support successful transitions to mainstream schools, job training, and employment; and provide sincere love and understanding. A：Pre-listening Question Governmental provision for social security is slow to develop in the US, though there are now some elements of a comprehensive system, with some serious gaps, as well as variations between the states. For both old age and illness, provision is now partly private, partly public. Most Americans when at work make some provision for their retirement, through savings, investment and insurance policies, company or union pension funds. Federal government social security provides pensions for retired people, and also unemployment benefit for six months, based on compulsory contributions by people at work. The rate of the pension gives an income above the official poverty line, and sufficient for minimal comfort, but only about a quarter of median earnings from employment. It is not related to a persons income from private pensions or other sources. B：Sentence Dictation Directions: Listen to some sentences and write them down. You will hear each sentence three times. C：Detailed Listening Directions: Listen to the passage and choose the best answer to complete each of the following sentences. 1.C 2.C 3.A 4.C 5.A 6.D 7.D 8. DD：After-listening Discussion Directions: Listen to the passage again and discuss the following questions. 1. Bowers and Gross say their goals as foster grandparents are to serve as role models; make appropriate referrals for resources; teach respect with language and dress; share ways to manage anger, conflict, and anxiety; support successful transitions to mainstream schools, job training, and employment; and provide sincere love and understanding. It is our job to help youth link with their peers and the community, as well as help their community and their peers link with them. We want to help them embrace the world with their numerous gifts and talents, instead of the world embracing them with handcuffs and incarceration. 2. (Open) Section Three NewsNews Item 1A research team led by Dr. Carle Pieters of Brown University announced the results at a NASA news conference on Thursday.Using data from an American instrument flying on Indian satellite - and confirming data from two other spacecraft - they found water pretty much all over the moon, though more toward the poles and concentrated at the lunar surface. Carle Pieters spoke of water, as did the other scientists, and certainly the news reports have headlined water found on the moon. But another member of the research team, Jack Mustard, also of Brown, said its unclear whether theyre seeing water - a molecule with two atoms of hydrogen and one of oxygen - H20 - or hydroxyl, a chemical with only one hydrogen atom - OH.That data comes not from examining the rocks on the moon directly, but from analyzing spectrographs of the light reflected from the moon. Different chemicals have different spectrographic signatures, but those of water and hydroxyl are very similar.Finding water, if thats what it is, probably wont be of much use to any future human visitors to the Moon. But it may be an additional clue as scientists try to work out how the moon and the planets were formed. A: Directions: Listen to the news item and complete the summary. This news item is about the water discovery on the moon. B. Directions: listen to the news item again and complete the following chart.Announcements from NASA News ConferenceFindingsWater pretty much over the moon, though more toward the poles, and concentrated at the lunar surface.SourceData from an American instrument flying on an Indian satellite, and confirming data from two other spacecrafts.ControversyIts unclear whether theyre seeing water or hydroxyl.Reasons for different opinionsThat data comes not from examining the rocks on the moon directly, but from analyzing spectrographs of the light reflected from the moon. Different chemicals have different spectrographic signatures, but those of water and hydroxyl are very similar.News Item 2First Spaceman from AfricaThe Soyuz rocket lifted off on schedule Thursday morning from launch pad number one at Russias Baikonur base in Kazakhstan. Aboard was the ships commander, veteran cosmonaut Yuri Gidzenko, Italian Air Force pilot Roberto Vittori and South African Internet entrepreneur* Mark Shuttleworth. The 28-year-old multimillionaire had trained for eight months and spent a reported $20 million to fulfill his childhood dream of going into space. Family members who had flown to Kazakhstan for the occasion watched the liftoff reportedly with big smiles and tears of joy. The Soyuz will fly to the International Space Station, where it is expected to dock on Saturday. The crews main mission is to deliver a new Soyuz capsule to be kept at the space station for use as an escape vehicle if needed. Mark Shuttleworth is also to conduct experiments on how animal stem cells react in zero gravity. The space tourists trip has been warmly welcomed in South Africa, where his adventure has received blanket media coverage. He is the first African to go into space and has been dubbed the Afronaut by many back home, including Nelson Mandela. Russia initiated the space tourism idea, seeing it as a way to bring badly needed cash into its ailing space program. Exercise A Directions: Listen to the news item and complete the summary. This news item is about the first spaceman from Africa and his adventure with astronauts. Exercise B Directions: Listen to the news again and complete the following passage. The Soyuz rocket lifted off on schedule at Russias Baikonur base in Kazakhstan. Aboard was the ships commander, an Italian Air Force pilot and South African Internet entrepreneur Mark Shuttleworth. The 28-year-old multimillionaire had trained for eight months and spent a reported $20 million to fulfill his childhood dream of going into space. Members of his family watched the launch with big smiles and tears of joy. The Soyuz will fly to the International Space Station, where it is expected to dock on Saturday. The crews main mission is to deliver a new Soyuz capsule for use as an escape vehicle if needed. Mark Shuttleworth is also to conduct experiments on how animal stem cells react in zero gravity. He is the first African to go into space and has been dubbed the Afronaut by many back home. News Item 3 40 years after man landed on the moon, and 39 years after Lovell returned to Earth, NASA plans to retire the Space Shuttle in 2010. It is the only vehicle NASA has to carry astronauts into space. At the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama in late July, NASA held meetings with an independent review panel（独立评审委员会） commissioned by President Barack Obama to evaluate the future of manned space flight（载人航天飞行）.Part of the meeting focused on the next generation spacecraft that would replace the Space Shuttle Orbiter (航天飞机轨道器). NASA is developing the Constellation program（星座计划）, a beefed-up Apollo-like initiative. It uses a rocket, called Ares, to put a single-use spacecraft, called the Orion, into orbit, and eventually back to the moon.Another option favored by the presidential panel is extending the life of the Space Shuttle through 2014, keeping it flying missions until a new spacecraft is ready for flight. The panel is also reviewing an extension to the proposed life（拟用年限） of the International Space Station, currently scheduled to end its mission by 2015.A: Directions: Listen to the news item and complete the summary. This news item is about NASAs plan about the future of manned space flight.B: Directions: Listen to the news again and answer the following questions.1. NASA plans to retire the Space Shuttle in 2010.2. NASA held meetings with an independent review panel commissioned by President Barack Obama to evaluate the future of manned space flight.3. Part of the meeting focused on the next generation spacecraft that would replace the Space Shuttle Orbiter.4. The Constellation program is a beefed-up Apollo-like initiative. It uses a rocket, called Ares, to put a single-use spacecraft, called the Orion, into orbit, and eventually back to the moon.5. Another option favored by the presidential panel is extending the life of the Space Shuttle through 2014, keeping it flying missions until a new spacecraft is ready for flight.6. The panel is also reviewing an extension to the proposed life of the International Space Station, currently scheduled to end its mission by 2015.Section Four Supplementary ExercisesPart 1 Feature ReportResearchers call for creation of fire scienceAn international group of researchers is calling for the creation of a separate scientific discipline devoted to the study of fire. The scientists say theres a basic lack of understanding about fire, which impacts virtually every aspect of life on earth.Uncontrolled fires cause billions of dollars a year in damage to health, livelihoods and biodiversity, yet experts say relatively little is known about this primitive element and its impact.In a paper published this week in the journal Science, co-author Steve Pyne and colleagues say theres currently no syste
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