Unit Four Our Life and the Internet

Ⅰ. Pre-listening Activities

Part 1 略

Part 2 1. C 2. E 3. D 4. A 5. F

■ Script

Child development expert Sue Palmer said that the figures showed we are “cooping children up inside” more than ever. According to the study, 23 percent of children between two and five could make a call on a mobile phone and a quarter can navigate between websites with ease. One in five knew their way around smartphones or even an iPad. Two thirds knew how to turn a computer on and 73 percent said they could work a mouse. When it came to real-life matters, however, the picture was very different. Just 48 percent knew their own home address and only a third were able to write their first and last names.

“By encouraging them to live a virtual screen-based existence, we are deadening their developmental drive and dumbing them down.” she said, “They get used to the quick fix and the easy rewards of communicating with technology and don’t learn how to invest the emotional effort that is necessary for real relationships. What they need is real play with real people in order to develop properly.”

Ⅱ. Listening Tasks

Task 1 Understanding News Reports

News Item 1

1. B 2. D News Item 2

1. D 2. C News Item 3

1. C 2. D 3. B

■ Script

News Item One

Questions 1 and 2 will be based on the following news item.

The flow of migrants and refugees to Western Europe has continued throughout the weekend. Austria says it’s expecting 20,000 arrivals, most of them through Hungary and Croatia, but some of those from Slovenia. The EU leaders remain divided who should bear the burden, as Jonny Dymond now reports. “The journey of many migrants to Europe is still hard and dangerous, but some of the chaos of last week appears to have faded as southeastern Europe allows migrants to move rapidly to the north and west, to Germany and Sweden, the favorite destination of many.

Late on Sunday, Poland Prime Minister announced that the country would accept only a symbolic number of migrants. That kind of talk irritates Germany, the richest and biggest European nation which has accepted many, but clearly feels that some burden sharing is appropriate.” Questions:

1. How many migrants and refugees will arrive in Austria?

2. Which countries are the favorite destination of those migrants and refugees?

News Item Two

Questions 1 and 2 will be based on the following news item.

One of the world’s biggest banks, HSBC, has announced the first details of a major cost-cutting exercise. It’s to sell its businesses in Brazil and Turkey, reduce its asset base and shrink its investment bank. Kamal Ahmed reports.

“Europe’s largest bank has announced that it wants to be significantly smaller. HSBC has revealed that its UK operations will be hit hard as it battles to find over 3.2 billion pounds of cost-savings. Stuart Gulliver, the bank’s chief executive, said that it was time to recognize the world had changed, and the growth in Asia had to be the new focus. The bank is selling businesses in Turkey and Brazil, and will look to reduce the value of its risky assets by 290 billion pounds. HSBC also said that it will make a decision on whether it will retain its headquarters in London by the end of the year.” Questions:

1. Which of the following is not a cost-cutting exercise of HSBC? 2. What will be the new focus for HSBC?

News Item Three

Questions 1 to 3 will be based on the following news item.

Korean language studies are quickly growing in popularity across the United States. The Modern Language Association says the number of U.S. college students taking a Korean language class rose by almost 45% over the last few years. The group notes that the increase comes at a time when the number of college students taking foreign language classes has declined.

Many people around the world like the sound of K-pop, Korean popular music. Also, the children of Korean immigrants want to speak to their parents and grandparents in Korean.

Professor Sung-Ock Sohn teaches Korean classes at UCLA. She says another reason people want to learn the language is the growing economic power of South Korea. Professor David Schaberg, Dean of Humanities at the University of California, says the popularity of Korean language training is also affecting American culture. He says it shows that American culture is becoming more Asian, or at least opening up to more Asian influences. Language researchers say the growing number of U.S. students taking Korean language classes shows no sign of ending anytime soon. Their reasons: the popularity of K-pop and the rising number of Korean-Americans seeking to re-connect with older family members. Questions:

1. What is K-pop according to the news?

2. Why is Korean language learning becoming popular in the United States? 3. What does Professor Schaberg think of this phenomenon?

Task 2 Understanding a Long Conversations

Conversation One

1. A 2. C 3. D 4. B 5. C Conversation Two

1. C 2. A 3. D 4. A

■ Script

Conversation One

W: The Internet is very popular at the moment. M: It has been for many years now.

W: Our company couldn’t exist without the Internet. It just wouldn’t be possible. M: Have you ever met anyone online?

W: No. I use computers all day at work. I’m not particularly keen on getting home and then using a computer again.

M: But don’t you work from home?

W: When I do, I send the work back to the office over the net. But I don’t waste my time chatting. M: I do. I can speak to people from around the world and the computer translates their text straight into English.

W: So rather than try and learn a new language, you rely on the computer to do all the work.

M: Give me a break, we can’t learn every language you know, and I can communicate with people I would not normally be able to.

W: When computer translation is reliable enough for business, then I’ll be interested. For me the Internet is a business tool, not a toy.

Questions 1 to 5 are based on the conversation you have just heard. 1. What does the woman usually do on the Internet? 2. Why doesn’t the woman chat on the Internet? 3. Who does the man chat with on the Internet? 4. How does the man chat with foreigners?

5. For the woman, what’s the function of the Internet?

Conversation Two

W: Hi, Dave! What’s up?

M: Oh, not much. What have you been doing recently, Cathy? W: I’ve been chatting online a lot with friends. M: Where do you go to chat?

W: I usually use yahoo messenger. What about you? M: I’ve never chatted online before.

W: What?! How is that possible? Why not?

M: Well, my computer is really old, so most software isn’t compatible with my computer. W: Do you want to come over to mine? I can show you how to use it. M: That would be great. How do you access the Internet? W: I have wireless broadband. It’s so convenient. I love it. M: My parents only have dial-up. They’re so behind the times.