视听阅读3-Home-Listening-原文(下)及单词注释

1、Unit 6HOME LISTENINGaudio SCRIPTGerry Martin: The Reptile（爬行动物） ManA Born Snake Lover Born in Ahmedabad, India, in 1975, Gerry Martin developed a great interest in nature at a very early age. He became particularly interested in wild animals, such as snakes and reptiles. While most people are not ve

2、ry attracted to this type of wildlife, Martin always had an intense（强烈的） fascination（迷恋）. According to one report, when he was three years old, he apparently（显然地） jumped into the python（巨蟒） pit （深坑）of a snake park in India. His mother also says that Gerry was constantly bringing home all sorts of an

3、imals when he was young. However, Gerrys interests do not extend（延伸） to all of the Martins. In the same article, the herpetologist（爬虫学者） notes that no one else in his family shares his great love of snakes.The Interest Grows Martins interest in reptiles continued to grow and by the age of 17 he had

4、already started assisting Romulus Whitaker at the Madras Crocodile Bank. The goal of this agency is to ensure the survival of this endangered animal in India. In 1996, Martin became the youngest curator（馆长）, or manager, to be entrusted（委托） with this important position. Since then, Martin has continu

5、ed to do important research in the field of herpetology and has served as an expert advisor on a wide variety of National Geographic documentaries. He has also appeared on screen in the National Geographic Channel movies “Wild Things” and “World Gone Wild.” Meanwhile, he continues to develop the aca

6、demic side of his career. He is busy creating a comprehensive listing of reptiles in India, which he hopes future generations of herpetologists will find useful in their conservation efforts. Helping People Help Reptiles Because of his devotion to conserving and restoring the worlds reptile populati

7、on, Martin understands how crucial it is to educate young people. He does this primarily（根本地） through camps and other educational programs. Martin provides children with an extraordinary experience by taking groups into Indias countryside where they camp out for several days, observing the local rep

8、tile population up close. They learn how to identify various snakes and even get an opportunity to learn safe handling techniques. In addition, as part of an Education Outreach Program organized by National Geographic, Martin has also traveled to several countries in Southeast Asia presenting progra

9、ms to young people about the importance of reptile conservation. This work, in combination with his academic research, has made Gerry Martin one of the worlds most extraordinary herpetologists.Unit 7 HOME LISTENINGaudio SCRIPTClimb Every Canyon（峡谷） Its called “kloofing” （峡谷）in Australia, “ghyll（峡谷，溪

10、流） scrambling（攀援）” in Wales, and “river tracing” in parts of Asia. Europeans refer to it as “canyoning” and Americans use the term “canyoneering.” Whatever its called, its one of the fastest growing extreme sports in the world. Canyoneering combines hiking, swimming, and waterfall climbing. Particip

11、ants（参与者） begin at the head of a canyon and follow it wherever it goes, which leads to a number of unpredictable adventures along the way. If you like excitement and youre feeling strong and fit, let canyoneering take you to another sporting dimension（维度，元）!Zion National Park in Springdale, Utah At

12、almost 370 square kilometers, Zion is the largest and most popular canyoneering site in the United States, and it contains some of the most beautiful mountain and canyon scenery in the world. Zion offers a wide variety of climbing opportunities for everyone from the five-year-old beginner to the con

13、ditioned（有社会地位的） expert. For the adventurous, the extremely narrow, deep canyons and tall rock towers offer extraordinary climbing challenges. About 2.5 million people visit the park annually and leave with memories that will last a lifetime. Coper（马贩子）Canyon in Chihuahua, Mexico This well-known can

14、yoneering destination is located about 560 kilometers south of El Paso, Texas, and contains North Americas largest canyon system. A canyoneering vacation in this area is attractive not just because of the outstanding climbing and hiking possibilities, but also because of the people who live there. T

15、his part of Chihuahua has many small, isolated（隔离的） villages which appear almost exactly as they did hundreds of years ago. The best way to explore the area is on the back of a horse or donkey（驴子）. Local families also welcome guests into their homes for a small fee, which adds a very special chapter

16、 to your travel experience. A canyoneering trip to this area is a formula（公式，规则） for fun! The Blue Mountains in Australia Located only an hour from Sydney, the Blue Mountains area, which contains over 400 canyons, offers one of the most accessible and fascinating canyoneering experiences in the worl

17、d. A popular one-day tour of Australias own Grand Canyon begins with a rain forest walk followed by a steep（陡峭的） climb down to the canyon floor. Then theres a two-hour hike through magnificent（宏伟的） scenery and a 20-meter swim to the end of the canyon. The tour finishes with a 45-minute walk up to Ev

18、ans Lookout which offers amazing views over the Grose Valley. Few places in the world offer such beauty and variety of scenery in such a brief tour.Unit8HOME LISTENINGaudio SCRIPTVacationing in SpaceClass: ScienceTeacher: Mr. HutchinsonAssignment: Write a short report about a future space discovery

19、Commercial airlines began to investigate the idea of sending people on vacations in outer space as early as 1968. During the Apollo 8 space exploration flight, astronauts sent back space images that were shown on television. During a break in the program, Pan American Airways announced that they wou

20、ld begin accepting reservations（预约） for commercial passenger flights to the moon, which would begin as soon as they became practical. Obviously, Pan Am hasnt made the flight yet, but the idea raised some interesting questions: who could finance the development of this private space travel, how soon

21、could the technology be ready, and how could passengers safety be guaranteed? Finance Space travel is extremely expensive, and it soon became clear that the only entities（给资格） with enough money and interest to conduct the necessary research and development were the governments of certain countries.

22、Funding for the programs fluctuated（涨落） over the years, partly because of economic issues. Then, in 2001 an American businessman named Dennis Tito was able to take advantage of the Russian space programs need for help offsetting（抵消） its costs. He was able to buy himself a visit to the International

23、Space Station for seven days, traveling aboard a Russian spacecraft（太空船）. He is said to have paid a sum of US $20 million for the privilege（特权）. Technology Although both the airlines and potential passengers have remained committed to the idea, private sector（部分） development has been very slow. Rece

24、ntly, however, the investment（投资） in research and development has begun to pay off. In June 2004, “Space Ship One,” the first privately developed manned flight, was launched from the Mojave Desert in California. The launch was attended by a large group of scientists, business people, and movie stars

25、. The company plans to build more ships and to begin offering commercial flights sometime in the future under the name “Virgin Galactic.” Safety The final issue remains: is space flight really a safe undertaking（保证） for relatively untrained people? According to Virgin Galactics website, their planes

26、 are carefully designed and will be thoroughly tested before commercial flights begin. Passengers will be required to have physical exams and take a three-day training program before launch. However, there is always an element(要素) of risk. Of the 4,378 space launches conducted worldwide between 1957

27、 and 1999, 390 launches failed. The ratio of successful launches to unsuccessful launches has increased over the years, but prospective（预期的） passengers should consider the statistics carefully before signing up（签约） for space vacation.Unit 9HOME LISTENINGaudio SCRIPTAsk Dr. JeffersThis month Dr. Jeff

28、ers is answering questions about the human brain and how it works.Dear Dr. Jeffers,Someone told me that scientists are learning to use computers to “read minds.” Is there any truth to this story? Jane Leon, New York, USADear Ms. Leon,Well, a lot of research is being conducted in this area, but so fa

29、r, the brain scanning equipment and corresponding（相应的） computer programs havent been able to actually read thoughts. That said, researchers have made some impressive progress. In one experiment, test subjects were connected to scanning equipment and shown two numbers on a screen. They were then aske

30、d to choose between adding or subtracting the two numbers. Using this procedure, researchers were able to monitor brain processes and make the correct assumptions（假定） 70 percent of the time. Its not quite mind reading, but its certainly a first step. Dr. J.Dear Dr. Jeffers,My three-year-old son love

31、s it when I dig my fingers into his sides（侧） and tickle（搔痒） him until he laughs uncontrollably（无法控制地）. The other day I noticed him trying to tickle himself but he couldnt do it. Why not? Glenn Lewis, Vancouver, CanadaDear Mr. Lewis,Its because of how the brain works. The brain is trained to know wha

32、t to pay attention to and what to ignore. It causes us to ignore physical feelings we expect to happen, but it causes a mild panic（恐慌） reaction when there is an unexpected feeling. For example, you dont notice how your shoulder feels when youre walking down the street. But if someone comes up behind

33、 you and taps you lightly on the shoulder, you may jump in fright（吃惊）. Its that unexpected part that also causes the tickle reaction. Dr. J.Dear Dr. Jeffers,I have heard that some people are “right brain” people and others are “left brain” people. What do these terms mean? Felix Moeller, Essen, Germ

34、anyDear Mr. Moller,Scientists have studied the two halves of the brain and determined that the left side is mostly concerned with logical, rational（理性的）, and analytical（分析的0 tasks. On the other hand, the right side of the brain seems to function in a more random and subjective mode, and is mostly re

35、sponsible for emotions and imagination. Although some people seem to find one style of thinking more natural, research shows that we all use both sides of the brain in all of the mental tasks we perform. Dr. J.Unit 10HOME LISTENINGaudio SCRIPTRain Forest Medicines The development of a wide range of

36、new medicines has contributed greatly to a dramatic increase in life expectancy（期待） in developed countries over the past 100 years. One quarter of these medicines are derived（起源） from plant sources and there is still tremendous（极大的） potential for the discovery of more useful plant-based drugs. Howev

37、er, at a time when scientists estimate that only 5 percent of the worlds plants have been identified, it appears that 25 percent of those plants will become extinct by the year 2050. Therefore, researchers are looking closely at the many possibilities that rain forest plants present as potential sou

38、rces of new drugs. Learning from Indigenous Peoples Along with the loss of valuable rain forest plant species, the rain forest inhabitants（居住着） who discovered and utilized（利用） them are also rapidly disappearing. Since 1900, more than 90 indigenous（本土的） tribes（部落） living in the Amazons rain forests have been displaced due to agricultural and manufacturing （制造业）development. With them, centuries of experience working with drugs made from rain forest plants has also disappeared. Only recently have scientists begun to realize how much t