大学听说教程 UnitCoincidence

1、Unit 2 CoincidencePart APre-listening TaskQuestions for Discussion1. What is coincidence? Give an example to illustrate it.2. Have you ever experienced or read about an amusing case of coincidence? If yes, what is it?3. How do people react to coincidences? How important are they in human life?4. Can

2、 coincidences be explained? Why or why not?5. What can coincidences do? Are they mostly beneficial or harmful?6. What do you think can be the causes of coincidences? Do you think coincidences are beyond chance? Additional Question for DiscussionDo you think there is a cause-and-effect relationship b

3、etween events that share some similarities? Why or why not?Language FocusHere are some sentences and structures that you may find useful in discussing the above questions.l Coincidence refers to the phenomenon in which two or more events which are similar or related happen to take place at the same

4、time or place.l Its / What a coincidence that l Coincidence is not rare. It happens around us every day.l It so happened that three of our classmates were born on the same day.l Compared with non-coincidental events, coincidences are rare.l Coincidence is the result of pure chance / our memories.l T

5、he human mind tends to look for patterns in events / remember events that match but forget events that dont match.l Speak of the devil and he will appear / the devil comes.l No coincidences, no stories. l Everything under the sun is possible. l Coincidences make great stories / very good topics for

6、small talk.l Coincidences make life more interesting / amusing / colorful.l Coincidences tend to stay in our memory longer.l People remember coincidences and love to pass them around among friends. l Its meaningless to try to explain coincidences.l Some people try to find a cause-and-effect relation

7、ship between events that happen to share some similarities.l Some people believe coincidences are the work of mysterious forces / supernatural powers.l Some people believe coincidences can reveal relationships between events, human beings and natural phenomena that are not obvious to them.l Coincide

8、nces have nothing to do with good luck or bad luck / no power to predict future events.l As the saying goes, “Good fortune seldom repeats itself but troubles never come singly.”Part BListening TasksPassage 1What a Coincidence! (Part One)Word Banktuition n. payment for schooling 学费somehow ad. for som

9、e reason that is not clear 由于某种未知的原因click v. to become suddenly clear or understandable 突然变得明白real estate agent a person whose business is to buy, sell or look after houses or land for people 房地产经纪人note down to write down 记下Andrew （男子名）Stewart （姓）Script:Andrew had always wanted to be a doctor. But t

10、he tuition for a medical school in 1984 was 15,000 dollars a year, which was more than his family could afford. To help him realize his dream, his father, Mr. Stewart, a real estate agent, began searching the house-for-sale ads in newspapers in order to find extra business. One advertisement that he

11、 noted down was for the sale of a house in a nearby town. Mr. Stewart called the owner, trying to persuade him to let him be his agent. Somehow he succeeded and the owner promised that he would come to him if he failed to get a good deal with his present agent. Then they made an appointment to meet

12、and discuss the thing.As good things are never easy to acquire, the time for the appointment had to be changed almost ten times. On the day when they were supposed to meet at 3 oclock in the afternoon, Mr. Stewart received another call from the owner. His heart sank as he feared there would be anoth

13、er change of time. And so it was. The owner told him that he couldnt make it at three but if he would come right then, they could talk it over. Mr. Stewart was overjoyed. Leaving everything aside, he immediately set out to drive to the house.As he approached the area, he had a strange feeling of hav

14、ing been there before. The streets, the trees, the neighborhood, all looked familiar to him. And when he finally reached the house, something clicked in his mind. It used to be the house of his father-in-law! The old man had died fifteen years ago but when he was alive, he had often visited him with

15、 his wife and children. He remembered that, like his son Andrew, his father-in-law had also wanted to study medicine and, failing to do so, had always hoped that one of his two daughters or his grandchildren could someday become a doctor.Exercise 1Listen to the story and choose the right answers to

16、the questions you hear.1.Who are the two main characters in the story you have just heard?a. Mr. Stewart and his son.b. Mr. Stewart and his client.c. Mr. Stewart and his father-in-law.d. Mr. Stewarts father-in-law and the owner of the house.2.How did Mr. Stewart get to know the owner of the house?a.

17、 From a house-for-sale advertisement in a newspaper put up by the owner.b. Through the introduction of Mr. Stewarts father-in-law.c. They attended the same medical school.d. They lived in the same neighborhood.3.What problem did Mr. Stewart have?a. He had no house to live in.b. He had lost his job.c

18、. He was disappointed with his son.d. He did not have enough funds for his sons college education.4.What is the coincidence in the story you have just heard?a. His clients house was the one that once belonged to a friend of his.b. His clients house was the one his family once lived in.c. His clients

19、 house was the one his father-in-law once lived in.d. His clients house was the one he once wanted to buy.Exercise 2Listen to the story again and fill in the blanks with the missing information.The story happened in 1984. Mr. Stewart, a real estate agent, had a son whose name was Andrew. The young m

20、an wanted to go to a medical school. But the tuition was so high that his father couldnt afford it. In order to help his son realize his dream, Mr. Stewart searched newspaper ads, hoping to find extra business. One advertisement caught his eye. It was for the sale of a house near where he lived. But

21、 although he succeeded in persuading the owner of the house to let him be his agent, the appointment time was changed again and again. At last, he received a phone call from the owner, asking him to go and discuss the matter with him right away. Mr. Stewart put aside everything he was doing and left

22、 immediately for the house. When he approached the area, he found everything there looked familiar to him. And when he saw the house, he realized it was his father-in-laws old house. He had visited it many times years ago when his father-in-law was still alive. What a coincidence!Passage 2What a Coi

23、ncidence! (Part Two)Word Banklatter n. the second of two things or persons just mentioned 后者intrigue v. to fascinate; to appeal strongly to sb. 激起极大的兴趣mystify v. to fill with wonder; to completely puzzle 使困惑；使大为惊奇standing a. being at a particular level or amount （水平、量等）现有的，现在显示的cover v. to be enough

24、 to pay for sth. 够支付bear v. to have or show 具有，带有miracle n. a wonderful event 奇事，不可思议的事blessing n. a lucky thing 幸事be in for to be going to experience sth. 必定会经历receipt slip a written or printed statement acknowledging that sth. has been paid for or received 收条come to to amount to 合计，总数为in sb.s plac

25、e instead of sb. 代替某人Script:When he entered the house, Mr. Stewart was even more amazed to find that the house was decorated exactly as he had remembered it. He told the owner about this and the latter became intrigued too. However, they were in for even greater surprises. It so happened that in the

26、 middle of their discussion, a postman came to deliver a letter. And the letter was addressed to Mr. Stewarts father-in-law! Were it not for Mr. Stewarts presence there and then, the letter would be returned as no person of that name lived in the house any longer. As the postman demanded a signature

27、 on the receipt slip, Mr. Stewart signed for his long-deceased father-in-law. Mystified, the owner urged Mr. Stewart to open the letter and see what it contained. The letter was from a bank. When he opened it, two words immediately met his eye “For education”. It was a bank statement of an amount hi

28、s father-in-law had put in years ago for his grandchildrens education needs. With the interest it had earned over the years, the standing value of the amount came to a little over $15,000, just enough money to cover the tuition of Andrews first year at a medical college!Another thing that is worth m

29、entioning is about the postman. The original postman, who had worked in this neighborhood, called in sick that day. So the postman, who was new to the area, came to deliver mail in his place. Had it been the old postman, the letter would undoubtedly have been returned to the sender, as he knew full

30、well that no person bearing that name lived in that house any longer.The miracle was a blessing for Andrew. With the money given to him by his grandfather he was able to study medicine. Now he is a doctor in Illinois.Exercise 1Listen to the recording and write down the coincidences mentioned in the

31、text.1. The house was decorated exactly the same as Mr. Stewart remembered it.2. Mr. Stewart happened to be in the house when a postman came to deliver a letter to his father-in-law who had died 15 years ago.3. The old postman had called in sick that day, and the postman who came in his place was no

32、t familiar with the neighborhood. Otherwise the letter would have been returned to its sender.Exercise 2Listen to the recording again and write down answers to the following questions.1. How did the owner feel about the fact that Mr. Stewarts father-in-law once lived in the house?He was intrigued.2.

33、 What was inside the letter delivered by the postman?A bank statement.3. What did Mr. Stewart learn from the letter?His father-in-law had put an amount of money in the bank for his grandchildrens education.4. What was the standing value of the amount of money fifteen years later?A little over $15,00

34、0.5. What could Andrew do with the money?He could use the money to cover the tuition of his first year at a medical college.6. What do you know about Andrew now?He is a doctor in Illinois.Speaking TasksPair WorkDebating Arguments for or against believing in the supernaturalA SamplePeople hold differ

35、ent views toward coincidences. Some think that they are mere chance while those who believe in the supernatural search for some higher order behind them. Whats your view? Express and defend your view from the perspectives given in the card below.Topic: Are there mysterious forces at work when coinci

36、dences occur?Perspectives:1. From the perspective of a person who believes in the supernatural (positive)2. From the perspective of a person who believes in science (negative)Possible Arguments (for reference)From the perspective of a person who believes in the supernatural (positive)A lot of strang

37、e coincidences happen around us. And so far science hasnt been able to provide answers to them. For example, a friend of mine told me that he dreamed that his uncle had died and the death was confirmed by a phone call he received the next morning immediately after he woke up. Wasnt that odd? There w

38、as no way he could have known about his uncles death beforehand. My friend believed that it was his uncle coming to bid him farewell before he left the world for good. And I dont know whether he is right or not. It couldnt be just a coincidence, I think. There seems to be some mysterious forces at w

39、ork. If not, how can we explain it?From the perspective of a person who believes in science (negative)I dont think there are mysterious forces at work when coincidences occur. Most coincidences are simply the result of pure chance. And some coincidences, unusual though they may be, can actually be e

40、xplained. Take coincidental birth dates for example. An experiment mentioned in an article by a professor at the University of Virginia shows that if you randomly select a group of 23 persons, there is a 50 per cent chance that at least two of them celebrate the same birth date. Unbelievable, isnt i

41、t? Few people would have guessed that could be so common. If thats the case with birth dates, isnt it likely that many other coincidences are probable as well?This experiment proves that it is possible to calculate the probabilities of some seemingly coincidental happenings. In real life, however, w

42、e tend to give coincidences a lesser probability than they deserve. Now use the above sample as a model and carry on similar activities with your partner. You can refer to the notes below for ideas and vocabulary. You are also welcome to contribute ideas of your own. Topic: Do you think ones fate is

43、 a decisive factor in ones life?Perspectives:1. From the perspective of a person who believes in fate (positive)2. From the perspective of a person who believes that success depends on human effort (negative)Some Ideas for ReferenceThe Argument (positive)1. Effort alone sometimes can do nothing. In

44、the old days, many girls were deprived of their right to education simply because they were girls. 2. People are sometimes too weak to fight against their fate. 3. We can never choose our parents / what families or what regions we were born in.4. Our birth often determines what we can achieve in fut

45、ure.5. We can be limited in what we can achieve by forces beyond our control.6. There are things that we can hardly control. Natural disasters, diseases, wars are some of the things that can prevent our dreams from coming true no matter what great efforts we make.7. We human beings appear so fragile

46、 and helpless before misfortunes that may fall on us. 8. All our efforts would be wasted if we were unlucky enough to be the victim of an ill fate.The Counter-argument (negative)1. The success stories of many people at home and abroad have shown that so long as you persevere in doing what you aim to

47、 do, you will succeed one day no matter who you are.2. There are many factors contributing to a persons success in his or her life. According to Abraham Lincoln, our resolution to succeed is more important than anything else.3. A persons clear goal and his or her perseverance in realizing it are rea

48、lly something that counts.4. For us college students, to have a clear aim and to work hard toward its realization is of vital importance. 5. Ones success has nothing to do with his or her fate. 6. We are not destined from birth for what we are or will be. 7. We create our fate every day we live.8. O

49、ur fate is in our own hands.9. Fate is a cover-up for the fact that you dont have control over your own life.Part CTest Your ListeningA Compound DictationListen to the passage three times and supply the missing information.One of the best-known 1) collections of parallels is between the careers of Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy. Both were 2) shot on a Friday, in the 3) presence of their wives; both were su