Track 2-03-03.mp3

Supplementary Reading

Ⅰ. Culture Notes

ⅰ. The Walt Disney Company 

The Walt Disney Company is the largest media and entertainment corporation in the world. Founded on October 16, 1923, by brothers Walt and Roy Disney as an animation studio, it has become one of the biggest Hollywood studios, and owner and licensor of eleven theme parks and several television networks, including ABC and ESPN. Disney's corporate headquarters and primary production facilities are located at The Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California. The company has been a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average since May 6, 1991. Mickey Mouse serves as the official mascot of The Walt Disney Company.

ⅱ. Orlando Bloom

Orlando Bloom is a classically trained English actor. He had his break-through roles in 2001 as the elf-prince Legolas in The Lord of the Rings and starting in 2003 as blacksmith Will Turner in the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy of films, and subsequently established himself as a lead in Hollywood films, including Troy, Elizabethtown, Kingdom of Heaven and the sequels Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest and At World's End.

ⅲ. Alexander Graham Bell

Listen to the passage about Alexander Graham Bell and finish the true or false statements.  

1. Alexander Graham Bell used to be a teacher of the limp.  

2. An expert on electricity, Alexander Graham Bell believed that a voice could be sent over a wire.  

3. Bell was awarded his patent on the telephone in 1876, which is one of the most valuable patents given by the U.S.  

ⅳ. Rock and roll

Rock and roll is a form of popular music arising from and incorporating a variety of musical styles, especially rhythm and blues, country music, and gospel. Originating in the United States in the 1950s, it is characterized by electronically amplified instrumentation, a heavily accented beat, and relatively simple phrase structure. Key themes for the early rock movement were youth protest, the counterculture and hallucinogenic drugs. San Francisco became its leading centre. By the mid-1970s, much of the experiment was felt to be self-indulgent and the political stances unrealistic.  

ⅴ. The sexual revolution of the 1960s

Central to the sexual revolution in the 1960s was the growing acceptance of sexual encounters between unmarried adults. Throughout this period young men and women engaged in their first acts of sexual intercourse at increasingly younger ages. The impact of earlier sexual experimentation was reinforced by the later age of marriage; thus, young men and women had more time available to acquire sexual experience with partners before entering upon a long-term monogamous relationship.

In addition, the growing number of marriages resulting in divorce — and the consequent lessening of the stigma attached to divorce — provided another opportunity for men and women (to a lesser degree) to engage in non-monogamous sexual activity. At the same time homosexuals who lived in secret came out of the closet. Like much of the radicalism from the 1960s, the sexual revolution was often seen to have been centered around the university campus, amongst students.

ⅵ. Baby boomers

“Baby boomers” is a term to describe people born between 1946 and 1964. After American soldiers returned home from World War II in 1946, the United States experienced an explosion of births (hence the name baby boom) that continued for the next 18 years.

One of the unique features of Boomers was that they tended to think of themselves as a special generation, very different from those that had come before. The boomers regard rock and roll as an expression of their generational identity. They may not attend organized church, and they are more liberal towards such issues like abortion and homosexuality. They participated in the sexual revolution of the 1960’s and protested against the Vietnam War.

Ⅱ. Language Study

1. (Para. 2) “I made some comment about him, but I got the typical teenager guttural sigh and Katie rolled her eyes at me as if to say, ‘Oh Dad, you are so out of it’ ”.

   Translate the sentence into Chinese.

   (=“我说了几句评论他的话，但是得到的却是十几岁孩子惯用的用喉音低声发出的叹息。凯蒂对着我翻白眼，似乎在说，‘喔，爸，你怎么这么闭塞。’”)

2. (Para. 2) comment:

1. n. a written or spoken remark giving an opinion

* We’d like to invite your comments on our performance.

博客带来了素不相识之人作出的讨厌的评论。

(=With blogs come nasty comments made by someone you hardly know.)

2. v. express an opinion about sb. or sth.

*Dear friends, kindly comment on my essay on values.

他评论说这本小说是美国文学的杰作。

(=He commented that this novel was a masterpiece in American literature.)

3. (Para. 6) rely on: depend upon sb. or sth. to do what you need or expect them to do

*More employers are relying on pre-employment testing to help them make smarter hiring decisions.

传统的广告依靠诸如电视、杂志等媒体去接触尽可能多的观众。

(=Traditional advertising has relied on such media as television and magazines to read the greatest number of audience possible.)

4. (Para. 6) define: vt. give the distinguishing characteristics of; state precisely the meaning of

*Have scientists defined the age of earth precisely?

你如何定义成功与你的幸福感有很大关系?

(=How you define success has a lot to do with your sense of happiness?)

5. (Para. 6) apart from: in addition to; except for

*Apart from being too large, this house is too far away from public transportation.

尽管出了车祸，但除了一些擦伤，她没有受伤。

(=Apart from a few bruises, she was unhurt despite the car accident.)

6. (Para. 7) As telephones became ubiquitous in the last century, users — adults and teenagers alike — found a form of privacy and easy communication unknown to Alexander Graham Bell or his daughters.

   Paraphrase the sentence.

   (=The popularity of telephones in the last century enables the users, both adults and teenagers, to keep their privacy and communicate easily, which is quite beyond Alexander Graham Bell or his daughters’ expectations.)

7. (Para. 7) alike:

1. adj. similar, like one another

*The twins are as alike as two peas in a pod.

虽然这些绵羊看起来很相像，但那位老人仍能一一区别。

 (=Much as the sheep look alike, the old man can tell one from another.)

2. adv. in a similar way

*Laws treat all people alike, be they foreign visitors or local VIPs.

我相信北京将向运动员、现场观众和全世界的电视观众一样证明，这是一块神奇的土地。

(=I believe that Beijing will prove to be a land of wonders to athletes, spectators and the worldwide television audience alike. )

8. (Para. 9) popularity: n. the quality of being well liked or admired

*Despite its popularity, 90 percent of Chinese can't pronounce the Chinese character囧, according to an online survey.

教育展在高中毕业生及其家长中非常受欢迎。

(=The education exhibition enjoyed huge popularity among high school graduates and their parents.)

9. (Para. 9) trend: n. a general direction in which a situation is changing or developing

*Economic globalization has become a general trend.

2001年，纽约引领了禁止驾驶时使用移动电话的潮流。

(=In 2001, New York led the trend towards some sort of prohibition on mobile phone use while driving. )

10. (Para. 9) impact: n. strong effect or influence

*The war had a devastating impact on Europe.

电脑对现代生活产生了很大影响。

(=The computer has made a great impact on modern life.)

11. (Para. 9) mobile: adj. not fixed in one position, able to move freely or be moved easily from place to place

*Mobile hospitals were urgently needed in the earthquake-stricken area.

在北京几乎每三人中就有一人属于流动人口。

(=Nearly one of every three people in Beijing belongs to the mobile population.)

12. (Para. 11) consume: vt. use (time, energy, fuel, etc.)

*The toilets in a busy restaurant can consume a lot of water, so it's important to install low-flow units.

从现在起中国将出口更少的高能耗产品。

(=From now on China will export fewer high energy consuming products.)

13. (Para. 12) Baby boomers who warned decades ago that their out-of-touch parents couldn’t be trusted now sometimes find themselves raising children who — thanks to the Internet and the cellphone — consider Mom and Dad to be clueless, too.

Translate the sentence into Chinese.

   (=婴儿潮中诞生的人几十年前曾警告说，他们的父母脱离时代，不能信任。现在他们自己也有了孩子，这些孩子由于互联网和手机的缘故，也认为爸妈一无所知。)

14. (Para. 13) and the like: and so on

*My drawer is full of pens, books and the like.

孩子们在托儿所能学习唱歌、跳舞、绘画及诸如此类的东西。

(=Children can learn singing, dancing, drawing and the like at the daycare center.)

15. (Para. 13) opportunity: n. a chance to do something

*This is a good opportunity to apply what you’ve learned in class to practical work.

很遗憾他错过了出国旅游的机会。

(=It’s a pity that he missed the opportunity to travel abroad.)

16. (Para. 16) prompt: vt. make (sb.) decide to do sth.

*My interest in the position of Supply Manager has prompted me to forward my resumé for your consideration.

一再降息缘于最近的经济危机。

(=The repeated interest cuts were prompted by the recent economic crisis.)

17. (Para. 17) interview: n. (of a reporter, etc.) have a meeting with (sb.) for questions，opinions，etc.

*What questions should I ask during a job interview?

别人羡慕她能采访比尔盖茨。

(=Others envied her for landing an interview with Bill Gates.)

18. (Para. 18) keep … at bay: prevent (sb.) from coming close or prevent (sth. bad) from affecting you

*She was furious but kept her anger at bay and continued to plan her escape.

人们种草来防止沙漠化。

(=The desert is being kept at bay by grass planting.)

19. (Para. 18) keep … in the dark: not tell (sb.) sth. that you want to keep secret

*Passengers are being kept in the dark over the pilots’ strike.

贪婪的银行鼓励穷人们贷款却不让他们知道实际的贷款成本。

(=Greedy banks encouraged poor people to borrow while keeping them in the dark about the real lending costs.)

20. (Para. 20) relate: vi. be able to understand sb.’s problems, situations, etc.

*His plays are successful because they are easy to relate to.

我能深深地理解我的祖父。

(=My grandfather is someone I can relate to deeply.)

21. (Para. 22) be aware of: have knowledge or realization of

*We’re aware of our international responsibilities, says the Chinese Premier.

直到吉姆在课堂上使用它，我才知道这个软件。

(=I had not been aware of this software until Jim used it in class.)

22. (Para. 24) enforce: vt. make sure a law or rule is obeyed

*This document is useful for studying how to enforce intellectual property rights.

警察与法官执法。

(=Policemen and judges enforce the law. )

23. (Para. 24) “I could have them in the same room texting, or I wouldn’t let them text and they would leave,” says Mr. Pence of his children. “They are good kids, but you want to know what they are up to."

   Translate the sentence into Chinese.

(=“我要么让他们呆在同一间屋里发短信，要么不让他们发短信而他们就走开，”潘斯先生这样说他的孩子们。“他们是好孩子，但是父母还是想知道他们在干些啥”。)

24. (Para. 24) be up to: be occupied or busy with

*I need some word on what they are up to.

劳拉看起来好像在忙什么事情。

(=Laura looks like she is up to something.)

Ⅲ. Comprehension Task

ⅰ. Dialogue

Generation gap maybe exists in every family. Now you are required to get a partner and make up a dialogue between a 15-year-old daughter, who wants to join Super Seven — the rock and roll band in her school, and her mother, who worries about her daughter and doesn’t allow her to join the band. The dialogue should cover the following aspects:

(1) something about Super Seven;

(2) the reasons why the daughter wants to join Super Seven;

the reasons why the mother doesn’t allow her daughter to join the band;

(1) conflicts between the mother and daughter;

(2) the settlement of the conflicts.

ⅱ. Listening and discussion 

1. Fill in the blanks.

Listen to the passage carefully and fill in the blanks.  

1. The Internet makes me understand that the generation gap exists not only ___________, but also ___________, even though ___________.  

2. I believed that ___________ and there was not a gap between the new generation of the 80s and mine.  

3. In my friend’s memory, students ___________.  

4. In my opinion, people born in the 80s ___________ from the Internet. They are ___________, they ___________.  

2. Retell the story    Listen to the passage again and retell the story in class.

 3. Discussion

Form groups of 4 and have a discussion based on the following questions:

1. Do you think the generation gap exists among the young with 3 or 5 year gaps in the age?

2. Can you list more new means of communication apart from the mobile phone and Internet?

3. How is the relationship between the old and the young influenced by these new means of communication? How about the relationship among the young?