Track 2-07-03.mp3

Supplementary Reading

 Ⅰ. Culture Notes

From English to Panglish

(Directions:)

You are required to read the words while listening to the following passage and then have a dialogue about the pros and cons of Internet.

We know that English is the prevailing world language, and that Chinglish should be avoided. However, a new global tongue, called "Panglish", is expected to overtake traditional English in the coming decades.

The language of Shakespeare and Dickens is evolving into a new, simplified form of English that will be spoken by billions of people around the world. The changes are being driven by people who speak English as a second language, New Scientist magazine reports.

According to the report, Panglish will be similar to the versions of English used by non-native speakers.

Linguists say Panglish will lose some of the English sounds which non-native speakers find difficult to pronounce. For instance, the "th" sounds in "this" and "thin" might be replaced by "z" or "s", respectively. The short "l" sound in "hotel" might be replaced with the longer "l" of "lady".

Consonants at the end of words may be dropped. So "friend" may be pronounced as "frien" and "send" as "sen". Group nouns like "information" and "furniture" – which don't have plural versions – could vanish. Therefore, it may become acceptable in Panglish to talk about "informations" and "furnitures".

Non-English speakers often forget the "s" at the end of third person singular verbs like "he runs" or "she walks". In Panglish, people may say "he talk" or "she eat".

"By 2010, around 2 billion people, or a third of the world's population, will speak English as a second language. In contrast, just 350 million people will speak it as a first language. By 2020, the number of native speakers will be down to 300 million," the Daily Mail newspaper predicts.

Unlike French, which is protected from corruption by the Academie Francaise, there is no organization to guard the English language.

Ⅱ. Language Study

1. （Para.1）  It is unparalleled in several ways: by the increasing number of

users of the language; by its depth of penetration into

societies; by its range of functions.

   Translate the sentence into Chinese.

(=这一过程在几个方面都是前所未有的：英语使用人数的增加，英语在不同社会渗透的深度，以及英语功用的广度。)

2. （Para.1）range:  n. the limits within which sth. exists, operates, or is

effective

* An earthquake occurred within the range of 300 km around the city.

动物有时可以听到超出人类的听觉范围的声音。

(=Animals can sometimes hear sounds beyond the range of human hearing.)

3. （Para. 2）exceed: vt. go beyond in quantity, degree, etc.

* The shop's Christmas Season revenue exceeded their wildest expectations

到2004年10月1日为止，伊拉克平民的死亡人数超过了10万人。

(=The civilian death toll in Iraq exceeded 100,000 by 1st October, 2004. )

4. （Para. 3）management: n. the art or practice of managing, esp. of a

business or money

* She plans to study hotel management in Switzerland next year.

管理既是一门科学也是一门艺术。

(=Management is both a science and an art.)

5. （Para. 3）What began some 1,500 years ago as a crude language, originally spoken by little known German tribes who invaded England, now covers the globe.

   Translate the sentence into Chinese.

(=大约1500年前，英语还只是那些入侵英格兰的鲜为人知的日耳曼部落使用的一种粗俗的语言，如今它却遍及全球。)

6. （Para. 3）crude: adj.  not refined

* Soybeans in their crude form are inedible.

The term "crude oil" refers to petroleum directly out of the ground.

(=“原油”这个术语是指直接来自地下的石油。)

7. （Para. 4）conduct: vt.  carry out or direct

* Well-conducted dialogues are valuable ways for exploring ideas within our community.

宇航员在哥伦比亚号宇宙飞船上进行实验。

(=Astronauts conducted experiments onboard spacecraft Columbia.)

8. （Para. 5）contribute to: help to cause

* The involvement in a romantic triangle may have contributed to the decline of her mental health.

个人行为，环境因素和遗传特征都会导致疾病的复杂性。

(=Individual behaviors, environmental factors, and genetics all contribute to the complexity of diseases. )

9. （Para. 5）integrate: vi. cause to become a member, make into a whole

* Older students form clubs to integrate into campus life.

由于经济全球化，我国也必须融入世界经济中去。

(=Our country must also integrate into the world economy because of globalization.)

10. （Para. 6）With this technical and scientific dominance came the beginning of overall dominance by the language, first in Europe and then globally.

   Translate the sentence into Chinese.

(=随着它在科技领域主导地位的确立，英语先是在欧洲，继而在全球开始取得全面的主导地位。)

11. （Para. 6）overall: adj. including everything

* Retail sales continued the overall downturn trend.

你对新品苹果电脑的总体印象如何？

(= What is your overall impression of the new Apple computer?)

12. （Para. 7）transform: vt. change completely in form, appearance or nature

*Her whole posture was totally transformed: head up, shoulders back and down, and there was a confidence in her step that I'd never seen before.

水能把一片不毛之地变成一座花园。

(=Water can transform a desert into a garden.)

13. （Para. 7）give way to: yield to

* Though in many people the habit of reading and writing has given way to the habit of listening and seeing, it can never be totally discarded.

阳光明媚，温暖舒适的星期六过后可能就是一个暴风骤雨的星期日。

(=The sunny, mild Saturday may give way to a stormy Sunday.)

14. （Para. 8）characteristic n. a quality or feature that is typical of sth. or sb.

* Decisiveness is a characteristic of high-performing men and women.

不喝水还能长时间生存的能力是骆驼的一个特点。

(= A characteristic of the camel is its ability to live for a long time without water.)

15. （Para. 8）unique: adj. being the only one of its kind

* You've come to the right place to find unique gifts of style and quality.

研究人员已经识别出一种人类和其同类猿所特有的基因。

(=Researchers have identified a gene unique to humans and their ape kin.)

16. （Para. 9）authority: n. person(s) having the power or right to give orders and make others obey

* The law allows authorities to take DNA samples from anyone convicted of a felony (重罪).

他是环境保护方面的权威人士。

(=He is a great authority on environmental protection.)

17. （Para. 9）to name a few: give just a few examples

* There are hundreds of preset visual effects available (smoke, fire, explosions, sparkles, fireworks, just to name a few) in this animation program.

中国有很多大城市，比如上海、北京、重庆、武汉等。

(=There are many big cities in China — Shanghai, Beijing, Chongqing, Wuhan to name a few.)

18. （Para. 9）aspect: n. an element or side of a situation or idea

* The poem offers possibilities for gaining fresh insights into other aspects of late medieval literary culture.

安全是自由的一个方面，因为没有一个具有不安全感的人会是自由的。

(=Security is an aspect of freedom because no one who is unsafe is free.)

19. （Para.10）predict:  declare or tell in advance

Today, there are many active volcanoes worldwide. Is there anything we can do to predict how and when they will erupt?

卫星图（Satellite imagery）在预测自然灾害方面正在起着重要作用。

(=Satellite imagery is now playing an important role in predicting natural disasters.

20. （Para.11）in transition: in the course of changing into another state or

condition

* American higher education is in transition in terms of the way colleges and

universities are organized and function.

家庭和学校的紧密联系可以为转型期的儿童提供无缝支持。

(=A strong home and school connection can create a seamless web of support for children in transition.)

21. （Para.12）rid oneself of: free oneself from

* Artistic expression will help Susanna rid herself of built-up emotional junk, and then she can move on.

要使自己摆脱一位因逗留过久而使人生厌的客人是一件很困难的事。

(=It is a tough job ridding oneself of a guest who has overstayed his/her welcome.)

22. （Para.14）substantial: of considerable size, degree, extent, etc.

Delta Air Lines reported a "substantial" loss this year and warned it may have to seek bankruptcy protection if its financial situation worsens.

护士的工作环境要有重大的改观，以确保他们能够最好地照顾病人。

(=Substantial changes are required in nurses' working environment to ensure that they can best take care of patients.)

23. （Para.17）While languages such as English, German, and French have been international languages because of their governments' political power, this is less likely to be the case in the 21st century where economics and shifts in population will have more influence on languages.

   Translate the sentence into Chinese.

(=虽然英语、德语和法语这些语言曾经凭着各自政府的政治力量而成为国际语言，这种情况在经济和人口变化对语言的影响更大的21世纪不太可能发生。)

24. （Para.18）dominate: have control of or a very strong influence on

* The movie Titanic dominated the weekend box office.

巴勒斯坦新内阁中占主导地位的是一些新当选的官员。

(=The new Palestinian cabinet is dominated by new faces.)

Ⅲ. Comprehension Task

TOEFL or IELTS?

Here is a passage about two famous English tests in the world — TOEFL and IELTS. After you listen to it, you are required to finish the following tasks.

Task One: Table Completion

(Directions:)  Listen to the passage three times and complete the following table with the information from the passage.

Task Two: Questions and Answers

(Directions:) Now listen to the passage again and answer the following questions according to the information from the passage.  

1. What do TOEFL and IELTS stand for respectively?

(TOEF stands for “the Test of English as a Foreign Language” while IELTS for “the International English Language Testing System”.)

2. How many colleges and universities in USA are recognizing the IELTS now?

(2,000.)

3. How is the speaking test done with the IELTS?

(It is done in the form of a live interview. That’s to say, a candidate should speak with a certified examiner.)

4. What does TOEFL iBT mean?

 (It means Internet-based test. It is a computer version of TOEFL.)

5. Is the TOEFL paper test the same as TOEFL iBT?

(No, the paper test only tests reading, listening and writing while TOEFL iBT tests one more — speaking.)

6.  Are the reading and writing tests in the IELTS the same?

(No, they are designed for academic or general training.)

7. Who developed the IELTS?

(Institutions in Britain and Australia jointly developed it.)