新视野大学英语视听说教程4听力原文和答案

Mom: You can see them at quite a distance. But there’s not much you can do.

In the open ocean they move at up to 800km per hour, but when it reaches the shore, the system slows down and the waves get bigger. Son: How big?

Mom: They can reach 30 meters. Big enough to finish you off in one gulp.

11. What the son think a tsunami is?

12. What does Mom imply by saying, “If we had a tsunami, it would be the other way around”?

13. What does the son think surfing on tsunami waves would be like? 14. Which of the following is NOT mentioned as the cause of a tsunami? 15. How high can tsunami waves reach?

Keys: 1B 2.C 3.A 4.D 5.C

For Reference

1. In the open ocean they move at up to 800km per hour, but when it reaches

the shore, the system slows down and the waves get bigger.

2. They can reach 30 meters. Big enough to finish you off in one gulp.

Task 2: Flooding in Haiti and the Dominican Republic Script

The death too continues to (S1) climb from last week’s flooding in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. The U.S. Agency for International Development (S2) reports that at least1,068 people are dead, 1,600 are (S3) missing, and 25,000 are in need of emergency food and other forms of (S4)assistance. In Dominican Republic, 414 are dead and 274 are missing, all from the town of Jimani. A key(S5) factor in the widespread destruction is the extensive deforestation and the (S6) presence of settlements along the floodplains of rivers.

The flooding was driven by intense rainfall. A low-pressure system (S7) originating in Central America brought exceptionally heavy rain and thunderstorms to Haiti and the Dominican Republic from May 18 t o25. (S8) Rainfall exceeded 500 mm (or 19.7 inches) along the border areas of Haiti and the Dominican Republic during that period. At the town of Jimani, Dominican Republic, 250mm (or 10 inches) of rain fell in just 24 hours, causing the Solie River to overflow its banks from May24 to 25.The heavy rainfall resulted in flash flooding and extensive debris flowed over the entire region. Swollen rivers and debris cut off many of the roads traversing the area along the base of the mountains. (S9) This made it difficult for humanitarian relief worker to rescue stranded people and deliver badly. Now people want to know: How often do floods and related landmass movement also caused landsides in a few places. (S10)Analysis of the past date shows that major floods in the Dominican Republic and Haiti are now a near-annual event. Since 1986, twelve lethal events have occurred on the island.

Task3: A Blizzard

Script

A blizzard is a sever weather condition characterized by low temperatures and strong winds, greater than 15 miles per hour, bearing a great amount of snow. Because the factors for classifying winter storms are complex, there are many different definitions of what a blizzard truly is. But it is generally agreed that in order to be classified as a blizzard, as opposed to merely a winter storm, the weather must meet several conditions. The storm must decrease visibility to a quarter of a mile for three hours running. Include snow or ice as precipitation, and have wind speed of at least 32 miles per hour, which means Force 7 or more on the Wind Scale.

Another standard, according to Environment Canada, is that the winter storm must have winds of 40 kilometers per hour or mi=ore, plenty of snow, visibility less than 1 kilometer, a temperature of less than -25 degrees Celsius, and all of these conditions must last for 4 hours or more, before the storm can properly be called a blizzard.

When all these conditions continue after snow has stopped falling, the storm is referred t o as a ground blizzard.

An extensive form of blizzard is a whiteout, when the downdrafts, together with snowfall, become so sever that it is impossible to distinguish the ground from the air. People caught in a whiteout can quickly become disoriented, losing their sense of up and down as well as their sense of direction. Severe blizzard can also occur along with arctic cyclones. 11. What is the passage mainly about? 12. Which of the following is true of a blizzard according to the first standard? 13. Which of the following is true of a blizzard according to the second standard?

14. What is a ground blizzard?

5. Which of the following is in the order of increasing force? Keys: 1A 2.B3. C 4.D 5.C For Reference

They can quickly become disoriented, losing their sense of up and down as well as their sense of direction.

IV. Speaking Out

MODEL 1 It was a strong earthquake

Amy: Bill, it was a strong earthquake! The house was shaking, the window breaking!

Terrible.

Bill: I know, it was terrible. I saw your face turn whit as you ran and got

under the table.

Amy: I admit I panicked. But it wasn’t an occasion for us to be careless. It’s

better to be cautious. There might be aftershocks. Bill: Or an even bigger quake!

Amy: To play it safe, let’s turn off the gas and electricity.

Bill: Right. Let’s get the emergency earthquake kit already. It’s in the

kitchen. It has food, flashlights, and a first-aid kit.

Amy: Let’s turn on the radio for news. I guess the quake measures at least

5 on the Richter Scale.

Bill: Who know what might happen tomorrow, next month or next year? After all,

this city is said to be located in an earthquake zone Amy: There hasn’t been much activity for dozens of years Bill: But a major quake may hit at any time.

Amy: I think we’d better move to an earthquake-proof house. Bill: Smart thinking!

MODEL2 Things are a bit out of balance. Script

John: The seventh straight day of rain. It’s too much. Things are a bit out of balance.

Susan: , too much rain here, too little there. Last summer firestorms destroyed

many parts of the globe.

John: Firestorms are a pretty interesting phenomenon. They generate so much

heat that they create their own weather. Nothing you can do about it. Susan: Once a fire developed into a firestorm, there’s no stopping it. Some

people think we shouldn’t try.

John: You mean, just let the forests burn? How can we watch people’s homes

on fire with folded arms?

Susan: Some experts argue that forest fires are part of nature, and that we

shouldn’t try to interfere, except, of course, to save homes and lives.

John: It seems wrong to let all good timber burn. What a waste that would be! Susan: But that’s nature’s way of cleaning up the debris that collects on

the forest floor and creating new kind of growth.

John: Maybe so, but it still seems wrong to just let fires burn.

Susan: After all, there have been verdant forests for millions of years without

man’s help fighting the fires.

John: That may be true, but I still think it’s wrong to not put out forest fires

MODEL3 This is the island that disappeared Script

Susan: Just look at that sky. Aren’t the twilight colors beautiful?

John: Um. Even heard of the famous sunsets that followed the Krakatoa volcano

eruption?

Susan: Do you mean the Pacific island that blew up in the eighteen hundreds? John: . Deep red sunsets appeared on the horizon for the three years after the

explosion.

Susan: They were caused by the fine dust that spread through the earth’s atmosphere.

John: People 5,000 kilometers away from Krakatoa reported hearing the enormous

blast.

Susan: And ashes even fell on Singapore, more than 500 kilometers to the north. John: As I remember, two thirds of the island simply disappeared, blown to bits. Susan: And then giant sea waves followed, killing more than 40,000 people who lived there. John: Apparently the biggest of those waves traveled 4,000 kilometers in just 12 hours. Susan: I don’t think there’s ever been another natural disaster quite like it, do you?

John: A mountain called Vesuvius erupted, burying the nearby town of Pompeii in ashes;

but that was in a smaller scale.

Now Your Turn Task 1

SAMPLE DIALOG

Josh: Maggie, I’ve just read a fire destroyed much of the forest on Day Mountain

in Hong Kong the other day.

Maggie: I’ve heard that too. The local government sent firefighters and even

helicopters to try to put out the fire. But I think they shouldn’t have tried.

Josh: You mean, they should just let the forests burn? How can they stand by

and watch people’s homes go up in flames? Maggie: Some experts argue that forest fires are a phase in the cycle of nature,

and we shouldn’t interfere. Except, of course, to save lives.

Josh: It seems wrong to allow fires to burn up good timber. What a waste that

would be! You see, the fire-hit area extends nearly 4,00 square meters. Maggie: But that’s nature’s way of cleaning up the debris that collects on

the forest floor and creating space for new growth.

Josh: That may be true, but it still seems wrong to just let fires burn. They

destroyed not only timber, but many rare butterflies living there

Maggie: Anyway, there have been verdant forests for millions of years without

man’s help in combating fires.

Josh: You may be correct, but I still think it’s wrong to not put out forest

fires. If too many trees are destroyed, the very existence of human beings is threatened

V. Let’s Talk

Script

A natural disaster is the consequence of a hazardous event, occurring when human activities are affected by adverse natural phenomena such as flood, drought, hailstorm, heat wave, forest fore, hurricanes or typhoons, tornado, tsunami, landsides and mudslides, or volcanic eruption. The resulting deaths or property damages depend on the human ability to resist the disasters.

Sometimes two seemingly different disasters may be related to each other. For example, an undersea earthquake may result in a tsunami. While there is a long

dry spell in one area, there may be a great flood in another. It is necessary for human beings to understand and combat natural disasters.

A drought is a long-lasting weather pattern consisting of dry conditions with very little or no precipitation. During this period, food and water supplies can run low, and other condition, such as famine, can result. Drought can last for several years and are particularly damaging in areas in which the residents depend on agriculture for survival.

A flood follows too much rain or water in a location, and could be the result of many different conditions. Floods can be caused by heavy rainfall from a storm, including thunderstorms, rapid melting of a large amounts of snow, or rivers which swell from too much precipitation upstream, causing widespread damage to areas downstream. Another possible cause of a flood is the bursting of man-made dams. Description Adverse natural phenomena such as flood, drought, hailstorm, heat Natural disaster wave, forest fore, hurricanes or typhoons, tornado, tsunami, landsides and mudslides, or volcanic eruption. They are related to each other. An undersea earthquake may result in a Relationship Between Two Disasters tsunami. While there is a long dry spell I none area, there may be a great flood in another. During a drought, food and water supplies can run low, and other condition, such as famine, can result. Drought are particularly Drought damaging in areas in which the residents depend on agriculture for survival. Floods can be caused by long rainfall from a storm, including thunderstorms, rapid melting of a large amounts of snow, or rivers Flood which swell from too much precipitation upstream, causing widespread damage to areas down stream. Another cause of a flood is