新视野大学英语听说教程第一册unit 8
Unit 8
Warming Up
Rack Your Brain(绞尽脑汁)for Creativity gives you stories about people such as inventors, philosophers and mathematicians who were finally able to break through the walls in their minds.
Who among us, after all, has not suddenly been caught by a flash of insight? Rack Your Brain for Creativity shows that imagination is even more important than knowledge. Becoming more creative means paying attention to that endless flow of ideas you produce and learning to capture and act upon “the new”that’s within you. Apply your creativity and imagination to science or the arts, and you will release(释放)your reservoir(宝库)of inventions and get yourself on the way to becoming the next Albert Einstein or Richard Wagner.
Understanding Short Conversations
Now you will hear ten short conversations. A question will follow each conversation. Listen carefully and choose the best answer from the four possible choices.
1. W: Rack your brain for creativity and you will solve your problem.
M: I hope you’re right. But it doesn’t seem like I’ll ever be a great painter.
Q: What is t the man having trouble with?
2. M: What are you doing just sitting there daydreaming? You’ve got work to do!
W: Before I start anything, I like to rack my brain for creativity first.
Q: What does the woman like to do?
3. W: It’s a miracle(奇迹，不可思议的事)! How did you finally solve the math problem?
M: The answer just came to me out of(从…中，从…身上)a dream.
Q: How did the man solve the problem?
4. M: You’re a great inventor. How do you get your great ideas?
W: They usually come to me suddenly when I’m well rested and relaxed.
Q: When does the woman get her great ideas?
5. W: Please, tell me how you get ideas for your novels.
M: Ideas burst into my mind while I’m walking in the park. I don’t know how.
Q: When does the man get ideas for his novels?
6. W: I just can’t think of a good topic for my essay! I don’t know what to do!
M: Try running. Exercise always helps me clear my mind and think of ideas.
Q: What does the man suggest the woman do to think of a good essay topic?
7. W: When I turned 50, ideas just started flashing in my mind. It was mysterious.
M: I’ve heard stories like that. It’s really not unusual.
Q: What has the man heard before?
8. W: I just came up with an idea for passing this test!
M: Quick! Write it down! Ideas are fleeting! And it may be our only hope!
Q: Why should the woman write the idea down?
9. M: Countless great musicians and artists have created great works for the church.
W: Do you think that religion gives people the ability to open their creativity?
Q: What does the woman wonder?
10. W: Years ago, it was easy for me to create new ideas. But now, I have none.
M: Maybe you should see a psychologist who can help you.
Q: What should the woman do according to the man?
Understanding a Long Conversation
Now you will hear a long conversation followed by five questions. Listen carefully and choose the best answer from the four possible choices.
M: You better start working! Our boss will come any moment!
W: I’ve already seen her. And I’m doing what she told me to do.
M: She told you to sit around and to nothing.
W: No! She told me to rack my brain for creativity.
M: What?
W: To rack your brain for creativity means that you think hard for a creative answer to a problem. Before I start my work, I want to think of the best idea possible. When it flashes into my mind, I’ll begin.
M: Hey, that’s what I was doing last week! But when she saw me doing it, she threatened to fire me!
W: No. You weren’t thinking of ideas. You were just sleeping. There’s a big difference.
M: Oh. What problems are you trying to solve now?
W: Actually, our boss told me to think of a way to tell lazy employees that they’ll lose their jobs if they don’t work harder.
1. Why does the man tell the woman to start working?
2. What did the boss tell the woman to do?
3. When will the woman begin her work?
4. What was the man doing last week?
5. What will the woman do?
Understanding a Passage
Now you will hear a passage followed by five questions. Listen carefully and choose the best answer from the four possible choices.
Do you think that creative ideas come easily, that they just flash into the mind without hard work? Hardly! Sure, creative ideas come all of a sudden. But the fact remains that those sudden thoughts most often come after a person has worked, studied, and tried several other solutions to whatever question he is trying to answer. Most often, even after he has come up with his creative idea, the person will have to test it and then think more about it. Sometimes this can take decades.
If you want to invent a creative idea of your own, you must be active! Learn as much as possible and try out(试，试验，试用) many solutions. After trying out countless other ideas, the perfect, most creative idea will certainly come to you.
1. How do creative ideas come?
2. When do creative ideas come?
3. Most often, what will a person do after having a creative idea?
4. What does the speaker say is necessary for having a creative idea?
5. When will the perfect, most creative answer occur to you?
Homework
Supplementary Listening
Task 1
Now you will hear a long conversation followed by five questions. Listen carefully and choose the best answer from the four possible choices.
Conan: Jimmy Stewart? Is that you? I can’t believe it. It’s been such a long time.
Jimmy: Hey, Conan. I’m sorry for not replying to your emails. I’ve been very busy at work.
Conan: Yeah, everyone is talking about your big promotion. I though that I’d get that job. But since I didn’t get it, I’m glad that you did. I’m sure you’ll be a terrific(非常好的，了不起的)leader.
Jimmy: Anyone can be a great leader. It just takes improving your skills and learning some important principles. If you learned them, I’m sure that management would promote you too.
Conan: I have no delusions(妄想)about it being so simple, but I’d like to learn anyway.
Jimmy: First off, you should learn how to be strong but not rude.
Conan: Yeah, that’s a tough one for me.
Jimmy: Secondly, you should learn to be kind but not weak.
Conan: Sure, I hear this one from my wife all the time. She says that kindness is a certain type of strength and that we should all be kind, especially when we’re telling a person the truth.
Jimmy: That’s right. We should always “tell it like it is”, but in a nice way.
Conan: Say, why are you looking at your watch? Do you have something important to do?
Jimmy: Sure do. I have a meeting in five minutes. But, before I leave, let me tell you the last important points of being a great leader. You must be bold(大胆的，无畏的，敢做敢为的)but not a bully(霸道的，恃强凌弱的). This will build your influence. And finally, you must deal in realities. Just accept life as it is.
Conan: Thanks for the advice, Jimmy. Maybe, next time management will give me the promotion I want.
1. What should people do in order to become great leaders?
2. What is the first step to becoming a capable leader?
3. Besides being kind, what should people always to?
4. What should you do if you want to build up your influence?
5. What does Jimmy want to tell Conan?
Task 2
Now you will hear a passage followed by five questions. Listen carefully and choose the best answer from the four possible choices.
All kids are born creative. But, when given the choice, many of today’s children do not invent fun. Why? Because kids are kept busy. After-school programs, sports teams, and homework keep kids from trouble and boredom(乏味，无聊). But boredom is often the first step to inventing fun. Spare time is the ground where ideas grow.
When kids do have free time, television, video games and computers give them instant(立即的，即刻的) enjoyment. Such entertainment locks kids into someone else’s ideas and keeps them away from exploring their own creations. As Joyce Myers has said, a pencil and an imagination can take you anywhere.
Schools are under great pressure to prepare kids to test well. Many teachers I talk to wonder how a child will learn to think creatively if there is little time for open-ended problems. Parents, as well, often focus on final results. We cherish the finished painting over the pages of messy sketches.
1. What is the problem with many children today?
2. What is the ground where ideas grow?
3. What provides children with the most enjoyment in their spare time?
4. Why was Joyce Myers mentioned in the passage?
5. What does the speaker think schools and parents should do?
答案
Unit 8
Rack Your Brain for Creativity
Short Conversations 1.A 2.B 3.D 4.D 5.B 6.A 7.B 8.B 9.C 10.C
Understanding a Passage1.C 2.B 3.A 4.A 5. D
Understanding a Movie Speech1.join, 2.battle, 3.meaning, 4.differences, 5.united,
6.fate, 7.freedom, 8.exist, 9.declared, 10.celebrate
Homework ListeningTask 1 1.B 2.D 3.A 4.C 5. A Task 2: 1.B 2.D 3.A 4.B 5.B
Task 3: 1.honors, 2.record, 3.entered, 4.mathematics, 5.invited,
6.creativity, 7.faster, 8.advance, 9.75,000, 10.excellent
