新编大学英语自主听力 2Unit 4

[11:03.66]Happy Minute
[11:05.75]Read the following new words, then enjoy the joke with the following questions in mind.
[11:12.12]fiance     study      theology       employment
[11:36.17]1.How will the young man provide a nice home for his fiancee?
[11:42.32]2.How will the young man afford to raise children?
[11:48.30]3.Was the father happy with his future son-in-law?
[11:53.81]A young woman brought her fiance home to meet her parents.
[11:58.45]After dinner her father asked the young man into his study for a chat.
[12:03.82]"So, what are your plans?" he began.
[12:07.16]"I'm a theology student," the young man replied.
[12:11.30]"Admirable," the father said, "but what will you do to provide a nice home for my daughter?"
[12:18.72]"I will study and God will provide," he explained.
[12:23.94]"And how will you afford to raise children?"
[12:27.58]"God will provide."
[12:29.84]The men left the study and the mother asked her husband, "How'd it go?"
[12:35.35]"He has no money or employment plans," the father said.
[12:40.00]"But on the other hand, he thinks I'm God."
[12:43.70]Lesson Two Life Experience
[12:47.77]Practice One    The Elderly:Past and Present     Words You Need to Know
[12:55.94]negative     adventurous     contrast     thrill      accustom
[13:20.68]Exercise 1:Directions:Listen to the passage and complete the table with the different lives led by the elderly in the past and today.
[13:32.63]"The elderly" is a phrase that used to bring out many negative feelings.
[13:38.50]Many older people felt that they were finished with the best part of their lives.
[13:44.11]They just stayed at home and counted the days.
[13:47.89]For them, the days of excitement and adventure were over.
[13:52.61]The elderly today, in contrast, are often very healthy and adventurous.
[13:59.05]Some are still enthusiastic about their work,
[14:02.26]and many are excited about their interests.
[14:06.14]Retirement is not boring or frightening for them.
[14:10.68]Helen is a perfect example. For forty-three years, she had been accustomed to the traditional life of a housewife and mother.
[14:20.36]During that time,she had brought up six children.
[14:24.47]She had ten grandchildren,and they were rapidly growing up.
[14:29.15]When her last child finally moved out, she was not sad about it.
[14:34.26]On the contrary, she was thrilled about the opportunity for adventure.
[14:39.37]Helen began to make her preparations for the adventure of a lifetime. "And then,"
[14:45.74]she says simply, "I took off."  (164 words)
[14:49.34]Exercise 2:Directions:Listen to the passage again and fill in each blank with the information you get from the recording.
[14:59.89]Practice Two Good Old Days
[15:04.07]Words You Need to Know
[15:06.16]pastime       deliver       dairy products
[15:20.95]Exercise 1:Directions:Listen to the passage and answer the following question briefly.
[15:30.28]Life was very different in the USA in the 1950s than it is today. Divorce was not common.
[15:38.34]Husbands went out to work to support the whole family.
[15:42.08]Most women with children depended on their husbands' incomes and didn't work.
[15:47.74]Children didn't come home after school to an empty house as many do today.
[15:53.28]Families did more things together. One of the favorite family pastimes was a drive in the country.
[16:01.34]Gas was cheap. People had big cars, and the whole family could ride comfortably.
[16:07.90]Before TV and home computer games became popular, people talked to each other more.
[16:14.92]Children didn't have as many toys, and they played more games together.
[16:20.42]On Saturday the neighborhood theaters had special movies for the children.
[16:25.61]The shows cost only 25 cents.
[16:28.81]People stayed at one job for most of their lives.
[16:32.12]They didn't change jobs every year like they do today.