2015年英语专业八级考试真题听力MP3下载附试题和答案文本

SECTION C NEWS BROADCAST
News 1:
A media research study said that 91% of adults in Britain watched their main TV set once a week - up from 88% in 2002. It said the popularity of smartphones and tablets was taking teens out of bedrooms back into family rooms. Far from technology pulling family time apart, it said, the huge growth in mobile was actually having the opposite effect. Family members are being brought together just as they were in the 1950s when a TV was likely to be a home's only screen. There are a number of factors for this. People are now watching on much bigger, better television sets. But also, there's the rise of connected devices, such as a smartphone or tablet. People are coming into the living room today clutching those devices. They offer a range of opportunities to do things while watching television.
 

News 2:
Uruguay's lower house passed a marijuana legalization bill Wednesday, bringing the South American nation one step closer to becoming the first to legally regulate production, distribution and sale of the drug. After more than 12 hours of debate, the bill garnered the 50 votes it needed to pass in the House of Representatives. Forty-six lawmakers voted against the bill. Uruguay's President has said he backs the bill, which would allow marijuana to be sold in pharmacies and create a registry of those who buy it. Only those 18 and older would be allowed to purchase the drug. Critics of the measure have said it promotes drug addiction. Supporters of the measure have said it will fight criminal drug trafficking and marks a turning point and could influence other Latin American nations to take a similar approach.

News 3:
Access to clean water and soap not only improves hygiene but may boost growth in young children, research suggests. A review of global data found evidence of a small increase in height - about 0.5cm - in under-fives living in households with good sanitation. The studies took place in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Chile, Guatemala, Pakistan, Nepal, South Africa, Kenya and Cambodia. Dr. Alan Dangour, a public health nutritionist who led the studies, said providing clean water, sanitation and hygiene is an effective way to reduce deaths from symptoms such as diarrhea. "What we've found by bringing together all of the evidence for the first time is that there is a suggestion that these interventions improve the growth of children and that's very important," he told BBC News. He said there is a clear link between dirty water, diarrhea and poor growth outcomes, because repeated illnesses in early childhood can affect growth.