新托福考试必备：新托福TPO（1-24）听力原文文本TPO9

　　TPO 9　Conversation 1
　　Listen to a conversation between a student and her professor.

　　P: Before we get started, I...I just wanted to say I’m glad you chose food
　　science for your major courses study.

　　S: Yeah, it seems like a great industry to get involved with. I mean with the
　　four-year degree in food science, I'll always be able to find a job.

　　P: You're absolutely right. Before entering academia, I worked as a scientist for
　　several food manufacturers and for the US Food and Drug Administration. I
　　even worked on a commercial fishing boat in Alaska a couple of summers
　　while I was an undergraduate. We bring in the day's catch to a floating
　　processor boat where the fish got cleaned, packaged and frozen right at sea.

　　S: That's amazing! As a matter of fact, I'm sort of interested in food packaging.

　　P: Well, for that, you'll need a strong background in physics, math and
　　chemistry.

　　S: Those are my best subjects. For a long time, I was leading towards getting
　　my degree in engineering.

　　P: Well, then you should have a problem. And fortunately, at this university, the
　　department of food science offers a program in food packaging. Elsewhere,
　　you might have to hammer courses together on your own.

　　S: I guess I like it a lot then. I am… so since my appointment today is to
　　discuss my term paper topic, I wanted to ask, could I write about food
　　packaging? I realize we're supposed to research food-born bacteria, but food
　　packaging must play a role in all of that, right?

　　P: Absolutely! Maybe you should do some preliminary research on that.

　　S: I have! That's the problem. I'm overwhelmed.

　　P: Well, in your reading, did anything interest you in particular? I mean
　　something you’d like to investigate.

　　S: well, I was surprised about the different types of packaging used for milk.

　　You know, clear plastic bottles, opaque bottles, carton board containers...

　　P: True! In fact, the type of packaging has something to do with the way milk's
　　treated against bacteria.

　　S: Yeah, and I read a study that showed how light can give milk a funny flavor
　　and decrease the nutritional value. And yet most milk bottles are unclear.
　　What's up about that?

　　P: Well consumers like being able to visually examine the color of the milk.
　　That might be one reason that opaque bottles haven't really called on. But that
　　study... I'm sure there is more study on the subject. You shouldn't base your
　　paper on only one study.

　　S: Maybe I should write about those opaque plastic bottles. Find out if there
　　are any scientific reasons they aren't used more widely? Maybe opaque
　　bottles aren't as good at keeping bacteria from growing in milk after the bottle
　　has been opened for something… but where to begin researching this? I don't
　　have a...

　　P: You know, there is a dairy not far from here in Chelsea. It was one of the
　　first diaries to bottle milk in opaque plastic, but now they're using clear plastic
　　began. And they're always very supportive of the university and our students,
　　and if you want it...

　　S: Yeah, I like that idea.