UNIT1

II. Listening Skills

1. M: Why don’t we go to the concert today?

 W: I’ll go get the keys.

Q: What does the woman imply?

 

2. W: I can’t find my purse anywhere. The opera tickets are in it.

M: Have you checked in the car?

Q: What does the man imply?

 

3. M: Are you going to buy that pirated CD?

W: Do I look like a thief?

Q: What does the woman imply?

 

4. M: Do you think the singer is pretty?

W: Let’s just say that I wouldn’t/t vote for her in the local beauty contest.

Q: What does the woman imply about the singer?

 

5. M: Have you seen Tom? I can’t find him anywhere.

W: The light in his dorm was on just a few minutes ago.

Q: What does the woman mean?

 

 1.B 2.B 3.D 4.C 5.A

 

III. Listening In

Task 1: Encore!

As soon as the singer completed the song, the audience cried, “Encore! Encore!” The singer was delighted and sang the song again. She couldn’t believe it when the audience shouted for her to sing it again. The cycle of shouts and songs was repeated ten more times. The singer was overjoyed with the response from the audience. She talked them and asked them why they were so much audience in hearing the same song again and again. One of the people in the audience replied, “We wanted you to improve it; now it is much better.”

 

1.F 2.T 3.F 4.T 5.F

 

Task 2: What are your favorite songs?

W: Hi, Bob! Do you want to go to a concert with me?

M: A concert? What’s it about?

W: it features recent pop songs. Are you interested?

M: Hmm, I was crazy about pop songs when I was in high school, but now I’m no long a big fan. Pop songs go out of fashion too quickly. I’m beginning to prefer old folk songs.

W: Many older people find those songs cool, and my parents are hooked on them too. By the way, a program of golden oldies on TV yesterday evening.

M: Oh, what a pity! I missed it.

W: I have a DVD of oldies. I can lend it to you if you want.

M: Oh, that would be great. I’m dying to hear them. Many thanks.

1.      What does the concert feature?

2.      What did the man like when he was in high school

3.      What does the woman say about older people?

4.      What does the woman offer to do when she learns the man missed the program of golden oldies on TV?

5.      Which of the following can we infer from the dialogue?

 

Task 3: Music and your mood

Music can influence our emotions, thoughts and behavior to a great degree. It can make us sad or happy, relaxed or full of energy.

Slow music calms people. Ballads and some forms of classical music often create a peaceful atmosphere that is good for relaxing after a busy day. If the music is slowed below 50 beats per minute, it can create an atmosphere of sadness. This kind of slow music can be found in many types of music, such as jazz and blues. Many people listen to slow music. It suits their mood when they are alone at night.

Faster music, such as rock, heavy metal and dance music, tends to give us energy and makes us feel full of life. This type of music is often played at sporting events to stir up the fans and the teams.

Rock, pop music and rap are played at parties. They can provide energy to the gathering. Since most rock, pop, and rap songs are easy to listen to , they are suitable for parties. Rock music is sometimes used to accompany physical labor. Its heavy fast tempo speeds up the heart, and one almost works in time to the music, making the work done enjoyable.

Some people think that rock music can cause road accidents. Drivers could become excited by the speed of the music and drive too fast. But there are so many things to distract a driver’s attention that it does not make sense to blame rock music.

 

Part five Let’ talk

The Origin of the Song “Happy Birthday to You”

The story of the song “Happy Birthday to You” Began as a sweet one, but later became bitter. Two sisters, Mildred Hill, a teacher at a kindergarten, and Dr. Patty Hill, the principal of the same school, wrote a song together for the children, entitled “Good Morning to All”. When Mildred combined her musical talents with her sister’s knowledge in the area of kindergarten education, ‘Good Morning to All” was sure to be a success. The sister published the song in a collection entitled “Song Stories of the Kindergarten” in 1893. Thirty-one years later, after Dr. Patty Hill became the head of the Department of Kindergarten Education at Columbia University’s Teachers College, a gentleman by the name Robert Coleman published the song, without the sisters’ permission. He added a second part, which is the familiar “Happy Birthday to You”. Mr. Coleman’s addition of the second part made the song popular and, finally, the sisters” original first part disappeared. “Happy Birthday to You” had altogether replaced the sisters’ original song “Good Morning to All”. In 1916 Patty took legal action against Mr. Coleman. In court, she succeeded in proving that hey were the real owners of the song.

 

Part six Further listening and speaking

Task 1

Thank you for the music

I’m nothing special, in fact I’m a bit of a bore

If I tell a joke, you’re probably heard it before

But I have a talent, a wonderful thing

‘Cause everyone listens when I start to sing

I’m so grateful and proud

All I want is to sing it out loud

 

So I say

Thank you for the music, the songs I’m singing

Thanks for all the joy they’re bringing

Who can live without it, I ask in all honestly

What would life be

Without a song or a dance what are we

So I say thank you for the music

For giving it to me

 

Mother says I was a dancer before I could walk

She says I began to sing long before I could talk

And I’ve often wondered, how did it all start

Who found out that nothing can capture a heart

Like a melody can

Well, whoever it was, I’m a fan

 

So I say

Thank you for the music, the songs I’m singing …

 

Task 2

Mozart

Mozart was a fascinating musician and composer whose fame continues to grow more than two centuries after his death. He was born in Salzburg, Austria, in 1756. Before the age of four, he had shown great musical talent. His father then decided to let him start taking harpsichord lessons. The boy’s reputation as a musical talent grew fast. At five, he was composing music. Form that time on, Mozart was performing n concerts and writing music. By his early teens, he had mastered the piano, violin and harpsichord, and was writing symphonies and operas. His first major opera was performed in Milan in 1770, when he was only fourteen. At fifteen, Mozart became the conductor for an orchestra in Salzburg. In 1781, he left for Vienna, where he was in great demand as both a performer and a composition teacher. His first opera was a success. But life was not easy because he was a poor businessman, and his finances were always in a bad state. His music from the next decade was not very popular, and he eventually fell back on his teaching jobs for a living. In 1788 he stopped performing in public, preferring only to compose. He died in 1791 at the age of thirty-five. Although he lived only a short life, he composed over 600 works.

1. Which of the following is true of Mozart?

2. How long has Mozart’s fame lasted?

3. Which of the following is true of the four-year-old Mozart?

4. What could Mozart do at the age of six?

5. Which of the following is not mentioned as one of Mozart’s accomplishments while he was in his early teens?

 

Task 3: Karaoke

Dalin: It’s Mike’s birthday on Friday, so a bunch of us are going to go to the karaoke bar. Would you like to come with us?

Laura: Karaoke bar? You have a special place just for singing? In America, bars sometimes have a karaoke night where the customers can sing a song, but we haven’t special karaoke bars!

Dalin: Really? In China, karaoke is a very popular way for friends ro spend time together. We can select the music that ur group enjoys. We mostly sing pop songs. Laura: Do you sing individually or in groups? Singing is not a very in thing, so I don’t sing very well.

Dalin: I’m surprised that you don't sing much in America. So many really cool groups come from there.

Laura: Yeah, music is popular, but mostly we just listen to it.

Dalin: If you just listen to it, you’ll miss out on a lot of fun.

Laura: Well, we sometimes dance to the music.