Unit   1 Enjoy the colorful campus life

II. Basic Listening Practice

1.       Script

W: Have you chosen your elective for next semester yet? Are you taking French writing again?

M: Yes I am, but it’s compulsory for us next semester. So I think I’m gong to do marketing as an elective instead.

Q: Which class will the man choose as his elective?

2.       Script

M: Did you go to that businesses lecture on Friday? I missed it and need to copy your notes.

W: I’d say you could borrow my notes, but Sarah’s got them. Be careful not to miss Professor Brown’s seminar; he takes attendance in that.

Q: What is the woman telling the man?

3. Script

W: Wow, Steven! In the library! What brings you here?

M: I’m enjoying the view. All the girls in fashion design are here are preparing for an exam on Monday.

Q: Why is the man in the library?

4. Script

W: How’s your group doing with this statistics presentation? Mine’s terrible.

M: Yeah, mine too. David and Mike are OK, but Steven doesn’t pull his weight and Suzie’s never around. I don’t see how we can pass unless Steven and Suzie realize that this is their last chance.

Q: What is the true of Steven and Suzie?

5. Script

W: You took an MBA at Harvard Business School, didn’t you? What’s it like?

M: It’s expensive, about U.S. $ 40,000 a year, plus the costs of food and housing. But the teaching is first class. The professors have a lot of practical experience. They use the case system of teaching; that is, you study how actual businesses grew or failed.

Q: Why is he MBA teaching in Harvard Business School first class, according to the conversation?

 

 

III. Listening In

Task1: On the First Day

Script

Harrison: I’m Harrison. Good to meet you. So you’ve bought the books for this biology class.

Jenny:   Sure, I think everyone had to before class started.

Harrison: No. Usually no one does much on the first day because it’s still add-drop.

Jenny:    What’s that?

Harrison: Changing from class to class to find out which one is best. Hey, where are you from?

Jenny:   Poland. Have you has this teacher before? I’ve heard he is really good.

Harrison: He’s good if you’re a hand-worker. He expects a lot.

Jenny:   Oh, I guess that’s good. I hope I can keep up with everyone else in the class. Maybe I need your help after class.

Harrison: You’re welcome.

（Voice-over: Jenny catches up with Harrison after the first class.）

Jenny:   Harrison, wait up!

Harrison: So what do you think about the professor’s lecture?

Jenny:   I think half of what he said went over my head.

Harrison: That’s all right. A lot of what he said is explain in the reading/

Jenny:   Hey, would you mind if I borrowed your notes tonight to look them over?

Harrison: No problem. We don’t have class until Wednesday. Here you go.

Jenny:   Thanks. I just want to make sure I’m prepared for the seminar.

Harrison: Yeah, participation in the discussion is an important part of the education here.

 

 

Task 2: How to select elective courses?

 Script

Consider these tips on elective courses and you’ll choose that will serve you best.

To begin with, you should select the courses that fit your profession. It is a good idea to choose elective courses closely related to your chose profession. Potential employers will appreciate every bit of extra training and knowledge that they don’t have to give you. For example, you may select elective courses in chemistry, biology or even physics if you are doing a science major. For business majors, select electives in accounting, business administration, and even computing, as you’ll never know when these will come in handy in the corporate world.

Moreover, you can choose an education that includes many fields of study. If you have courses in science along with your business degree, you could possibly win a job over someone who majored purely in business with no outside electives.

Finally, you can also select a challenging elective course. Part of getting an education is learning how to learn, and elective courses should help you achieve this goal. You need to memorize all the information from each class, but you should get a better understanding of the world. So, pick elective courses that challenge your belief system and make you look at the world in a different way. For instance, you can consider a philosophy elective if you have been told that you are a little narrow-minded.

 

 

 

Task3: How to Get Straight A’s

Script

It is interesting to note how straight A students achieve academic excellence. Here, according to education experts and students themselves are the secrets of super-achievers.

First, they know how to set priorities. Top students allow no intrusions on study time. Once the books are open or the computer is turned on, phone calls go unanswered, TV shows unwatched, snacks ignored. Study is business, and business comes before recreation.

Also, good students can study anywhere and everywhere. Claudia Hill, an Arizona State University business professor recalls a cross-country runner who worked out every day. Hill persuaded him to use his spare time to memorize biology term. Then he posted a list of biology terms on the mirror in the bathroom. He learned a few terms every day while brushing his teeth. Eventually, he scored high on the final examination.

Moreover, top students schedule their time well. Study times are strictly a matter of personal preference. Some work late at night when the house is quiet. Others awake early. Still others study as soon as they come home from school when the work is fresh in their minds. All agreed, however, on the need for consistency. A student says, “Whatever I was doing, I maintained a certain period of time every day for studying.”

Another important characteristic of super-achievers is that they know hoe to read, According to a book entitled Getting Straight A’s, the secret of good reading is to be “an active reader-one who continually asks questions that lead to a full understanding of the author’s message”.

 

 

IV. Speaking Out

MODEL 1   You’re just going to have study hard

Nora: Only our first day back at school, and already I feel like I’ve learned a lot.

Chris: Only our first day back at school, and I already feel like I’m up to my ears in homework.

Nora: You’re going to have to hit the books if you want to keep your grades up.

Chris: Tell me about it! I already have two reports, two books reports, a composition, an oral report, and a research project—all due before midterms.

Nora: We could work together. Maybe some of my organized study habit would rub off on you.

Chris: Better yet, maybe you could do my homework for me.

Nora: Forget it! That would be cheating.

Chris: All right, all right. I have yet to write a term paper. Can you recommend any articles and books? You’d better find me the exact pages where I can find what I want.

Nora: You could borrow ideas from references, but if you quote without giving the sources, you’re plagiarizing.

Chris: The quiz next week will be a headache. If you don’t help me, I’ll have to prepare some study sheets and hide them in my hand when I take the test.

Nora: Oh, no! If you’re caught, the professor will definitely give you an F. Probably, you will have to repeat the year.

Chris: All right, I’ll take your advice. The library is going to be my new home, and in the dorm I’ll be burning the midnight oil.

MODEL2  Which class do you prefer?

Script

Chris: First period is math with Mr. Woods. I don’t know how am I going to stay awake?

Nora: I like Mr. Wood. He’s interesting.

Chris: He’s boring! He could put the entire basketball team to sleep—during the championship game! Who do you have for economics?

Nora: Mrs. Jenkins. She’s smart. Students really learn a lot from her.

Chris: She’s tough! You have to work hard in her class, or you’ll probably fail.

Nora: No pain, no gain.

Chris: Nonsense, You could have learned even more with Mr. Sharp. But not many students opt for his class.

Nora: What’s wrong with him?

Chris: Often, the highest grade he gives on a term paper is C+, and he usually fails half of the students.

Nora: No wonder he’s got the nickname Mr. Shark. Well, how about PE? What are you doing this semester?

Chris: That’s the worst part. In PE, we’re learning t’ai chi. I’m bored to death.

Nora: Ha-ha! Not to rub salt into the wound, but our class is playing your favorite sport: basketball.

Chris: Oh…that figures! This is going to be a terrible semester.

Nora: This is going to be a great semester!

 

MODEL3   Publish or perish

Script

Chris:          Tell us, Professor Grant, What are your primary duties as a professor?

Professor Grant: Well, I do a lot of research and writing. It’s rough being an associate professor. It’s publish or perish.

Chris:          So you spent a lot of time in your office?

Professor Grant: Yes, but I also have to prepare class motes, give lectures, hold office hours. Teaching is an important part of being a professor.

Chris:           With all those responsibilities, you must make a lot of money.

Professor Grant: I wish. Actually, I spend a lot of tome applying foe grants to fund my research. Then I can offer assistantships and scholarships to the worthy graduate.

Chris:         I see why they call you “the boss”. But being a professor sounds pretty competitive.

Professor Grant: Actually, I think you were in one of my classes…

Chris:          Um….I think you’re mistaken, Professor Grant!

Professor Grant: No, I remember very clearly now! You owe me an essay!

Chris:         Sorry, I have too much work to do for the Student Union Newsletter, and I have to work two jobs to pay for school.

Professor Grant: So you get an F in this course.

 

 

 

 

 

V. Let’s Talk

Maintaining the quality or increasing the intake?

1)      quality  2) young   3) 25  4) difficult   5) government

6) quality  7) cut   8) extra-cautions   9) afford  10) experience 

11) more   12) blame   13) budget   14) puzzled   15) service

 

VI.  Further Listening and Speaking

Task1: Problems with our educational system

Hi, everybody. My topic today is “Problems with Our Educational System”.

There are a lot of things in our educational system that I don’t agree with. It seems that educators just want to give standardized tests, which focus only on academic performance but neglect students’ abilities and interests in other areas. I think there’re a lot of people who are very intelligent, but haven’t had the opportunities they could’ve had, had they been educated in a broader-minded educational systems. I feel that a lot of courses that students are focused to take in high school are too academic, and, as a result, many kids lost their interest in learning.

Educators have failed to recognize various kinds of intelligence. They often exert a lot of pressure on students to be as well-rounded as possible. I think being well-rounded isn’t really possible. And as a consequence some students who are believed to be intelligent can’t get into good colleges if they, for example, haven’t scored well on the math section, even if they ate brilliant writers.

Another thing that disturbs me is that the so-called “weak students” are separated from the rest of the school. Some kids are kept in a separate class id their grades are lower then others. And they’ve very aware of their social position, you know. I think it causes them to act in a way that is not really positive. They’re just acting in a way that they are expected to act. Often their grades go from bad to worse. And that’s pretty sad to me. I think that many of the kids in those classed are intelligent, but never actually realize their potential because of the way they are treated very early on in their education.

 

 

Task 2: The Final Exam

Script

At a university, there were four sophomores taking a chemistry course. They were doing so well on all the quizzes, midterms, labs, that each had “A” so far for the semester.

These four friends were so confident that on the weekend before finals, they decided to go up to the University of Virginia and party with some friends there. They had a great time, but after all the hearty partying, they slept all day Sunday and didn’t make it back to school until early Monday morning.

Rather than taking the final then, they decided to find their professor after the final exam and explain to him why they missed it. They explained that they had planned to come back in time for the final exam, but, unfortunately, they had a flat tire on the way back, didn’t have a spare, and couldn’t get help for a long time. As a result, they missed the final.

The professor thought it over and then agreed they could make up the final the following day. The guys were relieved and elated. The next day, the professor placed them in separate room, hand each of them a test booklet, and told them to begin.

They took at the first problem, worth five points. It was a simple question on a chemical reaction. “Cool,” they thought at the same time, each one in his separate room, “This is going to be easy.” Each finished the problem and then turned the page.

On the second page was a question worth 95 points: “Which of the tires was flat?”

 

Task 3: Harvard University

Script

Harvard University is the oldest institute of highest learning in her United States. Founded 16years after the arrival of the Pilgrim at Plymouth, the university has grown from 9 students with a single master to the present enrollment of more than 18,000students, including undergraduates and students in 10 graduate and professor schools. Over14, 000 people work at Harvard, including more than 2,000 faculties. Harvard has produces six presidents of the United States and 34 Noel winners.

During its early years, Harvard offered a classic academic course based on the model of English universities, but consistent with the prevailing Puritan philosophy. Although many of its graduates became ministers in Puritan church throughout New England, the university never formally affiliated with a specific religious group.

Under President Pusey (1953-1971), Harvard started what was then the largest fund-raising campaign in the history of American higher education. It was an 82.5 million dollar program for the university. The program increased faculty salaries, broadened student aid, created new professorships, and expanded Harvard’s physical facilities.

Neil L. Rudenstine took office as Harvard’s 26^th president in 1001. As part of an overall effort to achieve greater coordination among the university’s school and faculties, Rudenstine encouraged academic planning and identified some of Harvard’s main intellectual priorities. He also stressed the important of the university’s excellence in undergraduate education, the significance of keeping Harvard’s doors open to students from families of different economic backgrounds, the task of as aping the research university to an era of both rapid information growth and serious fund shortage.