Unit 1 Our Earth
Listening
Activity 1 A report about Greenland
(Audio Track 4-1-2/Audio Track 4-1-3)
Blake: What are you working on, Mary?
Mary: I’m finishing my paper. It’s due tomorrow, Blake.
Blake: What’s the topic?
Mary: It’s about Greenland.
Blake : Greenland. Hmmm … that’s part of Canada, right?
Mary: I think you need to study your world geography, Blake.
Blake: Well, isn’t it near Canada?
Mary: Yes, it’s off the coast of northeast Canada, but it’s part of Denmark.
Blake: Oh, I didn’t know that. Well, what’s your paper about exactly?
Mary: In my paper, I answer the question “Is Greenland really green?” In other words, is Greenland covered by a lot of plants and trees?
Blake: Is it?
Mary: What do you think?
Blake: Let’s see … Greenland is in the Arct ic Circle — way up north. It’s cold, … so “Is Greenland really green?” I’d answer “probably not.”
Mary: You’d be correct. It’s too cold there. In the north, a lot of the ground is frozen. The summers are short, so only the surface thaws.
Blake: That sounds tough.
Mary: It’s hard for the construction industry. It’s not easy to build in Greenland.
Blake: It sounds so harsh. Why would anyone want to go there?
Mary: There are big mountain ranges on the coasts. They’re great for hiking and outdoor sports. And there are lots of animals there. You can sometimes see whales swimming in the harbors.
Blake: That sounds cool! OK, so if it’s not really a “green” place, why was it named “Greenland”? Mary: The first settlers wanted to attract other people. They gave it an attractive name.
Activity 2 A flying disaster
(Audio Track 4-1-4/Audio Track 4-1-5)
Jay: Come in here, Elise. You should see this show!
Elise: What is it?
Jay: It’s called “The Titanic of the Sky.” It’s about the Hindenburg, a great engineering feat. Eli se: The Hindenburg …
Jay: You know, that giant zeppelin that crashed in 1934. Thirty-five people died.
Elise: Oh yeah, I remember now. It was flying from Germany to the United States. It crashed as it was landing.
Jay: Right. It’s so funny looking, don’t you think? It doesn’t look anything like the airplanes we have today.
Elise: That’s true. Why would people ride in a zeppelin anyway? It seems so dangerous.
Jay: Well, some people called the Hindenburg “man’s greatest achievement in flight.” They thought it was safe, I guess.
Elise: Who rode in it anyway?
Jay: Mostly wealthy people. It accommodated between 30 and 40 passengers and crew. One person said it was like a “flying hotel.”
Elise: It sounds pretty great.
Jay: Yeah, and it was fast. That’s why people rode it. They wanted to get to their destination faster. Elise: Why didn’t they just take a jet plane?
Jay: Elise! You know they didn’t have jets back then. Look, in 1934 it took five days to travel from Germany to the US by ship. The zeppelin could do it in half that time. It was speedy. Elise: Well, maybe I’ll sit down and watch a little bit. Maybe I’ll learn something …
Activity 3 A bigger car?
（Audio Track 4-1-6/Audio Track 4-1-7/Audio Track 4-1-8）
Jack: I think we should buy a bigger car. Big cars are safer.
Kayla: Yes, but on the other hand, they consume more oil.
Jack: They also look really cool.
Kayla: That’s true, but there are some SUVs which are not that big but also very beautiful. Jack: And I think big cars are more fun to drive.
Kayla: But then again, it’s very expensive.
Jack: Well, let’s get more information about several kinds of cars, okay?
Activity 4 Modern buildings：We love them, we hate them. （Audio Track 4-1-9）
My country has two very famous buildings called the Petronas Towers. The buildings are made of glass, steel, and concrete. They were designed by an American architect, but he used a Malaysian style. They were finished in 1998, and they were the tallest buildings in the world at that time. Each tower has 88 floors, and is 452 meters high. I really like the Petronas Towers. They show both the modern and the traditional side of my country.
(Audio Track 4-1-10/Audio Track 4-1-11)
Modern buildings: We love them, we hate them.
The world-famous Louvre Museum in Paris is almost 500 years old, and it faced a very modern problem: There simply wasn’t enough space for six million visitors each year. In 1989, American architect I.M. P ei designed a striking glass pyramid in the building’s center to be a visitor’s entrance and shopping arcade. But he also started an angry debate. Some people felt his glass building was a piece of art, like the ones inside the museum. Others said it was just an ugly, modern mistake.
Kyoto, Japan, is the country’s ancient capital, and the heart of its culture. Its railroad station was too small for the millions of visitors. In 1997, the city completed a new station in a huge shopping center, right in the oldest part of the city. Designed by Hiroshi Hara, the building also contains a hotel and department store. Before it was built, critics said that the high, wide, modern building would destroy the city’s traditional look. On the other hand, supporters said it would bring new life into the city center.
Activity 5 Building down
(Audio Track 4-1-12/Audio Track 4-1-13)
Interviewer: What do you think is the biggest problem facing our cities?
Erika: I think it’s overcrowding. Talk to anyone living in a major metropolitan area and they will say the same thing. There’s no space. Even the suburbs are getting crowded.
Interviewer: Well, in some places there simply isn’t any land left for building, right?
Erika: Yes, that’s true, but you have to think creatively. You can’t give up so easily.
Interviewer: Think creatively? What do you suggest?
Erika: What I’m saying is that we can build more structures underground. We can add parking lots, malls, hotels and even apartment buildings. There’s plenty of space.
Interviewer : Isn’t it expensive?
Erika: Yes, it can be. In the past building underground has been very expensive. However, we have new technology that will bring the cost down. It involves using robots. You don’t have to pay robots a salary.
Interviewer: Isn’t “building down” more dangerous than other kinds of construction?
Erika: Actually, I think it’s safer than building skyscrapers, for example. Remember, we already do it. We have subways, and underground shopping malls. I’m just suggesting we invest in a variety of bigger projects and that we dig deeper.
Interviewer: What would you say to people who doubt your idea?
Erika: I can understand their feelings. Whenever there’s a new idea, it can cause controversy. But “building down” is not some kind of impractical idea. It makes sense. There is so much space underground: it can accommodate a lot of traffic, storage, and people. With the new technology we have, we’d be crazy not to consider the idea — it’s the wave of the future.
Unit 1 Our Earth
Listening
Activity 1 A report about Greenland
(Audio Track 4-1-2/Audio Track 4-1-3)
Blake: What are you working on, Mary?
Mary: I’m finishing my paper. It’s due tomorrow, Blake.
Blake: What’s the topic?
Mary: It’s about Greenland.
Blake : Greenland. Hmmm … that’s part of Canada, right?
Mary: I think you need to study your world geography, Blake.
Blake: Well, isn’t it near Canada?
Mary: Yes, it’s off the coast of northeast Canada, but it’s part of Denmark.
Blake: Oh, I didn’t know that. Well, what’s your paper about exactly?
Mary: In my paper, I answer the question “Is Greenland really green?” In other words, is Greenland covered by a lot of plants and trees?
Blake: Is it?
Mary: What do you think?
Blake: Let’s see … Greenland is in the Arct ic Circle — way up north. It’s cold, … so “Is Greenland really green?” I’d answer “probably not.”
Mary: You’d be correct. It’s too cold there. In the north, a lot of the ground is frozen. The summers are short, so only the surface thaws.
Blake: That sounds tough.
Mary: It’s hard for the construction industry. It’s not easy to build in Greenland.
Blake: It sounds so harsh. Why would anyone want to go there?
Mary: There are big mountain ranges on the coasts. They’re great for hiking and outdoor sports. And there are lots of animals there. You can sometimes see whales swimming in the harbors.
Blake: That sounds cool! OK, so if it’s not really a “green” place, why was it named “Greenland”? Mary: The first settlers wanted to attract other people. They gave it an attractive name.
Activity 2 A flying disaster
(Audio Track 4-1-4/Audio Track 4-1-5)
Jay: Come in here, Elise. You should see this show!
Elise: What is it?
Jay: It’s called “The Titanic of the Sky.” It’s about the Hindenburg, a great engineering feat. Eli se: The Hindenburg …
Jay: You know, that giant zeppelin that crashed in 1934. Thirty-five people died.
Elise: Oh yeah, I remember now. It was flying from Germany to the United States. It crashed as it was landing.
Jay: Right. It’s so funny looking, don’t you think? It doesn’t look anything like the airplanes we have today.
Elise: That’s true. Why would people ride in a zeppelin anyway? It seems so dangerous.
Jay: Well, some people called the Hindenburg “man’s greatest achievement in flight.” They thought it was safe, I guess.
Elise: Who rode in it anyway?
Jay: Mostly wealthy people. It accommodated between 30 and 40 passengers and crew. One person said it was like a “flying hotel.”
Elise: It sounds pretty great.
Jay: Yeah, and it was fast. That’s why people rode it. They wanted to get to their destination faster. Elise: Why didn’t they just take a jet plane?
Jay: Elise! You know they didn’t have jets back then. Look, in 1934 it took five days to travel from Germany to the US by ship. The zeppelin could do it in half that time. It was speedy. Elise: Well, maybe I’ll sit down and watch a little bit. Maybe I’ll learn something …
Activity 3 A bigger car?
（Audio Track 4-1-6/Audio Track 4-1-7/Audio Track 4-1-8）
Jack: I think we should buy a bigger car. Big cars are safer.
Kayla: Yes, but on the other hand, they consume more oil.
Jack: They also look really cool.
Kayla: That’s true, but there are some SUVs which are not that big but also very beautiful. Jack: And I think big cars are more fun to drive.
Kayla: But then again, it’s very expensive.
Jack: Well, let’s get more information about several kinds of cars, okay?
Activity 4 Modern buildings：We love them, we hate them. （Audio Track 4-1-9）
My country has two very famous buildings called the Petronas Towers. The buildings are made of glass, steel, and concrete. They were designed by an American architect, but he used a Malaysian style. They were finished in 1998, and they were the tallest buildings in the world at that time. Each tower has 88 floors, and is 452 meters high. I really like the Petronas Towers. They show both the modern and the traditional side of my country.
(Audio Track 4-1-10/Audio Track 4-1-11)
Modern buildings: We love them, we hate them.
The world-famous Louvre Museum in Paris is almost 500 years old, and it faced a very modern problem: There simply wasn’t enough space for six million visitors each year. In 1989, American architect I.M. P ei designed a striking glass pyramid in the building’s center to be a visitor’s entrance and shopping arcade. But he also started an angry debate. Some people felt his glass building was a piece of art, like the ones inside the museum. Others said it was just an ugly, modern mistake.
Kyoto, Japan, is the country’s ancient capital, and the heart of its culture. Its railroad station was too small for the millions of visitors. In 1997, the city completed a new station in a huge shopping center, right in the oldest part of the city. Designed by Hiroshi Hara, the building also contains a hotel and department store. Before it was built, critics said that the high, wide, modern building would destroy the city’s traditional look. On the other hand, supporters said it would bring new life into the city center.
Activity 5 Building down
(Audio Track 4-1-12/Audio Track 4-1-13)
Interviewer: What do you think is the biggest problem facing our cities?
Erika: I think it’s overcrowding. Talk to anyone living in a major metropolitan area and they will say the same thing. There’s no space. Even the suburbs are getting crowded.
Interviewer: Well, in some places there simply isn’t any land left for building, right?
Erika: Yes, that’s true, but you have to think creatively. You can’t give up so easily.
Interviewer: Think creatively? What do you suggest?
Erika: What I’m saying is that we can build more structures underground. We can add parking lots, malls, hotels and even apartment buildings. There’s plenty of space.
Interviewer : Isn’t it expensive?
Erika: Yes, it can be. In the past building underground has been very expensive. However, we have new technology that will bring the cost down. It involves using robots. You don’t have to pay robots a salary.
Interviewer: Isn’t “building down” more dangerous than other kinds of construction?
Erika: Actually, I think it’s safer than building skyscrapers, for example. Remember, we already do it. We have subways, and underground shopping malls. I’m just suggesting we invest in a variety of bigger projects and that we dig deeper.
Interviewer: What would you say to people who doubt your idea?
Erika: I can understand their feelings. Whenever there’s a new idea, it can cause controversy. But “building down” is not some kind of impractical idea. It makes sense. There is so much space underground: it can accommodate a lot of traffic, storage, and people. With the new technology we have, we’d be crazy not to consider the idea — it’s the wave of the future.