大学体验英语视听说4 audio原文

Unit 1 Audio Lesson 1

Why aren ’t women happier these days? That ’s the question raised by a thought-provoking study-- ‘The Paradox of Declining Female Happiness ’ released last month. The research showed that over the past 35 years women’s happiness has declined, both compared to the past and relative to men even though, by most objective measures, the lives of women in the U.S. have improved in recent decades. The research, by University of Pennsylvania economists Betsey Stevenson and Justin Wolfers, released by the National Bureau of Economic Research, found the decline in happiness to be pervasive among women across a variety of demographic groups. The researchers measured similar declines in happiness among women who were single parents and married parents. They cast doubt on the hypothesis that trends in marriage and divorce, single parenthood or work/family balance are at the root of the happiness declines among women. One theory for the decline in happiness is that expectations for workplace and general advancement were raised too high by the women’s movement and women might feel inadequate for not having it all. The researchers acknowledge that is a possibility. They think that if the Women’s Movement raised women’s expectations faster than society was able to meet them, the women would be more likely disappointed by their actual life experiences. But the researchers also add that things could change for the better, as women’s expectations move into alignment with their experiences, this decline in happiness may reverse..

Lesson 2

Men May Be from Venus Too

Men and women might be on the same planetary wavelength after all. According to Psychologist Professor Janet Hyde at the University of Wisconsin, men and women are more alike than different in personality, communication, cognitive ability and leadership than is generally believed.

The studies looked at cognitive abilities, such as the ability to do mathematics, verbal and nonverbal communication, aggression, leadership, self-esteem, moral reasoning and motor behaviour, such as throwing distance and found large gender differences in throwing distance, and attitudes about casual sex, and a moderate difference in aggression. But for most psychological characteristics, she found no differences between men and women. Hyde found evidence that differences between men and women are linked to society’s expectation of how they should behave. For instance, women smiled more than men when observed but this was not the case when they thought they were not being observed. Hyde said the findings provide strong evidence against the idea that psychological differences between men and women are “large and stable”. Besides these social expectations, over-inflating claims of differences between men and women can be damaging. After examining the gender differences in math performance in high school, Hyde revealed that it could be due to parents’ having lower expectations of their daughters’ success in math and thus affecting her self-confidence and performance.

She also found women ’s success as workplace leaders can also be hindered if they go against the caring and nurturing stereotype.

So it’s really amazing how people ’s perceptions of themselves and their own behaviours are in fact a reflection of assumptions and constructs in society.

Unit 4 Audio Lesson 1

China has changed enormously over the last 20 years. Its economy has been growing at 10% a year. Today, 80% of the world ’s electronic goods are made in China. As a result, more and more western companies want to do business in China. But how easy is it for a westerner to do business there? Here are some tips from the British Embassy in Beijing.

Build relationships. In the west, it ’s usual to do business first, and then see if a relationship is possible. In China, it ’s the opposite. You need to build a relationship before you can do business. This leads to the idea of ‘guanxi ’. Guanxi means using personal contacts and relationships to do business, and westerners need to understand how real and strong this is in China.

It can also be useful to find a reliable Chinese ally to work with you. He or she will be able to help with language or cultural problems and will also be able to understand Chinese body language.

You must remember to respect ‘face ’. ‘Face ’ means having high status with your peers. ‘Face ’ can be lost, given or earned. Never criticize or insult someone in front of others, as losing face will make it impossible to make a deal. On the other hand, if you praise someone by saying good things about him or her, then he or she will gain face, but be careful not to do it too much.

All these tricks of the trade can help you to play the game and do business successfully in China. Be prepared, and be patient if you want to be a winner in China. Lesson 2

The Quarterly (Magazine): How has Carrefour had to adapt to Chinese tastes?

Jean-Luc Chereau (President of Carrefour China): Take the example of fish. When I am in San Francisco and I visit a store, the fish is filleted and packed; it’s dead. When I am in France, the fish is dead but it’s whole; it’s on ice. I can see its eyes and see if it’s fresh or not. Each place has its own way of selling fish.

If you are in China, you have two ways of selling fish. The first is to display live fish. When we entered Taiwan, we went to the fresh markets in Taipei and Kaohsiung to see what kind of products they had, how they were displayed, and how customers bought those products. Carrefour decided to adopt this fresh-market style and to display the same products at lower prices in a better, cleaner environment. And we were very, very successful. Now, on the mainland, the first image customers get when they enter a Carrefour store is fresh products. When customers are in the fresh area, they recognize the fresh market they’re accustomed to.

And now most of our competitors are following Carrefour in this way.

But there is another method we neglected when we moved away from the coast: frozen fish. Why would frozen fish be important in China? Because the distance between the area where they have fresh fish and the stores in middle and western China is so vast that customers are more confident of frozen fish than of unfrozen dead fish, even if fresh. So we changed our product offering and we saw a 30 to 40 percent increase in fish sales throughout China.

Unit 6 Audio Lesson 1

It is said that happiness is contagious. The supporting evidence is everywhere: from the streets of Rio during Carnival to more obscure celebrations elsewhere in the world. But long-term happiness may also be healthy. New York researcher Dr.Karina Davidson certainly thinks so.

Dr. Davidson is a lead researcher in a 10-year study of more than 1,700 healthy men and women. The study revealed that people who are happy and content with their lives are 22% less likely than unhappy people to have a heart attack or suffer from symptoms of heart disease.

Maintaining happy is surely protective of your mental health and this observational study is one of the first studies to show it may also protect your physical health. It is the first to show an independent relationship between positive emotions and coronary heart disease. But Dr. Davidson stresses that more work and clinical trials are needed before any treatment recommendations can be made. She says, though, that the study is the first step in providing doctors better insight about how to interact with their patients. The study may eventually shift healthcare providers to thinking about how they can help patients make sure that the things that make them happy stay in their routine.

Heart disease is the leading killer of men and women in most industrialized countries. Dr. Davidson says she hopes her report will shine a light on a new approach for prevention. Lesson 2

Everyone knows someone who is difficult to be around. It is very difficult to put up with them. The bad news is often times you are forced to interact with these people on a daily basis and they could have a personality disorder but the good news is there are simple ways you can learn to deal with their behaviors.

A person with a paranoid personality is someone who is very much preoccupied with the loyalty of other people. It is a person who constantly scans the environment and other people looking for possible indications or signs of some sort of deception. The solution: stick to conversation topics that are safe and not too personal, avoid any signs of criticisms or attack and refrain from using language that is patronizing.

A narcissistic person really believes that she is better than you essentially a nd that “because I’m another person I’m better than you, I’m entitled to expect you to do things for me; I’m entitled to be focused exclusively on my own needs and kind of disregard yours.”

So how do you deal with those people? Don’t be defensive with this person. It could trigger a fight and try to make you an important part of his or her world in order to keep up the relationship.

People with obsessive compulsive disorder can make others jumpy. Try acknowledging their hard work with compliments. Compromise with them when possible and also avoid conflict. We all have a little bit of these personalities in ourselves so treat others as you would like to be treated.

Unit 8 Audio Lesson 1

Competitive pressures have forced most companies (and countries) to increase their focus on innovation. This pressure to innovate has increased the need for talented engineers and scientists--not only in the rapidly evolving computer and communications industries, but in virtually every other industry as well.

The automobile industry, for example, has significantly expanded the electronics and computer content on the vehicle, with applications today ranging from power controls for improved fuel economy and reduced emissions, to enhanced safety systems and chassis controls. During the last decade, to meet the ever-growing need for advanced technology, General Motors has recruited a rich blend of international talent, with engineers and scientists from North and South America, Europe, the Middle East, China, Taiwan, India, and Korea. This melting pot of technologists has created a bubbling cauldron of exciting ideas that General Motors is applying to the development of a vast array of product, technology and business innovations. In fact, one of the biggest benefits of globalization for GM has been access to technology being developed around the world. Today, GM’s most advanced research programs, such as the fuel cell technology development, are being conducted across several continents.

By pulling together the talents and resources from its global network, General Motors has been able to reduce redundancy, accelerate ongoing development, and start new development. Its 42-volt electrical architecture program is an excellent example of this kind of global collaboration. It includes all of the GM alliance partners and key suppliers. Instead of more than 10 separate projects, GM now has one single program with clearly defined technology roadmaps for each partner. Lesson 2

With the globalization of world economy, China has become an appealing market for foreign investors. Why did some foreign-funded enterprises become successful when entering the China market while others fail, and why do some grow relatively faster than the rest? The following factors can determine how well or bad foreign-funded enterprises perform in China:

1. Establishment and implementation of enterprise’s development strategies. In China, successful foreign-funded enterprises will definitely implement long-term development strategy, unlike other unsuccessful companies which do not look far and only concentrate on short-term gains.

Besides, the strategy will need to be a flexible one as market conditions are constantly changing due to the presence of globalization. The enterprise needs to be flexible as to react immediately to any changes without affecting its business operations.

2. Leadership of the top management plays a decisive role in deciding the success of the company. In face of greater competition brought about by globalization, management today will need to possess stronger judgment, decision making abilities, adaptability and greater foresight. The ability to look far is crucial as one need to be able to get ready at all times to react to any changes.

3. It is essential for the foreign-funded enterprises to understand China’s culture, especially regarding the culture of Guanxi (relationship), so as to be able to gain the popularity and trust of China’s population. With a good relationship, businesses can become smoother and the probability of failure will be greatly reduced. Stronger bonds can also be built with the customers, suppliers and partners.