Lesson 9

PART A Micro-Listening
1. M: How come you're so late. What's happened?
W: My bike broke down and I had to walk here.
Q : What's the woman's problem?
2. W: Paul has been offered a new job, hasn't he?
M: Yes, but he has turned it down.
Q : What do you know about Paul?
3. W: I'm so tired. I think I'm going to bed.
M: I have to stay up until I finish these essay questions.
Q: What's the man going to do?
4. W: What do you think of my new idea, Bob?
M: I can't come up with a better one, Julie.
Q : What does the man mean?
5. W: Which color would you like to paint our room, white or blue?
M: It makes no difference to me.
Q: What do we learn from the conversation?
6. M: John is a sports fan, isn't he?
W: He always gets excited whenever it comes to football.
Q : What do you know about John?
7. W: It looks like rain. I'll go and get two umbrellas.
M: Don't bother, the paper said it would clear up this afternoon.
Q : What does the man mean?
8. W: Will you be joining us later for the card game?
M: I have to catch up on the lessons I missed.
Q: What will the man do?

PART B Macro-Listening
Passage I
Who Was He?
Tapescript
He was born in Atlanta, Georgia, on January 15, 1929. He was black. He lived for only thirty-nine years, but he became world famous in so short a time. He grew up in the southeastern part of the United States. He studied at Morehouse College where he met many outstanding men whose ideas he found important and exciting.
After he graduated from Morehouse, he went on to study at the University of Pennsylvania, Harvard University and Boston University. At Boston University he met Coretta, who later became his wife. In 1954, after he got his Ph.D. degree, he became the leader of the black people, who were poor and without power. He gave speeches and led marches. For his ideas and actions, he went to jail for a short time.
Many years later, in Washington D.C., he spoke to a crowd of 250,000 people. In his speech entitled 'I Have a Dream', he expressed his opinion that the only way people could win their rights was to remain peaceful, even in the face of danger. His speech is still popular today in the United States. For his courage and achievements he won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964.
The whole nation mourned the terrible event that happened on April 4,1968 when he was shot to death. The man who had preached nonviolence all his life died a victim of violence.
But his dream will never die. Many Americans are still struggling to make that dream come true.
Who was the great man? He was Martin Luther King.

Passage 2
Winston Churchill
Tapescript
Do you know one of the greatest statesmen that Britain has ever had? His name is Winston Churchill. In his school days, however, he was not a good student. On prize-giving days he did not get any prizes. His father was very much disappointed, but his mother was not worried, and said, 'The boy is not stupid. He'll make a name for himself someday.'
'There is no sign of it today,' said his father angrily. Later the boy said to his mother, 'You see, they never ask me the things I can tell them. They only ask me the things I can't.'
His mother laughed and said, 'Of course, dear, I remember it was just the same when I was at school.'
He began his career as a soldier. As he had a lot of free time between wars, he used this opportunity to read and to study hard. In the meantime, he began to write for newspapers and magazines.
This is what he said about his writing: 'I was such a dunce at school that I was kept in the third form for three years. This was luck. I had three years with the finest English teacher in the country. So I learned my own language thoroughly '
He had a special gift for using words He was the first man to use the words 'Iron Curtain', which became part of the English language.
When the people were having a hard time during the Second World War, Churchill told them the truth. He said, 'I promise you nothing but blood and sweat and toil and tears. ' The British people understood what he said, because he spoke to them frankly.
Though he had a busy life as a statesman he knew how to enjoy life. He found time to paint. He signed his paintings 'Mr Winter'. The paintings were so good that people wanted to know who 'Mr Winter' was. It was only a few years later that people found out the truth.
In his later years, he spent much time writing his story of World War II. It was read by many people all over the world. In 1953 Churchill received the Nobel Prize for Literature.