新视野大学英语视听说教程 4 Unit 10-2

III. Listening In
Task 1: Competition in America
Script
Alan: What are you reading, Eliza?
Eliza: An article on American competition.
Alan: Competition is everywhere and constant. Why so much fuss¹ about it, Miss Knowledge?
Eliza: Don’t make fun of me. According to the author, competition is especially important in American life. They’re taught to compete from early childhood. When children play games, they learn how to beat others.
Alan: And many girls want to look more attractive than the girls sitting next to them in class. Do you think that way?
Eliza: Don’t be silly. Let’s get back to the point. When children are growing up, they compete with one another in their studies.
Alan: Isn’t that also true of students in other nations? As we all know, many Asian students kill for a high test score and grab² every opportunity to sharpen their competitive³ edge over others.
Eliza: American boys find great pleasure in competing with each other in sports, according to the author.
Alan: I do like sports. When our football team beats the other team, I feel great. Makes me want to shout out loud. But isn’t that normal throughout the world?
Eliza: American people also compete with each other at work and at climbing the social ladder.
Alan: But there’s competition in other countries as well.
Eliza: You’re right in a sense, but the author says the idea of competing is more deeply rooted in the minds of Americans. They’re even taught that if you lose and don’t feel hurt, there must be something wrong with you.
Alan: I hear that some Asians put emphasis on cooperation. Which approach do you think makes more sense?
Eliza: It’s hard to say. Anyway, there’s no accounting⁴ for different cultures.

1. What is the dialog mainly about?
2. What is the woman doing?
3. What do children learn from playing games according to the woman?
4. What does the man say about students’ studies?
5. What does the woman say when asked which makes more sense, competition or cooperation?
Keys: 1.C   2.A   3.C   4.B   5.D

1 fuss   

n.过分关心，过分体贴，大惊小怪，小题大作

参考例句：

• My mother makes a fuss of me every time I come home.我每次回家，母亲总对我体贴备至。
• Stop all this fuss and do your homework.别大惊小怪了，去做你的家庭作业吧。

2 grab   

vt./n.攫取，抓取；vi.攫取，抓住(at)

参考例句：

• It is rude to grab a seat.抢占座位是不礼貌的。
• The thief made a grab at my bag but I pushed him away.贼想抢我的手提包，但被我推开了。

3 competitive   

adj.竞争的，比赛的，好竞争的，有竞争力的

参考例句：

• Some kinds of business are competitive.有些商业是要竞争的。
• These businessmen are both competitive and honourable.这些商人既有竞争性又很诚实。

4 accounting   

n.会计，会计学，借贷对照表

参考例句：

• A job fell vacant in the accounting department.财会部出现了一个空缺。
• There's an accounting error in this entry.这笔账目里有差错。