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全新版大学英语听说教程第三册 Unit 02

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Unit 2

Part B

Text1

What a Coincidence! (Part One)

Andrew had always wanted to be a doctor. But the tuition1 for a medical school in 1984 was 15,000 dollars a year, which was more than his family could afford. To help him realize his dream, his father, Mr. Stewart, a real estate agent, began searching the house-for-sale ads in newspapers in order to find extra business. One advertisement that he noted3 down was for the sale of a house in a nearby town. Mr. Stewart called the owner, trying to persuade him to let him be his agent. Somehow he succeeded and the owner promised that he would come to him if he failed to get a good deal with his present agent. Then they made an appointment to meet and discuss the thing.

As good things are never easy to acquire, the time for the appointment had to be changed almost ten times. On the day when they were supposed to meet at 3 o'clock in the afternoon, Mr. Stewart received another call from the owner. His heart sank as he feared there would be another change of time. And so it was. The owner told him that he couldn't make it at three but if he would come right then, they could talk it over. Mr. Stewart was overjoyed. Leaving everything aside, he immediately set out to drive to the house.

As he approached the area, he had a strange feeling of having been there before. The streets, the trees, the neighborhood, all looked familiar to him. And when he finally reached the house, something clicked in his mind. It used to be the house of his father-in-law! The old man had died fifteen years ago but when he was alive, he had often visited him with his wife and children. He remembered that, like his son Andrew, his father-in-law had also wanted to study medicine and, failing to do so, had always hoped that one of his two daughters or his grandchildren could someday become a doctor.

Questions:

1. Who are the two main characters in the story you have just heard?

2. How did Mr. Stewart get to know the owner of the house?

3. What problem did Mr. Stewart have?

4. What is the coincidence in the story you have just heard?

Text2

What a Coincidence! (Part Two)

When he entered the house, Mr. Stewart was even more amazed to find that the house was decorated exactly as he had remembered it. He told the owner about this and the latter became intrigued4 too. However, they were in for even greater surprises. It so happened that in the middle of their discussion, a postman came to deliver a letter. And the letter was addressed to Mr. Stewart's father-in-law! Were it not for Mr. Stewart's presence there and then, the letter would be returned as no person of that name lived in the house any longer. As the postman demanded a signature on the receipt slip, Mr. Stewart signed for his long-deceased father-in-law. Mystified, the owner urged Mr. Stewart to open the letter and see what it contained. The letter was from a bank. When he opened it, two words immediately met his eye -- 'For education'. It was a bank statement of an amount his father-in-law had put in years ago for his grandchildren's education needs. With the interest it had earned over the years, the standing5 value of the amount came to a little over $15,000, just enough money to cover the tuition of Andrew's first year at a medical college!

Another thing that is worth mentioning is about the postman. The original postman, who had worked in this neighborhood, called in sick that day. So the postman, who was new to the area, came to deliver mail in his place. Had it been the old postman, the letter would undoubtedly6 be returned to the sender as he knew full well that no person bearing7 that name lived in that house any longer.

The miracle was a blessing8 for Andrew. With the money given to him by his grandfather he was able to study medicine. Now he is a doctor in Illinois.

Statements:

1. Several coincidences happened in the story.

2. The coincidences made it possible for the owner to sell his house at a good price.

3. No one actually benefited from the coincidences.

4. It can be inferred that Mr. Stewart did not have to seek extra work from then on.

5. With the extra money Mr. Stewart had earned, Andrew's dream finally came true.

Part C

Dad Stops for Gas, Finds Lost Son

Nueng Garcia was the son of an American serviceman stationed in Thailand in 1969. But his father went back to the States when Nueng was only three months old. When he grew up Nueng immigrated9 to the United States and worked as a gas station clerk in Pueblo10, Colorado. His dream was to find his father John Garcia. Year after year, he tried in vain to search for information about the whereabouts of his father.

It was a fine day in Pueblo. There was not a cloud in the blue sky. But for him, it was just another day on the job. Suddenly he noticed the name of one customer who paid with a check. The man, who was in his fifties, had the same surname11 as his own. Nueng raised his head from the check and looked at the man. Could this be his father?

"Are you John Garcia?" he asked.

"Yes," came the answer.

"Were you ever in the Air Force?"

"Yes."

"Were you ever in Thailand?"

"What's that to do with you?" answered the man, who became suspicious12 by then.

"Were you or were you not?" Nueng persisted13.

"Yes."

"Did you ever have a son?"

At this truth dawned on the man. They stared at each other and realized at the same moment that they were father and son who were separated 27 years ago and half a world away.

John Garcia hadn't seen his son since 1969. He lost touch with Nueng's mother when she started seeing another man. He moved to Pueblo nine years ago. He said he never went to that gas station, wasn't even low on gas that day and hardly ever paid with a check.

Statements:

1. Nueng's parents divorced when he was only 3 months old.

2. After moving to the U.S.A., Nueng worked at a gas station in Colorado.

3. Nueng never gave up his efforts to find his father, but John Garcia had never looked for his son.

4. One day while at work Nueng's eyes fell on the photo of a customer's driver's license14, and the man in the photo looked like his father.

5. John Garcia was once in the U.S. Air Force stationed in Thailand.

6. John Garcia and his son didn't meet each other again until 1996.

7. Nueng's father said he often went to that gas station but never paid with a check.

8. It was by coincidence that John Garcia and his son were reunited after many years of separation.

Part D

Unexplained Parallels

One of the best-known collections of parallels is between the careers of Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy. Both were shot on a Friday, in the presence of their wives; both were succeeded by a Southerner named Johnson; both their killers15 were themselves killed before they could be brought to justice. Lincoln had a secretary called Kennedy; Kennedy a secretary called Lincoln. Lincoln was killed in the Ford2 Theater; Kennedy met his death while riding in a Lincoln convertible16 made by the Ford Motor Company -- and so on.

Similar coincidences often occur between twins. A news story from Finland reported of two 70-year-old twin brothers dying two hours apart in separate accidents, with both being hit by trucks while crossing the same road on bicycles. According to the police, the second victim could not have known about his brother's death, as officers had only managed to identify the first victim minutes before the second accident.

Connections are also found between identical twins who have been separated at birth. Dorothy Lowe and Bridget Harrison were separated in 1945, and did not meet until 1979, when they were flown over from Britain for an investigation17 by a psychologist at the University of Minnesota. They found that when they met they were both wearing seven rings on their hands, two bracelets19 on one wrist, a watch and a bracelet18 on the other. They married on the same day, had worn identical wedding dresses and carried the same flowers. Dorothy had named her son Richard Andrew and her daughter Catherine Louise; Bridget had named her son Andrew Richard and her daughter Karen Louise. In fact, she had wanted to call her Catherine. Both had a cat called Tiger. They also had a string of similar mannerisms when they were nervous.

How can we explain the above similarities?


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 tuition lm7wS     
n.(某一学科的)教学,讲授,指导,学费
参考例句:
  • Students can apply for individual tuition.学生可以申请个别指导。
  • Is this money enough for the tuition fee?这些钱交学费够吗?
2 Ford KiIxx     
n.浅滩,水浅可涉处;v.涉水,涉过
参考例句:
  • They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上,所以我们只能涉水过河。
  • If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪,必须极度小心。
3 noted 5n4zXc     
adj.著名的,知名的
参考例句:
  • The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
  • Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。
4 intrigued 7acc2a75074482e2b408c60187e27c73     
adj.好奇的,被迷住了的v.搞阴谋诡计(intrigue的过去式);激起…的兴趣或好奇心;“intrigue”的过去式和过去分词
参考例句:
  • You've really intrigued me—tell me more! 你说的真有意思—再给我讲一些吧!
  • He was intrigued by her story. 他被她的故事迷住了。
5 standing 2hCzgo     
n.持续,地位;adj.永久的,不动的,直立的,不流动的
参考例句:
  • After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
  • They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。
6 undoubtedly Mfjz6l     
adv.确实地,无疑地
参考例句:
  • It is undoubtedly she who has said that.这话明明是她说的。
  • He is undoubtedly the pride of China.毫无疑问他是中国的骄傲。
7 bearing roOyL     
n.关系,影响,举止,姿态,方位,方向
参考例句:
  • What you said had not much bearing on the problem.你说的话跟这个问题没有多大关系。
  • He preserved his grave and dignified bearing.他保持庄重威严的仪态。
8 blessing UxDztJ     
n.祈神赐福;祷告;祝福,祝愿
参考例句:
  • The blessing was said in Hebrew.祷告用了希伯来语。
  • A double blessing has descended upon the house.双喜临门。
9 immigrated a70310c0c8ae40c26c39d8d0d0f7bb0d     
v.移入( immigrate的过去式和过去分词 );移民
参考例句:
  • He immigrated from Ulster in 1848. 他1848年从阿尔斯特移民到这里。 来自辞典例句
  • Many Pakistanis have immigrated to Britain. 许多巴基斯坦人移居到了英国。 来自辞典例句
10 pueblo DkwziG     
n.(美国西南部或墨西哥等)印第安人的村庄
参考例句:
  • For over 2,000 years,Pueblo peoples occupied a vast region of the south-western United States.在长达2,000多年的时间里,印第安人统治着现在美国西南部的大片土地。
  • The cross memorializes the Spanish victims of the 1680 revolt,when the region's Pueblo Indians rose up in violent protest against their mistreatment and burned the cit
11 surname Krvwg     
n.姓;vt.冠姓
参考例句:
  • Her first name is Sheila and her surname is Kane.她姓凯恩,名叫希拉。
  • Wang is a very common Chinese surname.王是一个很常见的中国姓。
12 suspicious DrLw1     
adj.可疑的,容易引起怀疑的,猜疑的,疑心的
参考例句:
  • A man was hanging about the house in a suspicious manner.一个男人在房子周围可疑地荡来荡去。
  • He's so suspicious he would distrust his own mother.他这个人疑心太重,连自己的母亲也不相信。
13 persisted 3af65799b58d5c9938325b3af06a0d91     
坚持( persist的过去式和过去分词 ); 维持; 保持; 持续存在
参考例句:
  • They persisted in going there in spite of the bad weather. 尽管天气很坏,他们还是坚持去那里。
  • She persisted that she was strong enough to go back to work. 她反复地说她身体已经好了,可以去上班了。
14 license B9TzU     
n.执照,许可证,特许;v.许可,特许
参考例句:
  • The foreign guest has a license on the person.这个外国客人随身携带执照。
  • The driver was arrested for having false license plates on his car.司机由于使用假车牌而被捕。
15 killers c1a8ff788475e2c3424ec8d3f91dd856     
凶手( killer的名词复数 ); 消灭…者; 致命物; 极难的事
参考例句:
  • He remained steadfast in his determination to bring the killers to justice. 他要将杀人凶手绳之以法的决心一直没有动摇。
  • They were professional killers who did in John. 杀死约翰的这些人是职业杀手。
16 convertible aZUyK     
adj.可改变的,可交换,同意义的;n.有活动摺篷的汽车
参考例句:
  • The convertible sofa means that the apartment can sleep four.有了这张折叠沙发,公寓里可以睡下4个人。
  • That new white convertible is totally awesome.那辆新的白色折篷汽车简直棒极了。
17 investigation MRKzq     
n.调查,调查研究
参考例句:
  • In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
  • He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。
18 bracelet nWdzD     
n.手镯,臂镯
参考例句:
  • The jeweler charges lots of money to set diamonds in a bracelet.珠宝匠要很多钱才肯把钻石镶在手镯上。
  • She left her gold bracelet as a pledge.她留下她的金手镯作抵押品。
19 bracelets 58df124ddcdc646ef29c1c5054d8043d     
n.手镯,臂镯( bracelet的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • The lamplight struck a gleam from her bracelets. 她的手镯在灯光的照射下闪闪发亮。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • On display are earrings, necklaces and bracelets made from jade, amber and amethyst. 展出的有用玉石、琥珀和紫水晶做的耳环、项链和手镯。 来自《简明英汉词典》
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