视听说6-10

Unit 7

Outside View

Computers are a very important part of our lives. They tell us about delays to transport. They drives trains, analyze evidence and control buildings. Did you know that 60 per cent of homes in Britain have got a PC (a personal computer)?For many young people, playing computer games is their favorite way of spending their spare time. Computers are a very important part of most areas of life in Britain-libraries, the police and in school. But they are becoming more important in our homes as well. They’ll even control the way we live-in “smart homes” or computer-controlled houses. The smart home is now a real possibility. It will become very common. A central computer will adjust the temperature, act as a burglar alarm and switch on lights, ready for you to come back home. And of course you will be able to give new instructions to the computers from your mobile phone. So if your plans change, you home will react to match. Many homes have got a lot of televisions and several computers. The smart home will provide TV and Internet sockets in every room, so you’ll be able to do what you want wherever you want. If the temperature outside changes, the smart home will adjust the temperature levels inside. The computer will also close the blinds when it get dark or to stop too much sun entering a room. And if you want to eat when you get home, the computer will turn the oven on for you! Are computers taking over our lives? In a survey,44 per cent of young people between 11 and 16 said their PC was a trusted friend. Twenty per cent said they were happier at their computer than spending time with family or friends. Another survey found that people in Britain spend so much time on the phone, texting and reading emails that they no longer have time for conversation. What do you think about that? 电脑是我们生活的一个非常重要的组成部分。它们告诉我们交通的晚点，它们驾驶火车，分析案件的证据还有控制建筑。你知道吗？，在英国百分之60的家庭拥有个人电脑。对于很多年轻人来说，玩电子游戏是他们最喜欢来消遣空闲的方式。在大多数地区的英国图书馆，警署和学校，电脑是日常工作和生活的很重要的一部分。然而，电脑对于家庭来说也正在变得越来越重要。它甚至会控制我们在“智能房子”或者说是电脑操控的房子的生活方式。智能房子现在真的很有可能。这将会变得很常见。一台中央计算机将会调控温度，充当自动报警铃和控制灯的开关，准备迎接你的回家。当然你可以通过你的手机向计算机发出新的指示。所以如果你的计划改变了，家里面的电脑会自动调节去配合变化。很多家庭都有很多电视机和几台电脑，智能房子在每个房间里都会配有电视和网路插口，这样的话你就可以在你喜欢的地方做你想做的事了。如果外面 的温度有变化了，智能房子将会调节内部的温度。当天暗下来或者为了减少进入房间的阳光的时候，计算机也会拉下百叶窗。还有如果当你回到家的时候想吃点什么，计算机会为你打开微波炉！

是电脑接管我们的生活了吗?在一个调查中在11到16岁的年轻人中，百分之44 的说他们的个人电脑是一个忠实的朋友。百分之20的说相比于和家人朋友一起，和他们的电脑在一起更快乐。另一个调查显示在英国人们花费太多的时间在电话，测试，读电子邮件上以至于他们没有时间来聊天。你对于这些怎么认为呢？

Listening In Part I

When you have a biscuit with your cup of tea do you dunk it? And if so what is the

perfect way to do it? That's the subject of today's Science in Action Report. It may be hard to believe, but scientists at the University of Bristol have been analyzing this question. And after a two-month study, they devised a mathematical formula for dunking biscuits. So no more melting chocolate, or biscuit crumbs in the bottom of your cup, which is the fate of one in four biscuits that are dunked in tea, according to research by a biscuit manufacturer.

Doughnut bunkers don't face the same problems because doughnuts are held together with an elastic net of protein gluten. This substance allows the doughnut to absorb liquid without breaking down its structure. The structure of a biscuit, however, is held together by sugar which melts when placed in hot tea or coffee. So what is the answer? The researchers, led by Dr Len Fisher, discovered that holding the biscuit in a horizontal position-or \amount on the time of a biscuit can stay in hot liquid before falling apart. In fact this horizontal dunking results in a dunking time up to four times longer than traditional vertical dunking.

What's the reason for this? It seems that the answer is related to diffusion, in other words, the length of time it takes for the liquid to penetrate the structure of the biscuit. Basically it takes longer for the liquid to travel through the channels of a biscuit when it is laid flat on the surface of liquid. Also the fact that when a biscuit is dunked horizontally, with the biscuit submerged in the liquid ,and the chocolate coating staying out of the liquid, the chocolate helps hold the biscuit together. Another factor influencing the equation is the temperature of the tea-the hotter the tea, the faster the sugar melts.

The researchers also found that by dunking a biscuit into tea or coffee, up to ten times more flavor is released than if the biscuit is eaten dry. So it's worth experimenting yourself. If you are wondering how you can perfect the horizontal dunk, the researchers have come up with an idea for a biscuit-holding device to make dunking biscuits easier. They are even now working on producing a table giving guidelines on dunking times for different types of biscuits.

On that note, I think it's time to go off to the canteen for a tea break!

当你边喝茶边吃饼干的时候,你会不会把饼干放到茶水中浸一浸?如果你会浸一浸的话，你知道浸饼干最好的方法吗?这是今天《科学在线》报告的主题。你可能很难相信，但是布里斯托尔大学的科学家们一直在研究分析这个问题。在经过了两个月的研究之后，他们总结出了一个浸泡饼干的数学公式。根据饼干制作者的研究，那些被泡在茶水里的饼干，有四分之一不会在杯底残留融化的巧克力和饼干碎屑。

浸泡炸面圈的人就不会面临这样的问题，因为炸面圈由有弹性的蛋白质面筋网结合而成，这些物质可以让炸面圈吸收水分却不破坏自身结构，然而饼干的结构却是由糖分结合而成，糖分被放在热咖啡或热茶中是会融化的。

那么两者不同的原因是什么呢,由莱思 费希尔博士带领的研究者们发现把饼干放在一个水平的位置或者平放，对饼干可以存在于热水中不破碎的时间有重要影响。事实上，这种水平浸泡饼干的方法导致饼干的浸泡时间是传统的垂直浸泡的时间的五倍。 产生这种现象的原因是什么？答案似乎与渗透有关系，换句话说，就是与液体渗入饼干结构当中所需要的时间有关。一般来说，当饼干平放在液体表面时，液体需要更多的时间进入

饼干的机构当中。另外事实是当饼干水平浸入液体当中，并被浸没而巧克力外衣却在液体之外的时候，巧克力可以帮助维持饼干的结构。另一个影响这个反应式的因素就是茶水的温度，温度越高，糖分融化越快。

研究者还发现，与干吃饼干相比，将饼干浸泡在茶或咖啡当中，有十倍多的味道会被释放出来。所以值得你亲身体验一下。如果你想知道怎样才能完美地水平浸泡你的饼干，研究着们已经产生一个想法去研究一种可以存放饼干的机器，使浸泡饼干更加容易。他们甚至正致力于研究出一种桌子，可以针对不同类型饼干的浸泡时间给出相应的指导. 说到这,我认为是时候去餐厅喝茶休息一会了.

Part II

A: Hey, Louise! Look at this book about crop circles. Some of the photos are absolutely unbelievable.

B: You don’t believe in all that stuff, do you, Peter?

A: I’m not saying I believe in UFOs and things. But some of the formations are fascinating. They’re made up of lots of the interconnected circles and geometrical shapes. You know, in the past few years, there have been more reports of then. The circles are getting larger and designs are getting more intricate?I’m sure that they can’t all be man-made. Think about it-they’re so complicated, and they appear night in the middle of fields of wheat, barley or corn. It’s definitely pretty weird. B: I know, but I saw a TV documentary about it. And they showed how a group of hoaxers made an elaborate crop circle in the field at night. Using wooden planks, ropes, plastic tubes, and a garden roller. They even fooled some of the people who believe in the paranormal. Aliens coming down in UFOs and creating them and so on. A: I’m sure lots of them are created by people just to get publicity but look here-it

th

says ”The first records of crop circles get back as far as the 17 century. Since the 1917s, there have been of 12000 reports from countries all around the world, including Italy, America, South Africa, Australia and Brazil. Most reports are from here in England though.

B: But surely that’s just because they get so much media coverage these days? So more people are making them.

A: Perhaps. But how do you explain the fact that the actual chemical composition of the grains of crops inside the circles changes? Scientific tests have found they have a higher protein level. The stems of the grains have often been exposed to high temperatures. And they found that the soil outside. So far, the hoaxers haven’t been able to copy all these features.

B: Well, I’m not a scientist but I’m pretty skeptical about all these so-called paranormal explanations. I remember in the programme I watched, the researchers found signs of human interference, such as holes in the earth and footprints. A: Come on?you must admit, that still leaves a lot which is unexplained! B: There are lots of things that are hard to explain but this really.

A：嗨，露易丝！看看这本关于麦田怪圈的书。其中的一些图片真的是完全难以置信。 B：你不会相信所有这样的材料吧，彼得？

A：我不是说我相信UFO之类的事。但是一些阵型很迷人。他们是由大量的互联圈和几何形

状组成的。你知道,在过去的几年中,已经有越来越多的报道。这些怪圈正在变得更大，这些设计也在变得更错综复杂。。。我确信他们不可能全部是人为的。你想想---他们是这么复杂，而且他们又在晚上出现在种着小麦、大麦、玉米的田野的中央。这绝对是非常奇怪的事。 B：我知道。但是我看了一个关于这个的电视纪录片。他展示了一群骗子是怎样在晚上用木板、绳子、塑料管和花园辊子在田野里制造一个煞费苦心的麦田怪圈。他们甚至愚弄一些相信超自然的人们，说是外星人从UFO上下来制造了怪圈之类的谎言。 A：我相信他们其中的一些是为了引起公众注意而被人造的。但是看这里---它说“最早关于麦田怪圈的记录可以追溯回十七世纪。从1917年，已经有来自全世界各地关于它的报道12000多次，包括意大利、美国、南非、澳大利亚和巴西，尽管更多的记录是来自英国。 B：但是这正是因为最近他们得到如此多的媒体报道。所以更多的人们去制造怪圈。

A：或许吧。但是你怎么解释在圈内的谷物的化学性质被改变这一事实呢？科学家们实验发现这些谷物有更高级的蛋白质。谷物的茎经常被暴露在高温下。同时他们还发现土壤外翻。截止现在，那些骗子们还不能复制所有的这些特点。

B：好吧，我不是科学家但是我对这些所谓的超自然解释非常持怀疑态度。我记得我曾经看过的一个节目，调查者发现人类干扰的迹象，像地上的洞和脚印。 A：拜托。。你必须承认，它还有许多事情是无法解释的！ B：有很多事情是很难解释的但是这个真的。。。。

Unit 8

Outside view

Cross-cultural Awareness Holidays and Customs

This week, on Cross-cultural Awarenes, Holidays and Customs in Asia we meet some international students who are attending school in California. Many students here are Asian. Asian celebrate a lunar New Year, so the exact date changes every year .New Year is the biggest holiday in Asia cultures. The holiday lasts for 15 days and ends with a lantern festival on the full moon. This woman used to live in Vietnam. Shenow lives in California.\go by the lunar calendar and so， urn， our New Year is usually in the springtime. Our, the calendar here in American, so we celebrate it in February -Marchish. That's probably one of my favorite Vietnamese holidays\the old year and to welcome the new year. They usually don't wash their hair on New Year's .Washing hair washes away good luck for the coming year. This woman used to live in Shanghai, China. She remembers a tradition that brings good luck and wealth to children. \special custom for Chinese New Year, is that parents give their children red envelops of money\Red is an important color because it means happiness. People use red paper to write special messages of happiness like this one \Longevity shine on you!\customs at the New Year's. They spend several days before the holiday cleaning the house completely and decorating the house with flowers and plants. Flower arrangements often including pine branches, bamboo and blossoms. Blooming flowers are placed around the home .Flowers are important because flowers will turn into friut. Friuts with special meanings are served during New Year's. Oranges and tangerines symbolize happiness, coconuts represent togetherness and lychee nuts represent strong family relationship. Other foods have special meanings too, A whole fish represents togetherness and bamboo shoots mean happiness to everyone. Noodles represent long life. Asians don't cut noodles, this is considered unlucky. Tofu is one food that Asians never eat during these holidays. Tofu is