【听力原文】
W: Now, please tell me something about the difference between American education and education in many other countries.
M: In many countries, children have a lot of homework in the lower and high school. But in the U.S. extracurricular activities such as sports, chorus, the student computer club, the military drill them, the student newspaper etc. All of them are important in high school. [19] These activities give students valuable lessons in leadership, teamwork and effective communication, which are very useful in their future work..
W: Good. Now, why does the educational system in America attract so many foreigners?
M: Well, the U.S. system emphasizes individual choices. Many American high school students decide to take difficult classes in subjec ts they’re interested in. And if they want to continue credits to earn a bachelor’s degree. In many other countries it’s difficult to get into college, but once you’re there, you ca coast along and not work too hard.
W: You’re right. American education beg ins to get very competitive in college.
M: [20] And for foreign students, the huge amount of high-level reading and writing that is expected proved to be quite difficult. From all the research that’s been done on how to learn a language, it’s clear that mo st foreign students have never read enough English to develop a vocabulary equal to that of native speakers.
W: That’s true enough! Many foreign students never get interested in reading English for fun.
They are only interested in learning grammar. But tell me, why is your English so good?
M: Ever since I was a kid, I’ve read a lot of American storybooks. My mother worked in a library in Stockholm. She was always borrowing English books and magazines for my brother and me.
W: Well, that explains your excell ent English. OK, let’s go on. How long does it take for a college student to get a BA or a BS?
M: After fours years of study, students receive either a bachelor of arts or a bachelor of science degree. But just like high school, many students flunk out of college because of their poor grades.
W: And why do some students get poor grades?
M: [21] Poor grades can be due to medical problems, too many hours spent working a part time job, partying often, or simply not having the attitude and skills needed to perform well in a college classroom.
W: Thank you, Victor, for giving me so much information about the American education.
Conversation Two
【听力原文】
W: Hi, Li Hua. What are you doing this semester?
M: [22] Oh, I’m still learning English. [23] I have to do some m ore semester before I can start m teal studies at the university.
W: You make it sound like prison. How are the classes?
M: They’re all right, I guess. I don’t know. It seems like they never tell us what we really need to know.