much. For more career advice, go to our web partner, CBSMONEYWATCH.com
Home Listening ．．．．．．．．．．．．．
Graduate unemployment has increased by
44% in 12 months and is now at its
1) highest in 12 years, according to research released today. Some 7.9% of students who left university in 2008 were out of work in January, the Higher Education Careers Services Unit (HECSU) found, up from 5.5% the 2) ___previous year. HECSU warned the picture could be even worse for those graduating this year. The last time levels of 3)__joblessness__ were so high was in 1995–96.
The research found that 4) _recruitment_in the public sector bucked the downward graduate employment 5)
_trend___, with the number of graduates entering 6) _healthcare teaching and social work increasing.
But 7) architecture and building graduates were hit particularly badly, 8) _reflecting the slump in the construction industry, with unemployment nearly tripling from 2.9% in 2007 to 8.5% for those who left in 2008. The proportion of civil engineering graduates without a job increased from 2.4% to 7%. 9) ___The proportion of graduates employed in business or financial work fell to 7.5%, compared with 8.7% the year before. And the number working as financial and investment
advisers or mortgage consultants dropped 19%, with only 1,700 of the 220,065 graduates surveyed getting that kind of job, compared with 2,100 in 2007. 10) ___Among those who revealed how much they earned, the average salary was_￡19,677 — up 2% from 2007._. But Scotland saw a rise of 5.6%, to an average of
￡19,953 — higher than the ￡19,561 reported in the south-east, traditionally the highest-paid region after London.
UNIT 4 ．．．．．
One World, One Ocean ．．．．．．．．．．．．．．．．．
Lesson 1 Audio Script ．．．．．．．．．．．．．．．．．．Coral reefs are sensitive undersea structures, made up of tiny animals called coral polyps. Reefs are important breeding grounds and shelters for fish and other sea life. These delicate ecosystems also protect coastlines, are critical sources of food for millions of people, and attract tourists. The largest coral reef ecosystem is the Great Barrier Reef, stretching along the northeast coast of Australia. This area contains 900 islands and comprises nearly 3,000 individual reefs. It covers an area bigger than Britain and is the largest living structure on Earth and the only one visible from space. The reef is
home to 4000 types of mollusks and 1500 different types of fish. There are also 200 different species of birds. Aside from all of this, it is a very beautiful place and the temperature and climate are fantastic. If has definitely got tourist appeal and attracts two million visitors each year. Like other coral systems, the Great Barrier Reef is facing a range of environmental threats. Global warming, pollution, tourism, shipping accidents and overfishing have contributed to its decline. Earnest efforts are under way to protect the world‘s reefs and restore them. But man‘s impact on the environment continues to make the future of coral reefs uncertain.
Lesson 1 Video ．．．．．．．．．．．． Script．．．．．．Eighteen million years ago, a series of remarkable events conspired to create the Great Barrier Reef: the migration of a continent, the might of an ocean and the full power of the tropical sun. The result is a world that‘s as tough as it is beautiful. It‘s been through numerous catastrophes, and every time it‘s bounced back. But the Great Barrier Reef now faces its biggest challenge: Us.
Over the last few decades, evidence of our influence on the reef has become all too real. Marine biologist Ove Hoegh-Guldberg is on the front line to protect it. Today, he‘s come to look for one of its greatest enemies — a single creature with the power to destroy the largest reef in the world. ―Relatively small changes in the conditions
can cause some species to literally explode. And one of those is the crown-of-thorns starfish.‖ This evil-looking animal grows up to three feet across. It‘s covered in sharp, venomous spines. And its favorite food is coral. They can descend on the reef in their millions, swarming over it and eating it alive. This starfish is capable of producing six million children every year. Normally, very few survive. But now man has tipped the odds in their favor. Fertilizers from inland farms have washed down from the rivers onto the reef. They make the perfect nutrient for the baby starfish, and their numbers go through the roof. The population can explode to 2,000 times its normal level. And they‘re incredibly hard to kill. ―One of the early methods of getting rid of starfish was to cut them in half literally with a knife. But starfish have this amazing property where they regenerate.‖ Far from killing them, cutting these animals in half actually creates two of them. They have to be physically picked off the reef or injected with poison to control their numbers. Today, pollution levels have dropped and so has the crown of thorns population. For now, anyhow.
Lesson 2 Audio Script ．．．．．．．．．．．．．．．．．． Coral reefs are brightly colored structures. They are home
to thousands of different species of fish, plants and other marine animals. Coral is actually made up of tiny animals called coral
polyps. Millions of coral polyps stick together in colonies and form a hard outer shell. Over time, the colonies grow together and create large reefs. When coral die their skeletons are left behind, and new coral builds on top.
One of the biggest threats to coral reefs is called “bleaching.” Coral bleaching happens when the temperature of water rises. Coral contains tiny algae, which are plant-like organisms. They give coral its bright color. Coral uses the algae to create food and grow. At high temperatures, corals get stressed and release algae. This causes the coral to whiten, or bleach. When coral bleaching occurs, the coral can die. A reef scientist, Terry Done, has predicted that a one degree rise in global temperature would cause bleaching of 82% of the reef, two degrees would cause 97% bleaching and 3 degrees would mean total devastation.
Lesson 2 Video Script ．．．．．．．．．．．．．．．．．．
Even the smallest change in climate upsets the natural order here. The turtles are already feeling it. Their eggs are very heat-sensitive. With higher temperatures, fewer eggs are hatching, and the turtle population is in decline. In 40 years there may be none left. And the coral reef itself is in grave danger, because water temperature is a matter of life and death. A change of just one or two degrees can wipe it out. But scientists are discovering that coral isn‘t