Harvard University is the oldest institute of highest learning in her United States. Founded 16years after the arrival of the Pilgrim at Plymouth, the university has grown from 9 students with a single master to the present enrollment of more than 18,000students, including undergraduates and students in 10 graduate and professor schools. Over14, 000 people work at Harvard, including more than 2,000 faculties. Harvard has produces six presidents of the United States and 34 Noel winners.
During its early years, Harvard offered a classic academic course based on the model of English universities, but consistent with the prevailing Puritan philosophy. Although many of its graduates became ministers in Puritan church throughout New England, the university never formally affiliated with a specific religious group.
Under President Pusey (1953-1971), Harvard started what was then the largest fund-raising campaign in the history of American higher education. It was an 82.5 million dollar program for the university. The program increased faculty salaries, broadened student aid, created new professorships, and expanded Harvard‘s physical facilities.
Neil L. Rudenstine took office as Harvard‘s 26th president in 1001. As part of an overall effort to achieve greater coordination among the university‘s school and faculties, Rudenstine encouraged academic planning and identified some of Harvard‘s main intellectual priorities. He also stressed the important of the university‘s excellence in undergraduate education, the significance of keeping Harvard‘s doors open to students from families of different economic backgrounds, the task of as aping the research university to an era of both rapid information growth and serious fund shortage.
1. What is main idea of the passage?
2. How many teachers did Harvard have at the very beginning?
3. What was the ralationship between Harvard University and religion during its early years?
4. Which of the following is NOT mentioned as an achievement of President Pusey‘s fund-raising program?
5. What did President Rudenstine do?
Keys: 1.B 2.A 3.C 4.D 5.D
Viewing and speaking University budget cuts Script
Host: Well, David Lammy, the University Minister, joins us from Westminster.
Now thanks for joining us this lunchtime, Mr. Lammy. How do these cuts... tie in with your much trumpted commitment to increasing higher education?
Interviewee: Well, I think it's important to remind views that we will speng well over
12 billion pounds on higher education this year and to say that there will be more students at university next year than ever before in our history. But what is important is that when they get to university, is that they have good facilities, good buildings, that they have good contact with their lecturers and, for students from poorer backgrounds that they receive a grant. And you know 40% of students who are going to university are in receipt of some grants. So we have to plan...
Host: But there's going to be less money next year. That's the bottom line, isn't
it?
Interviewee: Er, we are asking universities to make a one percent cut in their teaching
grant. That's 51 million out of a total budget of over 5 billion. Look, I think there are families across the country preparing for Christmas spending a lit less and they are, you know, it's a lot more than one percent that they're, they're feeling. So I think this is reasonable to ask universities if we are to ensure that we can continue to send more young people to university and we remain committed to that.
Host: And briefly, what about these two-year degrees? This is a reduction in
standards, isn't it?
Interviewee: Well, we, we, we... It's important in this country that we remember that
students aren't just the classic 18-to-21-year-old undergraduates. We want mature students. We want more parttime students and over the last few years we've been growing the number of foundation degree, two-year degrees that ensure that transition into high university and high level skills. That's what we want to support and that's what we are indicating in the grant letter that we've sent to universities over the last few days.
Host: OK. David Lammy, thank you so much for joining us. Interviewee: Thank you.
Uint 2
Our globe is in danger!
II. Basic Listening Practice
1.Script
M: Now we have satellite and high-powered microscope, it‘s easy to think we know everything about the world; but we still don‘t understand EI Nino.
W: Right. Scientists all over the world over are even uncertain about the cause of the warm Pacific current that brings storms or drought—the mysterious EI Nino. Q: Which of the following is true according to the conversation?
2. Script
M: Everyone is talking about environmental problem: acid rain, the greenhouse effect, holes in the ozone layer. We should think positively. What can we do to improve things?
W: I agree. We could do a lot more to harness the sun‘s energy for heating and lighting in our homes. In Japan 43,000 solar roofs were installed in 2002. Q: How do the man and the woman view the environment?
3. Script
W: We lived in Beijing some years ago. It was always difficult to keep the house clean with wind from the north blowing sand from the desert at us.
M: That‘s why the Chinese government has been encouraging people to plant trees along the edges of the Gobi Desert. Now those trees act as wind barriers. Q: What did the government encourage people to do?
4. Script
M: Many old refrigerators and cars are environmental hazards because they contain CFCs that destroy the ozone layer.
W: Yes, but government or organizations are helping people to safely dispose of old refrigerators or, in the case of cars, to upgrade their air conditioning. Q: What are government departments helping people to do?
5. Script
M: Hey, that‘s an aerosol spray you‘re using on your hair! Build a bomb or set fire to the apartment to kill us quickly instead of making holes in the ozone, so we die of cancer.
W: Cool it, man. This spray doesn‘t contain CFC s. And you‘d better read a little more. In 2003 the hole in the ozone layer shrank by 20 percent, so there‘s no reason to panic.
Q: What does the man mean?
Keys: 1.B 2.D 3. A 4.A 5.C
III. Listening In
Task 1: We should have proper respect for nature!
Script
Martha: Do you think most people in your culture respect nature? Ed: I think so. Umm…more now than before.
Martha: What do you think is the most serious environment problem in the world
today?
Ed: Today…I think damage to the ozone layer is a big problem; and another
problem is pollution in big cities and things like that.
Martha: How do you learn about environmental problems?
Ed: Umm…through school. A lot of clubs promote environmental safely, and
some TV programs, too. They talk about environmental safely and stuff like that.
Martha: Do you think students should learn more about the environment at school? Ed: I think so. So, as they grow older, they can be more aware of all the
problems that are going on. And also to prevent more problems from occurring.
Martha: If you could create a new law to help the environment, what would it be? Ed: A new law for the environment? Umm…I‘d probably say that when
people throw away their cigarette butts, they have to throw them into the garbage bin, not just throw them everywhere because it‘s just littering and I hate that. So they should be fined if they throw them on the floor on the ground.
Martha: That‘s a good idea. What do you personally do to help protect the
environment?
Ed: I‘ m so against littering. I never litter. If I see somebody litter, I get really
angry. So I always throw my trash into the garbage bin.
While being interviewed by Martha, Ed said more people in his culture respect nature ever before. When asked about the most serious environmental problem in the world today, he mentioned the damaged ozone layer and the pollution in big cities.
Ed learned about environmental problem at school. A lot of clubs and some TV programs promote environmental safely. He believes that students should learn more about the environment at school. Then they can be more aware of all the problems and prevent more problems from occurring. When asked about a new law he would like to create to help the environment, he said that when people throw away their cigarette butts, they have to throw them in the garbage bin. They should be fined if they throw them on the floor.
Personally, Ed is so set against littering that he never litters. He always throws his trash into the garbage bin.
Task 2: River pollution
Script
If you see dead fish floating on the river or notice that the water si discolored and smelly, you know the river has been polluted, and there are four main possible causes for it.
First, fertilizer. If large amounts of fertilizer or farm waste drain into a river, the concentrations of nitrate and phosphate in the water increase considerably. Algae use
these substances to grow rapidly, turning the water green. This massive growth of algae leads to pollution. When the algae die, they are broken down by the action of the bacteria, which quickly multiply, using up all the oxygen in the water and therefore causing the death of fish.
Second, industrial waste. Factories sometimes discharge chemical waste into rivers. Examples of such pollutants include cyanide, lead, copper, and mercury. These substances may enter the water in such high concentrations that fish and other animals are killed immediately. Sometimes the pollutants enter the food chain and accumulate until they reach toxic levels, eventually killing fish and other animals.
Third, oil pollution. If oil enters a slow-moving river, it forms a rainbow-colored film over the entire surface, preventing oxygen from entering the water.
Fourth, warm water. Industry oftn uses water for cooling processes, sometimes discharging large quantities of warm water back into rivers. A higher temperature of water lowers the level of dissolved oxygen and upsets the balance of life in water.
Questions and key
1. What is the passage mainly about?
2. Why does the river water turn green? 3. What harm does industrial waste cause? 4. Which of the following is true of oil pollution? 5. What harm can warm water in a river bring? DABCD
Task3: Curbing carbon emissions
Script
Although it is not an easy task, Chins is striving to fulfill the promise to cut its carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP by 40 to 45 percent in the next 10 years.
Zhang Guobao, Director of the National Energy Administration, said, \government puts great emphasis on seeking harmonious development between cities and the environment, and is readjusting the energy structure by giving priority to the development of clean and low-carbon energies, including hydroelectric, nuclear, wind and solar power.\
Government authorities have closed small, coal-fired plants with a total capacity of 60.06 million kilowatts in the past four years. This year's target of closing 10 million kilowatts of capacity will be achieved by August.