demonstrate a deep knowledge of their subject. / They must also work closely with speakers / and
be able to relate to their style. /
Some believe that the best speechwriters have an inherent talent, / a natural creative instinct, /
and that speechwriting is an art form. /
Dictation 17 AWalk in the Park 在公园散步（141 words）
Exercising in natural areas is not only good for your physical health / —it can improve your
mood / and sense of well-being in as little as five minutes. / So says research in the journal Environmental Health and Technology. /
Exercise alone is known to make you happier. / So is being in a natural setting. / So scientists
wanted to see the effect of combining the two. / They evaluated 10 different UK studies involving
more than 1,200 people. /
Participants had taken part in activities such as gardening, / sailing and country walks, and
rated their mood and self-esteem. /
The research showed that both areas get a significant boost / with as little as five minutes of outdoor exercise. / And people with mental disorders benefited the most. / The study authors say
this is the first study / to quantify the amount of time needed to get a positive effect. /
Dictation 18 Fast food Makes Us Less Patient 快餐使我们失去耐性（146 words） Fast food is a multibillion-dollar industry, / and for some of us, drive-through dinner has become a way of life. / Granted, sometimes we grab something quick because we really don?t
have time. / But psychologists got to wondering / whether all this speed eating might actually
make us less patient. /
In a series of experiments, the scientists showed volunteers logos / from several fast-food
chains or asked them to recall the last time they?d visited. / And they found that folks who had
thought about fast food would then read faster, / even though no one told them to hurry. / And they
also expressed a preference for time-saving products, / like shampoo plus conditioner. / And they
tended to opt for immediate rewards, / like getting a small cash payment right away / rather than
waiting a week for a larger sum. / So if you want to ease the pace, forget meditation. Try a slow cooker. /
Dictation 19 Light All Night Not Alright 整夜开灯并非好事（159 words）
A nightlight may keep those monsters under the bed. / But it may also open the door to the blues. /
If you have access to electricity, you no doubt switch on a lamp, / maybe even watch a little TV, after the sun goes down. / But our bodies use cues about lightness and dark to regulate our
hormones / and of course our sleep cycles. / So what might these extra photons be doing to our
health? /
To find out, scientists housed mice in a room / where the lights were always on. / After three
weeks, they found that mice who lived in the spotlight showed symptoms of depression, / more so
than mice who enjoyed eight hours of darkness at night. / Interestingly, mice who could escape the
light by ducking into a dark tube / also escaped the worst of the depression. /
So flip that light switch at your own risk. / Because the artificial brightness that helps keep us
up could also bring us down. /
Dictation 20 London 2012 Olympic Games 伦敦2012 奥运会（154 words）
After a hard-fought campaign, / London has been awarded the right to host the 2012 Olympic
Games. / The UK capital saw off competition from four rival cities: / Paris, Madrid, Moscow and
New York. /
Londoners can now look forward to the transformation of their city / in the same way as their
counterparts in Beijing. / Indeed, there are many similarities in the two cities? approach to hosting
the games. / Both cities need to invest in developing their infrastructure / in order to cope with the
demands of the event. /
However, this kind of investment is far from cheap / — it is estimated that it will cost around $40 billion to prepare for the 2008 games, / much of which will be spent on transport links.
/ Nevertheless, the benefits of becoming an Olympic city can be enormous / — Barcelona, which
hosted the 1992 games, / was completely regenerated and has since become one of the most
popular tourist destinations in the world. /
Dictation 21 Picnic 野餐（155 words）
As summertime begins in Britain, people start to feel the urge to go outside to eat. / People
love to have a picnic whenever the weather is good enough, / especially people with children. / It?s
a great way to spend a sunny afternoon. /
Even in the centre of London, on a sunny day, / the parks are full of office workers eating their lunch outside on the grass. / That might be a pretty basic picnic / — a shop-bought sandwich and a bottle of water. /
But if people are planning a picnic on the beach or at the park, / they would probably pack a
cool bag / with a whole variety of home-made sandwiches, snacks, cake, fruit and soft drinks. /
They might have a picnic rug to sit on, and paper plates and cups. /
University students enjoy having picnics, / and usually take along some kind of sports equipment, / such as a ball in order to burn off some energy after lunch. /
Dictation 22 Changing Name after Marriage 婚后改名（155 words）
Getting married is one of the most important decisions that a person takes in one?s life. / This
is because it is a step that has the potential to alter or change one?s life altogether. / Right from the
wedding dress to the house / that the couple will live after their wedding, / is decided with utmost
care. / An important decision that the person has to make along with the other arrangements for the
wedding / is to choose between one?s maiden name and spouse?s name. / Though traditionally,
women are expected to change their name / from their maiden name to their husband?s name, /
many women nowadays opt to keep their maiden name after marriage, / mostly for professional
reasons. / Apart from this, there are women who adopt their husband?s last name / and keep their
maiden name as their second name. / Also, there are couples who make a new name with both
their names, / by separating the names with a hyphen. /
Dictation 23 The Compass 指南针（153 words）
A magnetic compass is a device that has been used for centuries now, / and its utility in helping people find their way is undoubted. / Before technology gave us the privilege of GPS
navigation systems, / the act of finding out where you are and which side is north / was carried out
simply with the help of a compass. / We?ve all seen a compass at some point or the other, / and this
has almost always led us to the question “How does a compass work?” / The answer to this question can be explained / through the concept of the earth?s electromagnetism. /
Simply speaking, a compass is basically a small magnet / that has a needle attached on
one
end. / The other end of the magnet is attached to a freely moving pin. / When the compass is held
out steadily, / the magnet becomes parallel with the magnetic field of the Earth, / and this causes it
to point north. /
Dictation 24 Ball Games 球类运动（157 words）
Ball games have become an integral part of modern society. / They give us entertainment
providing us a means to safely free ourselves from stress. / There are many different ball games
that can do this for us. / Some people enjoy football, while others like basketball. / These two ball
games are the most popular in China. / Other games such as baseball are growing in appeal, yet
have not become popular. / The development of these games is interesting. / Basketball is one of
the few sports with a known date of birth. / Football, or soccer, originally developed from traits
found in both China and Europe. / It has grown to become the world?s most popular sport. / In
Europe, football clubs have been established, / which in turn has been copied in the rest of the
world. / These football clubs train players / who may later go play for their nations in the World
Cup. / This is the most watched ballgame championship on the planet. /
Dictation 25 Water Sports 水上运动（145 words）
The history of man?s involvement with water sports / stretches back before history was written down. / It is a history of the development of technology as well as human physical achievement. / Man first took to water in boats that sailed around the world / with nothing but the
stars to guide them. / The seas and rivers were a mystery to be feared, / for lurked unknown creatures and death by drowning. / Few actually ventured into the water. / As a sport, however,
water sports such as swimming, diving, / and water polo are new comparatively to those on land. /
Probably the oldest one is rowing in a rowboat. / This is seen in modern games such as competitions / between rowing clubs in British and American universities. / Olympic Water Sports
began with swimming but did not end there. / The different kinds of water sports such as diving or
water skiing came later. /
Dictation 26 Famous Universities 名校（140 words）
Many countries have excellent universities. / There are, however, few world famous ones. /
These universities have achieved their fame / through a combination of both their age / and the
high levels of quality in their instruction. / Throughout their histories, / each one has been a testing
ground for the leadership of the nation. / In the United States, Harvard and Yale attract thousands
of foreign students / who would use what they learn for the advancement of their own nations. / In
this way, these schools have developed an interesting method of international communication. /
Graduates around the world are able to connect with each other / by having graduated from one of
the finest universities in the world. / Leaders in every field, whether government officials or ground-breaking scientists, / who graduated from the same school have a direct link to each other /
and understand each other much better. /
Dictation 27 Ideal Life 理想人生（157 words）
The ideal life is one that many people would like to pursue, yet few achieve. / The balance
between dreams and reality is one that is difficult to overcome. / Many people choose a vocation
in the hopes / that it would bring them wealth and success. / However, after years of labor in their
chosen field, they begin to hate their jobs. / This is mainly because they have neglected other parts
of their lives in search of this success. / These people devote their lives to working / and are unable to separate themselves from their work. / They find that it may not be enough. / Some have
jobs where their principles and emotional health / are challenged by dishonesty or bad work environments. / These people can begin to become influenced by the environment in which they
work, / leading to personal or health problems. / This choice is not a permanent situation, however,
/ as many people have chosen to change the values of their lives. /
Dictation 28 Reeducation and Employment 再教育和就业（160 words）
During the course of our lives, we must make many choices that we may come to regret. /
This is especially true when choosing a career. / Jobs that sound exciting or rewarding become
dull or not worth it / as we live our daily existence. / This is where reeducation can help. / Occupational schools have been set up to train people in jobs / that they may be better suited for. /