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Spot Dictation
What’s in a surname? You may ask. A new website project has been released,
that helps you locate your past. Have you ever wondered why your ancestors
gathered where they did, or where others with your surname live now. A
research project investigating the distribution of surnames in Britain answers
these questions. And another study has found the surnames are still extremely
regional.
Smith, for example, remains the most common surname in Britain, used by
more than half a million people. It has exactly the same concentration it always
did in Lerwick, in the Scottish Shetland Islands. Jones is the No. 2 surname,
and is the most common among hill farmers in north Wales.
The data used for this project comes partly from electoral register. A number of
other files are held by Ex-pairing, which is probably Britain's largest collector of
data about individuals.
There're some of us who are fairly predictable. Campbell, for example, as you
might expect, is somewhat concentrated in the northern parts of Scotland, and
it appears really bizarre to be found somewhere else.
Well, with 25, 000 names as difficult to generalize, what you can do is put them
in general categories, if, for example, you look at names which are people's
work. Like the name, Webber, you might find it is much more common in the
Midlands than in the south of England. If you go to Wales, most people get
their names from their ancestors and in Yorkshire for example, a lot of people
have names based on the places that they originally lived in or at least their
ancestors did.
Well, we only have 25, 000 names on this website, but there're another 50, 000
names now found in Britain and they're particularly interesting, for they are
non-British names. Most British names are fairly common and about what we
can now do as such is look for the frequency of all names from different parts
of the world and different faiths, religions and languages. And what there is in
names is actually extremely useful for researchers in anthropology and
sociology may find a lot about different immigrant groups and their
descendants now living in this country.
Listening Comprehension 1
W：We heard up there that if you are turned down the first time, you try and
persevere, but I can’t imagine going back to a boss after you have been turned
down.
M：Don’t give up. It’s so important not to give up. The first thing that you wanna
do is try to understand what the situation is, engage in some candid
conversation. I understand that you weren’t happy with my proposal or you are
not able to approve it at this time. Tell me what some of your concerns are,
because asking for a change in schedule is often about negotiation. So, maybe
we can come up with some type of alternative or middle ground, and if that’s
not possible right now, let’s set a timetable for when we can revisit it, because
what’s not possible today, could be plausible in 3 or 6 months from now,
because circumstances and attitudes change. So don’t give up.
W：Right! You don’t have to be a pest.
M：That’s right.
W：But just don’t give up quietly. OK. We hear bosses saying,” I can’t have
people just wake up one day and say, ‘I need more time off’”, what are they
really saying?
M: That’s right. You can’t walk in and just make those demands. The bottom
line is bosses really do want us to be happy, but not at the expense of
productivity. And any type of a change in schedule, any type of flexibility, really,
is an accommodation, not an entitlement, and so it doesn’t matter why I am
asking, whether it’s “I am a mom, and I need more time with my kids.” or “I am
a dad who wants to coach a soccer team.” It doesn’t matter what my reasons
are for asking. I have to be able to convince the boss that I’m gonna produce
results.
W: That’s one of these reasons you should say over and over again. Don’t go
in with the pressing problem. Go in with the pressing solution.
M: Solutions really are your way to victory, not always. But you are definitely
not gonna succeed, if you go in with a laundry list of problems. If I come and I
say: “I’m so sick of my commute. I really have to work from home one day a
week.”
W: But maybe the most skepticism raised by bosses is about the fact that
you’re really gonna do as much or even more work. How do you convince your
boss that you mean it that more work will be done. How do you convince and
then show them.
M: Offer benchmarks. It’s the best solution that you can provide. Because you
are gonna say here is the proposal that I have. And here is how we’re gonna
measure the results. Because I know results are important to you, and are
important to me, too. So maybe we’re gonna have a conversation for 50
minutes every two weeks. So that we understand how the flow of
communication is working. And if you are not happy, or I’m not happy, we have
the ability to make changes along the way.
W: Right.
M: Flexibility is the key. In terms of getting these special accommodations,
because I might say I want to work from home every Friday. But you know
what? If there is a pressing business need, I will swap days. I will be here on
that Friday，and so being flexible with this arrangement, with this propose
change of schedule. Hopes you 资:料;来/源,于ＧＺＵ５２１学:习;网 http://Ｇzｕ５２1.COmget control of your life, and keep the boss
happy.
Q1 What are the two people talking about?
Q2 What is the bottom line for the bosses on the matter according to the man?
Q3 What is the best solution to the issue being discussed in the conversation?
Q4 Which of the following statements is true according to the conversation?
Q5 What is the relationship between the two speakers most probably?
Listening Comprehension 2
Huston USA: Federal authorities have shut down dozens of web domains as
part of a crackdown on trafficking in counterfeit goods or copyrighted works.
Internet users attempting to access the websites now are greeted by a notice
that the sites have been seized by the Department of Homeland Security’s
Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
‘The coordinated federal law enforcement operation targeted online retailers of
a diverse array of counterfeit goods, including sports equipment, shoes,
handbags and sun-glasses as well as illegal copies of copyrighted DVD boxed
sets, music and software,’ the Justice Department said the crackdown involved
the seizure of 82 sites. Twelve of the cases were investigated by
Houston-based agents with Homeland Security Investigations, but most of the
sites are based overseas, particularly in east Asia, according to the Houston
office of Homeland Security Investigations.
Canberra, Austria: South Africa and Australia have said the next managing
director of the International Monetary Fund should be appointed on merit and
not nationality. The pair say the current appointment system undermines the
IMF's legitimacy. The body has always been headed by a European, and UK
chancellor George Osborne has backed Christine Lagarde, French economy
minister, for the post.
The position is vacant after Dominique Strauss-Kahn resigned last week so he
could fight sexual assault charges.
For too long, the IMF's legitimacy has been undermined by a convention to
appoint its senior management on the basis of their nationality," Australian
Treasurer Wayne Swan and South African Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan
said in a joint statement.
In order to maintain trust, credibility and legitimacy in the eyes of its
stakeholders, there must be an open and transparent selection process which
results in the most competent person being appointed as managing director,
regardless of their nationality.
Kabul Afghanistan
Suicide bombers wielding machine guns have stormed a government building
in eastern Afghanistan, officials say.
Initial reports say at least three gunmen wearing suicide vests shot their way
into the traffic police headquarters in Khost city.
Security forces have surrounded the compound and a gun battle is taking
place, police say. At least one person is reported to have been killed. The
attack comes a day after a suicide bombing in Kabul killed at least six.
In the latest attack, a guard was killed in the initial assault which happened at
about 5 o’clock on Sunday, said the army commander for Khost province.
The provincial police chief told the local news agency that there were three
other police officers who had been wounded. The Taliban said it carried out the
attack.
London, UK:
The first service that allows users to pay for purchases via their mobile phone
has been launched in the UK.
Users wishing to use the system -dubbed Quick Tap -will need Orange and
Barclaycard accounts as well as a handset set up for contactless payments.
The idea of the mobile wallet is gaining popularity around Europe.
“Having a wallet on my phone has made it much more convenient to make
purchases on the move and I like that it allows me to keep track of what I'm
spending as I go," said David Chan, chief executive of Barclaycard Consumer.
Later this summer, users will also be able to use the service to pay the toll on
the M6 motorway.
Richyvic Iceland:
The Icelandic authorities have imposed a local flight ban after the country’s
most active volcano, Grimsvotn, began erupting. A plume of smoke has risen
12 miles into the sky from
the volcano. But Iceland's Meteorological Office says the eruption should not
cause widespread disruption to air traffic. Last year, ash clouds from another
Icelandic volcano, led to the closure of a large section of European airspace.
Governments feared that ash particles could cause aircraft engines to fail, and
the closure caused chaos to air travelers. The Icelandic civil aviation authority
has imposed a flight ban of 120 nautical miles around Grimsvotn. The authority
spokeswoman said: "We have closed the area until we know better what effect
the ash will have." "The ash in Grimsvotn is more coarse and not as likely to
cause danger as it falls to the ground faster and doesn't stay as long in the air
as the eruption last year."
Domestic airline Icelandair said no traffic had been affected.
Question 6, the US federal authorities shut down 82 web sites trafficking and
counterfeit goods, in which part of the world are most of these sites based?
Question 7 On which of the following factors should IMF boss be appointed
according to Austria and South African officials?
Question 8 At least how many people are reported to have been killed when
suicide bombers storm an Afghan police base on Sunday?
Question 9 What new service has recently been offered to UK shoppers?
Question 10 Which of the following is true about the latest eruption of Iceland’s
most active volcano?
Listening Comprehension 3
Questions 11-15 are based on the following interview.
W: Remember the setting for the movie the Truman show？ It looked like a
nice place to live. Well, for the most part, it wasn’t a set .The town actually
exists and it was built on the concept of new Urbanism, the idea of using
architecture and planning to nurture civic ties and to encourage interaction
between neighbors. In central Florida, the World Disney Company is running
its own experiment in new urbanism, a town called Celebration. Andrew Ross
is a professor of American studies at New York University. He spent a year
living in Celebration, getting to know the town and its people. Now Professor
Ross, could you say something about this?
M: The town more or less borrows very heavily from new urbanized principles.
That’s the town-planning movement that is pledged to create environmentally
friendly alternatives to sprawl and to create communities around people rather
than automobiles. But many aspects of that kind of design of town are really
aimed at maximizing social interaction between residents.
W: And from your point of view, this would be laudable goals? I mean you go to
some horrible sprawl communities and places like southern California, and
you’ll see houses that only present garage doors to the street, and a
community set-up where you absolutely have to drive to every single place and
no one ever sees each other.
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