托福听力_考前小试牛刀（三）

2018-04-19 09:39

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【Lecture 1】

Biology

Narrator

Listen to part of a lecture in a Biology Class. The class has been learning about birds.

Professor

Ok, today we are going to continue our discussion of the parenting behaviors of birds. And we are going to start by talking about what are known as distraction displays. Now if you were a bird and there was a predator around. What are you going to do? Well, for one thing you are going to try to attract as little attention as possible, right? Because if the predator doesn’t know you are there, it is not going to try to eat you. But sometimes certain species of birds do the exact opposite when the predator approaches they do their best to try to attract the attention of that predator. Now why would they do that? Well, they do that to draw the predator away from their nests, away from their eggs or their young birds. And the behaviors that the birds engaging in to distract predators are called distraction displays. And there are a number of different kinds of distraction displays. Most of the time, when birds are engaging in distraction displace they are going to be pretending either that they have injury or that they’re ill or that they’re exhausted. You know something that’ll make the predator thinks Hum… here is an easy meal. One pretty common distraction display was called the broken wing display. And in a broken wing display the bird spreads and drags the wings or its tail, and while it does that, it slowly moves away from the nests so it really looks like a bird with a broken wing. And these broken wing displays can be pretty convincing.

Another version of this kind of distraction display is where the birds create same impression of a mouse or some other small animals that running along the ground. A good example of that kind of display is created by a bird called the purple sandpiper. Now what’s the purple sandpiper does is when a predator approaches, it drags its wings but not to give it the impression that its wings are broken but to create the illusion that it has a second pair of legs. And then it raises its feathers, so it looks like it got a coat of fur. And then it runs along the ground swirling left and right you know like running around a little rocks and sticks. And as it goes along it makes a little squeezing noises. So from a distance it really looks and sounds like a little animal running along the ground trying to get away. Again to the predator, it looks like an easy meal. Now what’s interesting is the birds have different levels of performance of these distraction displays. They don’t give their top performance, their prime time performance every time. What they do is they save their best performances they’re most conspicuous and most risky displays for the time just before the baby birds become able to take care of themselves. And the time that way because that when that make the greatest investment in parenting their young. So they are not going to put their best performance just after they laid their eggs because they have to invest that much more time and energy in parenting yet. The top performance is going to come later. Now you have some birds that are quiet mature, are quite capable almost as soon as they hatch. In that case, the parent will put on the most conspicuous distractions displays just before the babies’ hatch because once the babies are hatch they can pretty much take care themselves, and then you have others birds that helpless when have hatch. In that case, the parents will save the best performance until just before the babies get their feathers.

【Lecture 2】

Architecture

Narrator

Listen to part of a lecture in an Architecture Class.

Professor

Today, we are taking a little detour from the grand styles of public architecture we’ve been studying to look at residential architectures in the United States. Since this is something we can all identify with, I think it will help us see the relationship between the function of a structure and its style or form. This has been an ongoing theme in our discussion, and we will be getting back to it just a moment. But before we get started, I want you to take a moment to think: does anyone know what the single most popular style for a house in the United States is today? Bob?

Student 1

“I bet it is the ranch-style house.”

Professor

“Well, in this area, probably. But aren’t we typical? Yes, Sue.”

Student 2

“How about the kind of house my grandparents live in? They call it a Cape Cod.

Professor

That’s the one. Here is a drawing of what we consider of a classic Cape Cod house. These days, you see this style all over the United States. But it first showed up in U.S. northeast, in the New England region, around the late 1600s. For those of you who don't know the northeast costal region, Cape Cod is a peninsula, a narrow strip of land that jets out into the Atlantic, and so many houses in this particular style were built on Cape Cod, that the name of the place became the name of the style. Now why did the Cape Cod style house become so popular in the northeast? Well, one reason is that it's a great example of form following function. We’ve talked about this design principle a lot about form following function. And what did we say it’s meant? Someone give me an application of this principle. What did this concept that form should follow function? How would it be applied to housing design?

Student 2

Well, if it means the design of the building, it should be based on the needs of people who use it. Then, well, the architect has to be very practical to think about the people who actually be living in the house or working in the office building, whatever, so for the architect, it’s all about users not about showing off how creative you can be.

Professor

Good, of course, for a Cape Cod house, it might be even more accurate to say that form also follows climate. Who knows what the climate like on Cape Cod?

Student 1

Cold in the winter…

Student 2

And whenever I visit my grandparents, it’s really wet. It’s usually either raining or snowing or foggy and windy, too. I guess because it’s so exposed to the ocean?

Professor

That’s right. So take another look at this drawing, and you can image how this design might be particularly helpful in that kind of climate. Notice how the house is fairly low to the ground. This relatively low compact structure helps the house withstand the strong winds blowing off the ocean. And look at the slope of the roof, the steep angle helps keep off all that rain and snow that accumulates in the winter. Another thing, Cape Cod houses usually face south to take advantage of the sun’s warm through the windows. That’s helpful in winter. Now what can you tell me about the chimney, about its location.

Student 2

Well, it’s in the middle. Because, does that have something to do with heating the houses? I mean since the heat never has to travel very far.

Student 1

That means you can heat the house more efficiently, right?

Professor

Exactly, now see how the house has very little exterior decoration, that’s also typical of early Cape Cod houses. The wind was one reason, nothing sticking out might blow away in the harsh weather, but there was probably another reason, not related to the climate, more reflection of a rural New England society back then, you see Cape Cod houses were not built in the big cities, where all the rich people lived back then. These were the modest dwellings the people who built them simply couldn’t afford lots of expensive decorated details. But that was more than just matter of money. In these rural areas, people depended on each other for survival. Neighbors had to help and supported each other in the difficult environment, so you didn't want to appear to be showing off. You wanted to avoid anything that might set you apart from your neighbors, the same people you might need to help you someday. So all these help to create an attitude of conformity in the community, and you can see why a modest, a very plain style would become so widely imitated through out rural New England.

Student 2

It is plain, but you know its nice looking.

Professor

Good point, and in fact it’s precisely that as aesthetic appeal, the…the purity, the nearly perfect proportion of the houses…that’s another reason for the cape cod enduring popularity even in the places where the climate was so mild, it’s functional design doesn't matter.

Conversation 2

Narrator

Listen to a conversation between a student and a Professor.

Student

Hi professor, I guess you want to see me.

Professor

Hi Bill thanks for coming. I want to talk to you about …..

Student

Is there something wrong with my research paper?

Professor

No, not at all, in fact it's very good. That’s why I want to talk to you.

Student