全新版大学英语（第二版）听说教程3讲义Unit 2 Coincidence

全新版大学英语（第二版）听说教程3讲义Unit 2 Coincidence Unit 2 Coincidence Part A Pre-listening Task Questions for Discussion 1.What is coincidence? Give an example to illustrate it. 2.Have you ever experienced or read about an amusing case of coincidence? If yes, what is it?3.How do people react to coincidences? How important are they in human life?4.Can coincidences be explained? Why or why not? 5.What can coincidences do? Are they mostly beneficial or harmful? 6.What do you think can be the causes of coincidences? Do you think coincidences are beyond chance? Demo: 6. What do you think can be the causes of coincidences? Do you think coincidences are beyond chance? I think coincidences can be caused by different things, but none of them would be supernatural. I think chance is probably the best word you can use when you talk about a coincidence. When you try to find out about the nature of a so-called coincidence, what you will learn often has less to do with what you look at than how you look at it. So coincidences are rare and beyond chance. Additional Question for Discussion Do you think there is a cause-and-effect relationship between events that share some similarities? Why or why not? Demo: I believe that in most such cases a cause-and-effect relationship would be an exception rather than a rule. Though they seem to have some kind of connection, most coincidences actually happen by accident only. If you examine them carefully, you will find that they are not so related or similar as they seem to be. For example, a lightning hit a bad guy in the storm and killed him. People say he deserves it, but actually there is no cause-and-effect relationship between the lightning and the death of the bad guy. Language Focus Here are some sentences and structures that you may find useful in discussing the above questions. ,Coincidence refers to the phenomenon in which two or more events which are similar or related happen to take place at the same time or place. ,It’s / What a coincidence that … ,Coincidence is not rare. It happens around us every day. ,It so happened that three of our classmates were born on the same day. ,Compared with non-coincidental events, coincidences are rare. 1 ,Coincidence is the result of pure chance / our memories. ,The human mind tends to look for patterns in events / remember events that match but forget events that don’t match. ,Speak of the devil and he will appear / the devil comes. ,No coincidences, no stories. ,Everything under the sun is possible. ,Coincidences make great stories / very good topics for small talk. ,Coincidences make life more interesting / amusing / colorful. ,Coincidences tend to stay in our memory longer. ,People remember coincidences and love to pass them around among friends. ,It’s meaningless to try to explain coincidences. ,Some people try to find a cause-and-effect relationship between events that happen to share some similarities. ,Some people believe coincidences are the work of mysterious forces / supernatural powers.,Some people believe coincidences can reveal relationships between events, human beings and natural phenomena that are not obvious to them. ,Coincidences have nothing to do with good luck or bad luck / no power to predict future events. ,As the saying goes, “Good fortune seldom repeats itself but troubles never come singly.”Part B Listening Tasks Passage 1 What a Coincidence! (Part One) Word Bank 学费tuition n. payment for schooling 由于某费未知的原因somehow ad. for some reason that is not clear 突然费得明白click v. to become suddenly clear or understandable real estate agent a person whose business is to buy, sell or look after houses or land for people 房地费费费人 费下note down to write down ;男子名,Andrew ;姓,Stewart Script: Andrew had always wanted to be a doctor. But the tuition for a medical school in 1984 was 15,000 dollars a year, which was more than his family could afford. To help him realize his dream, his father, Mr. Stewart, a real estate agent, began searching the house-for-sale ads in newspapers in order to find extra business. One advertisement that he noted down was for the sale of a house in a nearby town. Mr. Stewart called the owner, trying to persuade him to let him be his agent. Somehow he succeeded and the owner promised that he would come to him if he failed to get a good deal with his present agent. Then they made an appointment to meet and discuss the thing. As good things are never easy to acquire, the time for the appointment had to be changed 2 almost ten times. On the day when they were supposed to meet at 3 o’clock in the afternoon, Mr. Stewart received another call from the owner. His heart sank as he feared there would be another change of time. And so it was. The owner told him that he couldn’t make it at three but if he would come right then, they could talk it over. Mr. Stewart was overjoyed. Leaving everything aside, he immediately set out to drive to the house. As he approached the area, he had a strange feeling of having been there before. The streets, the trees, the neighborhood, all looked familiar to him. And when he finally reached the house, something clicked in his mind. It used to be the house of his father-in-law! The old man had died fifteen years ago but when he was alive, he had often visited him with his wife and children. He remembered that, like his son Andrew, his father-in-law had also wanted to study medicine and, failing to do so, had always hoped that one of his two daughters or his grandchildren could someday become a doctor. Language and Culture Notes 1. Background information Coincidences occur in everyone’s life, but probably not so dramatic as those mentioned in the texts. Coincidences make great stories, as the old Chinese saying rightly points out, “No coincidences, no stories.” The performing world is very good at making use of their dramatic effects and many plays and movies are based on such happenings. In many cultures, people have tried to explain this phenomenon. Most regard coincidences as pure chance but some people believe they are beyond chance, and are somehow connected to certain supernatural forces that they believe exist. Another explanation is that coincidences are the result of our own memories. The human mind tends to remember every single case of coincidence but forget hundreds of, even thousands of, cases where no coincidence occurs. In the Lincoln and Kennedy case (see Part C), for example, people list only what the two incidents have in common but ignore what they don’t have in common, and, as a result, an amusing set of random connections are transformed into a mysterious, seemingly inexplicable pattern. And to understand the coincidences that happened to twins (also see Part C), we can probably turn to genetics for help. The same genes inherited from their parents, in a way, account for the similarities in certain behavior patterns of twins. Hopefully, with the further development of science, there will be more convincing answers to certain cases of coincidence. 2. the tuition for a medical school The tuition for a medical school is usually very high, higher than that for other kinds of colleges. The annual fee is now even higher, about $25,000 to $30,000 for a good medical college, such as the Harvard Medical School. 3. searching the house-for-sale ads … to find extra business Mr. Stewart hoped to make some extra money by finding more customers for his business as an agent for people who want to sell their houses. A real estate agent can get a commission of about 5-6% of the actual price of the house sold. 4.he would come to him he would ask Mr. Stewart to find him a buyer for his house 5. And so it was. The appointment time was changed again as Mr. Stewart expected. 3 6. if he would come right then if he would come immediately, right after he hung up the telephoneExercise 1 Listen to the story and choose the right answers to the questions you hear.1.Who are the two main characters in the story you have just heard? a. Mr. Stewart and his son. b. Mr. Stewart and his client. c. Mr. Stewart and his father-in-law. d. Mr. Stewart’s father-in-law and the owner of the house.2.How did Mr. Stewart get to know the owner of the house? a. From a house-for-sale advertisement in a newspaper put up by the owner. b. Through the introduction of Mr. Stewart’s father-in-law. c. They attended the same medical school. d. They lived in the same neighborhood. 3.What problem did Mr. Stewart have? a. He had no house to live in. b. He had lost his job. c. He was disappointed with his son. d. He did not have enough funds for his son’s college education.4.What is the coincidence in the story you have just heard? a. His client’s house was the one that once belonged to a friend of his. b. His client’s house was the one his family once lived in. c. His client’s house was the one his father-in-law once lived in. d. His client’s house was the one he once wanted to buy.Exercise 2 Listen to the story again and fill in the blanks with the missing information. The story happened in 1984. Mr. Stewart, a real estate agent, had a son whose name was Andrew. The young man wanted to go to a medical school. But the tuition was so high that his father couldn’t afford it. In order to help his son realize his dream, Mr. Stewart searched newspaper ads, hoping to find extra business. One advertisement caught his eye. It was for the sale of a house near where he lived. But although he succeeded in persuading the owner of the house to let him be his agent, the appointment time was changed again and again. At last, he received a phone call from the owner, asking him to go and discuss the matter with him right away. Mr. Stewart put aside everything he was doing and left immediately for the house. When he approached the area, he found everything there looked familiar to him. And when he saw the house, he realized it was his father-in-law’s old house. He had visited it many times years ago when his father-in-law was still alive. What a coincidence! Passage 2 What a Coincidence! (Part Two) Word Bank 后者latter n. the second of two things or persons just mentioned 4 激起……大的费趣极intrigue v. to fascinate; to appeal strongly to sb. 使困惑～使大费奇惊mystify v. to fill with wonder; to completely puzzle ;水平、量等,费有的～费在费示的standing a. being at a particular level or amount 费支付cover v. to be enough to pay for sth. 具有～费有bear v. to have or show 奇事～不可思费的事miracle n. a wonderful event 幸事blessing n. a lucky thing 必定费费会be in for to be going to experience sth. receipt slip a written or printed statement acknowledging that sth. has been paid for or received 收条 合费～费费数come to to amount to 代替某人in sb.’s place instead of sb. Script: When he entered the house, Mr. Stewart was even more amazed to find that the house was decorated exactly as he had remembered it. He told the owner about this and the latter became intrigued too. However, they were in for even greater surprises. It so happened that in the middle of their discussion, a postman came to deliver a letter. And the letter was addressed to Mr. Stewart’s father-in-law! Were it not for Mr. Stewart’s presence there and then, the letter would be returned as no person of that name lived in the house any longer. As the postman demanded a signature on the receipt slip, Mr. Stewart signed for his long-deceased father-in-law. Mystified, the owner urged Mr. Stewart to open the letter and see what it contained. The letter was from a bank. When he opened it, two words immediately met his eye — “For education”. It was a bank statement of an amount his father-in-law had put in years ago for his grandchildren’s education needs. With the interest it had earned over the years, the standing value of the amount came to a little over $15,000, just enough money to cover the tuition of Andrew’s first year at a medical college! Another thing that is worth mentioning is about the postman. The original postman, who had worked in this neighborhood, called in sick that day. So the postman, who was new to the area, came to deliver mail in his place. Had it been the old postman, the letter would undoubtedly have been returned to the sender, as he knew full well that no person bearing that name lived in that house any longer. The miracle was a blessing for Andrew. With the money given to him by his grandfather he was able to study medicine. Now he is a doctor in Illinois. Language and Culture Notes 1. Were it not for Mr. Stewart’s presence there and then … If Mr. Stewart had not been in that house at the time when the postman came to deliver the letter … 2. bank statement a written statement issued by a bank to a client every month showing money paid and received 费行月费算费within the month and the balance of the client’s account (). The bank statement mentioned in the text, however, belongs to a different kind. Andrew’s grandfather might have deposited the money for a period of more than fifteen years. He must have calculated that by the 5 到期time it was mature (), Andrew would be old enough for college. That’s why the bank statement was delivered years after the money was deposited. It was to inform the client of the present value of the amount and how much interest it had earned over the years.3. standing value the total amount of money available to a client at present 4. called in sick telephoned to ask for sick leave Exercise 1 Listen to the recording and write down the coincidences mentioned in the text.1. The house was decorated exactly the same as Mr. Stewart remembered it. 2. Mr. Stewart happened to be in the house when a postman came to deliver a letter to his father-in-law who had died 15 years ago. 3. The old postman had called in sick that day, and the postman who came in his place was not familiar with the neighborhood. Otherwise the letter would have been returned to its sender.Exercise 2 Listen to the recording again and write down answers to the following questions.1. How did the owner feel about the fact that Mr. Stewart’s father-in-law once lived in the house?He was intrigued. 2. What was inside the letter delivered by the postman? A bank statement. 3. What did Mr. Stewart learn from the letter? His father-in-law had put an amount of money in the bank for his grandchildren’s education.4. What was the standing value of the amount of money fifteen years later?A little over $15,000. 5. What could Andrew do with the money? He could use the money to cover the tuition of his first year at a medical college.6. What do you know about Andrew now? He is a doctor in Illinois. Speaking Tasks Pair Work Debating — Arguments for or against believing in the supernatural A Sample People hold different views toward coincidences. Some think that they are mere chance while those who believe in the supernatural search for some higher order behind them. What’s your view? Express and defend your view from the perspectives given in the card below. 6 Topic: Are there mysterious forces at work when coincidences occur? Perspectives: 1. From the perspective of a person who believes in the supernatural (positive)2. From the perspective of a person who believes in science (negative) Possible Arguments (for reference) From the perspective of a person who believes in the supernatural (positive) A lot of strange coincidences happen around us. And so far science hasn’t been able to provide answers to them. For example, a friend of mine told me that he dreamed that his uncle had died and the death was confirmed by a phone call he received the next morning immediately after he woke up. Wasn’t that odd? There was no way he could have known about his uncle’s death beforehand. My friend believed that it was his uncle coming to bid him farewell before he left the world for good. And I don’t know whether he is right or not. It couldn’t be just a coincidence, I think. There seems to be some mysterious forces at work. If not, how can we explain it?From the perspective of a person who believes in science (negative) I don’t think there are mysterious forces at work when coincidences occur. Most coincidences are simply the result of pure chance. And some coincidences, unusual though they may be, can actually be explained. Take coincidental birth dates for example. An experiment mentioned in an article by a professor at the University of Virginia shows that if you randomly select a group of 23 persons, there is a 50 per cent chance that at least two of them celebrate the same birth date. Unbelievable, isn’t it? Few people would have guessed that could be so common. If that’s the case with birth dates, isn’t it likely that many other coincidences are probable as well? This experiment proves that it is possible to calculate the probabilities of some seemingly coincidental happenings. In real life, however, we tend to give coincidences a lesser probability than they deserve. Now use the above sample as a model and carry on similar activities with your partner. You can refer to the notes below for ideas and vocabulary. You are also welcome to contribute ideas of your own. Topic: Do you think one’s fate is a decisive factor in one’s life? Perspectives: 1. From the perspective of a person who believes in fate (positive) 2. From the perspective of a person who believes that success depends on human effort (negative) Some Ideas for Reference The Argument (positive) 1.Effort alone sometimes can do nothing. In the old days, many girls were deprived of their right to education simply because they were girls. 2.People are sometimes too weak to fight against their fate. 7 3.We can never choose our parents / what families or what regions we were born in.4.Our birth often determines what we can achieve in future. 5.We can be limited in what we can achieve by forces beyond our control. 6.There are things that we can hardly control. Natural disasters, diseases, wars are some of the things that can prevent our dreams from coming true no matter what great efforts we make.7.We human beings appear so fragile and helpless before misfortunes that may fall on us. 8.All our efforts would be wasted if we were unlucky enough to be the victim of an ill fate.The Counter-argument (negative) 1. The success stories of many people at home and abroad have shown that so long as you persevere in doing what you aim to do, you will succeed one day no matter who you are.2. There are many factors contributing to a person’s success in his or her life. According to Abraham Lincoln, our resolution to succeed is more important than anything else.3. A person’s clear goal and his or her perseverance in realizing it are really something that counts.4. For us college students, to have a clear aim and to work hard toward its realization is of vital importance. 5. One’s success has nothing to do with his or her fate. 6. We are not destined from birth for what we are or will be. 7. We create our fate every day we live. 8. Our fate is in our own hands. 9. Fate is a cover-up for the fact that you don’t have control over your own life.Part C Test Your Listening A Compound Dictation Listen to the passage three times and supply the missing information. One of the best-known 1) collections of parallels is between the careers of Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy. Both were 2) shot on a Friday, in the 3) presence of their wives; both were succeeded by a Southerner named Johnson; both their killers were themselves killed before they could be brought to 4) justice. Lincoln had a secretary called Kennedy; Kennedy a secretary called Lincoln. Lincoln was killed in the Ford 5) Theater; Kennedy met his death while riding in a Lincoln convertible made by the Ford Motor Company — and so on. Similar coincidences often 6) occur between twins. A news story from Finland reported of two 70-year-old twin brothers dying two hours apart in separate accidents, with both being hit by trucks while crossing the same road on bicycles. According to the police, the second 7) victim could not have known about his brother’s death, as 8) officers had only managed to identify the first victim minutes before the second accident. Connections are also found between identical twins who have been separated at birth. Dorothy Lowe and Bridget Harrison were separated in 1945, and did not meet until 1979, when they were flown over from Britain for an investigation by a psychologist at the University of Minnesota. They found that when they met they were both wearing seven rings on their hands, two bracelets on one wrist, a watch and a bracelet on the other. 9) They married on the same day, had worn identical wedding dresses and carried the same flowers. Dorothy had named her son 8 Richard Andrew and her daughter Catherine Louise; Bridget had named her son Andrew Richard and her daughter Karen Louise. In fact, she had wanted to call her Catherine. Both had a cat called 费费性的费止Tiger. They also had a string of similar mannerisms () when they were nervous. 10) How can we explain the above similarities? Part D Time to Talk Look at these pictures and describe them one by one. If possible, try also to find something relevant to talk about. 9 Hints: 1.a humorous cartoon, plays a game against the computer, late into the night, his blood-shot 费血eyes are popping out, receive a blood transfusion (), facial expression, a loser to the computer, with a blood transfusion, hope to beat the computer 2.a kind of business meeting, a mobile phone, three cups of coffee, some paper and a notepad, three men hold their hands high, cheering, didn’t expect that their views were so alike, reach an agreement 3.three business people, have a break after a long business meeting, the clock on the wall indicates, 12:10, have no time for lunch, ask for a quick meal of sandwich, even though the meal is brought up to them, none of them feels like stopping their discussionDemo: 1.This is a humorous cartoon picture. The man is probably playing a game against the computer. It’s already late into the night and his blood-shot eyes are popping out at the screen. He is receiving a blood transfusion. From the man’s facial expression, we can be sure that he’s a loser to the computer. Yet, he is still playing. With a blood transfusion, he hopes to beat the computer. 2.The picture shows a kind of business meeting. On the table we can see a mobile phone, three cups of coffee, some paper and a notepad. Three men are holding their hands high and cheering. Maybe they didn’t expect that their views for discussion were so alike. So with little effort, they’ve reached an agreement. 3.There are three business people in the picture. Perhaps they are having a break after a long business meeting. We can assume the meeting is long and difficult, for the clock on the wall indicates that it’s already 12:10 and they don’t have time for lunch. So they just ask for a quick meal of sandwich. Yet, even though the meal is brought up to them, none of them feels like stopping their discussion. 10 Movie Time Word Bank 字迹容易费的清晰懂legiblea. 费程coursen. 旧费used book Script: - Yeah, yeah, yeah. - Legible, legible. - I can’t believe I’m doing this. - Now, please, please. Let fate take its proper course. Oh! That was an accident. Write down that again, please. - I can’t. That was a sign. Fate’s telling us to back off. - If fate didn’t want us to be together, then why did we meet tonight, huh? Gotcha.- Well, I don’t know. But it’s not an exact science. It’s a feeling. - Well, what if you’re wrong? Huh? What if it’s all in our hands and we just walk away? No names, no phone numbers, nothing. What do you think is gonna happen? Do you think good old fate is just gonna deliver my information right to your doorstep? - Do you know that’s the best idea you’ve had all night? - What’s the best … - Here you go. Write your name and number down. - On a $5.00 bill? - Mm. Just do it. - You are a strange and interesting woman. Now what? - Wait there. - Hey! What the hell was that? - When that $5.00 bill makes it back into my hands, I’ll be able to call you. And when you hear my voice on the other end, then you’ll believe in fate, won’t you? - Hey, what about me? - What do you mean? - Well, we have to send something out in the universe with your name on it, don’t we? Come on. Isn’t that the only fair thing? - That is the only fair thing. What have I got, even? Ooh. No. I have a really good idea.- What? - Okay. - That’s a lot of tubas. - Okay, see this book? - Yeah. - Okay, so when I get home tonight, I’m gonna write my name and my number inside this book. And then first thing tomorrow morning, I’ll sell it to a used book store.- Which one? You’re not gonna tell me. You’re not gonna tell me. Why not?- Well, now, every time you go past an old book store, you’re gonna have to go inside to see if it’s 11 there. - This is just wrong. You don’t just have the most incredible night of your life with a perfect stranger and then leave it all to chance, do ya? Do ya?- Come with me a second. - Come on. - Okay. Where are we going? - You stay here. - Okay. - No, stay here. Stay there. Don’t make me come over there.- Okay. - All right, if we both randomly pick the same floor, we’re meant to be together now. - You’re insane. - Come on. Okay, get in. Take a breath, and then when the door closes, hit a button. - I don’t understand this. - You don’t have to understand. You just have to have faith.- Faith in what? - Destiny. Hey! It’s Sara. My name’s Sara. - And here it is. See? You were right. - Uh … - Let’s go, buddy. - We’re going up here. - Oh, that’s okay. Josh likes to ride either way. Don’t you, Josh?- Don’t do that. Don’t touch those! - Hey, calm down. He’s just a kid. Exercise A Choose the best answer to each of the following questions.1. When the wind blew away the note, what did the woman think of it?a. She thought the man did that on purpose. b. She was angry that the man didn’t hold it tight.c. She regarded it as a sign not to get close to the man.d. She pretended to be angry to make the man nervous. 2. What would happen to the book held by the woman?a. She was going to write her name and number on it and sold it.b. She was going to write a better book than that one. c. The man was going to buy the book with a $5.00 bill.d. The man was going to fetch the book from the woman later.3. What can be inferred from the clip? a. The woman didn’t like the man at all. b. The woman wanted to play a trick on the man. c. The woman had a firm belief in destiny. d. The man had the same attitude toward life as the woman.Exercise B 12 In the video clip, pay attention to the four objects: the note with the woman’s name and number, the $5.00 bill, the book held by the woman and the elevator. Explain what the woman did with the four objects and the role of the objects in the relationship of the two strangers. Here are some hints for you. 1. The note was blown away by a sudden wind. 2. Chances were that the $5.00 bill may return to her. 3. The book she sold to a used book store might be bought by the man. 4. They might press the same buttons in the opposite elevators. Reference answers for Exercise B: 1.When the note with her name and number on it was blown away, she regarded it as a bad sign in setting up the relationship with the man. 2.She had the man write his name and number on the bill and then sent the bill away. She believed that if the bill could return to her, it would mean a good sign for the relationship.3.She wrote her name and number on a book and then sold it to a used book store. Her name and number would remain unknown to the man until the man happened to get the hold of the book. That was the destiny, meaning they could be together. 4.They entered two different elevators opposite to each other without telling which floor they were going to. If the two happened to press the same floor buttons, they would meet on the same floor. That was fate. 13