[00:00.00] CHAPTER 6 FREE TIME ACTIVITIES
[00:13.69]Unit 6
[00:17.06]Free Time Activities
[00:22.31]Conversations
[00:27.27]Mother asks Helen about her hitchhiking.
[00:32.71]Mother:How did your hitchhiking go?
[00:36.55]Helen:Oh,it was all right,provided I thumbed the drivers down.
[00:43.81]Alec didn't let me at first in case the drivers decided to kidnap me.
[00:50.47]But whenever he did it,we had to wait for hours.
[00:56.82]Mother:And didn't you have any trouble?Your father and I were very worried.
[01:03.69]Helen:No,you needn't have worried,really.
[01:08.41]It's all right provided you're patient.And people are very kind.
[01:15.55]One couple gave us a lift in the south of ltaly,near Brindisi,
[01:22.81]and they wanted to put us up at their house in case we couldn't find rooms in the youth hostel.
[01:30.88]We got the boat to Greece from there.
[01:34.93]Mother:You went to Greece?You never told us you got so far!
[01:41.30]Helen:We didn't tell you in case you got worried...
[01:46.16]Steve asks Judy to see the film.
[01:52.33]Steve:Hello.Is that judy?
[01:56.30]Judy:Yes.Who's that?
[01:59.95]Steve:Steve.You know,we met in the pub.
[02:04.32]Judy:Oh,of course.Hello.
[02:08.37]Steve:Look.I was wondering if you'd like to go to the pictures tonight.
[02:13.93]Judy:Well,er...What's on?
[02:18.37]Steve:Gone with the Wind is at the Phoenix.
[02:23.12]Judy:I've seen that.Rather soppy,I thought.
[02:28.69]Steve:Close Encounters is on too.
[02:33.05]Judy:I don't know if I want to see that.It doesn't sound my cup of tea.
[02:40.21]Steve:Oh,it's not just science fiction,you know.It's got a message.
[02:46.69]Well,what about it?
[02:50.34]Judy:Well...OK then.
[02:54.18]Steve:Fine.See you outside about half past seven.
[02:59.54]Judy:OK.Goodbye.
[03:03.20]Steve:Bye.
[03:06.04]Ruth is asking her children to help her with the housework.
[03:12.89]Ruth:Now it's time for cleaning up our house,we need a thorough cleaning,
[03:20.33]everybody gets to do something.
[03:25.01]Lily:Mum,we should get downtown today,we can't be too late.
[03:31.85]Ruth:If everyone gives a hand,we will make it done early.
[03:37.52]OK,let's assign tasks now.
[03:42.77]Sam,it's your job to clean our two bathrooms,you need to wash the tubs,
[03:50.35]basins,both wall and floor tiles.
[03:55.70]Roy,you should mow and water the lawn and vacuum all the rooms.
[04:02.76]Lily and I will clean the kitchen,and I will keep an eye on the washing machine.
[04:10.23]Jimmy,you should put your toys in order to make our house look tidy.
[04:16.89]Roy:Can I do it some other day?I am tired from playing soccer yesterday.
[04:23.42]Ruth:Sorry,you can't.
[04:27.55]If I agree to let you do it some other day,
[04:31.91]I'll have to agree Lily to leave earlier for shopping,
[04:37.16]if that were the case,who would be left for cleaning the house?
[04:43.12]OK,everyone,get down to your own assignment ASAP(as soon as possible)
[04:50.48]and we will dine out at noon.
[04:54.24]Passage
[04:57.61]Perhaps no other thing has such power to lift the poor out of his poverty,
[05:06.16]the wretched out of his misery,to make the burden-bearer forget his burden,
[05:13.23]the sick his suffering,as books.
[05:18.28]They are friends to the lonely,companions to the deserted,
[05:24.34]joy to the joyless,hope to the hopeless,good cheer to the disheartened,
[05:32.20]a helper to the helpless.
[05:36.77]They bring light into darkness,and sunshine into shadow.
[05:42.70]We may be poor,socially ostracized,
[05:48.34]shut out from all personal association with the great and the good,
[05:54.40]and yet be in the best society in the world,in books.
[06:00.86]The trend of many a life for good or ill,for success or failure,
[06:07.70]has been determined by a single book.
[06:12.14]The books which we read early in life are those which influence us the most.
[06:19.51]The greatest advantage of books does not always come from what we remember of them,
[06:26.48]but from their suggestiveness.
[06:31.13]A good book often serves as a match to light the dormant-powder within us.
[06:39.07]There is explosive material enough in most of us if we can only reach it.
[06:38.07]A good book or a good friend often excites thought in great writers,
[06:44.92]even upon entirely dfferent subjects.
[06:50.09]We often find in books what we thought and felt,
[06:55.65]could we have expressed ourselves.
[07:00.02]Indeed,we get acquainted with ourselves in books.
[07:05.58]We discover one feature in Emerson,another lineament in Shakespeare,
[07:13.16]an expression in Homer,a glimpse of ourselves in Dante,
[07:19.50]and so on until we spell out our whole individuality.
[07:25.46]True,we get many pleasing reflections of ourselves from fiends,
[07:32.30]many mirrored deformities from our enemies,
[07:37.45]and a characteristic here and there from the world;
[07:42.20]but in calm and unbiased way we find the most of ourselves,
[07:48.45]our strength,our weakness,our limitations,our opinions,our tastes,
[07:55.29]our harmonies and discords,our poetic and prosaic qualities,in books.
[08:03.13]We form many of our opinions from our favorite books.
[08:08.69]The author whom we prefer is our most potent teacher;
[08:14.62]we look at the world through his eyes.
[08:19.17]If we habitually read boods that are elevating in tone,pure in style,
[08:26.01]style,sound in reasoning,and keen in insight,our minds develop the same characteristics.
[08:34.19]The best books are those which stir us up most
[08:39.44]and make us the most determined to do smething and be something ourselves.
[08:45.37]Libraries are no longer a luxury,but a necessity.
[08:51.32]A home without books and periodicals
[08:56.36]and newspapers is like a house without windows.
[09:01.41]Children learn to read by being in the midst of books;
[09:07.15]they unconsciously absorb knowledge by handling them.
[09:12.74]No family can now afford to be without good reading.
[09:18.31]"No entertainment is so cheap as reading,"says Mary Wortley Montagu,
[09:25.75]"nor any pleasure so lasting."
[09:30.32]Good books elevate the character,purify the taste,
[09:36.25]take the attractiveness out of low pleasures,
[09:41.22]and lift us upon a higher plane of thinking and living.
[09:46.78]Whatever you read,read with enthusiasm,with energy,
[09:52.95]read with the whole mind,if you would increase your mentalk stature.
[09:59.19]Learn to absorb the mental and the moral life of a book,
[10:05.15]and assimilate it into your life.
[10:09.40]He is the best reader who consumes the most knowledge and converts it into character.
[10:16.85]Mechanical readers remember words,the husks of things,but digest nothing.
[10:24.21]They cram their brains but starve their minds.
[10:29.54]If you are getting the most out of a book,
[10:34.09]you will feel a capacity for doing things which you never felt before.
[10:39.97]Words and Expressions
[10:43.91]poverty wretched misery burden
[10:47.70]贫穷，贫困 可怜的，悲惨的 痛苦，不幸 担子，负担
[10:51.49]suffering dishearten socially ostracized
[10:55.56]苦楚，受难 使气馁，使沮丧 在社交方面 受排斥的
[10:59.64]association trend failure influence
[11:03.73]协会;联合;结交 倾向，趋势 失败 影响，改变
[11:07.81]suggestiveness dormant explosive entirely
[11:12.05]启发;建议;暗示 睡眠状态的;静止的 爆炸的，爆发的 完全地，全然地
[11:16.28]acquaint feature lineament glimpse
[11:20.00]使熟悉，使相识 面貌的一部分 特点，特征 一瞥，一看
[11:23.72]individuality
[11:25.64]个性
[11:27.56]pleasing fiend
[11:29.93]令人高兴的，愉快的 魔鬼，邪恶的人
[11:32.29]deformity characteristic unbiased limitation
[11:36.38]缺陷;畸形 特性，特征 没有偏见的 局限性;限制
[11:40.47]harmony discord poetic prosaic
[11:44.29]协调，融洽 不一致，意见不合 诗的，诗意的 散文的
[11:48.12]potent habitually elevating tone
[11:52.04]使人信服的 习惯地 振奋精神的 语调;语气
[11:55.96]style keen insight stir
[11:59.78]风格;风度 敏锐的，锋利的 洞察力;见识 激起;鼓动
[12:03.61]luxury necessity periodical midst
[12:07.58]奢侈;豪华 必要性，需要 期刊，杂志 中间
[12:11.55]unconsciously
[12:13.43]无意中，不知不觉
[12:15.31]absorb handle entertainment
[12:18.74]吸收 处理;操作 娱乐
[12:22.16]purify attractiveness plane enthusiasm
[12:26.43]使纯净 吸引人，有魅力 水平，程度 狂热，热心
[12:30.70]stature moral
[12:32.97]高度 道德的;精神的
[12:35.24]assimilate consume convert
[12:38.67]吸收;彻底了解 消耗，消费 使转变，转换
[12:42.09]mechanical husk digest
[12:45.12]机械的，呆板的 外壳，皮;无价值之物 消化;融会贯通
[12:48.15]cram capacity
[12:50.42]填满 才能，能力
[12:52.69]Exercises
[12:56.17]Section I Listening Comprehension
[13:01.63]Listen to the record.
[13:05.70]Answer each question by choosing A,B,C or D from the four possible choices.
[13:14.25]A
[13:16.99]Receptionist:Royal Hotel.Good afternoon.Can I help you?
[13:23.15]Mr.Brown:Good afternoon.I'd like to book a room,please,
[13:28.72]for the twenty-third of December.
[13:32.98]Receptionist:Right.The twenty-third of December?
[13:37.52]Mr.Brown:Yes,please.
[13:41.00]Receptionist:Er,how long for?
[13:44.76]Mr.Brown:Two days.
[13:48.13]Receptionist:So the twenty-third to the twentyfifth of December?
[13:53.77]Mr.Brown:That is correct.Thank you.
[13:57.84]Recepotionist:Is that right? Mr.Brown:Yes.
[14:01.50]Receptionist:And,er,what time will you be arriving on the twenty-third?
[14:08.87]Mr.Brown:Approximately two thirty.
[14:13.41]Receptionist:Two thirty P.M.Yes?
[14:17.38]Mr.Brown:Yes,indeed.Yes.
[14:21.43]Receptionist:And,er,what kind of room would you like,sir?A single or a double?
[14:28.88]Mr.Brown:Single,please.
[14:32.35]Receptionist:Single room.Right.Could you give me your name,please?
[14:38.28]Mr.Brown:Yes,it's Mr.Bown.
[14:42.44]Receptionist:Brwon,could you spell that for me,please?
[14:47.50]Mr.Brown:B-R-O-W-N.
[14:53.67]RECEPTIONIST:B-R-O-W-N.
[14:59.13]Mr.Brown:Yes.
[15:02.18]Receptionist:Look forward to seeing you.Goodbye.
[15:07.15]Mr.Brown:Thank you.Goodye.
[15:11.30]B
[15:13.94]Because I leave for work very early,
[15:18.90]my husband gets our four children ready for school.
[15:24.36]One day,I laid out a jumper for my youngest daughter.
[15:30.13]Running late,I couldn't find her matching shirt and tights,
[15:36.30]so I left my husband a note
[15:40.06]explaining they were somewhere in the clean laundry in the basement.
[15:45.70]Later,when I called him,I discovered there was utter chaos at home.
[15:52.94]Nobody could find anything.
[15:57.30]I phoned him again at work and asked if he found everything
[16:02.94]for our daughter's outfit.
[16:06.50]"Oh,yes,"he replied that he got everything they needed.
[16:12.66]Relieved.I asked,"So,was it all where I said it would be?"
[16:19.82]"Not exactly,"he answered.
[16:23.97]"Where was it then?"
[16:27.73]After a short silence,he confessed,"WalMart."
[16:33.90]Supplementary Reading
[16:37.66]Wrestling with Television
[16:41.81]Perhaps the most ironic aspect of the stuggle for survival is how easily
[16:48.97]organisms can be harmed by that which they desire.
[16:54.25]The trout is carght by the fisherman's lure,
[16:59.29]the mouse by cheese,and man by the world's most leisure pastime,television.
[17:07.65]Most people admit to having a love-hate reationship with it (the TV).
[17:13.29]They complain about the "boob tube"and"couch potatoes",
[17:20.06]then they settle into their sofas and grab the remote control.
[17:25.94]The amount of time people spend watching television is astonishing.
[17:32.18]According to a research,on average,
[17:37.53]American adults spend four hours a day in front of the TV-
[17:44.09]fully half of their leisure time.
[17:48.64]Over a lifetime,that's more than nine years.
[17:54.57]Yet,we love to complain that we don't have time
[18:00.03]for the things we really want to do.
[18:04.00]There are two reasons we end up watching more TV than we know we should.
[18:10.84]Peole think they need it and it's easy.
[18:15.59]We usually don't realize how many hours we're watching television.
[18:21.55]Since it's a passive activity,
[18:25.81]with feelings of lowered alertness continuing even after the set is off,
[18:32.76]watchers typically find their energy and concentration are low.
[18:38.92]Inertia sets in.Hence,
[18:43.05]there is no motivation to get up and do something else
[18:48.01]once you're planted on the couch.
[18:52.45]When you think about other activities(sleep,playing with your kids,hobbies)
[18:59.53]that you're giving up by watching television,it can be an eye-opener.
[19:05.88]Don't make it easy to be a potato.
[19:10.32]Instead of being a passive watcher,there are ways to make TV watching harder.
[19:17.56]Most people arrange their living room furniture around the TV.
[19:23.30]But you may try to put the TV away in a cabinet,
[19:28.66]a back room,or the basement.
[19:32.81]Then arrange your couches and chairs for conversation and reading.
[19:38.45]If your TV is too big to move,
[19:43.21]you can remove the batteries from your remote
[19:48.07]so that chnnel surfing must be done manually.
[19:52.93]Keep a list of alternate activities taped to the TV as a reminder.
[19:59.38]The TV-Turnoff website lists screen-free suggestions like starting a garden,
[20:07.42]looking at the stars,or going to a bookstore as options.
[20:13.07]You may see TV watching as a way to decompress after your day.
[20:19.34]Siince studies have shown that watching television doesn't lower your stress level,
[20:26.00]and in fact may increase it,you're better off trying other activities.
[20:33.05]Could you do something that is more reacing like yoga,
[20:38.51]reading or listening to music?
[20:42.38]Benefits fo less TV will be obvious,
[20:47.63]if you try life without TV for a week or less and see how you feel.
[20:54.18]Every spring during TV-Turnoff Week(April 21-27,2004)
[21:03.33]thousands of people give this a try and oftenfind they prefer watching less.
[21:10.90]The first few days can be rough,
[21:14.74]but,after that initial period,people find freedom.
[21:21.12]They get more things done and taht makes them happier.
[21:26.37]My husband and I do own a TV,
[21:31.43]and I'm working on being more aware of my viewing habits.
[21:36.69]Now,before I pick up the remote,I ask myself,
[21:41.96]"Is this what I really want to be doing?"
[21:46.51]Often I come up with better options and the ON button doesn't get pushed.
[21:53.46]After all,I doubt on my deathbed I'll regret that I didn't watch more TV.
