大连海事大学《考研英语》Unit 1 listening and tapescript.doc

Unit One Life of Aspiration Part One Warm-up Listening Choose Optimism Task One If you expect something to turn out badly, it probably will. Pessimism is seldom disappointed. But the same principle also works in reverse. If you expect good things to happen, they usually do! There seems to be a natural cause-and-effect relationship between optimism and success. Optimism and pessimism are both powerful forces, and each of us must choose which we want to shape our outlook and our expectations. There is enough good and bad in everyone’s life – ample sorrow and happiness, sufficient joy and pain – to find a rational basis for either optimism or pessimism. We can choose to laugh or cry, bless or curse, and it’s our decision. I choose to highlight the positive and slip right over the negative. I am an optimist by choice as much as by nature. Sure, I know that sorrow exists. I am in my 70s now, and I’ve lived through more than one crisis. But when all is said and done, I find that the good in life far outweighs the bad. An optimistic attitude is not a luxury; it’s a necessity. The way you look at life will determine how you feel, how you perform, and how well you will get along with other people. Conversely, negative thoughts, attitudes, and expectations feed on themselves; they become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Pessimism creates a dismal place where no one wants to live. Optimism doesn’t need to be naive. We can be an optimist and still recognize that problems exist and that some of them are not dealt with easily. But what a difference optimism makes is the attitude of the problem solver! When you’re an optimist, you’re more concerned with problem-solving than with useless carping about issues. It’s your choice. Part Two Focus-Listening A Great Communicator in All Circumstances Task Two In his early twenties Reagan became one of the best-known announcers in the Midwest. In 1980 While announcing his run for the presidency in 1980, Reagan said the main message should be