2010专八听力采访部分

SECTION B

Part One:

W:

Theword diversity has become a cliché in the United States today. [1]It seemsto me that nowadays Americans cannot turn on the television or read a newspaperwithout seeing the word pop up somewhere as a description of the American demographic.Then what is this diversity in the US? Today, we are very pleased to haveDr James Johnson here on our talk show. Welcome, Dr Johnson.

M: 

Thanks.

W:

 DrJohnson, we know you have done extensive research on diversity. So, what is,how do you define diversity in the American context?

M:

Well,at one time the US was called a melting pot, you know, which means that peopleof many different religions, cultures, and races could shed their traditionalcultural identities and blend into one homogeneous nation.

W:

 Am Iright in saying that a melting pot would emphasize the idea of all in one orbeing the same?

M:

Yes,you may say so. Um, of course, when the phrase “melting pot” was popular, therewas also the idea of being different, but being different then simply meantCatholic as opposed to Protestant, or Irish as opposed to Swedish or Italian.

W:

 Has the idea of being different changeover the years?

M:

 Yes,of course. You see today, [2]we use the word diversity to refer tomore-visible ethnic differences -- Asian American, African American, andLatino, for instance. And religious diversity refers to a variety of worldreligions, not merely different branches of Christianity.

W:

 And now is America as a whole trulydiverse?

M:

Well,I think in all this talk of diversity there is a critical point that may bemissed: that is, diversity is not occurring everywhere in the US, or at leastnot to a degree that would alter the demography of every region in the country.

W: 

Oh, really?

M:

Ican give you an example. Recently a 

New York Times

 article describes thetown of Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania. You see, in the last 10 years things havebarely changed in that town. The population has dropped by one, from 5,384 to5,388 and the town remains virtually 100% white. [5]The article thus concludesthat many portions of the country remain, like Selinsgrove, virtually unchangedon this march toward “diversity.”

W: 

[3]So regions vary in terms of the degreeand types of diversity?

M:

[3]That'scorrect. Let's say there are 3 types of diversity in the US. And they differfrom region to region.

W:

 Could you elaborate on that?

M:

OK.The first is racial diversity. States with the most racially diverse populationsstand in stark contrast to those with the least racially diverse populations.Um, let's look at two states, California and Maine. From 1990 to 2000,California's Caucasian population--meaning non-Hispanic whites -- declined from57% to 48%. [4]By 2025, as is predicted, that figure will drop to just 34%,which indicates the future change in the racial composition of California.[5]On the contrary, Maine’s Caucasian population was 98% of its totalpopulation throughout the 1990s; and by 2025, Maine’s population will still be97% Caucasian, which means virtually no change in Maine's racial diversity overthe next 20 or so years.

1. Why does the woman say the word diversity hasbecome a cliché?

[C]【详解】采访者开场第一句就说 diversity一词在美国已经是老生常谈(

has become a cliché

),紧接着便道出她之所以这么说的原因: 美国人打开电视或看报纸时都会看到这个词……, 言下之意即这个词常见于电视和报纸等媒体, 所以答案为C项。

2. According to Dr Johnson, what is diversity in America?

[C] 【详解】录音中 

Dr Johnson

谈到 

diversity

时, 给的定义是

more-visibleethnic differences

, 故选C项。

3. What does the example of Selins grove show?

[A] 【详解】主持人问“所以, 美国各地多样性的程度和类型因地区各异, 是吗?” Dr Johnson回答“完全正确”。故选A项。

4. According to Dr Johnson, which place will witness aradical change in its racial makeup by 2025?

[D]【详解】根据录音,到2025年加州的白人比例将从2000年的48%降至34%,表明这一地区种族构成将会发生巨大变化, 故选D项。

5. What is the similarity between Selinsgrove and Maine according to the interview?

[B]【详解】根据选项的一些特征(如Both… the same以及 population和 racial composition等), 推测题目可能要问某两个地方的某个趋势或共同之处。录音中在讲Selinsgrove和Maine时, 都提到它们的种族单一性基本没怎么变, 所以B项“他们的种族构成都很稳定”为本题答案。

Part Two:

W:

Thisshows that racial diversity is not occurring everywhere. Then what about othertypes of diversity?

M:

Right.The second type of diversity is age diversity. And there are some interestingage gap developing between states. For example, there was a large gap betweenthe average age of the 5 states with the youngest populations and the 5 stateswith the oldest populations. This, of course, is well-known. What is lessdiscussed is the difference between the racial makeup of younger and olderpopulations. [6] Most of the populations having the greatest racialdiversity are younger on average than the populations with great Caucasianrepresentation. It is also well-known that Caucasians tend to be moreaffluent than other ethnic groups on average. In our pay-as-you-go socialsecurity system, workers are taxed to pay the benefit of retirees. [7]Sothis could lead to a future where wealth is systematically redistributed fromyounger, poorer minorities to older, wealthier ones.

W: 

This is a very interesting point. Thenwhat is the third type of diversity in the US?

M:

 The third is religious diversity. Immigration from India, Pakistan, and the MiddleEast brought radically increased numbers of Hindus and Muslims to the US. AndChinese, Vietnamese, Japanese and other Asian immigrants increased the numbersof Buddhists.

W:

 Oh, I see.

M:

[8]Butthe point is that these religions didn’t settle everywhere. They settled mainlyin California, and major northeastern and mid-western cities, such as New York,Philadelphia, Chicago and Minneapolis. [9]From 1990 to 2000, the number ofMuslims in New York city grew from 600,000 to nearly 1 million. [10]Inthe Los Angeles area, there are now more than 300 Buddhist temples.

W:

Sowe see that many parts of the US are truly becoming more diverse while at thesame time others are essentially remaining the same in terms of race, age andreligion.

M:

 Yes, that is true.

W:

 OK. Dr Johnson, thank you very much forcoming on the show and talking to us.

M: 

My pleasure.

6.What does Dr Johnson indicate during the interview?

[A]【详解】在谈到第二种多样性时, Dr Johnson指出, 相对来说年轻的人群种族差异较大, 故选A项。

7. What could be the result of the pay-as-you gosocial security system?

[B]【详解】录音提到, 由此导致的结果可能是, 将来财富会从年轻一代和更为贫困的少数民族重新分配到年长和更为富有的人手中(

 So this couldlead to... older, wealthier ones

), 可知相对较为年长的人群将会越来越富裕, B为本题答案。

8.According to the interview, what do we learn aboutreligious diversity?

[C]【详解】在谈到第三种多样性(美国社会的宗教多样性)时, 提到不同宗教背景的移民者有他们偏爱的定居地, 如加州和一些东北和中西部城市。故选C项。

9. Which place has witnessed a sharp increase inMuslim population?

[A]【详解】 Dr Johnson在讲 religious diversity时特别指出, 不同宗教背景的移民偏爱不同的居住地, 不是每个地方都会体现出宗教多样性, 接着举例说明, 其中提到纽约在1990到2000年间, 穆斯林人数从60万增至100万, 所以本题答案应为A项。

10. How many Buddhist temples are there in LosAngeles?

[C]【详解】这也是 Dr Johnson在指出不同宗教背景的移民偏爱不同的居住地时所举的具体例子, 他提到洛杉矶地区的佛教寺庙的数量是morethan300, 所以本题选C项。