Listening Comprehension 3

W: Mr Johnson, you have traveled to so many places in the world. Does travel necessarily open minds to other cultures?

M: I think travel is good in any capacity. I do hope that people who travel to other countries spend at least a little bit of time not travelling in an isolated kind of way. Over the last 2 or 3decades, travel whether in wildness or urban areas has become much more insular. When I travel, I tend to not bring very much baggage with me. Maybe just carry-on. I also know that where I am going, millions of people have lived for thousands of years. I know that I can survive there if they can survive.

W: With all the travelling you do, in what way is it still a pleasure for you?

M: I think it is important when you travel that you get on plateau a little bit. I think we try now with cell phones and Internet to stay connected all the time. I think some sort of disconnection from that for just a few days or week. Convenient hands travel. You don’t have to be connected every day. I also find when I move overseas for several weeks or month I’m not in touch with the news. I don’t see it or hear about it. I find when I come back to the states, nothing was changed very much. The reality is the news that we want to know every day, maybe doesn’t really matter after a few weeks or months. Life goes on.

W: Any favorite places that you’ve visited?

M: I love my home in Montana. My ancestors were homesteaders in Montana. And I have lived in Bosman since in 1995. I also like where I grew up in north Tanzania. I like the savanna and high plateau. I like the wild life. I do like few beaches, but mostly I’m a mountain person. I love the Karakoram Mountains in northern Pakistan. I also love the Pamir mountains in the Hindu Kush Range. The Karakoram is the greatest consolidation of high peaks in the world. I have a hard time picking a city I like a lot.

W: Any places still on your list?

M: My wife wants to go to Antarctica. I don’t have time in this lifetime. It takes too long. I want to go to northern Norwegian. It’s where my ancestors are from. Very beautiful rivers and seas. My ancestors were fishermen. I also want to go to Peru and Argentina in Andes.

W: What’re responsibilities do you think western travelers have to the places that they visit?

M: If you can go local even for a day, it’s fine if you have a package tour but spend at least one day a week doing something a little different than what’s on the rest of your itinerary. Spend some time in the local cafe, get to know somebody, go visit a school. It’s uncomfortable for people at first but often people say that’s the most significant part of the trip. That will help the local economy.

Question 11

According to Mr. Johnson, which of the following statements applies to travelers in the past twenty or thirty years?

Question 12

In what way is traveling a pleasure for Mr. Johnson?

Question 13

Which of the following places does Mr. Johnson like most?

Question 14

Which of the following places is not on Mr. Johnson’s traveling list?

Question 15

According to Mr. Johnson, what should western travelers do when they visit places?

【解析】

本篇听力难度适中，中心话题是“商务人士的一个旅行访谈”。这个话题还是大家比较熟悉的，因此理解不难。主要谈到的几个方面如下：旅行的乐趣；最喜欢的目的地；不准备去的地方以及有关西方人旅行建议

但文中也出现了一些国名和地名。因此大家在平时英语学习中注意积累。不过听的过程中可以记下中文名称即可。

关键词：

carry-on随身行李

disconnected 不连通的，不联系的

Montana蒙大拿州

Tanzania 坦桑尼亚

Pakistan 巴基斯坦

savanna热带草原

Antarctic南极

ancestor祖先

itinerary 行程