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Listen and Respond

Task One Focusing on the Main Ideas

Choose the best answer to complete each of the following

statements according to the information contained in the listening passage.

1) According to the speaker, happiness ________. A) is not easily obtained by poor people

B) is what movie stars are most eager to obtain

C) does not naturally follow wealth or success D) necessarily results from wealth or success

2) According to the speaker, happiness lies in the following EXCEPT ________. A) wealth obtained through honest effort

B) wealth obtained by winning lotteries C) your contribution to others’ happiness D) your successful work

3) Instead of being an end, happiness is a(n) ________. A) beginning

B) process

C) unattainable goal

D) business of the community

4) The passage is mainly about ________.

A) the secret to happiness B) the definition of happiness

C) the misunderstanding of happiness

D) the relationship between happiness and wealth

Task Two Zooming In on the Details

Listen to the recording again and fill in the blanks according to what you have heard.

1) The world is full of very rich people who are as miserable as if they were

living in hell .

2) If you obtain wealth through luck or dishonest means , you will not be happy with it. You will think you are a mean person.

3) Long-term happiness is based on honesty , and productive work, contribution, and self-esteem.

4) If your happiness depends on external circumstances , you will always feel unfulfilled because there will always be something missing .

Read and Explore

Task One Discovering the Main Ideas

1 Answer the following questions with the information contained in Text A.

1) Why did the author bring the news story about Ted Turner to Morrie?

Because he wondered how Morrie would react to Ted Turner’s failure in ―snatching up the CBS network‖. At the same time he wanted to know if Ted Turner would still lament his failure if he were stricken down by the same terminal disease as Morrie was suffering from.

2) What problem did Morrie think Ted Turner actually had?

His problem was a typical one that Americans all have: Americans tend to value the wrong things.

3) Who paid a visit to Morrie the night before? And how did he feel about it?

A local acappela group came to visit him. He showed an intense interest in their musical performance and felt excited.

4) What did material things mean to Morrie?

They held little or no significance to him, especially at a time when he knew his days were numbered. He seemed to know the expression ―You can’t take it with you‖ a long time ago.

5) According to Morrie, what are Americans brainwashed into believing? What do they expect from material things?

They are brainwashed into believing that it is good to own things. Actually, they are hungry for gentleness, tenderness or for a sense of comradeship and, therefore, they desperately seek after material things as substitutes.

6) Does the author think that Morrie was rich? Why or why not?

Morrie was far from better off in material things, but he was wealthy in spiritual ways. For years, Morrie hadn’t bought anything new — except medical equipment. And his bank account was rapidly depleting. But he was rich in love, friendship, caring and he derived plenty of satisfaction and gratification from teaching, communication, and such simple pleasures as singing, laughing, and dancing.

7) What did Morrie suggest that we should do to find a meaningful life?

He advised us to devote ourselves to loving others, to our community around us, and to creating something that gives us purpose and meaning. In other words, if we want to find a meaningful life, we should be ourselves and never show off either for people at the top or for people at the bottom. Instead, we should be kind and candid and ready to offer others what we have to give.

2 Text A can be divided into four parts, with the paragraph number(s) of each part provided as follows. Write down the main idea of each part.

Part Paragraph(s) Main Idea

One 1–3 The author brought Ted Turner’s news story to Morrie for his opinion.

Two 4–9 Morrie explained that Ted Turner’s problem was caused by the endlessly repeated stress on the significance of material things.

Three 10–14 In order to get happiness, people are trying to substitute material things for love or tenderness, and they fail to distinguish what they want from what they really need in life.

Four 15–30 The way to get satisfaction is to offer with an open heart to others what you have to give: devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning.

Task Two Reading Between the Lines

Read the following sentences carefully and discuss in pairs what the author intends to say by the italicised parts.

1) The night before, he had been entertained by a local acappella group that had come to the house to perform, and he relayed the story excitedly, as if the Ink Spots themselves had dropped by for a visit. (Para.5) What Morrie really cared about was spiritual gratification. Even the performance of the local acappella group, whose performance was by no means professional, could give him as much excitement and gratification as the famous Ink Spots would have.

2) He would listen to opera sometimes at night, closing his eyes, riding along with the magnificent voices as they dipped and soared. (Para. 5)