TPO9_Listening_1_1
Listen to a conversation between a student and her professor.
P: Before we get started, I...I just wanted to say I’m glad you chose food science for your major
courses study.
S: Yeah, it seems like a great industry to get involved with. I mean with the four-year degree in
food science, I'll always be able to / capable find a job.
P: You're absolutely right. Before entering academia, I worked as a scientist for several food
manufacturers and for the US Food and Drug Administration. I even worked on a commercial
fishing boat in Alaska a couple of summers while I was an undergraduate. We bring in the day's
catch to a floating漂浮的processor boat where the fish got cleaned, packaged and frozen right at sea.
Undergraduate / bachelor / master / Doctorate : Ph. D. (Doctor of Philosophy ) / Postdoctoral Researcher Fellow /
doctorate
n. highest degree awarded by a graduate school (such as a Ph.D., Ed.D., etc.); doctor's degree, degree given to a graduate of a medical or dental school
freshman / sophomore / junior / senior
S: That's amazing! As a matter of fact, I'm sort of interested in food packaging.
P: Well, for that, you'll need a strong background in physics, math and chemistry.
S: Those are my best subjects. For a long time, I was leading towards getting my degree in
engineering.
* major , minor , credit hours , prerequisite , interdisciplinary courses , extracurricular classes /
P: Well, then you should (shouldn’t )have a problem. And fortunately, at this university, the department of
food science offers a program in food packaging. Elsewhere, you might have to hammer (trying very hard to combine something )coursestogether on your own.
S: I guess I like it a lot then. I am… so since my appointment today is to discuss my term paper
topic, I wanted to ask, could I write about food packaging? I realize we're supposed to research
food-born bacteria, but food packaging must play a role in all of that, right?
term paper
■ noun N. Amer. a long essay on a subject studied during a school or college term.
Article , composition , essay
bacteria
n. small microscopic organisms
virus
n. microorganism which functions as an infectious agent; computer program which is intended to be spread surreptitiously between computers and usually causes damage (Computers)
P: Absolutely! Maybe you should do some preliminaryresearch on that. S: I have! That's the
problem. I'm overwhelmed.
P: Well, in your reading, did anything interest you in particular? I mean something you’d like to
investigate.
S: well, I was surprised about the different types of packaging used for milk. You know, clear
plastic bottles, opaque bottles, carton board containers...
transparent / translucent / opaque
P: True! In fact, the type of packaging has something to do with the way milk's treated against
bacteria.
S: Yeah, and I read a study that showed how light can give milk a funny flavor and decrease the
nutritional value. And yet most milk bottles are unclear /clear .What's up about that?
P: Well consumers like being able to visually examine the color of the milk. That might be one
reason that opaque bottles haven't really called on (caught on)被理解/ 流行. But that study... I'm sure there is more study
on the subject. You shouldn't base your paper on only one study.
catch on / caught / caught
understand the situation, comprehend what is going on; become popular, become widespread; get stuck on, hook on
S: Maybe I should write about those opaque plastic bottles. Find out if there are any scientific
reasons they aren't used more widely? Maybe opaque bottles aren't as good at keeping bacteria
from growing in milk after the bottle has been opened for/or something… but where to begin
researching this? I don't have a...
dairy 封閉音/ diary / daily
P: You know, there is a dairy 牛奶厂 not far from here in Chelsea. It was one of the first diaries /dairies / dairy to bottle milk in opaque plastic, but now they're using clear plastic began/again. And they're always very supportiveof the university and our students, and if you want it...
S: Yeah, I like that idea.