Listening 2026-04 Test 2

==================== IELTS Listening Transcript ==================== PART 1 Speaker 0: Section one. Speaker 0: You will hear a telephone conversation between a woman who is looking for information about holidays and an agent for a tour company. Speaker 0: First, you have some time to look at questions one to seven on page two. Speaker 0: You will see that there is an example that has been done for you. Speaker 0: On this occasion only, the conversation relating to this will be played first. Speaker 2: Asia Pacific Tours. Can I help you? Speaker 1: Yes. I've been looking at your website, and I'd like some more information about your activity holidays. Speaker 2: Certainly. You know, of course, the prices of the tours include stays in three star hotels, and they include airfares. Speaker 1: Great. What about your tour of Vietnam? My sister went there last year and loved it. Speaker 0: The first tour the caller asks about is Vietnam. So Vietnam has been written in the space. Speaker 0: Now we shall begin. You should answer the questions as you listen because you will not hear the recording a second time. Speaker 0: Listen carefully and answer questions one to seven. Speaker 2: Asia Pacific Tours. Can I help you? Speaker 1: Yes. I've been looking at your website, and I'd like some more information about your activity holidays. Speaker 2: Certainly. You know, of course, the prices of the tours include stays in three star hotels, and they include airfares. Speaker 1: Great. What about your tour of Vietnam? Speaker 2: My sister went there last year and loved it. Yes. It's a really beautiful place and probably our fastest growing destination. Now that package includes several opportunities to take courses. Speaker 1: Don't you have a cookery course of some kind? Speaker 2: We certainly do. If you love eating out in Vietnam like most people do and want to know how to prepare a meal, you can learn how from a master in a five star hotel. On another day, you have a choice of two activities. The first is instruction in diving in the South China Sea, not a certificate course, but just an introduction. Most people think it's wonderful. Or if you want to stay dry but still want some exercise, you can spend the day on a trek through the jungle near the beach. It's not difficult, and everyone seems to enjoy it. Speaker 1: Anything cultural on offer? Speaker 2: We used to take people to a Vietnamese opera, but that didn't prove so popular. So now we include a dance show, and our clients all rave about that. They say the colors are just magnificent. Speaker 1: What's the cost? Speaker 2: I've just noticed it's now a special price. The holiday used to be £1,600, but it's just been reduced to £1,450. So you do save quite a bit. And as I said, it seems to be our up and coming tour. Speaker 1: Well, let's see. Perhaps you could tell me a little about the Hong Kong tour. I noticed it includes a walk in the hills of one of their country parks, where you have the chance to see birds of all sorts. Speaker 2: Yes. That's a very popular activity. People don't realize that Hong Kong isn't just a crowded city. That's a half day activity, and you go with a trained escort, and it includes dinner in a monastery where you end your day. And then we wouldn't want you to miss out altogether on shopping, so there's another day when we take you around an electronics factory. Now that might sound like an odd thing to do, but it's actually really fascinating and not like your usual ceramics factory. And you can buy their products there quite cheaply. Now the whole Hong Kong package is just £1,320 per person. Speaker 1: Sounds interesting. Speaker 0: Before you hear the rest of the conversation, you have some time to look at questions eight to 10 on page two. Speaker 0: Now listen and answer questions eight to 10. Speaker 1: But let me find out about one more place. I've always wanted to go to Korea, but not on this trip. And I've been to Thailand, which I loved. But what about your Japan package? Speaker 2: Good choice. Well, that tour includes a terrific trip to a museum of traditional costume. The exhibits are gorgeous. They've got an absolutely priceless collection. Speaker 1: And I think the website says you take your clients to a market, don't you? A crafts market, I think. Speaker 2: Well, we do go to a market, but it's one that sells fish, and it's one of the largest in the world. And you have the chance to sample the wares in a little restaurant nearby. We also give you plenty of free time to wander around the city with our guides if you want. Speaker 1: And what's the cost of all that? Speaker 2: £1,800. Speaker 1: Well, you've been ever so helpful. I've noted all the details down, and I'll get back to you when I've made up my mind. Speaker 2: If we can give you any more help, do ring back. Speaker 1: Thanks. I will. Speaker 0: That is the end of section one. You now have half a minute to check your answers. Speaker 3: Joy Inletz. PART 2 Speaker 4: Now turn to section two. Speaker 4: Section two. Speaker 4: You'll hear a tour guide talking to a group of visitors about Bestley Castle. Speaker 4: First, you have some time to look at questions 11 to 15. Speaker 4: Now listen carefully and answer questions 11 to 15. Speaker 3: Welcome to Bessley Castle. It's nice to see so many of you here today. Before we go in, I'd like to tell you some information about the castle, the things to see and do, and the facilities available to you in the grounds. We'll do our best to make this a truly memorable visit. Speaker 3: Now the castle grounds are quite big, and we don't want you to get lost. So I'm going to give you an idea of the layout. At the moment, we are at the entrance, and immediately to our left is the tourist information office. Go here if you need any questions answered. They'll be happy to help. And, of course, behind the tourist office is the car park where the coach dropped you off, and it'll also pick you up from the same spot at 5 PM today. Speaker 3: In front of us are the water gardens. If you stroll through, you get to the Northbridge, which is the entrance to Besley Castle. Take your time and enjoy looking around the castle. There's a lot of history steeped in those walls. Speaker 3: As you leave the castle via the South Bridge, you'll be greeted with the sight of roaming deer. During the day, there will be scheduled feeding opportunities where visitors can get involved. However, we do request that you do not feed the deer outside these times. Speaker 3: To the right of the Deer Park is the Castle Museum, and behind that is our award winning restaurant. It's a relatively new addition to the castle grounds, but is fast gaining a reputation for its food. Alternatively, you can choose to dine in the picnic area on the other side of the Deer Park. It's perfect for the family as it's next to the kids play area and homemade ice cream hut. Speaker 3: We hope that on your way out, you pop into the gift shop by the exit for something to remember us by. Speaker 4: Before you hear the rest of the talk, you have some time to look at questions 16 to 20. Speaker 4: Now listen and answer questions 16 to 20. Speaker 3: Admission to the grounds is free for all. That includes the museum, gardens, and picnic area. There is an admission fee for the castle, which is £6.50 for adults with a 10% discount for students and retired people. Children under the age of 16 pay half adult price and under eight go in free. Speaker 3: There are many spectacular events throughout the year, and for most of them, there's also an admission fee. As these events are in high demand, it's a good idea to book well in advance. Speaker 3: Some of the exciting events planned for this year are the summer medieval festival, where you can watch old fashioned knights and experience a feast in the halls of the castle as if you were a guest of King Henry the eighth himself. Speaker 3: There are several concerts planned this year too, including a rock concert at an admission price of £10 per person and a special jazz concert, which is free to the public. I'm sure you'll agree that all tastes and ages will be satisfied. Speaker 3: One scary but extremely popular event is the annual haunted castle event at the end of October, where the castle comes alive at night. Why don't you come along if you're brave enough? Speaker 3: Another sight to see is the fantastic firework display on November 5, and the cost of that includes refreshments. Speaker 3: We also have a long tradition of raising money for charity. The charity event held every year on the first day of May will this year be an archery contest. Entrance is free, but donations are certainly welcome. This year, we'll be collecting money on behalf of a charity for elderly people, Age Concern. Speaker 3: Just in case you can't remember all of that, you can pick up a leaflet showing the timetable and prices for all events from the tourist information desk. You can also go online to get this information from our website. Speaker 4: That is the end of section two. You now have half a minute to check your answers. PART 3 Speaker 5: Now turn to section three. Speaker 5: Section three. Speaker 5: You will hear two business students talking about the research they have done into one area of business. Speaker 5: First, you have some time to look at questions 21 to 26. Speaker 5: Now listen carefully and answer questions 21 to 26. Speaker 6: Okay. So let's look at what topic we've got for the next tutorial. Ah, intellectual property. That's anything that you produce from your own ideas or creative activity. It's like the property of your mind. Speaker 5: And we have to look at the different ways of legally protecting these ideas and inventions. Speaker 6: Right. We need to know what they are and be able to talk about them. You wanna start with copyright? Speaker 5: Yeah. It's the one I knew a bit about already. It's your right as the author or inventor lasting for seventy years after your death. It's free, and you don't even have to apply for it. But it doesn't fit every situation, does it? Okay. What about some other kinds of registration? Speaker 6: I did some research on patents. Speaker 5: Right. A patent means no one else can financially benefit from your invention. Speaker 6: Right. It seems to be very costly to apply for. So you really need to know what you've invented is worth going through all the rigmarole for. Speaker 5: Well, I don't think it's something you can do without professional help. It's a very complicated process. Speaker 6: Let's have a look at trademarks next. We are both quite familiar with these. I mean, just think how well known the logos of some companies are. They seem to really instill trust in a brand, and so they add millions of dollars to how much a company's worth. And from what I've discovered, Speaker 5: it doesn't seem to cost much to register trademarks either. Speaker 5: Okay. So what's next? Ah, design. This has quite a specific meaning as it relates to how something looks and not how it works. I read it's standard for the big corporations that make mobile phones to register the design of their handsets so they remain quite distinctive. Speaker 6: That's interesting. I wasn't aware of that. So how does design differ from the next category of protection? Speaker 5: You mean circuit? Well, circuits are a type of protection that safeguards original layout design for things like computer chips. So it's fairly narrow in its meaning, and it is quite limited as it can only be enforced in this country. Speaker 6: Yeah. The blueprint could be copied and reproduced in other countries, and the owner has no legal protection. Speaker 5: So my view is, what's the point? Maybe in time it will be recognized elsewhere. Speaker 6: I find the next category quite interesting. When I think of trade secrets, I immediately think of Granny Mae's cookies. They've deliberately not patented their special recipe so that the other manufacturers don't know what the ingredients are. Hard for them to discover. Speaker 5: Yeah. But it must be difficult to maintain a trade secret because you have to make sure that all staff sign an agreement and stick to it if they leave. Speaker 6: That's true. Okay. So we're happy with what we've discussed with different types of intellectual property. Speaker 5: Before you hear the rest of the discussion, you have some time to look at questions 27 to 30. Speaker 5: Now listen and answer questions 27 to 30. Speaker 6: Next, we have to write up the process that one company uses to manage its intellectual property. Speaker 5: Yeah. In the company we looked at, there were certainly a lot of people involved in this process, from the research leader through to the commercialization committee. Speaker 6: Right. Well, it all gets initiated by the quarterly research report. This is produced by the – let me look at my notes – the project leader. They have to write up the report with details of how they are meeting their research deadlines. And they put details in it about changes Speaker 5: intellectual property, don't they? Things like they now realize that they are researching something that may be patentable after all, and they have to identify this as early as possible. Speaker 6: And do they send the report to an external expert at this stage? Speaker 5: No, they send it on to the Commercialization Committee, which consists of the program leader and an industry representative. They review the report bearing amendments to the intellectual property. Speaker 6: Right. Then from that review meeting, all the amendments are brought together and gone through by the delivery officer who works out the most beneficial way to register the intellectual property. Speaker 5: Yes. This stage can take quite a long time. The project leader must get really frustrated by all this. If I've got this right, they then let the business manager know what has been decided, and it's at this point that the intellectual property gets taken out of the control of the research area and it becomes more to do with the financial or commercial issues of registration. Speaker 6: Exactly. So if they feel that their proposal fits within the allocated budget for intellectual property and a likely return on the investment is worth it, they will then need to engage the help of a specialist in the field. It's extremely likely that they will find themselves. Speaker 5: That is the end of section three. You now have half a minute to check your answers. PART 4 Speaker 7: Part four. Speaker 7: You will hear part of a presentation about the early history of salt. Speaker 7: First, you have some time to look at questions 31 to 40. Speaker 7: Now listen carefully and answer questions 31 to 40. Speaker 8: In my presentation, I'm going to talk about salt. In modern times, when we talk about salt, people may associate it with high blood pressure or increased heart risk, and many health experts warn that we should use less salt in our meals and dishes. However, we should not ignore its importance in our cuisine and even in early human history. Speaker 8: Salt is one of the oldest, most ubiquitous food seasonings. The taste of salt is one of the basic human tastes. More importantly, salt plays an indispensable role in the health of human beings. For example, it regulates the body's acid base balance. Speaker 8: Because of its importance to survival, salt has often been considered a valuable commodity during human history. This can be tracked all the way back to ancient Greece, ancient Egypt, and ancient Rome when salt was highly valued and used as a method of trade and currency. Speaker 8: In ancient Rome, the busiest road leading to the city was the Via Salaria, which means the salt route in English. A soldier's pay, which partly consisted of salt, was known as salarium argentum in Latin, from which we derived the English word salary. A soldier's salary was cut if he was not worth his salt, an expression still used today. Speaker 8: In fact, salt was not only the first condiment discovered, but also the first preservative. We know today that food goes bad because microorganisms in the food multiply in abundance, and a high salt environment is not conducive to microbial reproduction. Extremely high concentrations of salt can even kill microorganisms in the food. The ancients certainly didn't know this, but they did know that salted food can be preserved for a long time. Speaker 8: The use of salt as a preservative can be traced to ancient Sweden. At first, hunting was the principal means of livelihood. In this case, meat supplies were unlikely to be frequent. What's more, fewer animals were available for hunting. In order to ensure the supply of meat, many families in Sweden began to raise animals in the surrounding forests during the summer when the weather was suitable for animals to survive. These animals were fed every day until about three to four months later. That's in October. They were ready to be butchered for meat, and that was the only month when ancient Swedish people had fresh meat on their table. Then with the continuous increase in productivity, people finally had some meat left. However, how to store the meat had become a headache until someone invented a whole new way to preserve food, salting. People tried to keep meat from going bad by adding some salt to it, and it could be preserved for several months and even years. Speaker 8: There was evidence that salt was widely used to preserve meat. Historical documents in 1573 recorded the Swedish king's everyday meals, mentioning that 175 pounds of meat was consumed each year, but over 150 pounds was salty. From this, we can clearly see the importance of salt in Sweden at that time. In addition, the documents also noted the annual sales of beer in Sweden soared during that period, and this must be related to high levels of salt in their food. Speaker 8: Now let's turn to the sources of salt. Where is salt from? Well, salt is common in nature. It has long been found that salt can be extracted from seawater, mineral deposits, saline lakes, brine, spring, etcetera, among which the two most important ones are oceans and basins. On the floor of the latter often lie deserts where traces of salt can be found, such as the Sahara. Speaker 8: Furthermore, the quality of different salt types varies a lot. For example, salt from seawater is always mixed with impurities. So after the salt is dried, the sediments and other chemicals needed to be purified before eating. However, this is not the case with salt from spring water. We can hardly find any impurities, and the salt level is much more concentrated. Speaker 8: Then how did people distribute salt around the world? Of course, in modern times, we have various ways of transporting goods. But in ancient times, it was not the case. Take ancient Sweden we mentioned before as an example. Because of the heavy use of salt in the diet, Sweden could not feed itself and had to import large amounts of salt from other countries. In order to make sure they could buy enough salt from abroad, the Swedish had to attach great importance to shipping and keep it undamaged, as it was the most crucial way at that time. Speaker 8: While in other ancient countries, in order to distribute salt to other places, groups of men were employed. They put bags of salt on their shoulders or backs and moved them to the surrounding regions. And gradually, these people were considered as a mode of transport in early times. Later, with the improvement of traffic conditions, salt trade between different regions was boosted, and long distance food trade was also promoted, making communication between different cultures more frequent and Speaker 7: That is the end of part four. You now have one minute to check. ==================== Chinese Translation ==================== 第一部分 Speaker 0：第一部分。 Speaker 0：你将听到一段电话对话，对话双方是一位正在寻找假期信息的女士和一家旅游公司的代理人。 Speaker 0：首先，你有一些时间查看第二页的第一至第七题。 Speaker 0：你会看到一个已经为你完成的示例。 Speaker 0：仅在此次，与此相关的对话将首先播放。 Speaker 2：亚太旅游。有什么可以帮您的吗？ Speaker 1：是的。我一直在看你们的网站，我想了解更多关于你们活动假期的信息。 Speaker 2：当然。您知道，旅游价格包括三星级酒店的住宿和机票。 Speaker 1：太好了。你们的越南之旅怎么样？我姐姐去年去过那里，非常喜欢。 Speaker 0：来电者询问的第一个旅游项目是越南。所以越南已经填在了空格里。 Speaker 0：现在我们要开始了。你应该边听边回答问题，因为你不会第二次听到录音。 Speaker 0：仔细听并回答第一至第七题。 Speaker 2：亚太旅游。有什么可以帮您的吗？ Speaker 1：是的。我一直在看你们的网站，我想了解更多关于你们活动假期的信息。 Speaker 2：当然。您知道，旅游价格包括三星级酒店的住宿和机票。 Speaker 1：太好了。你们的越南之旅怎么样？ Speaker 2：我姐姐去年去过那里，非常喜欢。是的。那真是一个美丽的地方，可能也是我们增长最快的旅游目的地。那个套餐包括几次上课的机会。 Speaker 1：你们没有什么烹饪课程吗？ Speaker 2：我们当然有。如果你像大多数人一样喜欢在越南外出就餐，并且想知道如何准备一顿饭，你可以在一家五星级酒店向大师学习。在另一天，你可以从两项活动中选择一项。第一项是在南海学习潜水，不是证书课程，只是入门介绍。大多数人都觉得非常棒。或者，如果你想保持干爽但仍然想锻炼身体，你可以花一天时间在靠近海滩的丛林中徒步旅行。这并不难，而且每个人似乎都很喜欢。 Speaker 1：有什么文化活动吗？ Speaker 2：我们以前带人们去看越南歌剧，但那个不太受欢迎。所以现在我们包括了一场舞蹈表演，我们的客户都对它赞不绝口。他们说色彩非常绚丽。 Speaker 1：费用是多少？ Speaker 2：我刚注意到现在是特价。这个假期以前是1600英镑，但刚刚降到了1450英镑。所以你确实省了不少。而且就像我说的，它似乎是我们正在崛起的旅游项目。 Speaker 1：嗯，让我想想。也许你可以告诉我一些关于香港之旅的信息。我注意到它包括在某个郊野公园的山丘上散步，在那里你有机会看到各种各样的鸟。 Speaker 2：是的。那是一个非常受欢迎的活动。人们没有意识到香港不仅仅是一个拥挤的城市。那是一个半天的活动，你会和一位训练有素的陪同一起去，还包括在一座修道院吃晚餐，在那里结束你的一天。然后我们不想让你完全错过购物，所以还有一天我们会带你参观一家电子产品工厂。这听起来可能有点奇怪，但实际上非常吸引人，不像你通常去的陶瓷厂。你可以在那里相当便宜地购买他们的产品。整个香港套餐每人只要1320英镑。 Speaker 1：听起来很有趣。 Speaker 0：在你听到对话的其余部分之前，你有一些时间查看第二页的第八至第十题。 Speaker 0：现在听并回答第八至第十题。 Speaker 1：但让我再了解一下另一个地方。我一直想去韩国，但不是这次旅行。我去过泰国，我很喜欢。那你们的日本套餐怎么样？ Speaker 2：好选择。嗯，那个旅游包括一次很棒的传统服饰博物馆之旅。展品非常华丽。他们有一个绝对无价的收藏。 Speaker 1：而且我觉得网站上说你带客户去一个市场，是吗？我想是工艺品市场。 Speaker 2：嗯，我们确实去一个市场，但那是卖鱼的，是世界上最大的鱼市之一。你有机会在附近的一家小餐馆品尝那里的商品。如果你愿意，我们还会给你很多自由时间，在我们的导游陪同下在城市里闲逛。 Speaker 1：那所有这些费用是多少？ Speaker 2：1800英镑。 Speaker 1：嗯，你真是帮了大忙。我已经记下了所有细节，等我做出决定后会再联系你。 Speaker 2：如果我们能提供更多帮助，请再打电话来。 Speaker 1：谢谢。我会的。 Speaker 0：第一部分到此结束。你现在有半分钟时间检查你的答案。 Speaker 3：Joy Inletz。 第二部分 Speaker 4：现在转到第二部分。 Speaker 4：第二部分。 Speaker 4：你将听到一位导游向一群游客介绍贝斯特利城堡。 Speaker 4：首先，你有一些时间查看第11至15题。 Speaker 4：现在仔细听并回答第11至15题。 Speaker 3：欢迎来到贝斯利城堡。很高兴今天在这里看到这么多位。在我们进去之前，我想告诉你们一些关于城堡的信息、可以看和做的事情，以及场地内可供使用的设施。我们会尽最大努力让你们这次参观真正难忘。 Speaker 3：城堡场地相当大，我们不想让你们迷路。所以我来给你们介绍一下布局。目前，我们在入口处，紧挨着我们左边的是旅游信息办公室。如果你有任何问题需要解答，可以去那里。他们会很乐意帮忙。当然，旅游办公室后面是停车场，大巴在那里让你们下车，今天下午5点也会在同一地点接你们。 Speaker 3：我们面前是水景花园。如果你漫步穿过，就会到达北桥，那是贝斯利城堡的入口。慢慢来，好好欣赏城堡。那些墙壁里蕴含着丰富的历史。 Speaker 3：当你通过南桥离开城堡时，你会看到漫步的鹿群。白天会有定时的喂食活动，游客可以参与。但是，我们要求你们不要在这些时间之外喂鹿。 Speaker 3：鹿园的右边是城堡博物馆，博物馆后面是我们获奖的餐厅。它是城堡场地中相对较新的建筑，但正迅速因其食物而获得声誉。或者，你可以选择在鹿园另一边的野餐区用餐。那里非常适合家庭，因为它紧邻儿童游乐区和自制冰淇淋小屋。 Speaker 3：我们希望你们在离开时，顺便去出口处的礼品店看看，买点东西作为纪念。 Speaker 4：在你听到谈话的其余部分之前，你有一些时间查看第16至20题。 Speaker 4：现在听并回答第16至20题。 Speaker 3：场地对所有游客免费开放。这包括博物馆、花园和野餐区。进入城堡需要付费，成人6.50英镑，学生和退休人员享受10%的折扣。16岁以下儿童支付成人票价的一半，8岁以下儿童免费。 Speaker 3：全年有许多精彩的活动，其中大部分也需要入场费。由于这些活动需求量很大，最好提前预订。 Speaker 3：今年计划的一些激动人心的活动包括夏季中世纪节，在那里你可以观看老式骑士表演，并在城堡大厅里体验盛宴，仿佛你是亨利八世国王的客人。 Speaker 3：今年还计划了几场音乐会，包括一场每人10英镑入场费的摇滚音乐会，以及一场对公众免费的特殊爵士音乐会。我相信你们会同意，各种品味和年龄的人都能得到满足。 Speaker 3：一个吓人但极受欢迎的活动是十月底的年度闹鬼城堡活动，届时城堡在夜晚会“活”起来。如果你够勇敢，为什么不一起来呢？ Speaker 3：另一个值得一看的是11月5日的精彩烟花表演，其费用包括茶点。 Speaker 3：我们还有为慈善筹款的悠久传统。每年五月一日举行的慈善活动，今年将是一场射箭比赛。入场免费，但当然欢迎捐款。今年，我们将代表一个关爱老年人的慈善机构“Age Concern”进行募捐。 Speaker 3：以防你们记不住所有这些，你们可以从旅游信息台领取一份显示所有活动时间表和价格的小册子。你也可以从我们的网站上在线获取这些信息。 Speaker 4：第二部分到此结束。你现在有半分钟时间检查你的答案。 第三部分 Speaker 5：现在转到第三部分。 Speaker 5：第三部分。 Speaker 5：你将听到两名商科学生讨论他们对商业某一领域所做的研究。 Speaker 5：首先，你有一些时间查看第21至26题。 Speaker 5：现在仔细听并回答第21至26题。 Speaker 6：好的。让我们看看下次辅导课的主题是什么。啊，知识产权。那是你通过自己的想法或创造性活动产生的任何东西。就像你头脑的财产。 Speaker 5：我们必须研究合法保护这些想法和发明的不同方式。 Speaker 6：对。我们需要知道它们是什么，并且能够谈论它们。你想从版权开始吗？ Speaker 5：是的。这是我之前已经了解一些的。这是你作为作者或发明者的权利，在你死后持续七十年。它是免费的，你甚至不需要申请。但它并不适用于所有情况，对吧？好的。那其他类型的注册呢？ Speaker 6：我做了一些关于专利的研究。 Speaker 5：对。专利意味着没有其他人可以从你的发明中获得经济利益。 Speaker 6：对。申请专利似乎非常昂贵。所以你确实需要知道你发明的东西是否值得经历所有这些繁琐的程序。 Speaker 5：嗯，我认为没有专业帮助是做不成的。这是一个非常复杂的过程。 Speaker 6：接下来我们看看商标。我们俩对这些都很熟悉。我的意思是，想想一些公司的标志有多出名。它们似乎真的能灌输对品牌的信任，因此为公司价值增加了数百万美元。而且根据我的发现， Speaker 5：注册商标似乎也不需要花费太多。 Speaker 5：好的。那接下来是什么？啊，设计。这有一个相当具体的含义，因为它关系到某物的外观，而不是它的工作原理。我读到，对于制造手机的大公司来说，注册其手机的设计是标准做法，这样它们就能保持非常独特。 Speaker 6：这很有趣。我之前不知道。那么设计与下一类保护有什么不同呢？ Speaker 5：你是指电路布局？嗯，电路布局是一种保护类型，保护像计算机芯片这类东西的原始布局设计。所以它的含义相当狭窄，而且非常有限，因为它只能在这个国家执行。 Speaker 6：是的。蓝图可能在其他国家被复制和再生产，而所有者没有法律保护。 Speaker 5：所以我的观点是，这有什么意义呢？也许将来它会在其他地方得到认可。 Speaker 6：我觉得下一类很有意思。当我想到商业秘密时，我立刻想到Granny Mae的饼干。他们故意没有为他们的特殊配方申请专利，这样其他制造商就不知道成分是什么。很难让他们发现。 Speaker 5：是的。但是保守商业秘密一定很困难，因为你必须确保所有员工都签署协议，并且在离职时遵守它。 Speaker 6：没错。好的。所以我们对我们讨论的不同类型的知识产权感到满意。 Speaker 5：在你听到讨论的其余部分之前，你有一些时间查看第27至30题。 Speaker 5：现在听并回答第27至30题。 Speaker 6：接下来，我们必须写出某家公司管理其知识产权的流程。 Speaker 5：是的。在我们研究的那家公司，确实有很多人参与了这个过程，从研究负责人一直到商业化委员会。 Speaker 6：对。嗯，这一切都是由季度研究报告启动的。这份报告由——让我看看我的笔记——项目负责人编写。他们必须写出报告，详细说明他们如何满足研究截止日期。他们还在报告中加入了关于变化的细节。 Speaker 5：知识产权方面的变化，对吧？比如他们现在意识到他们正在研究的东西可能最终是可以申请专利的，他们必须尽早识别这一点。 Speaker 6：在这个阶段，他们会把报告发给外部专家吗？ Speaker 5：不，他们把它发给商业化委员会，该委员会由项目负责人和一名行业代表组成。他们审查报告，关注对知识产权的修改。 Speaker 6：对。然后从那次审查会议开始，所有的修改都被汇总起来，由交付官员仔细审查，他负责找出注册知识产权最有利的方式。 Speaker 5：是的。这个阶段可能需要相当长的时间。项目负责人肯定会对这一切感到非常沮丧。如果我没理解错的话，然后他们让业务经理知道已经决定了什么，正是在这一点上，知识产权脱离了研究领域的控制，更多地与注册的财务或商业问题相关。 Speaker 6：完全正确。所以，如果他们觉得他们的提议符合为知识产权分配的预算，并且可能的投资回报是值得的，那么他们就需要聘请该领域的专家帮助。他们极有可能会发现自己…… Speaker 5：第三部分到此结束。你现在有半分钟时间检查你的答案。 第四部分 Speaker 7：第四部分。 Speaker 7：你将听到一个关于盐的早期历史的演讲的一部分。 Speaker 7：首先，你有一些时间查看第31至40题。 Speaker 7：现在仔细听并回答第31至40题。 Speaker 8：在我的演讲中，我将谈论盐。在现代，当我们谈论盐时，人们可能会将其与高血压或增加的心脏病风险联系起来，许多健康专家警告我们应该在膳食和菜肴中少用盐。然而，我们不应忽视它在我们的烹饪乃至早期人类历史中的重要性。 Speaker 8：盐是最古老、最普遍的食物调味品之一。咸味是人类基本味觉之一。更重要的是，盐在人类健康中扮演着不可或缺的角色。例如，它调节身体的酸碱平衡。 Speaker 8：由于其对生存的重要性，盐在人类历史上经常被认为是一种有价值的商品。这可以一直追溯到古希腊、古埃及和古罗马，当时盐被高度重视，并被用作贸易和货币的一种方式。 Speaker 8：在古罗马，通往城市最繁忙的道路是Via Salaria，在英语中意思是“盐路”。士兵的军饷，其中一部分包括盐，在拉丁语中被称为salarium argentum，我们从中衍生出英语单词salary。如果一个士兵不称职（not worth his salt），他的军饷就会被削减，这个表达至今仍在使用。 Speaker 8：事实上，盐不仅是第一种被发现的调味品，也是第一种防腐剂。我们今天知道食物变质是因为食物中的微生物大量繁殖，而高盐环境不利于微生物繁殖。极高浓度的盐甚至可以杀死食物中的微生物。古人当然不知道这一点，但他们确实知道加盐的食物可以保存很长时间。 Speaker 8：使用盐作为防腐剂可以追溯到古代瑞典。起初，狩猎是主要的谋生手段。在这种情况下，肉类供应不太可能频繁。更重要的是，可供狩猎的动物更少了。为了确保肉类供应，瑞典的许多家庭开始在夏季在周围的森林里饲养动物，那时天气适合动物生存。这些动物每天被喂养，直到大约三到四个月后。那是十月份。它们可以被宰杀取肉，那是古代瑞典人餐桌上唯一有鲜肉的月份。然后随着生产力的不断提高，人们终于有了一些剩余的肉。然而，如何储存肉成了一个难题，直到有人发明了一种全新的食物保存方法——盐腌。人们试图通过添加一些盐来防止肉变质，这样肉可以保存几个月甚至几年。 Speaker 8：有证据表明盐被广泛用于保存肉类。1573年的历史文献记录了瑞典国王的日常膳食，提到每年消耗175磅肉，但其中超过150磅是咸肉。由此，我们可以清楚地看到当时盐在瑞典的重要性。此外，文献还指出，在此期间瑞典的啤酒年销量飙升，这一定与他们食物中高含量的盐有关。 Speaker 8：现在让我们转向盐的来源。盐从哪里来？嗯，盐在自然界中很常见。人们早就发现盐可以从海水、矿藏、盐湖、卤水、泉水等中提取，其中最重要的两个来源是海洋和盆地。后者的底部通常是沙漠，可以找到盐的痕迹，例如撒哈拉沙漠。 Speaker 8：此外，不同种类盐的质量差异很大。例如，海水盐总是混有杂质。所以盐干燥后，需要在食用前净化沉淀物和其他化学物质。然而，泉水盐的情况并非如此。我们几乎找不到任何杂质，而且盐的浓度要高得多。 Speaker 8：那么人们是如何将盐分配到世界各地的呢？当然，在现代，我们有各种各样的运输货物方式。但在古代，情况并非如此。以我们之前提到的古代瑞典为例。由于饮食中大量使用盐，瑞典无法自给自足，不得不从其他国家进口大量盐。为了确保他们能从国外购买到足够的盐，瑞典人必须高度重视航运并保持其不受损害，因为那是当时最重要的方式。 Speaker 8：而在其他古代国家，为了将盐分配到其他地方，会雇佣成群的男子。他们把一袋袋盐扛在肩上或背上，运到周边地区。渐渐地，这些人在早期被认为是一种运输方式。后来，随着交通条件的改善，不同地区之间的盐贸易得到促进，长途食品贸易也得到推动，使得不同文化之间的交流更加频繁…… Speaker 7：第四部分到此结束。你现在有一分钟时间检查。