by Nick Bryant in Sydney, Australia

Is Zhao Liang the tallest man in the world?

Background: 澳大利亚的研究人员发现，高个子的人比矮个子的人挣钱多。身高多出十公分就可能让一个人多挣百分之三的工资。

Questions: 请在听下面录音的时候试着回答这些问题。这是一个用来帮助你提高听力技能的练习。

1. From which country does the research study originate?

2. How much extra money do the researchers believe a six-foot man can earn?

3. What did the researchers say about society and its view of tall people?

4. What relationship did the researchers find between weight and pay?

Click here for answers

Tall People Earn More 高个儿挣钱多

Listen to Nick Bryant's report 点击此处下载录音材料

The long and short of this Australian report is that tall workers earn significantly more than their vertically challenged counterparts.

A six-foot man can expect a windfall of almost $750 (around 7500 yuan) a year.

The researchers found there were practical reasons why the size gap translated into a pay gap. Tall people were sometimes more capable of performing certain physical tasks, like reaching high shelves.

But the discrepancy is explained mainly by discrimination, the simple fact that society tends to look on tall people as more powerful and smarter, even when they're not.

The study from the Australian National University also found that slimmer workers tend to get slimmer pay packets. Fat men earn five per cent more than their slender colleagues.

GLOSSARY 词汇表 (收听发音, 请单击英语单词)

the long and short of 简而言之，归纳起来

vertically challenged 直立的挑战，此处指身体的高度

counterparts 相对的/对等的（人）

six-foot （身高）六英尺

windfall 横财/以外的收入

gap 缝隙/距离

more capable 更有能力的

discrepancy 差异/矛盾

discrimination 歧视

slimmer 较瘦的人

pay packets 工资待遇

slender 苗条的

Answers

1. From which country does the research study originate?
The research report comes from Australia.

2. How much extra money do the researchers believe a six-foot man can earn?
They believe a six-foot man can earn around $750 a year more than his shorter counterparts.

3. What did the researchers say about society and its view of tall people?
They said society tends to think tall people as more powerful and smarter.

4. What relationship did the researchers find between weight and pay?
The researchers found that fatter people earn more than slimmer people.

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