英语四级听力短文理解模拟训练第5套

　　Section B

　　Directions: In this section, you will hear 3 short passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear some questions. Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.

　　Passage One

　　Questions 26 to 28 are based on the passage you have just heard.

　　26. A) Her parents thrived in the urban environment.

　　B) Her parents left Chicago to work on a farm.

　　C) Her parents immigrated to America.

　　D) Her parents set up an ice-cream store.

　　27. A) He taught English in Chicago.

　　B) He was crippled in a car accident.

　　C) He worked to become an executive.

　　D) He was born with a limp.

　　28. A) She was fond of living an isolated life.

　　B) She was fascinated by American culture.

　　C) She was very generous in offering help.

　　D) She was highly devoted to her family.

　　答案：

　　26. C) Her parents immigrated to America.

　　27. B) He was crippled in a car accident.

　　28. D) She was highly devoted to her family.

　　原文：

　　Passage 1

　　My mother was born in a small town in northern Italy. She was three when her parents immigrated to America in 1926. They lived in Chicago, where my grandfather worked making ice-cream. Mama thrived in the urban environment. At 16, she graduated first in her high school class, went on to secretarial school and finally worked as an executive secretary for a rare wood company. She was beautiful too. When a local photographer used her pictures in his monthly window display, she felt pleased. Her favorite portrait showed her sitting by Lake Michigan, her hair wind-blown, her gaze reaching towards the horizon.

　　My parents were married in 1944. Dad was a quiet and intelligent man. He was 17 when he left Italy. Soon after, a hit-and-run accident left him with a permanent limp. Dad worked hard selling candy to Chicago office workers on their break. He had little formal schooling. His English was self-taught. Yet he eventually built a small successful whole-sale candy business. Dad was generous and handsome. Mama was devoted to him. After she married, my mother quit her job and gave herself to her family.

　　In 1950, with three small children, Dad moved the family to a farm 40 miles from Chicago. He worked the land and commuted to the city to run his business. Mama said good-bye to her parents and friends and traded her busy city neighborhood for a more isolated life. But she never complained.

　　Questions 26 to 28 are based on the passage you have just heard:

　　26: What does the speaker tell us about his mothers early childhood?

　　27: What do we learn about the speakers father?

　　28: What does the speaker say about his mother?

　　Passage Two

　　Questions 29 to 32 are based on the passage you have just heard.

　　29. A) He suffered a nervous breakdown.

　　B) He was wrongly diagnosed.

　　C) He was seriously injured.

　　D) He developed a strange disease.

　　30. A) He was able to talk again.

　　B) He raced to the nursing home.

　　C) He could tell red and blue apart.

　　D) He could not recognize his wife.

　　31. A) Twenty-nine days.

　　B) Two and a half months.

　　C) Several minutes.

　　D) Fourteen hours.

　　32. A) They welcomed the publicity in the media.

　　B) The avoided appearing on television.

　　C) They released a video of his progress.

　　D) They declined to give details of his condition.

　　答案：

　　29. C) He was seriously injured.

　　30. A) He was able to talk again.

　　31. B) Two and a half months.

　　32. D) They declined to give details of his condition.

　　原文：

　　Passage 2

　　During a 1995 roof collapse, a fire fighter named Donald Herbert was left brain damaged. For 10 years he was unable to speak. Then one Saturday morning, he did something that shocked his family and doctors he started speaking. I want to talk to my wife, Donald Herbert said out of the blue. Staff members of the nursing home where he has lived for more than 7 years rose to get Linda Herbert on the telephone. It was the first of many conversations the 44-year-old patient had with his family and friends during the 14 hour stretch. Herberts uncle Simon Manka said. How long have I been away? Herbert asked. We told him almost 10 years. The uncle said. He thought it was only three months.

　　Herbert was fighting a house fire Dec. 29, 1995, when the roof collapsed burying him underneath. After going without air for several minutes, Herbert was unconscious for two and a half months and has undergone therapy ever since.

　　Passage Three

　　Questions 33 to 35 are based on the passage you have just heard.

　　33. A) For people to share ideas and show farm products.

　　B) For officials to educate the farming community.

　　C) For farmers to exchange their daily necessities.

　　D) For farmers to celebrate their harvests.

　　34. A) By bringing an animal rarely seen on nearby farms.

　　B) By bringing a bag of grain in exchange for a ticket.

　　C) By offering to do volunteer work at the fair.

　　D) By performing a special skill at the entrance.

　　35. A) They contribute to the modernization of American farms.

　　B) They help to increase the state governments revenue.

　　C) They provide a stage for people to give performances.

　　D) They remind Americans of the importance of agriculture.

　　答案：

　　33. A) For people to share ideas and show farm products.

　　34. B) By bringing a bag of grain in exchange for a ticket.

　　35. D) They remind Americans of the importance of agriculture.

　　原文：

　　Passage 3

　　Almost all states in America have a state fair. They last for one, two or three weeks. The Indiana state fair is one of the largest and oldest state fairs in the United States. It is held every summer.

　　It started in 1852. Its goals were to educate, share ideas and present Indianas best products. The cost of a single ticket to enter the fair was 20 cents. During the early 1930s, officials of the fair ruled that people could attend by paying something other than money. For example, farmers brought a bag of grain in exchange for a ticket.

　　With the passage of time, the fair has grown and changed a lot. But it is still one of the Indianas celebrated events. People from all over Indiana and from many other states attend the fair.

　　They can do many things at the fair. They can watch the judging of the priced cows, pigs and other animals. They can see sheep getting their wool cut and they can learn how that wool is made into clothing. They can watch cows giving birth. In fact, people can learn about animals they would never see except other fair. The fair provides the chance for the farming community to show its skills and fun products. For example, visitors might see the worlds largest apple or the tallest sun flower plant.

　　Today, children and adults at the fair can play new computer games or attempt more traditional games of skill. They can watch performances put on by famous entertainers. Experts say such fairs are important because people need to remember that they are connected to the earth and its products and they depend on animals for many things.

　　Questions 33 to 35 are based on the passage you have just heard:

　　33: What were the main goals of the Indiana state fair when it started?

　　34: How did some farmers give entrance to the fair in the early 1930s?

　　35: Why are state fairs important events in the America?