在四级听力中，听力短文所占比重较大。自四级新题型出现以来，听力短文通常锁定在记叙文和说明文两类体裁上。而记叙文除知识性短文外，考查较多的主要是故事文。通过对近两年四级真题的分析，我们发现短文听力文章中通常有一篇为故事文，而2008年6月短文听力中则出现了2篇故事文，可见故事性短文越发受到出题专家的青睐和关注。
相对于知识性短文而言，由于故事性短文 的时间和情节的完整性，整体上难度不大。在考试中，考生只要根据短文的故事情节理清脉络，搞懂逻辑关系即可获得正确信息，解答所设题目。
在故事性短文听力中，正确获取人物和主要事件的信息显得极为重要，因此适当记录故事中所出现的时间及对应的重大事件便成为解决故事性短文的关键。此外，文章结尾往往涉及所介绍人物或事件的当前形势和最新发展，同样不容忽视。
故事性短文在四级考试中的测试主要集中在三类问题上：时间、对应的事件及原因(when-what-why-question);人物及专有名词的细节提问 (Proper Name-question);结尾句或故事寓意的提问 (moral-question)。
1. 时间、对应的事件及原因 (when-what-why-question)
由于故事性短文其自身的特点--以故事情节介绍为主，因此在故事性短文问题的设置中数when-what-why-question最为常见，即问及故事中某一时间和其对应的事件，有时还会涉及该事件背后 的原因。该类问题是对细节的考查，经常用于此句型结构的问题有： When did ? What happened in year ...? What is the finding of ? Why are important events in ? hy is it difficult to ? Why do have to keep the present jobs?等。解答此类问题的关键是在浏览所给问题的基础上，迅速得到关键词或关键句型，如：because， so，therefore，the reasonis that，whyis等。在听短文时便可有针对性地做出笔记以记录问题所涉及到的时间、对应的事件以及其背后的原因。
2. 人物及专有名词的细节提问 (Proper Name-question)
故事性短文在进行故事情节叙述时不可避免地会涉及到人物、地点和一些专有名词，因此在故事性短文问题的设置中对专有名词的细节考查也较为常见。经常用于此句型结构的问题有：What do we learn from the passage about ? What does the speaker tell us about Catherine Gram?等。
解答此类问题的关键是浏览题干、圈点专有名词后，关注文章中所出现该名词的相关句子，并做简单记录。如果其相关信息不止一点时，一定要注意列点记录以防遗漏。
3. 结尾句或故事寓意的提问 (moral-question)
故事性短文的结尾句通常包含该故事的寓意，我们将对文章寓意题目的设置称为moral-question，这是对文章主旨的考查。经常用于此句型结构的问题有： What does the comment by suggest? What can be inferred from the passage?。 解答此类问题的关键是在把握故事整体性的基础上，对故事主人公做出正确评价。
Try Out
Directions: In this section, you will hear one short passage. At the end of the 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).
1. What do we learn about the greenhouse?
A) It was located in a park.
B) Its owner died of a heart attack.
C) It went bankrupt all of a sudden.
D) Its potted plants were for lease only.
2. What was the speaker doing when the customer walked in one morning?
A) Planting some trees in the greenhouse.
B) Writing a want ad to a local newspaper.
C) Putting up aGoing out of Businesssign.
D) Helping a customer select some purchases.
3. What did the speaker think of when serving the office manager?
A) Opening an office in the new office park.
B) Keeping better relations with her company
C) Developing fresh business opportunities.
D) Building a big greenhouse of his own.
4. What was the speakers hope for the future?
A) Owning the greenhouse one day.
B) Securing a job at the office park.
C) Cultivating more potted plants.
D) Finding customers out of town.
听力原文：
In February last year, my wife lost her job. Just as suddenly, the owner of the greenhouse where I worked as manager died of a heart attack. His family announced that they were going to close the business because no one in the family wanted to run it. Things looked pretty gloomy. My wife and I read the want ads each day. Then one morning, as I was hanging out Going out of Business sign at the greenhouse, the door opened and in walked a customer. She was an office manager whose company has just moved into the new office park on the edge of town. She was looking for potted plants to place in the reception areas and offices. I dont know anything about plants, she said, m sure in a few weeks theyll all be dead. Why was I helping her select her purchases? My mind was racing. Perhaps as many as a dozen firms have recently opened offices in the new office park, and there were several hundred more acres with construction under way. That afternoon, I drove out to the office park. By six oclock that evening I had signed contracts with seven companies to rent plants from me and pay me a fee to maintain them. Within a week, I had worked out an agreement to lease the greenhouse from the owners family. Business is now increasing rapidly. And one day, we hope to be the proud owners of the greenhouse.
答案 解析
1. 选B)。此题属于故事性短文中针对人物及专有名词的细节进行提问。在浏览题干圈点专有名词greenhouse后, 迅速在文章里听到 Just as suddenly, the owner of the greenhouse where I worked as manager died of a heart attack. His family announced that they were going to close the business because no one in the family wanted to run it. 可以得到关于greenhouse的两条信息：greenhouse的主人因心脏病突然死亡; greenhouse因无人接管而即将关闭。故选B)。
2. 选C)。此题属于故事性短文中针对时间、对应的事件及原因进行提问。解答此题的关键是在浏览所给问题的基础上，迅速得到关键词即时间状语when the customer walked in，在听短文时便可针对性地做出笔记以记录所给时间对应的事件，很容易捕获信息 as I was hanging out Going out of Business sign at the greenhouse，the door opened and in walked a customer.故选C)。
3. 选C)。此题仍属于故事性短文中针对时间、对应的事件及原因进行提问。得到题干关键词when serving the office manager后，在文中获取 Why was I helping her select her purchases? My mind was racing.故选C)。
4. 选A)。此题属于故事性短文中针对故事的寓意进行提问。文章讲了一个立志的创业故事，整篇文章将基调定在奋斗一词上。再由含有寓意的结尾句 And one day, we hope to be the proud owners of the greenhouse.很容易得出正确选项A。故选A)。