星火英语点评历年四级真题2005年12月四级真题

[00:15.83]College English test Band 4
[00:19.00]Part Ⅲ Listening Comprehension
[00:22.72]Section A
[00:24.80]Directions: In this section, you will hear
[00:29.39]8 short conversations and 2 long conversations.
[00:34.70]At the end of each conversation,
[00:37.04]one or more questions will be asked
[00:40.00]about what was said.
[00:42.08]Both the conversation and the questions
[00:45.03]will be spoken only once.
[00:47.22]After each question there will be a pause.
[00:51.48]During the pause, you must read the four choices
[00:55.64]marked A), B), C) and D),
[01:00.13]and decide which is the best answer.
[01:02.97]Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2
[01:08.22]with a single line through the centre.
[01:11.50]Now, let's begin with the eight short conversations.
[01:17.08]11. W: Carol told us on the phone not to worry about her.
[01:22.88]Her left leg doesn't hurt as much as it did yesterday.
[01:27.36]M: She'd better have it examined by a doctor anyway.
[01:31.08]And I will call her about it this evening.
[01:34.52]Q: What does the man think Carol should do?
[01:54.11]12. M: There is a non-stop train for Washington
[01:59.57]and it leaves at 2:30.
[02:02.85]W: It's faster than the 2 o'clock train.
[02:06.13]Besides, we can have something to eat
[02:08.98]before getting on the train.
[02:11.06]Q: What do we learn from the conversation?
[02:29.16]13. M: Hi, Melissa, how's your project going?
[02:34.96]Have you thought about going to graduate school?
[02:38.13]Perhaps you could get into Harvard.
[02:41.54]W: Everything is coming along really well.
[02:44.61]I have been thinking about graduate school.
[02:47.67]But I'll talk to my chief tutor Dr. Garcia first
[02:51.82]and see what she thinks.
[02:54.11]Q: What do we learn about the woman from the conversation?
[03:12.90]14. W: Did you attend Alice's presentation last night?
[03:18.81]It was the first time for her
[03:21.22]to give a speech to a large audience.
[03:24.17]M: How she could be so calm in front of so many people
[03:27.99]is really beyond me!
[03:30.62]Q: What do we learn from the conversation?
[03:48.42]15. W: You've been doing weather reports
[03:52.90]for nearly 30 years.
[03:54.98]Has the weather got any worse in all these years?
[03:58.27]M: Well, not necessarily worse.
[04:00.99]But we are seeing more swings.
[04:04.17]Q: What does the man say about the weather?
[04:22.43]16. M: Excuse me, I am looking for the textbook
[04:28.23]by a Professor Jordon for the marketing course.
[04:32.17]W: I am afraid it's out of stock.
[04:34.46]You'll have to order it.
[04:36.44]And it will take the publisher 3 weeks
[04:38.84]to send it to us.
[04:40.70]Q: Where did this conversation most probably take place?
[05:00.64]17. M: I am going to New York next week,
[05:05.56]but the hotel I booked is really expensive.
[05:09.40]W: Why book a hotel?
[05:11.36]My brother has 2 spare rooms in his apartment.
[05:15.52]Q: What does the woman mean?
[05:31.51]18. W: In my opinion,
[05:36.10]watching the news on TV
[05:37.96]is a good way to learn English.
[05:40.37]What do you think?
[05:41.46]M: It would be better if you could check
[05:43.97]the same information in English newspapers afterwards.
[05:49.72]Q: What does the man say about learning English?
[06:07.72]Now you'll hear the two long conversations.
[06:11.89]Conversation One
[06:15.22]W: So what are the main times of the day
[06:17.29]that you watch TV?
[06:19.04]M: Well, a little around breakfast time
[06:21.56]and then it tends to be really late—
[06:23.96]eleven or even midnight—
[06:25.71]when I've finished work.
[06:27.14]W: And what sort of programs do you go for?
[06:29.98]M: Some news bulletins but I also really like to
[06:33.16]put my feet up with some of the old comedy shows.
[06:36.55]W: Fine. And turning to the new channel...
[06:39.23]What type of programs would you like to see more of?
[06:42.40]M: Well, I certainly don't think
[06:44.69]we need any more factual programs like news and interviews.
[06:48.85]I think we need more about things like local information...
[06:52.35]you know, providing a service for the community,
[06:55.41]perhaps more for younger viewers...
[06:57.71]you know, good quality stuff.
[07:00.01]W: Ah ha. And if you had to give the new directors
[07:02.65]some specific advice
[07:03.86]when they set up the channel,
[07:05.71]what advice would you give them?
[07:08.12]M: I think I'd advise them to pay a lot of attention
[07:11.29]to the quality of the actual broadcast,
[07:14.45]you know, the sound system.
[07:16.63]People are very fussy these days about that and in general.
[07:20.35]I think they ought to do lots more of these kinds of interview,
[07:23.42]talking with their potential customers.
[07:25.71]W: Oh, I'm glad you think it's valuable.
[07:28.12]M: Certainly...yeah.
[07:30.20]W: Ok. This will be a commercial channel of course,
[07:34.03]but how often do you think
[07:35.78]it is tolerable to have adverts?
[07:38.84]M: Well out of that list I'd say every quarter of an hour.
[07:43.11]I don't think we can complain about that,
[07:45.07]as long as they don't last for ten minutes each time!
[07:48.02]W: Thank you very much!
[07:49.64]Questions 19 to 21 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
[07:56.64]19. At what time does the man mainly watch TV?
[08:16.90]20. What would the man like to see more of on the new channel?
[08:38.29]21. What is the man's advice to the new channel?
[08:58.19]Conversation Two
[09:00.48]W: Jim, thank goodness, you've arrived.
[09:03.32]The class presentation started half an hour ago
[09:06.60]and I was just beginning to panic.
[09:09.12]M: I am sorry I'm late, Allen.
[09:11.41]This morning has been a real mess;
[09:14.48]I didn't think I was going to make it here at all.
[09:17.43]W: Why are you late?
[09:18.67]Our whole presentation depends on these graphs
[09:21.41]you are holding.
[09:22.72]M: Yes, I know, I'll tell you about it later.
[09:25.34]First let's see how we are doing on time.
[09:28.19]Two groups are still ahead of us, aren't they?
[09:31.03]The presentation on the rights of the consumers
[09:33.44]and the analysis of the stock market.
[09:35.85]That means I've got about twenty minutes to prepare.
[09:38.91]W: You do look cold. What happened?
[09:41.31]M: I've been standing outside in freezing temperatures
[09:44.71]for over an hour waiting for a bus.
[09:47.55]W: Over an hour?
[09:48.65]But I thought your apartment was only
[09:50.29]a ten-minute bus ride to our campus.
[09:52.70]M: On normal conditions,
[09:54.34]but the bus was delayed because of the weather.
[09:57.40]So I had to wait another forty five minutes
[10:00.14]for the next bus.
[10:01.34]W: That's Murphy's law, isn't it?
[10:03.64]What was it that said,
[10:05.06]“If anything can go wrong, it will.
[10:08.66]Well, we've still got twenty minutes
[10:11.07]to gather our wits together.
[10:13.04]M: We'd better stop talking.
[10:14.79]People are turning around and looking at us.
[10:18.07]Questions 22 to 25 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
[10:23.76]22. What is the woman's tone of voice
[10:27.78]when she first sees the man?
[10:45.32]23. What class are the man and woman probably taking?
[11:03.94]24. How much time do the speakers have before they address the class?
[11:25.79]25. What are the two speakers mainly talking about?
[11:46.87]Section B
[11:48.30]Directions: In this section, you will hear 3 short passages.
[11:55.51]At the end of each passage,
[11:57.48]you will hear some questions.
[11:59.56]Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once.
[12:04.04]After you hear a question,
[12:06.01]you must choose the best answer from the four choices
[12:09.40]marked A), B), C) and D).
[12:13.78]Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2
[12:18.26]with a single line through the centre.
[12:22.09]Passage One
[12:23.73]A new study reports the common drug aspirin
[12:27.12]greatly reduces life threatening problems
[12:29.86]after an operation
[12:31.43]to replace blocked blood vessels to the heart.
[12:35.04]More than 800 000 people around the world
[12:38.87]have this heart surgery each year.
[12:42.04]The doctors who carried out the study say
[12:45.21]giving aspirin to patients soon after the operation
[12:48.82]could save thousands of lives.
[12:51.99]People usually take aspirin to control pain
[12:55.17]and reduce high body temperature.
[12:57.90]Doctors also advise some people to take aspirin
[13:02.16]to help prevent heart attacks.
[13:05.01]About 10-15 percent of these heart operations end in death
[13:11.35]or damage to the heart or other organs.
[13:14.85]The new study shows that
[13:16.93]even a small amount of aspirin reduced such threats.
[13:22.07]The doctors said the chance of death for patients
[13:25.57]who took aspirin would fall by 67%.
[13:29.94]They claimed this was true if the aspirin was given
[13:33.55]within 48 hours of the operation.
[13:36.28]The doctors believe aspirin helps heart surgery patients
[13:41.01]because it can prevent blood from thickening
[13:43.63]and blood vessels from being blocked.
[13:46.58]However, the doctors warned that
[13:48.77]people who have stomach bleeding
[13:50.50]or other bad reactions from aspirin
[13:53.78]should not take it after heart surgery.
[13:57.50]Questions 26 to 28 are based on the passage you have just heard.
[14:03.08]26. What is the finding of the new study of aspirin?
[14:26.02]27. In what way can aspirin help heart surgery patients
[14:32.48]according to the doctors?
[14:49.13]28. What warning did the doctors give about the use of aspirin?
[15:12.41]Passage Two
[15:13.83]Were you the first or the last child in your family?
[15:17.88]Or were you a middle or an only child?
[15:20.94]Some people think it matters
[15:23.24]where you were born in your family.
[15:25.31]But there are different ideas about
[15:27.50]what birth order means.
[15:29.58]Some people say that oldest children
[15:32.43]are smart and strong-willed.
[15:34.72]They are very likely to be successful.
[15:37.68]The reason for this is simple.
[15:40.08]Parents have a lot of time for their first child,
[15:42.71]they give him or her a lot of attention.
[15:45.88]So this child is very likely to do well.
[15:48.83]An only child will succeed for the same reason.
[15:51.89]What happens to the other children in the family?
[15:55.17]Middle children don't get so much attention,
[15:58.13]so they don't feel that important.
[16:00.97]If a family has many children,
[16:03.16]the middle one sometimes gets lost in the crowd.
[16:06.33]The youngest child, though,
[16:08.08]often gets special treatment.
[16:10.16]He or she is the baby.
[16:12.56]Often this child grows up to be funny and charming.
[16:16.39]Do you believe these ideas of birth order too?
[16:19.78]A recent study saw things quite differently.
[16:23.39]The study found that
[16:24.92]first children believed in family rules.
[16:27.77]They didn't take many chances in their lives.
[16:30.17]They usually followed orders.
[16:32.47]Rules didn't mean
[16:33.88]as much to later children in the family.
[16:36.07]They went out and followed their own ideas.
[16:39.07]They took chances and they often did better in life.
[16:43.55]Questions 29 to 31 are based on the passage you have just heard.
[16:48.91]29. According to common belief,
[16:53.61]in what way are the first child and the only child alike?
[17:15.19]30. What do people usually say about middle children?
[17:35.85]31. What do we learn about later children in a family
[17:41.97]from a recent study of birth order?
[18:01.41]Passage Three
[18:02.83]When my interest shifted from space to the sea,
[18:06.44]I never expected it would cause such confusion among my friends,
[18:11.69]yet I can understand their feelings.
[18:14.75]As I have been writing and talking about space flight
[18:18.04]for the best part of 20 years,
[18:20.66]a sudden switch of interest
[18:22.41]to the depth of the sea does seem peculiar.
[18:25.80]To explain, I'd like to share my reasons
[18:28.53]behind this unusual change of mind.
[18:31.71]The first excuse I give is an economic one.
[18:34.55]Underwater exploration is so much cheaper than space flight.
[18:39.47]The first round-trip ticket to the moon
[18:41.94]is going to cost at least 10 billion dollars
[18:45.21]if you include research and development.
[18:48.39]By the end of this century,
[18:50.14]the cost will be down to a few million.
[18:53.20]On the other hand,
[18:54.40]the diving suit and a set of basic tools needed
[18:57.79]for skin-diving can be bought for 20 dollars.
[19:00.86]My second argument is more philosophical.
[19:03.92]The ocean, surprisingly enough,
[19:06.22]has many things in common with space.
[19:09.06]In their different ways,
[19:10.48]both sea and space are equally hostile.
[19:14.64]If we wish to survive in either for any length of time,
[19:18.79]we need to have mechanical aids.
[19:21.31]The diving suit helped the design of the space suit.
[19:25.57]The feelings and the emotions of a man beneath the sea
[19:28.96]will be much like those of a man beyond the atmosphere.
[19:34.10]Questions 32 to 35 are based on the passage you have just heard.
[19:40.01]32. How did the speaker's friends respond to his change of interest?
[20:01.23]33. What is one of the reasons for the speaker
[20:06.05]to switch his interest to underwater exploration?
[20:25.45]34. In what way does the speaker
[20:29.75]think diving is similar to space travel?
[20:47.98]35. What is the speaker's purpose in giving this talk?
[21:08.29]Section C
[21:10.69]Directions: In this section,
[21:13.75]you will hear a passage three times.
[21:16.60]When the passage is read for the first time,
[21:19.44]you should listen carefully for its general idea.
[21:22.73]When the passage is read for the second time,
[21:25.57]you are required to fill in the blanks
[21:28.23]numbered from 36 to 43
[21:30.63]with the exact words you have just heard.
[21:33.48]For blanks numbered from 44 to 46
[21:37.50]you are required to fill in the missing information.
[21:41.22]For these blanks,
[21:42.64]you can either use the exact words you have just heard
[21:46.14]or write down the main points in your own words.
[21:49.53]Finally, when the passage is read for the third time,
[21:53.58]you should check what you have written.
[21:56.42]Now listen to the passage.
[21:59.48]Americans are suffering from a serious problem of sleeping less.
[22:04.95]They also cut back on leisure activities
[22:07.47]as they spend more time at work.
[22:10.09]A world that “never goes to sleep
[22:12.39]offers many diverse activities,
[22:14.68]but encourages unhealthy and sometimes
[22:17.53]anti-social lifestyles for America's adults.
[22:21.14]Instead of working to live,
[22:22.88]they are living to work,
[22:24.63]a shift that has had a deep impact
[22:26.73]on their personal lives.
[22:28.25]Adults report spending less time sleeping
[22:31.32]but more engaging in social and leisure activities.
[22:34.71]Most Americans admit they suffer from sleep problems
[22:38.21]and when they go to sleep,
[22:39.63]many sleep alone even if they are married.
[22:43.02]These are the key findings
[22:44.77]in the National Sleep Foundation's 2001
[22:47.40]“Sleep in America poll,
[22:49.37]which looks at the relationship
[22:51.01]between American's lifestyles,
[22:52.70]sleep habits and sleep problems.
[22:55.33]Loss of sleep continues to be widespread in America.
[22:59.70]According to the poll,
[23:01.11]63% of American adults
[23:03.73]do not get the recommended eight hours of sleep
[23:06.68]needed for good health, safety,
[23:08.88]and most favorable performance.
[23:11.51]In fact, nearly one third report sleeping
[23:14.46]less than seven hours each week night,
[23:16.87]though many adults say they try to sleep more on weekends.
[23:20.37]The poll shows both good news and bad news.
[23:23.76]The good news is that many Americans say
[23:26.17]they don't want to give up any more sleep
[23:28.13]in spite of their exciting lives.
[23:30.54]And they would sleep more
[23:31.86]if they were convinced
[23:32.58]it would contribute to their quality of life.
[23:35.20]The bad news is
[23:36.73]far too many adults still sacrifice sleep,
[23:39.79]which is an unhealthy way of life.
[23:42.31]Perhaps further study should be made to
[23:44.93]help them get rid of the terrible lifestyle.
[23:48.10]Now the passage will be read again.
[23:50.94]Americans are suffering from a serious problem of sleeping less.
[23:55.86]They also cut back on leisure activities
[23:58.38]as they spend more time at work.
[24:01.15]A world that “never goes to sleep
[24:03.12]offers many diverse activities,
[24:05.74]but encourages unhealthy and sometimes
[24:08.37]anti-social lifestyles for America's adults.
[24:11.87]Instead of working to live,
[24:13.62]they are living to work,
[24:15.26]a shift that has had
[24:16.64]a deep impact on their personal lives.
[24:19.04]Adults report spending less time sleeping
[24:22.22]but more engaging in social and leisure activities.
[24:25.72]Most Americans admit they suffer from sleep problems
[24:29.00]and when they go to sleep,
[24:30.75]many sleep alone even if they are married.
[24:33.70]These are the key findings
[24:35.78]in the National Sleep Foundation's 2001
[24:38.41]“Sleep in America poll,
[24:40.59]which looks at the relationship
[24:42.01]between American's lifestyles,
[24:43.71]sleep habits and sleep problems.
[24:46.23]Loss of sleep continues to be widespread in America.
[24:50.60]According to the poll,
[24:52.06]63% of American adults
[24:54.80]do not get the recommended eight hours of sleep
[24:57.75]needed for good health, safety,
[24:59.86]and most favorable performance.
[25:02.60]In fact, nearly one third report sleeping
[25:05.33]less than seven hours each week night,
[26:07.85]though many adults
[26:09.04]say they try to sleep more on weekends.
[26:11.33]The poll shows both good news and bad news.
[26:14.83]The good news is that many Americans say
[26:17.02]they don't want to give up any more sleep
[26:19.10]in spite of their exciting lives.
[27:21.56]And they would sleep more
[27:22.77]if they were convinced it would contribute to
[27:24.95]their quality of life.
[27:26.37]The bad news
[27:27.33]is far too many adults still sacrifice sleep,
[27:30.94]which is an unhealthy way of life.
[28:33.30]Perhaps further study should be made to
[28:35.71]help them get rid of the terrible lifestyle.
[28:39.07]Now the passage will be read for the third time.
[28:42.79]Americans are suffering from a serious problem of sleeping less.
[28:47.60]They also cut back on leisure activities
[28:50.01]as they spend more time at work.
[28:52.41]A world that “never goes to sleep
[28:54.92]offers many diverse activities,
[28:57.22]but encourages unhealthy and sometimes
[28:59.96]anti-social lifestyles for America's adults.
[29:03.35]Instead of working to live,
[29:05.21]they are living to work,
[29:07.39]a shift that has had
[29:08.25]a deep impact on their personal lives.
[29:10.77]Adults report spending less time sleeping
[29:13.72]but more engaging in social and leisure activities.
[29:17.22]Most Americans admit they suffer from sleep problems
[29:20.50]and when they go to sleep,
[29:22.03]many sleep alone even if they are married.
[29:25.42]These are the key findings
[29:27.17]in the National Sleep Foundation's 2001
[29:29.80]“Sleep in America poll,
[29:32.09]which looks at the relationship
[29:33.52]between American's lifestyles,
[29:35.23]sleep habits and sleep problems.
[29:37.85]Loss of sleep continues to be widespread in America.
[29:42.34]According to the poll,
[29:43.64]63% of American adults
[29:46.38]do not get the recommended eight hours of sleep
[29:49.33]needed for good health, safety,
[29:51.63]and most favorable performance.
[29:54.26]In fact, nearly one third report sleeping
[29:57.00]less than seven hours each week night,
[29:59.51]though many adults
[30:00.54]say they try to sleep more on weekends.
[30:02.84]The poll shows both good news and bad news.
[30:06.56]The good news is that many Americans say
[30:08.53]they don't want to give up any more sleep
[30:10.61]in spite of their exciting lives.
[30:13.12]And they would sleep more
[30:14.33]if they were convinced it would contribute to
[30:16.29]their quality of life.
[30:17.72]The bad news
[30:18.83]is far too many adults still sacrifice sleep,
[30:22.55]which is an unhealthy way of life.
[30:24.84]Perhaps further study should be made to
[30:27.36]help them get rid of the terrible lifestyle.
[30:31.70]This is the end of listening comprehension.