四级听力练习1.doc

Unit One
Section A
Directions: In this section, you will hear 8 short conversations and 2 long conversations. At the end of each conversation, one or more questions will be asked about what was said. Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once. After each question there will be a pause. During the pause, you must read the four choices marked A), B), C) and D), and decide which is the best answer. Then mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the center.
1. A) She had taken plenty of pictures.
B) She didn’t have enough film.
C) She left his camera in the hall.
D) She couldn’t record every detail because he had to run away.
2. A) Andre’s knee should be better by now. B) This isn’t good time for Andre to quit.
C) The news about Andre is quite a surprise. D) Andre should have stopped playing earlier.
3. A) By two o’clock. B) By three o’clock. C) By nine o’clock. D) By twelve o’clock.
4. A) The choice of courses. B) A day course.
C) An evening course . D) Their work.
5. A) The advertised jobs are in France and Japan.
B) The notice appeared in French and Japanese newspapers.
C) French and Japanese are necessary for the job.
D) She would like to teach the man French and Japanese.
6. A) Paul doesn’t like picnics after all. B) Paul had previously said he wouldn’t come.
C) Paul doesn’t mind arriving late. D) Paul is always changing his mind.
7. A) The plane’s departure time remains unknown. B) The man went to a wrong check-in counter.
C) The man has just missed his flight. D) The plane will leave at 9:14.
8. A) He didn’t get the book he needed. B) He had no idea where the book was.
C) The library is closed on weekends. D) He was not allowed to check out the book.
Questions 9 to 12 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
9. A) They don’t get rid of flabby arms. B) They can damage arm muscles.
C) They aren’t acceptable to most people. D) They can raise one’s blood pressure.
10. A) By talking to an expert. B) By reading an article.
C) By attending an exercise class. D) By listening to the radio.
11. A) Exercising the entire body. B) Having your blood pressure taken daily.
C) Losing weight prior to exercising. D) Weighting in before each exercise session.
12. A) Wearing arm weights while you are swimming.
B) Jogging vigorously in one place for a long time.
C) Using bicycles that require you to use both your arms and legs.
D) Walking slowly while swinging your arms back and forth.
Questions 13 to 15 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
13. A) Searching for reference material. B) Watching a film of the 1930s’.
C) Writing a course book. D) Looking for a job in a movie studio.
14. A) It’s too broad to cope with. B) It’s a bit outdated.
C) It’s controversial. D) It’s of little practical value.
15. A) At the end of the online catalogue. B) At the Reference Desk.
C) In the New York Times. D) In the Reader’s Guide to Periodical Literature.
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 answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the center.
Passage One
Questions 16 to 18 are based on the passage you have just heard.
16. A) To find out the origin of carbon-14 on Earth.
B) To analyze the composition of different trees.
C) To look into the pattern of solar wind activity.
D) To examine the chemical elements in the Ice Age.
17. A) The quality of air. B) The number of trees.
C) The lifecycle of trees. D) The intensity of solar burning.
18. A) It follows a certain cycle. B) It affects the growth of trees.
C) It has been increasing since the Ice Age. D) It is determined by the chemicals in the air.

Passage Two
Questions 19 to 21 are based on the passage you have just heard.
19. A) The importance of eating a balanced breakfast.
B) The role of minerals in maintaining good health.
C) Calorie counting at meals.
D) Health problems associated with overeating.
20. A) One-half B) One-third. C) One-fourth. D) One-fifth.
21. A) Plenty of sleep. B) A variety of foods. C) Occasional exercises. D) Sufficient body fat.

Passage Three
Questions 22 to 25 are based on the passage you have just heard.
22. A) It is very well estimated. B) It is relatively new.
C) It is found in one million homes. D) It is being rapidly expanded.
23. A) They look like sandwiches. B) They are usually found on the roof.
C) They cost about $50. D) They are made of metal and glass.
24. A) 3 or 4. B) 5 or 6. C) 7 or 8. D) 12 or more.
25. A) It is expected to be a $1.3 billion industry. B) It is expected to be a $1.13 billion industry.
C) It is expected to be a $13 billion industry. D) It is expected to be a $3 billion industry.

Section C Compound Dictation
Directions: In this section, you will hear a passage three times. When the passage is read for the first time, you should listen carefully for its general idea. When the passage is read for the second time, you are required to fill in the blanks numbered from S1 to S7 with the exact words you have just heard. For blanks numbered S8 to S10 you are required to fill in the missing information. For these blanks, you can either use the exact words you have just heard or write down the main points in your own words. Finally, when the passage is read for the third time, you should check what you have written.
In recent years many countries of the world have been (S1) __________ with the problem of how to make their workers more (S2) __________. Some experts (S3) __________ the answer is to make jobs more varied. But do more varied jobs lead to greater productivity? There is (S4) __________ to suggest that while (S5) __________ certainly makes the worker’s life more (S6) __________, it does not actually make him work harder. As far as increasing productivity is (S7) __________, if variety is not an important factor, then to what extent does more money lead to greater productivity? The workers themselves certainly think this is important. (S8) ________________________________________ __________________________________________________. Money just lets them enjoy their spare time more. (S9) ________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________. Perhaps if we succeed in making their jobs more interesting, (S10) _________________________________________________________________.

Tape script:

Unit One
Section A
Directions: In this section, you will hear 8 short conversations and 2 long conversations. At the end of each conversation, one or more questions will be asked about what was said. Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once. After each question there will be a pause. During the pause, you must read the four choices marked A), B), C) and D), and decide which is the best answer. Then mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the center.
1. M: Did you take any picture of the graduation ceremony yesterday?
W: I would have recorded every detail of it if I had not run out of film.
Q: What does the woman mean? (B)
2. W: Andre won’t be able to play in the basketball game this week.
M: Yeah, he hurt his knee pretty badly while back. I don’t know why he didn’t quit right away.
Q: What does the man mean? (D)
3. M: Have you finished your term paper? I handed mine in last Friday.
W: I finished typing mine at three o’clock this morning. I have to submit it by noon today.
Q: When must the girl turn in her paper? (D)
4. W: Do you want a day course or an evening course?
M: Well, it would have to be an evening course since I work during the day.
Q: What are they talking about? (A)
5. M: I’d like to apply for the position you advised in the paper.
W: A good knowledge of French and Japanese is a must.
Q: What does the woman mean? (C)
6. W: Paul called today he’ll be coming to the picnic.
M: Changed his mind after all, did he?
Q: What does the man mean? (B)
7. M: Is this the check-in counter for Flight 914 to Los Angeles?
W: Yes. But I’m sorry the flight is delayed because of a minor mechanical problem. Please wait for further notice.
Q: What do we learn from this conversation? (A)
8. W: Did you find the book for your reading assignment in the library?
M: It closed before I got there. I had no idea it closes so early on weekends.
Q: What does the man mean? (A)
Now you’ll hear two long conversations.
Conversation One
W: Exercise, exercise, exercise. We hear so much about it these days yet even the experts can’t agree on which exercises are best. Now some doctors are strongly encouraging arm exercises.
M: Arm exercises? Is that because our arms are too fat or flabby?
W: Actually, that’s not the main reason. They say that arm exercises are an ideal way to become physically fit.
M: But don't’ arm exercises raise your blood pressure?
W: That they do. But the article I read mentioned ways to compensate for that.
M: How?
W: By adding leg exercises so the arms don’t do all the work. Arm exercises alone aren’t enough to increase metabolism before fatigue sets in. The more of the body that involves in the exercise, the better.
M: And in turn, I’m sure that there is a greater chance of losing weight.
W: Sounds right to me.
M: So, what exercises do the experts recommend?
W: They mentioned quite a few. But some of the more popular ones are cycling with special bicycles that make you use both your arms and legs, and walking vigorously while you wear arm weights.
M: I must try that. I like to walk a lot.
Question 9~12 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
9. According to the conversation, what is one problem with arm exercises? (D)
10. How did the woman obtain the information about arm exercises? (B)
11. According to the conversation, what are the experts now recommending? (A)
12. Which of the following exercises is suggested? (C)
Conversation Two
W: Sir, you’ve been using the online catalogue for quite a while. Is there anything I can do to help you?
M: Well, I’ve got to write a paper about Hollywood in the 30s and 40s, and I’m really struggling. There are hundreds of books, and I just don’t know where to begin.
W: Your topic sounds pretty big. Why don’t you narrow it down to something like…uh…the history of the studios during that time?
M: You know, I was thinking about doing that, but more than 30 books came up when I typed in “movie studios.”
W: You could cut that down even further by listing the specific years you want. Try adding “1930s” or “1940s” or maybe “Golden Age.”
M: “Golden Age” is a good idea. Let me type that in … Hey, look, just 6 books this time. That’s a lot better.
W: Oh … another thing you might consider … have you tried looking for any magazine or newspaper articles?
M: No, I’ve only been searching for books.
W: Well, you can look up magazine articles in the Reader’s Guide to Periodical Literature. And we do have the Los Angeles Times available over there. You might go through their indexes to see if there’s anything you want.
M: Okay. I think I’ll get started with these books and then I’ll go over the magazines.
W: If you need any help, I’ll be over at the Reference Desk.
M: Great, thanks a lot.
Questions 13 to 15 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
13. What is the man doing? (A)
14. What does the librarian think of the topic the man is working on? (A)
15. Where can the man find the relevant magazine articles? (D)

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 answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the center.
Passage One
You can tell the age of a tree by counting its rings. But these records of a tree’s life really say a lot more. Scientists are using tree rings to learn what’s been happening on the sun’s surface for the last ten thousand years. Each ring represents a year of growth. As the tree grows, it adds a layer to its trunk, taking up chemical elements from the air. By looking at the elements in the rings from a given year, scientists can tell what elements were in the air that year.
Dr. Stevenson is analysing one element, carbon-14, in rings from both living and dead trees. Some of the rings go back almost ten thousand years to the end of the Ice Age. When Stevenson followed the carbon-14 trail back in time, he found carbon-14 levels change with the intensity of solar burning. You see the sun has cycles. Sometimes it burns fiercely. At other times it’s relatively calm. During the sun’s violent periods it throws off charged particles in fast moving streams, called solar winds. The particles interfere with the formation of carbon-14 on earth when there rises and falls about every four hundred and twenty years. The scientists concluded that solar wind activity must follow the same cycle.
Questions 16 to 18 are based on the passage you have just heard.
16. What’s the purpose of the scientists in studying tree rings? (C)
17. What affects the amount of carbon-14 on earth? (D)
18. What do we learn from the passage about solar wind activity? (A)

Passage Two
In addition to exercising regularly, eating a good breakfast is considered by many health experts to be a significant part of a successful way of reduction plan. After a night of fasting the body needs to be replenished with nutrients in order to maintain a high level of energy throughout the day. Several nutritionists suggest that dieters should eat up to one-third of their daily calories at breakfast time. These calories should be in the form of a balanced meal of nutritious food. A balanced meal consists of five key elements: proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals. People who’re dieting need a variety of foods to assure a constant supply of nutrients their bodies need. If a well-balanced diet is not followed, the dieter may become sleepy, nervous, or feel out of sorts. If a poor diet is maintained for a long period of time, the dieters may become vitamin deficient. Vitamin deficiency can cause serious health problems. For this reason, many doctors recommend that everyone, especially those on diets, starts the day with up to one-third of the daily requirement of nutrients in the form of a well-balanced breakfast.
Questions 19 to