英语专业四级考试听力资料-新闻听力论文
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Part II DictationDisappearing ForestsThe world’s forests are disappearing. As much as a third of the total tree cover has been lostsince agriculture began some 10,000 years ago. The remaining forests are home to half of thespecies thus becomin g the chief resource for their survival. Tropical rain forests once world’scovered twelve percent of the land of the planet. As well as supporting at least half of the world species of plants and animals, these rain forests are home to millions of people. But there are other demands on them. For example, much has been cut for timber. An increasing amount of forestlandhas been used for industrial purposes or for agricultural development, such as croporiginal rain forests remained, and they growing. By the 1990s less that half of the earth’sforests are now continues to disappear at an alarming rate every year. As a result, the world’sfacing gradual extinction.Part III Listening ComprehensionSection A Statement1.Next I’d like to show you a three-bedroom apartment on the second floor which is newly builtone we have for rent.2.It used to take a fortnight to travel from London to Edinburgh by coach. However, you couldnow travel many times around the world in that time.3.Jack, thank you for inviting us to dinner in your house tomorrow. But I’m extremely sorry thatmy wife and I won’t be able to make it.st time we discussed some patterns of animal behavior and in today’s lecture you’llconcentrate on the methods used in the study of animals.5.In my opinion, motivation, rather than intelligence, often decides how far a person can go inhis career.6.In order to understand this writer thoroughly, you have to read between the lines.st week at the sale Jane bought herself an overcoat for 30 pounds which was one quarter ofthe regular price.8.Due to the continual rain the school sports meet has been postphoned again till further noticefrom the principal’s office.Section B Conversation9.M: I’m really getting worried about Mary. She is sitting in for the exam in two weeks’ time.But all she is talking about now is nothing but an upcoming concert.W: She may fail along that line. Let’s try to talk some sense into her.10.W: Tony, do you have a belief in UFOs?M: Me? Well, I have never seen one. But there are a lot of people who have, or they think they have, seen one.11.M: You know, I started out in civil engineering, then I switched to electronic engineering. Butwhat really interests me is electronic music.s a long way away from civil engineering.W: Well, that’12.W: How about a pound of milk for our breakfast? But it doesn’t seem to look fresh now. doyou think it is still all right to drink?M: Let me smell it. Well, it has gone off. If I were you, I wouldn’t even think of it.13.M: Is it true that all of them survived the fire last night?W: Yes, a miracle, isn’t it? There was a couple on the second floor and two women and three kids on the ground floor. But no one was badly hurt.14.W: I’m going to take a blood test at 7:45 tomorrow morning.M: In that case, you won’t miss any courses tomorrow morning then.15.M: I’m not really an expert on precious stones, but these are superb. Don’t you like them?W: Have you looked at the price tag? It costs almost twice as much as a house where we are living in.16.W: You seem to be restless the whole day today. What’s up?M: Later in the afternoon they will announce who will get permission for the study trip to Africa.17.W: I will never go with Bill again. He could never remember where he parked his car.M: That certainly sounds like Bill.Section C News BroadcastNews Item One (18-19)Britain has announced that it has decided to cancel about 200 million pounds’ worth of the dibts owed to it by poorer Commonwealth countries. The international development secretary says the relief is being offered to countries committed to eliminating poverty and pursuing good government. This would include taking action against corruption. At the sam time Coomon Market finance ministers are meeting in Muricius. Britain is expected to put forward a fesh initiative on reducting the debts of the poorest countries. The chancellor of Exchequer has indicated the plan to revise the scheme put forward last year by the International Monetary Fund which has not yet provided any relief.News Item Two (20-21)An underground train derailed at the station in central Paris yesterday, injuring 23 people and just missing another underground train standing on the opposite track. French emergency services say the trains were traveling at 35 kilometres per hour when it detrailed at the entrance of the station. No one was killed and no one was trapped in the train during the accident. Ambulances rushed to the scene and doctors began treating caualties in the station and a nearby cafe. Some people have broken limbs and others have suffered bruising. No onw was in a critical condition.As yet it was not known why the train came off the tracks.News Item Three (22-23)Argentina civil servants held a 24-hour strike yesterday to protest pay cuts of 12-15% for anyone earning more than 1,000 US dollars a month. Public service unions and local teamsters plan to hold the protest rally in front of the government house. The work stoppage comes at thelast Friday’s general strike when many of Argentina’s 12 million workers stayed home after the nation’s powerful General Worker Confedreation, the nation’s largest union gropu, called a one-day strike to protest spending cuts and free market reforms.News Item Four (24-25)Germany was due to strike a deal yesterday to close down its 19 nuclear power plants, making it the first major inductrial nation to commit to withdrawing from nuclear energy. Talks between Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder’s government and chiefs of German energy industry were to begain at 8:30 p.m. Closure of German 19 reactors, which provided around a ghird of the country’s elctricity needs, was a key pledge of the Green, the junior partner in Schroe-eer’s coalition government.。
英语听力策略在专业英语四级考试中的运用摘要:英语短文听写强调学生的英语综合运用能力,其过程是积极的、创造性的,涉及语音、词汇、语法等多种成分,考查听者对篇章理解及分析等能力。
听写要综合听者听和写的技能,能综合地衡量听者的语言水平。
在指导和培训学生短文听写的教学中给学生提供有效的学习策略,并引导学生形成具有自己风格、适合自己而又有效的听力学习方法,能提高学生在听力学习中的综合运用听力策略的能力,从而进一步提高其语言水平。
关键词:专业英语四级;短文听写;听力策略中图分类号:g64 文献标志码:a 文章编号:1002-2589(2012)35-0292-02一、专业英语四级考试英语专业四级考试内容涵盖英语听、读、写各方面,全面检查已学完课程的学生是否达到教学大纲所规定的各项要求,考核学生运用各项基本技能的能力以及学生对语法结构和词语用法的掌握程度,既测试学生的综合能力,也测试学生的单项技能。
短文听写是专四考试中的一个重要部分,是一种综合技能,涉及语音、语法、词汇、篇章结构、心理和记忆等诸多因素。
听写比听力理解对学生的能力要求更高,学生不仅要具备良好的听的能力,同时还要具有较好的记忆力,较强的单词拼写的能力和速记能力等。
听写既要保证有效的信息输入,又要求精确的信息输出。
专业英语四级考试中采用的是录音式标准听写,要求考生在15分钟内全面理解所听内容的基础上写出全文,要求拼法和标点符号正确无误,错误率不超过8%。
由此可见,听写作为一种高标准的测试手段,能综合考查学生的英语综合运用能力。
相关研究表明,英语专业四级考试的听写成绩与总成绩有密切联系,它直接影响英语专业四级考试的成绩,甚至是专四的过级率。
根据对学生专四成绩的研究可以发现,短文听写成绩好,专四考试的总成绩也好,通过率也高。
因此,在英语专业基础阶段,必须加强听写训练,以促进学生综合能力的提高。
二、运用英语听力策略提高学生短文听写的能力(一)元认知策略元认知是学习者对认知活动的自我意识、自我评价和自我监控与调节的过程。
英语四级听力新闻类试题在6月18日英语四级听力考试之际,店铺为大家分享最新四级英语新闻类听力试题及答案,仅供参考!【听力填空】重新播放音频,请根据所听得信息填空。
U.S. President Barack Obama is traveling to the Middle Eastern _____ this week. The two countries governments have been close ______ for _______. The U.S. has _____from having a reliable source of oil and a stable trade and military partner in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia has invested in U.S. companies, bought U.S. weapons and received _____from the U.S.But the relationship has had its problems. For example, last year's ______ nuclear deal between Iran and six other countries led by the U.S. Saudi Arabia and Iran are ______. The Saudis were initially _____ over the deal.Another strain: the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the U.S. Fifteen of the 19 terrorists who _______ American planes were of Saudi _______. And part of a congressional report on those things remains ________ in the U.S. government.Analysts suspect that the 28 secret pages could _____ foreign support, possibly Saudi support for the ______. In fact, there's a _______ bill in the U.S. Congress right now. It would allow families who lost loved ones in the 9/11 attacks to _______ Saudi Arabia in federal court. If the bill passes, President Obama has threatened to _____ it. Part of the reason, timing.插入采访:The issue of the 28 pages in the 9/11 Commission come at a very, very______ time in U.S.-Saudi relations at the moment. President Obama about to arrive here. Intense ______ between theSaudis and the United States, that`s been developing through President Obama's _____.So, the issue right now, the Saudi saying that they would pull $750 billion of investments in the United States if these 28 pages were made public.These 28 pages, we don't know what they contain, if there was _____ _____in there that says the Saudi government somehow knew or supported or ______ the 9/11 hijackers. Does it lead to the fact there perhaps just rich Saudis offered and gave their support for that attack? It's not clear.But at the moment, the Saudis distrust the United States because they don't think the United States is reliable ally in the region. They formed their own Sunni Muslim _____, 34 nations. They have massively ______ up their defense and security spending, now the third largest defense and security spender in the world.So, this is a tough time in that relationship.【关键词汇】monarchy:君主制ally:同盟decade:十年benefit from:从...中获利security:安保controversial:有争议的enemy:敌人furious:非常生气的`hijack: 劫机descent: 血统classified:保密的reveal:揭示hijacker: 劫机者bipartisan:两党的sue:起诉veto:否决sensitive:敏感的mistrust:不信任presidency: 总统任期smoking gun:确凿证据fund:资助coalition:同盟ramp up:加强【新闻原文】U.S. President Barack Obama is traveling to the Middle Eastern monarchy this week. The two countries governments have been close allies for decades. The U.S. has benefited from having a reliable source of oil and a stable trade and military partner in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia has invested in U.S. companies, bought U.S. weapons and received security from the U.S.But the relationship has had its problems. For example, last year`s controversial nuclear deal between Iran and six other countries led by the U.S. Saudi Arabia and Iran are enemies. The Saudis were initially furious over the deal.Another strain: the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the U.S. Fifteen of the 19 terrorists who hijacked American planes were of Saudi descent. And part of a congressional report on those things remains classified in the U.S. government.Analysts suspect that the 28 secret pages could reveal foreign support, possibly Saudi support for the hijackers.In fact, there's a bipartisan bill in the U.S. Congress right now.It would allow families who lost loved ones in the 9/11 attacks to sue Saudi Arabia in federal court. If the bill passes, President Obama has threatened to veto it. Part of the reason, timing.(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)The issue of the 28 pages in the 9/11 Commission come at a very, very sensitive time in U.S.-Saudi relations at the moment. President Obama about to arrive here. Intense mistrust between the Saudis and the United States, that`s been developing through President Obama's presidency.So, the issue right now, the Saudi saying that they would pull $750 billion of investments in the United States if these 28 pages were made public.These 28 pages, we don't know what they contain, if there was smoking gun in there that says the Saudi government somehow knew or supported or funded the 9/11 hijackers. Does it lead to the fact there perhaps just rich Saudis offered and gave their support for that attack? It`s not clear.But at the moment, the Saudis distrust the United States because they don`t think the United States is reliable ally in the region. They formed their own Sunni Muslim coalition, 34 nations. They have massively ramped up their defense and security spending, now the third largest defense and security spender in the world.So, this is a tough time in that relationship.。
四级新闻听力12套(word)2016年新题型大学英语四级考试新闻听力补充试卷十二套(36篇)第一部分四级听力新题型调整说明自2016年6月考试起,全国大学英语四、六级考试委员会将对四级考试的听力试题作局部调整。
具体见下表:调整内容说明如下:1.取消短对话。
2.取消短文听写。
3.新增短篇新闻(3段)。
第二部分新闻听力十二套(36篇)Model Test OneSection ADirections:In this section, you will hear three news reports. At the end of each news report, you will hear two or three questions. Both the news report 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 Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre.Questions 1 and 2 will be based on the following news item.1. A) More than 5 million. B) More than 10 million.C) More than 25 million. D) More than 30 million.2. A) To help identify where infectious diseases are developing.B) To help small and medium size businesses grow.C) To help improve public services.D) To help two climate change programs.Questions 3 and 4 will be based on the following news item.3. A) About4.12 million units were sold.B) They declined to their lowest level.C) There was a decline of 10% than that in July.D) They indicated a start of rise in August.4. A) They are much stronger than their expectations.B) They might reach to 4.25 million units per year.C) They will be out of control on next month’s report.D) They indicate the housing industry has recovered.Questions 5 to 7 will be based on the following news item.5. A) Britain has decided to restrict bankers’ bonuses.B) Britain has decided to raise bankers’ salary.C) Britain has decided to curb bankers’ salary.D) Britain has decided to raise bankers’ bonuses.6. A) Those employees whose payments was over $ 4000.B) Those employees whose payments was $ 40000.C) Those employees whose payments was over $ 40000.D) Those employees whose payments was $ 4000.7. A) Most of it would be paid in money. C) Some of it would be paid in shares.B) Most of it would be paid in shares. D) Some of it would be paid in money.Model Test TwoSection AQuestions 1 and 2 will be based on the following news item.1. A) 18000. B) 80000. C) 60000. D) 16000.2. A) Meet the miners’ original demand. C) Improve the miners’ w orking conditions.B) Offer more benefits to poor black miners. D) Offer a 10% pay rise.Questions 3 and 4 will be based on the following news item.3. A) Chances of guessing the correct lotto numbers.B) Rossi’s dreams about winning t he lotto.C) People’s madness for lotto games in Italy.D) Foreigners’ visit to Italy for the lotto drawings.4. A) A huge amount of money. C) A free tour in Europe.B) Free flights to Italy. D) Tickets for the lotto games.Questions 5 to 7 will be based on the following news item.5. A) Stopping renewing an agreement. C) Renewing an agreement.B) Blocking an agreement. D) Blocking the renewal of a contract.6. A) It provided sufficient privacy safeguards. C) It provided insufficient safeguards.B) It cannot protect privacy sufficiently. D) It failed to safeguard people’s interests7. A) The Swift Money Transfer System. C) The Lisbon Treaty.B) The Brussels Treaty. D) The Swift System.Model Test ThreeSection AQuestions 1 and 2 will be based on the following news item.1. A) It did not reach analysts’ expectations. C) It hinted a decline of Ford’s net income.B) It was a favorable news for the automaker. D) It spurred a rise for Ford’s share price.2. A) There are small losses in North America.B) Prices should be raised in European market.C) Another product line should be set up in Europe.D) Earnings continued to be good in North America.Questions 3 and 4 will be based on the following news item.3. A) The development of French engineering firms.B) Working and living condition in the city of Dijon.C) The environmentally-friendly building in France.D) A tour of the landmark buildings in France.4. A) Metal skirt. B) Solar panel. C) Sun shield. D) Sandwich. Questions 5 to 7 will be based on the following news item.5. A) The International Space Station. C) The Baikonur Cosmodrome.B) The Siberia Vessel. D) The Progress 45.6. A) On Sunday. B) On Monday. C) On Tuesday. D) On Wednesday7. A) At 4:02 p.m. B) At 4:11 p.m. C) At 4:20 p.m. D) At 6:11 p.m.Model Test FourSection AQuestions 1 and 2 will be based on the following news item.1. A) They made more efforts to find more new cases.B) They tried to prevent the disease out of the capital.C) They held a public movement on hygiene information.D) They boosted the accuracy and promptness of their report.2. A) It’s the first time that ingestion disease has broken out in Haiti.B) The death rate of ingestion disease is too high.C) Death number will keep increasing for a long time.D) Ingestion disease could join other local diseases in Haiti.Questions 3 and 4 will be based on the following news item3. A) The children of the international diplomatic corps.B) The program of International Baccalaureate schools.C) The school district in the suburb of Detroit, Michigan.D) “Mother Earth” class in IB elementary schools.4. A) Subject areas are separated. C) “Mother Earth” class covers math.B) Classes are held in the open air, D) Teachers prepare classes together.Questions 5 to 7 will be based on the following news item5. A) White ash. C) Poison gas.B) High temperature water. D) Hurricane.6. A) Less than 10. B) About 20. C) About 120. D) More than 750.7. A) They have found too many dead bodies.B) They want to persuade people to move away.C) They don’t know what might ha ppen next.D) They need space to carry out the research.Model Test FiveSection AQuestions 1 and 2 will be based on the following news item.1. A) The Angeles National Forest. C) The tools used in fire fighting.B) The fire fighting in Los Angeles. D) The protection of Mount Wilson.2. A) Tractors and hand tools. C) The slightly higher humidity.B) Helicopters and airplanes. D) The 20-kilometer fire lines.Questions 3 and 4 will be based on the following news item.3. A) It is the new health care law. C) It is the new federal budget law.B) It is the short-term spending law. D) It is the federal operation law.4. A) It will increase the government’s economic burden.B) It will lead to a partial shutdown of the US government.C) It will give rise to a clash between the two major political parties.D) It will oblige people to buy insurance policies unwillingly.Questions 5 to 7 will be based on the following news item.5. A) The country’s big labor union. C) The country’s big business.B) The country’s big government. D) The country’s big police.6. A) They blocked the traffic. C) They clashed with community groups.B) They occupied New York. D) They controlled too much wealth.7. A) It has now spread to other Asian cities.B) The protesters have camped in N ew York’s cultural district.C) Members of labor unions joined the movement on Wednesday.D) The protesters represent the wealthiest 99% of Americans.Model Test SixSection AQuestions 1 and 2 will be based on the following news item.1. A) South Africa’s multiracial history.B) Musical New Year’s tradition in South Africa.C) Southeast Asia slaves in Cape Town.D) Cape T own’s mixed race or “colored” residents.2. A) The dockworkers. C) The Dutch colonists.B) European minstrels. D) Cape Town’s residents.Questions 3 and 4 will be based on the following news item.3. A) Monitoring all banks in the country. C) Providing advice to the President.B) Ensuring a safe economic policy. D) Offering enough money to the government.4. A) She once taught at Berkeley University.B) She got tenure at Harvard University.C) She has a Nobel Prize in Economic Theory.D) She has been working in the Federal Reserve for over 10 years.Questions 5 to 7 will be based on the following news item.5. A) To deal with labor unrest in the country.B) To worsen the relationship between police and protesters.C) To suppress the legal protests.D) To protect the garment factory workers.6. A) In two industrial complexes. C) In the garment factories of Chittagong.B) In the southern Bangladesh. D) In the capital Dhaka.7. A) It will worsen the relationship between workers and security forces.B) It will worsen the relationship between workers and factory owners.C) It will worsen the relationship between union leaders and legitimate protesters.D) It will worsen the relationship between government and protesters.Model Test SevenSection AQuestions 1 and 2 will be based on the following news item.1. A) Energy and power shortage in Kenya.B) Emergency measures for the livestock in Kenya.C) Rockefeller Foundation’s assistance in Kenya.D) Kenya’s emergency plan on food and water shortage.2. A) The local communities. C) The civil society.B) The army. D) The power company.Questions 3 and 4 will be based on the following news item.3. A) When he was skating in the French Alps. C) When he was skiing in the French Alps.B) When he was skating in the German Alps. D) When he was skiing in the German Alps.4. A) He is now in a hospital in Moutiers.B) He is having a psychological test now.C) He has an English friend who is a trauma specialist.D) He was taken to a local hospital by helicopter.Questions 5 to 7 will be based on the following news item5. A) They were between Christians and Muslims.B) They were between local people and Muslims.C) They were between local people and Christians.D) They were between local army and Muslims.6. A) It is a large commercial area to the north. C) It was burnt to the ground.B) It was under military control. D) There were no debris and smoldering fires.7. A) At least 100. B) 100. C) At least 1000. D) 1000.Model Test EightSection AQuestions 1 and 2 will be based on the following news item1. A) Offering services to help people stop smoking.B) Raising taxes.C) Warning people about the dangers of tobacco.D) Enforcing bans on tobacco advertising.2. A) More than 5 million. B) More than 8 million. C) More than l billion. D) More than 10 billion Questions 3 and 4 will be based on the following news item3. A) The discovery of voice recording. C) Le s Paul’s musical experience a nd death.B) The development of guitar and popular music. D) Les Paul’s own radio show in Chicago.4. A) When he was 10 years old. C) When he was a host in Chicago.B) When he was 13 years old. D) When he was at a local restaurant.Questions 5 to 7 will be based on the following news item.5. A) Sleeping. B) Holding a meeting. C) Indulging themselves.D) Quarrelling.6. A) Soldiers. B) Teachers. C) Lawyers. D) Businessmen.7. A) Fire. C) Body bomb.B) Mobile phone signals. D) Light.Model Test NineSection AQuestions 1 and 2 will be based on the following news item.1. A) The fire erupted in southern Australia.B) There may be more victims.C) The entire towns have been lost,D) The temperatures have reached 57 degrees Celsius.2. A) 108. B) 47. C) Up to 400. D) Dozens of. Questions 3 and 4 will be based on the following news item.3. A) It is set to expire on December 31. C) It created 120000 jobs.B) It raised the unemployment rate. D) It made middle class families benefited.4. A) When unemployment rate dropped. C) When he made his weekly address.B) Before Congress went home for the holidays. D) Before private sectors created more jobs. Questions 5 to 7 will be based on the following news item.5. A) Top industrial countries met in the US for world finance.B) Developing economies met in the US for a summit on finance.C) G20 leaders met in the US for a summit on future world culture.D) Developing and top industrial economies met in the US for a summit on finance.6. A) 5 billion. B) 50 billion. C) 500 billion. D) 5000 billion.7. A) When to avoid a repeat of the financial crisis.B) When to inject money without harming a recovery.C) How to withdraw that support without harming a recovery.D) How to inject money without harming a recovery.Model Test TenSection AQuestions 1 and 2 will be based on the following news item.1. A) On the first Monday in November. C) On the first Monday in December.B) On the first Tuesday in November. D) On the first Tuesday in December.2. A) Frans Baleni. B) Ken Cuccinelli. C) Terry McAuliffe. D) Chris Christie. Questions 3 and 4 will be based on the followingnews item.3. A) The general US economic activity. C) The lower savings rate in America.B) Consumer spending in US economy. D) The gove rnment’s effort on economy.4. A) The lower savings rate in four years. C) Special payments by the government.B) The spending boost by Americans, D) PNC Financial Services Group’s support. Questions 5 to 7 will be based on the following news item.5. A) Labor Department officials. C) Lawmakers.B) Civilians. D) The army.6. A) 0.3%. B) 3%. C) 9.7%. D) 10%.7. A) Negative. B) Positive. C) Hopeless. D) Enlightening.Model Test ElevenSection AQuestions 1 and 2 will be based on the following news item1. A) The women’s marathon at the historic Brandenburg Gate.B) The final day of the Championships competition.C) Nick Symmonds’ win of the 800-meter semifinal heat.D) T he final of the men’s four-by-400-meter relay.2.A)3.B)4.C)7.D)8.Questions 3 and 4 will be based on the following news item3. A) It might hinder people from going shopping. C) It might be harmful to some people’s health.B) It could cause serious traffic accident. D) It could add more holiday atmosphere.4. A) In the middle of winter. C) During Christmas.B) Just before Christmas. D) After the Christmas holiday.Questions 5 to 7 will be based on the following news item 5, A) Japan. C) The United States,B) South Korea. D) Australia.6. A) Trade imbalances. C) Regional disputes.B) Unstable cur rency values. D) New members’ applications.7.A) 9. B) 19. C) 20. D) 21.8.Model Test TwelveSection AQuestions 1 and 2 will be based on the following news item.1. A) The election in Kenya. C) The diplomatic relations with other country.B) The economy and democracy. D) The peace in the country.2. A) About 30. B) More than 300. C) Around 3000. D) More than 5000. Questions 3 and 4 will be based on the following news item.3. A) Positive. B) Reluctant. C) Optimistic. D) Careless.4. A) 400 million dollars and 100 military experts. C) 140 million dollars and 100 military experts.B) 140 million dollars and 500 soldiers. D) 400 million dollars and 500 soldiers.Questions 5 to 7 will be based on the following news item.5. A) Negotiations between developing and industrialized countries.B) A struggle to reach a new global agreement on climate change.C) The deadlock of United Nations climate talks.D) A list of demands by developing nations.6. A) It’s a global agreement on climate change.B) It expired at the end of last month.C) It fell into deadlock and continued into the second round.D) The United Nations climate talks have made a replacement for it.7. A) Crafting a replacement for the Kyoto Protocol.B) Reducing emissions of greenhouse gases.C) Stopping industrial emissions of greenhouse gases.D) Coping with the effects of climate change respectively.第三部分答案解析及听力原文Model Test OneSection AQuestions 1 and 2 will be based on the following news item.The Internet search engine company called Google has announced (1) it will give more than twenty-five million dollars in money and investments to help the poor. The money will be spent over the next five to ten years in several areas, including poverty reduction and private business development.Aleem Walji works for -the part of the company that gives money to good causes. He spoke to us from San Francisco. California. He said (2) the first project to receive money will help identify where infectious diseases are developing. In Southeast Asia and Africa, for example. Google. org will work with partners to strengthen early warning systems and take action against growing health threats.1. How much money will Google spend in helping the poor?C)【精析】由句(1)可知,Google会拿出2500多万美金以现金和投资的形式帮助贫困人群。
CONTENTSPassage 1 Town and Country life in England Passage 2 A Change in Women's LifePassage 3 A Popular Pastime of the English People Passage 4 British and American Police Officers Passage 5 living SpacePassage 6 The United NationsPassage 7 PlasticPassage 8 Display of GoodsPassage 9 Albert EinsteinPassage 10 Private CarsPassage 11 A Henpecked Husband and His Wife Passage 12 A Young Man's PromisePassage 13 A Kind NeighborPassage 14 That Isn't Our FaultPassage 15 A Guide's AnswerPassage 16 A Qualified PilotPassage 17 Living Things ReactPassage 18 Flowering PlantsPassage 19 Finding the Direction and Location Passage 20 WavesPassage 21 SoilsPassage22 CrisisPassage 23 America's Worst SurprisePassage 24 Great Depression in the U.S.Passage 25 A Place of Our OwnPassage 26 Travel for WorkPassage 27 IntelligencePassage 28 A Free Dress Every WeekPassage 29 TimePassage 30 CartoonistsPassage 31 Water PollutionPassage 32 Making a ComplaintPassage 33 Where Do the British LivePassage 34 Will Computers Replace Human Beings Passage 35 SoccerPassage 36 ArtistsPassage 37 Professional Sports in the U.S. Passage38 "How to" BooksPassage 39 Don't Give UpPassage 40 How High Can You JumpPassage 41 Apology HelpsPassage 42 SleepPassage 43 Our ConcernPassage 44 Gardening in AmericaPassage 45 The Influence of LifePassage 46 AutomobilesPassage 47 House and HomePassage 48 Population GrowthPassage49 Natural ResourcesPassage50 Reading1 Town and Country Life in EnglandThere is a big difference between town life and country life in England. In the country, everybody knows everybody else. They know what time you get up, what time you go to bed and what you have for dinner. If you want help, you will always get it and you will be glad to help others.In a large town like London, however, it can sometimes happen that you have never seen your next door neighbor and you do not know his name or anything about him. People in London are often very lonely. This is because people go to different places in the evenings and at weekends. If you walk through the streets in the centre of London on Sunday, it is like a town without people. One is sorry for old people living on their own .They could die in their homes and would not be discovered for weeks or even months. (154 words)Useful Words and Expressions:next door n. n.隔壁the neighbors next他 door隔壁邻居lonely adj .孤独的,寂寞的,偏僻的,人迹罕至的lonely life孤单的生活a lonely old man一位孤独的老人a lonely sand一个孤岛the loneliest night最孤独的夜晚on (one's) own独自;独立地;通过自己的努力She lives on her own.她一个人过。
PART Ⅱ DICTATIONMoneyMoney is accepted across the world as payment for goods or services. People use money tobuy food, clothes and hundreds of other things. In the past, many different things were used as money. People on Pacific islands once exchanged shells for goods. The Chinese used cloth and knives. In Africa, elephant tusks or salt were used. Even today, some people in Africa are still paidin salt. Coins were first invented by the Chinese. Originally, they were round pieces of metal witha hole in the center, so that a piece of string could keep them together. This made doing business much easier, but people still found coins inconvenient to carry when they wanted to buy something expensive. To solve this problem, the Chinese again came up with the solution. They began to use paper money for coins. Now paper notes are used throughout the world.PART III LISTENING COMPREHENSIONSECTION A1. Lily studied drama at the university but she used to work as a policewoman. Now she is a teacher b2. May I have your attention, please? Flight 5125 scheduled to take off at 11:30 will be delayed for20 minutes. Please check-in half an hour prior to departure.3. There is a railway strike in the south region and several trains have been cancelled, however, the4. Latest reports from the northeast provinces say that at least sixteen people lost their lives in Sunday’s floods. A further nine people, mostly children are r5. John, your paper must be revised over the weekend and handed in its final form on Monday. If you have any problem, call the office directly.6. My discovery of Mary Jackson was as a matter of fact, a gift from a friend. Years ago I wasIt’s only with7. Oh! Talking about money, it’s terrible when you think how tiring the work is.8. A lot of drugs are missing from the cupboard here in this room so I think we will have to lookSECTION B9. W: Would you mind if we discussed tomorrow’s agenda before dinner this evening?r meal.M: Not at all. I certainly don’t want to talk about it during ou10. W:11. W: It’s so hot today, I can’t work.M: So do I, I’ll fall as12. W: I can’t imagine what happened to Janet.13. W: Check in here?M: Yes, can I see your flight ticket please?W: Here it is. I14. W: I heard that PICC is going to hold interviews on campus next week.M: Yeah, what day? I’d like to talk to them and drop my resume.15. W: There must be a thunderstorm in some place because the picture isn’t very sharp and thesound isn’t very clear.M: I think you’re right, they said on the radio last night that a storm was coming in from the16. W: The party will start at 6:30 but there are a lot of preparations to make and I need your help.Can I expect you at 5:00?17. M: Excuse me, I’m enrolled to take Professor Lee’s literature course 102 and I hear somechanges have been made.W: Yes, the class has been moved to the north building. Also it is now on Tuesdays and Thursdaysfrom 2 to 4 p.m., instead of being held on Monday and Friday from 2 to 3 p.M: What changes!SECTION CNews Item One (18-A court in Zimbabwe is due to deliver its verdict today in a trial of a journalist who works forthe British newspaper The Guaidian. The trial is seen as a test case for the country’s strict new media laws. Andrew Meldrum, an American w ho’s lived in Zimbabwe for over twenty years isaccused of publishing an untrue story and faces up to two years in prison if found guilty. A dozenother journalists have also been charged with offenses relating to the new laws. In court Mr.Meldrum’s defe nse argued that his story was published in Britain. It was beyond the jurisdiction ofNews Item Two (20-withdrawal Kuala Lumpur Afghanistan will play soccer at the Asian games. Mongolia’shas given the war-torn nation a confidence boost. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC)announced in a statement yesterday that Afghanistan would play in the under-twenty-threeagainst Iran on Septembertournament at the games in Bussan. Afghanistan’s first match will beother teams are Qatar and Lebanon. Afghanistan was a founding member of the28. The group’sconfederation in the 1950s, before entering long periods of war and factional fighting. The chaos was largely ended after US led forces overthrew the Taliban regime last year incountry’sresponse to the September 11th terrorist attacks in the United States. During the Soccer World Cup-Kohistani said hein June, the President of Afghanistan’s Football Aociation (AFA), Abdul Aleemhoped his country would be able to take part in theNews Item Three (22-23)The expected life span of Beijing residents has gone up to 75.5 years old, compared with 74.4years old, a decade earlier. While the death rate of middle-aged residents increased dramatically,according to recent official report. The report made public by the Beijing Disease Control andPrevention Center said the past mortality of people age between 35 to 54 years old had gone up58.5% during the past ten years, from 158 people per 100,000 in 1991 to 251 people per 100,000last year. Infant and maternal mortality rates went down 132% and 147% respectively. Healthexperts said chronic non-infectious diseases were the main causes of death covering 60% of thetotal number of deaths. The male mortality is higher than that of females and the death rateNews Item Four (24-25)Islamabad-Pakistani President, Purvez Musherof said yesterday there was no danger of thecountry going to war with neighboring India but that Pakistani forces would be ready to repel any aggression. There is no danger of war, Musherof told reporters in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad. We should have confidence in ourselves. We are not sitting idle. We are prepared for everything. There should not be any misunderstanding. Tensions were raised this week as the two accused each other of links to killings in the two countries. India suspects the two gunmen who killed twenty-based Islamic militant groups. Pakistan denied any involvement in the temple massacre and police in Karachi said there were indications of India intelligence agents behind the murder of seven Christian charity workersin the city, but India rejects the charges yesterday.。
英语专业四级考试真题及答案英语专业四级考试(TEM-4,Test for English Majors-Band 4)是由教育部高等教育司主办,由外语教学与研究社考试中心承办的全国性英语水平考试。
作为一项全国性的教学检测性考试,TEM-4旨在全面检查已学完英语专业二级的学生是否达到教学大纲所规定的各项要求,考核学生运用各项基本技能的能力以及学生对语法结构和词语用法的掌握程度,既测试学生的综合能力,也测试学生的单项技能。
也是评估教学质量,推动校际交流的一种手段。
一、考试真题1、听力理解听力理解部分包括四个对话和两个长对话,共15题。
每个对话含一组对话,对话后有一个问句,要求考生从所给的选项中选择最佳答案。
听力材料的语速为每分钟120个单词,对话长度为150个单词左右,每个对话的录音材料播放两遍。
2、阅读理解阅读理解部分包括三篇短文,共15题。
每篇短文后有3-4个问题,要求考生从所给的选项中选择最佳答案。
短文长度为250个单词左右,难度与本专业基础阶段英语教材水平相近。
3、完型填空完型填空是一篇200个单词左右的短文,其中有10个空格,每个空格为一题。
要求考生从所给的选项中选择最佳答案,使短文的意思和结构恢复完整。
4、写作和翻译写作部分要求考生写一篇100-120个单词的短文,内容涉及本专业领域,文体包括叙述文、说明文和议论文等。
翻译部分包括一段30个单词左右的句子翻译成英文,和一段40个单词左右的段落翻译成中文。
二、答案分析1、听力理解听力理解部分主要考察学生的听力技能和对语言的理解能力。
在答题时,要认真听取录音材料中的对话和问题,抓住关键词汇,推断对话中的语境和含义,然后从所给的选项中选择最佳答案。
2、阅读理解阅读理解部分主要考察学生的阅读技能和对语言的理解能力。
在答题时,要快速阅读全文,理解文章的主旨和重点内容,然后根据问题从文章中寻找相关信息,并从所给的选项中选择最佳答案。
3、完型填空完型填空部分主要考察学生的词汇和语法知识。
英语专业四级考试听写自我测试100篇(1-50为英式发音;51-100为美式发音)1. Education in ChinaEducation in China today has been developing rapidly. In many provinces, it is compulsory and free. Most children start school at the age of six. They attend 5 years of elementary school and 6 years of high school.After graduation from high school, a student can start his higher education in a two-year college, a four-year college, a university, or a specialized professional school. Most colleges admit students on the basis of their entrance examination records. The cost of a college education is not very high. And the greater part of it is met by their families, though students can get support from their college. Many students receive scholarships from the school, the government, private foundations and organizations.Though great progress has been made in China in the field of education, there is still a comparatively large part of the population in the country who cannot read and write.2.DreamsDreams are a product of the sleeper’s mind. They include events and feelings that he has experienced. Most dreams are related to events of the day before the dream and the strong wishes of the dreamer. Many minor incidents of the hours before sleep appear in dreams. Few events more than two days old turn up. Deep wishes or fears, especially those held since childhood, often appear in dreams, and many dreams fulfill such wishes. Events in the sleeper’s surroundings, a loud noise, for example, may become part of a dream, but they do not cause dreams.Some dreams involve deep feelings that a person may not realize he has. Psychiatrists often use material from a patient’s dreams to help the person understand himself better.Dreaming may help maintain good learning ability, memory, and emotional adjustment.3. EmotionsAccording to psychologists, an emotion is aroused when a man or animal views something as either bad or good. When a person feels like running away from something he thinks will hurt him, we call this emotion fear. If the person wants to remove the danger by attacking it, we call the emotion anger. The emotions of joy and love are aroused when we think something can help us. An emotion does not have to be created by something in the outside world. It can be created by a person’s thoughts.Everyone has emotions, but many psychologists believe that infants are born without emotions. They believe children learn emotions just as they learn to read and write. A growing child not only learns his emotions but learns how to act in certain situations because of an emotion.4. Re-employment of Laid-off WorkersThe issue of re-employment has emerged with large numbers of surplus laborers having been laid off. There is no doubt that it would lead to endless trouble if the surplus were not reorganized properly. In order to maintain social stability and to secure people’s normal living standards, it is essential to work out solutions to the problem.Solving the problem is a two-way operation as far as the government and workers are concerned.On the one hand, the government at all levels should try every possible means to create a wide range of employment options open to laid-off workers; on the other hand, these workers ought not to sit idle and wait for opportunities to come. So long as they don’t lose heart and constantly strive to better themselves, their futures will be bright.5. Describing PeopleFaces, like fingerprints, are unique. Did you ever wonder how it is possible for us to recognize people? Even a skilled writer probably could not describe all the features that make one face different from another. Yet a very young child- even an animal, such as a pigeon—can learn to recognize faces. We all take this ability for granted.We also tell people apart by how they behave. When we talk about someone’s personality, we mean the ways in which he or she acts, speaks, thinks and feels that make that individual different from others.Like the human face, human personality is very complex. But describing someone’s personality in words is somewhat easier than describing his face. If you were asked to describe what a “nice face”looked like, you probably would have a difficult time doing so. But if you were asked to describe a “nice person”, you might begin to think about someone who was kind, considerate, friendly and warm.6. Physical ActivityMost young people enjoy some form of physical activity. It might be walking, cycling or swimming, or in winter, skating or skiing. It might be a game of some kind like football, hockey, golf or tennis, or it might be mountaineering.Those who have a passion for climbing high and difficult mountains are often looked upon with astonishment why are men and women willing to suffer cold and hardship, and to take risks on high mountains? This astonishment is probably caused by the difference between mountaineering and other forms of activity to which men give their leisure.If we compare mountaineering and other more familiar sports, we might think that one big difference is that mountaineering is not a “team sport”. We should be mistaken in this. There are, it is true, no “matches” between “t eams” of climbers. However, when climbers are on a rock face linked by a rope on which their lives may depend, there is obviously teamwork.7. The Clever Man NasreddinAn old man died and left his son a lot of money. But the son was a foolish young man: he quickly spent all the money, and soon he had nothing left. Of course, when that happened, all his friends left him. When he was quite poor and alone, he went to see Nasreddin, who was a kind, clever old man and often helped people when they had troubles.“My money is finished and my friends have gone,” said the young man. “What will happen to me now?”“Don’t worry, young man,”answered Nasreddin, “Everything will soon be all right again and you will soon feel much happier.”The young man was very glad. “Am I going to get rich again then?” he asked Nasreddin.“No, I didn’t mean that, ” said the old man. “I meant that you would soon get used to being poor and to having no friends.”8. A Man and His CarA man was traveling abroad in a small red car. One day he left the car and went shopping. When he came back, its roof was badly damaged.Some boys told him that an elephant had damaged it. The man did not believe them, but theytook him to a circus which was near there. The owner of the elephant said, “I am very sorry! My elephant has a big, round, red chair. He thought that your car was his chair, and he sat on it!” then he gave the man a letter, in which he said that he was sorry and that he would pay for all the damage.When the man got back to his own country, the customs officers would not believe his story. They said, “You sold your new car while you were abroad and bought this old one!” it was only when the man showed them the letter from the man at the circus that they believed him.9. The SunA long time ago people thought that the sun went round the earth. In some countries people even said that the sun was a god. They thought the god drove across the sky each day on a golden horse. Now we know the earth goes round the sun. It takes the earth a year to go all the way round the sun. Today men even know how far it is for the earth to go round the sun. They tell us that the earth travels over a thousand miles a minute on its journey round the sun.The sun is really a star. It is much bigger than the earth and it is very hot. Some people have been to the moon but we know that no one can ever go to the sun. It is far too hot for people to live anywhere near it. The sun is three hundred thousand times heavier than the earth and more than a million times larger.10. Can Animals Be Made to Work for Us?Can animals be made to work for us? Some scientists think that one day animals may be taught to do a number of simple jobs. They say that in a film or on TV we may see elephants, or monkeys, dogs, bears, or other animals doing a lot of things. If you watch carefully, you may find that those animals are always given something to eat in return for doing them. The scientists say that many different animals may be taught to do a number of simple jobs if they know they will get something to eat in return. Of course, as we know, dogs can be used to guard a house, and elephants can be used to do some heavy jobs. And we can also teach animals to work in factories. Apes, for example, have been used in America to help make cars and scientists believe that these large monkeys may one day get in crops and even drive trains.11. Man’s Best FriendAlmost everyone likes dogs, and almost everyone likes reading stories about dogs. I have a friend who has a large police dog. Its name is Jack. Police dogs are often very clever. Every Sunday afternoon my friend takes Jack for a long walk in the park. Jack likes these long walks very much. One Sunday afternoon a young man came to visit my friend. He stayed a long time. He talked and talked. Soon it was time for my friend to take Jack for his walk. But the visitor still stayed. Jack became very worried. He walked around the room several times and then sat down in front of the visitor and looked at him. But the visitor paid no attention. He continued talking. Finally Jack couldn’t stand it. He went out of the room and came back a few minutes later. He sat down again in front of the visitor but this time he held the visitor’s hat in his mouth.12. CommunicationYou speak, write a letter, make a telephone call. Your words carry a message. People communicate with words. Do you think you can communicate without words? A smile on your face shows you are happy or friendly. Tears in your eyes tell others that you are sad. When you raise your hand in class, the teacher knows you want to say something or ask questions. You shake your head, and people know you are saying “No”. You nod and people know you are saying, “Yes”. Other things can also carry messages. For example, a sign at the bus stop helps you to know which bus totake. A sign on the wall of your school helps you to find the library. Signs on doors tell you where to go in or out. Have you ever noticed that there are a lot of signs around you and that you receive messages from them all the time?13. Weather and MenEverybody talks about the weather, but nobody does anything about it. It is true. People usually begin their conversations with “Isn’t it a nice day?”“Do you think it will rain?”“What a fine day!”etc.Many people think they can tell what the weather is going to be like. But they rarely agree with each other. One man may say, “Do you see how cloudy it is in the east? It’s going to rain tomorrow.”Another man will say, “No, it’s going to be fine tomorrow.”People often look for the weather they want. When a farmer needs water, he looks for something to tell him it’s going to rain; he won’t believe anything else. When friends have planned a trip, they are sure the weather is going to clear up very quickly.Almost everyone listens to what the weatherman says. But he does n’t always tell us what we want, and once in a while he makes a mistake.14. A Selfish ManSmith was a landlord. He loved money very much and never gave anything to anybody. One day the landlord was walking along a river with his friends and fell into it. He cried, “Help! Help!” one of his friends held out his hand and said, “Give me your hand and I will pull you out.” But he did not give his hand to his friend. Then another of his friends tried but the same thing happened. Just then a farmer came over and saw all this. He knew the landlord very well. He said to the others, “Let me try.” He held out his hand and said to the landlord, “Take my hand and I will pull you out.” Hearing this, the landlord took the farmer’s hand, and in a minute the farmer pulled the landlord out of the water. All the others were very surprised at this and asked the farmer, “Why did he give his hand to you but not to us? The farmer said, “You don’t know your friend very well, when you say ‘give’ to him, he does nothing, but when you say ‘take’, he takes.”15. The Benefits of Class ParticipationDifferent teachers have different styles of teaching. Some prefer to deliver a prepared lecture, while others expect some participation from their students. Likewise, some students learn best in the former situation, while others do so in the latter. Perhaps the best learning environments is one in which the preferred styles of teacher and students match. For me, that is a class in which the teacher encourages class participation.I prefer to participate in class for several reasons. One is that students’ participation makes the class more lively and interesting. I can hear not only my teacher’s opinions on a subject, but also those of my classmates. Another reason is that I believe the teacher can better understand the students when they interact with him in class. Rather than wait for exam results to indicate how much the students have absorbed, the teacher can learn immediately whether the students understand what he is talking about. Finally, I acquire more knowledge in this kind of class. I can ask more in-depth questions and satisfy my curiosity.16. OilAlmost everyone in the world uses oil in some way. Cars, buses, planes and many trains and ships also need oil. Even our bicycles need oil. Indeed the whole world would stop if there was no oil.Today there is a growing need for oil in the world. So people are looking for it everywhere. Theylook for oil in deserts, in the mountains and under the sea. Quite often they find nothing, but the search for oil always goes on.Who are the largest oil producers in the world? The U. S., the former Soviet Union, and the countries of the Middle East. But China is catching up fast. Before liberation we used to buy nearly all our oil from the U S.. Many foreign people said China was “oil-poor”. But since liberation oil has been found in many parts of the country. Today everyone agrees that China is rich in oil. Our oil not only meets the great need in our country, but also be sold to other countries.17. Time ZonesStrange things happen from time to time when you travel, because people divide the earth into twenty-four time zones, one hour apart. You can have days with more or fewer than twenty-four hours, and weeks with more or less than seven days. If you make a five-day trip across the Atlantic Ocean, your ship enters a different time zone every day. As you enter each zone, the time changes one hour. If you travel westward, you put your watch back; and if you travel eastward, you put it ahead. Each day of your trip has either twenty-five or twenty-three hours. If you travel by ship across the Pacific, you cross the International Date Line. By agreement a new day begins at this line. When you cross the line, you change your calendar one full day, backward or forward. If traveling eastward, today becomes yesterday; if westward, it is tomorrow.18. Building Houses in the Early DaysIn the early days of the old west in North America, life was difficult. People lived on farms far away from other families. They went to town once a week or one time a month. Then they saw their friends and neighbors. On their farms everyone had lots of work. But there were some big problems. How did one family make a house? How could they build a barn alone? Those were big jobs.What did families do to build houses? They asked for help. They asked their friends and neighbors. They invited them to a work party for a few days. The women cooked together. They made breakfast, lunch and dinner. The men worked on the building. For the children it was like a holiday. They enjoyed it very much. They all helped one another for the good of everyone.19. FriendshipFriendship is one of the greatest pleasures that people can enjoy. It is very difficult to find a better definition of friendship. A true friend does indeed find pleasure in our joy and share sorrow in our grief. In times of trial, he or she is always at our side to give us his or her help and comfort.Knowing how valuable friendship is, we should be very careful in our choice of a friend. We must choose someone who has a good character, whose actions are good and who shows kind-heartedness. We should avoid those shallow people who change in the face of adversity or misfortune.A true friend can always be trusted, loved and respected. The most important thing is that a friend always understands you. In conclusion, when you have made a good friend, don’t forget him or her.20.Maintaining Your MemoryIf you do not use your arms or your legs for some time, they will become weak. When you start using them again, they slowly become strong again. Everybody knows this. Yet many people do not seem to know that memory works in the same way.When someone says that he has a good memory, he really means that he keeps his memory in practice by using it. When someone else says that his memory is poor, he really means that he does not give it enough chance to become strong.Have you ever found that some people can’t read or write, but usually they have better memories?This is because if they cannot read or they cannot write things down in a small notebook, then they have to remember them by heart. So if you want to have a good memory, learn from the people: practice remembering things in the way other people do.21.SOS Children’s VillagesIn Europe many people died during the Second World War. As a result, at the end of the war there were many orphans there. A man called Hermann V oss wanted to help these children. His idea was simple. He wanted the orphans to have a home, and he wanted them to have the care and kindness of parents. V oss asked people to give him some money. With this money he built the first SOS Children’s Village started. The letters SOS stand for “Save Our Souls”. This means “Please help us!” and SOS Children’s Villages gives help to orphans.Hermann V oss’s idea for helping orphans soon spread all over the world. By 1983 there were 170 SOS Children’s Villages in the world. People in many countries give money to help the villages. Today the children from the first village are gown up. Now some of them work in other SOS Children’s Villages.putersWe are already familiar with computers. Computers work for us at home, in offices and in factories. But it is also true that children today are using computers at school before they can write. What does this mean for the future? Are these children lucky or not?Many people who do not know about computers think of them as machines that children play with. They worry that children do not learn from experience, but just from pressing a button. They worry that this is not good for them. They think children are growing up not knowing about the real world.But people who understand more about computers see that computers can be very good for children. A computer can help them to learn about the real world more quickly, to learn what then want to learn and to think for themselves. And for the future, don’t we need people who can think clearly, who know how to get information quickly?23.Dick’s JobDick was a clever and hard-working student, but his parents were poor, so he had to work after class and during his holidays to get enough money for his studies.One summer he got a job in a butcher’s shop during the daytime, and another in a hospital at night. In the shop, he learned to cut and sell meat. In the hospital, of course, Dick was told to do only the easiest jobs. He helped to lift people and carry them from one part of the hospital to another. Both in the butcher’s shop and in the hospital, Dick had to wear white clothes.One evening in the hospital, Dick had to help to carry a woman from her bed to the operating room. The woman already felt frightened when she thought about the operation. When she saw Dick coming to get her, she felt even more frightened. “No! No!” she said, “Not my butcher! I won’t let my butcher operate on me!” with these words, she fainted away.24. OpportunityOpportunities don’t come often. They come every once in a while. Very often, they come quietly and go by without being noticed. Therefore, it is advisable that you should value and treat them withcare. When an opportunity comes, it brings a promise but never realizes it on its own. If you want to achieve something or intend to fulfill one of your ambitions, you must work hard, make an effort and be prepared. Otherwise, you will take no advantage of opportunities when they come to visit you. The difference between a man who succeeds and one who does not lies only in the way each treats opportunities. The successful person always makes adequate preparations to meet opportunities as they duly arrive. The unsuccessful person, on the other hand, works little and just waits for opportunities to pass by. In my opinion, there are plenty of opportunities for everyone in our society, but only those who are adequately prepared and highly qualified can make use of them for their own purposes.25.Living Life at a Slower PaceIt seems that everyone is in a hurry these days. In our fast-paced and competitive society, many people feel that they must do things as quickly as possible or they will fall behind. Certainly, there are many things for us to do. However, it is not necessary to always hurry to get them done. In fact, living life at a slower pace has many advantages.First of all, slowing down allows us to think more clearly about what we must do. With careful consideration we will make better decisions and make fewer mistakes. And when we do not have to correct the mistakes that we make in haste, we will actually save time. Secondly, when we take our time we can do things more carefully and thoroughly. And when we do a better job we feel more satisfied with our efforts. Finally, if we do not rush through life, we will have more time to enjoy the things that we do. And when we take pleasure in our work, we will live happier lives.26.Owning a CarNowadays, any Chinese can enjoy the luxury of owning a private car, if he or she can afford it. Having a car of your own means no more traveling to work on crowded buses or subway trains, and you can drop the children off at school on the way. Moreover, it also means that you can enjoy the weekends and holidays better, because with a car you can go to places where the regular buses and trains do not go, and so you can find a quiet scenic spot with no crowds.However, there are drawbacks to owning a car. For on thing, with the increase in car ownership in recent years, the roads are becoming more and more crowded. This often makes the journey to work more of a nightmare than a dream. For another, it is not cheap to run a car, as the prices of petrol and repairs are constantly rising, not to mention the price you have to pay for a license and insurance coverage.27.TourismTourism, a “smokeless industry”, is developing rapidly in China. With the “open and reform”policy being carried out, thousands upon thousands of foreign visitors are crowding into our country. They are eager to see this old mysterious land with a splendid culture of more than 5,000 years. Tourism is bringing China a lot of benefits. First, it enables the Chinese people to learn more about the outside world and promotes friendship and mutual understanding. Second, it is financially beneficial to China, which needs more foreign currency for its modernization program. Tourism, however, is giving rise to a number of problems. For instance, it is becoming a burden on our inefficient transport system. Besides, the standard of living of the average Chinese person is still not high enough to be able to afford the many different sorts of expenses met on long distance travel.But it is believed that with the development of our national economy, all these problems will certainly be solved step by step. A much better and brighter future awaits us.28.TimeAs a popular saying goes, “Time is money.” In fact, time is more precious than money. When money is spent, you can earn it back if you want to. However, when time is gone, it will never come back. As the pace of modern life continues to accelerate, the time at our disposal is quite limited. But there are a lot of things to be done in our lives. We should make full use of our time to complete what is useful to us. For instance, as students we should devote most of our time to our academic studies. In this way we can acquire the new knowledge and skill necessary for our future careers. In my opinion, wasting time means wasting our valuable life. But many of us don’t realize this. They think time is inexhaustible. I’m not in favour of such a view. Hence, my conclusion is that we should never put off what can be done today until tomorrow.29.Keeping a Diary in EnglishKeeping a diary in English is one effective way to improve our English writing ability. Compared with other forms of writing, it is shouter and takes less time. If we persist in this practice, gradually we’ll learn how to express ourselves in English. In keeping a diary in English, we inevitably come up against a lot of difficulties. In the first place, it often happens that we have trouble finding appropriate words and phrases to express ourselves. Secondly, there are many idiomatic ways of saying things in Chinese. And it is extremely hard for us to put them into English properly. Certainly, there are some other obstacles we may come across in keeping a diary in English. So I suggest we should always have a notebook and a Chinese-English dictionary within easy reach. Whenever something gets the better of us, we can first put it down in our notebook and then consult our dictionary. We can also turn to our English teacher for help, if necessary.30 The Tuition Fee System in ChinaThe system of tuition fees has become one of the hottest topics in China since it was put into effect. Different people have different opinions of it. Some people think that there is no university in the world which is open to students without tuition fees. The Chinese government is unable to allocate enough funds to pay for various teaching facilities and many different kinds of expenses. One of the ways to relieve the problem is for students to pay tuition fees. The money raised in this way can be used to improve school’s operating conditions. Others, however, are opposed to the system of tuition fees. They argue that compared with that in the Western World, the living standard of Chinese people, especially of those in the poor rural areas, is still low. The university tuition fees will certainly add to the already heavy burden on parents, who live on their salaries or wages. Moreover, tuition fees hinder some talented people from entering university only on account of their poverty.31. SmokingIt is known to almost all that smoking is bad for people’s health. Scientific research has shown that smoking can lead to heart disease, cancer and other problems. The World Health Organization says diseases linked to smoking kill at least two million five hundred thousand people each year.Still, many people find it difficult to stop smoking. One reason is that smoking usually becomes a habitual behavior, and habits, whether good or bad are not easy to give up. Another reason is that the effect of nicotine, the substance found in cigarettes works on people somewhat as drugs do.Measures have been taken to help people keep away from the harmful effects of smoking. In many cities, smoking is forbidden in public places. The danger of smoking is warned of everywhere. And newspapers are asked not to publish advertisements for cigarettes. World “No Tobacco Day” is observed every year as the biggest campaign against smoking.32. My First JobBefore I started at university, I took my first job as a waitress in a nice restaurant. The night before my first day, I was too excited to go to sleep and as a result, I got up late in the morning. I threw on my clothes and rushed over to the restaurant.In a great hurry, I didn’t hear clearly the head waiter’s instruction that we should go into the kitchen through one door and out from the other. So when I took two plates of eggs and bacon and an orange juice out to the restaurant, I went straight towards the wrong door and collided with another waiter coming in!Worst of all was that I wore a pair of smart shoes with high heels! A few hours later I was in agony, yet had no time to change them. By the time we finished serving dinner at about 10: 30, I was completely exhausted. Nevertheless, I learnt something from my experience.33. Birth ControlSince the Chinese government singled out family planning as one of the basic state policies in 1978, the country has adopted various measures and achieved great success in birth control. The total birth rate has been decreasing gradually.However, at present China’s population is still growing very rapidly. It is reported that every year the population of this country increases by an extra 15 million. And China encountered a birth peak during the 1990s. it is obvious that China’s economic development and the improvement of people’s standards of living have been and will be greatly affected by the size of population.Therefore, to control population growth more strictly is clearly essential to the country’s reforms and economic development. We should restress the importance of birth control and call on the whole nation to take more effective action.34. AdvertisementsAdvertisements are making their way into people’s lives. People depend on advertisers in their daily lives because they are consumers. The advertisers are not always manufacturers. Sometimes they are salesmen. Their merchandise needs advertising. Thus nearly every product is advertised. To some extent, good advertising means success while bad advertising can mean failure. There are many ways to advertise and “ads” come in different forms. Newspapers carry advertisements. Some products are announced on TV and radio, both of which have a wide audience. Billboards also carry advertising. Advertising is a big industry now and many agencies have been set up to provide a variety of related services. However, advertising is not always truthful. A product is often misrepresented. The advertiser exaggerates the benefits of the merchandise he wants to sell. Thus, he misrepresents the truth. The consumer falls victim to such advertising. Millions of people have。
新闻听力中的背景知识联想与语篇构建 夏日光 (长沙理工大学外国语学院,湖南长沙 410077) 摘 要:运用近代语言科学创始人索绪尔的词项联想的观点,对英语新闻语篇中有关背景知识的词项展开联想,从而帮助解码者把握新闻脉络,预测新闻内容,减轻记忆负荷,扩大记忆容量,达到对新闻语篇准确构建和迅速解码的目的。在此基础上,探讨了在教学实践中如何提高英语新闻背景知识联想能力的问题。 关键词:背景知识;联想;联想场;新闻语篇
Background Knowledge Association and Text Construction in News-listening XIA Ri-guang (College of Foreign Languages., Changsha University of Science and Technology, Changsha, Hunan 410077, China)
Abstract: This thesis attempts to adopt the theory of word association which was held by Saussure, the
founder of modern linguistic science , and to have an association about the words of background knowledge in the English news text in order to help the decoder, on one hand, to distinguish the orientation and preview the contents of the news, on the other hand , to lighten the burden and enlarge the capacity of memory . If so, the listener will construct the news text correctly and decode it quickly. .Based on the analysis, the problem on how to improve the ability in English news background knowledge association in the process of teaching and learning has been studied. Key Words: Background Knowledge; Association; Association Field; News Text
0引言 在收听英语新闻时,学生常常会遇到这样一个令人困惑的问题:一条新闻听过以后,很难把握其中内容。究其原因,听者并非对新闻语篇中的各种衔接词项,如照应、替代、连接等没有理解,而是对所听的新闻话题产生不了联想,因而对新闻语篇中的其它相关信息难于激活,理解程度当然就大打折扣了。 听力,顾名思义,即听的能力。也就是说,交际时受话者以听觉接受说话者的信息后,具有把对方话语构建成衔接而又连贯的语篇的能力。在收听英语新闻时,具体的要求是对所听的材料做到“理解大意、抓住主要论点或情节,能根据所听的材料进行分析、领会说话人的态度、感情或真实意图。”(《高等学校英语专业英语教学大纲》2000:24)要达到这一要求,听者仅仅理解新闻语篇中的有关衔接的词项显然不够,必须考虑到包括语义在内的篇章整体的连贯性。 篇章语言学认为,“篇章的连贯性并非取决于具体的衔接手段本身,而是取决于句与句之间的语义联系。”(林纪诚,1988(4))“篇章中的衔接手段只能揭示输出的篇章表层形式的结构特征,而不能揭示篇章形式连接赖以存在的语义连贯以及制约语义连贯的语用因素”(林纪诚,1989(2))。因此,交际双方的共知,即人们常说的背景知识(background knowledge),对语篇的解码尤为重要。学生对听过的新闻话题,不能产生联想,在头脑中形成不了连贯的语篇,说明交际双方缺乏共知,听过之后不能充分理解的原因,当然就不言自明了。本文就背景知识联想展开讨论,以帮助学生熟悉一些当今国际上较大的冲突热点,在收听英语新闻广播时展开联想,提高英语新闻听力水平。 1联想与联想场 心理学认为,联想就是由某人或某事物而想起其它相关的人或事物,或者是由于某概念而引起其他相关的概念的一种思维活动。这种思维活动以某人或某事物为基点展开联想。其思维模式正如现代语言科学创始人索绪尔所谈到的语义联想场一样,一个给定的词项就象一个星座的中心,周围有不定数量的并列词项向中心聚汇。同理,在收听英语新闻时,对某个背景知识展开联想,周围同样存在数不清的描述人或事物的词项会与之发生联系。这种联系纵横交错,辐射四周,形成以某个背景知识为主体的词项联想场。例如, Israeli and Palestinian negotiators say they are serious about moving the peace process forward. Israeli police minister Slomo Ben Ani and Palestinian security chief Bahamod Dalan met in Gaza City. They said they discussed ways to continue the process begun at the peace talks near Washington last week. In Jericho, Israeli negotiator Obdad Alan and Palestinian official Saeb Erekat discussed the Israeli surrender of more West Bank land to the Palestinians. They also discussed Israel’s possible release of Palestinian prisoners. The future of Jerusalem was not discussed at the meeting. 这条新闻主要反映以色列和巴勒斯坦之间的民族冲突,根据联想场的观点,与之相关的各个语项可以由此展开联想,如下图所示: 民族冲突(以色列--巴勒斯坦)
加沙 华盛顿 巴勒斯坦方案 本·阿里 杰里科 非斯 非斯方案 达兰 西岸 奥斯陆 奥斯陆协议 阿拉法特 耶路撒冷 特拉维夫 以色列方案 沙龙 纳布卢斯 戴维营 路线图计划 库赖 „„ „„ „„ „„ 根据图示,当我们听到新闻语篇中Israel(以色列)这个词项的时候,会马上想到Palestine(巴勒斯坦)。因为这两个民族在近一百年来,在一块仅为两万平方千米的土地上,为了生存,拼命厮杀,一场你死我活的民族冲突无休无止。现在,这种冲突几乎天天可闻。在这个联想场中:(1)当听到Gaza(加沙)的时候,就会联想到Jericho(杰里科)、West Bank(西岸)、Jerusalem(耶路撒冷)和Nabulus(纳布卢斯)等地名。这些地方都与巴勒斯坦人的家园有关;(2)当听到Washington(华盛顿)的时候,人们会自然联想到摩洛哥的宗教城市Fes(非斯)、挪威首都Oslo(奥斯陆)、以色列的海滨城市Tel Aviv(特拉维夫)以及美国总统的别墅David Camp(戴维营)等地名。这些地方都与巴以冲突解决方案诞生地有关;(3)在此基础上,人们还会想到历史上为解决巴以冲突所提出的各种方案,如Palestine Plan(巴勒斯坦方案)、Israel Plan(以色列方案)、Fes Plan非斯方案、Oslo Accords(奥斯陆协议)和Roadmap to Peace(路线图计划)等;(4)根据新闻中所提到的巴以谈判代表Slomo Ben Ani(本·阿里)和Bahamod Dalan(达兰),人们甚至还会想到巴以双方长期以来活跃在国际政治舞台上的风云人物Arafat(阿拉法特)、Sharon(沙龙)、Abass(阿巴斯)和Qurei(库赖)等等。以上四个方面大体形成了有关巴以冲突背景知识的词项联想场。 这种联想方式和人们的记忆是分不开的。按照心理学的观点,平时,人们的知识并不是孤立地留在记忆中,而是分门别类地储存在大脑中。当人们在收听新闻中捕捉到某个信息的时候,其他相关信息就会被激活,形成一个联想场。系统功能语言学家韩礼德也指出,“话语不是杂乱无章地从一个话题跳到另一个话题,它总是以一定的话题的连贯性和话题展开的可能性按照规律合理地发展的。”(韩礼德1976:288)因此,以话题的背景知识为出发点,在词项联想场中展开联想,就可以搜索到众多的词项,从而构建出一个完整的语篇,对新闻语篇的理解自然就水到渠成了。 2 联想与新闻背景知识 一般说来,英语新闻听力教学中的背景知识联想,是指在国际事物中,以某个热点为中心,围绕某个事件而展开,其中包括时间、地点、参与者、现状、历史渊源和国际社会的舆论以及所采取的行动等。这种联想是自由的、辐射的、呈跳跃式的,但决不可凭空想象,空穴来风。要以史为据,以理为据,合乎逻辑地展开。这一点正是学生们深感不足的。下面将就英语新闻听力学习中出现频率较高的一些国际冲突热点的背景知识,结合联想场的观点进行介绍。这些背景知识主要包括民族冲突、领土纠纷、宗教矛盾等等。 2.1 民族冲突 在英语新闻听力学习中,常常会收听到有关民族冲突的新闻。这些冲突的发生有国与国之间的,也有国内各民族之间的;有历史上已经发生过的,也有现在正在发生的,历史上发生过的正是眼下正在发生的冲突的诱因和铺垫。例如: COLOMBO: Sri lanka is set to mark a full year without major ethnic bloodshed as government forces and Tamil Tiger rebels notch up their longest ceasefire in the decades-old separatist war, officials said yesterday. The truce, initially declared by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam(LTTE)on Christmas