2024年英语四级真题及参考答案听力原文：第一套【Section A】News Report 1A police officer in the U. S. stopped a large SUV car that was going very slowly and drifting across lanes on a highway. He expected to find a driver who was either very drunk or having a medical emergency. Instead, the officer discovered a five year old boy sat on the edge of the driver's seat. His feet could barely reach the brake, and his head was only just high enough to see out of the windows. The child had taken the keys to the family car while his teenage sister was napping. He then drove three kilometers across town before getting on the highway. The boy later told confused officers that he was planning to travel to California and buy a Lamborghini sports car. Although he only had 3 dollar in his wallet, at least he was driving in the right direction.Q1: Why did the police officer stop the SUV car?Q2:What did the boy tell the police officers he was planning to do?News Report 2Mobile phones have changed the way we live, how we read, work, communicate, and shop. But we already know this. What we have not yet understood is the way the tiny machines in front of us are changing our skeletons. Possibly altering not just the way we behave but even the very shape of our bodies. New scientific research at the University of the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia suggests that young people are developing extra pieces of bone at the backs of their heads. These pieces of bone are caused by the way people bend their heads when they use the phone. This shifts weight onto the muscles at the back of the head and causes the bone to grow in a way that is not normal. This process can be compared to the way the skin hardens in response to constant rubbing or pressure. The result is a piece of bone like a horn that sticks out from the head by the neck.Q3:What does the report say we have not yet understood about mobile phones? Q4:What happens to the skin when rubbed or pressed constantly?News Report 3A village is going to throw a birthday party for an orange cat named Wilbur, who has become famous for making a regular appearance at local shops. Wilbur has his own internet pages as he approaches his 10th birthday on July 7.Wilbur is both bold and friendly.He spends most of his time in shops and businesses around the village.He'll just take himself into any shop, anywhere.There was one time when the doctor's receptionist came back and he was sitting on her chair.Among his favorite haunts are a local hairdresser, two pubs, and the Nottingham Primary School.Leslie Harper, who runs one of the pubs, said the cat has been a big hit with their customers.“He's been a regular visitor for most of this year”, she told the Press Association.“He's a very relaxed cat, happy for customers and villagers young and old to come in and say hello. She also said he is a cat of expensive tastes, who likes his high priced cat food. ”Sarah Godfrey, who is organizing Wilbur's party, told the local newspaper, “Wilbur is part of our lives, as he is for everyone who lives in the village. “Q5:What does the report say the village is going to do for the cat Wilbur?Q6:What do we learn from the report about the cat?Q7: What does the pub owner, Leslie Harper, say about the cat?【Section B】Conversation 1M: So, where do you want to go for lunch?W:I don't know. Do you have anything in mind?M: What about the sandwich place on Camden Street?W:Um, no, sorry. I don't feel like sandwiches today. It's a great place, but I think we go there too often.M: That's true. Remember, that's where we saw Bridget Clark, the famous movie star.W:Of course. How could I ever forget? There were crowds of people around her, asking for a photo with her.M: What about hamburgers, then? There's that American style diner on the way to the mall.W:I like that place. Their chips are great, but their service takes a long time, and I need to get back by 2.：30 for a conference call. How about trying something new? We could try Mario's, the new Italian restaurant on the corner. It looks alright. Have you been there?M: No, I haven't, but I've noticed that it has great reviews on the internet. It's supposed to be one of the best Italians in town. I think Jeremy has been there and said it was amazing. I'm up for that.W: Cool. Have you asked Jeremy if he would like to come with us?M: I already have. He says he can't. He has brought his own lunch today, so he will stay in. I think his wife made him soup.W: Poor Jeremy. His wife is a terrible cook. He should throw that soup in the bin and join us.Q8: What are the speakers talking about in this conversation?Q9: Where did the speakers see Bridget Clarke, the famous movie star?Q10: Why does the woman say she needs to get back by 2:30?Q11:Why does the woman say Jeremy should throw his soup in the bin? Conversation 2W: Hi there, how are you today? Do you have a reservation with us already? M:Good afternoon. Yes, we reserved our rooms yesterday morning on your website for three nights. The name's Patterson.W:Okay, let me have a look. Yes, we have it here. You brought the whole family with you, I see.M:Yes, the two kids, my wife and I, and her parents too.W:Great. So, we have a family room for you and your wife and the kids. And another double room for your parents in law. They are right next to each other on the ground floor, since you mentioned in your message that they have trouble with stairs.M:That's wonderful. My father in law has had terrible problems getting up and down stairs since his knee operation last April.W:I'm sorry to hear that, and if you need any help to find transportation for the whole family, we can definitely recommend someone for you.M:We were thinking of renting a car, but we will explore all the options available for sure. So yes, that would be very helpful in comparing prices. We're also wondering what tours and day trips are available.W:We have bunches of brochures here. I would recommend getting out on a boat trip. The kids will love it, and there are so many islands nearby to explore. There's also a great night market further into town that has all kinds of food and cool little shops selling souvenirs and local jewelry and clothing made by hand.M:That all sounds marvelous.W:Now, all I need is to photocopy your passports, and then I can get you all checked in and show you to your rooms.Q12: Who is the man talking to in the conversation?Q13: What do we learn about the man's father in law from the conversation?Q14: Why does the man say they will explore all the options available?Q15: What does the woman suggest the man and his family do close to the end of the conversation?【Section C】Passage 1Artificial intelligence agents play ever more influential roles in our lives. They do everything from suggesting new friends to recommending purchases.They're even beginning to drive our cars. Another role that they are expected to take over is negotiating on our behalf in commercial transactions or legal disputes.So, it's important to know whether using an artificial intelligence agent might affect how we negotiate. Research indicates that it does. In a new study, participants were told to imagine that they were negotiating for something important to them, like a house. Next, they were told either that they would negotiate for themselves, or they would program an artificial intelligence agent to negotiate for them.Participants then completed a survey indicating how tough, deceptive, and pleasant or otherwise they wanted to be, or wanted their agent to be, in the negotiations. For example, participants could choose to be tough by making an opening demand far greater than what they'd be willing to accept. They could also choose to express sympathy with their opponent, to appear pleasant. But they could also indicate that they, or their agent, Would strategically express anger toward the opponent to gain advantage, or they could opt to convey dissatisfaction with the encounter so that the other party would think they were losing interest. These are both examples of deceptive strategies. Participants were more willing to employ deceptive strategies when assigned an agent to negotiate on their behalf.Q16: What does the passage say about artificial intelligence agents?Q17: What does the new study want to find out about using an artificial intelligence agent?Q18: What did participants tend to do when assigned an AI agent to negotiate on their behalf?Passage 2New research has studied the effects of a seven week healthy cooking course. Academics measured the program's effect on cooking confidence and self perceived mental health. Researchers also measured participants overall satisfaction around cooking and diet related behaviors. What were the findings?Course participants saw significant improvements in general health. They also reported improved mental health and subjective vitality immediately after the program. These benefits remained six months after the completion of the course. What caused these improvements? Researchers have previously found a link between eating more fruits and vegetables and improved longer term mental health.This would imply that the participants in the current study may have felt better due to improved diet. However, the study showed participants mental health improved even if their reported diet did not change after completing the program. Also, the mental health benefits were equal among participants who were overweight or obese and those in a healthy weight range.This suggests a link between cooking confidence and satisfaction around cooking and mental health benefits. Who benefits most from learning to cook? Gender plays a part. At the start of the program, 77 percent of female participants were confident about cooking, but just 23 percent of males were confident.At the end of the program, cooking confidence and skills were equal ac ross both counterparts. This change in confidence could lead to a gender balance in home cooking. This, in turn, could reduce consumption of unhealthy, high calorie processed meals.Q19: What do we learn about the benefits the participants gained from the healthy cooking course?Q20: What do the new research findings suggest about mental health benefits?Q21:What plays a role in determining who benefits most from learning to cook?Passage 3What is personal space? We often think of it as an invisible bubble of space surrounding us that others can't enter, without causing discomfort.Research shows, however, that we actually have bubbles of different sizes.Each of these bubbles applies to a different set of people. The smallest zone, called intimate space, extends outward from our bodies 18 inches in every direction.Only family, pets and one's closest friends may enter it. A mere acquaintance entering our intimate space makes us uncomfortable.Next is the bubble called personal space, extending fr om 1.5 feet to 4 feet away. Friends and acquaintances can comfortably occupy this zone, especially during informal conversations, but strangers are forbidden. Extending from 4 to 12 feet away from us is social space. Here, people feel comfortable conducting routine social interactions with new acquaintances or total strangers.Those are the average sizes of Americans personal bubbles, anyway. It is important to keep in mind that personal space varies depending on culture and context.Furthermore, there are significant individual differences. As we all know, cultural or individual differences in personal bubble diameters are all too often the cause of discomfort.How did these personal bubbles arise? According to research, we begin to develop our individual sense of personal space around age 3 or 4.The sizes of our bubbles are fixed by our teens. These bubbles are constructed and monitored by the brain region involved in fear.Q22:What does research show about our personal space?Q23:What happens if a mere acquaintance enters our intimate space?Q24:Where do people feel comfortable interacting with new acquaintances or strangers?Q25:When are the sizes of our bubbles fixed?第二套【Section A】News Report 1Have you noticed how similar you are to your friends? It may be because your brains operate in harmony with each other. We know that friends are more likely to be the same age, gender, and ethnic background as each other. Now it seems their brains are alike too. Researchers at the University of California scanned 42 classmates while they watched videos intended to provoke varying responses. Some people might find a romantic scene touching, for instance, while others would feel it was embarrassing. The activity of friends brains was more similar than that of people who didn't know each other, particularly in regions involved in attention, emotion, and language. This similarity was strong enough that it could be used to predict whether two people were already friends or not. Therelationship probably goes two ways. We are drawn to people who think like us. We then influence their thoughts over time, which may push their brain activity into more closely resembling our own.Q1: What may be the reason that friends are similar to each other, according to the recent research?Q2: What does the news report say about the relationship between friends?News Report 2Two men who have been best friends for 60 years have just realized they are actually brothers. It's reported that Alan Robinson and Walter McDonald met in the 6th grade at a school in Hawaii. They have been best friends ever since. Alan was given away for adoption soon after he was born, and Walter never knew his father.So recently, They made separate attempts on DNA matching we bsites to discover more about their ancestry. Walter was astonished to find thathe matched with website user Robbie737. He knew immediately that this was his best friend, Alan, whose friends call him Robbie, and flew 737 airplanes when he was a pilot.The pair were born to the same mother 15 months apart.Q3: What did both Alan Robinson and Walter McDonald attempt to do on DNA matching websites?Q4: What did the news report say about Alan Robinson and Walter McDonald?News Report 3Amid all the election drama, air pollution problems and disease outbreaks, five tourists good work is being spread online.Yesterday, 2 male and 3 female tourists were spotted walking the kilometer long beach, picking up trash. One of the male tourists from Austra lia commented that although there was a lot of trash, nobody was doing anything. The beach was not as nice or beautiful as it should be. He felt so sad to see such a gorgeous place littered with so much trash. Thus, he and his friends decided to grab a few trash bags and clean it all up. A man passing by decided to video their good deed and put it on the internet. It was unclear where the rest of the group was from, but they were most likely traveling together.One local woman commented on being embarrassed that tourists were cleaning up their beach. Another mentioned that it was actually the natives who brought food and drinks, then left trash all along the island.Q5: Why did one of the male tourists feel sad?Q6: Who put the good deed video on the internet?Q7: Why did one local woman say she was embarrassed?【Section B】Conversation 1W: Hello Benjamin, Dan and I will be going for a run along the canal Saturday morning. Would you like to join us?M:I'd love to, but I hurt my ankle last weekend playing football with work colleagues.W: Oh dear, is it serious?M: No, not at all. I landed badly during a fall and twisted it a little, but it's no big deal. It's just a little swollen and I should be fine for next Saturday if you still want to go for a jog then.W: I won't be here next Saturday. I'm going to the zoo.M:The zoo?W: Yeah. My little nephew turns six, and he loves the zoo. So the whole family is going.M: Oh, okay then. I haven't been to a zoo since I was a kid.W: They are nowhere near as popular as they used to be when we were children. I personally feel sorry for the poor animals stuck in cages. But there's no denying they are fun and educational for children.M: Do you know if Dan will be around next Saturday?W: Yeah, I think he will. Just send him a text message. He's always keen on physical activities.M: That's true. Dan is extremely fit and healthy. He goes to the gym most days, plus tennis two or three times a week.W: So, what have you been doing to stay busy while you've had that swollen ankle?M: I've been catching up on some reading. I was given three books over Christmas, and I'm only now getting around to reading them.Q8: Why can't the man go for a run Saturday morning?Q9:Why is the woman's whole family going to the zoo next Saturday?Q10:What do we learn about Dan from the man's description?Q11: What has the man been doing since last weekend?Conversation 2W: Our guest on today's book talk is John Black, the author of the new bestseller, Retire Early.M:Thanks for having me on the show, Lisa.W: John, your book is getting a lot of attention, partly because you write that most people can retire by 40. Is that realistic?M:Definitely. When researching this book, I interviewed hundreds of people who retired by 40.W: Okay, but how much money does a person need to retire? I've read articles recommending one million dollars as a good figure for retirement. M:While most financial planners do give numbers, I don't think that's useful, as people are living in different areas with different costs of living, and have different needs and wants, which is why I suggest that people aim for financial independence.W: What do you mean by financial independence?M:Having investment income that's greater than monthly expenses.W: That sounds risky to me. What if an accident happens? Or you get ill and need medical treatment? Shouldn't people have extra cash for emergencies?M:Too many people spend their lives working on jobs they hate because they're afraid. So I counsel people to take risks. Retirement doesn't have to be permanent, and if people need to, they can go back to work.W: But it's not always easy to get back into the workforce after an extended absence.M:True, but if you keep current with your skills, you will be attracted to employers.W: Maybe, but how can anyone save enough to retire by 40 when most people can't retire at 60?M:Simple, by cutting housing, food, and transport expenses and investing half your monthly income.W: That sounds impossible.M:I admit it's difficult, but it has worked for thousands.Q12: What do we learn about the man's book published recently?Q13: What do the articles the woman read recommend?Q14:What does the man say about retirement?Q15:How does the man say his proposal about retirement can be carried out?【Section C】Passage 1New research from America studies the role that the presence of individuals from different social or racial groups has in influencing consumers food choices. This research found college students were more likely to choose healthy food in the presence of an observer of a differentrace, as opposed to an observer from their own race. The same was true when they were with someone from a different university compared to someone from their own. Researchers say this was because participants anticipated more negative judgment from an outsider group. In contrast, they felt less judged by members of their own group. In one experiment, participants were offered the choice between candy and fruit as a snack. When in the presence of an unknown student from their own university, only 12 percent of students selected the healthier option. However, this number was 31 percent when in the presence of an unknown student from another university. Other experiments showed similar results based on racial group. What's the reason for this pattern? The study found that people feel judged to a larger extent by members of other groups. Because of this, they strategically use healthy food choices to make a positive impression. There have been many attempts to help consumers make healthier choices, but consumers often struggle to maintain a healthy diet. This research finds that one way to promote a healthy diet could be to advertise the social benefits of healthy choices.Q16: What was the finding of the new research from America about consumers food choices?Q17: When did 31 percent of students in the experiment select the healthier option?Q18:How could a healthy diet be promoted according to the findings of the new research?Passage 2For college students under pressure, a dog may be the best stress fighter around, according to the finding of a recent study. It's a really powerful finding, said Patricia Pendry, who led the study. Universities are doing a lot of great work trying to help students succeed academically, especially those who may be at risk due to a history of mental health issues or academic and learning issues.This study shows that traditional stress management approaches are n't as effective for this population compared with programs that focus on providing opportunities to interact with therapy dogs. The researchers measured executive functioning in the students involved in the study. Executive function is a term for the skills one needs to plan, organize, motivate, concentrate, and memorize.These are skills students need to succeed in college. The research has found that students who were most at risk had the most improvements in executive functioning after interacting with therapy dogs. These results remained when researchers followed up six weeks later. Many universities provide academic stress management programs and workshops.These are traditionally very similar to college classes. They often talk about ways to get more sleep, set goals, or manage stress or anxiety. Hendry acknowledges that these are really important topics and these workshops help typical students succeed. But they're less helpful for struggling students.Hendry believes those students may experience the programs as another lecture and feel even more stressed.Q19: What does the recent study led by Patricia Pendry aim to examine? Q20: What did the new study measure in the participants?Q21: What does Patricia Pendry think traditional stress man agement programs may do?Passage 3Taking risks in business does not mean going into business blindly and then expecting great results. On the contrary, taking risks in entrepreneurship involves careful planning and hard work. Nobody can really be sure if risks will be met with success, no matter how calculated they may be. But this should not stop you from taking risks, as risks are necessary if you want your business to succeed.Some risks may not work out, but an optimistic risk taker will always lo ok at failure as an opportunity to learn. The willingness to experiment with new ideas is key to business growth. As the old saying goes, nothing ventured nothing gained.Failure will teach you how to think and plan strategically. But just remember that not all risks are good ones, and when you fail, learn from it and move forward. Since most people tend to avoid risk, businesses that are brave enough to take risks already have a competitive advantage. They are the ones setting the standard with new ideas, fresh offers and bold inventions.Risk takers are best at adapting in difficult times. Simply put, when most individuals stay away from risk, it means less competition for risk takers. We don't know if you'll achieve what these risk takers have achieved, butfor as long as you want to stay safe, and for as long as you are content with where your business is right now, you will never find out.Q22: What do entrepreneurs have to do when taking risks according to the passage?Q23: What does the passage say is key to business growth?Q24: What are we advised to do when we fail?Q25: What does it mean to risk taking businesses when most people tend to avoid risk?参考答案翻译部分1.中国政府十分重视人民的饮食健康中国政府十分重视人民的健康饮食（diet ）。
