2003年专四听力答案

PART I DICTATION

Salmon

Every year millions of salmon swim from the ocean/ into the mouths of the rivers and then steadily out of the rivers, / Passing through waters,around the rocks and waterfalls,/ the fish finally reach their original streams or lakes./ They dig up nests in the riverbed and lay their eggs. / Then, exhausted by their journey, the parents salmon die. / They have finished the task that the nature has given them. / Months or years later, the young fish start their trip to the ocean. / They live in the salt water from two to seven years,/ until they too are ready to swim back to reproduce. / Their life cycle helps man provide himself with a basic food-fish. / When the adult salmon gather at the river mouths for the annual trip of the rivers,/ they are in the best possible condition. / And nearly every harbour has its salmon fishing fleet /ready to catch thousands for market.

PART Ⅱ LISTENING COMPREHENSION -

SECTION A CONVERSATIONS "

Questions I to 3 are based on the following conversation.

W: Do you enjoy your work?

M: Well, I'm still conscious of time when I work.

W: What do you mean?

M: (1)1 still have this nine-to-five attitude toward work. When five o'clock comes around, I get up and go home.

W: I'm sorry to hear that, but work doesn't have to mean drudgery any more. Indeed, work has changed dramatically for the better.

M: How about the old saying" we work to live, not live to work?"

W: Well, although money is an important factor, ( 2 ) people now want to live fulfilling lives with meaningful jobs, rather than to simply earn a living.

M: But it's hard for me to feel that way.

W: I think your attitude to work needs a radical change. Since the industrial revolution, we have made work our enemy. Now it doesn't have to be that way.

M: It's really interesting to hear all this, but doing work does not mean watching an exciting movie. You' ve still got to go through the nuts and bolts of your work.

W: (3) While there are still dull and humble jobs, (2) workers now have more choices and are no longer tied to a job for life.

M: That's true.

W; ( 2 ) And work has become more intellectually challenging for more people, allowing them to think, learn, develop new skills, and find a sense of purpose and identity.

Key：1.D 2. D 3. A

Questions 4 to 6 are based on the following conversation.

M: Which do you prefer, city or country life?

W: (4) It's a fifty-fifty choice and it largely depends on the individual. But the bottom line is that each life has its own advantages and disadvantages.

M: You're right there. Generally speaking, people in the city are better paid. And according to the latest study, an income difference between the city and the country is three to one. Isn't that alarming!

W: Living in the country incurs fewer expenses, although the costs of transportation are much higher.

M: I think that philosophy is the root of the difference, (5)ln the city .people want to" do it all in one day". In the country, people don't expect to get it all done in one day. Country folks tend to plan more because planning is required just to survive.

W: In the country, you mind your own business without being unfriendly. And there are fewer restrictions on what you can do, whether or not there is a law about it. (6) Many laws on the books are not enforced.

M: Also, there is no real crime to speak of. Any petty crime is usually committed by the local school kids and is nothing serious.

W: But the city continues to be a magnet, drawing people from the country, rather than the other way around.

Key：4.A 5.D 6.B

Questions 7 to 10 are based on the following conversation.

W: What kind of fast food do you normally eat?

M: Burgers .sandwiches, sometimes I like a pizza or kebabs.

W: Oh, right. And how often do you eat fast food: every day, more than once a week or less than once a week?

M: (7) Monday to Friday when I'm working, but not usually at the weekends.

W: And what time of day do you eat fast food?

M: Well, at work as I said, at lunchtime. For example, when I go out, I get a hamburger or a sandwich.

W: Oh, right. Do you only eat it as a main meal or do you snack between meals?

M: No, only as a main meal, lunch or in the evening.

W: And what do you think of fast food? Which statements do you think are true? (8)" It's convenient" ?

M: (8) Oh, definitely. That's sort of the main reason that I eat it.

W: Right. How about "It tastes good"?

M: Yeah, but not as good as food like in a good restaurant. But it's not bad.

W: "It's good for you"?

M: No. Sort of eating quickly and standing up is bad for me. The food isn't very good. (8) There are not enough greens.

W: How about" It's an expensive way of eating" ? What do you think of that?

M: Oh, yes, it is. But you're paying for the convenience, the speed of it. (9)1 certainly think that it's cheaper than cooking your own food.

Key：7.A 8.C 9.A 10.B

SECTION B PASSAGES

Questions II to 13 are based on the following passage.

Love can be seen everywhere. Yet surprisingly, love has been the subject of less scientific research than other emotions , such as anger and fear. The reason for this is twofold. (11) First, love is a very complex emotion, difficult to describe and measure. Secondly, extreme love ia generally not a problem; thus less medical attention has been paid to it.

Love is an enduring, strong, positive attraction and feeling for another person or thing. (12) But it also involves feelings of caring, protection, excitement, and tenderness. Sometimes it is easier to think in terms of different kinds of love: "puppy"

love, romantic love, brotherly love, and so forth. Though they differ in some respects, they share one important characteristic: a strong positive feeling toward another. Our feelings toward other people are often complex. (12) We may love someone and, at the same time, be anffly with him. Or we may love someone, even though we are jealous of him. We might love someone and, at the same time, hate for specific reasons.

Like love, hate can be a very strong emotion. The question is often asked/is it bad to hate? "Usually hate does not help us; it makes us feel unhappy and do things that may hurt others. (13) However, sometimes it may be necessary to hate and hurt someone in order to protect loved ones.

Key：11.D 12.A 13.D 14.D

Questions 14 to 16 are based on the following passage.

You might think that most of the patients at sleep clinics are being treated for sleeplessness, commonly referred to as insomnia, but that is not the cage. 14) The majority of sleep-clinic patients suffer from disorders of excessive sleep or"hy- persomnia". While most insomniacs somehow manage to drag themselves through the day and function at acceptable, although not optimal .levels. This is not so for people who suffer from hypersomnia.

They are incapacitated by irresistible urges to sleep during the day, often in inappropriate situations—at business meetings, in supermarkets, or at parties. Even more dangerous is their failure to remain awake when driving or operating machines. Falling asleep in such situations could obviously be life-threatening,

Many hypersomnia suffer from narcolepsy,for which the primary symptom is excessive daytime sleepiness. (15) Though not apparent in childhood .this symptom most often appears for the first time during the teen years and continues through a person's life. The sleep attacks may occur as many as fifteen to twenty times during the courses of the day and last for periods from fifteen minutes up to two hours.

What can be done to help those suffering from narcolepsy? (16) There are certain drugs that can help, and specialists Suggest voluntary napping to decrease the frequency of such sleep attacks.

Key: 14.D 15.B 16.C

Questions 17 to 20 are based on the following passage.

(17) It was fifty years ago when the economist Milton Friedman proposed School Choice Programs to improve American education. Today, about 36 000 students are served by vouchers. The programs are in the city of Washington D. C. .and three of the fifty states: Florida, Ohio and Wisconsin. The number of students will grow with 14 000 new vouchers just approved by lawmakers in Ohio. And Utah will offer a voucher program for disabled students. (18) A few states offer tax credits or other forms of support to help parents pay for private schools.

(20) One objection to vouchers has to do with the fact that most private schools are religious. The Constitution separates government and religion. Voucher critics argue that the use of public money for religious school is unconstitutional. Opponents of vouchers suggest public schools should get more money so all children can attend good schools near their home.

Yet some people think all families should be offered vouchers, not just poor ones. Milton Friedman and his wife started the Milton and Rose D. Friedman Foundation to work for school choice with the goal to improve, through competition, the quality of education for all.

(19)Milton Friedman had his ninety-third birthday on Sunday. The Nobel Prize-winning economist has been talking to reporters about the fiftieth anniversary of his proposal. Mr. Friedman told Education Week that he thinks fifty years from now, all students will be served by school vouchers.

Key：17.A 18.D 19.C 20.B

SECTION C NEWS BROADCAST

News Item I

The UN resolution calls for greater international intelligence and law enforcement cooperation, (21)/(22) and it requires states to change their banking laws in order to place the global network of terrorism financiers. It makes providing funds for terror activities a criminal offence and would freeze bank accounts of those who sponsor terrorism.

Key：21.D 22.B

News Item 2

A police spokesman said the devices were made safe by explosive experts in the Ardoyne district, (23) where a woman was shot in the leg and 13 police officers were injured during a second successive night of violence. Northern Ireland's police chief had earlier called on community leaders to work together to end the violence. (24) The violence has erupted sporadically throughout a summer of sectarian tension in Northern Belfast.

Key: 23.D 24.C

News Item 3

Airlines are being hit with huge increases to insure their planes after the terrorist attacks in the United States. (25)Goshawk Insurance Holdings which insures aircraft around the world, said rates have soared as much as tenfold since the September 11th terror attacks. Airlines around the world have cut services and dismissed staff as their business has plunged in the week of the crisis. They are also struggling with increased security costs.

Key: 25.D 26.C

News Item 4

(26) A Pakistani lawyer said the resumption of the trial of eight foreign aid workers accused of preaching Christianity in Afghanistan has been put off until Sunday. He had met earlier Saturday with eight workers, two Americans, two Australians and four Germans. They insisted they were in Afghanistan to help the poor, not to convert them. (27) The penalty for these captured eight workers could range from expulsion to a jail term and death sentence.

Key：26.C 27. A

News Item 5

On the 20th anniversary of the first official report on AIDS, the head of the United Nations AIDS programme warns that the deadly diseases may only be at the early stages in many 'parts of the world. Doctor Peo said the disease-has already reached staggering proportions since first being identified in 1981. 58 million people world-wide have contracted fjfle HIT virus, which causes AIDS while 22 million have died from related illnesses. (28) The UN estimates the world HIV-positive population at 36 million, including 25 million in sub-Sahara Africa. International officials warned the disease would have disasters political, social and economical consequences in many developing countries.

Key: 28.B

News Item 6

(29) H. G. Wells, a pioneer of science fiction wrote a story in which a man was blown into the fourth dimension by a laboratory explosion. When he returned to normal surroundings, he found his heart was now on the right-hand side of his body instead of the left. (30) In fact, some people do have their internal organs ordered thisway, but their problems are due to genetics. The genes responsible have been discovered by researchers in the United States who reported their findings in the latest edition for the journal Nature Genetics. This is the end of Listening Comprehension.

Key: 29.B 30.A