大学英语六级考试特别预测卷4

Part II Listening Comprehension

Section A

Directions:

In this section, you will hear two long conversations.

At the end of each conversation, you will hear some questions.

Both the conversation 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.

Now you will hear two long conversation.

Conversation One

W: Oh, my gosh! Every time!

M: What`s up?

W: Don`t you feel annoyed by the TV commercials? 

Every time when I`m getting totally involved in the fascinating plot of the series, surely, 

the TV commercials pop onto the screen.

M: Don`t get cross! It`s not a big deal.It`s time to relax yourself 

you can take the time to stretch yourself. Walk around and give your eyes a little rest.

W: The station people should know better, for nobody gives a damn about the commercials.

M: Yeah, they do know better, and actually they depend on advertising to make a living. 

Without TV commercials, TV stations cannot survive.

W: Ok, then. Why not find some other hours? Like, when the TV set stands alone at home,

 and I`m busy with my work stuff.

M: You think so! Are the advertisers nuts? 

They must find the right hour when most people are sitting before the set, 

for the audiences are the people they are selling things to. 

You see the advertising rate is the highest during the prime time and every second counts. 

W: Anyway, I don`t think any commercial can strike me, and no commercial 

can interest me into spending a penny on their stuff.

M: You are talking big! In the supermarket, don`t you take things that you are well 

informed of by the commercials? In fact, you have been impressed unknowingly a million times.

W: Ok. I admit they have done the trick a little bit.

Questions 1 to 4 are based on the conversation you have just heard.

Questions 1

Why is the woman so annoyed?  

Questions 2

What does the man suggest the woman do during commercial hour?

Questions 3

What hour do advertisers prefer to choose to advertise their products?

Questions 4

How is the woman influenced by the commercials？

Conversation Two

M: Hello, Nancy, I know you are one of a few women taxi drivers in the city now and you drive 

for a living. What made you want to be a common taxi driver in the first place？

W: I took pride in driving well. When I was young I had to wait until I had a car to learn to drive. 

When I finally learned, it turned to be something I really enjoyed and I still enjoy. 

I remember how smart those taxi drivers have seemed driving so well, 

and dressed so neatly in their uniforms. 

I thought I`d like to do that myself.

M: What`s the best part of your job？

W: I soon found that what I like best about the job was being outdoors, 

seeing how this city changes from season to season. 

And there are places of scene I would probably never have seen in another job. 

And I love all kinds of weather. I like to have the window down in a fine rain,

 and when I have a long drive, maybe end of the day, I sometimes go pass my home 

to tell my two little kids I`ll be home soon, when they always want to come along in my car.

M: Do they? I guess kids all like to be taken for a ride sometimes.

W: Yes, but you can not take any all along. So I have to pay their fares one of these days, 

and take them out in my taxi, because I really think it is fun out

 into the countryside on the long drive, with the fresh air and sun shining. 

You just seem to want to drive for ever. At least that is how it`s for me

M: Being a taxi driver, you have to meet all kinds of people. How do you feel about that？

W: I enjoy meeting different people. The biggest advantage is that 

you come across various  characters in your work. Some people are interesting, 

some rushed(匆忙的, 贸然的), some pleasant, some funny, some talk actively, 

some so pressed for time that they change clothes in the taxi. 

Those who are in greatest rush would sometimes forget to pay.

M: Have you ever thought of changing your job?

W: Not yet. I might in a few years time, but not at this moment,

 because I really enjoy my work. And I do get lots of satisfaction out of it. 

So why should I? 

Questions 5 to 8 are based on the conversation you have just heard.

Questions 5

What does Nancy like best about her job? 

Questions 6

As a mother how does Nancy treat her children?

Questions 7

What kind of people does Nancy meet? 

Questions 8

How many dildren does Nancy have?

Section B

Directions:

In this section, you will hear two passages.

At the end of each passage, you will hear some questions.

Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once.

After you hear a question, you must choose the 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.

Passage One

If the salinity, that is the density of salt of ocean waters, 

is analyzed, it is found to vary only lightly from place to place. 

Nevertheless, some of these small changes are important. 

There are three basic processes that cause a change in oceanic salinity. 

One of these is the decrease of water from the ocean by means of conversion—conversion 

of liquid water to water vapor. In this manner, the salinity is increased, 

since the salts stay behind. If this is carried to the extreme, of course, 

white crystals of salt would be left behind; this, by the way, 

is how much of the table salt we use is actually obtained. 

The opposite of evaporation is precipitation, such as rain, 

by which water is added to the ocean. Here the ocean is being diluted 

so that the salinity is decreased. This may occur in areas of high rainfall 

or in coastal regions where rivers flow into the ocean. Thus salinity may be increased 

by the decrease of water by evaporation, or decreased by the addition of fresh water by precipitation or runoff. 

  Normally, in tropical regions where the sun is very strong, 

the ocean salinity is somewhat higher than it is in other parts of the world

 where there is not as much evaporation. Similarly, in coastal regions 

where rivers dilute the sea, salinity is somewhat lower than in other areas. 

A third process by which salinity may be altered is associated with the formation and melting of sea ice.

 When seawater is frozen, the dissolved materials are left behind. 

In this manner, seawater directly beneath freshly formed sea ice 

has a higher salinity than it did before the ice appeared.

 Of course, when this ice melts, it will tend to decrease the salinity of the surrounding water. 

In the Weddell Sea, off Antarctica, the densest water in the oceans is formed as a result 

of this freezing process, which increases the salinity of cold water. 

This heavy water sinks and is found in the deeper portions of the oceans of the world.

Questions 9 to 11 are based on the passage you have just heard.

Questions 9

Which is not the factor that causes a change in oceanic salinity?

Questions 10

Which of the following areas tend to have the lowest salinity compared with others?

Questions 11

Why is the Weddell Sea mentioned?

Passage Two

Mr. Honda is a model of good management, showing great personal concern for his workers. 

He fully acknowledges the importance of his workforce 

and therefore makes sure that his workers are well rewarded. 

His advocacy of equality makes him all the more worthy of praise.

 He says that the worst kind of manager is one who eats and drinks luxuriously,

 while his workers are dirty, working in poor surroundings. Above all, 

Mr. Honda believes that a good manager must appear human,

rather than infallible (无过失的) in the eyes of his inferiors, 

one who makes occasional mistakes rather than one who gives an impression of perfection. 

Only by appearing human can a manager truly ensure getting his workers` support.

Despite his lofty ideals and equal principles, however, 

Mr. Honda is known for his outbursts of temper. 

A story goes that once, in a fit of anger he hit a worker heavily.

 Nevertheless, on the whole, his employees love and respect him like a father, 

because with him around they feel a sense of self importance.

 Mr. Honda has a charming habit of praising his worker for a job well done.

 He is generous with praise and stingy (吝啬的)with criticism as far as his workers are concerned. 

（14）Although retired, Mr. Honda has not outgrown his fascination with machines and technology.

 He is particularly interested in developing ways to prevent accidents and minimize auto exhaust pollution.

 Often he feels an irresistible urge to design again, and he did during his prime time, 

only to discover to his amusement and surprise that what he thought were original ideas 

has already been developed by young engineer. 

He therefore has great respect for those young engineers, 

who he says are truly the pillars of our modern world.

Questions 12 to 15 are based on the passage you have just heard.

Questions 12

What does Mr. Honda say about a good company manager?

Questions 13

Why is Mr. Honda being loved and respected like a father by his workers?

Questions 14

What do we learn about Mr. Honda after his retirement?

Questions 15

What does Mr. Honda say about young engineers?

Section C

Directions:

In this section, you will hear recordings of lectures or talks followed by some questions.

The recordings will be played 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.

Now listen to the following recording and answer questions 16 to 19.

It`s an honor to be here tonight. 

I speak to you not as a representative of young Hollywood, 

but as a representative of the many millions of young Americans, 

particularly young women, who depend on public and nonprofit programs to help them survive.

I grew up in NewYork City with four siblings. My father barely made enough to get by. 

We moved every year, and we finally settled in a housing development for lower middle income families.

We went to public schools and depended on programs for school transport and lunches, as did most of my friends.

 My girlfriends from high school to this day still depend on Planned Parenthood 

and often Medicaid for important health care services.

In 2008, less than half of all eligible voters between the ages of 18 and 24 voted. 

Young America, why are we only speaking with half our voice when so many issues at stake here directly affect us? 

You know who I`m voting for. I`m not going to tell you who to vote for. I`m here to ask you to commit to vote. 

It`s never been easier than now. Go to commit.BarackObama.com to register, 

to find your polling location and any other information you need. It`s that easy.

Earlier this week, Chelsea Clinton reminded us that we are the generation whose voices haven`t been heard.

 Vote so that your voice is heard. Over the last two days, 

we`ve been reminded of something that perhaps we forgot: 

what has been accomplished, and what is at stake. Whether we can get health care, 

afford college, be guaranteed equal pay all at risk.

 And that`s why I`m here today to use whatever attention I`m fortunate enough 

to receive to shed the spotlight on what`s at stake for all of us.

When I was a little girl, my mother a registered Democrat would take me into the polling booth, 

and tell me which buttons to press and when to pull the lever. 

Is that even legal? I remember the excitement I felt in that secret box, 

and feeling like my mom`s vote wasn`t just about the candidate,

 it was about our family and all the families just like ours.

This last election, I finally got to punch those buttons for me,

 for real. I wore my “I voted” pin the whole day. It was my finest accessory.

 And this year, on November 6th, I`m filled with that same enthusiasm, 

that same pride, to press the button to reelect President Barack Obama!

Now listen to the following recording and answer questions 20 to 22.

You all know this story. In the summer of 1950, Enrico Fermi, 

the Italian American physicist, and atomic pile builder, 

went to lunch at Los Alamos National Laboratory and joined some colleagues there, 

and asked them a question: “Where is everybody?” This confused his colleagues, obviously, 

because they were sitting right there with him. And then he had to clarify that he wasn`t talking about them.

 He was talking about the space aliens.

You see, this was only a few years after the supposed flying saucer crash at Roswell, 

New Mexico. And even though that turned out to be nothing, 

nothing at all merely a downed weather balloon piloted by small hairless men. 

Still, America had gone saucermad, even famous scientists who were eating lunch. Fermi`s reasoning, 

if I may paraphrase badly, is that the universe is so vast that it stands to reason, 

there should be other intelligent life out there.

 And the universe is so old that unless we were the very first civilization ever to evolve, 

we should have some evidence of their existence by now. 

And yet, to the best of our knowledge, we are alone. “Where is everybody?” asked Fermi, 

and his colleagues had no answer. Fermi then went on with the same blunt logic to disprove fairies,

Sasquatch, God, the possibility of love and thereafter, as you know, Enrico Fermi ate alone.

Now, I am not a scientist. I have never built an atomic pile. Although, I might argue that, 

technically, every pile is atomic. However, with respect,

 I might point out two possibilities that Enrico Fermi perhaps did not consider. 

One is that the aliens might be very far away. Perhaps, I dare say, even on other planets. 

The other possibility is, perhaps, Enrico Fermi himself was an alien.

Think about it. Isn`t it a little convenient that in the midst of the World War, 

out of nowhere, suddenly an Italian scientist showed up 

with an amazing new technology that would transform everything in the world 

and darken the history of the human species forever after?

 And isn`t it a little strange that he required no payment for this? 

That he asked for only one thing a gift of two healthy sperm whales?

That`s that`s not true. But it is strange. And if Enrico Fermi were indeed a space alien,

wouldn`t he be the first to have tried to convince his fellow scientists that the space aliens 

are not already here? For it is given in certain UFO ology or UFOlogy circles, 

that the aliens are already here and have been for millennia; 

that they have walked among us in disguise, observing us, 

guiding our evolution from ape to man if you believe in that sort of thing and, 

occasionally, kidnapping us in their flying saucers and taking us away to have sex with us in pyramids.

It`s a difficult theory to discount, 

I think you`ll agree.

Now listen to the following recording and answer questions 23 to 25.

Hello, class of 2015. I am so honored to be here today. Dean Khurana, faculty, 

parents and most especially graduating students.

Thank you so much for inviting me, the senior class committee. 

It`s genuinely one of the most exciting thing I`ve ever been asked to do.

I have to admit primarily because I can`t deny it. As it was leaked in the WikiLeaks release 

of the Sony hack that when I was invited I replied and I directly quote my own email :“wow this is so nice.” 

“I`m gonna need some funny ghost writers, any ideas?”

 This initial response now blessedly public with from the knowledge

 at my class day we were lucky enough to have Will Ferrell as class speaker, 

and many of us were hung over, or even freshly high, mainly wanted to laugh.

So I have to admit that today, even twelve years after graduation. I`m still insecure 

about my own worthiness. I have to remind myself today you are here for a reason.

Today I feel much like I did when I came to Harvard as a freshman in 1999 

when you guys were to make continued shock and horror still in kindergarten.

I felt like there`d been some mistake that I wasn`t smart enough 

to be in this company, and that every time I open my mouth I would have to prove I wasn`t just a dumb actress.

So I start with an apology, this won`t be very funny. I`m not a comedian and I didn`t get a ghost writer.

But I am here to tell you today Harvard is giving you all diplomas tomorrow. You are here for a reason.

Sometimes your insecurities and you`re an experienced may lead you to embrace other people`s expectations, 

standards or values. But you can harness that inexperience to carve out here path, 

one that is free the burden of knowing how things are supposed to be, 

a path that is defined by its own particular set of reasons.

The other day I went to an amusement park with my soon to be four year old son 

and I watched him play arcade games. He was incredibly focused, throwing his ball at the target.  

Jewish mother that I am, I skipped twenty steps, and was already imagining him as a major league player.

 With what is his aim and his arm and his concentration, but then I realized what he want.

He was playing to trade in his tickets for the crappy plastic toys.

 The prize was much more exciting than the game to get it.