大学英语四级考试

Part II Listening Comprehension

Section A

Directions: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.

News Item 1

Questions 1 and 2 will be based on the following news item.

In nineteen eighteen, on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, 

a truce took effect between the Allies and Germany.But not until seven months later was 

a treaty signed to officially end what was known as the Great War and the War to End All Wars.

This week in our series, Shirley Griffith and Larry West continue the story of the peace 

conference following World War One.

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: American President Woodrow Wilson was one of the chief negotiators at the conference 

in Paris.Throughout the early months of nineteen nineteen, 

he struggled hard for a treaty that would result in peace with justice for all sides.

Wilson demanded a treaty that provided for a new international organization.He called it the League 

of Nations.To Wilson, the league was more important than any other part of the treaty.

Not all Americans shared Wilson's opinion.

Many feared the league would take away the power of the American government to declare war and make treaties.

They also agreed with the leaders of the other allied nations.

Establishing the league was less important than pun ishing the defeated enemy.

LARRY WEST: The other major allied leaders at the peace conference were 

Prime Minister David LloydGeorge of Britain, Premier Georges Clemenceau of France, 

and Premier Vittorio Otto of Italy.

LloydGeorge, Clemenceau, and Otto understood how much Wilson wanted the League of Nations.

They used this knowledge to win Wilson's approval for other parts of the peace treaty.

News Item 2

President Obama says NATO members have agreed to set up a new antimissile defence system in Europe, 

possibly involving Russia.Speaking at a NATO summit in Portugal he said the allies will subject 

to many of the same threats as the Russians.Russia has been critical of the plans in the past, 

but will take part in further discussions on Saturday to see if it can be included.

From Lisbon, our diplomatic correspondent Jonathan Markers:

The decision to go ahead with an expanded missile defence system to cover 

all NATO countries is a response to the spread of the ballistic missile capable of reaching the allies' 

territory.The Washingtons revealed the primary threat comes from Iran.

But Turkey which may host the crucial radar station insisted they would not back the 

plan if there was any specific mention of Iran.This is only appointed to some of the problems 

that may lie ahead: issues of command and control, data exchange and cost of a truly comprehensive system.

News Item 3

Earlier this year, the European Union's financial worries were centered on Greece and fears that its debt and

deficit problems could infect other financially vulnerable members.

Today, Ireland is in the spotlight during a twoday meeting of EU finance ministers in Brussels.

Dublin is struggling with a public deficit expected to be more than 30 percent higher 

 than its gross domestic product this year.

That is roughly 10 times more than the cap set for the 16 members of the eurozone, 

and three times more than Greece's deficit.

While Athens received a $150billion rescue package, the Irish government, 

so far, has not sought a state bailout, although it has suggested it may ask for help for Irish banks.

Meanwhile, yields or interest rates for Ireland's bonds have soared over the past week, 

driving down the value of the bonds.Analysts say other financially struggling EU members—like Portugal 

and Spain—will also find it harder and more expensive to borrow to finance their debts.

That is why some analysts fear that, without help, Ireland's fiscal problems could spread.

In remarks to reporters last week, European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso sought to calm the concerns.

Section B  

Directions:In this section, you will hear two long conversations. At the end of each conversation, 

you will hear four 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'll hear the two long conversations.

Conversation One 

W:Ok,last night you were supposed to read an article about human bones.Are there any comments about it?

M:Well,to begin with,I was surprised to find out there was so much going on in bones.

I always assumed they were pretty lifeless.

W:Well,that's an assumption many people make.

But the fact is bones are made of dynamic living tissue 

that requires continuous maintenance and repair.

M:Right.That's one of the things I found so fascinating about the article the way the bones repair themselves.

W:Ok. So can you tell us how the bones repair themselves?

M:Sure.See,there are two groups of different types of specialized cells in the bone

that work together to do it.The first group goes to an area 

of the bone that needs repair.

This group of cells produce the chemical that actually breaks down the bone tissue,

and leaves a hole in it. 

After that the second group of specialized cells comes and produces the new tissue that fills in the hole 

that was made by the first group.

W:Very good.This is a very complex process.

In fact,the scientists who study human bones don't completely understand it yet. 

They are still trying to find out how it all actually works. 

Specifically,because sometimes after the first group of cells leaves a hole in the bone tissue,for some reason,

the second group doesn't  completely fill in the hole.And this can cause real problems.It can actually lead 

to a disease in which the bone becomes weak and is easily broken.

M:Ok,I get it.So if the scientists can figure out what makes the specialized 

cells work,maybe they can find a way to make sure the second group of cells completely 

fills the hole in the bone tissue every time.

W:That'll prevent the disease from ever occurring.

Questions8.

What is the discussion mainly about?

Questions9.

What is the function of the first group of specialized cells discussed in the talk?

Questions10.

What does the professor say about scientists who study the specialized cells in human bones?

Questions11.

According to the student, what is one important purpose of studying specialized cells in human bones?

Conversation Two

M:Hi Diana,mind if I sit down?

W:Not at all,Jerry.How have you been?

M:Good.But I'm surprised to see you on the city bus.Your car in the shop?

W:No.I've  just been thinking a lot about the environment lately. 

So I decided the air will be

a lot cleaner if we all use public transportation when we could.

M:I'm sure you are right.The diesel bus isn't  exactly pollution free.

W:True.They'll be running a lot cleaner soon.We were just talking about that in my environmental engineering class.

M:What could the city do? Install pollution filters in all their buses?

W:They could,but those filters make the engines work harder and really cut down on the fuel efficiency. 

Instead they found a way to make their engines more efficient.

M:How?

W:Well, there is a material that's a really good insulator.

And a thin coat of it gets sprayed on the certain part of the engine.

M:An insulator?

W:Yeah.What it does is reflect back the heat of burning fuel.

So the fuel will burn much hotter and burn up more completely.

M:So a lot less unburned fuel comes out to pollute the air.

W:And the bus will need less fuel.So with the saving on fuel cost,

they say this will all pay for itself in just six months.

M:Sounds like people should all go out and get some this stuff to spray their car engines.

W:Well,it's not really that easy.You see,normally,the materials are fine powder.

To melt it so you can spray a coat of it on the engine parts,

you first have to heat it over 10000 degrees and then,well,

you get the idea.It's not something you or I will be able to do ourselves.

Questions12

Where does the conversation most probably happen?

Questions13

What is the conversation mainly about?

Questions14

Why did the woman decide to ride the city bus?

Questions15

What is the new material?

Section C 

Directions:In this section, you will hear three 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 

All lawyers have had expensive and highly specialized training,and they work long,

difficult hours for the money they earn.But what happens to people who need legal help and cannot afford 

to pay these lawyers' fees?

Public interest lawyers fill this need.Patricia,like other public interest lawyers,

earns a salary much below what some lawyers can earn.Because she is willing to take less money,

her clients have the help they need,even if they can pay nothing at all.

Some clients need legal help because stores have cheated them with faulty goods.

Others are in unsafe apartments,or are threatened and forced out of the house and have no place to go. 

Their cases are all called “civil” cases.Still others are accused of criminal acts,

and seek those public interest lawyers who handle “criminal” cases. 

These are just a few of the many situations in which the men and women who are public interest 

lawyers serve to extend justice throughout the U.S.A.

Questions 16 to 18 are based on the passage you have just heard. 

Questions16

Q:What is the job of public interest lawyers?

Questions17

Q:What kind of case do the public interest lawyers deal with?

Questions18

Q:Why is Patricia willing to be a public interest lawyer?

Passage Two

Mary Cochran went out of the rooms where she lived with her father,Doctor Lester Cochran,

at seven o'clock on a Sunday evening.It was June of the year nineteen hundred and eighty-nine,

and Mary was eighteen years old.She walked along Tremont to Main Street and across the railroad tracks 

to Upper Main. She had told her father she was going to church but did not intend anything of the kind.

She did not know what she wanted to do.“I'll get off by myself and think,” 

she told herself as she walked slowly along.The night,she thought,promised to be too fine 

to be spent sitting in a church and hearing a man talk of things that had apparently nothing to do with 

her own problem.Her own affairs were approaching a crisis,

and it was time for her to begin thinking seriously of her future. 

She had been with her father on the evening before.

Without any other topics and quite suddenly and abruptly, 

he had told her that he was a victim of heart disease and might die at any moment.

Questions 19 to 21 are based on the passage you have just heard. 

Questions19

Q:Where was she going to go that night?

Questions20

Q:What was the cause of Mary's serious state of mind?

Questions21

Q:What was Dr. Cochran's problem?

Passage Three

Last Thursday an old chap came to our school to talk about the evils of smoking. 

He said he wouldn't  go on for too long,and we saw him take his wrist-watch off and lay it on the table.

I can't  remember what he said about smoking because Slater and I had other things to think about.

He finished when the bell rang for play time,and the headmaster told us to go out.

Slater happened to slip… In the playground Slater showed me the watch.The headmaster came outside then,

and the old boy was with him.But they found nothing.

So the headmaster said,“I've  got a little job for you boys.

This gentleman,has just lost his watch in the playground.See if you're clever enough to find it.

I've  no doubt the boy who does so will get a useful reward?”

Well,of course,Slater wasn't  going to miss a chance like that.And the next minute there was Slater,

all smiles,handing over the watch to the old fellow and hanging about for the reward.

But the lecturer didn't seem at all pleased.In fact he looked quite ready to put a knife in 

Slater's heart—until the headmaster burst out laughing. 

Then the headmaster said:“Ah yes,we mustn't  forget that.

I said‘a useful reward’,didn't  I?” 

And then he gave Slater a big sheet of paper and told him to write a composition on the evils of smoking.

Slater says he hasn't  got a clue what to write.

Questions 20 to 22 are based on the passage you have just heard. 

Questions22

What was the topic of the lecture?

Questions23

What happened after the lecture?

Questions24

“The headmaster came outside then, and the old boy was with him.” Who was the old boy?

Questions25

Why didn't Slater get the kind of reward he expected?