04.最新4级预测卷第四套
2016-04-27
大学英语四级考试预测卷（四）
PART II
Listening Comprehension (25 minutes)
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.
Questions 1 and 2 will be based on the following news item.
News Item 1
With the country still digging out from the earthquake,
and in the midst of a deadly cholera epidemic,
the election season has come to Haiti.
This election is billed as one of the most important in decades.
International donors are waiting to grant billions in aid money to a new government.
The streets are full of campaigners and fanfare.
Mathieu Tranquilor is one of almost 20 candidates running for a senate seat in Port au Prince.
“The election is very important to me because we have 18,000 people living under tents.
And with the help of the international community through different programs
and our party we are going to get the country going like it should,” he said.
That is the question on most Haitians` minds:
will the poorest country in the Western hemisphere,
known for rampant corruption and squandering international aid,
finally get the political leadership that will bring real change?
Anticipation is high.Government offices are overwhelmed by people
seeking national identity cards necessary to vote.
1.Why are the streets full of campaigners and fanfare in Haiti?
2.Why does Mathieu Tranquilor want to run for the election?
Questions 3 and 4 will be based on the following news item.
News Item 2
Americans will vote in elections on Tuesday.
They will elect all four hundred thirty five members of the United States House of Representatives,
thirty seven senators, many state governors and local officials.Political experts
say all signs point to major gains by Republican Party candidates in both houses of Congress.
The Republicans are hoping to win back control of Congress, which they lost to the Democrats in 2006.
President Obama does not stand for reelection until 2012.
But many of his programs may be in trouble if Republicans retake control of
the House and make gains in the Senate.
President Obama has been urging Democrats across the country to support
their party`s candidates in the election.He also has defended the record
of his administration`s first two years in office.
Former President Bill Clinton gave a similar message when he made campaign appearances
for Democratic Party candidates.He said he believes President Obama and Congress have done a better
job than most people think they have done.
But Republican leaders say the political energy is on their side this year.
Many political experts predict that Republicans will win back control of the House of Representatives,
but will fall just short of winning a majority in the Senate.
3.How many members of both houses of US Congress will be elected Tuesday?
4.Which party is controlling the House of Representatives?
Questions 5 to 7 will be based on the following news item.
News Item 3
Continuing debt problems in Greece and Portugal; The banking crisis in Ireland;
A trillion dollar deficit in the United States,
These are all reasons why high levels of public debt are a big worry around the world.
Countries that keep spending a lot more than they earn may not be able to repay their debts.
That risk of default can make it harder and costlier for them to borrow more money.
Heavy debt can also affect a country`s competitiveness.
Voters anger at government spending and taxes helped lead to the big Republican gains
in America`s elections this month.
President Obama says, for the economy to improve,
the government must cut spending and reduce its deficit.
In February, he formed the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform.
The two chairmen are Erskine Bowles, a Democrat, and Alan Simpson, a Republican.
Last week, the chairmen presented their own ideas for how to cut the federal deficit to about 2%
of the economy by 2015.The administration estimates this year`s deficit at about 10.5%.
The two chairmen say their proposals would cut the deficit by almost
four trillion dollars over the next 10 years.One hundred billion would come
from the military.Other proposals would cut the federal workforce by 10% and freeze civilian pay.
The chairmen propose to simplify the tax laws and reduce tax rates.
But they also propose to cut some popular tax breaks.
One target is deductions for interest paid on home mortgage loans over 500,000 dollars.
5.Which is not the reason why people are worrying about public debt?
6.To be simple, how does a country get deficit problem?
7.What is the probable deficit of the US this year?
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 will haer the two long conversations
Conversation One
W: Gosh! Have you seen this, Richard?
M: See what?
W: In the paper, it says there is a man going around pretending he`s
from the electricity board. He`s been calling at people`s homes,
saying he is coming to check that all their appliances are safe.
Then he gets around them to make him a cup of tea, and while they are out of their room,
he steals their money, handbag, whatever and makes off with it.
M: But you know, Jane, it`s partly their own fault.
You should never let anyone like that in unless you`re expecting them.
W: It`s all very well to say that. But someone comes to the door,
and says electricity or gas, and you automatically think they are OK,
especially if they flash a card to you.
M: Does this man have an ID then?
W: Yes, that`s just it. It seems he used to work for the electricity board at one time.
According to the paper, the police are warning people, especially pensioners,
not to admit anyone unless they have an appointment.
It`s a bit sad. One old lady told them she`d just been to the post office
to draw her pension when he called.
She said he must follow to her home. He stole the whole lot.
M: But what does he look like? Surely they must have a description.
W: Oh, yes, they have. Let`s see. In his thirties, tall,
bushy dark hair, slight northern accent, sounds a bit like you actually.
Questions 8 to 11 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
8.What does the woman want the man to read in the newspaper?
9.How did the man mention in the newspaper try to win further trust from the victims?
10.What is the warning from the police?
11.What does the woman speaker tell us about the old lady?
Conversation Two
M: Miss Jones, could you tell me more about your first job with hotel marketing concepts?
W: Yes, certainly. I was a marketing consultant responsible for marketing 10 UK hotels.
They were all luxury hotels in the leisure sector, all of a very high standard.
M: Which markets were you responsible for?
W: For Europe and Japan.
M: I see from your resume that you speak Japanese. Have you ever been to Japan?
W: Yes, I have. I spent a month in Japan in 2006.I met all the key people in the tourist industry,
the big tour operators and the tourist organizations. As I speak Japanese, I had a very big advantage.
M: Yes, of course. Have you had any contact with Japan in your present job?
W: Yes, I`ve had a lot. Cruises have become very popular with the Japanese
both for holidays and for business conferences. In fact, the market for all types
of luxury holidays for the Japanese has increased a lot recently.
M: Really? I`m interested to hear more about that, but first tell me,
have you ever traveled on a luxury train, the Orient Express for example?
W: No, I haven`t. But I`ve traveled in the Glacial Express to Switzerland and
I traveled across China by train about 8 years ago.
I love train travel. That`s why I`m very interested in this job.
Questions 12 to 15 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
12.What did the woman do in her first job?
13.What gave the woman an advantage during her business trip in Japan?
14.Why is the woman applying for the new job?
15.Which markets was the woman responsible for in her first job?
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
Time
Time!I think a lot about time and not just because it`s the name
of the news organization I work for. Like most working people,
I find time or the lack of it, a never ending frustration and an unwinnable battle.
My everyday is a race against the clock that I never ever seem to win.
This is hardly a lonesome complaint.
According to the families and work institutes` national study
of the changing workforce, 55 percent of employees say
they don`t have enough time for themselves,
63 percent don`t have enough time for their spouses or partners,
and 67 percent don`t have enough time for their children.
It`s also not a new complaint.
I bet our ancestors returned home from hunting wild animals and gathering nuts
and complained about how little time they had to paint battle scenes on their cave walls.
The difference is that the boss of animal hunting
and the head of nut gathering probably told them to “Shut up！”
or “No survival for you！” Today`s workers are still demanding control over their time.
The difference is: today`s bosses are listening.
I`ve been reading a report issued today called When Work Works produced jointly by three organizations.
They set out to find and award the employers who employ
the most creative and most effective ways to give their workers flexibility.
I found this report worth reading and suggest every boss should read it for ideas.
Questions 16 to 18 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
16. What is the speaker complaining about?
17. What does the speaker say about our ancestors?
18. Why does the speaker suggest all bosses read the report by the three organizations?
Passage Two
“Loving a child is a circular business.
The more you give, the more you get, the more you want to give.”
Penelope Leach once said. What she said proves to be true of my blended family.
I was born in 1931.As the youngest of six children, I learned to share my parents` love.
Raising six children during the difficult times of the Great Depression took its toll
on my parents` relationship and resulted in their divorce when I was 18 years old.
Daddy never had very close relationships with his children
and drifted even farther away from us after the divorce. Several years later,
a wonderful woman came into his life and they were married. She had two sons,
one of them still at home. Under her influence, we became a “blended family”
and a good relationship developed between the two families.
She always treated us as if we were her own children. It was because of our other mother,
daddy`s second wife, that he became closer to his own children.
They shared over 25 years together before our father passed away.
At the time of his death, the question came up of my mother,
daddy`s first wife, attending his funeral.
I will never forget the unconditional love shown by my stepmother.
When I asked her if she would object to mother attending Daddy`s funeral.
Without giving it a second thought, she immediately replied.
“Of course not, honey. She is the mother of my children.”
Questions 19 to 21 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
19.According to the speaker, what contributed to her parents`divorce?
20.What brought the father closer to his own children?
21.What message does the speaker want to convey in this talk?
Passage Three
In February last year, my wife lost her job.
Just as suddenly, the owner of the greenhouse where I worked
as manager died of a heart attack.
His family announced that they were going to close the business
because no one in the family wanted to run it.
Things looked pretty gloomy. My wife and I read the want`ads each day.
Then one morning, as I was hanging a “Going Out of Business” sign at the greenhouse,
the door opened and in walked a customer.
She was an office manager whose company had just moved into the new office park
on the edge of the town. She was looking for part of plants to place
in the reception areas and offices.
“I don`t know anything about plants, ” she said,
“I am sure in a few weeks, they`ll all be dead.”
While I was helping her select her purchases, my mind was raising.
Perhaps as many as a dozen firms have recently opened offices in the new office park
and there were several hundred more acres with construction underway.
That afternoon, I drove out to the office park. By 6 o`clock that evening,
I had signed contacts with 7 companies to rent plants from me
and pay me a fee to maintain them.
Within a week, I had worked out an agreement to lease the greenhouse from the owner`s family.
Business is now increasing rapidly.
And one day, we hope to be the proud owners of the greenhouse.
Questions 22 to 25 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
22.What do we learn about the greenhouse?
23.What was the speaker doing when the customer walked in one morning?
24.What did the speaker think of when serving the office manager?
25.What was the speaker`s hope for the future?