2016年大学英语四级模拟听力原文

Model Test ThreePart ⅡListening ComprehensionSection ADirections: 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.More than 100 million people in Nigeria are not connected to the Internet. There are only a few networks that offer service and it is costly and unreliable. Now, a new project provides a resource for off-line viewing at no cost. A non-profit organization called “The WiderNet Project”has developed the offline eGranary Digital Library. The service puts millions of digital documents, multimedia work and websites onto a server. The information is then available to students, medical workers, and researchers at no cost, whether there is Internet or not. Users can access informative websites that eGranary updates every day such as Wikipedia, Khan Academy, Project Gutenberg, MIT OpenCourseWare, and MIT BLOSSOMS (which is Math and Science video lessons for high school students).Other resources on the service include university and medical publications, computer software, and educational games.1. What is the news report mainly about?2. Who can use the offline digital information for free?Questions 3 and 4 will be based on the following news item.The United States‟ job market has millions of unfilled jobs. Many of those jobs require technical skills. However, employers say many of those jobs are vacant because they cannot find people with the right skills to do the work.Labor experts call this phenomenon the “skills gap.” In the United States, the cost of a traditional four-year college education can be very high. US colleges and universities produce many graduates every year. Yet unemployment rates among new graduates are high. Labor experts say, to solve this problem, it is vital to get technical skills that are of immediate value to an employer. They add that it is important to get transferrable skills—those that can be used in more than one job. This is because technology and the nature of the workplace are changing at a faster rate than before.3. Why are there millions of unfilled jobs in the US?4. Why is it important to get transferrable skills?Questions 5 to 7 will be based on the following news item.Egyptian officials are making plans to open a newly-expanded Suez Canal on August 6th. Officials say the “new” canal will more than double the waterway‟s earnings over the next 10 years. But some experts say the project alone will not be able to turn aroun d Egypt‟s economy. Experts say the success of the canal will depend largely on the health of the world‟s shipping industry. They say that is something Egypt cannot control. And they say even if the expanded canal is successful, it won‟t improve the lives of average Egyptians. People in Egypt are facing rising poverty rates and prices. The economy is slowly recovering from recent financial andpolitical unrest. Egypt is a large, complex country with a very big population. It is highly unlikely that it is going to be able to live off the kinds of incomes it will get—even from two canals. The costs of governing Egypt are very large. It has major debt problems.5. What do officials say about the “new” canal?6. What is the main factor influencing the canal‟s suc cess according to the experts?7. What increases the costs of governing Egypt?Section BDirections: 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.Conversation OneM: Cindy, what is happiness in your mind?W: Why ask? It‟s a difficult question.Different people may have a different understanding of happiness.M: You said it. But that is the assignment from my psychology professor.W: Well, in my mind, happiness is supposed to be just a state of mind, not so closely related to material life.M: OK. A state of mind. Anything else?W: People ought to value what they already have got. They shouldn‟t always feel sorry for what they can‟t have.M: Yes, I agree. But many people often get used to what they have and don‟t cherish them anymore.W: You are right. Maybe people can‟t be very happy by only staying at one place or staying still in one condition. I mean, if people get what they dream about, or they do better than what they expected, they feel happy. And...M: Hold it a second. I need to write what you have said down. Get what they dream about...better than expected. All right. That‟s very helpful.Now, let‟s talk about what kind of specific things or conditions that can make people feel happy. Take you for example.W: Well, I said that I didn‟t care about material things a lot. But if I get some gifts very carefully chosen or made by my beloved relatives or friends, even though they may not be expensive, I would still be very happy.M: So would I. Do you feel this kind of happiness lasts long?W: Of course. Whenever I take out the things and look at them, I know there are people who care about me and love me. My heart will be full of happiness.Questions 8 to 11 are based on the conversation you have just heard.8. What is Cindy‟s opinion on happiness?9. According to the man, why can‟t some people feel happy?10. What kind of gifts will make Cindy feel happy?11. Which of the following statements may Cindy agree with?Conversation TwoW: Hello, this is Mary speaking.M: Hi, Mary. This is Owen.W: Ah, my dear editor. What‟s up?M: I am calling to tell you that the book you sent me has been approved to be published.W: Really? That‟s good news.I can‟t believe my ears. Since the day I put the manuscriptinto the post box, I have been counting the days. Am I daydreaming? Tell me, do you really think the book is good enough to be published?M: I have no doubt about it. And I am sure it‟s going to be a bestseller.W: Oh, I don‟t know w hat to say now. Thank you so much. When is it going to be published? M: Don‟t be in such a hurry. Before publishing, we need to meet and there are some places thatI feel can still be improved.W: No problem. I am looking forward to learning from you and getting some professional opinions.M: Oh, you are so polite and humble. I think we can have a discussion and learn from each other. W: How about tomorrow morning? I can go to your office.M: Oh, I‟m sorry. There is another call coming in. I have to hang up soon. Can you come here at about 9:30?W: All right. No problem.M: My secretary is going to call you to confirm the appointment. I hope to see you tomorrow. W: See you.Questions 12 to 15 are based on the conversation you have just heard.12. What is the relationship between the two speakers?13. How does Mary feel when she gets the news from the man?14. What‟s the purpose of the man‟s calling?15. Why does the man have to hang up?Section CDirections: 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 OneWith the global economy now taking more executives to far-away places like Beijing and Tokyo, jet lag is becoming a bigger problem. Sleep researchers are working harder than ever to find suitable remedies. Trips to the other side of the globe make adjusting a traveler‟s body clock a more lasting process. Jet lag experts say they believe it takes one day for each time zone away from home, up to a maximum of six or seven days, to get fully in harmony with local time. Using a combination of nap and caffeine is better than using them separately, if you can believe it. It takes 15 to 30 minutes for caffeine to kick in. So you may do the two together. All it takes is a cup of coffee. By the time the caffeine is working, your nap is over. Sleep experts are also working with professional and amateur athletes who perform at international meets. A proper amount of sleep can improve an athlete‟s performance as much as 30%. But there is no easy remedy. Theproblem lies in the differences in travelers‟ ability to handle jet lag. Sleep researchers have found that people who have dealt with sleep loss over long periods can tolerate jet lag better than most. And older travelers also tend to get hit harder than the young by jet lag.Questions 16 to 18 are based on the passage you have just heard.16. What should we do to deal with jet lag according to the passage?17. How much improvement can a proper amount of sleep make to the athletes‟ performance?18. Which of the following group can tolerate jet lag better than others?Passage TwoExperts in the food industry are thinking a lot about trash these days. Restaurants, colleges, hospitals and other institutions are trying to lower the costs of waste in new ways. Some are tracking their trash with software systems, making food in smaller amounts or trying to cut down on trash-hauling costs. Roughly 30% of food in the United States goes to waste, costing some ＄48 billion annually. A recent study estimated that 40 to 50 percent of food in the United States was wasted. Freshman students at Virginia Tech were surprised this year when they entered two of the campus‟s biggest dining halls to find there were no cafeteria trays. One student said without tra ys, students took less food and didn‟t eat more than they should. Getting rid of trays has cut food waste by 38% at the cafeterias. That same phenomenon often happens at Oregon‟s Portland International Airport. Busy travelers often throw half-eaten meals into trash cans and the airport must pay the city to haul the waste away. Now the airport is carrying out a program to install food-only trash cans. The food waste is collected and given to the city to use in agriculture. Besides being environmentally friendly, the changes may save the airport money.It costs about ＄82 to have one ton of trash hauled, but food waste costs only about ＄48 a ton to haul. Cutting back on the waste can require spending money on software and training. There are software systems that track food being thrown out. Steve Peterson is the head chef at the MGM Grand Hotel. He was surprised when he installed the software system and saw the value of food that was going out of the back door. To cut costs, Peterson decided to reduce serving sizes.Questions 19 to 22 are based on the passage you have just heard.19. What is the main aim for people paying attention to food waste?20. Why do the dining halls in Virginia Tech have no trays?21. What‟s the purpose of installing food-only trash cans at the airport?22. How can the software system help reduce the food waste?Passage ThreeHave you ever been afraid to talk back when you were treated unfairly?Have you ever bought something just because the salesman talked you into it?Are you afraid to ask someone for a date? Many people are afraid to assert themselves. Dr. Robert Alberti, author of “Stand Up, Speak Out, and Talk Back,” thinks it‟s because their self-respect is low.“There‟s always a …superior‟ around: a parent, a teacher, a boss who …knows better.‟” But Alberti and other scientists are doing something to help people assert themselves. They offer“Assertiveness Training” courses. In the AT courses people learn that they have a right to be themselves. They learn to speak out and feel good about doing so. They learn to be aggressive without hurting other people. In one way, learning to speak out is to overcome fear. A group taking an AT course will help the timid person to lose his fear. It uses an even stronger motive—the need to share. The timid person speaks out in the group because he wants to tell how he feels. Whether or not you speak up for yourself depends on your self-image. If someone you face is more “important” than you, you may start to doubt your own good sense. But why should you? AT says you can get to feel good about yourself. And once you do, you can learn to speak out.Questions 23 to 25 are based on the passage you have just heard.23. What is the problem the speaker mainly talks about?24. What is suggested to timid people to overcome their problems?25. What is the content of an AT course?This is the end of listening comprehension.。