英语四级模拟听力原文4

[-]Model Test FourSection ADirections In this section,you will hear short conversationsand long conversationsAt the end of each conversation,one or more questions will be askedabout what was saidBoth the conversation and the questionswill be spoken only onceAfter each question there will be a pauseDuring the pause,you must read the four choicesmarked A), B), C) and D),and decide which is the best answerThen mark the corresponding letteron Answer Sheetwith a single line through the centreNow let’s begin with the eight short conversationsM I’ve heardthe modern art exhibition in the university museum is great and I’ve been trying to get there,but I’m so busy with papers for my classesW Well, it won’t be here much longer,you really ought to make time for it!Q What does the woman suggest the man do?W I’ve been looking all over for PeterI got his book that he left behind in the cafeteriaHe might need it for his test tomorrowM I met him a few minutes agoand he said he was heading for the study hallat the student centerQ What will the woman probably do next?W I have to cut back on my expenses on clothingI’m almost brokeM Yeah, I won’t lend you a centif you go on buying clothes like thisQ What do we know about the woman?M All the photos I took on my tripwith my new camera were ruinedFor some reasons,the film didn’t advance through the cameraW Well, did you read the instruction carefullybefore using it?Q What does the woman imply?W I can’t believe I missed the deadlinefor the discount basketball ticketsM Oh, don’t worryNow it’s only for the general publicUniversity students can’t buytill the end of this monthQ What does the man imply?M It’s so hard for meto get to the morning classBut I’m going to failif I keep skippingI could hardly keep my eyes openbefore amW Getting up early is a nightmareQ What can we know according to the conversation? M It’s alreadyHave the children left for school yet?W Bob left minutes agoand Jane, late as usual, minutes laterQ What time did Jane leave?W Is there a seat for the concert tomorrow?M No seats left,but we sell standing-room ticketstwo hours before the performanceQ What does the man mean?Now you’ll hear the two long conversations Conversation OneW Hi, Jim, I have something urgentto talk over with youCould you spare a few minutes right now?M Sure, come in and take a seat, pleaseWhat’s on your mind?W I was just talking to the library supervisor He said the main frame was repaired yesterday That helps a lot,but there are some other problemswith our studentsM Again? What’s the problem this time?W He said the students were supposed toreserve the terminal computersfor only one hour a daybecause so many students need touse them every dayM We’ve already made it as a regulationto reserve the terminals within the hour given, haven’t we?W Yes, we haveBut quite a number of our studentsare required to accomplish such assignmentsas designs and researchestowards the end of the semesterM I can see thatBut does it bring about any problems?W Well, now it frequently occursthat some of our students aren’t willing to give up terminals when their hour is overM I suppose they feelthat since they are almost done,a few more minutes won’t matterW Yes, most likelyBut this renders it inconvenient for people who are waiting for their turnto use the machineM You’re rightLet’s draft the memo right nowWe can pass it out in our classes tomorrowto clear up the problemTo make it known to allwill be crucial to the solutionW I agreeAnd now I consider it a necessityto tighten the control over the time limitsM OK Let’s get started right awayQuestions to are based on the conversation you have just heardWho are the speakers?How long is each student allowedto use the terminal computers?What is one of the problemsin the library?What are the speakers going to do nextto solve the problem?Conversation TwoM Take a seat, pleaseWhat do you do at the moment?W I’m a personal assistant to the managerof a modeling agencyM You work with people a lot, do you?W Oh, yes I have to look after all the models who work for us,you know, keep them happy,lend an understanding ear to their regretsM Have you ever done anythingwith hotels or conferences—hotel management, for instance?W No, not reallyI did work for a short timefor a tour operator,taking foreigners on guided tours of London Perhaps that’s the sort of thing you meanM Yes, I think it isAnd what about any exams you’ve taken?W Well, I left school atM So you have no formal qualifications at all? Well, I don’t suppose it mattersW I was wonderingif you could tell me a bit moreabout the jobM Well, we run conferences,and your job as a conference coordinator would be much the sameas the one you are doing now, I suppose—meeting people, transporting themfrom one place to another,making sure they’re comfortable,a bit of telephoning, and so onW It sounds like just the sort of thingI want to doM Perhaps you’d care tohave a quick look round the office here,see if you like the people who work hereW That’s very nice of youThank youQuestions to are based on the conversation you have just heardWhat does the woman dofor her present job?What kind of job is the woman applying for?What will the woman do nextaccording to the conversation?Section BDirections In this section,you will hear short passagesAt the end of each passage,you will hear some questionsBoth the passage and the questionswill be spoken only onceAfter you hear a question,you must choose the best answerfrom the four choicesmarked A), B), C) and D)Then mark the corresponding letteron Answer Sheetwith a single line through the centrePassage OneThe average family spends aboutone sixth of its income on foodBecause food is expensive,it is important to spend money wiselywhen you shopA careful shopper canprepare nutritious and delicious meals inexpensively Here are some hintsto help you shop betterBuy only the food that you needThere are several waysto avoid buying extra foodFirst, make a shopping listbefore you go to the storeThen, when you are at the store,follow your list carefullyFurthermore, do not go shoppingif you are hungryWhen you are hungry,food looks very deliciousand you want to buy more than you needFinally, go shopping alone if you canIf you shop with young children,they often ask you tobuy them unnecessary food like candyWhen you have a selection,choose the least expensive brand of a productThere are three points to rememberwhen you buy a can of tomatoes, for exampleFirst, look at the advertisements in the newspaperto see if your supermarket ishaving a “special” on canned tomatoesIn addition, when you are in the store,you should check the price per pound of tomatoesSometimes you save moneyif you buy the larger-sized can;sometimes, however, you don’tThird, remember that a grade A productor a more expensive productis not necessarily more healthythan a grade B or less expensive productGrade A tomatoes may look better,but all canned tomatoes have the same nutrientsQuestions to are based on the passageyou have just heardWhat does the speaker mainly talk about?What is the suggestion to help shop better?Why does the speaker advise toread the advertisements in the newspaper before shopping? Passage TwoIf parents bring up a childwith the aim of turning him into a genius,they will cause a disasterAccording to several leading educational psychologists,this is one of the biggest mistakesthat ambitious parents makeGenerally, the child will be only too aware ofwhat the parent expects, and will failUnrealistic parental expectations cancause great damage to childrenHowever, if parents are not too unrealistic aboutwhat they expect their children to do,but are ambitious in a sensible way,the child may succeed in doing very well—especially if the parents are very supportive of their child Michael Li is very luckyHe is crazy about music,and his parents help him a lotby taking him to concertsand arranging private piano and violin lessons for him Although Michael’s mother knows very little about music, Michael’s father plays the trumpet in a large orchestra However, he never makes Michael enter music competitionsif he is unwilling to do soMichael’s friend, Winston Chen, however,is not so luckyAlthough both his parents are successful musicians, they set too high a standard for himThey want him to be as successful as they are,so they enter him in every piano competition heldThey are very unhappy when he doesn’t win“When I was your age,I used to win every competition I entered”Winston’s father tells himWinston is always afraidthat he will disappoint his parentsand now he always seems quiet and unhappyQuestions to are based on the passageyou have just heardWhat is the right attitude in bringing up a child?What can we learn about Winston Chen’s parents?Why does Winston Chen always seem quiet and unhappy? Passage ThreeAs any homemaker who has tried to keep orderat the dinner table knows,there is far more to a family meal than foodSociologist Michael Lewis has been studying families to find out just how much moreLewis and his co-workers carried out their studyby videotaping the familieswhile they ate ordinary meals in their own homesThey found that parents with small familiestalked actively with each other and their childrenBut as the number of children got larger,conversation gave way to the parents’ effortsto control the loud noise they madeThat can have an important effect on the children“In general, the more question-asking the parents do, the higher the children’s IQ scores are,” Lewis says, “and the more children there are,the less question-asking there is”The study also provides an explanationfor why middle children often seem tohave a harder time in lifethan their brothers and sistersLewis finds that in familieswith three or four children,dinner conversation is likely tocenter on the oldest child,who has the most to talk about,and the youngest, who needs the most attention“Middle children are invisible,” says Lewis“When you see someone get up from the tableand walk around during dinner,it’s often the case that it’s the middle child”There is, however, one thing that stops all conversationand prevents anyone from having attention“When the TV is on,” Lewis says,“dinner is a non-event”Questions to are based on the passageyou have just heardWhat is the purpose of the passage?Why do parents with larger familiesask fewer questions at dinner?Which statement would the speakerprobably agree with?What will prevent all conversation at dinner?Section CDirections In this section,you will hear a passage three timesWhen the passage is read for the first time,you should listen carefully for its general ideaWhen the passage is read for the second time,you are required to fill in the blankswith the exact words you have just heardFinally, when the passage is read for the third time,you should check what you have writtenNow listen to the passageThe world is not only hungry,but thirsty for waterThat may seem strange to you,since nearly % of the earth’s surface is covered with water,but about % of this huge amountis sea water, or salt waterMen can only drink and use the other %—the fresh water from rivers, lakes, underground, and other sources And we cannot even use all of that,because some of it isin the form of icebergs and glaciersEven worse, some of it has been pollutedHowever, this small amount of fresh wateris still enough for us,but our need for water is increasing rapidlyOnly if we take steps todeal with the problem nowcan we avoid a severe worldwide water shortage later on One of the first steps isto develop ways of reusing itToday water is used only onceand then discharged into a sewer system,and it eventually returns to the seaor runs into underground storage tanksIt is possible to pipe used water to a purifying plant There it can be filtered and treated with chemicalsso that it can be used againEven if every large city purified and reused its water, we still would not have enoughAll we have to doto make use of the seawater in the worldis to remove the saltIf we take these steps,we’ll be in no danger of drying up!Now the passage will be read againNow the passage will be read for the third timeThis is the end of listening comprehension。