大学英语四级考试巅峰 Track 31

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[00:00.81]Model Test Ten

[00:03.65]Section A

[00:05.51]Directions: In this section,

[00:09.34]you will hear 8 short conversations and 2 long conversations.

[00:15.03]At the end of each conversation,

[00:18.09]one or more questions will be asked about what was said.

[00:22.46]Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once.

[00:27.93]After each question there will be a pause.

[00:32.09]During the pause, you must read the four choices marked A) ,

[00:37.67]B) , C) and D) , and decide which is the best answer.

[00:43.57]Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2

[00:49.04]with a single line through the centre.

[00:51.77]Now let's begin with the eight short conversations.

[00:56.97]11. M: Did you hear that Mike was able to see and hear again

[01:03.43]after he was struck by lightning?

[01:05.39]W: I read about him in the paper this week. It was a miracle.

[01:09.12]He'd been blind and lost hearing for about eight or nine years.

[01:13.82]Q: What happened to Mike?

[01:29.63]12. M: I haven't seen Mary all day.

[01:36.52]W: I think she's upset

[01:38.27]because her boyfriend isn't coming to the dinner tonight.

[01:41.66]Q: What do we learn about Mary from the conversation?

[02:02.35]13. M: Did you read a novel or a poem last night?

[02:07.70]W: A novel. I've never read a more stirring story.

[02:12.95]Q: What does the woman imply?

[02:31.08]14. W: Do you like to play chess?

[02:35.01]M: I like the game and I play often.

[02:37.31]But I never learned to play well.

[02:39.27]Q: What can we learn from the man's reply?

[02:58.82]15. M: How did you like the paintings

[03:02.98]by Picasso at the art gallery?

[03:04.95]W: I still haven't been able to take any time off from studying.

[03:09.76]Q: What does the woman mean?

[03:27.24]16. M: You know, that was a great dinner.

[03:33.26]But I don't think that her chicken is as good as my roast beef.

[03:36.87]W: To tell you the truth, I thought it was tough and stringy.

[03:42.01]Q: How did the woman feel about the dinner?

[04:00.22]17. M: Did you hear Jane's presentation last night?

[04:06.79]W:  How she could be so calm

[04:10.17]in front of such a large audience is really beyond me!

[04:13.89]Q: What does the woman imply?

[04:31.62]18. W: The student's English club is having a party

[04:37.75]on Saturday night. Can you come?

[04:39.93]M: I would like to, but I work at a restaurant on weekends.

[04:43.87]Q: Why can't the man go to the party?

[05:02.49]Now you will hear two long conversations.

[05:06.22]Conversation One

[05:08.42]W:  Hi, John.

[05:10.17]M:  Hi, Jenny.

[05:11.26]W:  One of the issues today is the digital divide.

[05:14.87]M:  I know it refers to the divide

[05:17.60]between who is online and who isn't.

[05:20.45]W:  What's the nature of the division?

[05:23.07]How do they divide?

[05:25.14]M:  They are looking at three principal portions

[05:28.43]of the American population with regard to ethnic 1 gap,

[05:31.93]income gap and also different age groups.

[05:35.75]W:  What do they discover?

[05:37.94]M:  They find that today 30% of African Americans,

[05:41.88]33% of Hispanic Americans, and 47% of White Americans, are online,

[05:48.77]but the largest portion of the American population

[05:51.40]is Asian Americans with a 65% online.

[05:55.99]W:  Do they offer any explanations about why this might be?

[05:59.93]M:  Well, one reason is income.

[06:02.44]Low-income population's use of the Internet is less.

[06:05.84]W:  Well, computers are still a fairly expensive item.

[06:09.44]M:  But  within five years double the amount of people will be using them.

[06:13.93]W:  Well, is there a gender 2 divide?

[06:16.22]M:  No. Not only is there not a gender divide but

[06:19.50]this year more women will be online than men.

[06:23.01]W:  Really?

[06:23.88]M:  But the difference here is the sites they visit.

[06:27.16]Men are interested in financial and technology sites.

[06:30.66]Women tend to prefer sites dealing 3 with more personal matters.

[06:34.49]For instance, they want to find out about woman's health.

[06:38.21]W:  Yeah. Interesting.

[06:39.85]M:  Well, they're forecasting that three quarters of the country

[06:43.68]will be online within five years.

[06:45.97]W:  That's fast, isn't it?

[06:48.05]Questions 19 to 22 are based on the conversation you have just heard.

[06:54.50]19. What factors is the digital divide determined 4 by?

[07:14.36]20. What can be inferred from the conversation?

[07:36.49]21. Which site will be probably visited by women?

[07:56.53]22. What are John and Jenny most likely to do?

[08:18.46]Conversation Two

[08:19.89]M:   Hi, Margaret, where were you at dinner-time?

[08:25.57]I was saving a seat for you in the coffee shop.

[08:28.20]W:   Oh, sorry to miss you.

[08:29.84]But my thirst for knowledge was greater than my pains of hunger.

[08:34.65]M:   I never had that problem.

[08:36.76]So where were you?

[08:38.06]W:   My physical science class ran overtime 5.

[08:40.68]M:   That's been happening quite a bit lately. Hasn't it?

[08:43.96]I guess so.

[08:44.94]Actually, what happens is that some of us hang around for a while

[08:48.66]after class to talk with our professor and ask him questions.

[08:52.05]M:   Who is this the 21st century's Newton?

[08:55.88]W:   Professor Greg. Have you heard of him?

[08:57.96]M:   Yes. He does have a good reputation

[09:00.69]in the physical science department.

[09:02.55]W:   And a well deserved one.

[09:03.86]The same students who fall asleep in discussion group

[09:07.04]fight for frontrow seats in his lectures.

[09:09.85]M:   Oh, no. I hope this isn't amazing.

[09:12.47]W:   You can joke. But it's great to have a professor

[09:15.65]who is not only interesting

[09:17.39]but prepares to give up time to students.

[09:21.01]M:   I know. It is really rare.

[09:22.97]Maybe I should sit in his class some time.

[09:25.38]Do you think he'd care?

[09:26.58]W:   Not at all. Lots of students bring their friends.

[09:29.54]He says he feels flattered 6.

[09:31.40]M:   Well, just to be safe,

[09:33.14]I think I'll bring my dinner along as well.

[09:35.44]W:   I'll make a good student of you yet.

[09:37.85]Questions 23 to 25 are based on the conversation you have just heard.

[09:46.16]23. Where was the woman at the dinner?

[10:08.39]24. How did the students show that

[10:14.51]they really enjoy Professor Greg's class?

[10:33.52]25. How did Prof. Greg feel about visitors at his lecture?

[10:56.34]Section B

[10:58.53]Directions: In this section,

[11:03.12]you will hear 3 short passages.

[11:05.86]At the end of each passage, you will hear some questions.

[11:10.45]Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once.

[11:14.50]After you hear a question,

[11:17.09]you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A) ,

[11:21.46]B) , C) and D).

[11:24.64]Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2

[11:29.34]with a single line through the centre.

[11:31.75]Passage One

[11:33.60]Today, air travel is much safer than driving a car on a busy motorway 7.

[11:39.94]But there is the danger that grows every year.

[11:43.01]From the moment the airplane takes off to the moment it lands,

[11:47.60]every movement is watched on radar 8 screens.

[11:50.77]Air traffic controllers tell the pilot exactly when to turn,

[11:55.37]when to climb and when to come down.

[11:58.00]The air traffic controllers around the busy airport

[12:01.71]may handle 1,000 planes a day.

[12:04.89]Any plane that flies near the airport

[12:07.84]comes under the orders of the controllers there.

[12:10.90]Even a small mistake on their part could cause a disaster.

[12:15.05]Recently, such a disaster almost happened.

[12:18.77]Two large jets were flying towards the airport.

[12:22.06]One was carrying 69 passengers and had come from Toronto;

[12:27.08]the other was carrying 176 passengers from Chicago.

[12:31.90]An air traffic controller noticed on his radar screen

[12:35.62]that the two planes were too close to each other.

[12:38.47]He ordered one to turn to the right to climb,

[12:41.52]but he made a mistake.

[12:43.16]He ordered the wrong plane to do this.

[12:46.01]So, instead of turning away from the second plane,

[12:49.39]the first plane turned towards it.

[12:51.91]15 seconds later, it flew directly in front of the second plane.

[12:56.73]They avoided each other by the smallest part of a second.

[13:00.56]The distance between them was less than that of a large swimming pool.

[13:04.93]This is an example of the danger that grows every year.

[13:09.09]Questions 26 to 28 are based on the passage you have just heard.

[13:16.41]26. What can most seriously endanger airplanes according to this passage?

[13:41.27]27. How many passengers are there on both planes respectively?

[14:02.23]28. Why were the two large jets specially 9 mentioned?

[14:19.14]Passage Two

[14:21.22]The problem of the homeless has become very serious in the United States.

[14:27.89]Almost in every community, you can find homeless people.

[14:31.94]An ironical 10 case is: in November, 1993,

[14:36.53]a woman died on a street in Washington, D.C.,

[14:40.03]the nation's capital,

[14:41.56]and she died at a bus-stop across the street

[14:45.17]from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development.

[14:48.78]People become homeless for various reasons.

[14:52.28]Some may not be able to pay for the housing they used to have,

[14:56.44]because they have lost their job

[14:58.51]and cannot find another place they can afford.

[15:01.46]Others have mental disorders 11,

[15:04.10]or are addicted 12 to drugs or alcohol,

[15:06.82]and there are not enough centres to care for them.

[15:10.00]As ways to help these people,

[15:12.62]the federal government and many communities

[15:15.35]have set up all kinds of projects.

[15:17.65]Some programs include permanent housing,

[15:20.71]training for jobs and treatment for people

[15:23.13]who are addicted to drugs or alcohol.

[15:25.42]Some communities have opened centres

[15:28.48]that offer services for as many as 700 people.

[15:32.31]The homeless can stay as long as they want.

[15:35.26]People are making efforts to solve the problem.

[15:38.98]However, it will not be easy,

[15:41.06]because it is a personal and economic problem

[15:44.13]as well as a social problem.

[15:46.20]Questions 29 to 32 are based on the passage you have just heard.

[15:53.31]29. Why is the death of the woman an ironical case?

[16:16.73]30. Why do people become homeless according to this passage?

[16:37.53]31. What do these governmental programs include?

[16:58.72]32. Why is the problem of the homeless difficult to solve?

[17:20.47]Passage Three

[17:21.89]Janet's sister is a stewardess 13 for a famous international airline,

[17:28.67]and Janet wants to become one too.

[17:31.29]Of course she is still too young.

[17:33.92]The minimum age for a stewardess is twenty and Janet is only just over sixteen.

[17:40.59]For the moment she has taken a job in an office.

[17:43.43]But she is going to attend evening classes.

[17:46.39]In particular, she wants to improve her French

[17:49.99]and she has also decided 14 to take up a second language.

[17:53.40]This is because foreign languages are essential for a stewardess.

[17:57.67]Later on, when she is about eighteen,

[18:00.29]she plans to work in a hotel for a while.

[18:03.24]This will not be difficult to arrange

[18:05.65]because one of her uncles is the manager of a big London hotel.

[18:09.92]Among other things,

[18:11.88]she proposes to work in the kitchen and the dining room.

[18:15.49]This will be especially valuable experience

[18:18.01]because an important part of a stewardess' work

[18:21.18]is to serve and feed the passengers.

[18:23.80]Finally, if she has the time,

[18:26.10]she will go and work in a hospital for a while.

[18:28.94]Again this will provide more valuable experience.

[18:32.55]So, you see, Janet has made up her mind

[18:35.94]and she is preparing for her career very carefully.

[18:39.12]But it was not easy for her to decide.

[18:41.86]She asked a large number of people

[18:44.47]and they all gave her conflicting advice!

[18:47.43]Questions 33 to 35 are based on the passage you have just heard.

[18:55.56]33. Why doesn't Janet work as a stewardess now?

[19:18.67]34. What is the essential demand for a stewardess?

[19:40.37]35. How do most people respond

[19:44.96]when she tells them her choice of her career?

[20:00.13]Section C

[20:03.63]Directions: In this section, you will hear a passage three times.

[20:11.62]When the passage is read for the first time,

[20:15.01]you should listen carefully for its general idea.

[20:18.51]When the passage is read for the second time,

[20:22.33]you are required to fill in the blanks numbered

[20:26.17]from 36 to 43 with the exact words you have just heard.

[20:31.96]For blanks numbered from 44 to 46

[20:36.22]you are required to fill in the missing information.

[20:39.94]For these blanks, you can either use the exact words you have just heard

[20:46.39]or write down the main points in your own words.

[20:50.22]Finally, when the passage is read for the third time,

[20:54.93]you should check what you have written.

[20:57.33]Now listen to the passage.

[21:00.95]For many Americans, Easter is the most religious holiday of the year.

[21:07.52]More people go to church on Easter Sunday than at any other time of the year.

[21:13.32]Americans love all holidays and usually find a way to have fun on each of them.

[21:20.53]One thing that some people like to do is to dress up in fine,

[21:26.33]new clothes and walk with their families on one of the main streets.

[21:30.11]This is called the “Easter Parade.”

[21:33.39]People like to see what others are wearing,

[21:36.13]and they also want the others to see their own fine clothes.

[21:40.06]A very old tradition on Easter is to give children a basket full of candy.

[21:45.75]Parents often hide the basket

[21:48.81]so that the children will have the fun of looking for it.

[21:52.17]Boys and girls believe that the Easter Bunny brings the basket every year.

[21:56.86]The Easter Bunny is a rabbit

[21:58.71]who is as important to the children at Easter time

[22:01.67]as Santa Claus is at Christmas.

[22:04.29]Sometimes the city will have all the children

[22:07.36]come to a big park for an egg hunt.

[22:09.54]Early in the morning

[22:10.52]people who work at the park hide eggs and pieces of candy.

[22:14.68]They put them in trees, behind rocks or in other places

[22:18.73]where the children have to look for them.

[22:20.59]At Easter time Mother buys a lot of eggs.

[22:23.76]She boils them until they are hard.

[22:25.95]Coloring these eggs is another Easter tradition.

[22:29.34]It is a nice tradition because all the family members

[22:32.40]gather around the table to help.

[22:34.48]Having the family together is the nicest part of any holiday.

[22:38.95]Now the passage will be read again.

[22:42.44]For many Americans, Easter is the most religious holiday of the year.

[22:49.01]More people go to church on Easter Sunday than at any other time of the year.

[22:55.13]Americans love all holidays and usually find a way to have fun on each of them.

[23:02.70]One thing that some people like to do is to dress up in fine,

[23:08.61]new clothes and walk with their families on one of the main streets.

[23:12.65]This is called the “Easter Parade.”

[23:15.72]People like to see what others are wearing,

[23:18.56]and they also want the others to see their own fine clothes.

[23:23.15]A very old tradition on Easter is to give children a basket full of candy.

[23:29.27]Parents often hide the basket

[23:32.67]so that the children will have the fun of looking for it.

[23:35.84]Boys and girls believe that the Easter Bunny brings the basket every year.

[23:41.20]The Easter Bunny is a rabbit

[23:42.95]who is as important to the children at Easter time

[23:45.90]as Santa Claus is at Christmas.

[24:38.76]Sometimes the city will have all the children

[24:42.04]come to a big park for an egg hunt.

[24:45.00]Early in the morning

[24:45.89]people who work at the park hide eggs and pieces of candy.

[24:49.82]They put them in trees, behind rocks or in other places

[24:53.86]where the children have to look for them.

[25:45.53]At Easter time Mother buys a lot of eggs.

[25:49.65]She boils them until they are hard.

[25:52.16]Coloring these eggs is another Easter tradition.

[25:55.33]It is a nice tradition because all the family members

[25:58.28]gather around the table to help.

[26:50.28]Having the family together is the nicest part of any holiday.

[27:41.33]Now the passage will be read for the third time.

[27:45.60]For many Americans, Easter is the most religious holiday of the year.

[27:52.49]More people go to church on Easter Sunday than at any other time of the year.

[27:58.17]Americans love all holidays and usually find a way to have fun on each of them.

[28:05.29]One thing that some people like to do is to dress up in fine,

[28:10.86]new clothes and walk with their families on one of the main streets.

[28:15.01]This is called the “Easter Parade.”

[28:18.08]People like to see what others are wearing,

[28:20.92]and they also want the others to see their own fine clothes.

[28:25.08]A very old tradition on Easter is to give children a basket full of candy.

[28:30.77]Parents often hide the basket

[28:33.50]so that the children will have the fun of looking for it.

[28:36.89]Boys and girls believe that the Easter Bunny brings the basket every year.

[28:41.47]The Easter Bunny is a rabbit

[28:43.55]who is as important to the children at Easter time

[28:46.40]as Santa Claus is at Christmas.

[28:49.13]Sometimes the city will have all the children

[28:51.76]come to a big park for an egg hunt.

[28:54.27]Early in the morning

[28:55.48]people who work at the park hide eggs and pieces of candy.

[28:59.52]They put them in trees, behind rocks or in other places

[29:03.68]where the children have to look for them.

[29:05.43]At Easter time Mother buys a lot of eggs.

[29:08.60]She boils them until they are hard.

[29:11.01]Coloring these eggs is another Easter tradition.

[29:14.18]It is a nice tradition because all the family members

[29:17.24]gather around the table to help.

[29:19.43]Having the family together is the nicest part of any holiday.