2020英语四级考试真题听力原文
2020.9四级真题听力原文
Part II Listening Comprehension
Section A
Questions 1 and 2 are based on the news report you have just heard.
A NASA satellite orbiting over Portugal took photographs that reveal the effects of pollutionfrom ships. One of the photos shows a thin film of clouds above the brilliant blue of the
North Atlantic, cut by white lines of thicker clouds that look like scars. (1 ) NASA officials
explained those thicker clouds are signs of ship traffic below. When ships power their way
through the ocean, they pump exhaust into the atmosphere, just as cars do. And those
massive amounts of particles can cause clouds to form. Get enough of those particles in one place, as from the exhaust of a ship, and they can lead to the creation of new clouds easily
visible from space. “ These clouds can be huge. Some of them stretch hundreds of
kilometres from end to end," NASA officials said. (2)It’s likely that these sorts of clouds are
having some effect on the global climate, according to NASA officials. But scientists aren’t
yet sure what effect it has.
1. What has caused the thick clouds in the photos taken by NASA satrllite?
2. What do NASA officials think about the thick clouds?
Questions 3 and 4 are based on the news report you have just heard,
Staff at a suburban supermarket in Melbourne say they feel unsafe at work after security
guards were removed. This came after a series of physical attacks and verbal abuse by
customers. (3)More than 50 workers at the store have signed a letter calling for a
permanent security guard following a series of incidents, including a customer threatening
to attack a supervisor with a knife. A security worker had guarded the store each night
from 7 p.m. until 12 a. m,but that had stopped suddenly on Monday, employees said. One worker said anangry customer had thrown a chicken at his head after complaining about
how long she had waited to be served.Another worker said the lack of protection at the
store made her feel uncomfortable at work. (4)However, the spokesman of the
supermarket said the store had taken strong action in response to incidents.“We have foundvery few instances of bad customer behavior at our store in the past year. In the rare cases we have seen bad behavior, we have taken strong action in response, including banning a
customer from the store.”
3. For what purpose did the staff at a supermarket in Melbourne sign a letter?
4. What did the spokesman of the supermarket say regarding the employees’ demand?
Questions 5 to 7 are based on the news report you have just heard.
(5)Drivers on their way to the Polish capital of Warsaw on Wednesday morning found the
road blocked by an unusual obstacle: tons of liquid chocolate that spilled onto the
motorway. (6)A truck carrying the sweet loadhit a road barrier and overturned, blocking twolanes. The cracked tank spilled a pool of rapidly-hardening chocolate, which quickly covered
the width of the road. While the driver was taken to hospital with a brokenarm, firefighters
struggled to remove a reported twelve tons of solid chocolate from the road. (7) A
representative for the firefighters told the local TV that removing the chocolate was worse
than dealing with snow. After contacting the chocolate manufacturer, the firefighters
resorted to spraying hot, pressurized water to get rid of the sticky substance. The local TV
also noted that the cleanup spanned more than a mile, because drivers simply drove
through the chocolate after the crash, leaving a long chocolate trail. But despite the sticky
situation, firefighters and police attending to the cleanup were reportedly cheerful about th
long task ahead.After all, who could be mad about twelve tons of chocolate?
5. What did drivers on the motorway to Warsaw find?
6. What does the report say about the accident?
7. What did the firefighters’representative tell the local TV?
Section B
Questions 8 to 11 are based on the conversation you have just heard,
M: Lisa, why did you pay for your meal with cash instead of the payment apps on your
phone?
W: Well, I’ve gone back to cash, I’m only using payment apps if that’s the only option. (8)I’mtrying to save money for a new phone, and I find that using cash rather than payment
apps helps me to save.
M: But how? Money is money, isnt it? I don’t think it matters whether you take it out to the bank and put it in your wallet or simply transfer from your bank account to the seller’s
bank account using an app.
W: No, I believe it does matter. It’s a psychological phenomenon. (9)I believe we have less
connection with the value of our money when we just tap the “Approve" buttons on our
phones.
M: You might have a point. Since I stopped carrying cash around and started using my
phone apps to pay,(10)I may have developed a tendency to buy more small or non essential items.
W: That’s highly possible. Think about the amount of time we spend with our phones in our hands, and all the things we do with our phones. It sometimes seems that our phone is
buying the product for us, not ourselves.
M: (11-1)So cashless payment affects our ability to budget?
W: I believe so. If we spend a hundred yuan in cash, we realize that we don’t have that
hundred yuan to spend on something else. But if we’re spending electronically, we are less
likely to make that mental calculation.
M: (11-2)I stopped using my credit card because I found I was spending excessively.
Perhaps I should take the same approach of paying using my phone.
W: It’s worth considering.
8. What did the woman decide to go back to cash for payment?
9. What happens when people use apps for payment according to the woman?
10. What might the man tend to buy with payment apps?
11. What does the man think of electronic payment?
Questions 12 to 15 are based on the conversation you have just heard,
W: (12-1)Hello, Mr. Brown. I was expecting your call. My secretary told me you werc having
some problems with the wooden table. Is that right?
M: (12-2)No, no. The table is fine. The problem is the chairs.
W: Oh, the chairs. So what exactly is the issue?
M: Well, put simply, these are not the chairs my wife and I selected in your store last week.
There must be some confusion with our order.
W: Oh, I see. I’m looking through my files now, and I see that the delivery was this morning. Is that correct?
M: Yes.
W: (13)Do you mind describing the chairs that were delivered to your apartment, Mr. Brown?
M: Sure. These have a flat back with a rounded top and are very heavy. They are light brow and look kind of cheap. The ones we ordered were dark brown to match the table.
W: Right, of course. It says here you purchased the Arlington table and four Milano chairs.
As you said, there must have been some confusion with the order. I’m terribly sorry.
(14)We will send a van to collect those four and replace them with the Milano you
purchased. Will tomorrow 9 a. m. be okay, Mr. Brown?
M: Yes, that would be great. Thank you.
W: Good. Did everything else you ordered from us arrive okay?
M: Yes, I think so. Let me check. The mirror and two paintings are here. The two coffee
tables are also here.And the sofa... Yes, we haven’t noticed anything else wrong or missing. But if we do, we will certainly let you know.
W: Okay, great. (15)Once again, I’m sorry for the confusion and trouble caused.
12.What did the man call the woman?
13.Wha t did the woman ask the man to do?
14.What did the woman promise to do for the man?
15.What did the woman do at the end of the conversation?
Section C
Questions 16 to 18 are based on the passe you have just heard.
Do you have to much suff? Are you, dare we say it“untidy? (16)Say hello to a TV show
called "Tidying Up with Marie Kondo”,a home improvement show based on her wildly
popular book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up.
In the show, Marie Kondo acts as a tiny garbage fairy for messy pople, vstig their houses to share the wisdom of the“KonMari" method. This method is simple in theory but can be
endlessly complex in practice. (17)You divide all the stuff in your house-all of it- into
several categories, and then examine each item- allof them to see if it sparks joy. If it does,
you keep it. If it doesn’t, you thank it and neatly discard it. So, is the TV show inspiring
people to tidy up? Firsthand accounts seem to indicate a small wave of people bringing
piles of donation bags to used goods stores. One store received thousands of bags of used possessions in one day. January is usually the stores’slow season for donations
because it’s cold and people don’t want to bother, but not this January. People seemed
determined to clean up their homes. (18) One used bookstore received a month’s worth of
books in donations in a week when a man gave over fifty boxes of books from hishome. It
seems Marie’s TV show is having a big impact after all.
16. What is Marie Kondo’s TV show about?
17.What things can be kept in one’s home according to Marie Kondo?
18. What do we learn about one used bookstore this January?
Questions 19 to 21 are based on the passage you have just heard,
(19)At just 12 years old, Mike Hannon is making a difference in his community-one lunch at
a time."Mike’s Lunches of Love” has fed more than 2 ,000 of the town’s most vulnerable
residents. Mike delivers meals to the homeless. "It’s like a way to give people joy, maybe
spark something in them that can change them,Mike told WBZ-TV. The mayor of Mike’s
town feels that Mike is a great community leader, especially in such times of so much
negative news. While his father commented on how proud he was of his son, yet, Mike isn’t
looking for praise, but kindness in return. (20) He hopes his acts of charity will influence
others to spread positive actions in their own towns. Mike includes a handwritten message
of joy on each bag. His message and star power has spread all over the country. To date,
his online page to raise funds has brought in more than$ 44,000 and counting, raising more than $ 17 ,000 in just one day, with the help of many famous actors and others. (21)People
from all over the country are sending special handcrafted bags to help the young man with
his mission to help those in need .Many are hoping the simple act of kindness spreads.Mike is seen as hope for the future of the town, the country and the world.
19.What does Mike Hannon do to help people in this town?
20.What does Mike hope others will do?
21.How are people all over the country responding to what Mike is doing?
Questions 22 to 25 are based on the passage you have just heard,
(22)In a recent study carried out by psychologists on the disruptive effects of smartphones,
two groups of college students were given word search puzzles. The first group was told to
complete the puzzles with its participants smartphones in their line of sight. The second
group, however, was told that the phones would interfere with the equipment in the
experiment, and would need to be moved away from the testing area.Midway through the
second group‘s solving of the puzzles, the experimenter called one of the phones and let
it ring for a while before hanging up. (23)Many of the students in that group were unable
to focus from then on,becoming anxious and performing more poorly than the first group.
Use of electronics has also been known to lead to a decline in human interactions. Rather than having reallife conversations, many express emotions and engage in deep conversations through social media sites. Many students use their phones and computers during class for
non-academic activities, which leads to poor grades.(24) Perhaps the most dramatic impact
is the reduction in the amount of sleep, which leads to poor health andweight gain.
(25) Technology is a great tool; however, it‘s important to recognize its downsides. Lack of
sleep,reduction of productivity and weight gain are only a few. If we‘re not careful about all
these minor problems right now, the effect on the future generation is going to be much
bigger.
22.What were the college stud
ents in both groups required to do in the study?
23.What do we learn about many of the students in the second test group after the phone rang?
24.According to the passage, what is the most dramatic impact of smartphone use?
25.What does the speaker suggest people do?
2020.7四级真题听力原文
Section A
Questions 1 and 2 are based on the news report you have just heard.
In today's headlines, Scotland's transport minister has warned of potentially extreme weather conditions as heavy snow is forecast across the country later this week.Orange warnings are in force for many areas for Wednesday and Thursday.The transport minister advised people in parts of Scotland covered by the orange alert to avoid travel on Wednesday, ' this is what he said to us. The orange warning may be raised to red in some areas. That is a warning for snow that has never been seen since the modern system came into place in Scotland. The orange warning has been extended until 6 p.m. on Thursday. Trains, planes and ferries are also likely to be affected, with wind chill that could see parts of Britain feeling as cold as -15℃. The head of road policing said, 'I would urge drivers to take extra care on the roads for their journeys. Drivers should make sure they are prepared for their journey with warm clothing, food and drink, sufficient fuel and a charged mobile phone. There could be significant traffic delays, so please start to plan your journey now to consider if you really need to travel on conditions are this poor.
Question 1: What were people at parts of Scotland advised to do?
Question 2: What did the head of road policing urge drivers to do?
Questions 3 to 4 are based on the passage you have just heard.
Romania's wetlands are coming back to life, thanks to help from local communities, the World Wildlife Fund and funding from the European Union. Roughly 2,224 acres of the picturesque Danube Delta – home to 300 species of birds – have filled with wildlife. The land has been connected to the network of lakes and streams in the area. '’A lot of birds have migrated to the area and one doesn't need to travel long hours anymore or go to other lakes to watch the birds, '’ says Ion Meuta, Deputy Mayor of Mahmudia. The area around Mahmudia, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site, is the third-most biodiverse in the world, after Australia's Great Barrier Reef and the Galapagos Islands. Groups used earth-moving equipment to restore the waterways. Government officials proposed to protect the area's endangered wild fish by issuing a fishing ban over the next decade.
Question3: What is the news report mainly about?
Question4: What did government's officials propose to do to protect the endangered fish?
Questions 5 to 7 are based on the passage you have just heard.
Scott Dunn, recently awoke from a medically-induced sleep he'd been in after a car accident. He was heartbroken after realizing he'd missed his high school graduation. His classmates decided to give him a second chance. It was just a month ago that East Juniata High School seniors met in the school's auditorium for graduation. And last week, they did it again. Scott's car accident was on May 22nd, just 3 days before the ceremony. "I remember waking up in the hospital and asking mom, 'What day it was', she told me it was the 28th." He said, "I looked at her and said, ‘I missed my graduation." The school's principal, Mr. Fausey, called Scott's mom Karen and said that everybody wants to do something special for him. Students wore their caps and gowns and sat in the front of the auditorium. Scott's parents, Karen and Scott Senior, sat front and center. After brief speeches, Scott's name was called, only Scott's name. He walked across the stage as the audience cheered. A graduation for one. "I'm speechless," Scott said. "I don’t know how to even explain it. I'm speechless to know that so many people are behind me."
Question5: What happened to Scot a month ago?
Question6: What did Scot ask about when he regained consciousness?
Question7: Why was Scot speechless at the graduation ceremony?
Section B
Questions 8 to 11 are based on the passage you have just heard.
M：How do you like your new flexible work in arrangement? Do you enjoy working from home?
W：Yes and no, I find an isolation challenging at times, apart from my mother, not too many people I know, have time for phone chat during working hour. I tried the library but found I wasn’t really keen on working there.
M：No, neither would I. I find the library a bit too quiet. I’d lack inspiration or stimulation, which would be counter-productive to getting a lot of work done.
W：I found the same thing. So, lately, I’ve been going out to Cafes occasionally, I love the noise, the people, the busyness of a Café, the sense of being out in the world.
M: Coffee shops seem to have affectively become off spaces for so many people in this digital age. Though I’m not sure how Café owners feel about it - having so many people who go to that places to work rather than drink and eat.
W：Yes, some people seem to spend a lot of time there and not order much. The most annoying one for Café owners must truly be those, usually only two of them, who occupy a table for six with their laptops and paperwork.
M：They should sit at a table for two, not the table for six. Some obviously stay so long, they need to plug the laptops into a power adapter. I nearly tripped over someone’s computer electrical lead the other day in my local café.
W：It’s a double-edged sword, no doubt about that, for a Café owner. While remote workers help to keep the café full in quiet times, they can take up valuable table space and busy period.
Question8. What does the woman say is the disadvantage of working from home?
Question9. What does the man say is counter-productive to getting work done in the library?
Question10. What does the woman like about doing one’s work in a café?
Question11. What is most annoying for café owners according to the woman?
Questions 12 to 15 are based on the passage you have just heard.
W: I’m going to start working for another job. I can’t see myself getting an opportunity to progress on my company anytime in the near future. And I really think my skills and abilities deserve a higher salary.
M: You are not going to quit, are you?
W: I’m thinking I might as well. Then I can devote more time and energy to find me a better position at another company.
M: But you’ve been in your present company less than two years, haven’t you? This would be the third time you’ve left your job in the last five years. If you do several jobs in a relatively short span of time, perspective employers might see that you lack loyalty. That could make them worry and reluctant to employ you.
W: Unfortunately, loyalty doesn’t pay. Even if I get a promotion at my company, it’s likely to be less sizeable than if I were to get a job elsewhere. And even if I get a promotion, I’m not guaranteed to get a raise. I had that experience at another company I worked up.
M: They want you to take on more work and responsibility but for the same amount of money?
W: More or less, yes. The way I see it, through having different jobs, I’ve got a lot of experience, and different jobs and in different industries.
M: But potential employers might worry about that experience is not deep, or thorough enough.
W: Perhaps, but I feel pretty confident that I can sell myself. You know what they say, fortune favors the brave.
Question12: What makes the woman think about changing her job?
Question13: What does the man say about people who keep changing their jobs?
Question14: What does the woman say would happen even if she got promoted in her current company?
Question15: What benefit has the woman gain from changing her jobs frequently?
Section C
Questions 16 to 18 are based on the passage you have just heard.
There is a saying that goes something along the lines of ‘You must love yourself first before you can love someone else.’ Similarly, I personally believe that you must be comfortable and happy in your own company before you can truly be yourself in the company of others. There is a massive difference between being lonely and being alone. Loneliness is a horrible feeling. However, you don’t have to actually be alone to feel that way. Many times, I’ve felt lonely when surrounded by a big group of people. In contrast, being alone can actually be a blessing, particularly, when you’ve actively chosen it. In my experience, being bored and alone is dangerous and can easily lead to the feeling of loneliness. The trick is to be active. Get outside, stretch your legs, do something cultural, buy yourself something tasty to eat or something pretty to wear. You don’t have to take anyone else into consideration and can do whatever you please. Spending time alone also allows you to more efficiently take care of problems. And then, when it’s time to be social and meet up with your friends, you will be fully there, because you won’t have too much other stuff floating around in your mind. Having been alone for a bit, you will also appreciate your friends’ company more and chances are your time spent together will be more worthwhile.
Question 16: What does the speaker say about being alone?
Question 17: What does the speaker say how to reduce one’s feeling of loneliness?
Question 18: What is an advantage of spending one’s time alone?
Questions 19 to 21 are based on the passage you have just heard.
When I turned twelve, I worked summers at my father’s small brick cleaning business. I remember the harsh acid smell of the cleaning solution, and the scraping sound of stiff iron brushes against rough brick. It was tempting to have your job just finish. But anybody who worked for Thomas Kahoon had to meet his standards, and that include of me. If I messed up, he made me stay late until I got it right.
My father wasn’t been me. He demanded the same at himself. Every brick he cleaned on the house stood out like a red jewel in a white setting. It was his signature.
In 1970, when I was twenty, I got married. I moved out my parent's modest place into a housing project.
Drugs and gang violent were just beginning to plague the projects.
Some of my friend went to jail. Some were killed. My wife Verllen, was 18, and nobody gave our marriage a chance. But we believed in each other. And our faith made us strong.
When we married, I worked as a stock clerk at Southwest Super Food. It was hard, tedious work. Each Friday night a truck came, with cases of food that had to be unloaded, priced and placed on shelves.
Most of stock clerks try to get Friday night off. But I was always ready to work. By Saturday morning, all the kinds and drawers in my aisle would place with a label facing smartly out, like a line of soldiers on review. That was my signature. I took pride in a job nobody wanted.
Question 19. What do we learn about the speaker’s father?
Question 20. What does the speak say about the housing project?
Question 21. What do we learn about the speaker as a stock clerk?
Questions 22 to 25 are based on the passage you have just heard.
Watching more than 3 hours of television a day doubles memory loss in older people, a new study of more than 3,000 adults suggests. Scientist at University College London used memory and fluency tests on the same group of people 6 years apart. They found that those who watched on average less than 3 hours television a day showed a decline ever round 4 to 5 percent, while those who tended to watch more than 3 hours a day declined by an average of 8 to 10 percent. The research team say they believe the alert but passive nature of television watching maybe creating stress on the mind, which contributes to memory decline.
Older people who watch more television are also less likely to undertake activities knowing to preserve mental functioning, such as reading or interactive screen base pursuits, such as using the internet or playing video games. The researchers say that television viewing maybe a risk factor for all Alzheimer’s disease, but more researches needed to establish a link.
While watching television may have educational benefits and relaxation benefits, the researchers advise that adults over the age of 50 should try and ensure that television viewing is balanced with other contrasting activities. If you’re concerned that the amount of television you’re watching could have a negative impact on your health, you should eliminate the amount of TV watch each day and undertake some healthy hobbies.
Question22. By what means does scientist at University College London measure memory lost?
Question23. What contributed to memory decline in the participants?
Question24. What did the researchers say about their finding concerning the link between TV viewing and xxx this disease?
Question25. What do the researchers suggest older people do?