英语四级考试的听力样题
W: That’s the idea. And I might even be able to do other stories on a regular basis.
M: That would be great.
Questions 12 to 15 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
12. What is the woman’s occupation?
13. What is the woman writing about?
14. Where do the woman’s articles usually appear?
15. What does the woman expect?
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
In today’s class, we’ll discuss Toni Morrison’s novel Beloved. As I’m sure you all know, Morrison is both a popular and a highly respected author, and it’s not easy to be both. Born in 1931, Morrison has written some of the most touching and intelligent works on the African-American experience ever written by anyone, and yet to call her an “African-American writer” doesn’t seem to do her justice. In many ways, she’s simply an American writer—and certainly one of our best.
Beloved is a truly remarkable work. It was recommended for nearly every major literary prize, including the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award, and it in fact won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1988. Morrison herself is distinguished for having won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1993.
What makes Beloved unique is the skillful, sure way in which Morrison blends intensely personal storytelling and American history, racial themes and gender themes, the experience of Blacks with the experience of all people everywhere, the down-to-earth reality of slavery with a sense of mysterious spirituality.
We’ll be paying special attention to these themes as we discuss this work. I’m particularly interested in your views on the relative importance of race and gender in this book. Is it more important that Sethe, the main character, is black or that she’s a woman? Which contributes more to her being? What does Morrison tell us about both?
Questions 16 to 18 are based on the passage you have just heard.
16. What do we learn about Toni Morrison?
17. What honor did Toni Morrison receive in 1993?
18. What does the speaker tell us about Sethe, the main character in Morrison’s novel Beloved?
Passage Two
The topic of my talk today is gift-giving. Everybody likes to receive gifts, right? So you may think that gift-giving is a universal custom. But actually, the rules of gift-giving vary quite a lot, and not knowing them can result in great embarrassment. In North America, the rules are fairly simple. If you’re invited to someone’s home for dinner, bring wine or flowers or a small item from your country. Among friends, family, and business associates, we generally don’t give gifts on other occasions except on someone’s birthday and Christmas. The Japanese, on the other hand, give gifts quite frequently, often to thank someone for their kindness. The tradition of gift-giving in Japan is very ancient. There are many detailed rules for everything from the color of the wrapping paper to the time of the gift presentation. And while Europeans don’t generally exchange business gifts, they do follow some formal customs when visiting homes, such as bringing flowers. The type and color of flowers, however, can carry special meaning.
Today we have seen some broad differences in gift-giving. I could go on with additional examples. But let’s not miss the main point here: If we are not aware of and sensitive to cultural differences, the possibilities for miscommunication and conflict are enormous. Whether we learn about these differences by reading a book or by living abroad, our goal must be to respect differences among people in order to get along successfully with our global neighbors.
Questions 19 to 21 are based on the passage you have just heard.
19. What does the speaker say about gift-giving of North Americans?
20. What do we learn about the Japanese concerning gift-giving?
21. What point does the speaker make at the end of the talk?
Passage Three
Hetty Green was a very spoilt, only child. She was born in Massachusetts, USA, in 1835. Her father was a millionaire businessman. Her mother was often ill, and so from the age of two her father took her with him to work and taught her about stocks and shares. At the age of six she started reading the daily financial newspapers and opened her own bank account.
Her father died when she was 21 and she inherited $7.5 million. She went to New York and invested on Wall Street. Hetty saved every penny, eating in the cheapest restaurants for 15 cents. She became one of the richest and most hated women in the world. At 33 she married Edward Green, a multi-millionaire, and had two children, Ned and Sylvia.
Hetty’s meanness was well known. She always argued about prices in shops. She walked to the local grocery store to buy broken biscuits which were much cheaper, and to get a free bone for her much loved dog. Once she lost a two-cent stamp and spent the night looking for it. She never bought clothes and always wore the same long, ragged black skirt. Worst of all, when her son Ned fell and injured his knee, she refused to pay for a doctor and spent hours looking for free medical help. In the end Ned lost his leg.
When she died in 1916 she left her children $100 million. Her daughter built a hospital with her money.
Questions 22 to 25 are based on the passage you have just heard.
22. What do we learn about Hetty Green as a child?
23. How did Hetty Green become rich overnight?
24. Why was Hetty Green much hated?
25. What do we learn about Hetty’s daughter?
参考答案
Part II Listening Comprehension
Section A
1. B 2. C 3. A 4. D 5. D
6. A 7. C
Section B
8. D 9. B 10. B 11. C 12. A
13. B 14. C 15. D
Section C
16. A 17. B 18. D 19. D 20. C
21. B 22. B 23. A 24. D 25. C
【拓展资料】
听力实力提高
（一）精听：
精听的目的是系统学习语音、积累小词习语、句型表达和背景，可采用下面两种方式：
一是模仿法：精听一段文字，然后参考听力原文，跟读模仿到语音、语调分毫不差，甚至录下自己的发音和原音比较，逐段纠正语音、语调。
二是听抄法：又称四遍法，第一遍听大义；第二遍利用复读机或软件尽量听写出每句话，但不要参考听力原文；第三遍和听力原文比对，找出听不懂的原因；第四遍翻译或者背诵。
精听后务必趁热打铁，总结知识点：语音强调三点，一是建立单词正确的“听觉形象”；二是熟悉连读和失爆等变音现象，它们本质上是人们讲英语语速快时为了方便发音的自然结果，却造成我们分辨词语的困难；三是注意重读和语调，它们传递着超出词句本身含义的内容。小词习语强调小词搭配，比如多如牛毛的含get的短语，如同汉字中越是简单的字越难写得漂亮一样，小词搭配经常造成理解障碍。而句型表达和背景学习重在吃透听力原文，以阅读促听力。
精听要求注意力高度集中，必须净化练习环境，否则容易养成三心二意的习惯，但精听比精读更容易疲劳，时间不宜过长，各类英语考试的时间都在30分钟左右，所以练习也以这个长度为宜。
（二）泛听：
泛听目的有二：一是练习捕捉大意，让理解单位从“词汇”到“句子”再到“大意”；二是熟悉语速和语境，既真实英语的使用环境。切忌把泛听当精听。战胜“细节完美主义”的办法是重大意而非细节，重内容而非语言，重正在听的内容而非听过的内容。
“拳不离手，曲不离口”，泛听要形成“磨耳朵”的习惯，充分利用排队、等车等边角时间，泛听之后还要复述大意，检测听力效果。
帕累托原则（因19世纪末和20世纪初意大利经济学家及社会学家帕累托首先提出而得名）告诉我们，任何一组东西中，重要与次要的比例是20%：80%，精听与泛听的比例也可遵循这一原则，设定为1：4。
技巧
相关保留原则
当选项中有两项表达意思相近时，那么正确答案必在这两项之中！这时只需稍微听一听对话，即可知答案，如果出现了双重相关，便可直接确认正确选项，只需听完对话加之认证一下即可！
典型例题：1999年12月第4题 4. A) Visiting the Browning. B) Writing a postcard. C) Looking for a postcard. D) Filling in a from.
例题分析：B、C两项均含有 a poscard ，B、D两项均含有写...之意，即B、C和B、D构成双重相关，即可得出B为正确选项！
本题听力原文： 4. M: What's the matter? You've been sitting there for ages,just staring into space. W: I told the Browning I'd send them a postcard. Now I don't know what to say. Q: What's the woman doing?
异项保留原则
当选项中出现有意思明显相反的两项时，那么正确答案必在此二项中出现！如果出现双重异项，那么即可判断出正确答案，异项保留原则在六级考试听力短对话中应用广泛！
典型例题：1999年12月第6题 6. A) She can't finish her assignment,either. B) She can't afford a computer right now. C) The man can use her computer. D) The man should buy a computer right away.
例题分析：B、C异项，B项的意思是她现在没有电脑，C项的意思则是她现在有电脑。B、D异项，B是说女方无电脑，而D是说男方无电脑，男女也是一种反意关系。所以根据双重异项原则可确定正确答案为B项！
本题听力原文： 6. M: I'm frustrated. We're supposed to do our assignment on the computer,but I have difficulty getting access to the computers in the library. W: I understand the way you feel. I'm looking forward to the day when I can afford to get my own. Q: What does the woman mean?如果英语听力好一点的话，就可以试着去和外国人交流，毕竟社会经验还是需要的。
女士保留原则
做题做多了，我们应该了解西方人的思维方式，当对话中出现女士的建议和要求时，我们一定要注意，这时女士说出来的话很可能就是正确选项的异意！因为女士经常以女神的形象出面，她们代表的是美好、正面、阳光的信息！
典型例题：1999年12月第9题 9. A) The man should stick to what he's doing. B) The man should take up a new hobby. C) The man should stop playing tennis. D) The man should find the cause for his failure.
例题分析：通过选项我们可以分析出男人做一些事情遇到了困难，这时一位女人出来安慰男人，根据女神原则可知女人一定会让男人坚持把这件事情做下去，而不要放弃，这样的题型太多了，所以可呈现出一定的规律性！
本题听力原文：9. M: I think I'm going to give up playing tennis. I lost again.
W: Just because you lost? It that the reason to quit?
Q: What does the woman imply?
概括、抽象保留原则
当选项中出现比较概括、抽象的句子时，这时我们就要把表述事实的、具体的句子划掉，而去选择表概、抽象、比较性的句子！此原则可衍生出一个包含取大的原则，在作题时应用也是十分的.广泛，一般当两个选项的意思接近时，表述比较全面的一般为正确选项！
典型例题：
⒎ A) The visiting economist has given several lectures.
B) The guest lecturer's opinion is different from Dr. Johnson's.
C) Dr. Johnson and the guest speaker were schoolmates.
D) Dr. Johnson invited the economist to visit their college.
例题分析：A、C、D均为表述事实的句子，只有B项为对比、比较的句子，较之A、C、D项更为抽象的表述了一件事情，所以B项为正确选项！
本题听力原文：
⒎ M: The visiting economist is speaking tonight,but Dr. Johnson doesn't seem to think much of him.
W: That's because Dr. Johnson comes from an entirely different school of thought.
Q: What do we learn from the woman's remark?
态度和虚拟保留原则
这两种方法一般无单独命题的规律性，只是作为上述四种宏观方法的辅助方法出现，当只剩下两个选项时，通常正态度的选项容易是正确答案，表虚拟的选项更容易是正确答案。
英语听力的提高是一个需要长期坚持的过程，要有持之以恒的毅力和决心哦！
入门阶段，是对以前很少进行听力训练，甚至没有听过英语的朋友而言。这个阶段，是起步阶段，也是耗时最长的阶段，就我的经历而言，在这一部分，应该采取如下的训练方法: 1、首先要纠正自己的英语发音，自己在口语上还算能过关，如果自己的发音都不行，那怎么可能听懂。 2、选择难度较小，语速较慢的听力材料来训练。建议听的材料不要太长，以一段几百字为宜，内容最好是生活和文化方面，最好先不要听科技、伦理方面的文章，即使你能看懂，但从初学者的角度考虑，你听起来一定费力 3、听的时间长度：以每天45分钟左右为宜，时间不能太短，这样就收不到训练的效果，但也不能强迫自己听的太多，毕竟这一阶段还有很多听不懂的地方，可以说有时候自己听得象在云里雾里，这样的状态持续的时间太长，对自信心是一个严重的打击，会严重地影响听的兴趣。 4、听的频率，一天一次即可，选择一个固定的时间听，最好是自己精力比较旺盛的时间段。 5、听的过程中的方法选择：唯有聚精会神。6、经典听力材料：VOA 特别英语。