专四听力NEWS部分时事资料
四级听力 热点新闻原文3
Seminar 第四周原文1The United States Justice Department says it has found a way to get information from an iPhone used by a shooter in last year's mass shooting in San Bernardino, California.The Justice Department also said it no longer needs help from the iPhone's manufacturer, Apple.The company had refused earlier demands by federal investigators for help inrecovering data from the device.A man holds up his iPhone during a rally in support of data privacy outside an Apple store in San Francisco, Calif., Feb. 23, 2016. Protesters strongly criticized a court order telling Apple to help unlock an encrypted iPhone. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)The government sought to require Apple to write new software programs to help investigators get the data without knowing the iPhone's password. The government believed the information would help it in its investigation of the San Bernardino shooting, in which 14 people were killed.Last month, a judge ordered Apple to help the government. But the Justice Department announced this week it has been able to collect data from the phone. It asked the judge to cancel her order. She did so on Monday.Last week, the government delayed another court hearing in the case. Officials said they needed time to test a method that could help them gain access to the iPhone without Apple's assistance. That method was developed without the help of federal agents or Apple.Lawyers for Apple have said that the company wants to know how the device was unlocked.But the withdrawal of the court process could take away Apple's ability to legally request details on the method the government used. It also is likely to raise questions among users of Apple products and the technology industry about the strength of Apple's security on its devices.seminar 第四周新闻听力2 原文Alexis Cullen works as a volunteer in Vanuatu, one of the Peace Corp's mostremote postings.In the village where she works, called Naviso, some people have never heard of the Internet. That is not uncommon in the South Pacific, where some people have limited access to learning resources."Nobody has ever seen the Internet. People don't know what the Internet is. ... Some of them are very separated out from what the rest of the world is doing."And without the Internet, says Cullen, people in these areas are falling behind. It is not likely they will be able to access the Internet in the near future.Students in Vanuatu use the SolarSPELL offline library (Photograph courtesy of Dr. Laura Hosman)"As you sit and you wait, there are just the villages that get further and further behind. And how can you ever communicate, or be part of a global society, if people are waiting for you to get connected?"The SolarSPELL unitTo help with that problem, Dr. Laura Hosman, a professor at California Polytechnic State University, and her students developed a mobile library. It is called SolarSPELL.Dr. Hosman says she wanted to get educational content to rural places. She wanted to create a digital library that would not be ruined in bad weather.The SolarSPELL unit, which is powered by the sun, creates a WiFi hotspot. Although it does not use the Internet, it creates a similar experience.SolarSPELL Digital Library"So, any device that can connect to the Internet can connect to our library," Hosman says. "And it seems like they are on the Internet, even though they are not. So it's an offline website that really feels like you are online."It lets users practice using the Internet on a smaller scale.A digital libraryEach SolarSPELL unit comes with a memory card, a small plug-in device that holds the educational content in a computer.It only uses a small amount of space, and does not rely on power cables or electricity networks.Hosman and her students worked hard to find content to put in the library. They wanted to choose content appealing to people who live in rural areas in the South Pacific, such as Vanuatu and the Federated States of Micronesia."I wanted the students to be able to see themselves in the curriculum."Partnership with the Peace CorpsThe SolarSPELL team has partnered with the Peace Corps in Vanuatu and the Federated States of Micronesia. The Peace Corps has used about 50 SolarSPELL units.The village where Alexis Cullen works, Naviso, has one unit. Alexis says that about 200 students have used it.Using the SolarSPELL unit in other countries?Hosman says SolarSPELL units could be used in other countries in the South Pacific.Gabriel Krieshok is the Information and Communication Technologies for Development Program Officer at the Peace Corps. He says some technologies are appropriate to some areas, but not to others."I think one of the big challenges that we have is that there is this tendency to want tohave a one size-fits-all solution... And while it's really tempting to go down that road, it never works. I have yet to see a place where you can have one thing that works for everyone."The challenge, he says, is balancing new technologies with what people need."How can I take what you guys have done here – like with, SolarSPELL is a really good example – and, you know, translate that to a post in East Africa or something like that?"I'm John Russell.Seminar 第四周新闻3The United States is looking for sub-Saharan African students to study at American universities.There were about 1 million international students studying at U.S. colleges and universities during the 2014 to 2015 academic year. Fewer than 3 percent of those international students came from sub-Saharan Africa.Students leave the campus at the North-West University in Mahikeng, South Africa, (also known as Mafikeng) Feb. 25, 2016.Africa is home to six of the top 10 fastest-growing countries in the world. But it is difficult for even the most motivated students to succeed in African universities. Classes are overcrowded. Teachers often go on strike to protest low pay and poor working conditions. There is little opportunity to do advanced research.But studying outside of Africa can be even harder.The U.S. government wants to change that.Marcus Jadotte is the U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Analysis. He is leading the first educational trade mission to Africa this week."They [African students] should consider studying in the U.S because ofthe innovative approach to education that we take in the United States, because international businesses are looking for the best-qualified,best-prepared prospective employees and we certainly believe that it enriches education back home in the U.S.," Jadotte said.He is traveling with representatives of 25 U.S. colleges and universities.The delegation reflects the wide variety of higher education institutions in the United States. The group includes representatives from two-year community colleges and universities that offer specialized advanced degrees. The team wants to recruit students and build relationships with African universities."Many of the universities who have traveled with us on this mission areincluding scholarships as a part of the conversation with students here," Jadotte explained.At each stop, the Assistant Secretary will join local government officials and academic leaders at an education fair.The delegation's first event was an education fair for South Africans. Jadotte spoke about the academic support services and technology offered by America's world-class universities. His message attracted a long line of South African high school students.Boneng Mofokeng says he is hoping to go to law school at Michigan State University."I want to see the world and our country's economy is not good. Maybe I can have a better life over there," he said.Jadotte says it is not just the African students who benefit from studying in the United States. The American host institutions also benefit from the increased diversity. He says Africa offers "a number of opportunities for U.S. institutions seeking to globalize their campuses."From South Africa, the delegation heads to Ivory Coast and Ghana.。
大学英语四级新闻听力详细讲解
关注各类经济谈判，经济政策等
天灾人祸新闻
具有超强的市场价值 包含西方新闻价值的要素 西方对灾难事件的
报道反应迅速、事实 准确，不隐瞒负面因素， 展示灾难细节等。 CNN,ABC,BBC等
常见巴以冲突问题新闻词汇
• Jewish settler 犹太定居者 • assassination 暗杀 • cease-fire 停火 • Gaza Strip 加沙地带 • conflict 冲突 • withdrawal 撤退 • P.L.O （缩） Palestine Liberation Organization 巴勒斯坦解
内容特点：
示威地点、时间、人数、原因、经过、与警方 冲突情况、伤亡与逮捕人数等。
选举 （Elections）
各国选举制度不同 过程较长 较复杂
熟悉党派名称（执政党ruling party， 多数 党majority government, 反对党 opposition parties, 政党联盟coalition等） 内容特点：
积累专有名词（人名/地名）
国家(country)
首都(capital)
阿富汗 Afghanistan 孟加拉国 Bangladesh 缅甸 Burma 柬埔寨 Cambodia 印度 India
喀布尔 Kabul 达卡 Dhaka 仰光 Rangoon 金边 Phnom Penh 新德里 New Delhi
放组织 • Fatah 法塔赫（巴解组织最大的一支游击队） • West Bank 约旦河西岸 • Oslo agreement 奥斯陆协定 • evacuate 疏散 • Likud party 利库德集团 • Middle East 中东 • targeted elimination 定点清除 • unilateral action 单边行动
大学英语四级考试新闻听力样题及原文
大学英语四级考试新闻听力样题及原文Part II Listening Comprehension (25 minutes)Section 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.1. A) Christmas-time attacks made by Somali rebels.B) An explosion at a bus station in central Nairobi.C) The killing of more than 70 Ugandans in Kampala.D) Blasts set off by a Somali group in Uganda’s capital.2. A) On Christmas Eve. C) During a security check.B) Just before midnight. D) In the small hours of the morning.Questions 3 and 4 will be based on the following news item.3. A) It is likely to close many of its stores.B) It is known for the quality of its goods.C) It remains competitive in the recession.D) It will expand its online retail business.4. A) Expand its business beyond groceries.B) Fire 25,000 of its current employees.C) Cut its DVD publishing business.D) Sell the business for one pound.Questions 5 to 7 will be based on the following news item.5. A) All taxis began to use meters.B) All taxis got air conditioning.C) Advertisements were allowed on taxis.D) Old taxis were replaced with new cabs.6. A) A low interest loan scheme. C) Taxi passengers’ complaints.B) Environmentalists’ protests. D) Permission for car advertising.7. A) There are no more irregular practices.B) All new cabs provide air-conditioning.C) New cabs are all equipped with meters.D) New legislation protects consumer rights.Tape Script of Listening 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.Kenyan police say one person was killed and 26 injured in an explosion at a bus station in central Nairobi. The blast hit a bus about to set off for the Ugandan capital Kampala. Last July, the Somali group al-Shabab said it was behind the blasts in the Ugandan capital which killed more than 70 people. Will Ross reports from the Kenyan capital.The explosion happened beside a bus which was about to set off for an overnight journey from Nairobi to the Ugandan capital Kampala. Some eyewitnesses report that a bag was about to be loaded on board, but it exploded during a security check. Windows of the red bus were left smashed, and blood could be seen on the ground beside the vehi cle. Just hours earlier, Uganda’s police chief had warned of possible Christmas-time attacks by Somali rebels.1. What is the news report mainly about?2. When did the incident occur?Questions 3 and 4 will be based on the following news item.Woolworths i s one of the best known names on the British High Street. It’s been in business nearly a century. Many of its 800 stores are likely to close following the company’s decision to call in administrators after an attempt to sell the business for a token £1 failed.The company has huge debts. The immediate cause for the collapse has been Britain’s slide toward recession, which has cut into consumer spending. However, the business had been in trouble for years.Known for low-priced general goods, Woolworths has struggled in the face of competition from supermarkets expanding beyond groceries and a new generation of internet retailers.Many of the store group’s 25,000 employees are likely to lose their jobs. Some profitable areas such as the DVD publishing business will survive.3. What do we learn about Woolworths from the news report?4. What did Woolworths attempt to do recently?Questions 5 to 7 will be based on the following news item.Cairo is known for its overcrowded roads, irregular driving practices and shaky old vehicles, but also for its air pollution. In recent months, though, environmental studies indicate there have been signs of improvement. That’s due in part to the removal of many of the capital’s old-fashioned black and white taxis. Most of these dated back to the 1960s and 70s and were in a poor state of repair.After new legislation demanded their removal from the roads, a low interest loan scheme was set up with three Egyptian banks so drivers could buy new cars. The government pays about $900 for old ones to be discarded and advertising on the new vehicles helps cover repayments.The idea has proved popular with customers ― they can now travel in air-conditioned comfort and because the new cabs are metered, they don’t have to argue over fares. B anks and car manufacturers are glad for the extra business in tough economic times. As for the taxi drivers, most are delighted to be behind the wheel of new cars, although there have been a few complaints about switching from black and white to a plain white colour.5. What change took place in Cairo recently?6. What helped bring about the change?7. Why do customers no longer argue with new cab drivers?参考答案Part II Listening ComprehensionSection A1. B2. C3. A4. D5. D6. A7. C。
年月四级第套听力真题新闻报道听力原文-2024鲜版
2024/3/28
25
THANKS。
2024/3/28
26
01
预览选项
在听录音前，快速浏览题目和选项， 预测听力内容。
速记要点
在听录音时，用简洁的语言或符号 速记关键信息。
03
2024/3/28
02
听关键词
注意听录音中的关键词和短语，把 握重要信息。
分析推理
根据听到的信息和常识进行逻辑推 理和分析，选出正确答案。
04
13
03
听力原文详解
2024/3/28
时效性
新闻报道要求迅速及时地传播信息， 满足受众的知情权。
真实性
新闻报道必须真实准确地反映事实， 避免虚假和误导。
客观性
新闻报道应客观公正地呈现事实，避 免主观倾向和偏见。
2024/3/28
4
新闻报道的分类与内容
按传播媒介分
按报道内容分
报纸新闻、广播新闻、电视新闻、网络新闻 等。
政治新闻、经济新闻、社会新闻、文化新闻、 体育新闻等。
重点词汇
包括新闻事件相关的专业术语、地名、人名等。
重点短语
包括新闻报道中常用的固定搭配和表达方式，如“据报道”、“表示”、“指出”等。
2024/3/28
16
听力原文的长难句分析与翻译
01
长难句分析
针对听力原文中出现的长句和难句，进行语法结构和意思的 详细分析。
2024/3/28
02
长难句翻译
将长难句翻译成易于理解的中文，帮助考生更好地理解听力 原文的内容。
答题技巧指导
在模拟训练过程中，指导老师可以针对新闻报道类听力的特点，向 考生传授一些实用的答题技巧，如预读选项、听关键词、速记要点 等。
四级听力 热点新闻原文1
1. WASHINGTON— More than a million Iraqis are in danger of being killed if the poorly maintained Mosul dam collapses and the Tigris River rushes out. The government began urgent maintenance work on the dam Thursday. Authorities have warned people who live along the Tigris to move at least six kilometers away from the banks.Maintenance work began Thursday to shore up the dam's weakening structure, undermined by years of conflict and neglect. Iraqis living near the Tigris River are worried."We are afraid and we don't know if it's true or not true that the dam could collapse. We are worried because we have family and kids. And we are stressed. We live very close to the Tigris," said a local man.The dam needs regular maintenance because the ground underneath it is unstable. The government this week signed a $300-million deal with Italy's Trevi group to repair and maintain the structure for 18 months. But many Iraqis fear the dam could collapse before the Italian engineers arrive and assemble their machinery.''It is certain that the rising water levels will have a negative impact on citizens. We hope the relevant authorities will work hard to resolve this problem in order not to let the water leak into commercial interests and homes of locals,” said Baghdad re sident Raad al-Quraishi.As the snow melts, the water pressure grows. A gate was opened to ease some of the water pressure, raising the levels of the Tigris River. But officials have downplayed the danger."The quantities of water which flowed into the Tigris River have been utilized well in the agricultural plans drawn up by the Ministry of Water Resources in accordance with the Ministry of Agriculture. And big quantities of water have been used to flourish and revive the marshes which suffered a lot from water scarcity in the previous season," said Ali Radhi Thamir of the state committee on irrigation and drainage projects.The U.S. Embassy said this week that the risk of the dam collapsing is "serious and unprecedented." U.S. and Iraqi governments are working on a plan to evacuate as many as 1.5 million Iraqis living along the Tigris.The dam deteriorated during the conflict, including a temporary capture by the Islamic State militants. Its maintenance has remained insufficient in part because Islamic State still controls the factory that produces the cement for the dam's foundation.2.Bernard ShusmanMarch 03,2016NEW YORK— The up-and-down prices of oil and gold mirror the unsettled world situation, and both reflect the economic squeeze most nations currently face.Analysts are talking about the oil crash being over, with prices stabilizing in themid-$30-a-barrel range — from a recent low of $26 — despite record supply levels. That's a 30 percent increase in the past two weeks.The jump in the price per barrel has given rise to predictions that oil has bottomed out. Meanwhile, 413 oil rigs have been shut down in the United States because of an oil glut —with thousands of jobs lost."The supply and demand picture for oil is such that there's such a big glut over supply on a daily basis from the production side that, even if the demand side picks up marginally, we're still not going to eat up that for quite some time,” said commodities trader Eric Zuccarelli.FILE - Gold prices have risen because of interest rates around the world.And gold, according to Zuccarelli, has inched up because of interest rates in the United States and around the world.Interest rates and gold have an inverse relationship. Generally, rising interest rates are bad for gold prices, while decreasing rates are good. In a zero-to-negative interest rate environment, gold prices usually benefit. The Japanese and European Central banks currently have negative interest rates."We did see a very sharp move over a two-and-one-half-year period down to about 10.50 [$1,050 per ounce of gold] on the gold,” Zuccarelli said, “at which point the [Federal Reserve] finally began to raise interest rates for the first time since the world economy crashed. … Asa consequence, the gold found some footing and reversed its downside and has rallied up to12.50 [$1,250 per ounce of gold]."As primarily a metals trader, Zuccarelli said commodities are in a waiting game."A lot of the industrial metals are stuck in much of the same world as oil, waiting for a true demand picture to come and sop up some of that excess supply,” he said. “So, whether it's copper — which I trade on a daily basis — which has put in pretty much of a bottom under $2, or some of the industrial metals — whether it's zinc, lead, tin, nickel, steel — most of the industrial complex is starting to find support, but not necessarily ready for the rallies that we've seen in the past."There are still questions about how far the price of gold will move, but in recent weeks it has been a good investment. However, like oil, the length of gold's rally is hard to predict.3. Zlatica HokeMarch 03,2016WASHINGTON— The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has started distributing thousands of almond tree plants to Palestinian farmers in the Gaza strip whose lands along the border with Israel have been ravaged by successive wars.The Red Cross began the distribution of trees Wednesday in an effort to help farmers rebuild orchards destroyed in fighting with Israel."We are distributing 4,000 almond trees of five different varieties to a lot of farmers in this area," said Mamadou Sow, head of the ICRC sub-delegation for Gaza.Fifty years ago, agriculture accounted for more than half of the Palestinian gross domestic product. After decades of fighting, it now represents about 5 percent. Much of the farming land along the border with Israel is inaccessible due to constant shelling. But some farmers say they are forced to take the risk."We are 700 or 800 meters away from the border with Israel. Army patrols are driving along and we hear gunshots from the security towers. They are shooting during training, so every day we hear gunshots. We cultivate our lands here and we feel like our lives are in danger," said Marwane Abu Mharreb, a Palestinian farmer.Gaza's main exports are strawberries, flowers, vegetables and fish. The coastal strip is under an Israeli blockade and allowed only small and irregular shipments of agricultural produce through the Kerem Shalom crossing. When the Palestinian crops are wiped out by explosions and the aftermath of fighting, there is nothing to export and debts accumulate. The Red Cross gift of almond trees is an effort at rebuilding some of the Gaza's agriculture."This is a project that consists of giving almond trees to farmers. Many of them have lost their trees during the last wars," said Sow.Farmers fear that the new trees may be killed by the Israeli defoliant spray used to wilt leaves on trees and shrubs along the border so they cannot be used as cover for the planting of roadside bombs and attacks on Israel. Palestinian farmers say the spray destroys plants on which their animals feed. The Red Cross says it has discussed the spraying with the Israeli military.Gaza's borders are strictly controlled by Israel and Egypt to prevent the import of arms and military supplies for the strip's Hamas rulers.。
备战四级听力新闻部分资料.
经济类products/goods 产品profitability/profit earning capacity 利润率，赢利率protectionism 保护主义public sector 公共部门，公共成分purchasing power/buying power 购买力quotation 报价，牌价raising limit 涨停板rate of growth 增长rate of interest 利率raw material 原料raw product 初级产品ready money business/no credit given 现金交易，概不赊欠ready money 现钱real estate 不动产，房地产reciprocal trade agreement 互惠贸易政策redemption 偿还rediscount 再贴现reserve 预备金，储备金retailer 零售商revaluation 重估价runaway inflation 无法控制的通货膨胀rural economics 农村经济saving 储装，存款scarcity 短缺securities business 证券市场securities 有价证券self-financing 自筹经费semifinished goods 半成品share/common stock 普通股share 股份，股票shareholder/stockholder 股东short term credit 短期信贷short term loan 短期贷款social charges 社会负担费用socialist economy 社会主义经济speculation 投机stagnation 停滞，萧条，不景气standard of living 生活标准stock company/stock brokerage firm 证券公司stock exchange corporation 证券交易所stock exchange 股票市场stock investment 股票投资stock-jobber 股票经纪人supply 供给，补给科学篇academy sciences 科学院anemia 贫血antenna 天线apparatus 设备appendicitis 阑尾炎Ares rockets 战神火箭arthritis 关节炎artificial satellite 人造卫星astronaut 航天员attack 发作Ballistic Missile 弹道导弹bandage 绷带body 机身carbon dioxide 二氧化碳case 病例clearinghouse 信息交换所Constellation Program 星座计划contagion 传染deforestation 砍伐森林diabetes 糖尿病diagnosis 诊断diphtheria 白喉radio telescope 电波望远镜，射电望远镜epidemic 流行病fever 发热filter 滤管hatch 舱口Heart Bypass Surgery 心脏搭桥手术自然篇low water 最低水位map/plan/chart 平面图market gardening 商品蔬菜种植业marsh/swamp 沼泽meadow 草甸mechanization of farming 农业机械化mechanized farming 机械化耕作meridian 子午线，经线meteorology 气象学mouth 河口North pole 北极northern 北的oasis 绿洲ocean 大洋oceanography 海洋学parallel 纬线parasite 寄生虫pasture land 牧场peninsula 半岛pest 农业害虫pesticide 农药physical geography 自然地理plain 平原plot/parcel/lot 地块polar circle 极圈pond 池塘port/harbour 港prairie 大草原producer 农业工人ranch 大农场/牧场rancher 牧场主reef 礁石relief 地形，地貌rural exodus 农村迁徙rural population 农村人口seaquake 海震，海啸season 季节shepherd 牧人shore 海岸source 源头South pole 南极southern 南的straw/hay 麦秆temperate zone 温带termite 白蚁terra firma 陆地tilled land 耕地torrid zone 热带transplant 移植Tropic of Cancer 北回归线Tropic of Capricorn 南回归线the universe/the cosmos 宇宙vegetation 植被virgin forest 原始森林wasteland/barren land 荒地weed killer 除草剂weed 除草。
国际大事【英语专业四级听力材料】
国际关系Hamas巴勒斯坦伊斯兰抵抗运动（”HAMAS (Islamic Resistance Movement) ），简称哈马斯(Hamas)，由“伊斯兰”、“抵抗”、“运动” 三个阿拉伯语缩写而成。
哈马斯成立于1987年12月，创始人为谢赫·艾哈迈德·亚辛。
集宗教性、政治性为一体的哈马斯主张用武力消灭巴土地上的犹太复国主义者，反对同以色列和平共处，主张建立一个以耶路撒冷为首都的独立的巴勒斯坦国。
哈马斯成立后，多次制造针对以色列目标的自杀式爆炸事件。
1989年，以色列宣布哈马斯为非法组织，并将其精神领袖亚辛逮捕入狱。
1993年，巴以双方在华盛顿签署了巴勒斯坦自治《原则宣言》，允许巴勒斯坦人在加沙－杰里科地区先行自治。
哈马斯对此持反对态度，依然坚持对以色列的武装斗争。
随着巴以和平进程的发展，哈马斯曾一度改变斗争策略。
1996年3月，哈马斯宣布将放弃暴力活动，在自治区内进行政治斗争。
同年5月，内塔尼亚胡出任以色列总理后，在巴以和谈问题上采取强硬政策，致使巴以最后阶段谈判停滞。
哈马斯宣布恢复武装斗争。
2000年9月底巴以大规模流血冲突爆发后，哈马斯制造了一系列针对以色列的自杀式爆炸事件。
作为报复，以色列对哈马斯实施了“定点清除”和大规模的军事行动，使哈马斯遭受重创。
亚辛以及他的接班人兰提西等哈马斯领导人先后被以色列“定点清除”。
“9·11”事件后，美国和欧盟先后宣布哈马斯为“恐怖组织”，并冻结其财产。
澳大利亚随后也宣布冻结哈马斯领导人的财产。
Former Yugoslav南斯拉夫社会主义联邦共和国（1963年－1992年），历史上的国家，位于巴尔干半岛，1992年开始解体，分别成立了南斯拉夫联盟共和国、克罗地亚共和国、斯洛文尼亚共和国、马其顿共和国和波斯尼亚和黑塞哥维纳共和国。
2003年，南斯拉夫联盟共和国改名为塞尔维亚和黑山，并于2006年解体，成为塞尔维亚及黑山两国。
英语专业四级听力材料 中涉及的国际大事
１月 中国－东盟自由贸易区正式建成１日，经过１０年努力，涵盖１９亿人口、６万亿美元国民生产总值、４．５亿美元贸易额的中国－东盟自由贸易区全面建成。
>>中国情侣“吻瘫”美国机场 ３日，美攻读博士项目的２８岁中国男子蒋海松(音)，在美国新泽西州纽瓦克国际机场，趁安全人员擅离职守，未经安全检查进入候机隔离区，与即将登机的女友拥抱吻别，造成一个航站楼被关闭，旅客滞留。
中国博士生“吻瘫”美国机场之际，正是美国经历圣诞恐怖炸机未遂事件之后，美国重新对其机场安全系统进行评估、强化机场反恐措施之时。
>>世界第一高楼迪拜塔竣工４日，世界最高建筑迪拜塔历时４年终于建成，并于当地时间晚８点举行竣工仪式。
阿联酋国营地产公司Emaar开发的迪拜塔，由韩国三星物产负责兴建。
迪拜政府为取得戏剧性效果，至今未公开确切的高度，但根据设计图，高度将达８１８米或８２４米，是全世界第一高楼。
迪拜塔于２００５年动工，共投入１２亿美元资金。
建筑面积达５０万平方米，共设有５４部高速电梯。
>>委出动F16拦截美侦察机８日，委内瑞拉总统查韦斯发表讲话，指责美国一架军用飞机从加勒比海的荷属岛屿起飞，不顾委方警告两次非法侵入委领空，而他本人下令派出两架Ｆ１６战斗机对美飞机进行拦截，并称美国飞机迫于压力离境。
查韦斯说，美国此举是对委内瑞拉的挑衅，以寻找借口对委发动军事攻击。
但美国国防部否认了当天有军用飞机侵犯委内瑞拉领空。
>>海地发生7.3级强震１２日，当地时间下午，海地发生７.３级强烈地震，造成十几万人遇难，首都太子港一片废墟，数百万人无家可归，医疗、电力、通信等基础设施几乎被摧毁殆尽，中国８名维和警察也在地震中不幸牺牲。
灾难发生后，包括中国在内的４０多个国际搜救队和医疗队赶赴海地，超过１７００名队员投入救援工作。
联合国也牵头向国际社会发出紧急募捐倡议，呼吁向海地３００万受灾民众提供５.６２亿美元援助款。
专四听力新闻部分
真 题 展 以示
年 真 题 为 例
—— 2006
结构特点
• 新闻报道讲求短小精悍，为了让听众在最短时间 里获得最多信息，新闻报道一般将最重要内容放 在开头的一句话里面，这句话被称为新闻导语 （news lead），通常包括了听众最关心的事实， 如when, what, who, why, where, 和how, 从重要 性上来讲，第一句话最重要，后面的话在重要程 度上依次降低，这被称为倒金字塔结构。
真 题 展 以示
年 真 题 为 例
—— 2006
•
• • •
•
• •
Questions 27 to 28 are based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you will be given 15 seconds to answer the questions. Now, listen to the news. 27. The news item is mainly about a joint venture between A.a US company and a UK company. B.a Swiss company and a UK company. C.two Taiwanese companies. D.a mainland company and a US company. 28.Who will provide the distribution networks in the joint venture? A.Unilever. B.Nestle. C.PepsiCo. D.Coca Cola.
真 题 展 以示
年 真 题 为 例
—— 2006
专四听力训练 VOA 100篇
VOA 100VOA News Item 1Indian Commerce Minister Anand Sharma and his counterparts from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations sealed the agreement in Bangkok Thursday. They met on the sidelines ofthe annual ASEAN Economic Ministers Meeting.The agreement creates one of Asia’s biggest trading areas and integrates India’s fast growing economy with 10 of its neighbors.Trade between India and ASEAN amounts to $40 billion each year. Under the pact, India and ASEAN will eliminate tariffs on various goods by 2016.VOA News Item 2Britain’s political life has been dominated for the past three decades by two parties the Conservatives, now led by David Cameron, and Labor headed by current Prime Minister Gordon Brown.But a third party, the Liberal Democrats, are turning this election into a three-horse race. Their campaign was given a major boost by Britain’s first ever televised debate last week; Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg emerged as the clear winner.Viewer polls taken after this second debate, which focused on foreign policy, showed there was no runaway victor.The last time Britain had a hung parliament was in 1974. A final televised debate is to take place next Thursday, followed by the election on May 6.VOA News Item 3On the second day of debate all signs continued to point toward an easy confirmation win for Sotomayor, the 55-year-old federal court judge nominated by President Barack Obama earlier thisyear.Although most of the 40 Senate Republicans are likely to vote against her, the decision Wednesday of Missouri Senator Kit Bond added to the number of Republicans who have committed to voting for her.Senator Bond, who is one of several Republicans retiring from the Senate next year, saidwhile he respects and agrees with the legal reasoning others in his party used to oppose Sotomayor,lawmakers have an obligation to show deference to a president’s choice of a nominee.VOA News Item 4Foreign ministers of the Southern African Development Community met in Maputo to prepare a report on the region’s political crises. It is to be presented to African leaders at their upcoming summit in Ethiopia.SADC’s Political and Diplomatic Committee has been mediating three major crises in the region.SADC officials said the ministers are pleased the various parties to the unity government in2Zimbabwe resumed negotiations on implementing their power-sharing agreement. They saidbelieved Zimbabwe was on the right path.The officials said the ministers also believe that progress is being made toward easing the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and that reconciliation efforts between the government and various rebel groups were on the right track.But the officials said they were less optimistic about the political crisis in Madagascar. It erupted in March after Andry Rajoelina, backed by the military, seized power following the ousterof then-President Marc Ravalomanana.SADC and the African Union do not recognize the Rajoelina government and havesuspended Madagascar from their organizations.VOA News Item 5Security has been tightened around Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak after he received dozens of death threats. Security sources say the threats were made by Jewish militants who oppose th e government’s partial freeze on settlement construction in the West Bank. The freeze was imposed in November under pressure from the United States, which sees the settlements as anobstacle to peace.The death threats are being taken seriously. In 1995, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabinwas assassinated by an Orthodox Jew opposed to his policy of trading land for peace with the Palestinians.VOA News Item 6Government officials say they will investigate just how three leaders of the anti-government protests managed to escape when police tried to surround their hotel Friday.One of the leaders climbed down three floors using a rope, and was rushed away by supporters thronging the building.Officials earlier Friday said the government is preparing to arrest people linked to clasheswith security forces last Saturday that left 24 soldiers and protesters dead.The government says armed men infiltrated protester ranks and fired on troops trying to disperse a rally.The anti-government movement, led by the United Democratic Front against Dictatorship or UDD, demands that the Government call fresh elections. UDD supporters have held protests in Bangkok for more than a month.Thailand is facing its most severe political crisis in almost 20 years. Some parties in the governing coalition want to set a clear time frame for elections to ease tensions. But the government says it will only call elections once the political situation has cooled.VOA News Item 7Kyrgyzstan’s five-day-old provisional government is vowin g to use the country’s military to launch a special operation to neutralize President Kurmanbek Bakiyev if he does not resign. Interim Kyrgyz leader Roza Otunbayeva says her government is willing to negotiate his departure from the country and wants to resolve the standoff without any more harm to innocent3civilians.The president was effectively ousted after last Wednesday’s clashes between government forces and protesters. Authorities say about 80 people have died and more than 1,600 were wounded.VOA News Item 8On the eve of Israel’s 62nd Independence Day, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the nation must not rely on the help of foreigners.Commentators say it is a clear reference to Israeli ties with the United States, which have plummeted over Jewish construction in disputed in East Jerusalem. The U.S. backs Palestinian demands that East Jerusalem should be the capital of a future Palestinian state.But Israel sees all of Jerusalem as its eternal capital, and Mr. Netanyahu, who heads aright-wing government, has rejected U.S. demands to stop building there. As a result, the Palestinians have refused to return to U.S.-sponsored peace talks, and the diplomatic process has been deadlocked for 15 months.Defense Minister Ehud Barak took a softer approach. Barak said Israel would not make any compromises when it comes to the security of the state. But he said it would show courage in thestruggle for peace with the Palestinians based on the two-state solution.VOA News Item 9Nearly 5,000 farmers in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ghana, Senegal, and Sierra Leone are exporting organically-grown produce to Europe, after gaining organic and fair-trade certification with help from the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).The program focuses on all stages of production from planting and harvesting to packagingand promotion, increasing the profitability of farmers who previously struggled to afford costly chemical fertilizers.30 small-scale pineapple farmers in Ghana saw sales grow from 26 tons to more than 115tons after gaining their organic certification.Pascal Liu is an economist with the FAO’s trade and markets division. Liu says the United Nations expects demand for organic foods will grow by between five and 15 percent during the next five years. And African farmers are well positioned to benefit from more people eating healthier food.VOA News Item 10The heads of the International Monetary Fund and the European Central Bank were in Berlin Wednesday for talks with Chancellor Angela Merkel and other senior officials. The aim: to get agreement on a bailout package for Greece.Greece has been in negotiations with EU member countries and the IMF to secure a bailout money that would allow it to pay debts coming due in time to avoid having to default.In return Greece is under pressure to restructure its economy and implement austerity measures.Disgruntled public-sector workers went on strike in Greece Wednesday to protest against the4cutbacks. A daylong general strike has been called for next week.Opinion polls show the majority of Greeks are against an IMF-EU bailout, seeing it asforeign interference.Worries about the Greek economy’s potential meltdown have sent jitt ers through worldmarkets. And help is imperative because the Greek crisis could spread.A joint EU-IMF package for Greece is put at $60 billion, but some European officials said Wednesday the full cost could be much higher, reaching about $160 billion over three years. VOA News Item 11Aiming his appeal directly at the financial industry and skeptics within it, and at Republican critics in Congress, the president warned of the danger of a repeat of economic collapse. Calling the financial crisis the outcome of a failure of responsibility from Wall Street to Washington, he said the time has come to seize the moment to make fundamental changes in therules of the financial road.With many, but not all, of the most prominent executives of Wall Street firms present, the president outlined key aspects of legislation the U.S. Senate will debate in coming days.These include steps to impose new oversight and controls on hedge funds and complex financial instruments known as derivatives, and protections for consumer s of financial products. Of particular importance would be a system to ensure that troubled financial companies could be dismantled in an orderly way without posing the kind of systemic risk they did in 2008. Calling the Senate bill and one the House of Representatives approved last year a significant improvement over flawed rules now in place, he said changes would be advantageous for the industry and the country.VOA News Item 12The International Air Transport Association says global carriers are losing an estimated $200 million a day in revenue as a result of airline groundings related to the Iceland volcano. Albert Tjoeng, a Singapore-based spokesman for the association, says that is just part of the problem. Travelers waiting around here are missing out on income because they cannot return to work. The flight cancellations are expected to have additional repercussions for smaller Southeast Asia countries, where travel and tourism is a major share of the economy.VOA News Item 13 WFPThe World Food Program is now expecting to feed more than 1.5 million people in next month’s general food distribution, along with specialized therapeutic feeding for 500,000 childrenunder the age of six.That is because poor rains last year have brought forward the time when people no longer have enough to eat.WFP is trying to raise $182 million to scale up its operations in Niger.The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization is also stepping in to aid cattle herders in Niger and Chad. Livestock pastures are dry, so herders are selling their animals at lower prices to buy food for their families.5Eight FAO projects in Niger worth more than $12 million are aimed at helping two million people.VOA News Item 14 2010Cobo Center is home to the 2010 North American Auto Show in downtown Detroit. For the event, the Center has been transformed into an expanse of flashy displays and trendy marketing displays, featuring the latest in automotive engineering.Known as the Detroit Auto Show, the annual event is one of the industry’s bigge st. It helps generate publicity for some models, like the newly-redesigned Ford Focus, and it helps promote new technology, like the electric battery in the Chevrolet Volt.But in the wake of one of the worst years for U.S. automobile sales, this year’s show has a different feel.General Motors and Chrysler two of the Detroit “Big Three” automakers, which alsoinclude Ford went bankrupt last year and received billions of dollars in federal aid. Although some of that money has been paid back, the U.S. government is still a major shareholder in both companies.VOA News Item 15China celebrated the opening of the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai with an evening offireworks and fanfare. Dubbed the “Economic Olympics,” by Chinese officials, some 190 nations and 50 international organizations are participating in the multi-billion dollar event.Similar to how 2008 Beijing Olympic Games put the Chinese capital in the international spotlight, Shanghai’s hosting of the World Expo has given the city of 20 some million pe ople and China a chance to showcase its emergence as a global economic power.The theme for the Shanghai World Expo is “Better City, Better Life” and features major exhibitions that look at modern and future urban life, and consider issues such as sustainable development and the interaction between cities and the environment.The Shanghai 2010 World Expo runs until the end of October.VOA News Item 16First the good news: after contracting slightly in 2009, global economic output is expected to grow more than 4 percent this year, according to the International Monetary Fund. With a fledgling recovery gaining strength, it is easy to forget how close major industrialized nations came to economic collapse less than two years ago, an outcome that almost surely would have triggered a worldwide depression rivaling the Great Depression of the 1930s.In short, the pain, havoc, and economic devastation could have been far worse, according tothe head of the U.S. Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, Texas, Richard Fisher. Addressing central bankers from Europe and elsewhere, Fisher said central banks and national governments averted catastrophe through aggressive intervention.VOA News Item 17Rocket alarms have terrified Israeli border communities near the Gaza Strip for years. But6now Israel has a high-tech answer to the thousands of low-tech rockets that Palestinian militants have fired across the border since Israel pulled out of Gaza in 2005.Israel has successfully tested its Iron Dome defense system, which uses cameras and radar to track incoming rockets and can shoot them down within seconds of their launch. The system was developed by Rafael, the Israel Military Industries, at a cost of $200 million.VOA News Item 18Computer security engineer Alan Paller recal ls how the Soviet Union’s 1957 launch of Sputnik, the world’s first artificial satellite, spurred the U.S. government to accelerate its lagging space technology program. Now Paller, research director at an educational company called the SANS Institute, is leading the campaign to bring that kind of energy to defending cyberspace fromassault by pranksters, thieves and spies.VOA News Item 19It’s another day of stringent security checks at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport. About a million passengers pass through the airport each month, on average. But here, the lines move quickly thanks to what Israeli security experts say is an approach that unlike other countries relies more on eye contact with passengers and less on technology.VOA News Item 20The Italian aid group Emergency has had a tense relationship with local authorities in violence-wracked Helmand province, due in part to its policy of treating all patients.Afghan officials said they detained three Italian Emergency workers Saturday, a doctor, anurse and a logistics worker. Afghan officials said they were held as part of an investigation into an alleged plot to kill the governor of Helmand province.Helmand Province Governor Gulab Mangal said an Emergency staff member received$500,000 as an advance payment for killing him. In total nine people, including six Afghans, were held after explosive suicide vests, hand grenades and other weapons were discovered in the storeroom of the Emergency-run hospital in Helmand’s capital, Lashkar Gah.Emergency founder Gino Strada denounced the detentions of the aid group’s three workers, calling it a mafia-style attempt to silence a witness.VOA News Item 21The U.N. Security Council has lifted its arms embargo on Liberia for one year, primarily toallow its peacekeeping mission there to receive military equipment. But it also allows the government of President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf to acquire arms and training to fight crime. Government misuse of force under former President Charles Taylor brought about the arms embargo 10 years ago. Its lifting, even temporarily, has been met with both pride and worry among Liberians still recovering from a long civil war.VOA News Item 22Reaction to the attempted bombing of a U.S. airliner on Christmas Day has been mixed7among the six African nations with direct air links to the United States.Ghana has announced it will install full-body scanners at Accra’s international airport by next month. Nigeria has also announced it will install the scanners at Lagos international airport. Nigerian student Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab departed from Accra and transited through Lagos and Amsterdam. He subsequently attempted to set off a bomb on a Northwest Airlines flighttraveling to Detroit.Abdulmutallab successfully passed through metal detectors and hand luggage searches at both airports, allegedly by concealing powdered explosives under his clothes.The full-body scanners are more powerful than metal detectors that are standard at most airports. They can detect non-metallic materials hidden on the human body.But some rights groups consider the scanners an invasion of privacy, because they show private physical characteristics in detail.South Africa, whose airports handle the largest number of travelers flying directly between Africa and the United States, says it does not intend to install the scanners at this time.VOA News Item 23The Discovery crew is set to launch early Tuesday to deliver nearly 8,000 kilograms of equipment to the International Space Station. NASA engineers cleared the shuttle to fly on Sunday,after deciding there were no technical concerns to delay launch from Kennedy Space Center in Florida.Shuttle weather officer Kathy Winters said the skies should be clear for the evening launch, but storms could delay the delicate process of filling the shuttle’s external fuel tanks.VOA News Item 24A new study out this week highlights the role that coral reefs play in evolution, adding another reason to preserve these delicate, diverse, and often beautiful ecosystems.Many of the world’s coral reefs are threatened by ocean acidification and pollution, among other things.Wolfgang Kiessling of Berlin’s Natural History Museum says that concerns ecologists because of the vital role reefs play in ocean ecosystems.VOA News Item 25The researchers will set sail for Antarctica early next month, in an expedition funded by the Australian and New Zealand governments.The scientists hope their journey to the Southern Ocean will help to disprove Japan’s claims that whales have to be killed to properly study them.During their six-week voyage, researchers will employ a range of techniques to unlock someof the secrets of the giant marine mammals.They will fire darts from small air rifles to collect blubber and skin for genetic testing, and to attach satellite-tracking tags to monitor the whales. Samples of dung will also be gathered, photographs taken, and acoustic instruments will record the animals’ distinctive calls.8VOA News Item 26Taller mothers are more likely to have children who are healthier indeed, their childrenare more likely not just to thrive, but to survive compared to children of shorter mothers. That’s the conclusion of a massive new study of millions of childre n in low- and middle-income countries.“The key finding of this paper was to show a consistent association between maternal height and offspring health, which was mainly defined in terms of offspring mortality by age five and therisk of experiencing a failure in growth.”The Harvard researcher says that while the association is clear, the “why” still needs more work.VOA News Item 27 H1N1The World Health Organization is warning countries to prepare for further spread of theH1N1 influenza pandemic in coming months.However, aid agencies say it will be more difficult to fight the disease in poorer countries, which have weak health systems, poor health status and limited resources.They say countries overburdened by diseases, such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria,will have great difficulty dealing with the surge of pandemic flu cases.World Health Organization spokesman, Paul Garwood, says this Call to Action aims toreduce the impact of H1N1 by offering a range of measures applicable to all countries.VOA News Item 28Americans are just as divided on health care as they were before President Obama’s healthcare reform legislation became law.Protesters in Washington carried signs on Thursday calling for the repeal of the legislatio n. They say it represents runaway spending.A new Associated Press-GfK poll shows that 50 percent of Americans oppose the new health care law and opposition is strongest among those 64 and older. Many older Americans worry thattheir care will be affected by cuts in federal payments to hospitals and other providers.In another survey, this one by Ipsos/Reuters, only 51 percent of Americans thought theycould get adequate, affordable health care. The survey included people in 22 nations. Women, adults under the age of 55 and less educated people in all the countries included in the study reported low satisfaction with health care access.Yet another study showed that Americans without medical insurance, often delay going to a hospital after a heart attack.VOA News Item 29For nearly a decade, the popularity of Australian universities rose rapidly among Indian students, and the number of those heading to the country for higher education rose from about 10,000 in 2001 to more than 70,000 last year.But that could change this year due to a string of negative publicity generated by attacks on Indian students in Australia.9A travel advisory by the Indian government earlier this week warned that Indian students in Australia face an increased risk of assault. It was issued after an Indian graduate was stabbed to death in Melbourne. His stabbing came on the heels of a spate of attacks on Indian students in Australia in recent months, which the Indian media have dubbed as racist.It is a charge that Australian officials have strongly denied. They say the attacks are purely criminal, and the country is safe for foreign students.Nevertheless, as concerns rose in India, foreign minister S.M. Krishna called on Indians to assess their options while exploring the possibility of studying in Australia.VOA News Item 30For some, the wave of suicides at France Telecom reveals the downsides of the scramble tostay competitive amid the pressures of globalization and the recent economic downturn. More than40 France Telecom employees have taken their lives since 2008. Unions say that includes a dozen suicides this year alone.The probe by the Paris prosecutor’s office follows a court complaint filed by the union Solidaires Unitaires Democratic (SUD). Union lawyer Jean-Paul Tessionniere blamed working conditions at the company for the suicides.A February report by the French labor inspector’s office linked 14 France Telecom suicides directly to the company’s management practices.France Telecom denies its management practices have led to the suicides. France Telecom lawyer Claudia Chemarin told French television that each suicide will be examined individually.She said that under no condition can it be claimed that there was an organized policy that led to them.In March, France Telecom’s new boss Stephane Richard outlined ways the company plannedto improve employee working conditions.France Telecom is not the only French company grappling with employee suicides. But because ofthe numbers of employee deaths and the media attention they have attracted, critics say France Telecom’s problems have emerged as a warning story about the downsides of valuing productivityand growth over employee well being.VOA News Item 31Jewish settlement councils have declared a gen eral strike to protest the Israeli government’s freeze on construction in West Bank communities. Settlement leaders demonstrated outside the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem as the Cabinet held its weekly meeting. They carried signs saying, you can freeze in the North Pole, but not in Israel.The settlers helped elect right-wing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but now they accuse him of abandoning his nationalist ideals.VOA News Item 32The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll, Elvis Presley, was born 75 years ago last week in a two-roomhouse in the town of Tupelo in the piney woods of the deep southern state of Mississippi. So this time of year, and again in August on the anniversary of the King’s death, pilgrimages of Elvis fans 10descend upon that furniture manufacturing center of 34,000 people.Surprisingly, you don’t see a lot of Elvis markers there. There is one sign that says The Kingis Up Ahead, but that’s for an automobile dealership. Visitors can take a self-guided Elvis Presley driving tour. One stop is the Tupelo Hardware where Elvis got his first guitar. The folks there say Elvis had wanted a rifle. But his mother, Gladys would have none of it. She stood him on a keg and let him play around with a guitar. He loved it, and Mrs. Presley bought it for him for $7.95. VOA News Item 33A funny thing is happening in the world of language instruction. Only it’s not funny at all forone language in particular.Because of the growing importance of global commerce and contact, foreign language instruction is booming at U.S. colleges. But because of the tight economy, many colleges are eliminating fulltime language-teaching positions or filling them with cheaper lecturers who are notfaculty members at all.This is the case at the University of Maryland’s f lagship College Park campus, a prestigious state-run school in the eastern U.S.. To save costs, the university plans to cut its oneYiddish-teaching position. It’s the latest blow in what has been a steady decline in the study and use of Yiddish, which began among European Jews in the Middle Ages as a conversational Germanic language that uses Hebrew characters.Today, Yiddish is struggling to survive. It’s thought that fewer than 500,000 people, mostlythe elderly, speak it worldwide. Most young, accultura ted Jews speak only their countries’principal language, plus Hebrew during worship.VOA News Item 34The Mekong River is the lifeblood of Southeast Asia, with the largest inland fisheries in the world. About 40 million people depend to some degree on the fisheries, worth about $2.5 billion ayear.But fisheries experts say plans by Cambodia, Laos and Thailand to build hydropower damson the Mekong would block fish migration, threatening already endangered species. Environmental activists say plans by Laos to build a dam in the Don Sahong area near the Cambodian border could doom the nearly extinct Irrawaddy dolphin.VOA News Item 35Haiti is prone to disasters, but this huge quake is the worst to hit the Caribbean island state in two centuries. The 7.0 magnitude earthquake that struck Haiti on Tuesday destroyed much of thecountry’s capital, Port-au-Prince.The International Red Cross fears up to three million people may have been affected by the earthquake, which not only devastated the capital city, but many smaller nearby communities. The United Nations reports electricity has been cut off and communications are difficult. It says bridges have been knocked out, hospitals and care facilities have been damaged or destroyed.Haiti’s envoy to the United States estimates losses could run into the billions.11VOA News Item 36 •For Mike Zito, singing “Dirty Blonde” from Pearl River, the phrase “up-and-comer” is athing of the past. As one reviewer writes, “With his husky vocals and hard rocking guitar, Mike is well on his way to the big time.”Born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, Zito gravitated to the guitar after hearing an albumby ’80s rockers Van Halen. Guitar greats Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and B.B. King also made an impression, as well as Prince and Buddy Guy.Mike crafted his skills while working in a local guitar shop frequented by legendary rocker Chuck Berry. Looking back, Mike says, “I soaked up the sounds of that store, and began building my own style.”After a succession of independent releases in the 1990s, Mike picked up a steady stream of followers on extensive tours across the country. When he wasn’t touring, he spent his time off playing nightly gigs in his hometown.Weary from touring, and close to giving up altogether on a career in music, Mike remained confident that he was close to gaining a major label contract. He says, “Music can change everything; how you feel; how you see and what you believe.” Sure enough, he was offered a national distribution deal with Delta Groove Music.VOA News Item 37Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel hopes to begin peace negotiations with the Palestinians next week, during a visit by U.S. envoy George Mitchell. Mr. Netanyahu spoke to his Cabinet a day after the Arab League endorsed indirect peace talks for a period of four months. Theprime minister said direct talks are necessary to reach a peace agreement, but indirect talks are。
专四听力训练---CNN-新闻100篇
1CNN 100CNN News Item 1The U.S. government closes its embassy in the Middle Eastern country of Yemen, and that is because ofsecurity concerns. One official says that a group called al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula might be planningan attack against the facility. That same group said it was behind an attempted plot to set off an explosiveonboard a plane heading to Detroit, Michigan. That took place on Christmas day. The suspect allegedlybrought the explosives on the plane in his underwear. The plan failed when the device he tried to use didn’tdetonate correctly. Some people have asked how the suspect made it past security. One U.S. official says it’sbecause of human error. President Obama has promised that everyone involved in the attack will be heldaccountable for it. But some critics argue that the president’s response to the situation hasn’t been fastenough, hasn’t been aggressive enough.CNN News Item 2It’s back to work for Indian government oil workers after a three-day strike that crippled Indiancommerce. Some 45,000 oil workers walked off the job after the government refused their demands forhigher pay. The labor standoff ended after days of intense government pressure, including threats of job lossand even arrest to strikers. Meantime, talks with a second group of nationwide strikers may soon beunderway. The Indo-Asian News-Service says India’s transport minister is ready to discuss demands fromtruckers. Many across India have parked their rigs, calling for reduction in diesel and tyre prices.CNN News Item 3Lawmakers in Nebraska have approved a big change to the state’s controversial safe haven law. Underthe new measure, children older than 30 days can not be dropped off at state hospitals.35 children, many ofthem, preteens or even teenagers, have been abandoned in hospitals since the original law took effect in July.State lawmakers say it was intended to prevent newborns from being dumped in trash bins or even worse.The new law is expected to go into effect at midnight.CNN News Item 4The nation of Iran marking a milestone later on this week. On Thursday, the country will celebrate theanniversary of when it became an Islamic republic. This goes back to 1979, when supporters of the AyatollahKhomeini, a religious leader, overthrew the country’s government. Khomeini became the supreme leader ofIran, and the nation officially became an Islamic state. The United States and the European Union areworried about potential violence during Thursday’s celebrations. U.S. and Europe an Union are urging theMiddle Eastern nation to “end its abuses against its own people.” Iranian leaders have denied anyaccusations that the government has abused citizens.CNN News Item 5Iraqis put democracy into action today in elections held across the country. The polls have closed and avote-counting has begun. Voters went to 6,000 polling stations to pick from among 14,000 candidatesincluding 4,000 women. Security is very tight though, voters were searched before they entered the polls.2The borders with Iran and Syria were sealed and a curfew has been put into place. Now even the UnitedNations was involved in monitoring those elections.CNN News Item 6Iranian media reports former President Mohammad Khatami has announced he will run in the Junepresidential elections. Today’s announcement ends weeks of speculation. Khatami is considered a reformistand overwhelmingly won the presidency in 1997 but he couldn’t bring about religious and democraticfreedoms because of strong opposition from the coun try’s religious establishment. Khatami was succeededby current President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad four years ago.CNN News Item 7Meanwhile U.S. President Barack Obama is taking crisis talks to an international level. British PrimeMinister Gordon Brown is traveling to the United States on Monday to push for global solutions to theeconomic crisis. He will be the first E.U. leader to meet the new president in Washington and Mr. Obamawill meet the remaining E.U. leaders at a special summit in Prague in April. That will be his first trip toEurope since taking office. Also on that trip, the G20 summit on the economic crisis and a NATO meeting.CNN News Item 8Strike is off, the judge says plans for a walkout by a British Airway’s Cabin Crew cannot happen. As wereported yesterday, this strike which would have last through the holidays could have effected a millionpassengers’ holiday travel plans. But the judge has blocked it from happening. Now the airline says it hopesthe Cabin Crews Labor Union would take some time to think about its next steps. The union representativessay this dispute is not over and unless the two sides can come to a solution, they could vote to strike again,but after Christmas.CNN News Item 9Heading overseas to Thailand where grenade attacks in the capital city of Bangkok have killed at leastthree people. A Thai official said the grenades came from an area where people who were protesting thegovernment were gathered together. The protesters say they are not responsible. They have been fightingwith police for a while here you can see them throwing rocks and other things at police. They support thecountry’s former prime minister and they want the current leader to leave office. After these recent attacks,Thailand’s prime minister c alled an emergency meeting to figure out how to deal with the situation.CNN News Item 10U.S. Supreme Court says that a memorial out in the Mojave Desert does not violate the U.S.Constitution. The memorial is a large cross. It was put up in 1934 to honor fallen soldiers. But it’s located ina national park, and some people argue that it’s a religious symbol that goes against the concept of separationof church and state. The cross was boarded up because of the legal battle. Yesterday’s Supreme Courtdecision was close: 5 to 4. Writing for the majority, Justice Anthony Kennedy said that this cross represents“far more than religion.” But in opposition, Justice John Paul Stevens argued the government can’t lawfullyendorse a religious symbol as a way to pay tribute to veterans.3CNN News Item 11Freed at last after five years in captivity, three Americans held hostage by leftistrebels in Colombia areback on U.S. soil and will be reunited with their families. Marc Gonsalves, Thomas Howes and KeithStansell were among those rescued during an incredible operation yesterday. Columbian secret agents trickedleftist rebels into handing them over without a single shot being fired. The men are now undergoing tests atan army medical center in San Antonio, Texas.CNN News Item 12Health care reform enters a new era in about two hours. President Obama is scheduled to sign that billinto law. Then, he is going to travel around the country to sell the plan to skeptics. But Republicans say thatbattle is on to get ready for legal challenges, nearly a dozen states plan to argue that it’s not constitutional. Asearly as tomorrow, the debate moves to the Senate where lawmakers will consider a companion measure, andRepublicans plan, parliamentary objections that could change that bill and force it back to the House. Now,even before the first votes were cast in the health care debate, Barack Obama’s overall approval ratingdropped to his lowest level ever recorded.CNN News Item 13Members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives will be meeting this month to put together afinal health care reform bill. The Senate passed its version on Christmas Eve. The House had already passedits bill. But there are some pretty big differences between the two. One of them: cost. The Senate bill checksin at $871 billion. The House version: Over $1 trillion. Another issue: the so-called public option, agovernment-run health insurance program. House bill includes it; Senate bill doesn’t. So, some compromisesneed to be made to come up with a final bill. And since that then has to be approved by both Houses ofCongress, there are some concerns about whether it will pass.CNN News Item 14Another day of international pressure levied against Zimbabwe’s embattled President Robert Mugabe.B ritish officials have announced they are stripping Robert Mugabe’s honorary knighthood title. Nobel Prizewinner Desmond Tutu is also speaking out about the election mess there. He’s urging the nations of theworld to intervene. The calls come after opposition leader Morgan Tsvangiraiwithdrew from the election,citing violence against his party. The Zimbabwean Electoral Commission ruled today that the presidentialelection will go on as planned.CNN News Item 15The Tea Party movement is getting ready for the mid-term elections coming up in November. The grouphas released a list of heroes and targets. The heroes on the list are candidates that the Tea Party plans tosupport in the elections. The targets are anyone that the group would like to see voted out of office. Ofcourse lists are not the only way that the Tea Party gets its message out. Rallies are the group’s bread andbutter. This one in Washington DC yesterday was a wrapping up of a three-week tour across the U.S. Thetiming? No coincidence. Yesterday, of course, was tax day. And the group is opposed to what it sees as thegovernment overspending.4CNN News Item 16Today marks the 30th anniversary of the Iranian hostage crisis. And President Obama said that he wantsto move beyond the past and build a relationship with Iran based on mutual interest and mutual respect.U.S.-Iran relations had been hostile since the day that Islamic students stormed the U.S. embassy in Tehranand held 52 Americans hostage for more than 400 days. Iran’s government holds rally every year to celebratethat event. Today there’s something different though, anti-government protesters are also on the streets. Weare also getting some reports of clashes with those police. No word about any injury yet.CNN News Item 17Senators are considering alternatives to part of their healthcare legislation, specifically, the so-calledpublic option, government-run health insurance program. Senate republicans and some democrats andindependents are against that plan. A group of Democratic Senators was working to come up with some otherideas they could replace the public option. And late last night, they said they had reached an agreement. Ifthe Senate passes its healthcare bill, that does not make it law, would still need to be combined with Healthbill and then that final version would need to pass both the House and the Senate.CNN News Item 18Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger says he refuses to borrow money to keep his state running, he wantslegislators to focus on the state's 24 billion dollar deficit or the state could be forced to cut thousands of jobs,eliminate health care for a million low income children. Meanwhile lawmakers are debating hundreds ofother bills including creating a state blueberry commission. Banning toy cigarette lighters and mandating alarger font size for medical worker name tags.CNN News Item 19Ray LaHood, the head of the U.S. Transportation Department, is weighing in on Toyota’s recall ofmillions of vehicles due to a faulty gas pedal. But what Mr. LaHood is saying might be causing someconfusion. During a hearing on Capitol Hill yesterday, Secretary LaHood said that anyone who owns one ofthe cars affected by the recall should “stop driving it and take it to a dealer.” That scared and frustrated a lotof owners, and later in the day, LaHood corrected himself. Toyota released a statement thanking SecretaryLaHood for clarifying his remarks. They also said, “We want to make sure that our customers understandthat this situation is rare and generally does not occur suddenly. If you experience any issues with youraccelerator pedal, please contact your dealer without delay. If you are not experiencing any issues with yourpedal, we are confident that your vehicle is safe to drive.”CNN News Item 20Toyota says that a glitch in the electronic brakes could cause a delay when you step on the pedal. Theysay it only affects 2010 models sold last year. And it’s those very same cars that are being credited withToyota’s cash cow. New numbers just out say they made $1.7 billion last quarter, but it won’t last for long.For the first time, Toyota is admitting it’s going to take a huge beating due to this gas pedal nightmare. $2billion for repairs and lost sales.5CNN News Item 21AIG is trying to prevent a new wave of backlash over paying out bonuses to its top executives. TheWashington Post reports the company has asked the Obama Administration to approve millions of dollars inpromised bonuses. The payments are scheduled to go out next week. AIG doesn’t actually need approval.Because the payments were linked to contracts from last year before received aid from the federal bailoutfunds. But the Post reports executives still are reluctant to pay without official approval. An earlier round of2008 AIG employee bonuses drew widespread criticism earlier this year.CNN News Item 22The raw politics of health is heating up in the Senate. Just before air last night, Senate Majority LeaderHarry Reid announced a group of 10 liberal and conservative Democrats had reached a deal to replace thehotly debated public option with a package of alternatives. Senator Reid offered few details. But today,President Obama praised the emerging compromise. Now, the public plan deal came just hours after theSenate killed a controversial amendment to restrict abortion coverage in its health care bill to ensure that nofederal funds go toward covering any kind of abortion in this new reform. Nebraska Senator Ben Nelson hadintroduced that amendment. He called it a deal-breaker. He’s also on e of the 10 senators to hammer out thedeal to drop the public plan.CNN News Item 23Over in Europe, the financial outlook for a few countries isn’t looking too good. The investment ratingsfor Spain, Portugal and Greece all went down this week. Greece might be the worst situation. Experts areusing the word “junk” to describe that nation’s investment rating. Basically, they’re saying that it’s very riskyto put your money there. Greece has a massive debt, nearly $400 billion. That’s bigger than the coun try’seconomy. Greece is developing ways to cut spending, but Greek workers aren’t too happy about some ofthose plans, and they’ve been protesting about it. Greece is also asking for financial help from the EuropeanUnion: a bailout of more than $50 billion.CNN News Item 24Well moving around to the East of Asia now, Southeast of Asia, a gloomy forecast out of Singapore.The government says its economy will likely shrink by between 6 and 9% this year. The announcementcomes as the city-state’s first quart er GDP fell almost 12% from the, from a year ago. In seasonally adjustedterms it was even more brutal than that actually. Singapore is reducing its output for the third time this year,as demand for its exports continues to fall amidst a worsening financial crisis. It previously predicted just a5% contraction for the full year.CNN News Item 25The Treasury says the country’s largest banks will start receiving 125-billion dollars this week.Beginning the biggest government bailout in history, the money is being sent to 9 major financial institutionsincluding Bank of America, Citigroup and JP Morgan chase. The government is also in talks with a group ofmore than a dozen regional banks about sharing part of an additional 125-billion dollars. Treasury SecretaryHenry Paulson says 250 of the 700-billion-dollar bailout package will be spent by the end of the year.6CNN News Item 26In the United States, President Obama is scheduled to sit down today with the heads of some of thecountry’s biggest banks to talk about small businesses, ones that have 500 or fewer employees. Many ofthem are having a hard time getting loans from banks. But banks argue that the policies put in place becauseof this financial crisis have affected how they can offer the loans.CNN News Item 27Goldman Sachs surprised investors on Monday with an early release of its quarterly profits, which wereway better than analysts had expected, twice as good, in terms of earnings per share. Now profits for the first3 months of the year came into a total of $1.81 billion. Goldman also announced plans for a $5 billion sharesale to help back its, help pay back rather, its so called TARP loan from the U.S. government. $10 billionunder the troubled assets relief program.CNN News Item 28 7000La wmakers say they’re close to a deal on the 700-billion-dollar package to rescue the troubled financialsystem. A bipartisan group has been meeting today to hash out differences. Democratic Senator ChuckSchumer, chairman of the joint economic committee, says he hopes to reach a deal by this afternoon. Amongthe details being hammered out, how much the plan will cost? The most common amount being talked aboutis 700-billion dollars; another key point in the negotiations is whether the government will actually become ashareholder in troubled companies. One part of the plan that seems certain to become a law will be aprovision to limit executive pay and bonuses at companies that sell assets to the Treasury.CNN News Item 29During a speech yesterday, President Obama offered some ideas on how to create new jobs and help outthe country’s economy. Offering tax breaks to small businesses, expanding some of the government’sstimulus programs, and spending more money on infrastructure projects things like roads, bridges and watersystems. The thing is, all of that costs money and that’s where the TARP comes in. That’s the Troubled AssetRelief Program, the financial industry bailout passed last year. The bailout ended up not costing as much asexpected and President Obama thinks the extra could be used to help out in other ways.CNN News Item 30OPEC is going ahead with another oil production cut. OPEC has agreed to cut production by 2.2million barrels a day. U.S. crude for January delivery dropped to just over 42 dollars a barrel after theannouncement. Crude oil prices have dropped nearly 70% since July. OPEC cut production in Septemberand October, but those cuts didn’t have much impact on prices.CNN News Item 31Chrysler and Italian automaker Fiat has signed off on a deal brokered by Uncle Sam to become what’sknown as Chrysler Group. Fiat will initially take a 20 percent stake. It can’t take a majority stake until thenew Chrysler pays back the 15.5 billion dollars it took from the Treasury Department. The UAW holds a 55percent stake, leaving an 8 percent stake for the U.S., 2 percent for Canada. The Supreme Court cleared theway for the deal yesterday, after delaying the sale pending review of a case brought by Indiana state pension7funds.CNN News Item 32Major concerns now about the U.S. auto industry, these numbers are just out, and Toyota finallyovertook GM as the world’s biggest automaker in terms of sales for all of last year.That’s a title GM hasheld for nearly eight decades. Even worse than that, a GM executive warns the company will run out of cashby March 31st if it doesn’t get that second installment of government funds soon. GM is supposed to get thefive-billion installment within a matter of days.CNN News Item 33Some new developments in the Wall Street investment fraud case, the bail hearing for Bernard Madoffhas been canceled for today, meaning he will remain free for the time being. Meantime, the head of theSecurities and Exchange Commission is criticizing his own agency for failing to spot the investment schemeby former NASDAQ Chairman Bernard Madoff. SEC Chairman Christopher Cox says there were manyinstances over a decade that should have been flagged.CNN News Item 34 CEOCEOs from Ford, Chrysler and General Motors are making their case for a25-billion-dollar emergencyloan. They want Congress to tap into the 700-billion-dollar Wall Street bailout approved last month. ManyRepublican critics point to financial mismanagement at the Big Three and argue the companies don’t deserveany help. Most Democrats disagree, saying the auto industry is too important to the overall economy to fail.CNN News Item 35China is where U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner was yesterday. During a week-long trip toAsia that he is taking, Secretary Geithner stopped over in Beijing and meet with his Chinese counterpart.One issue they were expected to talk about was the value of the yuan; that’s China’s currency. Some U.S.officials claim that China is undervaluing the yuan; they’re accusing China of saying that the yuan is worthless than what it should be. China denies that. This matters because the yuan and the dollar are connected.And if the value of the yuan is down, it could encourage people to spend more on Chinese products than onAmerican ones.CNN News Item 36 7870The battle over the 787-billion-dollar stimulus bill officially ends after President’s Day. PresidentObama says he will sign the bill into law in Denver On Tuesday. He is calling the measure “a majormilestone in the recovery of the U.S. economy.” Administration officials say the President wants to get awayfrom the politics of Washington and sign the bill in an area hit hard by the recession. They say Denver is aplace that will see the bill’s benefits in hiring workers.CNN News Item 37One of the FBI’s most wanted terrorists is dead. Imad Mougniyeh was killed in an explosion in Syriathis morning. Mougniyeh was a top Hezbollah commander. He was blamed for several high-profile terroristacts that left hundreds of Americans and Israelis dead, including the 17-day hijacking of a TWA Flight in81985. He was also suspected of masterminding the attacks on the U.S. embassy and Marine barracks inLebanon that killed more than 260 Americans in 1983.CNN News Item 38Moving from Thailand to the Persian Gulf now, where Iran is running a massive military drill expectedto last three days. An Iranian official says the goal is to show off the country’s military strength. It mightlook like a real battle what you are seeing here is just practice. U.S. Navy says Iran has done this sort ofthing in the past. This one is getting more attention because Iran talked about it ahead of time.CNN News Item 39No commitment by President-elect Barack Obama on a missile defense program in Eastern Europe.That’s according to a senior Obama advisor. The statement comes after claims on the Polish president’swebsite —The two had a call on the matter and that Obama said he intended to continue the program.Obama’s senior foreign policy advisor denied that claim. H e said Obama talked with the Polish presidentabout continuing military and political cooperation and possibly meeting in person some time soon.CNN News Item 40Congress considers a new bill that would make some soldiers eligible for the Purple Heart.Representative John Carter introduced the new legislation yesterday. The Fort Hood army post is located inhis home district in Texas. This bill is focused on the victims of the recent shooting there. The Purple Heartfirst created in 1782 is given to any U.S. service member who is wounded and killedwhile serving in actionagainst an enemy or in a terrorist attack. Representative Carter says the Fort Hood victims deserved thePurple Heart because he considers the shooting to be an enemy attack.CNN News Item 41The U.S. government says it will stop making new, nuclear weapons, and it’s reconsidering what to dowith the weapons that already exist. The announcement came yesterday, two days before President Obama isscheduled to sign a treaty with Russia that would reduce how many nuclear weapons both countries have. Italso comes one week before he hosts a global meeting on nuclear security. More than 40 countries areexpected to attend that. But back to yesterday’s announcement. This new policy would stop production ofnuclear weapons. It would also invest about $5 billion in extending the life of weapons that already exist.Seven countries are officially recognized as nuclear powers, meaning they have nuclear weapons. But thereare other countries that are suspected of trying to make them. U.S. officials hope this change from Americawill encourage other countries all countries to help control the spread of nuclear weapons. U.S. haspromised not to use its own nukes against anyone who does that. But as Defense Secretary Robert Gatespointed out, that doesn’t mean retaliation is out of the question in every situation.CNN News Item 42Gaza is facing its worst humanitarian crisis in more than 40 years. A new report by aid agencies andhumanitarian groups says thi ngs haven’t been this dismal since Israel’s 1967 occupation. It says the Israeliblockade has left more than one million Palestinians isolated, dealing with poverty, dealing withunemployment, with little access to education and healthcare services. It found water and sewage systems9are on the verge of collapse. Israel blames the hardships on Hamas militants who keep firing rockets intoIsrael.CNN News Item 43We are getting things started with START. It stands for Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty. It’s a nagreement between the United States and Russia for both countries to reduce thenumber of nuclear weaponsthey have. President Obama also says it’s part of the effort to “reset” the relationship between the twocountries. Yesterday, he and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev got together in the Czech Republic to signoff on START. The agreement cuts the number of nuclear weapons that the U.S. and Russia have by about athird. The White House is scheduled to hold a meeting on nuclear security next week. It’s something thatPresident Obama says affects the entire world.CNN News Item 44Just how far will Iran push the international community this weekend? Well today, it reportedly testedtwo types of short-range missiles and a launching system. Iran’s military freely admitted it was showing offits defense capabilities. And it planned to keep up the missile exercises for 10 or 11 more days. In other news,the show-off force does come just days after words that Iran is building a second uranium enrichment plant.These satellite images supposedly show the location by the city of Qom. The U.S. and its allies quicklycondemned this project. And Tehran says it’s just a civilian energy program, but U.S. official believed it wasa cover for developing nuclear weapons. The Iranian say they will allow international inspectors into theplants.CNN News Item 45There is no letup of Israel’s assault on Gaza and Hamas’s rocket attacks into Israel. The fighting hasentered a third week with mounting casualties on both sides. Israel says Hamas commander in charge oflaunching rockets into Israel from Gaza City was killed by ground fire. Also during a three-hour lull todayIsrael dropped leaflets warning residence to evacuate their homes. An United Stations spokesman says thepausing fighting was not longer enough to resume aid deliveries into Gaza. The humanitarian situation thereis described as desperate and Palestinian medical sources say at least 800 people have been killed in Gazasince Israeli offensive began. 13 Israelies including 10 soldiers have also died. CNN News Item 46A holy day in Iran marked by violence as protesters clashed with police forces about a week ago.Demonstrators have spoken out against the country’s government for months now, but。
大学英语四级考试新闻听力分析解析
大学英语四级考试新闻听力分析解析大学英语四级考试新闻听力Test OnePart II Listening Comprehension (25 minutes)Section 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.1. A. Valentine’s Day.B. Cyber Monday.C. Black Friday.D. Singles’ Day.2. A. 1993. B. 2011. C. 1996. D. 2009.Questions 3 and 4 will be based on the following news item.3. A. Technology Company Google has brought reliable Internet connections to Kampala, Uganda.B. Higher capacity means faster and cheaper access to customers.C. About 8.5 million people use the Internet in Uganda..D. Broadband access to the Internet is still hard to find in many places in Africa.4. A. About 20 million. B. About 30 million.C. About 40 million.D. About 50 million.Questions 5 to 7 will be based on the following news item.5. A. The new rates will be the same as the current prices.B. The new rates double the current prices on average, but include some discount schemes.C. The new rates double the current prices on average, but exclude some discount schemes.D. The new rates triple the current prices on average, but include some discount schemes.6. A. To ensure the new fare-accounting system works well on Dec. 28.B. To direct the Marketing Department of Beijing Metro.C. To have a low price transportation.D. To upgrade the card reading machines on the city's 22,000 buses after the end of operations on Saturday7. A. The first week after the price hike.B. The first workday after the price hike.C. The first weekend after the price hike.D. The first weekends after the price hike.Tape Script of Listening ComprehensionTest OneSection 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.What’s the biggest onl ine shopping day in the world?Not Valentine’s Day.Not Cyber Monday or Black Friday. They are the days that follow Thanksgiving in the U.S. and usher in the start of the holiday shopping season.The winner is China’s Singles’Day, celebrated November 11, or 11.11.Singles’Day began as a day for unmarried or uncoupled people to celebrate their lives. Single students, looking for an excuse to buy themselves presents, started it on November 11, 1993, reported The Guardian.It is symbolized by the four number ones in the date of November 11 –11.11—and is also called Double Eleven, in reference to the day it was started, said the BBC.It became a major shopping day in 2009. The CEO of an online shopping site -- Alibaba -- sought to increase sales at the e-commerce company. The CEO, Daniel Zhang, launched an annual online sale that day, said Fortune.When it first began, “Singles’Day was very much an offline solace for actual single people,”noted the website Atlas Obscura. “A small group of students at Nan jing University are said to have chosen 11.11 as a day that singles could do activities like karaoke together.”It quickly became a cultural phenomenon.1.What’s the biggest online shopping day in the world?【答案】D【分析】细节题。
听力4新闻原文
听力4新闻原文Unit 1News item 1China’s wasted no time in setting out the latest plans for its ambitious space program. A senior official said the ne_t manned mission will be in ____, when the astronauts will attempt a space walk. After that, scientists will focus on developing the capability to rendezvous and k with other spacecraft. He added that China also wanted to recruit female astronauts in the near future.The announcement comes just hours after the country’s second manned space mission touched down in the remote grasslands of Inner Mongolia. The returning astronauts have been given a hero’s welcome, riding in an open car in a nationally televised parade. Thousands of soldiers and groups of schoolchildren lined the route, waving Chinese flags. It’s a sign of the great importance China attached to its space program, viewing it as a source of national pride and international prestige.News item 2China’s economy has recovered earlier and more strongly than any other. This latest data is further evidence of that trend. The rise in industrial output confirms what factory owners have been saying for some time now, that customers have been restocking their inventories and confidence is returning.There are still question marks though over the stability of the recovery. The property sector is showing signs of overheating. The government this week announced measures to try to cool it. At the same time officials decided to e_tend ta_ subsidies for purchases of small vehicles and appliances suggesting that some here still believe Chinese manufactures need government support.Growth was strongest in heavy industries such as coal, steel, power generation and automobiles. Consumer prices rose in November for the first time since February. But the rise was small and probably reflected higher food prices caused by early snowstorms which destroyed crops and disrupted transport.News 3If you visit almost any marketplace in Africa, many of the consumer goods on sale, from buckets to razor blades to hurricane lamps, are likely to be Chinese. In a very large number of African capitals, the main football stadium is likely to have been built with Chinese aid money.Sino-African trade, and aid, is large and growing. Some estimate put it as high as 12 billion dollars a year. Although direct comparisons are difficult, the links between the world’s largest developing country, China, and the world’s largest developing continent could grow to challenge the post-colonial links between Europe and Africa. The meeting in Addis Ababa has heard Chinese promises to cancel debts, grant duty-free access into China for African products and increase Chinese investments in Africa. Unit 2News item 1Representatives of nearly 150 countries meeting in Hong Kong are still trying to reach a new agreement on global trade.For many countries the biggest prize they realistically hoped for on this meeting was a date。
四级听力真题新闻录音原文及译文
News Report 1A 16th century castle in Scotland is close to collapsing after lumps of soil were washed away by floods, threatening its foundations. On Sunday, the castle's owner John Gordon, 76, was forced to move out of his property after the River Dee swept away about 60 feet of land, leaving the castle dangerously close to the river, according to the Scottish Daily Record. Abergeldie Castle, located in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, was built by Sir Alexander Gordon of Midmar who later became the Earl of Huntly. The castle, which is located on 11,700 acres, was leased to members of the royal family between 1848 and 1970, including King Edward VII and George V. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency has issued more than 35 flood warnings covering several regions, as Scotland continues to clean up after Storm Frank hit the country last Wednesday. "This means that rivers will rise more slowly, but then stay high for much longer, " the environmental agency said.Questions 1 and 2 are based on the news report you have just heard.Question 1.Why did John Gordon move out of the Abergeldie Castle?Question 2.What happened in Scotland last Wednesday?在洪水将大量土地冲走、对地基造成威胁之后，苏格兰一座16世纪的城堡接近倒塌。
大学英语四级新闻听力详细讲解
• 新闻强调及时、迅速。语速比日常英语的语速快 得多，且只放一遍，考生往往感觉还没有抓住什 么新闻就播完了
可能出现的考点 1. 考导语即第一句话。 2.考宾语，即语段中线类似 It is
said / reported / pronounces / declared /…/ that … 这样的句子，那么 “that”后面的句子极有可能是考点。
二、新闻报道文体特征
1. 结构特点
• 倒金字塔结构（the inverted pyramid form） – 指在新闻报道中把最重要的新闻事实放在整个 新闻报道的开头，作为导语（lead），次要的 新闻事实放在导语后，把最不重要的新闻放在 末尾。
– 导语：报道的精华，对整个新闻的概括和中心 思想。
联系性 经济与政治、外交、军事等
关注各类经济谈判，经济政策等
天灾人祸新闻
具有超强的市场价值 包含西方新闻价值的要素 西方对灾难事件的
报道反应迅速、事实 准确，不隐瞒负面因素， 展示灾难细节等。 CNN,ABC,BBC等
常见巴以冲突问题新闻词汇
• Jewish settler 犹太定居者 • assassination 暗杀 • cease-fire 停火 • Gaza Strip 加沙地带 • conflict 冲突 • withdrawal 撤退 • P.L.O （缩） Palestine Liberation Organization 巴勒斯坦解
积累专有名词（人名/地名）
国家(country)
首都(capital)
阿富汗 Afghanistan 孟加拉国 Bangladesh 缅甸 Burma 柬埔寨 Cambodia 印度 India
四级新闻听力大常考题材及必备词
新闻听力8大常考题材及必备70词新闻听力常考8大题材如下：1. 气象/灾害2. 军事3. 健康/环保4. 罪案5. 事故6. 经济7. 政治8. 文化体育考点1. 考导语即第一句话：新闻听力第一题的答案80%出自于开篇首句;2.考宾语,即语段中线类似It is said / reported / pronounces / declared /…/ that … 这样的句子,那么“that”后面的句子极有可能是考点;3.考查四方面的信息：时间、地点、人物、数字;选项中出现数字的,有可能需要做运算,不会太复杂,最多不会超过一次运算;做题时注意记录数字;4.考转折；如but, however, while...后面的句子极可能是考点,听到语调变化尤其注意听其后的内容;5.考原因,留心reason,because, for...之类的词及相关的句子;事故类casualty n. 伤亡人数；死伤者blast n. 爆炸 explosionn. 爆炸,炸裂 bomb n. 炸弹injure v. 损害,毁坏wound n. 伤害；v. 受伤terrorist n. 恐怖主义者,恐怖分子crash v. 碰撞 kidnap v. 绑架assassinate v. 暗杀,行刺strike v. 罢工trade union 工会政治类Democratic Party 共和党 Republic Party 民主党president 总统 Congress 国会Supreme Court 最高立法院 the Senate 参议院the House of Lords；the upper chamber 上议院the House of Commons; the lower chamber 下议院the House of Representative 众议院legislative n. 立法权Amendment n. 修正案release v. 释放 hostage n. 人质authority n. 当局,相关部门official n. 官员医疗健康类expected life span 预期寿命 death rate 死亡率disease n. 疾病 illness n. 疾病mortality n. 死亡人数,死亡略life cycle 生命周期cure v. 治愈 take care 照顾life expectancy 平均寿命,预期寿命flu n. 流感 sick adj. 恶心的allergic adj. 敏感的 headache n. 头痛stomachache n. 胃疼 clinic n. 诊所dentist n. 牙医prescription n. 药方 high blood pressure 高血压symptom n. 症状 cancer n. 癌症pharmacy n. 配药,药房经济类prospect n. 前景 scholar n. 学者delegate n. 代表 Global 500 世界500强Fortune Magazine 美国财富杂志sales representative 销售代表distribution network 分销渠道recession 经济衰退VC= venture capital 风险资本 joint venture 合资企业economic adj. 经济的,经济学的,有经济效益的goods n. 货物 grocery n. 食品杂货店capital n. 资本debt n. 债务 collapse v. 崩溃slide v. 下滑 soarv. 高涨 go down 下降go up 上升 consumer spending 消费支出。
- 1、下载文档前请自行甄别文档内容的完整性，平台不提供额外的编辑、内容补充、找答案等附加服务。
- 2、"仅部分预览"的文档,不可在线预览部分如存在完整性等问题,可反馈申请退款(可完整预览的文档不适用该条件!)。
- 3、如文档侵犯您的权益，请联系客服反馈,我们会尽快为您处理(人工客服工作时间：9:00-18:30)。
以下文章中将包含12篇比较符合专四新闻考法的新闻，时间涵盖2008年4月至2009年3月。
重点词汇处，用黑体标出，需要强记。
另外，不同主题的新闻有不同的考点方向，每个主题前有说明。
请注意，文章和论点仅供参考，若对于新闻背景不甚了解，可以按照主题的中文解释，配合时间，进行搜索式查阅。
灾难新闻类：专四对于天灾人祸的兴趣是很浓的，基本每年都有。
大家需要注意的核心是：death toll（死亡人数），the injured（受伤人数），the missing（失踪人数），casualty（伤亡人数）以及cause（起因）和route（路线）空难air crash：2009-3-23A FedEx cargo plane（货机）,crash-lands（迫降）, at Japan's Narita International Airport （日本成田国际机场）.. Red Cross officials say both pilots were killed. Telev ision footage showed the plane explode, shortly after one of its wings, clipped the ground. Reports say the flight from Guangzhou, China, was trying to land in windy conditions.海难ferry sink 2009-1-11An Indonesian ferry carrying 250 passengers and 17crew sank after being battered by a large wave in bad weather in the country's east on Sunday, officials said. 18 people including one of the crew had been rescued, said Bambang Ervan, a spokesman for the Transport Ministry.Transport Minister Jusman Syafi'i Djamal said 150 people had been taken off the ferry, but their condition was unknown and he gave no further details. The discrepancy（差别）in the number of possible survivors could not immediately be clarified.海难的考点很灵活。
可以是自然原因引起的，比如storm, wave, typhoon, 内因也可以为超载-overload，或者常考的非法移民illegal immigrant事件。
值得注意的是，05、06、07在连续考察海难新闻。
偷渡illegal emigrants 2008-4About 150 illegal immigrants have drowned after their boat sank off the Libyan shore while en route to Italy. Most of the illegal immigrants died after the boat capsized in the Mediterranean on June 7. The Libyan authorities have recovered 40 bodies but it's difficult to identify them.火车脱轨train derail 2008-4-29Chinese railway authorities confirmed that the death toll is at least 70 after an early Monday train collision in east China's Shandong Province. More than 400 passengers were hospitalized including 4 foreigners. When the accident occurred, the rear part of the train from Beijing, coded T195 derailed and hit train 5034 from Yantai, and caused the front part of the latter train to derail, too. Initial investigation（初步调查）says the accident was caused by human error. Two railway officials have been sacked after the accident.专四没有考过中国的灾难新闻，暂且把它看成一篇通用类型的新闻模板。
恐怖袭击terrorist attacks 2008-11-27恐怖主义的新闻除了要注意时间地点和破坏结果外，幕后黑手也是重要信息。
巴基斯坦的恐怖袭击数量之多，令人咂舌。
仅仅09年三个月以来，就有十几起，具体请见：/z/bjstjxyx/index.shtmlFour top police officials were among the 10 policemen killed as security forces took on terrorists here in the early hours of Thursday following a series of attacks in this India's financial capital, Mumbai, which killed at least 80 people and injured 250 others, authorities said. India has suffered a wave of bomb attacks in recent years. Most have been blamed on Islamist militants（伊斯兰士兵）, although police have also suspected Hindu extremists（极端分子） of carrying out some bombings.国际会议类新闻：第16次亚欧领导人非正式会议（俄巴经济合作） the 16th APEC Meeting 2008-11-27胡锦涛主席也参加了在秘鲁的利马召开的本次会议，并同时出访南美五国。
此条新闻谈论的是俄罗斯和巴西的合作，请注意会议的地点、时间、双方谈论的主要目的和一些数据。
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Tuesday called for further trade cooperation between his country and Brazil. At a luncheon with Russian and Brazilian businessmen in Rio, Medvedev said bilateral trade is expected to reach $5 billion this year and will increase to $10 billion in 2010.Brazil is Medvedev's second stop of his Latin American tour that also includes stops in Venezuela and Cuba. He earlier attended the annual Economic Leaders' Meeting of the16th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in Lima, capital of Peru.第七次亚欧会议 the 7th ASEM Meeting 2008-10-27The Seventh Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) issued a Chair's Statement in Beijing on Saturday, agreeing to issue the Beijing Declaration（北京宣言）on Sustainable Development.The statement said the leaders held extensive and in-depth discussions on issues of realizing the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) （千年发展目标）as well as the sustainable development targets agreed in Johannesburg(约翰内斯堡), strengthening energy security cooperation, jointly addressing the challenge of climate change, and environmental protection, including water resources, forests and air, and improving social cohesion under the framework of sustainable development.The Seventh Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM 7) was held in Beijing on 24 and 25 October 2008. The Meeting was the first gathering of the leaders of 45 members of ASEM since its second round of enlargement（扩容）.国际争端新闻：俄乌斗气，最终和解Russia, Ukraine sign 10-year gas deal 2009-1-20 Russia and Ukraine signed a 10-year gas supply deal Monday to clear the way for a prompt resumption（重启）of supplies to a freezing Europe, cut off for nearly two weeks by a dispute between the ex-Soviet states（前苏联国家）. Under the deal, Ukraine will buy Russian gas at a 20 percent discount to European market prices in 2009, while Kiev （基辅，乌克兰首都）agreed to retain preferential transit fees for Russia this year before both sides switch to a market-based price formula from 2010. A higher gas price could cripple Ukraine's economy, already hit hard by the slowdown. But analysts and officials said a substantial drop in market prices expected this year would bring down the average 2009 price to levels more affordable for Kiev.巴以冲突 Conflicts Between Israel and Palestine 2008-5-2这个地区的是一个敏感地区。