专四新闻练习50篇
专四新闻练习
专四新闻练习第三节犯罪新闻⼀、重点突破常考内容：某⼈被控告、引渡犯⼈、偷渡事件、宗教犯罪、性丑闻等。
写作特点：此类新闻通常注重国际犯罪的新动向,以及该案例的影响程度。
对多年难办的积案、死案、或历史疑案等，⼀般还会有背景简介和最新观察点,同时⼀般会交代国际合作办案的新措施和新趋势。
常见考法：细节题，数字题，主旨题。
常⽤句型：1、 A court in … is due to deliver its verdict in…2、… is accused of … and faces up to … in p rison.3、… have grown increasingly violent in the last … years.常⽤犯罪、法律类新闻词汇：verdict (律)（陪审团的）裁决，判决guilty 犯罪的，有罪的jurisdiction 权限appeal 上诉penalty 处罚，罚款accusation 谴责，（律）指控robbery 抢掠，抢夺rape 强奸fraud 欺骗corruption 腐败，贪污，堕落immunity 豁免权extradite 引渡assassination 暗杀sanction 制裁trial 审讯，审判defence （律）（被告的）答辩、辩护execute 处死bail 保释，保证⾦，保证⼈procurator 代理⼈kidnapping 诱拐，拐骗bribe 贿赂arson 纵⽕罪defalcation 挪⽤公款，贪污hijack 劫机right of asylum 避难权amnesty 特赦repatriate 遣返felony (律)重罪⼆、专项训练Questions 1 to 2 are based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you will be given 10 seconds to answer the questions1. For what is Spitzer forced to resign?A. Charging a high price with call girls.B. Spending many dollars on sessions with call girls.C. Spending many dollars on sessions with criminals.D. Failure to crush the prostitution ring in New York.2. Which of the following details is NOT true?A. Spitzer successfully prosecuted cases against Wall Street stock traders.B. He was elected governor in 2006 by an overwhelming majority of votes.C. Spitzer’s resignation will take effect on Tuesday.D. The New York Times reported this case on Monday.Questions 3 to 4 are based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you will be given 10 seconds to answer the questions.3. What evidence did investigators fail to find?A. Evidence of fund to bribe Samsung group Chairman.B. Evidence of fund to bribe government investigators.C. Evidence of fund to bribe government officials.D. Evidence of fund to bribe special prosecutors.4. How many people of Samsung group will face charges of corrupt financial dealings?A. Nine.B. Ten.C. Eight.D. One.Questions 5 to 6 are based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you will be given 10 seconds to answer the questions.5. According to its Secretary-General Ron, what is Interpol’santi-terrorist measure?A. To check more carefully all passports of visitors.B. To set up a database of all passports in 2002.C. To set up a database of all passports of visitors in 2002.D. To set up a database of lost or stolen passports in 2002.6. How many member governments are there in the organization?A. 189.B. 186.C. 168.D. 188.Questions 7 to 8 are based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you will be given 10 seconds to answer the questions.7. Why are Israeli police opening a criminal investigation into Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s purchase of a home in Jerusalem?A. Because Mr. Olmert bought the house at far above the market value.B. Because Mr. Olmert bought the house at far below the market value.C. Because Mr. Olmert bought the house without paying for it.D. Because Mr. Olmert bought the house as a bribe for a government official.8. What is the public opinion of Mr. Olmert’s handling of last year’s Lebanon War?A. It is a success.B. It is a crime.C. It is a failure.D. He should be guilty of it.Question 9 is based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you will be given 5 seconds to answer the questions.9. What is the news mainly about?A. The rumors of the President to be unwell.B. The health condition of the President.C. The charge of crime of the newspapers editors.D. The freedom of publication in Egypt.Question 10 is based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you will be given 5 seconds to answer the questions.10. What is one of the charges the twenty-four-year-old John Racine of Riverside County is facing?A. Setting up an unlawful web site.B. Unlawful access to an unlawful web page.C. Stealing password from unlawful web site.D. Unlawful interception of an electronic communication.第四节经济新闻⼀、重点突破常考内容：论坛、罢⼯、关闭企业、品怕进军新市场等。
2023年英语专业四级听写50篇完整版
英语专业四级听写50篇前言听写在英语专业四级统考中占有15％的比重，是考试的重要组成部分。
说起听写，正在准备和已经参与过英语专业四级考试的同学会说：“我能明白听写的内容，可写的时候就是跟不上！”“短文大意我明白，可是有的语我不会写。
”这只反映出了问题的两个方面。
一是听写速度不够快。
二是词汇量不够或词汇掌握得不够准确。
这些无疑是影响听写成绩的重要因素。
但是，这些不是问题的所有。
在从事听写教学及听写问卷过程中，很容易发现学生失分的具体问题：（1）没听懂，没听好，听写速度跟不上，写出的内容断断续续不连贯，学生因此大量失分；（2）有的词汇没听懂，拼写不够准确，这导致听写失分；（3）时态错误导致失分；（4）单复数不准确导致失分；（5）没有注意断句或专有名词，句子开头单词或专有名词错误使用大小写导致失分；（6）没有注意原文冠词的使用，书写时漏掉冠词导致失分；（7）没有注意单数第三人称形式导致失分；（8）没有注意单数复数名词的形式导致失分。
上述问题的产生有的是缺少训练导致的，如书写速度跟不上。
有的则是语言基础较差导致的，如听力较差没有完全听懂或没有掌握好词汇。
而单复数、大小写、冠词漏写等则多是粗心大意导致的。
听写部分能提高吗？当然能！并且提高的空间很大。
笔者从事英语专业基础教学与研究，从一开始所带的教学班参与四级考试超过全国院校平均通过率28．2个百分点，超过全国专业外语院校平均通过率12．5个百分点开始，所带的教学班在全国英语专业④级统考中通过率始终ito％，平均成绩、优秀率始终名列前茅。
最近一次所带的教学班参与四级统考，又考出了很好的成绩，通过率超过全国院校平均水平26石个百分点，超过全国专业外语院校13．6个百分点，并且在十几个平行班中平均成绩是最高的，优秀人数也是最多的。
在四级考试中，听写一项的成绩也不例外，每次均位居第一，本项目满分15分，所带班级平均成绩可以达成14分。
是不是学生基础很好？登记表白，和平行班相比所带班级入学时并不存在什么特别优势。
2024年高考英语新闻报道阅读理解训练历年真题
2024年高考英语新闻报道阅读理解训练历年真题1. 第一篇新闻报道：《新移民法案将影响美国社会》2024年6月1日报道：近日，美国国会通过了一项新的移民法案，该法案将对美国社会产生广泛影响。
该法案旨在改革美国的移民政策，并为非法移民提供合法化途径。
根据新移民法案，非法移民可以申请获得合法身份，条件是他们在美国居住了一定的时间，并且通过背景调查。
此举被认为是一次重大改革，为大批非法移民提供了合法化的机会。
然而，新移民法案也引发了一些争议。
一些人认为，这样的合法化机制会鼓励更多的非法移民进入美国，增加社会负担，同时对合法移民的利益构成威胁。
而支持者则认为，这项法案可以解决当前非法移民问题并加强社会多元化。
2. 第二篇新闻报道：《气候变化威胁全球经济》2024年6月10日报道：最新研究发现，气候变化正威胁着全球经济的稳定和可持续发展。
随着全球变暖的加剧，极端天气事件频发，各行各业都面临着巨大的挑战。
研究显示，气候变化对农业、水资源、能源和旅游业等领域造成了严重影响。
农作物减产、水资源短缺、能源需求增加以及旅游业遭受损失等问题已经成为全球范围内面临的共同难题。
此外，气候变化还会导致自然灾害频发，如干旱、洪涝和飓风等。
这些灾害不仅造成人员伤亡和财产损失，还直接影响着生态环境的平衡。
为了应对气候变化对经济的威胁，各国政府和国际组织已经采取了一系列措施。
推动清洁能源发展、减少温室气体排放、保护生态环境等举措被认为是应对气候变化的有效途径。
3. 第三篇新闻报道：《人工智能技术在医疗领域的应用》2024年6月15日报道：人工智能技术在医疗领域的应用正逐渐成为现实。
近年来，人工智能技术取得了许多重要突破，为医疗诊断和治疗提供了新的可能性。
人工智能在医疗领域的应用可以帮助医生更准确地诊断和治疗疾病。
通过对海量的医学数据进行深度学习和分析，人工智能可以辅助医生进行精准的疾病诊断，并提供个性化的治疗方案。
此外，人工智能技术还可以改善医疗服务的效率和质量。
英语专业四级听写50篇练习原文.doc2
50. ReadingNowadays few of us read books after we leave school.This is rather disturbing, for one should know that books are no less necessary to one’s mental life than fresh air is to one’s physical life. From good reading we can derive companionship, experience and instruction. A good book is our faithful friend. It can increase our contentment when we are cheerful and happy, and lessen our pain when we are sad or lonely. Books can also offer us a wide range of experience. Few of us can travel far from home or live long over 100, but all of us can live many lives through the pages of books. What’s more, reading books can increase our intellectual ability, broaden our minds and make us wise.With the coming of TV, books are no longer read as widely as they once were. However, nothing can replace the role that books play in our lives.Useful words and expressions:1. leave school 离校，中学毕业2. disturbing 烦扰的3. mental 精神的4. derive 得到5. companionship 伴侣6. intellectual 智力的49. Natural ResourcesThrough the changes in the ways of making a living in a family over several generations, the cartoon aims at sounding a warning against man’s wast eful use of natural resources and emphasizing the urgent need to preserve these resources.Ever since man appeared on the earth, man’s survival has been heavily dependent on nature. Almost everything we use in our everyday life comes from nature, ranging from the food we eat, the water we drink, to the wood which is turned into furniture. With the development of technology and population growth, the amount and range of materials used has increased at an alarming rate.However, natural resources are not inexhaustible. Some reserves are already on the brink of exhaustion and there is no hope of replacing them. The widespread water shortage is an example in point. If man continued to squander natural resources with no thought for the future, the whole world would be in a mess.Useful Words and Expressions:1. make a living 谋生2. aim at 瞄准3. aim high 胸怀大志4. alarming使人惊动的5. inexhaustible 无穷无尽的6. squander 浪费7. be in a mess 乱七八糟48. Population GrowthIt is well-known that there has been a drastic increase in world population. But it is probably les well-known that the extinction rate of wildlife species is experiencing a parallel trend.Take the United States for instance. In 1990, U.S. population reached an unprecedented level of 250 million, which is approximately 250 times of that of 1800. On the other hand, wildlife species are disappearing from the country at an alarming rate. By 1990, about 70 wildlife species would never be seen in U.S. We are fully justified in declaring that the explosive population growth has had an adverse effect on the survival of wildlife species and will be a constant threat to the wildlife resources if no immediate actions are taken.Nothing has ever equaled the magnitude and speed with which the human species is altering the physical and chemical world. It has been demolishing the environment we are living in.Useful words and expressions:1. drastic 激烈的 2. parallel 平行的 3. trend 倾向 4. unprecedented 空前的5. magnitude 大小，数量6. alter 改变7. demolish 毁坏47．House and Home“House” and “home” are two words that have similar meanings.“House” and “home” both refer to places where people live. However, there is a diff erence between them. “Home” is often referred to as the place that we live in with our families. Sadly, in our society, people can hardly distinguish a home from a house because they often see no difference between them. This confusion can be traced back to the indifference between family members. Therefore, we can say that love is an important factor in a home. A home is a shelter, not only for our bodies but also for our minds. Whenever we are depressed, we can go home for comfort. Everyone in the family will do his best to take care of each other and share their happiness as well as sorrow. Without love, a home is merely a house where loneliness is all that can be found. And a house can never be a home unless there is love.Useful words and expressions:1. refer to 提到2. distinguish区别，辨别3. confusion 混乱，混淆4. trace back 追溯到5. indifference 不关心6. depressed 沮丧的46．AutomobilesIt is impossible to say that any one man invented the automobile. Many individuals living and working in different countries and at different times contributed to its development. Many of the discoveries that went into the creation of the automobile were small in themselves. But together they were important. Here are two examples.“Carriage is running at a speed of 8 to 9 miles an hour.” It was almost unheard of in those days. According to automobile historians, this was the first practical use of mechanical power to move a vehicle. After its first run, the machine reportedly burned up while the inventor and his friends were celebrating its success at a pub.Henry Ford is considered the father of modern automobiles mass production. His famous Model-T car, because of its low price, made it possible to produce cars on a large scale and his efforts made it accessible to ordinary people.Useful words and expressions:1. reportedly 据传说，据传闻2. mass production大规模生产3. on a large scale 大规模地4. accessible 易接近的，可到达的accessible to 与……接近45. The Influence of LifeIn the early times when human beings hunted and gathered food, they were not in control of their environment. They could only interact with their surroundings as the other lower animals did. When they learned to make fire, however, they became capable of altering their environment. To provide themselves with fuel, they cut down trees. They also burned clearings in forests to increase the growth of grass and to provide a greater grazing area for the wild animals that human beings fed upon. This development led to farming and the domestication of animals. Fire provided the means for cooking plants which had previously been inedible. Only when the process of meeting the basic need for food reached a certain level was it possible for humans to follow other pursuits such as setting up families, forming societies and founding cities.Useful words and Expressions:1. interact with 与……组合2. clearing 空旷地3. grazing 放牧，牧草4. domestication 驯养，驯服5. previously 先前，以前6. inedible 不能吃的，不适于食用的7. pursuit 追击8. set up 设立44．Gardening in AmericaBelieve or not, 43,000,000 Americans are gardening. That is about one in six. Gardeners, of course, come in many varieties. Not surprisingly, most of them are people who live in the suburbs, and enjoy planting flowers, or maybe a small vegetables garden.The average age of gardeners in America is about 45 years old; they usually fall somewhere in the middle class. But the fastest growing groups are city dwellers. Urban residents are finding ways of gardening even in their crowded areas. Many go to large public gardens, as a place designed by the city for garden, and you can actually ranch your own plot.Still other people use their balconies or roof tops, wherever they can find the space to plant small patches of green.Useful Words and Expressions:1. suburb 郊区2. dweller 居民3. ranch 经营牧场4. balcony 阳台5. patch小块地43．Our ConcernThe history of life on earth has been a history of interaction between living things and their surroundings. To a large extent, the physical form and the habits of the earth’s vegetation and its animal life have been molded by the environment. Only in the present century has one species of man acquired significant power to alter the nature of his world.The rapidity of change follows the pace of man rather than the pace of nature. Radiation is now the unnatural creation of man’s tampering with the atom. The chemicals are the creations of man’s inventive mind, having no counterparts in nature.We have put poisonous and biologically potent chemicals into the hands of persons largely ignorant of their potentials for harm. We have subjected enormous numbers of people to contact with these enormous numbers of people to contact with these poisons, without their consent and often without their knowledge. We have allowed these chemicals to be used with little or no advance investigation of their effect. Future generations are unlikely to forgive our lack of concern.Useful Words and Expressions:1. interaction 交互作用，交感2. vegetation 植被3. mold 塑造，浇铸4. species 种类5. unnatural 不自然的6. temper with 损害，影响7. counterpart 配对物8. poisonous 有毒的9. potent 有力的，有效的10. consent 同意，赞成42．SleepWhy is it so difficult to fall asleep when you are overtired? There is no one answer that applies to every individual. It is possible to feel “tired” physically and still be unable to fall asleep, because while your body may be exhausted, you do not feel sleepy. It is not so easy to simply “turn off”. Lack of sleep complicates matters even more. Experts say adults need at least seven to eight hours of sleep a night to function properly. When you get less sleep than that on consecutive three nights, you begin to accrue four “sleep debt”. As sleep deb t increases your body experiences a stress response. Now a vicious cycle has been created: You experience the feeling of being more and more tired, but your body is increasingly stimulated. “Power sleeping” for more hours on weekends is only a temporary so lution. There is no substitute for getting a good night’s sleep on a regular basis.Useful Words and Expressions:1. overtire 使过度疲劳2. apply to 将……应用于3. consecutive连续的，连贯的4. accrue 自然增加，产生5. vicious恶的vicious cycle 恶性循环6. stimulate 刺激，激励7. substitute for 代替……，替换……41．Apology HelpsIt is never easy to admit you are in the wrong. Being human, we all need to know the art of apologizing. Look back with honesty and think how often you have judged roughly, you said unkind things, and pushed yourself ahead at the expense of a friend. Then count the occasions when you indicated clearly and truly that you were so sorry. A bit frightening, isn’t it? It is frightening, isn’t it? It is frightening because some deep wisdom in us knows that when even a small wrong has been committed, some mysterious moral feeling is disturbed; and it stays out of balance until fault is acknowledged and regret expressed.A heartfelt apology can not only heal a damaged relationship but also make it stronger. If you can think of someone who deserves an apology from you, someone you have wronged, or judged too roughly, or just neglected, do something about it right now.Useful Words and Expressions:1. push ahead 捉紧进行2. at the expense of 在损害……的情况下3. mysterious神秘的4. moral 道德的5. disturbed 扰乱的6. stay out of 不参与……，置身于……之外7. heartfelt 衷心的，真心真意的8. roughly粗糙地，概略地40. How High Can You Jump?Flea’s trainers have observed a strange habit of fleas while training them.Fleas are trained by putting them in a cardboard box with a top on it. The fleas will jump up and hit the top of the cardboard box over and over and over again. As you watch them jump and hit the lid, something very interesting becomes obvious. The fleas continue to jump, but they are no longer jumping high enough to hit the top.When you take off the lid, the fleas continue to jump, but they will not jump out of the box. They will not jump out because they cannot jump out. Why? The reason is simple. They have conditioned themselves to jump just so high. Once they have conditioned themselves to jump just so high. Once they have conditioned themselves to jump just so high, that is all they can do! Many times, people do the same thing. They restrict themselves and never reach their potential. Just like the fleas, they fail to jump higher, thinking they are doing al they can do.Useful Words and Expressions:1. cardboard 纸板2. lid 盖子3. conditioned 有条件的，习惯于……的 4. restrict 限制，约束be restricted within narrow limits 限于狭窄的范围内be restricted in one’s movements 行动受限制39. Don’t give upIf we would ever accomplish anything in life, let us not forget that we must persevere. If we would learn our lessons in school, we must be diligent and not give up whenever we come to anything difficult. We shall find many of our lessons very hard, but let us consider that the harder they are the better they will do to us if we will preserve and learn them thoroughly.But there are some among us who are ready to give up when they come to a hard example in mathematics, and say, “I can’t do this.” They never will if they feel so. “I can’t” never does anything worthwhile, but “I’ll try” accomplis hes wonders.Let us remember that we shall meet with difficulties all through life. They are in the pathway of everyone. If we will only try and keep trying, we shall be sure to conquer and overcome verydifficulty we merely.38. “How to” BooksBooks which give instructions on how to do things are popular in the United States today. Thousands of these “how to” books are available. In fact, there are about for thousand books with titles that begin with the words “how to’.Many “how to” books give advice on c areers. They tell you how to choose a career and how to succeed in it. Many of these books help people to use their free time better. Some people want book which will give them useful information about sports, hobbies and travel. Other people use their free time to make repairs and improvements on their homes. They prefer books which give step-by-step instructions on how to repair things like plumbing and electrical wiring or on how to redecorate or enlarge a house.Why have “how to” books become so popular? Probably because life has became more complex. Today people have far more free to use, more choices to make, and more problems to solve, “how to” books help people to deal with modern life.Useful words and Expressions:1. step-by-step 按部就班的2. redecorate 重新装饰，再装饰3. complex 复杂的，综合的37. Professional Sports in the U.S.Professional sports are not only very popular in the United States, but also a big business. The most popular sports are baseball, football and basketball. Each sport has its own season and individual teams have millions of supporters. Professional teams are named for the cities where they are located. For example, the Lakers are in Los Angeles. The strongest supporters of the Lakers are residents of Los Angeles and Southern California. When the Lakers play, many people in Los Angeles enthusiastically follow the game. When we mention “NBA”, almost every one knows it ahs some relationship with U.S. professional basketball. However, what does it really stand for? N.B.A is gaining new fans and supporters around the world. Basketball has been called the “national pastime”. However, football is the most popular professional sport in the U.S. American football is different from international football, which Americans call “soccer”. Both games require strength and specialized skills.Useful Words and Expressions:1. be named for 被指定为 2. be short for 是……的简称3. stand for代表36. ArtistsEvery artist knows in his heart that he is saying something to the public. Not only does he want to say it well, but he wants it to be something which has not been said before.What visual artists, like painters, want to say is easy to make out but difficult to explain, because painters translate their experiences into shapes and colors, not words. They seem to feel that a certain selection of shapes and colors, out of the countless billions of possible, is exceptionally interesting for them and worth showing to us.Most artists take their shapes and colors from the world of nature and from human bodies in motion and response; their choices indicate that these aspects of the world are worth looking at, that they contain beautiful sights. Contemporary artists might say that they merely choose subjects that provide an interesting pattern, that there is nothing more in it. Yet even they do not choose entirely without reference to the character of their subjects.Useful words and Expressions:1. visual artist 视觉艺术家2. selection 挑选，选择3. exceptional 例外的，异常的4. motion 运动，动作5. indicate显示，象征6. contemporary 当代的，同时代的7. without reference to 不论，与……无关34．Will Computers Replace Human Beings?We are in the computer age today. The computers are working all kinds of wonders now. They are very useful in automatic control and data processing. At the same time, computers are finding their way into the home. They seem to be so clever and can solve such complicated problems that some people think sooner or later they will replace us.But I do not think that there is such a possibility. My reason is very simple: computers are machines, not humans. And our tasks are far too various and complicated for any one single kind of machine to perform.Probably the greatest difference between man and computer is that the former can do things of his own while the latter can do nothing without being programmed. In my opinion, computers will remain nothing but an extension of our human brains, no matter how clever and complicated they may become.33. Where Do the British Live?Nearly everyone in Britain would like to own their own home and, whether they do or not, they are prepared to put time and money into decorating and furnishing it or even making structural alterations to it. Because of the climate and because of the expense involved in going out for the evening, the British spend a lot of time at home and a large part of their social life takes place there.Young people tend to stay with their families longer these days as accommodation is expensive but, when they move away to a job or college, there are various options open to them. They can get lodgings with a landlady. This means that they rent a room in someone’s house and have breakfast with the family. They can also get a bed-sitting room, that is to say one self-contained room in which they can cook, live and sleep. Alternatively, they can share a rented flat or house with a group of young people, perhaps the most popular option of all.Useful Words and Expressions:1. lodging 寄宿处2. bed-sit 卧室兼起居室3. bed-sitting 卧室兼起居室的4. self-contained 设备齐备32. Making a ComplaintComplaining about faulty goods or bad services is never easy. But if something you have brought is faulty or does not do what was claimed for it, you are not asking for a favor to get it put right. Complaints should be made to a responsible person. Go back to the shop where you bought the goods, taking with you any receipt you may have. In a small store the assistant may also be the owner so you can complain direct. In a chain store, ask the manager. If you telephone, ask the name of the person, who handles your enquiry, otherwise you may never find out who dealt with the complaint later. If you do not want to do it in person, write a letter. Stick to the facts and keep a copy of what you write. At this stage you should give any receipt numbers, but you should not need to give receipts or other papers to prove you bought the article.31. Water PollutionWater is very important to us. Factories and plants need water for industrial uses and large pieces of farmland need it for irrigation. Without water to drink, people die in a short time.Today most water sources are so dirty that people must purify water before drinking. Water becomes dirty in many ways: industrial pollution is one of them. With the development of industry, plants and factories pour tons of industrial wasters into rivers every day. The rivers have become seriously polluted, and the water is becoming unfit for drinking or irrigation. The same thing has also happened to our seas and oceans. So, the problem of water pollution is almost worldwide. Scientists of many countries have done a lot of work to stop pollution. The polluted water in some places has become clean and drinkable again. Perhaps one day the people in all towns and cities will be drinking clean water. That day, we believe, is not very far off.30. CartoonistsIn a good cartoon, the artist can tell in a few lines as much as a writer can tell in half a dozen paragraphs. The cartoonist not only tells a story but he also tries to persuade the reader to his way of thinking. He has great influence on public opinion. In a political campaign, he plays an important part. Controversial issues in Congress or at meetings of the United Nations may keep the cartoonist well-supplied with current materials.A clever cartoonist may cause laughter because he often uses humor in his drawings. If he is sketching a famous person, he takes a prominent feature and exaggerates it. Cartoonists, for instance, like to lengthen an already long nose and to widen an already broad grin. This exaggeration of a person’s characteristics is called caricature. The artist uses such exaggeration to put his message eful Words and Expressions:1. cartoonist 漫画家2. campaign 活动3. controversial 争论的，争议的 4. sketch 素描5. prominent 卓越的6. exaggerate 夸张7. lengthen 延长8. grin 露齿笑29. TimeTime is tangible. One can gain time, spend time, waste time, save time, or even kill time. Common questions in American Engli sh reveal this concrete quality as though time were a possession. “Do you have any time?”, “Can you get some time for this?”, “How much free time do you have?” The treatment of time as a possession influences the way that time is carefully divided.Generally, Americans are taught to do one thing at a time and may be uncomfortable when an activity is interrupted. In businesses, the careful scheduling of time and the separation of activities are common practices. Appointment calendars are printed with 15-,30-, and 60-minute time slots. The idea that “there is a time and place for everything” extends to American social life. Visitors who drop by without prior notice may interrupt their host’s personal time. Thus, calling friends on the telephone before visiting them is generally preferred to visitors’ dropping by.Useful words and expressions:1. tangible 切实的2. kill time 消磨时间3. reveal 显示，揭示4. scheduling 行程安排5. slot 缝隙6. drop by 随便访问7. preferred 首选的28. A Free Dress Every WeekThe temptation to steal is greater than ever before especially in large shops and people are not so honest as they once were.A detective recently watched a well-dressed woman who always went into a large store on Monday mornings. One Monday, there were fewer people in the shop than usual when the womancame in, so it was easier for the detective to watch her. The woman first bought a few small articles. After a little time, she chose one of the most expensive dresses in the shop and handed it to an assistant who wrapped it up for her as quickly as possible. The woman simply took the parcel and walked out of the shop without paying. When she was arrested, the detective found out that the shop assistant was her daughter. Believe it or not, the girl “gave” her mother a free dress every week!27. IntelligenceAre some people born clever and others born stupid? Or is intelligence developed by our environment and our experience?Strangely enough, the answer to these questions is yes. To some extent our intelligence is given us at birth, and no amount of special education can make a genius out of a child born with low intelligence. On the other hand, a child who lives in a boring environment will develop his intelligence less than one who lives in rich and varied surroundings. Thus, the limits of a person’s intelligence are fixed at birth, whether or not he reaches those limits will depend on his environment. This view, held by most experts now, can be supported in a number of ways. As is easy to show that intelligence is to some extent something we are born with. The closer the blood relationship between two people is, the closer they are likely to be in intelligence.26. Travel for WorkYou can see them in every airport in the world. They are businessmen and women who have to travel for their work.When they first applied for the job, they may have thought of good food and hotels, huge expense accounts and fashionable cities. Now they have to sit in airport lounges, tired and uncomfortable in their smart clothes, listening to the loudspeaker announce “The fight of Tokyo, or Berlin, or New York is delayed for another two hours.” Some people say to me, “How lucky you are to be able to travel abroad in your work! You can go sightseeing without paying any money by yourself!” They think that my job is like a continual holiday. It is not.There are advantages, of course, and I do thin I am lucky, but only because I can go to places I would never visit if I was a tourist.25. A Place of Our OwnWe are all usually very careful when we buy something for the house. Why? Because we have to live on it for a long time. We paint a room to make it brighter, so we choose the colors carefully. We buy new curtains in order to match the newly decorated room, so they must be the right color. We move the furniture round so as to make more space—or we buy new furniture—and so on. It is an endless business.Rich or poor, we take time to furnish a room. Perhaps some people buy furniture in order to impress their friends. But most of us just want to enjoy our surroundings. We want to live as comfortably as we can afford to. We spend a large part of our lives at home. We want to make a small corner in the world which we can recognize as our own.24. Great Depression in the U.S.In 1929, the bills started to come in. American industry had produced too many goods. Americans could not afford to buy all of them. So factories had to cut down on their production. Many workers lost their jobs. Investors tried to get their money back. But businesses did not haveenough money to pay them. Banks tried to get their money back from investors. But the investors could not pay, either. Too many people owed money. And few of them could pay their bills. During the next few years, business got worse and worse. By 1932, banks all over the country were closing.People without money could not buy goods. So many businesses closed. More and more people lost their jobs. By 1932, more than 12 million Americans were jobless. Millions more were earning barely enough to live on. The country was in a great depression they had never experienced before.Useful Words and Expressions:1. bill 帐单，票据foot the bill付账，负责2. cut down on 减少3. depression 沮丧，萧条Great Depression大萧条23. A merica’s Worst SurpriseDecember 7, 1941 was one of the worst days in American history. Nearly all Americans who are old enough to remember that day can still remember what they were doing at the moment they heard “the news”. The news was that America had been attacked!Shortly before 2:00 P.M., a radio dispatch came into Washington from Honolulu, Hawaii. “Air Raid, Pearl Harbor—this is no drill.” Japanese planes h ad begun an attack on the largest American military base in the Pacific. They first destroyed planes on the ground. Then they bombed the ships in the harbor.No one had expected the attack. So no one was prepared for it. And it did not take long for Japanese to do their damage. When the smoke cleared, the Navy counted its losses. Eighteen ships had been sunk or badly damaged. Nearly 150 planes had been destroyed. More than 2,400 Americans had been killed and more than 1,200 wounded.Useful Words and Expressions:1. dispatch 派遣，急件2. air raid 空袭3. drill 军事训练，操练4. Pearl Harbor 珍珠港22．. CrisisLife is a contest! Who will win? A bluebird and sparrow both compete for space to build their nests. A fast-growing maple tree and slower-growing dogwood compete for the sunlight they both need. Oil competes with coal and nuclear power as an energy source for electric power plants! There is a problem. There is a limited amount of space for birds, sunlight for trees, and energy for people! If we do not cut back on our uses of some of our resources, someday they will be gone! How can we use energy today and know we will have enough to go around in the future? We can choose alternate, or replacement, energy resources. It takes the earth millions of years to create coal, oil, and gas. They are nonrenewable resources.Solar energy, wind energy and water energy are renewable resources. It takes the earth millions of years to create coal, oil, and gas. They are nonrenewable resources.Solar energy, wind energy and water energy are renewable. What other ways can we conserve our sources? How can we make sure there is always enough to go around?Useful words and expressions:1. bluebird 蓝知更鸟2. sparrow 麻雀3. dogwood 山茱萸4. power plant 发电厂，发电站5. alternate 替换物6. nonrenewable resources 不可再生资源7. conserve 保存，保藏21. Soils。
英语专业四级短文听写50篇文本
英语专业四级听写50篇文本（Oct. 22, 2011）Passage 1 Professor BumbleProfessor Bumble is not only absent-minded but short-sighted as well. His mind is always busy with learned thoughts and he seldom notices what is going on around him.On a fine day recently, he went for a walk in the countryside. But as always, he read the book as he walked. He hadn't gone far when he ran into a large cow and fell down. He had lost his spectacles in the fall, and he thought he had stumbled over a fat lady. "I beg your pardon, madam," he said politely before searching for his glasses. As soon as he had put the glasses on，he realized his mistake.Soon he was concentrating on his book again and paying no attention to anything else. He had scarcely been walking for five minutes when he fell over again, losing both his book and his glasses. This time he became very angry. Seizing his umbrellas, he struck the "cow" in anger. Then, after finding his glasses, he realized with horror that he had made a second mistake. A large fat woman was running away from him in terror. （187 words）Passage 2 TeamworkTeamwork is just as important in science as it is on the playing field or in the gym. Scientific investigations are almost always carried out by teams of people working together. Ideas are shared, experiments are designed, data are analyzed, and results are evaluated and shared with other investigators. Group work is necessary, and is usually more productive than working alone.Several times throughout the year you may be asked to work with one or more of your classmates. Whatever the task your group is assigned, a few rules need to be followed to ensure a productive and successful experience.What comes first is to keep an open mind, because everyone's ideas deserve consideration and each group member can make his or her own contribution. Secondly, it makes a job easier to divide the group task among all group members. Thirdly, always work together, take turns, andencourage each other by listening, clarifying, and trusting one another. Mutual support and trust often make a great difference.（166 words）Passage 3 Mistakes Are Good TeachersAfter the birth of my second child，I got a job at a restaurant. Having worked with an experienced waitress for a few days，I was allowed to wait on tables on my own. When Saturday night came，I was luckily given the tables not far from the kitchen. However，I still felt a little hard to carry the heavy trays. So I moved slowly, minding every step. I remembered how happy I was when I saw a tray standing next to the tables. It looked different from the one I was trained on，and it had nice handles which made it easier to move around. I was pleased with everything and began to believe I was natural at this job. Then, an old man came to me and said that was his wife's walker. I stood frozen as ice，but my face was on fire. Since then, I have learned to be more careful and not to be too sure of myself. (164 words)Passage 4 Time Has the Power to Change AttitudeLast week, my youngest son and I visited my father at his new home.My earliest memories of my father are of a tall, handsome, successful man devoted to his work and family but uncomfortable with his children. As a child, I loved him； as a school girl and young adult, I feared him and felt bitter about him.On the first day of my visit, we did some shopping，ate on the street table，and laughed over my son's funny facial expressions. Gone was my father's critical air and strict rules. Who was this person I knew as my father who seemed so friendly and interesting to be around？The next day, my dad pulled out his childhood pictures and told me quite a few stories about his own childhood. Although our times together became easier over the years, I never felt closer to him until that moment. After so many years, I'm at last seeing another side of my father. (162 words)Passage 5 Experiences SpeakThere are many different ways of seeing a town for the first time. One of them is to walk around it, guidebook in hand. Of course, we may study with our guidebooks the history and special developments of a town and get to know them. But then, if we take our time and stay in a townfor a while, we may get to know it better. When we look at it as a whole, we begin to have some questions, which even the best guidebooks do not answer. Why is the town just like this, this shape, this plan, and this sizeHere even the best guidebooks fail us. We can’t find in it the information about how a town has developed to the present appearance. However, we may get some idea of what it used to look like by walking around the town. A personal visit to a town may help us better understand why it is attractive than just reading about it in a guidebook. (167 words)Passage 6 Representatives of Civilization: Pottery Ancient people made clay pottery because they needed it for their survival. They used the pots they made for cooking, storing food, and carrying things from place to place. Pottery was so important to early cultures that scientists now study it to learn more about ancient civilizations. The more advanced the pottery in terms of decoration, materials, glazes and manufacture, the more advanced the culture itself.The artisan who makes pottery in North America today utilizes his or her skill and imagination to create items that are beautiful as well as functional, transforming something ordinary into something special and unique.The potter uses one of the Earth's most basic materials, clay. Clay can be found almost anywhere. Good pottery clay must be free from all small stones and other hard materials that would make the potting process difficult.The most important tools potters use are their own hands; however, they also use wire loop tools, wooden modeling tools, plain wire, and sponges. (162 words)Passage 7 Words Can Make a DifferenceOn August 26，1999, New York City was struck by a terrible rainstorm during the morning rush hour that caused the streets to flood. Many people who were going to work were forced to go home. Some battled to call a taxi, get a bus or walk miles to get to work.I soon discovered most of the subway lines had stopped service. I finally found an operating line, but there were so many people that I could not initially get to the platform. Finally, I got to my office, wet through, and exhausted.After an unenjoyable day, Garth, my Director, sent an e-mail to everyone:Thanks to everyone who reported to work. It is always reassuring when employees show their devotion to their jobs, Thank you.”Garth's email was short, but welcomed. It made me realize that even when times are tough, a few kind words can make a big difference. (151 words)Passage 8 Fairy TalesTales of the supernatural are common in all parts of Britain. In particular, there was a belief in fairies. Not all of these fairies are the friendly, people-loving sprites that appear in Disney films. In some folktales, they are cruel and cause much human suffering. This is true in the tales about the Changeling. These tell the story of a mother whose baby grows sick and pale and is changed so much that it is almost unrecognizable to the parents. It was then feared that the fairies had come and stolen the baby away and replaced the human baby with a fairy Changeling. In those cases, there was often a way to get the real baby back. You could place the Changeling on the fire--then it would rise up the chimney, you would hear the sound of fairies' laughter and soon after, you would find your own child safe and sound nearby. (153 words)Passage 9 Self-imageSelf-image is your own mind’s picture of yourself. This image includes the wa y you look, the way you act, the way you talk and the way you think. Interestingly, our self-images are often quite different from the images others hold about us. Unfortunately, most of these images are more negative than they should be. Thus changing the way you think about yourself is the key to changing your self-image and your whole world.It might be that you are experiencing a negative self-image because you can’t move past one flaw or weakness that you see about yourself. Well, roll up your sleeves and make a change of it as your primary task. The best way to get rid of a negative serf-image is to realize that your image is far from objective, and to actively convince yourself of your positive qualities. Changing the way you think and working on those, you will go a long way towards promoting a positive self-image. (161 words)Passage 10 ShopaholicsThe word addiction usually makes you think of alcohol or drugs, but in modern day society we are seeing some new kinds of addictions. Some people are compulsive shoppers. Others find it impossible to pull themselves away from their work. Still others spend countless hours watching TV or playing computer games.Over the years, shopping has become a very common activity. Many people enjoy going to malls or stores more and more every day, but it's more than a common hobby for some of them. They have turned into shopaholics. They are people who simply enjoy shopping and walking around spending money without being able to stop doing it. They are hooked on shopping and usually buy things that they don't need. Even though they don't have enough money, they want to buy everything they want.Why do they have this addiction There isn't a specific answer. Some people go shopping when they are sad, worried, upset or lonely. Some even tend to have this addiction when they feel guilty. (167 words)Passage 11 Time ManagementTime is something from which we can’t escape. Even if we ignore it, it’s still going by, ticking away, second by second, minute by minute, hour by hour. So the main issue in using your time well is, “Who’s in charge” We can allow time to slip by and let it be our enemy. Or we can take control of it and make it our ally.By taking control of how you spend your time, you’ll increase your chances of becoming a more successful student. Perhaps more importantly, the better you are at managing the time you devote to your studies, the more time you’ll have to spend on your outside interests.The aim of time management is not to schedule every moment so we become slaves of a timetable that governs every waking moment of the day. Inside, the aim is to make informed choices as to how we use our time. (153 words)Passage 12 Charity ShopsThe charity shop is a British institution, selling everything from clothes to electric goods, all at very good prices. You can get things you won’t find in the shops any more. The thing I like best about them is that your money is going to a good cause and not into the pockets of profit-driven companies, and you are not damaging the planet, but finding a new home for unwanted goods.Most of the people working in the charity shops are volunteers, although there is often a manager who gets paid. Over 90% of the goods in the charity shops are donated by the public.The shops have very low running costs: all profits go to charity work. Charity shops raise more than ￡110 million a year, funding medical research, overseas aid, supporting sick and poor children, homeless and disabled people, and much more. (153 words)Passage 13 Passive LearningWe can achieve knowledge either actively or achieve it actively by direct experience, by testing and proving an idea, or by reasoning. We achieve knowledge passively by being told by someone else. Most of the learning that takes place in the classroom and the kind that happens when we watch TV or read newspapers or magazines is passive. Conditioned as we are to passive learning, it’s not surprising that we depend on it in our everyday communication with friends and co-workers.Unfortunately, passive learning has a serious problem. It makes us tend to accept what we are told even when it is little more than hearsay and rumor.That’s what happens in daily life. The simple fact that people repeat a story in their own words changes the story. Then, too, most people listen imperfectly. And many enjoy adding their own creative touch to a story, trying to improve on it, stamping it with their own personal style. Yet those who hear it think they know. (168 words)Passage 14 Different "Styles" of DirectionsI travel a lot, and I find out different “styles” of directions every time I ask “How can I get to th e post office”In Japan, people use landmarks in their directions instead of street names. For example, the Japanese will say to travelers, " Go straight down to the corner. Turn left at the big hotel and go past a fruit market. The post office is across from the bus stop."In the countryside of the American Midwest, instead of landmarks, people will tell you directions and distances. For example, people will say, “Go north two miles. Turn east, and then go another mile.”People in Los Angeles, California, have no idea of distance on the map; they measure distance in time, not miles. “How far away is the post office” you ask. “Oh,” they answer, “it’s about five minutes from here.” You say, “Yes, but how many miles away is it” They don’t know. (155 words)Passage 15 RainforestsRainforests are the lungs of the planet – storing large quantities of carbon dioxide and producing a significant amount of the world’s oxygen. Rainforests have their own perfect system for guaranteeing their own survival. The tall trees make a cover of branches and leaves which protect themselves, smaller plants, and the forest animals from heavy rain, dry heat and strong winds.Amazingly, the trees grow in such a way that their leaves and branches, although close together, never actually touch those of another tree. Scientists think this is a deliberate method to prevent the spread of any tree diseases and make life more difficult for leaf-eating insects.They are not called rainforests for nothing! Rainforests can produce 75% of their own rain. At least 80 inches of rain a year is normal – and in some areas there may be as much as 430 inches of rain annually. This is real rain. In just two hours, streams can rise ten to twenty feet. (165 words)Passage 16 Juana Lopez’s InventionOne day, Juana Lopez had an idea for a dish washing machine that worked without using water. She went to see several dishwasher manufacturers about producing the machine, but none of them were interested. Juana found investors to back her idea and founded her own production company. She spent millions of dollars on developing her own dishwasher and it was launched three years later. From then on, sales were very good, better even than Juana had hoped. But Global Domestic, one of the companies that she had been to, made its own waterless dishwasher. Juana obtained one and found that it used the technical ideas she had developed. She had obtained legal protection for legal process. Global Domestic was forced to stop making its competing dishwasher and to pay Juana several million dollars. Now Juana’s waterless dishwasher has 40% of the worldwide dishwasher market and this is increasing every year. (164 words)Passage 17 Rising Sea LevelLatest research predicts that the global sea level is expected to rise 9 to 88 centimeters by 2100, with a “best estimate” of 50 centimeters. This is due to global warming which is causing the ice caps to melt.This great rise of close to one meter would threaten huge areas of low-lying coastal land as well as major cities such as London, New York and Tokyo.In many places, 50 centimeters would see entire beaches being washed away. On low-lying Pacific islands, the highest point is only two or three meters above the current sea level. If the sea level was to rise by 50 centimeters, big parts of these islands would disappear under the water.Even if they remain above the sea, many island nations will have their supplies of drinking water reduced because sea water will pollute their freshwater.There are also tens of millions of people living in low-level coastal areas of southern Asia, such as the coastlines of Pakistan and India, who would be in danger. (172 words) Passage 18 What Is a FatherA father is a person who is forced to endure childbirth without an anesthetic. He growls when he feels good, and laughs very loud when he is scared half-to-death.A father never feels entirely worthy of the worship in a child's eyes. He is never quite the hero his daughter thinks. Never quite the man his son believes him to be, and this worries him sometimes.A father is a person who goes to war sometimes and would run the other way except that war is part of his only important job in his life, which is making the world better for his child than it has been for him.I don't know where father goes when he dies, but I've an idea that, after a good rest, wherever it is, he won't just sit on a cloud and wait for the girl he's loved and the children she bore. He'll be busy there too, repairing the stars, oiling the gates, improving the streets, smoothing the way. (173 words)Passage 19 Little Boy's Big IdeaThe Intellectual Property Owners Association(IPO) is running a project to encourage young inventors. Samuel Houghton, a five-year-old boy has become the youngest Briton to hold a patent after watching his father struggling in the garden. Samuel developed a garden tool after watching his father Mark use two brushes to sweep up leaves outside their house. His father used a largebrush to gather leaves and small branches, and then got a small brush to pick up what was left. Samuel came up with the idea for a labor-saving tool, which has been patented and named the Improved Broom.It is a simple idea that combines two ordinary brooms with different-sized bristles and brush-heads to enable different-sized dirt to be swept up more efficiently. “The small one gets the first bits and the one at the back gets those left behind, Samuel explains.The IPO says that Samuel is its youngest known patent holder. (154 words)Passage 20Cultural DifferencesMeeting people from another culture can be difficult. Different cultures emphasize the importance of relationship building to a greater or lesser degree. For example, business in some countries is not possible until there is a relationship of trust. Even with people at work, it is necessary to spend a lot of time in "small talk", usually over a glass of tea, before they do any job.In many European countries—like the UK or France—people find it easier to build up a lasting working relationship at restaurants or cafes rather than at the office.Even within Northern Europe, cultural differences can cause serious problems. Certainly, English and German cultures share similar value; however, Germans prefer to get down to business more quickly. We think that they are rude. In fact, this is just because one culture starts discussions and makes decision more quickly. (146 words)Passage 21 StressStress is what you feel when you react to pressure, either from the outside world or from inside yourself. Stress is a normal reaction for people of all ages.Most people think that pressure is always a bad thing. In fact, a little bit of stress is good. Without stress, most of us couldn’t push ourselves to do well, especially in difficult things.People usually complain about feeling pressed for time when they are under certain pressure. It is true t hat you can’t always control the things that are stressing you out, but you can control how you react to them. The way you feel about things results from the way you think about things. If you change how you think, you can change the way you feel. Try the following tips to deal with your stress:Make a list of the things that are causing your stress.Give yourself an excuse.Don't promise to do things you can't do or don't want to do.Find someone to talk to. (170 words)Passage 22 Love Is a TelephoneLove is a telephone which is always silent when you are hoping for a call, but rings when you are not ready for it. As a result, we often miss the love coming from the other end.Love is a telephone which is seldom program-controlled or directly dialed. You cannot get an immediate answer with a simple “hello”, let alone go deep into your lover’s heart with one call. Usually it has to be relayed by an operator, and you have to wait patiently.Love is a telephone that is always busy. When you are ready to dial for love, you only find, to your disappointment, the line is already being used by someone else.Love is a telephone, but it is difficult to know when to dial. You will miss the opportunity if your call is either too early or too late. (143 words)Passage 23 JealousyThe experience of jealousy varies enormously from age to age, from culture to culture, from couple to couple, from person to person, and can be different within the same person from time to time. In the United States, there has been a change of attitude toward jealousy in recent years. “Normal” jealousy, which has been seen as an inevitable accompaniment of love and support of marriage, has come to be seen by some as evidence of personal insecurity and weakness in the relationship, and therefore a threat to the partnership.1111Most jealous flashes come from feeling left out of an activity involving your partner and another person or other people. When your partner pays attention to another, your first reaction is to note that they are “in” and you are “out”. You feel excluded, ignored, unappreciated.This kind of experience is not uncommon, and dealing with it gracefully is part of the etiquette of our time.(157 words)Passage 24 Differences Between Television and Radio AnnouncersWhen television first began to expand, very few of the people who had become famous as radio announcers were able to be equally effective on television. Some of the difficulties they experienced when they were trying to adjust themselves to the new medium were technical. When working on radio, for example, they had become used to seeing on behalf of the listener. This art of seeing for others means that the announcer has to be very good at talking.In the case of television, however, the announcer sees everything with the viewer. His duty, therefore, is completely different. He is there to make sure that the viewer does not miss any point of interest, to help him focus on particular things, and to help him understand the images on the television screen. Unlike his radio colleague, he must know the value of silence and how to use it at those moments when the pictures speak for themselves. (157 words)Passage 25 The African ElephantThe African elephant, the largest land animal remaining on earth, is of great importance to African ecosystem. As a big plant-eater, it largely shapes the forest-and-savanna surroundings in which it lives, setting the terms of existence for millions of other animals that live in its habitat.It is the elephant's great desire for food that makes it a disturber of the environment and an important builder of its habitat. In its continuous search for the 300 pounds of plants it must have every day, it kills small trees and underbushes, and pulls branches off big trees.1212This results in numerous open spaces in both deep tropical forests and in the woodlands that cover part of the African savannas.What worries scientists now is that the African elephant has become an endangered species. If the elephant disappears, scientists say, many other animals will also disappear from vast areas of forest and savanna, greatly changing and worsening the whole ecosystem. (159 words) Passage 26Operations on the BrainIt is difficult for doctors to help a person with a damaged brain. Without enough blood, the brain lives for only three to five minutes.Dr. White thinks doctors should try to make the brain very cold. If it is very cold, the brain can live without blood for 30 minutes. This gives the doctors a longer time to do something for the brain.Dr. White tried his idea on 13 monkeys. First he taught them to do different jobs. Then he operated on them. He made the monkeys' blood go through a machine which cooled the blood, and then sent the blood back to the monkeys' brains. When the brain temperature was 50 degrees, Dr. White stopped the blood to the brain. After 30 minutes he turned the blood back on. He warmed the blood again. After their operations the monkeys were like they were before. They were healthy and busy. Each one could still do the jobs the doctor had taught them. (163 words)Passage 27 DepressionThe dictionary describes depression as the state of feeling very sad, anxious and hopeless. The question here is why one gets depressed. Is the inability to deal with the situation or the high stress levels that come with success or failureLife is full of twists and turns. Some are pleasant and some are not so pleasant, and sometimes even terrible.1313Seasonal changes are the main reason for depression in nature. Change is unavoidable. It may happen in nature or in life. But the way the change makes us feel is subjective. They differ from person to person, along with the ways we deal with them.Feeling depression is a normal phenomenon, but letting it overtake us completely is not the best thing. There are no specific rules or concepts in dealing with it. A person should adopt whatever way he or she feels is the best, but be sure it will not hurt another person. (157 words)Passage 28 White NoiseThere are different kinds of noise with distinct frequencies that are classified by color，namely: white noise, pink noise, brown noise, blue noise, and gray noise. Below is an overview of white noise.Generally speaking, white noise is a part of the full scale of sound frequencies a human ear can recognize. White noise is a mixture of sound frequencies in equal levels. It is a very quiet sound that is relaxing and pleasant to the ears of anyone. A number of people say that it is similar to the sound of the rain or the ocean waves.White noise offers countless benefits. The noise comes in different forms that serve different purposes. Some white noise works better than others for particular uses. Some people may find some white noise sounds more pleasing than others. Moreover, white noise is said to have a more calming effect than music does. (149 words)Passage 29 Cell PhonesNowadays, with the rapid development of IT and information industry, cell phones play a dominant role in people’s life. On the one hand, the mobile phone is portable and convenient. Being wireless, you can carry them everywhere with great ease. You can reach a person wherever and however far away he is. On the other hand, it is a friend indeed. Whenever you come across trouble, you can call for help immediately.1414However, just as every coin has two sides, the cell phone also has its many disadvantages. Some people complain that mobile phones give unpleasant noise on some important occasions when the owner forgets to turn them off. And it also cuts into people’s spare time, because with the mobile phone the boss can easily reach them and call them to duty during their spare time. Worst of all, the electromagnetic wave emitted from the phone is said to be harmful to people’s health and does often cause headaches to the owner. (163 words)Passage 30 Facing the Enemies WithinWe are not born with courage, but neither are we born with fear. Maybe some of your fears are brought on by your own experiences, by what someone has told you, by what you’ve read in the papers. Fears, even the most basic ones, can totally destroy your ambitions, fortunes, relationships, and even life.Another enemy we face is indecision. Indecision is the thief of opportunity and enterprise. It will steal your chances for a better future.The third enemy inside is doubt. Sure you can’t believe everything. But don’t let doubt take over you. It will destroy your life and your chances of success. It will empty both your bank account and your heart.Also, there are indifference, worry and overcaution that you should do battle with. Be courageous in your life and in your pursuit of the things you want and the person you want to become. (149 words)Passage 31 The Tower of LondonIn 1078, King William began to build a large stone building on the north bank of the Thames River and named it the Tower of London. The tower was finished 20 years later.Around 1240, King Henry III made it his home. He painted the tower white, and widened the grounds to include a church, a great hall and other buildings.In 1381, Richard II became King of England. A group of farmers attacked the tower. In the end, Richard was forced to give up his power to Henry IV.1515。
短篇新闻选择题(9篇)
说明：因为以下新闻听力题选自英语专业四级考试，而专四考试的新闻听力题，提问是直接放在选项前面的，不符合大学英语四级的要求。
因此请老师们在播放完听力音频以后读出问题给学生做选择。
News report two (2008 TEM-4)Questions 3 and 4 are based on the following news.3. A) The government will give more oil revenues to only a few provinces.B) The government will let provinces distribute their oil revenues.C) The government will distribute oil revenues according to population size.D) The government will distribute oil revenues according to security needs.4. A) It helps build more houses.B) It helps improve the country's economy.C) It helps more children to go to school.D) It helps more young people to get education.1 News report 2U, S. President George W. Bush will layout（布局，安排） his new policy for Iraq Wednesday night in a TVspeech. However, some details of the policy have been leak ed to the media. National oil law:a date is to be announced for the release of a national oil law in Iraq. (3) The law will give theIraqi central government the power to distribute current and future oil revenue s（税收，收益） to provinces andregions, based on their population size. The achievement of a fair distribution of oil r evenue isseen as a corner stone（基础） of Iraqi security.More troop s.-the U. S. now has 132 000 troops in Iraq. The number will temporarily b e increased by 20 000. A renewed construction package costing up to I billion U. S. do llars is also to beannounced. (4) The money is to help create jobs and boost（促进） the Iraqi economy. Young Iraqis are to be encouraged to participate in the countr y's reconstruction by cleaning the streets and repairingschools. (163)3. What will the Iraqi government do under the national oil law?4. What is the construction package meant to?News Report Three （2014 TEM-4）Questions 5 and 6 are based on the following news.5. A) It was proposed by a group of senators.B) Mr Obama had carried out the reform.C) Illegal immigrants would soon be given citizenship.D) The reform failed to improve the current system.6. A) Eight years. B) Five years. C) Thirteen years. D) Eleven years.2 News Report ThreeUS President Barack Obama has said the time has come for a review on the US immigration system.He made his case at a high school in Las Vegas,Nevada, (5)a day after a group of sena tor s outline d（概述） a framework for reform. The White House and senators envisage （想象，面对） a path to Citizenship formany of an estimate d 11 million undocumented immigrants in the US.He noted that the current system was "out of date and badly broken".Mr Obama's case for an immigration reform reflects ablueprint he rolled out in 2011,though that did not go far.Mr Obama now back s the Senate planincluding making illegal immigrants pay tax es and fine s and sending themto the back of the Queuebefore they can become American citizens.His 2011 blueprint also focused on a path t o permanent residency（住处） and eventual citizenship.(6)After eight years,individuals would be allowed to be comeLegal permanent residents and would eventually become citizens five years later, according to his 2011blueprint.(142)5. Which of the following is TRUE about the immigration reform?6. How long would it take for illegal immigrants to gain citizenship?Questions 1 and 2 are based on the following news.1. A) when the woman was killed C) the woman’s identityB) the main cause of the death D) why she failed to return home2. A) 9. B) 19. C) 22. D) 33.3 News Report OneThe family of Sarai Sierra, an American woman who went missing in Istanbul nearly two weeks ago, is in mourn ing after learning that Turkish police found her body Saturday. Turkish police found the woman's body near ancient stone walls in Istanbul's Sarayburnu district.Police suspect ed she had been killed at another location.(1)Police told CNN's sister network CNN Turk that the body of the 33-year-old mother of two showed sign s of stab wound s. However, the police chief of Istanbul, Huseyin Capkin, said Sierra died from a blow to her head. (2)Nine suspect s had been detain ed in connection with the woman's disappearance and death. Sierra's family and friends first sounded the alarm last week after she did not arrive on a return flight from Istanbul on January 22.(105)1. What were Turkish police unsure about?2. How many people had been detained by Turkish police?Questions 5 and 6 are based on the following news.5.A) Offices. B) Restaurants. C) Bars. D ) School playgrounds.6. A) Television producers. B) Hotel owners. C) Medical workers. D) Hospital management.4. News Report ThreeA tough anti-smoking law has taken effect in Spain. The ban--one of the strictest in Europe--outlaw s smoking in all bars and restaurants.Smokers will also be prohibite d on television broadcasts, near hospitals or in school playgrounds.The law tighten s anti-smoking restrictions introduced in 2006. [5]The anti-smoking rules introduced in 2006 outlawed smoking only in the workplace. It let bar and restaurant owners choose whether or not to allow it. Most chose not to impose any ban.Only large restaurants and bars were obliged to provide a smoke-free area.[6]Now, hotel, restaurant and bar owners have said they could face a 10% drop in trade with the new rules.The industry has already seen a sharp fall in sales due to Spain's economic problems. But doctors argue the new legislation will help smokers give up.(134)5.In which place smoking was NOT allowed according to the 2006anti-smoking restrictions?6.According to the newswhich of the following groups reacts negatively to the new law?News report three (2009 TEM-4)Questions 1 and 3 are based on the following news.1. A) They went to a remote area. C) They tried to repair their boat s.B) Their fishing boats collided（相撞）.D) They decided to stay in the boats.2. A) On supplies they brought with them. C) On supplies left at the military base.B) On supplies sent to them by rescue teams. D) Not mentioned in the passage.3. A) By helicopter.B) By boat. C) By radio contact. D) By a search tea m.5 News report oneEleven fishing boat crew who had been strand ed since October in a remote part of Russia's Far East have been rescue d after shelter ing nearly three months at an abandoned military base. (1 )The eight men and three women took refuge at the base after their small boat collided on October 10th. Their attempts to fix one of the boats did not succeed, (2) and they had to remain at theabandoned base where there were only flour and -cooking fat. Other supplies at the base, whichwas abandoned in 2003 including Christmas ornaments, and the crew members put them up on asmall tree inside their quarter s, but supplies began running low and early this week, five set off on foot across snow fields. On Friday, after fours days of trudging, they reached a working militaryradio station, (3) the center called rescuers and helicopters were sent to take the eleven to theregional capital.(155)1. Why were the fishing crew stranded on Oct.10th?2. How did they survive during those three months?3. How were the crew rescued eventually?News Report Four（2012 TEM-4）Questions 7 and 8 are based on the following news.7.A) A client. B) A bank manager. C) The police. D) Bank headquarters.8.A)A month before the fraud was discovered. C)A day after the police launched in vestigation.B) A day before the fraud was discovered. D) A month after he transferred the money.6 News Report FourPolice in India have arrest ed a Citibank employee accuse d of cheating clients out of millions of dollars. Shivraj Puri, 32, who is expected to appear in court later, told an Indian newspaper he was innocent.The alleged fraud was discovered earlier this month in a branch of the global bank in Gurgaon, a wealthy suburb of Delhi.The bank has said investors were promised quick, high returns from a bogus financial scheme.It is alleged that Mr. Puri transfer red the money into accounts controlled by three relatives.[8]Mr. Puri reportedly handed himself in on Thursday, a day after police said he was wanted for questioning.[7]The alleged fraud came to light earlier this month when a client mentioned the scheme to a senior bank manager.(125)7.According to the news who first discovered the fraud?8.When did the bank employee hand himself in?News report one（2010 TEM-4）Questions 1 and 2 are based on the following news.1. A) A 17-year-old girl. C) A 23-year-old woman.B) A 15-year-old boy. D) An l 8-year-old man.2. A) One month later. B) Two months later. C) Immediately. D) Two weeks later.7 News report 1Four American teenagers, all children of US military personnel, have been arrest ed on charges of attempted murder after a woman was knocked off her motorbike with a ro pe strung across two poles, Japanese police said. The four suspect s — two 15-year-old boys, a 17-year-old girl and an18-year-old man — were taken into custodyon Saturday, the Tokyo Metropolitan PoliceDepartment said. They are accused of causing a severe head injury to (1)a 23-year-old restaurant employee by stringing a rope between poles across a road. US Forces in Ja pan was informed of (2)the August incident in late October, a public information offic er said. There was no clearexplanation for the delay in the handover of the suspects to police, other than it involv ed rules betweenWashington and Tokyo covering US forces and their dependents in Japan. The US mil itarypresence and its impact on Japanese residents have been a thorny issue over the years. (152)1. Who was the victim according to the news?2. When were the suspects arrested?Questions 1 and 2 are based on the following news.1. A) Out in the sea. C) On a cliff along the coast.B) Inside a bath house. D) On the coast outside Jerusalem.2.A) It was recent artwork. B) It was incomplete. C) It was fairly tall. D) It was in pieces.8 News Report One[1]A huge storm that collapsed part of a cliff on Israel's central coast led to the discovery of astatue dating back to the Roman period. the Israel Antiquities Authority said Tuesday.The white marble statue of a woman is estimate d to be 2,000 years old. It stands 1.2 meters tall, weighs about 200 kilograms and [2]was found with no head or arms, according to a news releaseby the authority.A person walking on the shore at Ashkelon on the west coast of Jerusalem made the discovery, the authority said the statue fell into the sea when the cliff collapsed as a result of the storm. Thecollapse also ruined a bath house and mosaics that had been in the cliff for many hundreds ofyears. The storm one of the strongest Israel has experienced in recent years, brought winds ofmore than 100 kph that sents 10-meter waves crashing into Israel's coast. (154)1. Where was the marble statue found?2.Which of the following best describes the condition of the statue?Questions 5 and 6 are based on the following news.5.A) The police. C) The prison authorities.B) The district attorney. D) Institute of Childhood and Fami ly.6. A) To be imprisoned and fined. C) To be handed over to the authori ties.B) To have their children taken away. D) None.9 News report threeHonduran authorities dedicated to the protection of children and adolescents have undertaken acampaign to protect youngsters who beg on the streets. In the capital of Tegucigalpa alone, the effort has resulted in the rescue of 350 children, city officials say. (5)The Honduran Institute of Childhood and Family, together with the police and the district attorney（代理人）, carry outoperations round the country to rescue the children and punish the parents. “Many children areused for begging,” said Nora Urbina, special prosecutor for children’s issues. “Many children arerented and that is precisely what we want to punish, because Article 170 of the Juvenile PenalCode sets (6)a penalty of up to 6 years in detention.” Those children who were rescued and takento the Honduran Institute of Childhood and Family and then handed over to their parents with thepromise that their rights will be protected. Parents who allow their children to be exploit ed in this way face, in addition to as many as 6 years in prison, the equivalent of a $500 fine.(174)5.Who are Not involved in the operations to rescue the children in Honduras ?6. What punishment would parents face if they allowed their children to beg?。
专四新闻
说明：1、20条左右新闻，（多了你也看不下去）基本涵盖2010年主要且具备考试意义的新闻事件；2、看两遍至三遍左右，关注黑体及中文注释，这些时事词汇会让你回想起当时的一些事件细节；3、无中文注释，若希望得到中文版本，只需按照事件及关键词进行中文新闻搜索即可；4、不要纠结于时间、地点和人物，关注类别、属性和类似新闻的行文方式及词语特点；5、大部分文稿摘自CRI网站，有小部分修改；10-2-27 主题：阿富汗自杀式袭击类别：人祸Suicide bombers（自杀炸弹袭击者）have attacked in the heart of the Afghan capital Kabul , triggering a series of explosions and gun battles that killed at least 22 people.The Taliban has claimed responsibility, saying five suicide bombers targeted two residential hotels used by foreign citizens.Among those killed include 4 Indian citizens.The Indian government has condemned the attack, which is the first time the capital Kabul has been attacked since January.UN Secretary-general Ban Ki- moon has also condemned the attack.10-3-7 主题：奥巴马推进健康法案类别：外国内政U.S. President Barack Obama has urged（敦促）Congress（国会）to pass his health reform bill, which faces a tough fight on Capitol Hill.In his weekly radio address, Obama said Congress owed the country "an up-or-down vote" （一个直接的投票）on health reform, touting the reform would bring tax credits for small businesses to purchase covering and prevent insurance companies imposing lifetime caps or annual limits to the amount of care people receive.The health reform has divided Congress, with Republicans standing against it in a rock-solid position, making Democratic unity ever more important.10-3-28 主题：中国干旱类别：国内事务Southwest China's Yunnan Province intends to send more migrants（移民，农民工）to work outside the province as severe drought worsens.The provincial government says it will try to increase the number of migrant workers from Yunnan by 500,000 to 800,000 this year.A local government official says the authorities will organize more migrants to work in other parts of the country rather than let them wait at home for water.He adds this will help not only to tackle the drinking water shortages, but also to increase their income.The drought, the worst in 100 years in many parts of Yunnan, has affected over 3 million hectares of crops10-4-12 主题：波兰总统卡钦斯基坠机身亡类别：空难Polish Health Minister Ewa Kopacz and two other senior officials have arrived in Moscow to help identify bodies of the victims of the presidential plane crash last Saturday.A Polish Foreign Ministry spokesman says two planes are now available for the victims' families.The coffin of Polish president Lech Kaczynski returned to Warsaw Sunday. Tens of thousands of mourners stood along the 10 km route that was taken by the hearse to the presidential palace."We heard it from the radio and it was a shock for us. Because so many people died and the president and his wife and many Polish parliamentarians and important people for us, so it's hard to say."A preliminary analysis of the plane has found that it was working fine when it crashed in western Russia, killing all 96 people on board.10-4-27 主题：冰岛火山爆发类别：自然灾害The European Commission on Tuesday outlined measures to help air industry overcome economic consequences of the volcanic ash crisis（火山灰危机）, which was estimated to be worth up to 2.5 billion euros (3.3 billion U.S. dollars)."We have taken all assessments and valuations of costs from all the different stakeholders and we are working with a number between 1.5 and 2.5 billion euros (2 and 3.3 billion U.S. dollars)," European Union (EU) transport commissioner Siim Kallas told reporters.The EU has been hit last week by an unprecedented crisis with the closure of airspace （机场关闭）due to the volcanic eruption in Iceland, leading to more than 100,000 cancelled flights and more than 10 million passengers unable to travel. Flights have been gradually returning to normal since Wednesday.wｗw.ExamＷ.CoM10-5-3 主题：墨西哥湾原油泄漏类别：环保新闻US President Barack Obama has arrived in Louisiana to asses the damage of the massive oil spill （大量原油泄漏）which is wreaking havoc on the Gulf of Mexico.Obama says the leak could take many days to stop, but is vowing to do everything possible to contain crisis.It's believed around 5000 barrels of oil have been spilling into the Gulf each day since the explosion on a British Petroleum（英国石油公司）rig last week.The spill is threatening the region's ecosystem and fishing industry.10-5-4 主题：世博会类别：国内大事The total number of visitors to the Shanghai Expo has hit 565,000 after its first three days of operation, China's national media reports Tuesday.The pavilions （馆）of the Shanghai Expo welcomed over 132,000 people on May 3, a sharp drop when compared with figures from the previous two days. However, daily attendance（日参观人数）should hit a high on May 4, which is the first standard day of the Shanghai Expo, according to the report.The China pavilion and the U.S. pavilion are the most popular, and all advance tickets for the China pavilion were sold out in five minutes a day before the first standard day. Statistics cited by the Chinanews report reveal that at least 40,000 people will visit the China pavilion on May 4.To reduce any inconvenience caused by the massive influx of tourists on that day, organizers have canceled book selling during the daytime, with nighttime tickets selling between 16:00 and 20:00. The visiting time for nighttime ticket holders begins at 17:00.The media suggests that visitors choose one or two of the most popular pavilions tovisit and not miss various nightly performances in Pudong Ceremony Square. That way, they can make good use of the limited time available during the Expo's peak days.10-5-6 主题：希腊骚乱类别：政治动乱Rioting （骚乱）in Greece has left three people dead as protestors set fire to a bank during demonstrations against the country's austerity measures（财政紧缩政策）.The victims - two women and a man - were among 20 people working in the bank in central Athens.Around 100 000 people are thought to have marched in capital during the nationwide general strike which grounded flights, shut all services and pulled newscasts off the air.People are angry over government cutbacks which have slashed salaries and pensions, while hiking consumer taxes.10-5-12 主题：利比亚空难类别：人祸（空难）In what many are calling a miracle, a ten year old Dutch boy is the only known survivor of a plane crash at the Tripoli airport in Libya.The boy is now in hospital and is undergoing surgery for broken bones and other non-life threatening injuries.103 people were killed when the Afriqiyah Airways plane crashed as it tried to land. The Royal Dutch Tourism Board says 61 of the dead are tourists from the Netherlands.The Airbus 330's two black boxes （黑匣子）have now been recovered; the plane was arriving from Johannesburg, South Africa when it crashed.10-5-12 主题：布朗辞职类别：领导人更迭British Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced he resigned as prime minister on Tuesday evening.In a statement outside Downing Street No. 10, Brown said he is to resign and suggests that Conservative Party leader David Cameron （新任首相：保守党领袖卡梅隆）should take over as the Labour party failed to reach a deal with Lib Dems.He said: "I wish the next prime minister well as he makes the important choices for the future. Only those who have held the office of prime minister can understand the full weight of its responsibilities and its great capacity for good."Brown said he had "loved the job" and it had been "a privilege to serve."Brown has tendered his resignation to the Queen after which he will be succeeded by Conservative leader David Cameron who arrived at Buckingham Palace later.10-5-15 主题：伊拉克爆炸类别：人祸At least 99 people have died across Iraq in a series of attacks, in what has been the deadliest day in the country this year.The worst attack took place in the city of Hilla: a suicide bomber blew himself up outside a textile factory where a crowd had gathered, after two car bombs had already exploded in the same area.A number of drive by shootings also targeted police and army officials in the capital, Baghdad.The government is blaming al-Qaida （基地组织）for the violence, saying the group is stepping up its attacks to exploit the country's political instability.10-05-19 主题：塔利班袭击驻阿联军类别：冲突Twelve Afghan civilians and six foreign troops have been killed in a Taliban suicide car bomb in Kabul. 47 people have also been wounded.The bomber struck during rush hour traffic close to the country's parliament.Brigadier General Josef Blotz, spokesman for the Nato-led international peacekeeping force Isaf confirmed that six of its soldiers had been killed."This bomb killed six ISAF（International Security Assistance Force，国际安全援助部队部队，隶属北约）soldier, killed 12 afghan civilians and wounded three ISAF soldiers plus about seventeen Afghan civilians. It destroyed a whole lot of cars and I think this is a very very tragic incident which is very deplorable because... for four, five months we have not had such a tragic incident."The attack was the deadliest strike against foreign troops in the capital since September 2009, when six Italian soldiers were killed by a car bomb.10-5-23 主题：印度空难类别：人祸（空难）A total of 158 passengers and crew members were killed when a state-run Air India Express aircraft, with 166 people on board, overshot a runway （冲出跑到）during landing and crashed near Mangalore airport early Saturday. Eight people survived.Airlines officials said the passengers were all Indians.Indian Secretary of Civil Aviation Madhavan Nambiar said it is too early to speculate on the cause of the Air India plane crash in the southern city of Mangalore.转自:考试网- []He said the black box of the doomed plane is yet to be found.The Indian government has declared a two-day national mourning after the crash, which is the worst in some 14 years.10-5-29 主题：印度火车相撞类别：人祸（陆地灾难）At least 65 people were killed and over 200 others injured when a freight train hit an express train after the latter derailed following a sabotage （复仇）of the railway tracks by suspected extreme left-wing Naxal rebels in the eastern Indian state of West Bengal early Friday morning, said police.The incident happened at 01:30 a.m. when the Mumbai-bound Howrah-Kurla Lokmanya Tilak Gyaneshwari Super Deluxe Express was running between the Khemasoli and Sardiya stations near Jhargram area in the state.The two trains collided（相撞）after the blast hit the express train and flung five of its 13 derailed coaches into the path of the speeding goods train coming from the opposite direction.West Bengal Police chief Bhupinder Singh told the media in state capital Kolkata that the Naxalites（印共马列或称为纳萨尔派）were behind the incident.10-6-1 主题：国际救援船只遭到以军袭击类别：国际冲突The UN Security Council has held an emergency meeting after 9 people were killed when the Israeli military stormed a flotilla（救援船）of ships carrying aid andpro-Palestinian activists on their way to the blockaded Gaza Strip. Dozens of activists and six Israeli soldiers have also been wounded.There has been worldwide condemnation with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon （秘书长潘基文）calling for a "thorough investigation".Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has expressed regret for the loss of life, but says the soldiers were defending themselves after they were 'clubbed, beaten and stabbed.10-6-5 主题：日本新首相类别：领导人更迭Newly-elected Democratic Party of Japan chief Naoto Kan （菅直人）has become Japan's new prime minister after being approved by the Diet.The ruling DPJ had earlier chosen Kan as their new party chief.The 63-year-old former Finance Minister has said his cabinet is likely to be launched on Tuesday.10-07-10 主题：俄罗斯欲交换间谍类别：国际政治According to one of the lawyers representing one of the alleged Russian spies arrested in the US last month, Russia is now trying to work out a spy swap（交换）to free its agents.The swap plans are reportedly said to include an exchange which would include Igor Sutyagin, a Russian nuclear expert sentenced to 15 years in jail for passing secrets to the West.His brother Dmitry Sutyagin says the prisoner may be sent to London."In fact it meant it was the last farewell, after that they will send Igor tomorrow to Vienna, and from Vienna he will be sent to London. So in the near future we will not be able to see him anymore."来自No officials from either the Russian or American side have confirmed the possible swap.10-7-11 主题：世界杯类别：体育Spain has won the World Cup for the first time, after it beat the Netherlands in a 1-0 victory in South Africa.Midfielder Andres Iniesta scored the winning goal with four minutes left in extra time For the Dutch, it was a heartbreaking defeat, as the team was down to 10 men after John Heitinga was sent off in extra time. This makes for the Netherlands' third loss in a World Cup final-- 1974 and 1978 were the other unlucky years.Meanwhile, South African football fans have been reflecting on what the tournament has meant for their country:"This not about the World Cup only but it is about the country itself, that we have managed to run the World Cup safely. There where no major incidents that happened. Financially wise, the economy has grown very much, so it going to help a lot of people in that way."the next world cup will be held in Brazil in 2014.10-8-16 主题：北京开始人口普查类别：国内时事Beijing has launched a one-month household registration survey to recount the total number of Beijing residents and provide accurate information for China's once-a-decade census（人口普查）, which begins this November.A total of 100 thousand census officials will collect data by going door-to-door in Beijing in the next 30 days.Experts say that many households do not unregister their deceased family membersso they can continue collecting social insurance funds from the government.Also, some children born in violation of the country's "one child" policy have also not be registered.Cai Jun is with the census' Beijing office."After paying the social compensation fees, a child born in violation of the one-child policy can be registered and get a resident permit. The exact amount of fees will be left to family planning bodies at different levels to decide. "Foreigners and residents of Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan living in Beijing will also be surveyed for the first time, except for those on short-term business or sightseeing trips.10-8-14 主题：舟曲泥石流灾害类别：自然灾难The death toll in the mudslide in northwest China's Gansu Province has risen to 1,144, with 600 still missing.Nine people were killed and twelve are missing in and around Zhouqu, after overnight downpours triggering new floods and mudslides to the already devastated town.The National Weather Centre has forecast heavy rains in the coming days.One resident says she is worried."Just now, when it was raining, I was a little worried that the same thing as what happened that day when landslide and floods hit the town would happen again. I was a little scared."The mudslides have leveled an area five kilometers long and 300 meters wide. Floodwaters up to three storeys high have submerged half the county.The scale of the disaster has made counting those killed all the more difficult.10-10-14 主题：智利矿工获救类别：国际时事All of the 33 trapped Chilean miners have been pulled to safety and freedom at last, after spending more than two months in a collapsed mine almost three quarters of a kilometer underground.中华考试网The last one out is shift foreman Luis Urzua, who had been trapped underground for 70 days, the longest survivor of the historic rescue. Before him, no one ever in history has been trapped deep underground for so long and survived.The miners will now spend at least two days in hospital.Chilean President Sebastian Pinera, who was at the rescue scene, promised his government will strive to improve mine workers' safety.10-11-13 主题：中国盗版率下降类别：国内时事The release of the 2009 China Software Piracy Survey shows software piracy occurrence in China has dipped for a fourth consecutive year.The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology says in 2009, the value of pirated software in China accounted for about 130 billion yuan, about the same amount as the previous year. But the revenue of the entire software industry in 2009 stood at more than 950 billion yuan, increasing 25.6% year on year.Experts say software producers like Microsoft have been promoting their products through price-cutting, which has helped bring down piracy.。
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dictation 50篇
1.Town and country life in EnglandThere is a big difference between town life and country life in England. In the country, everybody knows everybody else. They know what time you get up, what time you go to bed, and what you have for dinner. If you want help, you will always get it and you will be glad to help others. In a large town like London, however, it can sometimes happen that you have never seen your next-door neighbor, and y ou don’t know his name or anything about him.People in London are often very lonely. This is because people go to different places in the evenings and at weekends. If you walk through the streets in the center of London on Sunday, it is like a town without people. One is sorry for old people living on their own. They could die in their homes and would not be discovered for weeks or even months.2. A change in women’s lifeThe important change in women’s life pattern has only recently begun to have its full effect on women’s economic position. Even a few years ago, most girls left school at the first opportunity and most of them took a full time job. However, when they married, they usually left their job at once and never returned to it. Today the school-leaving age is sixteen. Many girls stay at school after that age. And though girls tend to marry younger, many married women stay at work at least until shortly before their first child is born. Very many more afterwards return to full-time or part-time work. Such changes have also led to a new relationship in marriage, with the husband accepting a greater share of the duties and satisfactions of family life, and with both husband and wife sharing more equally in providing the money and running the home according to the abilities and interests of each of them. 3. A popular pastime of the English peopleOne of the best means of understanding the people of any nation is watching what they do with their non-working time. Most English men, women, and children love growing things especially flowers. Visitors to England in spring, summer or autumn are likely to see gardens all the way along the railway lines. There are flowers at the airport, and flowers in factory grounds as well as in gardens along the roads. Each English town has at least one park with beautifully kept flower beds. Public buildings of every kind have brilliant window boxes and sometimes baskets of flowers are hanging on them. But what the English enjoy most is growing things themselves. If it is impossible to have a garden, then a window box or something growing in a pot will do. Looking at e ach other’s gardens is a popular pastime with the English.4.British and American police officersReal policemen, both in Britain and the US, hardly recognize any common points between their lives and what they see on TV if they ever get home in time. Some things are almost the same of course, but the policemen do not think much of them. The first difference is that a pol iceman’s real life deals with the law. Most of what he learns is the law. He has to know actually what actions are against the law and what facts can be used to prove them in court.He has to know nearly as much law as a lawyer. A nd what’s more, he has to put it into practice on his feet, in the dark, and running down a narrow street after someone he want to talk to. Little of his time is spent in talking with beautiful girls or in bravely facing cruel criminals. He will spend most of his working life arranging millions of words on thousands of forms about hundreds of sad, ordinary people who are guilty or not of stupid unimportant crimes.5.Living spaceHow much living space does a person need? What happens when his space needs are not met? Scientists are doing experiments on rats to try to determine the effects of overcrowded conditions on man. Recent studies have shown that the behavior of rats is greatly affected by space. If rats have enough living spaces, they eat well, sleep well, and produce their young well. But if their living conditions become too crowded, their behavior and even their health change obviously. They cannot sleep and eat well and signs of fear and worry become clear.The more crowded they are, the more tend to bite each other and even kill each other. Thus for rats, population and violence are directly related. Is this a natural law for human society as well? Is enough space not only satisfactory but necessary for human survival? These are interesting questions.6.PlasticWe use plastic wrap to protect our foods. We put our garbage in plastic bags or plastic cans.We sit on plastic chairs, play with plastic toys, drink from plastic cups, and wash our hair with shampoo from plastic bottles. Plastic doesn’t grow in nature. It is made by mixing certain things together. We call it a produced or manufactured material. Plastic was first made in the 1860s from plants such as wood and cotton. That plastic was soft and burned easily. The first modern plastics were made in the 1930s. Most clear plastic starts out as thick black oil. That plastic coating inside a pan begins as natural gas. Over the years, hundreds of different plastics have been developed. Some are hard and strong. Some are soft and bendable. Some are clear. Some are many-colored. There is a plastic for almost every need. Scientists continue to experiment with plastics. They hope to find even more ways to use them.7.Display of goodsAre (our???) supermarkets designed to persuade us to buy more? Fresh fruit and vegetable are displayed near supermarket entrances. This gives the impression that only healthy food is sold in the shop. Basic foods that everyone buys like sugar and tea are not put near each other. They are kept in different aisles, so customers are taken past other attractive foods before they find what they want. In this way, shoppers are encouraged to buy products that they do not really need. Sweets are often place at the children’s eye level at the checkout (cashier). While parents are waiting to pay, children reach for the sweets and put them in the trolley. More is bought from a 15 foot display of one type of products than from a 10 foot one. Customers also buy more when shelves are full than when they are half empty. They don’t like to buy from shelves with few products on them, because they feel there is something wrong with those products that are there.8.Albert EinsteinAlbert Einstein was born in Germany in 1879. His father owned a factory that made electrical devices. His mother enjoyed music and books. His parents were Jewish but they did not observe many of the religio n’s rules （遵守规则）. Albert was a quiet child who spent much of his time alone. He was slow to talk and had difficulty learning to read. When Albert was 5 years old, his father gave him a compass. The child was filled with wonder when he discovered that the compass needle always pointed in the same direction, to the north. He asked his father and his uncle what caused the needle to move. Their answers about magnetism and gravity were difficult for the boy to understand. Yet he spent a lot time thinking about them. He said later that he felt something hidden had to be be hind things.9.Private carsWith the increase in the general standard of living, some ordinary Chinese families begin to afford a car. Yet opinions of the development of a private car vary from person to person. It gives a much greater degree of comfort and mobility. The owner of a car is no longer forced to rely on public transport and hence no irritation caused by waiting for buses or taxis.However, others strongly object to developing private cars. They maintain that as more and more cars are produced and run in the street, a large volume of poisonous gases will be given off, polluting the atmosphere and causing actual harm to the health of people. Whether private cars should be developed in China is a difficult question to answer. Yet the desire for the comfort and independence a private car can bring will not be eliminated.10.A henpecked (怕老婆的，妻管严的) husband and his wifeThere was once a large fat woman who had a small thin husband. He had a job in a big company and was given his weekly wages every Friday evening. As soon as he got home on Fridays, his wife used to make him give her all his money. And then she used to give back his money enough only to buy his lunch in the company every day. One day the small man came home very excited. He hurried into the living room. His wife was listening to the radio and eating chocolates there. You will never guess what happened to me today dear, he said. He waited for a few seconds, and then added I won ten thousand dollar on the lottery (彩票).That is wonderfully said his wife delightedly. But then she pulled a long face and added angrily but how could you afford to buy the ticket?11.A young man’s promiseOne day a young man was writing a letter to his girlfriend who lives just a few miles away in a nearby town. He was telling how much he loved her and how wonder he though she was.The more he wrote, the more poetic he became. Finally he said that in order to be with her, he would suffer the greatest difficulties, he would face the greatest dangers that anyone could (couldn’t) imagine. In fact to spend only one minute with her, he would swim across the widest river, he would enter the deepest forest, and he would fight against the fiercest animals with his bare hands. He finished the letter, signed his name, and then suddenly remembered that he had forgotten to mention something quite important. So in the postscript below his name, he added by the way I will over to see you on Wednesday night if it doesn’t rain.12.A kind neighborMr. and Mrs. Jon e’s apartment was full of luggage, packages, furniture and boxes. Both of them were very busy when they heard the doorbell ring. Mrs. Jone went to open it and she saw a middle-aged lady outside. The lady said she lived next door. Mrs. Jone invited her to come in and apologized because there was no place for her to sit. Oh that’s ok said the lady. I just come to welcome you to your new home. As you know in some parts of the city neighbors are not friendly at all. There are some apartment houses where people do not know any of their neighbors, not even the ones next door. But in this building everyone is very friendly with everyone else. We are like one big happy family. I am sure you will be very happy here. Mr. and Mrs. Jone said but madam we are not new dwellers in this apartment.We’ve lived here for two years. We are moving out tomorrow.13.Tha t’s not our faultMr. and Mrs. Williams got married when he was 23 and she was 20. 25 years later, they had abig party and the photographer came and took some photographs of them. Then the photographers gave Mrs. Williams a card and said they will be ready next Wednesday. You can get them from studio. No Mrs. Williams said please send them to us. The photographs arrived a week later but Mrs. Williams was not happy when she saw them. She got into her car and drove to the photograp her’s studio. She went inside and said angrily you took some photographs of me and my husband last week but I am not going to pay for them. Oh why not, the photographer asked. Because my husband looks like a monkey. Mrs. Williams said.Well the photographer answered that isn’t our fault. Why didn’t you think of that before you married him?14.A guide’s answerIn 1861, the civil was started in the United States between the northern and southern states.The war continued with great bitterness until 1865 when the northerners were victorious.But even today many southerners have not forgotten their defeat or forgiven the northerners.A few years ago, a party of American tourists were going around one of the battlefields of thecivil war with a guide who came from one of the southern states. At each place the guide told the tourist s stirrin g stories about how a few southern soldiers have conquered powerful forces of northerners there. At last, one of the tourists a lady who came from the north stopped the guide and said to him, but surely that the northern army must have won at least one victory in the civil war. Not as long as I am the guide here madam, answered the southern guide.15.A qualified pilot引水员; 领港员The captain of a small boat had to go along a rocky coast, but he was unfamiliar with it. So he tried to find a qualified pilot to guide him. He went ashore in one of the small ports. And a local fisherman pretended that he was a pilot because he needed some money. The captain took him on board and asked him where to steer the ship. After half an hour the captain began to suspect that the fisherman did not really know what he was doing and where he was going. Are you sure you are a qualified pilot? He asked. Oh yes, answered the fisherman.I know every rock on this part of the coast. Suddenly there was a terrible crash from underthe ship. At once the fisherman added “and that’s one of them.”16.Living things reactYou and all organisms live in an environment. An environment is made up of everything that surrounds an organism. It can include the air, the water, the soil and even other organisms.An organism responds to changes in its environment. When an organism respond to a change, it reacts in certain ways. All living things respond in some way. Have ever noticed how plants and insects respond to light? Plants bend toward light. Insects fly toward light. Living things also respond in other ways. The leaves on some trees respond to a change in season. In autumn, they change colors and then fall off the branches. Animals also respond to a change in season. Squirrels save nuts for the winter. Bears sleep through the winter in a cave. You respond to your environment in many ways too. You may shiver if you are cold. What other ways do you respond to changes in your environment?17.Flowering plants adj. 开花的What are the parts of a flower? Flowers can have male parts and female parts （雌蕊）. The female parts make eggs that become seeds. The male parts make pollen. Pollen is a powdery material that is need by the eggs to make seeds. To make seeds, pollen and eggs must cometogether. The wind, insects, and birds bring pollen to eggs. Many animals love flower’s bright colors. They also like a sugary liquid in flowers. This is called nectar [植] 花蜜；甘露. While they drink nectar, pollen rub s off on their bodies. As they move, some of the pollen gets delivered into the female flower parts. Over time, the female parts turn into fruits that contain seeds. Animals eat the fruits and seeds pass through their bodies as waste. The animals do not know they are working for the plants by planting seeds as they travel to different places.18.Finding the direction and locationHow can you tell which direction? By day, look for the sun. It is in the east in the morning and the west in the afternoon. At night, use the big dipper北斗七星（北斗星座）to help you find the North Star 北极星. It would be better to bring a compass because its needle always points north. How do you know how far you have gone? You could count every step. Each step is about two feet. You had better wear a pedometer步数计which is a tool that counts steps. If you know where you started, which direction you are heading, and how far you have gone, you can use a good map to figure out where you are. Today there is a new way for travelers to figure out where they are. It is the GPS. It has 24 satellites that orbit 轨道，绕……轨道而行the earth and constantly broadcast their positions. Someday you may carry a small receiver as you hike and use GPS to find out if you are there yet.19.WavesHow does light get from the sun to the earth? How does music get from the stage to the audience? They move in the same way-in waves. Light and sound are forms of energy. All waves carry 传播energy, but they may carry it differently. Light and sound travel through different kinds of matter. For example, light waves can’t move through walls, but sound waves can. That’s why you can hear people talking in another room even though you can’t see them. The energy of some waves is destructive. An earthquake produces seismic [ˈsaɪzmɪk] 地震的; 地震引起的; 影响深远的; 重大的waves. Catch a wave. Ask a friend to stand a few feet away from you. Stretch a spring 弹簧between you. Shake the spring to transfer energy to it. What happens? The spring bounces up and down in waves. When the waves reach your friend, they bounce back to you. Light waves travel 300,000 km (186,000 miles) per second. They can also travel through a vac uu m. That’s why light from the sun and distant starts can travel space to the earth.20.SoilsThere are many different kinds of soils. Different soils have different types of rock and minerals in them. Some soils have more water in them than others. Some soils might have more plant and animal material in them too. Different kinds of soils are found in different parts of the world. There are several kinds of soils found in the United States. In some areas, the soils have a lot of clay. Other soils are very sandy. Loam [ləʊm] (壤土; 肥土; 沃土) is a kind of soil that has a good mixture of clay and sand. In some places, soil layers are very thick.Lots of plants grow in places with a thick soil layer. In dry and windy places, soil layers are much thinner. Layers of soil on mountains are thin, because gravity pulls the soil downhill.The type of soil in a particular place affects what kinds of plants can grow there.21.CrisisLife is a contest. Who will win? A blue bird and sparrow both compete for space to build their nests. A fast-growing maple tree and s lower-growing dogwood compete for the sunlight theyboth need. Oil competes with coal and nuclear power as an energy source for electric power plants. There is a problem. There is a limited amount of space for birds, sunlight for trees, and energy for people. If we do not cut back on our uses of some of our resources, someday they will be gone. How can we use energy today and know we will have enough to go around in the future. We can choose alternative or replacement energy resources. It takes the earth millions of years to create coal, oil and gas. They are non-renewable resources. Solar energy, wind energy, and water energy are renewable. What other ways can we conserve our resources? How can we make sure there is always enough to go around?22.America’s worst surpriseDecember 7, 1941 was one of the worst days in American history. Nearly all American who are old enough to remember that day can still remember what they were doing at the moment they heard the news. The news was that America had been attacked. Shortly before2 pm, a radio dispatch (驻外国记者发给报刊的) 新闻报道，电讯came into Washingtonfrom Honolulu, Hawaii. Air raid, pearl harbor, this is no drill. Japanese planes had begun an attack on the largest American military base in the Pacific. They first destroyed planes on the ground. Then they bombed the ships in the harbor. No one had expected the attack, so no one was prepared for it. And it did not take long for the Japanese to do their damage. When the smoke cleared, the navy counted its losses. 18 ships had been sunk or badly damaged.Nearly 150 planes had been destroyed. More than 2400 Americans had been killed and more than 1200 wounded.23.Great depression in the USIn 1929, the bills started to come in. American industry had produced too many goods.Americans couldn’t afford to buy all of them, so many factories had to cut down on their production. Many workers lost their jobs. Investors tried to get their money back. But businesses did not have enough to pay them. Banks tried to get their money back from investors. But the investors could not pay either. Too many people owed money and few of them could pay their bills. During the next few years, business got worse and worse. By 1932, banks all over the country were closing. People without money could not buy goods, so more businesses closed. More and more people lost their jobs. By 1932, more than 12 million Americans were jobless. Millions more were earning barely enough to live on. The country was in a great depression they had never experienced before.24.A place of our ownWe are all usually very careful when we buy something for the house. Why? Because we have to live with it for a long time. We paint the room to make it brighter, so we choose the colors carefully. We buy new curtains in order to match the newly-decorated room, so they must be the right color. We move the furniture round so as to make more space or we buy new furniture, and so on. It is an endless business. Rick or poor, we take time to furnish our room. Perhaps some people buy furniture in order to impress their friends. But most of us just want to enjoy our surroundings. We want to live as comfortably as we can afford to. We spend a large part of our lives at home. We want to make a small corner in the world which we can recognize as our own.25.Travel for workYou can see them in every airport in the world. They are businessmen and –women who have to travel for their work. When they first applied for the job, they may have thought ofgood food and hotels, huge expensive accounts, and fashionable cities. Now they have to sit in the airport lounges 等候室tired and uncomfortable in their smart clothes 时髦的衣服, listening to the loud speaker announce “T he flight to Tokyo, or Berlin, or New York is delayed for another two hours.”Some people say to me, how lucky you are to be able to travel abroad in your work. You can go sightseeing without paying any money by yourself. They think my job is like a continual holiday. It is not. There are advantages, of course, and I do think I am lucky. But only because I can go to places I would never visit if I was a tourist. 26.A free dress every weekThe temptation to steal is greater than ever before especially in large shops and people are not so honest as they once were. A detective recently watched a well-dressed woman who always went to a large shop. One Monday, there were fewer people in the shop than usual when the woman came in. So it was easier for the detective to watch. The woman first bought a few small articles. After a short time, she chose one of the most expensive dresses in the shop and handed to an assistant who wrapped it up for her as quickly as possible. The woman simply took the parcel and walked out of the shop without paying. When she was arrested, the detective found out that the shop assistant was her daughter. Believe it or not, the girl gave her mother a free dress every week.27.TimeTime is tangible. One can gain time, spend time, waste time, save time, or even kill time.Common questions in American English reveal this concrete quality as though time were possession引出方式状语从句. Do you have any time? Can you get some time for this? How much free time do you have? The treatment of time as a possession influences the way that time is carefully divided. Generally, Americans are taught to do one thing at a time and may be uncomfortable when an activity is interrupted. In businesses, the careful scheduling of time and the separation of activities are common practice. Appointment calendars are printed with 15, 30, 60 minutes time slots时间空档，缝隙. The idea that there is a time and place for everything extends to American social life. Visitors who drop by without prior notice may interrupt their host’s personal time. Thus calling friends on the telephone before visiting them is generally preferred to visitors dropping by.28.CartoonistsIn a good cartoon the artists can tell in a few lines as much as a writer can tell in half a dozen paragraphs. The cartoonist not only tells a story but he also tries to persuade the readers to his way of thinking. He has great influence on public opinion. In political campaign, he plays an important part. Controversial issues in congress or at meetings of the United Nations may keep the cartoonist well supplied with current materials. A clever cartoonist may cause laughter because he always uses humor in his drawings. If he is sketching a famous person, he takes a prominent feature and exaggerates it. Cartoonists, for instance, like to lengthen an already long nose and to widen an already broad grin露齿的笑. This exaggeration of a person’s characteristics is called caricature. The artist uses such exaggeration to put his message across.29.Water pollutionWater is very important to us. Factories and plants need water for industrial uses and large pieces of farmland need it for irrigation. Without water to drink, people die in a short time.Today most water sources are so dirty that people must purify water before drinking. Waterbecomes dirty in many ways. Industrial pollution is one of them. With the development of industry, factories and plants pour tons of industrial wastes into rivers every day. The rivers have become seriously polluted and the water is becoming unfit for drinking and irrigation.The same thing has also happened to our seas and oceans. So the problem of water pollution is almost worldwide. Scientists of many countries have done a lot of work to stop pollution.The polluted water in some places has become clean and drinkable again. Perhaps one day the people in all towns and cities will be drinking clean water. That day we believe is not very far off.30.Making a complaintComplaining about faulty food s or bad service is never easy. But if something that you have bought is faulty or doesn’t do what was claimed for it, you are not asking for a favor to get it put right. Complaints should be made to a responsible person. Go back to the shop where you bought the good, taking with you any receipt you may have. In a small store, the assistant may also be the owner so you can complain direct. In a chain store, ask the manager.If you telephone, ask for the name of the person who handles your inquiry; otherwise, you may never find out who dealt with the complaint later. If you do not want to do it in person, write a letter. Stick to the facts, and keep a copy of what you write. At this stage, you should give any receipt numbers. But you should not give receipts or other papers to prove you bought the article.31.Where do the British liveNearly everyone in Britain would like to own their own home. And whether they do or not, they are prepared to put time and money into decorating and furnishing it, or even making structural alterations to it. Because of the climate and because of the expense involved in going out for the evening, the British spend a lot of time at home, and a large part of their social life takes place there. Young people tend to stay with their families longer these days, as accommodation is expensive. But when they move away to a college or job, there are various options open to them. They can get lodgings with the landlady. This means that they rent a room in someone’s house and have breakfast with the family. They can also get a bedsitting room 坐卧两用室. That is to say, one self-contained room in which they can cook, live and sleep. Alternatively, they can share a rented flat or house with a group of young people, perhaps the most popular option of all.32.Will computers replace human beingsWe are in the computer age today. The computers are working all kinds of wonders now.They are very useful in automatic control and data processing. At the same time, computers are finding their way into the home. They seem to be so clever and can solve such complicated problems that some people begin to think that sooner or later they will replace us. But I do not think that there is such a possibility. My reason is very simple. Computers are machines not humans. And our tasks are far too various and complicated for any one single kind of machine to perform. Probably the greatest difference between man and computer is that the former can do things of his own, while the later can do nothing without being programmed. In my opinion, computers will remain nothing but an extension of our human brains, no matter how clever and complicated they may become.33.SoccerSoccer has had a slow start in America. In fact the majority of schools still have no official。
英语专四听力新闻文本素材
英语专四听力新闻文本素材英语专四听力新闻文本素材"Each person has the sun, as long as it emits light."以下是店铺为大家搜索整理的英语专四听力新闻文本素材，希望能给大家带来帮助!The Taliban have strongly denied that they were responsible for a suicide car bomb attack that destroyed a hospital in eastern Afghanistan. At least 27 people were killed in the blast in Logar province, most of them in the clinic's maternity ward. Afghan intelligence sources said the bomber detonated his device after being stopped by police. From Kabul, Paul Wood reports.塔利班分子强烈否认他们与摧毁阿富汗东部一家医院的自杀式汽车炸弹袭击有关。
至少27人在洛加尔省的袭击中遇难，其中大部分在妇产科病房。
据阿富汗情报来源称，自杀式爆炸者被警方制止后引爆了爆炸装置。
喀布尔，Paul Wood报道。
With Afghan soldiers and local people still frantically digging through the rubble, a row broke out over who was responsible for the bombing and over the more general issue of civilian casualties. The Taliban denied that they were to blame, saying they didn't attack civilians. Whoever is behind this is trying to defame the Taliban, said a spokesman. The Afghan Ministry of Health expressed disgust and hatred towards the perpetrators and said the insurgents had reached new depths in targeting a clinic.阿富汗士兵和当地民众仍然在废墟中挖掘，关于谁应该为这次爆炸事件以及越来越普遍的平民伤亡负责的争吵蔓延开来。
英语专四听写50篇_文本
Passage 1 Town and Country Life in EnglandThere is a big difference between town life and country life in England. In the country, everybody knows everybody else. They know what time you get up, what time you go to bed and what you have for dinner. If you want help, you will always get it and you will be glad to help others. In a large town like London, however, it can sometimes happen that you have never seen your next door neighbor and you do not know his name or anything about him. People in London are often very lonely. This is because people go to different places in the evenings and at weekends. If you walk through the streets in the centre of London on Sunday, it is like a town without people. One is sorry for old people living on their own. They could die in their homes and would not be discovered for weeks or even months. Passage 2A Change in Women’s LifeThe important change in women’s life-pattern has only recently begun to have most girls its full effect on women’s economic position. Even a few years agoleft school at the first opportunity, and most of them took a full-time job. However, when they married, they usually left work at once and never returned to it. Today the school-leaving age is sixteen, many girls stay at school after that age, and though women tend to marry younger, more married women stay at work at least until shortly before their first child is born. Very many more afterwards return to full-time or part-time work. Such changes have led to a new relationship in marriage, with the husband accepting a greater share of the duties and satisfactions of family life and with both husband and wife sharing more equally in providing the money, and running the home, according to the abilities and interests of each of them. Useful Words and Expressions: 1. life-pattern生活方式生活方式2. sharePassage 3 A Popular Pastime of the English PeopleOne of the best means of understanding the people of any nation is watching what the do with their non-working time. Most English men, women and children love growing things, especially flowers. Visitors to England in spring, summer or autumn are likely to see gardens all they way along the railway lines. There are flowers at the airports and flowers in factory grounds, as well as in gardens along the roads. Each English town has at least one park with beautifully kept flower beds. Public buildings of every kind have brilliant window boxes and sometimes baskets of flowers are hanging on them. But what the English enjoy most is growing things themselves. If it is impossible to have a garden, then a window box or something growing in a pot will do. Looking at each other’s gardens is a popular pastime with the English. Useful Words and Expressions:1. window box:窗台上的花盆箱窗台上的花盆箱2.pastime 消遣，娱乐消遣，娱乐Swimming is my favorite pastime. Passage 4 British and American Police OfficersReal policemen, both in Britain and the U.S., hardly recognize any common —if they ever get home in points between their lives and what they se on TVtime. Some things are almost the same, of course, but the policemen do not think much of them much of them. The first difference is that a policeman’s real life deals with the law. Most of what he learns is the law. He has to know actually what actions are against the law and what facts can be used to prove them in court. He has to know nearly as much law as a lawyer, and what’s more, he has to put it into practice on his feet, in the dark and, running down a narrow street after someone he wants to talk to. Little of his time is spent in talking with beautiful girls or in bravely facing cruel criminals. He will spend most of his working life arranging millions of words on thousands of forms about hundreds of sad, ordinary people who are guilty--- or not of stupid, unimportant crimes. Useful Words and Expressions:1. think much of 重视，尊重重视，尊重2. in court 在法庭上在法庭上在法庭上3. criminal 罪犯，犯罪者罪犯，犯罪者4. guilty 犯罪的，有罪的犯罪的，有罪的Passage 5 Living SpaceHow much living space does a person need? What happens when his space needs are not met? Scientists are doing experiments on rats to try to determine the effects of overcrowded conditions on man. Recent studies have shown that the behavior of rats is greatly affected by space. If rats have enough living space, they eat well, sleep well and produce their young well. health change obviously. They can not sleep and eat well, and signs of fear But if their living conditions become too crowded, their behavior and even their and worry become clear. The more crowded they are, and more they tend to bite each other and even kill each other. Thus, for rats, populations and violence are directly related. Is this a natural law for human society as well? Is enough space not only satisfactory, but necessary for human survival? These are interesting questions. Passage 6 The United NationsIn 1945, representatives of 50 nations met to plan this organization. It was called the United Nations. After the war, many more nations joined. There are two major parts of the United Nations. One is called the General Assembly. In the General Assembly, every member nation is represented and has an equal vote. The second part is called the Security Council. It has representatives of just 15 nations. Five nations are permanent members: the United States, Russia, France, Britain, and China. The 10 other members are elected every two years by the General Assembly. The major job of the Security Council is to keep peace in the world. If necessary, it can send troops from member nations to try to stop little wars before they turn into big ones. It is hard to get the nations of the Security Council to agree on when this is necessary. But they did vote to try to stop wars. Useful Words and Expressions:1. representative 代表代表2. General Assembly 联合国大会联合国大会3. permanent 永久的，持久的永久的，持久的4. Security Council 联合国安全理事会联合国安全理事会Passage 7 PlasticWe use plastic wrap to protect our foods. We put our garbage in plastic bags or plastic cans. We sit on plastic chairs, play with plastic toys, drink from plastic cups, and wash our hair with shampoo from plastic bottles! Plastic does not grow in nature. It is made by mixing certain things together. We call it a produced or manufactured material. Plastic was first made in the 1860s from plants, such as wood and cotton. That plastic was soft and burned easily. The first modern plastics were made in the 1930s. Most clear plastic starts out as thick, black oil. That plastic coating inside a pan begins as natural gas. Over the years, hundreds of different plastics have been developed. Some are hard and strong. Some are soft and bendable. Some are clear. Some are many-colored. There is a plastic for almost every need. Scientists continue to experiment with plastics. They hope to find even ways to use them! Passage 8 Display of GoodsAre supermarkets designed to persuade us to buy more? Fresh fruit and vegetables are displayed near supermarket entrances. This gives the impression that only healthy food is sold in the shop. Basic foods that everyone buys, like sugar and tea, are not put near each other. They are kept in different aisles so customers are taken past other attractive foods before they find what they want. In this way, shoppers are encouraged to buy products that they do not really need. Sweets are often placed at children’s eye level at the checkout. While parents are waiting to pay, children reach for the sweets and put them in the trolley. More is bought from a fifteen-foot display of one type of product than from a ten-foot one. Customers also buy more when shelves are full than when they are half empty. They do not like to buy from shelves with few products on them because they feel there is something wrong with those products that are there. Useful Words and Expressions:1. aisle 走廊，过道走廊，过道2. trolley 手推车手推车3. checkout 收款台收款台Passage 9 Albert EinsteinAlbert Einstein was born in Germany in 1879, His father owned a factory that made electrical devices. His mother enjoyed music and books. His parents rve many of the religion’s rules. Albert was a were Jewish but they did not obsequite child who spent much of his time alone. He was slow to talk and had difficulty learning to read. When Albert was five years old, his father gave him a compass. The child was filled with wonder when he discovered that the —to be north. He asked compass needle always pointed in the same directionhis father and his uncle what caused the needle to move. Their answers about magnetism and gravity were difficult for the boy to understand. Yet he spent a lot of time thinking about them. He said later that he felt something hidden had to be behind things. Useful expressions and words:1. device 装置，设备装置，设备leave to one’s own devices 听任某人自行其是，允许某人按自己的意愿做事She left the child to her own devices for an hour in the afternoon. 她允许孩子在下午有一个小时的自由支配时间。
50篇专四听写原文高攀峰
31 Population GrowthIt is well-known that there has been a drastic increase in world population. But it is probably les well-known that the extinction rate of wildlife species is experiencing a parallel trend.Take the United States for instance. In 1990, U.S. population reached an unprecedented level of 250 million, which is approximately 250 times of that of 1800. On the other hand, wildlife species are disappearing from the country at an alarming rate. By 1990, about 70 wildlife species would never be seen in U.S. We are fully justified in declaring that the explosive population growth has had an adverse effect on the survival of wildlife species and will be a constant threat to the wildlife resources if no immediate actions are taken.Nothing has ever equaled the magnitude and speed with which the human species is altering the physical and chemical world. It has been demolishing the environment we are living in.Useful words and expressions:1. drastic 激烈的2. parallel 平行的3. trend 倾向4. unprecedented 空前的5. magnitude 大小，数量6. alter 改变7. demolish 毁坏48 Water PollutionWater is very important to us. Factories and plants need water for industrial uses and large pieces of farmland need it for irrigation. Without water to drink, people die in a short time.Today most water sources are so dirty that people must purify water before drinking. Water becomes dirty in many ways: industrial pollution is one of them. With the development of industry, plants and factories pour tons of industrial wasters into rivers every day. The rivers have become seriously polluted, and the water is becoming unfit for drinking or irrigation. The same thing has also happened to our seas and oceans. So, the problem of water pollution is almost worldwide.Scientists of many countries have done a lot of work to stop pollution. The polluted water in some places has become clean and drinkable again. Perhaps one day the people in all towns and cities will be drinking clean water. That day, we believe, is not very far off.49 Natural ResourcesThrough the changes in the ways of making a living in a family over several generations, the cartoon aims at sounding a warning against man’s wasteful use of natural resources and emphasizing the urgent need to preserve these resources.Ever since man appeared on the earth, man’s survival has been heavily dependent on nature. Almost everything we use in our everyday life comes from nature, ranging from the food we eat, the water we drink, to the wood which is turned into furniture. With the development of technology and population growth, the amount and range of materials used has increased at an alarming rate.However, natural resources are not inexhaustible. Some reserves are already on the brink of exhaustion and there is no hope of replacing them. The widespread water shortage is an example in point. If man continued to squander natural resources with no thought for the future, the whole world would be in a mess.Useful Words and Expressions:1. make a living 谋生2. aim at 瞄准3. aim high 胸怀大志4. alarming使人惊动的5. inexhaustible 无穷无尽的6. squander 浪费7. be in a mess 乱七八糟47. House and Home“House” and “home” are two words that have similar meanings.“House” and “home” both refer to places where people live. However, there is a difference between them. “Home” is often referred to as the place that we live in with our families. Sadly, in our society, people can hardly distinguish a home from a house because they often see no difference between them. This confusion can be traced back to the indifference between family members. Therefore, we can say that love is an important factor in a home. A home is a shelter, not only for our bodies but also for ourminds. Whenever we are depressed, we can go home for comfort. Everyone in the family will do his best to take care of each other and share their happiness as well as sorrow. Without love, a home is merely a house where loneliness is all that can be found. And a house can never be a home unless there is love.Useful words and expressions:1. refer to 提到2. distinguish区别，辨别3. confusion 混乱，混淆4. trace back 追溯到5. indifference 不关心6. depressed 沮丧的41 Apology HelpsIt is never easy to admit you are in the wrong. Being human, we all need to know the art of apologizing. Look back with honesty and think how often you have judged roughly, you said unkind things, and pushed yourself ahead at the expense of a friend. Then count the occasions when you indicated clearly and truly that you were so sorry. A bit frightening, isn’t it? It is frightening, isn’t it? It is frightening because some deep wisdom in us knows that when even a small wrong has been committed, some mysterious moral feeling is disturbed; and it stays out of balance until fault is acknowledged and regret expressed.A heartfelt apology can not only heal a damaged relationship but also make it stronger. If you can think of someone who deserves an apology from you, someone you have wronged, or judged too roughly, or just neglected, do something about it right now.Useful Words and Expressions:1. push ahead 捉紧进行2. at the expense of 在损害……的情况下3. mysterious神秘的4. moral 道德的5. disturbed 扰乱的6. stay out of 不参与……，置身于……之外7. heartfelt 衷心的，真心真意的8. roughly粗糙地，概略地45 The Influence of LifeIn the early times when human beings hunted and gathered food, they were not in control of their environment. They could only interact with their surroundings as the other lower animals did.When they learned to make fire, however, they became capable of altering their environment. To provide themselves with fuel, they cut down trees. They also burned clearings in forests to increase the growth of grass and to provide a greater grazing area for the wild animals that human beings fed upon. This development led to farming and the domestication of animals. Fire provided the means for cooking plants which had previously been inedible. Only when the process of meeting the basic need for food reached a certain level was it possible for humans to follow other pursuits such as setting up families, forming societies and founding cities.Useful words and Expressions:1. interact with 与……组合2. clearing 空旷地3. grazing 放牧，牧草4. domestication 驯养，驯服5. previously 先前，以前6. inedible 不能吃的，不适于食用的7. pursuit 追击8. set up 设立46 AutomobilesIt is impossible to say that any one man invented the automobile. Many individuals living and working in different countries and at different times contributed to its development. Many of the discoveries that went into the creation of the automobile were small in themselves. But together they were important. Here are two examples.“Carriage is running at a speed of 8 to 9 miles an hour.” It was almost unheard of in those days. According to automobile historians, this was the first practical use of mechanical power to move a vehicle. After its first run, the machine reportedly burned up while the inventor and his friends were celebrating its success at a pub.Henry Ford is considered the father of modern automobiles mass production. His famous Model-T car,because of its low price, made it possible to produce cars on a large scale and his efforts made it accessible to ordinary people.Useful words and expressions:1. reportedly 据传说，据传闻2. mass production大规模生产3. on a large scale 大规模地4. accessible 易接近的，可到达的accessible to 与……接近50 ReadingNowadays few of us read books after we leave school.This is rather disturbing, for one should know that books are no less necessary to one’s mental life than fresh air is to one’s physical life. From good reading we can derive companionship, experience and instruction. A good book is our faithful friend. It can increase our contentment when we are cheerful and happy, and lessen our pain when we are sad or lonely. Books can also offer us a wide range of experience. Few of us can travel far from home or live long over 100, but all of us can live many lives through the pages of books. What’s more, reading books can increase our intellectual ability, broaden our minds and make us wise.With the coming of TV, books are no longer read as widely as they once were. However, nothing can replace the role that books play in our lives.Useful words and expressions:1. leave school 离校，中学毕业2. disturbing 烦扰的3. mental 精神的4. derive 得到5. companionship 伴侣6. intellectual 智力的42 SleepWhy is it so difficult to fall asleep when you are overtired? There is no one answer that applies to every individual. It is possible to feel “tired” physically and still be u nable to fall asleep, because while your body may be exhausted, you do not feel sleepy. It is not so easy to simply “turn off”.Lack of sleep complicates matters even more. Experts say adults need at least seven to eight hours of sleep a night to function properly. When you get less sleep than that on consecutive three nights, you begin to accrue four “sleep debt”. As sleep debt increases your body experiences a stress response. Now a vicious cycle has been created: You experience the feeling of being more and more tired, but your body is increasingly stimulated. “Power sleeping” for more hours on weekends is only a temporary solution. There is no substitute for getting a good night’s sleep on a regular basis.Useful Words and Expressions:1. overtire 使过度疲劳2. apply to 将……应用于3. consecutive 连续的，连贯的4. accrue 自然增加，产生5. vicious恶的vicious cycle 恶性循环6. stimulate 刺激，激励7. substitute for 代替……，替换……43 Our ConcernThe history of life on earth has been a history of interaction between living things and their surr oundings. To a large extent, the physical form and the habits of the earth’s vegetation and its animal life have been molded by the environment. Only in the present century has one species of man acquired significant power to alter the nature of his world.The rapidity of change follows the pace of man rather than the pace of nature. Radiation is now the unnatural creation of man’s tampering with the atom. The chemicals are the creations of man’s inventive mind, having no counterparts in nature.We have put poisonous and biologically potent chemicals into the hands of persons largely ignorant of their potentials for harm. We have subjected enormous numbers of people to contact with these enormous numbers of people to contact with these poisons, without their consent and often without their knowledge. We have allowed these chemicals to be used with little or no advance investigation of their effect. Future generations are unlikely to forgive our lack of concern.Useful Words and Expressions:1. interaction 交互作用，交感2. vegetation 植被3. mold 塑造，浇铸4. species 种类5. unnatural 不自然的6. temper with 损害，影响7. counterpart 配对物8. poisonous 有毒的9. potent 有力的，有效的10. consent 同意，赞成44 Gardening in AmericaBelieve or not, 43,000,000 Americans are gardening. That is about one in six. Gardeners, of course, come in many varieties. Not surprisingly, most of them are people who live in the suburbs, and enjoy planting flowers, or maybe a small vegetables garden.The average age of gardeners in America is about 45 years old; they usually fall somewhere in the middle class. But the fastest growing groups are city dwellers. Urban residents are finding ways of gardening even in their crowded areas. Many go to large public gardens, as a place designed by the city for garden, and you can actually ranch your own plot.Still other people use their balconies or roof tops, wherever they can find the space to plant small patches of green.Useful Words and Expressions:1. suburb 郊区2. dweller 居民3. ranch 经营牧场4. balcony 阳台5. patch小块地32 Making a ComplaintComplaining about faulty goods or bad services is never easy. But if something you have brought is faulty or does not do what was claimed for it, you are not asking for a favor to get it put right. Complaints should be made to a responsible person. Go back to the shop where you bought the goods, taking with you any receipt you may have. In a small store the assistant may also be the owner so you can complain direct. In a chain store, ask the manager. If you telephone, ask the name of the person who handles your enquiry, otherwise you may never find out who dealt with the complaint later. If you do not want to do it in person, write a letter. Stick to the facts and keep a copy of what you write. At this stage you should give any receipt numbers, but you should not need to give receipts or other papers to prove you bought the article.33 Where Do the British LiveNearly everyone in Britain would like to own their own home and, whether they do or not, they are prepared to put time and money into decorating and furnishing it or even making structural alterations to it. Because of the climate and because of the expense involved in going out for the evening, the British spend a lot of time at home and a large part of their social life takes place there.Young people tend to stay with their families longer these days as accommodation is expensive but, when they move away to a job or college, there are various options open to them. They can get lodgings with a landlady. This means that they re nt a room in someone’s house and have breakfast with the family. They can also get a bed-sitting room, that is to say one self-contained room in which they can cook, live and sleep. Alternatively, they can share a rented flat or house with a group of young people, perhaps the most popular option of all.Useful Words and Expressions:1. lodging 寄宿处2. bedsit 卧室兼起居室3. bed-sitting 卧室兼起居室的4. self-contained 设备齐全的34 Will Computers Replace Human Beings?We are in the computer age today. The computers are working all kinds of wonders now. They are very useful in automatic control and data processing. At the same time, computers are finding their way into the home. They seem to be so clever and can solve such complicated problems that some people think sooner or later they will replace us.But I do not think that there is such a possibility. My reason is very simple: computers are machines, not humans. And our tasks are far too various and complicated for any one single kind of machine to perform.Probably the greatest difference between man and computer is that the former can do things of his own while the latter can do nothing without being programmed. In my opinion, computers will remain nothing but an extension of our human brains, no matter how clever and complicated they may become.36 ArtistsEvery artist knows in his heart that he is saying something to the public. Not only does he want to say it well, but he wants it to be something which has not been said before.What visual artists, like painters, want to say is easy to make out but difficult to explain, because painters translate their experiences into shapes and colors, not words. They seem to feel that a certain selection of shapes and colors, out of the countless billions of possible, is exceptionally interesting for them and worth showing to us.Most artists take their shapes and colors from the world of nature and from human bodies in motion and response; their choices indicate that these aspects of the world are worth looking at, that they contain beautiful sights. Contemporary artists might say that they merely choose subjects that provide an interesting pattern, that there is nothing more in it. Yet even they do not choose entirely without reference to the character of their subjects.Useful words and Expressions:1. visual artist 视觉艺术家2. selection 挑选，选择3. exceptional 例外的，异常的4. motion 运动，动作5. indicate显示，象征6. contemporary 当代的，同时代的7. without reference to 不论，与……无关37 Professioanl Sports in the U.S.Professional sports are not only very popular in the United States, but also a big business. The most popular sports are baseball, football and basketball. Each sport has its own season and individual teams have millions of supporters. Professional teams are named for the cities where they are located. For example, the Lakers are in Los Angeles. The strongest supporters of the Lakers are residents of Los Angeles and Southern California. When the Lakers play, many people in Los Angeles enthusiastically follow the game. When we mention “NBA”, almost every one knows i t ahs some relationship with U.S. professional basketball. However, what does it really stand for? N.B.A is gaining new fans and supporters around the world. Basketball has been called the “national pastime”. However, football is the most popular professional sport in the U.S.. American football is different from international football, which Americans call “soccer”. Both games require strength and specialized skills.Useful Words and Expressions:1. be named for 被指定为2. be short for 是……的简称3. stand for代表38 “How to” BooksBooks which give instructions on how to do things are popular in the United States today. Thousands of these “how to” books are available. In fact, there are about for thousand books with title s that begin with the words “how to’.Many “how to” books give advice on careers. They tell you how to choose a career and how to succeed in it. Many of these books help people to use their free time better. Some people want book which will give them useful information about sports, hobbies and travel. Other people use their free time to make repairs and improvements on their homes. They prefer books which give step-by-step instructions on how to repair things like plumbing and electrical wiring or on how to redecorate or enlarge a house.Why have “how to” books become so popular? Probably because life has become more complex. Today people have far more free to use, more choices to make, and more problems to solve, “how to” books help people to deal with modern life.Useful words and Expressions:1. step-by-step 按部就班的2. redecorate 重新装饰，再装饰3. complex 复杂的，综合的39 Don’t give upIf we would ever accomplish anything in life, let us not forget that we must persevere. If we would learn our lessons in school, we must be diligent and not give up whenever we come to anything difficult. We shall find many of our lessons very hard, but let us consider that the harder they are the better they will do to us if we will preserve and learn them thoroughly.But there are some among us who are ready to give up when they come to a hard example in mathematics, and say, “I can’t do this.” They never will if they feel so. “I can’t” never does anything worthwhile, but “I’ll try” accomplishes wonders.Let us remember that we shall meet with difficulties all through life. They are in the pathway of everyone. If we will only try and keep trying, we shall be sure to conquer and overcome very difficulty we meet.40 How High Can You Jump?Fleas trainers have observed a strange habit of fleas while training them.Fleas are trained by putting them in a cardboard box with a top on it. The fleas will jump up and hit the top of the cardboard box over and over and over again. As you watch them jump and hit the lid, something very interesting becomes obvious. The fleas continue to jump, but they are no longer jumping high enough to hit the top.When you take off the lid, the fleas continue to jump, but they will not jump out of the box. They will not jump out because they cannot jump out. Why? The reason is simple. They have conditioned themselves to jump just so high. Once they have conditioned themselves to jump just so high. Once they have conditioned themselves to jump just so high, that is all they can do!Many times, people do the same thing. They restrict themselves and never reach their potential. Just like the fleas, they fail to jump higher, thinking they are doing al they can do.Useful Words and Expressions:1. cardboard 纸板2. lid 盖子3. conditioned 有条件的，习惯于……的4. restrict 限制，约束be restricted within narrow limits 限于狭窄的范围内be restricted in one’s movements 行动受限制30 CartoonistsIn a good cartoon, the artist can tell in a few lines as much as a writer can tell in half a dozen paragraphs. The cartoonist not only tells a story but he also tries to persuade the reader to his way of thinking. He has great influence on public opinion. In a political campaign, he plays an important part. Controversial issues in Congress or at meetings of the United Nations may keep the cartoonist well-supplied with current materials.A clever cartoonist may cause laughter because he often uses humor in his drawings. If he is sketching a famous person, he takes a prominent feature and exaggerates it. Cartoonists, for instance, like to lengthen an already long nose and to widen an already broad grin. Th is exaggeration of a person’s characteristics is called caricature. The artist uses such exaggeration to put his message across. Useful Words and Expressions:1. cartoonist 漫画家2. campaign 活动3. controversial 争论的，争议的4. sketch 素描5. prominent 卓越的6. exaggerate 夸张7. lengthen 延长8. grin 露齿笑29 TimeTime is tangible. One can gain time, spend time, waste time, save time, or even kill time. Common questions in American English reveal this concrete quality as though time were a possession. “Do you have a ny time?”, “Can you get some time for this?”, “How much free time do you have?” The treatment of time as a possession influences the way that time is carefully divided.Generally, Americans are taught to do one thing at a time and may be uncomfortable when an activity is interrupted. In businesses, the careful scheduling of time and the separation of activities are common practices. Appointment calendars are printed with 15-,30-, and 60-minute time slots. The idea that “there is a time and place for everything” extends to American social life. Visitors who drop by without prior notice may interrupt their host’s personal time. Thus, calling friends on the telephone before visiting them is generally preferred to visitors’ dropping by.Useful words and expressions:1. tangible 切实的2. kill time 消磨时间3. reveal 显示，揭示4. scheduling 行程安排5. slot 缝隙6. drop by 随便访问7. preferred 首选的28 A Free Dress Every WeekThe temptation to steal is greater than ever before especially in large shops and people are not so honest as they once were.A detective recently watched a well-dressed woman who always went into a large store on Monday mornings. One Monday, there were fewer people in the shop than usual when the woman came in, so it was easier for the detective to watch her. The woman first bought a few small articles. After a little time, she chose one of the most expensive dresses in the shop and handed it to an assistant who wrapped it up for her as quickly as possible. The woman simply took the parcel and walked out of the shop without paying. When she was arrested, the detective found out that the shop assistant was her daughter. Believe it or not, the girl “gave” her mother a free dress every week!27 IntelligenceAre some people born clever, and others born stupid? Or is intelligence developed by our environment and our experience?Strangely enough, the answer to these questions is yes. To some extent our intelligence is given us at birth, and no amount of special education can make a genius out of a child born with low intelligence. On the other hand, a child who lives in a boring environment will develop his intelligence less than one who lives in rich and varied surroundings. Thus, the limits of a person’s intelligence are fixed at birth, whether or not he reaches those limits will depend on his environment. This view, held by most experts now, can be supported in a number of ways. As is easy to show that intelligence is to some extent something we are born with. The closer the blood relationship between two people is, the closer they are likely to be in intelligence.26 Travel for WorkYou can see them in every airport in the world. They are businessmen and women who have to travel for their work.When they first applied for the job, they may have thought of good food and hotels, huge expense accounts and fashionable cities. Now they have to sit in airport lounges, tired and uncomfortable in their smart clothes, listening to the loudspeaker announce “The fight of Tokyo, or Berlin, or New York is delayed for another two hours.” Some people say to me, “How lucky you are to be able to travel abroad in your work! You can go sightseeing without paying any money by yourself!” They think that my job is like a continual holiday. It is not.There are advantages, of course, and I do thin I am lucky, but only because I can go to places I would never visit if I was a tourist.25 A Place of Our OwnWe are all usually very careful when we buy something for the house. Why? Because we have to live with it for a long time. We paint a room to make it brighter, so we choose the colors carefully.We buy new curtains in order to match the newly decorated room, so they must be the right color. We move the furniture round so as to make more space—or we buy new furniture—and so on. It is an endless business.Rich or poor, we take time to furnish a room. Perhaps some people buy furniture in order to impress their friends. But most of us just want to enjoy our surroundings. We want to live as comfortably as we can afford to. We spend a large part of our lives at home. We want to make a small corner in the world which we can recognize as our own.24 Great Depression in the U.S.In 1929, the bills started to come in. American industry had produced too many goods. Americans could not afford to buy all of them. So factories had to cut down on their production. Many workers lost their jobs. Investors tried to get their money back. But businesses did not have enough money to pay them. Banks tried to get their money back from investors. But the investors could not pay, either. Too many people owed money. And few of them could pay their bills.During the next few years, business got worse and worse. By 1932, banks all over the country were closing.People without money could not buy goods. So more businesses closed. More and more people lost their jobs. By 1932, more than 12 million Americans were jobless. Millions more were earning barely enough to live on. The country was in a great depression they had never experienced before.Useful Words and Expressions:1. bill 帐单，票据foot the bill付账，负责2. cut down on 减少3. depression 沮丧，萧条Great Depression大萧条23 America’s Worst SurpriseDecember 7, 1941 was one of the worst days in American history. Nearly all Americans who are old enough to remember that day can still rememb er what they were doing at the moment they heard “the news”. The news was that America had been attacked!Shortly before 2:00 P.M., a radio dispatch came into Washington from Honolulu, Hawaii. “Air Raid, Pearl Harbor—This is no drill.” Japanese planes had begun an attack on the largest American military base in the Pacific. They first destroyed planes on the ground. Then they bombed the ships in the harbor.No one had expected the attack. So no one was prepared for it. And it did not take long for Japanese to do their damage. When the smoke cleared, the Navy counted its losses. Eighteen ships had been sunk or badly damaged. Nearly 150 planes had been destroyed. More than 2,400 Americans had been killed and more than 1,200 wounded.Useful Words and Expressions:1. dispatch 派遣，急件2. air raid 空袭3. drill 军事训练，操练4. Pearl Harbor 珍珠港22 CrisisLife is a contest! Who will win? A bluebird and sparrow both compete for space to build their nests. A fast-growing maple tree and slower-growing dogwood compete for the sunlight they both need. Oil competes with coal and nuclear power as an energy source for electric power plants!There is a problem. There is a limited amount of space for birds, sunlight for trees, and energy for people! If we do not cut back on our uses of some of our resources, someday they will be gone!How can we use energy today and know we will have enough to go around in the future? We can choose alternate, or replacement, energy resources. It takes the earth millions of years to create coal,。
新闻练习题有答案
新闻练习题有答案题目一：阅读以下新闻摘要，并回答问题。
新闻摘要："2024年3月15日，科技巨头AlphaTech宣布开发出一款新型智能手机，该手机具有革命性的电池技术，能够在5分钟内充满电，并可持续使用一周。
"问题：1. AlphaTech宣布的新型智能手机具有什么特点？2. 新型电池技术的优势是什么？答案：1. AlphaTech宣布的新型智能手机具有革命性的电池技术，能够实现5分钟内充满电。
2. 新型电池技术的优势是充电速度快，且续航时间长，可持续使用一周。
题目二：阅读以下新闻报道，并完成填空。
新闻报道："2024年4月21日，国际环保组织GreenPeace发表报告，指出全球变暖对极地生态系统的影响日益严重。
报告中提到，北极地区的冰盖面积在过去十年内减少了约20%。
"填空题：1. 国际环保组织_________发表了关于全球变暖的报告。
2. 报告指出，北极地区的冰盖面积在过去十年内减少了约_________。
答案：1. GreenPeace2. 20%题目三：阅读以下新闻评论，并回答问题。
新闻评论："随着人工智能技术的快速发展，许多传统行业正面临转型。
一些专家认为，人工智能将取代部分低技能工作，但同时也会创造新的就业机会。
"问题：1. 新闻评论中提到的“人工智能技术”对传统行业有何影响？2. 专家对人工智能技术的看法是什么？答案：1. 新闻评论中提到的“人工智能技术”对传统行业的影响是促使它们进行转型。
2. 专家认为人工智能技术将取代部分低技能工作，但也会创造新的就业机会。
结束语：通过这些新闻练习题，学生可以更好地理解新闻材料，并提高自己的分析和批判性思维能力。
教师可以根据学生的年级和能力水平，适当调整题目的难度和类型，以满足不同学生的需求。
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。
新闻类练习50例
新闻类练习50例新闻类练习50例1、根据下面新闻内容，用一句话概括新闻内容。
（不超过15字）（4分）（新华社北京讯）中国航天员的“大厨”日前透露，神舟九号飞船上的食品更加丰富，更加个性化，航天员能在太空中第一次吃上真正的炒菜。
据报道，航天员中心航天食品营养代谢研究室主任陈斌说，与神五、神六、神七飞行相比，神九航天员将承担更加严峻的低压环境考验，食品尽量不能产生气体，否则会增加净化负担。
因此，在食材的选择上，比较容易产生气体的豆类和奶类不合适，肉和蛋白质就比较好。
神五、神六、神七航天员以流体食物为主，而此次神九任务体力消耗大，食品特别强调高能量，航天员可以在太空中第一次真正的“炒菜”了。
答案神九航天员（1分）可首次（1分）在太空（1分）吃炒菜（1分）。
（超过字数倒扣1分）。
分析：这是一道压缩语段题。
主要的方法有：1、摘取法，是指提取句子主干的方法,也就是把每个句子所表达的重要内容摘出来,然后按题干要求进行连缀。
这种方法适合于封闭性语段，字数较少，内容单一，要求宽泛。
2、分层法，是语段压缩中广泛应用的一种方法。
这种方法的步骤是：首先给段落划分层次，概括层意；然后辨别主次，留主舍次；最会压缩语段，连缀语句。
3、复取法，也叫合取法，它是根据语段之间的关系进行归纳的一种压缩方法。
本题划分层次后，留下第一段，再压缩“神舟九号飞船上的食品更加丰富，更加个性化，航天员能在太空中第一次吃上真正的炒菜”，提取句子主干即可。
2、根据下面的信息，拟一条一句话新闻。
（不超过15个字）多少个世纪以来，豆浆一直是中国消费者喜爱的一种食品，但很少为美国消费者接受。
据《华尔街日报》日前报道，近些年来，豆浆被美国人刮目相看了，正成为他们喜爱的食品，豆浆消费群正从华人扩大到其他族裔的美国人。
美国海思食品集团天然和特种食品部经理雅各布森说，这是10年或15年想不到的事情。
答案“美国人开始喜欢中国豆浆”或“中国豆浆进入美国市场”（6分）分析：此题为概括信息题，其应用性、能力性、综合性很强，与日常生活实际联系得很紧密。
以新闻为主题的专四英语作文范文
以新闻为主题的专四英语作文范文Possible essay:News as a ThemeAs an AI language model, I don't have personal feelings, opinions, or prompts, but I can generate a sample essay about news as a theme in English. Here it is:News is an essential source of information and entertainment for people all over the world. From local events to global issues, news stories cover a wide range of topics and perspectives. Some people read newspapers, watch TV programs, listen to radio broadcasts, or browse online sites to keep up with the latest news, while others may prefer social media feeds, podcasts, or blogs that offer more personalized or alternative views. Regardless of the format, news plays a significant role in shaping public opinion, influencing policy decisions, and reflecting societal values and norms.Q: Why do people need news?A: People need news to stay informed, educated, and engaged with the world around them. News provides updateson current events, trends, and developments in various fields such as politics, economy, science, technology, culture, sports, and entertainment. News also helps people to understand different perspectives, opinions, and values that shape the society they live in. Moreover, news can inspire people to take action, raise awareness, or express their opinions on issues that matter to them.Q: What are the benefits and challenges of consuming news?A: The benefits of consuming news include staying informed, learning new things, broadening one's horizons, and engaging with diverse viewpoints and cultures. News can also provide entertainment, inspiration, and social connections. However, there are also some challenges associated with consuming news, such as information overload, bias, sensationalism, and fake news. People need to be critical, discerning, and selective in choosing their news sources and verifying the accuracy and reliability of the news they consume.Q: How do news media shape public opinion and social norms?A: News media can shape public opinion and social norms by framing, selecting, and interpreting news stories in different ways that influence how people perceive and respond to events and issues. For example, news media can use different language, images, and narratives to portray certain groups or topics in positive or negative ways, orto emphasize certain aspects of a story while downplaying others. News media can also set the agenda for public discussion by highlighting or ignoring certain topics or voices. Moreover, news media can reflect and reinforce existing social norms and values by depicting certain behaviors, beliefs, or attitudes as acceptable or desirable, or by challenging or subverting them.新闻作为主题新闻是人们获取信息和娱乐的重要来源。
英语四级听力短篇新闻练习题
英语四级听力短篇新闻练习题英语四级听力短篇新闻练习题在日复一日的学习、工作生活中，我们最离不开的就是练习题了，做习题可以检查我们学习的效果。
学习的目的就是要掌握由概念原理所构成的知识，大家知道什么样的习题才是规范的吗？以下是店铺精心整理的英语四级听力短篇新闻练习题，欢迎大家借鉴与参考，希望对大家有所帮助。
英语四级听力短篇新闻练习题1Questions 3 and 4 will be based on thefollowing news item.3A.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.4A.Expand its business beyond groceries.B.Fire 25,000 of its current employees.C.Cut its DVD publishing business.D.Sell its business for one pound.News Item TwoWoolworths is one of the best known names on theBritish High Street. It's been in business nearly acentury. (3) Many of its 800 stores are likely to closefollowing the company's decision to call inadministrators (4) after an attempt to sell thebusiness for a token 1 failed.The company has huge debts. The immediate cause for the collapse has been Britain's slidetoward recession, which has cut into consumer spending. However, the business had been introuble for years. Known for low-priced general goods,Woolworths has struggled in the face ofcompetition from supermarkets expanding beyond groceries and a new generation of Internetretailers.Many of the store group's 25,000 employees are likely to lose their jobs. Some profitableareas 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?短篇新闻伍尔沃斯曾是英国高街上最著名的品牌之一，是一家百年老字号，然而其全部800余家门店不得不在公司做出请来管理者的决定之后关闭，这是在以象征性的1英镑的价格出售业务失败之后发生的。
大学英语四级新闻听力练习
大学英语四级新闻听力练习大学英语四级新闻听力练习引导语：四级考试中的英语听力有着一定的难度，以下是店铺整理的大学英语四级新闻听力练习，欢迎参考!World's Most Expensive Ham 世上最贵的火腿We all like to eat well, and sometimes it's worthspending that little bit extra in order to get the bestfood available, but how many of us would consider spending nearly ￡2,000 (22,000 yuan) fora pig's leg?British gourmets with money to burn are licking their lips at the thought of a Spanish hamthat has gone on sale this week at shop in London.The 7kg leg of Iberico ham costs ￡1,800 (19,800 yuan) and even comes with its own DNAcertificate to guarantee authenticity.Cured ham has long been enjoyed as an expensive delicacy around the world but the heftyprice tag attached to these hams sets them apart from other similar products.The reason they are so costly is because they come from a group of only 50 black Iberian pigspersonally selected and reared by a third-generation Iberian pig farmer and curer.Each pig has been fed on a special diet of acorns and roots to give the ham its distinctiveflavour, and given a pasture of ten hectares each to live in.After, what is by pig standards, an idyllic life of roaming oak groves and feeding naturally, thepigs are slaughtered and the curing process begins.To make jamon iberico, as it is called in Spanish, the hams are salted and left to dry for twoweeks, then they are rinsed anddried for another four to six weeks.The dry hams are then hung in a cool, dry place for between 12 and 36 months before beingmade available to the public.These kinds of ham are served raw in very thin slices and usually eaten as an appetiser.According to the London store selling the world's most expensive ham, the taste more thanjustifies the price tag."Connoisseurs will appreciate the melt-in-the-mouth texture of this truly amazing Spanishham," said a spokesman.【参考译文】我们都喜欢吃好一点，有时为了吃到最好的食物，多花一点钱也是值得的。
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专四新闻练习50篇不要满足于把题做对，还要尽力掌握文本中的重要词汇.News Item 11.What crime have the two police officials in Argentina been convicted of?A.They have been convicted of corruption.B.They have been convicted of baby abduction.C.They have been convicted of bribery.D.They have been convicted of military dictatorship.2.We can infer from the news that the sentence would set a precedent for an attempt to_______A.stop military dictatorshipB.bring senior officials to trialC.stop baby abductionD.make new constitutes for Argentine courtsNews Item 23.Lloyds of London was charged by a group of African Americans NOT for__________.A.providing insurance for ships which brought African slaves to AmericanB.aiding the commission of genocide(种族屠杀)C.participating in enslaving African AmericansD.refusing to provide insurance to African Americans4.We can infer from the news that if the claimants(原告) want to win the case, they should first______.A.identify their own as descendants from slavesB.provide the evidence that Lloyds of London was responsible for genocideC.provide the evidence that Lloyds of London participated in slave tradingD.buy insurance from the Lloyds of LondonNews Item 35.What does the United Nations require the Turkish Cypriots to do?A.To allow Greeks to come back to Cyprus.B.To give up some territory.C.To expel the Greeks from Turkish.D.To sign a pence contract with Greeks.6.According to the BBC correspondent, the Greeks are worried that Annan has offered too much to the________side.A. GreeksB. Greeks CypriotC. Turkish CypriotsD. the UNNews Item 47.What can we learn from the news?A.Two Iraqi terrorists killed a journalist working for the Arab satellite television station.B.Two Iraqi terrorists working for the Arab satellite television station were killed by the US troops.C. A bomb attacked the Arab satellite television station and killed two Iraqi journalists.D. A bomb attacked the Arab satellite television station and killed two US journalists.8. How long will the American airplane carrier stay in Hong Kong?A. 7 days.B. 6 days.C. 5 days.D. 4 days.9. Which of the following is TRUE about the American spy plane?A. china refused to let it land in Hong Kong.B. American said it was a normal training flight.C. It crashed with Chinese fighter plane on April 3 rd.D. It crashed over the South China Sea.News Item 610. How many people died in the clashes between Iraqi demonstrators and US troops?A. More than 8.B. More than 13.C. More than 30.D. More than 38.11. According to the news, despite Iraq’s overall instability, the United States decided to____.A. send more troops to IraqB. hand over power to Iraq peopleC. withdraw its troops from IraqD. continue controlling Iraqi governmentNews Item 712. Who did the former chief weapons inspector of the UN criticize?A. Tony Blair.B. George Bush.C. Hans Blix.D. Saddam Hussein.13. What can we infer from the news?A. The US Britain have made a thorough examination on weapons before they started war.B. The UN weapons inspection has been in abeyance because of the was.C. The US and Britain have found evidence that Iraq owned some atomic weapons.D. Hans Blix was criticized for giving wrong intelligence about weapons in Iraq.News Item 814. How many tons of nuclear equipment has been sent to the United States from Libya?A. 5 tons.B.50 tons.C. 500 tons.D. 5000 tons.15. The equipment includes the followings EXCEPT______A. uranium development centersB. long distance missilesC. guided missilesD. nuclear warheadNews Item 916. How many people died during the gun battle?A. 9.B. 31.C. 40.D. More than 40.17. What is the possible cause of the gun battle?A. Some gunmen tried to flee from the coalition position.B. Some gunmen tried to attack a coalition position.C. The coalition troops accidentally killed some suspected militants.D. Some Afghan militants tried to cross the border with Pakistan.18. American Secretary of State Collin Powell will visit the following countries EXCEPT_____A. IndiaB. PakistanC. AfghanistanD. Thailand19. Mr. Powell urges the Pakistani government to give evidence that_______A. it has stopped the trade of nuclear weapons technology with other countriesB. it has taken steps to the renewed peace process with IndiaC. it has deployed the troops to the border with IndiaD. it has completely abandoned nuclear weapons researchNews Item 1120. Why have protesters demonstrated in several cities?A. They are demanding that the government increase wages.B. They are demanding that the government of Prime Minister resign.C. They are demanding that the government of Prime Minister increase people’s living standard.D. They are demanding that the government of Prime Minister improve multinational relations.21. How many demonstrators are there in Ankara?A. 20,000B. 40,000C. 60,000D. 70,00022. How many people were injured in the protests?A. More than 100B. More than 1,000C. More than 2,000D. More than 4,000News Item 1223. According to the officials, when would the economic or other restrictions against Syria be carried out?A. In November.B. This monthC. Next November.D. Not known.24. We can infer from the news that the U.S. is considering restrictions against Syria probablybecause______.A. Syria permits fighters to cross its borders into IraqB. Syria continues its nuclear corporation with IraqC. Syria provides economic help for Iraqi militantsD. Syria doesn’t accept nuclear weapons inspectionNews Item 1325. Which of the followings is NOT the content of the agreement?A. The Mexican travelers are permitted to enter America without being photographed.B. The Mexican travelers can travel into America with only identification documents.C. The Mexican travelers can travel to America much more conveniently than before.D. The restrictions on all Mexicans visiting the United States will be eased.26. What can we infer from the news?A. President Bush supports this agreement.B. Congress has voted on the agreement.C. Mexican President shows no interests in this agreement.D. There will be an election nest year.27. Who is the speaker in the sound recording?A. Ayman al-Zawahiri.B. Osama Bin Laden.C. Pervez Musharraf.D. George Bush.28. The sound recording urges all Muslims in Pakistan to do the followings EXCEPT_____.A. to overthrow the government of the current PresidentB. to oust the Pakistani leader who is working with the United StatesC. to stop fighting Al-Qaeda militants and their supportersD. to leave Pakistan for AfghanistanNews Item 1529. Why does China oppose an American missile defense system?A. Because the missile defense system violates an international anti-missile treaty.B. Because the missile defense system would threaten the balance of power in the East Asia area.C. Because the missile defense system would threaten the peace of China.D. Because the missile defense system would threaten the peace of the world.30. Why does the United States want the missile defense system?A. The United States wants the missile defense system to protect it and its allies from attacks byrebel countries.B. The United States wants the missile defense system to fight against terrorism.C. The United States wants the missile defense system to protect the world.D. The United States wants the missile defense system to develop the space.31. What is Russian’s idea to the missile defense system?A. The missile defense system is useful to the world peace.B. The missile defense system is harmful to the world peace.C. The missile defense system violates an international anti-missile treaty.D. The missile defense system threatens the safety of Russia.News Item 1632. How many days does Colombia President Alvaro Uribe plan to visit the US?A. Two days.B. Three days.C. Four days.D. Five days.33. Which of the followings is NOT the topic of the meetings between the two presidents?A. TradeB. TerrorismC. Illegal drugsD. Nuclear weaponsNews Item 1734. What have NASA scientists discovered on Mars?A. Evidence of life.B. Evidence of water.C. Evidence of oxygen.D. Evidence of human beings.35. What will the NASA scientists do next?A. To study opposite sides of Mars.B. To come back to the earth from the Mars.C. To publicize the discovery to the world.D. To suspend the current exploration on Mars.36. Where were the talks between President Bush and Indian Prime Minister Man Mohan Singh?A. In Washington.B. In Bombay.C. In New York.D. In New Delhi.37. What has President Bush announced?A. To create full energy cooperation with India.B. To stop providing nuclear technology to India.C. To change the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.D. To start United Nation’s inspections on India’s nuclear weapons.News Item 1938. What’s the result of the vote held on Thursday?A. El Salvador would withdraw their troops from Iraq.B. El Salvador would stop financial aid on Iraq.C. El Salvador would extend it military work in Iraq.D. El Salvador would send more than 350 soldiers to Iraq.39. What’s special with El Salvador?A. It is the last country to send troops to Iraq in 2003.B. It is the first country to send troops to Iraq in 2003.C. It is the only Latin country that still has troops in Iraq.D. It is the only Latin country which is against the Iraq war.News Item 2040. What happened on Friday?A. 4 suspects tried to make a bombing in London.B. Police raid took place in London and Rome.C. The suspects were tried in the highest court of Rome.D. There is still one suspect from Eritrea hasn’t been captured.41. What is the nationality of Osman Hussein, the suspect arrested in Rome?A. Somali.B. Italian.C. British.D. Iraqi.News Item 2142. Thailand is Asia’s biggest production base for________.A. copied CDs C. copied VCDsB. pirated CDs D. pirated VCDs43. How many illegal CDs were exported?A. 50 million.B. 60 million.C. 30 million.D. 2 million.44. There was a seminar on ___________.A.trade markB.production rightC.registered rightD.property rightNews Item 2245. According to the news, the expedition will attempt to show that_______.A.Denmark is geologically linked to Lomonosov RidgeB.Greenland is geologically linked to Lomonosov RidgeC.Denmark is geologically linked to GreenlandD.Denmark is part of GreenlandNews Item 2346. What should be blamed for the crash?A.Terrorist attacks.B.U.S. sanctions.C. A lack of spare parts.D. A lack of regular maintenance.47. Which CANNOT be learned about the crash?A.There were 115 passengers on board.B.The plane crashed on Tuesday.C.The plane crashed shortly after take-off.D.Only one passenger survived the crash.News Item 2448. How many people have been killed in the accident?A.More than 7.B.More than 43.C.More than 100.D.More than 143.49. Which of the following is NOT true according to the news?A. A series of bombings took place in the town of Sharm el-Sheikh.B.The attacks on Saturday included 7 bombs.C.The bombers involved in the accident have been captured.D.Two hotels and a market were reported to be badly damaged.News Item 2550. Who was accused of official wrongdoing and bribery?A. The former Prime Minister of Burma.B. Khin Nyunt.C. Khin Nyunt’s sons.D. All of the above.51. What’s the possible sentence given to Khin Nyunt?A. House arrest.B. Death penalty.C. Prison arrest.D. Ouster punishment.News Item 2652. How many people have been reported dead in the series of bomb attacks?A. More than 9.B. More than 19.C. More than 20.D. More than 29.53. Which of the following places hasn’t been attacked by the bombs?A. Mosiedia.B. Baghdad.C. Tecook.D. Havja.News item 2754. Where is the town of Afar located?A. On the border between Iraq and Syria.B. On the border between Iraq and Iran.C. On the border between Iraq and Turkey.D. On the border between Iraq and Kuwait.55. Why did Iraqi militants threaten to kill a Turkey citizen?A. To threaten Turkey government to stop cooperating with the U.S.B. To threaten the U.S. troops to retreat from Iraq.C. To threaten the Turkey troops to retreat from Iraq.D. To force Turkey to cooperate with Iraq.News Item 2856. How many people lived in the extreme poverty in sub-Saharan Africa in 1981?A. 37﹪of the people there.B. 42﹪of the people there.C. 45﹪of the people there.D. 47﹪of the people there.57. What happened to the number of people worldwide living in extreme poverty over the past 20 years?A. The number has fallen to 19﹪.B. The number has fallen to 20﹪.C. The number has fallen by 19﹪.D. The number has fallen by 20%.News Item2958. What is the main idea of this news item?A.I taly decided to increase anti-terrorism measures.B.I taly would prohibit training people to use explosives for terrorism purpose.C.T he deadly bombings in London earlier shocked Italian government.D.S ome Italians participated the terrorist bombings in London.59. What is the attitude of the Italian Prime Minister towards the measures?A. SupportiveB. NeutralC. UnclearD. OpponentNews Item 3060. What can be inferred from the news?A.Ivory trading is prohibited in Spain.B.Most of the seized ivory is not legally bought.C.The ivory came from 4000 African elephants.D.The workshop owner was caught smuggling.News item 3161. What is the possible sentence if the Muslim man is found guilty?A.He would be sentence to death.B.He would be sentence to life imprisonment.C.He would be sentence to probation.D.He would be set free.62. According to the news, we can infer thatA.A defendant can not defend himself at a trial under Dutch law.B.The suspect did not admit his crime.C.The murder probably resulted from racial problemsD.The filmmaker died just before the film he made releasedNews item 3263. How will UNICEF help the African children?A.B uild more schools in Africa.B.Reduce school fees in Africa.C.Return them to school.D.Provide them with food and housing.64. Extra money is needed to help___.A.A frican childrenB.Sudanese childrenC.African refugeesD.Sudanese refugeesNews item 3365. What is the journalist accused of?A.Working for the British newspaper.B.Objecting to the new media laws.C.Violating the Zimbabwean laws.D.Publishing an unture story.66. Which of the following is NOT true about the journalist?A.He is an American-born journalist.B.He works for the Guardian.C.He finished the story with other journalists.D.His story was not published in Zimbabwe.News item 3467. What happened after the disputed parliamentary election?A.The anti-government protesters fired on the Prime Minister.B.The security forces killed at least 36 people.C.The opposition leaders refused to meet with the Prime Minister.D.Two main opposition leaders was injured in the collision.68. How many seats do the opposition groups have in the elections?A. 117B. 170C. 236D. 263News item 3569. According to the finance and development officials, what is primary goal to be achieved in the new millennium?A.To solve poverty related problems.B.To curb green house gas emission.C.To populate the primary education.D.To solve the energy related problems.70. Which of the following countries has not been mentioned that the poverty problem still deteriorates?A. Middle EastB. AfricaC. South AsiaD. Latin AmericaNew Item 3671. What is the date set for the trial of Saddam Hussein?A. Last December.B. This DecemberC. Last TuesdayD. Not decided yet72. What is the possible reason for the attacks?A. To inspire a prison breaker uprising.B. To rescue Saddam Hussein.C. To express the dissatisfaction with the trial.D. To condemn Saddam’s regime.New Item 3773. What was the original record?A. About 25.86 seconds.B. About 30.86 seconds.C. About 32.86 seconds.D. About 35.86 seconds.74. The old man owed his success to_____.A. intensive exercisesB. physical healthC. balanced dietD. good luckNews Item 3875. What happened to the Cubans?A. They set foot in FloridaB. They drowned off the coast of FloridaC. They were taken into custodyD. They were sent back to Cuba76. What comments can be made on their way of getting into the U.S.?A. It’s the most common wayB. It’s the most successful wayC. It’s the most unusual wayD. It’s the least expensive wayNews Item 3977. Where is former President Calos Mannan now?A. In Chile.B. In Argentina.C. In prison.D. In the U. S.78. What can we learn from the news item?A. Argentine former President has been convicted of corruption.B. Mr. Manna is suspected to have committed corruption during the construction of 2 prisons.C. Mr. Manna will be sentenced to 2-year imprisonment.D. Mr. Manna has denied all the accusation.News Item 4079. What is NOT a purpose of the satellite?A. To monitor Beijing’s construction.B. To monitor Beijing’s environment.C. To monitor Beijing’s traffic condition.D. To monitor possible terrorist activity in Beijing.80. What will be the speed of the satellite?A. It will orbit the earth every 600 minutes.B. It will orbit the earth every 100minutes.C. It will orbit the earth every 190 minutes.D. It was not mentioned in the news.News Item 4181. How long has the Indonesian forest been on fire?A. Six monthsB. Over a yearC. Almost one yearD. Six year82. The fires have caused direct or indirect losses in all of the follow area EXCEPT____________as mentioned in the news.A. heavy industryB. medicineC. tourist industryD. agriculture outputNews Item 4283. What are delegates calling for?A. Canceling international trade talks.B. Speeding international trade talks.C. Putting off the meeting of international trade delegations.D. Promoting trade relations between China and other Asian countries.84. How many Asian or Pacific countries made the call at the opening?A. 13B. 15C. 20D. 3585. According to Colin Powell, what is the best way to make the delegates reach an agreement?A . Cooperation. B. Competition.C. Unity.D. Making concessions.News Item 4386. Former president R onald Reagan’s funeral will be held on____A. FridayB. Thursday C .Wednesday D. Tuesday87. Which of the following statements is TRUE about Reagan?A. Former President Reagan diet at the age of 92.B. Mr. Reagan began to serve as President in 1980.C. Mr. Reagan’s body will be carried to Washington from California.D. Mr. Reagan died in Washington.News Item 4488. Where did the explosion take place?A. At a wedding hall.B. At a petrol station.C. In a downtown shopping center.D. Near the Turkish Healthy Ministry.89. How many people have been injured?A. A dozen.B. At least one hundred.C. Over one hundred.D. Two hundred.News Item 4590. How many ballots from the voting have been declared not legal?A. 3,000B. 13,000C. 30,000D. 300,000News Item 4691. What is the purpose of the United States to send more military employees to Haiti?A. To help the newly---established government repress the possible rebels.B. To support former President back to power.C. To help the new government choose a new council.D. To secure the newly appointed council.92. Which of the following word can be best describe the current situation of Haiti?A. QuietB. InstableC. OptimisticD. PromisingNews Item 4793. Who was H.G Wells?May ’s Handouts for TEM 4 2009.211 A. A pioneer B. A writer C. A doctor D. A researcher94. What causes the problem of having internal organs in wrong order?A. Genetics.B. NatureC. Explosion.D. Not mentioned.NewsItem4895. Where did the storms first strike?A. The eastern U.S.B. The Gulf of Mexico.C. The Canadian border.D. Some area in Cuba.96. The storms have resulted the following except __________.A. death and damageB. disruption of air servicesC. destruction of cropsD. relocation of peopleNews Item 4997. How many parachutists were killed in the crash?A. To celebrate the City’s 573rd anniversaryB. To celebrate the City’s 753rd anniversaryC . To celebrate the City’s 537th anniversaryD. To celebrate the City’s 357th anniversaryNews Item 5099. When was the United States space shuttle Discovery launched?A. About 2 weeks agoB. About 3 weeks agoC. About a month agoD. About ten days ago100. What is shuttle commander Eileen Collins ’ attitude towards the return of the space shuttle?A. Confident.B. Uncertain.C. Pessimistic.D. Dissentient.。