专四听写

Railways in Britain

The success of early railways, such as the lines between big cities, / led to a great increase in railway building in Victorian times. / Between 1835 and 1865 about 25,000 kilometers of track were built, / and over 100 railway companies were created. Railway travel transformed people’s lives. / Trains were first designed to carry goods. / However, a law in the 19th century forced railway companies to run one cheap train a day / which stopped at every station and cost only a penny a mile. / Soon working class passengers found they could afford to travel by rail. / Cheap Day Excursion trains became popular and seaside resorts grew rapidly. /The railway also provided thousands of new jobs: / building carriages, running the railways and repairing the tracks.Railways even changed the time. / The need to run the railways on time meant that local time was abolished / and clocks showed the same time all over the country.

United Nations Day

The 24th of October is celebrated as United Nations Day. / It is a day that belongs to everyone, / and it is celebrated in most countries of the world. / Some countries celebrate for a week instead of a day. /In many parts of the world, schools have special programs for the day. / Boys and girls in some communities decorate a UN tree. / In other communities, young people put on plays about the UN. / Some libraries exhibit children’s art works from around the world. / School celebrate with the songs and dances of other countries, / or give parties where foods of other countries are served. /No matter how the day is celebrated, / the purpose of these celebrations is to help everyone understand the UN / and the important roles it plays in world affairs.The UN encourages people to learn about other lands and their customs. / In this way, people can gain a better understanding and appreciation of peoples all over the world.

How and Why We Sleep It’s apparent that everyone needs to sleep. / However, most people rarely think about how and why they sleep. / We know that if we sleep well, we feel rested. / If we don’t sleep enough, we often feel tired and irritable. / It seems there are two purposes of sleep: / physical rest and emotional and psychological rest. / We need to rest our bodies and our minds, / both of which are important in order for us to be healthy. / Each night we alternate between two kinds of sleep: active sleep and passive sleep. / The passive sleep gives our body the rest and prepares us for active sleep, / in which dreaming occurs. / Throughout the night, people alternate between passive and active sleep. / The brain rests, then it becomes active, then dreaming occurs. / The cycle is repeated several times throughout the night. / During eight hours of sleep, people dream for a total of one and half hours on the average.

Gardening

Gardening is one of the oldest of the arts. / The Chinese with their deep sensitiveness to beauty / laid the foundations for a form of garden art / which was later to have great influences upon other lands.The Greeks gave to the world a new concept of gardening. / Their homes were decorated with flowers, / but it was in their civic design that they most skillfully applied their garden art. / Their temples were surrounded by rows of trees, / and trees lined the imporatant streets and market places in their principal cities. / The Romans acquired much of the knowledge and skill in garden craft from Greeks. / In the second century AD the Romans began to bulid gardens of great scale, / imspired by the vast palace gardens they had conquered. / They brought water from great distances to supply the ornamental fountains / which decorated their villa gardens. / Later these great villas were to inspire the Italian garden architects to follow the Roman style.

Making a Complaint

Complaining about faulty goods or bad services is never easy. / But if something you have bought is faulty or of poor quality,/ you have to ask for a favor to get it 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 directly./ 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 do not need to give receipts or other papers to prove you bought the article./

Computer

A computer is a machine that is able to handle information very quickly./ Hundreds of problems can be solved in just a few seconds with it./ The information that is needed to solve a problem is translated into numbers by the computer./ The computer solves the problem, and then the answer is translated into words./ Special machines are used to put information and instructions into the computer./ The computer records the information and stores it./ A large amount of information can be stored in a very small space./ This information is stored in the computer’s memory unit./ Computers are used in many different ways./ Business and banks use computers to keep financial records./ In many industries, computers are used to control other machines that make products./ Governments, hospitals, schools, and communication companies work with computers./ Special computers have been developed for rockets, airplanes, ships, and cars./ Some people have