新CET-4听力讲义(9)

新CET-4听力讲义

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第九课时

Passage One

The water clock was an ancient clock. It could be used on cloudy days, at night, and indoors. Such clocks were probably first used in Egypt about 2,000 B.C. They were also used for many years in Arabia, India, China, and all of Europe.

The simplest water clock needed just two parts—a small bowl and a large bowl. The small bowl had a tiny hole in the bottom; the large bowl was divided into equal parts and marked by lines. Water was poured into the small bowl, and it fell slowly down into the large bowl in tiny drops. Usually it took an hour for the water to rise from one line to the next in the large bowl. A beautiful water clock was made in Persia over a thousand years ago. It was presented as a gift to the Emperor of France. This water clock could be heard as well as seen. The dial of the clock was made up of twelve doors, each representing an hour. Every hour a door opened, and the proper number of metal balls dropped onto a thin brass plate to strike the hour. At twelve o'clock, twelve tiny horsemen came out and shut all the doors. This was probably one of the first striking clocks.

Questions 11 to 13 are based on the passage you have just heard.

11. When was the first water clock probably made?

12. What do we know about the structure of the simplest water clock? 13. What did the striking water clock use to strike hours?

Passage Two

The two most famous faces in Britain today belong to two women who appear on television almost every night. If you open any popular magazine or newspaper you'll almost certainly see an article about one of them, with lots of photographs. Their names are Susan Rippon and Anna Ford. Susan reads the 9 o'clock news on BBC Television, and Anna reads the 10 o'clock news on Independent Television.

Most news announcers on British television are men, and when Susan began her job at the BBC three years ago, she was the first woman news announcer. Newspapers and magazines started to take an interest in her and reporters started to write about her. Last year, Independent Television also decided to have a woman news announcer and they chose Anna Ford. Newspapers and magazines showed a great interest in her, too.

When Anna read the news for the first time on the 10 o'clock programme, millions of people who don't normally watch the programme decided to watch it that night, to see Anna Ford.

Questions 14 to 16 are based on the passage you have just heard.

14. Why are Susan Rippon and Anna Ford very well-known in Britain? 15. When does Anna read the new on TV?

16. How do we know that Anna's first appearance on TV was also a big attraction?

Passage Three

New England is an area of mountains, valleys, and rivers. It is said that in New England one is always climbing hills. A large part of New England is also made up of farms and farming lands. Yet New England is not really a farming area. The farms are small. Generally they are only large enough to support one family. It also happens that the soil of New England is not good. This soil has been worked and planted for so many years that it has lost its value.

Most New Englanders today work in factories or small businesses. In these factories they make watches and clocks, shoes, clothing, special tools for industry, leather goods, etc. New England workmen are famous for their skill in making many of these things. This skill is often passed down in families from father to son.

Questions 17 to 20 are based on the passage you have just heard.

17. What is the main feature of New England? 18. Why is New England not good for farming? 19. How do most people in New England make a living? 20. Where do New Englanders learn many of their skills?

2、转折词及因果词定位原则：

1）故事的突然转折及其原因肯定是短文的答案

2）转折及原因往往由But－so（结果）或because（原因）组合

或是其他转折词：instead、unfortunately，however、yet、one， the other或是on one hand－on the other hand组合，although，

nevertheless

其他因果词since，the reasons is，as a result引导

3）文章中偶尔也会将某一个but省读，此时要注意自己搭建因果联系

When I was at school, my ambition was to be a pilot in the Air Force, but my eyesight wasn't good enough, so I had to give up that idea. I went to university and studied physics. I wanted to stay on there and do research but my father died about that time so I thought I had better get a job and earn my living. I started working an engineering firm.

I expected to stay in that job for a long time, but then they appointed a new managing director. I didn't get on with him, so I resigned and applied for a job with another engineering company. I would certainly have accepted the job if they had offered it to me, but on my way to the interview I met a friend who was working for a travel agency. He offered me a job in Spain and I have always liked Spain, so I took it.

I worked in the travel agency for two years and then they wanted to send me to South America but I had just got married so I decided to stay here. Then we had a baby and I wasn't earning enough to support the family so I started giving English lessons at a school in the evenings.

I liked English teaching more than working for the travel agency and then the owner of the school offered me a full-time job as a teacher so I resigned from the agency. Two years later, the owner of the school wanted to retire so he asked me to take am!

Passage Two

I flew to San Francisco to take care of some business with Mr. Jordan. But as soon as I arrived, I got sick and couldn't meet with him. I had to call our appointment off. Then, when I felt better I thought about visiting him at his home, but he lived too far away. I tried to telephone him during office hours, but he was busy. The receptionist said that Mr. Jordan would call me back, but he didn't. I gave up trying to make a new appointment because it would take more time and effort than I wanted to spend. A few days later, I saw a man on the street who looked like Mr. Jordan, and I called out to him. It was someone else. When I returned to my hotel that day, I found a message, which said that Mr. Jordan had gone out of town on some sudden unexpected business. I was sorry I had missed seeing him, but I really enjoyed my sightseeing in San Francisco.

Questions 15 to 17 are based on the passage you have just heard.

15. Why couldn't the speaker meet Mr. Jordan when he got to San Francisco? 16. Why did the speaker give up making another appointment? 17. What do we learn from the story?

15. A) He missed the appointment. C) He was sick. B) He arrived late. D) He was very busy. 16. A) He was busy sightseeing.

B) He couldn't reach Mr. Jordan's office.

over as the director. And here I

C) He didn't want to see Mr. Jordan any more.

D) He didn't want to take the trouble making it. 17. A) The trip didn't do any good to his health. B) The trip was a complete disappointment.

C) The trip was enjoyable but not fruitful in terms of business. D) The trip made it possible for him to meet many interesting people.

Passage One

A couple of months ago, I went to a department store to buy a few things for the house. I needed a set of curtains for the living room, two table lamps, a rug and several cushions. I asked them to deliver the things as soon as possible, but they said that they were unable to send them out until 20 days later. After about 3 weeks, I received only the curtains and table lamps. I was a little disappointed when I didn't receive all the items I had bought. But nevertheless, I was eager to see what the curtains and lamps looked like. I first opened the package with the curtains. I had ordered a lovely light blue, and instead they had sent me a horrible dark purple. Well, you can just imagine how angry I was. Then I opened the boxes with the lamps. They were exactly what I'd ordered. But one of the lamp shapes was damaged. The next thing I did was to telephone them to complain. They promised to come to pick them up immediately and also to replace them with the correct order. It has been two weeks since my complaint. They have neither picked up the wrong items nor sent me the rest of my order.

Questions 11 to 13 are based on the passage you have just heard.

11. When did the woman want the store to deliver the items?

12. Was the woman pleased when she saw the items they had delivered? 13. What happened in the end?

11. A) In about 20 years. C) In a couple of weeks. B) Within a week. D) As early as possible. 12. A) Yes, of course. C) Not mentioned. B) Possibly not. D) Definitely not. 13. A) Her complaint was ignored.

B) The store sent her the correct order. C) The store apologized for their mistake. D) The store picked up the wrong items.

3、数字时间定位原则：

1）如果选项中出现年代、时间、数字中的任何一种，文章中的数字时间 则肯定是考点

2）如果文章中出现两个以上的数字时间，该句肯定含有答案

3）数字时间定位包括年代定位和过去现在对比定位两种形式

4）当数字时间和比较级最高级组合在一起的时候或是数字时间出现在文 章开始和结束时，答案肯定在附近

Passage One

Susan Anthony was born in Massachusetts in 1820 and died in Rochester, N.Y., in 1906. In the 1850s, she saw many problems in her country and wanted to do something about them. One of these problems was that women did not have the right to vote in the United States. Susan Anthony and many others felt that women and men should have equal rights. In 1869 she helped start the National Women's Association. This group worked hard to get women the right to vote in the United States.

In 1869, the state of Wyoming gave women the right to vote. Some other states also allowed women to vote. But Susan Anthony and the National American Women's Association wanted all women to have the right to vote. They worked to add this to the Constitution of the United States. Finally, in 1920, fourteen years after Susan Anthony's death, an article was added to the Constitution. It gave all American women the right to vote.

Questions 11 to 14 are based on the passage you have just heard.

11. What did Susan Anthony think about her country?

12. Who among the American women had the right to vote before 1920? 13. When did all women finally get the right to vote in the United States? 14. What do we learn about Susan Anthony from the passage?

11. A) It had many problems.

B) It was the most democratic country in the world. C) It was fair to women.

D) It had some minor problems to solve. 12. A) The women of some states.

B) The women in the state of Wyoming only.

C) The members of the National Women's Association. D) The women in the state of Massachusetts only. 13. A) At the very beginning of the 20th century. B) At the end of the 19th century. C) After Susan Anthony's death.

D) Just before Susan Anthony's death.

14. A) She worked on the draft of the American Constitution.

B) She was the chairman of the National Women's Association. C) She was born in New York and died in Massachusetts. D) She was an activist in the women's movement for equal rights.

Passage Two

For many years, T-shirts were simple short-sleeved undershirts for men and boys. T-shirts used to be of one color—white. And since they were worn under shirts, they were generally not seen.

Today the T-shirt has become fashionable. It can be seen everywhere and on everyone. Women and little children wear T-shirts as do teenagers, university students, and men from all walks of life. T-shires are worn on the playground, at the beach or in town. They can also be worn for work. Yet T-shirts remain relatively inexpensive and long wearing, as well as easy to care for. Smart but comfortable and convenient to wear, they have become one of America's newest ideas on fashion.

Although T-shirts are now available in a wide variety of bright materials and styles, the most popular kind is the traditional cotton T-shirts with a slogan or picture printed on the front. A T-shirt may bear single word, popular phrase, pictures of popular singers or an advertisement. As T-shirts are becoming more and more popular, new designs are coming up all the time.

Questions 14 to 16 are based on the passage you have just heard.

14. What is the most popular kind of T-shirt?

15. Why do people like to wear T-skirts so much today? 16. What is being done to make T-shirts more attractive?

Passage Three

When you take a walk in any of the cities in the West, you often see a lot of people walking dogs. It is still true that a dog is the most useful and faithful animal in the world, but the reasons why people keep a dog have changed. In the old days people used to train dogs to protect themselves against attacks by other beasts. And later they came to realize that a dog was not only useful for protection but willing to obey his master. For example, when people used dogs for hunting, the dogs would not eat what was caught without permission. But now people in the city need not protect themselves against attacks of animals. Why do they keep dogs, then? Some people keep dogs to protect themselves from robbery. But the most important reason is for companionship. For a child, a dog is his best friend when he has no friends to play with. For young couples, a dog is their child when they have no children. For old couples, a dog is also their child when their real children have grown up. So the main reason why people keep dogs has changed from protection to friendship.

Questions 17 to 20 are based on the passage you have just heard.

17. According to the passage, what were dogs trained for in the past? 18. Why were dogs used for hunting?

19. What is the most important reason for people in the city to keep dogs now? 20. What is the main idea of this passage?

14. A) The silk T-shirt in white color.

B) The cotton T-shirt with a slogan or picture. C) The nylon T-shirt worn on the playground. D) The wool T-shirt worn for work.

15. A) T-shirts feel soft and wash well. C) T-shirts go well with trousers. B) T-shirts are smart and comfortable. D) T-shirts are suitable for evening wear. 16. A) New technology is being employed. B) Advertisements are being widely used. C) New designs are being adopted.

D) More synthetic materials are being introduced.

17. A) For protection against other animals. C) Just for fun.

B) For protection against other dogs. D) For the purpose of guarding the house. 18. A) Because they did not eat other animals. B) Because they were useful for protection. C) Because they were good hunters.

D) Because they always obeyed their masters.

19. A) For companionship. C) For protection against robbery. B) For amusement. D) For hunting. 20. A) The city can be a lonely place. B) Life in the West can be very dangerous. C) People in the West are fond of animals. D) The dog is a useful and friendly animal.

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