2000年英语专四四级真题详解

2000年真题详解

TEST FOR ENGLISH MAJORS (2000)-GRADE FOUR-
PART I DICTATION
Listen to the following passage．
Altogether the passage will be read to you four times．
During the first reading, which will be done at normal speed,
listen and try to understand the meaning．
For the second and third readings，
the passage will be read sentence by sentence，
or phrase by phrase， with intervals of 15 seconds．
The last reading will be done at normal speed again
and during this time you should check your work．
You will then be given
2 minutes to check through your work once more.
Please write the whole passage on ANSWER SHEET ONE．
Now listen to the passage.
WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT LANGUAGE
Many things about language are a mystery and will remain so.
However, we now do know something about it.
First, we know that all human beings
have a language of some sort.
No human race anywhere on earth is so backward
that it has no language of its own at all.
Second, there is no such thing as a primitive language.
There are many people whose cultures are undeveloped,
but the languages they speak are by no means primitive.
In all the languages existing in the world today,
there are complexities that must have been developed for years.
Third, we know that all languages are perfectly adequate.
Each is a perfect means of expressing its culture.
And finally, we know that language changes over time,
which is natural and normal if a language is to survive.
The language which remains unchanged is nothing but dead.
WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT LANGUAGE
Many things about language are a mystery and will remain so.
WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT LANGUAGE
Many things about language are a mystery and will remain so.
However, we now do know something about it.
However, we now do know something about it.
First, we know that all human beings have a language of some sort.
First, we know that all human beings have a language of some sort.
No human race anywhere on earth is so backward
No human race anywhere on earth is so backward
that it has no language of its own at all.
that it has no language of its own at all.
Second, there is no such thing as a primitive language.
Second, there is no such thing as a primitive language.
There are many people whose cultures are undeveloped,
There are many people whose cultures are undeveloped,
but the languages they speak are by no means primitive.
but the languages they speak are by no means primitive.
In all the languages existing in the world today,
In all the languages existing in the world today,
there are complexities that must have been developed for years.
there are complexities that must have been developed for years.
Third, we know that all languages are perfectly adequate.
Third, we know that all languages are perfectly adequate.
Each is a perfect means of expressing its culture.
Each is a perfect means of expressing its culture.
And finally, we know that language changes over time,
And finally, we know that language changes over time,
which is natural and normal if a language is to survive.
which is natural and normal if a language is to survive.
The language which remains unchanged is nothing but dead.
The language which remains unchanged is nothing but dead.
WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT LANGUAGE
Many things about language are a mystery and will remain so.
However, we now do know something about it.
First, we know that all human beings
have a language of some sort.
No human race anywhere on earth is so backward
that it has no language of its own at all.
Second, there is no such thing as a primitive language.
There are many people whose cultures are undeveloped,
but the languages they speak are by no means primitive.
In all the languages existing in the world today,
there are complexities that must have been developed for years.
Third, we know that all languages are perfectly adequate.
Each is a perfect means of expressing its culture.
And finally, we know that language changes over time,
which is natural and normal if a language is to survive.
The language which remains unchanged is nothing but dead.
Now you have 2 minutes to check through your work.
That is the end of the Part I Dictation.
PART II LISTENING COMPREHENSION
In Sections A，B and C you will hear everything ONCE ONLY.
Listen carefully and then answer the questions that follow．
Mark the correct answer to each question on your answer sheet．
SECTION A CONVERSATIONS
In this section you will hear several conversations．
Listen to the conversations carefully
and then answer the questions that follow．
Questions 1 to 3 are based on the following conversation.
At the end of the conversation，you will be given
15 seconds to answer the questions．
Now, listen to the conversation.
M: Jill, have you registered with the next semester?
W: Not yet, there's still something that I'm not sure.
Do you know if Professor Smith's economics 102
is still available to all undergraduate students?
M: No, I don't think so. Last semester
I tried to register in that course
but all the other people told me not to.
W: Why not?
M: They said that my lack of knowledge in higher mathematics
might be an obstacle in understanding Professor Smith's theory.
W: Really?
M: Jack told me that Professor Smith usually uses
lots of formulas inside class. So you'd better make sure
that you are extremely familiar with these formulas
if you are seriously considering taking his course.
W: What a shame! My friends all told me
that Professor Smith has lots of original ideas
and he really can stimulate students to think.
But I don't think I have the mathematical skills
to keep up with the others.
M: If you want to take the course so much,
why don't you register in a course
in higher mathematics first?
W. But I'm afraid that I will miss Professor Smith's course
when I finish the mathematics course.
M: Hey, I heard that Professor Smith would give
the same course in the semester that starts next fall.
Why don't you take a year's higher mathematics
and register in economics 102 the next fall?
W: That sounds like a good idea.
Questions 4 to 6 are based on the following conversation．
At the end of the conversation, you will be given
15 seconds to answer the questions．
Now, listen to the conversation.
M: Do you want to go to a big university
or a small one?
W: I think I'd rather go to a small university,
so the classes won't be so large.
M: Do you want to go out of the state or stay here?
W: I want to stay in the state,
so I will be close to home.
M: It sure would be nice to be close enough
to come home on weekends when you want to.
How about a public or private university?
W: Well, I like the atmosphere of a private church-owned school.
The students are more serious about school,
and there aren't a lot of parties.
M: Yes, but private universities are so expensive.
How are you going to pay for it?
W: I've applied for a music scholarship,
and my parents will be able to help
pay for some of the expenses. What about you?
What are you going to do after graduation?
M: I'm going to Oregon State University.
W: Oh, I know a lot of kids who've gone there
and really like it. Why do you choose it?
M: Well, a lot of my friends are going there,
and the school has a good teacher preparation program.
I've always wanted to be a teacher.
I'm really excited about the life at college.
W: Well, good luck.
M: You too. See you later.
Questions 7 to 10 are based on the following conversation．
At the end of the conversation, you will be given
20 seconds to answer the questions．
Now, listen to the conversation.
W: Gosh! Fred, another cup of coffee?
That's your third since lunch.
M: Yeah. Well, I stayed up all night
working for my history exam.
I couldn't keep my eyes open in my last class.
I'm having this coffee so I can stay awake this afternoon.
W: Don't you know that drinking too much coffee is harmful?
M: What do you mean by harmful?
W: Well, for one thing it may cause heart disease.
M: Nah. Most of the research about the link
between coffee and the heart disease is inconclusive.
W: But coffee has caffeine which is addictive.
M: I can't become addicted to caffeine like other drugs.
W: Yes, you can. Don't you know
that people who are deprived of caffeine suffer from
withdrawal symptoms, esp.headaches.
M: One cure for headaches, oddly enough, is caffeine.
Haven't you ever noticed
that many over-the-counter headache remedies use caffeine
as one of their ingredients? Besides, coffee helps me work faster.
W: Studies have shown that coffee makes you work faster
but not necessarily better.
You may finish your exam in a shorter period of time
but you won't have fewer errors.
M: You know that soda you are drinking
has caffeine in it too.
W: But 12 ounces of soda has only
half the caffeine of a 5 ounces cup of coffee.
And a cup of tea has less than that.
M: But I like the taste of coffee.
SECTION B PASSAGES
In this section，you will hear several passages．
Listen to the passages carefully
and then answer the questions that follow．
Questions 11 to 13 are based on the following passage．
At the end of the passage, you will be given
15 seconds to answer the questions．
Now, listen to the passage.
Everywhere we see Americans running.
They run for every reason anybody could think of.
They run for health, for beauty, to lose weight, to feel fit
and because it's the thing they love to do.
Every year, for example, thousands upon thousands of people
run in one race, the Boston Marathon,
the best known long distance race in the United States.
In recent years, there have been nearly 5,000 official competitors
and it takes three whole minutes for the crowd of runners
just to cross the starting line.
You may have heard the story of the Greek runner Pheidippides.
He ran from Marathon to Athens to deliver
the news of the great victory 2,500 years ago.
No one knows how long it took him to run the distance.
But the story tells us that he died of the effort.
Today no one will die in a Marathon race.
But the effort is still enormous.
Someone does come in first in this tiring foot race.
But at the finish line we see what this race is about:
not being first but finishing.
The real victory is not over one's fellow runners
but over one's own body.
It's a victory of willpower over fatigue.
In the Boston Marathon each person who crosses
that finish line is a winner.
Questions 14 to 16 are based on the following passage．
At the end of the passage, you will be given
15 seconds to answer the questions．
Now, listen to the passage.
Paper is one of the most important products
ever invented by man.
Widespread use of written language
would not have been possible without some cheap
and practical material to write on.
The invention of paper meant
that more people could be educated because more books
could be printed and distributed.
Together with the printing press,
paper provided an extremely important way to communicate knowledge.
How much paper do you use every year?
Probably you cannot answer that question quickly.
In 1900 the world's use of paper
was about one kilogram for each person a year.
Now some countries use as much as 50 kilograms of paper
for each person a year. Countries like the United States,
England and Sweden use more paper than other countries.
Paper, like many other things that we use today,
was first made in China. In Egypt and the West,
paper was not very commonly used before the year 1400.
The Egyptians wrote on a kind of material
made of a water plant. Europeans used parchment,
a certain kind of paper, for many hundreds of years.
It was very strong
and made from the skin of certain young animals.
We have learnt of the most important facts of European history
from records that were kept on it.
Questions 17 to 20 are based on the following passage．
At the end of the passage, you will be given
20 seconds to answer the questions．
Now, listen to the passage.
Science fiction writers
have often imagined humans going to live on Mars.
But these days, scientists are taking the idea seriously.
It has a great deal to recommend it,
since it might solve the problem of overcrowding on the earth.
But obviously, it would not be worth making the effort
unless people could live there naturally.
If the atmosphere were like that of the earth,
this might be possible. Apart from that,
there are other problems to be overcome.
For example, the temperature would have to be raised
from 6 degrees below zero to 15 degrees above it.
Scientists who study Mars have laid down the program
that they can follow. To begin with,
they will have to find out whether life
has ever existed on the planet of Mars in the past.
Secondly, they will have to make a reliable map of its surface.
And finally, they will have to make a list of the gases.
Above all, they will have to discover
how much nitrogen it possesses.
Since nitrogen is four fifths of the air we breathe,
they are surprisingly optimistic about
raising the temperature on Mars
and believe it could be done in one hundred years.
It will take a bit longer, though, to transform the atmosphere
so that human beings could live there.
Scientists estimate this will take one hundred thousand years.
SECTION C NEWS BROADCAST
In this section, you will hear several news items.
Listen to them carefully and then answer the questions that follow.
Questions 21 is based on the following news．
At the end of the news item，you will be given
5 seconds to answer the question．
Now listen to the news.
NATO and Russia are reporting some progress
in efforts to finalize a charter
governing their post-Cold War relationship.
But they stressed more work must be done
to settle their differences in military
and political issues.
A fifth round of talks
between the Russian Foreign Minister and NATO Secretary General
ended Tuesday in Luxembourg.
Questions 22 and 23 are based on the following news．
At the end of the news item，you will be given
10 seconds to answer the questions．
Now listen to the news.
A Boeing 727 aircraft with fifty-one passengers
and ten crew on board has crashed into a mountainside
just outside the Columbian capital Bogota.
Police and rescue workers said everyone was killed
when the plane exploded, scattering wreckage over a wide area.
The crash happened shortly after take-off
when the plane was unable to gain enough height
to clear the mountains.
The aircraft belonged to Ecuador airline
but it had been chartered by Air France
for the route from Bogota to the Ecuadorian capital Quito.
Questions 24 and 25 are based on the following news．
At the end of the news item，you will be given
10 seconds to answer the questions．
Now listen to the news.
The US has designated thirty international groups
as terrorist organizations, barring them from receiving money,
weapons or other support from US citizens.
The new terrorist list includes a Palestinian group Hamas,
the pro-Iranian Hezbollah, Cambodia's Khmer Rouge,
the Basque separatist group ETA, Sri Lanka's Tamil Tigers,
and the Peruvian-based Shining Path,
and Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement.
The list does not include the Irish Republican Army,
or the Palestinian Liberation Organization.
US Secretary of State, Madelyn Allbright says
the affected groups will have their US visas revoked
and US financial assets frozen.
Questions 26 is based on the following news．
At the end of the news item，you will be given
5 seconds to answer the question．
Now listen to the news.
Israeli prosecutors are reviewing charges
against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
after Israeli police called for his indictment.
Justice Ministry officials say they hope
the decision on whether to bring charges against the Israeli leader
will be announced Sunday.
The case stemmed from the appointment of Runny Barong
as Israel's Attorney General.
Critics charge the appointment was part of a conspiracy
to end the trial of a Netanyahu political ally.
Questions 27 and 28 are based on the following news．
At the end of the news item，you will be given
10 seconds to answer the questions．
Now listen to the news.
The combined left-wing opposition in France
has defeated President Jacques Chirac's
ruling Conservative coalition
in the first round of the country's parliamentary elections.
Projections by French television give the Socialist-led opposition
40% of the vote; and Mr. Chirac's center-right coalition 37%.
If the left secures a majority of seats in parliament,
socialist leader Lionel Jospin will likely become Prime Minister
in a power sharing his arrangement with President Chirac.
Questions 29 and 30 are based on the following news．
At the end of the news item，you will be given
10 seconds to answer the questions．
Now listen to the news.
The United States space agency
says it has found evidence
that a salty sea once existed on Mars.
NASA official spoke during a news conference in Washington.
They said the discovery is important.
NASA scientists said the space exploration known as Opportunity
has found evidence-a salt sea on the area it has been studying.
The scientists said the rock was probably formed in water.
Earlier this month, NASA said the space vehicle discovered
that the same area of Mars was covered with liquid water.
Opportunity and another exploration
have been studying opposite side of Mars for evidence of water
necessary to support life.
This is the end of Listening Comprehension.