11.A Henpecked Husband and His Wife
There 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 him back only enough to buy his lunch in his 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 to day, dear.” he said.
He waited for a few seconds and then added, “I won ten thousand dollars on the lottery!”
“That is wonderful! ” said his wife delightedly. But then she pulled a long face and added angrily, “But how could you afford to buy the ticket?
Useful Words and Expressions:
1. henpecked 怕老婆的，妻管严的
2. lottery 彩票
a great lottery 虚无缥缈的事
3. pull a long face 拉下脸来
have a face to say that脸皮厚得竟能讲出这种话
12.A Young Man’s Promise
One day, a young man was writing a letter to his girlfriend who lived just a few miles away in a nearby town. He was telling her how much he loved her and how wonderful he thought 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 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 a postscript below his name, he added:
“By the way, I’ll be over to see you on Wednesday night, if it doesn’t rain.”
13.A Kind Neighbor
Mr. and Mrs. Jones’ apartment was full of luggage, packages, furniture and boxes. Both of them were very busy when they heard the doorbell ring. Mrs. Jones went to open it and she saw a middle-aged lady outside. The lady said she lived next door. Mrs. Jones 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 to your new home. As you know, in some parts of this city, neighbors are not friendly at all. They are some apartment houses where people don’t know any of their neighbors, not even the ones next door. But in this building, everyone is very friendly with everyone else. We are a big happy family. I am sure you will be very happy here.” Mr. and
Mrs. Jones said, “But madam, we are not new dwellers in this apartment. We’ve lived here for two years. We are moving out tomorrow.”
14.That Isn’t Our Fault
Mr. and Mrs. Williams got married when he was twenty-three, and she was twenty. Twenty-five years later, they had a big party, and a photographer came and took some photographs of them.
Then the photographer gave Mrs. Williams a card and said, “They’ll 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 photographer’s studio. She went inside and said angrily, “You took some photographs of me and my husband last week, but I’m 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?”
15.A Guide’s Answer
In 1861, the Civil War started in the United States between the Northern and the Southern states. The war continued with great bitterness until 1865, when the Northerners were victorious. However, even today, many Southerners have not forgotten their defeat, or forgiven the Northerners.
A few years ago, a party of American tourists were going round one of the battlefields of the Civil War with a guide who came from one of the Southern states. At each place, the guide told the tourists stirring stories about how a few Southern soldiers had 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’m the guide here, madam,” answered the Southern guide.
16.A Qualified Pilot
The captain of a small ship 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 under the ship. At once the fisherman added, “And that’s one of them.”
17.Living Things React
You and all organisms live 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 responds to a change, it reacts in certain ways. All living things respond in some way. Have you 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?
18.Flowering Plants
What are the parts of a flower?
Flowers can have male parts and female parts. The female parts make eggs that become seeds. The male parts make pollen. Pollen is a powdery material that is needed by the eggs to make seeds. To make seeds, pollen and eggs must come together. The wind, insec ts, and birds bring pollen to eggs. Many animals love flowers’ bright colors. They also like a sugary liquid in flowers. This is called nectar. While they drink nectar, pollen rubs off on their bodies. As they move, some of this pollen gets delivered to the female flower parts.
Over time, the female parts turn into fruits that contain seeds. Animals often eat the fruits and the seeds pass through their bodies as waste. The animals do no know they are working for the plants by planting seeds as they travel to different places!
Useful words and Expressions:
1. flowering 开花的
2. pollen 花粉
3. powdery 粉状的
4. sugar 含糖的，甜的
5. nectar花蜜，甘露
6. rub 磨擦
19.Finding the Direction and Location
How 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 to help you find the North Star. 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’d better wear a pedometer 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 exactly 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 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!
Useful Words and Expressions:
1. dipper北斗七星
2. compass 罗盘
3. pedometer 步数计
4. GPS= Global Position System全球定位系统
5. orbit 轨道，绕……轨道而行
6. receiver 接收器
20.Waves
How does light get from the sun to the earth? How does music get from the stage to the audience? They move the same way-----in waves!
Light and sound are forms of energy. All waves carry energy, but they may carry it differently. Light and sound travel through different kinds of matter. For example, light waves cannot move through walls, but sound waves can. That is why you can hear people talking in another room even though you cannot see them. The energy of some waves is destructive. An earthquake produces seismic waves.
Catch a wave. Ask a friend to stand a few feet away from you. Stretch a spring 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 kilometers (186,000 miles) per second! They can also travel through a vacuum. That is why light from the sun and distant stars can travel through space to the earth!
Useful Words and Expressions;
1. destructive 破坏的
2. seismic地震的
3. vacuum真空
21.Soils
There 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 soil has a lot of clay. Other soils are very sandy. Loam 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.
Useful Words:
1. clay 黏土，泥土
2. loam 肥土
3. layer 层
4. gravity 地心引力，重力
5. downhill 往下
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Legal Age for Marriage (1997) Throughout the United States, the legal age for marriage shows some difference./ The most com mon age without parents’ consent is 18 for both females and males./ However, persons who are under age in their home state can get married in another state, and then return to the home stat e legally married./ Each state issues its own marriage license./ Both residents and non-residents a re qualified for such a license./ The fees and ceremonies vary greatly from state to state./ Most st ates, for instance, have a blood test requirement, but a few do not./ Most states permit either a c ivil or religious ceremony, but a few require the ceremony to be religious./ In most states a waitin g period is required before the license is issued. /This period is from one to five days depending o n the state. / A three-day-wait is the most common. In some states there is no required waiting p eriod. The Railways in Britain (1998) The success of early railways, such as the lines between big cities,/ led to a great increase in railw ay building in Victorian times. / Between 1835 and 1865 about 25000 kilometers of track were bu ilt,/ 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 a fford to travel by rail. / Cheap day excursion trains became popular and seaside resorts grew rapi dly. / The railways 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 tim e meant that local time was abolished/ and clocks showed the same time all over the country. / United Nations Day (1999) The 24th of October is celebrated as United Nations Day. /it is a day that belongs to everyone./ A nd it is celebrated in most countries of the world./ Some countries celebrate for a week instead o f a day. /In many parts of the world, schools have special programs for the day. /Boys and girls in s ome communities decorate a UN tree./ In other communities, young people put on plays about t he UN./ Some libraries exhibit children’s art works from around the world. /Schools celebrate wit h the songs and dances of other countries/ or give parties where foods of other countries are ser ved./ No matter how the day is celebrated,/ the purpose of these celebrations is to help everyon e understand the UN,/ and the important roles it plays in world affairs. /The UN encourages peop le to learn about other lands and their customs./ In this way, people can gain a better understand ing and appreciation of peoples all over the world./ What We Know About Language (2000)
英语专业四级考试1993年——203年听写原文 1993 Package Holidays Package holidays, covering a two weeks' stay in an attractive place, are increasingly popular. Once you get to the airport, it is up to the tour operator to see that you get safely to your destination．Everything is laid on for you．There is, in fact, no reason for you to bother to arrange anything yourselves．You make friends and have a good time. But there is very little chance that you will really get to know the local people．This is even less likely on a coach tour, when you spend almost your entire time traveling．Of course, there are carefully planned stops for you to visit historic buildings and monuments. You may visit the beautiful, the historic, the ancient. But time is always short．There is also the added disadvantage of being obliged to spend you holiday with a group of people you have never met before． (1994) The American Family The American family unit is changing. There used to be mainly two types of families, the extended and the nuclear. The former included mother, father, children, and some other relatives such as grandparents, living in the same house or nearby. Then as the economy progressed from agricultural to industrial, people began moving to different parts of the country in order to search for job opportunities. These moves split up the extended family. The nuclear family consisting of only parents and children has therefore become far more wide spread. Today’s family, however, can be composed of diverse co mbinations. With the divorce rate nearly one in two, there's an increase in single-parent homes—a father or mother living with one or more children. Blended families occur when divorced men and women remarry and combine the children from former marriages into a new family. On the other hand, there is an increase in childless couples while one in rive Americans lives alone. (1995) Unidentified Flying Objects There are many explanations for why UFOs visit the Earth. / The most popular one is that they maybe visitors from other planets./ To fly such aircraft, their builders must develop different forms of aviation,/because they seem to fly much faster than normal aircraft./ The UFOs, it is believed, must contain scientists/ from other planets who are studying life on earth./ It is even believed that several such aircraft may have landed on earth/ and the space visitors may be living amongst us./ But there are also less fantastic explanations available./ Although some sightings of UFOs are difficult to explain, most can be explained quite easily./ In many cases the observers might have made a mistake./ They might have seen a weather balloon or an aircraft./ Or the light they saw in the sky might have been light from the ground,/ reflected on to the clouds./ However, the exact cause of many sightings still remained a mystery.
PART Ⅰ DICTATION 1. 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. In the late 1970s, air travel became affordable for the average family in the UK, and more people started travelling abroad for their summer holidays. After all, the British weather wasn’t ver y good, even in summer, so a lot of people left the country for a vacation. In the 1980s and 1990s, young people in the UK became wealthier on average. As a result, they started to go abroad in groups to places such as Spain and Greece. Once they arrived at their destination, they met with other groups of young people and had one long party. British holidaying habits have begun to change, however. Climate change means that the UK now has a hotter climate, so people do not need to go overseas to find good weather. Also, going abroad is more expensive. As a result, more British people are choosing to spend their summer holidays in the UK. 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 best answer to each question on Answer Sheet Two. 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. 1. Which of the statements about the auto show is INCORRECT? A The show will have more stands this year. B The show will have more visitors this year. C The number of overseas visitors will be the same this year. D The number of exhibition days will be the same this year. 2. According to the conversation, the price for a stand would include A a catalogue B a poster C two desks D four chairs.
41.Apology Helps It 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. 42. Sleep Why 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
TEST FOR ENGLISH MAJORS (2006) GRADE FOUR TIME LIMIT: 135 MIN PARTI DICTATION (15 MIN) Listen to the following passage. Altogether the passage will beread to you four times. During the first reading,which will be read 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 read at normal speed again and during this time you should check your work. Y ou will then be given 2 minutes to check through your work once more. Please write the whole passage on ANSWER SHEET ONE. PART ⅡLISTENING COMPREHENSION (20 MIN) 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 I 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. 1. How did Mark get there? A. By train and by car. B. By plane and by coach. C. By train and by bus. D. By bus and by plane. 2. Mark used to wear all the following EXCEPT A. short hair. B. glasses. C. moustache. D. beard. 3. Where is the meeting for new students to be held? A. In the third room on the right. B. In the Common Room. C. In a room at the other end. D. In Room 501. 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. 4. What did Steve originally plan to do? A. To go to a park near the beach. ' B. To stay at home. C. To see a new film. D. To do some study. 5. Maggie finally decided to go to see a film because A. there was no park nearby. B. the weather wasn't ideal for a walk. C. it would be easier to go to a cinema. D. Steve hadn't seen the film yet. 6. Where did they plan to meet? A. Outside the Town Hall. B. Near the bank. C. In Steve's place. D. At the cinema.
2000 年专四听力答案 PART I DICTATION 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. PART Ⅱ LISTENING COMPREHENSION SECTION A CONVERSATIONS Questions 1 to 3 are based on the following 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:(I ) Jack tqld 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 I (2)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:lf 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. ( 3 ) Why don't you take a year's higher mathematics and register in economics 102 the next fall? W:That sounds a good idea. I. [ B] 推断题。根据 ''They said that my lack of knowledge in higher mathematics might be an obstacle in understanding Professor Smith's theory. 可知，缺少高等数学知识会阻碍理解史密斯 教授的理论，所以学习经济学需要有高等数学知识，因而[ B]项伟正确答案。 2. [D] 细节题。文中提到 ''My friends all told me that Professor Smith has lots of original ideas and he really stimulate students to think. ”由此可知，史密斯教授有很很多新颖的观点，斌且
英语专业四级考试真题听写原文2005年 The Wrist Watch It is generally believed that wrist watches are an exception / to the normal sequence in the evolution of man's jewelry. / Reversing the usual order, they were first worn by women, / and then adopted by men. / In the old days, queens included wrist watches among their crown jewelry. / Later, they were worn by Swiss workers and farmers. / Until World War I, Americans associated the watch with fortune hunters. / Then army officers discovered that the wrist watch was most practical for active combat. / Race car drivers also loved to wear wrist watches, / and pilots found them most useful while flying. / Soon men dared to wear wrist watches without feeling self-conscious. / By 1924, some 30 percent of man's watches were worn on the wrist. / Today, the figure is 90 percent. / And they are now worn by both men and women / for practical purposes rather than for decoration. 2006年 The internet The internet is the most significant progress in the field of communications.Imagine a book that never rend, a library with milion floors,or imagine a research project with thousands of sientists working around the clock forever.This is the magic of the internet.
2008年英语专业四级考试全真试卷及其参考答案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. 1. When is Anne available for the meeting? A. The third week of May. B. The third week of June. C. The eleventh of June. D. The eleventh of May. 2. Their meeting will probably take place in A. London. B. Toronto. C. Mexico City. D. Chicago. 3. When is Eric calling back? A. Thursday afternoon. B. Friday afternoon. C. Thursday morning.
D. Friday morning. 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. 4. According to the woman, advertisements A. let us know the best product. B. give us sufficient information. C. fail to convince people. D. give misleading information. 5. In the woman's opinion, money spent on advertisements is paid A. by manufacturers. B. by customers. C. by advertisers. D. by all of them. 6. Which of the following statements is INCORRECT?. A. The woman seems to be negative about advertising. B. The woman appears to know more about advertising. C. The man is to be present at a debate on advertising. D. The man has a lot to talk about on advertising. Questions 7 to 10 are based on the following conversation. At the end of the conversation,
2017专四答案+听力原文 Part Ⅰ DICTATION Learning Sympathy A big part of being human is feeling sympathy, / but how early on in our lives do we learn this? / Scientists find that babies respond to other people / by crying when other babies cry. / However, babies can’t distinguish between themselves and others / until they’re eighteen to twenty months old. / Toddlers start to show concern for others around this time. / Kids also begin to do things like comforting other people. / And by the time they’re three, / most children will try to protect a victim in a fight. Part Ⅱ LISTENING COMPREHENSION SECTION A TALK 1. a physical classroom 2. a coherent concept 3. personalized curriculum 4. (more) meaningful practice 5. feedback 6. collaborative learning 7. question and answer 8. fundamental human right 9. lifelong learning 10. innovation SECTION B CONVERSATIONS 1. What’s wrong with the man’s computer? 答案：A. It has wiped the data from the flash drive. 2. How will the man be compensated if the computer can’t be fixed? 答案：C. Get a new computer. 3. How did the man feel about the woman’s offer of compensation? 答案：D. Dissatisfied. 4. When will the service engineer come to fix the computer? 答案：B. After 8:30 tomorrow morning. 5. What is the man’s phone number? 答案：A. 6574-3205. 6. What sho uld we do if our neighbors didn’t reach out? 答案：B. Introduce ourselves first. 7. Which is the best way to handle a noisy neighbor? 答案：C. Give him a reason to stop. 8. What should we do if we have a nosy neighbor? 答案：D. Don’t answer their questions. 9. How long do we expect our neighbors to stay? 答案：B. Five to ten minutes. 10. Where can we get more information on this topic? 答案：D. CBS news website.