The Internet (2006)
The Internet is the most significant progress in the field of communications. / Imagine a book that never ends, a library with a million floors, / or imagine a research project with thousands of scientists / working around the clock forever. / This is the magic of the Internet. / Yet the Internet has the potential for good and bad. / One can find well-organized information-rich websites. / At the same time, one can also find wasteful websites. / Most websites are known as different Internet applications. / These include online games, chat rooms and so on. / These applications have great power, too. / Sometimes the power can be so great / that young people may easily become victims to their attraction. / So we need to recognize the seriousness of the problem. / We must work together to use its power for better ends.
Advertising (2007)
Advertising has already become a very specialized activity in modern times. / In today's business world, supply is usually greater than demand. / There is great competition between manufacturers of the same kind of product, / because they want to persuade customers to buy their particular brand./ They always have to remind their customers/ of the name and the qualities of their products by advertising./ The manufacturer advertises in newspapers and on the radio./ He sometimes employs salesgirls to distribute samples of his products. / He sometimes advertises on the internet as well. / In addition, he always has advertisements put into television programs that will accept them./ Manufacturers often spend huge sums of money on advertisements./ We buy a particular product because we think that is the best./ We usually think so because the advertisements say so./ People often don’t ask themselves if the advertisements are telling the truth, /when they buy advertised products from the shops.
Choose a career (2008)
When students graduate from college, / many of them do not know how they want to spend their working lives /and they sometimes move from job to job until they find something that suits them/ and of equally importance to which they are suited. / Others never find a job in which they are really happy. /They remain all their lives square pegs in round holes. /When we choose our careers, we need to ask ourselves two questions. / First, what do we think we would like to be? /Second, what kind of people are we? /The idea, for example, of being a painter or a musician may seem very attractive, / but unless we have great talent, and are willing to work very hard. /We are certain to fail in these occupations /and failure will lead to unhappiness in life.
/So it is important to assess our suitability for a certain career in job search.
New Y ear’s Eve (2009)
For many people in the west, New Year’s Eve is the biggest party of the year./ It’s time to get together with friends or family /and welcome in the coming year./ New Year’s parties can take place in different places. /Some people hold a house party; others attend street parties, /while some just go for a few drinks with their friends. /Big cities have large and spectacular fireworks displays. /There is one thing that all New Year’s Eve parties have in common/ —the countdown to midnight. / When the clock strikes 12, people give a loud cheer and sing songs./ It’s also popular to ma ke a promise in the New Year./ This is called a New Year’s resolution./ Typical resolutions include giving up smoking and keeping fit./ However the promise is often broken quite quickly /and people are back into their bad habits within weeks or days.
Fre shman’s week (2010)
Britain has a well-respected higher education system/ and some of the top universities and research institutions in the world. / But to those who are new to this system, it can sometimes be confusing. / October is usually the busiest month in the academic calendar. / Universities have something called Freshmen's Week for their newcomers./ It's a great opportunity to make new friends, /join lots of clubs and settle into university life./ However, having just left the comfort of home and all your friends behind, /the prospect of meeting strangers in classrooms and dormitories can be worrying./ Where do you start? And who should you make friends with? / Which clubs and society should you join?/ Luckily, there will be thousands of others in the same boat as you./ They worry about starting their university social life on the right foot./ So just take it all in slowly./ Don't rush into anything that you'll regret for the next three years.
British Holidaying Habits (2011)
In the late 1970s, air travel became affordable for the average family in the UK, and more people started traveling abroad for their summer holidays. After all, the British weather wasn’t very 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.
Living in a environment friendly way (2012)
Nowadays, many of us try to live in a way that will damage the environment as little as possible. We recycle our newspapers and bottles, we take public transport to get to work, we try to buy locally produced fruit and vegetables，and we want to take these attitudes on holiday with us. This is why alternative forms of tourism are becoming popular in the world. There are a lot of names for these new forms of tourism: responsible tourism, nature tourism, adventure tourism, educational tourism and more. Although everyone may have a different definition, most people agree that these new forms of tourism should do the following: first, they should conserve the wildlife and culture of the area; second, they should benefit the local people; third, they should make a profit without destroying natural resources; and finally they should provide an experience that tourists want to pay for.
What is a dream for（2013）
One theory is that we dream to release the deep, secret desires. We do not express these desires in real life because of the rules of polite society. Another theory is that dreams allow us to solve problems that we can’t solve in r eal life. We go to sleep with a problem and wake up with the solution. This may be a way to use our dreams rather than a purpose of dreaming. If you believe that your dreams are important then analyzing them may help you to focus on the problem and help you to find the solution. The modern image is that dreams are the brain’s way of cleaning up the computer’s hard disk. Dreams organize the events of the day into folders and delete what is not needed. But we all know that very little of what we dream is concerned with what happened to us that day.
Limiting the Growth of Technology (2014)
Throughout history man has changed his physical environment to improve his way of life. With the tools of technology man has altered many physical features of the earth. He has transformed woodland into farmland. He has modified the face of the earth by cutting through mountains to build roads and railways. However, these changes in the physical environment have not always had beneficial results. Today, pollution of the air and water is a danger to the health of the planet. Each day thousands of tons of gases come out of vehicles. Smoke from factories pollutes the air of industrialized areas and the surrounding countryside. The air in cities is becoming increasingly unhealthy. The pollution of water is equally harmful. In the sea pollution from oil is
killing a lot of sea plants and fish. It is now necessary for man to limit the growth of technology in order to survive on earth.
Male and Female Roles in Marriage (2015)
In the traditional marriage, the man worked to earn money for the family. / The woman stayed at home to care for the children and her husband. / In recent years, many couples continue to have a traditional relationship of this kind. / Some people are happy with it. But others think differently. / There are two major differences in male and female roles now. / One is that both men and women have many more choices. / They may choose to marry or stay single. / They may choose to work or to stay at home. / A second difference is that, within marriage many decisions are shared. / If a couple has children, the man may take care of them /some of the time, all of the time or not at all. / The woman may want to stay at home / or she may want to go to work. / Men and women now decide these things together in a marriage.
1.Town and Country Life in England There 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. 2. A Change in Women’s Life The 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 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
2016年6月大学英语四级真题第一套听力原文 SectionA News report 1 The international labor organization says the number of people without jobs is increasing. In its latest update on global employment trends, the agency says projections of the number on unemployed people this year range from 210 million to nearly 240 million people. The report warns that 200 million poor workers are at risk of joining the ranks of people leaving on less than 2 dollars per day in the past 3 years. The Director-General of the International Labor Organization Juan Somavia notes that some countries have taken measures to address the effects of the global crisis. However, he points out that many countries have not done so. And based on past experiences, it takes 4-5 years after economic recovery for unemployment to return to pre-crisis levels. Mr. Somavia says the International Labour Organization is proposing a global job agreement to deal with unemployment. “ It ' s key objective is to place the center of recovery efforts, measures will generate h igher levels of employment and provide basic social protection for the most vulnerable. 1、What is the news report main about? 2、What does Juan Somavia, Director-General of the International Labour Organization say? News Report 2 Big fast food chains in New York city have started to obey a first kind of its rule, requiring them to post calorie counts right on the menu. City Nurses is with New York department of health. “ We wanted to give people an opportunity to actually see the calories before the y purchase the food and make a decision and informed decision that if they want to make the healthier choice. If they want to eat fewer calories, they can. And we expect this will have a huge impact on obesity. And of course, if this has an impact on obesity, it will have an impact on diabetes and heart disease and high blood pressure. ” The new rules will be introduced as a part of anti-obesity campaign. That also includes a recent citywide ban on artificial trans-fats in restaurant food. The menu roll only applies to restaurants that serves standardized potion sizes and have fifty or more locations nationwide. Starting last Saturday, chains big enough to fall under the rule will face penalties of up to 2000 dollars for not showing calorie information in a prominent sports on their menus, preferably next to the price. 3. what are big fast food chains in New York city required to do according to the new rule? 4. What will happen to big restaurant chains that violate the new rule? News Report 3 Almost all companies recognize the importance of innovation today, but not many are able to integrate innovation into their business. A commentary in the Shanghai Daily points out that innovation doesn ' t mean piles of documents, it ' s something more prlaecstiacyasl. mThaenyartic people tend to assume that innovation just means creating something new, but actually it than that. It 'asn attitude of doing thing. A company should find ways to innovate not just in products but also in functions, business models and processes. The article cites the global giant Procter & Gamble as an example, saying a real innovative company should develop an innovation culture, and use it as a primary tool for success. Procter & Gamble has a “ Corporate Innovation Fund ”
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.
四级听写： The African elephant The African elephant, the largest land animal remaining on earth ,is of great importance to African ecosystem(生态系统) As a big plant-eater, it largely shapes the forest-and-savanna(大草原)surroundings in which it lives, setting the terms of existence for millions of other animals that live in its habitat (栖息地). 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. This 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. （158 words） 2. What is a Father A father is a person who is forced to endure childbirth without an anesthetic. He growl s 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) 3 Depression The 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 failure? Life is full of twists and turns. Some are pleasant and some are not so pleasant, and sometimes even terrible.
Popular Pastime of the English People One 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 f lowers 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. 4. British and American Police Officers Real policemen, both in Britain and the ., hardly recognize any commonpoints between their lives and what they se 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 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 2. in court 在法庭上 3. criminal 罪犯，犯罪者 4. guilty 犯罪的，有罪的 5. Living Space How 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. But if their living conditions become too crowded, their behavior and even their health change obviously. They can not sleep and eat well, and signs of fear 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.
2015年12月英语四级听力原文及答案 Part 1 短对话 Question 1 - M: Do you remember the wonderful film on space exploration we watched together last month? - W: Sure. It's actually the most impressive one I've seen on that topic. Q:What do we learn about the speakers? Question 2 - W: Are you looking for anything in particular? - M: Yes. My son is graduating from high school, and I want to get him something special. Q:Where does the conversation most probably take place? Question 3 - M: Mike told me yesterday that he had been looking in vain for a job in the art gallery. - W: Really? If I remember right, he had a chance to work there, but he turned it down.
Q:What does the woman say about Mike? Question 4 - W: Would you like to come to Susan's birthday party tomorrow evening? - M: I'm going to give a lecture tomorrow. I wish I could be in two places at the same time. Q:What does the man mean? Question 5 - W: Aren't you discouraged by the slow progress your staff is making? - M: Yes. I think I will give them a deadline and hold them to it. Q:What is the man probably going to do? Question 6 - W: Excuse me. Could you tell me where the visitors' parking is? I left my car there. - M: Sure. It's in Lot C. Over that way. Q:What does the woman want to know? Question 7 - W: You look great! Now that you've taken those fitness classes.
Passage 1 Town and Country Life in England There 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. (154 words) Useful Words and Expressions: next door n. n．隔壁 the neighbors next他 door隔壁邻居 lonely adj ．孤独的，寂寞的，偏僻的，人迹罕至的 lonely life孤单的生活 a lonely old man一位孤独的老人 a lonely sand一个孤岛 the loneliest night最孤独的夜晚 on (one's) own独自；独立地；通过自己的努力 She lives on her own．她一个人过。 She go the job on her own．她自己找到了这份工作。 He Is now out of colleg6 and on his own．他现在离开了大学并且自己生活。 Passage 2 A Change in Women's Life The 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 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. (154 words) Useful Words and Expressions: life-pattern 生活方式 effect [i'fekt] n. 结果，效果，作用，影响 The old system is still in effect. 旧制度仍然有效。 He is, in effect, my rival. 实际上他是我的竞争对手。 The medicine quickly took effect. 药物很快见效了。 share vt. 分享；共享，参与 n. 一份，部分，份额 share responsibility 共同负责 share a room with sb. 与某人共居一室
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，正在准备和已经参加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，这些不是问题的全部。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乏训练造成的，如书写速度跟不上。有的则是语言基础较 差造成的，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 等则多是粗心大意造成的。 听写部分能提高吗？ 当然能！而且提高的空间很大。 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加四级考试超过全国 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加四级统考，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，而且在十几个平行 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，所带班级平均成绩能够达到14分。 是不是学生基础很好？统计表明，和平行班相比所带班级入学时并不存在什么特别 优势。 教学经验表明，听写成功的关键是训练方法和体现训练方法的训练材料。 听写训练过程中无论是老师还是学生都有必要注意以下几点： 二．扭握淤轿肘虚度大纲要求第一遍用正常速
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