2020年12月大学英语四级考试真题 (第3套) - 配模拟听力原文

Test 1

Section A

News Report One

A huge series of wrecks involving more than 130 vehicles on Interstate 40in North Carolina are being blamed on speeding, following too closely and driver in attention in heavy rain and fog, authorities say.

[1] No one was killed but 25 people were hurt in the pileups that began late Sunday afternoon on the route between Durham and Greensboro, said a statement released Monday by the Department of Public Safety.

Motorists travelling east through central North Carolina's Alamance County failed to slow quickly enough, leading initially to four crashes involving about two dozen vehicles, department spokesman Michael Baker said in the statement.

[2] A screws worked to clear those accidents, motorists in the westbound lanes slowed to look at the scene and were involved in a series of additional wrecks. All told, 134 vehicles were eventually involved.

Troopers and ambulances from surrounding counties helped police assist the motorists.

1.What were the casualties according to the news report? 2.What caused a series of additional wrecks?

News Report Two

Many Americans believe Britons have bad teeth.[3] But a new study shows Americans actually have more dental problems. The study was published in the British Medical Journal. Researchers from University College Londo, the National University of Colombia and the Harvard School of Public Health found that among people 2 and older, Americans are missing more teeth.

The researchers also found that poor people in the United States had worse teeth than poor people in Britain. [4] People in Britain receive dental care through the National Health Service, which is funded by taxpayers. In the United States, people either pay for their dental care or buy dental insurance. Many poor people in the United States do not have dental insurance and cannot afford dental care.

In 2004, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development found that Britain had the lowest number of people with decayed, missing or filled teeth from among all of its 34 member states. The United States was in the middle of the rankings.

3. What does the new study show?

4. What accounts for the present teeth conditions of Americans and Britons?

News Report Three

It took 100 years, but finally, scientists proved Albert Einstein's theory that

gravitational waves exist.

The waves were predicted as part of Einstein's General Theory of Relativity nearly 100 years ago. It was the theory of the physics behind the workings of our world and the universe.

[5] Now a group of scientists, including ones from Cal Tech, MIT and the LIGO Scientific Collaboration finally found the gravitational waves.

It might be hard to understand, but those gravitational waves expand and contract space and time as they move through space. And when they get to the Earth, the waves pass through, and contract and expand the planet as the wave goes by.

It was Einstein who said these gravitational waves should be observable.

[6] But these are not huge waves. They are very, very small, which is why it took so long to find them. You cannot see them with your eyes. They are smaller than the size of an atom.

For years, scientists have been watching two blackholes in another galaxy far away. The two were spinning around each other, moving closer and closer together. [7] When they finally crashed into each other, it was with such power and force, that gravitational waves rang throughout the universe, like a giant bell.

5. What scientific discovery was the speaker talking about? 6. Why did it take so long for scientists to find the waves?

7. Under what circumstances would gravitational waves occur?

Section B

Conversation One

M：Good morning, Mrs. Thomson.

W：Oh, Mr. Minisuker. Please come in, and sit down. I want to talk to you about something that's come up.

M：What's up? Anyway, I'll be glad to help you with anything I can. W：[8] Some advice, Mr. Minisuker. I've been offered a new job. M：A new job?

W：As a matter of fact, it isn't the bank in New York. M：Is the offer from another bank?

W：[9] It's from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development in Washington.

M：[9] You mean the World Bank?

W：[9] That's right. And it's really very unexpected, I must say.

M：You've established a reputation in international banking circles. May I ask what kind of position they've offered you?

W：A rather important one, as a matter of fact, deputy director of the International Finance Corporation.

M：[10] Isn't that the part of the bank that makes loans to private companies in the developing countries?

W：Yes, it is. It's a job that certainly offers a chance for public service. M：[11] It seems to me that it's a real honor for you.

W：Yes, it is. But I've been with this bank for so many years. Ever since I graduated from college in fact.

M：[11] But it's an honor for the bank, too, for the training and experience it's given you.

W：Yes, I suppose I could think of it that way. M：Then you've decided to accept the offer?

W：Probably, Yes. Almost certainly. I'd like to think I can do some work that will contribute to international cooperation and understanding

8. What does the woman want to discuss with the man? 9. Who offered the woman the new job?

10. What will be the woman's main responsibility as a deputy director? 11. What does the man think of the job offer?

Conversation Two

W：Good morning. [12] I'm calling about the job that was in the paper last night. M：Well, could you tell me your name? W：Candida Faucett.

M：Oh, yes. What exactly is it that interests you about the job? W：Well, I thought it was just right for me.

M：Really? Um...Could you tell me a little about yourself? W：Yes. I'm 23. I've been working abroad. M：Where exactly have you been working? W：In Geneva.

M：Oh, Geneva. And what were you doing there?

W：[13] Secretarial work. Previous to that, I was at university. M：Which university was that?

W：The University of Manchester. I've got a degree in English.

M：You said you've been working in Geneva. Do you have any special reason for wanting to come back?

W：[14] I thought it would be nice to be nearer to the family. M：I see, and how do you see yourself developing in this job?

W：Well, I'm ambitious. I do hope that my career as a secretary will lead me eventually into management.

M：I see. You have foreign languages? W：French and Italian. M：Well, I think the best thing for you to do is to reply in writing to the advertisement. W：Can't I arrange for an interview now?

M：Well, I'm afraid we must wait until all the applications are in, in writing, and then decide on the shortlist.

M：[15] I'll look forward to receiving your application in writing in a day or two. If you are on the shortlist, of course we should see you. W：Oh, I see.

W：Oh, yes, yes, certainly.

M：OK, thank you very much. Goodbye. W：Thank you. Goodbye.

12. How did the woman get to know about the job vacancy? 13. Why did the woman find the job appealing? 14. What had the woman been doing in Geneva? 15. What was the woman asked to do in the end?

Section C Passage One

To help ourselves and others, it's important to know something about drugs. A drug is a chemical substance. It can bring about a physical, emotional or mental change in people. Alcohol and tobacco are drugs. Caffeine, a substance found in coffee and some soft drinks, is also a drug.

[16] Drug abuse is the use of a drug legal or illegal that hurts a person or someone close to him. A drug user is the person who takes the drug. There are many kinds of drug users. Experimental users may try drugs once or twice. They want to see what the effects will be. [17] Recreational users take drugs to get high. They use drugs with friends or at parties to get into the mood of things. Regular users take drugs all the time. But they are often able to keep up with the normal routine of work. [18] Dependent users can't relate to anything but drugs. Their whole life centers around drugs. They feel extreme mental or physical pain without drugs.

It's not always easy to tell if someone is using drugs. In the early stages, drug use is often hard to see. Sometimes people like drugs or need drugs so much that they can't do without them. They are dependent upon drugs. Only a few kinds of drugs can cause physical dependence. But almost any drug, when it's misused, can make a person think he needs it all the time. By this time it's too late and the person is “hooked”.

16. What does the speaker say about drug abuse?

17. What does the speaker say about recreational drug users? 18. What does the speaker say about drug dependence?

Passage Two

According to Charles Harper, Chairman of ConAgra, the Healthy Choice line of frozen dinners began with his own heart attack. It've been brought on by years of eating anything he could get his hands on. [19] As he lay in the hospital recovering, Harper imagined the line of healthy frozen foods—the tasty good. [20] The Healthy Choice product line was carefully tested with consumers before being introduced to the general public. ConAgra's research and development staff spent a year working under the instruction, whatever the cost, don't sacrifice taste. The first test market results surprised even the ConAgra team. The low sodium, low fat frozen dinners sold much better than expected. [21] According to the firm's vice-president of marketing and sales, “We benefited from low expectations. The products were much better than

people thought they would be.” This finding supported ConAgra's decision to position the product against other high-quality frozen dinners rather than as a diet or health food. The new product brand's name and packaging were an important part of the development process. [22] The name “Healthy Choice” was chosen for the positive implication it held for consumers. Because ConAgra felt the product would be an impulse purchase, it was important to make the item standout in the freezer case. This was accomplished through the dark green packaging that not only differed from the competitors but also suggested freshness and richness in vitamins.

19. What did Charles Harper think of while he was in hospital?

20. What does the passage say about the “Healthy Choice” product line before it went to market?

21. What is said to contribute to ConAgra's business success? 22. What does the speaker say about the name “Healthy Choice”?

Passage Three

[23] In the United States, 36 states currently allow capital punishment for serious crimes such as murder. Americans have always argued about the death penalty.[24] Today, there is a serious question about this issue：Should there be a minimum age limit for executing criminals? In other words, is it right for convicted murderers who kill when they are minors, that is under the age of 18, to receive the death penalty?

In most other countries of the world, there is no capital punishment for minors. In the United States, though, each state makes its own decision. Of the 36 states that allow the death penalty, 30 permit the execution of minors.

In the state of South Carolina, a convicted murderer was given the death penalty for a crime he committed while he was a minor. In 1977, when he was 17 years old, James Terry Roach and two friends cruelly murdered three people. Roach's lawyer fought the decision to execute him. The young murderer remained on death row for ten years while his lawyer appealed to the governor. The lawyer argued that it is wrong to execute a person for a crime he committed while he was a minor. In the United States, the governor of a state has the power to change a sentence from the death penalty to life in prison. Nonetheless, the governor of South Carolina refused to stop the execution. [25] Roach was finally executed in 1986.

23. What does the speaker say about the death penalty in the United States? 24. What is the focus of the debate around the death penalty? 25. What does the speaker say about James Terry Roach?