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NEC1 Dictation Answers

NEC1.1 Dictations

About fifty or sixty years ago, there were few schools for infants. Young children worked in dark, unpleasant classrooms. They wore uniforms and sat at uncomfortable desks. The children wanted to play, but their teachers were very strict, so the children had to sit quietly and learn numbers or the alphabet by heart.

Today, very young children usually have an enjoyable and useful time at school. They attend a kindergarten or play school and ―play‖ at reading, writing, and counting, or th ey enjoy themselves working things, singing, drawing or painting. Their classrooms are attractive and pleasant and their teachers usually supervise them in a very kind and helpful way. So for most children these days are very happy days. (119 words)

It is interesting to visit a foreign country, but problems may arise when we don‘t know the language well enough. It may be difficult to talk with the people there. We may not know how to use the telephone. We may not know how to buy the things we need.

In a strange country, we may not know where to eat or what to order in a restaurant. It is not easy to decide how much to tip waiters or taxi-drivers. When we need help, we may not know how to ask for help. It is not pleasant to have an experience like that.

After a short time, however, we learn what to do and what to say. We learn to enjoy life in another country, and then we may not want to leave. (134 words)

To make things easier for yourself, read your campus map before going to lectures so you know where you need to go in advance. Bear in mind also that there are ten minutes between lectures, which is plenty of time for you to ask a stranger for directions if you get lost. It‘s by far better to ask someone for help than turn up late to class. Imagine a room full of 100 students takes a moment to stop and watch you. Your face burns with shame and you climb over someone to get to the closest available seat. If you're really unlucky, you might lose your shoe in the process. (111 words)

NEC1.2 Dictations

Generally speaking, most women are concerned about women‘s liberation. However, people are divided in opinion about it. Some women demand full-scale equality with men. To them, the husband and the wife should share the work and the responsibilities, and the male and female staff members should have the same opportunities at work. Others, however, have a different opinion, thinking that most women are more adept in household work. Therefore, the wife should devote more time to chores like cooking and looking after the children at home, whereas the husband is to take on other duties. These differences in opinion are not important, though. The important thing is that women ought to be equal to men in political and social status. Women should be able to choose their own ways of life and should be free to decide matters for themselves. The women should be aware, however, of their own physical disadvantages and make their choices wisely. (156 words)

Two million American women enter the workforce every year. The new workers include all ages and backgrounds: teenagers, college graduates, young housewives, society women and older women who have lost their husbands. Altogether, more than half the eighty-four million women in the United States are now employed or seeking employment. Although most of them are still holding tightly to the womanly jobs such as nursing, teaching, and office work, a growing number of pioneers are venturing into other fields. They run business; they manage farms; they become astronauts, carpenters, lawyers, truck or taxi drivers, coal miners, or politicians. They join the army or the navy. So far no woman has become president of the country, but that might happen, as indeed it has happened in other nations. (127 words)

Most women work // because their families need the money. // Six million women are heads of households, // and at least sixteen million more bring in the wages that keep their families above the poverty line. // With prices of food and fuel and housing and transportation and education rising steadily, //more and more families are depending upon a second pay check. // It is true that most working women have ―women‘s‖ job (secretarial, nursing, or teaching, for example); //yet these are jobs also in the world of men //. This me ans that women‘s lives are becoming more similar to men‘s. // (102 words)

NEC1.3 Dictations

America is a large and diverse country, with many different ethnic communities. As each of these communities has their own traditions, customs and celebrations, there are a lot of

holidays and other festivals that take place about the same time as the ones in their home countries. Even so there are some American holidays that belong uniquely to America.

Holidays in America are filled with loads of family enjoyment. Each holiday has certain traditions that are enjoyed by the whole family. Holidays like Christmas is an event that everyone loves because this is a time when the whole family gets together and enjoys a sumptuous meal. The children love Christmas because of Santa Claus and all the presents that they will get. (122 words)

Some cafes are made for coffee; some for meeting up with friends; others to meet new people;

still others to sit and read. My favorite cafes, however, are the ones made for people-watching, where you can spend a full afternoon, evening, night, until morning — and then repeat the same routine again — sitting, drinking coffee after coffee, carefully observing everyone who is in the cafe and who walks by. The art of people-watching involves studying the subjects, guessing who they are, where they are coming from, where they are going, what they are doing, what they are thinking. The experienced people-watcher is the same as the amateur social scientist. (108 words)

Today’s Traditions of Halloween

The American tradition of ―trick-or-treating‖ probably dates back to the early All Souls‘ Day parades in England. During the festivities, poor citizens would beg for food and families would give them pastries called ―soul cakes‖ in return for the ir promise to pray for the family‘s dead relatives.

The distribution of soul cakes was encouraged by the church as a way to replace the ancient practice of leaving food and wine for roaming spirits. The practice, which was referred to as ―going a-souling‖ was eventually taken up by children who would visit the houses in their neighborhood and be given ale, food, and money.

The tradition of dressing in costume for Halloween has both European and Celtic roots. Hundreds of years ago, winter was an uncertain and frightening time. Food supplies often ran low and, for the many people afraid of the dark, the short days of winter were full of constant worry. On Halloween, when it was believed that ghosts came back to the earthly world, people thought that they would encounter ghosts if they left their homes. To avoid being recognized by these ghosts, people would wear masks when they left their homes after dark so that the ghosts would mistake them for fellow spirits. On Halloween, to keep ghosts away

from their houses, people would place bowls of food outside their homes to appease the ghosts and prevent them from attempting to enter. (235 words)

NEC1.4 Dictations

Long ago people had no way to keep food from spoiling. So they ate all they could and hoped it woul dn‘t be too long before the next meal. Mealtime was any time they found food, so they were either stuffed or starved most of the time.

No one knows for sure how people first learned to preserve food. Maybe they accidentally left food in the sun and discovered that the dried food kept longer. Maybe they left the food by the fire and found out that cooked food not only kept longer, but tasted better. Somehow someone learned that salt helps preserve meat and fish and even vegetables. Through the years, people have continued to learn new and better ways of preserving food from one growing season to another. And today millions of people work in jobs that have something to do with food preservation.

Many Americans with large families now have their own freezers and freeze their own food. Because fruits are cheaper when they are in season, the housewife often buys more than she can use in a few days or even in a week and then freezes the rest. Preparing food for the freezer is a fairly simple process. To prepare strawberries, for example, the housewife simply needs to clean them, put them on a tray in the freezer for a few hours, and then put them in plastic bags. Bread, cakes and pies can also be kept in a freezer.

With the improvement in methods of food preservation, people no longer have to stuff one day and starve another. They can have a well-balanced diet all the year round.

Many primitive peoples believed that by eating an animal they could get some of the good qualities of that animal for themselves. They thought, for example, that eating deer would make them run as fast as the deer. Some savage tribes believed that eating enemies that had shown bravery in battle would make them brave. Man-eating may have started because people were eager to become as strong and brave as their enemies. Among civilized people it was once thought that ginger root by some magical power could improve the memory. Eggs were thought to make the voice pretty. Tomatoes also were believed to have magical powers. They were called love apples and were supposed to make people who ate them fall in love. Later

another wrong idea about tomatoes grew up –the idea that they were poisonous. How surprised the people who thought tomatoes poisonous would be if they could know that millions of pounds of tomatoes were supplied to soldiers overseas during World War II. Even today there are a great many wrong ideas about food. Some of them are very widespread. (183 words)

NEC1.5 Dictations

Museums are buildings where objects of particular interest are stored and arranged for public display. A museum may be concerned with almost any subject in history, science, or the arts. Some museums deal with the lives of famous people. These are often located in the buildings that used to be their homes. The rooms may be arranged just as they were in their lifetime. Other museums have models of streets and houses from different periods in history.

Sometimes articles of special value or interest are loaned by one museum to another for a special exhibition. Thus, people can see the masterpieces of different countries without having to travel great distances.

Here you can see the unsorted mail is being dropped onto the moving belt. Watch carefully and you will notice how the letters are being carried forward through the machine, while parcels and packets are being left behind. Look again at the track where the letters are being carried. Notice how the track divides into two. Only smaller envelopes are being carried along one track, and larger ones are being sent along the other. Although the mail is being sorted into sizes, the letters that are being collected together by this machine are not all the right way round. You will notice that some are being carried along the track upside down and some back to front. But if you look over here, you will see how that little problem is being solved. In this wonderful piece of equipment, all the letters are being turned the correct way round with the stamps in the right-hand corners. Isn‘t that wonderful? And all is done by electricity.

There is a new wave of ―patriotism‖ from Chinese businessmen and government-backed cultural representatives keen on getting back national treasures. This ―patriotism‖ has pushed the price of these treasures to record levels. Emperor Qian long‘s vase that sold in Britain had a price more than 40 times higher than the initial estimate. In some experts‘ eyes, the bronze animal head stolen by British and French troops more than a century ago were not highly appraised. Yet they sold for hundred s of millions of yuan. The drive to get back China‘s lost

treasures at all costs is not really a wise move. It has actually given the former colonists a chance to loot China again, this time in the form of cash. The purchase has also in a sense, justified the looting as legal, which will make future efforts to retrieve the treasures even more difficult. (144 words)

NEC1.6 Dictations

Giant pandas are mountain dwellers. They live in Western China, usually making their homes at altitudes of from 5,000o 10, 000 feet or more. Pandas live in such remote areas that very few people have seen them in the wild. In fact, it was not until 1936 that the first live panda was captured.

Giant pandas sometimes weigh more than 300 pounds. They look much like bears and have long sharp claws and short tails. Much of the giant panda‘s fur is white, but it also has large areas of black.

Bamboo is the chief food of the giant panda. In the summer giant pandas eat young bamboo shoos. In the winter they feed on stalks and leaves. Giant pandas grasp food with their front paws.

There is usually one panda at a birth. Young pandas are playful animals, rolling and tumbling like bear cubs. Because they are such playful animals, pandas are favourite zoo animals. But they are rare and difficult to acquire.

Training a dog to be a watchdog often produces unexpected results. Some dogs quickly learn the difference between unwanted people and friends. This is because their masters welcome friends and invite them into their houses. However, some dogs will always attack the postman when he comes to deliver letters. One explanation for this is that, although the postman often comes to the house, he never enters the house. Therefore, the dog thinks the postman is someone who is not wanted, but keeps coming back anyway.

Masters of dogs who attack postman can easily show the dog that the postman is a friend and that the dog does not need to treat him as an unwanted person. A dog is quite ready to do what his master wishes. And a dog is always happy when he is praised for understanding correctly.

Long long ago, a mosquito and an elephant lived together. The elephant and the mosquito were bosom friends. At that time, the elephant was not as big as it is now and the mosquito is also not so small. They looked all the same, just like twins. One day, after breakfast, the elephant and the mosquito had a conversation. The elephant said, ―We should settle down somewhere as soon as possible. I think a place with forest and river is fine, because there are plenty of plants in the forest as our food, adequate water for us to drink and take a bath in the river as well. How comfortable we will be!‖ The mosquito (scornfully, was convulsed with laugher) said, ―I don‘t live on food in the forest or water in the river. Eat such things, when can I get stronger? I want to eat people‘s meat and drink people‘s blood. I want to live on people‘s fat and blood.‖ After that, the elephant left the mosquito. The elephant went into the forest and lived freely there. But the mosquito chose a totally different way--go to the big cities. There people everywhere wanted to kill it. Though the mosquito got meat and blood, but didn't get strong. Because of his bad mood, till now it is still a small animal. (222 words)

NEC1.7 Dictations

Travelling by air can be enjoyable, but it‘s often frightening and strange the first time. I took my little boy, Douglas, for his first flight last month. When we arrived at the airport, he wanted to know why the official weighed the language. Then he wondered why he needed a passport. He didn‘t understand what the security check was for. Then he asked where the air stewardess was. When he saw the plane, he couldn‘t understand how it could fly in the air. Of course, he wanted to see how the captain worked and where he sat. He soon got bored and started asking when the plane would land. What a lot of questions! I was very pleased when we finally landed.

Transportation has changed greatly through the years. In ancient times people were able to travel only on foot. However, about eight thousand years ago, they trained the ox, donkey, and horse for transportation. The invention of the wheel occurred about five hundred years ago. From that time on, changes took place rapidly. The development of ships made seas and rivers important. The invention of trains and automobiles improved land transportation. Air travel developed rapidly in the first half of the 20th century. Finally, in the second half of the century, space travel become a reality.

Workers who commute by car, bus or train to the office are more likely to suffer from stress and exhaustion, according to a study. Scientists assessed 12,000 employees aged between 18 and 65. They found that those who travelled to work by car or public transport reported higher levels of stress and

tiredness compared to active commuters who travelled by foot or bicycle. It is now expected that the study, from Lund University in Sweden, will encourage further investigation into the health impacts of commuting and the best forms of transportation. Researcher Erik Hansson said: ―Generally car and public transport users suffered more everyday stress, poorer sleep quality, exhaustion and, on a seven point scale, felt that they struggled with their health compared to the active commuters.‖ ―The negative health of public transport users increased with journey time.‖ According to the Office for National Statistics, the average Briton commutes for 54 minutes every day. But now the scientists claim that the advantages of daily travel, such as higher pay or housing conditions, need to be weighed against the adverse health effects. (181 words)

NEC1.8 Dictations

In certain countries the conflict between young people and the educational system has become very serious indeed. In addition to causing trouble within the educational system itself, the young are also in conflict with the adult society outside it. In considering how to deal with such issues, many people look to education and to educational institutions for help. This is a natural and understandable response from an older generation that has failed to understand the significance of the revolt of youth and to create a world in which such revolt would be necessary.

When we asked to help in the adjustment of youth, we must ask, ―Adjustment to what?‖ Should we adjust them, for example, to the miseries and injustices in the world, the hunger and poverty in the midst of plenty? Or do we want them to conform to the comforts of a secure, routine job and a narrow routine existence in a small, closed community?

In societies where people tend to live together in extended family groups -- consisting of grandparents, great uncles and aunts, parents, aunts and uncles, children and cousins, for example -- care of both young and old is the natural function of the group. The State is only needed when the efficiency of the group breaks down, because of illness or poverty, for example. In Britain, however, people tend to live in nuclear family groups (parents and children only), with the result that the care of the old is a social problem and the State needs to intervene. What is more, if the relationship between husband and wife breaks down, the children are immediately at risk, and State intervention may be necessary for them too. Where parents do care for their children, however, they usually take their responsibilities very seriously.

Time really flies. I finished college and then left my home city. For the past ten years, whenever I‘ve visited home, dad was always there meeting me and seein g me off quietly at the railway station. Whenever he saw me off, he never tried to hug me or touch me, although I always expected a father‘s hug. When I was away from home, dad never wrote or called me, but he always pushed my mom to call me. Whenever mom was calling me, dad would sit beside her with a list of questions. He would instruct mom to talk to me for him. That‘s the way dad is, and that‘s how dad shows his love to me. I was married three years ago. Dad was very happy for me. And now he likes to tell people that his daughter-in-law is tall and beautiful, with long hair... Dad is still quiet, but I still feel a connection. Ladies and gentlemen, when a connection is deep and powerful, it lives in a place far beyond words, and it becomes something special---―a silent father‘s love.‖ (183 words)

NEC1.9 Dictations

As a country that pays great attention to courtesy, our cuisine culture is deep rooted in China‘s history. As a visitor or guest in either a Chinese home or restaurant you will find that the distinctive table manners will always add to the enjoyment of your meals and keep you in high spirits! It is really an admirable custom to respect others at the table, including the aged, teachers and guests while taking good care of children. Before starting to eat dinner, the host may offer some words of greeting. Guests should not start to eat until the host says, ?Please enjoy yourself‘ or something like that, otherwise it suggests disrespect and causes displeasure.

When hosts place dishes on the table, they will arrange the main courses at the center with the supporting dishes evenly placed around them. When the main dishes are prepared in a decorative form either by cut or other means they will be placed facing the major guests and elder people at the table.

Hundreds of thousands of people work to bring food to the dining tables of the world. After transportation workers on ships, planes, trains, and trucks deliver the food to a store or restaurants, more people must work to prepare it for the people who are going to eat it.

In a store, the butcher must cut and weigh and wrap the meat for the customers. Clerks must fill the shelves with bottles, boxes, cans, jars, and other packages of displayed in an attractive way. Other clerks wait on customers, take their money, groups of people are needed to plan menus; to buy food, cook it, and serve it; and to set the tables and the dishes, knives, forks, and spoons. The food industry has grown to be a very big business.

NEC1.10 Dictations

The sun and all the bodies which circle it in space make up the solar system. We live on one of the nine planets that revolve around the sun. Nearest the sun is Mercury, the smallest of the planets. Then come Venus, the Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. The distance across the solar system is about 13000 million kilometres.

To get a rough idea of the sizes of the planets, we can think of Mercury as a small seed, Venus and the Earth as peas, Mars, an orange pip, Jupiter an orange, Saturn a smaller orange, Uranus and Neptune large cherries, and Pluto as another small seed. On this scale the sun would be a ball 600 millimetres across, and the earth would be 65 metres from the sun.

If the sun and earth could stand still, and if a road could be built between them, it would be a long one! Walking 4 miles per hour, day and night, we should reach the sun in 2635 years. Traveling along the same road in a racing automobile at 300 miles per hour, we should get to the sun in about 35.5 years.

Sound travels through the air at the rate of about 12 miles per minute. If the sun were to explode, we could not hear any noise, for there is no air to carry sound during the greater part of the distance between the sun and the earth. If there were air all the way, the sound would reach the earth in about 14 years. If the sun exploded, however, there would be no one alive on earth at the end of 14 years. All people wound have died from heat or other causes soon after the explosion.

Radio waves travel at the same speed as light, and air is not needed to take them from place to place. If a broadcasting station on the sun could send radio waves to earth, we should hear the programme about eight and one-third minutes after it was sent forth

NEC1.11 Dictations

We have recently heard a great deal about the bad effects of computers on our social and economic institutions. In industry, computers mean automation, and automation means unemployment. What can we do about it? It is foolish to dream of reversing history. We cannot pass laws forbidding the advancement of science and technology. The computing machines are here, and they will grow bigger, faster and more useful every year. They will grow because engineers want to build them, soldiers want to use them in new weapon systems and politicians want their help in the process of government. In short, they will grow because they enable us to accomplish tasks that could never before have been undertaken. Computers will continue to increase our intelligence. The question we must ask is not whether we shall have computers or not, but how we can make the most humane and intelligent use of them.

The benefits of computers are becoming more obvious every day. Computers are being used in space travel. Rockets, satellites, and spaceships are guided by computers. They are being used in aviation. They are used in the training of airline pilots. Computers also direct the flight of planes from one city to another, control their air speeds and attitudes, and even land them. They are being used in medicine. They are used in analyzing blood samples, in diagnosing diseases, and in prescribing medication. They also keep records of the tissue types of patients waiting for organ transplants.

Computers are taking over some of the tasks that were once accomplished by our own brains, but they are not replacing us. How we use them is for us, not the computer, to decide.

NEC1.12 Dictations

Many people are able to find a job that they like through networking. The advantage of networking is that family or friends will be able to provide an inside knowledge of the job, the pay, daily routine and an honest opinion of what it is like to work there. They will tell you things that employers may withhold from a job interview, because they want to create the best possible impression, rather than highlight any of the flaws that the company has. An added benefit of networking is that friends and family members can inform you of a job opening soon after it becomes available and then put in a good word for you to their employer. Employers are often favourably disposed to potential employees even before they have arrived for a job interview because their friend or relative took the time to recommend them.

It is interesting to visit another country, but prob lems may arise when we don‘t know the language well enough. It may be difficult to talk with the people there. We may not know how to use the telephone. We may not know how to buy the things we need.

In a strange country we may not know where to eat or what to order in a restaurant. It is not easy to decide how much to tip waiters or taxi-drivers. When we need help, we may not know how to ask for help. It is not pleasant to have an experience like that.

After a short time, however, we learn what to do and what to say. We learn to enjoy life in another country, and then we may not want to leave.

NEC1.13 Dictations

Universities and colleges are places where some young people go to continue their education after leaving school. Most university students study one main subject, although they may also study a number of others. Teaching is usually by lectures, or by discussions between a lecturer and a group of students.

Most students stay at their university for three or four years. At the end of this time, they take an examination. If they pass, they receive their Bachelor‘s degree, usually a B.A.(Bachelor of Arts), or B.Sc.(Bachelor of Science). Some students study for several more years in order to get higher degrees, such as M.A.(Master of Arts), or Ph.D.(Doctor of Philosophy).

Most university courses do not train students to do a particular job. Colleges, on the other hand, usually teach skills which enable the students to follow a career, for example, clothes design, or business studies.

If one word could describe campus life outside the classroom, that word might be casual. The life-style is relaxed. In the classroom, there is order, but it is not the military kind. Students relate to teachers in an easy manner, although it is impossible for a teacher to know each student in a large class. In smaller classes, the relationships can be more personal. It is not unusual for some classes to meet in places where everyone can be comfortable. For example, a class might get together outdoors. The students and teacher sit in a circle under a tree, or beside a stream.

However, all of this does not mean that students are allowed to do whatever they want in their courses. At most colleges and universities there is a lot of emphasis on academic accomplishment. The faculty expects students to listen to lectures, complete assignments, and prepare for examinations. Teachers do not follow students around, asking them to study. However, if students need help with assignments, professors or assistants will meet with them during office hours.

NEC1.14 Dictations

There are three main kinds of food. Sugar and starch are grouped together as carbohydrates: they are found in bread, potatoes and rice. These are mainly energy-giving food which the muscles and other tissues use. Fats are also energy-giving foods but do no give it as quickly as the sugars and starches as they have to be broken up in the liver and made into sugar before they can be burnt by the body. The other class known as proteins are the main solid part in all living cells. They are found in milk, meat and fish, and are necessary to the body to enable it to build new cells and repair old ones. For this reason growing children need more proteins than adults. Children are much more active than adults and use more energy for their size they need a lot of energy-giving foods, the carbohydrates. Children cannot get much of their energy from fat because it makes them unwell if they eat too much of it. A specially fine thing about the body is that it uses the things you like better than the things you do not like, so giving truth to the old saying ―A little of what you fancy does you good."

As the number of people in the world increases, people face more and more serious problems. Food, clothing and shelter are what we need most, but we will not have enough materials to provide people with all the necessaries.

How are we trying to avoid these problems? One solution is that we should have smaller families and lower the birth rate. Many nations have plans to limit their population. Another solution is that we should improve our food supply. Farmers are experimenting with ways to increase the amount of food that they grow on each piece of land. Another solution that may help is to plan places for people to live. Many countries are limiting the size of their large cities and trying to make people live in small towns and in the countryside.

NEC1.15 Dictations

Many people buy a product because it is made by a certain company. In fact, some people only buy a product of a famous company. They think it proves that they are fashionable and have good taste. It is common to find advertisements on TV or radio. Most advertisements are very short for people to remember. Nike, for example, has a simple slogan used all around the world: ―Just do it‖. Advertisements often use funny situations as well. It is easy to remember an entertaining ad.

All advertisements are designed to make people buy a product. An advertisement for a soft drink, for example, might show a group of trendy young people who are having fun. The young people are all drinking the soft drink. Advertisers are saying to you, ―Why don‘t you buy it and be like these people? You can be young, modern and trendy, too.‖ You might think that advertisements do not affect you, but the next time you buy a soft drink, ask yourself: Why am I buying this particular product?

A glance at any newspaper will reveal hundreds of advertisements. Some are elaborate full-page displays, while the majority are in the more economical classified sections. People and firms advertise for all sorts of reasons. We can read about job vacancies, new products, people wanting to sell or purchase houses and cars, announcements of births and deaths, lonely hearts looking for partners, home services and others. The list goes on, and expanding everyday.

The uses of advertisement are undisputed. Large companies depend heavily on advertisement to make their products known to the consumers. These companies play a major role in the development of sports in our country. Without them acting as sponsor we would not be able stage international sporting events. Most magazines and periodicals survive because of advertisements. The people or firms that advertise provide the necessary finance to keep these magazines running. Both parties benefit. The publishers get to carry on their business and the advertisers get to sell their products. However some magazines seem to lose their original propose after a while because they have too many advertisements.

英语专四历年听写文本

历年英语专业四级考试听力听写原文（1994年-2007年） The American Family (1994) The concept of family life has changed considerably over the years. / In earliest times, several generations lived together in clans, / which consisted of all living descendents and their husbands or wives. / These clans were almost totally self-sufficient, / every member contributing in some way toward the survival of the group. / The men hunted and fished for food or sometimes maintained flocks of sheep or goats. / The women baked bread and roasted the meat their men provided. / Special members of the community were selected to make products like pottery, baskets and home weapons. / But with the development of greater varieties of food, clothing and shelter, / a single clan could no longer develop all the individual skills the group required. / Clans merged into larger societies and at the same time broke into smaller units consisting of married couples and their children. / Later the Industrial Revolution brought about even more important changes in family life. / New inventions brought shorter working hours for men and easier housekeeping routines for women. / Today a productive family life suggests not the group's cooperative efforts of working together, / but the pleasant and meaningful sharing of its leisure. Unidentified Flying Objects (1995) 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. The Indian Medicine Man (1996) Among the Indians of North America, the medicine man was a very important person. He could cure illness and he could speak to the spirits. The spirits were the supernatural forces that controlled the world. The Indians believed that bad spirits made people ill. So when people were ill, the medicine man tried to help them by using magic. He spoke to the good spirits and asked for their help. Many people were cured, because they thought the spirits were helping them, but really these people cured themselves. Sometimes your own mind is the best doctor for you. The medicine men were often successful for another reason, too. They knew about plants that really can cure illness. A lot of medicines are made from the plants that were used by medicine men hundred of years ago. Legal Age for Marriage (1997)

英语专业四级考试真题听力部分历年听写原文(2005年-2014年)

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.

英语专四听力dictation

Digital cameras According to a standard definition, a digital camera is a camera that produces digital images that can be stored in a computer, displayed on a screen and printed. Years ago, people used to possess two different devices in order to take pictures and make videos. The creation of digital cameras was motivated mainly by two factors. First, need to spare space. Second make it more comfortable for people to do both things with higher quality results. the multi-functionalism of digital cameras and combination of several devices in one make it a popular choice for a modern man. For years a digital camera has been unaffordable for many families. However, the variety of digital cameras and various prices nowadays make it possible for almost every single family to buy a digital camera. With increasingly fierce competition, the digital camera manufactures satisfy customers with lower prices but best quality standards. The migration of birds The most obvious feature of birds is that they can fly. This facility gives them great mobility and control over their movements. Many species can travel quickly and economically over long distances, up to thousands of kilometers, if necessary, crossing seas, deserts or other inhospitable areas. They also have great orientation and navigational skills and are able to remember and re-find remote places they have previously visited. Birds can thereby occupy widely separated areas at different seasons, returning repeatedly to the same localities from year to year. Although migration is evident in other animal groups, including insects, mammals and fish, in none is it as widely and well-developed as in birds. The collective travel routes of birds span almost the entire planet. As a result of migration, birds’ distributions are continually changing on regular seasonal patterns and on local, regional or global scales. Benefits of becoming a teacher Becoming a teacher gives you a chance to spend a major portion of your day with children or youngsters. With kids around, you are a part of their world of innocence and purity. It indeed creates a healthy work environment for you. On becoming a teacher, you get a chance to be with children, laughing with them, think their way and enjoy their innocent, silly and hopefully naughty behavior. Apart from this, the nature of your job is that you do not work on weekends and you get your share of holidays. Becoming a teacher entitles you for receiving private scholarships and sponsorships for teaching programs. However, one of the most important benefits of becoming a teacher is that teachers contribute to the shaping of the future generations. They make a difference to society by playing a vital role in nurturing young minds. British and American police officers Real policemen both in Britain and the U.S. hardly recognize any common points between their lives and what they see on TV, if they ever get home in time. Some

专四dictation原文(1993—2012)

Package Holidays (1993) 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． The American Family (1994) 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 combinations. 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. Unidentified Flying Objects (1995) 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. The Indian Medicine Man (1996) Among the Indians of North America, the medicine man was a very important person. He could cure illness and he could speak to the spirits. The spirits were the supernatural forces that controlled the world. The Indians believed that bad spirits made people ill. So when people were ill, the medicine man tried to help them by using magic. He spoke to the good spirits and asked for their help. Many people were cured, because they thought the spirits were helping them, but really these people cured themselves. Sometimes your own mind is the best doctor for you. The medicine men were often successful for another reason, too. They knew about plants that really can cure illness. A lot of medicines are made from the plants that were used by medicine men

专四1995_2004历年真题听力Dictation部分

Unidentified Flying Objects There are many explanations for why UFOs exist on earth. The most popular one is that they may contain visitor from other planets. To fly such an aircraft the 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 among us. But there are also less fantastic explanations available. Although some sightings of UFO 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 onto the clouds. However, the exact cause of many sightings still remains a mystery. 1996 The Indian Medicine Man Among the Indians of North America, the medicine-man was a very important person. He could cure illnesses and he could speak to the spirits. The spirits were the super-natural forces that controlled the world. The Indians believed that had spirits made people ill. So when people were ill. The medicine man tried to help them by using magic. He spoke to the good spirits and asked for their help. Many people were cured because they thought that these spirits were helping them. But, really, these people curded themselves. Sometimes, your mind is the best doctor for you. The medicine-men were often successful for other reason, too. They knew about plants that really can cure illnesses. A lot of modern medicines are made from plants that were used by medicine-men hundreds of years ago. 1997 Legal Age for Marriage Throughout the United States, the legal age for marriage shows some difference. The most common 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 state legally married. Each state issues its own marriage license. Both residents and non-residents are qualified for such a license. The fees and ceremonies vary greatly from state to state. Most states, for instance, have a blood test requirement, but a few do not. Most states permit either a civil or religious ceremony, but a few require the ceremony to be religious. In most states a waiting period is required before the license is issued. This period is from one to five days depending on the state. A three-day-wait is the most common. In some states there is no required waiting period. 1998 The Railway in Britain The success of early railways, such as the lines between big cities, led to a great increase in railway building in Victorian times. Between 1835 and 1865 about 25000 kilometers of track were built, and over 100 railway companies were created. Railway travel transformed people’s lives. Trains were first designed to carry to 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 afford to travel by rail. Cheap day excursion trains became popular and seaside resorts grew rapidly. 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 time meant that local time was abolished and clocks showed the same time all over the country.

专四听力原文

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)

2017专四答案+听力原文

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.