2002-620套四级真题听力原文

1. M: Jessica, could you this emails to all the club members?

W: Sorry, the computer broke down this morning. I will for you as soon as I have fixed.

Q: What does the woman imply?

2. W: Did you find the book for your reading assignment in the library?

M: It closed before I got there. I had no idea that it closes so early on weekends.

Q: What does the man mean?

3. M: Did you check the power plug and press the play button?

W: Yes, the power indicator was on, and it was running, but somehow the sound didn’t come through.

Q: What was the woman probably trying to do?

4. M: Juana, I am awfully sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you. Shall we have a beer and forget the whole thing?

W: OK, we can drop it this time. But don’t do it again.

Q: What do we learn from the conversation?

5. W: Airports are sad places.

M: Sometimes, I guess. But we’ll keep in touch. And I will fly over to see you with Christmas.

Q: What are the speakers doing?

6. M: Are you going to return to your present job after the vacation?

W: No, I plan to graduate next semester. That means I’ll have to be a full-time student.

Q: What will the woman do?

7. W: John, are you doing research for Professor Williams this semester?

M: Actually, I am working as his teaching assistant.

Q: What does the man mean?

8. M: I heard there are a few seats left for the show tonight.

W: Really? I was under the impression that the tickets were sold out a long time ago.

Q: What do we know from the woman’s reply?

9. W: Mrs. Long’s briefing seems to go on forever. I was barely able to stay awake.

M: How could you sleep through that? It was very important for the mission we were going to carry out.

Q: What does the man imply?

10. W: You seem very confident about the job interview, don’t you?

M: Yes, I feel ready for it. I bought a good suit and clothing store and I had my hair cut. I had studied almost everything about finance and economics.

Q: Where is the man probably going to work?

Passage One

There was once a man in South America who had a parrot, a pet bird that could imitate human speech. The parrot was unique. There was no bird like him in the whole world. He could learn to say any word except one. He could not say the name of his native town, Ketunnel. The man did everything he could to teach the parrot to say Ketunnel, but he never succeeded. At first he was very gentle with the bird. But gradually, he lost his temper. “You stupid bird. Why can’t you learn to say that one word? Say Ketunnel or I will kill you.” But the parrot would not say it. Many times the man screamed, “Say Ketunnel, or I’ll kill you.” But the bird would never repeat the name. Finally, the man gave up. He picked up the parrot and threw him into the chicken house. “You are even more stupid than the chickens.” In the chicken house, there were four old chickens, waiting to be killed for Sunday

’s dinner. The next morning, when he went out of the chicken house, the man opened the door. He was shocked by what he saw. He could not believe his eyes and ears. On the floor lay three dead chickens. The parrot was screaming at the fourth, “Say Ketunnel, or I’ll kill you.”

Questions 11 to 13 are based on the passage you have just heard.

11. Why did the man lose his temper?

12. Who killed the three chickens?

13. Why was the shocked at the scene the next morning?

Passage Two

In Britain, if you are found guilty of a crime, you can be sent to prison or be fined or be ordered to do community work such as tidying public places and helping the old. You may also be sent to special centers when you learn special skills like cooking, writing and car maintenance. About 5 percent of the present population are women. Many prisons were built over one hundred years ago. But the government will have built 11 new prisons by next year. There are two sorts of prisons: the open sort and the closed sort. In the closed sort, prisoners are given very little freedom. They spend three to ten hours outside their cells when they exercise, eat, study, learn skills, watch TV and talk to other prisoners. All prisoners are expected to work. Most of them are paid for what they do, whether it is doing maintenance or cooking and cleaning. Prisoners in open prisons are locked up at night, but for the rest of the time, they are free within the prison grounds. They can exercise, have visitors, or study. And some are allowed out of the ground to study or to do community work.

Questions 14 to 16 are based on the passage you have just heard.

14. What do we know about women prisoners in Britain?

15. In what way are open prisons different from closed prisons?

16. What do we learn about prisoners in Britain?

Passage Three

London taxi drivers know the capital like the back of their hands. No matter how small or indistinct the street is, the driver will be able to get you there without any trouble. The reason London taxi drivers are so efficient is that they all have gone through a very tough training period to get special taxi driving license. During this period, which can take two to four years, the would-be taxi driver has to learn the most direct route to every single road and to every important building in London. To achieve this, most learners go around the city on small motorbikes practicing how to move to and from different points of the city. Learner taxi drivers are tested several times during the training period by government officers. The exams are terrible experience. The officers ask you “How do you get from Birmingham palace to the Tower of London?” and you have to take them there in the direct line. When you get to the tower, they won’t say “well done”. They will quickly move on to the next question. After five or six questions, they will just say “See you in two months’ time.” and then you know the exam is o

ver. Learner drivers are not allowed to work and earn money as drivers. Therefore, many of them keep their previous jobs until they have obtained the license. The training can cost quite a lot, because learners have to pay for their own expenses on the tests and the medical exam.

Questions 17 to 20 are based on the passage you have just heard.

17. Why are London taxi drivers very efficient?

18. How long does the training period last?

19. Why does the speaker think the driving test is a terrible experience?

20. Why do learner drivers have to keep their present jobs?