2020年09月英语四级第1套听力原文及题目

2020年09月英语四级第1套听力原文及题目

Section A
Direction: In this section, you will hear three news reports. At the end of each news report, you will hear two or three questions. Both the news report and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre.

News Report 1
A NASA satellite orbiting over Portugal took photographs that reveal the effects of pollution from ships. One of the photos shows a thin film of clouds above the brilliant blue of the North Atlantic, cut by white lines of thicker clouds that look like scars. NASA officials explained those thicker clouds are signs of ship traffic below. When ships power their ways through the ocean, they pump exhaust into the atmosphere, just as cars do. And those massive amounts of particles can cause clouds to form. Get enough of those particles in one place, as from the exhaust of a ship, and they can lead to the creation of new clouds easily visible from space. “These clouds can be huge, some of them stretch hundreds of kilometers from end to end”, NSAS officials said. It’s likely that these sorts of clouds are having some effect on the global climate, according to NASA officials. But scientists aren’t yet sure what effect it has.
Questions 1 and 2 are based on the news report you have just heard.
Question 1: What has caused the thick clouds in the photos taken by a NASA satellite?
Question 2: What do NASA officials think about the thick clouds?

1.
A) Warm currents in the ocean.
B) Ship traffic in the Atlantic.
C) Particles emitted by power plants.
D) Exhaust from cars in Europe.

2.
A) They need to be taken seriously.
B) They have a huge effect on fishery.
C) They may be affecting the world’s climate.
D) They might be causing trouble to air flights.

News Report 2
Staff at a suburban supermarket in Melbourne say they feel unsafe at work after security guards were removed. This came after a series of physical attacks and verbal abuse by customers. More than 50 workers at the store have signed a letter calling for a permanent security guard following a series of incidents, including a customer threatening to attack a supervisor with a knife. “A security worker had guarded the store each night from 7pm until 12am, but that had stopped suddenly on Monday,” employees said. One worker said an angry customer had thrown a chicken at his head after complaining about how long she had waited to be served. Another worker said the lack of protection at the store made her feel uncomfortable at work. However, the spokesman of the supermarket said the store had taken strong action in response to incidents, “We have found very few instances of bad customer behavior at our store in the past year. In the rare cases we have seen bad behavior, we have taken strong action in response, including banning a customer from the store.”
Questions 3 and 4 are based on the news report you have just heard.
Question 3: For what purpose, did the staff at the supermarket in Melbourne sign a letter?
Question 4: What did the spokesman of the supermarket say, regarding the employees’ demand?

3.
A) To appeal for higher wages.
B) To demand better health care.
C) To dismiss the bad-tempered supervisor.
D) To call for a permanent security guard.

4.
A) It was seeking help from the police.
B) It would put customers’ needs first.
C) It had already taken strong action.
D) It would take their appeal seriously.

News Report 3
Drivers on their way to the Polish capital of Warsaw on Wednesday morning found the road blocked by an unusual obstacle – tons of liquid chocolate that spilled onto the motorway.
A truck carrying the sweet load hit a road barrier and overturned, blocking two lanes. The cracked tank spilled a pool of rapidly hardening chocolate, which quickly covered the width of the road. While the driver was taken to hospital with a broken arm, firefighters struggle to remove a reported 12 tons of solid chocolate from the road.
A representative for the firefighters told the local TV that removing the chocolate was worse than dealing with snow. After contacting the chocolate manufacturer, the firefighters resorted to spraying hot, pressurized water to get rid of the sticky substance.
The local TV also noted that the cleanup spanned more than a mile, because drivers simply drove through the chocolate after the crash, leaving a long chocolate trail. But despite the sticky situation, firefighters and police attending to the cleanup were reportedly cheerful about the long task ahead. After all, who could be mad about 12 tons of chocolate?
Questions 5 to 7 are based on the news report you have just heard.
Question 5: What did drivers on the motorway to Warsaw find?
Question 6: What does the report say about the accident?
Question 7: What did the firefighters’ representative tell the local TV?

5.
A) The road was blocked.
B) The road was flooded.
C) The road was frozen with snow.
D) The road was covered with spilled gas.

6.
A) A truck hit a barrier and overturned.
B) The truck driver dozed off while driving.
C) The heavy snow made driving very difficult.
D) A truck plunged into a pool of liquid chocolate.

7.
A) It was fortunate that no passenger got injured.
B) It was a hard task to remove the spilled substance.
C) It was a long time before the cleanup was finished.
D) It was difficult to contact the manufacturer.

Section B
Direction: In this section, you will hear two long conversations. At the end of each conversation, you will hear four questions. Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre.

Conversation 1
M: Lisa, why did you pay for you meal with cash instead of the payment apps on your phone?
W: Well, I’ve gone back to cash, I’m only using payment apps if that’s the only option. I’m trying to save money for a new phone, and I find that using cash rather than payment apps helps me to save.
M: But how? Money is money, isn’t it? I don’t think it matters whether you take it out to the bank and put it into wallet, or simply transfer from your bank account to the sellers’ bank account using an app.
W: No, I believe it does matter. It’s a psychological phenomenon. I believe we have less connection with a value of our money, when we just tap the approve buttons on our phones.
M: You might have a point, since I stop carrying cash around, and start to using my phone apps to pay, I may have developed a tendency to buy more small or non-essential items.
W: That’s highly possible, think about the amount of time we spend with our phones in our hands, and all the things we do with our phones. It’s sometimes seems that our phone is buying the product for us, not ourselves.
M: So, cash is payment affects our ability to budget?
W: I believe so, if we spend a hundred Yuan in cash, we realize that we don’t have that hundred Yuan to spend on something else. But if we spend in electronically, we’re less likely to make that mental calculation.
M: I stopped using my credit card because I’m fond of spending excessively. Perhaps I should take the same approach of paying using my phone.
W: It’s worth considering.
Questions 8 to 11 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
Question 8: Why did the woman decide to go back to cash for payment?
Question 9: What happens when people use apps for payment according to the woman?
Question 10: What might the man tend to buy with payment apps?
Question 11: What does the man think of electronic payment?

8.
A) She found it much safer to use cash.
B) She could enjoy discounts with cash.
C) She wanted to save for a new phone.
D) She bad been cheated using phone.

9.
A) They derive greater pleasure from buying things.
B) They are less aware of the value of their money.
C) They find it less difficult to make purchases.
D) They can save a lot more time and trouble.

10.
A) More valuable items.
B) Electronic devices.
C) Everyday necessities.
D) More non-essential things.

11.
A) It may lead to excessive spending.
B) It is altering the way of shopping.
C) It can improve shopping efficiency.
D) It appeals more to younger people.

Conversation 2
W: Hello Mr. Brown. I was expecting your call. My secretary told me you were having some problems with the wooden table, is that right?
M: No, no, the table is fine. The problem is the chairs.
W: Oh, the chairs, so, what exactly is the issue?
M: Well, put simply, these are not the chairs my wife and I selected in your store last week. There must be some confusion with our order.
W: Oh, I see. I’m looking through my files now. And I see that the delivery was this morning. Is that correct?
M: Yes.
W: Do you mind describing the chairs that were delivered to your apartment, Mr. Brown?
M: Sure. These have a flat back with a round top and very heavy. They are light brown and look kind of cheap. The ones we ordered were dark brown to match the table.
W: Right. Of course. It says here you purchased the Arlington table and four Milano chairs. As you said. There must be some confusion with the order. I’m terribly sorry. We’ll send a van to collect those four and replace them with the Milano you purchased. Will tomorrow 9 a.m. be ok Mr. Brown?
M: Yes. That would be great. Thank you.
W: Good. Did everything else you ordered from us arrive ok?
M: Yes. I think so. Let me check. The mirror and two paintings are here. The two coffee tables are also here. And the sofa. Yes. We haven’t noticed anything else wrong or missing. But if we do. We’ll certainly let you know.
W: OK. Great. Once again. I’m sorry for the confusion and trouble caused.
Questions 12 to 15 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
Question 12: Why did the man call the woman?
Question 13: What did the woman ask the man to do?
Question 14: What did the woman promise to do for the man?
Question 15: What did the woman do at the end of the conversation?

12.
A) He wanted the furniture store to give him a refund.
B) He had a problem with the furniture delivered.
C) He had to change the furniture delivery time.
D) He wanted to order some wooden furniture.

13.
A) Send the furniture back to the store.
B) Buy another brand of furniture.
C) Collect the furniture he ordered.
D) Describe the furniture he received.

14.
A) Improve their service.
B) Apologize to his wife.
C) Correct their mistake.
D) Give the money back.

15.
A) She recommended a new style.
B) She decided all the items with the man.
C) She offered some gift to the man.
D) She apologized to the man once more.

Section C
Direction: In this section, you will hear three passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear three or four questions. Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre.

Passage 1
Do you have too much stuff? Are you dare we say it “untidy”? Say hello to a TV show called “Tidying Up with Marie Kondo”. A home improvement show based on her widely popular book The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up. In the show, Marie Kondo acts as a tiny garbage fairy for messy people, visiting their houses to share the wisdom of the “KonMari” method. This method is simple in theory but can be endlessly complex in practice. You divide all the stuff in your house – all of it – into several categories, and then examine each item – all of them – to see if it sparks joy. If it does, you keep it. If it doesn’t, you thank it, and neatly discard it.
So, is the TV show inspiring people to tidy up? Firsthand accounts seem to indicate a small wave of people bringing piles of donation bags to used good stores. One store received thousands of bags of used possessions in one day. January is usually the store’s slow season for donations, because it’s cold and people don’t want to bother. But not this January. People seemed determined to clean up their homes. One used bookstore received a month’s worth of books in donations in a week when a man gave over 50 boxes of books from his home. It seems Marie’s TV show is having a big impact after all.
Questions 16 to 18 are based on the passage you have just heard.
Question 16. What is Maire Kondo’s TV show about?
Question 17. What things can be kept in one’s home, according to Maire Kondo?
Question 18. What do we learn about one used bookstore this January?

16.
A) Tidying up one’s home.
B) Reading books of wisdom.
C) Donating to charity.
D) Sharing with others.

17.
A) Things that occupy little space.
B) Things that are becoming rare.
C) Things that make one happy.
D) Things that cost a lot of money.

18.
A) It did little business because of the unusual cold weather.
B) It received an incredibly large number of donated books.
C) It sold as many as fifty boxes of books.
D) It joined the city’s clean-up campaign.

Passage 2
At just twelve years old, Mike Hannon is making a difference in his community – one lunch at a time. “Mike’s Lunches of Love” has fed more than 2,000 of the town’s most vulnerable residents. Mike delivers meals to the homeless. “It’s like a way to give people joy, maybe spark something in them that can change them,” Mike told WBZ-TV. The mayor of Mike’s town feels that Mike is a great community leader, especially in such times of so much negative news. While his father commented on how proud he was of his son, yet Mike isn’t looking for praise, but kindness in return. He hopes his active charity will influence others to spread positive actions in their own towns. Mike includes a handwritten message of joy on each bag. His message and star power has spread all over the country. To date, his online page to raise funds has brought in more than 44,000 dollars and counting, raising more than 17,000 dollars in just one day, with the hope of many famous actors and others. People from all over the county are sending special handcraft bags to help the young man with his mission to help those in need. Many are hoping the simple active kindness spreads. Mike is seemed as the hope for the future of the town, the country and the world.
Questions 19 to 21 are based on the passage you have just heard.
Question 19: What does Mike Hannon do to help people in his town?
Question 20: What does Mike hope others will do?
Question 21: How are people all over the country responding to what Mike is doing?

19.
A) Give free meals to the homeless.
B) Provide shelter for the homeless.
C) Call for change in the local government.
D) Help the vulnerable to cook lunches.

20.
A) Promote understanding.
B) Strengthen co-operation.
C) Follow his example.
D) Win national support.

21.
A) Spreading news of his deeds.
B) Sending him hand-made bags.
C) Following the example he sets.
D) Writing him thank-you notes.

Passage 3
In a recent study carried out by psychologists on the disruptive effects of smart phones, two groups of college students were given word-search puzzles. The first group was told to complete the puzzles with its participants’ smart phones in their line of sight. The second group, however, was told that the phones would interfere with the equipment in the experiment and would need be moved away from the testing area. Midway through the second group’s solving of the puzzles, the experiment called one of the phones and let it ring for a while before hanging up. Many of the students in that group were unable to focus from then on, becoming anxious and performing more poorly than the first group.
Use of electronics has also been known to lead to a decline in human interactions. Rather than having real-life conversations, many express emotions and engage in deep conversations through social media sites. Many students use their phones and computers during class for non-academic activities, which leads to poor grades. Perhaps the most dramatic impact is the reduction in amount of sleep, which lead to poor health and weight gain.
Technology is a great tool. However, it’s important to recognize its downsides. Lack of sleep, reduction of productivity, and weight gain are only a few. If we are not careful about all these mind problems right now, the effect on the future generation is going to be much bigger.
Questions 22 to 25 are based on the passage you have just heard.
Question 22: What were the college students in both groups required to do in the study?
Question 23: What do we learn about many of the students in the second test group after the phone ring?
Question 24: According to the passage, what is the most dramatic impact of smart phone use?
Question 25: What does the speaker suggest people do?

22.
A) To install some audio equipment in a lab.
B) To test their eyesight using a phone app.
C) To send smartphone messages.
D) To solve word search puzzles.

23.
A) They could no longer concentrate on their task.
B) They could not go on until the ringing stopped.
C) They grabbed the phone and called back right away.
D) They asked their experimenter to hung up the phone.

24.
A) A decline in sports activities.
B) A rise in emotional problems.
C) A decline in academic performance.
D) A reduction in the amount of sleep.

25.
A) Ensure they have sufficient sleep every day.
B) Realize the disruptive effects of technology.
C) Take effective measures to raise productivity.
D) Protect the eyesight of the younger generation.

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