王迈迈大学英语四级预测与详解 04

 　　[00:02.75]Section A

　　[00:04.34]11. M: When shall we start our work, Jane?
　　[00:07.41]W: At 9. But we must hurry
　　[00:09.20]for we have to finish everything before 3 in the afternoon.
　　[00:13.05]Q: For how long will they work?
　　[00:30.59]12. W: Would you like to hear the latest jazz record?
　　[00:34.11]M: Sure, it has one of my favorite songs.
　　[00:37.02]Q: What are they doing?
　　[00:54.27]13. M: The box looks very heavy.
　　[00:56.79]Would you like me to carry it for you?
　　[00:58.94]W: Oh, no. I can manage. Thanks anyway.
　　[01:01.97]Q: How does the woman respond?
　　[01:20.03]14. M: I think we'd better paint our house yellow.
　　[01:23.05]W: Why not white?
　　[01:24.49]Q: What does the woman mean?
　　[01:41.86]15. W: I heard you've caught a bad cold.
　　[01:45.08]How are you feeling today?
　　[01:46.43]M: Can't complain. At least I'm out of bed.
　　[01:48.78]Q: How is the man today?
　　[02:06.44]16. W: Believe it or not, Jim has come out of the accident alive.
　　[02:11.95]M: That's true. But his bike is a total wreck 1, you know.
　　[02:15.06]Q: What do you learn from the conversation?
　　[02:33.46]17. M: Jane, have you met Andrew recently?
　　[02:36.96]W: Oh, yes. To my surprise,
　　[02:38.79]he's no longer the man he was two years ago.
　　[02:41.83]Q: What does the woman mean?
　　[02:47.39]18. M: Steve didn't have a chance of winning a gold medal at the Olympics.
　　[02:52.47]W: What a shame, but he'd done his best.
　　[02:55.33]Q: What do you learn from the conversation?
　　[03:14.85]Now you'll hear two long conversations.
　　[03:18.73]Conversation One
　　[03:20.90]W: Hello, Gary. How're you? 
　　[03:23.27]M: Fine! And yourself? 
　　[03:24.66]W: Can't complain. Did you have time to look at my proposal?
　　[03:27.76]M: No, not really. Can we go over it now?
　　[03:30.17]W: Sure. I've been trying to come up with
　　[03:32.50]some new production and advertising 2 strategies.
　　[03:34.80]First of all, if we want to stay competitive,
　　[03:37.67]we need to modernize 3 our factory.
　　[03:39.95]New equipment should've been installed long ago.
　　[03:43.46]M: How much will that cost? 
　　[03:45.25]W: We have several options ranging from one hundred thousand dollars
　　[03:48.58]all the way up to half a million.
　　[03:50.77]M: OK. We'll have to discuss these costs with finance.
　　[03:54.15]W: We should also consider human resources.
　　[03:56.58]I've been talking to personnel as well as our staff at the factory.
　　[04:01.14]M: And what's the picture? 
　　[04:02.16]W: We'll probably have to hire a couple of engineers
　　[04:04.26]to help us modernize the factory.
　　[04:06.35]M: What about advertising? 
　　[04:07.73]W: Marketing 4 has some interesting ideas for television commercials.
　　[04:11.43]M: TV? Isn't that a bit too expensive for us?
　　[04:14.09]What's wrong with advertising in the papers, as usual?
　　[04:16.88]W: Quite frankly 5, it's just not enough anymore.
　　[04:19.67]We need to be more aggressive in order to keep ahead of our competitors.
　　[04:23.79]M: Will we be able to afford all this? 
　　[04:25.89]W: I'll look into it, but I think higher costs will be justified 6.
　　[04:29.19]These investments will result in higher profits for our company.
　　[04:33.01]M: We'll have to look at the figures more closely.
　　[04:35.11]Have finance draw up a budget for these investments.
　　[04:38.09]W: All right. I'll see to it.
　　[04:40.60]Questions 19 to 22 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
　　[04:46.19]19. What are the two speakers talking about?
　　[05:04.53]20. What does the woman say about the equipment of their factory?
　　[05:23.90]21. What does the woman suggest about human resources?
　　[05:43.03]22. Why does the woman suggest advertising on TV?
　　[06:03.32]Conversation Two
　　[06:05.64]W: Sir, you've been using the online catalogue for quite a while.
　　[06:09.53]Is there anything I can do to help you?
　　[06:11.82]M: Well, I've got to write a paper about Hollywood in the 30s and 40s,
　　[06:16.07]and I'm really struggling.
　　[06:17.67]There are hundreds of books,
　　[06:18.80]and I just don't know where to begin.
　　[06:20.98]W: Your topic sounds pretty big.
　　[06:23.00]Why don't you narrow it down to something like …
　　[06:25.53]Uh … the history of the studios during that time?
　　[06:29.52]M: You know, I was thinking about doing that,
　　[06:31.70]but more than 30 books came up when I typed in "movie studios".
　　[06:35.92]W: You could cut that down even further
　　[06:38.77]by listing the specific years you want.
　　[06:41.60]Try adding "1930s" or "1940s" or maybe "Golden Age".
　　[06:46.48]M: "Golden Age" is a good idea.
　　[06:47.88]Let me type that in.
　　[06:49.12]Hey, look, just 6 books this time.
　　[06:51.02]That's a lot better.
　　[06:52.14]W: Oh… another thing you might consider
　　[06:54.80]have you tried looking for any magazine or newspaper articles?
　　[06:58.61]M: No, I've only been searching for books.
　　[07:01.24]W: Well, you can look up magazine articles
　　[07:03.97]in the Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature.
　　[07:06.90]And we do have the Los Angeles Times available over there.
　　[07:10.35]You might go through their indexes to see if there's anything you want.
　　[07:14.17]M: Okay. I think I'll get started with these books
　　[07:16.45]and then I'll go over the magazines.
　　[07:18.38]W: If you need any help, I'll be over at the Reference Desk.
　　[07:21.28]M: Great, thanks a lot.
　　[07:23.61]Questions 23 to 25 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
　　[07:29.30]23. What is the man doing? 
　　[07:47.33]24. What does the librarian think of the topic the man is working on?
　　[08:07.83]25. Where can the man find the relevant magazine articles?
　　[08:28.79]Section B
　　[08:30.95]Passage One
　　[08:32.92]Scientists are trying to design some small cars
　　[08:36.43]that may some day take the place of today's big automobiles 7.
　　[08:40.59]If everyone drives such cars in the future,
　　[08:43.30]there will be less pollution in the air.
　　[08:45.35]There will also be more space for parking cars in cities,
　　[08:48.77]and the streets will be less crowded.
　　[08:50.65]Three such cars can fit in the space
　　[08:52.86]that is now needed for one car of the usual size.
　　[08:56.23]The little cars will cost much less to own and to drive.
　　[09:00.42]Driving will be safer, too,
　　[09:02.16]as these little cars can go only 65 kilometers per hour.
　　[09:06.18]The little cars of the future will be fine for getting around the city,
　　[09:10.09]but they will not be useful for long trips.
　　[09:12.65]Little cars which are powered by gasoline will go 450 kilometers
　　[09:17.50]before needing to stop for more gasoline.
　　[09:20.17]If big cars are still used along with the small ones,
　　[09:23.47]two sets of roads will be needed in the future.
　　[09:26.50]Some roads will be used for the big,
　　[09:28.44]fast cars and other roads will be needed for the slower, small ones.
　　[09:32.95]Questions 26 to 28 are based on the passage you have just heard.
　　[09:38.85]26. What are some scientists doing now?
　　[09:57.58]27. What are the advantages of such little cars?
　　[10:17.28]28. What can be inferred from the passage?
　　[10:36.59]Passage Two
　　[10:38.58]Last year my friends and I went climbing in the Himalayas.
　　[10:42.01]We followed an unhurried routine.
　　[10:44.27]Every day we would get up at 5∶30 a.m.,
　　[10:47.21]have a cup of tea,and be on the move after 6.
　　[10:50.16]Our kitchen staff would go ahead to select a suitable place for breakfast.
　　[10:54.21]Arriving at some pleasant stream after two or three hours,
　　[10:57.54]we would make a long stop;
　　[10:59.04]and while the cook was making the fire and preparing our breakfast,
　　[11:02.83]some of us would swim and rest,
　　[11:04.60]some would read and write,
　　[11:05.57]others would watch birds or catch butterflies and insects.
　　[11:09.86]We would reach camp in the early afternoon,
　　[11:12.49]so that we would have plenty of time to settle in,
　　[11:14.93]write diaries and reports for newspapers,
　　[11:17.58]and discuss future plans.
　　[11:19.32]Our climbs, as well as the leisure hours in camp,
　　[11:22.52]helped to form firm friendship.
　　[11:24.66]Through comparing our very different backgrounds and interests,
　　[11:28.29]and through discussing our experiences we soon came to appreciate one another.
　　[11:32.94]At the same time, we also made friends with our native guides.
　　[11:36.24]An arrangement which seemed to give mutual 8 pleasure
　　[11:38.97]in our Himalayan travel was that each man was cared for by a faithful follower 9.
　　[11:44.15]This person would bring him his tea in the morning,
　　[11:47.00]lay out his sleeping bag at night,
　　[11:49.04]help to carry his personal belongings 10 and encourage him all the way
　　[11:52.96]whenever we faced difficulties and danger.
　　[11:56.92]Questions 29 to 31 are based on the passage you have just heard.
　　[12:02.60]29. What would the mountaineers do soon after they got up?
　　[12:21.88]30. Which of the following was NOT mentioned
　　[12:25.30]as one of the things they did during the long stop in the morning?
　　[12:43.96]31. What did the native guides do to help the members of the team during the trip?
　　[13:05.59]Passage Three
　　[13:07.42]Mr Wilmot was born in a little village near the coast
　　[13:10.82]and had gone to school in the nearest seaside town,
　　[13:14.31]but he was not a lover of the sea.
　　[13:16.73]Even when walking along the sands,
　　[13:18.70]he was afraid of being cut off by the tide.
　　[13:21.48]Mr Wilmot was not a very good swimmer,
　　[13:24.29]so perhaps this was why he disliked the sea.
　　[13:27.47]After working for some years in London,
　　[13:29.68]Mr Wilmot was transferred to a town near the coast
　　[13:33.06]and of course, the family often made trips to the beach.
　　[13:36.30]One day his children asked him to take them out into the bay in a boat.
　　[13:40.33]The sun shone brightly.
　　[13:41.76]There was little wind and the water was calm.
　　[13:44.32]So Mr Wilmot hired a boat and with his two children rowed out into the bay.
　　[13:49.10]They went farther than they had intended,
　　[13:51.56]past the cliff and out to the open sea.
　　[13:54.08]At first all went well,
　　[13:55.76]but when they decided 11 to turn back they found themselves faced with difficulties.
　　[14:00.05]A strong wind had sprung up and the currents were rather dangerous.
　　[14:04.55]Mr Wilmot rowed hard,
　　[14:06.39]but it seemed they were making little progress.
　　[14:08.69]The children were waving to attract the attention of the people on the beach.
　　[14:12.42]Just then a motor boat appeared from the direction of the bay.
　　[14:15.54]Their trouble had been noticed
　　[14:17.15]and the motor boat had come to their rescue.
　　[14:19.82]A rope was soon attached and their boat was pulled back
　　[14:23.69]round the cliff to the shore.
　　[14:25.17]Mr Wilmot's dislike of the sea became even stronger after this experience.
　　[14:30.83]Questions 32 to 35 are based on the passage you have just heard.
　　[14:36.76]32. Why was Mr Wilmot nervous about walking along the sand?
　　[14:56.83]33. What seemed to be the reason for Mr Wilmot's dislike of the sea?
　　[15:16.96]34. Why did Mr Wilmot agree to take his children out into the bay?
　　[15:36.70]35. What CAN'T you infer from the story?
　　[15:56.50]Section C
　　[15:58.33]Modern mass production methods lower the cost of making goods,
　　[16:02.14]and thus give us better values.
　　[16:04.55]At the same time, American ingenuity 12 and science are constantly
　　[16:09.38]at work improving the quality of products.
　　[16:11.93]In this way, better quality products at good values
　　[16:15.46]are continually being brought to the people of all income groups.
　　[16:19.84]As an example of how this works,
　　[16:21.87]when facial tissues were first put on the market in 1924,
　　[16:26.43]they were made in limited quantities and sold at 65 cents per box of 200.
　　[16:32.35]People liked these facial tissues immediately
　　[16:35.44]and began asking for them when they went into different stores.
　　[16:38.76]Because there was such a demand for the product,
　　[16:40.98]many facturers began making tissues in larger and larger quantities.
　　[16:45.20]Because the makers 13 were making tissues in greater quantities,
　　[16:48.80]their production costs were lowered so that the cost of tissues went down.
　　[16:52.66]In the meanwhile, the quality of facial tissues was constantly improving,
　　[16:56.74]because more manufacturers went into the business of making tissues,
　　[17:01.06]and each manufacturer strove to make his product better than his competitors.
　　[17:05.69]Today, instead of costing 65 cents,
　　[17:08.28]a box of 200 facial tissues costs around one third of that price,
　　[17:13.12]and they are both softer and stronger.
　　[17:15.38]When people are free to compete——
　　[17:17.41]when they are free to make more things and make them better——everyone benefits.
　　[17:24.77]Modern mass production methods lower the cost of making goods,
　　[17:29.24]and thus give us better values.
　　[17:31.89]At the same time, American ingenuity and science are constantly
　　[17:37.38]at work improving the quality of products.
　　[17:40.72]In this way, better quality products at good values
　　[17:44.08]are continually being brought to the people of all income groups.
　　[17:49.42]As an example of how this works,
　　[17:51.39]when facial tissues were first put on the market in 1924,
　　[17:55.97]they were made in limited quantities and sold at 65 cents per box of 200.
　　[18:02.50]People liked these facial tissues immediately
　　[18:05.41]and began asking for them when they went into different stores.
　　[18:09.78]Because there was such a demand for the product,
　　[18:12.14]many facturers began making tissues in larger and larger quantities.
　　[18:17.01]Because the makers were making tissues in greater quantities,
　　[18:20.64]their production costs were lowered so that the cost of tissues went down.
　　[18:24.53]In the meanwhile, the quality of facial tissues was constantly improving,
　　[18:28.62]because more manufacturers went into the business of making tissues,
　　[19:23.03]and each manufacturer strove to make his product better than his competitors.
　　[19:27.52]Today, instead of costing 65 cents,
　　[19:30.85]a box of 200 facial tissues costs around one third of that price,
　　[19:35.36]and they are both softer and stronger.
　　[20:26.77]When people are free to compete--
　　[20:28.40]when they are free to make more things and make them better--everyone benefits.
　　[21:23.77]Modern mass production methods lower the cost of making goods,
　　[21:27.42]and thus give us better values.
　　[21:29.86]At the same time, American ingenuity and science are constantly
　　[21:34.46]at work improving the quality of products.
　　[21:37.24]In this way, better quality products at good values
　　[21:40.66]are continually being brought to the people of all income groups.
　　[21:45.16]As an example of how this works,
　　[21:47.15]when facial tissues were first put on the market in 1924,
　　[21:51.69]they were made in limited quantities and sold at 65 cents per box of 200.
　　[21:57.64]People liked these facial tissues immediately
　　[22:00.29]and began asking for them when they went into different stores.
　　[22:03.97]Because there was such a demand for the product,
　　[22:06.32]many facturers began making tissues in larger and larger quantities.
　　[22:10.44]Because the makers were making tissues in greater quantities,
　　[22:14.13]their production costs were lowered so that the cost of tissues went down.
　　[22:17.92]In the meanwhile, the quality of facial tissues was constantly improving,
　　[22:22.01]because more manufacturers went into the business of making tissues,
　　[22:26.32]and each manufacturer strove to make his product better than his competitors.
　　[22:30.99]Today, instead of costing 65 cents,
　　[22:33.60]a box of 200 facial tissues costs around one third of that price,
　　[22:38.25]and they are both softer and stronger.
　　[22:40.73]When people are free to compete--
　　[22:42.46]when they are free to make more things and make them better--everyone benefits.