大学英语四级考试巅峰 Track 32

[00:01.09]Model Test Eleven

[00:03.82]Section A

[00:06.56]Directions: In this section, 

[00:10.72]you will hear 8 short conversations and 2 long conversations.

[00:16.54]At the end of each conversation, 

[00:19.15]one or more questions will be asked about what was said.

[00:23.74]Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once.

[00:30.19]After each question there will be a pause.

[00:34.68]During the pause, 

[00:35.99]you must read the four choices marked A) , B) , C) and D) , 

[00:43.21]and decide which is the best answer.

[00:46.27]Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 

[00:51.20]with a single line through the centre.

[00:54.65]Now let's begin with the 8 short coversations.

[01:01.19]11. W: George,look at the long waiting line.

[01:06.99]I am glad youve made a reservation.

[01:09.51]M: More and more people enjoy eating out now.

[01:12.67]Besides,this place is especially popular 

[01:16.99]with the overseas students.

[01:18.26]Q: Where did the conversation most probably take place?

[01:38.29]12. M: I wonder if you can drop by tomorrow evening.

[01:43.98]The Stevensons are coming over for dinner.

[01:47.26]I'd like you to meet them.

[01:49.34]W: Sure,I'd love to.

[01:51.31]I've heard they are very interesting people.

[01:54.26]Q: What do we learn from the conversation?

[02:12.00]13. W: The presentation made by Professor Jackson 

[02:17.80]was too complicated to understand.

[02:20.54]M: Well,I think he didn't speak slowly enough 

[02:24.26]for us to take notes.

[02:26.01]Q: What is the man's complaint?

[02:43.00]14. W: You've got your apartment furnished,haven't you?

[02:48.65]M: Yes,I've bought some used furniture at the Sunday market.

[02:53.00]And it was a real bargain.

[02:55.44]Q: What does the man mean?

[03:12.99]15. M: Mary doesn't want me to take the job. 

[03:18.89]She says our child is too young.

[03:21.73]And the job requires much traveling.

[03:24.47]W: You should talk to her again 

[03:26.59]and see if you can find a way out.

[03:29.39]Think about the gains and losses 

[03:31.69]before you make a decision.

[03:34.10]Q: What do we learn from the conversation?

[03:51.49]16. M: I haven't got my scores on the GRE test yet.

[03:59.16]Do you think I should call to make inquiries 1?

[04:02.22]W: There is no hurry. 

[04:04.19]The test scores are released at least 

[04:06.81]eight weeks after the test.

[04:08.78]Q: What does the woman advise the man to do?

[04:26.09]17. M: Have you finished reading the book 

[04:31.89]you bought last month?

[04:33.42]W: Oh,I didn't read straight through the way 

[04:36.27]you read a novel,

[04:37.57]I just covered a few chapters that interested me most.

[04:41.18]Q: How did the woman read the book?

[04:59.24]18. W: Hi, John. 

[05:03.51]Haven't seen you for quite a while.

[05:05.70]Are you fine?

[05:07.34]M: Oh,yes, but luck seems to go against me. 

[05:11.61]I had a car accident, 

[05:13.69]only some minor 2 injuries, though.

[05:16.76]Q: What happened to John?

[05:35.25]Now you will hear two long coversations.

[05:39.19]Conversation One

[05:41.16]W:  Tim,did you get your ticket for the concert Friday?

[05:45.01]M:  I tried to.I stopped by the ticket office 

[05:49.47]on the way back from campus,

[05:51.23]but they wouldn't take my check.

[05:54.18]W:  Why not?

[05:55.38]M:  The cashier said 

[05:56.69]I didnt have enough identification 3 with me—

[06:00.08]a student ID card wasn't enough.

[06:02.82]He said I needed a driver's license 4,too.

[06:06.32]W:  What happened to yours? 

[06:08.18]Did you lose it,or just forget to bring it with you?

[06:12.01]M:  I dont have one.You know me—

[06:14.53]I ride my bicycle everywhere I go, 

[06:17.81]so why do I need a driver's license?

[06:21.09]W:  You could still get an official identification card 

[06:25.36]from the state and use that to cash checks.

[06:28.97]M:  Where do I get one of those?

[06:31.27]W:  At the same place you get a drivers license,

[06:34.54]the Bureau of Motor Vehicles.

[06:36.96]M:  Is that office downtown?

[06:38.82]W:  No, it's out on Southland Parkway,

[06:41.99]next to the Midvale Shopping Mall.

[06:44.39]M:  What do you think I'll need to do to get one?

[06:48.23]W:  Just bring some official document 

[06:50.30]that has your date of birth on it. 

[06:52.60]You could use a passport,for example.

[06:55.23]M:  I'll ride out there tomorrow.

[06:57.63]W:  Good idea.And I'll tell you what,Tim—

[07:00.41]if you promise to cash a check as soon as you can,

[07:04.23]I'll let you borrow some money,

[07:06.21]and you can go get that ticket.

[07:08.83]Questions 19 to 22 are based on the conversation 

[07:14.53]you have just heard.

[07:16.60]19.  According to the conversation,

[07:20.75]why was Tim unable to buy the ticket?

[07:38.93]20.  Why doesn't Tim have a drivers license?

[08:00.00]21.  What does the woman suggest Tim bring 

[08:05.10]when he goes to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles?

[08:23.48]22.  What does the woman offer to do for the man?

[08:44.06]Conversation Two

[08:46.58]M:  Want to go out and get something to eat?

[08:49.96]W:  I can't.I have a chemistry midterm on Monday 

[08:53.58]and a German exam on Tuesday.

[08:56.20]M:  I have a geology 5 exam Monday myself,

[08:59.71]but I think I'm ready for it.

[09:02.11]W:  What kind of exam is it going to be—

[09:04.84]multiple choice or essay?

[09:07.26]M:  Neither.

[09:08.02]The professor is going to give us a mineral sample 

[09:11.19]and we have to identify it.

[09:13.81]W:  How do you do that? 

[09:15.46]I mean,a rock's a rock,isn't it?

[09:17.97]M:  Actually,there are a lot of tests 

[09:20.71]you can perform on minerals to help you figure out 

[09:24.21]what they are.Probably the first tests Ill do 

[09:27.93]are scratch tests.When you do a scratch test,

[09:30.99]you rub the sample on a known mineral 

[09:34.38]to see if the unknown mineral 

[09:36.24]scratches the known mineral or vice 6 versa.

[09:39.74]That tells you the relative hardness of the sample.

[09:43.35]W:  What other tests will you do?

[09:45.32]M:  I'll probably do a streak 7 test next.

[09:48.94]In that test,you rub an unknown mineral 

[09:52.76]against a piece of china to see what color the streak is.

[09:57.14]W:  Why can't you just look at the mineral 

[09:59.98]to see what color it is?

[10:02.06]M:  Well,you can,

[10:03.49]but sometimes a mineral has some other substance in it,

[10:07.98]and the substance can change its color.

[10:10.71]But a streak test shows the minerals true color. 

[10:14.10]Then theres always the specific gravity test,

[10:17.16]the blowpipe test...oh,and...

[10:20.00]W:  And after you've done all these tests,

[10:22.63]can you positively 8 identify any mineral?

[10:26.13]M:  Well, usually...but not always.

[10:29.42]I just hope I can on Monday!

[10:32.26]Questions 23 to 25 are based on the conversation 

[10:37.00]you have just heard.

[10:39.49]23. What type of exam is the man taking on Monday?

[11:00.40]24. According to the man,

[11:03.91]what does a streak test show about a mineral?

[11:22.18]25. What does the man imply 

[11:26.35]about the tests used to identify minerals?

[11:44.99]Section B

[11:47.47]Directions: In this section, you will hear 3 short passages.

[11:53.61]At the end of each passage, you will hear some questions.

[11:57.43]Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once.

[12:02.26]After you hear a question, 

[12:04.22]you must choose the best answer from the four choices 

[12:07.83]marked A) , B) , C) and D).

[12:17.24]Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 

[12:20.19]with a single line through the centre.

[12:20.65]Passage One

[12:22.73]A friend of mine told me that when he was a young man, 

[12:27.98]he went to work as a teacher in one of the states of India.

[12:32.79]One day,he received an invitation to dinner 

[12:37.39]at the ruler's palace.

[12:39.03]Very pleased,he went to tell his colleagues.

[12:43.19]They laughed,and told him the meaning of the invitation. 

[12:48.55]They had all been invited, 

[12:50.85]and each person who was invited had to bring with him 

[12:55.33]a certain number of silver and gold coins. 

[12:59.49]The number of coins varied 9 according to the person's position 

[13:05.29]in the service of the government.

[13:07.69]My friend's income was not high,

[13:10.86]so he did not have much to pay.

[13:14.04]Each person bowed before the ruler,

[13:17.43]his gold went onto one heap,

[13:20.71]his silver went onto another heap.

[13:23.56]And in this way he paid his income tax for the year.

[13:28.37]This was a simple way of collecting income tax.

[13:33.84]The tax on property was also collected simply.

[13:39.32]The ruler gave a man the power 

[13:43.03]to collect a tax from each owner of land or property 

[13:47.84]in a certain area,

[13:49.37]if this man promised to pay the ruler a certain amount of money.

[13:54.74]Of course, the tax collector managed to collect more money 

[14:00.75]than he paid to the ruler. 

[14:03.60]The difference between the sum of money he collected 

[14:07.87]and the sum of money he gave to the ruler was his profit.

[14:13.89]Questions 26 to 28 are based on the passage you have just heard.

[14:20.89]26. What do we know about the speaker's friend?

[14:40.19]27. What was the real purpose of the ruler's invitation?

[14:59.62]28. What does the passage say about the tax collectors?

[15:11.34]Passage Two

[15:13.20]Around the year 1000 A.D,

[15:17.46]some people from northwest India began to travel westwards. 

[15:23.37]Nobody knows why.

[15:25.01]After leaving their homes,

[15:27.75]they did not settle down again,

[15:30.26]but spent their lives moving from one place to another.

[15:35.42]Their later generations are called the Romany people,

[15:40.79]or Gypsies.

[15:42.32]There are Gypsies all over the world,

[15:45.60]and many of them are still travelling with no fixed 10 homes.

[15:50.63]There are about 8 million of them,

[15:54.25]including 3 million in eastern Europe.

[15:58.18]Gypsies sometimes have a hard time in the countries 

[16:03.66]where they travel,because they are different.

[16:06.93]People may be afraid of them,look down on them,

[16:10.55]or think that they are criminals.

[16:13.28]The Nazies treated the Gypsies cruelly,

[16:17.98]like the Jews,and nobody knows 

[16:21.16]how many of them died in Hitler's death camps.

[16:25.43]Gypsies have their own language,Romany.

[16:30.13]They liked music and dancing.

[16:32.86]And they often work in fairs and travelling shows.

[16:36.81]Travelling is very important to them,

[16:40.63]and many Gypsies are unhappy 

[16:43.03]if they have to stay in one place.

[16:46.21]Because of this,

[16:47.74]it is difficult for Gypsy children to go to school,

[16:51.68]and Gypsies are often unable to read and write.

[16:56.38]In some places, the education authorities 

[17:00.55]try to arrange special travelling schools for Gypsy children, 

[17:05.03]so that they can get the same education as other children.

[17:11.05]Questions 29 to 31 are based on the passage 

[17:16.00]you have just heard.

[17:18.61]29. Why did the ancestors of Gypsies leave their home?

[17:40.71]30. What is the attitude of some people toward Gypsies?

[18:02.00]31. What measure has been taken to help Gypsy children?

[18:23.32]Passage Three

[18:25.83]As the car industry develops,traffic accidents 

[18:31.52]have become as familiar as the common cold.

[18:34.47]Yet, their cause and control remain a serious problem 

[18:40.38]that is difficult to solve.

[18:43.35]Experts have long recognized 

[18:46.53]that this discouraging problem has multiple causes.

[18:50.80]At the very least,it is a problem that 

[18:54.51]involves three factors: 

[18:56.84]the driver,the vehicle,and the roadway.

[19:01.54]If all drivers exercised good judgement at all times,

[19:07.01]there would be few accidents.

[19:09.64]But this is rather like saying that 

[19:12.71]if all people were honest,there would be no crime.

[19:16.75]Improved design has helped make highways much safer.

[19:22.88]But the tide of accidents continue to rise 

[19:26.92]because of human failure and an enormous increase 

[19:31.08]in the number of automobiles 12 on the road. 

[19:33.92]Attention is now turning increasingly 

[19:37.54]to the third factor of the accident,the car itself.

[19:41.80]Since people assume 

[19:43.77]that the accidents are bound to occur, 

[19:46.72]they want to know 

[19:48.37]how cars can be built better to protect the drivers.

[19:52.74]Questions 32 to 35 are based on the passage 

[19:57.00]you have just heard.

[19:59.42]32. What does the speaker think of the causes 

[20:05.00]of automobile 11 accidents?

[20:21.63]33. What measure has been taken to reduce car accidents?

[20:43.42]34. What remains 13 an important factor 

[20:49.33]for the rising number of road accidents?

[21:07.28]35. What is the focus of people's attentions today 

[21:13.30]according to the passage?

[21:30.43]Section C

[21:32.74]Directions: In this section, 

[21:36.35]you will hear a passage three times.

[21:38.86]When the passage is read for the first time, 

[21:41.82]you should listen carefully for its general idea.

[21:44.55]When the passage is read for the second time,

[21:47.73]you are required to fill in the blanks 

[21:50.13]numbered from 36 to 43 with the exact words 

[21:54.62]you have just heard.

[21:56.37]For blanks numbered from 44 to 46 

[22:00.64]you are required to fill in the missing information.

[22:04.02]For these blanks, 

[22:06.00]you can either use the exact words you have just heard 

[22:09.38]or write down the main points in your own words.

[22:13.44]Finally, when the passage is read for the third time, 

[22:17.49]you should check what you have written.

[22:20.84]Now listen to the passage.

[22:24.12]All that we really need to plot out the future 

[22:28.05]of our universe are a few good measurements.

[22:31.23]This does not mean that we can sit down today 

[22:34.40]and outline the future course of the universe 

[22:37.25]with anything like certainty 14.

[22:39.22]There are still too many things we do not know 

[22:42.94]about the way the universe is put together.

[22:46.11]But we do know exactly what information 

[22:49.72]we need to fill in our knowledge,

[22:52.02]and we have a pretty good idea 

[22:54.31]of how to go about getting it.

[22:56.42]Perhaps the best way to think of our present situation 

[23:01.01]is to imagine a train coming into a switchyard.

[23:04.29]All of the switches are set before the train arrives,

[23:08.45]so that its path is completely determined 15.

[23:11.95]Some switches we can see,others we cannot.

[23:16.44]There is no doubt 

[23:18.29]if we can see the setting of a switch:

[23:20.59]we can say with confidence 

[23:22.45]that some possible futures 16 will not be realized 

[23:25.84]and others will.

[23:27.16]At the unseen switches,however,

[23:29.88]there is no such certainty about it.

[23:32.41]We know the train will take one of the tracks leading out, 

[23:37.11]but we have no idea which one.

[23:40.29]The unseen switches are the true decision points in the future,

[23:44.99]and what happens 

[23:46.52]when we arrive at them 

[23:48.16]determines the entire subsequent 17 course of events.

[23:52.10]When we think about the future of the universe, 

[23:55.93]we can see our “track” 

[23:57.57]many billions of years into the future, 

[24:00.63]but after that there are decision points to be dealt with 

[24:04.79]and possible fates to consider.

[24:07.75]The goal of science 

[24:09.60]is to reduce the vagueness at the decision points 

[24:13.11]and find the true road that will be followed.

[24:17.82]Now the passage will be read again.

[24:22.52]All that we really need to plot out the future 

[24:26.46]of our universe are a few good measurements.

[24:29.64]This does not mean that we can sit down today 

[24:32.59]and outline the future course of the universe 

[24:35.55]with anything like certainty.

[24:37.62]There are still too many things we do not know 

[24:41.24]about the way the universe is put together.

[24:44.41]But we do know exactly what information 

[24:47.80]we need to fill in our knowledge,

[24:50.09]and we have a pretty good idea 

[24:52.40]of how to go about getting it.

[24:54.58]Perhaps the best way to think of our present situation 

[24:58.63]is to imagine a train coming into a switchyard.

[25:02.14]All of the switches are set before the train arrives,

[25:06.18]so that its path is completely determined.

[25:09.69]Some switches we can see,others we cannot.

[25:13.85]There is no doubt 

[25:15.49]if we can see the setting of a switch:

[25:18.11]we can say with confidence 

[25:19.75]that some possible futures will not be realized 

[25:23.36]and others will.

[25:24.78]At the unseen switches,however,

[25:27.86]there is no such certainty about it.

[25:30.48]We know the train will take one of the tracks leading out, 

[25:34.97]but we have no idea which one.

[26:27.57]The unseen switches are the true decision points in the future,

[26:32.39]and what happens 

[26:33.81]when we arrive at them 

[26:35.45]determines the entire subsequent course of events.

[26:39.50]When we think about the future of the universe, 

[26:43.65]we can see our “track” 

[26:45.07]many billions of years into the future, 

[27:37.21]but after that there are decision points to be dealt with 

[27:41.81]and possible fates to consider.

[27:44.65]The goal of science 

[27:46.62]is to reduce the vagueness at the decision points 

[27:50.45]and find the true road that will be followed.

[28:45.09]Now the passage will be read for the third time.

[28:49.36]All that we really need to plot out the future 

[28:53.30]of our universe are a few good measurements.

[28:56.14]This does not mean that we can sit down today 

[28:59.64]and outline the future course of the universe 

[29:02.27]with anything like certainty.

[29:04.35]There are still too many things we do not know 

[29:08.07]about the way the universe is put together.

[29:11.24]But we do know exactly what information 

[29:14.74]we need to fill in our knowledge,

[29:17.26]and we have a pretty good idea 

[29:19.56]of how to go about getting it.

[29:21.64]Perhaps the best way to think of our present situation 

[29:26.13]is to imagine a train coming into a switchyard.

[29:29.74]All of the switches are set before the train arrives,

[29:33.79]so that its path is completely determined.

[29:37.18]Some switches we can see,others we cannot.

[29:41.45]There is no doubt 

[29:43.42]if we can see the setting of a switch:

[29:45.83]we can say with confidence 

[29:47.68]that some possible futures will not be realized 

[29:50.97]and others will.

[29:52.27]At the unseen switches,however,

[29:55.12]there is no such certainty about it.

[29:57.64]We know the train will take one of the tracks leading out, 

[30:02.35]but we have no idea which one.

[30:05.41]The unseen switches are the true decision points in the future,

[30:10.22]and what happens 

[30:11.65]when we arrive at them 

[30:13.28]determines the entire subsequent course of events.

[30:17.34]When we think about the future of the universe, 

[30:21.05]we can see our “track” 

[30:22.80]many billions of years into the future, 

[30:25.43]but after that there are decision points to be dealt with 

[30:29.91]and possible fates to consider.

[30:32.77]The goal of science 

[30:34.73]is to reduce the vagueness at the decision points 

[30:38.46]and find the true road that will be followed.

[30:45.46]This is the end of listening comprehension.